Another RCL vs CCL thread

[Mynki]

We'll be starting our first ever Royal Caribbean cruise very soon on the Independence. We've never sailed with them before and so I ask those familiar with recent cruises on this class of ship :-

 

We expect the entertainment to be significantly better and more varied on Royal Caribbean.

 

We expect the overall service to be better on Celebrity.

 

We expect food in the MDR and buffet to be slightly better on Celebrity.

 

We expect specialty dining to be very similar with Celebrity (In particular Murano) to have the edge.

 

My perceptions are all based on reading threads on Cruise Critic forum. Am I close? :D

 

Also, we're Elite on X so apparently we've automatically been enrolled in the C&A program on RCL. We have their equivalent of the premium drinks pack, so are there any real benefits worth bothering with as a diamond member? :)

 

Thanks in advance.

[cruiserhal]

Oh I see, when you titled this with CCL I thought you meant Carnival Cruise Line. It will be interesting to see your opinions when you take your cruise. Having sailed both for many years I agree with your expectations listed.

[Mynki]

Apologies, I deffo mean Celebrity Cruise Line!!!

[leaveitallbehind]

We'll be starting our first ever Royal Caribbean cruise very soon on the Independence. We've never sailed with them before and so I ask those familiar with recent cruises on this class of ship :-

 

We expect the entertainment to be significantly better and more varied on Royal Caribbean.

 

Yes.

 

We expect the overall service to be better on Celebrity.

 

Yes

 

We expect food in the MDR and buffet to be slightly better on Celebrity.

 

Not slightly, much better in the Buffet. Better overall in every inclusive venue IMO.

 

We expect specialty dining to be very similar with Celebrity (In particular Murano) to have the edge.

 

Yes - restaurant dependent but similar. Izumi's on Independence is very good.

 

My perceptions are all based on reading threads on Cruise Critic forum. Am I close? :D

 

Yes - very accurate IMO.

Also, we're Elite on X so apparently we've automatically been enrolled in the C&A program on RCL. We have their equivalent of the premium drinks pack, so are there any real benefits worth bothering with as a diamond member? :)

 

You will have a similar cocktail hour to that of Elite in a dedicated Diamond Lounge on deck 14, but the hours are 3-1/2 each night every night - including the 1st night. In addition, there will also be 3 free drink coupons loaded nightly on to your SeaPass card for drinks in the other venues around the ship during those hours.

Double check with RCI Crown & Anchor to confirm your registration and issuance of a C & A number. The benefits are automatically reciprocal and you will be enrolled with the completion of your first cruise. But you can contact them at 800-526-9723 in advance you to confirm this and get your account number.

Also while the benefits are reciprocal, your cruise points are not. The points earned remain with your account on the cruise line you sail with at the time.

Thanks in advance.

 

See my comments - which is only my opinion - above in red. We are long time RCI cruisers who in recent years have moved mainly to Celebrity, so we have direct experience with both.

 

Enjoy Independence - very good ship and crew.

Edited July 8, 2018 by leaveitallbehind

[mom says]

Oh I see, when you titled this with CCL I thought you meant Carnival Cruise Line. It will be interesting to see your opinions when you take your cruise. Having sailed both for many years I agree with your expectations listed.

 

Agree about thinking the OP was referring to Carnival, not Celebrity. Never any confusion if you just refer to Celebrity as X.

 

I also agree, for the most part, to the OPs assessment of the differences between the 2.

[Tatka]

You're about right, but service varies. Celebrity used to have white glove service, now it is not always a case. RCCL service is more than adequate.

Food. We think buffet is much better on Celebrity in quality and variety. MDR is better, but we actually like RCCL MDR food, too bad escargots aren't on every day menu anymore.

 

One thing that rccl is a big downgrade .. toiletteries. Only a piece of soap and low liquid in dispenser.

 

I'd say shows on older than Quantum and Oasis classes of Royal are similar to Celebrity, but there are also ice shows and many things are going on on Royal Promenade. Also there is a nice dancing venue Bolleros and sing along bar Schooner.

 

Also Royal offers nice minigolf and other things.

[leaveitallbehind]

You're about right, but service varies. Celebrity used to have white glove service, now it is not always a case. RCCL service is more than adequate.

Food. We think buffet is much better on Celebrity in quality and variety. MDR is better, but we actually like RCCL MDR food, too bad escargots aren't on every day menu anymore.

 

One thing that rccl is a big downgrade .. toiletteries. Only a piece of soap and low liquid in dispenser.

 

I'd say shows on older than Quantum and Oasis classes of Royal are similar to Celebrity, but there are also ice shows and many things are going on on Royal Promenade. Also there is a nice dancing venue Bolleros and sing along bar Schooner.

 

Also Royal offers nice minigolf and other things.

