April 17 Cruise - Help! Reflection vs. Oasis Class vs. NC Escape/Getaway vs MSC

[Shadow9612]

So for men on X for dinner - slacks and polo would do?

 

Women?

I have sailed on Equinox, Silhouette, and Reflection. None have felt crowded to me. You won't go wrong on any of them, so if you choose Celebrity, perhaps use itinerary and overall costs to determine which of the S class ships (I can't comment on eclipse or solstice).

 

I find the overall layout of S class ships so well-designed so you don't feel crowded.

 

I started with X in my late 30's, and while there certainly is a wide spectrum of ages, I never felt the crowd was too old or the ship was too boring. Given you (or maybe moreso your husband) prefer to be alone anyways, then this is a non issue -dont worry about the ages of others.

 

I suggest you specifically request a table for 2 in MDR near the window, but even this is close to the next table. I have sailed on HAL, Princess, Carnival as well, and in general find the MDR tables closer to each other than I'd like. However, with so much specialty restaurants now, quite often the table next to you is empty on some nights. It's hit and miss.

 

The food IMHO is better on Celebrity than HAL, Princess, Carnival. I've never been on Royal, but anytime I ask a royal cruiser who is on a celebrity Cruise where they like the food better - they always say Celebrity.

 

As an FYI, I tried Aqua once and didn't find the tables in BLU (the dining room for aqua) any more spread out - it was just as close to me. Also know you can't go to MDR if you are in Aqua, you have to go to Blu.

 

I never have felt pressured from the dress code on X. On Chic nights (formerly 'formal' nights), I've seen men in a suit/tie, sitting next to a table with people in tux and evening gowns, sitting across from casual pants and a golf shirt. So don't worry. (except no shorts/bathing suits in MDR)

 

S class ships also have the 'solarium' -a nice adult only pool area.

 

I can't offer much in the sense of a comparison to the cruise lines you ask about since I haven't tried royal or NCL, but i am happy to answer any other questions about S class ships Jon celebrity. As you can probably tell by now, I'm quite the fan of X.

[Shadow9612]

...we like to drink and love good food along with a nice, clean relaxing atmosphere. The crowd is wonderful....

Just enough "fun" without being obnoxious. Love the music aboard the ship too.

Only have had veranda cabins and love them. The service on Celebrity is outstanding. Highly recommended Celebrity!

 

I second everything that Pier290 said above :)

[Mr. Click]

Slacks and a polo are fine for dinner anywhere on the ship. I even "got away" with it on their "Chic" nights....

[CEOofVacation]

PS... forgot to mention, no shorts permitted anywhere for dinner on X except at the buffet or your balcony!

 

 

Actually on my June 2016 Alaska cruise on X Solstice, a couple (guy was some sort of former football player and now a business man) who was using rather crude language wore shorts to our table at MDR during "chic" night. No one said anything about it.

[aimcat]

Thanks so much for all the info!!!

 

For Shadow- or whomever- if I book with X can I pre-reserve specialty dining online after booking? Also can I with shows? I think RC and NC do this.

[Shadow9612]

Thanks so much for all the info!!!

 

For Shadow- or whomever- if I book with X can I pre-reserve specialty dining online after booking? Also can I with shows? I think RC and NC do this.

 

 

On X, there is no booking of shows - you won't need to. Just go a bit early and you will have plenty of seats to choose from. I often go 20-25 minutes early and the theatre is empty. It only gets difficult on main shows if you walk in a few minutes before show time.

 

I believe you can pre-reserve specialty dining, but you might get better discounts on board the ship - I'm not sure. I'll let someone else with more specialty dining experience comment.

[chisoxfan]

Some great posts and I agreed with almost all of the 'generalizations'. After sailing Reflection a few times and Eclipse I never thought of X as pretentious. We recently cancelled an NCL Getaway cruise for the reasons stated by posters...too crowded with the crew stimulated party vibe. After all we are on vacation not try to relive the hotel scene at a convention. We were also greatly taken aback by NCL removing water from their drink package and charging a gratuity for this when it was offered as "free" (more principle than worried about cost)

 

I was surprised at the MSC yacht club you mentioned. Every time I have checked pricing for this it is at least double what an X balcony would be. If I could book this at the same price I would most certainly consider.The only thing that struck me as a negative was your free drinks were only in the YC area. That said in researching this category earlier the praises were loud and numerous.

