Cunard or Celebrity

[lindylooellalouise]

Hi can anyone explain the differences between Cunard  and Celebrity we really enjoy Cunard grills experience and the formal nights.

[PORT ROYAL]

14 minutes ago, lindylooellalouise said:

Hi can anyone explain the differences between Cunard  and Celebrity we really enjoy Cunard grills experience and the formal nights.

 

Think you have answered your own question.

 

[lindylooellalouise]

Ok think we will stick with Cunard

[Windsurfboy]

Please would like to hear more from anyone who has been on Celebrity  at suite/retreat level vs Cunard Grills 

[Covepointcruiser]

We have been on many Celebrity cruises in suites.   The experience is not similar.   On Celebrity you have a small lounge and on new ships an outside retreat.   Drinks are included in the Suite Lounge.   There is no set seating in the Suite Dining Room.   It is usually open for breakfast (short and early hours), rarely for lunch, and each evening for dinner.   When there is a special show in the theatre, you meet your butler and he parades you to “Suite only” seating at the back of the theatre.   There is minimal dress code and on the dressy evening “evening chic” you will find passengers wearing anything they want except men are not allowed shorts.    There are more choices of Specialty Restaurants than Cunard.   Unless you are in a high level suite, they cost between $30-$65 pp per meal.   If there is a library it is not attended and what books they have are arranged haphazardly.   Libraries have been eliminated on their newer ships.

[Germancruiser]

Haven´t sailed in a grill or suite with X- the only suite was on board a HAL - ship.

Cunard offers the classic trransatlantic experience- with a modern twist and a nod to the old times- what was for me to a be a once in lifetime experience has become an experience I want to repeat and repeat...- and I have done so- and will do it again- hopefully not in the to distand future!

Formal with Cunard IS FORMAL!

Formal with Celebrity is still nice, sometimes even elegant- but much more relaxed.

[Covepointcruiser]

There is no “Formal” on Celebrity.   It is now called “evening chic” and the only requirement is no shorts for men.   You can dress however you please and I saw many baseball caps, cowboy hats, in the suites restaurant.  It is not unusual for passengers on a two week cruise to have one carry on bag each.   Celebrity does not have a self service laundry so unless you use their professional laundry folks are washing their clothes in the sink or the shower.   There are also no irons available for passengers.   This could be why they really have no dress code.

[ExArkie]

Since I am looking for a way to avoid writing an operating procedure for one of my clients (they won't have the equipment until late July, so no rush) this afternoon, I decided to write out my impression of Cunard Grills as compared to Celebrity suites. This is probably too long and more than one would reasonably want to know, but i was successful in avoiding doing actual work for a couple of hours.

 

We have sailed on Celebrity in suites twice. The Sky Suite on Solstice I would consider to be roughly equivalent to Princess Grill and the Celebrity Suite on Millennium roughly equivalent to Q5 on QM2 and Q4 on QV/QE. We have also sailed on Cunard seven times (I think – have to count them) in a combination of PG and QG on all three ships. Here is my take, keeping in mind that there will indubitably be changes to both when service resumes.

 

Celebrity is in the process of a “revolution” (their word) that is remodeling and changing the décor on all of their ships. I have lost track of which have been done and which remain, but we have only been on the pre-revolution versions, so some information may be outdated. The main difference that I have noted is that the Revolution seems to be devoted to removing some of the color palette from Celebrity interiors and re-painting the ships’ hulls.

 

Cabins: The Sky Suite felt more spacious than a PG cabin, but that was probably because it was an aft corner suite. The Celebrity Suite had more room than the Q4 we were in on QV. Storage space is better organized on Cunard, with the presence of drawers (more limited on Celebrity) and the walk-in closet (Celebrity had just regular closets). Cabin décor is a little more elegant on Cunard, but there is really nothing lacking with Celebrity in that regard. Cunard Grills definitely has the edge in bathroom size, arrangement, and amenities over our experience in Celebrity suites. Ranking: Definitely prefer Cunard, but nothing wrong with Celebrity.

