Celebrity vs Royal - My opinion

[Aussieflyer]

Although I've got an RCI cruise coming up in a week or so Celebrity is my preferred cruise line of the two, though they have been somewhat pricier of late for the $Australian. RCI has had some good sales.

A couple of things make a difference for me including the cheap 3 star hotel multi whatever dispenser in the shower and measly single cake of soap on RCI as apposed to bottles of shampoo/conditioner on X, the lack of bathrobes on RCI (though as a D I do receive one which is a bonus), the fact that on the RCI cruises I have been on, I have had to go up to the bar or queue for coffee with no table service. It be different elsewhere but not impressed by the level of customer service.

That said, a cruise is a cruise so is better than staying at home and I always enjoy myself and not complaining. :)

[gerig]

We were on the XSummit twice out of NJ, and were blown away by the quality and quantity of live music throughout the ship in every venue every evening. The production shows were excellent (3 on a 7 day cruise, with much larger and more talented troupe members). No empty lounges, no pianos with no one playing, troupe members had smaller shows throughout the week including a jam session of all the performers on the ship. It was significantly better than anything we've experienced on any RCI ship.

 

I was on the Quantum last February and was blown away by the quality of Mama Mia. I have cruised both line about 15 times each and overall prefer the Celebrity product but feel Royal puts more money into their entertainment and productions shows.

[upandin]

Celebrity cruises are great if you are over 70 and sedentary. Nightlife is great if you like to go to bed at 7pm and instead of music around the pool all you hear is people snoring. The ships feel closed in and the so called center is as big as a postage stamp. I'll do Celebrity again when I'm to old to remember.:eek:

[jules815]

It is hard to really compare because many differences are opinion, but I have sailed Celebrity 3 times and Royal once.

 

differences:

 

Royal no omelets in windjammer

No coffee early in the morning

Really bad coffee ( really strong) overall

Hard Beds

 

Better entertainment

HIGH Speed Internet!!!!!!!!

 

 

Celebrity

 

Comfy Beds

better food selection in Windjammer

Better desserts

Less smoking

On our Transatlantic the Celebrity ship had 1/2 the passengers of the Allure but 4 guest lecturers to Royals one.

 

I know people that payed for a suite or are a higher level will say for them they were able to get an omelet or use starbucks for better coffee that is not my point.

 

Royal is probably not for me due to hard beds to start with then the omelet and coffee issue along with the Windjammer hours, for most of the day you could always go to the windjammer on Celebrity and get coffee.

 

:confused: I've always been able to get an omelet in the WJ, they had pre-made and made to order.

[John&LaLa]

:confused: I've always been able to get an omelet in the WJ, they had pre-made and made to order.

 

I believe that is the case on all ships but Oasis class.

[CanadaRob]

I believe that is the case on all ships but Oasis class.

 

 

Hmmm is that a volume thing? Quantum/Freedom class has 4000+ and manage omelets but adding the extra 2000 people means no omelets?

I guess that is the give and take with being on Oasis class.

 

 

Looking at your sig glad you could find Rhapsody b2b :)

[jules815]

Thanks for sharing your review. I just, minutes ago, made the final payment for my first cruise with X in March.

 

I'll be doing a 5-day on Constellation sailing to Cozumel and Key West. This cruise originally wasn't even on my radar, but our daughter's college spring break plans with friends fizzled. There were only a few cruises out there that worked with the dates of her break, and this one worked the best. Because this is one of those "peak" college spring break weeks, I was able to get a really nice deal with Celebrity (I think most X cruisers know to avoid those 2 weeks :eek:), with lots of room choices. In fact, there are still LOTS of rooms available for our sailing. Final payment date is tomorrow, so it will be interesting to see what happens.

 

Also received their "Big, Better, Best" promotion. $225pp ("Best") includes paid gratuities, $150pp obc, unlimited internet, and premium beverage package.

 

Excited to give Celebrity a try.

[jules815]

I believe that is the case on all ships but Oasis class.

 

I wasn't aware of this. Noted. :)

[John&LaLa]

Hmmm is that a volume thing? Quantum/Freedom class has 4000+ and manage omelets but adding the extra 2000 people means no omelets?

I guess that is the give and take with being on Oasis class.

 

 

Looking at your sig glad you could find Rhapsody b2b :)

 

Possibly, but Oasis does have other casual venues that serve fresh eggs. I would trade WJ omelettes on Freedom for breakfast at JR.

 

Are you on the TA? I'm not on the first leg

Edited January 13, 2016 by John&LaLa

[John&LaLa]

I wasn't aware of this. Noted. :)

 

They to have pre made fried eggs that are surprisingly good.

[CanadaRob]

Possibly, but Oasis does have other casual venues that serve fresh eggs. I would trade WJ omelettes on Freedom for breakfast at JR.

 

Are you on the TA? I'm not on the first leg

 

 

 

NO TA for me, waiting for Royal to go back to Panama Canal.

 

 

Checking X itineraries for Southern Caribbean and nothing in my wheelhouse that hits ABCs and their Panama Canal pricing was significantly more than what Royal last had offered and unwilling to go NCL or Princess for a trip of that duration.

[Big_G]

How're the M class ships just as good as the S class?

