Taking Grandmother on first cruise - need advice!

[abert89]

Hello all,

 

I registered here because I am currently planning to take my 88-year-old Grandmother on her first cruise and am conflicted on which way to go. I'm 22, have only been on one other cruise (Holland America to Alaska when I was 12), and know absolutely nothing about cruising. I visited with a travel agent today, who helped me narrow down my choices to Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas or Celebrity Silhouette. We're planning on doing the seven night Eastern Caribbean trip.

 

My grandmother is concerned that Royal Caribbean will be too noisy/crowded, or "lower class," as she says (sorry if that offends). She's accustomed to staying in extremely nice hotels and is concerned that the Oasis won't provide the 5 star experience she likes. This is where Celebrity seems like the better option.

 

However, at 22, I'm concerned about being stuck on a ship full of 50-somethings with no one to talk to and nothing to do. The Oasis appears to have so many activities, excursions, shows, nightclubs, etc... nonstop activity. I remember being bored to death on my family's Holland America trip and don't want a repeat of that experience.

 

What do you all think is the best way to go? Food quality is also important to my grandmother, and she's read that the food on the Oasis isn't nearly as good as on the Celebrity line. Like I said, she's accustomed to luxury and wants to enjoy fine dining, spa service, drinks by the pool, shopping, etc, but I want to make sure there are also plenty of activities for us to enjoy.

 

All-in-all I just want this to be a great vacation for the two of us and need to find a happy medium - a cruise that will suit both of us. As I'm starting school in the fall, this will likely be our last trip together while her health is still good and while I have the time to spend with her.

 

Any and all opinions/suggestions/feedback re Royal Caribbean vs Celebrity would be much appreciated! Thank you so much!

[SkystheLimit]

We have not cruised RCL. However, we were on a cruise last year with a family travelling with their 88 year old grandmother. They dined in Blu which really worked for them. The smaller venue and very personal service is a definite plus for Aqua class.

 

Another place on the S class Celebrity ships that is a nice place is the library. It is easy to find a comfortable chair and watch everything going on around without being in the middle of the traffic area.

 

We travelled with a group. Two of the girls were in their 20's. I don't know everything they did but they seemed very happy on the ship. This was a Greek Isles cruise.

 

Hope you find the best option for you and your grandmother. You are special to take the time and make the effort to have a wonderful memory for the both of you. Good luck and enjoy your cruise.

Edited February 21, 2014 by SkystheLimit

[Cruise Raider]

Hello all,

 

I registered here because I am currently planning to take my 88-year-old Grandmother on her first cruise and am conflicted on which way to go. I'm 22, have only been on one other cruise (Holland America to Alaska when I was 12), and know absolutely nothing about cruising. I visited with a travel agent today, who helped me narrow down my choices to Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas or Celebrity Silhouette. We're planning on doing the seven night Eastern Caribbean trip.

 

My grandmother is concerned that Royal Caribbean will be too noisy/crowded, or "lower class," as she says (sorry if that offends). She's accustomed to staying in extremely nice hotels and is concerned that the Oasis won't provide the 5 star experience she likes. This is where Celebrity seems like the better option.

 

However, at 22, I'm concerned about being stuck on a ship full of 50-somethings with no one to talk to and nothing to do. The Oasis appears to have so many activities, excursions, shows, nightclubs, etc... nonstop activity. I remember being bored to death on my family's Holland America trip and don't want a repeat of that experience.

 

What do you all think is the best way to go? Food quality is also important to my grandmother, and she's read that the food on the Oasis isn't nearly as good as on the Celebrity line. Like I said, she's accustomed to luxury and wants to enjoy fine dining, spa service, drinks by the pool, shopping, etc, but I want to make sure there are also plenty of activities for us to enjoy.

 

All-in-all I just want this to be a great vacation for the two of us and need to find a happy medium - a cruise that will suit both of us. As I'm starting school in the fall, this will likely be our last trip together while her health is still good and while I have the time to spend with her.

 

Any and all opinions/suggestions/feedback re Royal Caribbean vs Celebrity would be much appreciated! Thank you so much!

 

Well, I think this is where there may have to be some give or take. I think you both have valid concerns -- Royal will have more kids and games whereas Celebrity will probably have more 50 + year old passengers. I think Royal is an all around good cruise for families but absolutely love the S class ships that Celebrity offers. I think maybe on a 7 night Caribbean itinerary, you may have some younger passengers. We've had our favorite cruises on Celebrity but we are in our 50's / 60's. Since this may be the last time you will have the time to spend with her, maybe choose the Silhouette. You may even have a great time and if not, you can always try something that suits your wants later on in life.

