Loyal Royal thinking of Celebrity - would like thoughts

[leeselee]

When we first started cruising with RC we started with an ocean view cabin.

 

Since then we have enjoyed being in a GS. - with a teenager, the space was a necessity (and cheaper than two rooms).

 

This year we really felt the actual cabin let itself down. The bathroom especially had issues that could easily have been attended to during our cruise - which weren't. No matter if it was a suite or an inside cabin, all of the issues we had, should have been dealt with there and then.

 

Now, I am not looking to rehash all that, but it has made me feel that maybe after 4 years and 4 cruises with Royal, maybe we should try something else for a change and go back to RC in a couple of years.

 

Also, without our teenager next summer - we would probably start off on a lower scale, with an ocean view or veranda room.

 

I would like honest opinions/comparisons between RC and Celebrity, as this is the only other cruiseline I would consider at the moment. I know a lot of CC members cruise with both RC and Celebrity.

 

I would be looking at a Med cruise in August - so I am wondering how the two cruiselines compare with regards to food, entertainment, room comfort, other guests and general quality.

 

As always, I really appreciate any help

 

Thanks

[cruisegirl1]

We sail RCCL and Celebrity (although we sail RCCL more often). This past spring we took the Equinox 12 night Med cruise and loved it. We like Celebrity a bit more than RCCL, and will likely cruise them more and more.

 

To us, the Celebrity ships have a slightly different feel, hard to describe, but whatever it is, we like it somewhat better than RCCL. Celebrity will have fewer children (there were just a handful on the Med cruise and I rarely saw any on a Caribbean cruise in January 2012.) Passengers seem to adhere to the dress suggestion/requirement and in fact, I believe a jacket is required for men on formal night ( in the MDR).

 

There are fewer “games” on Celebrity, but for us, still lots to do.

 

If you are a RCCL C&A member, certain levels will transfer to benefits in the Celebrity Captain’s Club. Celebrity Elite ( the highest category) is like RCCL Diamond for benefits.

 

We find entertainment to be about the same, some better some worse. Food on either line tends to be variable from cruise to cruise, so again some items/offerings are better and some worse.

 

There are several threads on your subject on these boards as well as the Celebrity boards. A quick search will provide lots of information.

 

Good luck

M

[edjny]

We are 'loyal royal' but have booked a cruise on Celebrity for next year just see what it is like. For problems, you can read the forums for each cruise line to see people complaining about problems with all of them. No matter what ship you are on, there are going to be occasional mechanical problems. Kind of like a 'cruise casino'; luck of the draw....

[maxs mom]

cruisegirl just said it all! We have cruised with RCI for 28 years. They take good care of us. We cruised on the Celebrity Eclipse a couple of years ago and loved it. So classy. Not much for kids, but we don't have any, so no problem. If you can......book Aqua Class.......amazing!! You should definitely give them a try. Great experience for us!

[DonnaK]

We are Loyal Royals who recently took a last minute cruise on Celebrity Summit. The cruise totally exceeded our expectations, and now ranks as one of the best cruises we've taken! The quantity and quality of live music all over the ship blew us away! Service was top-notch, and MDR food was delicious. The buffet was the one week spot, in set-up, and variety.

 

I imagine that a cruise on an S-class ship would be even better! Although I have 3 next cruise certificates for RCI, we'll likely be booking more cruises with Celebrity in the future too.

 

edjny: check out Merion Mom's review of the Summit. She included excellent comparisons to RCI ships. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1884439&highlight=summit

[sjb317]

Agree with cruisegirl regarding the entertainment & food. Some of the shows we saw on our Celebrity cruise had been on some of our previous RC cruises. Food was similar, some items better on Celebrity, some better on RC. We did not like Murano, the one specialty restaurant on our cruise, preferring Portofino or Chops.

 

We enjoyed our Celebrity cruise & will hopefully, do some more but if all considerations (itinerary, price) are equal, I think I would choose RC. RC just seems to have a little more casual & relaxed feel to it and we enjoy that.

 

Sherri:)

[spookwife]

Last year at Christmas on our GR sailing, we met a couple who could not extoll the virtues of Celebrity enough.. far superior in every respect over Royal.

 

last month, again on GR we met a couple who hated every second they were on Celebrity.. for approximately the same reasons the first couple loved it so much.

 

we have one booked in April so have adjusted our expectations to be somewhere in the middle.

