Major predicament - Royal or Celebrity

I asked this on the Royal Caribbean board, but thought I would ask here as well.

My wife and I are currently booked on a 7 night cruise out of San Juan on the Adventure next January. At the end of that cruise, we would become Diamond Plus members. Being Diamond members, we would qualify as Elite members on Celebrity.

Doing some "playing" online, I found that we can do a 10 night cruise to almost the exact same islands (switching St. Thomas for St. Croix) on the Celebrity Equinox for less cost.

The only difference would be, we have a Junior Suite on the Adventure and would only be in a Veranda room on the Equinox.

Obviously, another consideration is, airfare will be cheaper to Fort Lauderdale than it will be to San Juan with much better flight schedules.

We are in our "low 50's", not super energetic, sort of more laid back ( i.e. don't go for belly flop contest or sexy legs contest type actjvities), so the relaxed ambiance of Celebrity that I've read about sounds like it fits our personality/lifestyle.

I guess my question really boils down to, is it worth striving so hard for that Diamond Plus status?

My opinion, go try celebrity! It meets your criteria and the ship is great. The atmosphere is much more about creating your own enjoyment. The activities are not at all like being on a rccl ship. Enjoy the laid back ambiance.

A third option is Celebrity Summit out of San Juan for one of its two 7-day itineraries. Summit is an older M-class ship, but still very classy.

Once you try Celebrity you might never go back to RC and will never become Diamond Plus! Maybe you'd better stick to the RC cruise. :D

I would go with Celebrity. We usually sail Celebrity, but have taken 2 RC cruises- enjoyed both - but we do prefer Celebrity. Whichever you choose, you'll have a great trip.

I love both cruise lines, so my decision would be number of days. A longer cruise would always win out!

We are working our way to Diamond Plus and Elite Plus respectably on each line. We are tending to sail Royal more right now and love Celebrity too, especially for longer cruises.

Sounds like you save with Celebrity, but you do not have the suite, thus the savings? We liked our cruise on Adventure out of San Juan and had fun in old San Juan for a day after our cruise.

My guess is that you will sail for many years and we have tried to not sail for the benefits of either club, but sail for the itinerary and value proposition. Never sailed in a suite, so cannot tell you if it is worth the extra cost.

I would take the longer cruise on the Equinox. We've only taken one Celebrity cruise so far, but I'm really looking forward to #2! I can't wait to try an "S" class ship.

That said, even though I'm Diamond on RC, I like cruising with different lines and trying different things. We always get a suite on Royal Caribbean, but we really enjoyed our Aqua Class experience on our Celebrity cruise.

 

I guess my question really boils down to, is it worth striving so hard for that Diamond Plus status?

Hi,

we sail on both lines, got more points than required for E on X ( based on the cruises we took on X) and also got the D ( short just few points for D+) on RCI......could have gone on RCI to get the extra points but booked X for our next cruise .......I never looked what status or perks I will have on any of the cruises that we sailed ...... for me it was never worth striving to get any status.

Wishing you an enjoyable cruise.

WOW - both boards give Celebrity the edge by an overwhelming 100%.

I guess Celebrity it is.

Of course I'm sure you all realize that the wife and I will have a few questions regarding sailing on X as compared to RCI.

Thanks to all.

One other consideration is that sailing out of Florida in January may be cold and rough waters for a day. When you sail out of San Juan, you are assured of good weather frm the start (excluding the hurricane season).

I asked this on the Royal Caribbean board, but thought I would ask here as well.

 

My wife and I are currently booked on a 7 night cruise out of San Juan on the Adventure next January. At the end of that cruise, we would become Diamond Plus members. Being Diamond members, we would qualify as Elite members on Celebrity.

 

Doing some "playing" online, I found that we can do a 10 night cruise to almost the exact same islands (switching St. Thomas for St. Croix) on the Celebrity Equinox for less cost.

 

The only difference would be, we have a Junior Suite on the Adventure and would only be in a Veranda room on the Equinox.

 

Obviously, another consideration is, airfare will be cheaper to Fort Lauderdale than it will be to San Juan with much better flight schedules.

 

We are in our "low 50's", not super energetic, sort of more laid back ( i.e. don't go for belly flop contest or sexy legs contest type actjvities), so the relaxed ambiance of Celebrity that I've read about sounds like it fits our personality/lifestyle.

 

I guess my question really boils down to, is it worth striving so hard for that Diamond Plus status?

I'd give Celebrity a try. It's a little more formal,but a suit coat & tie is all you need for those nights. For laid back, I think you'll enjoy the relaxation.

If you pick X...do what you can to make Diamond Plus....then you'll have good perks on both lines...

We like both.And sail both RCCL and Celebrity.

You cannot go wrong.

but I understand wanting to up your statis. Does get frustrating.

Whatever you choose. ENJOY

If you pick X...do what you can to make Diamond Plus....then you'll have good perks on both lines...

The OP will already be Elite on Celebrity due to their being Diamond on Royal Caribbean....which is as high as you can go in the Captains Club based on Crown and Anchor status. So getting to Diamond Plus before taking a Celebrity cruise won't make any difference.

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We prefer Royal over Celebrity but in this case, I would go with Celebrity for the longer cruise. The best thing about the D+ perks, imo, is the DL which you already have access to if you are D, so no rush to get to D+.:D

Sherri:)

Actually, I just did another "mock" booking and found the cost on the Equinox to be a little more than on the Adventure (not by much though). Don't know what I did different the first time - oh well.

