Royal or Celebrity?

My wife and I have primarily sail on Celebrity. We are thinking of trying Royal. FOr those of you that have sailed both. Is Royal a step down from Celebrity?

What are the major differences and Yes I realize they are part of the same company. Also please explain the alcohol drink packages such as what package is the best. We primarily drink spirits and martinis.

Sorry and I realize this has probably been beat to death but just looking for some input. I appreciate all the help.

My wife and I have primarily sail on Celebrity. We are thinking of trying Royal. FOr those of you that have sailed both. Is Royal a step down from Celebrity?

 

What are the major differences and Yes I realize they are part of the same company. Also please explain the alcohol drink packages such as what package is the best. We primarily drink spirits and martinis.

Sorry and I realize this has probably been beat to death but just looking for some input. I appreciate all the help.

Royal is more family oriented with better night life. They only have one drink package for alcohol. The pizza sucks, but I do miss the fresh waffles on Celebrity. It's not really a step down, but a step more active.

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Ok now?

Although food is subjective, I thought the mdr taste and presentation was better on Celebrity. Royal wins for entertainment.

Ok now?

I don't know. Do you think that s/he wanted a question mark instead of an exclamation point, also?

Which Royal ship, itinerary, and time of year are you considering? The onboard experience can vary quite a bit.

I don't know. Do you think that s/he wanted a question mark instead of an exclamation point, also?

I agree.

We like both of them equally for different reasons. With Celebrity, we expect a better specialty dining and general service experience along with less butt crack in the MDR. The MDR food and service are about equal. With Royal, we expect a better entertainment and nightlife experience...although Celebrity has picked up the nightlife activities. We do find Celebrity a more relaxing cruise and like their aft outdoor lounges and dining areas. We think Royal's loyalty benefits are better but like food, that can be subjective. We also like Celebrity's all inclusive booking options. Finally, Celebrity beats Royal in the ALL IMPORTANT craft beer selection. Royal really needs to raise their game in this area. You can't lose with either line.

Celebrity is a bit more classy, but Royal has non stop activities and entertainment

Really prefer entertainment on RCCL not even close, like the buffet on Celebrity, Celebrity is also great for non smoker casino on RCCL has lots of smokers, Celebrity is also way more laid back than RCCL, love RCCL drink package unlimited amount of drinks for approx. 50 a day

We are RCCL cruisers, but have done one on Celebrity (and plan to sail with them again sometime in the future). I found the cabin stewards better on Celebrity (we had 2 of them compared to only 1 on RCCL). Dining on Celebrity was a bit better, but on our one Celebrity cruise, we found the dining room staff very slow and overworked (on the Summit). Celebrity was very relaxing and enjoyable. RCCL usually offers much better entertainment (depending on the ship you sail). Lots more families on board RCCL and many more active activities. I actually found myself a bit bored on the Celebrity Summit, so we have been cruising RCCL exclusively since our cruise on the Summit. In about 5 more years when we are not cruising with our family and I slow down a bit (maybe), I plan to sail Celebrity more often.

Celebrity is a better "overall" fit for us vs RCCL ... but it's hard to beat the entertainment on RCCL ships. ;)

We like both. We generally prefer Royal for itineraries with a lot of sea days and Celebrity for more port intensive sailings.

Royal is more fun and lively. We like the food and service on Celebrity a bit more. Royal ships can seem a bit more crowded. Celebrity sometimes takes themselves a little too seriously. Definitely prefer the Diamond happy hour to the Elite cocktail hour on Celebrity.

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Having only sailed one time on both Celebrity and RCI, I have concluded I like them both. I was concerned I would evaluate our RCI cruise negatively to our Celebrity cruise, but I was pleasantly surprised. Each line has something better than the other. They all do. Holland America had great burgers out by the pool. Not so Celebrity. Yet Holland America is my least favorite favorite so far. So you have to weigh all the pros and cons. Have an open mind.

