Should I try Celebrity over Royal?

I have been a loyal Royal cruiser. I am looking into a Southern route for December on either Adventure, Jewel or trying Celebrity Summit? The itineraries are all very similar with 5 port days and only 1 day at sea.

Will a couple in their low 30's enjoy Celebrity or should we stay on Royal? My wife is concerned that we are too young and the Celebrity ship will be a much older crowd and not as much to do for our age range. We have always had a good time on Royal but willing to try something else, a little sick of the RCCL food, was on the Oasis last cruise and only ate in the main dinning room once.

Any input or suggestions are welcome and thanks in advance for your help.

I prefer RCCL, although I heard the Summit was a nice ship. I do not think food was any better on Celebrity and I thought entertainment is way better on RCCL . People on Celebrity ship that I was on were of all ages, ships seem much quitter with less to do, on the other hand it has one of the few non smoking casino which we liked and was very elegant, people seemed to dress better than people on RCCL. I would give it a try and decide for yourself.

We just sailed Celebrity first time (Reflection two weeks ago) after 10 RCCL cruises. Just our opinions of course:D :

Food, ship, entertainment all seemed equal but not better than RCCL. Buffet was worse than RCCL, again just our opinion. Age/demographic seemed the same.

After this first Celebrity cruise we will go with RCCL or Celebrity equally, basing decision on price and ports.

For what it's worth we did talk to someone aboard who loved the Reflection but thought Summit out of SJU was a tired old ship.

We're booked on Adventure next winter:)

Was the dress in the dinning room and specialty restaurants more formal?

when on vacation, I don't really like to get dressed up, prefer to wear a polo and a nice pair of shorts with boat shoes for dinner. On the formal nights I'll throw on a pair of dress pants but that's as dressy as I'll get.

The problem with going out of SJU, is all ships are older and a little tired looking in places.

Since it's a port intensive cruise, it would be an excellent time to give Celebrity a try because late evening entertainment won't be a big factor to you. ;)

LuLu

I have been a loyal Royal cruiser. I am looking into a Southern route for December on either Adventure, Jewel or trying Celebrity Summit? The itineraries are all very similar with 5 port days and only 1 day at sea.

 

Will a couple in their low 30's enjoy Celebrity or should we stay on Royal? My wife is concerned that we are too young and the Celebrity ship will be a much older crowd and not as much to do for our age range. We have always had a good time on Royal but willing to try something else, a little sick of the RCCL food, was on the Oasis last cruise and only ate in the main dinning room once.

 

Any input or suggestions are welcome and thanks in advance for your help.

Having sailed on both- I would vote that you try the Summit. It isn't the Oasis or the Allure- but has it's own charm. The age of the passengers is from the "cradle to the grave". The service is excellent and the food IMO pretty good, we especially like the specialty restaurants.

An adventure to step outside of your comfort zone.

We are the opposite. This summer we're trying Adventure. We haven't been back to Royal since our honeymoon 12 years ago. I love the Summit. I've been on her six times, twice to the southern Caribbean and four times to Bermuda.

The other passengers on the Summit won't be geriatric. We've always found a pleasant mix of people of all ages and have never not found pleasant people to talk to.

For a busy southern itinerary, there probably won't be as many activities as you might be used to. But for us, we prefer to relax in the evening after hiking the rainforest in St. Kitts, mounting biking in Grenada and snorkeling in Dominica.

We always get into a routine, off the ship early, spend the entire day doing something other than sitting on a beach, back to the ship around 4:00, enjoy little sandwiches and scones at tea time, soak in the Solarium hot tub (which is deserted because everyone is getting ready for dinner), shower and dress for dinner, stop at the Martini Bar, late dinner in the MDR (or Blu if we're in Aqua), check out what's going on in the Rendezvous Lounge, maybe stop in Reflections for a bit, then to bed by 1:00am. Whew! We usually look forward to that last sea day!

Was the dress in the dinning room and specialty restaurants more formal?

 

when on vacation, I don't really like to get dressed up, prefer to wear a polo and a nice pair of shorts with boat shoes for dinner. On the formal nights I'll throw on a pair of dress pants but that's as dressy as I'll get.

 

The problem with going out of SJU, is all ships are older and a little tired looking in places.

More formal than Royal. No shorts in the MDR and Jackets for the guys on Formal night.

Was the dress in the dinning room and specialty restaurants more formal?

 

when on vacation, I don't really like to get dressed up, prefer to wear a polo and a nice pair of shorts with boat shoes for dinner. On the formal nights I'll throw on a pair of dress pants but that's as dressy as I'll get.

 

The problem with going out of SJU, is all ships are older and a little tired looking in places.

The shorts aren't going to fly, either in the MDR or a specialty restaurant. The specialty restaurants and Blu are always 'Cruise Elegant', for which your polo, boat shoes and pants rather than shorts would work fine. On formal nights in the MDR, it depends on the maitre d. My dad was turned away last month because he was not wearing a jacket, but he has worn a shirt and tie with no jacket on other Celebrity cruises.

We are the opposite. This summer we're trying Adventure. We haven't been back to Royal since our honeymoon 12 years ago. I love the Summit. I've been on her six times, twice to the southern Caribbean and four times to Bermuda.

