Will I be sorry booking Royal Caribbean over Celebrity?

[Chrisconn]

Been on Celebrity twice with just adults, loved it both times. Now cruising with the kids, who are 9 and 11, and booked Royal Caribbean.

 

Now I'm reading up on it, and getting a little nervous. We loved the more sophisticated vibe on Celebrity and felt very comfortable there.

 

I'm hearing a lot on the RCCL threads about how terrible the MDR food is, and how many announcements there are daily, about bingo and whatnot, and now a thread has started about "door decorating", where people hang stuff on their doors (which calls to mind a college dorm for me).

 

I know the kids will enjoy the amenities on the RC ship (like the surf machine, rock wall, arcades, promenade, kids clubs, etc), but I'm a little worried it's going to be a less refined experience for the adults. (We are not the bingo, pool party, belly flop contest types, at all.) The kids have never cruised before...so they have nothing to compare it to.

 

Anyone out there have any advice?

[swigso]

Go with the flow(rider) you will have a great time,

You can choose to join in or not, and the kids will

Have a great time

[kenevenpar]

I think you may have answered your own question.:eek:

 

I'm sure your kids will have a great time on either line. We have done both with kids (a bit older than yours), and they liked both lines.

[Gonzo70]

Having sailed RCI and Celebrity 4-5 times each, they are both good lines - they just have different areas of emphasis. RCI has a lot more to offer families traveling with children; there are so many activities and venues geared towards children compared to Celebrity - so that would be my choice if I was sailing with children. While RCI budgets a little less money per/person for food in the included dining venues, the difference is not drastic from Celebrity in terms of quality. You can always have a couple dinners in a specialty venue to have some more refined meals. The announcements can be kind of annoying and some activities are a bit cheesy on RCI, but there is also more overall energy on RCI which at times is nice. Go with an open mind and if it ends up not being up to snuff for you, you can always revert back to Celebrity next time.

[rwr235]

I don't think you'll be sorry...and besides what a great time for the kids !

 

Besides...Bingo and Door Decorations are present on Celebrity ships too !!:D

 

Take the kids on Royal...and introduce them to cruising !!

 

 

Enjoy

 

 

Woody

[Mrs_Tiki]

Chrisconn, don't despair, you can certainly have a great vacation on RCCL. It sounds like your kids are just the right age to enjoy the amenities and higher-energy activities.

 

Like you, my DH and I prefer the more sophisticated vibe on X and superior food and service, IMHO. We had sailed RCCL when our daughter was younger, but migrated to X once she hit high school.

 

That said, when it was time to book a summer cruise last year (no X ships in the Caribbean in the summer, grrrrr!!), I didn't hesitate to book Serenade of the Seas for us, DD (now age 18) and friend.

 

It IS different, but we still had a great time. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the food in the MDR, and we received great service we received from our waiters and cabin stewards. Yes, the pool games and announcements were annoying, but not a deal-breaker.

 

(I'm not a fan, but the door decorating happens on X ships, too, I've noticed.)

 

Don't worry and have a great time!

[Cruising89143]

I think that you should try it. It's the only way to actually know if RCI will be a good fit for you. The ships are great for families and it looks like you're booked on the Indy. Perfect for the age of your kids with plenty for the adults to do also.

 

When you have as many ships in service as RCI does, the quality can vary from ship to ship. It all comes down to the management on each ship. Some are just better than others. IMHO RCI used to be much more consistent than they are now but they still offer a great experience. The two things that stand out for me on RCI are the ships themselves and crew. The ships offer the WOW effect and I think that crew is some of the best that I have experienced. My only complaint about RCI is the shoreside senior management. I don't like some of the decisions that they have made over the last couple of years like allowing children under 18 in the concierge lounge during cocktail hour.

 

After 20 cruises with RCI we have decided to try Celebrity for a change. We have stepped out over the last few years and tried HAL and NCL and went back to RCI. Both were nice but did not measure up to RCI for the overall cruise experience we were looking for. Happy cruising. :)

[momzcruzing]

In the past four months I've done 4 cruises, 2 Celebrity (Eclipse & Equinox) and 2 on Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas. I love them both!! Cruising for me is the ports, the relaxing ship atmosphere, and meeting new friends, which are equal IMHO on both lines.