We're thinking though, that by the time we factor in the differences in expenses for airfare and hotel, the cost will probably be about the same. Plus, trying to find "good" flights out of the (insert expletive here) midwest U.S. to San Juan is always a challenge. We typically fly out of Omaha (the nearest other "big" airport is Kansas City, 150 miles South). Non-hectic, easy going flights from Omaha to San Juan just don't exist (plus the cost can be pretty prohibitive sometimes). Kansas City - not that much different, plus we would have to drive 2 - 2 1/2 hours (not very relaxing pre/post cruise).

Anyhoo, assuming the cost will pretty much even out, we would get an extra 3 days cruising on Celebrity (all 3 sea days which we love).

Now, I have a question. We are sort of use to the size of a Junior Suite on Royal. 2 people have replied on the Royal board with quasi-conflicting comments on the Verandah rooms:

Celebrity is more upscale. The new ships are gorgeous and classy. More hotel hip. Service great. The regular verandah rooms are pretty close to a deluxe or even a mini suite on other lines. For sure, longer is better especially on a classy ship.

While the newer ships on Celebrity are more upscale, the cabins are smaller and as the ships have gotten bigger, they are losing the "Celebrity" touch.

According to a popular cruise deckplan website, Verandah cabins are slightly smaller than the Balcony cabins (but X does have the really nice furniture).

Any other comments?

Verandah cabins are balcony cabins, no?

Verandah on Equinox is 194 sq. ft., a junior suite on adventure is 264 sq. ft.

Celebrity no smoking in casino. Wins almost every time. & if you can get beverage pkg, gratuities included it's a win win

I'd go with Celebrity for two reasons...much better food (IMHO of course) and the ability to sail out of FL.

I do think RCCL has better entertainment.

Great that the two lines honor each other's loyalty program, so you really can't lose here.

Enjoy your cruise!

Actually, I just did another "mock" booking and found the cost on the Equinox to be a little more than on the Adventure (not by much though). Don't know what I did different the first time - oh well.

We're thinking though, that by the time we factor in the differences in expenses for airfare and hotel, the cost will probably be about the same. Plus, trying to find "good" flights out of the (insert expletive here) midwest U.S. to San Juan is always a challenge. We typically fly out of Omaha (the nearest other "big" airport is Kansas City, 150 miles South). Non-hectic, easy going flights from Omaha to San Juan just don't exist (plus the cost can be pretty prohibitive sometimes). Kansas City - not that much different, plus we would have to drive 2 - 2 1/2 hours (not very relaxing pre/post cruise).

 

Anyhoo, assuming the cost will pretty much even out, we would get an extra 3 days cruising on Celebrity (all 3 sea days which we love).

 

Now, I have a question. We are sort of use to the size of a Junior Suite on Royal. 2 people have replied on the Royal board with quasi-conflicting comments on the Verandah rooms:

 

Celebrity is more upscale. The new ships are gorgeous and classy. More hotel hip. Service great. The regular verandah rooms are pretty close to a deluxe or even a mini suite on other lines. For sure, longer is better especially on a classy ship.

 

While the newer ships on Celebrity are more upscale, the cabins are smaller and as the ships have gotten bigger, they are losing the "Celebrity" touch.

 

According to a popular cruise deckplan website, Verandah cabins are slightly smaller than the Balcony cabins (but X does have the really nice furniture).

 

Any other comments?

We usually get at least a GS on Royal Caribbean, and our AQ on the Celebrity Constellation last summer was 191 square feet...slightly smaller than a balcony/verandah on Equinox. That's about 150-200 square feet of shrinkage, and we thought it was fine!:D When we first walked through the door I felt like it was tiny, but once we had our suitcases unpacked and everything put away I never thought about the size again. Our cruise was 12 nights, and we never got cabin fever.:)

I'd give Celebrity a try. It's a little more formal,but a suit coat & tie is all you need for those nights. For laid back, I think you'll enjoy the relaxation.

I would go with Celebrity to give them a try, too. However, Celebrity is not that much more formal than any other cruise line now. You will NOT need a suit coat & tie. This is one subject that is bet to death. It is recommended, but not enforced. You can go Smart Casual in the Specialty Restaurants, Blue and Suite Dining Rooms and even on formal nights in the MDR. They will not kick you out of the MDR in a dress shirt and slacks without a jacket or tie.

I would go with Celebrity to give them a try, too. However, Celebrity is not that much more formal than any other cruise line now. You will NOT need a suit coat & tie. This is one subject that is bet to death. It is recommended, but not enforced. You can go Smart Casual in the Specialty Restaurants, Blue and Suite Dining Rooms and even on formal nights in the MDR. They will not kick you out of the MDR in a dress shirt and slacks without a jacket or tie.

They have on the Eclipse on formal nights. Men are expected to at least have a jacket on those formal nights*(the MDR). The specialty rest. are smart casual as are the other nights where just a decent shirt & slacks, no shorts(except the buffet)are fine. The Eclipse seems more formal, I believe because the longer trips(14 days) brings a more traditional crowd.

I would not base the selection on loyalty points. If you don't get them this cruise, you'll get them next cruise. Just book the one you think you'll enjoy the most. Life is to short to be worrying about points.