Help Need Advice

[storm1of4]

We are booked b2b on Oasis/Allure in October 2013. We have been on atleast 40+ RCI cruises ( 10 or so on Oasis class) and never on Celebrity. Love all the benefits of C&A on RCI, very used to this product, and are a little weary about making the switch. Absolutely love the quite and private Concierge lounge on the Oasis class ships along with the entertainment. Looking to switch the b2b for a 14 night Celebrity out of Laudedale to the Caribbean and upgrading the free basis beverage package fo an extra $11 a day. We are 50 and is 49 years old. Please tell me what to expect

[Happy2cruise]

To my knowledge if you are elite on Royal Caribbean, you status can be carried over on a Celebrity cruise so you will not lose your perks.

 

Maybe someone else can shed more light on this.

[CRUZBUDS]

There is no equivalent of Diamond + on Celebrity yet, but especially since you're getting the drink package anyway, I would think you'll be pleased with the Elite perks.

 

Expect a much quieter experience all over the ship - have a great cruise :)

[TN Vol Fan]

We are booked b2b on Oasis/Allure in October 2013. We have been on atleast 40+ RCI cruises ( 10 or so on Oasis class) and never on Celebrity. Love all the benefits of C&A on RCI, very used to this product, and are a little weary about making the switch. Absolutely love the quite and private Concierge lounge on the Oasis class ships along with the entertainment. Looking to switch the b2b for a 14 night Celebrity out of Laudedale to the Caribbean and upgrading the free basis beverage package fo an extra $11 a day. We are 50 and is 49 years old. Please tell me what to expect

What ship for the 14 day cruise? M or S style? M ships are older and smaller; S ships new and larger but still smaller than the Oasis/Allures.

Celebrity and RCI are different products. While your RCI credits will allow you Elite status, you would have to notify X Captain's Club to get the correct perks. Be aware there are no dedicated Elite lounges on X. Elite perks are good on X- free internet minutes, free laundry, etc.

You will find that X will have a quieter feel than RCI with less children and less announcements. Food and service IMO a step up from RCI. Drink packages on X are great. The specialty restaurants are certainly worth the extra money.

I'm sure others will give you more info. And you might do a search for other comparisons between the two lines.

Good luck in deciding.

[Bruin Steve]

We are booked b2b on Oasis/Allure in October 2013. We have been on atleast 40+ RCI cruises ( 10 or so on Oasis class) and never on Celebrity. Love all the benefits of C&A on RCI, very used to this product, and are a little weary about making the switch. Absolutely love the quite and private Concierge lounge on the Oasis class ships along with the entertainment. Looking to switch the b2b for a 14 night Celebrity out of Laudedale to the Caribbean and upgrading the free basis beverage package fo an extra $11 a day. We are 50 and is 49 years old. Please tell me what to expect

 

Age group works out just fine for Celebrity...

You'll find Celebrity to be a bit different...

Far less crowded than the Royal Caribbean ships...venues are very spacious...You won't have all of the active amenities of the RCCL big ships--the rock climbing, ice skating, Flowrider, zip line, etc. What you will get instead are spacious adult-oriented venues--bars and lounges...

Entertainment is a little more "ordinary" as well--you'll get a show each night--with some variety--production shows, comedians/jugglers/magicians, guest stars, etc. but no Ice Show or water show or Broadway Musical...

 

IMHO (and I cruise both lines regularly), the food and service on Celebrity is superior...

 

As to the Diamond+ vs. Elite thing, I don't think you will be disappointed with Celebrity...

Being Diamond+, you will translate to Elite on Celebrity (just call Captains Club ahead of time and make sure they have you noted as such)...

Elite perks are great...There is no separate dedicated lounge for the drinking hour (which, on Celebrity is shorter than on RCCL--only from 5-7)

They generally hold it in Michael's Club--which is small and intimate...but on the bigger ships and where there are too many Elites onboard, they will move it to the Sky Lounge...Either way, the service is great and they make you feel special...(Of course, with the beverage package, there's a great deal of overlap here...but, at least you'd be getting included drinks beyond the 5-7 hours).

Some other great perks include a free load of laundry, 90 minutes of free internet and more...

 

There are going to be differences...some things from RCCL you may miss, some new things about Celebrity you may just find you love...

 

IMHO, you should try at...at least for something different...

[helen haywood]

Don't forget that Celebrity doesn't allow smoking on their balconies!

[cruiserziggy]

We are around the same age as you and have sailed on both Oasis and Allure and also multiple Celebrity ships. We really enjoy them both, but the experiences are different. I will echo many of the responses already posted here, and give you my perspective on a couple of different elements of the cruises.

 

1) Food: In my opinion, Celebrity is superior, but we have also had good food on RCCL. Both have various specialty restaurants to please most tastes. Expect Celebrity to be a step higher overall. The specialty restaurants on Celebrity are more expensive than RCCL. MDR, in our experience, is more refined on Celebrity.

 

2) Entertainment/Activities: RCCL wins here, hands down (at least when considering Oasis Class.) Celebrity entertainment is standard cruise fare whereas Oasis class is really outstanding with regard to variety. However, if you have done Oasis and Allure multiple times, you probably don't go to see Chicago and Hairspray over and over again. Therefore, if you consider just the headliner and variety shows, it will be more dependent on your particular cruise and what performers are onboard. The Celebrity S-class ships have Cirque-type shows that are quite good. You won't find ice skating, zip lines, and flow riders on Celebrity. Whether you miss those things depends on how important they are to you.

