Celebrity Summit or RCCL's Adventure?

[MindTheGap1918]

We are planning our January 2013 vacation and having a heck of a time deciding between the Celebrity Summit (Grenada/Dominica route) and RCCL's Adventure of the Seas (Aruba route). We would be newbies to both cruise lines (previously cruised Carnival and NCL). Both itineraries look great and include islands we have not been to. So now it comes down to which ship we may enjoy more. For those who may have traveled both lines, are there any features that out do each other with each ship (entertainment, sea day activities, staterooms, etc). I'm also posting this in RCCL's forum too...Any input would be greatly appreciated! :)

[hypercafe]

They both are great, RCCL has more activities like rock climbing etc. and probably a younger crowd with more kids and teens. I would say service, food, shows are very similar

[fridaythe13th]

They are more the same than different. One thing that sticks out in my mind is on the Summit there are very few announcements, like for BINGO every 15 minutes, sales, etc and waiters bothering you pool-side. The Summit offers you a nice ice cold facecloth and water/juice upon returning to the ship from the port. Summit has just gone through a refurb. The ice skating show on the Adventure is not to be missed. I do like the promenade on the Adventure even if it's just to sit and relax at the Cafe' or a Tavern. I would pick the Adventure but that's only because I want to go back to Aruba and Curacao. Also compare the time spent in each port when making your decision, that's what helps me choose.

 

I will add that there is no smoking in the casino on Celebrity.

[MaggieAtSea]

We have sailed both ships out of San Juan. Very similar, with the nod ever so slightly to Celebrity. Our son had a great time in both kids' clubs, we missed not having a wine sommelier on Adventure as we are fans of good wine, and we loved the suite perk of reserved pool chairs on Adventure. So we consider them very similar and would base our return on one or the other on ports visited, as both sailings are port intensive and you may have one or two stops on one you are more eager to visit. Happy sailing!

[dimiegirl]

Never been on the summit, in fact we are going on our first celebrity cruise this year. We were just on the adventure of the seas in february and had a wonderful time. there is so much to do and the ship is really nice. THey have an awesome ice skating show also.. between the two I would pick adventure of the seas because of the itinerary. Aruba is one of the nicest carribean ports i have ever been to. curacao was also very nice and interesting as well. great shopping in st thomas.. didnt care much for st kitts however. adventure is a bigger ship..you will have a great time which ever way you go. If you have any other specific questions about adventure of the seas, just ask as everything is fresh in my mind since we just got off a couple of weeks ago!

[MindTheGap1918]

This is so tough! We don't have children so kids activities aren't a deciding factor. So far, I'm giving the edge to the Adventure because of the promenade and there seems to be a little more entertainment. However, I'm not a fan of seas and the Adventure has 2. What about the pool area on the Summit? Amazingly, I haven't seen many "chair hog problems" in Summit posts. My husband and I are also wine-o's and we enjoy wine/food seminars that the ships usually offer. Does the Summit offer these? I appreciate all your responses!

[S2az]

We have been on Summit twice (Alaska and Panama Canal) and Adventure once (S. Caribbean) plus her sister ship Explorer (E. Caribbean.) Our Summit trips were per-Solicisticizing, so this may be outdated now. As kid activities are not a concern, and assuming you like the two itineraries equally well, I would base it on whether you like a larger or smaller ship. Adventure is quite a bit bigger, with all that entails-more people, more things to do, etc. Summit was our greater preference of the two, although that may be skewed a bit by an unusual set of circumstances attending that particular Adventure trip that may or may not ever occur again. Still, as we prefer the smaller ship to the larger, always finding plenty to do on either, we liked Summit better.

 

I hope that helps. The good thing is, whichever choice you make, I'll bet you will be happy with it.

[Gonzo70]

I have sailed 4-5 times on each line. Here are the main differences:

 

RCI is much better for families travelling with children (far more children as well as venues and activities that appeal to children and teens) as well as adults seeking lots of energy and nightlife (more of a party crowd on RCI, several venues often have energy past midnight, constant activities during the day, sporty type venues like rock climbing, ice skating etc.).

 

Celebrity is much better for people seeking a more relaxing, upscale, sophisticated experience. Still a fair amount of activities but much less going on past midnight, older and more mature crowd. A bit more money is budgeted to food than RCI, public rooms are more elegant, far less overhead announcements, and less passengers per staff - so more attentive service.

