Will I be happy on an older ship?

[NEW 2 CRUISIN]

Yes.

[Mirage]

I do not think the M or S Class are any "Less" than the E class.

All in my view have their own unique charm.

Last Year Apex TA and another Apex Cruise

This year it was Edge, then B2B Reflection - Edge.

Couple weeks it will be Apex for NYE.

 

None on Edge class were IV's as we have done that and not a fan of IV's.

Your mileage may vary.

 

Mirage

 

 

[jelayne]

13 hours ago, deliver42 said:

If you're sailing in a regular balcony, the S Class have real balconies, while the E class has the IV's.

If one’s priority is a real balcony then S or M class are better.  If dining  and entertainment are priorities then E class with the 4 MDRs and the added menu “exclusives”: and the technology and amazing production shows in both the theater and the Club are the ship to book. 

[Cruise a holic]

On 11/30/2023 at 6:36 AM, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

My first Celebrity experience was Edge. My second was Summit. I loved them each for different reasons. Both are gorgeous and IMHO a step above Royal - at least Radiance Class, which is all the Royal I've sailed.

We rotate our cruises between Celebrity and Royal.  The Radiance Class ships are rust buckets and IMO very old fashioned.  They lack the ambiance of the Oasis class ships.  They would be a better comparision to Celebrity S and E class ships.  We sailed on the Adventure of the Seas last summer and it was one of the worst ships we have sailed on.  I think you need to try a newer Royal ship.  We are scheduled to sail on th Icon in March.  Hope that isn't a disappointment.

[villauk]

4 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

We rotate our cruises between Celebrity and Royal.  The Radiance Class ships are rust buckets and IMO very old fashioned.  They lack the ambiance of the Oasis class ships.  They would be a better comparision to Celebrity S and E class ships.  We sailed on the Adventure of the Seas last summer and it was one of the worst ships we have sailed on.  I think you need to try a newer Royal ship.  We are scheduled to sail on th Icon in March.  Hope that isn't a disappointment.

 

Sad to hear as our first ever cruise was on Brilliance of the Seas and we loved her 🥲.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

5 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

We rotate our cruises between Celebrity and Royal.  The Radiance Class ships are rust buckets and IMO very old fashioned.  They lack the ambiance of the Oasis class ships.  They would be a better comparision to Celebrity S and E class ships.  We sailed on the Adventure of the Seas last summer and it was one of the worst ships we have sailed on.  I think you need to try a newer Royal ship.  We are scheduled to sail on th Icon in March.  Hope that isn't a disappointment.

I actually love the Radiance class ships and really don’t want the behemoth class Royal has.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

1 hour ago, villauk said:

 

Sad to hear as our first ever cruise was on Brilliance of the Seas and we loved her 🥲.

I have sailed 3 of the 4 Radiance class ships and I have loved them all!

[NMTraveller]

13 hours ago, jelayne said:

If one’s priority is a real balcony then S or M class are better.  If dining  and entertainment are priorities then E class with the 4 MDRs and the added menu “exclusives”: and the technology and amazing production shows in both the theater and the Club are the ship to book. 

IMHO the ambience is missing on E class dining.  I found the specialty dining venues to be loud and shouty.

 

S class is more quiet and laid back.

 

There are quite a number that prefer S class over E.

 

Shiny and new vs functional and grandiose.

 

S class also has many outward facing views.  In other words you are more likely to see whales spouting or dolphins following the ship.

Edited December 1, 2023 by NMTraveller

[melusina]

On 11/30/2023 at 9:43 AM, indy406 said:

We're on Infinity in April and I'm a little concerned, given conflicting reports on the ship's condition. Also, Tuscan is the only specialty restaurant of interest to us on Infinity. We'll miss Murano, Lawn Club and the Porch, which we've enjoyed on S-class ships. We've sailed Celebrity a dozen times and never been disappointed. Hoping to extend that string on Infinity. 

