celebrity vs. RCCL for children

[pema]

we are planning 8 adults ,7 grandchildren ages 16-3 ...cruise 6/2014 after school ends for summer...want to lv. out of N.J. to save on airfares

in looking at cruises for this timeframe I see Celebrity Summit ( 7 nite Bermuda ) RCCL( 5 nite Bermuda ) Explorer....we are Captain's Club and see a special till 11/24/13 15 % discount on Celebrity...

we are looking at O.V...

children's activities on board ship are of utmost importance..therefore that is why I am seeking advice on X vs. RCCL

[Keith1010]

Both have nice Children's Program.

 

I would go with the Celebrity Cruise since it is 7 vs 5 days. Have done Bermuda twice when our kids were young with Celebrity.

 

Keith

[Lerin]

Agree with the post above.

The kids will be happy in either, but 1 gives you two more days of vacation! :)

[ducklite]

Forget what the kids want, both ships will have plenty to keep them happy. Worry about which ship the adults would prefer and go from there.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

[taglovestocruise]

You said that children's activities on board ship are of utmost importance..therefore that is why I am seeking advice on X vs. RCCL . Rccl will have far more to keep kids happy and entertained then Celebrity, A lot of people choose X because of the small percentage of children.

[20pluscruises]

You said that children's activities on board ship are of utmost importance..therefore that is why I am seeking advice on X vs. RCCL . Rccl will have far more to keep kids happy and entertained then Celebrity, A lot of people choose X because of the small percentage of children.

 

I agree. The children will have a blast on RCCL

[OCruisers]

Celebrity does a way much better kids program than you might expect.

 

Our grandchildren have cruised on both RCCL and Celebrity. They liked Celebrity better when younger and still do as older teens. :)

 

LuLu

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[leaveitallbehind]

Don't forget RCI Grandeur out of Baltimore, which also offers a 7-night Bermuda itinerary. Grandeur probably would compare more similarly to Summit than Explorer would. Maybe a little further to drive for you, but we have done both the Explorer 5-night and the Grandeur 7-night and are doing the Grandeur 7-night again next July as we like the extra time in Bermuda.

 

Explorer and Grandeur certainly are two different ships, but with the recent refurbishment to Grandeur, it has the big screen on the pool deck, Chops, Giovanni's Table, Izumi's, Park Café, Chef's Table, and the Centrum Aerial Act. (Explorer of course has the Royal Promenade, etc., but only offers Portofino's in addition to the MDR and Windjammer). Grandeur also has the Diamond Club which Explorer does not yet have, which you can use if you are Elite on Celebrity.

 

Just showing an additional option.

Edited November 18, 2013 by leaveitallbehind

[hansolosmom]

I'd go Explorer even though it's a shorter trip. I think the kids would have much more fun, there's so much more for them to do.

We did Celebrity this summer and the kids didn't enjoy the kids clubs near as much as they did on RC.

[Colorado Kat]

I would go with RCCL.

[cibumcupio]

I would also go with RCI, though not by much. I was just on the Explorer for the first time and extra things that kids would like, such as the rock wall, ice skating rink, inline skating, and things like that are actually not open for very much during the Bermuda cruise. The arcade is not cheap either. We never actually saw anyone on the kiddie water slide. I'm just saying that the difference for kids might not actually be that big. That plus RCI has more smoke in the common areas, and more "raunchy" activities and parties, would make me say that either cruise line would be good. It's not that obvious really.

[RSLeesburg]

Hmmm... Tough call. For the younger kids, both ships would be fine; the older kids would probably enjoy the extra activities on Explorer, but if I'm a kid on my summer vacation, I would rather 7 days to 5. :D. It gives you more time in Bermuda, where beaches, snorkeling, and other fun things will keep them entertained. Grandeur is also another option, as previously mentioned - she does not have some of the bells & whistles that Explorer has for kids, but she does have more specialty restaurants (and has 7 day Bermuda cruises).

 

If Baltimore is too far to drive, then I would go with X just because it's two extra days.