Royal or Celebrity?

[2chiefs]

33 minutes ago, sjb317 said:

We enjoy both Royal and Celebrity and I find that we are kind of alternating between them.  I’ve always thought Celebrity ships are more elegant than Royal but Royal is definitely more of a fun, party like vibe.   We recently sailed on Apex and I was completely blown away by the beauty of that ship.  Entertainment was some of the best I’ve seen on any ship and that includes Oasis class. 
 

Food wise, I think Celebrity’s included venues win over Royals but in comparing specialty restaurants, I prefer Royals.  We also like the Martini Bars and World class Bars on Celebrity, plus I think Celebrity ships offer more varied wines than Royal.   Service is pretty equal on both lines.

 

As far as price, if you always purchase a drink package and WiFi on Royal, add the cost of those plus daily gratuity charges to your Royal price and I think you will frequently find the cost for Royal versus Celebrity AI is not to far apart.  
 

Sherri🙂

Yep.

[davekathy]

We like the differences and similarities between Celebrity and RC. I guess that's why we don't cruise Princess and Holland anymore. 

[George C]

19 minutes ago, davekathy said:

We like the differences and similarities between Celebrity and RC. I guess that's why we don't cruise Princess and Holland anymore. 

Same here my last 15 or so cruises were rccl or celebrity with one MSc yacht club,.

[Ret MP]

6 hours ago, 2chiefs said:

I agree but it's good to hear what other people like and dislike because it still gives you a flavor of what the cruise might be like ahead of time so you can make a choice. For instance, if many people say they dislike Royal because of all the kids, even though that sounds like a negative, a family-oriented reader will look at it as a positive. So bottom line, I think the discussion really helps. Especially for those folks still working and have to make an important decision if they can only take one vacation a year. Unlike sampling whisky or rum, sampling cruises can be expensive and perhaps they can only take one per year (that was our pace before retiring). 

True.  I love other peoples positive stories about cruising.  I also like the critical critiques if well stated and not sounding like they are trying to hurt the cruise lines and their crew (in other words B.S.).  

[Maria63]

On 8/16/2022 at 12:52 AM, Cruiscs said:

Should we consider Royal again but in off season to avoid too many kids/noise? 

We really want to try the Caribbean next time. How are the oasis class ships in off-season? Still loads of kids and full capacity? What is the best time to cruise the Caribbean? 

 

 

Our first cruise some 15 years ago was a Christmas cruise with Costa, with a "kids under 12 sail free" promo to boot... We had no idea what to expect and didn't know anything about cruising back then. I swore I'd never, ever cruise again after that experience. But then my DH talked me into trying a cruise with Royal, and the itinerary didn't fit with the school holidays. I absolutely loved it, and we've cruised with Royal, and some other companies too, ever since.  We try to avoid the school holidays when possible though, or at least now know what to expect if we do a holiday season cruise.

[2chiefs]

3 hours ago, Ret MP said:

True.  I love other peoples positive stories about cruising.  I also like the critical critiques if well stated and not sounding like they are trying to hurt the cruise lines and their crew (in other words B.S.).  

Agree!

[homedepot124]

We have cruised on both RCCL Enchantment and Celebrity Summit this summer.  Buffet food is better on Celebrity but the MDR dinners were better on RCCL.

[clskinsfan]

13 hours ago, Cruiscs said:

Do you mean the more newer ones(quantum and oasis class)? Have only been on Wonder and Navigator (ship visit only) 
Have been on celebrity eclipse for a ship visit and at that time I believed it was the most elegant and classy ship I had seen. This was in 2016. Probably a little dated these days? Idk. 
 

We did a 10 night Alaskan on Eclipse. And I agree with you. She is a beautiful ship. 

