Which ship for a 1st time Celenrity Cruiser ?

[Kamloops50]

Myself and DW have done 15 cruises total

10 on Princess

3 on Holland

2 on RCI.

We are both around 60 and just enjoy the cruise for the ship.

I'm looking at three cruises for 2015

10 day Caribbean on the Equinox

16 day Transpac on the Millie

12 day Japan cruise on the Century

16 day Aust to Hawaii on the Solstice

 

Which ship and cruise should we consider ?

Any recommendation gladly accepted.:confused::cool:

[wallie5446]

All great choices, go with the route that would be different from any you have sailed.

[fredflint]

any solstice class ship why go with an older one, unless you can get a great cabin and you care about cabins!

[Miss SeaBee]

If you just enjoy cruising for the ship, consider what features you enjoy in a cruise ship. Century is the smallest and oldest ship in the Celebrity fleet. Has been recently refurbished, but I think it will still seem a bit dated. Millennium is M class, larger and newer than Century, also recently refurbished, but still an older, smaller ship than S class. Solstice and Equinox are S class ships, the newest largest Ships in the Celebrity fleet, with more public spaces, bells and whistles, and wow factor. I personally prefer the S class, many others, especially those long-time cruisers who have a nostalgia for the good old cruising days, prefer smaller and older ships.

 

Also, if you value the spa experience much (I do!), the S class spa area, Persian Gardens in particular, is vastly superior than M class, IMO.

 

 

Send from device_name using Cruise Critic your_app_name App

[ghstudio]

I would look for solstice, eclipse and equinox cruises. They are the first three of the solstice class ships....large enough to have more specialty restaurants and generally more space....and those three have the corning museum glass demonstrations which are unique. Later solstice class ships added new, revenue producing areas that cut down on passenger enjoyment areas....namely the addition of cabanas and replacement of the corning shows with a new (fee) restaurant. The newest ship added passengers without significantly increasing the size of dining areas and public space so while it's the newest, it's also more prone to a bit of waiting in line.

 

All are great....but since you asked.....

[Azulann]

As an experienced cruiser who cruises for the ship as you said, I would pick the Equinox or Solstice for your first experience of Celebrity.

 

All the ships mentioned have great service, wonderful food, plenty of bars, and friendly officers, on board lectures, theater shows, and a welcoming glass of bubbly as you are welcomed aboard.

[royalcruz]

We did not like Century at all...the others are good.

[PORT ROYAL]

Myself and DW have done 15 cruises total

10 on Princess

3 on Holland

2 on RCI.

We are both around 60 and just enjoy the cruise for the ship.

I'm looking at three cruises for 2015

10 day Caribbean on the Equinox

16 day Transpac on the Millie

12 day Japan cruise on the Century

16 day Aust to Hawaii on the Solstice

 

Which ship and cruise should we consider ?

Any recommendation gladly accepted.:confused::cool:

 

My preference in this order - Equinox / Solstice / Millie

[TeaBag]

My pick is the Solstice because it is the longest cruise and the itinerary is awesome. Equinox is second. We have sailed on all of these ships, most recently Mille for 37 days transpacific from Asia. Thank goodness she didn't have her problems when we were in the middle of the Pacific. I'm sure she will be fine again after her fix which she is presently undergoing.

[Miss SeaBee]

I would look for solstice, eclipse and equinox cruises. They are the first three of the solstice class ships....large enough to have more specialty restaurants and generally more space....and those three have the corning museum glass demonstrations which are unique. Later solstice class ships added new, revenue producing areas that cut down on passenger enjoyment areas....namely the addition of cabanas and replacement of the corning shows with a new (fee) restaurant. The newest ship added passengers without significantly increasing the size of dining areas and public space so while it's the newest, it's also more prone to a bit of waiting in line.

 

All are great....but since you asked.....

 

I think that is a matter of opinion , too. I went to the glass show on Solstice once and found it boring to me, personally. I realize some like it, but certainly not all. Also, I prefer Reflection for for lots of reasons, including the addition of Aqua Suites, which we will take advantage of on our next cruise, for those of us who prefer suites, but want to try the whole "Aqua Class" concept, addition of the Porch and the the Lawn Club Grill. So it is all very subjective. I guess the best thing for the OP to do is research each ship for specifics, then make a decision based on his personal taste.

