Celebrity vs RC

Hello all,

I have booked my first non-royal cruise basically ever (with the exception of a NCL cruise almost 20 years ago). I understand Royal owns Celebirty, but there still seems to be some differences between the lines. Based off my brief research it seems Celeb has much less in the way of complimentary dining with a lot of things being either specialty or suite specific and I'm anticipating feeling left out in that category. What are some other differences you guys would care to point out? I am sailing on a European itinerary on the Reflection. I sail virtually exclusively Oasis class on Royal

RCI and Celebrity share some similarities and differences. Having sailed several time on both of these RCCL brands I would not say they differ significantly with regards to number of included (complimentary) dining venues vs. specialty (extra cost) venues. Each line has a few included and a few specialty venues per ship (more choices in both category on the newer, larger ships). Both lines also have special suite-only dining rooms; Celebrity also has a dining room for a category called Aqua class.

In my opinion RCI is the better brand if you are traveling with children (far more for them to do) or are seeking lots of action/activities (ice skating, rock wall climbing, lots of nightlife etc.). Celebrity is a better brand if you are seeking a bit more of a sophisticated, upscale, relaxing experience with a bit more attention to service and food quality.

The differences are not dramatic, but they are noticeable. Both are good brands, it just depends on what type of vacation experience you are seeking if one is likely to be more appealing to you versus the other.

Be sure to register for Celebrity's Captain's Club program (their loyalty program - the equivalent of RCI's Crown & Anchor). While you accrue points separately on these RCCL brands, assuming you are at least Diamond status on RCI, you will be granted Elite status on Celebrity - which comes with some nice perks.

I would give Royal Caribbean the edge in the category of entertainment and energy level on the ship. Celebrity gets the nod with service and food. Both are great choices.

There is a fair amount of difference between Royal Caribbean ships and Celebrity ships. As you know Royal ships have things like flow riders, ice rinks, mini golf, water slides, rock climbing, etc.; there are none of these on a Celebrity ship.

Celebrity has a more relaxed, elegant feel and normally fewer children.

The Oasis class ships are considerable larger than the Celebrity ships so understandably more complimentary dining venues to feed more people.

The included food options on the Reflection are the Main Dining Room, the Oceanview Cafe (buffet), the Mast Grill (11am-6pm) burgers, hot dogs, etc., The Spa Cafe breakfast and lunch. There is a pizza and pasta station inside the Oceanview and also a selection of ice cream made fresh daily. Cafe al Bacio has a selection of pastries, cakes, cookies, for which there is no charge- the speciality coffees & teas do have a extra charge. I almost always picking out a treat when I pass Cafe al Bacio to take back to the cabin.

There are for a fee speciality restaurants on Celebrity just as on Royal.

Passengers who are booked in AQ class have Blu as their assigned dining room and passengers in Suites dine in Luminae.

We have sailed on Royal 12 times, most recently in December. We have enjoyed Royal but find the far fewer children and noise on Celebrity suits us better. On our December Royal cruise the of all the “bells & whistles “ we went to the ice show all the other things weren’t of interest to us. And there were over 600 excited, running, yelling children being children and having fun.

I have sailed on over 25+ cruises with RCI on most all of their class of ships. I sail end of next month May for the first time on Celebrity onboard the Eclipse...great itinerary, Ireland, Iceland & Scotland...and am so looking forward to this cruise. The itinerary is what has gotten me to finally give X a try. So excited for this cruise...going in with an open mind....and will try not to compare...although I'm already thinking I'm going to love the food.

Having done our first Celebrity cruise last month after many RCC ones I have to say that there is little difference overall. Some things are slightly better on Celebrity, ie larger cabins and bathrooms. The entertainment we also found to be better on Celebrity. Food is much the same on both some really good in the MDR and some mediocre. Windjammer has the edge for me over OVC but that is just my opinion you may find it the other way round. The staff were very friendly on Celbrity whereas they were quite subdued on our RCC cruise last year.

Agree with all the above.

Embarkation was more relaxed with Celebrity, although that could have been because we got to the pier an hour earlier...Junior Suite on Royal, Aqua on Celebrity, but we had a long line with a moderate wait on Royal, despite having preferred boarding. Celeb divhided passengers into so many groups that there was no line for anyone at the early time.

More instances with Royal where the ship felt crowded or overcrowded.

Celeb is quiet, very much make your own fun, less live music, no dedicated dance floor at a bar outside of disco.

The buffet on Royal seemed larger and more spread out which cushioned the crowds.

Food and service wise, I much preferred Celeb, although we had a bad trip on Royal in these arenas, and I wouldn’t measure the whole line against that trip.

