X cruisers trying Royal - are we going to regret this?

[Alsmez]

DH (44) and I (41) are big fans of Celebrity and typically take one 7+ night cruise every two years or so on Solstice class ships. However, this year some friends from college have floated the idea of going on a short cruise together instead of our usual reunion in NYC. Unfortunately, due to family and work obligations, they are not able to do a 7+ day trip, so we are limited to cruise lines that do 4-5 day cruises in the winter. We've narrowed it down to a 4-night cruise on Brilliance of the Seas. This is obviously a booze cruise, with just one stop in Cozumel. While I'm fine with treating this as a four-day boozy brunch with good friends, I'm a bit worried that DH and I are going to hate the atmosphere. I know that shorter cruises always attract a party crowd, which isn't really my thing even on Celebrity, but on Royal I'm concerned it will be 1000 times worse (not to mention that I'm sure there will be tons of children aboard, which also is NOT our thing).

 

I'll cross post this on the Royal boards, but I would really appreciate input from other Celebrity fans who appreciate the more adult-focused, relaxed environment one finds aboard Solstice class ships. What's the best way to survive a trip like this? Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

[hcat]

Brilliance is a nice ship...have not been on it in awhile so not sure if it has been updated. There are some nice Specialty Restaurants listed,

 

Number of children will depend on the dates of the cruise,

 

Probably a party atmosphere but it's what you and your friends make of it.

 

Cozumel is a beachy party port, snorkel, scuba, day pass, and /or shopping and nice restaurants in the downtown area...

 

Check the port boards for port info... and Royal C website for info about the ship itself.

 

Have fun....

[meicheraxo]

Have you looked at Celebrity's 4 or 5 or 6 day cruises? We've been on a 5 and a 6 and they are more boozy cruises but still less kids.

 

Sent from my STV100-2 using Tapatalk

[39august]

Brilliance is a beautiful ship. The entertainment will likely be better than on your X cruises. Yes, there will be children and drunks. Be sure you go watch someone play on the pool tables while the ship is at sea. That is entertaining in itself. Also go further aft of the pool tables to enjoy the wake view from the bar all the way aft on that deck. There will be a piano player each evening in the Schooner bar.Your attitude is going to be the main thing that will make or break this cruise.

[Alsmez]

Yes, there will be children and drunks.

 

LOL, I have no doubt that we will be among the drunks on this cruise. Good to know that the entertainment options will be better than on X, though. We don't really care about shows when it's just the two of us but I think with this particular group of friends, we will enjoy the entertainment as a group. ;p

[Hydrokitty]

LOL, I have no doubt that we will be among the drunks on this cruise. Good to know that the entertainment options will be better than on X, though. We don't really care about shows when it's just the two of us but I think with this particular group of friends, we will enjoy the entertainment as a group. ;p

 

DH and I always cruise X and have been on 1 RCI cruise and loved it. Ourdaughter and SIL always cruise on RCI and they LOVE it. I think if you're going with a fun group of friends you'll bring your fun with you and have a great time. One good thing is sailing from NYC in the winter...you won't have to worry about getting to the ship if the weather is bad. :D

[Alsmez]

One good thing is sailing from NYC in the winter...you won't have to worry about getting to the ship if the weather is bad. :D

 

Unfortunately, the one we're looking at leaves from Tampa, so we'll still have to get down to Florida. I tried to get this group to join us on Summit from Bayonne to Bermuda in May, but it was a no-go due to scheduling, sigh.

[cb at sea]

Your cruise will only be as "boozy" as you make it. You're under no obligation to drink 4 days away! Sure, there will be some who try to fit a weeks worth of fun into a couple days, but it's not a 'frat party" atmosphere. And, it's about being with your friends....so the ship shouldn't matter that much.

We routinely do a trip every spring to a hotel that hosts a music weekend....I would NEVER stay in that hotel for a vacation...but that's not what it's about! It's about 3 days in a hotel packed with all the folks we know and who enjoy the same things....it will be fine.

[jcpc]

I once spent 9 nights on Constellation sailing from Ft. Lauderdale. I looked at it as a 9-night cruise but in reality it was a 4 night cruise back to back with a 5 night cruise. Even on Celebrity the entire vibe of the ship was way way off on both the 4 night and the 5 night portion. They both were definitely booze cruises which included shorts, tee-shirts and flip flops worn by many of the passengers in the evening (guess they all ate at the buffet). We enjoyed ourselves and made the best of it but you could not help but be "in the middle" of the sloppily dressed partiers no matter where you went in the evening. Lesson learned - I never booked a 4 night or a 5 night cruise on Celebrity again. I don't think Royal Caribbean will be any worse or better than Celebrity.

