rci v celebrity

[beaumontbhoy]

was on explorer last month and considering equinox in november. was wondering the differance between the 2 lines. good and bad

[Merion_Mom]

was on explorer last month and considering equinox in november. was wondering the differance between the 2 lines. good and bad

 

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1418979

[Lynnees]

It depends on what you're looking for. RCL is very family oriented, expecially the large ships. Lots of children.

 

Celebrity is nicer for couples, in my opinion. Much more upscale. There are children but not near as many as on RCL.

[Guest maddycat]

We sail on both Celebrity and RCI. Our last Celebrity cruise was on the Summit and our next will be on the Silhouette. Our last RCI cruise was on the Explorer and our next will also be on the Explorer. We no longer want to fly, so we cruise out of our home port, Bayonne, NJ.

 

We find that Celebrity is more sedate, more formal. RCI has more activities. Celebrity has less announcements. RCI's crews are more friendly. RCI's dinner buffets are much better, many more choices. Celebrity doesn't allow smoking in the casino or on any cabin verandas (balconies).

[klingoncruiser]

The smoking policy is much tighter on Celebrity. Also I find the food, service and over all feel is a notch up from RCI. Other than that, they are both really fine cruise lines. Always worth giving other cruise lines a try. Ya never know what you will find. :)

[silentbob007]

Celebrity tends to be more formal and also tends to be more strict with the dress code (even in the theater at night) ... and they will also enforce it (at least to an extent). I've found that I really like the Solstice-class ships ... it is a great combination of big-ship ammenities with great cabins and small-ship service.

[pandabebe]

I find the food on Celebrity much better. The ships are also much more up-scale than RCI. With that being said though, I find the RCI ships more fun and the staff much more friendly. It really depends on what you're looking for. For family, fun and excitement, RCI is the way to go. If you want luxury and good food then Celebrity is probably your best bet between the two. Eitherway, you can't go wrong...nothing beats cruising!

[bajathree]

I find the food on Celebrity much better. The ships are also much more up-scale than RCI. With that being said though, I find the RCI ships more fun and the staff much more friendly. It really depends on what you're looking for. For family, fun and excitement, RCI is the way to go. If you want luxury and good food then Celebrity is probably your best bet between the two. Eitherway, you can't go wrong...nothing beats cruising!

 

I have to pretty much agree with this:) but I found the staff on Solstice to be just as friendly as Royal.....the overall feeling IMO on Celebrity is more laid back. The MDR on Solstice was like dining in one of the specialties each night on Royal. Overall the people and mood on Celebrity were also a bit more sophisticated compared to Royal. Wine selection and service blew away Royal. Now entertainment was a different story....the entertainment on X was anemic compared to Royal...if you like excitement, then Royal wins big time in this dept. Both lines are great....just depends what you are looking for.... relaxing and laid back pace with more upscale amenities, then X......fun and action and more fast paced, then Royal....if kids are involved, then Royal also wins over X.

[Chicot]

We've been on four Celebrity, four Royal C, one Princess, one Silversea and when very young, one Carnival. Hands down my kids (who started cruising at age 10 -12 and who are now in their 20's) much prefer RC over Celebrity. More for them to do and I agree that RC is best for pleasing everyone in a group. Celebrity is more upscale with better food and stricter dress codes. (When without kids I like that.) We had a mediocre experience on Princess and Silversea was the cruise of the living dead. Can't make any relevant comment on Carnival because it was too long ago. (I was on the Carnivale!)

 

Good luck and have fun!

 

Chicot

[beaumontbhoy]

its either celebrity or land vacation but seems celebrity is well liked

[Janice M]

After 24 RCI cruises we finally did a Celebrity cruise on the Infinity.

This is an older ship and will be going into drydock soon. It is a beautiful ship. We found the food to be better. We thought the crew was great. We most certainly will do another Celebrity cruise. We enjoyed all the entertainment.

 

Jan

[Janice M]

After 24 RCI cruises we finally did a Celebrity cruise on the Infinity.

This is an older ship and will be going into drydock soon. It is a beautiful ship. We found the food to be better. We thought the crew was great. We most certainly will do another Celebrity cruise. We enjoyed all the entertainment.

 

Jan

 

I forgot to mention, no savory bites in a 16 day cruise.

 

Jan

[woody73]

We liked Celebrity's food better. For example, the ice cream stations on the Celebrity Infinity had eight flavors of hand scooped ice cream -- all made right onboard.

 

Woody

[silentbob007]

I also liked the fact that Celebrity has an every day alternative menu that I would constantly order from ... escargot, shrimp cocktail, onion soup, cheesecake, etc.

[themommy]

We have just booked our first RC cruise as we are travelling in a large family group with many age ranges including children. After hearing all the reviews I think we have selected wisely.

