A comparison of our Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity v Royal Caribbean

A lot of people tend to ask how RCL, Celebrity and Princess stack up so I thought I would post my observations on various aspects of two cruises taken by us. Both were one week Caribbean itineraries, taken during the school period to avoid as many children as possible. No, we don’t hate your children but some other people’s kids can be very badly behaved. :) In both cases, we booked through an online TA and so we cannot really comment on either line’s booking practises, although I suspect they’re not that different. When we called Celebrity once, a man answered “thank you for calling Royal Caribbean” and, realising his mistake, said he was sorry, he didn’t realise which line he picked up. Is suspect the CSR’s are pooled between both lines.

I’m going to try to describe various aspects of the experience and then say which line I felt had the advantage in each area. While this cannot be a comprehensive comparison between two lines really, it will be as fair comparison between Navigator of the Seas and Constellation as a subjective one can be.

Embarkation.

I would give the advantage to Celebrity here. We arrived early in both instances and while the ensuing wait is then our own fault, I felt that Celebrity was kind to provide a seating area for the last thirty minutes or so of waiting, in an air conditioned area (this was in San Juan) whereas in Miami, RCL didn’t seem to mind that folks were sitting on line on the floor. On the other hand, kudos to RCL for giving us lemonaid and providing very clean restrooms while we waited. To be fair, comparing waiting time is really a comparison of port facilities but I do think the lines bear some of the burden for deciding what their terminals look like.

General appearance of ship - outside

The definite edge here goes to Navigator. The ship is sleek and beautiful, with nicely flowing lines and pleasing colours. I found Constellation to be very boxy, with lots of exposed equipment and cabling. Also, with the lifeboats protruding from the ship as they were, I’m think many folks who buy balcony rooms have their immediate view dominated by lifeboats. I think the best way to articulate my feelings about this is that Navigator looked like a floating resort where Constellation was undeniably a ship. Obviously, some will prefer one or the other. One odd thing was that Celebrity has gone with a new paint scheme for its ship and they still have the old postcards in the room. I liked the old paint scheme better.

General appearance of the ship - inside

I would say this is a draw. Both are more subdued than I expected a cruise ship to be, the Constellation more so (in a good way). I was surprised that there were so many quiet nooks on both, which are large ships. Navigator is a larger one but even still, like Constellation it felt like you were really only on a ship with a coupe hundred people that you would see over and over. We stood in very few lines on either. I liked the grand foyer on Constellation a bit more than the Centrum on Navigator but I liked the art on Navigator better than on Constellation. I know the idea of a promenade is not for some people but the fact is, it’s really just the shopping area and Constellation’s wasn’t windowed, either. Both ships required a lot of walking, especially if you got someplace and found that you had forgotten something.

Promenade Decks

Both were fine but I wish you could walk all the way around. You couldn’t on either.

Pool areas

I liked the solarium pool better on Constellation. I thought I would mind that it was covered but it didn’t seem to be a big issue. The Solarium on Navigator was fine, but it was a fairly high traffic area with folks passing through. Constellation’s solarium area was more peaceful, also.

Main pool

The advantage here is with Navigator. The decoration was colorful in a playful way (not tacky) and the shades over the hot-tubs were nice and effective. The Constellation pool was fine but the chairs were fairly crammed in and it was more often difficult to find a place to sit. Chairhogs were out in force on both ships but with fewer seats, the Constellation pool area was crammed earlier in the day and their pool attendants were not helpful in finding a seat or moving folks’ abandoned things. There were silly pool games on both lines.

Buffet

I don’t love buffets and so we tend only to eat in them on the lunch of embarkation. The Constellation buffet opened late, due to a CDC inspection, so they may have been frazzled. The service was fine and the food was very average, in the same way that the Navigator’s was. The Navigator’s has a number of areas with separate lines whereas the Constellation seemed to have just one long line (which you had to stand in in order to get a tray and utensils). I found the food to be very similar on both lines but give the edge to Navigator here because we had three different waiters try to sell us drinks in collector mugs in the first five minutes on Constellation while the servers on Navigator seemed to work only one zone so you felt less bothered. I don’t mind saying no politely but I don’t like to have to say it to a number of bartenders.

