Celebrity Summit.... without kids

[pinma]

I have the thumbs up from DH to book a cruise on the Celebrity Summit if my parents are up for hosting the kids for a week in July 2012.

 

If we want a relatively-child-free dining experience (for dinner) which is the way to go? Blu? (AquaClass) Specialty dining? (And what will the options be in July 2012?) Late seating MDR? We don't mind some children around but fewer is better.... less reminder that we left our own behind and less of the stress that led us to decide to leave ours behind.

 

Also... having never cruised without children before and having been extremely conscious of the rules surrounding adult-only areas.... what might we find to enjoy on this first kid-free cruise aboard the Summit?

[A Sixth?]

I have the thumbs up from DH to book a cruise on the Celebrity Summit if my parents are up for hosting the kids for a week in July 2012.

 

If we want a relatively-child-free dining experience (for dinner) which is the way to go? Blu? (AquaClass) Specialty dining? (And what will the options be in July 2012?) Late seating MDR? We don't mind some children around but fewer is better.... less reminder that we left our own behind and less of the stress that led us to decide to leave ours behind.

 

Also... having never cruised without children before and having been extremely conscious of the rules surrounding adult-only areas.... what might we find to enjoy on this first kid-free cruise aboard the Summit?

 

Good question....

[pinma]

Right.... which is why we are looking at July 2012, we want to go after it is 'Solstice-ized'.

 

What is Select?

[phoenix_dream]

Late dining in the MDR is also usually fairly child-free. The Specialty restaurant will also not have children younger than 12 I believe.

[pinma]

aaaahhh.... I looked up Select. Sounds like MTD on RC? I could see that working and being nice since we could enjoy cocktails should we have to wait for a table.

[Island_Chica]

Pinma we just did select dining on our 2/5 Summit cruise and there was never a wait. Of course, if you cruise Aqua Class, I don't believe kids are allowed (I could be incorrect). So if kid-free is your goal, paying a bit extra for AQ might suit you well.

[miched]

This thread is amusing. Now that you are traveling without your children you want to be relatively child free. Hopefully when you took your children with you understood that a lot of passengers also wanted to enjoy a cruise that was relatively child free.

 

I have been told that the later dining was better because families would try to book the earlier dining. That is not really true. A couple of times we found it to be worse as there were children dining at the later time and they would be tired and bored so when you have that combo it equals crying, screaming and etc.

 

On the other side why should you have to alter your dining preference. Just dine according to the schedule that suits you the best. What you are asking for is almost impossible.

[pinma]

Of course, I realize that. They didn't cruise until they were 9 and 10 and we obeyed all adult-only rules (never even taking them into the solarium when they WHERE allowed in). On our last cruise, we dined in the specialty restaurant, alone. Technically they were allowed to eat there so long as our reservations were before 7PM (and my son allowed at any time) but we didn't take them because there's no way they'd have been out by 7PM. I also didn't EVER let them have the run of the ship (yes, even at 12) or otherwise be disruptive. My 10 year old left her only trip to the children's program and said 'I am NEVER going back there. There's a reason all those boys were put in childcare!' Believe me, I am sensitive - at all times - to the impact my children may have on other cruisers. (And I'm not worried about children who are similarly parented.... but as a week on a ship with nearly 600 kids showed.... there are a LOT of kids NOT parented that way.)

 

We sailed on the Millenium when children were under 5% of the passengers. That is virtually child-free, IMO. NOT totally.... but good enough for me.

[junglejane]

I agree with Miched that you are sort of asking for the impossible. You are cruising in the middle of summer and hoping for a low turnout of kids?

 

Children booked in AQ cabins can dine in Blu. I've never been in AQ or Blu, but I would expect that there are a lot fewer kids dining in Blu than in MDR. Children under 12 are not allowed in the Normandie restaurant.

[pinma]

I didn't say I didn't want kids on the ship. I said I wanted a " relatively-child-free dining experience (for dinner)". Period. We may well book an inside and dine in restaurants with a 12+ age restriction every night. But I'm considering Aquaclass and Blu as well.

[pinma]

We are back from our cruise in AQ on the Summit. AQ gave us exactly what we were after. I did not see a child that appeared to be as young as our youngest (12) in Blu the entire week. It was a very quiet atmosphere. Maybe it was the way a child-free cruiser spends his/her days. Being used to cruising with our children, we repeatedly remarked to each other that, outside of the activities advertised as for kids or families, it seemed like there were almost no children around.

[Jborosara]

Pinma we just did select dining on our 2/5 Summit cruise and there was never a wait. Of course, if you cruise Aqua Class, I don't believe kids are allowed (I could be incorrect). So if kid-free is your goal, paying a bit extra for AQ might suit you well.

 

if a child is staying in AQ, he/she is absolutely allowed in Blu

[dkjretired]

if a child is staying in AQ, he/she is absolutely allowed in Blu

 

Additionally, kids may eat in there if they are over 12 and are staying in a suite depending on availability..

[pinma]

I saw no evidence at all that children were not allowed but given the AQ rooms only sleep 2, you'd have to be comfortable allowing your kids to be in their own room (which I believe is allowed if they are next door) or comfortable splitting parents between 2 rooms so there was an adult in the room. Our children are 11 and 13 and we discussed it and decided neither of those options appealed to us.... no matter how much we loved the AQ experience. Our noise-sensitive foodie children would just love Blu but they will have to wait.

 

I assume that there was space available for suite passengers as there were almost always empty tables when we were in Blu (not at the windows but, at least, against the wall) but I can't confirm that there were any suite passengers dining in Blu.

[Wineart]

Blu will definitely have fewer children because of the restriction of no more than 2 passengers per AQ cabin. We have booked AQ 3 times, and rarely saw children. Besides fewer children in the restaurant, you will also have a lower chance of having a crying child in the cabin next to you!