Long time RCI Cruiser looking at X with lots of questions!

[markeb]

I did search, and found a lot of good information from other posts. Just looking for a little more input.

 

About us: my wife and I are in our early 50's. We have no children. DW is an elementary school teacher, for what that's worth. We are currently Diamond on RCI, which should translate to Elite on X, and I understand that to go higher, we start at 0 points, which is fine. She has chronic knee issues; I now have a chronic rotator cuff problem and knee issues. In other words, the FlowRider and rock climbing wall days are getting close to an end (if not over).

 

We have cruised Oasis once, all three Freedom class ships, and Freedom twice, Explorer, Jewel, and are on Brilliance in 19 days for Norway and Iceland. We previously cruised on HAL when we were in our early 40's, and while we enjoyed the experience, felt a little young and wanted something more active. At this point in time, we'd like something a little more "luxurious" and a little fewer character breakfasts, if that makes sense.

 

Because DW teaches, we're largely stuck cruising on school vacations. AND, as I'm "retiring" after a long Army career, we're also adjusting to the reality that most employers don't give you 30 days paid vacation. Both of which are causing us to look at holiday cruises. Celebrity Reflection has a really intriguing cruise that departs on Christmas Eve 2016 from Miami that has our attention. It's Eastern Caribbean, St Juan, St Kitts, St Maarten. We've never done St Kitts, so that's at least interesting. We've gotten used to cruising in Jr. Suites on RCI, which as near as I can tell don't exist on Celebrity? I'm trying to figure out the various Veranda categories and really need some practical help as to what would make sense. Right now, it's a $1000 difference from a veranda to a concierge and another $400 to an Aqua. For those of you who've cruised those categories, why did you or would you choose one of the "premium" categories?

 

A lot of the differences between RCI and X seem to be subjective. Most of the posts I've seen prefer the food and service on X and the entertainment and activities on RCI. I get the unspoken impression that we could expect X to be more adult for a Christmas cruise, where RCI (haven't actually looked for a similar cruise) would be more family oriented. Is that at least mostly accurate?

 

Thanks! And I can deal with someone posting the 15 links to similar posts that CC's highly efficient search function didn't find!

[keesar]

You have done an excellent job doing your homework! You are right on with a number of points.

 

The price different between veranda and Aqua class is rather steep in my opinion and not worth it. $1400 is a lot for an upgrade. The food in the MDR is excellent and $1400 would buy you a lot of perks like Speciality restaurants, excursions, etc. I would stick with your current room.

 

The stop at San Juan is brief and may only give you time to walk around town and do some local sightseeing. St.Kitts is a nice port, especially for snorkeling. Some nice tours there.

 

Food and service are an upgrade from Royal Caribbean. You will enjoy your cruise which is more refined but with less energy on board. You are the right people for Celebrity in terms of interests and your background.

[neverbeenhere]

Agreed the price difference does justify the upgrade. Now, in the future you will need to try Aqua Class. (just to try Blu) Personally, Concierge is only worth pennies. Celebrity will soon be coming out with the Edge Class ships so you might be making the "change" at the exact right time. Likely the stateroom classes will have upgraded availability. Given the educator and Government pensions(unless you were above 0-6), in the long run, I would opt for more cruises at a slightly lower stateroom class than the opposing.

[chemmo]

You mentioned you usually book junior suites. There is not a direct comparison on Celebrity but you may want to look at Sky Suites. As with RC jnr suites you would get priority boarding and a few other perks but be below the suite level (Celebrity Suite) of getting access to the suite lounge. The difference on Celebrity is that all suites have access to a dedicated suite dining room called Luminae.

 

Sky Suites would give you the slightly bigger room you are used to and Luminae. There is quite a price jump then to the Celebrity Suite including the suite lounge access as there is between a junior suite and a grand suite on RC for the same reason.

 

As elite you will have access to a cocktail event most evenings. These are usually really nice. Other perks are on coupons not on your card as they are on RC.

 

As a retired teacher myself I think you will really like the peace and tranquility on Celebrity.