 

The other passengers on the Summit won't be geriatric. We've always found a pleasant mix of people of all ages and have never not found pleasant people to talk to.

 

For a busy southern itinerary, there probably won't be as many activities as you might be used to. But for us, we prefer to relax in the evening after hiking the rainforest in St. Kitts, mounting biking in Grenada and snorkeling in Dominica.

 

We always get into a routine, off the ship early, spend the entire day doing something other than sitting on a beach, back to the ship around 4:00, enjoy little sandwiches and scones at tea time, soak in the Solarium hot tub (which is deserted because everyone is getting ready for dinner), shower and dress for dinner, stop at the Martini Bar, late dinner in the MDR (or Blu if we're in Aqua), check out what's going on in the Rendezvous Lounge, maybe stop in Reflections for a bit, then to bed by 1:00am. Whew! We usually look forward to that last sea day!

Funny this seems to be the year of change- we also have been on the Summit to Bremuda 4 times and once in the Caribbean. This year trying NCL Breakaway- we will be in the Haven- have heard good things about the Haven on this ship.

The shorts aren't going to fly, either in the MDR or a specialty restaurant. The specialty restaurants and Blu are always 'Cruise Elegant', for which your polo, boat shoes and pants rather than shorts would work fine. On formal nights in the MDR, it depends on the maitre d. My dad was turned away last month because he was not wearing a jacket, but he has worn a shirt and tie with no jacket on other Celebrity cruises.

thanks for the info as its seems like trying celebrity might be worth it but the dress code might be a deal breaker for me. I am on vacation I don't want to have to get dressed up in pants and a especially a jacket (on formal nights)

Funny this seems to be the year of change- we also have been on the Summit to Bremuda 4 times and once in the Caribbean. This year trying NCL Breakaway- we will be in the Haven- have heard good things about the Haven on this ship.

I knew your name looked familiar! We were roll call buddies for last year's 8/10/14 Bermuda cruise. I don't remember if we met onboard, but I remember your review afterward saying you were going to change things up this year. Of course with Summit inside gtys going for $599 and $199 for 3rd/4th, we might just sneak in a last minute trip back again this summer!

My kids loved the Bermuda cruises, but they are beside themselves with excitement to try Royal Caribbean. They aren't kid's club fans, but are looking forward to having lots of other things to do on Adventure. We are just back from a last minute Carnival 4-day Spring Break cruise where we didn't leave the ship because they loved having the pool and Waterworks to themselves while everyone else was in Freeport and Nassau.

thanks for the info as its seems like trying celebrity might be worth it but the dress code might be a deal breaker for me. I am on vacation I don't want to have to get dressed up in pants and a especially a jacket (on formal nights)

I understand. In our family, I'm the one who doesn't like getting dressed up, while my husband loves it and would miss it if we didn't do it. I go along for his sake.

The regular dress code is also a bit more lenient for the ladies. I can get by in capris and sandals.

we have had wonderful trip on Celebrity. I think you should of course try them all. Cruising is catching on as a great vacation and cost incentive for many of all ages. Years ago cruising was for the newlywed and nearly dead. No so any longer. Of course much depends on the itinerary. Longer ones, regardless of line will attract more retirees. Because we have status with RCI, its hard to cheat. But Celebrity does match status to Diamond level. We always enjoy our free nightly drinks perk. But I personally have really enjoyed the food on Celebrity. Much on the buffet is cooked to order. The down side, if you and your traveling companian want different things, chances are you are eating seperately.

Most lines now have decent shows, aerial shows, trivia and such. These are things we enjoy. We've been disappointed in RCI taking away some of the D+ perks. We are venturing out a bit on some new ships. Looking forward to it.

The newer Celebrity ships are wonderful

I knew your name looked familiar! We were roll call buddies for last year's 8/10/14 Bermuda cruise. I don't remember if we met onboard, but I remember your review afterward saying you were going to change things up this year. Of course with Summit inside gtys going for $599 and $199 for 3rd/4th, we might just sneak in a last minute trip back again this summer!

 

My kids loved the Bermuda cruises, but they are beside themselves with excitement to try Royal Caribbean. They aren't kid's club fans, but are looking forward to having lots of other things to do on Adventure. We are just back from a last minute Carnival 4-day Spring Break cruise where we didn't leave the ship because they loved having the pool and Waterworks to themselves while everyone else was in Freeport and Nassau.

Hi Cindy-

Maybe we will see you in Bermuda. We enjoy the island and look forward to returning this year. Funny, we booked the Summit again for August 2016! But wanted to try something new.

We got back a couple of weeks ago from sailing on the Quantum-not my favorite ship.

Regards

Wendy

Your post caused me to look at cruises on Celebrity out of San Juan. We are scheduled to sail on the Jewel Dec 20th. I found that Celebrity's Dec 19th sailing out of San Juan was quite a bit less than Jewel and the inside cabins were bigger. They are also offering a drink package and shipboard credit through Costco. This for less. I am not switching because our plane flies in on the 20th - too late for the Celebrity sailing. If this had been the case when I booked the vacation, including air, I would have looked at seriously going on the Celebrity boat. Fortunately when I booked Jewel was $200 per person cheaper for the inside cabin - my choice of sailing.

