Major differences between RCCL and Celebrity?

[gold1953]

I have only the Oasis to compare to Celebrity and I would NEVER sail Oasis again!.

We like to be treated as the adults we are. We like to be trusted with pool towels. We had to line up outside the buffet on the Oasis several times as all the seats were taken . we don't like eating from plastic dishes and I don't want my tea in a plastic mug. There is no place to sit outside to eat unless you are in the park and I can eat in a park at home .

 

We love sitting outside on Celebrity overlooking the water for breakfast and lunch . Many of the things we love about Celebrity have been mentioned

The list could go on!!

[waterbug123]

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!

 

Haven't read all the replies, but after a zillion cruises on RC and a handful on Celebrity, I give Celebrity the nod because:

1. no smoking at all in the casino on X; RC just designates non-smoking tables but the smoke is still throughout

2. fewer silly pool games on X = a more relaxed, enjoyable pool experience

3. alcoves on the lawn on a couple of X's newest ships; nothing similar on RC

4. More perks in X's Sky Suite than in RC's comparable Junior Suite

[OCruisers]

Celebrity is way more laid back than RCCL.

 

LuLu

~~~~

[JMG]

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

 

I definitely prefer the RCCL and Celebrity ship designs over the Princess ships. But that is my preference. I really do not think you can go wrong with those choices. There are pluses and minuses with each one. MUTS was fine but during the day, those TV screens can be annoying. I might give Celebrity a slight edge on food but they all satisfied my appetite. Princess may have more passengers from Canada and Britain. Assuming that you are looking at a Caribbean cruise, most of the British will be doing a B2B cruise because of the airfare and the way the cruises are promoted in Britain. As noted in all of he posts, Celebrity is more toned down than RCCL or Princess. If you want to see belly flop or hairy leg contests at the pool than RCCL and Princess would be the one to select. All three lines will have their singers/dancers, comedians, singers, and other entertainment in the theater. All three will have shops with similar products for sale. If there is one itinerary that really stands out as THE one you really want to try, I would go with the cruiseline. If the itineraries are very close, then perhaps consider prices and/or promos to help you determine your choice.

[The Big Booper]

We like and cruise both lines.

 

Oasis class is designed to spread the people all over the ship so no central gathering place area is on purpose.

 

Last time I looked, Celebrity S class had wide shopping corridors on deck 4 and 5, "mall" like.

 

I like the S class pool deck Mast Grill with dogs and burgers, wish RCI would put them on their ships.

 

Plenty of outdoor eating places on Oasis class, Wipe Out Cafe, Solarium Cafe, Johnny Rockets (brkfast) Dog store on Allure only. In addition to Park Cafe.

 

Oasis class, with slightly smaller cabins, has better storage then the S class. I think because the S bathrooms are very large and consume lots of space.

 

I like both lines and will return to =X= after we do our 3 itinerary-driven cruises on RCI in 2014.

[Smallfamily]

We are active in our 40's, diamond with royal and elite with celebrity. We cruise celebrity for port intensive cruises where we just need a good meal and service. If we are looking for entertainment, comedians, shows etc we choose royal everytime. If we take our grown children we only take Royal. Sea days with celebrity can be quite boring. Also if you buy shore excursions thru the ship royal has more active ones to choose from. Luckily we are good at entertaining ourselves. Happy traveling

 

 

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[ClairetoCruise]

We find RCCL suits us better. No pretense, no problems, just fun at every turn. In 2014 RCCL will eliminate more smoking areas. We're ready to cruise with them on Freedom or Oasis class.

 

Celebrity gets good press but often fails to deliver for us. We've had many problems on Celebrity. The Celebrity line needs an attitude adjustment and a management shake up.

 

On RCCL we've had only one negative. It was the smoking in the Viking Crown Lounge. That lounge will be no smoking in the new year.

 

RCCL and Princess offer more for our cruise money and show a nicer personality.

 

Claire

[Gracie115]

We find RCCL suits us better. No pretense, no problems, just fun at every turn. In 2014 RCCL will eliminate more smoking areas. We're ready to cruise with them on Freedom or Oasis class.

 