 

Suite Amenities: Celebrity routinely includes four “perks” in their suite price for US bookings (By the way, the now refer to suites as “The Retreat” even though that, to me, implies they are all in one location – they are not): Premium Beverage Packages, unlimited Wi-Fi, prepaid gratuities, and $300 per suite on board credit. For our recent Cunard bookings from the US, we have received a Grills drink package (very similar to the Celebrity Premium Package), prepaid gratuities, and OBC based on the length of the cruise and cabin (PG versus QG), generally $200 per PG suite for a crossing. Note that the Cunard deal appears to be limited to US bookings, the Celebrity deal is independent of booking location (as far as I can tell). Since we are Platinum in Cunard World Club, we get adequate hours of wi-fi for our purposes, so from our perspective, these packages are equivalent.

 

Every suite on Celebrity includes butler service, whereas Cunard limits that to QG. Our two Celebrity butlers were varied: one was great and went out of his way to help us with anything he could, the other essentially did little more than we asked. On Cunard, we had essentially the same experience; some butlers are great, some are adequate. We have not encountered a bad butler on either line, but we also don’t really need the services of one – except maybe to bring canapes to the cabin in the evening.

 

Both Celebrity and Cunard offer a lounge reserved for suite guests. Pre-revolution, it is called Michael’s Club on Celebrity and the Retreat Lounge post-revolution. For Celebrity suites, there is no charge for drinks in Michael’s Club and generally some type of snack is available, with plated hors d'oeuvres in the early evening. Coffee and tea are available at any time. Most of the time we visited (at varying hours in the day), there was someone on duty in Michael’s Club, but there are times it is not staffed. The Cunard Grills Lounge is similar, but the alcoholic drinks are charged at the going rate. Snacks in the lounge are generally more limited than on Celebrity. The Grills Lounge is only staffed during certain hours.

 

Both lines offer a special dining room for suite guests: Luminae on Celebrity, PG/QG restaurants on Cunard. The quality of food and service is comparable on both lines, but our experience was that Cunard offered better service in the restaurants and more diverse menu options. Both offer open seating, i.e., show up when you want during service hours. Luminae is, I believe, open for lunch only on sea days, but for breakfast and dinner every day. Since we almost never eat a midday meal on a ship (how many meals a day does one need?), this is not important to me, so I didn’t pay attention. We found the maître d’ to be better on Celebrity, but that is a function of the person and not the company. Celebrity does not assign tables in Luminae, so you get whatever table is open when you show up. They seem to start filling the tables by the window first, then move out into the room. A large number of tables are two-tops, with several four-tops and the ability to combine tables to have a larger table. If there is a large table in Luminae, service throughout the restaurant gets to be an issue and the noise level tends to be unbearable. Fortunately, that has only happened at a couple of meals during our trips. I like the Grills approach to having your table assigned throughout the voyage, with the same serving staff. I think this contributes greatly to the improved service over our experience in Luminae.

 

In theory, both lines offer priority boarding to their suite guests, with separate check-in lines that supposedly give one an advantage over non-suite passengers. This difference was modestly noticeable on Celebrity, less so on Cunard. Either one, though, did a perfectly adequate job. We have been through check-in, security, and boarding on both in less than 20 minutes, but also more than an hour. No difference that I could detect.

 

Given the US-booking packages we have been able to get in recent years, I rate Cunard above Celebrity on suite amenities. However, it is not by a huge margin.

 

General Atmosphere: If it is important to you (it is not to me), Celebrity offers more specialty dining options than Cunard. We had dinner (hosted by a ship’s officer) once in Tuscan Grill on celebrity Millennium and found it less than inspiring. It was an adequate Italian menu, but nothing I would pay extra to have. The Solstice Class ships have additional specialty dining options over the Millennium Class and evidently their new Edge Class has even more than that.