Anyway, the Celebrity looks like a great deal, although I didn't check other December dates.

Our thoughts...We have sailed on RCCL, Celebrity, and MSC. All three had their good points and their bad points.

Food: Celebrity was hands down the best, RCCL the worst. MSC was suprisingly good.

If you are worried about dressing up more in the Celebrity dining room, then book a concierge room. The room service menu is the same as the dining room. Enjoy dinner on your balcony in whatever makes you comfortable.

Activities: We are not a good source here. We tend to eat around 7, grab a show if it interests us, wander the ship for a few drinks, and then conclude the evening on our balcony with a bottle of wine.

We did notice that the dance clubs on the Celebrity ship were all closing down around the time that we would be wandering in.

Ships: They all seem to be about the same unless you are on a brand new ship. Keeping all the rust away and not having any carpet seams is almost impossible for a ship that is sailing full of passengers 7 days a week. It is a constant struggle no matter whose ship you are on.

We would love to sail on Celebrity again during the summer months, but they have abandoned their younger (under 50) passengers that want beach destinations at that time while the kids are out of school.

RCCL bumps their pricing markedly during the school vacation times to the point that I think it is time to give MSC a nod once again. Kids sail free, the ships are beautiful, and we enjoy meeting passengers from other parts of the world.

Celebrity will be a slightly more polished service, and with better food than RC. Friends of mine took Summit really enjoyed. A lot of folks of all ages they said. I would check it out, the Summit, for a new experience.

We had a great cruise on Solstice back in 2010. Like I said polished service and the best food of all 5 lines I have sailed.

I still like Royal Caribbean a touch better though. They make me feel so at home. I didn't get quite that same feel on Celebrity. Still I would take Celebrity again. They are a top notch cruise line.

Your post caused me to look at cruises on Celebrity out of San Juan. We are scheduled to sail on the Jewel Dec 20th. I found that Celebrity's Dec 19th sailing out of San Juan was quite a bit less than Jewel and the inside cabins were bigger. They are also offering a drink package and shipboard credit through Costco. This for less. I am not switching because our plane flies in on the 20th - too late for the Celebrity sailing. If this had been the case when I booked the vacation, including air, I would have looked at seriously going on the Celebrity boat. Fortunately when I booked Jewel was $200 per person cheaper for the inside cabin - my choice of sailing.

 

Anyway, the Celebrity looks like a great deal, although I didn't check other December dates.

Jewel and Summit have a lot in common with there size, capacity, and amenities. While the buffet is not as well laid out on Summit, they both have outdoor seating. Summit has a pool grill and real ice cream in the buffet. Summit also has the Ocean View Bar on the aft of the ship and has a better selection of craft beer in Cellar Masters. Jewel has a rock climbing wall.

I loved the Solstice but didn't care at all for the Summit!

I really enjoyed my one Celebrity cruise so far. The ambience seems to be a little more adult, and I liked the ship we were on -- the Constellation, which is in the same class as the Summit.

If you're worried about the "older" ship, choose one of the new Aqua Class cabins on Deck 11. All the AQ cabins are double occupancy only, so it's very quiet up there. An AQ cabin gets you assigned to BLU for breakfast and dinner as your dining room. In addition to having (in my opinion) better food than the MDR, BLU's dress code is resort casual all the time, including formal nights.

I also think nobody is offering better deals than Celebrity right now. Keep your eyes open and hopefully you can get in on a 1-2-3 All Inclusive. When I look at what's included on my next cruise, it makes the price per diem better than any of the other sailings I have booked.

Give Celebrity a try.... especially if price is about the same. My wife and I are in our low 30's and Celebrity is our line of choice. (Watch for corner aft FV cabins as they sometimes come available for two people.... Unbelievable balcony!)

Celebrity is a bore compared to RCL.

I knew your name looked familiar! We were roll call buddies for last year's 8/10/14 Bermuda cruise. I don't remember if we met onboard, but I remember your review afterward saying you were going to change things up this year. Of course with Summit inside gtys going for $599 and $199 for 3rd/4th, we might just sneak in a last minute trip back again this summer!

 

My kids loved the Bermuda cruises, but they are beside themselves with excitement to try Royal Caribbean. They aren't kid's club fans, but are looking forward to having lots of other things to do on Adventure. We are just back from a last minute Carnival 4-day Spring Break cruise where we didn't leave the ship because they loved having the pool and Waterworks to themselves while everyone else was in Freeport and Nassau.

When we go with family with kids- we agree that Royal has more going on for them. Especially the Oasis and Allure- but the Freedom class is also great. We have never been on the older ships. I think kids love any cruise ship. But the rate you pay on Celebrity, when they have the specials is a real bargain, if you aren't fussy about your cabins. Carnival can also be a blast for kids-

I LOVE Celebrity. I feel it just a knotch above RCCL in service. Saying that, I don't thing you will disappointed in RCCL.

We've sailed Princess several times but like RCCL better. More an atmosphere thing but it wouldn't stop us on going on another Princess cruise.