 

If I was going to recommend a cruise line (I am well less experienced than many posters I am sure but have sailed HAL, NCL, X, and Princess each 2 or more times) I would say the S class would be a winner for you. Particularly considering their generous free drink promotions.

 

Great luck on your cruising.

[aimcat]

You guys have been so nice and informative! I truly appreciate it! OK a few more questions and maybe I am missing something -

 

On Celebrity when I got to say book a concierge room on Silhouette it will give me an option to choose 2 offers - like drinks, internet, gratuity and on board credit, however it tacks on about another $300 for this pp. I am not seeing the value in adding that at the time of booking or am I wrong? Currently I can get a CC balcony room for 849pp which seems great compared to say RC which is coming out to about 1100 pp for a Superior balcony room. I see a lot of people talking about bonus offers that are included but this doesn't seem to be included.

 

Here is kind of the break down of what I can get and prices to maybe help me this way as well -

 

Celebrity - Silhouette

Concierge Class - 849pp

Aqua - 999pp

(no free offers in this price)

 

RC - Harmony

Superior Balcony - 1100pp

($100 on board credit for stateroom)

 

NC- Getaway (I think I have ruled them out due to bad reviews and so many talking about how crowded it is but....)

Balcony - 1100 - you get specialty dining and drinks but with a hefty surcharge of about 350

 

MSC - Divina

The only thing I was considering with them was YC - I will pay about 1600 PP for this but it has all the added benefits that none of this other has. I don't know how valuable this is for the cost. If I pay this I want an AWESOME vacation as I will have HIGH expectations!

[musik07]

I did the Davina last summer in the YC. We enjoyed ourselves but it was a very different trip. There were a lot of subtle differences including how onboard accounts were set up, the entertainment, beverage packages etc. The food was interesting in YC and to be honest you rarely need to leave YC! The One pool is amazing, however there is no shade there. We would go there for breakfast and stay most of the day. There is also a lounge that looks over the bow of the ship and has 24 hour snacks and a bar. The YC restaurant is in the back of the ship and the food was great. We thought the menu was somewhat limited, and the food was not as 'americanized' as we expected. We also expected a lot of fresh pasta, but they only ever had it with interesting meat combinations that just didn't appeal to us. However we never went hungry, I don't eat pork and one night the entire had beef and pork and they just doubled my beef portion. Looking back we wish we would have tried to ask for stuff from the MDR. The main pool decks on the ship were HORRIBLY crowded, people were actually laying on the floor on towels. We rarely left the YC except to go to shows! For that we bought a pack of 18 drink vouchers and used them for gelato and drinks! However, I would go with one of the lower priced cruises over what the YC costs that week!

[ProfessorEFFE]

aimcat,

 

I think you're going abut this is a very logical way. I also think you most likely won't be disappointed in any of those cruise lines. But for $1500, roughly $500/pp for the Yacht Club I'd be very tempted to try it. I have never tried MSC but I suspect this would be a great vacation. That being said. You know what you want to do on your vacation. Be it laid back or jam packed try to find out what you and your family want to do, where you want to do it, and go with the cruise line that satisfies that need.

 

Keep in mind that if, for example, you want to go to the ruins tour that is being offered in Costa Maya. Your whole family is going on it. Then you find out the weather isn't going to allow your ship to dock, or those tours were cancelled etc. Why did I mention that? Because the ship is your fallback. If you're in an inside room, with a full ship, and no one is going ashore, it's a SEA DAY! That means everyone is jockeying for whatever activity they want to do on board. When that's the case a nicer room, in a special area, with freebie drinks, hors d' overs, it's easier to deal with that kind of disappointment. :D Ships always have enough room it just can be tight.

 

With what you had just posted regarding price, I would go Aqua on the Reflection. But that MSC at 500 bucks more for Yacht Club looks very inviting. It's 50% more but you get all the perks. However Those perks would be much more expensive had you purchased them.

 

Consider this: What a great quandary you have deciding on which cruise to take. Good luck! I'd like to know which you selected and how the cruise was after you came back.

 

Have a great day!

