which type cabin to get a small ship feel?

[ddcruiser]

We have only cruised on smaller ships, but thinking of booking Celebrity. Can anyone give me an idea of what type of cabin to get the feel of a smaller ship without crowds? We are not night owls, prefer quiet dining, and must have a balcony. Would appreciate suggestions. thanks. DD Cruiser

[tbugstwo]

Sounds like a suite for you.

[vivi9909]

All the passengers share the same common spaces: pools, theater, bars, stores, buffet, etc.

 

The only difference is the dining rooms: most of the passengers share the large main dining room but the Aqua class passengers are assigned to the Blu dining room and the suite passengers are assigned to the Luminae dining rooms. If you can afford these two categories, you will enjoy a smaller and more quiet dining venue, more personalized and attentive service and better food (the latter point being subjective). Moreover, higher end suites have access to a dedicated bar/lounge called Michael's Club. All the passengers also have access to the specialty restaurants for a fee (available at no charge for some suite categories).

[Orator]

Sounds like a suite for you.

 

A Celebrity Suite or higher will give them access to Michael's Club where they can escape any crowds. A regular suite, if there is such a thing, will give them Luminae for more intimate dining, but not MC.

[hcat]

If you can't do a suite, AQ class will give you generally quieter hallways, the Relaxation Room on S class and Blu, smaller dining room, Anyone can book the Alcoves, little areas on the lawn deck, for daytime privacy of sorts.,,We have also enjoyed the private cabana on Labadee but it is not easy to book one if you are not in a suite,

 

But S class ships are not smaller ships.....compared to Oasis maybe. M class are older but cozier...maybe Azamara would be better for a small ship feel...

[dmk]

I think for that small ship feel you might want to stay away from the S Class ships.

[Wineart]

We previously travelled on small ships (Azamara & Oceania), and book aqua class specifically to get the small ship feel.

[greeneg]

I think that you need to remember that you are going to be on a 120,000 ton ship with 2800+ of your closest friends. There probably is NO cabin that is going to feel like a smaller ship.

 

Ed

[chemmo]

The bigger the room you book the better the small ship experience, quite ironic really! Royal Suite and Penthouse give premium drinks package, unlimited speciality dining, unlimited internet, access to Michael's club which holds some private events as well as being a quiet but very sociable pre and post dinner bar, Luminae suite restaurant and a complementary bar set up in your room. In addition they have good sized balconies complete with small jacuzzis. If the balcony is really important to you look at the M class Penthouse.

 

There are two classes of ship M and S. The S is newer and bigger. We enjoy both.

[1982CruzStart]

We are trying a Celebrity suite on our first cruise with Celebrity in the hope of getting the smaller ship feel that we also enjoy. We figured with Luminae, Michael's Club and a larger cabin space to relax in we could get away from most of the crowds.

I guess i will know in October whether or not this works. I am really hoping so as we already booked one again for next year in Europe.

[SantaFeFan]

Been on Azamara Quest (under 700 people), and Celebrity M-class Infinity. Millennium, and Constellation (about 2,000) and S-class Reflection and Eclipse (about 3,000). The only thing I noticed between them that gave me a "small ship feel" was that the Quest had fewer venues and amenities than the larger ships, so there are fewer places for everyone on board to go to. They felt no more or no less crowded than the Celebrity ships.

 

Sure, the M and S classes have more people on them, but they have much more space to spread these people around. On Azamara, some areas were so compact that they felt crowded even with only 25 people in them.

 

I wouldn't be worried about losing the "small ship feel" and just enjoy yourself. Unless, that is, you enjoy having fewer places to go to and fewer things to do. :D

Edited September 2, 2015 by SantaFeFan

[BSinPNS]

There are 40 or so aft cabins on deck 11 of the M-class ships; most of them are AQ1 with a few insides. Cabins were all added during a recent yard period so they are fresh and new even if the ship is older. On the first day of the cruise there were a few people looking for the lounge - they were confused by fore and aft. Dining in Blu gives you the small ship feel. Also the aft elevator is not frequently used, so we generally walked aft after being ashore or in the theatre and took our "private" elevator to deck 11. We really liked it as it has the small ship feel but with benefits of a larger ship's entertainment, stability, etc.

