Difference between Celebrity and Royal Caribbean

[scottbee]

Celebrity was my first cruise and is still my favorite cruise line, but they don't allow smoking on your balcony so I had to leave :(.

 

We don't have kids and don't flowride or climb rock walls, so that aspect of RCI's ships are not a benefit to us. IMO, Celebrity food and service is a bit better than RCI. Although we love Portofino's on Royal, the Celebrity speciatly restaurants are even better. Celebrity is a bit older and dressier and less active, which again is fine with us.

 

But, the two cruise lines are more alike than different and we enjoy sailing RCI just fine.

Some say Tomato some say Tomato. Celebrity's new (last couple of years) smoking policy actually has me booking on a balcony, as opposed to inside now that the fear of a neighbour smoking us out; and destroying the value of the balcony for us.

[mo&fran]

Celebrity does have a butler for all suites, even Sky Suite, X equivalent of JS, which means you can get ice and anything else you might want in the late afternoon when your attendent is off duty. And you can get your shareholder OBC since there is no balcony discount on X.

[Cheerysmom]

I have an upcoming "girls'" cruise on the Solstice because of the spa aspect - and the non-smoking thing. The Solstice aqua class really appeals to us for the persian gardens, the relaxation and the specialty "healthy" restaurant options. I haven't seen anything like that on RCI . .. and absolutely not on NCL. I'll report back in January after our "spa" cruise to let you know how it was . . .

[Northern Bear]

Do the RCI cruise credits carry over to Celebrity?

[Lynnees]

Do the RCI cruise credits carry over to Celebrity?

 

Once you are at plat level you will be recognized as such on Celebrity - D will give you elite however you cannot combine the credits.

[jackdiamond]

We are diamond on Royal and very elite on Celebrity; and, our favorite ship is the Equinox in AQ. I believe that we have cruised about six times on the Radiance; and, we enjoy this ship.

On the other hand, the Radiance is a notch below the Equinox, which is reflected in the difference in the price of the two. However, consider one of life's most significant aphorisms-"you get what you pay for".

Edited October 27, 2010 by jackdiamond

[mamacat3]

We sailed X for the first time in March and I will not go back for quite a while. IMHO they cater to the elderly and I am frankly not there yet. I would agree with the other poster who noted that there is not any entertainment after the show as there is on RCCL. I am all for having a good time and I was in bed by 11 twice on X - not my expectations for cruising. We met 2 other couples who usually cruise RCCL and it was their first X cruise and they agreed that X was not for them either.

 

That being said we did have the aqua class room and thouroughly enjoyed dining in Blu. We were not able to enjoy the Persian Gardens as it was always full.

[Rick-n-Lisa]

Here is a link to a short review I did. We have done 6 RCCL cruises and did our first X cruise on the Solstice in April. My review includes comparisons as I saw them. I hope it helps!

 

The link is

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showt...1#post25234033

[Kellie Poodle]

Thank you all! This was a great thread. Very, very informative.

 

We are going to be booking our first X cruise on board Voyager in January. We're doing it via the RCI C&A loyalty ambassador to get the lower deposit and OBC.

 

I am looking forward to sailing on a smaller ship. We adore Rhapsody for that very reason. I am also looking forward to being able to go to the casino which, unless it's a formal night on some RCI ships, I can't do on an RCI cruise because of the smoking.

 

When we were younger, we stayed out late and danced half the night away then went to the midnight buffet (which in the olden days was every night). Now we don't mind just taking a stroll after the evening show and saving up enough energy to make our own entertainment in the cabin ;)

 

If the main difference between lines is that you have more to do late at night on RCI than on X, I think we'll be just fine.

 

Again, thanks so much folks. I just love CC!

[NordicPrince]

On the other hand, the Radiance is a notch below the Equinox, which is reflected in the difference in the price of the two. However, consider one of life's most significant aphorisms-"you get what you pay for".

 

Thank you for pointing this not insignificant point out. Celebrity tends to be more expensive than RCI.

 

However. if you compare the rates of Oasis and Allure to Celebrity Equinox you might find that that are indeed quite similar.

