Help! Silhouette or RC Navigator? Decisions, Decisions!

[RumRunner01]

This is a long one… I need the experts’ help decidingbetween two similar yet different cruises. Early on we cruised with mainly Royal Caribbean, but our last fewcruises have been with Celebrity. Welove Celebrity and the whole vibe, but my husband got a little bored on ourlast 10-night cruise on the Equinox. Hesuggested maybe we do RC next time for the activity. It’s not like we are out dancing until 2ambut he likes the physical active things and more planned activities. He gets bored easily, me, on the other hand,can just sit in the sun for a few hours reading and have a great time. But, I thought I’d see what was out there fora March 2019 cruise.

So, I have a hold on two cruises, both vising the ABCislands which is key for us: March 15, 2019 Celebrity Silhouette 9-nightsouthern Caribbean cruise in cabin 1676, a C1 aft concierge cabin (one of thewider ones); and March 1, 2019 Royal Caribbean Navigator 9-night southern Caribbeancruise in cabin 7688, a 7D aft cabin with a huge balcony. Each cabin I have on hold is awesome.

I held the Celebrity cabin including the GoBest package fora total of about $5200. RC had a saleyesterday that made the Navigator cruise $2,415 but includes no otherperks. Tallying up the estimated cost ofa beverage package, internet package, and gratuities (based on today’s prices) wouldadd another $1,200 or so to the RC price, bringing the RC cruise to around$3,615 which is still cheaper than the Celebrity cruise, but there is no OBCincluded in the RC cruise like there is on the Celebrity with GoBest. I really like the GoBest because I can bookeverything at once and be done, and in the long run, it’s a good deal for us. However,the Navigator is probably going to be cheaper but I want a great experience too– it’s not all about the $$ for us.

Other pros and cons for our travel situation… Navigatorvisits Labadee (con) and Silhouette visits Grand Cayman (pro); this cruisewould put both of us into Diamond on RC (pro); last time I was on an RC shipthe food was so-so, but last time on Celebrity the food was fantastic; moreactive things to do on Navigator (pro); deposit on RC is only $500 and onCelebrity it’s $900 (not a deal breaker); most likely fewer kids on theCelebrity sailing (pro). I’m torn 50-50on these two cruises. Help!

[jelayne]

Personally, I wouldn't spend $1,600 more for a cruise where my DH will be bored.

 

Fortunately my DH prefers Celebrity as do I.

[RumRunner01]

Personally, I wouldn't spend $1,600 more for a cruise where my DH will be bored.

 

 

 

Fortunately my DH prefers Celebrity as do I.

 

 

 

Good point. He does really enjoy Celebrity but maybe he needs to explore the activities they have on board further. Or maybe I need to get him back on RC to remind him just how active it is... it's been a while since we were on an RC ship.

 

 

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[Mr. Click]

Wow, that is a slippery slope you have to navigate. We just had a similar situation on a booking for Norway for next year, Celebrity Eclipse vs Indpendence of the Seas. Celebrity has the better ship, the better food and a much higher price but they include one perk plus $200 in OBC. RCI has the better itinerary, far better but we know the food is not as good and like you we prefer the quieter Celebrity atmosphere. The decider for us was the itinerary, more time in Norway, no stop in Scotland so we booked with Royal. In your case, I would go with Royal for the lower price, you can do a lot of specialty dining and still have some nice savings and moving to Diamond on RC would allow you to be Elite on future Celebrity cruises so that is a plus for RC this time. We made Elite on our last Celebrity cruise so we will be Diamond on Royal. So, humor your other half and keep the Royal on this one.

[hcat]

Go with Royal...you will get to Diamond on RC which will translate to Elite when you cruise with X...that seems worth it unless you are close to Elite anyhow, higher staus for internet and other perks,,.

 

Silhouette is newer but we really had a great time on Navigator,,..more lively at night and we enjoyed the parades, Food better on X but not terrible on RC...

 

ABC itin is awesome...btw we never get off anymore at GC...dislike tendering. And sometimes we stay on board at Labadee...so that comparison would not tip the scales for us,....

 

Have fun!

[Jeremiah1212]

We're (almost) in the same predicament. We've booked a 7 night Eastern Caribbean on Silhouette and the 9 night Southern Caribbean on the Navigator. Royal is about only about $300 cheaper for us, but no drink package, OBC offered would only cover tips. Plenty of time to decide but I share your confusion!

