Royal Caribbean Cruisers -- How Are Things Where You Are? (was "Routine" ​ 😁 ​day in lockdown... how was yours?)

[Sea Dog]

Thank you Deb. Very interesting.

[Momof3gurlz]

Captains Club Benefits - this is what Celebrity calls their loyalty program.  As Diamonds, Celebrity matched us to their Elite category.  There are some similar discounts offered on things like internet, drink packages, spa services, etc. and these are comparable to RC’s.  
Instead of 4 drink vouchers, Celebrity has a nightly happy hour with free drinks for Elite members (only certain drinks are included). Our booking included the drink package so on this particular cruise the happy hour wasn’t any benefit to us. I think the 4 free drinks per day on RC is better because you can have any time of day. What I did love was the free bag of laundry each, this is a great benefit IMO.  Advantage: None 

Overall - we found Celebrity to be much more organized with fewer lines for anything. The morning we disembarked we had not received a final statement either in our cabin or by email. I headed down to guest services expecting a wait but I was the only one there!  Self disembark was as easy as embarking. We simply dinged our sea pass cards and walked off- no line whatsoever.  Overall, if I had to describe the difference between the two lines I’d say Celebrity is more refined.  Now is that because this was a Mediterranean itinerary instead of Caribbean, I’m not sure.  I’d be interested in trying out Celebrity in the Caribbean to see if there’s more of a party atmosphere.  So Celebrity came out with a slight advantage but the difference was not as substantial as I expected.  
I’m happy to answer any questions!
 

[jmh2006]

1 minute ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Captains Club Benefits - this is what Celebrity calls their loyalty program.  As Diamonds, Celebrity matched us to their Elite category.  There are some similar discounts offered on things like internet, drink packages, spa services, etc. and these are comparable to RC’s.  
Instead of 4 drink vouchers, Celebrity has a nightly happy hour with free drinks for Elite members (only certain drinks are included). Our booking included the drink package so on this particular cruise the happy hour wasn’t any benefit to us. I think the 4 free drinks per day on RC is better because you can have any time of day. What I did love was the free bag of laundry each, this is a great benefit IMO.  Advantage: None 

Overall - we found Celebrity to be much more organized with fewer lines for anything. The morning we disembarked we had not received a final statement either in our cabin or by email. I headed down to guest services expecting a wait but I was the only one there!  Self disembark was as easy as embarking. We simply dinged our sea pass cards and walked off- no line whatsoever.  Overall, if I had to describe the difference between the two lines I’d say Celebrity is more refined.  Now is that because this was a Mediterranean itinerary instead of Caribbean, I’m not sure.  I’d be interested in trying out Celebrity in the Caribbean to see if there’s more of a party atmosphere.  So Celebrity came out with a slight advantage but the difference was not as substantial as I expected.  
I’m happy to answer any questions!
 

Great review Deb!!!

[akcruz]

3 minutes ago, Momof3gurlz said:

So Celebrity came out with a slight advantage but the difference was not as substantial as I expected.  

 

This is how we felt although the 1 thing that I think is standing out more and more is that they are not necessarily marketing to families like Royal is.   If we were to sail with kids Royal is great but really not looking for that when it's just the 2 of us. We have sailed with them 3 times all in the Caribbean and look forward to sailing with them again.

[helen haywood]

On Edge Class ships during daylight and sunset hours Eden is our favorite bar and venue.  Absolutely stunning aft wake views!!

 

And for me personally, after sailing any line for a long time…I’m just so happy to be handed different menus!!!  Not that the food is necessarily better…but it’s wonderful to just try some different dishes!!

[George C]

39 minutes ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Now on to the stuff everyone really cares about!

