Can an M aft lover ever find happiness on an S ship?

[warmwinds]

We want to try one...really, we do. But...those of you who know what I'm talking about will know what I'm talking about.

 

How did you like your S class experience? How did you get over verandah shock? And it's not just the size...we love the wake and the shade.

 

Should we not even bother to try?

[biker1972]

There is so much to offer beyond the veranda. But breakfast on that hugh veranda while sitting at a real table with a smoothie in hand is to die for.:D Guess the hot glass show will have to do until the Infinity gets redone.

[greeneg]

Unlikely. I think that the S-class staterooms that we've been in (SV and 1B) are a clear step below the M-class staterooms that we've had ( CC, 2B, and an Aft Balcony). Better storage, better sitting arrangements, generally more usable space in the cabin. The S-class bathroom is nicer, but how much time can you spend in there? An aft balcony on the S-class is nothing special in my humble.

[bob278]

I agree with Ed in general.

 

We have sailed on S-Class twice. Once in an Aft CC and once in a C2 on the angle. We like the S-class as well as the M-Class (maybe even a touch better) as long as we are NOT talking about the cabins.

 

Ed is right - the storage and "space for stuff" is quirky on the S-Class. The closet feels a little tighter in depth and on the Solstice with the safe in the closet, you can definitely tell the difference.

 

And the couch has got to be one of the most uncomfortable pieces of furniture I've ever tried to sit on. My wife really, really misses the hand held shower. Why would they take those out of most of the cabins? You have to be in AQ or higher to get them. Short people have problems trying to adjust a shower head.

 

We are confirmed aft lovers but would not consider one on the S-Class. Our cabin (2105) was very nice as far as the balcony went. The wake was missing, but we had pretty good views and plenty of covered space.

 

But it would take a significantly better price (or an itinerary that the M-Class just didn't do) for us to choose S over M.

[warmwinds]

Our friends think we are SO BORING...how can we go on the same ships over and over, and in the SAME CABIN???? But thanks for confirming what I already suspected.

[FLJudi]

We loved the aft cabins on the Constellation and Millenium, then tried aqua class and concierge class on the Solstice and Equinox. Now we leave on the Connie this Saturday - back in our favorite aft cabin. Nothing like the view of the wake on a cabin that is as large as your room and is private and partially covered (sun or shade, your choice.)

[reklawr]

We loved the aft cabins on the Constellation and Millenium, then tried aqua class and concierge class on the Solstice and Equinox. Now we leave on the Connie this Saturday - back in our favorite aft cabin. Nothing like the view of the wake on a cabin that is as large as your room and is private and partially covered (sun or shade, your choice.)

 

 

Judi, You take care of those aft cabins on Connie. We've got one booked for April. --- Can't wait!!!:D

[wwcruisers]

Warmwinds -- we had an aft cabin on Solstice in February, and we loved it! We were, however, prepared in advance for the fact that the balcony would be nowhere near as big as the other aft cabins we had experienced.

 

IMHO, if you can swing it, the aft cabins on the Resort Deck are the way to go! It is the only aft deck with any "overhang" to provide privacy (from above, at least), as well as shade and protection from the elements.

 

Most of the Resort deck afts are Sky Suites, but there are a couple of Concierge Class cabins -- which (if I'm not mistaken) have the ever-so-slightly wider balconies. Just don't expect anything like an M-class aft balcony!

[mason525]

Hi- have been on cc aft cabins on the M class a few times & loved that huge balcony every time. Even when there were 3 on us it worked great. In Oct, I went on Eclipse & booked a SV cabin 6307 solo. Felt the cabin just fit my stuff & I'm not an overpacker. Would never have worked for 3. One positive surprise was just how wonderful the wake view was even without extra room. I really enjoyed it & liked the ship's new features.

Meg

[Lois R]

I thought the S class would be too big but I thought the same thing

when I first sailed an M class (after only sailing C class). I was wrong

in both cases. I just returned from 2 S class sailings in the past 3 months

and each cruise was great.:)

Now, I don't book those AFT balcony cabins so that makes no difference

to me. If you know you are only happy in them? Well, you could try

an S class and see how you like it and if it just not for you, the M class

will still be there for you afterwards.

But as for finding happiness? I know for myself,

I was plenty happy on both Solstice and Eclipse:D

[brazilgirl]

That´s a great question....I LOVE the aft FV cabins , they are perfect for our family of 5.