 

Celebrity also has a significantly more restrictive smoking policy.

[TRadle]

I’ve sailed on both ships and Adventure of the Seas is one of my favorite ships. One of our best cruises ever was on her with the Aruba route.

Having said that, Celebrity is the cruise line we prefer. If I were to pick I would go back on Adventure of the Seas over the Summit. Now, an S class ship would win over AOS.

Did I make the discussion even tougher? ;)

[MindTheGap1918]

Still can't decide, LOL! Both ships seem to have a lot of perks we would enjoy. We are indifferent to ship size. Another poster had uploaded the Celebrity Today for the Summit itinerary we're looking at and it looks there would be plenty to do that we would be interested in. I may just end up flipping a coin! ;)

[olemissreb]

I've sailed the Southern Caribbean twice now - once on the Connie (sister to Summit) and once on AOS (Aruba route). We specifically chose the AOS because we went over Spring Break and wanted all the onboard activities for our boys. If it were just the hubby and I? I'd probably choose Summit simply because it is more laid back and romantic.

 

Wish such a port intensive itinerary, do you want more relaxation and romance? Then choose Summit. If you are more the type to be on the go all the time, then AOS would probably be more your style. Either way you can't go wrong and whichever one you don't choose this time, you can cruise next time!

[nouveaucruiser]

I have sailed 4-5 times on each line. Here are the main differences:

 

RCI is much better for families travelling with children (far more children as well as venues and activities that appeal to children and teens) as well as adults seeking lots of energy and nightlife (more of a party crowd on RCI, several venues often have energy past midnight, constant activities during the day, sporty type venues like rock climbing, ice skating etc.).

 

Celebrity is much better for people seeking a more relaxing, upscale, sophisticated experience. Still a fair amount of activities but much less going on past midnight, older and more mature crowd. A bit more money is budgeted to food than RCI, public rooms are more elegant, far less overhead announcements, and less passengers per staff - so more attentive service.

 

Celebrity also has a significantly more restrictive smoking policy.

 

 

Best summary I have seen.

[Schmoe38]

This is so tough! We don't have children so kids activities aren't a deciding factor. So far, I'm giving the edge to the Adventure because of the promenade and there seems to be a little more entertainment. However, I'm not a fan of seas and the Adventure has 2. What about the pool area on the Summit? Amazingly, I haven't seen many "chair hog problems" in Summit posts. My husband and I are also wine-o's and we enjoy wine/food seminars that the ships usually offer. Does the Summit offer these? I appreciate all your responses!

 

We have been loyal Celebrity cruisers for years. We decided to try Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas 4 years ago (out of San Juan) just to see if there was something other than Celebrity. We enjoyed the Royal Promenade, the Ice Skating Show, and had a ball at Johnny Rockets (a 50's style diner). It was a change from what we had experienced previously. We stayed in a Grand Suite on Adventure. The only difficulty we had was this...the ship was not full and there was a "sell off" of inside cabins just before sailing. As a result, the biggest frustration we experienced was trying to find a place to sit for breakfast and lunch. That was not enjoyable. When we last sailed on Celebrity Summit (Feb 18/12) we had no problems finding seating for breakfast and lunch. To us, that is a big plus in Celebrity's favour. The food in the main dining room is better on Celebrity and given the fact that you enjoy wine/food seminars, and are indifferent as to itinerary, I would definitely choose Celebrity Summit.

[AZ ParrotHead]

Tough question as we have done both AOS routes and just got off Summit. We agree with previous posters about the differences in ship, food, and emtertainment. If my wife and I were going alone, there is absolutely no doubt we would do Celebriity.

 

However, if we were traveling with our 19 and 22 year old, we would probably lean toward Adventure. Simply for the fact there are more people their age on board and they would be better entertained.

 

To me this one comes down to itinerary. Which do you like better? Honestly, we liked the Aruba and Curaçao route although we were wished there was a fifth port. We don't like sea days.

[AZ ParrotHead]

This is so tough! We don't have children so kids activities aren't a deciding factor. So far, I'm giving the edge to the Adventure because of the promenade and there seems to be a little more entertainment. However, I'm not a fan of seas and the Adventure has 2. What about the pool area on the Summit? Amazingly, I haven't seen many "chair hog problems" in Summit posts. My husband and I are also wine-o's and we enjoy wine/food seminars that the ships usually offer. Does the Summit offer these? I appreciate all your responses!