PS -- it is so nice you are going with your grandma. I am sure she so appreciates you wanting to spend time with her ...hope you both enjoy.

[abert89]

Thank you both! I'm leaning towards Celebrity because, as a poster on the Royal board pointed out, this very well may be her last big trip and it should be all about her. However, she is an extremely active 88-year-old and has expressed interest in excursions, bars, pools, shows, etc. I want to make sure that we have plenty to do onboard and that this is the vacation of a lifetime for her. :)

[CathyCruises]

As a Grandma of 20 1/2, though several decades younger than yours, I think Silhouette is a great choice for both of you!

[JFontaine]

Oasis is not for your grandmother in any way. Unless she is in super shape, it is far too big, too much walking, too many people. She doesn't need, or apparently want, all the bells and whistles that ship offers. The TA was wrong to give it to you as a suggestion. For you, make your own fun, and consider this trip a major blessing. Have a good cruise.

[poolwife]

Why not also consider Celebrity's Reflection? The Silhouettes eastern Caribbean itinerary only gives you 6 hours in San Juan, Puerto Rico and that ship gets excellent reviews. I haven't been on it but just speaking from all I have read about it on these boards. Have a great time and make the trip all about spending time with and enjoying your grandma. You sound like a special grand daughter.

 

 

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[alcpa1]

I would recommend an Aqua class cabin or suite on the Silhouette or a balcony cabin that is mid ship on a lower deck. The ride is more stable on a lower deck in the middle of the ship and close proximity to the elevators on a large ship is beneficial. The Oasis is a HUGE ship.

Cabins are small compared to luxury hotels and your grandmother should be informed of this. The balcony cabins are of equal size on the Silhouette but priced according to location and amenities.

If you opt for a regular balcony cabin do treat your grandmother to some of the specialty restaurants. They do add to the cost but she will probably prefer the more intimate dining rooms and much better food. And the food will be better on Celebrity.

The décor of the Celebrity fleet is more understated than most lines. Your grandmother might think it more "refined" if she had a sailing history.

And don't for a minute presume that this will be her one and only cruise. My mother in law cruised until she was 92 and would still be cruising today, at age 97, if the Big C wasn't slowing her down. My own grandmother cruised until she was 94. Her last cruise was a Baltic cruise.

Have a wonderful time with your grandmother. There will be more than enough to keep her occupied. And bravo for choosing an eastern Caribbean itinerary.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

Hello all,

 

I registered here because I am currently planning to take my 88-year-old Grandmother on her first cruise and am conflicted on which way to go. I'm 22, have only been on one other cruise (Holland America to Alaska when I was 12), and know absolutely nothing about cruising. I visited with a travel agent today, who helped me narrow down my choices to Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas or Celebrity Silhouette. We're planning on doing the seven night Eastern Caribbean trip.

 

My grandmother is concerned that Royal Caribbean will be too noisy/crowded, or "lower class," as she says (sorry if that offends). She's accustomed to staying in extremely nice hotels and is concerned that the Oasis won't provide the 5 star experience she likes. This is where Celebrity seems like the better option.

 

However, at 22, I'm concerned about being stuck on a ship full of 50-somethings with no one to talk to and nothing to do. The Oasis appears to have so many activities, excursions, shows, nightclubs, etc... nonstop activity. I remember being bored to death on my family's Holland America trip and don't want a repeat of that experience.

 

What do you all think is the best way to go? Food quality is also important to my grandmother, and she's read that the food on the Oasis isn't nearly as good as on the Celebrity line. Like I said, she's accustomed to luxury and wants to enjoy fine dining, spa service, drinks by the pool, shopping, etc, but I want to make sure there are also plenty of activities for us to enjoy.

 

All-in-all I just want this to be a great vacation for the two of us and need to find a happy medium - a cruise that will suit both of us. As I'm starting school in the fall, this will likely be our last trip together while her health is still good and while I have the time to spend with her.

 

Any and all opinions/suggestions/feedback re Royal Caribbean vs Celebrity would be much appreciated! Thank you so much!

