RCL's cruisers who have also done Celebrity.

[loisagogo]

Just got back from a wonderful cruise experience on the Celebrity Summit. Had concierge class and now very spoiled. Have never cruised with RCL and am looking at the new Jewel. How does one cruise line compare to other for service and anemities? The Jewel looks like my kind of ship as far a decor and would like to give it a try. Food is not that much of an issue, we're not that picky. It was the little things like champagne when everyone boarded. Politeness of the staff was superb. The prices on the Jewel are actually much higher than we paid on Celebrity and we had concierge service included in our price for the week. PRos/cons appreciated.

 

Celebrity Summit 4/30/04

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[Brad1185]

We did the concierge service on the Mille last summer in the Med, it was great. We are doing the Jewel in July. Im sure RCI will not be as good. You have the towel issue, and the lunch menu issue with RCI. That and other changes by them, unless RCI changes things back, this is our last with them. Celebrity has champagne welcome, they carry our trays at the buffet, RCI does not, they have the sorbet by the pool, RCI does not, they bring drinks to the pool, I have not seen RCI do that. Meals were somewhat better on Celebrity, but not by much.

[superjerryw]

You won't find all the lillte things the last poster mentioned on RCI. What you will find is a more relaxed atmosphere and more things to do. I've been on the Radiance and the Brilliance which are the same as the Jewel and had a great time on both. I've also been on Infinity and Millennium so I can make a meaningful comparison. There is no reson for you not to have a great time on the Jewel, go for it.

 

 

Donuts, is there anything they can't do....

[xpcdoojk]

To me the difference is activity level. If you are looking for more to do while on a Celebrity ship, you will like RCI. If you are quite satisfied by laying by the pool sipping the drink of the day, then I would suggest you stick with Celebrity. Brad and SJ are both accurately describing both lines. The other difference that I noticed is that RCI tends to have old big name entertainers, and Celebrity tends to have the entertainment by their singers and dancers. The speciality restaurants on Celebrity (the ships that have them) are better than RCI. I love the T-pools on Celebrity although the solarium on RCI is nice, too, but not as.

 

jc

 

Legend of the Seas RCI 3/03 New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii, Adventure of the Seas RCI 2/02 Southern Caribbean, Radiance of the Seas RCI 10/01 Vancouver to Hawaii, Millennium Celebrity 10/00 Eastern Mediterranean, Galaxy Celebrity 12/99 Southern Caribbean, Sensation Carnival 4/98 Eastern Caribbean, Majesty of the Seas RCI 1/96 Western Caribbean

 

email me at xpcdoojk@yahoo.com

 

[stones902]

We have done RCL and Celebrity as well as Princess. Honestly, I don't think there is more than a 5% difference between either of these lines. Celebrity tends to be a little more subdued than RCL. I saw no difference in the food despite advertising claims to the contrary. The service and the ships were excellent with RCL maybe offering more activites on their Voyager class ships.

 

I would estimate that the passengers average age on Celebrity were a little older but not by much. If the average RCL passenger was 40, then the average Celebrity passenger was 45. Other than that you will have a great time whichever line you select.

[Hoosier Cruiser]

In general, if we take the kids we go RCCL and when just the two of us cruise we prefer Celebrity.

 

Veracruz 1/84; Meridian 8/97; Sovereign 9/98; Mercury 1/99; Monarch 1/02; Enchantment 8/02; Millennium 10/02; Sensation 5/03; Glory 7/03; Millennium 1/04; Navigator 1/05

[sueernieb]

I basically agree with most of the posters. I think the food is a little better on Celebrity but there is a lot more to do on RCI and I think the RCI ships are much prettier.

 

Sue

[SeaUThere]

Well I've been on Celebrity and I'm about to sail on RCCL for the first time in September. I am glad to see some saying that food on Celebrity is only slightly better (as we found the food to be superb on Celebrity). After reading other posts about RCCL's food being fair I now feel a little better with people who have actually done both lines.

 

We are not big food critics and don't expect 5 star dining, but we do look forward to something above average.

 

Grandeur of the Seas-September 4, 2004

Galaxy-June 7, 2002

Fascination-March 17, 2001

 

 

 

[FinelyCruising]

We have done both. In addition to the comments above, if you like the spa services they are wonderful on both lines, no edge either way, just very consistent with excellent service.