 

Yeah, go with Celebrity. Read my review of the Summit where we talk in detail about the ship and it's venues. Summit is for you. They have wine and food pairing seminars several times in the cruise plus a wine bar with cool wine vending machines!

[MindTheGap1918]

Yeah, go with Celebrity. Read my review of the Summit where we talk in detail about the ship and it's venues. Summit is for you. They have wine and food pairing seminars several times in the cruise plus a wine bar with cool wine vending machines!

 

I'm with you on the sea days, I'm not a fan. The more ports, the better! And you may have sold me on the wine vending machine! Aruba and Curacao are what keep drawing me to the Adventure. However, the more I read about the Summit, the more interested I am in giving Celebrity a whirl. From other reviews, the Summit doesn't seem to be quite the "mad house, as other ships. There appear to be more dining options on Summit. We're also in our early 30's, work stressful jobs, so late nightlife isn't a big draw for us (if we're up past midnight, it's a miracle :p )

[lori450]

This is so tough! We don't have children so kids activities aren't a deciding factor. So far, I'm giving the edge to the Adventure because of the promenade and there seems to be a little more entertainment. However, I'm not a fan of seas and the Adventure has 2. What about the pool area on the Summit? Amazingly, I haven't seen many "chair hog problems" in Summit posts. My husband and I are also wine-o's and we enjoy wine/food seminars that the ships usually offer. Does the Summit offer these? I appreciate all your responses!

 

First let me say, I love your CC name! Brilliant! We cruised many time with Royal and a couple of times with Celebrity. RCi has beeter entertainment and a better promenade. Celebrity has better specialty restaurants and provides more service than RCI. It may be just me, but I found the RCI ships to be more stable. On both of our Celebrity cruises, the boats rocked more than any RCI cruise I had taken (and I've taken a lot including a TA). The Celebrity ships enforced the adults only pool more assiduously than RCI. I did find the Celebrity cruises a little boring for my taste (except for the hot glass show - that was fascinating).

 

You will probably find a better wine/food offering or seminar on Celebrity. It's a tough one. But, I do know that no matter which one you pick, you will have a wonderful cruise.

[MindTheGap1918]

First let me say, I love your CC name! Brilliant! We cruised many time with Royal and a couple of times with Celebrity. RCi has beeter entertainment and a better promenade. Celebrity has better specialty restaurants and provides more service than RCI. It may be just me, but I found the RCI ships to be more stable. On both of our Celebrity cruises, the boats rocked more than any RCI cruise I had taken (and I've taken a lot including a TA). The Celebrity ships enforced the adults only pool more assiduously than RCI. I did find the Celebrity cruises a little boring for my taste (except for the hot glass show - that was fascinating).

 

You will probably find a better wine/food offering or seminar on Celebrity. It's a tough one. But, I do know that no matter which one you pick, you will have a wonderful cruise.

 

Thank you! I had to give props to my days spent in London.

 

I'm not too concerned with being bored since it is a port intensive cruise. If there was more than one sea day, I'd possibly reconsider and go with another line. I'm looking at the Summit based on itinerary and price and so far, haven't heard anything I would hate about the ship. I'm also gathering Celebrity is geared more towards adults, which we like. Not that we have anything against kids! We just don't have any of our own yet.

[kitkat9438]

We are also pondering these two ships out of San Juan. I haven't been on Adventure but let me tell you why we will probably pick the Summit.

 

We love the food and service. It is top notch.

 

They offer an alcohol package where you pay a certain price per day and it makes it all inclusive. It is well worth it for us as we like to experiment with different drinks and if we don't like them, just send them back and try something else. Since you like wine pairings, this is an ideal way to try out new wines or just enjoy your favorites. We get the premium alcohol package that includes everything up to $12, wine, martinis, frozen drinks, fresh squeezed juices, beer, specialty coffees, sodas, bottled water, etc. If you add up what you might drink in a day, it usually is more than the package cost. Royal does not offer this. Also Celebrity allows you to bring on two bottles of wine per cabin. You can either drink them in your cabin or take them to dinner and pay a corkage fee. At dinner we would have our San Pelligrino water, and wine. The glass was never empty. :D It was nice stopping at the martini bar before dinner or grabbing a drink when returning from shore and heading to our room to get ready. Out by the pool they have pool butlers that will come around and take your order. If that pina colada melts, just get another one! All you have to do is show them your room card, no signing slips of paper or keeping track of drink expenses.

