Convince me to try Celebrity (from royal)

[Wetmib]

We've been loyal to royal (ugh, mrktg slogan right there) but feel their prices, and ship sizes are getting larger than I want to deal with - convince me to switch and try Celebrity.

We are approaching 60 yo age range, travel to caribbean in jan/feb - usually interested in beaching it, maybe a tour

 

thanks all

[long time lurker]

We made the switch after our cruise on the Allure in 2011 and have never looked back. We find the atmosphere just more relaxed and refined on Celebrity. Don't get me wrong, Royal has its place, but if you don't need all the family activities or gimmicks (rock walls, ice rinks, zip lines) and just want a relaxing vacation then Celebrity is the way to go. It is just more "adult" with a step up in ambiance.

 

 

I also enjoy not having to schedule everything in advance as is now necessary on the large Royal ships. I did not find that to be a relaxing vacation.

 

 

The other advantage is the reciprocal Captains Club (Crown and Anchor) status. You do not have to give up the benefits you earned on the other line. I assume from your post that you are already at an upper tier.

[oneputt18]

Celebrity is more refined than Royal, no rock walls, ziplines or water slides. Announcements are made once a day in the AM, one by the CD and one by the Captain. We find the crews a little friendlier and the officers are very visible and will stop and chat. Entertainment is not as good as Royal and evening activities are a bit more laid back. Food is subjective, but we find Celebrity"s a bit better and the Oceanview buffet is better than the Windjammer.

[theriac]

Just try Celebrity, I feel they honestly offer the most value when you can book with the 2 perks. I know they up the charge a little, but it's still a savings.

 

If I wanted to do an 8 night on Carnival or Royal a balcony would be about $900-$1200 and I'd feel lucky if I got some OBC.

 

I just booked a 12 night on the Silhouette in November in a Concierge class for $1649 per person but that includes drinks, grats, and $300 OBC plus $200 OBC for booking on board.

 

Sure that's about $600 more per person but the quality food is significantly better than Royal and Carnival, the OBC and Grats included make up $800 of it that I'd be paying on one of those lines, a drinks package I would surely be spending some amount of money on, I'm getting 4 extra nights, and it's much quieter so I can focus on relaxing.

 

Also the lack of announcements is amazing, no pressure on buying things on board.

 

 

I came to celebrity because of a great deal for the Med last year and now there's no going back for me. I never liked Royal, did enjoy Carnival, but when all is said and done I still believe Celebrity offers the most bang for your buck when you look at everything included. I also love the Chic night idea as I'm not one who enjoys getting dressed up, but its so open ended if you do like dressing up you fit in as well.

 

The only way to describe it is more refined. The guest tend to be older, but that doesn't mean you won't see/hear crazy things. You can get bad passengers anywhere, but chances are on X it won't be as bad as they don't host the real late night crowds or advertise partying like CCL, RC, or NCL will.

 

 

I don't know how to convince you, but I'd highly recommend leaving your "loyal to royal" bubble and experience something new, you may just like it.

 

Sorry for any spelling or grammar errors I'm on mobile, and have fat thumbs.

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Forums mobile app

[HawaiianShirtDay]

We're​ 37 no kids and we've​ been loyal to RC as well. What convinced us to try Celebrity was itinerary- 3 days in Bermuda. RC only does 2. Also, I'm ready for a change. I personally feel like RC staff is trained to sell you something and move you along instead of helping you or answering a question. Booked Summit for this summer and can't wait.

 

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[OCruisers]

Hopefully, you'll give Celebrity a try to see for yourself. Could well be you'll find Celebrity a better fit for you. ;)

[bookitdanno]

We also started with Royal and tried Celebrity and have never looked back.

The prices with two perks are great, and the No Smoking inside the ship, including the casino, was a clincher for my wife.

Also, a lot of nice, little touches.... cloth towels in the rest rooms, all lounge chairs by the pool are padded, lots more.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Although we have reached Diamond Plus on Royal, we find ourselves sailing Celebrity more and more. In fact, we check their itineraries first before we check Royal Caribbean. I guess I like the more relaxed atmosphere and I feel the food is definitely better. I do miss the super shows on Royal, especially those on Oasis Class ships. But, truth to tell, I just find Celebrity more comfortable and more elegant.

 

Now we are nearing Elite Plus on Celebrity. It has taken a long time to get there, but every cruise has been worth it. I hope you will enjoy Celebrity too, but some folks do find it too quiet, so I do realize that each person has his own expectations and standards for a cruise.

[DHADEN]

What everyone else said, PLUS.......

 

We cruise Royal MOST of the time (see cruise history in signature), but RCI limits their itineraries and a lot of times, Celebrity will have better.

Panama Canal is an example - RCI used to do that but don't any more. We have cruised on the Infinity (Millie Class) twice to do the Canal and LOVE IT!

