Crystal vs Celebrity S-Class

[BEAV]

As you can see in my signature =X= and Crystal are the two lines we've sailed the most. We enjoy each line for their many strengths and don't get caught up in the "justification" game. To us, the products are too vastly different to try and make any type of fair comparison. We simply love them both. Period.

[Straight Flush]

Please read this article about Crystals head chef...

 

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/09/08/foodie-chap-with-executive-chef-peter-degner-of-crystal-cruises/

[USVI-4-me]

Please read this article about Crystals head chef...

 

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/09/08/foodie-chap-with-executive-chef-peter-degner-of-crystal-cruises/

 

 

The website doesn't come up with a click. I'll try a copy/paste after saying thank you.

 

We have a good times on Celebrity, Princess, and RCL ships, no problems.

But we think often of trying something new like Oceania, Azamara or Crystal.

 

We decided to book on Crystal when there is an opportunity. DH looks forward to trying the dining and attending lectures.

 

The non-smoking policies are changing on lines we have not tried. Therefore, we look forward to expanding our cruise line favorites.

 

Our thanks to all posters.

 

-Marisa

[nobog]

Let's be real, your trying to compare two different cruise lines into one general opinion. Is Crystal to me worth double the price/cost, NO.

I'll take 2 cruises on Celebrity vs. 1 cruise on Crystal Always and All Ways. :cool:

 

Actually when you consider transfers, tips, & booze they are closer than you think.

 

JK

[TLCOhio]

From our varied experiences, Crystal is a very good product, but Celebrity offers more variety in locations to cruise, cost/value, etc. It is somewhat "apples" versus "oranges". Hard to do an exact comparison, especially given each individual's needs/interests and variations with your personal budget availabilities/flexibility.

 

We have done just five cruises. Late June 2006 on 204-passenger Seabourn Spirit, Athens to Istanbul, enjoying the Greek Isles over seven days. Loved it!! Late July 2008 on the 940-passenger Crystal Symphony, Dover to Stockholm, enjoying the Baltics and Russia. July 1-16, 2010, was an adventure on the 296-passenger Silver Cloud from Copenhagen seeing the dramatic Norway coast, above the Arctic Circle, Land of the Midnight Sun, etc. Then, June, 2011 from Barcelona for Italy, the Croatian Coast on this same 2850-passenger Celebrity Solstice. Then as noted below, early this year on the Solstice again for Australia to New Zealand. All four lines are different and excellent with great service, fellow passengers, staff, etc. All four, even Crystal, had little "things" for which we could pick about. Crystal, like all lines, have some staff who are not as experienced and skill. We had a couple incidents that were far less from "perfect", but in the bigger picture, it was not that big of a crisis or worry. Crystal generally does a great job with speakers/programs on their sailings.

 

What’s best? The honest answer is . . . “It depends!!!”. Ports, schedules, timing and prices vary much, especially right now with this economy, high airlines costs, challenged dollar values, etc. You need to seek what best fits your exact personal needs, budget and interests. We have enjoyed sampling a larger ship and we booked early for this Jan.-Feb. 2014 Australia-NZ trip to get the locations/rooms we desired, doing a Celebrity Suite that worked super well for a long cruise like this one.

 

We are now planning a Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Silver Cloud Amazon River-Caribbean combo back-to-back sailing over 26 days. Back to a smaller, more costly luxury ship!!?? But, they had some "value-added" offerings in pricing that helped us to decide. But, it was this routing, timing and unique ports that made the key difference for us in doing this choice.

 

Crystal only has two ships, making it harder for them to offer the widest variety of locations in the world to visit and timings to fit as many personal needs/interests. Lots of variables and factors to consider.

 

Hope this adds to the discussion! It is great to have a variety of choices and options. It's all going to work out, you won't go hungry nor have to make your bed, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 76,864 views for this fun posting.

[galavant3]

The website doesn't come up with a click. I'll try a copy/paste after saying thank you.

 

We have a good times on Celebrity, Princess, and RCL ships, no problems.

