Celebrity Cruisers considering RCI

[Mattingly23]

You know, it really does a disservice to fellow cruisers when people try to insult other people's points of view and act like an online bully. My view is just as valid as yours and there was no need for you to make insulting comments towards me. My post was far from a rant but was meant to provide the OP with potentially useful information if they are sensitive to smoke and bothered by smoke.

 

Unfortunately many non-smokers who dislike smoke and are sensitive to smoke do not post on the RCI boards because of people like you who attempt to ridicule and belittle their comments. I was misled into sailing again on RCI by people commenting that the smoking is not an issue; well for someone sensitive to smoke, used to being in a smoke free environment and that dislikes smoke it IS a BIG issue!

 

On my last cruise (Allure) there were over a dozen smoking areas (several indoors) and many in poorly thought out locations where the smoke spilled into nearby allegedly smoke free venues. On top of this I witnessed numerous smoking occurring in non-smoking areas (i.e. mini golf course, both sides of the pool, Boardwalk balconies), smoke from indoor smoking areas was vented to outdoor smoke free areas (i.e. parts of Central Park), a crew smoking area impacted the gym of all places, and many activities were held in venues that allowed smoking and were therefore off limits to me.

 

To me any company that allows indoor smoking is certainly stuck in the 20th Century when it comes to smoking policies. I will continue to express my opinion so that other people like me are better informed and are forewarned about RCI's liberal smoking policy. If you are not bothered by cigarette smoke or do not have a keen sense of smell, RCI can be a wonderful option - but for some RCI is a terrible choice until they modernize their smoking policy.

 

We understand. Smoke = discomfort for you. It's the soapbox and whining we could do without.

[Lady Arwen]

Thanks to everyone for your advice! We are also now considering HAL Zuiderdam because it's Alaska itinerary is exceptional with the addition of Glacier Bay and roundtrip Vancouver.

 

Aren't we all so lucky to have so many choices and be able to experience these amazing cruises, regardless of which line we choose!

 

Happy cruising to all!

[Karma5]

Yet again I disagree with your post. Your opinion isn't fact, it's an opinion. Your opinion is that smoking is a huge issue on RCI and mine as a person sensitive to smoke is that it's not and your blowing this well out of portion.

 

You turning around and saying 'hey my opinion is smoking is a problem on RCI and this is the reason' brilliant that's what we are all on here for but...

 

To go on a full blown rant about it as above it makes you sound like your talking fact when quite frankly in my opinion your talking poo.

 

But hey that's just my opinion. Maybe you have a problem with my opinion, but one thing is for sure you will certainly let me know about it.

 

.......................................................................................................

RC should stop smoking on the balconies............It is a fact that serious

health problems occur from smoking and 2nd hand smoke is worse..

Grow up............................................

[Mattingly23]

2nd hand smoke is worse..

 

This statement is fear mongering at best. At worst, blatantly wrong propaganda spread by those with an agenda.

[mjldvlks]

1. Restricted to one side the ship on the pool deck.

2. NO smoking in any cabin

3. Smoking permitted in a few lounges

4. NO smoking in any dining area and many lounges

5. Smoking permitted on balconies.

 

Now, without any hysteria, you can make your own decision.

 

Well said. I might add:

 

6. Pipe and cigar smoking is only permitted within the Cigar lounge. (If no Cigar lounge exists on a particular ship, there will be a designated area for pipe and cigar smoking).

 

Maybe some modification of it, but that is a quote from the policy which hopefully diminishes hysteria in the interest of adults making decisions.

 

I will also add that we have been on several RCI cruises and [as a lifelong non-smoker who doesn't like to be around tobacco smoke or the hideous smells it leaves behind] smoking has never been an issue to me on RCI ships. Rarely if ever even notice it on balconies and when I have, it was not a problem. I would not have wanted to spend much time in the Casino though.

 

Even with the differences in smoking policy I was massively underwhelmed by our Celebrity cruise. Much prefer the ships and the "feel" of RCI. Felt the alleged luxury upgrades were trivial, forced, nothing that makes any monetary sense to me, and generally not anything to write home about. But hey, I am all in favor of everyone trying both and even other cruise lines outside of RCCL so that "without any hysteria, [they] can make [their] own decision."

[simon2831]

Yet again I disagree with your post. Your opinion isn't fact, it's an opinion. Your opinion is that smoking is a huge issue on RCI and mine as a person sensitive to smoke is that it's not and your blowing this well out of portion.

 

You turning around and saying 'hey my opinion is smoking is a problem on RCI and this is the reason' brilliant that's what we are all on here for but...

