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Tell me why you love Celebrity.


superduper123
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Especially if you have sailed Royal Caribbean also. I have sailed exclusively on Royal, but thinking I may enjoy Celebrity better. I am considerably passed the age of raising a family, so the friendly family activities are not important to me. :) I usually travel solo, or with another solo cruising friend. I think I have "outgrown" some of the activities on Royal. They don't bother me, I just don't participate. I prefer a quiet evening at the schooner bar, vs a late night dance party. Thoughts?

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Because of the reasons you say you are no longer interested in RC. In our mid-50s, we cruise both still, but prefer Celebrity for it’s appeal to a mature crowd. It does not have rock walls or ice rinks or any of the ‘novelty’ stuff that we don’t use. We rarely go to any of the shows, which typically get slammed in reviews, but rather find fellow cruisers to hang out with and enjoy. People just seem to be friendlier in general. We also prefer the longer itineraries. I will say that if the Schooner bar is your thing for the singalong piano player, there really isn’t a true equivalent. However, if you like it for the social part, then we have found the Martini Bar on Celebrity to offer that. Hope this helps!

 

 

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2 Royal cruises and 3 Celebrity cruises. Also, one of the Royal cruises and 2 of the Celebrity were a long time ago, but the other Royal and Celebrity cruises were since 2016.

The differences are all over these threads, primarily related to entertainment options (which is actually quantifiable) and food (which is very subjective).

One thing that I definitely noticed was that Royal seemed crowded every evening. Occasionally, it was difficult to get service at a bar, and often the corridors and the central plaza was packed and difficult to navigate. Celebrity was crowded once in awhile (embarkation and disembarkation, OVC for the first 2 lunches, certain bars right before the dinner hour or during live music time), but sporadically, not predictable like Royal.

Celebrity has a distinctive older age vibe. There were kids on our trip (non-school vacation), but not very many, and I don't recall seeing a single teenager. The kids were having a blast though.

I won't talk about service because our Royal trip had several strikes against it (the ship got pulled out of dry dock early because of a hurricane, our cruise was 2-3 weeks later) and I truly don't think that all the crew had caught up with the ship and/or training new crew members had not been completed prior to the ship sailing away from the dry dock. Also, we were in MDR on Royal and in Aqua Class on Celeb, so it is not an even comparison.

Take a Celebrity cruise and see what you think.

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I like RC too but they are just different. Heck, I'd sail Carnival for the right ship and price (and have).

 

But I like the laid back atmosphere of Celebrity. We don't go on a cruise to be entertained all the time, quite the opposite. I'm busy enough every day, don't need it on vacation. As someone else said we love the non smoking policy. I know more lines are adopting it, not sure what RC does.

 

Also like the free room service. We get room service twice, sometimes three times a day if at sea. Since we spend a lot of time on the balcony, room service is special to us.

 

Now I do like some of the activities on RC. What I don't like is you have to plan a lot. If I am not mistaken you have to make reservations for some shows, reservations for meals, etc. Haven't been in awhile but just going by what I read on CC. But I'd love to go on one of those gigantic ships at least once.

 

And for lack of better word, Celebrity is still "classy" to us. Not meant to be snobbery by any means, but it still has a little grace, elegance that RC doesn't.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'd still do an RC cruise but when I can get Celebrity for the same price if not cheaper, I'll pick Celebrity every time.

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Because of the reasons you say you are no longer interested in RC. In our mid-50s, we cruise both still, but prefer Celebrity for it’s appeal to a mature crowd. It does not have rock walls or ice rinks or any of the ‘novelty’ stuff that we don’t use. We rarely go to any of the shows, which typically get slammed in reviews, but rather find fellow cruisers to hang out with and enjoy. People just seem to be friendlier in general. We also prefer the longer itineraries. I will say that if the Schooner bar is your thing for the singalong piano player, there really isn’t a true equivalent. However, if you like it for the social part, then we have found the Martini Bar on Celebrity to offer that. Hope this helps!

 

 

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I love the schooner bar mostly for the people that I meet, and I prefer the low key lounge atmosphere over a loud party club. :)

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I like RC too but they are just different. Heck, I'd sail Carnival for the right ship and price (and have).

 

But I like the laid back atmosphere of Celebrity. We don't go on a cruise to be entertained all the time, quite the opposite. I'm busy enough every day, don't need it on vacation. As someone else said we love the non smoking policy. I know more lines are adopting it, not sure what RC does.

 

Also like the free room service. We get room service twice, sometimes three times a day if at sea. Since we spend a lot of time on the balcony, room service is special to us.

 

Now I do like some of the activities on RC. What I don't like is you have to plan a lot. If I am not mistaken you have to make reservations for some shows, reservations for meals, etc. Haven't been in awhile but just going by what I read on CC. But I'd love to go on one of those gigantic ships at least once.