[CruisinNole]

We cruise on both Celebrity and Royal Caribbean. We also prefer the S Class ships. However, we love the Brilliance. We'll be taking our second cruise this year on the Brilliance in September. We were also on her in January. We've cruised on a 5 night cruise at different times of the year and have not noticed the booze cruise mentality. Maybe because it's a smaller ship with less for the kids to do, but we've never felt overwhelmed with children. Or drunks, for that matter.

[Denny01]

We also focus on Celebrity as our main cruise line, but have enjoyed group cruises on other lines, even a short Carnival cruise with a social group we are part of, which would certainly be defined as a ‘booze cruise’. Being an old Navy guy, you know i’m Not use to drinking while at sea (yeah, right!), but made sure we stayed out of the ‘big show’. The Brilliance sounds like a nice sized ship and should be fun. Our last RCL cruise was on one of the major 5K+ sized and I’ll not do that again unless I have to.

 

There are ways of not getting sucked into those venues you don’t want to especailly with your own social group with you.....unless of course They are the booze cruisers! I’ve never been on a bad cruise, even the huge RCL or the Carnival ‘colorful’ cruises.

 

Funny, we are headed from Florida to upstate NY for my wife’s reunion this Oct. Will take the train to Manhattan to catch a few plays.

 

Den

[DZalumni]

Celebrity is like staying at a Waldorf Astoria (a Hilton Brand hotel), RCCL is like staying at a Hilton. Both are nice hotels, just one is way nicer than the other.

 

Food on RCCL I've found is a step down, a noticeable step down, especially in the MDR. Celebrity MDR is like eating at Ruth Christ every night, RCCL Outback Steak House (sometimes like a Sizzler or Ponderosa). I've ended many a night in RCCL MDR at the Buffet.

 

However, food is very subjective. So you may like RCCL better, you never know till you try!

[Germancruiser]

I agree- Brilliance is beautyfull ship. As you expect a booze cruise you will be not dissappointed if it turns out just that way. Over the years the differences between the two sister lines became more an more non existent! Of course such a short cruise is hardly showing RCI at it´s best- so the comparasion might a feet unfair in the direction of RCI!

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

We haven't sailed on Brilliance in many years, a wonderful 11-night Panama Canal Cruise back in the days when ships actually went into Gatun Lake. I thought it was a beautiful ship then. Since then we have become big fans of Oasis Class ships and Celebrity ships.

 

The big differences between Brilliance (and almost any RCI ship) as compared to Celebrity ships would be the level of energy and the general quality of the food. In short, RCI passengers seem to have more to do and really make use of what is available. That is a big positive for RCI and includes better entertainment and shows.

 

When it comes to food I believe Celebrity beats RCI ships hands down, most especially in the buffet.

 

I almost forgot...Royal allows smoking in the casino while Celebrity does not. I don't know if that fact is important to you or not. I really dislike a smokey casino myself, but others don't seem to mind.

 

Anyway we continue to cruise on both Royal and Celebrity ships each year, so the differences can't be so dramatic that we have given up on one cruise line or the other. I hope you have a fun, relaxing cruise.

[riclop]

DH (44) and I (41) are big fans of Celebrity and typically take one 7+ night cruise every two years or so on Solstice class ships. However, this year some friends from college have floated the idea of going on a short cruise together instead of our usual reunion in NYC. Unfortunately, due to family and work obligations, they are not able to do a 7+ day trip, so we are limited to cruise lines that do 4-5 day cruises in the winter. We've narrowed it down to a 4-night cruise on Brilliance of the Seas. This is obviously a booze cruise, with just one stop in Cozumel. While I'm fine with treating this as a four-day boozy brunch with good friends, I'm a bit worried that DH and I are going to hate the atmosphere. I know that shorter cruises always attract a party crowd, which isn't really my thing even on Celebrity, but on Royal I'm concerned it will be 1000 times worse (not to mention that I'm sure there will be tons of children aboard, which also is NOT our thing).

 

I'll cross post this on the Royal boards, but I would really appreciate input from other Celebrity fans who appreciate the more adult-focused, relaxed environment one finds aboard Solstice class ships. What's the best way to survive a trip like this? Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Not really you may not go back to X.

[nekzaadvakil]

I'm keen to know what you guys felt once you complete this cruise. DW and I love Celebrity (S class ships) and we oscillate between Celebrity and Royal Caribbean (big ships) only.

 

I would't be keen to go for a much smaller and older ship, but that's just me. We sailed on the Explorer in 2016 and after 3 Celebrity cruises, we felt it was a tad less luxurious.