[SNJCruisers]

Don't make the assumption that the Christmas Eve 2016 sailing you're looking at will be family free just because it's on X instead of RCI. In general, during all of the school holidays, there will be an influx of kids on board, but in general at a slightly lower percentage than what you would find on RCI. With the disparity amongst school districts as to when they take their spring break, that may be a better time to sail because the spring break is spread out over different weeks. The same is true for the beginning and end of summer break. Schools in the south tend to end earlier (sometimes before Memorial Day) and go back in early to mid August. Some districts don't start back until after labor day. The front or back end of your DW's schedule could be another opportunistic week to avoid the heavy crush. Thanksgiving and Christmas is the same for everyone, but the other school break options could thus be more appealing.

[Snit13]

As has been stated you have done your homework and as a former teacher I give you an A.

 

We are Elite+/Diamond. We have sailed Grand Suite on Jewel twice at Christmas time and had a Junior Suite on Enchantment. We have had the Celebrity Suite on The Constellation, Sky Suite on The Summit and Concierge on Infinity and Century. We have sailed all 5 of the S class ships in AQUA. I may be wrong but I think you would be happy in AQUA. You should love BLU for breakfast and dinner and the extra perks that come with the cabin. I would suggest if you haven't done so, go to Celebrity web site and check out Concierge and Aqua amenities and then make your decision. The Sky Suite was ok but in my opinion not worth the extra dollars. I feel I get more bang for my buck in AQUA.

 

We are booked in a Boardwalk balcony on Oasis in Dec. 2016 and an aft balcony on Serenade in April 2017.

 

I prefer Happy Hour on RCCL to Celebrity, however, I prefer Celebrity over RCCL. Try Celebrity and decide for yourself. Happy sailing.

[dkjretired]

You have done excellent research except for one thing. There will be loads of kids on a 7 day Caribbean cruise over Christmas.

[cynbar]

As mentioned above, you may want to consider a Sky Suite if this works into your budget. This will give you more room than a veranda cabin, an assigned butler to bring you snacks and afternoon tea and serve you meals if desired in your suite, and will also assign you to Luminae as your designated dinner venue . I haven't tried Luminae yet myself but initial reports have been good, it is always open seating with improved food and service over the MDR. It also serves breakfast, lunch and brunch on chosen days but I haven't quite figured that out yet. However, if you stick with regular veranda, I think $1400 is too big a price difference to go Aqua Class over regular veranda. Biggest advantage of AQ is dining in Blu, but it's not worth that much, you can buy the Ultimate Dining Plan for the specialty restaurants (or just choose a night or two there) and save money for other things. All balcony cabins on the S class are the same in terms of size and layout, only vary by location. The small perks with concierge class are worth almost nothing, at least in my experience.

 

We have sailed Reflection twice, she is a beautiful ship. You will find Celebrity to be elegant, dignified, sophisticated, more relaxed than Royal with a lovely, modern decor and excellent food and service. Sounds like a good choice for you and your wife.

[Cindy]

We are also in our fifties -- more "mid" than "early" though!:D Like you, we are Diamond on RCI, travel without children, and were formerly restricted to school vacations for travel because I was a principal (now retired!:)). We moved up to a JS on Royal Caribbean in 2008, and since 2012 have had all full suites on our RC sailings.

 

Our first Celebrity cruise was last summer in the Baltics, and we chose an Aqua Class cabin. Even though it was MUCH smaller than we're used to, we really enjoyed the experience. My husband and I thought BLU was fantastic, and we greatly prefer the smaller more intimate setting and great service to the hustle and bustle of the MDR. One advantage of an AQ cabin if you're looking for a reasonably adult experience is the restriction on the number of passengers per cabin. Aqua cabins are for two passengers only...there are no third or fourth berths. This makes the dining experience in BLU very adult, since families with young children are restricted from sailing with them in the cabin.

 

There's no getting around the numbers of children or the crowds on a ship as long as you're restricted to holiday/vacation sailings. We became masters at creating an adult/ship within a ship experience on ships with over 1,000 kids during Spring Break. Suites on Royal Caribbean was one way we did that, and I think AQ on Celebrity would accomplish much the same thing.

Edited July 11, 2015 by Cindy

[dkjretired]

We are also in our fifties -- more "mid" than "early" though!:D Like you, we are Diamond on RCI, travel without children, and were formerly restricted to school vacations for travel because I was a principal (now retired!:)). We moved up to a JS on Royal Caribbean in 2008, and since 2012 have had all full suites on our RC sailings.