 

I am wondering about the "Solisticization" of the M class ships vs the "real " S class ships...are the newly remodeled ships reflective of all the things people rave about in the S class? If they are , then that would be the best of both worlds!

 

I am going on 2 cruises , with no aft FV cabins. I know I will really miss my gorgeous , grand balcony. know I´ll have fun , but when I look at my dinky balcony , well...

 

Kim

[Giorgi-one]

We also love the aft balconies on the M-Class ships but I think the S-Class ships are much nicer. Unfortunately, the cabins on the S-Class ships are the worst part of the ship. Bathrooms are larger but cabins are smaller and storage design is really dumb. One shelf above the bed means that you have to stack everythinig and climb on the bed to get at it. No storage in the night tables - this must have saved at least $10. It looks like all the cruise lines have the same "disease". NCL just did the same thing - only much worse - on the Epic. The standard balcony cabins are so narrow and the new bathroom / shower arrangement provides almost no privacy- yes there is that curtain. The balcony cabins on the new RCL ships are also smaller. Of course, there is a way around this. Book a Celebrity Suite on the S-class ships. We had one in August - drastic last-minute price drop. It will be difficult to go back to balcony cabins but we will - refuse to mortgage our house for a cruise.

[Chichi]

Judi, You take care of those aft cabins on Connie. We've got one booked for April. --- Can't wait!!!:D

 

 

Ditto!

Bob

[greeneg]

Interesting discussion. For me the bottom line is that after 26 days this year on the Equinox, I am basically going to exclude the S-Class ships from my planning for the future. I feel like I have given them a fair shot and have concluded that the cabins are a distinct step backward from the M-Class ships. At the risk of proving myself a cynic, I think that so many of the deficiencies of the S-Class are intentional, with the purpose of driving the passenger out into the part of the ship where revenue can be generated as opposed to providing a comfortable space to relax and just be laid back ( Silly me, I thought that's what cruising was supposed to be about.)

 

I suppose that if a trip came along on an S-Class at a price I just couldn't refuse, I might consider it, but I suspect that it will either be M-class or back to Azamara or Oceana for us. I have to question that at least as far as the S-class ships are concerned, Celebrity is no longer so easily distinguished from the Parent RCCL.

 

I also think that it's interesting that a lot of people who are finding faults with the "new" Celebrity in terms of food, service, accommodations, the whole bit, are those people who are the most familiar with the "old" Celebrity and truly appreciated the fact that Celebrity really was "a cut above". Sic Transit, etc.

 

Just what I think, of course, but I'm not alone and in some pretty good company, too.

[warmwinds]

Ok, as long as people are starting to be honest, I'll bring up another thing.

 

To us cruising has always been about the MDR.

 

We go on plenty of land vacations where we go to a different restaurant every night and we love them.

 

But when we cruise we want our dining room, our table, our waiters.

 

I do see all the new specialty restaurants as just a way to generate more revenue, and we would probably choose to not be a part of that. I'm really already paying for all my meals with my basic cruise fare....why would I choose to pay so much extra on top of that? So you'll say the restaurants are different, wonderful...maybe they are, but I can go to their equivalent any time I want when I'm not on board the ship.

 

We tried the Olympic once but once was enough. It was just as good but not better than restaurants we've been to in many other places, and just took waaay too long.

 

I know that sounds really cheap to many of you, but that's the way I feel.

[lvcruiser]

Warmwinds - You brought up a very good point, even if it is off topic on this thread. I remember when I first began cruising 25 years ago that the ships had ONE dining venue, the MDR, and that was all. No buffet, no deli, no specialty restaurants and no anytime dining. You picked your early or late seating and sat with the same passengers and had the same waiter and assistant every meal of the cruise.

[greeneg]

"I do see all the new specialty restaurants as just a way to generate more revenue, and we would probably choose to not be a part of that. I'm really already paying for all my meals with my basic cruise fare....why would I choose to pay so much extra on top of that? So you'll say the restaurants are different, wonderful...maybe they are, but I can go to their equivalent any time I want when I'm not on board the ship. "

 

I would tend to agree with this. I think that the Specialty Restaurants are a very nice dining experience, but if you add whatever the MDR meal is valued at-- let's say $12.50 pp just for purposes of discussion, I have no idea what the actual number is, but would be interested to know if anyone does-- then add $35.00 pp, you are now looking at $95.00 per couple WITHOUT wine. To my thinking you SHOULD be able to have a nice dinner for that sort of price, just about anywhere. Puts the Specialty Restaurant in a slightly different perspective in my view.