 

Royal probably attracts a crowd more similar to our age, great itinerary, two extra days, booked a great balcony, but our last RCL cruise had really poor food, the recent reports about the decline in liquor quality also makes buying the expensive drink package questionable...

 

Celebrity is just all around nicer to us, love the ship, drinks, tips and $550 OBC all included, better food, better specialty dining, we like the little more dressy atmosphere, but we may get bored, and the ports are just okay (San Juan, St. Thomas and St. Maarten)...

 

We of course could have done the 9 day in Jan/Feb on the Silhouette but it sold out very quickly. We love the drink packages but I'm not sure I can sustain drinking enough over 9 days to pay for it in Royal. I have a feeling we'll stick with Celebrity this time and try a southern route later on.

[RumRunner01]

Mr Click and hcat, you both make excellent points. We are not close to Elite on X, we have a way to go, but making Diamond on RC and transferring that to Elite on X sounds great. I do like the idea of staying on the ship in Labadee, too.

 

Jeremiah1212, you make good points, too. This is why it's a tough decision. I also am not excited about hearing the quality of the drink package on RC has declined. We typically drink top shelf liquors. I don't consider Absolut a top shelf vodka. I'm with you, Celebrity is more our style in general, too.

 

I think I'm going to have to stick with the RC cruise this time around. DH can revisit an RC ship, and then when we go back to X we will be Elite. I think that he will appreciate X more.

 

Thanks for all the input helping me decide, everyone!

[Mapleleaf14]

We are loyal Celebrity cruisers but did that cruise on the Navigator last February and loved it! We thought the food in the dining room was very good- quite comparable to Celebrity. The buffet is better on Celebrity. The Diamond Lounge was wonderful for drinks before dinner. They did not make you stick to a set menu for ordering. We could even get martinis! We thought that the snacks were also better than you find in the Elite lounge.

 

 

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[Tatka]

I love Celebrity more than RCCL , just better food, great pool areas, more refined atmosphere ... but we were surprised that Silhouette didn't even have shuffleboard!

Gym was excellent, but other than that I can see lack of "active" activities :)

 

We sailed on Navigator's sister Explorer and she definitely had much more activities.

[RumRunner01]

Thanks Mapleleaf14 and Tatka. I love hearing everyone's input.

[chemmo]

If you do go with RC use some of the saved cash for speciality dining...we are recently off Oasis and did find the difference in food standards noticeable (and we had access to Coastal Kitchen!). On the mega ships the entertainment is much better but on Navigator and Freedom we were less impressed. There is the golf and the ice rink but so often activities during the day are family rather than adult directed.

 

When we first tried Celebrity we were really concerned that our then teen son would miss the activities on RC. We booked excursions and were busy port days...to our surprise he enjoyed Celebrity too! I think after our busy port days he enjoyed just relaxing!

 

We mainly cruise Celebrity now. If we occasionally slot in a RC cruise we try to board and look at the positives....we avoid comparing, we try to see the two lines as two different experiences.

 

Hope you have a great cruise!

[Siora7777]

Navigator. You have that awesome balcony cabin and it's cheaper. I don't really care too much about the food on cruises. I always find something to eat. But the cabin is a big deal and the itinerary.

[RumRunner01]

Excellent points, Chemmo and Siora7777. Thank you. I think I am leaning toward Nav for this one and know we will have a different experience.

 

 

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[crusinthrough]

I had the same dilemma. I booked the Navigator with a great price in an owners suite. I went back and forth and decided to go with Celebrity. The Navigator is an older ship, which is noticeable in the decor. Ships are very important to me. Celebrity is a little more laid back but the drink package and internet are both better than on the Navigator. Both have value to me. If an Oasis class ship could do the ABC islands I would be all over it.

 

This being said, reaching diamond does have it benefits on both RC and Celebrity. No matter what you decide I am sure you will enjoy your vacation.

 

 

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[RumRunner01]

Thanks, cruisinthrough. It us a tough decision, I do like the modern newer feel of Silhouette, the ship is very important to me too. But I did book a corner aft on Nav and we love our aft cabins. So tough. And it's more difficult because it's a surprise so I can't run it by DH.

 

Oh, and I'm so with you on I'd Oasis Class did the ABC's. we'd be all over that too. I didn't think I'd like that class if ship but I really did. I just wish they had better itineraries.

