Celebrity (Zenith) vs CCL/RCCL

[injunjoe]

Hello all....I have cruised several times but so far I have only sailed on Carnival & Royal Caribbean. It is my understanding that Celebrity is a step above both of thse lines but I have to admit I know very little about Celebrity. That being said, what differences can I expect? I don't want to turn this into a bash-Carnival or RCCL thread as I feel ANY cruise is a good cruise. What sets Celebrity apart and what makes the Zenith a ship that I should sail?

 

Thanks,

Injun Joe

[Susan-M]

What sets Celebrity apart and what makes the Zenith a ship that I should sail?

 

 

Hi Joe, Here is a thread that answers some of your questions:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=150725&highlight=zenith

 

I've sailed on both RCCL (Radiance) and Celebrity (Zenith) - Radiance was nice because it was newer and we had a balcony. I like the size of Zenith, and other than the cabin (which needed some updated decorating) the ship is really nice, and food and service were wonderful (but I also thought food and service on Radiance was very good.)

 

What makes Zenith a ship you should sail on? - if there is an itinerary that interests you and the price is right, then go for it (the reason why I am going on her again to Bermuda.) But Zenith doesn't appeal to everyone, so I would search through the threads and you'll come up with some interesting opinions.

 

What cruise did you have in mind...Caribbean or Bermuda?

[injunjoe]

Susan,

Thanks for your input. I am close to booking the 1/19/06 sailing that is a short 4-day trip from Miami to Key West and Cozumel. This is going to be my first "solo" cruise and the single rate on this trip is reasonable and will offer me a nice trip away from the winter in St. Louis.

 

Injun Joe

[greeneg]

I think that you will like Zenith although our experience on her has been on her longer cruises. Historically, Zenith has had one of the most loyal followings in the Celebrity Fleet ( along with her sister Horizon and the Century). Supposedly she ( Zenith) ranks #1 in the fleet in terms of the customer comment received although she and Horizon are the two smallest and oldest ship that Celebrity has.

 

Zenith lacks balcony staterooms which some consider essential.

 

On the other hand, Zenith's Captain, crew, and Hotel Staff take obvious pride in their ship and they really go out of their way to see that they give outstanding service and that their passengers' cruise experience is a good as they can make it.

 

Highlights on the ship: the Fleet Bar on Deck 11 forward, a wonderful view and a great place to relax and have a drink before or after dinner. The library is a very comfortable and quiet place to "get away from it" if you feel you need to. The hot tubs on Deck 12 aft are sort of a meeting place to meet and greet and just smooze......

 

Finally, there are some very good hamburgers outside the buffet on Deck 11.

 

Hope that's useful to you.

[gillyE]

Injunjoe, I just booked the Zenith for 1/19/06 - the price was really good and we live one hour north of Miami. We've only sailed Celebrity once before (Century 2000) but have sailed Royal Caribbean 5 times. I'm hoping the Zenith is still in reasonably good shape (as long as it's clean, I'll be happy) and the food is supposed to be superb. Go for it!

[duck512]

Injunjoe, I just booked the Zenith for 1/19/06 - the price was really good and we live one hour north of Miami. We've only sailed Celebrity once before (Century 2000) but have sailed Royal Caribbean 5 times. I'm hoping the Zenith is still in reasonably good shape (as long as it's clean, I'll be happy) and the food is supposed to be superb. Go for it!

 

Just returned Sunday on the Zenith. Loved the ship and the service was excellent but the food was rather bland, very little variety. That surprised us since we had read very impressive reviews on the food. The buffets were congested and didn't look all that appealing, they repeated items alot, but the hamburger & hot dogs grill on Deck 11 Aft were very good. One good thing about the so-so food is that I only gained 2 pounds on a 14 day cruise!!! :)