 

To go on a full blown rant about it as above it makes you sound like your talking fact when quite frankly in my opinion your talking poo.

 

But hey that's just my opinion. Maybe you have a problem with my opinion, but one thing is for sure you will certainly let me know about it.

 

.......................................................................................................

RC should stop smoking on the balconies............It is a fact that serious

health problems occur from smoking and 2nd hand smoke is worse..

Grow up............................................[/quote

 

 

Seriously.... In my opinion (because i'm all for opinions) you should re-read all you posts before posting.

 

Karma my friend Karma!

 

 

S

[Delbankin]

We have cruised both lines - albeit Celebrity was a little while ago. I wouldn't say that they were comparable at all in terms of the cruise experience.

 

Celebrity are more upscale and traditional in their approach whilst RCI are at the more mid range and relaxed position. The price would normally reflect this difference. Whether or not Celebrity provides value for money based on the more upscale experience is down to the individual to decide.

 

As a comparison based on past experience the food was not so good on RCI however recent posts seem to suggest that it has improved and hopefully we will discover that for ourselves when we board Navigator in September.

 

It's a pity that a genuine request for some advice on the part of the original poster was taken over in the middle by some pretty distasteful slanging between the smoking vs. no smoking bores - get a life!

[skandls]

My main concern would be with the ship itself. The Rhapsody is a much older ship (cabins tend to be smaller) and there are fewer venues around the ship for food and entertainment. The Radiance is one class newer than the Rhapsody and a much prettier ship (IMHO). I would put the Radiance close to the Century class of ships. I can't compare the Rhapsody to a older X ship as the Century is the oldest class of X ships I have been on. Here is a list of Royals classes of ships oldest to newest Majesty - Vision (Rhapsody) - Radiance - Voyager - Freedom -

[wwcruisers]

My main concern would be with the ship itself. The Rhapsody is a much older ship (cabins tend to be smaller) and there are fewer venues around the ship for food and entertainment. The Radiance is one class newer than the Rhapsody and a much prettier ship (IMHO). I would put the Radiance close to the Century class of ships. I can't compare the Rhapsody to a older X ship as the Century is the oldest class of X ships I have been on. Here is a list of Royals classes of ships oldest to newest Majesty - Vision (Rhapsody) - Radiance - Voyager - Freedom -

 

I don't keep up with details like "gross tonnage" (I leave that to DH :p). So, I don't know if Century is larger than RC's Sovereign Class. However, Celebrity's pool deck is very similar to that of Monarch/Majesty -- two outdoor pools and several whirlpools, all on one deck. Like Monarch/Majesty, Century has no indoor pools or Solarium. I understand that it once had a small indoor Thallasotherapy pool -- but it was removed in the '06 remodel. :(

[BillOh]

Yes, we thought about that. We're hoping the large aft wrap will solve the problem from the balcony standpoint. We can easily avoid other areas. Celebrity is number one in the industry related to smoking!

 

I strongly dislike smoke, but have never had it bother me on any Royal cruise. Sure you might get the rare non-polite person or group that smoke continously on their balcony, but in 8 cruises, it hasn't happened to me yet.

[varoo]

Thanks to everyone for your advice! We are also now considering HAL Zuiderdam because it's Alaska itinerary is exceptional with the addition of Glacier Bay and roundtrip Vancouver.................

We also cruise on HAL from time to time.

It is rather like enjoying the company of different friends from different backgrounds with different personalities, each having something special to offer.

 

I agree that most of the itineraries out of Vancouver are superior to the ones out of Seattle, especially cruises that take the Canadian Inside Passage east of Vancouver Island in both directions, instead of going around on the west side where you travel out in open ocean and miss the scenery.

 

However, some of the cruises from Seattle include Sitka, one of our favorite ports.

Whichever cruise you choose, there are always tradeoffs.

 

HAL has a more traditional, old world ambiance and attracts an older demographic than RCI.

 

They seem to have even a heavier concentration of smokers than RCI.

But there again, as with RCI, it can vary from one cruise to another.

Even on the same cruise, different people may have very different experiences with the smoke they encounter depending on their locations on the ship.

 

 

When Celebrity implemented their restrictive smoking policy, some of the Celebrity passengers who were smokers switched over to HAL.

Then when Princess recently banned smoking on their balconies, a number of Princess smokers did the same.

So we do not find it unreasonable that HAL or RCI would have a higher proportion of smokers than Celebrity or Princess.

 

[wowprincess]

Yet again I disagree with your post. Your opinion isn't fact, it's an opinion. Your opinion is that smoking is a huge issue on RCI and mine as a person sensitive to smoke is that it's not and your blowing this well out of portion.