[IMNiles]

As you can already see, you're getting answers that are all over the board, so obviously YMMV, but I think it really comes down to atmosphere.

 

As others have said, RCCL is a bit more "relaxed" but that doesn't mean that X is stuffy. In fact, they've worked very hard over the last couple of years to shake any lingering image of stuffiness. The newer Solstice class ships have a feel very much like a modern, lively resort - not unlike a "W" or similar. RCCL is definitely more family oriented and there are a few more of the "cruise-y" activities like pool belly flops and sexy legs contests. There seems to be more live music aboard X in the evening. You'll probably notice a slightly older crowd, though this tends to be really noticeable in Alaska and on long exotics. Even so, they're an active group - it's not all walkers and blue hair. I will gladly take "a few more older folks" over "a bunch of kids." We find X passengers to be quite well traveled on the whole.

 

The comfort and layout of the cabins will vary by ship. We really love the cabins on Solstice class - they are thoughtfully designed, comfortable, and tastefully decorated. We are less in love with the Millennium class cabins, but that isn't to say they're bad - we've just been spoiled. So I'd say Solstice cabins would be better, and all the others would be "on par."

 

Both lines have fantastic art collections, though the art on X tends to be slightly edgier. I always make a point of touring all the hallways and stairwells, trying to guess the theme before I get to the sign that explains it. Some of it is a bit avant-garde, but I really enjoy it.

 

I have no objective proof, but I can't shake the feeling that onboard extras like drinks are slightly more expensive on X. As another poster already noted, certain Crown and Anchor status levels have reciprocal benefits on X (Platinum=Select and Diamond=Elite), but be aware that actual credits do not transfer. Credits you earn on X will not help you earn the next tier on RCCL, and vice-versa. I prefer the Elite cocktail hour (and Elite breakfast) benefits to the Diamond party/lounge, but there is no Concierge Club as on RCCL.

 

One thing that sounds small but is actually surprisingly impactful - X does only noon announcements (plus emergencies and drills, naturally). There are no loud exhortations to join "BINGO BINGO BINGO" or any of that nonsense.

 

The food issue is tougher to pin down. Purely subjectively, I prefer the dining room food on X. I'm not sure if this is because it's "better" or just more suited to my taste. Conversely, I prefer the buffet on RCCL. Maybe it's because I tend to do a lot of long cruises on X, but I do find that the buffet seems to repeat itself a lot. I think the specialty restaurants on X are more "special" - I can't speak for Blu (exclusive to Aqua Class guests), but we enjoy the variety that Bistro on 5 and QSine present - unlike some other lines I won't name, these spots don't just feel like the dining room with a surcharge and a better cut of meat. A meal in the French restaurant (Olympic, SS United States, Ocean Liners, etc) is also a real event - practically a whole-evening affair.

 

All in all, our preference is X, but we would gladly sail RCCL if we preferred the itinerary. In fact, our next cruise (not counting weekenders) is in Allure since we thought it would be fun to see. Next time we sail Europe, though, it will almost certainly be on X.

[austinlw]

Agree with IMNiles and cruisegirl. We've done RCI 3 times and 1 11 day Celebrity Solstice in the E Med. We have always enjoyed our RC cruises for the fun, but that Celebrity ship was stunningly beautiful all the way through. More contemporary decor (more like a modern hotel), but very comfortable, not stuffy. The staff goes out of their way to find special ways to make your day. The cabins are very well designed, very comfy beds and a bathroom that actually has enough room, even in the shower (no clingy curtain). I look forward to our next cruise on Celebrity some day. If there were a Celebrity ship in Galveston, we'd be on it for sure.

[Cruising89143]

Haven't read the other replies but I really like RCI. I feel for the comtemporary mass market they are head and shoulders above Carnival and NCL. The ships and service are much better IMHO.

 

With that said it was time for a change and we tried Celebrity back in March on the Reflection. Loved it. The ship had the same WOW factor that RCI has but in a slightly different way. Just a beautiful ship.

 

Service on both lines are even IMHO but we saw officers all around the ship on X and they were very friendly.

 

Food was a step up on X over RCI in every venue. I'm not a huge buffet person but the buffet on the Reflection reminded me of RCI ten years ago. It was very good and had many choices. I understand that the Millie class is different and not as good due to the size and layout.