Edited August 18, 2022 by clskinsfan

[Cruise a holic]

While the dress code seems more relaxed, on all ships now, I would suggest you bring polo type shirts vs. tee shirts for dinner- not sure if they would throw you out, but they cannot take up more space in your luggage and you will have no issues or worries- you can leave the tux home if you wish- and bring a jacket and button down shirts for chic nights-  Just a suggestion-

[drrich2]

On 8/15/2022 at 4:52 PM, Cruiscs said:

So my question is how do Celebrity compare with Royal? Should we consider Royal again but in off season to avoid too many kids/noise? 

My one Celebrity cruise was aboard the Constellation back in 2008. Enjoyed it (though I missed the Royal Promenade and the entertainment learned toward talented vocalists who could imitate famous performers and catered to an older set; not the more 'athletic' performances we'd seen on Royal). 

 

3 Things about this cruise:

 

1.) It was on Celebrity, a line associated with a somewhat older clientele.

2.) An 11-day cruise, so longer than the typical 7-day week cruise many families can get away for.

3.) In February, when school's 'in' and the kids already had a big 2-week break for Christmas and New Year not long ago.

 

I recall seeing one little kid, a little girl in someone's arms, the entire week. I looked at her like someone had brought aboard a pet monkey.

 

So if you want the dodge kids, there are some options (besides Virgin Voyages). 

[livingonthebeach]

Here is my list of differences:

1. Celebrity gives you a welcome bubbly / mimosa upon boarding - Royal doesn't

2. Celebrity has more music and ballroom dancing venues

3. Royal has better entertainment, i.e. production / broadway shows

4. Celebrity has better food all in all

5. Royal has more "thrill" activities

6. Celebrity has better itineraries

7. Royal is more family oriented
8. Celebrity has an all inclusive option
9. Celebrity before covid had an all you could drink happy hour 5:30-8:00pm anywhere on the ship for Elite / Diamond and up
10. Celebrity caters to an older crowd thus less kids

11. Royal's price point is less than Celebrity's

 

[Cruising89143]

On 8/17/2022 at 12:07 PM, George C said:

Same here my last 15 or so cruises were rccl or celebrity with one MSc yacht club,.

Between April 2020 and May 2021 we had six MSC cruises booked in the YC as we wanted to try the product. Unfortunately Covid canceled all of our cruises. We took it as a sign to put that decision on the back burner. 🙂 Their U.S customer service was horrendous. 

[brillohead]

7 hours ago, drrich2 said:

I recall seeing one little kid, a little girl in someone's arms, the entire week. I looked at her like someone had brought aboard a pet monkey.

This legit cracked me up.  Thanks for the laugh at work tonight!

[gfkcruiser]

On 8/15/2022 at 6:23 PM, klfhngr said:

We've done about 8 RCL cruises and 2 X (and about 10 CCL, 1 NCL, 2 Princess)

 

We've enjoyed mostly all of the RCL cruises. The first X cruise 5 years ago was awesome, on the Equinox. We just got back in May from a 10 day Italy/Med cruise on Reflection, it was pretty BAD! Food was not good at all, service was TERRIBLE! After 2 attempts in MDR, we gave up and stuck with the buffet! Pool 'action' was ok, sorta quiet if you like quiet and older music. If it wasn't for the bar service at the pool bar and the world class bar, this trip would've been a bust! Shows/nightlife was ok. Service by pool was great, same with outdoor burger place. The workers in the buffet were the bomb!

 

So, would we do X again? IDK, for now not really looking. We have a cruise booked in Oct on Navigator of the Seas, looking forward to it. Also, we did the Carnival Panorama last Oct., and it was awesome! The food, believe it or not, was better than on the Reflection! The service too! 

 

Royal is next, it's been about 2 years, last one was on Symphony of the Seas, I'll keep you posted!

 

FYI: We're in our 50's. Saw people of all ages, I was surprised at how many younger ones were on our Med cruise! We were told it was going to be all old people, it wasn't. And hardly no kids! This applied to our first X cruise also. If you like nightlife, activities, shows, music, I'd stick to RCL or even NCL!

We were on the Odyssey in May to Greek islands.  Was very surprised how many children and babies were onboard.