Please help me decide! Should we jump ship and try Celebrity?

[Travelalot2]

We are diamond members having sailed on all of RCCLs different classes of ships. Our favorite is the Radiance class due to how "classy" it feels with all of the glass, followed by the Explorer for the promenade and pool area. We are 50"ish, no kids.

 

For our next cruise, we are thinking about trying the Eclipse Aqua Class room category. It seems like we would like the ambiance of the ship as well as the iLouge and just doing something different. But, going out of Miami in Jan is cold and it's only 3 ports (SJU, St. Maarten & St. Kitts). We've been to all but St. Kitts but like the ports.

 

Our other option is the Serenade out of San Juan. We"ve been on all of it's sister ships before and love them, but, it's more expensive to travel to San Juan (+ $400) - cruise price is the same. Pros are it visits 5 ports (St. Maarten, Dominica, Barbados, St. Kitts, Tortola) and it leaves out of San Juan you get to see it as well.

 

We haven't been to St. Kitts , Tortola or Dominica but have been to the rest. Love all of those ports though so don't mind traveling back to any of them.

 

In short, has anyone tried the new Solstice class ships and preferred RCCL? r

[joandian]

I loved the Eclipse and would book a cruise on her again. She is a magnificent ship with so many different areas to explore and little areas to sit and relax. Very elegant.

 

We are also 50ish and there was an older demographic on our cruise and Eclipse had a very different vibe to the RCI ships we've been on. Much quieter and not many people around in the evening but wonder if that will change when she moves into the Caribbean.

[Gabrielle R.]

Can't hurt to try it! I've tried a SMALLER Celebrity ship- infact it is no longer in service! We enjoyed the ship a lot. The only draw back that we felt was how much more we 'had to' dress up. The food was excellent, so my husband didn't mind dressing up for the MDR. Have fun and try it. We are going on Serenade over Christmas- so I can't wait to go on that ship. You can't lose either way! Enjoy whatever you do!

[mamacat3]

We are loyal to royal but tried X Solstice Aqua class in March and would not do it again!! It was a beautiful ship with a lot of plusses but definitely an older clientel and we are just not there yet. We met 2 other couples who are also loyal to royal and they said they would not stray again either!! Try it if you must to see for yourself but if it were me I'd do Serenade out of PR. It is a great ship with a fabulous itinerary and a great staff and crew. We did Serenade in January and would do it again in a heartbeat. The islands are beautiful and the experience is great!! Good luck and happy sailing. :)

[jerin]

We've sailed Celebrity in our thirties and really love the product (we miss Galaxy :( ), usually Royal is more practical from a pricing standpoint, but we like some of the little extras Celebrity offers, and we like the fact that people dress for formal night, etc. Being that your Diamond status will transfer as Elite, you'll get that many more of the little perks (we're just below Platinum and Select on each loyalty program because we go back and forth).

[curiouscat]

we're platinum on royal...but also like X...we were on solstice last yr and doing solstice aqua class next month.... I don't think you can go wrong for trying X.... it really is a nice change...and your status would transfer over.. you would be Elite on X

 

I say change is good...enjoy

 

CC

 

PS we are late 40s no kids... and we enjoyed it

[luvscruising2007]

One of the things we really enjoy on RCL is the evening shows. Does Celebrity have these shows as well? We aren't really late night people but we stay up until midnight if there are activities or shows we wish to attend.

[THEWIFE]

A number of years ago, we were loyal to Royal. Then, things changed and we became loyal to Princess. Then we tried Celebrity. Now, we are loyal only to ourselves. We go wherever the itinerary and the price takes us, since one cruise line may be better in one area than another, but then does not stand up in other ways.

 

We found X to have an "older" demographic, but not that much older that you wouldn't fit in. They did a good job of seating us at a table with others our own age. We felt the entertainment was leagues ahead of Princess and Royal. It is a quieter, more elegant atmosphere which we enjoyed for a change. The service was much better than Princess and Royal as well; the food was not as good as everyone claimed it would be (everything drenched in cream sauces and all the added salt made me wonder what they might be hiding :confused:)

 

Where we felt that X failed us miserably was in Guest Relations, and we were not alone in this feeling. It seemed to be a common complaint throughout the ship. Assuming you won't have any problems, and you probably will not, you will really enjoy the differences between cruise lines.

 

We are not married to any particular cruise line and probably will never be. Whatever you choose, I am sure you'll have a great time!

[seatraveler24]

I would definitely suggest trying Celebrity. We cruised on Celebrity's Millenium in January. At that time we were Diamond members on Royal, so we had Elite status on Celebrity. Their Elite members have the equivalent of a concierge lounge with complimentary cocktails each evening. We're in our 40s and felt there was a wide-range of ages on our cruise. The cruise director and his staff was one of the best we've experienced. We were also invited to the Captain's Table for dinner, which was very enjoyable. The conversation was easy, interesting, and not stuffy at all. A nice Celebrity touch is an outside reception area at each port with cold towels prior to reboarding the ship. I think you should give them a try!

[Travelalot2]

I think we will give them a try. We've cruised on RCCL for so long all over the world (and have been very happy- :)) , but, would be nice to try something different. Since we'll be in Aqua class, my husband is looking forward to Blu being a smaller, more intimate restaurant.

[Langley Cruisers]

A nice Celebrity touch is an outside reception area at each port with cold towels prior to reboarding the ship.