[Project_gal]

Been on Azamara Quest (under 700 people), and Celebrity M-class Infinity. Millennium, and Constellation (about 2,000) and S-class Reflection and Eclipse (about 3,000). The only thing I noticed between them that gave me a "small ship feel" was that the Quest had fewer venues and amenities than the larger ships, so there are fewer places for everyone on board to go to. They felt no more or no less crowded than the Celebrity ships.

 

Sure, the M and S classes have more people on them, but they have much more space to spread these people around. On Azamara, some areas were so compact that they felt crowded even with only 25 people in them.

 

I wouldn't be worried about losing the "small ship feel" and just enjoy yourself. Unless, that is, you enjoy having fewer places to go to and fewer things to do. :D

 

If you have a number of large [say around 50 people] groups on a ship the size of the Azamara ships, they quickly feel very crowded, and unpleasant, indeed. Larger ships can absorb these [and larger groups] much more easily and can, therefore, feel smaller.

 

We also found that, when events are organised on Azamara that attract most of the guests [say, evening events round the pool] the ships can seem very, very small to those guests who choose not to take part because all the crew are diverted to the event and service suffers badly. This never happens on larger ships.

 

Having said that, by choosing a higher-end suite [Celebrity Suite or above] you will get much of the positive experience of smaller ships [without the above issues but with the additional venues they provide if you are interested in them]. If you are worried about crowds getting on or off the ship [and, this is rarely a problem unless there is some sort of issue at a port] the priority and Michael's Club Concierge escort you get with these suites overcomes this.

 

If you book a Royal or Penthouse Suite on a M-class ship, you will find yourself in "suiteland" the aft section of deck 6 which is very like a private enclave. The area is patrolled by the butlers and stateroom attendants to ensure that the area is secure, it is extremely quiet and you will rarely have to open your own door because someone will get their first and open it for you!

Edited September 3, 2015 by Project_gal

[GUT2407]

'm not sure that a cabin can give you the "Small Ship" experience, unless it's a cabin on a small ship.

 

I looooooove small ships. But they are a disappearing breed

[yorkyred]

Simple answer is if you want a small ship feel cruise on a small ship. The cabin is not going to make a massive difference because as soon as you leave it you want to actually spend time around the ship with everyone else. You are sharing all these public spaces with everyone else, Theatre, most of the bars, shops, reception area, gym,. Can't see the point of paying big money to restrict yourself to 10% of the ship.

[1982CruzStart]

There can be many reasons that someone can't sail a small ship even though that might be their preference. For our upcoming cruise we had to go with a larger ship to get the itinerary we wanted at the time of year we wanted. I am hoping you are wrong yorkyred that by getting a Celebrity suite with more room I will be comfortable spending more time in the cabin to get away from the crowds and by having access to the smaller more upscale restaurant our dining experience will be closer to the small luxury ships we have been on and enjoyed.

 

I guess i will find out this October.

[Project_gal]

There can be many reasons that someone can't sail a small ship even though that might be their preference. For our upcoming cruise we had to go with a larger ship to get the itinerary we wanted at the time of year we wanted. I am hoping you are wrong yorkyred that by getting a Celebrity suite with more room I will be comfortable spending more time in the cabin to get away from the crowds and by having access to the smaller more upscale restaurant our dining experience will be closer to the small luxury ships we have been on and enjoyed.

 

I guess i will find out this October.

 

I am sure that you will not find yourself spending more time in your suite to get away from the crowds but you may, indeed, spend more time in your suite because it is nice to do so. Just one example, we enjoy eating outside so would collect food from the buffet and eat on out balcony if there were no tables available outside - not because we wanted to avoid people. There is more atmosphere being with everyone else but there is the option of our suite if our preference of outside is not available.

Edited September 4, 2015 by Project_gal

[excitedofharpenden]

There can be many reasons that someone can't sail a small ship even though that might be their preference. For our upcoming cruise we had to go with a larger ship to get the itinerary we wanted at the time of year we wanted. I am hoping you are wrong yorkyred that by getting a Celebrity suite with more room I will be comfortable spending more time in the cabin to get away from the crowds and by having access to the smaller more upscale restaurant our dining experience will be closer to the small luxury ships we have been on and enjoyed.

 

I guess i will find out this October.

