rcl cruiser trying celebrity

[phish tales]

we are avid RCL cruisers (well over 100). we are trying our first Celebrity cruise (Summit). we have heard many good things and everyone says "we will be Wowed). we are going on board with an open mind and feelings of new adventures. what do you Celebrity cruisers think??? are we expecting too much??

Edited March 13, 2015 by phish tales

[dkjretired]

we are avid RCL cruisers (well over 100). we are trying our first Celebrity cruise (Summit). we have heard many good things and everyone says "we will be Wowed). we are going on board with an open mind and feelings of new adventures. what do you Celebrity cruisers think??? are we expecting too much??

 

Very difficult to tell since we know little about you. Do you like trivia or rock climbing walls, really hard for us to tell. There are differences and you are going on one of Celebrity's older ships. I certainly would not compare Summit to an Oasis ship.

[phish tales]

Very difficult to tell since we know little about you. Do you like trivia or rock climbing walls, really hard for us to tell. There are differences and you are going on one of Celebrity's older ships. I certainly would not compare Summit to an Oasis ship.

 

we are not going to compare ships. we have done RCL's Quantum class to the Majesty. we have done them all. we are comparing food, service, friendliness, staff , casino---the real things that make or break a cruise.

just going by what we were told.----that we will be wowed....:)

Edited March 13, 2015 by phish tales

[workstocruise]

We were also loyal RCI cruisers although not nearly as many as you, but we tried Celebrity on the Constellation and fell in love with X. Our next two cruises are on Celebrity but I would like to sail on the new Quantum. I thought the crew on the Constellation were the best. We also thought the food was a step up, but if you are looking for the wow factor that Royal is famous for, I'm not sure you will find it on the Summit. Since we retired our cruises are based on itinerary rather than the ship. Good luck, I'm sure you will have a great cruise.

[DWhit]

We cruised RCL prior to Celebrity, and we enjoyed Celebrity very much our first time. But we still cruise both lines (among others). There are some things we prefer on RCL and some we prefer on X. So we tend to go back and forth depending on what we are missing the most at time of booking.

 

Unless you just happen to catch one of those bad cruises that sometime happen, you should very much enjoy your Celebrity trip. I hope you have a wonderful time.

[maggie.1008]

If you want to be wow `d I would try the S Class ships on X.

[phish tales]

We cruised RCL prior to Celebrity, and we enjoyed Celebrity very much our first time. But we still cruise both lines (among others). There are some things we prefer on RCL and some we prefer on X. So we tend to go back and forth depending on what we are missing the most at time of booking.

 

Unless you just happen to catch one of those bad cruises that sometime happen, you should very much enjoy your Celebrity trip. I hope you have a wonderful time.

 

thank you all for the wonderful knowledge and best wishes. we want to compare food, perks (what do they have for us compared to the CL and drinks we get on RCL) and service only. we are hoping everything we hear is true..

[Jman1118]

I'm in the same boat (and going on the same ship) as the original poster. My question is what should we expect going on the Summit and Celebrity? I know the Summit can't be compared to the last ship I was on (Allure).

[wallie5446]

we are not going to compare ships. we have done RCL's Quantum class to the Majesty. we have done them all. we are comparing food, service, friendliness, staff , casino---the real things that make or break a cruise.

just going by what we were told.----that we will be wowed....:)

 

After 100+ sailings is it still possible to be 'WOWED'? Maybe, it is also possible to be disappointed, tho IMHO, this will not be the case here, but don't feel you will have that light bulb moment!:D

 

Our 1st RCCL was in 1990 on the Empress, 1st Celebrity was in 1994 on the Zenith. We are lowly Emerald in C&A, and just reached Elite in CC last cruise.

 

We feel the "service, friendliness, staff , casino" are equal on both lines, and feel the MDR meals, buffet, pool grill, and coffee shop are better on Celebrity. The specialty options are very good to wonderful on Celebrity. Yet Chops is by far are favorite specialty venue.

EW

[micmacmissy]

Here are the areas I think you'll be wowed over RCCL:

 

Buffet food: far superior on Celebrity. Real eggs, made to order omelets, delicious waffles, yummy pizza. (Sorry, but Sorrentos is HORRIBLE). Plus, there is outdoor seating which is really nice!