 

RCI personal service IMO has declined measurably in recent years and adequate as you indicate is not good enough. That was actually one of the reasons we decided to try Celebrity originally. While you may be correct with Celebrity also not being what they once were, in our brief two year experience with them it still is better than RCI.

 

Toiletries depends on stateroom category - better with higher levels.

[bigbenboys]

We did a RCL cruise a few years back. We have done 11 cruises with RCL. If we had younger children or grandchildren we would still be cruising some on RCL. You will have more entertainment. The ice shows are very nice. You can go ice skating and rock climbing. I thought that Independence has a Flow Rider. It is a lot of fun.

I thought you had to call RCL C&A to get your Elite/Diamond linked?

[Xport]

By all means, you need to contact Royal Caribbean--with your Celebrity Captain's Club number at hand--to enroll in Royal's Crown & Anchor Society. It's not automatic and your C&A membership number, once assigned, needs to be linked to your reservation on Independence Of The Seas.

 

 

As an Elite member of Captain's Club, you will be provided with Crown & Anchor Diamond tier benefits on a reciprocal basis.

 

 

To my mind, one of the better Diamond tier benefits is a "balcony discount"--varying by cruise length--if you have booked a veranda stateroom or higher. If applicable, I am not certain if you can claim the discount retroactively [my Travel Agent enrolled me in C&A before making my reservation on Allure Of The Seas] but it wouldn't hurt to ask...

[awhfy]

We cruised on RCL after attaining Elite on Celebrity. You do need to call to get your C&A number then it is easy. The best Diamond benefit for us is the free photo for each Diamond member & the dedicated Diamond Lounge (very quiet during the day with decent coffee). We’ve made very good friends in the Diamond lounge

 

 

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[jelayne]

We sailed Royal last December after a 4 year break. The beverage package on Royal is less inclusive than the Premium package on X. Drinks we would have in X with no upcharge had a upcharge on Royal (Chandon & Peach Snapps, Lycheetini, top shelf margarita come to mind).

 

Public areas were very crowded and noisy. Diamond Lounge was jammed every night. We would try different times but it seemed to be standing room only every night.

 

Entertainment was a plus we were lucky to snag seats to the Ice Show when a staff member noticed 2 ladies “reserving” 14 prime seats. They made them give up 12 of them, they stormed out leaving those of us standing with great seats:D.

[villauk]

Yes to most of your comments, however, Indy is our least favourite Freedom Class ship. I don’t know why, but she just has a different feel to the others. If you are sailing from the U.K., she will be full of Brits - some pax like this, others (like ourselves) prefer more of an international mix ;). The entertainment will definitely be better than X. Food is subjective and can vary greatly by sailing. The Diamond Lounge is a nice place to escape to, especially in the mornings ;).

[Mynki]

By all means, you need to contact Royal Caribbean--with your Celebrity Captain's Club number at hand--to enroll in Royal's Crown & Anchor Society. It's not automatic and your C&A membership number, once assigned, needs to be linked to your reservation on Independence Of The Seas.

 

 

 

I've read this a few times on these very boards so I was surprised to be told that it was automatic at the point of booking.

 

We booked with RCL direct in the UK. As I've read so many posts stating this I wasn't convinced and called a couple of days later to find that we were automatically enrolled and were provided with a C&A number and login details. When I do login it's shows diamond membership tier and 0 points.

 

I'm not sure if this is a new thing or a UK thing but we've not had to enroll manually.

[George C]

Agree with most if not all comments, entertainment is main thing that rccl excels at, ice show can be crowded but is repeated several times. I was really surprised on celebrity buffet much better food and we never had a problem finding a table, this is a extremely weak point for rccl. Also loved suite perks on celebrity , they have suite restaurants on all there ships not just a few, also suite lounge has drinks all day not just for a few hours.

[Tatka]

RCI personal service IMO has declined measurably in recent years and adequate as you indicate is not good enough. That was actually one of the reasons we decided to try Celebrity originally. While you may be correct with Celebrity also not being what they once were, in our brief two year experience with them it still is better than RCI.

 

Toiletries depends on stateroom category - better with higher levels.

We actually experienced worst service on Silhouette :( with invisible waiter and assistant waiter depressed all the time. Also room steward which we had to remind every time to replenish shampoo and such. We hadn't experienced anything remotely with Royal. I am not sure I can clearly say X is much better in this regard now.

 

X does have more refined atmosphere and pax which we love.

[sandav]

We'll be starting our first ever Royal Caribbean cruise very soon on the Independence. We've never sailed with them before and so I ask those familiar with recent cruises on this class of ship :-

 

We expect the entertainment to be significantly better and more varied on Royal Caribbean.

 

We expect the overall service to be better on Celebrity.

 

We expect food in the MDR and buffet to be slightly better on Celebrity.

 

We expect specialty dining to be very similar with Celebrity (In particular Murano) to have the edge.