 

I guess it's whatever floats your boat; you pay for the kind of experience you want.

Edited October 28, 2010 by NordicPrince

[jenny368]

Food and service is great. Kids club - not so much. My husband and I were in our late 30s when we cruised with them and it seemed like everything was dead by 9 p.m. Hardly anyone out-most everyone must have been in bed. Definately an older crowd.

[Bridge Maven]

Thank you for pointing this not insignificant point out. Celebrity tends to be more expensive than RCI.

 

However. if you compare the rates of Oasis and Allure to Celebrity Equinox you might find that that are indeed quite similar.

 

I guess it's whatever floats your boat; you pay for the kind of experience you want.

 

Nordic Prince, your second sentence makes the point I was about to make.

 

There was a time when Celebrity was more expensive than Royal Caribbean but that is not the case today when you compare similar ships with similar itineraries. Newer ships tend to command a premium price on any cruise line so if you compare a newer Celebrity ship with a ten year old Royal Caribbean ship Celebrity is likely to be more expensive.

 

However, this is not true if you compare similar ships on both cruise lines. In fact when we took our Mediterranean cruise on RCCL's Brilliance of the Seas a few years ago it was more expensive than Celebrity Summit which is a very comparable ship. Similarly, we are booked on Celebrity Silhouette which is currently under construction and the price is very reasonable compared to other cruise lines for a brand new ship.

[printingchick]

 

ENTERTAINMENT - For us entertainment was where the biggest difference was. If you love Jazz, and Big Band music you will love the entertainment on Celebrity. That is all they had outside the one band at the pool deck. We got so board and irritated because there wasnt much going on in the evening outside of the big theatre. We were board.

 

If you want things to do, music to listen to, and the ship not to basically shut down after 10:00, then don't go on Celebrity. Our first cruise on the Millie, my daughter called and wanted to know how it was....my DH responded jokingly and said, well, the ship paper says there will be a metimucel (sp?) shooters contest scheduled.....that pretty much said all she needed to know about the demographic of the ship..... :)

 

I had always heard that Celebrity was a more sedate atmosphere and there was not a lot going on in terms of late night activities, night clubs, etc.

 

I'm probably not the age demographic that is targeted by Royal - perhaps I'm closer to the age demographic targeted by Celebrity. But I have to admit that I really LOVE the activities like the Sexy Legs Contest (I got to be a judge on my last cruise!), Quest, the Belly Flop Contest, etc. I like dancing to the music out by the pool. I take my tacky 70s clothes and dress up for the 70s party. I sing along at the Schooner Bar. (Oy! Oy, Oy! Oy, Oy Oy!) Maybe people who frequent the more upscale lines find these activities silly. But to me, a cruise just wouldn't be as enjoyable without them!!!

[The Big Booper]

An important point to consider is that the Celebrity crowd expects a different experience then the RCI crowd, even if the age groups are the same.

 

In October 2006 we did a Radiance 15 night Panama Canal full transit from LA to FLL.The demographics on this cruise were active older, but not the HAL walkers /canes /scooter crowd.

 

One night, Buffery scheduled a big band concert by the theater band in the big lounge at the rear of the entertainment deck running from 10:45 PM thru 11:30 PM. It was advertised as featuring the music of Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, etc. which will not draw a crowd under 50 at all. Yet, every seat was taken and people dragged in chairs from the adjoining card rooms, billiard area, etc. Also, there were no spaces to even lean against the walls as they were all taken. The crowd looked to run mostly from 60 thru 75 and up. I can't see this happening on any Celebrity ship, even the S class; any people staying up late are the younger crowd.

[CantwaittocruiseCarribean]

Hi, ive only sailed rc mainly freedom class and am booked now on celebrity solistice for Alaska cruise, my DH does not like cruising gets fed up on ship ! But after our cruise we are doing the rockies and staying another 2 weeks travelling canada. So im hoping that he will be happy. Im just wondering wil he like the solistice ? He likes reading hates the cold likes swimming likes the gym enjoys his food and drink and likes chatting and meeting people, he will love the excursions im sure with our teenage daughter, its just the sea days im worried about.