[The Big Booper]

We never take an aft balcony so I won't jump into that discussion, DW loves to roam the ship and people watch wherever we alight, whereas the aft lovers love to hang out in their private place.

 

But, we don't like the design of the S class verandah cabins. They are listed at 190 sq ft but I don't know where the space is, unless the bathroom is much bigger then the older style cabins on older =X= and RCI ships. I am also talking about the Oasis class ships which have a similar balcony layout, only 6 % smaller then the S.

 

The couch is huge but takes up too much space. I saw a picture of an S class inside, rated at 190 sq ft, and it seemed much larger because it has two chairs instead the large couch and it is squarer in nature then the verandah cabins which are longer.

 

The 178 sq ft balcony cabins on the Connie and the RCI Voyagers / Freedoms function as a more spacious cabin then the S balconies. And the larger RCI balconies in the D class at 188 sq ft blow the 190 sq ft S class balconies out the door.

 

And the over the bed storage cabins on the S ships make it difficult for short people to use.

 

Also, we wound up leaving the basket of life jackets out on the verandah since there was no room in the closet.

[wwcruisers]

We never take an aft balcony so I won't jump into that discussion, DW loves to roam the ship and people watch wherever we alight, whereas the aft lovers love to hang out in their private place.

 

Nah -- We're not THAT anti-social! ;)

It's just one heck of a long walk from our "private place" to anywhere else! :p

[neilrr]

I totally agree with many of you though this is a bit off topic.

 

We were not impressed with "S" class ship. We love the Millennium class ships (and we really like Celebrity) as they were designed beautifully. "S" class pretty to look at but not practical...

 

The stateroom was terrible (as mentioned) - we did have the extended balcony on the hump which wa nice but - standing on the bed to get shirts, only 5 drawers in the room, the sofa blocking the small closet, crawling on the floor for the safe - what were they thinking??? Shower/bathroom nice but again little 2"x3" drawers that were useless. And yes, they put in a ledge in the shower so women can shave their legs.

 

Main Dining Room - not elegant, very modern; upstairs MDR tables set-up like a mess hall due to lack of space (very tight); same size MDR as Millie with 800 more people onboard;

 

Buffet - okay; prefer older layout as people were going in all directions;

 

Martini Bar - Nice but not an intimate place to talk; out in the middle of a public area;

 

Pools - too small and sprinklers for children not necessary; indoor pool no Thallostherapy jets and small.

 

Public Bathrooms - HUGE (in size) for what reason who knows??

 

I beleive they are making some changes to the other ships in the "S" class -- we shall see...

 

If we can't go on the "M" class (unless changes are made to "S" class) then we will look to other lines as well.

 

Happy Sailing!!!:)

[island pat]

Aft cabin lover on M class ships and really appreciate this thread. We have been contemplating S class aft or hump for next year....this thread has us re thinking next years cruise. Thank you all for your advice and sharing your experiences

[warmwinds]

I'm very glad I started this thread...it confirmed what I had been thinking but were afraid to say. Everyone just seemed to LOVE the S class, and I just couldn't warm up to the pictures I saw.

 

And I had no idea at the time about the cabin design flaws or the storage issues.

 

What brought it to a head was that I knew the afts were not the same, and I knew about all the specialty restaurants, but the final straw was not having a nice dancing lounge like the Rendezvous. And only 2 sets of elevators for a larger ship?

 

I can remember our very first M class voyage. They said that they had sought the opinions of many, many passengers to build ships that had everything anyone could want, and we think they succeeded admirably. I wonder who was behind the design of the S class - was it real people or just designers?

 

We are very happy with the M class, are never bored, and if they're going to spruce them up I'm very excited about that. I know now not to waste my time on the S, unless newer ships address the shortcomings. I'd much rather have comfortable and convenient than beautiful to look at.

[The Big Booper]

How about TP holders that actually work so that we are not chasing tp rolls all over the bathroom. Or the public bathrooms.:eek:

[greeneg]

How about no clothesline in the S-Class bathrooms? What a silly thing to omit. I guess that was a major decision by the design committee.......;)

[warmwinds]

No clothesline, less washing of your own clothes, more revenue from laundry service? That's another nice thing about M afts - tons of places to spread out your drying undies :)

 

Sounds like those stupid European tp holders, I hate those.