Celebrity's service is more formal and European-oriented. The menus are better, or they used to be. Entertainment in the theater has been slightly better, but that's always a matter of taste. Royal definitely had more going on in the evenings with activities in the Centrum.

The ships are more elegant with quirky art spread around. Not a fan of the Lawn area on X. Think it's a real waste of space. More mature passenger mix on X, where Royal caters to families.

Sue

Think of Celebrity as an hotel boutique and of Royal as a chain of hotels, each with their usual guests.

If you travel with tween or teenagers, go with Royal for all the activities on the ship: pools, special activities zones (ice skating, climbing wall,flowrider, etc),outdoor movies,great entertainment. Younger kids wont see the difference and older teens/young adult will be able appreciate more the quality of food and service.

The Royal bigger ships are crowded, pools totally packed on sea days so you can only stand in the water against other guests. Food is between so-so and good, service is average. Pushing aggressively sales: shop, bingo, drinking packages, photos. They are many adds on the intercom through the day. Nickling and diming on everything.

After cruising a few times on Royal, we are less interested in the bells and whistles. Doing the 10 seconds zipline or the climbing wall once is enough for us.The biggest difference are the shows that are really great on Royal.

We loved, loved, loved Celebrity food and service. There is few annoucements on Celebrity and they are not pushing the sales as agressively as on Royal.

They usually have an online booking promotion where you choose your perks: free drink packages, internet, onboard credit or gratuities. Number of perks depending of the cabin you choose. We got the classic drinking package (best value for us) and unlike Royal, everything is included inthe package: alcohol, coffee, water, juice.

You can transfer your fidelity level from each company. However, for the same level you get much much more on Celebrity, not only as free perks but as special activities.

If you are going on Royal, I would suggest the Oasis class, with a few specialty dinings away from the crowd. On Celebrity, the new Edge seems amazing.

Bottom line: it depends what you are looking for on your cruise. :)

I prefer X for the food :D

Both are great and I wouldn't turn down a cruise on either one. We find Royal more family oriented and Celebrity more adult oriented. It depends on what you're looking for.

Have sailed several times with Royal in the past. We did Celebrity last year for the Baltics as we preferred their itineraru and loved it ! Went concierge class and loved the extra touches .... We were on the Eclipse which is exactly the same as Freedom class - no real difference. Did Royal again this year to Scandinavia and tbh, preferred last year with Celebrity....

In my opinion, Royal is a step down from Celebrity. I love RCI, however, Celebrity caters to an older clientel and, therefore, it is more subdued than RCI. When we sailed Celebrity, they gave us a glass of champagne upon boarding, which RCI never does. I also do not remember seeing as many kids running around unsupervised. Also, we liked the food better on Celebrity. However, we enjoy the entertainment on RCI. I think for the most part, it is just a different feel...By the way, I am 60 to give you some idea.

Loyal to both ,celebrity and royal. Same company 😉

Love the food, martini bar and the sunset bar 😍😍

Royal entertainment A+ more activities,

We have been on both, definitely prefer RCCL. It depends on your age, personality, and what you like to do. I find Celebrity to cater to a more mature clientele, thus the subdued evenings and activities. I'm 71 but prefer having the choice to sit and read or participate in an activity, including zipline, mini golf, wall climbing, etc. I also enjoy the shows every evening. The first time we went on Celebrity was out of Valparaiso, Chile. I had never seen so many wheel chairs, scooters, and walkers on a cruise. You must decide which ambiance would suit you best. Good luck.

We have been on both, definitely prefer RCCL. It depends on your age, personality, and what you like to do. I find Celebrity to cater to a more mature clientele, thus the subdued evenings and activities. I'm 71 but prefer having the choice to sit and read or participate in an activity, including zipline, mini golf, wall climbing, etc. I also enjoy the shows every evening. The first time we went on Celebrity was out of Valparaiso, Chile. I had never seen so many wheel chairs, scooters, and walkers on a cruise. You must decide which ambiance would suit you best. Good luck.

Then you haven't been on HAL-(even MORE- scooters, walkers, wheel chairs!) LOL