 Oceanview Cafe -  Celebrity’s version of the Windjammer. We had breakfast here every day and a couple of lunches. Food was plentiful and they had a good variety of regular items and daily specials.  One odd thing is they would move the regular daily items around each day. For example, the salad bar was rarely in the same spot twice.  Breakfast featured a made to order egg and omelette station. There was a decent amount of seating and the usual crowding at breakfast and in our one sea day. There’s a pizza station at the very back with 3 or 4 varieties and a daily calzone special.  Advantage: None

Main Dining - There are four main dining rooms, each with a theme, Tuscan, Normandy, Cosmopolitan and Cyprus. To be honest, I’m still a little confused about how the different menus work!  There are rotating menus each night with dishes shared by all four dining rooms.  Plus, each place has their own signature dishes. BUT you can order anything from any one of the restaurants (assuming you’ve looked at the other menus).  Anyway, the overall dining experience is much better because there are no lines, no frenzied waitstaff, etc. You show up when you want to; they either seat you or give you a pager if a table isn’t immediately available.  What a concept!  Let’s face it, Royals My Time Dining is a broken system. There’s just no excuse for the long lines every night.  As for the food, I will say the menus seem a little more interesting, but I’m not so sure anything was better executed.  We only did one specialty dinner, Rooftop Garden Grill, and it was very good.  Advantage: Celebrity 

due to the atmosphere & experience. 
Bars & Lounges - this was kind of a disappointment. We didn’t find any bar staff to be particularly friendly or engaging. In fact the bartenders on the Magic Carpet were borderline rude and the drinks were just, not good.  Those at the Martini Bar were slightly more friendly.  I just expected more from these two signature venues.  The famous ‘show’ put on at the Martini Bar felt forced and staged.  There’s no sports bar on the ship but they have TV’s and show some sports in the Casino bar.  This venue called The Club is where they do all the games and trivia and they have musical performances there each night.  Late night it becomes the nightclub.  There’s a very large bar and two levels of seating.  We actually spent no time here because it’s very dark and there are no windows.  I called it The Cave instead of The Club, lol. Advantage: RC

Pool & Solarium - the Solarium never appeared crowded and the main pool was crowded only on our one sea day.  Piped in music was relaxing. There were no crazy games, just a guest vs staff pool volleyball contest.  Serve yourself towels, no checking them in and out. Advantage: Celebrity 

Continued next post

Disagree on a couple of points. I thought buffet celebrity was far , far superior to rccl , I think all lines are superior to rccl buffet . Love martini bar several really talented bartenders. While rccl entertainment is better. I loved that celebrity had live music starting in early afternoon. 

[Sea Viewer]

@Momof3gurlz

 

Great comparison of Royal/Celebrity. I agree with your overall opinions. I'm D+/Elite and as DH doesn't drink alcohol I use the Happy Hour drinks. It's from 5 to 7 and as we usually have dinner at 7 I have a couple of cocktails. listen to music and then get a couple of glasses of wine to bring with me to dinner, On my last Celebrity cruise there were also invited wine tastings, music and mixology event and welcome back parties with free flowing drinks. Also mimosas and bloody mary.s at the Captains Club breakfast.

 

As an Expat I also enjoy the "English Breakfast" in the Oceanview Cafe as well as the ice cream in the afternoon.

The vibe of the Celebrity ships seems to be more refined but is not stuffy at all

 

I have Symphony of the Seas booked for November and Reflection for December so am still sailing both lines at the moment, can't choose just one line.

 

 

[DaniDanielle]

We have only sailed Celebrity Summit but loved it. Much more peaceful.  Just felt classier.

Royal is better when we go with our kids and their  families.  Although our granddaughter did enjoy the Summit.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Momof3gurlz]

11 minutes ago, George C said:

Disagree on a couple of points. I thought buffet celebrity was far , far superior to rccl , I think all lines are superior to rccl buffet . Love martini bar several really talented bartenders. While rccl entertainment is better. I loved that celebrity had live music starting in early afternoon. 

I don’t disagree with you George, I just think it can vary by ship. We’ve had great bartenders on some RC ships and not so great ones on others.  Same with the Windjammer.  I’m glad you’ve had  a great staff at the martini bar on your cruises. It’s certainly what we expected but it didn’t happen on this particular ship. 