 

My kids, however, love RCL and would probably be very bored on Celebrity.

[EithneMay]

Kids will love RCCL! Stick with X for the adult cruises!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[miched]

You will have a great time as long as you go with a open mind and don't try to compare or gripe about something not the same or that was better and etc.

 

I always go with the attitude of you should love the one you are with, or dance with the person you brought to the dance. You made the choice so be happy.

 

Been on both and have fond memories from all of them. If the price is appealing any cruise beats non at all.

 

 

.

[jmf123]

I think your family will enjoy your Royal Caribbean cruise, there is definitely something for everyone. I am also not a bingo, pool party, belly flop contest type, but there are other areas onboard to experience and enjoy. The Solarium (18 and older) is a relaxing adult pool/lounge area, and be sure to check out the cantilevered whirlpools. Specialty restaurants Portofino (Italian cuisine) and Chops Grille (some of the best filets) offer great atmosphere, wonderful meals and service. You can dine with children under 13 years of age before 7 p.m.

 

If you choose first seating, My Family Time Dining is offered, beginning the second evening onboard, as often as you wish. Children ages 3 to 11 enjoy their meal within 40 minutes of seating, before heading to the evening's Adventure Ocean activities.

 

I think you are in for a treat as you see how much fun you and your children will have on Royal Caribbean. They are at a great age to enjoy the Adventure Ocean Youth Program (Voyagers are age 9-11) as they meet new friends, go on scavenger hunts, participate in the talent show, sports tournaments. As well as the H2O Zone (colorful sculptures among sprinklers, jets, water canons), mini golf, rock-climbing wall, etc. In trying any of the mainstream lines cruising with kids, I would go with RC.

[Loracpin2]

We've been on 31 cruises, 20 with Celebrity - our favorite and cruise line of choice. However, when it came to booking our Anniversary cruise this coming July with our children and eight grandchildren, ages 3 to 13, we booked the Freedom of the Seas.

 

While I know the adults (8 of us) would enjoy the Celebrity experience much more than RCI (have taken 5 cruises with them), I'm also positive the kids will have a much better time on the Flow Rider, climbing rock walls, ice skating, enjoying the Dreamworks experience, etc, etc. Bottom line, when the kids are happy, everyone is happy.

 

IMO, you made the right decision. So don't look back and have a great time

[mslaabs]

Having sailed RCI and Celebrity 4-5 times each, they are both good lines - they just have different areas of emphasis.

 

I agree with Gonzo. I personally love Celebrity, but I also enjoy RCI. As you can see in my signature I have actually cruised more with RCI than Celebrity so for me both are a good time :D

[junglejane]

We cruise with our kids who are currently 11 and 15. We mainly cruise on Princess and Celebrity, but we did try out the Mariner OTS a couple of years ago. Overall, we definitely prefer Celebrity even though we cruise with our kids. The rock climbing wall and ice skating rink were nice, and I agree with Gonzo that there was a more energetic vibe on the Mariner. But we cruise for the ports and the cruise ship experience, not to experience a theme park on the sea. We definitely prefer the more refined and upscale atmosphere on Celebrity and our kids have loved all 3 of their X cruises. So I strongly disagree with those who say that X is only for adults.

 

Having said all that, I still think you should go ahead with your plans and see how you like it. As others have said, go with an open mind. You are right that it will be a "less refined" experience, but that doesn't mean it won't be fun. Just don't expect it to be the same as Celebrity. We enjoyed exploring the Mariner OTS and I would go on RCI again. In fact, we were just discussing Spring Break 2013 and leaning toward the Celebrity Silhouette but considering some RCI options as well.

[Shooraq]

Royal Caribbean is a lot of fun. All of my cruises have been with RCI before trying Celebrity. Lots of great activities for kids and adults, parades and nightclubs in the evening, and the food is fine. I go between both cruiselines now to see which itinerary and price best suits me!