 

Live music performances (outside of those in the theater) on Cunard tends to be somewhat more subdued than Celebrity. Several of the bars and lounges we visited on Celebrity were plagued by too-loud “popular” music groups, making it difficult to enjoy the setting. The string quartet, jazz combo, harpist, etc. on Cunard is much more to our liking. The piped-in music at various locations around the ship seemed more obvious on Celebrity than Cunard, perhaps related to the volume or perhaps related to the choice of music. Either way, it was not horribly intrusive on either.

 

The most obvious difference in atmosphere is “Chic Nights” on Celebrity versus “Gala Evenings” on Cunard. The latter has famously held onto the tradition of dressing formally for some evenings, although there is some relaxation in the terms recently. The ship feels different on those nights, with the presence of a majority of men wearing tuxes and the rest wearing jacket and tie (at least the ones allowed out in public). There is an expectation that everyone will adhere to the dress code. On Celebrity, there is actually no dress code other than prohibitions of obvious problems (no swimsuits in dining area, no shorts in the restaurant for dinner, etc.). For their “Chic Nights,” they state that one can dress up as much or as little as one wants. Generally, evening dress is a bit less casual on those nights, with probably a majority of men wearing jackets, but few with ties (if any – my impression was that there were only one or two men wearing ties across the entire ship). For our tastes, we definitely prefer the formality of Cunard and the grander atmosphere that a ship full of formal attire brings. Actually, we’d kind of like formal nights for most dinners, but I understand the issues with being in port all day and getting back for that in the evening.

 

Crew and staff: Both lines staff their ships with friendly, helpful people who will spend an incredible amount of energy making sure you enjoy your voyage. Cunard staff tend to be slightly more reserved, the company’s idea that one should not disturb a guest’s vacation uninvited (which is fine), but generally open up once they see you are wanting to interact. Celebrity had less of the reserve at the front end, but still provided a good service experience for our two trips. A couple of items that really make me give this edge to Cunard:

(1) We were doing a TA on QM2 (our top choice for a voyage) after a hiatus of about two years. We had gone to the Concierge on the first day to deal with a relatively minor problem and saw one of the room stewards in the hallway outside the Concierge Lounge. She had been our room steward on the previous voyage and remembered us – both our names and the cabin number we had been in – from two years earlier.

(2) We did a westbound TA in December in two consecutive years (I was teaching a course in the UK and used QM2 as our transportation home). On the second voyage, we went to the Grills Lounge for a drink before dinner. The server in the lounge remembered us from the previous year and what we had ordered to drink on our last visit to the Lounge.

 

That level of service is hard to compete with.

 

Entertainment: The various live musicians that play at different locations are superior on Cunard, without question. If you like dancing to live music, Cunard is infinitely superior to anything else on the water.

 

The theater production shows, with their staff contract singers and dancers, were better on Celebrity than Cunard. Guest performers varied – a tribute band on Celebrity was pretty awful, a pianist on the same trip was very good. If you are on one of the Cunard trips that feature a RADA performance or two, that will top anything Celebrity offers. For that matter, RADA also tops anything else that Cunard offers. Lectures were more plentiful and of better quality on Cunard, but most on Celebrity were fairly good.

 

Both lines offered movies (Celebrity had a large open-air screen on the top deck), a casino (no idea about either line – never participated), trivia games (Cunard’s is better, at least for me), and various other entertainments that I would be hard-pressed to state a preference for either line.

 

SUMMARY: For my tastes and preferences, Cunard is definitely the best. I like the formal nights and, irrespective of various complaints I have read on these boards, have always had a good to great experience with the food and service in the Grills restaurants. However, I would have no compunction about sailing in a suite on Celebrity again, a decision that would be based on timing, price, route, and availability of suites.

[Windsurfboy]

ExArkie thank you for you well thought out review. My take out is , as I love putting on my Tux and would do it every night. So for same itinerary and timing Cunard has the edge. However if celebrity had a better itinerary or timing they would be more than acceptable. 

