RC vs Celebrity

[catrip1024]

My mom and I are planning a cruise for July and are thinking about going with Celebrity.  I've been on several cruises but have always gone Royal Caribbean.  Can anyone tell me the differences in the two lines?  We are both older and don't ever utilize things like the zip line or climbing wall.  Just looking for rest and relaxation.

[gerelmx]

Several years ago I switched to Celebrity, our last cruise with RCI was on the Oasis OTS, what a bad experience. The ships have been turned into an amusement park on the high seas, gigantic ships with more than 6 thousand passengers, lines for everything, we missed  Cats  because we could not reach reservations, Too many young people running from one place to another, children crying in the main dining room, lack of respect from teenagers towards adults, etc. etc.

[davekathy]

20 minutes ago, catrip1024 said:

My mom and I are planning a cruise for July and are thinking about going with Celebrity.  I've been on several cruises but have always gone Royal Caribbean.  Can anyone tell me the differences in the two lines?  We are both older and don't ever utilize things like the zip line or climbing wall.  Just looking for rest and relaxation.

No smoking any where inside including the casino with Celebrity. No Quest, no Studio B (as not all RC ships have a studio B either).The Crown and Anchor Society tier levels are reciprocal to the Captains Club tier levels up to elite. We cruise with both lines and like the similarities and the differences between the two. Food, entertainment, stateroom type all personal preferences. 

Edited May 3, 2021 by davekathy

[upwarduk]

Celebrity have now gone All Inclusive, so a Classic drinks package, unlimited Internet and gratuities are included in your basic fare.

I suppose it comes down to maths in the end.

 Beers, spirits, cocktails, liqueurs, frozen drinks and wine by the glass up to $9 per serving are included plus bottled water and coffees. I once worked out that I spent $15 per day on water alone.

When we last sailed, gratuities were $15 per person per day.

Not everyone uses the Internet and we used to get 90 minutes per cruise free, as we are Elite. On our last cruise, which was on Explorer of the Seas Internet was a free day for Diamond Club members. This wasn’t helpful, as of course you are asleep for about 8 of those 24 hours.

I did find the hours in the Diamond Lounge on Royal, lasted longer in the evening and you were allowed to extend these into the dining room. However, with the included Classic package on Celebrity, this should no longer be a problem.

We are going back to Celebrity for a round Britain staycation as I consider it probably safer, as all passenger and staff have to be vaccinated, whereas on Royal only 95% of passengers need to be vaccinated. I assume the difference here is catering for children, who at the moment cannot be vaccinated.

[39august]

We are Pinnacle on RCI and determined never to go back after our first Celebrity cruise. We think it's that much better if you are interested in a more adult experience. The only thing RCI does better is entertainment. The total no smoking inside the ship is a biggie for us and the food and service are much better in our opinion. Both lines have outstanding servers, but service is better on Celebrity because there is better crew to passenger ratio on Celebrity ships. 

[JABTPS]

2 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

Beers, spirits, cocktails, liqueurs, frozen drinks and wine by the glass up to $9 per serving are included plus bottled water and coffees. I once worked out that I spent $15 per day on water alone.

Don't forget that All inclusive does not include the gratuity on the drinks.  That's in the fine print.

[rvlandandsea]

With Royal Caribbean, think Disney World. With Celebrity, think R & R, maybe a little boring but we like boring most of the time. 

[George C]

Rccl has way better entertainment than celebrity, buffet is much better on Celebrity. I like celebrity for the suite perks. Also celebrity gives you a glass of sparkling wine when you embark which is a great way to start a cruise. 

[Bo1953]

2 hours ago, catrip1024 said:

My mom and I are planning a cruise for July and are thinking about going with Celebrity.  I've been on several cruises but have always gone Royal Caribbean.  Can anyone tell me the differences in the two lines?  We are both older and don't ever utilize things like the zip line or climbing wall.  Just looking for rest and relaxation.

Welcome home!!!

 

bon voyage

[Ride-The-Waves]

2 hours ago, gerelmx said:

Several years ago I switched to Celebrity, our last cruise with RCI was on the Oasis OTS, what a bad experience. The ships have been turned into an amusement park on the high seas, gigantic ships with more than 6 thousand passengers, lines for everything, we missed  Cats  because we could not reach reservations, Too many young people running from one place to another, children crying in the main dining room, lack of respect from teenagers towards adults, etc. etc.

Don't forget the tweens playing elevator games...

[Ride-The-Waves]

59 minutes ago, JABTPS said:

Don't forget that All inclusive does not include the gratuity on the drinks.  That's in the fine print.

And shipboard water from the tap is essentially distilled water...

[gerelmx]

Just now, Ride-The-Waves said:

Don't forget the tweens playing elevator games...

 

And telling you look like a Muslim and simulate they have a shotgun firing to you. I filed a security complaint, and the parents and children were reprimanded, just because I didn't want to make the biggest fart they were not expelled from the ship at the next port.

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, JABTPS said:

Don't forget that All inclusive does not include the gratuity on the drinks.  That's in the fine print.