 

Solarium: Celebrity's solarium (on M class ships like Summit) has a wonderful spa like bubble pool, with a built in lounging section...it's great!

 

Ice cream: Forget the subpar soft serve coming out of that dirty machine poolside on RCCL. Celebrity has homemade, hard scoop ice cream in several flavors which change daily...plus a load of great toppings. This is located in the buffet as well...no surcharge!

 

Lounges: Live music and great service in the pre-dinner and evening hours...really nice! We had a hard time finding live music before 9:30pm on RCCL.

 

Service: Dining room and room stewards are equal on both lines. But on Celebrity you'll notice little things, like champagne on embarkment, ALL staff saying hello, a tent set up on the pier where you can get a drink or relax in the shade after a port day.

 

Smoking: None indoors on Celebrity ships, which means you can actually enjoy the casino and other areas without disgusting secondhand smoke!

 

Fellow passengers/ambiance: They follow the dress code on Celebrity, which means you won't see some chump in a tuxedo-printed tshirt on formal night. Also, no Bingo announcements or belly flop contests by the pool.

 

I think you'll have a great time! Come back and report, would love to see what others think the differences are!

Edited March 13, 2015 by micmacmissy

[phish tales]

Here are the areas I think you'll be wowed over RCCL:

 

-Buffet food: far superior on Celebrity. Real eggs, made to order omelets, delicious waffles, yummy pizza. (Sorry, but Sorrentos is HORRIBLE). Plus, there is outdoor seating which is really nice!

 

-Solarium: Celebrity's solarium (on M class ships like Summit) has a wonderful spa like bubble pool, with a built in lounging section...it's great!

 

-Ice cream: Forget the subpar soft serve coming out of that dirty machine poolside on RCCL. Celebrity has homemade, hard scoop ice cream in several flavors which change daily...plus a load of great toppings. This is located in the buffet as well...no surcharge!

 

-Lounges: Live music and great service in the pre-dinner and evening hours...really nice! We had a hard time finding live music before 9:30pm on RCCL.

 

-Service: Dining room and room stewards are equal on both lines. But on Celebrity you'll notice little things, like champagne on embarkment, ALL staff saying hello, a tent set up on the pier where you can get a drink or relax in the shade after a port day.

 

-Smoking: None indoors on Celebrity ships, which means you can actually enjoy the casino and other areas without disgusting secondhand smoke!

 

-Fellow passengers/ambiance: They follow the dress code on Celebrity, which means you won't see some chump in a tuxedo-printed tshirt on formal night. Also, no Bingo announcements or belly flop contests by the pool.

 

I think you'll have a great time! Come back and report, would love to see what others think the differences are!

 

 

now these are the kinds of differences that will impress me.

thank you micmacmissy

Edited March 13, 2015 by phish tales

[kenevenpar]

Here are the areas I think you'll be wowed over RCCL:

 

Fellow passengers/ambiance: They follow the dress code on Celebrity, which means you won't see some chump in a tuxedo-printed tshirt on formal night. Also, no Bingo announcements or belly flop contests by the pool.

 

Actually saw this chump on our Reflection cruise in December :eek:

[blueboro]

Actually saw this chump on our Reflection cruise in December :eek:

 

I too saw one on our recent Equinox cruise. Had on a tux jacket and t-shirt with tie/vest look. Strange.

[Bead Pirate]

We have all the bells, whistles and status perks with over 80 cruises on the above mentioned cruise lines.

 

We did our first Celebrity Cruise in early December 2014 on the Reflection. It is not too strong for me to say that I may have wasted all of my time and money on my previous cruises!

 

We are getting back on Reflection tommorow and have three more booked on her (including a Transatlantic) so far this year (2015). There is no comparision between our previous cruises and the beautiful Reflection (It feels more like a 5 Star hotel than a crusie ship).

 

Staff is excellent (yes even better than Disney). Food is not even comparable except maybe for Park 150 and Remey (the specialty dining on Celebrity is amoung the best meals I have had on land or sea, love Tuscan). The Martini Bar, Molecular Bar and the Vintages are wonderful (try the caviar and vodka pairing at the martini bar). The Casino (IMHO) is much more accomodating and frankly, more fun.

