Southern Caribbean - Celebrity vs. RCL

[domer95]

We have been unable to decide between the Celebrity Constellation in April 2005 and the RCL Serenade of the Seas. I have heard as a cruiseline that Celebrity is slightly above RCL, but the concern of mine is also that the Constellation goes to Casa de Campo and I have not read anything good about that port yet. Also, I have read on some reviews that the Constallation seems to have more movement possibly leading to sea sickness. My wife and I our first-time cruisers so we want to do it right (also celebrating our 10th anniversary). From a cruise line, specific ship, and itinerary perspective we could definitely use some recommendations and suggestions because we can't seem to decide on one or the other.

[RickT]

My wife and I cruise RCCL and Celebrity and while each is a little different they are both excellent. We generally chose our cruise based on ports of call and price. I've never cruised on the Serenade (or any ship in that class) but have cruised the Millenium class (Constellation) and have had no complaints.

 

Let the ports and price make your decision.

[tuggers]

Well, if this is your first cruise and you are concerned about motion then I would definitely recommend a call to the family doc for patches. Then you can worry about one less thing. These are both large ships in typically smooth caribbean seas so I would notn be looking for too much motion. Are you doing San Juan to San Juan? You'll have more motion on the flight, but better safe than sorry. Cabins on mid to lower decks, mid ship will also give a smoother ride. Us thrill seekers like upper decks for more motion! LOL!

 

Celebrity food and service is going to be a notch or so above the RCL. This was not always so, but sadly, that was my last experience. They are not doing the job they once were.

 

Casa de Compo is just one port and if you are looking at the cruise I looked at that is port intensive and you don't like one, that may be a good thing. Most of us 'old timers' love the ship when everyone is off in port. You might be ready for a day by the pool to relax and have a drink in relative quiet! Just food for thought. You want this to be a vacation and not a marathon, right?

 

Going on CENTURY! Third X Cruise In Four Months!

 

 

 

[BaliChic]

Hi domer95-

 

We are booked on the Constellation southern caribbean itinerary on april 16th 2005 and are really looking forward to a different experience. OUr last cruise was on one of RCL's 'big ships' and we found it to be much crowded. THe serenade carries 600 more passengers than the constellation and yet the connie is still bigger than the serenade. we prefer a fun experience with the refined effect and celebrity seems perfect. we chose this cruise mainly on itinerary, casa de campo- you will like it or you wont, and theres only one way to find out! for yourself! THe constellation and serenade are both beautiful ships. We hope to see you on the connie next april!

 

-Diahndra

[sailorbill]

DOMER95 - It is best to carefully study the two ships to decide which one will suit you best. They are nearly the same size and I've read that they have the same hull design. Both are Panamax ships, the largest size that will fit through the Panama Canal. The Constellation is 91,000 tons and the Serenade of the Seas is 88,000 tons. The Constellation carries fewer passengers, 1950 to Serenade's 2100 passengers and, therefore, has a higher space ratio (more space per passenger). In exterior appearance, that is the view from the dock, Serenade wins hands down. The Millennium class ships of Celebrity are among the ugliest on the seas. The interior decor of the Serenade is glitzier than the Constellation which is deliberately more subdued and refined. Personally, I like the layout of the public decks on the Constellation better than Serenade. The top deck view lounge on the Constellation is in the bow, whereas on the Serenade it is one of those stupid midship flying saucers attached to the funnel. Serenade of the Seas offers more and varied sports and active opportunities than the Constellation and has more space and facilities for children. Therefore, expect more families and children on Serenade. Since the Constellation is the flagship of the Celebrity fleet, it will have an edge in quality of service and budget for groceries (what the cooks do with the groceries is widely variable).

 

There are some websites that I recommend you visit to assist in making an informed decision. Many of the online booking websites have excellent deckplans. I particularly like icruise.com, bestpricecruises.com and expedia.com. Just pretend you are booking a cruise to get to the deck plan pages. For pictures of the ships taken by passengers try cruise-addicts.com and look for the ships in their photo gallery. And for panorama views of selected ships try virtualtoursusa.com. Virtualtoursusa has the Serenade but not the Constellation. For the Constellation use the panoramas of the Summit or Infinity to get the idea of what the public spaces and staterooms are like.

 

Either ship will provide an excellent cruise experience.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

Bill

 

Renaissance R6 Dec 2000

Galaxy Aug 2001

Volendam Nov 2002

Volendam Jun 2003

Constellation Oct 2003

 

Westerdam Nov 2004

[jezzdogg]

Serenade has been listed #1 on the cruisecritic site almost since per debut last year, while Connie is rated #1 by CondeNast.

Overall we have found the food to be better on Celebrity, but more variety on the RCCL, by that I mean more activities, more entertainment, just a more active cruise in general. What you have to decide is what kind of cruise experience for that vacation you are looking for. As for that fact that one ship holds more people than the other, you will not find a diffference in the feel of the space ratio, RCCL makes use of there space better in my opinion. We cruise both lines and love them for what they offer, and I whatever you decide there really is no bad decision.

 

norm