Trying to decide to try Celebrity or stay with Royal Caribbean

[cd-tk]

We are diamond and tried Celeberty for the first time last month. I'll never go on Celeberty again, the food was not very good the buffet was the worst of any cruise line I've seen the service for the most part was non exsistant. It was hard to find a bar waiter by the pool. Dirty dishes stayed on the table in the buffet until they piled up high. Wife asked for a glass of iced tea and was told where she could go to get it herself. The condition of the ship was clean but showed its age. We are in our 60s and felt like we were young compared to most of the passengers. Average age must be late 80s. Not a lot to do late night. Shore excursions were very limited in choices. I rate it right along with Holand American. Very bad cruise.

[TC Cruiser]

My second favorite cruise was probably on the Celebrity Millennium. I agree that Celebrity may be a step above RCI but IMHO not a giant step up. Still, you should enjoy your cruise and have a slightly different experience. I say go for it.

[RCI Cruisers 004]

Seeing you are a Diamond member, I'm sure you have pro's and con's with Royal too. Give Celebrity a try, you never know !

[whitshel]

Although I've never sailed on the Millennium class of ships, we really like the "S" class ship. One of our best cruises. So if you decide to try Celebrity I would opt for an "S" class ship

[riclop]

Hello! I am a diamond member with Royal Caribbean but really like some of the port options for Celebrity. Does anyone have any pros or cons that have taken a trip with Celebrity? Thanks, Susie

 

X is boring RCL is so much more fun.

[dagadget]

Hello! I am a diamond member with Royal Caribbean but really like some of the port options for Celebrity. Does anyone have any pros or cons that have taken a trip with Celebrity? Thanks, Susie

 

Go for it we have sailed celebrity and it was fabulous and even have a review on it as well.

[jules815]

We just made Diamond with RC, and will be taking our first cruise with X next month on Constellation. This is an M class ship, a 5-day going to Cozumel and Key West. I've been curious about giving X a try, and the dates for this cruise work best with my daughter's college spring break. We'll be in an aft S1 Sky Suite. (6145) I chose this room because I'd read good things about their suite restaurant, Luminae. Because we booked before January 1, we'll get a complimentary dinner in a specialty restaurant. Also, effective this past holiday season, Sky Suites also have access to their concierge lounge, Michael's Club, so that's another nice perk we weren't expecting.

 

I'm really excited about the non-smoking casino. :)

 

I joined their Captain's Club, and our Diamond status gives us Elite with X. Some nice perks at that level, including a bag of laundry.

 

I've done this itinerary quite a few times, but my daughter hasn't been to Key West, and we always enjoy a beach day at Nachi Cocom.

 

I'm really ready for a break from the Chicago winter, and excited to sail on a different ship with new menus.

 

We're obviously not unhappy with RC, we'll be doing the Harmony transatlantic in October, but looking ahead to 2017, X does have some nice Caribbean itineraries, with some even including overnights in San Juan and St. Maarten, etc., and we're also considering Azamara.

[quinceemom]

Hubby and I are very loyal Celebrity (Elite class) passengers. Yes, Celebrity is a little more laid back and the demographic does tend to skew a little bit older, but we love that!! Since we are able to take our Elite benefits with us to RCI, we've also done Royal and of course, there are things we like just a little better on RCI. We took our young granddaughters on the Freedom OTS and it was a perfect choice for them, with the Shrek characters, the water park and the stop in Labadee. In fact, we're considering Freedom again for April 2017,,,it will be moving to FL, but has a nice 8-day itinerary out of that port. We love the Diamond lounge, and the fact that it has it's own concierge and along with a nice drink selection, also offers a variety of tasty appetizers. I would suggest you just pick an itinerary that works, and try it!!! We love the Millie and her sisters, just a little smaller, but beautiful throughout. The S-class ships are also great, not too big, easy to navigate layouts and probably the nicest cabins at sea. Go with an open mind and I think you'll be surprised!! Be sure to try Q-sine and the Lawn Grill,,,two of our favorite restaurants at sea.

Our plans for this year are a 12-day Baltic capitals on Celebrity Silhouette in June and then a 7-day on the Harmony OTS the first week of December. I'm not a mega-ship fan, and to be honest, the Harmony cruise is actually more about the ship than the stops.

Edited February 11, 2016 by quinceemom
incomplete sentence

[Baron Barracuda]

Our first cruise was with X back in '93. We were in our 30's and loved it. Took our next couple with X as well, but once our children began cruising with us we switched to Royal for all the onboard activities. Now that they've grown and it's just the two of us again we've mostly gone back to X. Much more relaxing. Ships are a bit smaller and pools less crowded (better towels too, and no having to sign them in and out). Better choice of itineraries. Food, especially in the buffet much better. Downside is that X isn't in the Caribbean in the summer and really miss the diamond lounge.

