Anyone happy with RC also happy with Celebrity

[trvlbug08]

We have just completed our 7th cruise with RC. We have enjoyed every one. We have been on Majesty twice, Serenade, Navigator, Adventure, Mariner and Freedom. We would like to book a cruise for either Jan, Feb. or March, 2009 and like to go to the Caribbean as it is cold and snowy during those months here. I am disappointed with the same old itineraries to the Caribbean and have considered looking at other cruiselines for different itineraries. We are in our late 40s and certainly are not ready for bed at 10:00pm. Has anyone out there also done Celebrity as well as other RC ships? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. We are looking at the Celebrity Solstice or the 10-day Southern on the Constellation. Also, are the RC Visa Points also good on Celebrity?

[Sue L]

There is a reciprocal status for Celebrity but your Celebrity cruise will not add any additional points to your RCCL account.

[luvscruzs]

We've been on 20+ cruises so consider ourselves experienced cruisers. We've done 5 or 6 on RCL and love it. Did a Celebrity Summit about 5 years ago and hated it! Rude staff all around, mediocre dining, just lots of little things. Had an opportunity in Sept to cruise Celebrity Century on a fabulous

Europen itinerary, so thought we'd give them another chance. Nothing's

changed! That's definitely the LAST Celebrity cruise.

Will stick with RCL (or HAL or Princess) in the future.... until we can afford

Radisson or QM2!

[wolfganghowell]

As you can see from my signature, we go back and forth between the lines. We too are in your age group and seldom crawl into bed before 2 am on a cruise. We love Celebrity. There are a few differences between the lines but we have grown to appreciate many of them. However we have cruised on 3 X ships and only one RCCL - we have already booked Solstice.

 

X is a little more formal in decor and in presentation. Not stuffy however. There are fewer families, less children - more couples. Age range is more 30s to 60s. The only ship announcement is at noon so a bit quieter environment. Food - no comparison. Presentation is more European, richer sauces and heavier dishes. Many healthier choices too. Alternative dining is amazing but is an old world 2-3 hour 5 course meal. Men are required to wear a tie. People do tend to dress up more on X, they have an informal night which is pretty much between casual and formal - men do more jackets with khakis, women in casual skirts or dresses. Your RCL card and points do not transfer however - X has their own card through AmEx. There are a lot of extra touches on X - small but they add up. In the buffet, you are given a tray and usually there is someone who will carry your tray for you. You are greeted at embarkation with a complimentary glass of champagne. Coming back from port they will have cool damp hand towels. They will serve sorbet around the pool on sea days. If I say it's just a bit more sophisticated, I don't mean that as a slam against RCCL. We have different expectations on a X cruise than we do on a RCCL one.

[BopRN]

We sailed Celebrity before RCCL and really enjoyed it too. The service is excellent. The differences we noticed....far less children(150 on a July sailing); less announcements: no singing in the dining room but our waiter would do little magic tricks after dinner at our table and they always have the Parade of the Baked Alaska in the DR and the food presentation was a bit more upscale. Other than that, we didn't notice alot of differences...we love RCCL for the excellent service and large ships. We would definitely go on Celebrity again...we are also getting bored with RCCL's Caribbean itinery. We have friends who went on the Constellation and raved about it.

[sea-cruise]

We've cruised Celebrity 7 times but RCCL many more. Wolfganghowell summed it up quite well. We really enjoyed our X cruises. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Have fun! :)

[M&M Hayden]

We're diamond C&A members and two years ago we sailed Celebrity Mercury to the Mexican Riveria because of the itinerary, 10 days out of San Diego vs 7 days out of LA on RCL VOS.

We LOVED Celebrity. Yes, they don't have the concierge lounge we've come to know as Diamond members, but it reminds us more of what cruising used to be.

At the time of that cruise DH and I were late 40s.

There aren't the "pool games" (i.e., belly flop, sexy legs) that RCL has and they don't have horse racing and that was SO NICE.....no constant announcements telling you that bingo is starting in 30 minutes...15 minutes...so it is much more peaceful.

The little "extras" mentioned earlier (cool towels, sorbet) were really nice.

Since RCL is going to up the number of cruises to reach Diamond plus we'll look more carefully at itineraries and if Celebrity has a better itinerary we wouldn't hesitate to book that over RCL.

[theotherchad]

What everyone is saying sounds great and pretty much squares with what I have heard in the past. Better food, less kids, a bit more formal, less noise and party games, etc.

