Celebrity & Royal Caribbean

[larry_s_taco]

We haven't sailed on Royal for years (1990's). We really like the Celebrity Millenium, and Solstice class. We are considering trying Royal again. For those of you who have been on both, which Royal ships would you consider similar to the Millenium and Solstice class ships on Celebrity? Which ships would you recommend and why? We really don't like the very large ships on any line we have been on. We plan on avoiding prime family travel time as we are aware Royal is much more family friendly. 

Edited March 25 by larry_s_taco
Typo

[George C]

I would go with voyager class it is bigger than the celebrity ships but not a huge mega ship , still has very good entertainment, love there ice show, pub and piano bar. 

[deliver42]

I agree with the Voyager Class. If you want smaller, the radiance Class, but the shows won't be as good, and the food choices limited.

[keesar]

The Voyager Class would be a good choice.  About 3000 passengers.  We have enjoyed our time on this class.  

[BettyCruiser]

Radiance class is built on the same hull as M class. In some ways is nicer since there is more glass and views to the sea.

 

Royal Caribbean doesn‘t have any class equivalent to S class, maybe Q class is the closest but I haven’t sailed that class.

 

Royal Caribbean does still have some smaller ships, smaller than M/Radiance class if that interests you. Vision, Granduer and Rhapsody.

[shipshape sam]

We were on Mariner of seas this past January and there were a fair amount of kids. We did not have any issues with kids as we had a 7 year old girl and used the kids area.

 

 We have booked Radiance of seas and they have no slides on the top decks, thus even less attraction for kids.  Clearly, you still need to  look at literary and what else is important to  you.

[LB_NJ]

FYI,  it is of course VERY subjective however I have sailed both cruise lines in the last couple of years and my experience is that Royal buffet is worse than Celebrity and the Royal MDR is either the same or worse than Celebrity depending on the ship and the particular cruise.

 

I think both cruise lines are still trying to figure out how to minimize spending on food while still filling the ships with passengers.

 

Service levels from the crew seems to be similar.

 

Royal is MUCH more likely to have children if that matters to you.

 

Personally, at this point I would spend more for a Celebrity cruise and would only sail Royal if the itinerary was particularly interesting or I could drive to a Royal cruise and would have to fly if I did Celebrity.

[desibee]

Haven't been on a Celebrity ship yet but we went on the Quantum class Spectrum of the Seas last year and videos of Solstice class Celebrity ships are very reminiscent of what you'd find on a Quantum class ship.

[Minorhawk]

I just got off the Ascent (first X cruise) and, in my opinion, the food on Ascent was so much better than that on the Quantum almost two years ago. I realize this is a subjective subject, but it wasn't even close. 

[Loracpin2]

On 3/26/2024 at 3:02 PM, LB_NJ said:

FYI,  it is of course VERY subjective however I have sailed both cruise lines in the last couple of years and my experience is that Royal buffet is worse than Celebrity and the Royal MDR is either the same or worse than Celebrity depending on the ship and the particular cruise.

 

 

We hadn't sailed with RCI for over 10 years but sailed Oasis of the Seas last summer only to spend time with our Daughter, Son-in-Law and 2 Granddaughters. Not only was the food subpar, in both the Windjammer and the MDR, the cleanliness of the Windjammer was below subpar. I know I will get slammed for this but......I wouldn't book another RCI sailing even it was FREE!!!!  

[TeeRick]

Radiance Class (2500 pax) is closest to M-Class (2200 pax).  Very close in size.  Also similar ages.  Radiance was launched in 1999 and Millennium in 2000.  Both classes have an elegant feel to them. 

 

Voyager-class is actually quite a bit larger.  Even larger than S-Class and Edge.

[TeeRick]

19 hours ago, desibee said:

Haven't been on a Celebrity ship yet but we went on the Quantum class Spectrum of the Seas last year and videos of Solstice class Celebrity ships are very reminiscent of what you'd find on a Quantum class ship.

I found that Q-Class (like Anthem) was similar to E-Class on Celebrity.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

1 minute ago, TeeRick said:

I found that Q-Class (like Anthem) was similar to E-Class on Celebrity.

