Rhonda and James Celebrity Horizon 7 night Bermuda Cruise,
Sept 04
1. Our stateroom (9058) was in a perfect location. We had
a roll away bed not one that pulled down from the ceiling
which worked out better for us as our son is 5 and we were
concerned he might fall from the top!
2. We did a snorkeling/glass bottom boat shore excursion and
enjoyed it. The guide was very friendly and informative and
it was a very nice excursion. We would recommend this tour
to others- there were some who did not snorkel, but their
spouses did and they also appeared to be having a super time
as there is a place to sit on the boat and get sun.
3. The Kid's program was outstanding. We have cruised Disney
on both the Magic and Wonder (3 times on the Magic and 1 time
on the Wonder) and felt that the Celebrity Cruise Line had
a kid's club that was much better. The planned activities
on the Celebrity were brilliant (Treasure Hunt with Pirate
Pete, Pirate Face Painting, etc.) The Science Journey's (a
new program) were wonderful- i.e. learning about Insects,
looking through a glass to see what a fly sees, were wonderful.
Celebrity is not open from 9 a.m. til midnight like Disney,
however, we never felt comfortable leaving our son for this
long on Disney. The hours on the Celebrity are set: 9 a.m.-noon,
then 2-5 p.m. and 6:30-10:00- you can have lunch and dinner
provided with supervision for your child for $6.00. There
also is an available "Slumber Party" in the evenings
from 10 p.m.-1:00 a.m. but the cost is $6.00 per hour. They
offer 1 complimentary slumber party on the first formal night.
Celebrity does much more activities- Disney does a lot more
open play time. It was also very nice to have the counselors
greet Noah by name. There were 14 kids on this cruise (that
is from ages 0-17), and there were 5 who were in the Shipmates
(ages 3-9). I am VERY impressed with the kids program and
their activities that are planned as well as their personal
interaction with the kids. They also hosted a kid's Bingo,
Disco, and Talent Show in various lounges of the ship, where
invitations were sent to our stateroom so that the family
could participate with their child. We went to every one of
these family activities and we thoroughly enjoyed them. In
the summer the staff said they average about 300 kids per
cruise, but extra help is brought in. There were five counselors
for the kids ages 3-15, of which there were 11 eligible- there
were a couple of babies and toddlers on the boat which they
count in the # of children. However be prepared: the kids
club is small- not huge like the Disney one. The Celebrity
kids club does many things OUTSIDE of the club room- all of
the treasure hunts, disco, bingo, talent show, etc. that occur
happen throughout the ENTIRE ship. They even all go up to
the buffet to get ice cream for a snack around 3:00. I thought
this was neat because the kids get to see so much of the ship
this way. (They even do a "safety find" on the first
day where the kids go with the counselors throughout the ship
finding fire extinguishers, Muster Stations, etc). I think
it's important to mention this as the room appears small after
going to the Disney Floor on the Magic and Wonder.
4. We wish we would have read more about the Art Auctions
that they have on board the Celebrity- we went to this on
Thursday evening as spectators, but enjoyed it so much that
we registered the next day so that we could bid on pieces.
Other than that, we had read a great deal about the different
beaches/bays, and things to do in Bermuda so we felt well
prepared.
Just as a side note, this was a wonderful destination. The
ship was nice, clean, and well maintained, but it was not
a knock your socks off ship like the Disney Magic or Wonder;
however, we knew this ahead of time. We were pleased with
the ship, but were AMAZED at the country of Bermuda. We'd
like to go back there again to see the various sights as well
as the secluded beaches that we enjoyed snorkeling in. This
was by far the most beautiful, friendly, and safe destination
that we have traveled to.
Rhonda and James