 

You will find the fine art on RCL (not the auction art, the installed art) to be plentiful and awesome to look at. I love that about these ships.

[Texalana]

If you're looking for service, go with Celebrity. It seems to me that when RCL implemented their "Gold Anchor Service", that service levels really dropped.

 

I've only sailed once on Celebrity (last year) and 9 times on RCL (various ships and classes). I am sailing on Empress of the Seas on May 29 and even though I will be a Diamond (top level) loyalty member after that cruise, unless I see the excellent service levels return, I will not be sailing another RCL cruise anytime soon.

 

(JC - I'm telling you, I really miss my wine steward! <LOL>)

 

Texalana

 

Until Bermuda on Empress of the Seas 05/29/04

[mdmourges]

We have sailed a number of times on RC (Radiance, Majesty, Enchantment and Brilliance) and once on Celebrity (Galaxy). It wouldn't be fair to compare the Galaxy to Radiance or Brilliance because of age and size. It did compare well, in terms of size and age to Enchantment. Having said that, I liked RC better because it did seem to be more relaxed. I was told how awesome the food would be on Cel but to be quite honest, it was only marginally better and what was really odd was when you were in the buffett line, you would pass your plate to the server who would then put food on your plate and then pass it back. Because of the glass dividers, it make it a tad awkward. I will say that the stateroom attendent on Gax. was excellent. We were staying in a JS, which is about the type room we usually stay in. It also seems to me that, in terms of suites, the Radiance class ships have more to offer, in terms of numbers and selection type, than the Millinium class of Cel. Thanks.

 

Mark

[xpcdoojk]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Texalana:

 

(JC - I'm telling you, I really miss my wine steward! <LOL>)

 

Texalana

 

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

Texalana, then you are a Celebrity customer now for life, and you were so close to the 10th cruise on RCI and upgraded status.

 

We will have to agree to disagree on this one, as my Celebrity experiences was why I defined the somoliers as arrogant b*st*rds.

 

Celebrity is a great product, but it is not nearly as active, and if you like activity RCI has it beat hands down. Not to mention the RCI ships are just plain prettier, IMHO.

 

jc

[Texalana]

I do agree that the RCL ships are the prettiest ships afloat! I love all the windows and glass.

 

Texalana

 

Until Bermuda on Empress of the Seas 05/29/04

[amaddog10]

we did celebrity out of ny to bermuda, and rci to the caribbean...both were wonderful, but i have to agree that rci was a little more "active"...more things to do and see...of course, that may be explained by the fact that we were on a voyager class rci ship. The major difference i found was in the demographics of the passengers...found that rci passengers were much more diverse....in both age, geographic origin, and income brackets...which i found to be appealing...hey...the plumber from idaho sitting with the doctor from nyc...and everyone got along and had fun and interesting conversation... i found the celebrity passenger group to be much more similar to each other...

 

 

having said that...while i'm doing rci again this summer...i certainly wouldn't rule out going back to celebrity

[stretch]

I'll reserve judgement until our Summit cruise next June and can hardly wait.

Stretch

 

Barcrawlers on ice, where will we turn up next?

 

Carnival Celebration 08/97

Carnival Fantasy 02/99

RCI Explorer 05/02

RCI Brilliance 04/03 The Barcrawler Legend Begins

RCI Brilliance 03/04 The Return of the Barcrawlers

Celebrity Summit 06/10/2005

Barcrawlers in Alaska

 

email address: Stretchcrawler@yahoo.com

 

[loisagogo]

Thanks, Some great opinions here. WE'll give it a try. Just looking for a great cruise experience. open minded as far as food, drinks, entertainment go. We're not a hard to please couple. On Celebrity we did ask for a table for 6, and actually got a table for 2 so we didn't get to me anyone else on the cruise like we did on our Carnival cruise. We did move to another table for 1 night, got a couple that complained about everybody and everything so we moved back to our table for 2. As least we could enjoy our dinner without complaints. Happy cruising everyone. Can't wait to do this again, it was 7 years between our Carnival and Celebrity cruises.

