5th wedding anniversary-deciding between RCCI, DCL & Celebrity

[sweetp09]

DH and I are considering a cruise for our 5th wedding anniversary (about 1 1/2 away, but I like to research and make an educated decision). He has never cruised before. I have cruised 3 times, all DCL. I loved the clean adult entertainment, spa treatments and Rainforest room and top notch service (not only at dinner, but our stateroom steward and everyone else on the ship for that matter). DH isn't head over heals for Disney in general, he didn't really like the parks though he never made it to EPCOT. I am not crazy for Disney, but appreciate the level of service and quality and have enjoyed all of the cruises. After hearing me rave about my DCL cruises he is certainly willing to give it a try. I am just wondering if Disney would be a good fit for us or if another cruise line would be a better choice. I am looking into Celebrity and Royal Caribbean.

 

Celebrity has the AquaClass spa staterooms that I would love. It also has some dining options and activities that look interesting (wine and food pairings, cooking competitions), plus some very nice itineraries.

 

However, Royal Caribbean's Eastern Caribbean itineraries are very disappointing for early 2014 and late 2014 isn't out yet (I don't ever want to go back to Nassau or St. Maarten as I have never been thrilled with them the first two times), but their onboard activities look amazing (mini golf, zip line, rock climbing, ice skating, etc.). They don't have spa suites (though neither does DCL and we would have to see if we could even afford one anyway) and I am not sure of the spa quality or cost of treatments. One thing that I loved about Disney was I could still use their Rainforest room, which included heated lounge chairs, saunas/steamrooms, lemon or cucumber water and tea (for a charge) without getting a treatment. Is there something available on the Oasis class ships?

 

Then there is DCL of course, which is the only line I have tried, but has amazing service and quality, though the activities seem lacking compared to Royal Caribbean.

 

How does the service and cleanliness of Royal Caribbean compare with Disney (if you have been on both)? Also, what are the "hidden charges" on RCCI? I expect to pay for alcoholic drinks, spa treatments, tips, but what about soda at dinner or what activities cost extra?

We are in our late 20's, but have a wide range of interests, from mini golf, sports and movies to things that aren't necessarily targeted for our demographic (spa, wine tastings, cooking classes, dance classes, etc.).

 

What would you recommend, is Royal Caribbean for us or should we keep looking?

 

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[isk8]

If I were going on a cruise with just my husband, I'd go on Celebrity. My favorite cruise was on the Millennium. I'm very anxious to try out their newer ships, but I have a 7 year old, and RCI is GREAT for families, so that's what we sail now. Just my 2 cents.

[KeyOfSea]

My DH and I find Celebrity to be a little too sedate for us and we are late 40s and mid 50s. We love the activity of RCI. JMHO

[rstout]

If your husband is not a Disney fanatic, I would not choose Disney. We did a B2B on the Disney Dream with our kids last year and, although we loved it and go to Disney/Florida every few years with our kids, I would not go on a Disney cruise without them. The great thing about Royal Caribbean is that there are so many options as far as the cruise ships go. We started sailing as a couple on Royal Caribbean in our 20s and it is still our preference. If you want the activities/big ships, I would shoot for Voyager, Freedom or Oasis class ships. Yes, you will pay extra for soda, but people make such a big deal out of that. You can find a cheaper cruise than DCL on Royal (maybe comparable price if you choose Oasis/Allure), which makes up for any little extra charges. Some of the Royal Caribbean ships have the thermal suites with the heated beds, showers, etc. like the Rainforest Room. We haven't tried Celebrity, but my Dad loves it and it is supposedly a bit more upscale as far as service, etc. go, but more sedate.

[AzJenn]

I am in my early 30's and found celebrity to be nice, however the age group on the ship was way older. At 10PM the bars were emtpy as well as the night clubs...If that's not a big deal you will love Celebrity..

 

I have my first RCCL trip planned for early sept, and am really excited..mostly for the entertainment, and different things to do on the ship.

[runnerandme]

I love Celebrity. Our Hawaii cruise was lively. Dancing, parties, music. (M class). The T pool and sauna in spa area no charge. Persian gardens for a fee. NO golf. Good dining choices. Our Panama Canal and Alaska cruise were more sedate. BUT we were tired in Alaska on port days so it did not matter to us.

 

I also liked our Vision of the Seas cruise. Lots to do. More night life than Celebrity.

 

We are looking forward to our Oasis cruise as there is so much to do on this huge ship.

 

Service on Celebrity was always great. The only better I have had was in a Villa on NCL.( Pearl and Gem).

Royal had good service with a few exceptions. Food was much better on Celebrity.

I do not think you will have a "bad" cruise on either line.

[cole'snana]

:) Unlike Disney cruises where soda is free you pay for soda on Celebrity

and RC. I think Celebrity's food is better than RC, especially in their version of the RC Windjammer (buffet). There's more to do on the big boats like Allure and Oasis for a young couple like you than on Celebrity. Disney is too oriented toward people with kids- went once (out of our 25 cruises and wouldn't go again), the pools on the new DC boats are too small for all those kids.

If I were you I'd give the Allure or Oasis a try.