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First Time Cruiser with Several Questions


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Hi everyone! I'm looking to be a first time cruiser, and reading through the forum everyone here seems to be helpful and friendly so I decided to join and come ask a few questions. I'm looking to go on a cruise in January and was torn between celebrity and Norwegian, but I think i've decided on celebrity. It would be on the solstice for january 16, and I'm looking at booking the aqua class. I liked aqua class because it has a balcony, it is cheaper than concierge, and it has the cool shower.

 

My first question is, I'm a 21 years old and I'm looking to go on the cruise with my boyfriend so: Will there be people in my age group on a celebrity cruise? and are people on Celebrity generally gay-friendly? I'll tell you I'm not looking for a big party cruise (carnival) to get into a crowd that drinks all the time, but I would like to know if we would be the youngest on the ship (I looked at Holland America before this and found that would probably be true there).

 

Second Question: I don't think we're going to get a beverage package, so I wanted to know if they provide iced tea for free? Is it good? and do they have sweet-n-low on the ship? As picky as that sounds, I am a tea addict, and other than water that's basically all I drink.

 

Third question: My brother might also come on this trip, but not stay in Aqua Class. If we chose select dining, could we eat with them in the MDR instead of Blu?

 

I'm sorry if this is alot of questions, and I will probably have more, but I'm just nervous about making the right cruise choice and everyone here seems experienced so any help would be greatly appreciated :) .

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My first question is, I'm a 21 years old and I'm looking to go on the cruise with my boyfriend so: Will there be people in my age group on a celebrity cruise? and are people on Celebrity generally gay-friendly? I'll tell you I'm not looking for a big party cruise (carnival) to get into a crowd that drinks all the time, but I would like to know if we would be the youngest on the ship (I looked at Holland America before this and found that would probably be true there).

 

I hope I don't sound discouraging because it is not my intention, and maybe I'm completely wrong anyway, but unless you are cruising during spring break or similar, I don't think there will be a lot of 21 year old couples on Celebrity. Most people on the ship will be older, and although you will find young couples, there are certainly the minority, especially at the 21 year old range. I still think you will have an amazing cruise, especially if port intensive, and Celebrity might be a great fit for you depending on your style and personality, but again, not that many people in your age range.

I don't know about people being gay friendly on X but I certainly hope they are! I can imagine that like in real life, there will be all kinds.

 

Second Question: I don't think we're going to get a beverage package, so I wanted to know if they provide iced tea for free? Is it good? and do they have sweet-n-low on the ship? As picky as that sounds, I am a tea addict, and other than water that's basically all I drink.

 

There is iced tea for free, and there is Sweet n Now as well as Splenda.

 

Third question: My brother might also come on this trip, but not stay in Aqua Class. If we chose select dining, could we eat with them in the MDR instead of Blu?

 

I never stayed in AQ but my understanding is that you may, if you wish, request to eat in the MDR instead of Blu.

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Hi everyone! I'm looking to be a first time cruiser, and reading through the forum everyone here seems to be helpful and friendly so I decided to join and come ask a few questions. I'm looking to go on a cruise in January and was torn between celebrity and Norwegian, but I think i've decided on celebrity. It would be on the solstice for january 16, and I'm looking at booking the aqua class. I liked aqua class because it has a balcony, it is cheaper than concierge, and it has the cool shower.

 

My first question is, I'm a 21 years old and I'm looking to go on the cruise with my boyfriend so: Will there be people in my age group on a celebrity cruise? and are people on Celebrity generally gay-friendly? I'll tell you I'm not looking for a big party cruise (carnival) to get into a crowd that drinks all the time, but I would like to know if we would be the youngest on the ship (I looked at Holland America before this and found that would probably be true there).

 

Second Question: I don't think we're going to get a beverage package, so I wanted to know if they provide iced tea for free? Is it good? and do they have sweet-n-low on the ship? As picky as that sounds, I am a tea addict, and other than water that's basically all I drink.

 

Third question: My brother might also come on this trip, but not stay in Aqua Class. If we chose select dining, could we eat with them in the MDR instead of Blu?

 

I'm sorry if this is alot of questions, and I will probably have more, but I'm just nervous about making the right cruise choice and everyone here seems experienced so any help would be greatly appreciated :) .