 

Thanks in advance

[Goodtime Cruizin]

Royal is far more family oriented so there will usually be more children. It has more "toys" such as flow riders, rock climbing walls etc. Basically much busier than Celebrity.

 

Celebrity does have a children's program but nothing like RCL. I would say it is more adult oriented and definitely more upscale than RCL.

 

My opinion only - so no need to get fire in your eye for those who don't agree with me.

 

Tell me Celebrity w/ an Alaskan cruise. Is it more casual than other Celebrity cruises? Does sailing in the Alaskan frontier make it so?

[sjb317]

We've done 40 cruises on Royal and 2 on Celebrity with our last cruise being on Solstice in September. IMO, there is not much difference between the cruise lines but a few things stood out for us.

 

The Solarium on Solstice is probably the most beautiful and comfortable one I've ever seen on our cruises. The buffet definitely had more choices than any WJ but more is not always better when it comes to taste.:) The Mast Grill on the deck was very good, I wish Royal ships offered that.

 

We liked the MDR food better on Royal than Celebrity on both our cruises and we prefer the specialty restaurants on Royal. We did not care for Tuscan Grill or Muranos.

 

We have two cruises booked on Royal ships but I'm looking at Celebrity for an Australian cruise in 2017 as we would like to cruise on Solstice again.

 

Sherri:)

[CantwaittocruiseCarribean]

Ah that's brilliant thank you solarium is what i was really wondering about have you any pictures of it ?

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Alohaaloha]

Both Celebrity and Royal are owned by the same company, but on Celebrity, you are allowed to bring on board a limited amount of wine whereas not so on RCCL. No reason for it, just company policy. :rolleyes:

 

 

You are allowed two bottles of wine per stateroom on RCCL.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[cruise47]

You can also bring two (2) bottles of vino on Celebrity cruise ships. The fee charge restaurants on Celebrity are much than on RCCL and that is my opinion only.

[Muushka]

This thread is 6 years old. A lot has changed in 6 years!

[sergeant655]

The concierge lounge on royal is for grand suites and above and D+ And pinnacle with D+ not allowed if the ship has a suite lounge. On Celebrity Micheals club is for all suited and Zenith. Also. Muster is inside on all Celebrity ships and only some of the newer royal ships

[Baron Barracuda]

We're seniors and have been on Princess, Celebrity and RCI. Our Celebrity cruises were on the Millennium and the Galaxy. We didn't care for either ship. The Galaxy was run down and in need of a total overhaul. Food so-so. The Millennium buffet did not have a salad bar, soups were very disappointing, atmosphere a bit boring. We had no complaints with Princess. However, we LOVE Royal Caribbean! We think the food is pretty darn good. We missed having the option of an evening buffet on Celebrity and also the wonderful salad bars offered on RCI. I do think with Celebrity that much depends on the ship that you book. So many people say that they find Celebrity "upscale." I wonder what ships they were on. I don't doubt their opinion ... just curious as surely they don't mean either of the ones that I've mentioned.

[/color]

 

Your comments are bit dated. Galaxy has been gone over 8 years and Millenium class ships have great salad bars.

 

We started with X almost 25 years ago and loved it. When our kids began sailing with us we switched to Royal (along with a little Carnival and Princess). Now that it's just the two of us again we're mostly back with Celebrity. Less crowded, enjoy the lectures on sea days, better food (especially at the buffet) and while prices are comparable, X throws in free beverage package on most sailings. Do miss the diamond lounge and ice shows on Royal though.

[Sobro]

05mak05's comment was made on October 26th, 2010, 07:07 PM . I expect it to be a bit dated.

[fletch1027]

Reading this thread from 2010 was pretty interesting.

 

What were RCI balconies like back when smoking on them was allowed?

 

From reading the posts, it sounds like a cruise ship version of a Mad Men episode. From a passing ship at night would it look like a ship with 1000's of tiny orange LED lights? :D