Celebrity Eclipse or Liberty of the Seas?

[Piggeldy]

I was told it was okay to x-post... I hope nobody minds and I will try to keep this short ;)

 

I am looking for advice from anyone who has traveled Celebrity Eclipse as well as Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas as we are trying to come to a conclusion on... well, which one we should chose.

 

We are looking at 2013 WB TAs.

 

Prices are similar (within a couple of Euros for a comparable verandah staterooms).

 

I assume passenger structure will be similar for a 13 night cruise from Europe to the US while school is on? Will the average cruiser still be younger on RCCL (we will be in our mid 30s next fall but don't mind traveling with an older crowd... had our honeymoon on Hurtigruten in winter)?

 

Stops are similar:

Eclipse: Southampton, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Bahamas (Nassau)

Liberty: Barecelona, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Bahamas (Cococay)

 

Leaving from Southampton or Barcelona wouldn't make much of a difference for us, both short flights (though I assume Barcelona is nicer that late in the year).

 

Would the departure port make a huge difference weatherwise? After a couple of days both should be on the same route, right? I guess leaving from Barcelona should be a little warmer from the beginning?

 

Which is the nicer Bahamas port - Nassau or Cococay? We have never been to the Caribbean so all ports would be new to us.

 

Main problem: I expect DH would prefere RCCL... while I am mainly vacationing to relax he likes to be entertained. There is a minor language barrier (English is DH's 2nd language and he hasn't had a lot of practice) which would likely mean that lectures, comedians etc. would at least be difficult (especially for the first few days, he normally adjusts quite well after some time). He has mild CP so many of RCCL's activities wouldn't be suitable for him (Flowrider, ice rink, climbing wall)... with those three out of the running I guess his options would be similar on both lines? Music, casino, shows? Might music be more modern on RCCL or wouldn't it make a big difference?

 

I think I am leaning towards Eclipse from what I have read so far (and I am the obsessive vacation planer where he just has to say yes in the end, so...) but I don't want to make him uncomfortable either.

 

Has anyone ever traveled Hurtigruten and could compare?

[i know Hurtigruten is different as it's not a typical cruise thus maybe difficult to compare to both X and RCCL.]

 

If traveling Eclipse... we have been thinking about going with an Aquaclass cabin, especially because we think (or: know) we would like BLU. Nice food is important for us.

 

However, the price difference between a 1A and Aquaclass is substantial (about $400 per passenger) and would easily pay for premium non-alcoholic beverage package and a few nights special dining. Other than that I think the difference is the breakfast menu, BLU and access to Persian Garden? Anything else I am missing (water and juice would be included in beverage package thus that wouldn't make a difference)?

 

Any major differences between Celebrity and Royal? Could we order dinner from the dining room to the cabin in the evenings? Beds comfortable on both lines? Self service laundry on both? Anyone nicer to first time cruisers? Better chocolate on the pillow? More towel animals? Nicer staff? Any "real" good reason to chose one cruise line over the other?

 

Sorry. Didn't manage to keep it short. But all help would be appreciated!

[kitty9]

No self serve laundries on any Celebrity ship. But laundry prices are very reasonable.

 

There's no telling on average age, but Celebrity does usually tend towards an older clientele.

 

Food and service is much, much better on Celebrity. No one can tell you if something is worth it for you. Only you can decide if you want to spend the extra money for Aqua Class.

 

You can have room service for every meal if you desire. What's interesting on RCI is, after a certain time, they do charge you for room service delivery.

 

Celebrity is more dressy at night than RCI. So if you don't want to dress up in the evenings, and prefer a more casual atmosphere, RCI is the better choice.

 

Seas can be rougher in a crossing that starts in Southampton. The farther you cruise in the North Atlantic, the rougher the water tends to be.

 

You really cannot make any comparisons between Hurtigruten and a real cruise line other than the fact they sail on water.

 

Towel animals aren't done that much anymore, and for me personally is not a reason to choose one line over another. Plus, I think those things are more for kids----I've not ever been impressed with towel animals although others think it's the end all be all.

 

There really isn't a thing as one line "being nicer" to first time cruisers.

 

In the end, I think Celebrity's ships are just more elegant and low key than the ships of RCI. If you want practically non stop entertainment, then RCI is your choice. But seeing your DH won't partake in all the physical activities, that should make Celebrity a little more attractive.

[Orlandocruiser]

Also Celebrity's smoking policy allows no smoking inside the ship, in staterooms or verandas - all smoking areas are on the outside decks. This is great if you are a non-smoker but in bad weather you see many smokers huddled unhappily outside.

 

CocoCay is Royal's "private island" which would be nice but if the weather is bad you might miss it (we did once of the Freedom of the Seas) Nassau is kind of blah.

[Bestbubba]

Last year we did a WB TA on the Liberty and then boarded the Eclipse for some Caribbean sunshine before heading home to the UK winter. For us there was no comparison....the Eclipse won hands down. Food, service, ship, just in a different class. Problem is, that was just OUR opinion....others might disagree;)

 

Sue

[Chunky2219]

No reason to believe that a TA voyage starting in Southampton will be any better or worse than one from Barcelona (once you are past the straits of Gibraltar).

 

Even in reasonable conditions you can get a bit of up and down until you get off the edge of the continental shelf, which takes about 36-48 hours. After that, if there is a possibilty of particularly rough seas most ships will take a more northerly or more southerly route to try and avoid the worst of it.

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[Piggeldy]

Problem is' date=' that was just OUR opinion....others might disagree;)[/size']

 

As it is with everything ;)

 

Thank you all very much for your opinions!

The non-smoking rule on verandahs might be a plus for us. I used to be rather sensitive to smoke and have outgrown it to some extend but still don't find it very pleasant.

 

I guess I tend to worry too much in general (main problem being that I know that I have made up my mind about what I want... but am not sure if that's the best decision for both of us). Whatever we chose will be a lot better than being at work. Or being over here in November (or the rest of the year really when I think back to the "summer" we have had so far).

[deelastcre]

I sailed Liberty last year in the Med. If food is important, I would try Celebrity. I sail both lines, but was disappointed with the food onboard Liberty. The service, shows, excursions, and entertainment were all excellent. We did have the animals in our suite. All of the room service meals that we ordered for breakfast, lunch, or dinner were worst than the MDR. One night in the dining room I had to order a steak from the specialty restaurant the selection was so poor. If you like to bring your own wine onboard, you will not be able to do that on RCCL. Some of the cruisers on my cruise bought wine after they went through security in Barcelona and brought their spirits, water,etc. onboard.

[Pushkin]

We've cruised on several Solstice class ships (including the Eclipse) and did a Med cruise on LOS. Solstice/Eclipse would be my pick for a lot of reasons, mainly the "feel" of the ship, the level of service, the amenities and the food.

 

We've been in Aquaclass and regular balcony cabins. We love AC, but at $400 a person extra, I would probably take a regular balcony.

 

But, as you say, any cruise is better than being at work!

[yoj13]

Celebrity would win hands down for me. After doing the TA in April 2012 on Liberty of the Seas, like Deekadcre says, the food was just awful. It was, to date our worst food experience on a RCI ship ever and has really put us off going with them again. I know from speaking to other passengers that it wasn't just us that was disatisfied, the main diningroom was half empty on occasions so much so, RCI must have realised there was a problem. However, the situation could now have resolved itself but I'm sure Celebrity won't disappoint. Whichever you choose, enjoy