[aimcat]

Professor just to clarify the YC price was 1600 per person..... All the prices listed were per person just wanted to clarify bc that will make a difference! I appreciate the posts and helpful advice so much!

[mafig]

Professor just to clarify the YC price was 1600 per person.....�� All the prices listed were per person just wanted to clarify bc that will make a difference! I appreciate the posts and helpful advice so much!

 

 

I think he was saying YC was $500 p/p more.

Did you do the status match? Remember after you do that you get 5% off MSC's price.

[aimcat]

Oh I see! Yes, I did status match. We are gold with carnival and only got classic with MSC which is confusing but still ok I guess. That price included the 5%.

[champagne123]

Oh I see! Yes, I did status match. We are gold with carnival and only got classic with MSC which is confusing but still ok I guess. That price included the 5%.

 

 

Your status match is incorrect. I am gold on Carnival also....and matched to Silver on MSC. I would call back and have it corrected.

Edited March 4, 2017 by champagne123
xxxxxx

[aimcat]

Guys.....on Celebrity - with Concierge it says you get priority boarding, embarkation, debarkation, priority seating - this seems pretty decent to me considering I could skip some lines. What do you guys think about this vs Aqua?

[aimcat]

I thought i had everything figured out and had decided on reflection for the april 15th date, however i have free plane tickets with my miles and to get the tickets it wont work to come in on the 14th. which i really thought it would be much better to come a day before. but even trying to come in on the 15th wont work because they flights come in to late! :( now i kind of back to the start - so - Norwegian i thought i had rulled out but they may be back in - also oasis classes.......

[purpletequila]

Another factory - entertainment - we like shows, comedy and music.

 

 

For this reason, NCL Escape. Yes, you will be hitting Nassau and St Thomas again along with Tortola but if you've never been to St john, you could have 2 of 3 new ports!

 

I was a Celebrity enthusiast for years, and will be booking on the new Edge ship but, after my last Reflection cruise in 2015, I had enough of the ghost ship atmosphere at night. It just became ridiculous for us and we're near your age.

 

So, free food, Celebrity wins without it being close. The buffet on the Escape is terrible imo and it is a big square cafeteria setup.

 

Specialty dining is close but, with Murano and the Lawn Club Grille, I give the edge to Celebrity but not by much. If cost came into play, I give it to NCL because X did away with its unlimited dining as far as I know and while I'm not up on the package pricing, most specialties on X are around $50 each. If you do choose NCL and take the specialty dining, pre-book the a la cartes to get your money's worth.

 

The spa..if you're into that sort of thing, goes to NCL. The spa on the Escape is just incredible.

 

Private areas......well, X has the solarium adults only area which is usually quiet as well as some higher decks with tucked away areas that definitely offer peace, quit and privacy. You will not really find that on the Escape. (I did the Escape and am booked on the Getaway later this year.) The Escape, and NCL in general, is kind of stupid with the whole pool situation considering the amount of people they have onboard. There is an option called the Vibe on the Escape which offers a private key card access only area of a deck, adults only, with its own bar, hot tub and "upgraded loungers" (they're the ones that are standard everywhere on Celebrity). That area is limited to around 60 or 70 passes per sailing, cost an additional $99 and unless you get to the port hours before boarding, get groups 1-4 boarding passes and run like you're on the Amazing Race, there is no guarantee you will score a pass as everyone and their mother wants them because it is an escape from the craziness. MOST DEFINITELY, Celebrity wins this category. The Escape is positively crowded whereas I have never had an issue finding private space on Celeb. But, I had Vibe passes so I wasn't subjected to the crowds during the day. And while they sold about 70 Vibe passes, there was literally never, not one day, more than 20 people in there at any given time.

 

Now, ENTERTAINMENT. My friend, listen up and if you ignore everything else I've said, hear this. LOL You're in your 30s and are stating that entertainment is important to you guys. GO ON THE ESCAPE OR RCCL BUT WHATEVER YOU DO, TAKE CELEBRITY OUT OF THE EQUATION.

Entertainment has LONG been their weakness and they themselves are well aware of it. They are trying to improve it and gear it towards a younger crowd but it is still a work in progress.