But we think often of trying something new like Oceania, Azamara or Crystal.

 

We decided to book on Crystal when there is an opportunity. DH looks forward to trying the dining and attending lectures.

 

The non-smoking policies are changing on lines we have not tried. Therefore, we look forward to expanding our cruise line favorites.

 

Our thanks to all posters.

 

 

-Marisa

 

Of all the lines we've tried (I think 6), Crystal is our very favorite!! We did enjoy the lectures and the on board naturalist. I'm sure you'll love it!

[TLCOhio]

We did enjoy the lectures and the on board naturalist. I'm sure you'll love it!

 

Excellent above point with Crystal. AND, on a smaller ship such as with Crystal, etc., it is easier to connect with, run into, talk with these speakers. That's another part of the "process". With Celebrity, on both of our cruises, we were able to connect with the speakers and they were very friendly, helpful, etc. Don't be shy! These speakers like good questions, personal contact, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 183,784 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[diligaf51]

Even though I am Elite Plus on Celebrity, I think Crystal may be a better cruise experience. That being said, read the link below. Crystal does not treat its waste water dumping it untreated into the ocean. My or may not be of a difference to you.

 

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2014/09/articles/pollution-1/crystal-a-cruise-line-with-a-conscience-try-again/

[USVI-4-me]

Even though I am Elite Plus on Celebrity, I think Crystal may be a better cruise experience. That being said, read the link below. Crystal does not treat its waste water dumping it untreated into the ocean. My or may not be of a difference to you.

 

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2014/09/articles/pollution-1/crystal-a-cruise-line-with-a-conscience-try-again/

 

 

Yes, it makes a difference.

Thank you for the cruise law news link about pollution.

The article addresses an incident from 2003, should I assume

Crystal is dumping untreated waste water today?

 

-Marisa

Edited September 16, 2014 by USVI-4-me

[flag fan]

Let me take a contrary view. I have sailed on both Crystal and Celebrity twice. My first Celebrity cruise (about 5 years ago) was shortly after a Crystal cruise and the two lines did not really compare--Celebrity was very good and I enjoyed the cruise, but Crystal was outstanding. On the other hand, I just got back from a Celebrity cruise and was very impressed and found it compared favorably to a Crystal cruise I took last year.

 

I found the food on Celebrity to be great and I actually liked the main dining room food better on Celebrity than Crystal (but that is very subjective). One of things I really liked on Crystal was the guest lecturers but my port-intensive Mediterranean cruise did not have many while I was very pleased with some fantastic lectures (more like performances) on my Celebrity Alaska cruise. And--hard to believe--the service (at least by my cabin steward) was much better on the Celebrity Solstice (best I've ever had) than on the Crystal Serenity (but that may have been an aberration on the part of the Crystal steward--service is usually outstanding and was in other areas of the ship).

 

I am still a big fan of Crystal--they really take great care of their guests with particularly good excursion experiences and the all-inclusive food and drinks can't be beat, particularly in comparison to Celebrity's high specialty dining and drinks costs. Also, Crystal has some very good solo rates that make it relatively affordable compared to the 100% single supplement on Celebrity (and almost all other cruise lines).

 

However, Celebrity really impressed me as providing a great high-end cruise experience with excellent food (the buffet was a nice option at all hours) and great entertainment (including such innovative options as the Hot Glass Show). Crystal is great if you can afford it, but Celebrity is not a poor second-choice; it is also a great cruise option that has its own highpoints.

[diligaf51]

Yes, it makes a difference.

Thank you for the cruise law news link about pollution.

The article addresses an incident from 2003, should I assume

Crystal is dumping untreated waste water today?

 

-Marisa

the F grade awarded by Friends of the Earth was for 2013

[BosoxI]

They request that jeans are not worn in dining rooms, lounges or casino after 6 pm, also goes for shorts, baseball caps, etc.

 

 

Baseball caps, the bane of my existence to see grown men wearing them in any restaurant at any time on land or at sea, :( Good for Crystal in this one.

Edited September 17, 2014 by BosoxI