[lenquixote66]

2 minutes ago, DaniDanielle said:

We have only sailed Celebrity Summit but loved it. Much more peaceful.  Just felt classier.

Royal is better when we go with our kids and their  families.  Although our granddaughter did enjoy the Summit.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were on the Summit several times and enjoyed every cruise.However,our favorite ship ever is the Celebrity Silhouette.

 

[derorim]

Marcel has been very cuddly lately.  When I’m in the recliner he climbs up and gives me a hug.

 

[Arzeena]

3 hours ago, Luckynana said:

On fb, I asked John and Laura where they were.  John said Martini Bar until 6:30 tonight.  Sorry, I just went on fb and saw John's response.

No worries.

I probably missed them. 😔 

[Ocean Boy]

1 hour ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Captains Club Benefits - this is what Celebrity calls their loyalty program.  As Diamonds, Celebrity matched us to their Elite category.  There are some similar discounts offered on things like internet, drink packages, spa services, etc. and these are comparable to RC’s.  
Instead of 4 drink vouchers, Celebrity has a nightly happy hour with free drinks for Elite members (only certain drinks are included). Our booking included the drink package so on this particular cruise the happy hour wasn’t any benefit to us. I think the 4 free drinks per day on RC is better because you can have any time of day. What I did love was the free bag of laundry each, this is a great benefit IMO.  Advantage: None 

Overall - we found Celebrity to be much more organized with fewer lines for anything. The morning we disembarked we had not received a final statement either in our cabin or by email. I headed down to guest services expecting a wait but I was the only one there!  Self disembark was as easy as embarking. We simply dinged our sea pass cards and walked off- no line whatsoever.  Overall, if I had to describe the difference between the two lines I’d say Celebrity is more refined.  Now is that because this was a Mediterranean itinerary instead of Caribbean, I’m not sure.  I’d be interested in trying out Celebrity in the Caribbean to see if there’s more of a party atmosphere.  So Celebrity came out with a slight advantage but the difference was not as substantial as I expected.  
I’m happy to answer any questions!
 

Do you get a balcony discount for being Elite? The balcony discount and five drink vouchers are pretty valuable to me on RCI.

[helen haywood]

It’s a different sort of “discount.”  You get a one category cabin upgrade at the time of booking.  It’s too complicated to explain here….meaning you can’t book balcony for inside price, etc.  You pay the lower category price but book the one category upgrade cabin.  

[helen haywood]

Last picture for tonight.  Zoom in on Minnie’s porcupine quills.

 

 

[ReneeFLL]

On 10/14/2023 at 1:42 PM, mo&fran said:

Definity.  WE turned Pinnacle last November, this is the first we have had the badge to wear. 

 Following our next cruise with you, we stay on for another week  for our free pinn cruise.

I keep forgetting to book our free cruise. Need to do that before January, thanks for the reminder.

 

On 10/14/2023 at 2:27 PM, Arzeena said:

We are in Fort Lauderdale. We board the Equinox today. We will wave at the Adventure. Have a great cruise!

Miss the Equinox. We haven’t been on her since 2019. Have a great cruise.

 

On 10/14/2023 at 7:34 PM, Arzeena said:

That’s a lot of Lysol. Celebrity is providing it?

 

On 10/14/2023 at 8:14 PM, A&L_Ont said:

Sunrise the other morning. 
 

 

Beautiful pictures.

[ReneeFLL]

6 hours ago, mo&fran said:

Our departure yesterday had a slight delay. No reason given. We were in the pub at tht time, but I went back to the room to get something, and when I looked out, saw we were departing and went out on the balcony to watch, and our USCG escort had a guy up in the bow, in combat gear, manning a big gun.  I don't recall that being a normal occurrence. This guy had a helmet and looked like he was ready for action.

 Just sayin.

They normally have them with the guns. Not sure why. 

[ReneeFLL]

6 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I can't help but wonder if this is the first step to this becoming the D+ and P lounge.

I don’t remember, but are you D or D+? If D then you and Mike will have to find another place for morning coffee and talks.

 

6 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

That’s concerning. I wonder what that was all about?

