Cruising with grandchildren.Which ship would be better,Reflection or Brilliance ?

[Cruise Betty]

DH and I want to take our daughter and her husband with three boys,who will be 6,9 and 11 on a Med cruise late June,July next year.

We usually cruise with Celebrity and are Elite captains club. Are considering Reflection and RC Brilliance of the Seas. How do the children's clubs and outdoor areas/ pool access etc compare?

[akowilm]

I haven't sailed on the Brilliance, but I have been on Liberty and Navigator, as well as 3 cruises on the Reflection. While I don't have kids, I noticed there was a lot more child friendly space on the RCCL ships, mini golf, waterslide, etc, and Liberty had the Shrek and friends parade one night. I believe there was also ice skating on the RCCL ships, though I am not sure that is available on the Brilliance. Of course your itinerary and days at sea play a big part, but if I was a child, I might be a bit bored on Reflection (love it as an adult, though)!

[hcat]

Brilliance is a Radiance Class ship, smaller than Navigator and had Centrum area but not a "mall" area and no ice rink...Not sure when it was last updated ..you can look it up for info about mini golf etc or post on Royal Bd...We enjoyed it but did not have children or teens with us.

 

Reflection is the biggest S class ship...very modern but grared to adults..no rock walls, etc.

 

Indoor pool areas traditionally adults only on both..During summer season there will be many famiies on board and both lines will have activities for them.

Hope you enjoy a wonderful family vacation.

Edited September 5, 2016 by hcat

[Jeremiah1212]

From the areas of the ship you mention, I think the two ships are very comparable. We like Brilliance a lot. Like previously mentioned, it is a different class ship than Navigator or Liberty and with that comes a lot less kid-centric features. There is a Centrum instead of Royal Promenade. Reflection will have a overall far more modern look and feel. Pool and deck place is very similar. Both have indoor solariums. Both offer a kids club. Brilliance does have a rock climbing wall and mini golf. On a port heavy Med cruise I imagine those lacking other kid features aren't as big of a concern.

[luvstosail]

DH and I want to take our daughter and her husband with three boys,who will be 6,9 and 11 on a Med cruise late June,July next year.

We usually cruise with Celebrity and are Elite captains club. Are considering Reflection and RC Brilliance of the Seas. How do the children's clubs and outdoor areas/ pool access etc compare?

 

I would look into RCCL. On RCCL ships mega ships, there is hands down more things for kids to do. We have sailed both lines thru the Med. I think it's a win win for all of you. RCCL has great European voyages and beautiful ships also, and when there is down time or days at sea there is so many more things for young people to do. Three boys can and do get very bored very quickly!!! IMHO

 

luvstosail

Boston Ma

[Tiggertastic]

Brilliance is one of the smaller ones without the ice rink or flowrider but feel there will be more for the grandchildren on Royal Caribbean

 

 

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[DrivesLikeMario]

Definitely the Brilliance! My kids LOVED the kids' slide! It was the first time they actually amused themselves outside of the kids' program. Some of the crew that manned the slide would throw RCI keychains down the slide and the kids would try to catch them as they went down.

It's a small one, so it isn't too intimidating for little kids.

 

There's also a small video arcade. The kids' program is in a smaller space and if you're on a sailing without a lot of kids, it really is fantastically done. They had the best time out of over 20 cruises on that cruise.

[Ox Fan Cruiser]

2 years ago we took the kids & grandkids on NCL Breakaway out of NYC. The ship had "kid stuff" ie, ropes course, rock wall, wading pool.... Their kids program was very "lacking". Given that, it was much more kid friendly than any Celebrity cruise.... Which is the reason we sail Celebrity when we don't have the kids.

[swigso]

With Grandkids that age I would go for RCCL.

Maybe not on the brilliance but one of the newer bigger ships.

The Navigator is a fantastic ship as are the Freedom Class.

[richsea]

if your Grandkids have not cruised before, I would do Reflection. It is most likely a port intensive cruise, so the ports are the focus. While X has a kids program, Royal would offer more for them, but if they have nothing to compare it to, it won't matter. My Grandkids loved Celebrity until they cruised Royal & NCL; which they now much prefer.

[DrivesLikeMario]

One other nice thing about the Brilliance is that for a first cruise, it's not too overwhelming. The size of the ship is excellent and navigable. Our kids had it down way before we did. With the rock wall, golf and the additional casual dining choices, it was a perfect vacation for our family. I just don't think our kids would've enjoyed Celebrity and they were (at the time) pretty well-versed in a variety of cruise lines.

