Comparing Celebrity to Royal

[celebritydave]

We have been sailing Celebrity since the 90's, most recently on the November '14 Silhouette TA. We really like Celebrity a lot.

 

We had an opportunity to take a New Years' cruise on the Vision of the Seas sailing from our home port of Tampa. This was our first cruise on RCCL.

 

This was our first time sailing from Tampa and it was very easy. We parked close by and got right on the ship. Since we are Elite on Celebrity, we are Diamond on RCCL.

 

The ship was extensively refurbished in 2013 and was in very good condition with just a few exceptions.

 

I won't do a comparison on the ships, that wouldn't be fair.

 

Our major issue on the Vision was the food.

 

The food in the MDR for dinner was just ok and sometimes not even that. The prime rib on the first night was tough and not very tasty. On several occasions the food was not at the proper temperature and had to be sent back.

 

I went to the windjammer cafe for a hot dog, and they were stacked in a pan and not very warm.

 

The breakfasts in the windjammer were fine, made to order eggs and omelets and the bacon was very good.

 

On the Silhouette, we found the food to be good to very good. Of the 15 nights in the MDR, there was only one night that we had to send something back.

 

Another area we thought was lacking a bit was the service.

 

On the Vision, we had my time dining. We sat in the same area most nights and had the same servers. The service was slow and the courses were not paced very well. They were not too happy taking special requests.

 

On the Silhouette, we had late seating. Our service was very good, our waiter and assistant were very attentive and had no problem with special requests.

 

Entertainment on the Vision was pretty good. They had two very good bands and they put on a great show for New Year's eve. In the Centrum, they had some performers on a trapeze that didn't do much. I think they were trying to duplicate the show on the Silhouette. In fairness to RCCL, the Vision wasn't built for that type of show.

 

Elite vs Diamond. On the Vision, our free drinks were pre-loaded on our Seapass cards and it was easy to get a drink at almost any bar. They have a lounge for Diamond and once you got in, they never checked the cards. We could get just about anything to drink and they had warm snacks that you could get.

 

We got 2 free pictures from the photo shop. And a free coffee in the specialty restaurant. We got 1 hour of free internet and a discount on laundry

 

On the Silhouette, we had the tickets for the free drinks. We could go up to the sky lounge for drinks and snacks, but that was pretty crowded.

 

We had 90 minutes of free internet, and a free bag of laundry. We had a wine tasting and a captain's reception.

 

Specialty restaurants. We did eat one night at Giovanni's table on the Vision.

It was only 20 dollars and the food was very good.

 

We didn't eat at any specialty restaurants on the Silhouette - they are getting to be too expensive.

 

Overall, we enjoyed our cruise on the Vision, and sailing from Tampa was really nice. However, Celebrity is still our first choice.

 

Dave

[elkay68]

Thank you for the post. We are elite on celebrity and will be taking our first Royal cruise this summer. However not even on the ship and I am disappointed that we can not order a bottle of liquor for the suite. Celebrity gives us 2!

[upwarduk]

They were not too happy taking special requests.

 

I have a Lactose intolerance and cannot eat any food prepared with dairy, eg, milk, butter, cream or cheese.

Do you mean I couldn't have my special meals as provided by Celebrity?

[celebritydave]

I have a Lactose intolerance and cannot eat any food prepared with dairy, eg, milk, butter, cream or cheese.

Do you mean I couldn't have my special meals as provided by Celebrity?

 

I don't know about that, you will have to check with Royal. We just asked for some basic substitutions from the menu.

[TravelerThom]

I have a Lactose intolerance and cannot eat any food prepared with dairy, eg, milk, butter, cream or cheese.

Do you mean I couldn't have my special meals as provided by Celebrity?

We are E+ and D+. We find both lines are easy to work with for special requests; a simple request and everyday either the waiter or Assistant Maitre d' will bring you tomorrow's menu, and they will then enter a special order for you for the next day. [We are not looking at lactose intolerance, so have no knowledge of that specifically, but I would think that would be covered.]

 

Thom

[TheCount]

Hello

We are Royal Diamond+ cruise people, and working on booking on Celebrity S Class. Looking for input to a Concierge Class cabin or Aqua Class cabin? ON Royal Freedom and Oasis class, I usually use the steam and sauna rooms regularity. Is this available in the Celebrity fitness area or pay for service or included in the Aqua cabin? Looking for a best option on this, since we have not been on Celebrity cruises, only RCCL. Thanks for any info in advance.