Sushi

The sushi area (Jade) on Navigator was not very imaginative. Most of the fish was not fresh (tuna was canned, salmon was smoked). On the other hand, the sushi we saw on Constellation looked delicious, although we never got to eat any. We saw them setting it up but they will only serve from six o’clock onward and we had 6 p.m. dining. Afterward, we were never hungry before the sushi finished for the evening. It’s a shame that they don’t start at 5:30.

Deck Bars

The aft bar on Constellation was beautiful and all teaked out. It was the prettiest of the deck bars on both ships. I liked the Sky Bar on Navigator but all in all, the main pool bars were the same. The placement of the one on Constellation made more a speed bump in terms of getting past the crowds when it would get busy there. We were surprised how early folks on Connie started drinking. Both lines tried to push their collectible cups.

I would give the deck bars on Constellation the edge.

Theatres

The theatre on Constellation was prettier, I thought. I also liked that there were small cocktail tables at our seats so that we didn’t have to put our drinks in cup-holders and liked that Celebrity’s seats were more sofa-styled.

In terms of production shows, I preferred Navigator. The songs came from shows like the Producers, Mamma Mia and Contact, as opposed to Mame and Will Roger’s Follies and other older shows. The sound quality suffered on the Constellation from a crackling mike that they didn’t fix before the next show, since we heard a lot of unpleasant static in that one also.

Celebrity had a sampler of Cirque de Soleil that was very entertaining, especially considering that it was being done on a small stage at sea. It was tremendous. RCL had an ice show in their skating rink that we went to with some trepidation but really quite enjoyed.

Dining

I am very surprised to be saying that we didn’t find much difference in the food on either line. Perhaps we had a great week on Navigator or a weak week on Connie but the superior food on Celebrity was not served at our table. It was fine and understanding that they serve thousands of meals an evening, it’s good, but it was no better than Navigator’s. In terms of service, we had better service on Navigator. Our waiter was pleasant and his assistant was, also. On Constellation, our waiter seemed to have too many tables and was most often rushed when he spoke to us. Often, he would walk away from our table in the middle of taking orders in order to give menus to another table. The assistant was pleasant and one of the nicer aspects of Celebrity was the presence of a sommelier. I thought his suggestions were very good and he was very affable.

I would say that slightly more folks dressed up for dinner on Celebrity and about 3/4 stayed dress for the whole evening, which is more than on Navigator. On formal nights, I would also say more folks wear tuxes on Celebrity but there was a diversity of fashion to be found on both lines.

There was a formal afternoon tea on Celebrity (which RCL didn’t have) but they scheduled it for the same day as the formal at 4, meaning that if you had early seating you would be eating at 4 and another large meal again at 6. Celebrity does not really seem to take the needs of those with early seating into account. We would have gone to the tea and skipped dinner to try the sushi but not if that meant missing a formal.

Where Celebrity did excel above RCL was in the specialty room. This was a wonderful meal of delicate tastes and good wine (we bought the pairing). The steak house on Navigator was fine but it was not a meal to be remembered in the same way.

Shopping

RCL has shopping in the Royal Promenade and Celebrity has an arcade also. Both are the passageway between one venue (the theatre) and another (the main centrum or foyer). The stores carried nearly identical things but I would give the edge to RCL here. I found that the stores on Celebrity were not open a great deal and when they were, we were often elsewhere (as in dinner or the show). They had an advertised gold by the inch sale and when I got there, I was told it was the next day only. I went back and there was no sale and only one or two styles at the low advertised price. I was told that the prices don’t change throughout the week and the sale was more of a feature since they don’t offer the jewellery every day. This seemed much like a bait and switch to me. Also, the gift shop didn’t have a lot of sizes of Celebrity clothing and the clerk said it was because they hadn’t received a shipment in a while. They had pool sales but they always started late and folks were very pushy. How often do you ever find it difficult to spend money on a ship?

Cabins

This isn’t a fair comparison in that we had two different cabin type. On Navigator, we had a PR cabin (internal room with a view of the shopping arcade) and on Celebrity we had an ocean view. We thought the cabin on Constellation was more cheerful and better organised. The bathroom was larger, also. In terms of repair, the cabin on Navigator was in better shape, and both ships were of similar ages when we sailed them. On Navigator, the room looked quite new. On Constellation, there were some stains on the upholstery and the shower grout was looking discoloured. All in all , though, For the cheerful and well organised room, we give the edge to Celebrity.