[gopatsgofor5]

Besides Celebrity Royals Brilliance of the Sea is my favorite ship hands down of the 23 cruises I've taken. Loved the food so much that I asked for the chef in charge of food to compliment them. GREAT ship. For younger crowd. I think the grands will like Brilliance better than Celebrity. More fun pool side but you can check that out online

[Cruise Betty]

Thanks for all the feedback. I think that Brilliance is the way to go here though the problem is if I'm honest my heart is always with Celebrity!

Brilliance is also a 12 night cruise and imo a better itinerary. So sad that X withdrew Equinox from Europe for 2017. Was on her in May and had a great cruise. They have really cut the choices for 2017 Europe.

[TSC]

we love Celebrity and have done the med with them 4 times. But, when we take our grands on a cruise we usually go with Royal. Everything is just more geared towards kids - the pool area, the sporting things, some of the shows, the kids club (although Celebrity kids club is very good too.) Mine grands love Sorrentos, the soft serve ice cream, the soda machines, and room service!

Edited September 6, 2016 by TSC

[villauk]

Thanks for all the feedback. I think that Brilliance is the way to go here though the problem is if I'm honest my heart is always with Celebrity!

Brilliance is also a 12 night cruise and imo a better itinerary. So sad that X withdrew Equinox from Europe for 2017. Was on her in May and had a great cruise. They have really cut the choices for 2017 Europe.

 

The Brilliance itinerary is a good choice for the younger kids first cruise, especially as it has the outdoor slide. Brilliance was our first ever cruise and the kids loved her, so she does have a special place in our hearts :). Having lots of glass, she has more of a connection with the ocean. We're actually taking our teens on Reflection next year; they enjoyed the LCG on Silhouette so we will probably be visiting there again :). It's more about itinerary for us ;).

 

Don't forget, you will be Diamond on Royal with your Elite status.

 

By keeping Equinox in the Caribbean next year, I presume X are hoping to keep pricing a little higher than this year in the Med, with the reduced capacity on the remaining ships. Obviously, I hoping for the opposite - there were some great deals this year, fingers crossed for next :D.

[chemmo]

As others have said you will have a great cruise on either ship.

 

One thing I would consider is what rooms you are planning on booking. RC does have some bigger 'family' suites which can work out cheaper than multiple cabins and then some perks are included. I think they are called two bedroom suites and family suites, worth looking at.... Both lines do have 'family veranda' type offerings. Pricing up a range of cabins and what is included with each could make a substantial difference to the price.

 

When we took our young son on his first Med trip we had introduced him to a 'story' about each port of call. He loved the myths and legends of Greece! When we then did tours he was more interested than many of the adults!

 

 

Hope you have a great family cruise!

Edited September 6, 2016 by chemmo

[chemmo]

Re the suite on Brilliance I was suggesting above....I think it is called the royal family suite. Sleeps up to 8 with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, lounge with double sofa bed, balcony. Enough privacy for all of you but great shared living space and suite perks. If you try to book on line it will probably not let you log in 4 adults and 3 children but it could be a good option for you all, worth a phone call to get a price.

[Cruise Betty]

It also occurs to me that I have never cruised the Med at the beginning of July.How many children are there likely to be on board then? The Scottish schools are on holiday but that would not be a big deal. English schools do not come off till mid July. But how about American ones and European?

Also I presume it will be quite hot though hopefully not so bad as August.

[wallie5446]

We took our DD on her first Celebrity cruise in 1994 at age 11, her first RCCL was in 1997, she has also sailed on Cunard, NCL, and HAL.

 

For her Senior HS trip in 2000, we booked a cruise, asked which line she preferred, she chose Celebrity.

 

Celebrity has a very good kids program, and announced a month or so back some new additions to the program.

 

So IMHO it is a toss up, you know your Grand Children's habits and likes. Weather they are self entertaining, or need a outdoor type activity to be happy. There is no 'wrong' choice, but I would try and influence their growth in grand behavior by going with Celebrity. Then go with RCCL next time and they wont be the ones running about pushing all the buttons in the elevator's! :D

[phoenix_dream]

I agree there is no wrong choice per se. If you want more options for the kids to do things on their own, or with other kids, then RCI ships provide that. if you plan to spend more 'family time' and hang around together, then I would stick with Celebrity. Usually with parents I am of the opinion that when the kids pay, then the kids can pick, but as a fellow grandparent I understand you want to spoil and WOW them more than a parent might. To me it's a totally different situation. That's the joy of having grandkids:D Enjoy your cruise!