[ExArkie]

20 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

ExArkie thank you for you well thought out review. My take out is , as I love putting on my Tux and would do it every night. So for same itinerary and timing Cunard has the edge. However if celebrity had a better itinerary or timing they would be more than acceptable. 

That is certainly the way I feel about it. The trips we made on Celebrity were in Asia or Transpacific (including a few interesting days with a cyclone, but that's another story), where the timing of what we needed was consistent with Celebrity, but not Cunard. Definitely enjoyed our time and will not hesitate to sail Celebrity again, if similar conditions arise (well, maybe not the cyclone).

[Fairgarth]

On 6/12/2020 at 4:08 AM, lindylooellalouise said:

we really enjoy Cunard grills experience and the formal nights.

 

In that case, I think you need to stick with Cunard.  Celebrity is noisy, music everywhere and you can't get away from it.  Most annoying at times.  We filled in a comment card and even got a call to our cabin from the cruise director.  'Very sorry, but Miami says we have to do it.'  The Queens are quiet in comparison and fellow passengers are considerate, sophisticated and friendly.  We would go back on Celebrity but adjust our expectations.  With a much bigger fleet, they can offer so many more itineraries.

[Covepointcruiser]

The Princess Grill Suites are larger on the QM2 than the Celebrity Sky Suites.   The Grill Suite cabins on the Victoria and the Elizabeth are smaller than the QM2.

[AspirationalFlyer]

I’m a big Cunard fan, but I’m looking to try one of the Celebrity Edge class ships in the Med next year. They look great. 

 

Four things that currently appeal to me about Celebrity: 

 

1. Much better range of Mediterranean itineraries. 

 

2. Very new ships when you book Edge class. 

 

3. Seems to be lots of offers around including WiFi, drink packages and tips.

 

4. On a port intensive schedule, I’m happy to take an inside. Looks like 200 sq ft average on Celebrity vs. Around 150 sq ft average on Cunard in my experience. The bathrooms on Celebrity generally look much nicer too.  

[Germancruiser]

The Edge class may be brand new- but they did not at all spike my interesst. I sailed all of the M- Class ships and three of their S- Class ships- many time over- so i wanted to give the Apex a try- just to see if my lack of enthusiasm for their new baby´s are justified. Covid 19 came and my whole traveling plans for 2020 went down the drain.

Yes- the bathrooms on board X- ships are better- QM2´s bathrooms are outdated - but still the first ship I am on- when the time comes for the ships to take passengers again- IS THE QUEEN MARY 2!

[eroller]

Celebrity and Cunard are my two favorite lines, and I enjoy them both immensely,.  I've sailed both lines multiple times in suites and in non-suites.  Generally I prefer Celebrity for cruises (less formal), and Cunard for crossings (more formal).  On a port intensive cruise I just don't want to worry about wearing a jacket every night for dinner, so Celebrity is better suited for me.  On a crossing the ship & sea are the destination, and the formality of Cunard is what makes a crossing so special.  

 

Celebrity ships are stunning.  They are modern, lively, and cutting edge.  The art work is contemporary world class.  Cunard ships are also stunning but the decor is the total opposite of Celebrity.  The ships are formal and subdued.  The art work is traditional.  

 

Because of the style of the ships, the onboard atmosphere is very different on Celebrity and Cunard.  Cunard is all about tradition, formality, history, enrichment, and structure and this comes across in the atmosphere.  Celebrity is far less formal with much less structure.  It's a more modern cruise experience with far more options and choices (dining & entertainment).  The entertainment is more cutting edge.  I would say the ships are overall more lively.  As mentioned before, if ballroom dancing is your thing, then Cunard is going to be your choice.  There are big bands and big ballrooms, and even dance hosts.  You won't find this on Celebrity but you will find plenty of live music and other entertainment options.   