 

I can't assist with the comparison for you but of all the cruises taken so far we much prefer Celebrity for the best dining experience, service is tremendous and we love the little extras that the 5 star brings especially on the Solstice Class. Equinox was amazing, the martini bar was excellent and we have always found the staff to be really friendly. A more select atmosphere ,lovely ambience but the entertainment is poor.

 

It depends what feature is most important for you. In our opinion Celebrity Equinox is a high class floating hotel.

Hope you enjoy whatever you choose.

[fridaythe13th]

was on explorer last month and considering equinox in november. was wondering the differance between the 2 lines. good and bad

 

We went on our first Celebrity cruise last month. I contemplated trying X as my "take" on it was "older/snooty" people. We took the plunge and we're hooked!! We are in our 50's and RC is/was our favorite. Celebrity had the edge but not by much. On X the food was great, less smoke was nice, pillow chocolates:D, few annoying announcements, great entertainment, great staff, cold water/punch and a cold facecloth getting back onboard after a long hot day in the port. One thing we DIDN'T get was a towel animal:eek: j/k..... Well, there are always the "Chair Hogs" but we did see the pool butler going around taking towels off of unused chairs. If you get caught smoking where you're not supposed to you will get a $250 fine.

 

If you are bringing older kids I think I might stick with RC. If it's just you I think you should give it a try. It wasn't filled with "older/snooty" people that I had imagined. We're happy we gave X a shot.

[CCJack]

I have been on both. I agree with everything that had been said. My only addition is that the "venue" entertainment (those acts not in the big theater but in commons area etc) were really excellent on solstice....food better on celebrity. celebrity demographics are fine...a good mix of people...not an old crowd at all (at least for caribbean ) . Can't go wrong with either. Appreciated the"no announcements" on celebrity more than I thought I would.

[Janice M]

We went on our first Celebrity cruise last month. I contemplated trying X as my "take" on it was "older/snooty" people. We took the plunge and we're hooked!! We are in our 50's and RC is/was our favorite. Celebrity had the edge but not by much. On X the food was great, less smoke was nice, pillow chocolates:D, few annoying announcements, great entertainment, great staff, cold water/punch and a cold facecloth getting back onboard after a long hot day in the port. One thing we DIDN'T get was a towel animal:eek: j/k..... Well, there are always the "Chair Hogs" but we did see the pool butler going around taking towels off of unused chairs. If you get caught smoking where you're not supposed to you will get a $250 fine.

 

If you are bringing older kids I think I might stick with RC. If it's just you I think you should give it a try. It wasn't filled with "older/snooty" people that I had imagined. We're happy we gave X a shot.

 

I too was wondering about the cruisers on Celebrity, but to me they are no different than RCI. We too got hooked. The little extras mean a lot, especially the cool wash cloth after a long day of touring. Also as we came out of the dining room of the Infinity there was a huge bowl of wrapped mints for after dinner. We will definately cruise X again.

 

Jan

[Cruising89143]

We have decided to take a step over to Celebrity in January on the Eclipse. I love the look of the Solstice class ships and it's time to step out and try another line. My hopes is that we will have "two" favorite lines to cruise after the Eclipse.

[truffles2]

I also liked the fact that Celebrity has an every day alternative menu that I would constantly order from ... escargot, shrimp cocktail, onion soup, cheesecake, etc.

 

And the onion soup on Eclipse was really yummy! none of this wimpy stuff.

 

Same with the cheesecake--not the chiffoney non-creamcheese type.

[Chas2crews]

Thanks for the SilverSea quote. I had been thinking of splurging on that line as a couples getaway. Though I have an AARP card, I dread a "cruise of the living dead." Please copyright that line, as it says so much in five little words.

 

Chas/

 

We've been on four Celebrity, four Royal C, one Princess, one Silversea and when very young, one Carnival. Hands down my kids (who started cruising at age 10 -12 and who are now in their 20's) much prefer RC over Celebrity. More for them to do and I agree that RC is best for pleasing everyone in a group. Celebrity is more upscale with better food and stricter dress codes. (When without kids I like that.) We had a mediocre experience on Princess and Silversea was the cruise of the living dead. Can't make any relevant comment on Carnival because it was too long ago. (I was on the Carnivale!)

 

Good luck and have fun!

 

Chicot

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

We sailed on Eclipse last April and enjoyed the experience so much we would gladly sail Eclipse again anytime. We were told Constellation has been "Solsticized". Not really sure what that actually means, but we booked her anyway for a fourteen night cruise next April.

 

We have nearly thirty cruises on Royal, but what we really enjoyed on Celebrity were the "little extras" plus the strict smoking policy, the food, and the elegant decor. I could be wrong, but it seemed as though there was more live music in the evenings. There was a ajzz combo I really enjoyed. The martinis are definitely a cut above Royal's.

 

We still like Royal too, of course. In the future, it will be itinerary that determines whether we sail Celebrity or Royal.