Bars

We thought the martini bar service and drinks were better on Celebrity but the actual bar (Cosmopolitan Club) was better on Navigator, because of the amazing views. The piano bar (Michael’s Club) on Celebrity had a wonderful library feel to it while the Schooner Bar on RCL did nothing for me. The Ixtapa on Navigator was only full during events and the same can be said for the Rendez-vous bar on Celebrity. The Ixtapa was decorated in a Mayan look and was out of step with the rest of the ship because of the tacky decorating. Similarly, the Rendez-vous lounge looked about 15 years older than the rest of the 3-4 year-old Constellation. Tacky colours were the culprit here.

Both ships had similar champagne bars and Navigator also had a wine bar.

The disco on Navigator was full each night and was fairly fun. On Constellation, it was quite large but not well used. We went to the Cirque Ball and there were many people dancing but the next night, we went to the disco divas party and there were only four people there: us. Many evenings, we wondered where folks had gone after ten. I suspect it was to bed.

Spa and Gym

Both were fine, although I did like Celebrity’s sauna, as there were large portholes in them to look out to the sea. The Celebrity spa was much smaller than the Navigator one but folks didn’t seem to have trouble getting appointments. Celebrity had a thermal suite which Navigator didn’t but navigator had free steam rooms in the changing rooms. I’d say it’s a draw here.

Activities

I had hoped there would be more lectures and demonstration on Celebrity but the activities schedule was pretty sparse. On average, there was one thing an hour scheduled, most often a trivia game or some pool activity. Activities area forte on the Navigator and we often found ourselves choosing from different things. Royal Caribbean is the easy winner here, even if you factor out things like the rock-climbing, ice skating, and other activities not present on Constellation (although if you’re comparing, why would you). Bingo was over-priced on both lines ($20-30) but the prizes were more on RCL, owing to the higher pax count. My feeling is, if the prize is only going to be about a hundred bucks, it’s obscene of X to charge so much for bingo.

Ports

It’s not very fair to hold a line responsible for your time in port but I would give the edge to Celebrity for making the disembarkation and reboarding process smooth. They sometimes had cold towels on reboarding, which was refreshing.

Attitude of staff

We found that the staff on both ships went well past our needs or even hopes for service, except our waiter on Celebrity. If you took him out of the equation, you would not be able to distinguish the two ships, service wise. We had nice service from the Concierge on Celebrity (my luggage was lost) and some very nice encounters on Navigator, also. There were bingo announcements every day on both lines. Royal Caribbean made more announcements and Celebrity put pages of shopping ads in their Daily Compass (the amount of paper these lines must waste each year is phenomenal).

Attitude of other passengers

I don’t think you could distinguish between the two crowds. Most people go on holiday to relax or have fun and folks were doing those things on both ships. The average age on Navigator, according to the cruise director, was 41. They did not announce the average age on Celebrity but I would put it at mid to late fifties, which is not that different and likely would have no effect on the ship’s activities, although there were more sedate activities and the shows were certainly geared toward folks who recalled older songs and Broadway numbers.

Overall

We enjoyed both cruises and would travel each line again, based on the itinerary and price. We likely had more fun on Royal Caribbean but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend either line in the future. Both have their merits and both are very similar in many ways. Celebrity advertises itself as “refined” but I think sedate might be a better descriptor, based on our week. It was a more relaxing holiday because of the slower pace of the ship and it was fun. We would choose either in the future.

Hi Schplinky,

Enjoyed your review and your posts in general! You didn't miss anything with the 'gold by the inch'; it is 'gold' in only the most tenuous way, electroplated gold over sterling silver. By the time you buy the clasp and they put it together for you, you're halfway to the cost of a real gold bracelet. JMHO.

Travelgrrl

Travelgrrl: Thanks. I wasn't too upset about the gold so much as they had an insert in the daily saying to come for gold by the inch for $1 an inch but then it was only 2 of the 30 or so designs and those two were that price all week anyway. I hate a bait and switch.

Celebrity v Royal Caribbean

Overall

We enjoyed both cruises and would travel each line again, based on the itinerary and price. We likely had more fun on Royal Caribbean but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend either line in the future. Both have their merits and both are very similar in many ways. Celebrity advertises itself as “refined” but I think sedate might be a better descriptor, based on our week. It was a more relaxing holiday because of the slower pace of the ship and it was fun. We would choose either in the future.

