Which cabin type would you pick?

[TeeRick]

It is your honeymoon so you will spend time in the cabin. Go for the suite and don't look back!

[ECCruise]

All things considered, we would opt for the best balcony available (some good suggestions here). For us, no way AQ/Blu is worth $1000. Would book specialties for a portion of that money. Not knowing how long you have been together, the "you will spend all your time in the room" meme is assumptive. On our honeymoon, having been together for 5 years, we would have spent zero extra time in the room. Especially in Europe. That's a long way to go and a lot of money (for the suite) for someone spending all their time in the room. You can rent a cabin in the mountains for 1/10th the price if that is someone's goal.

[gilkpa]

What cabins have you liked in Aqua class on Reflection?

 

 

 

We have mostly sailed in regular balconies on other lines before sailing on celebrity. It was a S Class (Solstice, Silhouette, Eclipse, Equinox, Reflection). We paid extra for the Aqua because it supposed to be a step better, many extra perks, and a promise of healthier dining.

 

First off we were hooked as soon as we walked on the ship. They handed us a glass of “Champagne” and then walking into the atrium we went WOW!

 

When we went into our cabin there was a bottle of “Champagne” sitting in a bucket on ice ( they no longer do that but is still provided when you request it). All of the veranda type cabins on the S Class are the same size but some have larger balconies. My wife fell in love with the heated stone loungers in Persian Gardens. The shower panel in the shower really tickled her fancy 😜 and the fog free mirror was a novelty. The foot stool on the balcony was a bonus. We loved everything about the cabin.

 

 

Then when dinner came and we went to Blu and we were hooked on AQ. We sailed in a regular veranda on our last cruise because of the price difference and it was a “add on” to a crusie where we were in AQ. We wanted to try regular veranda and the MDR. Chances are we will only book one again if there is a drastic price difference between a regular veranda and AQ. We have now sailed on over 20 cruises on Celebrity and all except for the last one was in AQ.

 

Blu is a little more intimate but we also had a table for two in the MDR. Can’t say that they service was any better in Blu or that it was healthier food. We enjoyed the MDR and also found that dining there for breakfast was actually better. We got the same sweet rolls, juices and the menu had more choices.

 

We never felt the need to dine in a specialty restaurant or pay extra for a suite but we did take advantage of 50% off the first night in Murano because of our B2B Cruise. It was a nice experience but not worth the full price of $50 pp. In Aqua you are usually always given a discount for the first night to dine in a specialty restaurant instead of Blu but in the past we have never took advantage of it.

 

For your honeymoon I would highly recommend the AQ for the price difference. It may not have some of the space or perks of a suite but I am sure that you will feel like royalty compared to the other cruises you have been on. The other is the bed is probably the same size and that is really all you need. 😍

 

Hope this helps you decide. In the end no matter what you decide it will be a great start to a lifetime together.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🛳🇺🇸🌅

[upwarduk]

There are cabin reports here:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=911018&page=139

 

 

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[Lastdance]

One thing that I noted was that your soon to be DH is very tall. The tub/ showers in the Sky Suites are quite low. I know you said that he would like a suite, but maybe not the shower so much.

 

I also agree about the 1A, as it has a larger balcony. But understand that Blu is a bit more romantic IMHO. On S class ships, many Blu cabins have a large overhang.

 

You make a good point of trying the specialty restaurants, ports being intensive and not wanting to pay an arm and a leg, so you can always upgrade after final payment or before if a great deal comes along. That is how we got our first corner aft sky suite. We were in a C2 on the slant of the hump, S class and moved up for only 300. That was five or so years ago in Europe and I kept looking at cabins and prices. It was love at first sight, as the wake and cabin were wonderful!

 

So, I think you kind of answered your own question, but I wanted to add the fact of upgrading for a good deal as a possibility. M class ships are older than S class ships, if that makes a difference to you!

 

Congratulations! Whatever you choose, it will be such a wonderful experience!

 

The Chateaubriand in Murano is absolutely wonderful. They make it for two!

 

 

 

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[Gopherpharm]

All things considered, we would opt for the best balcony available (some good suggestions here). For us, no way AQ/Blu is worth $1000. Would book specialties for a portion of that money. Not knowing how long you have been together, the "you will spend all your time in the room" meme is assumptive. On our honeymoon, having been together for 5 years, we would have spent zero extra time in the room. Especially in Europe.

 

 

Exactly. We’d been together 9 years when we got married, did our honeymoon in the Med in an OV stateroom. We used the savings to fund tours and had an AMAZING time! Define romance how you will, but experiencing Europe for the first time together was exactly what we wanted for this trip. Plus, by not breaking the bank, we did Alaska the next year before turning our focus to expanding our family. Can’t wait to cruise with our son in a few years and make incredible memories as a family!