 

My perceptions are all based on reading threads on Cruise Critic forum. Am I close? :D

 

Also, we're Elite on X so apparently we've automatically been enrolled in the C&A program on RCL. We have their equivalent of the premium drinks pack, so are there any real benefits worth bothering with as a diamond member? :)

 

Thanks in advance.

 

I have recently returned from a Mediterranean cruise on Independence of the Seas with my daughter.

 

Entertainment -

The ice shows were excellent.

Grease show also very good.

Entertainment on the Royal Promenade also good but be aware if you want to sit and watch it arrive very early to get a seat or be prepared for a long stand among very large crowds.

Headliner shows in the Royal Theatre. First night Beatles Tribute Band excellent. After that went downhill. I enjoy a comedian but there were far too many on this cruise.

 

Food -

MDR . The times we were there we found it pretty OK and the waters friendly and helpful. Service was fine but not up to Celebrity standards. We requested Malbec wine. We got a glass, no bottle was brought to the table to show us it was Malbec. No big deal though.

Windjammer Buffet- Very, very busy. The food stations are not as well set out as the Ocean View on the Solstice class ships so many people crowding and queuing.

I enjoyed the food though. Service here is poorer than Celebrity. The waiters work very hard but there is simply not enough of them.

Coffee bar. No waiter service here at all. You queue to get your coffee and then hope there is a seat available. Coffee is served in paper cup, you have to ask for a mug’ ceramic’.

Sorrentos - great pizza.

Independence has a good variety of bars with entertainment but as the ship is so busy , it can be difficult to get a seat. Again bar staff are very friendly but table service is much more limited than Celebrity.

Be aware this is now a ship for families with children. It has great facilities for children, sky pad, climbing wall, flowrider, water slides.

This is great for the children but not so great for adults at night. The ship has a show lounge with dance floor but don’t expect to be able to dance or even sit and listen to the music on offer. This seems to be a great place for very young children to run around even up to be 11pm at night. I really felt for the waiters carrying loaded trays of drinks. How these children didn’t cause an accident is beyond me.

I would sail on this ship again if the itinerary suited and no schools are on holiday. When we left on 30 June, we heard there were about 1000 children expected for the next cruise.

I spoke to quite a few Indy loyalists who say they won’t be back, With the new cabins added during the recent refurb the ship is now far too busy and service has fallen from what it used to be.

Sandra

[leaveitallbehind]

We actually experienced worst service on Silhouette :( with invisible waiter and assistant waiter depressed all the time. Also room steward which we had to remind every time to replenish shampoo and such. We hadn't experienced anything remotely with Royal. I am not sure I can clearly say X is much better in this regard now.

 

X does have more refined atmosphere and pax which we love.

 

I guess we all have our individual experiences and there will always be one ship v another comparisons, but I stand by my comments based on 24 years of cruising with RCI and the last 2 with Celebrity.

 

Overall in our experience the level of personal service and individual passenger focus has declined measurably in recent years with RCI and has been just as measurably better in our albeit brief time with Celebrity.

[Duanerice1]

RCCL charges for room service - a big downer for us as we order it at least once, usually twice a day. They also make you sign out towels to take off ship. Really?

 

But after than, they offer a decent product, just a bit different. You will have fun!

[Mr. Click]

We started our cruising on Royal and loved it, then we did one Celebrity cruise about 9 years ago because they had the itinerary we wanted and wow....we are now Elite with Celebrity and truly enjoy it. That said, we found an intinerary on Royla, on the Indy that we liked going up to Norway this past May so we took the plunge. We were pleasantly surprised to find the food in the MDR be be very good and the service was excellent. Our cabin steward was a nice lady who did a good job once we found her on embarkation day and sorted out a few issues. We did not use the Diamond Lounge because we were traveling with cousins who were not Diamond members. On Celebrity they would have been allowed to join us but on Royal, we all got kicked out of the Crown Viking one evening because they were turning it over to the Diamond overflow from 5pm to 8:30pm. We truly enjoyed the cruise but we found the ship felt very crowded. The ice show was great but when we went to see it we were late and the seats were bad. It just happened that we met the violinist from the show a day later and struck up a friendship and she made sure we came back and had better seats.... Grease was ok, the rest of the shows we saw were very mediocre. Guest services was pretty bad. On three different days our toilets did not flush..not fun. Apparently someone had clogged a line and they were trying to fix it. But it took three tries over 3 days and sometimes it would flush and sometimes it would not and sometimes it would flush on it's own... you just never knew. Guest Relations said they were sorry....never sent out a notice about it but they sure sent notices about every sale, every spa deal, etc. Oh, they forgot our Meet and Mingle invite. Thankfully I called and got the info so we made the party. They were sorry about that too....Anyway, we prefer Celebrity for a lot of reason....it just seems nicer to us and Flo Riders and climbing walls and trampolines and water slides are not our thing. If you have kids, consider Royal. If you don't...we like Celebrity.