Celebrity gets good press but often fails to deliver for us. We've had many problems on Celebrity. The Celebrity line needs an attitude adjustment and a management shake up.

 

On RCCL we've had only one negative. It was the smoking in the Viking Crown Lounge. That lounge will be no smoking in the new year.

 

RCCL and Princess offer more for our cruise money and show a nicer personality.

 

Claire

 

This isn't helpful if you don't explain what the "many problems" on Celebrity were....:rolleyes:

[KKB]

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

 

My parents agree (we are late 40s, they are late 60s).

 

Princess (& assuming Celebrity) definitely had fewer children ALTHOUGH our Oasis cruise in early December had very few children.

 

Movies under the Stars seems like a great idea--but we find the audio to be so poor that even watching a movie we have seen was a chore. DH does like it to watch football.

 

Food--few differences noted.

 

Golfing, trivia, bingo & formal nights on all cruise lines.

 

I'd choose a cruise that goes where you want to go for the best price--you will be fine on any of the 3. (PS I HIGHLY recommend Southern Caribbean, although it will spoil you early!)

[Cruising89143]

We were long time RCI cruisers and then tried Celebrity. For us Celebrity will now be our first choice with RCI second. Both are great cruise lines but for us Celebrity is a major step up in some areas. We look at Celebrity as the RCI for adults. You are treated like adults. The S class ships have the WOW factor of RCI but in a different way.

 

Below are "my" opinions between the two.

 

Entertainment. RCI is the clear winner when comparing the two Oasis class ships only. They are in a class of their own. The other ships in the RCI fleet are good but Celebrity is just as good as the shows that we saw on the Freedom. The entertainment on the Splendour in June was pathetic. Tie between both lines.

 

While subjective food for us was better across the board on Celebrity. Especially in the casual dining areas. I like that Celebrity has places outdoors to dine. While it's true that RCI does have a few ships with outdoor dining it's not the norm. Celebrity has better specialty dining restaurants. Clear winner here is Celebrity.

 

Smoking. Celebrity is the clear winner. RCI is not eliminating smoking in all interiors. The casino will still be a smoking area. That smoke will travel to other areas plus smokers will now use the casino as the new indoor smoking area. Again Celebrity is the clear winner.

 

Announcements. Only one per day on X which is the Captains noon update. No annoying reminders for the art auction, belly flop, bingo, etc. By the way no belly flop contests either. No annoying large screen TV's on X either. I hated to see RCI add them even though they don't seem to be abusing them like they do on Carnival. Point to Celebrity.

 

Suite perks. Important to us as we book suites. Celebrity is the clear winner here. The butler is a nice addition. Bar set up in the RS and Penthouse along with a few other areas. This is one of RCI's weak points.

 

Crew and officers. We found the service to be equal between both lines. Very good. All crew were friendly and helpful which is something that I have not found on competing lines. One area of difference was on Celebrity. Officers were out and about the ship and would stop to speak and say hello. You do not see this on RCI.

 

Kids. While kids are welcome and X does have a kids program you will not see the large amount of families on X as you do on RCI. This is a HUGE plus for me. Have nothing against kids but would rather not spend my vacation with them. Once spent a week on the Allure with over 2200 kids. Not my idea of fun. Another point to Celebrity.

 

Both cruise lines are great. Are they perfect? Not at all. I have yet to find a cruise line that is perfect. What we have found is that depending on our wants we now have two cruise lines to choose from. Because of some unique ships we would only choose RCI first (Oasis class or to try the Quantum) over Celebrity. Our next two cruises are on X. I don't think you can go wrong with either line. Just choose the one that meets your needs. OP, the Reflection is beautiful. All of us can give you reasons why one cruise line is better than the other but in the end only you can decide and the best way is to try it for yourself. :) I have photos of the Reflection in my link below.

Edited December 28, 2013 by cruisingator2

[gerig]

Cruised Royal twice in 2013 and Celebrity once (only because of price and departure ports). Celebrity offers an elegance that Royal does not have. Simple things like fresh flowers in common areas, linen towels in the rest rooms, and welcome champagne. The décor of Celebrity ships is also more elegant and the buffet food and dining room food is MUCH better.

 