[Duanerice1]

Thanks Dave for making the compare. Having sailed both I pretty much agree with your assessments. But any cruise is better than no cruise :)

 

Hello

We are Royal Diamond+ cruise people, and working on booking on Celebrity S Class. Looking for input to a Concierge Class cabin or Aqua Class cabin? ON Royal Freedom and Oasis class, I usually use the steam and sauna rooms regularity. Is this available in the Celebrity fitness area or pay for service or included in the Aqua cabin? Looking for a best option on this, since we have not been on Celebrity cruises, only RCCL. Thanks for any info in advance.

 

If price is not an issue or close in cost then AQ is the way to go. You get unlimited access to the Persian Gardens but most importantly your assigned dining room is Blu which to us is more like a restaurant than the MDR.

enjoy

Edited January 8, 2015 by Duanerice1

[TravelerThom]

We are Royal Diamond+ cruise people, and working on booking on Celebrity S Class. Looking for input to a Concierge Class cabin or Aqua Class cabin? ON Royal Freedom and Oasis class, I usually use the steam and sauna rooms regularity. Is this available in the Celebrity fitness area or pay for service or included in the Aqua cabin? Looking for a best option on this, since we have not been on Celebrity cruises, only RCCL. Thanks for any info in advance.

S class has nice free saunas in the men's and women's locker room areas. The only steam rooms that I am aware of are in Persian Gardens; as Duanerice1 says admission to the co-ed Persian Gardens is included in AQ, and available to others for a fee (not entirely sure, but I think about $20/$25 per day per person, maybe specials of $99/week); Elites get one free visit to the Persian Gardens on a port day. It seems the consensus is that Concierge Class doesn't provide much benefit - same size cabins as regular veranda, a bottle of inexpensive bubbly, not particularly good afternoon canapes, and a slight bump in Captain's Club points - and is generally not worth it. AQ is appreciated by many for Blu restaurant and the Persian Gardens.

 

Thom

[celebritydave]

Thanks Dave for making the compare. Having sailed both I pretty much agree with your assessments. But any cruise is better than no cruise :)

 

 

 

If price is not an issue or close in cost then AQ is the way to go. You get unlimited access to the Persian Gardens but most importantly your assigned dining room is Blu which to us is more like a restaurant than the MDR.

enjoy

 

Yes, I totally agree with that.

[Queen of Oakville]

With only 1 X cruise under my belt, I probably don't have enough foundation for my opinions .... but that won't stop me from giving you one :D

 

I don't think there is any comparison between Royal and X when it comes to food and service. X is by far superior in this area.

 

We have had some good service on Royal (FOTS) but the service on X was outstanding.

 

A big difference I noted was that on Royal, you are being told that the service must be excellent, not just good, but excellent .... and it is very clear that the excellent service is being offered in relation to tips and or guest satisfaction survey.

 

On X (I will note that we had prepaid grats) the service was just excellent. I never felt that it was in any way contingent upon grats or surveys. There was no mention of it. In fact, when we offered our server an extra something at the end of the week, he seemed almost uncomfortable taking it. After 10 or more cruises, this was our best service experience. I hope to have the same experience on silhouette.

 

 

I have a Lactose intolerance and cannot eat any food prepared with dairy, eg, milk, butter, cream or cheese.

Do you mean I couldn't have my special meals as provided by Celebrity?

 

I can't speak for lactose issues; but my son has nut allergies. In my book, X wins hands down as the best cruise line for special needs. On Royal, if they comprehend allergies at all, they are so afraid of lawsuits or something bad happening that they adopt the "better not to take a chance" mentality. Whereas, on X, have special prep areas, but more importantly, their staff are educated about allergies, and as soon as an allergy is mentioned, a manager is called who is sure to resolve your needs. This was my experience, and solidified our decision to cruise with X again.

[countess5]

Thank you for the post. We are elite on celebrity and will be taking our first Royal cruise this summer. However not even on the ship and I am disappointed that we can not order a bottle of liquor for the suite. Celebrity gives us 2!

 

We are Diamond and Elite, have sailed in suites of all sizes. Just sailed in the Eastern Mediterranean in September on Reflection in a CS. Was the second time on Reflection and had a bar set up in the cabin both times. They do that right! :D

 

The only issue I have with X is the entertainment, RCCL has that beat hands down. :(

 

Don't tell X but will be sailing on NCL Getaway January 31st.....:p First time!

[jsf]

Since before Celebrity was bought by RCCL it's always been

 

Celebrity = Food

RCCL = Entertainment

J.

[wallie5446]

I have a Lactose intolerance and cannot eat any food prepared with dairy, eg, milk, butter, cream or cheese.