 

3) Service: This is dependent a lot on who your particular cabin steward and waiters are and can vary on either line. In GENERAL we have found Celebrity to be a step up from RCCL regarding service.

 

4) Staterooms: this depends on what category you have. RCCL has a nice Concierge lounge for suite guests that Celebrity doesn't have. We really have enjoyed that on RCCL. However, for standard balcony staterooms, we much prefer Celebrity S-Class staterooms to RCCL Oasis class in terms of space, bathrooms, and overall "usability."

 

5) Annoying things: This depends on what annoys you, but there are a few things on RCCL that we personally find annoying that we don't experience on Celebrity. None of these, by the way, keep me away. They are just, well, "annoying." Signing out towels with your room key, and having to sign them back in when you are finished with them at the pool on RCCL is a pain. There is none of that on Celebrity. Also, you don't have a lot of loud announcements on Celebrity. There is also much less smoking on Celebrity (sorry if you are smokers.)

 

6) Overall experience: That is totally dependent on what you enjoy. If you like a slightly low-key, relaxing cruise with good food, beautiful surroundings, and attentive service, there is no reason that you shouldn't love Celebrity.

 

Final thoughts: At the end of the day, different people enjoy different types of vacations and it is really hard to tell someone you don't know what they will, or will not like. Just read these boards. Opinions run from one extreme to the next, even on the same ship on the same dates. So much is subjective. However, you obviously enjoy cruising. Since you have experienced RCCL so many times, it seems reasonable to try something different. On Celebrity, you will benefit from Elite status which gives you some nice perks. It's hard to imagine not having a good time, but you won't know if you don't try. If I had to pick my favorite, it would be Celebrity S-Class, but we also like RCCL and plan to sail on both in the future.

[storm1of4]

We are around the same age as you and have sailed on both Oasis and Allure and also multiple Celebrity ships. We really enjoy them both, but the experiences are different. I will echo many of the responses already posted here, and give you my perspective on a couple of different elements of the cruises.

 

1) Food: In my opinion, Celebrity is superior, but we have also had good food on RCCL. Both have various specialty restaurants to please most tastes. Expect Celebrity to be a step higher overall. The specialty restaurants on Celebrity are more expensive than RCCL. MDR, in our experience, is more refined on Celebrity.

 

2) Entertainment/Activities: RCCL wins here, hands down (at least when considering Oasis Class.) Celebrity entertainment is standard cruise fare whereas Oasis class is really outstanding with regard to variety. However, if you have done Oasis and Allure multiple times, you probably don't go to see Chicago and Hairspray over and over again. Therefore, if you consider just the headliner and variety shows, it will be more dependent on your particular cruise and what performers are onboard. The Celebrity S-class ships have Cirque-type shows that are quite good. You won't find ice skating, zip lines, and flow riders on Celebrity. Whether you miss those things depends on how important they are to you.

 

3) Service: This is dependent a lot on who your particular cabin steward and waiters are and can vary on either line. In GENERAL we have found Celebrity to be a step up from RCCL regarding service.

 

4) Staterooms: this depends on what category you have. RCCL has a nice Concierge lounge for suite guests that Celebrity doesn't have. We really have enjoyed that on RCCL. However, for standard balcony staterooms, we much prefer Celebrity S-Class staterooms to RCCL Oasis class in terms of space, bathrooms, and overall "usability."

 

5) Annoying things: This depends on what annoys you, but there are a few things on RCCL that we personally find annoying that we don't experience on Celebrity. None of these, by the way, keep me away. They are just, well, "annoying." Signing out towels with your room key, and having to sign them back in when you are finished with them at the pool on RCCL is a pain. There is none of that on Celebrity. Also, you don't have a lot of loud announcements on Celebrity. There is also much less smoking on Celebrity (sorry if you are smokers.)

 

6) Overall experience: That is totally dependent on what you enjoy. If you like a slightly low-key, relaxing cruise with good food, beautiful surroundings, and attentive service, there is no reason that you shouldn't love Celebrity.

 

Final thoughts: At the end of the day, different people enjoy different types of vacations and it is really hard to tell someone you don't know what they will, or will not like. Just read these boards. Opinions run from one extreme to the next, even on the same ship on the same dates. So much is subjective. However, you obviously enjoy cruising. Since you have experienced RCCL so many times, it seems reasonable to try something different. On Celebrity, you will benefit from Elite status which gives you some nice perks. It's hard to imagine not having a good time, but you won't know if you don't try. If I had to pick my favorite, it would be Celebrity S-Class, but we also like RCCL and plan to sail on both in the future.

 

 

Thank you so very much for your reply.........

I have decided to just do a 7 night on Celebrity Silhouette. Not so sure I want to commit to 14 days on a cruise line I am not familiar with. I may do an Oasis for the second week or just drive to the Florida keys.........We have kept the second week open for a last minute decision. We have been so addicted to the easy cruise vacation style that we dont usually want to be bothered by having to think about anything on vacation.

But who knows after a week on Celebrity I may be a hooked.

As far as smoking...... we dont....... and get annoyed by the smell of smoke on our balcony. I love Hairspray and Chicago!!!! I look forward to seeing those shows! We have seen many broadway shows and I really believe the talent in these two shows is as good as any professional Brdway show. Plus the Theater is more intimate. Thanks again for your reply and all the replys thank you. It was a great help.