Well said I feel the same way about both cruise lines.

A cruise is WHAT YOU make it out to be.

Happy cruising.:)

To me it's ALWAYS a bait and switch, as it's not 'gold' by any means. I wonder how many people buying them don't read the fine print and think they are actually getting a gold bracelet or necklace...

I guess they figure it out later when it tarnishes, though YMMV.

Schplinky,

I enjoyed yor comparison and think you swerved into something... A lot of people are grumbling about the Genesis ships and the crowds of people. My experience aboard NOS was the same as yours in that I never felt crowded though many people would never think of a Voyager class ship because they are just too big. I was amazed by their people engineering and think the new ship will also be a wonder.

I agree. In areas like the pool, the smaller ship (Constellation) seemed much more packed in that Navigator.

Thanks for the great review; my feelings pretty much also. I don't see one exceptionally better or worse than the other.

This helps alot. I was patiently awaiting your review that you started on the connie...did you ever post the rest (I think you had two days reported).

Anyhow thanks for this posting.

That was a great write up. Having sailed both cruise lines, but not on Connie, I agree with everything that you wrote. When we sailed Serenade from San Juan Connie was docked there too. I really didn't find her exterior lines to be pleasing at all. And especially did not like her stern which is pretty much a straight wall with windows. As best I could tell the dining room was located there. I thought Serenade was much more visually pleasing and I think the Voyager ships flow beautifully from bow to stern. Explorer is still my favorite ship.

And, I too, echo that you didn't miss anything on that inch of gold stuff. We were at the sale on Serenade and this older lady obviously did not realize that this was just gold plated material. I pointed it out to her and her comment was "thank you so much, why would anyone want to by this stuff?"!!

Thank you for your review.

After becoming Diamond on Royal Caribbean, we have been considering a Celebrity cruise to try something different. We love RCI, but we are somewhat bored with the onboard activites as they haven't changed much. But am slightly concerned that a Celebrity cruise will be too subdued.

We are in our fifties, and although we don't party all night, we aren't in bed at 10 pm either, so can't decide.

At this point, thinking of trying the Century after its refurbishment for a 5 night, before trying something longer.

Thanks again,

Carol

Thanks for your comparison - we were very pleased with our Celebrity experience but need to plan a cruise for a diverse group of around 40 people. My DH and I came to the conclusion that RCCL, specifically NOS, would be the right choice. I now feel even more comfortable!!!

Thank you for posting this comparison. We have just reached Diamond status and enjoy RCI ships but have begun wondering if we're missing something by not cruising with Celebrity. I was almost tempted to book our January '07 cruise on Millenium but chose Jewel instead. Your post has confirmed I made the right choice based on our preferences. Many thanks!

Really enjoyed reading your review. Thank you!

Thank you so much for posting your review! I was thinking about switching my first cruise to Celebrity, but realize that me and my husband being in our early 30's RCLL is more our speed! I hope I'm right!

Thanks agian for taking the time, it was very informative!

everyday in our mailbox on "X" Summit sailing Transcanal. That was a waste of paper!

Celebrity v Royal Caribbean

 

A lot of people tend to ask how RCL, Celebrity and Princess stack up so I thought I would post my observations on various aspects of two cruises taken by us. Both were one week Caribbean itineraries, taken during the school period to avoid as many children as possible. No, we don’t hate your children but some other people’s kids can be very badly behaved. :) In both cases, we booked through an online TA and so we cannot really comment on either line’s booking practises, although I suspect they’re not that different. When we called Celebrity once, a man answered “thank you for calling Royal Caribbean” and, realising his mistake, said he was sorry, he didn’t realise which line he picked up. Is suspect the CSR’s are pooled between both lines.

 

I’m going to try to describe various aspects of the experience and then say which line I felt had the advantage in each area. While this cannot be a comprehensive comparison between two lines really, it will be as fair comparison between Navigator of the Seas and Constellation as a subjective one can be.

 

 

Embarkation.

 

I would give the advantage to Celebrity here. We arrived early in both instances and while the ensuing wait is then our own fault, I felt that Celebrity was kind to provide a seating area for the last thirty minutes or so of waiting, in an air conditioned area (this was in San Juan) whereas in Miami, RCL didn’t seem to mind that folks were sitting on line on the floor. On the other hand, kudos to RCL for giving us lemonaid and providing very clean restrooms while we waited. To be fair, comparing waiting time is really a comparison of port facilities but I do think the lines bear some of the burden for deciding what their terminals look like.