 

 

S

 

I agree - I'm allergic to smoke and have asthma. I HATE smoke. On Rhapsody last summer I didn't have any issues with smoke.

 

My main concern would be with the ship itself. The Rhapsody is a much older ship (cabins tend to be smaller) and there are fewer venues around the ship for food and entertainment. The Radiance is one class newer than the Rhapsody and a much prettier ship (IMHO). I would put the Radiance close to the Century class of ships. I can't compare the Rhapsody to a older X ship as the Century is the oldest class of X ships I have been on. Here is a list of Royals classes of ships oldest to newest Majesty - Vision (Rhapsody) - Radiance - Voyager - Freedom -

 

I have to disagree with this statement. Rhapsody might be older, but the ship is great. It's been through it's dry dock and was in great shape. We had a really fun time on her last summer and I would sail her again.

[Travrat]

I have sailed on both Celebrity and RCCL-we just returned from Eastern Carib on Oasis. It was wonderful!

 

Entertainment on RCCL is far superior to Celebrity

Service was comparable

Food was comparable although we ate in the specialty restaurants frequently

There are more activities on RCCL than Celebrity and more dining venues to choose from

 

I personally prefer RCCL to Celebrity. I think that Celebrity tries to make people think they are an upscale cruise line and unfortunately they are not. I have sailed on Azamara, Oceania, and Crystal-they are upscale and far superior to Celebrity on all levels!

 

HAL happens to be a cruise line that I enjoy as well. So enjoy your cruise on whichever line you sail!:)

[gaechann]

I agree - I'm allergic to smoke and have asthma. I HATE smoke. On Rhapsody last summer I didn't have any issues with smoke.

 

 

 

I have to disagree with this statement. Rhapsody might be older, but the ship is great. It's been through it's dry dock and was in great shape. We had a really fun time on her last summer and I would sail her again.

 

We spent 12 fun-filled days on Rhapsody this March and had the very best time!

 

The ship was lovely, crew were excellent, food much better than I have at home and the entertainment was great!

 

Weather was mostly fine and our friends company lots of fun so all in all the best cruise so far!

[cw2go]

Thanks to everyone for your advice! We are also now considering HAL Zuiderdam because it's Alaska itinerary is exceptional with the addition of Glacier Bay and roundtrip Vancouver.

 

Aren't we all so lucky to have so many choices and be able to experience these amazing cruises, regardless of which line we choose!

 

Happy cruising to all!

 

 

Great choice! My input would have been to pick what is the best itinerary rather than cruise line for AK. I have sailed X and RCCl several times but niether will make any difference, champagne, towels and the special touches mean nothing compared to the outside of the ship. Alaska is pricey, make the most of the route rather than the ship.

 

Took me quite a while to grasp this reality but after sailing Ak I assure you the ship/cruise line will not matter, only the itinerary and excursions will.

 

Have a wonderful cruise, :)

 

Patty

[McCruiser33]

Just a quick response to the comment about smoking and not noticing it much on Princess. Princess has a no smoking policy on ANY balcony and very few public areas. I believe this is a recent policy change.

 

We do love RCI but must admit, on our last cruise our balcony was unusable as we had chain smokers on either side of us. I wasn't able to open the door or sit outside most of the cruise. To be fair to all they really should change their policy on this to restrict smoking either to one side of the ship or entirely on outside balconies (note that it is prohibited on the neighborhood inside balconies of Allure of Oasis).

[varoo]

Took me quite a while to grasp this reality but after sailing Ak I assure you the ship/cruise line will not matter, only the itinerary and excursions will.

It is very easy for those of us who happily cruise on multiple cruise lines and ships to make glib statements like that.

 

But in fact the differences between ships can and do matter a great deal to many people.

That is why there are different ships/cruise lines offering very similar itineraries and excursions.

 

Differences in the deck plans from one ship to another will matter to some people, let alone the differences in other features such as smoking policies or price or dietary accommodations or cabin layouts, or even the naturalist or speakers on board, all of which can be deciding factors.

 

I know that some people book a particular ship for Alaska primarily because a certain naturalist is on it.

 

Something as simple as personal differences in likes and dislikes will often determine why someone chooses one ship over another.

 

 

[smeck]

1. Restricted to one side the ship on the pool deck.

2. NO smoking in any cabin

3. Smoking permitted in a few lounges

4. NO smoking in any dining area and many lounges

5. Smoking permitted on balconies.

 

Now, without any hysteria, you can make your own decision.

 

If they restricted smoking on the balconies I would be a happy camper.