Interesting. I didn't see the similarity there. I adore E-Class, but I hated Anthem of the Seas.

[larry_s_taco]

Great input from everyone. TeeRick, good to hear from you it's been awhile. I'll probably look into the Voyager (1st) & Radiance class ships. I'm not unhappy with Celebrity at all. In fact I have another one booked on them right now. Sometimes it it just nice to shake it up a bit. Lol. I may be easy, but I've never had a bad cruise.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

5 hours ago, Loracpin2 said:

We hadn't sailed with RCI for over 10 years but sailed Oasis of the Seas last summer only to spend time with our Daughter, Son-in-Law and 2 Granddaughters. Not only was the food subpar, in both the Windjammer and the MDR, the cleanliness of the Windjammer was below subpar. I know I will get slammed for this but......I wouldn't book another RCI sailing even it was FREE!!!!  

Didn’t love the plastic plates in Windjammer 😱🤣

For Free I might go 😉

[LB_NJ]

Some minor items that I have experienced.  May not be true on all ships. Anything can change at any time.  e.g., Celebrity used to let PAX take on 2 wine bottles per person vs. Royal's 1 but that changed.

 

Almost forgot, it doesn't really bother me but irritates my wife, Celebrity provides hair conditioner in the shower, Royal does not. At least that is what I remember.

 

Also, I think Celebrity does twice a day room service (ie, turndown in the evening), Royal went to once a day.

 

Not sure if it was mentioned, I seem to remember that Royal allows smoking in the Casino and Celebrity does not.

 

I think Royal still has formal nights, Celebrity has Evening Chic.  Not sure that there is a real difference other than the names.

 

Celebrity has Aqua Class and Royal does not. 

 

Celebrity doesn't make you sign out pool towels, Royal does.

 

Royal sells a coffee punch card so you can prebuy specialty coffees at a discount (lots of discussion on the boards as to whether it is a true discount however for me it is).  

Celebrity doesn't really limit the amount of non-alcoholic beverages you bring on, Royal does.

 

On the ships I have been on Celebrity usually has an outdoor grill near the pool that is free. Royal does not, Royal typically has a Johny Rockets that is extra charge.

 

Probably much more stuff that I don't remember.

[Cdude]

6 hours ago, LB_NJ said:

Some minor items that I have experienced.  May not be true on all ships. Anything can change at any time.  e.g., Celebrity used to let PAX take on 2 wine bottles per person vs. Royal's 1 but that changed.

 

Almost forgot, it doesn't really bother me but irritates my wife, Celebrity provides hair conditioner in the shower, Royal does not. At least that is what I remember.

 

Also, I think Celebrity does twice a day room service (ie, turndown in the evening), Royal went to once a day.

 

Not sure if it was mentioned, I seem to remember that Royal allows smoking in the Casino and Celebrity does not.

 

I think Royal still has formal nights, Celebrity has Evening Chic.  Not sure that there is a real difference other than the names.

 

Celebrity has Aqua Class and Royal does not. 

 

Celebrity doesn't make you sign out pool towels, Royal does.

 

Royal sells a coffee punch card so you can prebuy specialty coffees at a discount (lots of discussion on the boards as to whether it is a true discount however for me it is).  

Celebrity doesn't really limit the amount of non-alcoholic beverages you bring on, Royal does.

 

On the ships I have been on Celebrity usually has an outdoor grill near the pool that is free. Royal does not, Royal typically has a Johny Rockets that is extra charge.

 

Probably much more stuff that I don't remember.

Good comparison. I have an upcoming sailing on each line. 
 

on RCL, you can prebook the Unlimited Dining Package so you don’t have to ever eat in the MDR, which I also have found subpar. I don’t think that package is offered on Celebrity, but I could be wrong. I do know there is a limited specialty dining package on Celebrity but they aren’t offering for my cruise on the planner and my sailing is less than 9 months away.

[TeeRick]

14 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

Interesting. I didn't see the similarity there. I adore E-Class, but I hated Anthem of the Seas.