 

General appearance of ship - outside

 

The definite edge here goes to Navigator. The ship is sleek and beautiful, with nicely flowing lines and pleasing colours. I found Constellation to be very boxy, with lots of exposed equipment and cabling. Also, with the lifeboats protruding from the ship as they were, I’m think many folks who buy balcony rooms have their immediate view dominated by lifeboats. I think the best way to articulate my feelings about this is that Navigator looked like a floating resort where Constellation was undeniably a ship. Obviously, some will prefer one or the other. One odd thing was that Celebrity has gone with a new paint scheme for its ship and they still have the old postcards in the room. I liked the old paint scheme better.

 

General appearance of the ship - inside

 

I would say this is a draw. Both are more subdued than I expected a cruise ship to be, the Constellation more so (in a good way). I was surprised that there were so many quiet nooks on both, which are large ships. Navigator is a larger one but even still, like Constellation it felt like you were really only on a ship with a coupe hundred people that you would see over and over. We stood in very few lines on either. I liked the grand foyer on Constellation a bit more than the Centrum on Navigator but I liked the art on Navigator better than on Constellation. I know the idea of a promenade is not for some people but the fact is, it’s really just the shopping area and Constellation’s wasn’t windowed, either. Both ships required a lot of walking, especially if you got someplace and found that you had forgotten something.

 

Promenade Decks

 

Both were fine but I wish you could walk all the way around. You couldn’t on either.

 

Pool areas

 

I liked the solarium pool better on Constellation. I thought I would mind that it was covered but it didn’t seem to be a big issue. The Solarium on Navigator was fine, but it was a fairly high traffic area with folks passing through. Constellation’s solarium area was more peaceful, also.

 

Main pool

 

The advantage here is with Navigator. The decoration was colorful in a playful way (not tacky) and the shades over the hot-tubs were nice and effective. The Constellation pool was fine but the chairs were fairly crammed in and it was more often difficult to find a place to sit. Chairhogs were out in force on both ships but with fewer seats, the Constellation pool area was crammed earlier in the day and their pool attendants were not helpful in finding a seat or moving folks’ abandoned things. There were silly pool games on both lines.

 

Buffet

 

I don’t love buffets and so we tend only to eat in them on the lunch of embarkation. The Constellation buffet opened late, due to a CDC inspection, so they may have been frazzled. The service was fine and the food was very average, in the same way that the Navigator’s was. The Navigator’s has a number of areas with separate lines whereas the Constellation seemed to have just one long line (which you had to stand in in order to get a tray and utensils). I found the food to be very similar on both lines but give the edge to Navigator here because we had three different waiters try to sell us drinks in collector mugs in the first five minutes on Constellation while the servers on Navigator seemed to work only one zone so you felt less bothered. I don’t mind saying no politely but I don’t like to have to say it to a number of bartenders.

 

Sushi

 

The sushi area (Jade) on Navigator was not very imaginative. Most of the fish was not fresh (tuna was canned, salmon was smoked). On the other hand, the sushi we saw on Constellation looked delicious, although we never got to eat any. We saw them setting it up but they will only serve from six o’clock onward and we had 6 p.m. dining. Afterward, we were never hungry before the sushi finished for the evening. It’s a shame that they don’t start at 5:30.

 

Deck Bars

 

The aft bar on Constellation was beautiful and all teaked out. It was the prettiest of the deck bars on both ships. I liked the Sky Bar on Navigator but all in all, the main pool bars were the same. The placement of the one on Constellation made more a speed bump in terms of getting past the crowds when it would get busy there. We were surprised how early folks on Connie started drinking. Both lines tried to push their collectible cups.

 

I would give the deck bars on Constellation the edge.

 

Theatres

 

The theatre on Constellation was prettier, I thought. I also liked that there were small cocktail tables at our seats so that we didn’t have to put our drinks in cup-holders and liked that Celebrity’s seats were more sofa-styled.