 

Only one announcement on X per day which is the Captain's daily noon report. A much tighter smoking policy as no smoking is allowed anywhere inside the ship and balconies. Fewer kids which for me a is huge plus and a major difference over RCI.

 

Since you can use your C&A status on X, I suggest giving them a try. I look at X as being the RCI for adults. We now consider X as the first choice with RCI a very close second. Nothing can beat those Oasis class ships. It's nice to have two great choices to choose from. RCCL really does a great job with both lines IMHO.:)

[leeselee]

Wow!

 

A lot to think about!

 

I think on our own we might like fewer teens on a cruise.

 

At the very least - it's gets us talking and me daydreaming about another cruise!

 

Thanks

[Koohiichan]

I totally agree with you about the food. We prefer X overall (although it has been a long time since we've sailed with them due to Royal being better family type choice for us) BUT, the buffet on RCI is way better thank Celebrity, plus I think they have more international food type choices that we enjoy.

 

 

 

 

The food issue is tougher to pin down. Purely subjectively, I prefer the dining room food on X. I'm not sure if this is because it's "better" or just more suited to my taste. Conversely, I prefer the buffet on RCCL. Maybe it's because I tend to do a lot of long cruises on X, but I do find that the buffet seems to repeat itself a lot.

[FLACRUISER99]

I say try Celebrity, as no matter what anyone posts, only you will know if they are better,equal, or not for me. Personally I like both lines.

[skis2]

We’ve cruised several times on Royal Caribbean (Explorer Class) and we cruised on Celebrity Equinox this past spring. In general, we had a great time on Celebrity and we’d cruise with them in the future if the price/itinerary was right but we’re going to primarily stick with Royal.

Food: We found dinner in the MDR to be comparable. We liked the specialty restaurants and room service on Celebrity better. We liked breakfast and lunch in the MDR on Royal better. We’re not fans of buffets but I’d give Royal a slight edge.

Bars: While we thought Celebrity had some of the best bars at sea (Molecular Bar and Martini Bar), we decided that Royal offered overall better bar service.

Entertainment: Again, while we thought the Celebrity “Cirque” show was one of the best we’ve ever seen, we decided that Royal offered overall better entertainment.

Room: We thought our stateroom on Celebrity was the best room we’ve had so far. It seemed slightly bigger and the balcony had ottomans for the chairs and a regular size table (Concierge room).

[alfaeric]

I say try Celebrity, as no matter what anyone posts, only you will know if they are better,equal, or not for me. Personally I like both lines.

 

+1 to that.

 

One of these days we will, too. But i have to convince DW to give it a try. This isn't booking on Azamara.... just a little more.

[hellsop]

The food issue is tougher to pin down. Purely subjectively, I prefer the dining room food on X. I'm not sure if this is because it's "better" or just more suited to my taste. Conversely, I prefer the buffet on RCCL. Maybe it's because I tend to do a lot of long cruises on X, but I do find that the buffet seems to repeat itself a lot.

 

I know what you mean with this. MDR on Celebrity seemed more refined overall: better executed, but less adventurous. The buffet did seem sparser than the Windjammer ever does, and have fewer selections in off hours. And the layout seemed confusing for some reason.

[psupa]

When we first started cruising with RC we started with an ocean view cabin.

 

Since then we have enjoyed being in a GS. - with a teenager, the space was a necessity (and cheaper than two rooms).

 

This year we really felt the actual cabin let itself down. The bathroom especially had issues that could easily have been attended to during our cruise - which weren't. No matter if it was a suite or an inside cabin, all of the issues we had, should have been dealt with there and then.

 

Now, I am not looking to rehash all that, but it has made me feel that maybe after 4 years and 4 cruises with Royal, maybe we should try something else for a change and go back to RC in a couple of years.

 

Also, without our teenager next summer - we would probably start off on a lower scale, with an ocean view or veranda room.

 

I would like honest opinions/comparisons between RC and Celebrity, as this is the only other cruiseline I would consider at the moment. I know a lot of CC members cruise with both RC and Celebrity.

 

I would be looking at a Med cruise in August - so I am wondering how the two cruiselines compare with regards to food, entertainment, room comfort, other guests and general quality.

 

As always, I really appreciate any help

 

Thanks

 

I guess you won't know until you try it. We mostly sail on Royal, and have sailed on Celebrity, Princess and NCL and like them all. Some things done better on some and vice versa. I don't think you'll go wrong with a cruise on Celebrity. Only you can decide once you have sailed another line.