From RCCL to Celebrity-Not So Much

[BecciBoo]

We just completed our first Celebrity cruise onboard a beautiful ship; Reflection with an itinerary that included 4 ports from Miami Nov. 8. This review is my attempt to compare our experience there with our usual RCCL cruises. I will begin by saying that I am a very detail oriented person and the devil is in the details anyway. So there are things that may seem very trivial, both to my Celebrity and RCCL audiences, because I am posting the review on both boards.

We had many disappointments with Celebrity and will be staying with our loyalty brand RCCL. A good fit for us. Four of us booked an Alaska on Solstice, but are reconsidering because of our experiences onboard Reflection.

 

I will say that Celebrity did outshine RCCL in one area, the food. All excellent, from MDR to Murano's the last night. Here RCCL can take a lesson from her sister line. The quality of the meats and preparations are definitely much better and reminded us of the cuts in these areas that RCCL has made over the years. We really want that back again RCCL! And we found that we gave the nod to their Oceanview Café over RCCL’s Windjammer also. Much better selection and slightly better layout. We had breakfast every morning in there for the first time on any cruise. They had it all, even Eggs Benedict.

 

Our Aqua Class buddies were a little disappointed in Blu as well, commenting that their menu and service compared with our reports on the Main Dining Room food left them wanting. I had rack of lamb in MDR one night that knocked my socks off, best I ever had.

But RCCL’s bread cannot be touched. Really missed the Sourdough rolls and Savory Bites. We loved the Porch (Riccardo was awesome) and the Bistro.

 

Loved Celebrity’s use of the Lavazza coffee and machines also….better than Seatle’s Best. Never had a bad cup of coffee anywhere on this ship.

 

The ship is beautiful, but there were some design flaws I noted. I liked the slightly larger shower in the baths, but did not like the toilet configuration, just not enough room, if you know what I mean. Bedding was excellent.

 

Another area of fail was that on a couple of occasions, we were not allowed access to major venues such as their version of Viking Crown, the Sky Lounge. We were really excited about visiting this area, but it seemed it was always being used for other functions; we never had a chance to enjoy a cocktail in there. Which brings me to the biggest disappointment of all, their beverage division. Many times we could not find any bars open before late afternoon. The Martini Bar did not open until 4. The one bar that we could find open on all days before then was the Passport Bar which opened at 2:00 but did not even have olives on several occasions. What well stocked bar does not contain olives. We rarely have martinis, but on cruises, they are the highlight of our drinks. So this was a big disappointment.

 

In the service area, which was surprising to us after all we have heard, was definitely lacking compared with our experience on RCCL ships. On many different occasions and locations, especially in the Solarium, we had to wait and wait to be offered anything to drink and then had to just go in search of one ourselves... nobody home. There is never a shortage of waiters with drinks on RCCL ships.

 

There were other issues we experienced where the service was less steller than we observe on RCCL who has always gone out of their way to fulfill a request. It was a matter of “We can’t do that” on Celebrity; while “Yes we can” is the reply on most of our special requests on RCCL. The difference in attitude is the main reason we are seriously considering canceling the Alaska cruise on Solstice we booked whilst onboard. They were offering an excellent incentive to book…lots of and I mean $$$ OBC plus the Classic Beverage package and prepaid gratuities…so it is especially telling that we may go back to RCCL for this one.

 

As far as cleanliness is concerned, which we never have a problem with on RCCL ships; Celebrity Reflection also has this as a number one priority. It was spotless…everywhere…mostly.

 

But in the bars, we could sit for an hour or more at a table and no one ever came to collect the used glasses/napkins etc. which we pushed to the center of the table. Even when a drink was delivered, they never attempted to clean the table of used glasses. RCCL is Johnny on the spot with this issue. Our tables are always cleaned before they serve your next drink. I have come to expect this touch. Of course we established repoure with a couple of special bartenders, Ke Tut in the Martini Bar was our go to guy…such a sweetie, never failed to please us.

 

Sara at Guest Services went above and beyond in order to fix our MDR dining issues with Select Dining. She was a gem. And Miguel at Molecular Bar was a standout as well. And our steward Raul was a wonderful fellow.