 

In terms of production shows, I preferred Navigator. The songs came from shows like the Producers, Mamma Mia and Contact, as opposed to Mame and Will Roger’s Follies and other older shows. The sound quality suffered on the Constellation from a crackling mike that they didn’t fix before the next show, since we heard a lot of unpleasant static in that one also.

 

Celebrity had a sampler of Cirque de Soleil that was very entertaining, especially considering that it was being done on a small stage at sea. It was tremendous. RCL had an ice show in their skating rink that we went to with some trepidation but really quite enjoyed.

 

Dining

 

I am very surprised to be saying that we didn’t find much difference in the food on either line. Perhaps we had a great week on Navigator or a weak week on Connie but the superior food on Celebrity was not served at our table. It was fine and understanding that they serve thousands of meals an evening, it’s good, but it was no better than Navigator’s. In terms of service, we had better service on Navigator. Our waiter was pleasant and his assistant was, also. On Constellation, our waiter seemed to have too many tables and was most often rushed when he spoke to us. Often, he would walk away from our table in the middle of taking orders in order to give menus to another table. The assistant was pleasant and one of the nicer aspects of Celebrity was the presence of a sommelier. I thought his suggestions were very good and he was very affable.

 

I would say that slightly more folks dressed up for dinner on Celebrity and about 3/4 stayed dress for the whole evening, which is more than on Navigator. On formal nights, I would also say more folks wear tuxes on Celebrity but there was a diversity of fashion to be found on both lines.

 

There was a formal afternoon tea on Celebrity (which RCL didn’t have) but they scheduled it for the same day as the formal at 4, meaning that if you had early seating you would be eating at 4 and another large meal again at 6. Celebrity does not really seem to take the needs of those with early seating into account. We would have gone to the tea and skipped dinner to try the sushi but not if that meant missing a formal.

 

Where Celebrity did excel above RCL was in the specialty room. This was a wonderful meal of delicate tastes and good wine (we bought the pairing). The steak house on Navigator was fine but it was not a meal to be remembered in the same way.

 

Shopping

 

RCL has shopping in the Royal Promenade and Celebrity has an arcade also. Both are the passageway between one venue (the theatre) and another (the main centrum or foyer). The stores carried nearly identical things but I would give the edge to RCL here. I found that the stores on Celebrity were not open a great deal and when they were, we were often elsewhere (as in dinner or the show). They had an advertised gold by the inch sale and when I got there, I was told it was the next day only. I went back and there was no sale and only one or two styles at the low advertised price. I was told that the prices don’t change throughout the week and the sale was more of a feature since they don’t offer the jewellery every day. This seemed much like a bait and switch to me. Also, the gift shop didn’t have a lot of sizes of Celebrity clothing and the clerk said it was because they hadn’t received a shipment in a while. They had pool sales but they always started late and folks were very pushy. How often do you ever find it difficult to spend money on a ship?

 

Cabins

 

This isn’t a fair comparison in that we had two different cabin type. On Navigator, we had a PR cabin (internal room with a view of the shopping arcade) and on Celebrity we had an ocean view. We thought the cabin on Constellation was more cheerful and better organised. The bathroom was larger, also. In terms of repair, the cabin on Navigator was in better shape, and both ships were of similar ages when we sailed them. On Navigator, the room looked quite new. On Constellation, there were some stains on the upholstery and the shower grout was looking discoloured. All in all , though, For the cheerful and well organised room, we give the edge to Celebrity.

 

Bars

 

We thought the martini bar service and drinks were better on Celebrity but the actual bar (Cosmopolitan Club) was better on Navigator, because of the amazing views. The piano bar (Michael’s Club) on Celebrity had a wonderful library feel to it while the Schooner Bar on RCL did nothing for me. The Ixtapa on Navigator was only full during events and the same can be said for the Rendez-vous bar on Celebrity. The Ixtapa was decorated in a Mayan look and was out of step with the rest of the ship because of the tacky decorating. Similarly, the Rendez-vous lounge looked about 15 years older than the rest of the 3-4 year-old Constellation. Tacky colours were the culprit here.

 

Both ships had similar champagne bars and Navigator also had a wine bar.

 

The disco on Navigator was full each night and was fairly fun. On Constellation, it was quite large but not well used. We went to the Cirque Ball and there were many people dancing but the next night, we went to the disco divas party and there were only four people there: us. Many evenings, we wondered where folks had gone after ten. I suspect it was to bed.

