Celebrity/Royal Caribbean Comparison

Its been years since we have been on a so called smaller chip without a Grand Promenade and I don't remember what we did at night before we went to a show and/or casino to pass the time away. Since all of our cruises have been with RCCL for the past 10 years were on larger ships with a Grand Promenade of which are great for people watching and various entertainment venues. Now I'm looking at the largest Celebrity Ship and was wondering is there anything in comparison to the two lines for fillilng in the gap area as is mentioned above?

I would love to hear what people have to say. I don't know what I would do without a Promenade! :eek:

i did a b2b2b on Summit and had a great time......granted as i am D+ on RCCL I was elite on =X= so before dinner i would hit the cocktail hour.

there was a lot going on, not that i remember any of it.....the nice thing is that (for non smokers anyway) there aren't a lot of smokey places-i.e. the casino.

As for people watching, well i was on a smaller ship. let me think about this for a minute...on Summit at least there are several lounges through which people had to pass going to and from dinner-good people watching spots.....the shows were good, bingo-while it didn't happen often was fun....

hope that helps a little..i had a great time (got GREAT deals that's why i was on so long-they wanted to give me a name tag and put me to work!:o)

I was on the Eclipse (Solstice class) in Dec. As you know, there is nothing like a Royal Promenade on this class of ship. There is a central Atrium where they have their cruise director's staff doing "shows" and alternating music groups playing. Think of it as a vertical promenade several floors high. Not the same as a promenade but still fun for people watching. I had a great time on this ship.

I have only been on the Celebrity Century (their smallest and oldest ship) so I can't help much with the comparing RCI to the Solstice Class. But I did enjoy that cruise very much, and we have booked Celebrity Eclipse for next year. The decor and style of the ship seemed similar to RCI, albeit without the Royal Promenade. The atmosphere on Celebrity was a little more subdued and up scale though. The night life was certainly less active, but there was still a lot to do. They even have a lounge at the top of the ship at the front that felt a lot like the Viking Crown.

I did notice some little differences that I felt made Celebrity a little classier:

Less PA announcements, this was very welcome as I find them fairly annoying.

More crew-served food in the buffet, and an ice cream counter! Much more sanitary IMO. The pasta station in the buffet was really good.

Less noisy pool deck with mostly soft music playing. The day we were in Nassau I went up there to relax. Although our pool deck was peaceful, Carnival Dream and Oasis OTS were parked on either side of us. So I got dueling pool music and steel drums all day! :D:rolleyes:

No need to check out pool towels, there are racks of them and you can use them as needed.

Excellent dinner menu with selections that remain the same each night. RCI and Carnival do this as well, but Celebrity's static menu was much better IMO.

They set up a nice tent at the gangway with cold towels, water and juice for guests returning from port.

I would love to hear what people have to say. I don't know what I would do without a Promenade! :eek:

I find that funny, I hate the promenade. I can stay away from the Mall at home.

Believe it or not Celebrity is our favorite cruise line. We always feel we are traveling a little more upscale than on RCI, CCL or NCL. The average age is higher so late night life is never a big thing. We find the evening entertainment is more quality than quantity. The food offering is of a higher quality.

Haven't been on a Celebrity ship for several years but when we last sail with them their service was presented in a more sophisticated manner. Complimentary Champagne when you board ship. Staff to show you to your cabin. Staff had white gloves and a big smile as part of their uniform.

I think the major difference is how the two lines operate their money extraction programme ;)

The Royal Promenade, with its shops and bars, but on the main floor of activity on the Solstice class Celebrity ships are their paid for restaurants.

The next generation of RCI ships will undoubtedly attempt to include the best of both.

On both the S and M class my favourite place to people watch in the early evening is the Martini bar. If you sit at the ice bar on the S class you can see lots of comings and goings and the Martinis are great too.

Julie

Its been years since we have been on a so called smaller chip without a Grand Promenade and I don't remember what we did at night before we went to a show and/or casino to pass the time away. Since all of our cruises have been with RCCL for the past 10 years were on larger ships with a Grand Promenade of which are great for people watching and various entertainment venues. Now I'm looking at the largest Celebrity Ship and was wondering is there anything in comparison to the two lines for fillilng in the gap area as is mentioned above?

Like you, after several RCI cruises on huge ships, we tried the Celebrity Solstice. We LOVED it. In fact, exactly one year later, we went back on the same ship. I don't know if you are a drinker, but we found the martini bar to be a great spot for an after dinner espresso martini before going to the show. There is also plenty of comfortable seating around the Centrum and there is usually live piano music being played down on deck 3 next to the Passport Bar, in the Ensemble Lounge, or in Michael's Club. They also have a roaming acapella group.

I haven't tried Celebrity yet, and the more I read, the more I want to try one of their ships. We have been on some of the smaller ships, and they offer a much more intimate cruise experience. Nice that the loyalty programs transfer over to Celebrity from RC. :D

X and RCCL do some things in the same fashion, but not all....I still love Royal, but =X= really spoiled me.....i will continue to cruise both lines....it will depend on timing and price....

I felt a little (ok a lot) more spoiled...and while i thought, at first, that i would miss the promenade, i didn't. Actually I grew used to NOT having it on Jewel and Serenade too.......

