LOYAL Celebrity cruiser need Suggestions for a similar cruise line as dates/itinerary don't work

[MamaChach]

Good Morning!

 

I am looking to book a new year's cruise for my family.  We are loyal Celeb fans but the ships sailing and the dates don't fit all of our desires.  Just wondering if anyone can compare other cruise lines & ships with Celebs.  We've been on Silhouette, Reflection and the Edge (although not a fan of the IV at all!)

 

THANKS in Advance!

[cruisestitch]

Royal Caribbean, in the same family but a step down. Azamara, also the same family but a big step up. At least in price. I am not a fan of Princess nor HAL, but some people like them. They are the two lines always listed as the most similar to Celebrity, but I find both of them inferior to it.

[Moby Jones]

25 minutes ago, MamaChach said:

Good Morning!

 

I am looking to book a new year's cruise for my family.  We are loyal Celeb fans but the ships sailing and the dates don't fit all of our desires.  Just wondering if anyone can compare other cruise lines & ships with Celebs.  We've been on Silhouette, Reflection and the Edge (although not a fan of the IV at all!)

 

THANKS in Advance!

 

If you sail suite class on Celebrity then Azamara or Oceania. 

None suite class would be HAL or Princess. I'd agree with Cruisetitch though, there not quite as good. 

 

[hiccups]

It depends on what you're looking for.  How old are the members of your family?  Are you looking for good entertainment?  A little additional information can help with comparisons.

[chemmo]

For a family cruise why not give Royal Caribbean a go? You don’t indicate how old your ‘family’ is but RC has attractions for all ages. When our son was young he enjoyed all the activities like wall climbing, zip wire etc and as a family we all enjoyed the crazy golf. The shows are definitely better and more varied on RC. Things like the Aqua theatre show and the ice show are very good...

 

The food is not as good in our opinion but still OK. You could consider a dining package. 

 

The main negative for us now is that the ships have a busy and noisier feel...There are usually more children on board, more announcements and more activities.....When we were younger we loved the ‘buzz’, now we prefer the quieter ambience of Celebrity. However, if I was traveling with youngsters/teens or a large multigenerational group I would certainly consider RC...

 

 

A bonus of RC is that they do have far more multi occupancy suites available. If you were looking at booking two rooms (or more if you have a larger family) on RC you may find you can get a suite for all of you for a similar price to two standard veranda rooms on Celebrity. Not only would this give you extra space you would gain a few perks worth having like access to the suite lounge and restaurant.  We particularly enjoyed the Aqua Suites on Oasis class. Just a thought...

 

Just remember when looking at RC cruises that the ship types are very varied. Do not assume they all have the same amenities and features...

 

Whatever you choose to do have a great family cruise!

[MamaChach]

8 minutes ago, hiccups said:

It depends on what you're looking for.  How old are the members of your family?  Are you looking for good entertainment?  A little additional information can help with comparisons.

We are all adults.  My children are in their twenties. We like Celebrity because it has GREAT food!  We like the atmosphere that seems to be mostly adults.  We like that the ships are nonsmoking.  We usually go to the show then casino a bit then hit the late night shows or events.  

Hope that helps:)

 

Any advice is appreciated.

[hiccups]

59 minutes ago, MamaChach said:

We are all adults.  My children are in their twenties. We like Celebrity because it has GREAT food!  We like the atmosphere that seems to be mostly adults.  We like that the ships are nonsmoking.  We usually go to the show then casino a bit then hit the late night shows or events.  

Hope that helps:)

 

Any advice is appreciated.

We've sailed on Oceania Riviera and really liked it--it's a beautiful ship.  The food was very good, with specialty restaurants included, and non-alcoholic beverages included as well.  The "O" ships (Riviera and Marina) hold around 1200 passengers.  Oceania's "R" ships are the same size as Azamara's ships--690 passengers.  Oceania has a couple different pricing options, so it's best to walk through them with a TA or one of Oceania's travel consultants.

We've sailed on Azamara three times and like it, too.  It has included alcoholic beverages (well brands) and gratuities.  It stays in ports for longer than most cruise lines.  We've done European itineraries on Azamara because of the longer port times, and the smaller ships provide an opportunity to reach ports where larger ships can't.  The same would be true of Oceania's smaller ships, but they don't have the extended time in port.  I'd rate the food as a little bit better than Celebrity, but not as good as Azamara.  Entertainment on Oceania and Azamara isn't the best, and two of Azamara's three ships no longer have a casino.

Viking might also be an option for you--I've heard good things about it.

[Alsmez]

We are X fans as well but we're considering MSC (in the Yacht Club) for something new, as well as possibly Virgin Cruises, which is an adults-only line. They seem to be promoting an experience aimed at a much younger crowd than your typical cruise line (focusing on ages 20-50 rather than 50+, if I interpret their marketing correctly), and it looks like it could be a fun change from Celebrity.