As far as i know, Infinity is schefuled for refurbishing in January- February. I looked at the deck plans, and they have some oyt that show the layour afterward. We'll be on tbe Greece and Turkey cruise that starts April 26.

[talljules1]

I think this is a question only you can answer.  We all have different preferences.

We've sailed on E, S and M class ships - and whilst we thought the Beyond was nice, and whilst we had a good cruise, we're in absolutely no hurry to rush back to E-class ships. I really like the Silhouette. Our next cruise is on Infinity. And we're going to see how that goes before booking any more.

 

 

[RedIguana]

21 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

I have sailed 3 of the 4 Radiance class ships and I have loved them all!

Same. Only Radiance class I am missing is the actual Radiance. Easily my favorite Royal class for a relaxing cruise. Crowds and lines seem much smaller, and small enough the bartenders at the wine bar get to know you. Plus less crowds on shore (at least from off your ship). I'll look for one of the larger RCI ships when traveling with my early 20's daughter, although I think she enjoyed HAL's new Rotterdam over Harmony. Radiance class (and Celebrity's M and S classes) tend to have better itineraries than the larger ships in my opinion as they do more than the basic 7 nighters.  But I also miss Sovereign and Majesty......

 

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

6 minutes ago, RedIguana said:

Same. Only Radiance class I am missing is the actual Radiance. Easily my favorite Royal class for a relaxing cruise. Crowds and lines seem much smaller, and small enough the bartenders at the wine bar get to know you. Plus less crowds on shore (at least from off your ship). I'll look for one of the larger RCI ships when traveling with my early 20's daughter, although I think she enjoyed HAL's new Rotterdam over Harmony. Radiance class (and Celebrity's M and S classes) tend to have better itineraries than the larger ships in my opinion as they do more than the basic 7 nighters.  But I also miss Sovereign and Majesty......

 

I'm just missing Serenade.

 

I'll be on Anthem out of NJ in February, but that is just to not have to deal with flying anywhere over February break since I live in NYC - and the price was right with a solo balcony cabin. I'm trying to be optimistic, and yes I'll be on a cruise and away, but I'm preparing for likely a lot of time chilling in my cabin and on my balcony to avoid crowds.

 

I do like Edge class on Celebrity, but overall I prefer smaller ships.

Edited December 2, 2023 by WrittenOnYourHeart

[someguyfl]

23 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

IMHO the ambience is missing on E class dining.  I found the specialty dining venues to be loud and shouty.

 

S class is more quiet and laid back.

 

There are quite a number that prefer S class over E.

 

Shiny and new vs functional and grandiose.

 

S class also has many outward facing views.  In other words you are more likely to see whales spouting or dolphins following the ship.

Yes! I forgot about this issue with the Speciality dining on Edge. I was sailing in a suite, so I just used Luminae, Blu, or one night in the MDR ... 

The only Speciality restaurant on Edge that seemed interesting to me was Fine Cut... But, that restaurant is completely open-air to the main atrium, so if there's loud music there, good luck having a nice peaceful fine dining experience.

 

Compared to Murano, being the top restaurant on Solstice class, I don't know what they were thinking on the Edge design.

[TeaBag]

OP, I would suggest you try the S class for your next sailing, particularly Silhouette (our favourite) and Reflection because of the Lawn Club grill.  This restaurant is not on the other S class ships.  You might enjoy sitting out by the lawn on these ships too.

We are trying Edge for the first time in April, hoping we don't dislike the IV cabins.

Enjoy your cruise whatever you choose.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

30 minutes ago, TeaBag said:

OP, I would suggest you try the S class for your next sailing, particularly Silhouette (our favourite) and Reflection because of the Lawn Club grill.  This restaurant is not on the other S class ships.  You might enjoy sitting out by the lawn on these ships too.

We are trying Edge for the first time in April, hoping we don't dislike the IV cabins.

Enjoy your cruise whatever you choose.

I prefer to watching glass blowing instead of an over priced restaurant 😁