 

Service is roughly the same on both, and I rate it overall very very good.  Hard working crew members on both lines that strive to provide a memorable experience, and they certainly succeed.

 

Food is subjective, so there will never be agreement, but for me personally I rate the cuisine on Celebrity a bit above Cunard.  There is more choice and I think the cuisine is more creative and interesting.  A bit more daring. Menus seem to be more varied with better selections, and there are always available selections clearly printed on the daily menu.  I also enjoy all the specialty restaurant options on Celebrity which are lacking on Cunard (there is really only one).  Some of the specialty restaurants on Celebrity have actually been my very best dining experiences at sea.       

 

At the end of the day I don't think you can go wrong with either line, it's just a matter of the cruising style that suits you best.  I've discovered I love both cruising styles, but prefer one more for cruising and one for crossing.  

[Solent Richard]

On 6/26/2020 at 6:46 AM, eroller said:

Celebrity and Cunard are my two favorite lines, and I enjoy them both immensely,.  I've sailed both lines multiple times in suites and in non-suites.  Generally I prefer Celebrity for cruises (less formal), and Cunard for crossings (more formal).  On a port intensive cruise I just don't want to worry about wearing a jacket every night for dinner, so Celebrity is better suited for me.  On a crossing the ship & sea are the destination, and the formality of Cunard is what makes a crossing so special.  

 

Celebrity ships are stunning.  They are modern, lively, and cutting edge.  The art work is contemporary world class.  Cunard ships are also stunning but the decor is the total opposite of Celebrity.  The ships are formal and subdued.  The art work is traditional.  

 

Because of the style of the ships, the onboard atmosphere is very different on Celebrity and Cunard.  Cunard is all about tradition, formality, history, enrichment, and structure and this comes across in the atmosphere.  Celebrity is far less formal with much less structure.  It's a more modern cruise experience with far more options and choices (dining & entertainment).  The entertainment is more cutting edge.  I would say the ships are overall more lively.  As mentioned before, if ballroom dancing is your thing, then Cunard is going to be your choice.  There are big bands and big ballrooms, and even dance hosts.  You won't find this on Celebrity but you will find plenty of live music and other entertainment options.   

 

Service is roughly the same on both, and I rate it overall very very good.  Hard working crew members on both lines that strive to provide a memorable experience, and they certainly succeed.

 

Food is subjective, so there will never be agreement, but for me personally I rate the cuisine on Celebrity a bit above Cunard.  There is more choice and I think the cuisine is more creative and interesting.  A bit more daring. Menus seem to be more varied with better selections, and there are always available selections clearly printed on the daily menu.  I also enjoy all the specialty restaurant options on Celebrity which are lacking on Cunard (there is really only one).  Some of the specialty restaurants on Celebrity have actually been my very best dining experiences at sea.       

 

At the end of the day I don't think you can go wrong with either line, it's just a matter of the cruising style that suits you best.  I've discovered I love both cruising styles, but prefer one more for cruising and one for crossing.  

 

Good morning Eroller.

 

I'd say that's about the perfect answer with aspects I would have pointed out had you not. 

 

I too have sailed with both lines on numerous occasions, Sky Suites when sailing as a couple and balcony on my odd 'solo' venture.

 

As I'm very much itinerary driven as long as the quality and experience are good and I certainly don't adhere to the principle of sticking to one cruise line for the sake of it.

 

To somewhat expand the dining experience though I'd point out for the OP's benefit that unless one is actually in Cunard's Grills then the main dining experience on Celebrity is a few shades better - as you rightly point out.

 

What I do always appreciate with Celebrity though is that while there is a wider choice as to the level of dress on Celebrity the standard are always high and you certainly don't feel out of place in 'formal' wear...

 

 

And while this may not go down too well in Cunard circles, given the choice of pre-dinner drinking venues, we'd definitely rate The Martini Bar above The Commodore Club for the overall 'social' experience.

 

Cheers.

 

 

 

[eroller]

8 hours ago, Solent Richard said:

 

Good morning Eroller.

 

I'd say that's about the perfect answer with aspects I would have pointed out had you not. 

 

I too have sailed with both lines on numerous occasions, Sky Suites when sailing as a couple and balcony on my odd 'solo' venture.

 

As I'm very much itinerary driven as long as the quality and experience are good and I certainly don't adhere to the principle of sticking to one cruise line for the sake of it.

 

To somewhat expand the dining experience though I'd point out for the OP's benefit that unless one is actually in Cunard's Grills then the main dining experience on Celebrity is a few shades better - as you rightly point out.

 

What I do always appreciate with Celebrity though is that while there is a wider choice as to the level of dress on Celebrity the standard are always high and you certainly don't feel out of place in 'formal' wear...

 

 

And while this may not go down too well in Cunard circles, given the choice of pre-dinner drinking venues, we'd definitely rate The Martini Bar above The Commodore Club for the overall 'social' experience.

 

Cheers.

 

 

 

 

 

Nice pic!  Great minds think alike!!

 

I love the Martini Bar as well.  Such fun.  I sure miss it.  I also agree that dressing up on Celebrity is certainly not looked down upon, and you will feel right at home.  No it's not formal like Cunard, but plenty of people enjoy dressing up on Celebrity and certainly do so.   

 

Where as you are itinerary driven, I'm ship driven.  Ships are a hobby and I'm very much a ship enthusiast, so I enjoy trying out a variety of ships, especially prototype new builds.  Doesn't matter the cruise line (although I have my favorites).  I'll chose to sail on a particular ship regardless of where it sails, just because I want to experience that ship.  

 

Here is to hoping our cruising days will return soon.   

[AspirationalFlyer]

19 hours ago, eroller said:

 

 

Nice pic!  Great minds think alike!!

 

I love the Martini Bar as well.  Such fun.  I sure miss it.  I also agree that dressing up on Celebrity is certainly not looked down upon, and you will feel right at home.  No it's not formal like Cunard, but plenty of people enjoy dressing up on Celebrity and certainly do so.   

 

Where as you are itinerary driven, I'm ship driven.  Ships are a hobby and I'm very much a ship enthusiast, so I enjoy trying out a variety of ships, especially prototype new builds.  Doesn't matter the cruise line (although I have my favorites).  I'll chose to sail on a particular ship regardless of where it sails, just because I want to experience that ship.  

 

Here is to hoping our cruising days will return soon.   

 

I think that is a great photo too. 

 

And I’m in the process of booking my first trip on Celebrity. It is not until next summer but I’m already looking forward to it! 

[Solent Richard]

On 6/27/2020 at 4:54 PM, eroller said:

 

 

Nice pic!  Great minds think alike!!

 

 

 

Here is to hoping our cruising days will return soon.   

 

Thank you for the kind comment.

 

Having noted your preferences then I can recommend, if you haven't already tried it, Hapag-Lloyd's Europa 2. Now that is my outstanding favourite and, like Cunard, you on't get into dinner unless you have a jacket on...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2017/04/07/europa-2-asian-island-explorer/

 

[eroller]

11 hours ago, Solent Richard said:

 

Thank you for the kind comment.

 

Having noted your preferences then I can recommend, if you haven't already tried it, Hapag-Lloyd's Europa 2. Now that is my outstanding favourite and, like Cunard, you on't get into dinner unless you have a jacket on...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2017/04/07/europa-2-asian-island-explorer/

 

 

 

I've read the reviews and yes she looks utterly fantastic!  I've sailed on luxury lines like Silversea and Seabourn, and ultra-premium lines like Oceania, Azamara, and Windstar ... but I think EUROPA 2 takes it to another level!  One day.  

[ROYALBOY]

Actually we are planning both, Celebrity Reflection British Isles Cruise from Amsterdam, and then traveling to Southampton for the Queen Mary TA on Aug 15.