 

Spa and Gym

 

Both were fine, although I did like Celebrity’s sauna, as there were large portholes in them to look out to the sea. The Celebrity spa was much smaller than the Navigator one but folks didn’t seem to have trouble getting appointments. Celebrity had a thermal suite which Navigator didn’t but navigator had free steam rooms in the changing rooms. I’d say it’s a draw here.

 

Activities

 

I had hoped there would be more lectures and demonstration on Celebrity but the activities schedule was pretty sparse. On average, there was one thing an hour scheduled, most often a trivia game or some pool activity. Activities area forte on the Navigator and we often found ourselves choosing from different things. Royal Caribbean is the easy winner here, even if you factor out things like the rock-climbing, ice skating, and other activities not present on Constellation (although if you’re comparing, why would you). Bingo was over-priced on both lines ($20-30) but the prizes were more on RCL, owing to the higher pax count. My feeling is, if the prize is only going to be about a hundred bucks, it’s obscene of X to charge so much for bingo.

 

Ports

 

It’s not very fair to hold a line responsible for your time in port but I would give the edge to Celebrity for making the disembarkation and reboarding process smooth. They sometimes had cold towels on reboarding, which was refreshing.

 

Attitude of staff

 

We found that the staff on both ships went well past our needs or even hopes for service, except our waiter on Celebrity. If you took him out of the equation, you would not be able to distinguish the two ships, service wise. We had nice service from the Concierge on Celebrity (my luggage was lost) and some very nice encounters on Navigator, also. There were bingo announcements every day on both lines. Royal Caribbean made more announcements and Celebrity put pages of shopping ads in their Daily Compass (the amount of paper these lines must waste each year is phenomenal).

 

Attitude of other passengers

 

I don’t think you could distinguish between the two crowds. Most people go on holiday to relax or have fun and folks were doing those things on both ships. The average age on Navigator, according to the cruise director, was 41. They did not announce the average age on Celebrity but I would put it at mid to late fifties, which is not that different and likely would have no effect on the ship’s activities, although there were more sedate activities and the shows were certainly geared toward folks who recalled older songs and Broadway numbers.

 

Overall

 

We enjoyed both cruises and would travel each line again, based on the itinerary and price. We likely had more fun on Royal Caribbean but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend either line in the future. Both have their merits and both are very similar in many ways. Celebrity advertises itself as “refined” but I think sedate might be a better descriptor, based on our week. It was a more relaxing holiday because of the slower pace of the ship and it was fun. We would choose either in the future.

Here is what I didn't like about Celebrity:

Couldn't get excited over anything on the menu--sometimes couldn't find anything I really wanted to order (and I am NOT picky). On RCI I want practically everything. The specialty restaurant was very good.

Personnel stuffy and not as friendly as RCI.

Next to no activities--most exciting of the cruise was the pool game THROW THE RING AROUND A BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE--run by the stiff Cruise Director wearing a business suit.

PLASTIC plants:eek: (kudos to RCI's plant master!)

Tastless drinks

Dining room so crowded that the waiters could barely serve.

Couldn't wait to return to RCI

Sorry - dupicate

Shplinky - thanks for your thoughtful review.

Ahhhh... that aft teak bar on the X M-class ships! What a great place for sail-away drinks!

Have cruised Connie and Mariner and pretty much agree with your review, although we disagree when it comes to the food. It may have been because we were on Mariner (have seen a few other posts that stated Mariner food may not be at the same level as some of the other Voyager class ships) and not Navigator. We thought the dining room experience on X (both main DR and specialty) was better. Agree with you on the buffet, though. Had sushi every night on Connie - it was very good.

Other difference for us was that we cruised at spring break on both. Both ships were "completely full" per captain's announcement. On Mariner, there were actually almost 3600 pax on board (despite advertised capacity of 3100) while Connie was at its advertised capacity of 2100. Mariner seemed much more crowded, but with 500 more pax than usual, it is easy to see why.

One other thing I would note that I really dislike about X. When we sailed X there was actually a charge to eat in the buffet at night if you chose to pass on the dining room. Although at that time we were still very much into the dining room scene so we did not use the casual dining option. I am not sure if they still charge for this or not. A lot of the dining room routine has become old to us and we really like the Windjammer in the evening. Celebrity makes such a point out of the fact that there is a casual dining option for those who do not want to participate in formal night and then they charge you extra for it. I see absolutely no reason to charge for the casual dining option.

