Celebrity v Royal Caribbean, my thoughts.

[Tudy]

After cruising exclusively on Celebrity, we, DH and I, decided to do a 7 night cruise on the Oasis. Here are our opinions comparing the 2 cruise lines.

 

Before I start I want to say that I strongly believe that the best cruise is always the cruise I am currently enjoying. To be constantly comparing 1 cruise to others is a waste of money for the cruise that I am currently on, IMHO.

 

So, after we got back, DH and I compared notes to decide where we want to spend our cruise dollars in the future. With the exception of coffee, Celebrity won in the food category. Royal's coffee is much better. The food on Celebrity is very good and is fairly consistent in quality. Royal's food quality was all over the continuum. The best thing that my husband ate on the Oasis was a hamburger in the main dining room at lunch. We did eat at a speciality restaurant once on both Celebrity and Oasis, and both times we were underwhelmed.

 

Oasis won in the entertainment category. The shows were consistently better than Celebrity in both quality and variety. Royal did not have as much live music as Celebrity but the quality was better. Both lines had excellent comedy clubs. royal had more to offer the young-at-heart and the athletically inclined.

 

Celebrity won in the cabin category, but not by much. Oasis cabins and bathrooms are smaller. Oasis appeared to be better maintained. Cabin stewards on both ships were very good.

 

In the bar category, we thought they were even. Both ships have some excellent bartenders and some excellent drinks.

 

Ship overall, we really enjoy Celebrity's Solstice class ships. Although the Oasis was very beautiful, it was more like a hotel than a ship. It was difficult to find a public space that had a good ocean view. My husband really likes the ship experience.

 

Final analysis: We prefer Celebrity. However, if we were taking our adult children and their families with us, we would do Royal. If we had friends that preferred Royal and wanted to do Royal, we would go and have a darn good time.

[blueboro]

Maybe I missed it, but which X ship were you comparing Oasis to?

[Denny01]

Good post. I agree on comparing. We enjoy the cruise, whatever the Line, but then after the fact do some comparing.....well, we all know that is probably not really true. I end up secretly 'comparing' while on the cruise. But try to keep it to a dull roar, and I Don't share it while cruising. Noting more boring than listening to someone going on-and-on about how much better (or worse) some Line is compared to the current cruise.

 

As to the comment about entertainment. I know some of the other Line's shows are better productions and so on, but the live band music and fantastic bands on Celebrity kills all those others that use canned music. In my opinion, that is Karaoke no matter how 'professionally' done. I'll sit and listen to my CD's and DVD's if I want that.

 

Glad you enjoyed it and may try Her ourselves.

 

Den

[Keith1010]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

Keith

[Tudy]

Maybe I missed it, but which X ship were you comparing Oasis to?

We have sailed on the Equinox, Solstice, Silhouette, Infinity, and Millennium.

[miched]

We also sail on many different cruise lines and also enjoy the one that we are on.

 

One time on RCCL a couple was next to us in the MDR complained all night about it not being Crystal and how great Crystal was. Lobster was served that night and they complained about how bad it was but told the waiter to keep them comming. The way that they carried on about Crystal my wife and I agreed that if all of the passengers were like that we don't have any interest in sailing on that line.

 

 

.🎅🎄

[Happy2cruise]

Thanks for your comparison....very interesting;)

[Lastdance]

When I was on Royal, I loved Royal. It was the right ship for my husband and I at that time in our lives; however, Celebrity is what is right for us now. Maybe in awhile, we'll be ready for Seabourn or the smaller ships...even a river cruise, but not until we try Expedition!

[ariawoman]

Thanks for your comparision. I'll be sailing (and getting married on) the Oasis in 2 weeks. Did you do East or West Caribbean? Assuming it was west. If so, any must-dos?

Edited November 22, 2013 by ariawoman

[Lastdance]

Thanks for your comparision. I'll be sailing (and getting married on) the Oasis in 2 weeks. Did you do East or West Caribbean? Assuming it was west. If so, any must-dos?

