Summit vs. Grandeur (and a few other questions)

[RSLeesburg]

First Question:

 

We sailed on Grandeur this past year and loved it, and booked again for next year - however, I am now questioning our decision to book a Thankgiving cruise. I have heard great things about Summit, and was wondering about the key differences between Summit and Grandeur from those who have sailed on both.

 

Second Question:

 

We would like to travel with our young son (he is 4). I know that Celebrity is considered a more adult-friendly cruise line, but I have also heard wonderful things about Fun Factory. How many kids are usually on board the Summit (we would be looking at May 7 night to Bermuda)? Also, what is the pool like? Grandeur had a splash area that was gated from the deeper end of the pool. This worked out great. I could not find any pictures of the Summit's pool, so wanted to know if it had a kids section. Finally, would we get the evil eye from bringing a toddler with us :D

 

Third Question:

 

On Grandeur we booked a GS, and on Summit I was looking at Celebrity Suite - I believe that this is slightly larger, and is true one-bedroom, but is the roughly the same type of category?

 

To give you a little background on us - we are not foodies per se, but we do like good food. We are not looking to party down. We just want a quiet, relaxing vacation. We don't drink, we don't smoke. We enjoy a decent show. Our son loved the pool and enjoyed the kids club when his friends were in there. He hated MDR, but loved the free ice cream and buffet. He also loved to sit outside and watch the waves when we were eating. Would Summit be a good fit or not?

[Iamthesea]

Just reading what you wrote, I would pick the Grandeur. ;) We have sailed on her 3 times and still one of my favorite classes of ships.

 

Since your son had such a good time on her, he may feel more at home. The Summit does not have a kids area that I know of. There is a solarium, but limited to adults most of the time.

 

Yes, the CS is larger than the GS. Personally, I would feel more comfortable having my young son in a GS, versus the CS where he would be in a separate room from you.

 

Hope this helps. Perhaps my bumping this will get you other opinions. ;)

Edited November 20, 2013 by Iamthesea

[phoenix_dream]

First off, no evil eye. There are a few posters on these threads who prefer a more childless cruise, but onboard no issues. I have taken my son on Celebrity since he was 3 years old (he is now an adult). He always had a good time.

 

To be clear on one comment above, I do not recall a kids area by the pool but there is a nice kids club onboard. When we sailed with our son when he was young we either used water wings on him, or we played around in the whirlpools.

 

I have not been on the Grandeur, but have sailed other RCI ships. Overall, Celebrity IMHO has better food and service, and a more quiet, relaxed, and elegant atmosphere (without being stuffy). There will not be a lot of kids onboard at that time, but there will likely be a few and the kids program will be active regardless.

[RSLeesburg]

First off, no evil eye. There are a few posters on these threads who prefer a more childless cruise, but onboard no issues. I have taken my son on Celebrity since he was 3 years old (he is now an adult). He always had a good time.

 

To be clear on one comment above, I do not recall a kids area by the pool but there is a nice kids club onboard. When we sailed with our son when he was young we either used water wings on him, or we played around in the whirlpools.

 

I have not been on the Grandeur, but have sailed other RCI ships. Overall, Celebrity IMHO has better food and service, and a more quiet, relaxed, and elegant atmosphere (without being stuffy). There will not be a lot of kids onboard at that time, but there will likely be a few and the kids program will be active regardless.

 

That's good to know. We were pleasantly surprised when boarded Grandeur. The pool was divided by a short metal gate. On one side, there was a large splash area (maybe two to six inches deep) and on the other the was a shallow section around the sides with a deeper section in the middle. I had not expected it, but my son loved running in the splash section. When we were at sea, there were waves in there, and he and the other young kids would run back and forth in front of the waves. He spent hours in that pool. I knew Celebrity had a kids club, and from the pics it looks about the same size as the one on Grandeur.

 

I appreciate the comments. I love the looks of the Celebrity ships, and think we would love them, but we may stick with Grandeur one more year. As the previous poster mentioned, he is already familiar with it, so he may be more comfortable going on the same ship.

[cyntil8ing]

We've taken our kids on the Summit to Bermuda twice, when they were 5 and 7 and again at 7 and 10. They enjoyed both cruises, but if given the choice, they'd likely pick Carnival over Celebrity. We haven't yet done RCCL as a family.

 

There are no kid-specific activities on Celebrity other than the Fun Factory. There are some family-friendly activities including scavenger hunts and dance classes. They also liked the production shows. The pool has a wading area, but not enough room for running around.