I didn't want to go to NCL because Celebrity is a much nicer line in general but I simply could not take it anymore with the lack of entertainment and things to do at night. The Escape was insane fun wise. There is always something going on. The casino is huge and actually pays out. The shows honestly are Broadway quality if you're into shows. They have crazy fun, rocking deck parties which were the highlight of our trip, I think it was 4 nights out of the 7, which begin at 10:30pm and go most of the night and if they do end for whatever reason, the party carries over to a bar/dance area that is open till the last person leaves basically. We were there until almost 4am one morning. Followed that up by hitting their 24/7 pub for some wings because who doesn't want late night/early morning wings after dancing most of the night? ;) They also have hilarious comedians that perform in a dedicated comedy club. They have the dueling piano outfit, Howl at the Moon which was a blast! They have a karaoke bar. They have the ropes course if you guys are active. It's just awesome.

 

Bottom line is what I said, do not go with Celebrity if you are in your 30s and entertainment is important.

Edited March 5, 2017 by purpletequila

[purpletequila]

We did not enjoy Ref..also at the time it had a loud Miami DJ party vibe.

 

They say that but if you've ever been to a Miami club, well eh. It's nothing like that.

I can't remember the DJ on our Reflection cruise from 2015 but he was miserable. We actually got to know him a bit and started talking and he said Celebrity really controlled what he could play and how etc and he was not happy about it. He wanted more EDM and less of whatever it was they were playing. I tried their Miami vibe club party in the wine area and it was laughable with cage dancers and music from the 90s.

[purpletequila]

On X, there is no booking of shows - you won't need to.

 

 

You certainly won't. ;p

[purpletequila]

You guys have been so nice and informative! I truly appreciate it! OK a few more questions and maybe I am missing something -

 

On Celebrity when I got to say book a concierge room on Silhouette it will give me an option to choose 2 offers - like drinks, internet, gratuity and on board credit, however it tacks on about another $300 for this pp. I am not seeing the value in adding that at the time of booking or am I wrong? Currently I can get a CC balcony room for 849pp which seems great compared to say RC which is coming out to about 1100 pp for a Superior balcony room. I see a lot of people talking about bonus offers that are included but this doesn't seem to be included.

 

Here is kind of the break down of what I can get and prices to maybe help me this way as well -

 

Celebrity - Silhouette

Concierge Class - 849pp

Aqua - 999pp

(no free offers in this price)

 

RC - Harmony

Superior Balcony - 1100pp

($100 on board credit for stateroom)

 

NC- Getaway (I think I have ruled them out due to bad reviews and so many talking about how crowded it is but....)

Balcony - 1100 - you get specialty dining and drinks but with a hefty surcharge of about 350

 

MSC - Divina

The only thing I was considering with them was YC - I will pay about 1600 PP for this but it has all the added benefits that none of this other has. I don't know how valuable this is for the cost. If I pay this I want an AWESOME vacation as I will have HIGH expectations!

 

 

Should only be about $100 per person for that 18% service charge on the value.

 

I hope you have a great time and I'm sure you will with whichever cruise you pick but remember me if you book Celebrity and find yourselves staring at each other after 9 or 10pm.

[purpletequila]

Guys.....on Celebrity - with Concierge it says you get priority boarding, embarkation, debarkation, priority seating - this seems pretty decent to me considering I could skip some lines. What do you guys think about this vs Aqua?

 

The lines are not bad on Celebrity and 90% of cruisers familiar with X will tell you not to pay the upgrade for Concierge and just go to Aqua if you're looking for something a little more than a balcony. Concierge is a silly category.

Edited March 5, 2017 by purpletequila

[purpletequila]

Norwegian i thought i had rulled out but they may be back in - also oasis classes.......

 

If you can score those Vibe passes......it has everything you are looking for.

[aimcat]

Ok the vine thing sounds perfect but what are the chances there will still be some left now to purchase for a cruise in 45 days? Does it give you the option to purchase online?

Also for anyone that has done NC and Oasis class which is better for crowds? When I first saw Harmony I thought I had to go but after I looked it seemed more like an amusement park than a ship. Maybe I'm wrong.

[champagne123]

Ok the vine thing sounds perfect but what are the chances there will still be some left now to purchase for a cruise in 45 days? Does it give you the option to purchase online?