 

The only issue I had with our one M Class (Summit) compared to S Class was the layout of the buffet. The S Class layout is more like Royal's. While we absolutely had a great time on Celebrity, it's definitely more laid back and sometimes a tad boring during the day. At night there's plenty to do. We're booked on Reflection next month and have a Concierge Class cabin booked under the old 123Go offer. Concierge Class is just an ocean view balcony with extra amenities. The 123Go gave us the classic drink package, gratuities, and $350 OBC for the price of the average JS on Royal. We booked onboard Royal so we got an extra $200 OBC.

[BillOh]

Royal does this in the Windjammer as well.

 

While I do want to say thanks to the OP, this was my thought as well, though I can imagine it might have been missed on their cruise.

[jules815]

I forgot the champagne when boarding. Ok..maybe this is a sign I need to sail again and take better notes.:)

 

They do this?! :eek:

 

You already had me at bread basket with spreads!

 

I'll take more notes in March! :D

[BillOh]

Thanks for the reminder. I forgot no smoking in the casino.

 

The bread basket with various spreads at dinner was a nice touch.

 

I think I might like Royals Casino smoking policy better, keeps my wife out of the casino! :D

[John&LaLa]

I think I might like Royals Casino smoking policy better, keeps my wife out of the casino! :D

 

Really?

A little smoke won't stop Laura from donating

[BillOh]

Really?

A little smoke won't stop Laura from donating

 

I really can't complain, my wife enjoys an hour of slots a cruise and that is about it. But we always seem to find the gamblers who sit next to us and hang their cigarette in our faces. (not starting a smoking war)

[John&LaLa]

I really can't complain, my wife enjoys an hour of slots a cruise and that is about it. But we always seem to find the gamblers who sit next to us and hang their cigarette in our faces. (not starting a smoking war)

 

I wish, Laura's game of choice is 3 card poker at $30 a hand. :eek:

She breaks even most of the time and never goes on the last night.

Edited January 13, 2016 by John&LaLa

[Ocean Boy]

Thanks for the comparison. We too have sailed Celebrity and noted the same observations.

 

I noticed the closing time of Oceanview Café flexed during your sailing. On our sailings on both Equinox and Solstice, the opening time of Oceanview Café flexed according to the port arrival time. Unlike our recent sailing on Allure where Windjammer held "tight" to the same opening time of 7:00 each morning - which pressured the venue severely by everyone trying to get in to eat before heading into port.

We found the pricing very close to each other - all factors considered, e.g., promos, etc.

 

That is interesting to read. Last March on Indy the Windjammer opened early on port days with an early arrival time. I will see what happens on Oasis in a couple of weeks.

[KiwiGal117]

I looked at a Celebrity cruise for the Med this summer - I believe it was a 10 day, rather than the 7 day Harmony we have booked. In fact I just found my "pros and cons" chart that I made when I booked, and noticed pricing was slightly better on a per night basis on Celebrity, but probably because I was comparing it with Harmony.

 

Bringing the child though, so decided Harmony would be a better bet for him. Can't wait to try Celebrity though! One day... the kid will leave home eventually, right??!!

[George C]

We sail many lines, RCCL is our favorite, tried Celebrity about 5 years ago on the Solstice, it was the best looking ship I ever was on, getting a glass of champagne when boarding is a great idea. This was also our 1st real suite we were upgraded to a beautiful aft sky suite with the butler . Also really like the smoke free casino along with most of the ship. Loved the specialty restaurants along with buffet.

 

However MDR was terrible waiter was new and it took forever to get a meal and food was really bad when it came, so after a couple of meals we were forced to eat in specialty restaurants the rest of the week, ( they also give suite people one free specialty restaurant), entertainment was as bad as MDR really did not like what was offered.

 

We have yet to try them again but will sooner or later

[BillOh]

That is interesting to read. Last March on Indy the Windjammer opened early on port days with an early arrival time. I will see what happens on Oasis in a couple of weeks.

 

That seems the norm. However, when I was on Jewel in 2014 out of San Juan we arrived early in Barbados and the WJ didn't open till 8am. I guess each ship is allowed to do somethings on their own accord.

[Ocean Boy]

That seems the norm. However, when I was on Jewel in 2014 out of San Juan we arrived early in Barbados and the WJ didn't open till 8am. I guess each ship is allowed to do somethings on their own accord.

 

Wow, 8 AM is a really late opening. I have never been on an RCI ship that didn't open the Windjammer by 7 AM. I do remember that on Allure two years ago the Solarium Cafe, which became our favorite go to place for breakfast opened at 8 AM every day.

[fletch1027]

Haven't yet cruised celebrity, so don't have a lot to say. But I have had omelettes cooked to order in the windjammer on both rhapsody and Liberty.

 

Also Freedom has a cooked to order omelette station in the WJ...

[CanadaRob]

Also Freedom has a cooked to order omelette station in the WJ...

 

As I had noted in a previous post the size difference from Freedom/Quantum class to Oasis must make it logistically harder to do made to order omelettes

 

A make or break for me if I was going upscale a little bit I think would be overall service.

A more manageable passenger crew ratio should mean a better overall experience.

 

Certainly enticing to try Celebrity based on the inclusions of a couple of items with regular fare.