[Mynki]

Thanks for all the replies they are appreciated.

 

We're travelling with 10 family members and after declining invitations to sail on P&O with them over the years we've chosen to try RCL. We're also doing a Norwegian Fjord itinerary which appeals a lot so all good there.

 

I should have added that I also imagine an increased number of children and a lower average age! No problem there as we're always amongst the youngest Celebrity guests anyway.

 

I probably will write a comparison thread if I get chance. Since january 2017 we've done three Celebrity cruises. In January last year we did a 14 night suite experience on Eclipse which was wonderful. The service was very good and the trip was made because of the butler, concierge and Luminae staff looking after us so well. Then last december we did back to backs on Summit in Concierge / Aqua class. The service from Guest relations was poor. For the first time I really disliked Blu, my historical posts will show that I was a big fan of it, but with poor service, many basic mistakes and an under resourced team it's put me off travelling Aqua class again. We also felt that Summit was simply not as well run as other X ships we've been on and the bar service at best was poor, and the whole Tuscan experience dull. Though Sushi On 5 was very good. They really do need more staff on that ship though! Cutbacks over the last few years are very evident too, so not massive fans of non suite class onboard Celebrity right now.

 

I'm hoping the Indy MDR's will be better than Blu onboard Summit at least!

 

I've been advised to make required reservations as soon as possible due to the high number of passengers on Freedom class ships. I've also seen a video detailing the loss of public space to additional cabins retrofitted earlier this year so it will be interesting to see how crowded the ship is.

 

Any recommendations for specialty dining on Independence? And how do they compare to specialty restaurants in your opinion. :)

[villauk]

You will get less children on a Norway cruise and it will be a different clientele than if you were going on a Med cruise during the school holidays ;). So all positives there :).

[Xport]

I've read this a few times on these very boards so I was surprised to be told that it was automatic at the point of booking.

 

We booked with RCL direct in the UK. As I've read so many posts stating this I wasn't convinced and called a couple of days later to find that we were automatically enrolled and were provided with a C&A number and login details. When I do login it's shows diamond membership tier and 0 points.

 

I'm not sure if this is a new thing or a UK thing but we've not had to enroll manually.

 

Thanks so much for sharing your experience; the process change must be relatively recent [and surely, no misinformation was intended]. It's good to know that Celebrity and Royal Caribbean have collaborated to make the "reciprocal loyalty" procedure--even if it was a one time task between the two lines--less cumbersome than it had been from a guest perspective.

 

That said, it seems to me that the systems reengineering must be a work-in-progress... I recently completed a B2B on Infinity and signed in to my Captain's Club account last week to confirm that the updates had posted properly. My tier status is correct, my cruise point total is correct, but five Azamara cruises [there is full reciprocity between Celebrity's Captain's Club/Azamara's Le Club Voyage with cross accumulation of points between the two] have been deleted from my sailing history and my total number of cruises have been adjusted downward.

 

Enjoy Independence!

[KKB]

RCCL was our fav ship (Allure) AND our least fav (Mariner).

We loved specialty restaurants on Allure--comparable to Celebrity. MDR is comparable as well.

Tick up on Celebrity for service & care of ship.

Entertainment we find varies all the time by lines & ships, but more comparable than not.

We LOVED that Allure had MANY MANY activity options--but you have to with 6K passengers.

We were unimpressed with Mariner's activity offerings--there were times when the only thing to do was sit & drink...we had the teens with us & no balconies, so this didn't work well at times. I don't know if this is a reflection of the cruise director on that ship or if it is typical of RCCL ships of 3K-3500.

We wish Celebrity had a few more activity choices at times (Princess does a nice job of this), but looking at our upcoming cruise, perhaps we will see more on this one--the CD gets rave reviews so perhaps it is more a reflection of that.

[Tatka]

RCCL was our fav ship (Allure) AND our least fav (Mariner).

We loved specialty restaurants on Allure--comparable to Celebrity. MDR is comparable as well.

Tick up on Celebrity for service & care of ship.

Entertainment we find varies all the time by lines & ships, but more comparable than not.

We LOVED that Allure had MANY MANY activity options--but you have to with 6K passengers.

We were unimpressed with Mariner's activity offerings--there were times when the only thing to do was sit & drink...we had the teens with us & no balconies, so this didn't work well at times. I don't know if this is a reflection of the cruise director on that ship or if it is typical of RCCL ships of 3K-3500.

We wish Celebrity had a few more activity choices at times (Princess does a nice job of this), but looking at our upcoming cruise, perhaps we will see more on this one--the CD gets rave reviews so perhaps it is more a reflection of that.

I agree. Princess is a nice middle.

I love Princess buffets the best though.