 

You must do the Eastern Mediterranean and the Adriatic! Wow!:cool: Caribbean is very nice, but the Med and Adriatic are such wonderful learning experiences!

Edited November 22, 2013 by Lastdance

[Tudy]

Thanks for your comparision. I'll be sailing (and getting married on) the Oasis in 2 weeks. Did you do East or West Caribbean? Assuming it was west. If so, any must-dos?

 

Congrats on your pending nuptials!

 

Must dos:

1. Meet Howard at the solarium bar. Great bartender and great fun.

2. See Hairspray.Make reservations.

3. Go to the Comedy club. Make reservations.

4. My regret: That I did not do the zipline in Labadee.

[BobbyD]

Thanks for the comparison. We have sailed Royal and Carnival, with a preference for Royal. In 2014, we are sailing for the first time on Celebrity (Silhouette) and will take the plunge and try the Allure as well. I am excited to try Celebrity based on comments, reviews, etc. on CC. I am a bit concerned that we might be a bit bored. I like watching (usually from afar) all the craziness around the pool that happens on Royal and Carnival but I can do without as well. I do hope that there is enough to do at night. We enjoy the shows, a good piano singer, guitarist, etc. We don't dance but we do like to enjoy the nightlife. We are not the type to sit at the same bar and drink for hours, night after night. We'd prefer to move around and drink at many bars!! We are also very easy to please and have never had a bad cruise. Ever. Can't wait to experience X and the Allure!

[travelberlin]

I have sailed with both and I had the tendency to prefer Celebrity. However my last cruise was with the Liberty of the Seas from Royal. I have to say that it was much better than my experience with the Millenium or the Century. Food and entertainment were much better in the Liberty of the Seas.

[pspercy]

Final analysis: We prefer Celebrity. However, if we were taking our adult children and their families with us, we would do Royal. If we had friends that preferred Royal and wanted to do Royal, we would go and have a darn good time.

 

Comparing Oasis class to anything else isn't really a valid comparison except in the most general terms and that goes for comparing them to other Royal C ships too.

[skibyrd]

I will sail on both for differing reasons. We just got off e Reflection Eastern Med and thought this was our best cruise ever! Just loved the Reflection - had our first suite and was totally spoiled with that. But overall service was fantastic! But, on the flip side, we did not enjoy the shows as much. Oasis and Allure far exceeded our expectations for the shows and th wow factor. If we are feeling like being pampered, the Celebrity is our choice - for adventure and having fun and going to shows the we will lean toward Royal Caribbean.

[riclop]

After cruising exclusively on Celebrity, we, DH and I, decided to do a 7 night cruise on the Oasis. Here are our opinions comparing the 2 cruise lines.

 

Before I start I want to say that I strongly believe that the best cruise is always the cruise I am currently enjoying. To be constantly comparing 1 cruise to others is a waste of money for the cruise that I am currently on, IMHO.

 

So, after we got back, DH and I compared notes to decide where we want to spend our cruise dollars in the future. With the exception of coffee, Celebrity won in the food category. Royal's coffee is much better. The food on Celebrity is very good and is fairly consistent in quality. Royal's food quality was all over the continuum. The best thing that my husband ate on the Oasis was a hamburger in the main dining room at lunch. We did eat at a speciality restaurant once on both Celebrity and Oasis, and both times we were underwhelmed.

 

Oasis won in the entertainment category. The shows were consistently better than Celebrity in both quality and variety. Royal did not have as much live music as Celebrity but the quality was better. Both lines had excellent comedy clubs. royal had more to offer the young-at-heart and the athletically inclined.

 

Celebrity won in the cabin category, but not by much. Oasis cabins and bathrooms are smaller. Oasis appeared to be better maintained. Cabin stewards on both ships were very good.

 

In the bar category, we thought they were even. Both ships have some excellent bartenders and some excellent drinks.