 

And for lack of better word, Celebrity is still "classy" to us. Not meant to be snobbery by any means, but it still has a little grace, elegance that RC doesn't.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'd still do an RC cruise but when I can get Celebrity for the same price if not cheaper, I'll pick Celebrity every time.

 

Great, thank you!

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We had our first X cruise on Silhouette this past March after the previous 3 on RCL. We both had the same conclusion that this was by far the most relaxing cruise we've had to date. I'm not ripping RCL at all but it's a different demographic and feel. We'll continue to use them both - in fact, we're taking our granddaughters on AOS to the Western Caribbean. But for just the 2 of us I expect X will be our line of choice for the future.

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Your C&A status will transfer to Celebrity. If you are at least Select you can attend the free wine tasting, the Welcome Back party and the Senior Officers Party. If you are Diamond on RC you will be Elite on X and even if you have a beverage package I would suggest going to the Elite Happy Hour (5-7) where you can meet very friendly frequent cruisers. I agree the Martini Bar is a great place even if you don’t drink martinis.

 

RC has belly flop contests; X has officers vs passengers water volleyball

The X production shows are not the best but the guest entertainers are great. Don’t miss the Liars Club. The Silent Disco is also fun and you don’t need a partner. Cafe al Bacio is great for specialty coffees and teas (the pastries are free) and a great place to just hang out. It beats the RC specialty coffee by a mile. X only makes one announcement a day in the morning. They assume you are intelligent enough to check the dailies to see what you want to do. Check out the Aqua Spa Cafe for a nice light lunch. The X wine list is very good. I found a great Rose wine at home that I first had on a Celebrity cruise. Their sommeliers are very helpful. You might want to introduce yourself to the Captains Club hostess and let her know you are trying Celebrity for the first time from RC. You should set up your Captains Club number before the cruise so that your status will transfer from RC.

 

This is optional, but I would tip the bartender $1-2, especially if you go to the same bar every night. This will get you remembered and when cruising solo it’s a nice touch. Do sign up for your Roll Call to see if there are other solo cruisers you can meet with. I have seen solo cruisers arrange to dine together from their Roll Call. I find Celebrity has a more intimate and welcoming vibe vs the RC frenzy vibe, but I do cruise both.

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This is optional, but I would tip the bartender $1-2, especially if you go to the same bar every night. This will get you remembered and when cruising solo it’s a nice touch.

 

 

On every cruise once we find a bar and bartender we like I always tip a bit extra. It's always been appreciated and paid dividends. On Silhouette this past March it was Hector in the Passport Bar.

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We tried Celebrity a few years ago because no other line could give us the value they do--we are getting balconies with a drink package for what we would pay for an interior plus the drink package on other lines.

We do find it a tad sedate at times compared to Princess or RCCL Allure--we DO like to be busy. BUT we seem to fill our time just fine...

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We’ve cruised RCL 3 times and 22 on Celebrity, so you can see our preference. We took our teens daughters and later our granddaughter on Celebrity (and Carnival). took the rCK with a group of friends.

 

the main plus on RCL was seeing a full Broadway play and the ice skating. Other than that, I don’t do zip lining or try to climb a wall or go surfing with 1,000 people watching.

 

On a Celebrity ship, I feel like Im on an actual ship. On the large RCL’s, its hard to get any feel of it and you end up in various ‘commuities’ that have little to do with seagoing. Enjoyable, especially for a family or a large group. But for us as a couple, not. I’m not trashing it, but for me, if I want to experience Times Square or Central Park, I’ll go to NYC.

 

 

As the main positives for Celebrity, good dining; all Balconies are ‘real’ overlooking the ocean; the common areas aren’t always full, and with lots of people walking through them; a relaxing atmosphere; live music and they have a great band; one announcement/day; yes there’s hard sell, but not a major push that I felt on last RCL. Common areas such as the bars and coffee and dance areas are well appointed and enhance the chance of meeting others.

 

I agree with the post of trying something new. we’ve done a river cruse; land touring, other cruise lines and the Edge.....oops, thats a Celebrity ship!

 

Den

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As the main positives for Celebrity, good dining; all Balconies are ‘real’ overlooking the ocean; the common areas aren’t always full, and with lots of people walking through them; a relaxing atmosphere; live music and they have a great band; one announcement/day; yes there’s hard sell, but not a major push that I felt on last RCL. Common areas such as the bars and coffee and dance areas are well appointed and enhance the chance of meeting others.

 

 

 

Our first few cruises had atriums/centrums/foyers. Our last RCL on FOS had the promenade. That was one of the most uncomfortable aspects of FOS for us. It was always crowded, noisy and seemed like we were often funneled there.