The drink package includes the gratuities on the drinks.  AI also includes the daily gratuities.  The gratuities that are not included would be for things like spa services, fitness classes,  wine tasting sessions.

[JABTPS]

I should have clarified for Celebrity gratuities on drinks are not included.  See bottom of drink package comparison:

[Bo1953]

2 minutes ago, JABTPS said:

I should have clarified for Celebrity gratuities on drinks are not included.  See bottom of drink package comparison:

 

Would they not be covered under the Gratuity inclusive?

 

Cheers and bon voyage

[iancal]

There are differences which I am sure that posters will point out.

 

We are both in our late 60's.  We are not in any way loyal to any cruise line. For us the ship is more important than the cruise line.  We love Celebrity Solstice Class ships.  But we have been on many other cruise lines...HAL, Princess, Crystal, Carnival, NCL, Princess...

 

We have sailed on multiple Celebrity and RCI ships.  We like  both cruise lines..  I believe that it comes down to ship, itinerary, time of cruise.  Plus some luck in getting a special crew.    Our last two RCI cruises were a 21 day Australia/NZ cruise and an 8 day Med cruise.    Both were top drawer.  Exact same for our multiple X cruises-Med, Caribbean, TA. 

 

Celebrity's new AI marketing push is not attractive to us.  In fact, when we come down to selecting from our short list of two or three cruises on a date/itinerary Celebrity may loose out because of their AI pricing model.

 

 

Edited May 3, 2021 by iancal

[Ashland]

I have no problem going on either...it just comes down to what I'm looking for on each specific trip that's offered. We've done just short of 40 RCI cruises (which will increase during 2022). I've done one amazing itinerary with Celebrity and was hoping to do another one this July 2021...but oh well that didn't work out, so I booked them for 2023.

[TMLAalum]

In the past, pre-covid days, having a classic or premier beverage package included gratuities. I know NCL adds tips on top of the cost of their drinks packages which is based on their estimate of the value of the package.

 

Hopefully, our classic package perk on our next Celebrity cruise has the gratuities included...

[ipeeinthepool]

1 hour ago, TMLAalum said:

In the past, pre-covid days, having a classic or premier beverage package included gratuities. I know NCL adds tips on top of the cost of their drinks packages which is based on their estimate of the value of the package.

 

Hopefully, our classic package perk on our next Celebrity cruise has the gratuities included...

 

Yep, gratuities are included.  If you have a favorite bartender, may choose to enhance the gratuity 

From the website:

 

Vacations should be effortless from the start. So, when it comes to your precious vacations, we’ve made your experience more convenient and relaxing by always including our most popular amenities. Now, every Celebrity cruise always includes drinks, Wi-Fi, and tips* on every sailing, in every room, every time. It’s that simple.

 

Edited May 3, 2021 by ipeeinthepool

[HskrCrsr]

1 hour ago, JABTPS said:

I should have clarified for Celebrity gratuities on drinks are not included.  See bottom of drink package comparison:

As Jelayne mentioned, the drink packages include the gratuities for the drinks. I believe others have posted elsewhere that when you purchase the drink packages, Celebrity simply adds 20% to the price to cover gratuities. However, Celebrity also makes this clear in the AI FAQ:

Do I need to tip onboard for beverages?

Beverage Gratuities are included for any Classic or Premium Beverage Package as provided within Always Included, Elevate or Indulge

 

Further, Celebrity also states that if you upgrade from Classic to Premium within the AI program, "The upgrade charge will be $12 per person per day which includes the beverage gratuity."

[RosieCanberra]

Try Celebrity!  You'll love it 🙂

[Bill Miller]

I feel the staff on Celebrity is more professional, passenger focused, passenger centric. The staff on RCCL often felt like they were doing just enough to make time on their work contract.

I also like seeing Bo1953 post again. What a gentleman and source of kind knowledge. 

 

[AstoriaPreppy]

40 minutes ago, Bill Miller said:

I feel the staff on Celebrity is more professional, passenger focused, passenger centric.

This 💯. Celebrity staff tends to be focused on meeting and exceeding customer expectations. Remembering names, drink orders, seating preferences, etc. Royal Caribbean is a solid product, but staffers that exceed or engage seem to be fewer and far between, with service that tends to be a bit more generic.  
 

Also, the MDR food on celebrity is consistently better than Royal Caribbean, both more creative and better ingredients. Additionally  we've never gotten cold food on Celebrity, but the size of the Royal MDRs sometimes makes this a challenge. 

 

For reference, I’ve consistently found the worst service to be on NCL, and lots of people seem to find it completely okay. 

Edited May 3, 2021 by AstoriaPreppy

[davekathy]

7 hours ago, JABTPS said:

I should have clarified for Celebrity gratuities on drinks are not included.  See bottom of drink package comparison:

Gratuities are include with the AI CBP. 

Edited May 4, 2021 by davekathy

[cheeseheads4ever]

Yes I agree with others Try Celebrity if you want rest and relaxation. We tried Royal but just a few too many kids running around for us. Not that we don’t like kids just like the more laid back atmosphere on Celebrity..