 

My biggest issue was with the manager of Murano’s who would not meet my expectations because of missing lunch there on the last sea day. I had made plans to get lunch there at lunch pricing to taste test Murano’s, and it was prominently advertised on the Dailies for Friday, but when we arrived, we were told it was canceled due to lack of interest. Nenad, told me there was nothing he could do to make this right. Now I have had Mgrs comp us bottles of wine for far less than this on RCCL, but he could not even produce one for us to appease us even though; we are Elite and we had the premium beverage pkg. I also asked for a discount for the evening dinner we finally booked. I felt it was the least he could do for not providing the lunch the ship advertized 12 hours before. But alas, he did not. Not our idea of Wow service. As I know from experience, RCCL staff could and would’ve come up with some sort of satisfaction for us.

 

I can say that Celebrity didn’t do much for an Elite class designate, while I know that RCCL really values their Diamond cruisers and lets us know it by offering great discounts, functions and service.

 

When all is said and done, our cruise was enjoyable(because as we all say, a day on a ship beats a day at work), but this was not the cruise we had heard was a cut above RCCL. RCCL is our go to line and we will continue to book most cruises through them. It also helps that they send ships to us in Galveston and Celebrity does not. The added expense of flying is not an incentive either.

 

Well, I guess that’s it. Celebrity tries hard and achieves some success, but I guess service is more important to us than eating. Thanks for reading and sorry if any toes were stepped on , just bein honest

Edited November 16, 2014 by BecciBoo

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Thanks for this review! I've looked into Celebrity a few times, but always decided against it because we love RC and every time we've strayed from them, we've been somewhat disappointed. When you can only cruise once a year, you have to be picky when it comes to making a choice!

Edited November 16, 2014 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[BecciBoo]

Well, I didn't want to be too hard on Celebrity and you might just love the line.

 

But that's how we see it. To others the things I mentioned may not be of any consequence.

 

They are both good cruise lines, its just that we feel RCCL is better in the ways that matter most to us.

[kc320]

I sailed on my 1 & only Celebrity Cruise in April & agree with many of the items you brought up...granted, I was on Century...Celebrity's Oldest Ship...but the age of the ship should not be a factor when it comes to customer service...an area that I agree Celebrity is sorely lacking in...

[chloe kitty]

We love Celebrity and have had all wonderful cruises on them. After our last cruise on RCCL, Oasis TA, we probably will never cruise on RCCL again.

I guess thats why there are so many different companies. We also love Princess.

Edited November 16, 2014 by chloe kitty

[momzcruzing]

I am a veteran of too many RCL cruises to count, but of course they are counting, been Diamond Plus for past 5 -6 years.

 

I've also done 6 Celebrity cruises and loved them. But I'm not much of a drinker so I could not rate the bar service, and that seems to be your major problem which I can imagine would be irritating.

 

I stay mostly with RCL because of the loyalty cabin discount. To me price trumps if all else is close to equal. Also I have enjoyed (very much) a few cabin upgrades!

 

I just got off a Princess cruise (done many of their ships too) and just loved it.

 

It seems I just can't be unhappy on a cruise ship... I Love them all! Now to get rid of this pesky job so I can cruise more... hmmm. ;) Suggestions??

[golfpccc]

Becci - that will teach you to desert us! However, you may find a difference in RCCL when you go back. Haven't seen anyone walking around with trays of drinks in the past few months. Worse yet, the Navigator seems to be having a problem with the aft area of the ship - had our coveted corner aft in Oct and couldn't use the balcony because the odor was so bad. Have it again on our 12/7 cruise so hoping the problem has been fixed.

 

We just got off the Brilliance Repo cruise and it was our best cruise ever - absolutely wonderful staff - they really know how to treat their loyal cruisers!!

 

Anyway, welcome back!

 

Carla

[BecciBoo]

Hey girl!

 

You know we did Alaska last year on Radiance and love it, but just completed research on Jewel for the 2015 season (we intend to do it in 2016 when itin is out) and Solstice is $1k cheaper so we may stay with her. LOL

[cruisegirl1]

Thanks for taking the time to write that detailed comparison. I too find the Celebrity food to be better than RCCL and also like you, had a few meals in the buffet. (I rarely use the buffet on RCCL) .

