Celebrity or NCL with an 18 and 14 yr old.

[brownsc]

Christmas family vacation, I am trying to decide which cruise line and ship (Celebrity Equinox or NCL Norwegian Pear) are better for our children.

 

Appreciate any advice or past experiences.

[miched]

Do it for yourselves. The kids will have a great time on either. Even though NCL may have more bells and whistles I personally think that they will enjoy Celebrity more as the children on NCL tend to get rude and pushy because of those extras.

 

Do a search and you will see other threads where many comment that their kids enjoy Celebrity more than the other lines.

 

happy crusing 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

[Jetswdo]

NCL attracts a much younger crowd. If your kids are very sociable, for them, I think they would enjoy NCL more. Although over holiday time there are more kids on board, NCL is more Vegas style. Celebrity more refined, (JMHO) Now if you prefer a quieter overall experiance, that is a different story. I have been on the NCL Jewel over xmas and new years, and the crowd was very lively. (My dh and I prefer the quietness of Celebrity) but I will say the food was quite good on the Jewel--my daughter was in college at the time and loved the NCL Jewel- DH and I had a perfectly nice time, but if itinerary works for us we prefer Celebrity...

[jkgourmet]

I would be looking at RCCL. Lots for the kids to do, including the 18 year old. Then, I'd consider NCL.

[rjrpar]

I would also consider RCCL

[DinaS]

Christmas

 

family vacation, I am trying to decide which cruise line and ship (Celebrity Equinox or NCL Norwegian Pear) are better for our children.

 

Appreciate any advice or past experiences.

 

I can't speak for the activities for kids since I have none, but I can tell you about my experience with NCL in general.

 

First, let me say that I was a fan of NCL, and in our experience until March of last year, the food was pretty good. I have traveled with my sisters, and recently with my partner - all on NCL - and until recently it has been a good experience.

 

However, my sister and her friend were on the NCL Pearl in December for a Caribbean cruise, and she said the food was so bad that she actually lost weight. My sister is not a picky eater, and she is NOT what most people would consider a "foodie".

 

She also said that her cabin steward left a lot to be desired. They had to keep asking for BASIC things that were missing (soap, TP, etc). She would ask, he would replace the items, and then a couple of days later they would once again be missing BASIC items.

 

She said she will never go on another NCL cruise again.

 

If I were you, I would try RCCL or Celebrity!

[caladezi]

 

She also said that her cabin steward left a lot to be desired. They had to keep asking for BASIC things that were missing (soap, TP, etc). She would ask, he would replace the items, and then a couple of days later they would once again be missing BASIC items.

 

!

 

How do you use up the bar of soap in two days???

[DinaS]

How do you use up the bar of soap in two days???

 

Are you for real?

 

I said "basic items" - I didn't say they were missing a bar of soap every two days. I used the example of soap to explain "basic items".

 

I also never said anything about "a bar of soap", dear. They (NCL) supply liquid body wash in dispensers in the shower.

 

To be more specific, a day or two after the soap wasn't filled, they were missing a box of tissues.

 

Even in the cheapest of hotels, you shouldn't have to ask for missing soap, missing tissues or missing toilet paper.

 

These items being replenished should be automatic - and should be done without having to ask.

 

Period.

Edited March 4, 2015 by DinaS

[dkjretired]

Christmas family vacation, I am trying to decide which cruise line and ship (Celebrity Equinox or NCL Norwegian Pear) are better for our children.

 

Appreciate any advice or past experiences.

 

My kids grew up on Celebrity and loved their childrens programs. Although they don't have the bells and whistles of some other lines, my kids preferred them anyway. Your 18 yr old is at a weird age on any cruise ship, too old for programs, too young to be in bars and lounges as most of his/her age would do. I have been recently on both NCL and Celebrity and for me Celebrity is much better as far as food goes but NCL better in entertainment areas both showroom and in lounges.

 

Celebrity has a much better smoking policy, no smoking inside ship completely, NCL not so good if that matters.

 

One quick point as both info and a warning, on Celebrity your 18 yr old can gamble in the casino.

Edited March 4, 2015 by dkjretired

[itsjb1]

Unless things have changed, on NCL and 18 year old can get beer, so long as parents have signed a consent form. As noted above, 18 is kind of an in between age However, on NCL when our son was 18, he was able to get into the bars, so he did have a place to hang out and meet people.

 

Better food on Celebrity, but more activity on NCL.

[C&F]

I love both lines, but NCL for young adults hands down. We cruise with a large group and create our fun on Celebrity, but entertainment on NCL is top notch.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

I would not choose Celebrity for a 14 & 18 year old unless they are really low key and independent, such as they would enjoy reading a book in view of the sea. If they like to have fun and/or socialize, they would be better off on any fun ship. Younger children would fit in better with the kids programs.

[Jetswdo]

All I can say is that the one NCL cruise that I was on- the Jewel- the food was pretty good. I was once on the Saphire Princess and practically starved to death-- but I was just on the Royal Princess and the food was actually almost as good as Celebrity-- if your kids are quiet and don't need the bells and whistles that cater to kids- then I would go with Celebrity.

[OCruisers]

Our two granddaughters (now older teens) love Celebrity (their favorite) and are also fine with Princess but were not fond of the RCCL or NCL cruises they took. ;)

LuLu

[SNJCruisers]

On thing that has not been brought up are the dates and the length differentiations of the two cruises you're comparing. If you're talking about 2015, the Equinox is 12 days in length, visiting 7 ports and it goes over Christmas and New Years. The Pearl is 10 days in length, does the southern caribbean and a Panama Canal Transit, but comes back on the 31st. In 2016, the Pearl is the same, but the Equinox is a 14 day cruise once again covering both holidays.

Besides the differences comparing the cruise lines, you also need to compare the differences in the length of the cruise and the ports that the ships visit. Good luck

[Shake]

If the Kids were paying for the trip you would be going on NCL next Christmas.

 

But we know that won't happen, so your answer is.......Modern Luxury. :rolleyes: