Major differences between RCCL and Celebrity?

[balle26]

I know they are sister companies but we have done 5-6 cruises with RCCL and are now thinking about trying Reflection and nervous of change :) Can you tell us the major differences with regards to entertainment, food, daily activities and anything else? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

[seaproponent]

Having done a dozen or so cruises (a rookie by forum standards), my two "go-to" lines are Celebrity and HAL -- both for food and service.

 

My two "never-again" lines are RCCL and Norwegian -- for the same reasons.

[JMG]

We are D+ on RCCL and tried X for the first time. X is more upscale than RCCL. Upon boarding we were offered a glass of champagne. Great way to start the cruise! You will not hear announcements all day long. They did not have a belly flop contest or the Love Marriage game. They did have Dancing with the Stripes and an Officers vrs Guests Staff pool volley ball game. Staff captains were highly visible. We found that the singers and dancers were very good but the stage was not as elaborate as what we have seen on RCCL. The shows were entertaining. Food is very subjective but we found it to be a little better than RCCL. Port days the officers were lined up to wish everyone a nice day ashore. Arriving back to the ship they have cool beverages, towels and a small tent with seating. You do not have to check out beach towels or be charged $25. Towels are available at the pools and you can take as many as you need. We booked during a 1,2,3 Go promotion and it was fantastic! We got the classic Bev package that included fresh squeezed juice, specialty coffee, bottled water, sodas, Beer up to $5, wine and liquor up to $8. Our stateroom service was not as good as we have received on RCCL but that appeared to be an oversight. Overall we enjoyed the experience and would do X again.

Edited December 27, 2013 by JMG

[We're The Groupnors]

I know they are sister companies but we have done 5-6 cruises with RCCL and are now thinking about trying Reflection and nervous of change :) Can you tell us the major differences with regards to entertainment, food, daily activities and anything else? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

We found little difference with entertainment and food between the two lines. Daily activities include very interesting lectures on Celebrity, but still also include the standby trivia, bingo, Officers vs. guests pool volleyball, etc. Celebrity is more laid back and upscale, and we saw fewer families, more couples. There are also fewer announcements on Celebrity, and less of the hard sell on board. You can also take as many pool towels as you want without having to sign them out.

 

Hope this helps.

[Gracie115]

Have cruised on both many times...food is MUCH better on Celebrity and the overall atmosphere on Celebrity is more elegant than Royal. There is more nightlife on Royal but the quality on both is fairly similar. Don't know what ships you've been on with Royal but if it's Oasis or Allure, well Celebrity has nothing to compare. The Reflection is Celebrity's newest ship and we personally love the class of ship but the closest ship in Royal is the Jewel class, which is both older and smaller than Celebrity's "S" class. I don't see how you could be disappointed in the Reflection, Celebrity is our cruiseline of choice but we've had several fun cruises on Royal too!! Enjoy!!!:)

[disneydave]

Have sailed on both and enjoyed both lines.

We sailed with Celebrity the first time on the Eclipse when our kids were 11 and 15. They had also been on Carnival and Royal. The next time we were planning a cruise they asked if we could do Celebrity again. In their eyes the pool was less crazy and there were always chairs available. They also loved the glass blowing and said the food was better.

We will be on the Summit in just over 2 weeks for our 4th Celebrity cruise and cannot wait.

[socreader]

We are D+ on RCCL and tried X for the first time. X is more upscale than RCCL. Upon boarding we were offered a glass of champagne. Great way to start the cruise! You will not hear announcements all day long. They did not have a belly flop contest or the Love Marriage game. They did have Dancing with the Stripes and an Officers vrs Guests Staff pool volley ball game. Staff captains were highly visible. We found that the singers and dancers were very good but the stage was not as elaborate as what we have seen on RCCL. The shows were entertaining. Food is very subjective but we found it to be a little better than RCCL. Port days the officers were lined up to wish everyone a nice day ashore. Arriving back to the ship they have cool beverages, towels and a small tent with seating. You do not have to check out beach towels or be charged $25. Towels are available at the pools and you can take as many as you need. We booked during a 1,2,3 Go promotion and it was fantastic! We got the classic Bev package that included fresh squeezed juice, specialty coffee, bottled water, sodas, Beer up to $5, wine and liquor up to $8. Our stateroom service was not as good as we have received on RCCL but that appeared to be an oversight. Overall we enjoyed the experience and would do X again.

We find Celebrity to have a softer edge than RCL. We also are Elite Plus on Celebrity and Diamond on RCL. Our bennys are more generous on X.

Edited December 27, 2013 by socreader

[balle26]

thanks everyone. Keep em' coming. This is very helpful. Yes we have only done Oasis and Allure and I know that size will not compare to Celebrity so am okay with that.

[momzcruzing]

I have lots of cruises on both Celebrity and RCL and I really enjoy both. Celebrity has an elegance to it, while RCL has the "WOW" factor.

 

The stricter smoking policy is a major plus for Celebrity and fewer announcements.

 

Food may be a bit better on Celebrity but the in-cabin storage on RCL is really nice.

 

For me a major point is the on-board music. Celebrity often has a guitarist in the ensemble lounge which is very spread out and dark. While all of the RCL ships have the Schooner Bar which is a dedicated piano bar in the evenings-- Love That!

[Gracie115]

thanks everyone. Keep em' coming. This is very helpful. Yes we have only done Oasis and Allure and I know that size will not compare to Celebrity so am okay with that.

 

It's not just size that doesn't compare....there is a lot more entertainment on the Oasis class ships and things to do because of its size....having said that, while we enjoyed our one Oasis trip...it never felt like we were on a ship and we probably won't go on that class again.

[ptrpanpens]

thanks everyone. Keep em' coming. This is very helpful. Yes we have only done Oasis and Allure and I know that size will not compare to Celebrity so am okay with that.

 

Celebrity prohibits smoking inside which is a huge benefit IMO. You can go into the casino without being asphyxiated and the atmosphere inside the ship is therefore much more enjoyable. And the Martini Bar is very entertaining even if you don't like martinis.:D

 

Celebrity is overall a classier ship than RCL, although it is also little less lively and less children onboard.

[balle26]

oh I forgot we've also done Freedom too. We did Freedom 2x, Oasis 2 times and 1 coming up and Allure 1 time.

[balle26]

omg the smoking thing. Yeah I can't ever breathe in the RCCL casino and I already have asthma. :(

[phoenix_dream]

You will find a variety of answers to this question. Here are my thoughts. As an overall summary and comparison, I will use a restaurant comparison. I think RCCL is more similar to a Friday's or Applebees restaurant, whereas Celebrity is more similar to a Capitol Grille or Ruth's Chris. Both are nice, but they are a different level of quality, service, and ambiance.

 

Celebrity tends to have better food, better service, fewer party-type activities, more 'sophisticated' entertainment (perhaps a string quartet instead of a band; a Broadway-type singer instead of a juggler), less noise overall onboard, and first and foremost a MUCH better smoking (or lack thereof) policy. I would describe it as quiet elegance (which is not to say there are not spots to dance/drink the night away if that is your thing) - but at the same time not to the point of stuffiness or pretentiousness.

 

I have only sailed Royal twice, so my input is admittedly primarily based on my Celebrity experiences. As anything, it of course can also vary somewhat on a particular cruise ship, dates of sailing, and itinerary.

[TravelerThom]

Oasis and Allure definitely have more entertainment and more sports activities than any Celebrity ship. Also generally a lot more children than you will find on Celebrity (Celebrity's kids programs still get good reviews). Celebrity forbids smoking anywhere inside the ship or on balconies (smoking limited to designated areas outdoors). Food is subjective, but often Celebrity gets higher marks than RCI. Storage in S-class cabins is not a strong point for Celebrity, but generally no problem for a week cruise (I was on Equinox for 24 nights and was able to handle it, but more storage would have been nice). Note that the two newest S-class ships (Reflection and Silhouette) do not have the Glass Blowing show that is on the first three S-class ships.

 

Thom

E+ and D+

[upwarduk]

No climbing walls on X.

I've heard that you have to book for the show or the skating on RCCL.

 

I have only sailed RCCL once, but had booked Indy, for a Med cruise 2012, hence the research and reading of the appropriate Roll Call.

However, RCCL decided to come out of the 18 night Med winter cruises and they re scheduled 12 night cruises to the Cannaries instead, which proved much more expensive, as they were over Christmas / New Year. The price per day leapt up from £45 per night to £120.

I was so cross, as it should have been a 70th birthday cruise for me. Eventually, when I got over the disappointment, I consoled myself that RCCL was geared to the younger clients, so was not for me.

[balle26]

yes we book all shows ahead of time otherwise you are scrambling trying to get in once you are on the ship. Do you not have to book anything ahead of time on X?

[TravelerThom]

yes we book all shows ahead of time otherwise you are scrambling trying to get in once you are on the ship. Do you not have to book anything ahead of time on X?

No pre-booking (before or during the cruise) of shows on X. Only O-class RCI ships really have pre-booked shows (I say "really", becuase one or two other ships do allow pre-booking, but it seems that on those no one checks if you have a reservations - so making reservations on those ships is just a waste of time).

 

Thom

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

I like both lines and have cruised many times with them (18 Royal Caribbean cruises and 8 Celebrity cruises). In fact, I recently returned from the Celebrity Constellation (the Dec. 14-19 cruise). I agree with the above posts that the food is generally better on Celebrity and that there is a more refined atmosphere. Also, Celebrity provides more extras (champagne when boarding the ship, chocolate on pillow at night, beach towels in your stateroom, etc.). On my recent cruise, the food and service in the two specialty restaurants (Ocean Liners and the Tuscan Grille) were outstanding. I also love the ice cream in the buffet restaurant on Celebrity.

 

Chuck

Edited December 27, 2013 by seacruise9

[DDBINK1]

I have traveled with both lines. Celebrity seems to have more interesting staff/officers or they are more interactive with guests. Food is very subjective to all so I just say I enjoyed the food I ordered on both lines. The crew vrs officers water vollyball game on my last Celebrity trip had a goofy announcer who made fun of the guys in speedos and the women in bikinis for some reason and that was not funny. But the contest was fun and entertaining on a slow day at sea. RCCL has what to me seems like youth oriented activities set up, like rock walls and surf riders. Celebrity has lectures on good topics of interest and the usual bingo and trivia and singers and dancers. The shows were all good to me. The wine tasting on Celebrity was great compared to the one on RCCL Oasis of the Seas. I like both lines for different reasons. Both are good entertainment for a vacation.

[Kellie Poodle]

I probably shouldn't post this on a Celebrity board, but I think the breakfast and lunch on Celebrity buffets is not as good as Royal Caribbean. Celebrity definitely needs a new pastry recipe. Their pastries are dry. Even the "famous" sticky buns are dry as dust under the "sticky" They make waffles to order, but I'm not a waffle eater. On Royal ships I can snag a piece of Swiss cheese and have the omelet guy put it in my omelet. I've yet to find a slice of Swiss cheese on a Celebrity ship at breakfast. I have to be adamant about wanting a Swiss cheese omelet in the MDR, too. They will bring pizza cheese if you don't put your foot down.

 

I've not cruised the bigger S class ships, but on the M class and on Century, the only thing I like at lunch time is the hot dogs at the pool grill. I did a 15 day cruise RT to Hawaii with 10 sea days and everyday my lunch was a hot dog as none of the food on the buffet or in the MDR pleased me.

 

There is no Tutti salad bar on sea days on Celebrity, but the MDR food at dinner is generally better on Celebrity. This depends on the ship as I've had the same menu on two different X ships within months of each other and one MDR was fabulous and one was not very good. MDR lunch on sea days has more offerings on Celebrity, but I am in love with Royal's salad bar.

 

The non-smoking policy on Celebrity is wonderful. As others have mentioned, you can actually pass through the casino without holding your breath.

 

We generally sail the smaller Royal ships, the largest we've sailed are the Voyager class, but we prefer the Radiance Class and Vision Class ships. We exclusively sail non-Caribbean itineraries as we've done all the islands and we find that the food, service and demographic is more to our liking on non-Caribbean cruises on both lines. Less children as well.

 

Both lines do nice production shows. There are no ice shows on Celebrity. The other talent is swapped between lines. I've seen the same acts on both lines. The Celebrity lecture series is nice and you can watch it on TV if you miss the live one. On our Celebrity Cape Horn cruise we had a naturalist who spoke on the PA as we passed many interesting places. I stood on the deck near the PA system to listen to him. It really enhanced my voyage.

 

We are huge trivia fans. Celebrity Trivia uses laptops and projects the questions on a wall. Very helpful when the CD staff have accents we aren't used to. Royal still has a member of the CD staff reading the questions which are so old that the answers have changed 10 years ago :):) We like Celebrity Trivia better. The prizes depend on the ship and CD.

 

I do like the ability to use the steam room and sauna for free on the non-Oasis class Royal ships. Celebrity has the Persian Gardens which is co-ed and costs extra. I am not a fan of wearing a bathing suit in a steam room, but they won't let you just wrap in a towel. Personally, I think the other rooms are worthless.

 

I think the service on both lines is wonderful. I believe that it's a corporate culture.

 

The atmosphere on Celebrity is a little less frenetic than on the Royal ships, but we have found that when on a non-Caribbean itinerary, the belly flop contest, etc., is not anyway near as popular.

 

Celebrity has one announcement per day and it's from the captain at around noon. That is one of the best differences between the lines. At least on Royal you can turn off the PA in your cabin. on the one NCL Freestyle cruise we did that wasn't possible and we were so used to tuning it out that we feared if the ship were sinking, we'd ignore the warning and go down with the ship. :)

 

If you have a loyalty status with Royal you can call Celebrity and join their Captain's Club and get a number. You will have a reciprocal level if you are Diamond or less. Diamond Plus and higher will be Elite, no higher.

 

Royal will let you combine your free internet minutes onto one account. Celebrity makes you have two accounts. Other loyalty perks on Celebrity are more generous than Royal.

 

Officers are generally more visible on Celebrity ships (if that impresses you).

 

Some of the Royal ships have kept the Diamond breakfast room and it's so much nicer than the "continental" breakfast for Elite and up on Celebrity. I can have my espresso and a hot, cooked to order breakfast which makes me happy. We've met some lovely people in those little dining rooms at breakfast.

 

Ever since the advent of the Diamond Lounge, I've enjoyed Royal's cocktail event much more than Celebrity's. That could be because on the X cruises I've sailed on the event was held in the big room at the top of the ship so there was very little ability to interact with other passengers. The Diamond lounge is more intimate. Celebrity has a couple of waiters passing out hot and cold canapes from a tray. If it's crowded, service can be slow. Royal has a little buffet with great hot and cold snack stuff and you serve yourself. Both have good drinks.

 

Other posters have covered most of the other differences. We were also exclusive to Royal before our first Celebrity cruise. Now we go back and forth depending on itinerary. In February we are trying our first Azamara cruise.

[Mud_Shark]

My Wife and I have not cruised before. Our 30th Anniversary is this coming year, and we are planning to take our first cruise.

 

For the itinerary we are eyeing, there are three basic options -- RCCL, Celebrity, and Princess. Looking for any help to tip the scales one way or the other.

 

We are not drinkers, so the bar scene really doesn't hold much allure for us. We do like the idea of Princess Movies under the stars. Do the others run movies on large screens as well? Golf putting and simulators are of interest (I assume you don't have to bring your own clubs?). Pools with actual heated hot tubs are a plus. Trivia games and the like would likely draw us in. We would probably participate in the formal nights, but do not need them. Any ideas of which to go with?

 

Thanks

 

Don

[hcat]

To the OP:

 

depends on what you are looking for....we have enjoyed both lines but prefer Celeb.. it is still upscale & elegant altho' changes are in the wind w/ more rap music and noisy activities...!

 

We liked Radiance class ships very much & Navigator on Royal but really disliked our recent cruise on Oasis.. It was like a shopping mall at sea w/ a food court. Never felt like a real cruise, no cohesive gathering places--just folks wandering back & forth .. very crowded at the pools and mall areas.....had to reserve for shows.. The specialty restaurants were nice but the waiters were hawking cook books and other stuff...not very elegant! I think it is more geared to families and younger cruises...

 

surprisingly the music was just as bad as on Celeb..usually Royal is better. The Celeb aerial show was much better than on Oasis and they had nicer small club areas... Also no officer presence on Oasis like there is on Celeb...

 

one stand out on Oasis however was the Diamond gathering each night--they really put out a great spread--nice social hr--much nicer than on X... highlight of our Oasis cruise was renting the beach cabana at labadee--another good way to avoid the crowds... Luggage valet eased our way off the ship with little effort-- and after a week we could not wait to get off that ship..looking forward to Equinox next!!!

 

many younger folks including our dtr are quite surprised at our review--she & her fiancee were on bd and enjoyed the more active stuff--rock walls, flow rider zip lines--but she did agree that it was too big and mall like compared to Brilliance etc and nothing of an elegant cruise ambiance!

 

To Shark: have not tried Princess but sounds like Celeb s class would be a good fit for you... they have a nice golf shop, putting area & simulator (as I recall) No movies under the stars but a nice selection on the stateroom TV, lots of trivia too

Edited December 27, 2013 by hcat

[Kellie Poodle]

My Wife and I have not cruised before. Our 30th Anniversary is this coming year, and we are planning to take our first cruise.

 

For the itinerary we are eyeing, there are three basic options -- RCCL, Celebrity, and Princess. Looking for any help to tip the scales one way or the other.

 

We are not drinkers, so the bar scene really doesn't hold much allure for us. We do like the idea of Princess Movies under the stars. Do the others run movies on large screens as well? Golf putting and simulators are of interest (I assume you don't have to bring your own clubs?). Pools with actual heated hot tubs are a plus. Trivia games and the like would likely draw us in. We would probably participate in the formal nights, but do not need them. Any ideas of which to go with?

 

Thanks

 

Don

 

Many of the Royal Caribbean ships are being retrofitted with movies under the stars screens. The Voyager Class and above ships have golf simulators and there are mini golf courses on all ships. They supply the clubs.

 

The Millenium class Celebrity ships have Thalassatherapy (sp) pools which are like a giant hot tub you can swim in. I love them. All the lines have hot tubs and pools.

 

We love Trivia and think Celebrity does it up really well.

 

I've never sailed Princess. We sail for itinerary so we usually choose port intensive cruises and save money by getting an outside (oceanview) cabin rather than a balcony. We have yet to find a Princess ship with outside cabins in a convenient or desirable spot on the ship. Princess is all about balconies. Also their deck plans appear to be very convoluted so we go with the deck plans with Royal and Celebrity which are generally much more open and easier to get around (except for Celebrity Century:))

 

I think you will like Celebrity's product.

[Relaxinginthesun]

After sailing exclusively on RCCL for our first several cruises my wife and I were ready to try something different. Last year we choose to try Celebrity due to the reciprocal Diamond C&A to Elite CC. I will say that if I was cruising with my daughters who are older teenagers, I would be cruising with RCCL in 2014. However this year is just my wife and I and we are booked on the X again.

Celebrity has for a lack of a better word a more adult atmosphere and RCCL has a family friendly atmosphere. Both lines offer a great cruise at a reasonable price. We sailed on the Silhouette, which is another S – Class ship and we found it to be a more relaxing and stylish. The furniture and the furnishings on the X are more modern and contemporary. The dress code is followed more closely then on X then on RCCL. On formal night on the X, I would have felt out of place if I hadn’t had a suit on. There are not the constant announcements advertising something on the X; just one announcement per day from the Captain around noon. On RCCL ships it seems like they are always trying to nickel and dime you. Now don’t get me wrong, Celebrity provides lots of opportunities to separate you from your money, but they aren’t in your face about it. The ships officers are much more approachable and seem happy to interact with their guests. I know that food is subjective, but we like many other posters found the variety and quality of the food to be better on X and the drink packages make the cruise much more enjoyable. The one place that RCCL is better in my opinion is the nightly entertainment. While the X’s entertainment was good, the production shows on RCCL are better and if you are looking for a late night party RCCL is your best choice. I have never had a bad RCCL cruise and I will sail with them again when sailing with my daughters, but if we are sailing as a couple we will choose Celebrity in the future.