I have seen the guns every time we sail from PE. Not sure why they’re there. 

 

5 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

We are having a bit of a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Love her eyes and her gray fur.

 

1 hour ago, Keksie said:

Coal is relaxing today too. 

 

 

Pretty black kitty. Looks just like our Chloe when she was younger.

[ReneeFLL]

5 hours ago, h20skibum said:

 

And here I was, envisioning something like this from one of our sailings in 2009.

 

Where was this?

 

4 hours ago, helen haywood said:

Lazy day here too…

 

 

Another Black Sleeping Beauty.

 

Just now, derorim said:

Marcel has been very cuddly lately.  When I’m in the recliner he climbs up and gives me a hug.

 

How is Marcel doing?

[ReneeFLL]

Just now, helen haywood said:

Last picture for tonight.  Zoom in on Minnie’s porcupine quills.

 

 

Are they black and white? It’s hard to tell on my iPad?

[sgmn]

7 hours ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Captains Club Benefits - this is what Celebrity calls their loyalty program.  As Diamonds, Celebrity matched us to their Elite category.  There are some similar discounts offered on things like internet, drink packages, spa services, etc. and these are comparable to RC’s.  
Instead of 4 drink vouchers, Celebrity has a nightly happy hour with free drinks for Elite members (only certain drinks are included). Our booking included the drink package so on this particular cruise the happy hour wasn’t any benefit to us. I think the 4 free drinks per day on RC is better because you can have any time of day. What I did love was the free bag of laundry each, this is a great benefit IMO.  Advantage: None 

Overall - we found Celebrity to be much more organized with fewer lines for anything. The morning we disembarked we had not received a final statement either in our cabin or by email. I headed down to guest services expecting a wait but I was the only one there!  Self disembark was as easy as embarking. We simply dinged our sea pass cards and walked off- no line whatsoever.  Overall, if I had to describe the difference between the two lines I’d say Celebrity is more refined.  Now is that because this was a Mediterranean itinerary instead of Caribbean, I’m not sure.  I’d be interested in trying out Celebrity in the Caribbean to see if there’s more of a party atmosphere.  So Celebrity came out with a slight advantage but the difference was not as substantial as I expected.  
I’m happy to answer any questions!
 

Great review Deb. We did three Celebrity cruises when cruising restarted, Beyond and twice on Silhouette.

Your review is very fair. We were a bit disappointed with the food as everyone had raved how much better the food was and we felt it was same as RC or maybe slightly better in the Dinnng Room. The daily snacks delivered to our concierge cabin were awful. 

Our main complaint was we love a big upper deck oceanview lounge at the front of the ship where we can sip our pre dinner HH wine and look at the sea. On Edge class that area is given over to suites and not accessible to non suite guests.  We thought the shows on Beyond were excellent, on Silhouette, similar to the smaller RC ships

We quite liked the infinity balconies and thought they would be great for a cool weather cruises 

Sue

Edited October 16, 2023 by sgmn

[sgmn]

The weather has finally turned chilly. Yesterday was about 8c but bright and sunny, just how I like it.

We went for a walk along the Thames in Henley.  Up to the weir and lock and then back into Henley and hot chocolate with chilli at our favourite cafe.

Molly wasn't happy on the wooden bridge with water rushing under 

Love the name on the third boat along in the second pic

 

 

Edited October 16, 2023 by sgmn

[grapau27]

Good morning.

It is 42°F and sunny here.

Lazy day planned to recover from jet lag as we are 5 hours ahead of Orlando.

Just had porridge for breakfast and missing Denny's Phillisteak omelette and red skin potatoes and toast.

I hope everyone is safe and well.

[Ocean Boy]

4 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

I don’t remember, but are you D or D+? If D then you and Mike will have to find another place for morning coffee and talks.

 

D+, Mike isn't getting rid of me that easily.

[h20skibum]

6 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

Where was this?

That was our welcoming committee in Costa Maya.  It was tied up to our catamaran at the dock in Mahahual, and had to move so we could leave the dock.