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We normally do rccl but sail multiple lines, just did summit in a very small sky suite, my issue with past celebrity was entertainment this was a music charter with great entertainment. But we were extremely pleased with suite perks , which I thought were far superior to rccl and Hal. Suite lounge michaels was elegant with free drinks from early morning to midnight. Suite dinning room had truely great service and food. Buffet was also excellent , buffet is one of rccl real weak points. Looking forward to next celebrity cruise already booked, but will be in a larger celebrity suite.

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Most of what I prefer about Celebrity has been mentioned in previous posts, but I'll list them anyway.

 

-Morning announcement only, and then it's quiet for the rest of the day. On our last Royal cruise, the announcements just didn't stop.

 

-Quieter pool atmosphere. There will be live music at times, but no "sexiest man" contests. The beach towels are nicer too, and you don't have to sign them out with your room card.

 

-Less of a mall-like atmosphere than what you will find on Royal. Oh sure, there are plenty of trinkets being sold, and sales to attend, but quite a bit less than on Royal.

 

-Reservations not needed for shows. No spectacular high dive shows, but there will be some entertaining shows. The best evening I had on Celebrity Constellation was watching the Liars Club game show. The Captain was laughing so hard he had tears streaming down his face. Actually I think we all did! It was memorable.

 

-The Mast Grill. Get a burger outside by the pool for lunch. Very enjoyable.

 

-Quiet spots to sit and enjoy. Those can be hard to find on Royal.

 

-Specialty coffees and pastries from Cafe al Bacio. It's embarrassing to say how many lattes I can drink in a day.

 

-Frozen Martini Bar top. It's fun, it's frozen. And the martinis are pretty good too.

 

-Drink stations and beach towels near the gangway on port days. Celebrity makes it pretty easy for you to get a drink before you leave the ship on port days. I really appreciate that.

 

-Elevators that aren't usually very crowded. Now there are times it can get crowded, but most of the time, we don't have much of a wait at all. On our last Royal cruise, very often full elevator after full elevator would stop at our floor, we resorted to going down in order to go up.

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Can't compare to RCI, but have sailed NCL, HAL, MSC and Carnival (1 cruise each). Celebrity is the first line we've booked a second cruise with - and we booked it while on our first cruise. Love the low-key atmosphere, and don't care for the "party ship" atmosphere. The entertainment was great on the Infinity in fall 2017. The food and beverage package were good by us. Our preference is a line that caters more to adults than kids, and is not just trying to be a "party boat". Celebrity fit like a glove for us.

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I think it's the website that clinches it for me:) OK I was joking.

 

 

For what it's worth from someone that has very limited cruising experience (I was dragged kicking and screaming on to our Alaska cruise on Infinity as a die hard you'll never get me on a cruise ship type of guy), I loved the laid back atmosphere, the really nice and diverse people that we met and of course I loved the brief taste of Alaska.The dining was excellent for the prices we paid. It's not Michelin star standard in its consistency but certainly one or two dishes reached those heights. Highlights for me were the simple things, sitting in Café al Bacio early in the morning watching the views over a lovely latte or two or standing on a quiet deck in the evening just taking in the views. The whole ambience of the cruise just suited us as we are not party types. That said I was seen dancing occasionally albeit to my usual poor standard.

 

So we have booked for this year on Silhouette to go see some more views, this time in the Fjords and I can't wait.

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What we love is: VALUE

 

We love:

 

Elite Benefits: especially laundry and internet

 

Value: Just booked 12 nights on Summit in January for $1,799 pp (sweet 16) + 3 perks (thanks to X & online agency)

 

Product is still OK....watered down, but OK. You can clearly get better....but for a whole lot more $$$

 

Hard to beat that value for 12 nights out of our New York winter.

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Thank you to everyone for your feedback, very helpful! Based on your responses, I'm certain I will love Celebrity! I can't wait to start researching my future cruise. I just reached diamond on Royal on my last Cruise in January. I have two future cruises booked on Royal. But I do believe Celebrity will become my new favorite :-)

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Thank you to everyone for your feedback, very helpful! Based on your responses, I'm certain I will love Celebrity! I can't wait to start researching my future cruise. I just reached diamond on Royal on my last Cruise in January. I have two future cruises booked on Royal. But I do believe Celebrity will become my new favorite :-)

 

You should be elite on celebrity if you are diamond on rccl , I was elite on my first celebrity cruise because of that. Call and you will get the extra perks.

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Thank you to everyone for your feedback, very helpful! Based on your responses, I'm certain I will love Celebrity! I can't wait to start researching my future cruise. I just reached diamond on Royal on my last Cruise in January. I have two future cruises booked on Royal. But I do believe Celebrity will become my new favorite :-)

 

We are frequent cruisers on both lines but these days really prefer Celebrity for many of the reasons mentioned. Celebrity does not have a Diamond Lounge per se but it does have an Elite Cocktail event every night or drink vouchers so fairly similar to RCCL. If you want a suite the Celebrity suite experience is very superior to the RCCL suite experience IMO.

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