Neither holds a candle to the old Celebrity, but you aren’t going to get that at this price point. Aqua class was close but not the same

Thanks for the input all. Less kids and a classier atmosphere then Royal will likely be appreciated because this cruise I will be embarking with my parents, one of which who generally dislikes cruising because of that reason. But in regards to food all I seem to see his MDR, buffet, and Mast Grill. Oasis on Royal has MDR, buffet, sorrentos, Johnny Rockets for breakfast, Dog House, Wipeout Cafe, Solarium Bistro, and Cafe Promenade. Nonetheless I am very excited for the trip and feel like it may be a quieter experience then the Symphony of the Seas sailing I have booked in January

In Celebrity you will not find a climbing wall, wave simulator for surfing, zip line, ice rink, horse carousel, etc.

Non smoking casino in all Celebrity ships

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Thanks for the input all. Less kids and a classier atmosphere then Royal will likely be appreciated because this cruise I will be embarking with my parents, one of which who generally dislikes cruising because of that reason. But in regards to food all I seem to see his MDR, buffet, and Mast Grill. Oasis on Royal has MDR, buffet, sorrentos, Johnny Rockets for breakfast, Dog House, Wipeout Cafe, Solarium Bistro, and Cafe Promenade. Nonetheless I am very excited for the trip and feel like it may be a quieter experience then the Symphony of the Seas sailing I have booked in January

We were Diamond on Royal before taking our first X cruise. Most of what you're listing is available on X, but it's in the Ocean View Cafe. The Reflection doesn't have the Royal Promenade that most of the larger Royal ships have, which does take away "quick bite" options such as Sorrentos. But we didn't find that to be an issue on our two cruises. Full disclosure: We sailed Reflection in Aqua, so Blu for dinner, and Equinox in a Sky Suite (like a Jr. Suite on Royal but with suite benefits) which included Luminae.

We've really enjoyed our two cruises on X. As noted, if you have Crown & Anchor status, X matches it. The points don't add, unfortunately.

Non smoking casino in all Celebrity ships

 

 

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This is a definite plus. Wish RCI would follow suit

The Ocean View Cafe is open until around 1 AM with pizza, ice cream, quick bites etc. Very much better than the WJ closing at 9 PM on RCI ships. The pizza we had was very good. So there is still "free" food available until late. There is a made to order egg station and an eggs benedict station there for breakfast as well.

Non smoking casino in all Celebrity ships

 

 

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This is the reason we decided to try Celebrity, in addition to no smoking on balconies (has Royal banned this now, too?)

After several years on Celebrity, I took a Royal cruise in 2016, and saw lots of differences, mainly in the ambience. Celebrity seemed to be more calm, less activity and children running amok. I love children, but I was a teacher, so I like to vacation with adults.

You'll find Celebrity way more laid back than RCCL ships. ;)

We sailed 5 times with Celebrity and 10 with RCCL on all its classes of ships.

We love coziness of Celebrity ships. All cushioned loungers around the pool and in other places. Better food in both MDR and especially in buffet. Much better toiletries, RCCL really lacks in this department. More sophisticated atmosphere.

But yes... in terms of all activities and innovations RCCL has an edge over all companies and you really can’t compare Oasis class to any other ships even within RCCL.

I know that your parents will be very happy with the Celebrity product. It is so much more relaxed and more catered to a slower, but more relaxful pace, but with plenty to do too. You can also add a speciality dinner package if you have the extra funds. My DH and I love Murano for their Chateaubriand for two. Actually, their food is very, very good. If you are at all interested, look at all their specialty restaurants/dinner on their web site. I also recommend Cafe Baccio, as another poster mentioned. They have wonderful free desserts and cookies freshly made each day. The OVC(Ocean View Cafe) is great for special made eggs at breakfast, abundant choices for lunch too. Many also eat dinner there on occasion, as you can request certain items cooked to order. You can fix your lunch plate and head for the aft of the ship and enjoy eating outside, which is very relaxing on a beautiful day. Actually, this is one of my favorite places to enjoy. I believe that all of you will experience things onboard that you will enjoy!

I am also sailing in Europe/Reflection and leaving in a few short days. Celebrity is an excellent choice for European adventures with all the history and culture at your footsteps. If your itinerary is port intensive, you will be very busy enjoying all of the beautiful and historical ports as a family, along with sharing so many wonderful memories! I love Reflection and the S class ships! So glad that you are branching out from RCCL, as you will have two lines to compare! Just be open to a new experience and you will be impressed...

We are still relatively novice cruisers with only 5 cruises under our belt but the first four were with Royal and the last one with Celebrity. Both lines are great, and sure we'll do a Royal cruise again sometime, but the edge for us with Celebrity is it was just a bit slower speed, if you will. A little more relaxed, quieter, and a little more elegant, but not in a stuffy kind of way. I think the food on Celebrity is a bit better. Staff are super on both lines honestly, but they were great on our Celebrity cruise. So if you enjoy a slower, more relaxed pace to your cruise, you'll love Celebrity.