 

Celebrity Summit 4/30/04

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[Sailfish]

If service is more important to you than ship amenities, stick to Celebrity. I have only sailed once with Celebrity, so I am no expert. Although we were not overly impressed with the ship, the activities, or entertainment, the service was by far the best we have ever experienced. But for us anyway, that glass of champagne as we board the ship or the service we receive in the dining room is not as important as what the ship has to offer, its entertainment options and its itinerary.

 

I personally feel Royal Caribbean does a much better job is those areas. Food is very subjective, however, Celebrity in my opinion, definitely has an edge here. Food is pretty good on Royal Caribbean, but if you compare it to that of Celebrity, you will be disappointed.

 

But I'll be the first to say what's important to us may not be to you. We enjoy cruising with Royal Caribbean, and as Diamond Crown & Anchor members, we too get concierge service. I prefer newer ships, lots of outdoor activities, and itineraries where we can go diving; Voyager class ships are our favorite. The Jewel, I'm sure, is an awesome ship, but probably not one I will choose to cruise on. With that said, as long as you go in with realistic expectations (and refrain from comparing it to your Celebrity experience) you should come away pleased.

 

Suzi

 

 

05 July 2004 Monarch of the Seas

21 November 2004 Carnival Pride

20 February 2005 Mariner of the Seas CC Group Cruise

 

 

 

[AntonJ]

We sail both but prefer Celebrity. I would agree with the postings listed. Most of these things are subjective but we like both for different reasons. We prefer RC for entertainment including the casino. Service is great but the food is a little less special. When we travel RC we eat alot in the specialty rest. The smaller ships are better in this department. We like Celebrity's food, service and atmoshere. We prefer the simple decor on

Celebrity. We were spoiled with a suite last time so that may have done it. I love them both and will be on the Navigator next Spring.

[42trvl]

we are exactly in the same position as loisagogo. Loved our cruise on Summit this past April, but thinking about Jewel for next April.

 

What do you mean by RCI having the towel and lunch menu issues?

[xpcdoojk]

It means some posters like to stir the pot.

 

Towels are not an issue, unless your name is Brad. Lunch is possibly on some or all ships going to a single menu for the week in the main dining room, rather than a different menu everyday. I don't think anyone knows what difference if any you will notice from this, since most people on a 7 day port intensive cruise will not eat lunch in the dining room more than once or twice anyway. I am betting on a longer itinerary with lots of at sea days you will notice no change at all, but that is just my opinion. Some like to express their opinion to give maximum expression to the absolute worst case scenario.

 

jc

[SUZCRUZ]

We have sailed both, but on our last cruise, were Diamond members, for our first sailing on a radiance class ship, The Brilliance.

We experienced some major perks, the favorite being the Concierge Lounge.You can enter only if you have a card to swipe in. Loved the cafe latte with fresh fruit and rolls in the am. And in the evening, we could go for cocktails and appetizers.

Another fun event was the cocktail parties they hold for past passengers. Open bar and appetizers on 2 nights! They held it in a beautiful room, The Colony Club.

Booked to sail on the Jewel in Oct. Can't wait.

P.S. My heart still belongs to the Millennium. She too is a dandy

[connyankee]

We just came off Voayager sailing to Canada, and were on Millenium Concierge Class this past December. This was our first time sailing RCI.Have sailed several times on Celebrity, back to when Horizon was their new ship.

After reading some of the postings here over the last few months, we were pleasantly surprised with RCI.

Fodd and service were very good.I give the edge though in this dept to Celebrity.

Entertainment I give the edge to RCI.

One turn off to me was that I seemed to be forever waiting in lines on the Voyager, especially waitng for an elevator to squeeze on to.

And yes the lunch menu repeated in the dining room, but we split lunches between the dining room and windjammer and I found enough of a selection to try something different every day.

 

I will definitely give RCI another try if there is an itinerary that I would like to try.

I think though that I would like to try a Radiance Class ship. That seems to be the right size for me

[gene624]

I like both line's ships. The Sky Suites on Celebrity are not really large, but come with a bunch of amenities: E.G. butler service, nice balconies and very good food.

RCL will give you concierge service if you are in at least a "grand Suite."

The best deal in that regard is, however, Holland America where "S" suites and up provide Neptune Lounge (concierge service), free dry cleaning and laundry, captain's parties (if you can stand it) and generally extra service.