Celebrity vs RCI

We just returned from a ten–night Eastern Caribbean sailing on Grandeur of the Seas – our first RC sailing since December 1990 and after over 90 nights on Celebrity. There have been some questions here about the differences between the lines and I thought I’d post my thoughts.

Cabin:

We were in a Junior Suite – our Celebrity sailings have been veranda or CC. I think Grandeur had a lot of storage – maybe on par with M class and far more than on S class. Not sure if it’s my tastes, but I’d compare the cabin furnishings on Grandeur to a Marriott Fairfield Inn while I’d compare Celebrity to a Marriott Courtyard. I think that the closed cabinets in Celebrity bathrooms look nicer than the open shelves on Royal. Do not like that the bed is not quite high enough to allow luggage to fit.

Food:

We ate most of our meals in Windjammer, except for three dinners in the MDR plus a breakfast and a lunch. The only courses in the MDR in which presentation seemed important were desserts. This differs from Celebrity, where every plate seems to be a work of art. The food selection in both MDR & Windjammer was good, with a theme (Indian, Chinese, Mexican, etc.) each night – with the choices in both venues pretty similar, something I do not recall on Celebrity. We really liked having the same two hot and one chilled soup in Windjammer as in the MDR. I did miss Celebrity’s stir-fry and pasta to-order stations and having desserts already plated.

I thought the beverages in Windjammer were done better than on Celebrity. They had two beverage stations and someone was there to keep the cold beverages (water, lemonade, juice) ready to grab from a tray – no lines trying to find the one working ice machine or drink dispenser.

On the other hand, we missed the Celebrity free ice cream bar with its changing flavors (in contrast to the Ben & Jerry’s for a fee) and had to settle for the vanilla / chocolate soft-serve dispenser by the pool. Also missed the fresh pizza and grilled burgers on Celebrity.

I didn’t try it, but the MDR had a salad bar for lunch instead of having the salad choices on the menu – felt like a step-down from Celebrity in that, if I want a served meal, I want to be served. They also had a fruit and muesli bar at breakfast.

One thing I definitely missed was the Café al Bacio experience. The Centrum on deck 6 had a combined Ben & Jerry’s / Starbucks with counter service. Not the same as sitting down to read/ talk / play a game / listen to music and having someone come by to take your order and bring you tea / coffee / pastries / afternoon savories.

One oddball trivia thing I noticed is that Celebrity uses imported (Asian?) silverware while Royal used Oneida flatware (USA).

Entertainment:

I didn’t attend any of the shows but could hear the performers in the Centrum from outside our cabin, and I did wander down to the Schooner Bar to hear the pianist once. My overall impression is that Royal Caribbean performers seem to be appealing to people who came of age in the 80s or early 90s, while Celebrity might be trying to appeal to a younger demographic. Just my opinion based on my (limited) knowledge of music styles.

Ship:

Both lines seem about equal in keeping the ship looking good – always polishing and vacuuming. I did notice that, while all ship staff on Celebrity seemed to always be on the lookout for a passing guest and would greet her/him, that was not as common on Royal. Cabin attendants all over would say hello, but others were not as quick to issue a greeting, unlike Celebrity.

I did like the Diamond and up cocktail hour. Our last couple of Celebrity cruises issued coupons for our daily free drinks and did not run a special lounge. Royal put the free drinks on the SeaPass card – but also cordoned off a section of the South Pacific Lounge next to the Diamond lounge for Diamond cocktail times. And ship officers regularly stopped by.

Overall:

Based on our last Celebrity sailing (February 2014) and this Royal sailing, I’d have to call them about even. I like the extra touches on Celebrity that make things feel more luxurious but being able to drive an hour to board makes up for a lot.

NOTE: Posted on both Celebrity & RCI boards.

We have sailed both in the past few years..Summit in the Caribbean and Equinox in the Med and the Serenade of the Seas in the Caribbean and the Allure out of FLL. Hands down we prefer Celebrity. The MDR food alone is reason enough for us to not go back to Royal. The service on Royal was not bad but it was measurably better on Celebrity. Our last Royal trip, on the Allure we had to eat in specialty restaurants almost every night because we were that unhappy with the MDR the one night we went.

Hello Nova! So berry berry great to read you!:D

Thanks for filling in the gaps!

EW

I have to agree with MrClick - the food on Celebrity was so much better in the MDR.

I really like the separate stations on the Celebrity S class in the Oceanview cafe versus the old style in the Windjammer.

I could never find a decent pizza on Royal and I really like the pizza on Celebrity.

The hot dogs and hamburgers are much better on Celebrity.

Do not like that the bed is not quite high enough to allow luggage to fit.

 

I didn’t try it, but the MDR had a salad bar for lunch instead of having the salad choices on the menu – felt like a step-down from Celebrity in that, if I want a served meal, I want to be served.

We always lift one side of the bed on every RCCL (and Holland for that matter) bed and have had no issue putting luggage under. The bar prevents it from sliding but a slight lift lets it fit (including a 26" checked bag size)

You can do the "served" salad bar as an entree or a side at lunch and you are served the remainder of your meal!

I have to agree with MrClick - the food on Celebrity was so much better in the MDR.

I might have agreed with this 3-5 years ago, but it felt to us on our last few Celebrity sailings (Summit 1/13, Century 2/14) as if the food selections and quality had been reduced. Increasing the number of diners per server and cutting out the sommelier further diminished the experience. So, whereas I would have previously ranked Celebrity dining as superb and Royal as OK, they're getting closer. As I said, presentation is still better on Celebrity, so that gets them a plus. It looks like Royal has kitchen staff setting up trays/carts for the servers and that doesn't always work.

But I did like some of the menu choices on Royal - I don't recall ever having Indian food options except for one year on Mercury in the buffet.

I really like the separate stations on the Celebrity S class in the Oceanview cafe versus the old style in the Windjammer.

That comes down to personal opinion - the one S class we took turned me off - it seemed too hard to find foods and the hot foods weren't always as hot as I'd like.

I could never find a decent pizza on Royal and I really like the pizza on Celebrity.

 

The hot dogs and hamburgers are much better on Celebrity.

No argument there - and I did mention my dismay at the lack of fresh pizza and burgers.

j

Another vote to Celebrity for their awesome Burgers (3 kinds) at the Mast Grill. Their fresh pizza in the Oceanview is also excellent. I love Royal Caribbean and its mega ships but lately we seem to be booking more Celebrity cruises on its S class ships.