 

I've only been on one Celebrity cruise, so am not qualified to answer all your questions, but will say that they do have tea and it is free. I don't drink iced tea normally, so can't say how good it is. They do have artificial sweetner, can't remember if it is the pink packets or the blue ones or the yellow ones! Coffee is also free.

 

I would tell you that IMHO people don't care what your orientation is...everyone just wants to go on their vacation and have fun. We've been on several HAL cruises and on the one Celebrity cruise we went on (Europe for 11 days) there was a younger crowd than we had expected, which we enjoyed. There were a lot more 20's and 30's than we thought there would be, but I know it varies from sailing to sailing. Cruises in the Caribbean might be a little younger, don't know. Have not been in AQ so can't answer that question.

 

If you pick Celebrity I can't imagine that you wouldn't have a great time!

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I hope I don't sound discouraging because it is not my intention, and maybe I'm completely wrong anyway, but unless you are cruising during spring break or similar, I don't think there will be a lot of 21 year old couples on Celebrity. Most people on the ship will be older, and although you will find young couples, there are certainly the minority, especially at the 21 year old range. I still think you will have an amazing cruise, especially if port intensive, and Celebrity might be a great fit for you depending on your style and personality, but again, not that many people in your age range.

I don't know about people being gay friendly on X but I certainly hope they are! I can imagine that like in real life, there will be all kinds.

 

 

 

There is iced tea for free, and there is Sweet n Now as well as Splenda.

 

 

 

I never stayed in AQ but my understanding is that you may, if you wish, request to eat in the MDR instead of Blu.

 

The main benefit of Aqua Class is Blu, I think you would be better off just getting a plain Veranda cabin, why pay for something and not take advantage of its main benefit. The shower is certainly not something that I would pay a premium for, but the choice is of course yours...You can however eat in the MDR if you choose Select Dining...

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January probably attracts the highest end of the age bracket on any cruiseline. Kids are back in school, everyone else is back to the grind, and broke from the holidays. :) So, it might be hard to find early twenty somethings, but that would be true no matter what line you sailed. From what you've posted, it sounds like Celebrity would be a good fit for you. You won't get the parties, but you will get a lot of other friendly passengers and excellent food and service.

 

Celebrity has always seemed very gay-friendly to me. I have seen plenty of gay couples on all of my X cruises, and I know they usually hold "Friends of Dorothy" meetings onboard. I'm sure other posters can speak to this much better, though.

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As mentioned, time of year, length of cruise, cost and itinerary factor into the demographics of individual cruises. X brands itself as a slightly upscale line so it will not generally draw the party all night crowd that a Carnival fun ship would. Families with children might gravitate to RCCL ships. You get the drift. There will be a majority of cruisers in the 40 to 70 range on an X ship with the spread at either end going to lesser percentages. The most contact time with other cruisers will be at meal times. And if you choose a small table, even then you won't interact much. Entertainment might or might not appeal to you but that is the same for all age groups. A song and dance review, a comedian, perhaps a juggler.

Selections of tea are available for free as well as the instant type tea for iced tea. Brew a cup in the buffet area and switch it to a glass with ice for a better flavor :). Also could pay for a glass at the coffee bar.

Most X cruisers don't care about orientation, as long as pda, either straight or gay, is not pushed in everyone's face.

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One other thing you will need to research for any cruise line you choose is their age requirements. Many don't allow 2 people under age 25 to share a cabin unless they are married or traveling with their parents.

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The main benefit of Aqua Class is Blu, I think you would be better off just getting a plain Veranda cabin, why pay for something and not take advantage of its main benefit. The shower is certainly not something that I would pay a premium for, but the choice is of course yours...You can however eat in the MDR if you choose Select Dining...

 

 

I thought the same thing when I read your post.

 

Since you are a newbie, let me give you some advice re: these boards. There are several posters who, I think, should be listened to....and they include, but are certainly not limited to dkjretired, Lsimon, Lois R, plus hosts Anne and Andy. All their advice seems to be practical and due to extensive cruising.

 

As for gay-friendly ships, I am not sure exactly how one would know that unless one was gay. But, from what my wife and I have observed when noticing some people who might be gay on Celebrity, no one seems to give a damn one way or another. Also, if I am not mistaken, there are (or have been) specific Celebrity cruises catering to gay people. (I will be corrected on the boards if I am mistaken, so I have no problem putting out that information.)