 

Wow, deja vu! Yes, I remember this some time ago on Royal. Cutbacks, hey? :cool:

[silentbob007]

I'm looking forward to trying X next month ... it's been too long since I've been on a "new" line. :)

[boxkite]

We are diamond members having sailed on all of RCCLs different classes of ships. Our favorite is the Radiance class due to how "classy" it feels with all of the glass, followed by the Explorer for the promenade and pool area. We are 50"ish, no kids.

 

For our next cruise, we are thinking about trying the Eclipse Aqua Class room category. It seems like we would like the ambiance of the ship as well as the iLouge and just doing something different. But, going out of Miami in Jan is cold and it's only 3 ports (SJU, St. Maarten & St. Kitts). We've been to all but St. Kitts but like the ports.

 

Our other option is the Serenade out of San Juan. We"ve been on all of it's sister ships before and love them, but, it's more expensive to travel to San Juan (+ $400) - cruise price is the same. Pros are it visits 5 ports (St. Maarten, Dominica, Barbados, St. Kitts, Tortola) and it leaves out of San Juan you get to see it as well.

 

We haven't been to St. Kitts , Tortola or Dominica but have been to the rest. Love all of those ports though so don't mind traveling back to any of them.

 

In short, has anyone tried the new Solstice class ships and preferred RCCL? r

 

Travelalot2,

 

We cruised on the Solstice last summer and it is an amazing ship. Eclipse, being a sister ship to Solstice will be equally great.

 

But let me address what has been missed in the messages that have been posted so far. You are looking at booking AquaClass. While the in room enhancements, shower head, free bottle water, tea, etc. are nice, the great thing about Aqua Class is Blu restaurant. This specialty restaurant serves those staying in AquaClass. Blu serves healthy food that is a nice alternative to the MDR. You can eat in the MDR also, but most choose to dine in Blue.

 

Also the hot class show is incredible and worth going to several times. Plus Celebrity does have those beverage packages that are very popular. I myself brought the premium package for our Solstice cruise last summer and it was very happy with the value.

 

In the end perhaps it comes down to the ship or the ports of call as being most important to you. Good luck, you can not go wrong with either choice!

[fleckle]

In addition to the features that have already been mentioned, I think Celebrity is better for non-smokers (especially those who are sensitive to smoke) and RCCL is better for smokers.

 

Celebrity has a much more restrictive smoking policy. No smoking is allowed on the balconies. Although there are several outdoor areas where they allow smoking, indoor smoking is limited to only one lounge.

[royalcruz]

I Love RCCL and LOVE Celebrity, especially Solstice class. Don't try to compare apples to oranges....just go and enjoy it!

[mimi2424]

We are diamond members having sailed on all of RCCLs different classes of ships. Our favorite is the Radiance class due to how "classy" it feels with all of the glass, followed by the Explorer for the promenade and pool area. We are 50"ish, no kids.

 

For our next cruise, we are thinking about trying the Eclipse Aqua Class room category. It seems like we would like the ambiance of the ship as well as the iLouge and just doing something different. But, going out of Miami in Jan is cold and it's only 3 ports (SJU, St. Maarten & St. Kitts). We've been to all but St. Kitts but like the ports.

 

Our other option is the Serenade out of San Juan. We"ve been on all of it's sister ships before and love them, but, it's more expensive to travel to San Juan (+ $400) - cruise price is the same. Pros are it visits 5 ports (St. Maarten, Dominica, Barbados, St. Kitts, Tortola) and it leaves out of San Juan you get to see it as well.

 

We haven't been to St. Kitts , Tortola or Dominica but have been to the rest. Love all of those ports though so don't mind traveling back to any of them.

 

In short, has anyone tried the new Solstice class ships and preferred RCCL? r

 

I love Serenade we have been on it twice once out of San Juan and the other was Hawaii. We would take it again just wish we didn't have to fly to San Juan to take it.

[Bakincakes]

X is a great line. You will love it.

 

Sounds like in this case the itinerary is the deal breaker for you.

 

Serenade has great itins...and we do love the ship. San Juan not so much but if it is just used for embarkation we can tolerate it.

 

Try X and see the difference...and as others have said your status goes with you.

[IrishCC]

We are diamond members having sailed on all of RCCLs different classes of ships. Our favorite is the Radiance class due to how "classy" it feels with all of the glass, followed by the Explorer for the promenade and pool area. We are 50"ish, no kids.

 

For our next cruise, we are thinking about trying the Eclipse Aqua Class room category. It seems like we would like the ambiance of the ship as well as the iLouge and just doing something different. But, going out of Miami in Jan is cold and it's only 3 ports (SJU, St. Maarten & St. Kitts). We've been to all but St. Kitts but like the ports.

 

Our other option is the Serenade out of San Juan. We"ve been on all of it's sister ships before and love them, but, it's more expensive to travel to San Juan (+ $400) - cruise price is the same. Pros are it visits 5 ports (St. Maarten, Dominica, Barbados, St. Kitts, Tortola) and it leaves out of San Juan you get to see it as well.

 

We haven't been to St. Kitts , Tortola or Dominica but have been to the rest. Love all of those ports though so don't mind traveling back to any of them.

 

In short, has anyone tried the new Solstice class ships and preferred RCCL? r

We tried Solstice last April as our first Celebrity cruise and we will probably never go back. We enjoyed the food and the lack of smoking, but it was too sedate for us. I found myself longing for the belly flop contest!! Or anything FUN! The crew members were polite but standoffish and the Cruise Director was arrogant.

 

We got off the cruise and we were relaxed and all but felt like we hadn't been on a cruise.

 

Just my 2 cents . . . .we're going on Liberty in March