 

 

Send from device_name using Cruise Critic your_app_name App

[Cruising89143]

I would go by itinerary and not by ship.

[miched]

Start at the bottom of the M class and work your way up, that way each cruise will be a totally new experience and you will enjoy the journey. Eventually along the way will earn Elite status and the cruises will become a totally new experience. This way you will never get bored.

 

if you start at the top then the rest of the ships may be a disappointment. That is what happens to us when we went from the S class to the M class. We took another M class cruise and then knew what to expect and the cruise was much more enjoyable, it is hard to explain until experience the difference.

 

 

.

[jackdiamond]

I would go by itinerary and not by ship.

Somewhat off topic, since the OP indicated a preference for ship.

[Cruising89143]

Somewhat off topic, since the OP indicated a preference for ship.

 

Excuse me for making a comment. :rolleyes: Is there anything else that you would like to add to this thread?

[zoncom]

Been on them all. Solstice and that cruise best. Hope to do it in 14.

[cruisetrail]

Which ship for a 1st time Celebrity Cruiser ?

 

Obviously the Eclipse - the best ship in the fleet.

Second - Equinox

Third - Solstice that may be somewhat tired a bit in comparison.

[gimletgal]

All the Celebrity ships you mentioned would be good picks. They are all comfortable and well staffed - some are just newer. To me, it would come down to which itinerary intrigues you the most. I'm sure you will enjoy whichever one you pick! :D

[Mark_K]

Somewhat off topic, since the OP indicated a preference for ship.

The OP said ship AND cruise, presumably itinerary is part of the cruise.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[phoenix_dream]

If you are looking primarily between which ship to pick, it is really dependent on what you are looking for in a ship and what matters to you. All Celebrity ships will have good (or better) food, excellent service, nice staterooms, good ambiance, and decent entertainment. The newer and bigger ships have more in the way of entertainment, activity, and eating venue choices as well as be....well, newer. The older Celebrity ships are generally well-maintained but you will see their age showing here and there. I am in your age group and as a long time cruiser I do in fact really enjoy the older ships as much as the newer ones, but some people (particularly younger or newer to cruising) like the increased size and activity on the larger ships.

 

With a few exceptions, you will have a good choice of rooms on any ship category. I do not recall if you said what type of room you prefer. Room sizes can vary somewhat by class of ship, but not substantially - room size information can be found on the website. Standard outside or balcony cabins on S class are a tad bit bigger than on M class or Century. But CC and AQ rooms on M class are bigger than standard (but about the same size as the standard outside on S class).

[Orator]

Myself and DW have done 15 cruises total

10 on Princess

3 on Holland

2 on RCI.

We are both around 60 and just enjoy the cruise for the ship.

I'm looking at three cruises for 2015

10 day Caribbean on the Equinox

16 day Transpac on the Millie

12 day Japan cruise on the Century

16 day Aust to Hawaii on the Solstice

 

Which ship and cruise should we Any recommendation gladly accepted.:confused::cool:

You really haven't provided enough information about what you feel is important to you. What size ship do you prefer? What activities a important to you? What are your interests? What ports of call have you visited? What ports of call would you like to see? How important is cost? I would do either the Century or Solstice since ports of call a more important than the ship. But, that's me. Equinox would be my first choice if I based my choice on ship. However, I find the Caribbean uninteresting. Century would be my last choice for ship since the dry dock is too short for overhaul and there is always a chance that it will be sold prior to your cruise. Hope this helps.

[Kamloops50]

We usually have a balcony. Evening shows and things like trivia aren't important. Musical trios etc are what we like to listen at night having nice cup of tea. A deck with steamer chairs for being close to sea if aren't on our balcony.

 

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Forums mobile app

[Orator]

We usually have a balcony. Evening shows and things like trivia aren't important. Musical trios etc are what we like to listen at night having nice cup of tea. A deck with steamer chairs for being close to sea if aren't on our balcony.

 

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Forums mobile app

 

Any of the ships offer evening music and a place to get tea. They all have steamer chairs; however you may want to sit on the starboard side since smoking is allowed on part of the port side where chairs are available.

[Kamloops50]

Any of the ships offer evening music and a place to get tea. They all have steamer chairs; however you may want to sit on the starboard side since smoking is allowed on part of the port side where chairs are available.

 

That doesn't bother us because most smokers find the deck too windy except in port.

 

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Forums mobile app