Is Celebrity a good choice for us?

My husband and I are in the process of getting ready to book our first cruise. We are both in our early 50's and we are not looking for wave-runners, water slides and climbing walls. We are looking for a more mature crowd and relaxation. All that said, we are also not interested in formal evenings with gowns and suits. When formal nights are held on the ship, does this take place only in the main dining room or is it in all the speciality restaurants as well? When eating in the main dining room is it possible to eat just the two of us?:) From researching online it appears that this may be the cruise line for us, however, I am looking forward to the opinions of those that have experience in cruise vacations on this line in particular. I appreciate all comments and opinions.

My wife and I are similar age and we cruised for the first time on the Celebrity Reflection late last year. By way of comparison we followed that cruise up with 3 others on different cruise lines.

The crowd and relaxation on Celebrity was almost exactly that which you are wishing for. You can do as much or as little as you wish but even though there were a lot of sea days on our voyage we were never bored. People and staff were friendly without imposing on your private time. Entertainment was very good as were the activities the staff who ran them.

As for the formal nights I am pretty laid back and had to purchase a sports coat and borrow a few ties for our holidays. I quite enjoyed dressing a little less casually than my normal attire but never wore a suit or tux and certainly did not feel out of place. We also dined at a table for 2 most nights without a problem in the MDR. If you do not want to dress up at all the food in the buffet was very good. Celebrity buffet was by far the best, had the biggest variety and setup.

Starting from your last question, yes - you can get a table for two on Celebrity in the main dining room and specialty restaurants. We like the Celebrity Select Dining (you pick the times you will eat within set dinner service hours) and have never had a problem.

It is really hard to generalize, but Celebrity tends to be somewhat quieter than Carnival, NCL, etc. There are MANY variables, especially the length of the cruise, departure port, time of year.

On a five day sailing out of Florida during school holidays, for example, you'll see younger people and families, not much formality, more people up later around the ship. On a cruise longer than 7 to 10 days requiring pricey airfare (such as transatlantic or Hawaii) in the spring or fall, passengers often are older and may dress up more including tuxedos and sparkly gowns, and go to bed earlier.

I won't get into the much-discussed subject of what is worn on formal nights except to say there are plenty of dining options. You could eat in the upper level buffet any evening without dressing up, and you can order room service as well. Read Celebrity's "Already booked/Before you go/Packing/evening attire." If you want to wear shorts and flip flops in the main dining room or specialty restaurant for dinner, for example, you may want to book with a different company.

(Note that only the Celebrity Xpedition ship has a casual dress code.)

As a younger person (32) we book with Celebrity because it's less of a party boat and it's seems more luxurious then the party boats.

I was shocked at how little people dress up for the formal nights. People are let into the MDR without a problem. But there will always be a few couples that are dressed to the nines and will be ready to meet the Queen.

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We are of a similar age and we like Celebrity. I recommend that you try Aqua Class. Every night is smart casual and you can easily get a table for two. We much prefer the food and atmosphere to that of the main dining room.

Celebrity is no where near as formal as it used to be, you can certainly avoid dressing up for formal nights if you want. The MDR will require (usually) at least an attempt to dress up, a sport coat or more with or without tie for men , any nice outfit for for women will do. You see very few gowns and tuxes these days. But to get around that requirement, you can eat in the buffet, book a specialty restaurant, order dinner from the MDR menu via room service, or book an Aqua Class cabin where your assigned dinner venue will be Blu (always smart casual.) The other nights, passengers do change and dress for dinner but in a casual way, khakis and a polo shirt would be common for men, that sort of thing. Celebrity has a dignified, elegant ambiance without a lot of late night partying, it has good food and service, lovely ships. If all the above sounds like a good fit for you, then Celebrity is a good choice for your first cruise. Other lines like NCL are known for basically no dress code, wear what you want when you want, and it is loved by both those who don't want to ever wear and suit and those who dress up for work and want to be casual on vacation. So, there are choices out there.

PS-- I should also mention that there have been mixed reports on the enforcement of formal attire in the MDR. Some people have written that they were admitted with no sport coat or tie, just a dress shirt, while others have said they were turned away or given a jacket to wear for dinner. This likely varies ship to ship, so no way of saying for sure if you'd be admitted wearing casual clothes.

Of course this is the Celebrity chat board so we will 99% say yes!;)

Ok, that is out of the way, we just turned 60, have sailed 7 different lines. First Celebrity was in 1993, line #3, just off the Reflection, Princess in 2012, and Royal in 2011.

Celebrity is our first choice when looking for a cruise, then Royal. We did our 10th & 30th Anniv on Princess, and my wife has no desire to book them again at this time.

As others have said, a lot depends on the time of year and length of the sailing as to what type of fellow pax you will have. We have found that most of the others on Celebrity are close to our demographic than the other lines. Active yet refined in doing so.

IMHO, based on your post, and our experiences, Celebrity would ruin your vacation planning! WHY? Because you would never want to do any other type vacation again!:D

ps: read this review from another 1st timer from north of 49,

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2006126&highlight=reflection

My husband and I are in the process of getting ready to book our first cruise. We are both in our early 50's and we are not looking for wave-runners, water slides and climbing walls. We are looking for a more mature crowd and relaxation. All that said, we are also not interested in formal evenings with gowns and suits. When formal nights are held on the ship, does this take place only in the main dining room or is it in all the speciality restaurants as well? When eating in the main dining room is it possible to eat just the two of us?:) From researching online it appears that this may be the cruise line for us, however, I am looking forward to the opinions of those that have experience in cruise vacations on this line in particular. I appreciate all comments and opinions.

You would be making a wise choice booking a celebrity ship. While people do dress smart, a step above some other cruise lines, a simple dress or slacks with a fancy blouse would be fine on formal nights (2) for you- your husband can also be comfortble with a sports jacket and tie. You do not need to wear a tux or suit unless he really wants to. You also do not have to wear a gown or cocktail dress unless you want to. The dress code for a reason I truly do not understand, is an issue with many people. My DH and I enjoy dressing up and the cruise gives us an opportunity to enjoy our formal attire. However to each his/her own. The age mix on celebrity varies based on the time of year- during holiday periods, they, as do all cruise lines, attract a mix of ages of guests. During the school year, we have encountered a crowd with an average age in the mid to late 50's. It also depends upon the lenght of the cruise and the itinerary.

We enjoy dining at a table for two and never had a problem with celebrity honoring our request. Once we were assigned a table for six in error, and went to the main dining room and made the switch without a problem.

If you want to dine in speciality restaurants, you never will have a problem securing a table for two.

Enjoy your cruise.

My husband and I are in the process of getting ready to book our first cruise. We are both in our early 50's and we are not looking for wave-runners, water slides and climbing walls. We are looking for a more mature crowd and relaxation. All that said, we are also not interested in formal evenings with gowns and suits. When formal nights are held on the ship, does this take place only in the main dining room or is it in all the speciality restaurants as well? When eating in the main dining room is it possible to eat just the two of us?:) From researching online it appears that this may be the cruise line for us, however, I am looking forward to the opinions of those that have experience in cruise vacations on this line in particular. I appreciate all comments and opinions.

I think Celebrity would a great choice for you. We also skip formal nights by booking the specialty restaurants leaving the MDR to those that enjoy the formal atmosphere.

Tables for two are available. By the way, early fifties here. Up until last year we cruised RCI. Great product but X is a step above and they are not targeting families.:)