 

 

 

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[chemmo]

Exactly. We’d been together 9 years when we got married, did our honeymoon in the Med in an OV stateroom. We used the savings to fund tours and had an AMAZING time! Define romance how you will, but experiencing Europe for the first time together was exactly what we wanted for this trip. Plus, by not breaking the bank, we did Alaska the next year before turning our focus to expanding our family. Can’t wait to cruise with our son in a few years and make incredible memories as a family!

 

 

 

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Love your sentiments! At the end of the day only the OP and better half know what they want from their cruise....

Edited December 2, 2017 by chemmo

[NCHPcruiser]

Suite! It's your honeymoon and your husband is very tall. You might try booking AQ, watch rates carefully and hopefully the opportunity to upgrade to a SS will present itself at a lower price that it currently is. On our first cruise (Mediterranean) we booked a SS guarantee, saved a lot and were not disappointed with our cabin at all.

 

Whatever you choose, I don't think you will be disappointed. You'll have a great ship and lots of new ports to explore!

[TeaBag]

I would book AQ for all of the reasons above. We love Blu and we never bother with the Sp restaurants.

[KFray]

Hi there, such an exciting time!

We have sailed on the Reflection & the Solstice both inside cabin & balcony.

You will just love Celebrity, we do!!!

On searching Cruise Critic in the past, I saved these helpful posts and have used these tips to book our next 2 cruises.

Hope this helps as having a lovely big balcony would be very special, especially if cruising the Med!

 

 

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[ChucktownSteve]

For that kind of money, I'd take a look at Oceania in a Concierge. On the smaller ships you get great food, very good service And lots of perks like three free bags of laundry, all the specialty restaurants included and more. It doesn't hurt to look and compare.

 

If you're looking at an R class ship try for an A2 aft cabin. But based upon your soon to be hubby's size, the O class (Marina & Rivera) are larger with 1250 passengers. You also get one free reservation in each of the four specialty restaurants.

 

On an M class Celebrity ship I would definitely select an aft Aqua AQ1 if still available.

[Lastdance]

So, hopefully you are not totally confused and exhausted with everyones' two-cents, as you are the one going on this honeymoon; so only you know what is going to make you happy!

[FSU Girl]

All of these responses have been really helpful thank you all! It is a lot to take in. I think you are all right that a suite probably wouldn’t get the full use out of it.

 

The cruises that intrigue us the most is either Baltic, UK, Iceland. I like some of the Mediterranean ones, but I’ve done those before and I think he wants to try something that will be new to both of us.

 

I like the looks of the longer cruises 10 or 12 days, which will have a few sea days mixed in to relax. We’ll have been together four years by the time the honeymoon happens. I’m not the type of person to relax on the beach all day and like the idea of exploring European cities, I think the long days will work perfectly with a relaxing night on board.

[Turangi!]

If you are looking at Northern Europe, get a copy of Rick Steves Northern Cruise Ports and that should help you decide on an itinerary. Also, I like to go to the library and check out the relevant DK Eyesight Guides for the countries you are considering because of the beautiful photographs and graphic maps.

 

Planning is half the fun!!! Have done the Baltic twice and would do another cruise there...there is so much to see and do!

 

Turangi!

 

 

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[upwarduk]

Planning is half the fun!!! Have done the Baltic twice and would do another cruise there...there is so much to see and do!

 

Plenty of advice on the Northern Europe boards as well.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=192

 

 

 

Depending on which ship you choose you could spend a few days pre/ post cruise in either UK ( Silhouette) Dublin or Amsterdam (Eclipse)

[CaribbeanBound]

For what it's worth, we really liked BLU.

[Silkroad]

All of these responses have been really helpful thank you all! It is a lot to take in. I think you are all right that a suite probably wouldn’t get the full use out of it.

 

The cruises that intrigue us the most is either Baltic, UK, Iceland. I like some of the Mediterranean ones, but I’ve done those before and I think he wants to try something that will be new to both of us.

 

I like the looks of the longer cruises 10 or 12 days, which will have a few sea days mixed in to relax. We’ll have been together four years by the time the honeymoon happens. I’m not the type of person to relax on the beach all day and like the idea of exploring European cities, I think the long days will work perfectly with a relaxing night on board.

 

Regarding Celebrity cruise ships, I’d like to add my two cents. My DH and I tried a sky suite guarantee once, and though the extra space was lovely, we thought the tub/shower ceiling low and oppressive (we are 5’7” and 5’10”). However, there are beautiful, spacious showers in the midship sky suites on Reflection. These are showers with nice high ceilings, not tub/shower combos. Should you wish to try a sky suite, these are the only ones I would recommend to a tall person. You will only find them on Reflection, and only midship.

 

 

Since it sounds as though your interests are similar to ours, I will say that we enjoy Solstice-class balcony cabins, especially those on the angle of the midship hump. I book either veranda or concierge, depending on which is the better price at the time. As you say, you can always explore the specialty restaurants. We book Murano for our special occasions. Should you wish to explore the Persian garden without paying Aqua cabin prices, I believe you can purchase a day pass.

 

 

I hope you have a wonderful honeymoon!

Edited December 7, 2017 by Silkroad
correction