 

Welcome to the boards, and I hope that your first cruise is one of many. I became totally hooked within about 15 minutes of boarding Century over 10 years ago.:D

 

Bill

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If you are concerned about the gay issue you can look at the "gay and Lesbian cruisers" board on Cruise Critic. The topic might be discussed there, but I would guess that there is considerable disagreement concerning best/favorite cruise lines. It is in the special interest section. I haven't noticed a problem on any cruise line we have sailed on, but then I'm not gay.

The passengers might be younger on NCL or Royal Caribbean, but on any cruise the average age of the passengers will be much older than you. Some old people like to have fun too.:)

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I'm 24 and I cruised on Solstice last January. I was traveling with my Aunt, but was still concerned about the average age on-board and more importantly, the atmosphere.

 

There weren't many people our age on the ship... but I'm not sure that it really mattered very much. I was looking for a relaxing vacation that wasn't heavy on partying, but I also didn't want it to feel really old and boring. Celebrity was the perfect fit. There are fun bars and late night activities, nothing too crazy, but definitely still fun. However, the overall feel is definitely laid-back. If you're looking for something quiet and relaxing with plenty of activity choices, I think Celebrity is your best choice. Celebrity is also known for their excellent food and service... which was very important to me!

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We will be sailing Celebrity the beginning of January with our college age student. I have come to find out through our roll call that there are several families also traveling with their college age kids, so I think we will be pleasantly surprised at the amount of 'younger' travelers. Then again, we sail the first half of January when most colleges are still on break. If we were sailing on a January 16th cruise I highly doubt we'd expect to see the same number of college age kids.

 

As far as gay-friendly passengers. I must say I have met some of the most thoughtful and welcoming fellow cruisers in the past who were traveling with their partners. We always enjoyed their company.

 

Hope you have a great trip!

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One other thing you will need to research for any cruise line you choose is their age requirements. Many don't allow 2 people under age 25 to share a cabin unless they are married or traveling with their parents.

 

Sorry, that's not the rule. The minimum age to cruise on most lines is 21(Disney, Cunard and Crystal have a minimum age of 18 to cruise alone). If you're are under age 21, and not married, you must have someone either 21 or 25 (the age varies depending on the cruise line) in the cabin with those under age 21.

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Because we had gay table mates one year on our cruise, I can answer that celebrity is very gay friendly, the cruiseline itself. I guess the fellow cruisers, that's a case-by-case basis, obviously. For example, there is a "Friends of Dorothy" meeting planned every day between the dining hours. Our tablemates always went there and we always knew where to find them for their pre-dinner Martini. Seems they made a lot of friends within the group. I didn't even know what "Friends of Dorothy" was until they explained it to me... :confused:

 

So re: tea, we brewed our own using the tea bags celebrity gives for free. The tea in the machines is a mix and isn't that great. Same stuff in the dining room, I'm afraid. Who knows about blu. Never was there.

 

Re: age group. My hubby and I were in our late 20's for our first cruise. I will venture to say what the population is like is totally dependent on your itinerary. Think about it: who has the money to fly to Europe, Alaska, or do 2 week cruises? Usually not the young and restless. Our transatlantic, however (first Celebrity experience) had a mean age group of about 55. The "Wine" cruise down the NW coast of the US had to be a mean age group of 65+. I imagine this is what the Alaska group is more like. This upcoming cruise is the first Caribbean with Celebrity. Regardless, we love the cruise line and it's a nice, calm, cool experience. If you're a couple that enjoys hanging out with your travel mate(s), reading, dining, etc. (i.e. more sedate)--which we do, I'd advocate for Celebrity.

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We will be sailing Celebrity the beginning of January with our college age student. I have come to find out through our roll call that there are several families also traveling with their college age kids, so I think we will be pleasantly surprised at the amount of 'younger' travelers. Then again, we sail the first half of January when most colleges are still on break. If we were sailing on a January 16th cruise I highly doubt we'd expect to see the same number of college age kids.

 

As far as gay-friendly passengers. I must say I have met some of the most thoughtful and welcoming fellow cruisers in the past who were traveling with their partners. We always enjoyed their company.

 

Hope you have a great trip!

 

Thank you very much! I may look into going earlier in January :)

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I echo what most everyone has said. I've noticed a very active group of Friends of Dorothy many evenings, often in the martini bar. People seemed very accepting and friendly with them and vice versa. But I have to say, if you're 21, I'd say these lovely gentlemen were more likely Prime Timers, rather than 20 (or even 30) somethings. Not sure if that would impact your choice or not. And this is from my personal observations. YMMV.