Do you mean I couldn't have my special meals as provided by Celebrity?

 

RCCL has a Chef and staff, in a seperated area of the kitchen, to prepair the meals for the pax with special food needs. The staff on the Reflection in 2013 was better than the Equinox last Nov. You will be in good hands.

[TheCount]

Since my question related to RCCL and Celebrity, and Concierge vs Aqua class cabin, we booked an Aqua cabin on Reflection. Our plan is to monitor the prices, anticipating some price changes (downward we hope).

 

We are travelling at high time, so, who knows? The price for vacationing during everyone else's vacation time. Thanks for all who provided in-depth info and our planned Celebrity trip.

[wallie5446]

Since my question related to RCCL and Celebrity, and Concierge vs Aqua class cabin, we booked an Aqua cabin on Reflection. Our plan is to monitor the prices, anticipating some price changes (downward we hope).

 

We are travelling at high time, so, who knows? The price for vacationing during everyone else's vacation time. Thanks for all who provided in-depth info and our planned Celebrity trip.

 

When are you thinking of sailing? We last sailed the Reflection in Nov 2013, in a deck 9, C2 on the angle of the hump, the week after the TA, and before Thanksgiving. Booked in Feb '13 and the price never came down. After 25+ years of crusing the Reflection is our favorite ship yet!

Edited January 9, 2015 by wallie5446

[TheCount]

When are you thinking of sailing? We last sailed the Reflection in Nov 2013, in a deck 9, C2 on the angle of the hump, the week after the TA, and before Thanksgiving. Booked in Feb '13 and the price never came down. After 25+ years of crusing the Reflection is our favorite ship yet!

 

We are booked for Dec 26-2015 which will be the New Years trip we did not take this year on RCCL. We are out on RCCL Oasis in late February next month, so will see how things compare. Our favourite class RCCL ship size is the Freedom class which seems to be the same as Solstice class for Celebrity.

[wallie5446]

We are booked for Dec 26-2015 which will be the New Years trip we did not take this year on RCCL. We are out on RCCL Oasis in late February next month, so will see how things compare. Our favourite class RCCL ship size is the Freedom class which seems to be the same as Solstice class for Celebrity.

 

We last sailed the Freedom Oct 2011, with almost 4000 pax. Our Reflection sailing Nov 2013 had 2800. Reflection has berths for the most pax of any S-Class. The 2 ships are very different from each other. A NYr sailing on Celebrity will have a lot less kids on board, and will be like finally getting to sit at the Adult table for dinner! :D

Edited January 10, 2015 by wallie5446

[micmacmissy]

I agree the food is overall superior on Celebrity. Another important distinction: homemade ice cream available on Celebrity.

 

Nothing like than on RCCL unless you count the soft serve machine by the pool...which I don't!

Edited January 10, 2015 by micmacmissy

[TravelerThom]

I agree the food is overall superior on Celebrity. Another important distinction: homemade ice cream available on Celebrity.

Nothing like than on RCCL unless you count the soft serve machine by the pool...which I don't!

I agree that soft serve is not real ice cream in my book. Celebrity definitely has more varieties of real ice cream available for much of the day. But to imply that RCI does not have any real ice cream is NOT true. Several varieties of real ice cream are available in RCI MDR at every lunch and dinner, and in the Windjammer at dinner.

 

Thom

[TN Vol Fan]

We last sailed the Freedom Oct 2011, with almost 4000 pax. Our Reflection sailing Nov 2013 had 2800. Reflection has berths for the most pax of any S-Class. The 2 ships are very different from each other. A NYr sailing on Celebrity will have a lot less kids on board, and will be like finally getting to sit at the Adult table for dinner! :D

On the Reflection NYE cruise this past year 2014, we had lots of kids, over 500 on board. Did not see a lot of bad behavior, just kids having fun. We do not travel with children and didn't mind all the families.

I don't know how that would compare to RCL.

[TheCount]

On the Reflection NYE cruise this past year 2014, we had lots of kids, over 500 on board. Did not see a lot of bad behavior, just kids having fun. We do not travel with children and didn't mind all the families.

I don't know how that would compare to RCL.

 

We anticipate children and teens. It is high family vacation season. Royal kid factor can be challenging, but we don't let our vacation be troubled. As Diamond+ on RCCL gives us a number of get away places and lounges and we traditionally use specialty dinning for about 4 nights in the sailing. Thanks again for all the feedback. We are looking forward to giving Celeb Reflection a vacation trip. :)