 

Nick

[Esprit]

The replies have been reassuring. After a less memorable cruise on IOS we have booked Allure for a B2B in October 2019.

 

Not our choice but we will be a party of 10 and it is going to be carnage alcohol wise! I will have to apologise in advance to those on our roll calls. Hopefully we will be providing some entertainment to our fellow passengers without being obnoxious drunks.

[maxsales]

DH (44) and I (41) are big fans of Celebrity and typically take one 7+ night cruise every two years or so on Solstice class ships. However, this year some friends from college have floated the idea of going on a short cruise together instead of our usual reunion in NYC. Unfortunately, due to family and work obligations, they are not able to do a 7+ day trip, so we are limited to cruise lines that do 4-5 day cruises in the winter. We've narrowed it down to a 4-night cruise on Brilliance of the Seas. This is obviously a booze cruise, with just one stop in Cozumel. While I'm fine with treating this as a four-day boozy brunch with good friends, I'm a bit worried that DH and I are going to hate the atmosphere. I know that shorter cruises always attract a party crowd, which isn't really my thing even on Celebrity, but on Royal I'm concerned it will be 1000 times worse (not to mention that I'm sure there will be tons of children aboard, which also is NOT our thing).

 

I'll cross post this on the Royal boards, but I would really appreciate input from other Celebrity fans who appreciate the more adult-focused, relaxed environment one finds aboard Solstice class ships. What's the best way to survive a trip like this? Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

The good Brillance is really a beautiful cruise ship! Really imho the perfect size.

that being said short cruises do attract a different set of cruises and a Royal in general attracts a younger clientele than Celebrity. So the best advice I can offer is manage your expectations to avoid disappoint and just enjoy yourself. After all it’s still a cruise isn’t it?

[TeeRick]

We have sailed Brilliance twice and very much enjoyed her. Classy ship. Brilliance is closer in style and size and age to Celebrity M-Class ships. You will not get the RCCL amusement park atmosphere like on some of the larger newer RCCL ships.

[ZsuZsu]

Just a thought for a bit of a more "adult" day in Coz if you are worried about too much noise and people and over stimulation on the ship... book a beach day at Nachi Cocum for the day- it is all inclusive, adults only with a limit of 100 people for the day. May give you that relaxation day you may be missing....

[shofer]

You may be pleasantly surprised. I was on Silhouette in 2013 with my mom after several trips on Princess and was rather disappointed in how I remembered X. The next few trips were on RCCL and really enjoyed them. Although, the European destinations were the primary focus.

 

You can get as much out of a cruise as you are willing to put into it. Put your own interests and desires first and you'll have a good time. DH & I are booked on Silhouette in November for a TA, which includes several new ports for us. DH has not been on X since 2008 so his impressions will be interesting.

[Hydrokitty]

Unfortunately, the one we're looking at leaves from Tampa, so we'll still have to get down to Florida. I tried to get this group to join us on Summit from Bayonne to Bermuda in May, but it was a no-go due to scheduling, sigh.

 

Oh well....we take our annual "escape the winter" cruise every year and leave either from Lauderdale or Miami. Thank goodness for Southwest....You should be able to fly Florida non-stop from LGA. Of course if a snow storm is approaching you just might have to fly to FL. a day or 2 or 6 early to avoid missing the cruise. Sometimes you just have to make lemonade!!!! ;p

[George C]

We did brilliance two years ago, ship is really nice, rccl has better entertainment, buffet is pretty bad compared to celebrity

[dodger1964]

Celebrity is like staying at a Waldorf Astoria (a Hilton Brand hotel), RCCL is like staying at a Hilton. Both are nice hotels, just one is way nicer than the other.

 

...!

 

I think you might be a little off on that analogy! (I might agree with it for "suite" guest, but not for others)

 

 

And to OP, I don't know if it would work, but you might consider doing one of the "all inclusive" island resort trips instead of cruise??

[kenevenpar]

Celebrity is like staying at a Waldorf Astoria (a Hilton Brand hotel), RCCL is like staying at a Hilton. Both are nice hotels, just one is way nicer than the other.

 

Food on RCCL I've found is a step down, a noticeable step down, especially in the MDR. Celebrity MDR is like eating at Ruth Christ every night, RCCL Outback Steak House (sometimes like a Sizzler or Ponderosa). I've ended many a night in RCCL MDR at the Buffet.

 

However, food is very subjective. So you may like RCCL better, you never know till you try!

 

Ruth's Chris. Celebrity MDR, as much as I am fine with it, is not Ruth's Chris. I would call RCCL MDR a half step down from Celebrity MDR, but I I think a Sizzler or Ponderosa comparison is not accurate.