 

For sure there are many reasons to take a larger ship over a small one and positives and negatives for both. How sharply focussed they are depends upon the individual. The comfort of a larger suite on Celebrity is certainly a very nice way to spend time. I'm sure you will love your Celebrity Suite.

 

Personally I enjoy the freedom of walking about the ship. I don't want to shut myself away in my own space, even if I am enjoying the Celebrity suite life. I love the Celebrity ships and find them very comfortable. The service is very good. I never go hungry. I do however agree with yorkred. The only true way to experience the small ship feel is to go on a smaller ship because as soon as you step out of your cabin on a larger ship you are on, well, a larger ship with more people. Then of course there are the ports you can get to on a small ship that you can't on a large one. For some the intimacy of a small ship isn't their cup of tea which is fine. For some like me like to mix it up.

 

Finally, from the OP's original post I can't really tell if they have a budget in mind so telling them to stay in a Penthouse, Royal or Celebrity Suite may be totally irrelevant. To me it seems an expensive way to get a small ship feel if you are holed up there to keep away from the rest of the ship, but that's me. Perhaps they'll come back and let us know how they feel.

 

Phil

Edited September 4, 2015 by excitedofharpenden

[Project_gal]

I am sorry but I still do not understand why posters see wanting a small experience on a larger, Celebrity ship involves someone shutting themselves up in their suite. It is certainly not our experience.

 

By "small ship experience" I am assuming no crowds, personal service, complimentary alcohol and quality food. In our experience, crowds are more of an issue on smaller ships because they are less able to absorb groups. Being in a higher-end suite, eating in Luminae and having access to Michael's Club does NOT mean that guests in those suites do not experience the rest of the ship any more than those who are in other rooms.

[yorkyred]

I am sorry but I still do not understand why posters see wanting a small experience on a larger, Celebrity ship involves someone shutting themselves up in their suite. It is certainly not our experience.

 

By "small ship experience" I am assuming no crowds, personal service, complimentary alcohol and quality food. In our experience, crowds are more of an issue on smaller ships because they are less able to absorb groups. Being in a higher-end suite, eating in Luminae and having access to Michael's Club does NOT mean that guests in those suites do not experience the rest of the ship any more than those who are in other rooms.

 

As you say I guess it depends on what the individual wants from their cruise. What I would say is we have found the cruise experience on a small ship totally different to a large one. Our first ship was 29000 tons and biggest the QM2. Different atmosphere, noise levels, more intimate, to us it was the difference between a town and a large city, just a different feel. We were not on a six star line so all the things you mentioned above did not come into the equation, I've had better food and service on the QM2. I would agree you can go upmarket on a suite if you can afford it, but I still doubt very much you will get a true small ship experience.

[excitedofharpenden]

I am sorry but I still do not understand why posters see wanting a small experience on a larger, Celebrity ship involves someone shutting themselves up in their suite. It is certainly not our experience.

It's because many suggestions here and right from the start suggest getting a suite for a small ship experience and a CS, RS or PH Suite to be able to get away from the crowds by using the space of the suite, Michael's and Luminae. My own opinion is that regardless of Michael's and Luminae you are still on a large ship and won't get the small ship feel because you are still sharing it with more guests in larger rooms. I wouldn't want to stay in cabin to avoid people.

 

There is nothing thing wrong with the larger Celebrity ships and I really like them. I have said many times that they handle traffic really well, but they don't give a small ship feel like say Azamara's R-Class ships.

 

Phi

[1982CruzStart]

i don't consider it shutting myself away in my cabin. I really like spending time by myself in my cabin or weather permitting on my balcony. I do the same thing when i am on a small ship. We take port intensive cruises so the days we have at sea I am more than happy to spend my time in a large comfortable suite doing some reading and enjoying the ocean going by.

 

My DH likes to wander the ship so he will likely really enjoy being on a larger ship. I am hoping it will turn out to be a good experience for both of us. I get my large suite with lots of comfort and privacy, dining in a smaller upscale spot and what i assume will be a quieter lounge and he gets more spaces to explore.

 

We are indifferent to the entertainment so if it is really good being on a larger ship that is great, if it isn't we will just pass on it and with no effect on our overall experience.

 

Happy cruising to everyone no matter how you like to do so.