 

We were not blown away by the few times we had an aqua class cabin and dined in Blu. We really like the MDR better.

 

In contrast to your comments I find the general service to be a notch above with Celebrity. The Celebrity staff seem more empowered to take care of our needs and they are also cross trained. We did not seem to have the same sort of issues you encountered.

 

I would be interested ( did I miss it?) to hear your comparison regarding the entertainment. Often we give RCCL the edge.

 

We are frequent cruisers on RCCL but try to take at least one 7 or 14 night on Celebrity each year .

 

Thanks again

M

[silentbob007]

A lot of the things you mention don't necessarily seem like company policy but rather how things worked in that ship/sailing. I loved my Solstice cruise in Alaska and much prefer that class of ship to anything RCI takes to Alaska, but I know we all have out points of emphases. :)

[ark-03-engineer]

Not to turn this into an X thread, but what was the issue with Blu? I took a cruise on Summit in July and loved the experience of Blu, different than the MDR, (only did lunch there) but you always had the option to do either in Aqua. I'm going on the Quantum on Tuesday and really excited to compare lines.

[cruisegirl1]

Not to turn this into an X thread, but what was the issue with Blu? I took a cruise on Summit in July and loved the experience of Blu, different than the MDR, (only did lunch there) but you always had the option to do either in Aqua. I'm going on the Quantum on Tuesday and really excited to compare lines.

 

Just my opinion, but......

 

It was crowded. Blu is now open to not only AQ gusts but also to Suite Guests. It is supposed to be space available, but we all wait in the same line first come first served for seating, regardless of AQ or suite. As a AQ passenger, I wanted for a table as suite passengers waiting in line in front of me were seated.

 

Service was very slow, menu was limited and there were several entrees we like better in the MDR. (OK - we do like Blu breakfast!)

 

 

We've had long waits for bar or wine service.

 

 

We really enjoyed Blu the first time we were in an AQ cabin but the last two times, we found ourselves trying to get a table in the MDR, or eating in the specialty restaurants.

 

 

If you have enjoyed the dining - Great. For us - because we seem to like the MDR better, we have more cabin options.

 

Again - just my opinion.

 

enjoy

M

[katydyd]

I'm afraid that I have to agree with the OP. My son and I did the Summit to Bermuda two summers ago.

 

While we had a lovely vacation, at the end of it we decided that RCCL was a better fit for us overall.

 

For us, b'fast and dinner in Blu was the standout experience. However, we found ourselves at loose ends in the evenings. I felt like the entertainment was all over the place. Band on for one hour here....piano player on for one hour there...etc.

 

The one truly, absolute negative I had was the bar service in lounges. We'd show up to hear the piano player and most nights left without ever having been able to get a drink in an hour. We ended up just giving up on chasing the entertainment around the ship and just hung out in the martini bar. Service was outstanding there, and a we found a great group of people who ended up there every night.

 

Would I sail on Celebrity again?? Absolutely, if the price and the itinerary was right (this was a situation where we got a seven night, aqua class cabin on the Summit cheaper than we could get a five night, balcony on the Explorer). All things being equal, would I pick it over Royal?? Probably not.

[danv3]

Thanks for sharing your perspective. I've been considering trying out Celebrity and am interested in comparisons between X and RCI.

[BecciBoo]

You should do Celebrity if only to make your own assessment.

 

I agree with Katydyd completely. There were several really good ensemble musicians at Martini Bar but they would only stay for an hour or even less and move on. It left you wanting more. The dancers in the theater show were very talented but the staging was awful. It just wasn't that interesting. Both theater headliners were just O.K. The juggler they had was amazing, but we expected a wow show like RCCL lines up.

 

To compare or not with Allure's shows....just did not match up.

 

Again it looks like we will continue with Solstice Alaska though. Maybe it is a ships only problem...hope so Bob.

 

[mrsdeb]

We just completed our first Celebrity cruise onboard a beautiful ship; Reflection with an itinerary that included 4 ports from Miami Nov. 8.

...

Now I have had Mgrs comp us bottles of wine for far less than this on RCCL, but he could not even produce one for us to appease us even though; we are Elite and we had the premium beverage pkg.