 

Our first Celebrity cruise was last summer in the Baltics, and we chose an Aqua Class cabin. Even though it was MUCH smaller than we're used to, we really enjoyed the experience. My husband and I thought BLU was fantastic, and we greatly prefer the smaller more intimate setting and great service to the hustle and bustle of the MDR. One advantage of an AQ cabin if you're looking for a reasonably adult experience is the restriction on the number of passengers per cabin. Aqua cabins are for two passengers only...there are no third or fourth berths. This makes the dining experience in BLU very adult, since families with young children are restricted from sailing with them in the cabin.

 

There's no getting around the numbers of children or the crowds on a ship as long as you're restricted to holiday/vacation sailings. We became masters at creating an adult/ship within a ship experience on ships with over 1,000 kids during Spring Break. Suites on Royal Caribbean was one way we did that, and I think AQ on Celebrity would accomplish much the same thing.

 

The Solarium is a great place to get away as Cindy suggests. It is a fairly big area with a pool, hot tubs and the Aqua Spa café. Children are not allowed unless they have bad weather.

[rjrpar]

We are also mid-60s and diamond on RCCL, however we never cruise when school in out of session. Love our grandkids but prefer a more adult experience on cruises. Also have been on Carnival and Princess several times and tried our first Celebrity cruise last year, 14 days to the So. Caribbean in Feb. on the Eclipse. Here are my opinions and random thoughts on X vs. RCCL, although we find them to be much more alike than different:

 

- X is slightly more elegant with an older clientele, more like Radiance class

- Food is very similar, good banquet level food (we find other cruise lines also to be comparable to RCCL)

- Better entertainment on RCCL

- Specialty restaurants are good on both, Chops is similar to The Tuscan Grill

- Never would travel on RCCL in summer, attracts more kids

- Aqua cabins are not worth premium to us, we always book std. balconies

- Went on Quantum last year and never again

- Except for people watching (which can be fun), I would think most people over 60 would prefer X but again, the differences are not great significant

 

The Reflection is the same family as the Eclipse and they are beautiful ships. Have a great cruise.

[firstcruiserDB]

We just completed our first Celebrity sailing this summer. We cruised to Bermuda, and had a fantastic time! We are just about your age (later 50's), and until this summer, have only been able to sail during school holidays. (I teach 4th graders, and I will retire next May.:D) We had a number of prior cruises on Carnival and RCCL, and we really wanted to try a different line. Here's our thoughts.....

 

We fell in love with Celebrity the minute we walked on board! It wasn't that the Summit itself has such a "WOW" factor, but we felt the service and just a general upscale feeling was unbelievably better than Royal. We sailed in a Celebrity Suite, and I have to tell you that we've never been treated so well! We felt the food was FAR SUPERIOR in Luminae, and it was just a very relaxing week. I had heard that there would be lots of children on a Celebrity summer cruise, and I'm thinking the people that told me that had never been on a summer RCCL cruise! On a couple of occasions, we saw the children's group parade through the pool area with their counselors......there we EIGHT kids with them! Now, I'm sure there were many more kids on this sailing than there would be on a November trip to Europe, but........we hardly ever saw them!

 

I will say, however, that we did see many more scooters, walkers, and canes! Of course, that didn't bother us at all as we saw ourselves in just a few years!

 

We are sailing X again in November of '16. We knew we so wanted Luminae but didn't want the expense of a full suite. We are trying an aft (our favorite spot on any ship!) Sky Suite. That way, the only perk not included is Michael's Lounge and Concierge which we rarely used at all. We are excited to try Celebrity for a second time.

 

Many people rave and rave about Blu. We had plans to try it (suite guests can go on a space basis), but just didn't want to miss the service and food in Luminae. It was that good!

 

So, if the price is right, I'd suggest you stay with the Junior Suite feel, and try a Sky Suite. The perks, and especially Luminae, make it well worth the money!

[CathyCruises]

We have come to the conclusion that there is little benefit in booking concierge cabins. The perks sound nice on paper but are totally worthless. The cabins on the ship you are considering are identical from insides up to suites so that's not a consideration.

 

The only advantage of concierge is getting more points toward elite status, which probably isn't that important to you. The advantage of aqua is being able to dine in Blu, the dedicated restaurant for that class, but frankly I was not impressed, although many people here swear by it. It certainly isn't worth $1400 for a seven-day cruise in my opinion.

 

Yes, the Sky Suites are nice, just depends if the extra 50% room is worth the price differential to you, and beware that some S2s are below the buffet restaurant and some people have reported excessive noise from carts being wheeled about etc.