 

 

 

 

My son and daughter love the MDR and loved getting dressed up for formal nights.

 

In May, since school is still in session, there will not be a lot of kids in the older groups. I have no idea about the pre-schoolers. I don't expect it would be many.

Edited November 21, 2013 by cyntil8ing

[RSLeesburg]

We've taken our kids on the Summit to Bermuda twice, when they were 5 and 7 and again at 7 and 10. They enjoyed both cruises, but if given the choice, they'd likely pick Carnival over Celebrity. We haven't yet done RCCL as a family.

 

There are no kid-specific activities on Celebrity other than the Fun Factory. There are some family-friendly activities including scavenger hunts and dance classes. They also liked the production shows. The pool has a wading area, but not enough room for running around.

 

 

 

 

My son and daughter love the MDR and loved getting dressed up for formal nights.

 

In May, since school is still in session, there will not be a lot of kids in the older groups. I have no idea about the pre-schoolers. I don't expect it would be many.

 

Thanks for the pics. This makes our decision easier.

 

Our son may grow to like MDR. When we sailed, he was one month shy of turning 4. We ate in the MDR the first night, and we were just about finished with main course, when he told me he was done and wanted to leave. I think it was just too many people for him. So, rather than risk a meltdown, we left early. We had bought and brought a blue blazer for him for formal night, but he refused to wear it. When we went down to MDR on the second night, he would not even walk through the doors. You could tell he was visibly scared and upset, so we left and went to WJ. We went to Izumi one night while he was in camp (that was our 10 year anniversary dinner), but otherwise we ate at WJ the other nights. We may try him in MDR again on our next cruise, maybe another year will make a big difference.

[Iamthesea]

One thing you could do is get the Maitre'd involved and have him match you with waiters that love children. ;) Several of the wait staff do magic tricks for the kids. If you could find that match, your son may be running for those MDR doors every night to get in! :)

[Cindy]

RCI has a dining choice called "My Family Time Dining" (I think they're still doing this). They will serve the children first and quickly at the beginning of dinner, then the children's center staff will pick them up and take them to Adventure Ocean while the adults enjoy a leisurely meal. Something like that might be an option for you.

[RSLeesburg]

RCI has a dining choice called "My Family Time Dining" (I think they're still doing this). They will serve the children first and quickly at the beginning of dinner, then the children's center staff will pick them up and take them to Adventure Ocean while the adults enjoy a leisurely meal. Something like that might be an option for you.

 

They still have this, and we did sign up for it but never got to try it out as it wasn't running first night, and we never made it to the MDR for second night. :). They also offered Adventure Dining, where the AO staff take kids to WJ for dinner. We tried this, but that night he was only kid signed up, so he did not want to go by himself.

[RSLeesburg]

One thing you could do is get the Maitre'd involved and have him match you with waiters that love children. ;) Several of the wait staff do magic tricks for the kids. If you could find that match, your son may be running for those MDR doors every night to get in! :)

 

This is good idea. We met one other couple with two young kids, and I suggested to my wife that we see if they wanted to go eat at MDR together - I figured if he was with other kids, he would go. But she did not want to impose on them :D. But, I may try to take him for lunch, and mention to Maitre'd to seat us at a table with some of their kid-specialist waiters. It will be less crowded, not as long, and give him a chance to enjoy himself...

[Cindy]

They still have this, and we did sign up for it but never got to try it out as it wasn't running first night, and we never made it to the MDR for second night. :). They also offered Adventure Dining, where the AO staff take kids to WJ for dinner. We tried this, but that night he was only kid signed up, so he did not want to go by himself.

 

If you stay with your Thanksgiving cruise booking, there should be more children on board that week.

[RSLeesburg]

If you stay with your Thanksgiving cruise booking, there should be more children on board that week.

 

Yes. Very true. At the moment, I think we are going to stick with our Thanksgiving Day cruise. We know there will be more kids on board, but we hope it will not be too many kids...lol

[Iamthesea]

This is good idea. We met one other couple with two young kids, and I suggested to my wife that we see if they wanted to go eat at MDR together - I figured if he was with other kids, he would go. But she did not want to impose on them :D. But, I may try to take him for lunch, and mention to Maitre'd to seat us at a table with some of their kid-specialist waiters. It will be less crowded, not as long, and give him a chance to enjoy himself...

 

That's a great idea to try it at lunch. :) Also, if you ask to sit at a larger table for dinners, you are normally paired with another family.