What a wonderful grandchild you are! Don't worry about being bored. Like you said this trip is for your grandmother. It's about the two of you being together. I think your grandmother is probably right when she talks about Royal Caribbean. I've yet to sail on celebrity, but just from what I've read on the boards it probably would be a better fit for your grandmother.

 

Please tell your grandmother that the Lido deck can be very slippery at times so to please watch her step.

 

Enjoy your cruise. I hope it's everything you want it to be. :)

[sailinglisa]

Why not consider one of the Radiance class ships that Royal has? Nowhere near the crowds that the Oasis/Allure has, beautiful smaller ships, but still all the great dining and service. The TA should NEVER has even brought the Oasis into the conversation! Between Celebrity and Royal....compare the S class ships with the Radiance class ships!

[TravelerThom]

Oasis is not for your grandmother in any way. Unless she is in super shape, it is far too big, too much walking, too many people...

Reading this I would think we were comparing a big ship to a small ship. Both Oasis and Silhouette are BIG ships. Yes Oasis is much bigger in tonnage and passenger count, but in meaningful quantifiable numbers there is not that much difference. Most of Oasis increased tonnage is in the width of the ship, adding very little to walking. In terms of length (which directly corresponds to walking) Oasis is 14% longer - intelligent cabin selection will more than overcome this difference. In terms of passenger space ratio (which directly relates to crowding) Silhouette is 10% better than Oasis. In non-quantifiable terms, I do agree that the ambiance of the Silhouette would likely be a better fit, but note that IMO Celebrity noise pollution (not announcements, but volume of music both in the theater and around the ship) tends to be worse than on Royal Caribbean.

 

Thom

[phoenix_dream]

I would definitely pick Celebrity based on what you have said. Much classier and more refined, but without being boring. Yes, it is not as much a 'party ship' as any Royal Caribbean and there are not as many organized activities, but there is always something going on. Would a 20 something consider it their favorite line? Probably not in most cases. But I can tell you that my 27 year old son has been sailing on X ships with us since he was 3 and he absolutely loves them. He is not the party animal type, and he enjoys a chill vacation now and then. The crowd will skew older, but there are always at least some younger people onboard. Go to one of the mixers early in the cruise where you can meet up with some people your age. These days life is so hectic I think there is something to be said for taking some time to just relax, no matter your age. Put away the cell phone (beware of using it on the cruise - very expensive), stay away from email and texting if you can:D, and take a week to live in the moment. You will look back on it 30 years from now with very fond memories I promise you.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

I'll join in and say your grandmother will enjoy the service on Celebrity more than RCI. I haven't cruised RCI, but I do compare the service on X to a 5 star hotel-- well, 4 star, anyway.

 

As far as you're being bored, Celebrity is not a party line like Carnival, but we took our 23-year old daughter and her boyfriend on a cruise, and they said they found plenty to do when the old folks weren't around. X does pretty much go to sleep after midnight. If your grandmother will be okay on her own for periods of time, you could go on a shore excursion or attend a show in the evening without her, but you may end up spending more time than you think attending to her needs.

 

Whatever cruise you pick, join the roll call. There will be plenty of 50-somethings, but there should also be some younger folks that you might be able to link up with.

[Lightngsvt]

I would vote for the Silhouette as well, it is a beautiful and classy ship. My wife and I (39 and 41) did the western last year and next month are doing the eastern the Reflection. Im also considering taking my aunt who just turned 75 on a Bermuda cruise later this year for some of the same reason you list (while still healthy, mobile, etc). I think the Caribbean itineraries are a bit younger crowd than average for Celebrity and if you during the spring break season you will find more younger people and families. But if you can have fun just knowing your Grandma is enjoying herself youll be good anywhere. There are plenty of bars, pools, a little bit of night life, spa, shore excursions, etc that I think you would enjoy yourself unless you are a major party animal.

[RCKM43]

100% celebrity. Based on your comments she would not like RCCL oasis. I have cruised many times with Celebrity starting in high school and 20 years later I have yet to be bored or have a bad cruise. Yes it does have an older crowd but there have been those in the teens, twenties and thirties on board. If you want wild party fun, you won't find that. But we always enjoyed the shows and when we wanted to found people to go dance or have drinks with at night.

 

I would try for an aqua class cabin so that she can dine in blu.

 

 

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[K.T.B.]

Your grandmother will love Silhouette, there is plenty to do or not do if she prefers. And you will find plenty of 20-somethings on board as well. Even if you do not, and this is based strictly on the cruise I just took, the age seemed to skew more towards the younger than the older passenger.