 

I always look for value and to me the best value is a standard veranda cabin in the midship area, making it easy to get everywhere on the ship.

[BILLP1]

I don't know where the $1400 more for Aqua then a balcony cabin comes from. Every cruise has a different fare for each cat. This Aug on a seven day Bermuda cruise there is only a $ 100 pp difference between balcony and an A2 aqua. Every cruise is different and the fares can change depending on bookings..Shop around for agent perks as well..

[CathyCruises]

I don't know where the $1400 more for Aqua then a balcony cabin comes from. Every cruise has a different fare for each cat. This Aug on a seven day Bermuda cruise there is only a $ 100 pp difference between balcony and an A2 aqua. Every cruise is different and the fares can change depending on bookings..Shop around for agent perks as well..

 

Came from the original poster who said that concierge was thousand more than a balcony and Aqua was $400 more than that

[ORV]

One thing that only one poster mentioned bears repeating.

 

Cynbar mentioned this in the body of their post;

 

"All balcony cabins on the S class are the same in terms of size and layout, only vary by location."

 

So the Concierge & Aqua Class will be the same size as the lowest category balcony cabin. To get any extra space you will need to go up to the Sky Suites.

[markeb]

Thanks everyone!

 

Just to reassure everyone, we had no notion that there would magically be no kids on a Christmas cruise! Just guessing it would be a little more sedate than a RCI cruise at the same time!

 

The holiday cruise does two things for us: DW is out of school, and it would only cost me 4 PDO's; It's going to take me a year or three to get a rhythm established with a new employer who pays well, but is more or less average for time off. From leaving an employer (Army) that was quite liberal with time off.

 

On the cruise I'm looking at on Celebrity's page without going to USAA for instance to check rates, a Veranda is $1649, Concierge $2199, and Aqua $2399. Per person. Suites are off the chart. So it's actually $1500, not $1400, to go from a Veranda to an Aqua. The JS thing on RCI was fairly recent for us, and for the most part we got deals on them; this summer being the notable exception where we're splurging on a 12 day cruise.

 

Thanks again! A lot to think about. I do think we'd enjoy Reflection, and at least some of the perks we receive from Royal will translate over.

[CathyCruises]

Thanks everyone!

 

Just to reassure everyone, we had no notion that there would magically be no kids on a Christmas cruise! Just guessing it would be a little more sedate than a RCI cruise at the same time!

 

The holiday cruise does two things for us: DW is out of school, and it would only cost me 4 PDO's; It's going to take me a year or three to get a rhythm established with a new employer who pays well, but is more or less average for time off. From leaving an employer (Army) that was quite liberal with time off.

 

On the cruise I'm looking at on Celebrity's page without going to USAA for instance to check rates, a Veranda is $1649, Concierge $2199, and Aqua $2399. Per person. Suites are off the chart. So it's actually $1500, not $1400, to go from a Veranda to an Aqua. The JS thing on RCI was fairly recent for us, and for the most part we got deals on them; this summer being the notable exception where we're splurging on a 12 day cruise.

 

Thanks again! A lot to think about. I do think we'd enjoy Reflection, and at least some of the perks we receive from Royal will translate over.

 

My suggestion would be to book the balcony cabin and use some of the savings for the three night specialty restaurant package. Best of both worlds.

 

FYI I took my three kids on the maiden voyage of the Galaxy over Christmas back in 1995 (?) and we had a fabulous time! But I don't remember there being an excessive number of kids, mine were little angels, of course ;)

[Kteacher]

I'm another RCI cruiser (and teacher) weighing in. We're D+ on RCI, and decided to try Celebrity last summer. We sailed on the Reflection western Med. in a CS. We usually do GS on RCI (have sailed most balcony categories including aft and JS as well).

We loved Celebrity :). The service was better, and we felt the food was better, and this was before Luminae was introduced. The activities were much more subdued, but we really enjoyed them-wine and cheese on the lawn while listening to a great acoustic guitarist playing Beatles' songs, progressive dinner (not sure if they're still doing this as it was experimental), Michael's Club-this was great, and is one of the reasons we're sailing Celebrity again.

I think what others have said about holiday sailings is true, there will be lots of families onboard. The ports will also be more crowded. Like you, we have to plan our vacations around the school calendar, and are also limited due to my husband's snow removal business. This means no travel between November and early April for us.