 

Finally, while pricing for both lines is similar the X bbb pick two promotion currently gives you free beverages (incl specialty coffees) and either free grats or OBC.

[jules815]

Finally, while pricing for both lines is similar the X bbb pick two promotion currently gives you free beverages (incl specialty coffees) and either free grats or OBC.

 

Yes, we booked with this promotion for our cruise next month. I went with "Best," and for $225pp, we'll get unlimited internet, Premium Drink pkgs., gratuities, and $150pp obc. I would have purchased the drink packages and internet anyway, so it was a no-brainer.

 

Their Premium drink package is like Ultimate with RC, but the X pkg. looks a little bit nicer.

[Aldri_CA]

We're diamond, and tried X over our last 2 cruises: infinity, then solstice.

 

X has smaller ships, but whether that is a pro or a con will depend on you. On our trip on Infinity, a 2 week South America, I was definitely one of the youngest on board (and I'm in my late 20s), and my parents would've been in the median. Solstice was a caribbean trip, was a much livelier ship, and a much more spread-out age demographic.

 

I've found X to have much better food in the buffet and MDR (and Bacio's), but I personally prefer the Oasis class speciality restaurants on RCCL.

 

X also seems to continue to have the more "refined" ambiance that I've found RCCL to have relaxed in the last few years. People will make an effort to dress up for dinners on X, especially on formal nights, which I found has been the opposite on RCCL.

 

We're headed back to RCCL this year though... we miss the big ships, daytime activities, and overall "fun" factor of the bigger ships!

 

Either way, you can't go wrong -- give X a try and see what YOU like! :)

[yuvraj]

Having read the posts on this thread, it has brought back memories of my 12 day cruise on Celebrity Constellation. This was in a sky suite (essentially a balcony room with suite privileges.

 

I remember comparing Celebrity to Royal Caribbean the first few nights and missing some of the things I have become accustomed to on Royal Caribbean ships.

 

However, once I settled in and stopped comparing, I started appreciating all the thing Celebrity has to offer. By the end of the cruise, I really enjoyed my experience on the ship and would definitely go again. Standards in a number of areas were higher and it was overall more relaxing and comfortable especially when you combine suite and Elite privileges.

 

One negative for us is that they didn't cater for vegetarians that well. Made the effort with special meals provided in MDR back lacked the choice and flexibility that we have found on RCI.

 

On the positive. Exclusive breakfast venue for Elite members. There was no diamond lounge equivalent with a concierge but there is a loyalty host who is highly visible and becomes a familiar face at the various events you get invited to.

 

I would say that the two are remarkably different offerings and you would enjoy both if considered on their own merits instead of comparing the two.

 

As mentioned elsewhere on this thread, the live music at various venues was really good. For some reason, noticeably absent on my recent RCI cruises.

[sofietucker]

We LURVE Celebrity, for all the reasons listed below. Greeaaat entertainment--best among the lines we've cruised. Jazz combos & classical quartets daily in various lounges.

 

The Solstice class has a *grass lawn* up top. Thought it was a crazy/unnecessary idea until we visited. Then we spent a bunch of time up there. Tranquil, bar & live acoustic music, tables & comfy sofa arrangements, always a shady side but you can lay out on a towel too. They water at night. Sometimes offer croquet.

 

Just booked with that special offer (which the reps just told me will be extended until Feb. 28, due to booking glitches).

Edited February 11, 2016 by sofietucker

[sailawayjack]

Hello! I am a diamond member with Royal Caribbean but really like some of the port options for Celebrity. Does anyone have any pros or cons that have taken a trip with Celebrity? Thanks, Susie

 

:cool:After many RCCL cruises, we tried Celebrity for a Baltic Cruise because I would rather go out of Amsterdam instead of Harwich England. Royal is best suited for families with children (leaving sat on royal with my kids and grandson), but Celebrity is best suited for adults. Menu is great (escargot every meal), martini bar is best on the high seas (better show there than in theather). More refined. Laster went on Eastern Med with Celebrity, and have scheduled a 14 nt southern carib for fall 2017. You become an elite with Celeb which is what Diamond is the same status. Just wish that the two cruise lines would allow you to add total points earned together. Try Celebrity, you will like it:cool:

Edited February 11, 2016 by sailawayjack

[Sunny AZ Girl]

We are considering Celebrity for a Med cruise in 2017. We are Diamond on Royal, so we know that we woud have Elite status on Celebrity. We are just waiting for the RCI itineraries to be released before we decide. Itinerary and price will be our deciding factors.

[susiedag]

Thank you for all the replies! I think I will give it a try. Our children are grown and I think we would enjoy a more laid back atmosphere. You all gave me a lot to consider [emoji4]