One other thing I would note that I really dislike about X. When we sailed X there was actually a charge to eat in the buffet at night if you chose to pass on the dining room. Although at that time we were still very much into the dining room scene so we did not use the casual dining option. I am not sure if they still charge for this or not. A lot of the dining room routine has become old to us and we really like the Windjammer in the evening. Celebrity makes such a point out of the fact that there is a casual dining option for those who do not want to participate in formal night and then they charge you extra for it. I see absolutely no reason to charge for the casual dining option.

I sailed 14 nites on the infinity in october. We did the casual dining every night because my friend was recovering from surgery. There was no fee assessed for anyone using casual dining. the food and service were incredibly good.

I sailed 14 nites on the infinity in october. We did the casual dining every night because my friend was recovering from surgery. There was no fee assessed for anyone using casual dining. the food and service were incredibly good.

Good to hear. My last Celebrity cruise was five years ago so apparently they got rid of that practice.

Thanks so much for your informative review of both lines. After 7 cruises on RCCL we are planning the next on the Summit, "just to see" if we like a different cruise line and also to get some of the different itineraries and ports. Sometimes variety can be good!

Our RCCL Jewel OS cruise 5/14 was a total of $7100 including taxes, port charges & RT air. Celebrity has the same itinerary for $8,000 per person! That was for their Concierge Class, with thick robes, rugs in the bathroom, thick egyptian towels, flowers in vases in bathroom & living room, an ice bucket with bottle of champagne awaiting your arrival & they want $1000 more than a 2C verandah.

We are ELITE on "X" makes us Diamond on RCCL. I applaud RCCL for knowing how to spoil their Diamond & Diamond Plus members. As Elite on "X" we get survey on our sailings, we get invites to officers party with Captains Welcome party that everyone goes to. So we went to the officers party & the office staff onboard was there but not one offier said HELLO. Folks sat with drinks off a tray, you could not order what you wanted, and looked at each other. No music, no food, no nothing & they advertised this as a party.

RCCL give Diamond discounts of $200 for 2 week cruise with balcony or better $300 for over a week. Concierge Lounge has FREE Cappucino, espresso & cocktails from 5-9PM daily. You get luggage tags that read RCCL DIAMOND MEMBER & pins that staff know are Diamond members, Diamond plus have a diamond chip in theirs. Celebrity gives no luggage tags, nothing stating I AM ELITE, if you want cappucino or espresso then you goto Cova Cafe & pay $4 a cup (no refills). Elite members do get 20 minutes of FREE net access. Diamond & up also have their own area for priority boarding & disembarkation. Celebrity has -0- for Elite members & Concierge Class has a lounge to wait to get off in. Funny thing was Summit's was bare, nothing to even drink in it & they told us they expected everyone off the ship by 9AM so they cleaned it all up by 8:45.

So I take RCCL anyday for savings on cruise rates & they know how to spoil you.

Here is what I didn't like about Celebrity:

Couldn't get excited over anything on the menu--sometimes couldn't find anything I really wanted to order (and I am NOT picky). On RCI I want practically everything. The specialty restaurant was very good.

Personnel stuffy and not as friendly as RCI.

Next to no activities--most exciting of the cruise was the pool game THROW THE RING AROUND A BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE--run by the stiff Cruise Director wearing a business suit.

PLASTIC plants:eek: (kudos to RCI's plant master!)

Tastless drinks

Dining room so crowded that the waiters could barely serve.

Couldn't wait to return to RCI

One other thing I would note that I really dislike about X. When we sailed X there was actually a charge to eat in the buffet at night if you chose to pass on the dining room. Although at that time we were still very much into the dining room scene so we did not use the casual dining option. I am not sure if they still charge for this or not. A lot of the dining room routine has become old to us and we really like the Windjammer in the evening. Celebrity makes such a point out of the fact that there is a casual dining option for those who do not want to participate in formal night and then they charge you extra for it. I see absolutely no reason to charge for the casual dining option.

They do still charge this on Constellation, although only at dinner, as you say. It's $2 per person and I believe it is meant as a tip for the waiters. We never ate there for dinner.

I would also agree with truffles that the dining room on Celebrity was more densely packed with tables and people.