Happy planning!

[4774Papa]

We have done 8 Celebrity cruises and have one coming up in Japan in October.

Celebrity has great itineraries all over the World.

 

When I go on Royal Caribbean's website to search for a typical 14 day cruise, I rarely find any. But this is just why we don't do Royal.

 

You probably will be doing shorter cruises, from what you said.

 

We were upgraded to Aqua on a cruise around the British Isles, but other than that have done verandas. I don't see that concierge is worth the extra cost.

 

Agua is nice with two primary benefits, eating in BLU (we love BLU) and the saunas in the Persian Garden. The food in BLU is a bit healthier and seems to have special touches that makes it a little better than what you get at the MDR.

 

By the way, thank you for your Army service, I did some time in the Army as well.

[wallie5446]

Welcome to Celebrity, your in for a treat, as it will be close to just like the first time you set foot on ship.

 

Our first RCCL cruise was in 1990 on the Empress, our most recent was on the Freedom in 2011 in an Aft Jr, our favorite cabin to date, we are Diamond.

 

Our first with Celebrity was in 1994, we are Elite. Sailed the Reflection in 2013, and the wifester said it was her favorite ship in 25+ years! We are on the Equinox for the second yr in a row due to the 11/10 day route's. The layout of the S-Class ship is simply wonderful. The easiest to get around on without getting all backwards. We have stayed in the standard veranda, and a CC. This Nov will be our first time in Aqua. They are all the same exact size, 194 sq ft, and just like RCCL, the cabins on the angle of the hump have bigger balcony's.

 

The ONLY reason we are in Aqua was a special that had them less than a standard when we booked. The cabin itself is not worth any extra $$. The MDR is as good, if not better than RCCL, we are excited to try Blu as we have heard great things about the experience.

 

Chops got bumped by the Lawn Club Grill & Murano for top Specialty. We loved sitting at Vintages with a glass of wine people watching. On Reflection Cellar Masters is enclosed and dark, but the wine offerings are great.

 

Gotta take a call, any other questions, ask away!

EW

Edited July 11, 2015 by wallie5446

[notsomadhatter]

I think a verandah cabin on X will serve you well. While many people like Blu, I'd suggest checking out the menu and make sure that it is something you'd enjoy. I personally find it a bit limiting and somewhat bland. To each their own.

[STANMELB]

Could someone advise the comparable class of cabins on the RCL Oasis Class to Celebrity cabins?

 

Oasis Celebrity

 

Grand Suite--------------------

 

Owners Suite-------------------

 

L1 or L2 Crown Loft-------------

 

Thank you

[Cindy]

Could someone advise the comparable class of cabins on the RCL Oasis Class to Celebrity cabins?

 

Oasis Celebrity

 

Grand Suite--------------------

 

Owners Suite-------------------

 

L1 or L2 Crown Loft-------------

 

Thank you

 

From a pure size perspective, I would say a GS on Oasis would be comparable to a Celebrity Suite, and the Oasis Owner's Suite would translate to a Celebrity Royal Suite. The CL's are a little harder, because I'm not aware of any Celebrity suites that are two story.

[chemmo]

Rooms not easily compared but I will try! It is also complicated by Celebrity having S class (newer) and M clas (older ships).

 

Grand suite, nearest is Celebrity Suite. The Celebrity suite has separate bedroom and living room. This is good for some obvious reasons but we found the S class to feel a little crampt. The M class Celebrity suite has more open feel in the living room. Nicer I think.

 

Owners suite RC perhaps to Royal suite on Celebrity. Again Celebrity has the advantage of two separate rooms but obviously then not the open feel of RC's newer ships. An additional advantage is an half bathroom. Both have good dining areas.

 

In terms of perks Grand suite and Celebrity suite very similar (priority boarding, conceirge lounge...). It is when you move to Owners suite Vs Celebrity Royal Suite that Celebrity really has the advantage including premium drinks package and unlimited speciality dining.

 

We have been in a Crown loft suite and found it looked much nicer than it was to be comfortable in. Only Reflection has something similar. I am sure someone will come on the post and tell you about what I think are called signature suites.

 

In terms of preferences I do think it depends on your circumstances. If more than two people are cruising the separate rooms gives Celebrity the advantage. Just for two of you that open feel of the owners suite is really nice.

 

Hope this helps.