Yes Anthem is only somewhat larger than Edge but holds 1000 more passengers.  So more crowding for sure so I understand why you did not like it.  The rear of the ship (Eden area vs Two70 area) are somewhat comparable.   There was a lot of discussion threads a number of years ago comparing Q-Class to E-Class.  On Anthem you get true balconies.

[TeeRick]

13 hours ago, larry_s_taco said:

Great input from everyone. TeeRick, good to hear from you it's been awhile. I'll probably look into the Voyager (1st) & Radiance class ships. I'm not unhappy with Celebrity at all. In fact I have another one booked on them right now. Sometimes it it just nice to shake it up a bit. Lol. I may be easy, but I've never had a bad cruise.

@larry_s_taco I have been mostly off the Celebrity board as I am trying other cruise lines after many cruises in The Retreat.  I decided to switch instead of complain about the high prices and diminished service.  Wait it out I guess.  Some things are being brought back (like butlers).  We shall see.

 

Recently did RCCL Symphony in a Crown Loft suite and loved it.    Huge ship - maybe much too large for you.  Priced much lower than comparable CS on Celebrity.  You get a suite lounge and Coastal Kitchen (like Luminae).  We are D+ so we get 5 drink coupons each per day, plus the suite lounge beverages.  No need for a beverage package. 

[George C]

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

@larry_s_taco I have been mostly off the Celebrity board as I am trying other cruise lines after many cruises in The Retreat.  I decided to switch instead of complain about the high prices and diminished service.  Wait it out I guess.  Some things are being brought back (like butlers).  We shall see.

 

Recently did RCCL Symphony in a Crown Loft suite and loved it.    Huge ship - maybe much too large for you.  Priced much lower than comparable CS on Celebrity.  You get a suite lounge and Coastal Kitchen (like Luminae).  We are D+ so we get 5 drink coupons each per day, plus the suite lounge beverages.  No need for a beverage package. 

We booked a grand suite on harmony and added UDP this was way cheaper than sky suite on celebrity. I miss the doubles I could get in celebrity suite lounge, we are also diamond plus . Entertainment on larger rccl ships is excellent.

[TeeRick]

55 minutes ago, George C said:

We booked a grand suite on harmony and added UDP this was way cheaper than sky suite on celebrity. I miss the doubles I could get in celebrity suite lounge, we are also diamond plus . Entertainment on larger rccl ships is excellent.

We have a 2-BR GS coming on Indy.  Again inexpensive compared to a CS on Celebrity.  But Indy does not have CK so we will book the UDP for this cruise.  And these Freedom-Class ships have fewer suite benefits (like WiFi is not included) which I find strange and annoying.  But the itinerary was great for us (12 night Canary Is).

[George C]

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

We have a 2-BR GS coming on Indy.  Again inexpensive compared to a CS on Celebrity.  But Indy does not have CK so we will book the UDP for this cruise.  And these Freedom-Class ships have fewer suite benefits (like WiFi is not included) which I find strange and annoying.  But the itinerary was great for us (12 night Canary Is).

I do prefer the pool seating on this class over the oasis class , with UDP and breakfast in specialty that covers the majority of the meals , sounds great .

[Loracpin2]

On 3/27/2024 at 8:55 PM, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Didn’t love the plastic plates in Windjammer 😱🤣

For Free I might go 😉

Didn't notice the plastic plates. Was too busy trying to look out, not only the filthy window I was sitting next to, which was minor compared to the dried caked on food all over the windowsill. Fortunately, a ship's Officer was walking by and I showed him. As he was shaking his head, he took a picture with his cell phone, and apologized as he walked away.  

[Cdude]

7 hours ago, Loracpin2 said:

Didn't notice the plastic plates. Was too busy trying to look out, not only the filthy window I was sitting next to, which was minor compared to the dried caked on food all over the windowsill. Fortunately, a ship's Officer was walking by and I showed him. As he was shaking his head, he took a picture with his cell phone, and apologized as he walked away.  

Windjammer is gross, like most buffets. You can go to the MDR for breakfast too, but most people choose not to do so.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

8 minutes ago, Cdude said:

Windjammer is gross, like most buffets. You can go to the MDR for breakfast too, but most people choose not to do so.

If you get up early the MDR is not open 

and never had a hot breakfast in MDR