 

But what if you want to shake it in the disco, etc. 'til 2 or 3 a.m.? Is there no poolside band or dancing? Is it peace and quiet everywhere, or do they have any activities that would appeal to a fun loving couple in their 20s? (We are in our 40s, but we act like we aren't aware of it.)

 

What is the live music like. Is it all mellow jazz, classical, easy listening, or does anybody ever rock a bit? This is what I want to know.

[M&M Hayden]

We had late seating for dinner and after dinner would wander up to the disco/bar. That lounge didn't have a band, but a DJ who was really good and the bartenders were wonderful and we danced probably more on that cruise than on any cruise. Granted we didn't stay "until the wee hours" but were there until midnight or 1 AM and there were still people there dancing away.

[wolfganghowell]

Chad - we're the same way. Legally we're in our 40s but on a cruise we like to think we are 29. Yes - they have pool bands - just like RCCL. Great music. And actually we have seen some pool games on X - sexy legs being one of them. We've even participated. Yes - we shake our groove things in the disco (if we can drag ourselves out of the casino). In our experience, we have never had problems with an active, fun filled nightlife. Or fun days at the pool too. You can find the jazzy music but you can find the rock/disco/dance music you want without a problem.

[Briton]

Ahem. As "King of the Horizon" I can state openly that we LOVED X. Our only cruise on X was on Horizon (she's been sold now, sigh) and we enjoyed it.

 

We are dedicated RCI people but had to try X and we shall again. Someone mentioned the itineraries that RCI sticks with but that almost has to change eventually.

 

We're 61 and 60 and don't hit the sack till 1 or 2 am usually.

 

Give X a try, you'll love it. Don't we make our OWN fun after all? :eek:

 

Jim

[heatherb1958]

Our very first cruise was on the Mercury , Oct '99 in a balcony cabin. We thought it was wonderful at the end of the cruise but since sailing on RCI's ships prefer to sail with them.

I prefer the layout of the cabins on RCi ships, dresser and couch near to the door, bed furthest away, less likely to hear any noise in the corridor,which never happens:) . I prefer a proper hairdryer by the dresser and not in the bathroom , have the cabin designers not seen the film "shampoo" !!!???!!:mad: .

Those thin cotton waffle robes, yuck , when we sailed last on the Infinity mine was so thread bare if it had been mine at home it would have been in the bin!.

I do like the thallassotherapy pool and aqua spa cafe menu on Celebrity Millennium class ships.

If you look at my signature , all our X cruises have been in balcony cabins but I would prefer to sail in an inside with RCI than go on Celebrity again.

Different strokes for different folks:)

[truffles2]

We could not find anything that we liked better on Celebrity and a lot of things that we did not like as well. May give them another try some day but not any time soon................

[TEXASMUNK]

We love Celebrity!!!!

Love the upgraded service, food, crew, everything!!!

and yes the disco will go till 2 or 3am!!!!

[polodad]

I've actually cruised with Celebrity more then RCCL. I really enjoyed Celebrity. Good passenger group. beautiful ships, great service, better food then RCCL. the waffle bar is to die for. We had a problem with Celebrity constantly deleting port times. it semed preplanned. We also found the programs on RCCL to be a little younger crowd & more to our tastes right now. I would sail celebrity again.

[PINEVIEW01]

Wolfganghowell summed it up quite well. We really enjoyed our X cruises. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Have fun! :)

I totally agree. The service is the best. I didn't find the food up to the standard I was expecting. But, it could have been that ship, that sailing a TA from Europe. Did I mention the service was WONDERFUL.

[iheartbda]

Ahem. As "King of the Horizon" I can state openly that we LOVED X. Our only cruise on X was on Horizon (she's been sold now, sigh) and we enjoyed it.

 

We are dedicated RCI people but had to try X and we shall again. Someone mentioned the itineraries that RCI sticks with but that almost has to change eventually.

 

We're 61 and 60 and don't hit the sack till 1 or 2 am usually.

 

Give X a try, you'll love it. Don't we make our OWN fun after all? :eek:

 

Jim

 

For anyone who doesn't know, there ARE pools games, specifically"King of the Horizon" and we have his honor among us.:p :D :D

 

For the person who wondered, yes there is a pool band and some of them quite good. We always looked for the lounge that they played in at night and there was plenty of dancing.