[royalcruz]

Royal,  Regal, or Sky Princess are similar to nicer Celebrity ships: good and friendly service, not too many kids, great shows and entertainers, excellent buffets (with smoked salmon for breakfast), nice wine bar. There are no solariums, but there is a nice adult pool, and you can rent a cabana in the Sanctuary for your family. They do trivia and other games really well in a dedicated room. The rooms have huge tvs with lots of free on demand films. The cruise directors are usually very visible and interactive.

Edited January 11, 2020 by royalcruz

[MamaChach]

Thank you all for your advice!  There is a Sky Princess cruise that goes to the ABC islands during the timeframe we need!  The Summit is within the timeframe but goes to islands we have been to and stops every day - only one sea day.  THANKS!

 

[tinaclose]

We cruise both Princess and Celebrity and usually go with the best itinerary. We have also been on Royal Carribean, Norwegian and Holland. Princess is the most similar to Celebrity. I think you will like the Sky Princess. 

[jagoffee]

4 hours ago, MamaChach said:

Thank you all for your advice!  There is a Sky Princess cruise that goes to the ABC islands during the timeframe we need!  The Summit is within the timeframe but goes to islands we have been to and stops every day - only one sea day.  THANKS!

 

IMO the Sky Princess would be a great choice.  Princess is currently offering bundled pricing with perks, just like Celebrity. Although I prefer Celebrity, I cruise Princess based on the itinerary.

[aml3679]

I would go with HAL or Oceania if you can afford it.  In my opinion, there is no comparison to RCI and Celebrity.

[MamaChach]

Thanks all!  Still so leery about booking something other than Celeb...we know it and know what to expect but pricing Sky princess now for next new year's!  

[Niagarawine]

I am select with Celebrity and really liked Silhouette but just finished a cruise on Niue’s Statendam and was blown away by the food, decor and entertainment. I have booked Koningsdam for the spring I liked it so much, not a big fan of the other smaller ships but these are great.

[ChiGal1962]

I only sailed Princess once, but actually really liked it. I would make sure to go on one of the newer ships - I was on an older one and there were a few areas that needed some love. But I thought the food and service were similar to Celebrity. 

[dandylion]

As a celebrity elite plus, I turned to princess after I could not find an appealing celebrity itinerary. I was pleasantly surprised with their product and while the food sometimes isn't as adventurous as  Celebrity's fare, it was good !

[KW Cruisers]

We have tried a few lines over the past couple of years after having been loyal X cruisers.

 

Here's a rundown of who we have sailed with:

 

Regent: Wonderful! Nice to know that EVERYTHING is included and no surprise bill or add ons at the end! Great food and service.

Azamara: Very nice, although cabins are tiny and only the Journey has a casino now (I like to play blackjack in the evening). Nice that you can accrue points for X and Captain's Club status is matched with Le Club Voyage.

Oceania: Big cabins, wonderful food. However, there are lots of add ons for the bill later (drink upgrades, gratuities, excursions, transfers).

MSC Yacht Club: NEVER AGAIN. Food was horrible, smoking indoors, inconsistent service (however we did have a Royal Suite which was nice). In my opinion, you get good fares (that often seem too good to be true) for a reason.

 

Coming up this year, we have a cruise on X and a cruise on Regent. Next year, one (so far) booked on X. At this point, I am happy with any of the above (except MSC). All depends on price, perks (I like when most things are included) and itinerary. This being said, even though we've tried these others, we still find ourselves comparing things to X. 

 

Shawn

[cruznjan]

We sailed with Carnival for the same reason, and we e enjoyed it.

[villauk]

On 1/11/2020 at 1:32 PM, MamaChach said:

Thank you all for your advice!  There is a Sky Princess cruise that goes to the ABC islands during the timeframe we need!  The Summit is within the timeframe but goes to islands we have been to and stops every day - only one sea day.  THANKS!

 

 

 

We are in a similar situation to yourself with older teens. Unfortunately, X decided to redeploy Connie to Tampa to sail more Caribbean itineraries during the Christmas holidays, so we had to look at alternatives. Consequently, we have booked another Princess cruise even though we still have placeholders with X. Princess appear to offer wider, varied options for itineraries and we have been pleased with the sailings we have taken over the last couple of years. After we reserved a 13 night sailing for less than 7 nights on X (in peak season), we decided the difference in price was definitely worth it. Princess are currently offering a few bundled pricing add-ons too e.g. unlimited internet and premium drinks package for $25pppd (we already have the 3 For Free promotion, so everything is covered).

 

If we hadn’t got the kids sailing with us, we’d consider Azamara, Viking and possibly a few others.