 

If this was your first cruise on Celebrity, how are you Elite? I'm not being snarky; I really don't follow.

[cruisegirl1]

If this was your first cruise on Celebrity, how are you Elite? I'm not being snarky; I really don't follow.

 

if you are diamond, diamond plus, or pinnacle on Royal Caribbean, you are considered elite on Celebrity. Also if you are elite, elite plus, or zenith on Celebrity you are considered diamond on RCCL. A nice reciprocal agreement.

 

M

[JasonV1]

Probably a Royal C&A status match.

 

I'm sailing Celebrity for the first time next year for their Alaska Northbound route. Only NCL has something similar for when I want to sail, but the Celebrity ship is nicer with better perks thanks to my C&A status match, free bev packages, and a good deal on a concierge class balcony.

 

I'm sure there will be differences but I suspect that the time spent in port makes them less likely to change my overall experience, similar to port-heavy cruises out of San Juan.

 

 

If this was your first cruise on Celebrity, how are you Elite? I'm not being snarky; I really don't follow.

[mrsdeb]

Thanks, cruisegirl1 and JasonV1. I had no idea!

[lazydayz]

We were also Elite on our first X cruise due to having diamond status on Royal.

 

On our X cruise, the Elite concierge called our cabin every day to give us a reminder of that day's activities. Since we cruising with family, we didn't use the services much but it was a nice touch.

 

We also loved the food and the cabin. But in the end, the lack of activities sent us back to Royal. We will cruise X again, but only if the price is great.

[BecciBoo]

To answer Engineer, our buds said the menu was to limited and too healthy! Yes, they said too healthy. One is quite the gourmand and he missed sauces in Blu.

 

As to problems with the bars. It is also my suspicion that they are trying to make up for lost revenue from the 123Go pkgs by not serving as much as well. But who knows.

[BekkaW]

If this was your first cruise on Celebrity, how are you Elite? I'm not being snarky; I really don't follow.

 

 

Celebrity gives Elite recognition to RCCL Diamond members, and vice versa

[katydyd]

Possibly, Becci, but given what great service we got at the martini bar (where I was ordering pricier drinks), it's hard to figure out where the disconnect was. The bartender there knew how much I adored the 20 year martinis, so if when the bar got busy, he'd mix mine up in a fishbowl (at least it looked like one). Easily a double if not a triple. Never charged extra. He also always gave my son extra waters and energy drinks to take back to our cabin.

 

I think what finally sent me over the edge was the night we were sitting in one of the lounges and couldn't get a waiter's attention to get us drinks. There was a table of officers directly behind us, and the waiters in the area spent all of their time catering to that table. Wouldn't have been so bad, but the staff at the table kept rotating in and out, so they were constantly running back and forth to the bar and ignoring the two other tables with passengers. That has NEVER happened in my experience on RCCL.

 

I actually stopped at the table when we gave up on the lounge and said something to that affect. Everyone at the table just stopped and stared at me like they had never heard of such a thing as making sure that the passengers were taken care of.

[Oville]

Thanks for your review, the Reflection seems to be really good or so so but we've never had a bad cruise on the ship. BLU on Reflection however is not the best. We have found it over crowded and the service suffers as a result. On other ships we have not had problems with Blu.

 

We were on the last round trip on the Explorer out of Bayonne and were very disappointed in RCCL. I thought the food in the MDR was horrible, Windjammers unexciting and the two nights we ate in Portofino were very disappointing. The service was subpar to Celebrity and found the entertainment in bars before 9:30 lacking. This cruise turned us off so much that we have canceled our 9 day NE/Canada cruise next September on the Brilliance. We have not however canceled 3 upcoming Oasis cruises as there are so many dining options we never step foot into Windjammers or the MDR. Also, the entertainment on Oasis is topnotch. Probably will not cruise a non-Oasis class again.

 

We have cruised both lines but many more on RCCL. The last few years we have preferred Celebrity but still cruise RCCL a few times a year.

Edited November 17, 2014 by Oville

[riclop]

Totally agree with your thoughts, we sailed Celebrity once and that was enough we also found the ship boring as compared to Rccl.