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Hi,

By the way, if you choose select dining you are automatically

placed in the MDR, however if there is room in Blu you can ask

the Matre D to book you a table.

We have cruised many times with X and you will have a great time.

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The main benefit of Aqua Class is Blu, I think you would be better off just getting a plain Veranda cabin, why pay for something and not take advantage of its main benefit. The shower is certainly not something that I would pay a premium for, but the choice is of course yours...You can however eat in the MDR if you choose Select Dining...

 

Some of the pricing has AQ as a more favorable option than other cabin classes and there are still plenty of good benefits IMHO if the MDR is the dining option with AQ.

 

I have had the iced tea available any time and I like it a lot. AQ has the herbal teas if OP is interested in trying those.

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If I were you, I would take another look at NCL. I love the fact you can eat where you want, when you want, and with whomever you want without anyone batting an eye. Why risk getting stuck at a table with people who you may feel uncomfortable with when you are on vacation? I have done both lines and prefer NCL, both service and food wise. The cabins are a little smaller on NCL, but not so small to make a difference. If you do choose NCL, think twice about booking the epic...really weird cabin configurations....a deal breaker for us.

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i saw a pic of a choc buffett, is this on every cruise? is it at midnight? also does celebrity still do the old fashioned gala midnight buffet?

where is smoking allowed inside and outside of the ship and is cigar smoking allowed anywhere?

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i saw a pic of a choc buffett, is this on every cruise? is it at midnight? also does celebrity still do the old fashioned gala midnight buffet?

where is smoking allowed inside and outside of the ship and is cigar smoking allowed anywhere?

 

Celebrity doesn't do the gala midnight buffet anymore. It has been replaced with a large brunch buffet in the MDR on one sea day per cruise. Similar style, lots of ice sculptures, elaborate displays (think chocolate fountains), the whole nine yards. It's open from 10am-1pm.

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Some of the pricing has AQ as a more favorable option than other cabin classes and there are still plenty of good benefits IMHO if the MDR is the dining option with AQ.

 

I have had the iced tea available any time and I like it a lot. AQ has the herbal teas if OP is interested in trying those.

 

I agree, if the pricing is right but under normal conditions I don't see any benefit besides Blu that would make me book Aqua to obtain that benefit...They are nice but under normal conditions I'm not going to pay several hundred more for a nice shower or entrance to Persian gardens and certainly not for the relaxation room...

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My partner and I sailed on Connie several years ago and had a lot of fun. We found several other gay passengers by starting a roll call for our sailing in the GL cruisers forum, which many people do for mainstream sailings; and we met them for drinks the first day on board and hung out with them all week. From there it just snowballed: we met many others, mostly couples, and had a great time - about a dozen of us spent the day together on the beach at a gay resort in St Croix; and about 25 of us took over the dance floor late at night a couple of times, which the DJ and bar staff loved because they are often bored stiff at 11 PM on Celebrity sailings. We are not party animals and had no interest in the all-gay sailings (which are also almost always considerably more expensive for the same product, apart from headliner entertainers and big theme parties). For us, our Celebrity cruise was a perfect choice - we had a great time and we never got even one unpleasant look.

 

I will say that we sailed NCL last January and there was no discernible gay life - although they posted a get-together every day, no more than 4 or 5 guys showed up for any of the Friends of Dorothy gatherings that we attended, so we just spent quality time together and made our own friends, regardless of orientation. Cruise lines are in the hospitality business, and need to attract and retain customers; thus they are reluctant to offend any segment of the population; and gays are generally recognized by the industry as frequent travelers with more than average disposable income (and big tippers!) so every cruise line will attempt to make them comfortable. In addition, many of the staff, especially the entertainers, are gay, and they and the senior staff can mingle with the passengers socially; on our last cruise the Assistant Hotel Director would join us at the gay get-togethers. Of course, individual passengers may be unpleasant on any line and on any given cruise, but this should not deter you.

 

Celebrity is a great line - so I would focus more on your comfort with the demographic. If you and your bf want romantic time together and aren't looking for a lot of new friends, or if you are comfortable making friends with more mature folks, then it is a non-issue and besides, you may meet all sorts of interesting people. Outside of spring break you probably won't find many cruises with lots of fellow passengers your age. But you will almost certainly have a wonderful time on your first cruise so go for it. :)

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