 

 

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[The Fun Researcher]

I would do the Navigator. We did an 8 night last April and it was great. The Navigator is essentially a Freedom class ship (which we've done 3 times) now that they updated it... Very little difference. A little shorter. No kids splash zone. Salt water pools. Cafe Promenade and Sorrento's are combined (which we liked actually)

 

The $1200 extra for the Navigator brings you up to the all inclusive feel of Celebrity with the drinks, etc... and it's still far under the price of the Celebrity cruise.

 

Dan

[RumRunner01]

I would do the Navigator. We did an 8 night last April and it was great. The Navigator is essentially a Freedom class ship (which we've done 3 times) now that they updated it... Very little difference. A little shorter. No kids splash zone. Salt water pools. Cafe Promenade and Sorrento's are combined (which we liked actually)

 

The $1200 extra for the Navigator brings you up to the all inclusive feel of Celebrity with the drinks, etc... and it's still far under the price of the Celebrity cruise.

 

Dan

 

 

 

Dan, I completely agree. I've decided on the Navigator. Thank you for the update on her, too. It had been a long time since I have been on that class of ship but I was on a Freedom class a few years ago, so it's nice to know the amenities will be similar. I'm looking to it!

[crusinthrough]

I am interested in your opinion of the Navigator after you get back. Maybe you can come back and share your experience.

 

 

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[nekzaadvakil]

I thought I was the only one who had this tough choice. Last year we had to chose between Celebrity Solstice & Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the seas for our Alaskan Cruise. Both itineraries were 99% same, both were leaving from Seattle on the exact same date. Both 7 nights. We had traveled on the Celebrity Silhouette thrice before (and LOVED it) so we knew exactly how the Solstice would be. And having cruised on the Adventure, Mariner of the seas, we knew how the Explorer would be.

 

Each ship has its pros and cons. The Celebrity S class ships are newer, modern, contemporary and just right for us. They have amazing food, a non smoking casino (great for us) and the same laid back atmosphere as RCCL. We knew that Royal's Explorer was a much older ship, but the Royal Promenade, sports deck (for table tennis, etc) is much better than Celebrity.

 

It finally came down to the price. A balcony on Celebrity was priced at around $2000 per person, no perks, where as the Explorer was priced at $1600 per person. We kept a lookout for price drops and we were thrilled when we snagged balcony rooms on the Explorer for $999 per person.

 

While the Explorer was perfectly fine, and we had an awesome cruise, if the price is comparable, we'd choose Celebrity's S class ships over Royal's Navigator class 10 times out of 10. The ships are modern and just feels more upmarket. You can't go wrong with either. Have a great cruise.

 

Nick

[Tatka]

For colder itins I'd definitely choose X, because of the indoor pool, but yes price is also a factor.

We had a great time on Explorer and Silhuette though.

[RumRunner01]

I am interested in your opinion of the Navigator after you get back. Maybe you can come back and share your experience.

 

 

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Most definitely, though we aren't going until March 2019. It won't get here soon enough.

[RumRunner01]

I thought I was the only one who had this tough choice. Last year we had to chose between Celebrity Solstice & Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the seas for our Alaskan Cruise. Both itineraries were 99% same, both were leaving from Seattle on the exact same date. Both 7 nights. We had traveled on the Celebrity Silhouette thrice before (and LOVED it) so we knew exactly how the Solstice would be. And having cruised on the Adventure, Mariner of the seas, we knew how the Explorer would be.

 

Each ship has its pros and cons. The Celebrity S class ships are newer, modern, contemporary and just right for us. They have amazing food, a non smoking casino (great for us) and the same laid back atmosphere as RCCL. We knew that Royal's Explorer was a much older ship, but the Royal Promenade, sports deck (for table tennis, etc) is much better than Celebrity.

 

It finally came down to the price. A balcony on Celebrity was priced at around $2000 per person, no perks, where as the Explorer was priced at $1600 per person. We kept a lookout for price drops and we were thrilled when we snagged balcony rooms on the Explorer for $999 per person.

 

While the Explorer was perfectly fine, and we had an awesome cruise, if the price is comparable, we'd choose Celebrity's S class ships over Royal's Navigator class 10 times out of 10. The ships are modern and just feels more upmarket. You can't go wrong with either. Have a great cruise.

 

Nick

 

 

 

Thanks for the input, Nick. I feel the same as you, we'd always pick X but I think RC will be a nice change this time, and so much savings!

[RumRunner01]

For colder itins I'd definitely choose X, because of the indoor pool, but yes price is also a factor.

We had a great time on Explorer and Silhuette though.

 

 

 

That's something to consider if we do a cold itin one day.