 

LOVE Celebrity.:)

[willysgrandma]

I like Celebrity better than RCL, and I like RCL. Celebrity it more elegant and they have the best food of any cruise line I've been on.

[berwyn]

If you are platinum on RCI what percs to you get on X?

[Sillyjilly]

We've been on 20+ cruises so consider ourselves experienced cruisers. We've done 5 or 6 on RCL and love it. Did a Celebrity Summit about 5 years ago and hated it! Rude staff all around, mediocre dining, just lots of little things. Had an opportunity in Sept to cruise Celebrity Century on a fabulous

Europen itinerary, so thought we'd give them another chance. Nothing's

changed! That's definitely the LAST Celebrity cruise.

Will stick with RCL (or HAL or Princess) in the future.... until we can afford

Radisson or QM2!

 

You really never know. The Summit was one of my favorite cruises with the best service ever. And, the best food. I guess it just depends on who the crew is.

 

Jill

[golfer1966]

If you are platinum on RCI what percs to you get on X?

 

 

how about if your Diamond....any advantages? We've done all RCI and want to possibly try X too. Ive read all the posts and it seems its a step above per se', but I was wondering if RCI Diamond get any perks on X?

[iheartbda]

Classic Level Benefits*

One-Category Upgrade

Complimentary Custom Air Request

Presailing Specialty Restaurant Reservations

Priority Embarkation (where available) - Founder Classic Members Only

Exclusive Captain's Club Party

Captain's Club Premium Booklet filled with valuable onboard offers

Preferential Debarkation (where available) - Founder Classic Members Only

Reunion Cruises

Online Newsletter

Additional sailing credit on itineraries of 12 nights or more (maximum of three sailing credits per sailing)

Additional sailing credit for booking a Concierge Class stateroom or Suite (maximum of three sailing credits per sailing)

 

 

**After earning 5 cruise credits Select Member Benefits

Includes all benefits of Classic membership, plus:

Behind-the-Scenes Tours

Chardonnay Blending Seminar

Priority Status for Shore Excursion Waitlist

Senior Officer's Cocktail party

Opportunity to enroll in Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society program at the Platinum Level

Plus all Classic Member Benefits Elite Member Benefits

Includes all benefits of Classic & Select membership, plus:

Complimentary use of Thalassotherapy Pool on Galaxy and Mercury

Private Shipboard Departure Lounge with Continental Breakfast

Priority Tender Service

Priority Waitlist for Dining Room Seating

Opportunity to enroll in Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society program at the Diamond Level

Plus all Select and Classic Member Benefits

 

*** After earning 10 cruise credits

We have always gotten a one category upgrade which I'm not seeing and since we cruised RCI on our last cruise, I don't know if that still holds. We always booked a certain cabin type and did not want to be upgraded so they subtracted the difference for the upgrade from the cost of the cabin we wanted.

[H2OH!]

As you can see from my signature, we go back and forth between the lines. We too are in your age group and seldom crawl into bed before 2 am on a cruise. We love Celebrity. There are a few differences between the lines but we have grown to appreciate many of them. However we have cruised on 3 X ships and only one RCCL - we have already booked Solstice.

 

X is a little more formal in decor and in presentation. Not stuffy however. There are fewer families, less children - more couples. Age range is more 30s to 60s. The only ship announcement is at noon so a bit quieter environment. Food - no comparison. Presentation is more European, richer sauces and heavier dishes. Many healthier choices too. Alternative dining is amazing but is an old world 2-3 hour 5 course meal. Men are required to wear a tie. People do tend to dress up more on X, they have an informal night which is pretty much between casual and formal - men do more jackets with khakis, women in casual skirts or dresses. Your RCL card and points do not transfer however - X has their own card through AmEx. There are a lot of extra touches on X - small but they add up. In the buffet, you are given a tray and usually there is someone who will carry your tray for you. You are greeted at embarkation with a complimentary glass of champagne. Coming back from port they will have cool damp hand towels. They will serve sorbet around the pool on sea days. If I say it's just a bit more sophisticated, I don't mean that as a slam against RCCL. We have different expectations on a X cruise than we do on a RCCL one.

 

Summed up perfectly! We love Concierge Class on Celebrity which gives that little extra something!

[dutchess43]

We love both lines 11 RCI 3 X. I look at ports & then the ships. We booked both lines for this year.

[dutchess43]

We love both lines 11 RCI 3 X. I look at ports & then the ships. We booked both lines for this year. Don't be afraid to try X!