Celebrity or RCCI Independence

[Seren77]

Hello all

 

I am new to this site and new to cruising! a total beginner although I have very much enjoyed finding my way around this site and reading lots of helpful information already.

 

So - we are a family of 3, my husband and I mid-30s, enjoy travel, culture, history seeing different places and staying in lovely hotels and villas. However we now have a little toddler (14 months currently) so our holidays have changed somewhat! not very relaxing anymore as she wants to be on the go and exploring all the time. A friend has therefore recommending cruising. To help us out :-) we have invited my husbands grandparents who can help us to keep an eye on her so potentially we may be able to read a book or two and have a swim once in a while. We are also hopeful that we will be able to enjoy the majority of port excursions particularly where there is minimal travel involved and we will have the pushchair etc.

 

So we are wanting to go in SEptember from Southhampton to avoid both school holidays and flights. After lots of research we have narrowed down our options to either :

 

1) 16 night Mediterrian on Celebrity Eclipse

2) 14 night Italian Med on RCI Independence.

 

On Eclipse we can only have 2 adjoining balcony rooms (would love suites but the price is astronomical) whilst on RCI we can have the Royal Family Suite with two bedrooms and a big balcony for roughly the same price. Accommodation wise we would much prefer the Royal Family Suite as we get lots of space & one couple can chill out there in the eve to allow toddler to sleep.

 

I *think* however that I would much prefer the service & atmostphere on Eclipse and I am very offput by some of the reviews about independence which compare it to a holiday camp and people fighting over food and queues everywhere. Its hard to know if these reviews are exaggerated or even just specific cruises at a certain time of year?

 

Given our toddler is not yet old enough to benefit from all the clubs and various activities on RCI would we be better in the more sophisticated Eclipse environment notwithstanding we will have much less cabin space and we'll have to be up and out every day with toddler because no room for her just to hang out. In the eves we would obviously have to be in the adjoining cabin or on balcony whilst she sleeps.

 

I am very torn and don't want to make the wrong decision as it is so much money. Do you please have any views on which ship would be better in our circumstances? I hope I have provided enough information.

 

THANK YOU!