I enjoyed my cruise on Celebrity Century in 2004 very much. I saw a higher median age of the cruisers than on my previous RCI cruises which I liked very much (no kids running around). I thought the food quality was a little better overall, and the whole cruise was more laid back and "quieter" compaired to my previous RCI cruises creating a more relaxing atmosphere (which is what I look for in a cruise). While on the cruise I thought I had found my new cruise line since we were having such a fantastic time! However, even though my wife and I couldn't put our finger on the exact reasons why, but when the Century docked next to a RCI (forgot which one, but not any bigger or grander looking) ship in Costa Maya we were very jealous of it's passangers and wanted nothing more than to sail on RCI again. I still to this day can not explain why we felt the way we did, could be a nostalgic brand loyal brain washing thingy. I donno. :confused: When looking to book a cruise, Celebrity is the only other cruise line next to RCI that I consider, and would have no problems booking a cruise with them (as long as RCI is not sailing at the same time/place). :D

Thankfully there is nothing like the Royal Promenade on the Celebrity ships.

Our worse cruise to date was aboard IOTS and I would avoid walking along the Royal Parade with a passion. If I want a shopping mall I go to Bluewater or Lakeside. I certainly don't want one on my vacation.

Take it from us, the Solstice class are the finest cruise ships on the high seas (well, without resorting to the five star brands). We sailed on the Solstice for her inaugural and to this day we still feel that she is the most impressive and beautiful ship we have sailed.

As for the comparison of the two brands, we always find that =X= seems to do everything just a little better. It's hard to explain, but everything seems to be just a little bit better, from the service and food to the decor of their ships. =X= is our favorite line, but RC is a strong second.

Take it from us, the Solstice class are the finest cruise ships on the high seas (well, without resorting to the five star brands). We sailed on the Solstice for her inaugural and to this day we still feel that she is the most impressive and beautiful ship we have sailed.

 

As for the comparison of the two brands, we always find that =X= seems to do everything just a little better. It's hard to explain, but everything seems to be just a little bit better, from the service and food to the decor of their ships. =X= is our favorite line, but RC is a strong second.

I think it's very easy to explain - in the buffet restaurant there is an M&Ms dispenser - FREE ALL DAY :D:D:D

If I want a shopping mall I go to Bluewater or Lakeside. I certainly don't want one on my vacation.

So, do you avoid Solstice Class ships? :confused:

So, do you avoid Solstice Class ships? :confused:

 

Hi Aquahound

I've only been on Constellation but now you've shown me what the "S" class ship looks like it looks really classy. Nothing like that awful Royal Promenade with its tacky pub, barber shop and Costa coffee shop to mention but three of the "attractions" it holds!

We are loyal royals but just tried Celebrity Eclipse. It was awesome, no there was no royal promenade but there are other features that keep you busy.

Here is a link to my review of the Eclipse with some pics.....

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1400893

Hi Aquahound

 

I've only been on Constellation but now you've shown me what the "S" class ship looks like it looks really classy. Nothing like that awful Royal Promenade with its tacky pub, barber shop and Costa coffee shop to mention but three of the "attractions" it holds!

I do have to give them that. Everything about Solstice just screams class. Solstice was the most beautiful ship I have been on.

Its been years since we have been on a so called smaller chip without a Grand Promenade and I don't remember what we did at night before we went to a show and/or casino to pass the time away. Since all of our cruises have been with RCCL for the past 10 years were on larger ships with a Grand Promenade of which are great for people watching and various entertainment venues. Now I'm looking at the largest Celebrity Ship and was wondering is there anything in comparison to the two lines for fillilng in the gap area as is mentioned above?

If you would like to view my photo album of the Solstice, click on the picture below.

Its been years since we have been on a so called smaller chip without a Grand Promenade and I don't remember what we did at night before we went to a show and/or casino to pass the time away. Since all of our cruises have been with RCCL for the past 10 years were on larger ships with a Grand Promenade of which are great for people watching and various entertainment venues. Now I'm looking at the largest Celebrity Ship and was wondering is there anything in comparison to the two lines for fillilng in the gap area as is mentioned above?

We too have been on mostly lager RCCL ships with the promenade but recently went on our first Celebrity cruise; Solstice. While we like the promenade, we never missed in on the Solstice. There is a large open are around the martini bar and the grass area is really nice with the various shos and activities.

We did feel the food was much better than RCCL, as was the overall service. I didn't think they had as many options for activities on the celebrity ship as they seem to on the RCCL ships, but it never took away from our experience.

I would be surprised if anyone ever said the lack of a promenade on the Celebrity ship took away from their cruise, just because the other differences seem to make up for that, IMO. I would certainly recommend you try a Celebrity cruise. Good Luck!!

We have sailed both the larger (Independence, Allure in July) and smaller RCI ships (Jewel & Brilliance), as well as recently the Celebrity Equinox (Solstice class). We were well entertained in the evening on the Equinox, although we didn't stay up after midnight. At various spots around the ship, there was an a capella group, a string quartet, a jazz group, a guitarist, a dance band, and a piano bar, in addition to the main show in the theater. I didn't miss the promenade at all.

Solstice...is in a class by itself.

In the last two,years I have cruised several times on both cruise lines and while there is little to choose between the ships themselves Celebrity just do everything that little bit better. Everything just seems to be a little more up market.