 

Ship overall, we really enjoy Celebrity's Solstice class ships. Although the Oasis was very beautiful, it was more like a hotel than a ship. It was difficult to find a public space that had a good ocean view. My husband really likes the ship experience.

 

Final analysis: We prefer Celebrity. However, if we were taking our adult children and their families with us, we would do Royal. If we had friends that preferred Royal and wanted to do Royal, we would go and have a darn good time.

Sorry but there is no comparison between the Oasis and any Celebrity ship. Oasis wins hands down.

[riclop]

I will sail on both for differing reasons. We just got off e Reflection Eastern Med and thought this was our best cruise ever! Just loved the Reflection - had our first suite and was totally spoiled with that. But overall service was fantastic! But, on the flip side, we did not enjoy the shows as much. Oasis and Allure far exceeded our expectations for the shows and th wow factor. If we are feeling like being pampered, the Celebrity is our choice - for adventure and having fun and going to shows the we will lean toward Royal Caribbean.

Very well said.

[Lois R]

Sorry but there is no comparison between the Oasis and any Celebrity ship. Oasis wins hands down.

 

You might want to preface your post with "In My Opinion".

 

The original poster is giving hers and it looks like she has a different

one from yours.

[Gianni15]

Thank you for an excellent review

[maxsales]

Sorry but there is no comparison between the Oasis and any Celebrity ship. Oasis wins hands down.

 

You are arbitrarily incorrect my friend. It may win hands down for you but my guess is to a seasoned Celebrity cruiser it would always be second place.

 

The Oasis and Allure are great ships for those that like large resort hotels. They lose the cruise experience almost completely. If you don't have a sea view balcony cabin you can spend your whole week never seeing the sea!

[The Big Booper]

Sorry but there is no comparison between the Oasis and any Celebrity ship. Oasis wins hands down.

 

I would re-phrase this.

 

Oasis/Allure offer a unique experience not matched by any other ship. And we should know, the upcoming Allure will be our 4th time on the big girls. We also have 3 weeks on the S ships.

 

Tons of places to see the water on the big girls aside from a balcony.

 

Lots of places with no sunlight peeking in on the S ships.

[pinkrosesdeb]

We love Royal but not so much the Oasis class, I agree with the feeling that there is not enough of an at sea type feel when onboard. Always running thru one "neighborhood" or another and never really relaxing. We enjoy them for what they are but would not say they are the "hands down" winner of the seas.

[snow bunny]

Thanks for the comparison. We have sailed Royal and Carnival, with a preference for Royal. In 2014, we are sailing for the first time on Celebrity (Silhouette) and will take the plunge and try the Allure as well. I am excited to try Celebrity based on comments, reviews, etc. on CC. I am a bit concerned that we might be a bit bored. I like watching (usually from afar) all the craziness around the pool that happens on Royal and Carnival but I can do without as well. I do hope that there is enough to do at night. We enjoy the shows, a good piano singer, guitarist, etc. We don't dance but we do like to enjoy the nightlife. We are not the type to sit at the same bar and drink for hours, night after night. We'd prefer to move around and drink at many bars!! We are also very easy to please and have never had a bad cruise. Ever. Can't wait to experience X and the Allure!

 

Start in the Passport Bar to watch the all your fellow passengers go by, move up a flight of stairs to the molecular bar followed by the martini bar. If you are still upright, head off to the Michael's lounge for some sports or move to the bar just past there for some music and a drink. If the weather is cooperating I will see you at the Sunset Bar during sail away!!!

 

snow bunny

[BobbyD]

Start in the Passport Bar to watch the all your fellow passengers go by, move up a flight of stairs to the molecular bar followed by the martini bar. If you are still upright, head off to the Michael's lounge for some sports or move to the bar just past there for some music and a drink. If the weather is cooperating I will see you at the Sunset Bar during sail away!!!

 

Awesome! Great plan!

Edited November 24, 2013 by BobbyD