Also for anyone that has done NC and Oasis class which is better for crowds? When I first saw Harmony I thought I had to go but after I looked it seemed more like an amusement park than a ship. Maybe I'm wrong.

 

 

Oasis class is hands down better for crowds. We never once felt crowded on the Oasis or Allure. Plenty of pools and hot tubs. NCL/Breakaway pool deck was insane. Tiny pool area with people fighting over lounge chairs. Sooooo cramped.

[Shadow9612]

I thought i had everything figured out and had decided on reflection for the april 15th date, however i have free plane tickets with my miles and to get the tickets it wont work to come in on the 14th. which i really thought it would be much better to come a day before. but even trying to come in on the 15th wont work because they flights come in to late! now i kind of back to the start - so - Norwegian i thought i had rulled out but they may be back in - also oasis classes.......

 

I hope you are enjoying this planning phase – You’re doing a great job IMO about laying things out thoroughly and logically. Not to throw a kink into your planning, but, you may also wish to consider 2 things:

(i) Are you paying more for the other cruises by using your free flight?

(ii) For the April 15 Reflection, have you tried your free air travel to arrive in FLL – this is an option which given your thoroughness, you probably explored, but just in case :eek:

 

 

I’m just suggesting that since you concluded Celebrity, you should analyze the overall impact of using your free flight or not. (Of course, you may financially ‘need’ to use your free flight now, which is understandable. Budget always plays into what we can do, vs. what we want to do).

 

 

Also, since this is your first cruise in about 10 years, you want to make sure you enjoy the cruise you choose :D [where’s the value in a free flight if you get to a ship/cruise you don’t enjoy]

 

 

Private areas......well, X has the solarium adults only area which is usually quiet as well as some higher decks with tucked away areas that definitely offer peace, quit and privacy. You will not really find that on the Escape. (I did the Escape and am booked on the Getaway later this year.) The Escape, and NCL in general, is kind of stupid with the whole pool situation considering the amount of people they have onboard. There is an option called the Vibe on the Escape which offers a private key card access only area of a deck, adults only, with its own bar, hot tub and "upgraded loungers" (they're the ones that are standard everywhere on Celebrity). That area is limited to around 60 or 70 passes per sailing, cost an additional $99 and unless you get to the port hours before boarding, get groups 1-4 boarding passes and run like you're on the Amazing Race, there is no guarantee you will score a pass as everyone and their mother wants them because it is an escape from the craziness. MOST DEFINITELY, Celebrity wins this category. The Escape is positively crowded whereas I have never had an issue finding private space on Celeb. But, I had Vibe passes so I wasn't subjected to the crowds during the day. And while they sold about 70 Vibe passes, there was literally never, not one day, more than 20 people in there at any given time.

 

Now, ENTERTAINMENT. My friend, listen up and if you ignore everything else I've said, hear this. LOL You're in your 30s and are stating that entertainment is important to you guys. GO ON THE ESCAPE OR RCCL BUT WHATEVER YOU DO, TAKE CELEBRITY OUT OF THE EQUATION.

 

Bottom line is what I said, do not go with Celebrity if you are in your 30s and entertainment is important.

 

The OP stated their original concerns were Food, Space and Entertainment. They listed in that order, although I’m not sure if that is a priority order. They also stated they like to spend time alone – so crowded parties on the Escape may not be what they want.

 

I love Celebrity and haven’t sailed on NCL or Royal. Still, I do my best to call Celebrity out on areas of decline. I agree that Celebrity needs work on their entertainment. X will probably put on 2 of their own production shows in a 7 day cruise, which aren’t ‘bad’. In fact, I think they are very good especially the aerial components. The other acts they bring in, are hit and miss. I probably saw the funniest comedian ever on a recent X cruise. Celebrity Life Activities are improving, especially evening events which are geared at ‘younger’ (and older!) cruisers – e.g. the Liar’s Club or Newlyweds game.

 

 

The OP has to balance many competing needs – budget, food, space, flight costs, and entertainment.

 

However, if they choose the Escape - what’s the point of being on a ship with amazing entertainment, busy crowds, and less quality food, when ALL of those were important to the OP…..I’m not criticizing Escape, since I’ve never been on it. Given the OPs list of desires, and based on what I'm reading above, I would only 'consider' escape IF Vibe was available to them.