We have also booked the Eclipse for next March - 14 Night Circle the Caribbean w/All Three ABC Islands - something you'll never find in Royals itineraries.

 

Hope This Helps.

[tamtot]

I am starting to have the same itch! Feeling a little restless with Royal. My problem is I have no idea where to begin as far as choosing a Celebrity ship to sail. Should I just look for the newest? Can someone share with me the difference in the difference classes of ships?

Thank you!

[lakelorain]

We were Royal only cruisers who tried Celebrity a few times. All things being equal, we still prefer Royal. We like the high energy on the Royal ships.

As for food, that is subjective. The Celebrity buffet is better but we prefer the Royal menu in the MDR. I'm allergic to shellfish so have a very limited selection on Celebrity, especially the longer cruises.

Also we like to stay up late. Not an option on most Celebrity cruises unless we like to hang around with the cleaning crew.

Celebrity tends to have the more interesting itineraries but Royal has a few new ones that are just as good or better for 2018.

We will continue to cruise both and other lines too, but still prefer Royal.

Currently we have 7 cruises booked, 2 Celebrity and 5 Royal.

Anyway, that's my personal opinion based on my personal experience with both lines.

[chemmo]

We are D+ on RC and E+ on Celebrity....we were very loyal to Royal when our son was in his teens and have no complaints. We then became 'committed to Celebrity', especially with the introduction of the suite life programme. It just seemed to fit where we were...

 

In January this year we had a return cruise on Oasis...

We were curious ourselves how we would feel. It does depend a lot on what is important to you. We do feel RC wins on the entertainment front. We also like the greater variety of room choices on RC. However, we missed the better cuisine (especially with reference to the speciality restaurants) on Celebrity and the ambiance on Celebrity is just so relaxed..

 

Our summary would be...if you want a cruise focused on activities and entertainment stay with RC....if you want one based on rest and relaxation and better dining give Celebrity a try...

[MixerDave]

We are going on our first Celebrity in May. We had previously been RCI cruisers, although our status was only platinum. Our friends prefer Royal because they are diamond. But, if you are Elite on X, then it does not matter, and we can get a drink package.

 

The thing I dislike about Royal is their itineraries. They go to the same ports all the time. We chose the Equinox cruise because of the ABC islands. Now many people will say all the islands are the same, but I need to see for myself!

[S&C2]

After 22 cruises on Royal, we are sailing our first Celebrity cruise this December on Equinox. We do like to have fun in the evenings, so I hope there are some night time activities to keep us interested. Some of the threads I have read concern me that there isn't much going on past 9 or 10 pm.

[NemoCrownie]

We've been loyal to royal (ugh, mrktg slogan right there) but feel their prices, and ship sizes are getting larger than I want to deal with - convince me to switch and try Celebrity.

We are approaching 60 yo age range, travel to caribbean in jan/feb - usually interested in beaching it, maybe a tour

 

thanks all

 

We were in a somewhat similar situation - age and the time of year we cruise - except our discontent had more to do with Royals diminished food quality and variety, decreased staffing, overall cleanliness, and refurbishments that were more about adding cabins and pay venues and less about actually fixing things in disrepair and updating.

 

Anyway, during our second so-so cruise I was talking to another passenger that had just booked Celebrity for a specific itinerary and thought "what the heck" I'm game for a change. We booked a Celebrity cruise over two years out, did a B2B on RCI in the interim (also so-so, to put it mildly,...) and just completed our first Celebrity cruise on the Equinox in February. We loved it.

 

We had kind of quit going to many of the RCI shows unless they were something new or different - maybe 2 or 3 per cruise - and only attended a couple of Celebrity's guest entertainer shows so I can't really compare the shows but we actually thought there were more daytime activities that interested us and thought there was more live music around the ship than we had experienced on RCI in a few years.

 

We thought the included food was better, not wonderful but decent to very good, we loved the padded pool chairs, fruit waters and cold towels when returning to port, Cafe El Bacio, Mast Grill for poolside burgers and fries, the ship was spotless, actual towels in the restrooms, and the entire staff and crew were engaging and worked their tails off to ensure you had a memorable vacation. Additionally, the other passengers seemed much more pleasant and it was just a much more relaxing vibe. In short, we loved our cruise and have 2018 and 2019 booked on Celebrity.

 

We weren't ones to sit around in the Diamond Club and we had the included drink package so we never made it to the Captains Club happy hour, or really used any of the Elite Benefits for that matter, so I can't address the loyalty benefits.

 

The only way to know if you will like Celebrity is to try them; you may decide you prefer Royal but you will definitely have a nice vacation even if you decide Celebrity isn't for you.

[TheCount]

We are Diamond+ on RCCL and started a year ago on Celeb. We are going on our second and anothere booked for the Fall. Relaxed, more adult environment, excellent spec. dining and other items like Persian garden and alcoves on the lawn. RCCL, we feel has started to nickel and dime you to death on many many things. We enjoy oasis class, for variety, but challenged with the kid count is high. Entertainment is much better on RCCL, but a few more intimate bars and social area on Celeb.

