Celebrity faithful considering Royal Caribbean

These ships are the destination. The ports are secondary and you can always find a beach. The great thing about the Oasis Class ships is that you can't do everything or see everything in a week even if you wanted. You won't be bored. The skating shows are nice. The diving shows are spectacular.

I think some people cruise for the ship and what it offers and some for the ports. We are in the latter category and find is hard to understand people taking the same cruise on the same ship for several cruises. Still, different strokes for different folks.

These are the only ships I would ever sail for the ships. We always go for itinerary, but these are game changers.

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If you're looking for quiet places to chat with friends and read your Kindles, you can't beat RCI's diamond & concierge lounges. Each lounge usually has a DIY cappuccino machine which is available most all day.

 

The lounges also have a nice continental breakfast most mornings (except for disembarkation days).

 

When on Celebrity and other ships, we really miss those lounges.

If you're just looking for a quiet lounge to chat or read your kindle then the Sky Lounge or Cellar Masters on most X ships fills that need nicely...no there is not a DIY cappuccino machine but the lounges are usually very tranquil.

RCCL Anthem & Oasis class have faster internet. Seems like a silly consideration but a useful one if you can work remotely and need some decent access.

I've only sailed Allure but the morning in room cabin announcements made me really cranky. I'm more of a tranquil low energy cruiser so the lack of in cabin announcements on Celebrity has let me get a lot of blissful sleep.

These are the only ships I would ever sail for the ships. We always go for itinerary, but these are game changers.

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I'm definitely a port person usually, but in the winter, I'm just looking to get away from the weather. We've been to most of the main Caribbean islands. While I have my favourites (Tobago, St. Bart's, etc.), the large ships don't generally visit those anyways.

 

I'm pretty happy with any Celebrity or Azamara ship, but the Oasis class just seems so amazing, I want to try it at least once. I will probably be doing an ongoing comparison with Celebrity in my head, and will have some small disappointments, but let's face it, any ship is better than three feet of snow. :)

You will be able to reserve dining times prior to your cruise, you can also link your reservation to your parents so you get the same times if you want. While the Windjammer on Oasis class is definitely not one of the best in the Royal line, your parents might really enjoy Park Cafe which has panini, salad, soup, dessert etc as well as a create your own salad bar. The buffet is smaller and choices are a little more limited in the Windjammer on the Oasis class because there are so many other choices available. You will also find a free breakfast available at Johnny Rockets. I would try to book shows and dining times as far in advance as you can especially if you are booking for 4. We enjoyed solarium buffet on Oasis and Allure both for lunch and breakfast, there is no charge there at those times.

We just returned from a b2b on the Allure. We haven't cruised RCCL in 4 years (Jewel) and decided to try it again. The entertainment on RCCL was great. The choices of food was terrible. Celebrity wins in that area. For families with teenagers or younger children RCCL wins. My husband and I wanted to try Allure, but we will stick with Celebrity. They are now sailing to the Caribbean next summer which we enjoy and we will try Aqua and Blu next June on a b2b.

Can the parents walk the long distances of a MEGA RCL ship?

Can the parents walk the long distances of a MEGA RCL ship?

Good questions - my mother can probably walk farther than I can and she'll be looking for opportunities to get some extra walking in as she has to leave her weights and exercise bike and treadmill at home, but would feel awkward going to the gym. :rolleyes:

My dad, on the other hand, is not a big walker, although he is certainly capable. They are both in good shape, so no worries there.

We are Elite on X and have 42 days on RCCL. For parents, definitely X.

I will try RCCL again since the status crosses over....a big plus IMO.

We went on the Summit to Bermuda in July. If your folks have not done this, I think they would enjoy it. There were many people who had done it multiple times and I may be joining them as repeat sailors on the same itinerary, something we rarely do.

I agree with the other posters who say that food is better on X and entertainment better on RCCL.

We are Elite on X and have 42 days on RCCL. For parents, definitely X.

I will try RCCL again since the status crosses over....a big plus IMO.

We went on the Summit to Bermuda in July. If your folks have not done this, I think they would enjoy it. There were many people who had done it multiple times and I may be joining them as repeat sailors on the same itinerary, something we rarely do.

I agree with the other posters who say that food is better on X and entertainment better on RCCL.

I did consider the Summit to Bermuda, but we did that one last year, and although I only tried the buffet once (we were in a suite so we stuck with Luminae and the specialties) I found it lacking a bit. It could just have been me, or my mood that day. My parents will only eat at the buffet, so I was hoping that an Oasis-class ship would have a buffet set-up closer to the S-class (although my parents are not that fussy and any buffet at all would make them happy.)

I think the entertainment would really make the experience for my parents, and they've seen quite a few of the S-class shows already, so the Oasis-class would offer something new for them.

I did consider the Summit to Bermuda, but we did that one last year, and although I only tried the buffet once (we were in a suite so we stuck with Luminae and the specialties) I found it lacking a bit. It could just have been me, or my mood that day. My parents will only eat at the buffet, so I was hoping that an Oasis-class ship would have a buffet set-up closer to the S-class (although my parents are not that fussy and any buffet at all would make them happy.)

 

I think the entertainment would really make the experience for my parents, and they've seen quite a few of the S-class shows already, so the Oasis-class would offer something new for them.

For buffet style food Anthem (Quantum Class) has THE best self serve style eatery at the back of the ship called the Two70 Cafe. I thought it was really excellent. I wish they had something like it on Celebrity. Do a Google search for pictures.

On Celebrity if one person in room has elite status both people get to attend the nightly elite reception...is that the same on RC?

(and if it is, you should book your rooms with one elite in each room...assuming your "suite" benefits don't already get you into the lounge)

 

 

 

Good questions - my mother can probably walk farther than I can and she'll be looking for opportunities to get some extra walking in as she has to leave her weights and exercise bike and treadmill at home, but would feel awkward going to the gym. :rolleyes:

 

 

 

My dad, on the other hand, is not a big walker, although he is certainly capable. They are both in good shape, so no worries there.

Will they go on the zip line on the Allure?

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Although I'm very happy with Celebrity and currently have 3 cruises booked, I'm thinking of trying Royal Caribbean just to experience something different, bringing my parents as an anniversary gift. I watched a YouTube video about the Harmony of the Seas and was blown away - it looks amazing! I really would love to try an Oasis-class ship just for the experience, but they pretty much do just the Caribbean, and my parents would likely rather go somewhere they've never been. I have a few questions:

 

Is the Quantum class (ie. Anthem) as popular as the Oasis class? From the little I've looked at, the Quantum class are not getting the rave reviews I would have expected to see for such new, innovative ships.

 

The number of passengers for the size of the ships concerns me. Do the Quantum ships feel crowded? I never feel crowded on Celebrity.

 

I'm also unclear on what the smoking situation is on RCCL; I think breathing in second-hand smoke these days would bother me a lot. Is smoking allowed inside the ship or on balconies?

 

Does RCCL still have formal nights? We always enjoyed those.

 

Are the cabins similar to X's?

 

Is the suite experience as good as Celebrity's?

 

Any answers from those who cruise both lines would be greatly appreciated.

You will probably not come back to X.