 

There is an attempt each evening to bring you some unusual or unexpected entertainment or diversions. To a large degree ,your fellow travelers do dress per the dress code and are an intresting bunch of folks. Celebrity is just a step up from all of the others we have experienced (but try to keep it to yourself, I would hate not to be able to get on because of too many bookings)

 

We will still go back every so often to the others (lately with friends who have booked on the other lines) but it is more for thier company than the ship.

 

I hope you have the sme experience that we have had and enjoy the top notch product that Celebrity puts on the sea!

[wwcruisers]

Actually saw this chump on our Reflection cruise in December :eek:

 

I too saw one on our recent Equinox cruise. Had on a tux jacket and t-shirt with tie/vest look. Strange.

 

Similar story on our Century b2b, last year. Guy wearing one of those hats, that looks like a sun visor, with a shock of bleach-blond hair over it. Yep, real funny at the Meet-n-Mingle party. Not so much, on formal night...:rolleyes:

 

But, don't want to unduly worry the OP with these tales -- they are the rare exception to the Celebrity rule. People generally dress well -- and appropriately for the venue and occasion! :cool:

Edited March 13, 2015 by wwcruisers

[LongTimeTvlr]

Here are the areas I think you'll be wowed over RCCL:

 

Buffet food: far superior on Celebrity. Real eggs, made to order omelets, delicious waffles, yummy pizza. (Sorry, but Sorrentos is HORRIBLE). Plus, there is outdoor seating which is really nice!

 

Solarium: Celebrity's solarium (on M class ships like Summit) has a wonderful spa like bubble pool, with a built in lounging section...it's great!

 

Ice cream: Forget the subpar soft serve coming out of that dirty machine poolside on RCCL. Celebrity has homemade, hard scoop ice cream in several flavors which change daily...plus a load of great toppings. This is located in the buffet as well...no surcharge!

 

Lounges: Live music and great service in the pre-dinner and evening hours...really nice! We had a hard time finding live music before 9:30pm on RCCL.

 

Service: Dining room and room stewards are equal on both lines. But on Celebrity you'll notice little things, like champagne on embarkment, ALL staff saying hello, a tent set up on the pier where you can get a drink or relax in the shade after a port day.

 

Smoking: None indoors on Celebrity ships, which means you can actually enjoy the casino and other areas without disgusting secondhand smoke!

 

Fellow passengers/ambiance: They follow the dress code on Celebrity, which means you won't see some chump in a tuxedo-printed tshirt on formal night. Also, no Bingo announcements or belly flop contests by the pool.

 

I think you'll have a great time! Come back and report, would love to see what others think the differences are!

 

We have sailed on the Century, Summit and Solstice with Celebrity and the Radiance, Liberty, Serenade and Quantum with RCL.

 

Just got off the Quantum and booked with Celebrity again. Agree with all of micmacmissy's points. Key difference we found is on RCL we get the feeling that they are always trying to upcharge you. For example on the Quantum's daily activity flyer over half the items listed were Spa events, Art Sales or other "marketing like" activities.

 

Don't get that same feel on Celebrity. More refined and low key.

That being said, we haven't been on a Celebrity ship since August of 2009 (Solstice), and all of our RCL cruises have been since that cruise. RCL draw for us is the great dance floor in the Colony Club or equivalent on the RCL Radiance class ships. Greatly disappointed in the dancing on the Quantum. Seems with RCL the larger the ship the worse the dancing. That is a big thing for us. Also RCL seems to be trying way too hard to draw the younger crowds.

 

Just our view.

[DavyJoneses]

Very difficult to tell since we know little about you. Do you like trivia or rock climbing walls, really hard for us to tell. There are differences and you are going on one of Celebrity's older ships. I certainly would not compare Summit to an Oasis ship.

 

Good response!

[Stateroom_Sailor]

I wouldn't go into it expecting to be WOWed, more relaxed. RCL is closer to a cutting edge Vegas hotel, where Celebrity is more like a low-key resort. Since both lines are priced similarly, and Celebrity isn't spending as much on entertainment, much of everything else is elevated in quality. Personally I would rather spend any port day on Celebrity, and any sea day on Royal Caribbean.

 

As far as sales, the 123GO! beats the somewhat neutralized BOGOHO any day in my book. :rolleyes:

[Wickets]

I think a lot depends on your cabin. Until RCI makes changes to suites, Celebrity suite class makes the difference to me.