 

So what ever thing, Celeb is IMO a nicer vacation experience , but they both rate high for us.

 

Happy choosing your next trip.

[Aunt Tina]

My favorite Celebrity Elite and Elite Plus perk is free laundry - those of you who are Diamond can look forward to having 30 items each washed and folded free! It is great on the longer cruises now that the airlines are charging so much to bring luggage.

[markeb]

Kind of the same as the others. We're Diamond on RCI, which makes us Elite on Celebrity. We're early to mid 50's with no kids. We've both had knees scoped, and I have a chronic rotator cuff tear that's not worth surgery. Rock climbing and Flowrider are out...

 

We booked Reflection over Christmas for our first Celebrity cruise. We booked Equinox for spring of '18 on the second or third day onboard...

 

We were in Aqua, and had a drink package that we upgraded. We enjoyed the Diamond Lounge on RCI, but with the drink package, never went to the Elite event. We found the food and service, especially Blu, much better than RCI. We love wine, and are members at I think three wineries plus our local wine place. Celebrity actually has sommeliers who can recommend wines in their venues (well, at least Blu) and some pretty decent wines. The music and entertainment was definitely different, but we did enjoy the shows (rarely went on RCI), and at least on Reflection at Christmas, there was a great rock'n'roll R&B band that could actually do Hendrix and SRV live!

 

If you have to go, go, go at 2 a.m., I'm not sure Celebrity is for you, but we enjoyed our first cruise with them. Oh, and we're booked over spring break in '18. Sky Suite for the price of an Aqua at Christmas, and about the same price as a JS on Freedom class, with included gratuities, internet, premium drink package, and $300 OBC plus another $250 for booking onboard. Sky Suite is approximately equal to JS, but you get suite lounge (Michael's Club) access and most of the suite perks.

[DirtyDawg]

Convince me to try Celebrity (from royal)

 

No!

 

Not until X pays me my standard sales commission.

 

:)

[griffy116]

We've been loyal to Royal and in the last few years, just felt more and more that we wanted to try something different, but my Grandson was younger and enjoyed the bells and whistles of Royal and we all traveled together as a family at least once a year on a cruise. He's now 23, and is Diamond on his own status with Royal, but is over all the slides, flow-rider bells and whistles and on our December cruise with Royal told me how excited he is about our June cruise on Celebrity. He loves the perks of having the drink package, internet, gratuities, OBC along with having the laundry package, and "chic" instead of formal night. He's taking a friend with him and she has only been on one cruise and that was with us on Royal in December. They're both really laid back and aren't interested in the clubs. They just want to lay by the pool, sit on their balcony, enjoy the ports and relax. They've both had a very busy year and really need this vacation. When we did the math with and without, the 4 perks work out to our benefit.We also used our Captain's club one-upgrade and ended up with our ideal locations on the ship. We aren't really into the shows either. All things considered, our cruise will not be any more expensive on Celebrity than Royal and in fact, may turn out to be a better bargain....and we get to be "newbies" once more (sort of...lol). We're counting the days!

[grandgeezer]

If you are interested, try it and find out if it fills you needs or not. Everybody has their own requirements and needs. Some people love them and some of us, not so much. Decide for yourself.

[Muushka]

Convince me to try Celebrity (from royal)

 

No!

 

Not until X pays me my standard sales commission.

 

:)

 

I finally had the gumption to do a quote of the OP and just say "no" and you beat me to it!

[EMBFlyer]

We were loyal to Royal, too, but just did our first cruise a couple of weeks ago on the Silhouette. We're hooked. We booked 3 more on board.

 

The best description I can think of is Celebrity is what Royal used to be in the early-mid 90s. The ships have half the passengers, but the same amount of crew. I never waited for a drink. The ships are not crowded. Never had any problems finding deck chairs, even on a sea day. I liked the no smoking in the casino.

 

The best thing, though, is I never heard the word "no". It's starting to seem like a lot of things on Royal are a fight. Not so on Celebrity. You ask for something and it's done. The bar is out of your favorite beer (within arms length)? On Royal, they just say they're out. On Celebrity, they go and get more. I just felt like we were taken care of better. The food is better and the specialty restaurants are amazing. The crew is friendly and the officers are very visible. If you get the chance, sail with Captain Dimitrios!

[Fish Lover]

Why would I, or anyone else on these boards, be interested in "convincing you" to try Celebrity? You can certainly read the boards and decide for yourself whether you want to book a trip and try it.

[DirtyDawg]

I finally had the gumption to do a quote of the OP and just say "no" and you beat me to it!

 

Sorry Muushka, you take the next one.

 

And there will be a next one...........

 

...........and a next next one and a next next next one..............................;)