 

We love the Adults only T-pool. It's really nice. The pool is heated and there are two hot tubs in this area. We have never felt crowded or had a hard time finding a place at the pool or in the buffet or theatre.

 

The specialty restaurants are first rate. We love Qsine for a fun quirky experience where you order off an Ipad and are served family style foods that are fun and exciting. Normandie is first rate for lobster, filet mignon and chocolate souffle. Yum

 

Most balcony cabins are the same size. However, if you get concierge class, you will earn an extra cruise credit as well as get a larger cabin and balcony, nicer furniture, bedding, towels and balcony furniture, fresh flowers, sparking wine, fresh fruit and fresh canapes delivered in the afternoon. Some cabins are on the "hump" angle of the ship and have huge balconies. I don't have the updated list after solitization. But here's the list I had prefurb. We've been on this ship twice now before refurb and love it.

 

CC Cabins - Deck 8:

 

The “Great” Rooms with larger balconies: People love the aft-facing staterooms (8170, 8172, 8176, & 8185) for the views of the wake and super-large balconies. 8045 & 8046 with larger “triangle shaped” balconies are also popular. Book these if you can! But what if they are already gone…..?

 

Best standard (non-adjoining) CC Cabins: 8072, 8074, 8076, 8078, 8080, 8082, 8084, & 8086, 8112 (starboard side): Good mid-ship location and non-adjoining (no interior door to the neighboring room which some complain can be the source of noise/light from the next cabin). So, why are they good? Because the inside cabins that appear directly across the hall on the deck plan are NOT really there. Well, of course they’re there, but you would never know it! Their doors all open to the opposite (port side) hall (note they all have odd cabin numbers). So there is nothing (no cabins or service areas) opposite these CC Cabins across the hall …nothing but a hallway wall.

 

Also good (on the port side) are 8075, 8079, 8083, 8087, 8091, 8095 & 8099: These have the same good mid-ship location & are non-adjoining, you just have a neighbor across the hall. Very good rooms to book.

 

Need an adjoining room? Look to book 8114, 8116, 8118, 8120, 8122, 8124, 8126, 8128, 8130, 8132 (Starboard side): Good mid-ship adjoining rooms. Also, there also are no entrances to the “crew only” area (the large white blank space on the deck plan) across the hall anywhere in this block of cabins!

 

Location of Crew-Only Service Doors: I like to avoid cabins across from doors to crew-only areas (ie food prep facilities, freight elevators, mechanical equipment etc). They can be the source of noise and/or additional activity. If that matters to you, note that doors to the crew-only areas (shown as white blank space on the deck plans) are located approximately opposite the following CC cabins:

 

Starboard side: 8052, 8060, 8066 8090 8138, 8150 & 8176 (aft cabin)

Port Side: 8047, 8065, 8069, 8107, 8109, 8115, 8141, & 8145

 

Rooms to Avoid:

8094, 8096, 8111, & 8115 – Partially obstructed by the dreaded window washing equipment. NOTE: Cabins affected by the window washing equipment vary by ship. These are the rooms on Constellation ONLY. For other M-Class ships check the deck plan listed “obstructed view” rooms to avoid.

 

8102 & 8108 – listed as “obstructed view”, small balcony, & windows of suite next door look onto balcony.

 

8047 & 8048 – less private balcony which is visable from the angled balcony of the neighboring room.

 

"This list is posted frequently in this forum, so this seems a good place to lock it down."

 

Each of the following cabins on the Millennium Class ships (Millennium, Infinity, Constellation, Summit) has some particular benefit over its peers of the same class -- most often an oversized veranda, sometimes larger cabin or nicer decor. Not all of these differences are accurately reflected in any known deck plans.

 

S1-6131,6132,6145,6146

 

C1-9201,9164,9162,9160,,8185,8176,8172,8170,7203,7212, 7208,7206,6135,6136,6143,6144

C2-9043,9038,8045,8046

 

 

2A-7049,7080,7163,7166,7171,7173,7175,7177,7174,7176, 7178,7180

2B-8161,8146,9173,9138

2C-6016,6018,6020,6021,6022,6023,6024,6025,6026,6027, 6029,6030,6031,6033,6035,6053,6048

Enjoy whichever cruise you decide on.