 

Here's my review of my cruise, it does include pictures as well so you can see how it looks: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1985529

[maggie.1008]

I take my 82 yr. old dad once a year. He wants to sit at a table for two in Blu so we go Aqua class or sky suite. The MDR is too noisy for him. Go with Celebrity as a much larger ship ( Oasis ) can be overwhelming and lots of kids.

[helen haywood]

Celebrity by all means! And we've sailed on the Oasis. The crowds at times can be overwhelming there. And the Buffet was very crowded. Celebrity's Solstice class ships never feel crowded to me.

 

Be prepared for your grandmother to book another Celebrity cruise while onboard!

[Ruthk]

My mother will be 88 in several weeks and I take her on a 2 week cruise every year, we have done this for years. Mom loves Celebrity, loves breakfast on the balcony, loves the heated water in the solarium pool, loves it all. We don't even get off the ship at all during the 14 days. Next year we are booked for 4 weeks straight!

The one thing I would highly suggest - get a cabin as close to the elevator as possible, it will make things easy, and my suggestion is if you are sailing the S Class ship the back elevator is more central to everything your grandmother will want.

We stay on the Resort deck (swimming pool level) and right by the elevators, and mom, who broke her hip 1/2 yr. ago, and needs a cane, gets along great.

 

You are a good grand daughter and these are memories that will last with you forever.

p.s. 88 is the new 58, LOL!!!

[warmwinds]

I imagine you'll be spending a lot (not all) your time with your grandmother. I think you will also have conversations with people you meet on board and yes, most will be older than you. It won't be so bad - we oldies have lots of stories to tell, and you'll be surprised what an interest we'll take in you and what you have to say. It's a good life skill to be able to converse with a wide spectrum of people. Take advantage of the opportunity.

[Duanerice1]

I'd pick Aqua Class on Celebrity. As someone else said, you don't have the loud MDR to deal with and it is a pretty decent restaurant. You'll also have access to some of the spa rooms.

 

If you book today they also have the 123 go promo where you can get the classic beverage package thrown in. Who knows, in a week the cruise might drop without the package so that is a crap shoot.

enjoy,

Duane

[ChiGal1962]

Echo what most everyone else said. But just wanted to add one more thing. I completely get your concern about things being as "boring" as HAL. While Celebrity will definitely skew older than RCCL, it's younger than HAL. But more importantly, there are a ton more activities than I found on HAL. No, it's not a party ship, but there will definitely be more to do than attend a marine biology lecture!

[Florala]

Five years ago, we took my 85 year old mother on her first cruise, and went to the Eastern Caribbean, on Freedom of the Seas. We had our family group, which consisted of her children and grandchildren of various ages…youngest grandchild was 23 and her oldest child was 66. Since my mother had never cruised, she had nothing to compare, and loved it all. Everyone... all 12 of us, had a great time, loved the ship, and loved the food. It sounds like you want to spend some quality time with Grandma though, and when it's just my husband and I cruising, we really love Aqua class on Celebrity, with more intimate and quiet dining in Blu. If she's into "classy", Celebrity probably has the edge, but whatever you pick, I know she's going to love it. The time together is what's important.

[junetraveler2014]

Celebrity hands down. My MIL liked the S-class ships but found that if she did not get a cabin mid ship, it got quite cumbersome to get around the ship. Plenty to do for all on the s-ship but they tend to be too itinerary intensive making the trip very tiring. On the other hand she loved the M class ship most. She likes the comfort, style, class and dining venues on the M-class. She can go all over on the ship without asking herself " Am I there yet?" She has been to Bermuda and loves going there. Always something new to see and at her pace because she is there for 3 days.

As for you, the Silhouette is probably best for you, unless you go on a less hectic schedule, and have time to smell the roses. But I fully agree with your Grandmother, in that Celebrity is the line to book. What ever you choose....Enjoy! :confused:;):D

[Waihekean]

Another vote for Celebrity here and to recommend an Aqua cabin or suite. She might really enjoy the heated beds in the Persian Gardens and think she will enjoy the Blu restaurant.

 

Take advantage of the 1,2,3 promotion.

 

Also make a booking for her in the Murano for 1x a high tea and 1x a dinner. Tuscan Grill is also really nice.

 

If you like a really large balcony, choose for one of the cabins on the slant of the humps.