[Gracie115]

The kids will love Royal for sure. While the food is NOT as good as Celebrity's it's certainly edible....am sure you'll have a good time, it won't be as sedate as Celebrity but it will be fun....make sure you check out whoever the piano bar player is Royal usually has really good ones and they put on shows every night of the week...something I REALLY miss with X!

[Papa T]

The posters above have given you great advice. You can have a good time on either but for kids there is no comparison. After 40+ Royal cruises and 15+ X cruises I'm not so sure I would give the nod to X in the food area. They both have food items we enjoy, and while I am not a "foodie" I know quality at the table. On both, the food is usually very good - rarely great or terrible. Interestingly enough we recently finished an 18 day repositioning cruise on Century from Sydney to Honolulu. I was very impressed with the condition of the ship (the oldest in the X fleet) and by the staff. The staff was perhaps the friendliest and most attentive we have encountered. And yet an Australian couple we met who had sailed many times on Royal but were cruising for the first time on X (even after 18 days) stated that they preferred Royal - and the different food options were a significant part of their thinking. Go figure . . . . Personally I'm not sure anyone can match the experience our granddaughters had on Allure. But as an adult . . . I still loved our second adults only cruise on her.

Solstice class ships, however, come in a close second when we sail without kids.

[emilygrace]

I think you have made a good choice for a family cruise. I wouldn't worry about the door decorating.....we've done 11 Royal Caribbean cruises and I can recall only a handful of doors that were decorated. And a couple of times we even had a sign on ours if we were part of a very active roll call group.

[wedding96]

I did that back in December and was sorely disappointed. Never again with RC (and that was on the Allure with a 4 Year-old)!. Celebrity is the best cruise line for my tastes.

[gelo7]

I think that all of our cruises are good, but we as a family have place X as our high water mark.

[fridaythe13th]

After 20 cruises with RCI we have decided to try Celebrity for a change. We have stepped out over the last few years and tried HAL and NCL and went back to RCI. Both were nice but did not measure up to RCI for the overall cruise experience we were looking for. Happy cruising. :)

 

If you haven't already, call Celebrity and get a Captain's Club number and status. They will do that since you have sailed so much with RC. I'm pretty sure you will be Elite status. :D

[Cruising89143]

If you haven't already, call Celebrity and get a Captain's Club number and status. They will do that since you have sailed so much with RC. I'm pretty sure you will be Elite status. :D

 

Did this when we signed up but thanks for the heads up.:)

[Cruise Lt]

I just got off my first ever cruise (Liberty of the Seas, 4nt to Cozumel)

The Good:

 

The ship: 5+, beautiful, clean, well maintained and comfortable

 

The shows: 5+, The Air Show and Ice Show were both fantastic!

 

Room: 5, Inside Promenade, clean, and comfortable

 

Service: 5, very friendly staff, Rene our Room Steward was excellent!

 

Solarium: 5, great view and comfortable

 

Windjammer Cafe: 4, good variety and decent food, needs to stay open later

 

The Bad:

 

Main Dining Room Food: 3, we were never hungry, but the food was only fair!

 

Shore excursion: 2, tour of the "ruins" was not very good

 

My wife and I are looking at booking Celebrity's newest ship, Reflection, which is schedule to enter service in Oct. 2012, for a cruise March 9, 2013.

 

She sailed on the Solstice and raved about how good the food was on her Mediterranean cruise last year.

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

I have taken a lot of cruises on both lines during the past 2 years (three Celebrity cruises in 2010, three Royal Caribbean cruises in 2011, and one Royal Caribbean cruise early in 2012). Also, I currently have cruises booked with both lines. I honestly like both lines and enjoyed all of these recent cruises. Although Celebrity has better food and a more refined atmosphere, many of the Royal Caribbean ships have a lot of features that are very enjoyable (the Royal Promenade, the ice skating shows, FlowRider, etc.). The lines are different, but I think they both offer an excellent cruise product.

 

Chuck

[happygran]

We've done both Royal and Celebrity. We just love Celebrity but if our grandkids were coming too, we would book Royal.

 

Royal is great with far more activities for the kids. The adults won't get left out either and whilst some of the activities aren't 'my cup of tea', you can get away from them.

 

Royal is a perfect choice for the whole family.