Royal to Celebrity - need advice

[vtcruising]

We are Royal to Celebrity converts - Diamond and Elite. Though the Diamond lounge is nice, in our opinion the benefits of sailing on Celebrity outweigh not having the dedicated lounge. Though we still look at Royal cruises and think about booking, we just can't seem to go back. The quieter, more relaxed feel of the Celebrity ships feels right to us (and we can still find ways to party hardy til the wee hours, when desired - I can finally enjoy a smoke-free casino).

 

We have enjoyed the extra Elite events - on the last cruise there was:

-Elite Elegant Tea

-Wine Tasting Seminar

-Captain's Club Celebration

-Backstage Tour

-Casino Double Jackpot

 

The Elite coupons are better than the Royal ones, IMO, but we haven't been on Royal for 3+ years so they may have changed. They are not all discounts on extra cost items such as wine or photos (though some are) - as mentioned, the free laundry and free internet minutes are nice in addition to other truly free items: a pass to Persian Garden on a port day, free pressing on 2 items, free dry cleaning on 1 item.

 

On the last cruise we had the drink vouchers for the Elite cocktail hour, 3 per night each, and could chose drinks from a menu in several of the bars (they will let you know which ones). We have always had the beverage package so had no need for the vouchers, but friends onboard without the package appreciated the vouchers. We would often meet in the Sunset Bar, which was preferable for us, instead of meeting inside on a beautiful evening. It was nice to have choices.

 

A great itinerary may tempt us back to Royal - I do miss many things: the amazing shows, some of the specialty restaurants, the Promenade, Central Park....

 

Hope you have a wonderful cruise on the Solstice!

[gsb]

We are Royal to Celebrity converts - Diamond and Elite. Though the Diamond lounge is nice, in our opinion the benefits of sailing on Celebrity outweigh not having the dedicated lounge. Though we still look at Royal cruises and think about booking, we just can't seem to go back. The quieter, more relaxed feel of the Celebrity ships feels right to us (and we can still find ways to party hardy til the wee hours, when desired - I can finally enjoy a smoke-free casino).

 

We have enjoyed the extra Elite events - on the last cruise there was:

-Elite Elegant Tea

-Wine Tasting Seminar

-Captain's Club Celebration

-Backstage Tour

-Casino Double Jackpot

 

The Elite coupons are better than the Royal ones, IMO, but we haven't been on Royal for 3+ years so they may have changed. They are not all discounts on extra cost items such as wine or photos (though some are) - as mentioned, the free laundry and free internet minutes are nice in addition to other truly free items: a pass to Persian Garden on a port day, free pressing on 2 items, free dry cleaning on 1 item.

 

On the last cruise we had the drink vouchers for the Elite cocktail hour, 3 per night each, and could chose drinks from a menu in several of the bars (they will let you know which ones). We have always had the beverage package so had no need for the vouchers, but friends onboard without the package appreciated the vouchers. We would often meet in the Sunset Bar, which was preferable for us, instead of meeting inside on a beautiful evening. It was nice to have choices.

 

A great itinerary may tempt us back to Royal - I do miss many things: the amazing shows, some of the specialty restaurants, the Promenade, Central Park....

 

Hope you have a wonderful cruise on the Solstice!

 

This could be my post. Excellent comparison.

Still like the Oasis and Allure and all they have to offer, but like you, we still haven't managed to return.

I think they're trying to get something similar to the 123 Perk deal with their onboard credits.:rolleyes:

i

[vtcruising]

This could be my post. Excellent comparison.

Still like the Oasis and Allure and all they have to offer, but like you, we still haven't managed to return.

I think they're trying to get something similar to the 123 Perk deal with their onboard credits.:rolleyes:

i

 

Just writing about all the things I miss on Royal made me go and take a look at what's up over there, but we'll stick with our scheduled Celebrity cruises for now. :)

[avalon007]

Thanks for all the answers everyone.

 

So, we have taken the plunge & just booked our 12 day March 2015 Solstice cruise today as they had a sale on - free balcony upgrade at inside cabin price!

 

Ended up selecting a 1B category balcony cabin not far from the forward elevators on deck 9.

 

We have had cabins in similar positions often on RCCL ships & really like the position, so hope it's comparable on Solstice.

 

So looking forward to it now, will be fun getting to know a different ship & seeing what celebrity has to offer!

 

I'm sure we will find heaps to like.:)

[mommo6]

Hi Celebrity cruisers,

 

Ok here is the deal, we are Diamond members with Royal & have decided to give Celebrity a go.

I have ascertained of the ships sailing out of Sydney, Solstice is the one to go on.

But I need advice on cabin type & cabin position.

We like balcony cabins & prefer mid to higher decks.

I see Celebrity offers a few variations on balcony or veranda cabins, are the more expensive veranda cabins worth the money?

What areas of the ship are noisiest, what decks are preferred.

Do they have an adults only pool/solarium areas like Royal?

What are the best dining options.

Thanks for any tips.:)

 

Hello! My husband and I were on the Solstice from Auckland to Sydney in March to April 2014. We enjoyed it. It is a nice ship. They do have a solarium. We chose the late seating in the main dining room so that we wouldn't have to rush back to the ship to get cleaned up for dinner. We ate dinner one time at the Tuscan Grill specialty restaurant and enjoyed it very much. They have great steaks and other food. I have also heard that the Murano specialty restaurant is good. They specialize in French style food. Silk Harvest is another specialty restaurant which has Asian type food. The Bistro on Five is a casual specialty restaurant that serves nice crepes, sandwiches and soups, for a small extra fee. It used to be $5 per person, but it may have gone up. We too like cabins with balconies, mid ship and on higher levels. The most important thing is to request an unobstructed view, and make sure that there are cabins above and below your cabin so that you don't have to deal with noise from public areas. I spoke to Celebrity today, and they are offering a special 1-2-3 promotion right now through 1/4/15 on cruises booked in Concierge Class cabins and above. The sailings included in this promotion are ones after February 2015. The 1-2-3 promotion includes a free beverage package, free gratuities and onboard credit of $300 per stateroom. It sounds like a great deal! Also, you can use Choiceair to book flights. Choiceair is a separate department that Celebrity uses to help passengers book flights, and they may be able to find better airfares for you, if you need them. I hope this information helps. By the way, my husband and I have been to Australia twice in the past 2 years, and love it! We also liked New Zealand. Enjoy your cruise! Judy

[phoenix_dream]

Thanks for all the answers everyone.

 

So, we have taken the plunge & just booked our 12 day March 2015 Solstice cruise today as they had a sale on - free balcony upgrade at inside cabin price!

 

Ended up selecting a 1B category balcony cabin not far from the forward elevators on deck 9.

 

We have had cabins in similar positions often on RCCL ships & really like the position, so hope it's comparable on Solstice.

 

So looking forward to it now, will be fun getting to know a different ship & seeing what celebrity has to offer!

 

I'm sure we will find heaps to like.:)

 

I have had similar position cabins on S class ships on Celebrity and thought they were great. There was quick access to the spa area and adult swimming pool, as well as the theater. We find it is more quiet in that area as well, and easier to catch an elevator (with the exception of right before or after shows in the main theater). It's a bit of a hike to the restaurants in back, but other than that our preferred location if we can't land a mid-ship hump balcony cabin.