booking a balcony on either celebrity (millenium), princess (carribbean princess)or royal carribean (jewel of the seas). any thoughts on which ship is best?
i heard rc has lots of kids which we don't want, and the food is not as good as it once was.

It depends what time of the year you sail, but in general Celebrity doesnot have many kids.
Millenium is a very nice ship and Celebrity has good food in the dningroom, has a spciality restaurant, but also at the buffet and the sushi bar you will find fine dishes.

I concur about the RCI food situation. I hear that alot. X is considered to be a step up from Princess and RC though we have been very pleased with food on Princess. For alot of reviews try: www.cruisecritic.com. As for kids have you considered going when schools are in session?

Food is better on Celebrity, as is dining room service and ambiance; it is also a more traditional experience (less frenetic pace, few announcements, more formal dress), fewer kids.

Millie is an M class ship and there are known mechanical issues with these that rear their heads once or twice a year.

Cannot speak about Princess because it has been too long since I have cruised with them.

Listen to jacketwatch and do a lot of reading at cruisecritic.

Kfusto: Thank you for that supreme compliment. I feel like I just graduated from cruise grasshopper status. ( makes sense IF you remember the old TV show "Kung Fu.&quot Larry

I have also been pretty pleased with Princess (compared to Celebrity) but I would be hesitant to book the Caribbean Princess. That ship has the worst space ratio compared to Princess's other ships. That ship probably attracts more kids on it compared to the other ships Princess has. RCCL does have lots of kids also.

Theresa is right. We were on the Caribbean Princess last year and could barely see the shows, attend an act, etc. Crowding was horrible. We just got off RCCL Freedom of the Seas and loved it. Any ship will have kids depending on when you go. Best times are Sept-Nov and Jan-Feb (not President's week) Personally, I loce RCCL and have no desire to cruise another line anymore.

Larry (formerly Grasshopper) you always give good advice even though occasionally our opinions diverge a bit based on experiences.

Of the three, I would choose Millie if food and service are more important ( as well as fewer kids).

I was on Jewel in December (non holiday). She is a beauty but there were a lot of kids behaving badly and lots of folks really dressed down. I don't like shorts and sweats in the dining room at dinner personally.

IMO, the food on RCI has declined considerably and we paid to dine in the specialty restaurant every night of the cruise after seeing the menus.

Caribbean Princess has a space to passenger ratio that makes it crowded.

Linda recommends Freedom. I have also cruised on that ship and I personally do not enjoy ships that look and feel like convention hotels/amusement parks. I prefer the ocean liner type of traditional experience. I was there by invitation and would never pay to sail on that size ship again.

It is all about personal preference and priorities.

Good luck!

FORMERLY grasshopper! YES!!

Deinitely if you are looking for good food and few children, of the 3 you mentioned, the Celebrity line is your answer. The food is more upscale, well presented with many more nice touches than on the others. No "theme" meals at dinner. A few "themes" in the lunch buffets. Altho they have a kids club, most pasengers leave the kids home. We generally cruise in the "school Year" and at most have seen 3 kids. Summers of course will draw more. Balconies are always a nice touch altho some ships have very large picture windows available as outside views. Not just a port hole. We enjoy the balconies, but don't always need one...depends where you are traveling.