Royal definitely offers more entertainment options and their shows are better.

Generally their ships are bigger than Celebrity so there is more offered such as the royal promenade, flowrider, ice skating and rock climbing wall.

 

I cruise both, but if had to choose for the same itinerary and departure port it would be Celebrity.

[Follix]

For me, service is better on Celebrity... Food was once better on Celebrity but now it's about equal (at least according to my experience)... I was really disappointment with it on my last cruise I remember the food from 5 years ago on the Millenium would almost put me in tears and last time (1 week ago on Silhouette) it was very RCCL alike.

 

But I prefer RCCL athmosphere/entertainement.

 

For those reasons, I doubt I am willing to pay extra bucks for Celebrity... It once worth it but I doubt it does anymore.

Edited December 28, 2013 by Follix

[Lolotte]

Celebrity is classier.

[Gracie115]

I cruise both, but if had to choose for the same itinerary and departure port it would be Celebrity.

 

That sums it up nicely and how we feel too...:)

[ClairetoCruise]

This isn't helpful if you don't explain what the "many problems" on Celebrity were....:rolleyes:

 

Celebrity rules and nuances

 

Passengers not allowed here

Passengers not allowed there

 

Passenger not dressed properly for this or that

 

Tours not meeting on time

Tours not meeting expectations

 

Special dining disappointments

Special dining over priced/ over hyped

 

Not enough entertainment

Not enough quiet places

 

Not enough dancing space

Not enough books in library

 

Smells in hallways

Smells from drains

 

Wheelchairs away from ship

Wheelchairs not there for back to the ship

 

Infrequent bedding changes

 

Not enough staffing in buffet

Not enough staffing in main dining room

Not enough space between tables in main dining room

 

Surly wait staff

Surly management

 

Groups get more bar service than couples or singles

 

Website problems

 

123Go as a not-a-go on this cruise

 

Choice Air delays and cancellations

Lost luggage/misplaced luggage

 

Promises/promotions not delivered as expected

 

Less is more attitude

Flames for reporting negatives on CC msg board

Edited December 28, 2013 by ClairetoCruise

[Cruising89143]

A lot of questions can be answered along with telling a lot about someone's mind set with certain posts. ;)

Edited December 28, 2013 by cruisingator2

[Gracie115]

Celebrity rules and nuances

 

Passengers not allowed here

Passengers not allowed there

 

Passenger not dressed properly for this or that Dress Codes are clearly stated, so don't understand this.

 

Tours not meeting on time- I wouldn't like that either

 

Tours not meeting expectations - True on all lines, we book private tours now

 

Special dining disappointments - Same true on Royal, Portofino way overhyped, but so is Murano on X

 

Special dining over priced/ over hyped

 

Not enough entertainment - More entertainment on Royal-agree

 

Not enough quiet places - I think Royal is far worse in this area, on Freedom I could find nowhere that was quiet, nowhere, very frustrating

 

Not enough dancing space -- TRUE

 

Not enough books in library -- Agree...but same true for Royal

 

Smells in hallways -- Smelled "things" on nearly all ships, except Oasis

 

Smells from drains

 

Wheelchairs away from ship

Wheelchairs not there for back to the ship - This is WORST complaint and would turn me off completely too if I needed the wheelchair

 

 

 

Infrequent bedding changes --Never noticed a difference between X & Royal

 

 

Not enough staffing in buffet -- Same on Royal

 

Not enough staffing in main dining room -- Same on Royal

 

Not enough space between tables in main dining room - FAR worse on Oasis in MDR

 

Surly wait staff - I never experienced, but if I did I would not like it either

 

Surly management -- ditto, my last comment

 

Groups get more bar service than couples or singles -- ABSOLUTELY disagree, my DH and I travel alone almost all the time and NEVER had an issue with service, in fact X far better in the bars than Royal

 

Website problems -- OH BOY, no argument there!!! :eek:

 

123Go as a not-a-go on this cruise

 

Choice Air delays and cancellations

Lost luggage/misplaced luggage

 

Promises/promotions not delivered as expected

 

Less is more attitude

Flames for reporting negatives on CC msg board -- Well I wouldn't like that either, if you don't like something you should not be harassed because of it

 

I can see you had some real issues, sorry that happened to you. I do think some of your issues are shared on many lines so wouldn't just blast X for them but airline problems/wheelchair issues/surly staff would upset me too....thanks for explaining more thoroughly your feelings!

Edited December 28, 2013 by Gracie115

[Smallfamily]

We haven't had that many problems on our 20+ cruises combined yikes. If we did would probably stop cruising

 

 

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[Kellie Poodle]

Celebrity has trays at their buffet, but they use paper napkins and you get your own tableware from a can. All the table ware is exposed so who knows who may have touched it. With all the Noro going on, I don't think this is a good practice.

 

Royal Caribbean wraps the tableware, completely, in a cloth napkin. No other passengers have touched it.

 

The first time I came across the paper napkins on X I thought that maybe they'd just run out of linens. Not the case. Not very "classy" either.

[bigeagle12]

Celebrity has trays at their buffet, but they use paper napkins and you get your own tableware from a can. All the table ware is exposed so who knows who may have touched it. With all the Noro going on, I don't think this is a good practice.

 

Royal Caribbean wraps the tableware, completely, in a cloth napkin. No other passengers have touched it.

 

The first time I came across the paper napkins on X I thought that maybe they'd just run out of linens. Not the case. Not very "classy" either.

 

And Celebrity is upscale ???

[Smallfamily]

We were just on eclipse and silverware was wrapped in cloth napkins. Also forgot to mention one thing we really prefer about celebrity is you can order from the mdr menu during dinner hours for room service delivery. This is huge during long excursion days when you are too tired to get dressed up and go back out but want a great dinner. Seems the regular room service menu for royal and celebrity have both gone downhill, celebrity has a new section for room service for fee items (really did not appreciate this change as this should all be free). Not sure if Royal has done this also it was all free on freedom in June.

 

 

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Edited December 28, 2013 by Smallfamily

[Lois R]

Celebrity has trays at their buffet, but they use paper napkins and you get your own tableware from a can. All the table ware is exposed so who knows who may have touched it. With all the Noro going on, I don't think this is a good practice.

 

Royal Caribbean wraps the tableware, completely, in a cloth napkin. No other passengers have touched it.

 

The first time I came across the paper napkins on X I thought that maybe they'd just run out of linens. Not the case. Not very "classy" either.

 

I must be losing my mind:eek:.......I always remember having the

silverware wrapped in the buffet.....wrapped in linen when you pick up your tray.

When did they change it?

Edited December 28, 2013 by Lois R

[Lois R]

And Celebrity is upscale ???

 

I never recall taking the silverware out individually.......I always

remember them being wrapped in linen when you pick up your tray.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Celebrity has trays at their buffet, but they use paper napkins and you get your own tableware from a can. All the table ware is exposed so who knows who may have touched it. With all the Noro going on, I don't think this is a good practice.

 

Royal Caribbean wraps the tableware, completely, in a cloth napkin. No other passengers have touched it.

 

The first time I came across the paper napkins on X I thought that maybe they'd just run out of linens. Not the case. Not very "classy" either.

 

 

Trays, paper napkins in Oceanview Cafe ?

 

Just did a TA on the Equinox did not see either

 

Only some spoons are in trays

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited December 28, 2013 by Airbalancer

[TravelerThom]

Celebrity has trays at their buffet, but they use paper napkins and you get your own tableware from a can. All the table ware is exposed so who knows who may have touched it. With all the Noro going on, I don't think this is a good practice.

 

Royal Caribbean wraps the tableware, completely, in a cloth napkin. No other passengers have touched it.

 

The first time I came across the paper napkins on X I thought that maybe they'd just run out of linens. Not the case. Not very "classy" either.

Celebrity does have large paper napkins to supplement the cloth napkins wrapped around the eating utensils. Like others posting here I have never noticed eating utensils out in cans on Celebrity other than spoons at the coffee stations. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention (always possible):rolleyes: When was this and what Celebrity ships? Do you happen to have pictures?

 

Thom