Celebrity vs RCI with children in Mediterrean

Hiya, if you've cruised the Med with children (4 & 6) on either RCI or Celebrity I'd love to hear you feedback....

We eat very healthy food and all the bad food reviews from the ships that sail the Med for RCI are dealbreakers.....

We'd prefer to sail with Celebrity as we understand that the food is a lot better however we are aware that the ships are not as family friendly but still offer kids club etc.....

Do the kids club on Celebrity still have loads of activities to keep them occupied with night options?

If you've sailed on RCI Brilliance of the Seas in the Med - what was the food like?(if you want to remain eating healthy?)

Is the ship a little worse for wear?

Hey I really appreciate the time it takes to respond - it's for our 20th Wedding anniversary & I want it to be something that we will remember for the right reasons :)

Liz :)

We travelled on the Celebrity Reflection last March with young teenagers and they were bored on the ship particularly in the evening. They much preferred our Royal Caribbean cruises. Celebrity has a good product, it is just a very different vibe and energy level. Personally, I wouldn't let that stop me since a Mediterranean cruise is more about the ports and I would enjoy any lazy/low key time on board. :p

We have been taking kids on celebrity and royal since they were 11 and 9, now they are 17 and 15 and they always complain the prefer celebrity when we went royal as they like the kids they mix with better there. There have always been few hundred kids during spring break and on reflection last June. They have kept in contact with these friends for years now. All depends on experience they want - no mini golf or surf riders on celebrity. The food is so far superior on celebrity and we like aqua class as blu restaurant has healthy cooking but you need 2 rooms for aqua as max occupancy is 2. Hope this helps a bit

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Not only is there less to do for kids on Celebrity, there is very little for adults to do on Celebrity and the shows are just not very good at all - I recall a 13 day Med cruise on Eclipse where there was only 1 show of interest the entire time (a British comedian who did a great job) - other than that, we went to a movie one afternoon at sea and spent lots and lots of time reading books on our iPads in the tea shop when we were onboard - which wasn't much. However, on a Med cruise you will be getting off the ship each morning (except for perhaps 1) between 8:30 and 9:30 am and won't be back onboard until between 4:30 - 6:30pm when you will all be exhausted and just want a nice dinner and bed. So when will the kids go to the kids clubs and does the entertainment really matter? On the other hand, the food is better, although many Celebrity cruisers have been reporting that the food is going downhill.

Brilliance was built in 2002 and last refurbished in 2013, so, yes, I would expect it looks a bit worn and tired. The food onboard is ... meh...just typical hotel banquet food.

If you want to eat healthy, you might consider going on the NCL Epic in the Haven in a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom The Haven Family Villa. Certainly NCL has a great kids club and eating in The Haven Restaurant (called The Epic Club on this ship), it is possible to get pretty much anything you want to eat while onboard for any meal. Meanwhile, the huge and comprehensive buffet is right downstairs, perfectly located for your kids should the mood strike. You would have a large suite with a huge master bathroom with walk in shower - big enough for 2 and separate soaking tub, plus 2 sinks, dressing area, 4 TVs, 2 DVD players, coffee maker, living room, dining room, verandah, separate bedroom and bathroom for your children and butler service, concierge service, access to The Haven pool area which includes hot tubs, sauna and steamroom. There are some great prices on this ship right now for these suites. IMO, this may be the absolute best deal out there and it would certainly make your anniversary quite special.

RCI generally has better overall kids/teens programs. That being said, cruises in Europe are generally very port intensive with relatively few sea days. With a 4 and 6 year old we think the ports (and intensity of your schedule) are more important factors. Keep in mind that some of the most popular Med ports (i.e. Civitavecchia, Livorno, etc) can involve very long (more then 1 hour each way) travel time to just get to and from the most desirable places. This lengthy port day travel is difficult with many children. There are other ports where the travel time is far less of a factor. There are many experienced travelers who would question even taking a 4 and 6 year old on a Med cruise....but it can be a fun trip with proper planning.

Hank

Celebrity's late night options are not all that great and it's more babysitting than anything else. Plus, after 10pm there's a per hour, per child charge for the kid's club.

You can eat healthy and good on just about any ship, but be aware that cruising on any line isn't much about eating healthy all the time. It all depends on what you mean by "healthy eating". If you're vegetarian, there are choices for that on RCI and Celebrity, but the choices are small. If you're talking about only wanting fish or chicken that's broiled and not fried, both lines do that. They also have salads and other lower calorie items available.

Like Hank said, when doing a Med cruise isn't much about the ship and more about the itinerary. If you're doing a Western Med cruise, be prepared for VERY long days as some ports are very far from the cities you want to visit. You'll find tours in places like Rome and Florence can be 8 to 10 hours long---not something that 4 and 6 year olds are likely to handle well.

But if kid's activities for kids as young as yours is important, then I'd go with Royal Caribbean.

Suggest posting on the RC and Celebrity boards - ask same question and compare results.

Definitely feel RC is more kid oriented. However, European cruises are usually more about the ports than on-board activities. With such young children I think you are going to find them very tired; possibly cranky, but you know your kids better than any of the posters here.

Food is extremely subjective. Define what you mean by eat healthy. All ships have lots of choices, salads fruit, baked food, etc.

RC owns Celebrity and they can be similar in many ways; often can come down to specific ship and staff.

We travelled with Celebrity on the Eclipse when our kids were 4,6 and 13 in the Med. It was almost certainly our best holiday ever and my daughter (then 4) didn't want leave the kids club- kept very busy with activities, performances etc and made lots of friends. I think the celebrity kids club is very underrated. In the summer holidays there will be lots of kids to make friends with too. This summer we decided to cruise and the decision was between Brilliance and Reflection, both in the Med. Ours kids are now 10 and 12 and we decided to stay with Celebrity based on the food, beautiful ship and also that it is a very port intensive itinerary so during the days there will be plenty to keep us busy. We will probably also do a water park trip with the kids at one of the ports. I'm sure the kids will be very happy with either so go with your adult preference!

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Just want to insert a comment about weather in the Mediterranean in the summer. July and August (August in particular) is boiling hot - even locals can barely tolerate the heat. Also, there are so many cruise ships in port that it is difficult to get around. So, regardless of which cruise ship you sail, make sure you are prepared for what you will encounter during these months.

April, May and early June as well as September and early October are still warm but more tolerable. I know that those of you with children cannot sail at this time as they are in school but for the rest of you - I would not book July or August.

Well, I specifically cruise Celebrity because there are less kids. The Celebrity cruises are simpler so I think RCI would be a lot more fun for your kids! On the other hand the other reason we like Celebrity is the good food and the healthy spa food. That being said I'm not sure if it matters because all cruises have so much darn food that you could pick out healthy choices. I guess I wasn't much help here.

Normally I would say cruise Royal rather than X as the ships are much better designed with attractions and such, the kids clubs have more variety. However, as this is the MED, the cruise itineraries are very port intensive so perhaps it will not matter so much unless you are staying on the ship for the whole cruise.