Questions for Loyal Royals that have cruised Celebrity

[MMOMOM]

I'm going to post on the Celebrity forum as well, but thought I'd start here. Basically Royal is our favorite cruise line. We've done others, but usually it's a 'great deal where the timing works' last minute type thing ... and we've always had a good time. I mean how can you not when you're cruising? :) But, we have been wanting to try Celebrity for a lot of reasons for a while now. We are Diamond Level on Royal ... not that I'm even a 'level' person, but hey, perks are nice too! LOL!! I understand they transfer over to 'Elite' at Celebrity, so that would be nice as well. I'm a little confused with their cabins and what to choose. We always book a JS on Royal and try for what we think is comparable on other lines. Royal always is best so far! :) We are really interested in a Southern Caribbean Cruise and would love some islands we haven't been to and Celebrity seems to offer some of that. Most leave from Puerto Rico, but they do have some that leave from Miami or FLL. Those cost a bit more and are longer in duration, but we think it would be equal to flying to Puerto Rico and the money spent on hotels. We're open to either. So, just wondering if anyone on here has done Celebrity and/or a Southern Itinerary and might have some advice/information that might be helpful. Thanx! :)

[Oak Hill Cruisers]

We've been on Celebrity twice. Celebrity appears to us to be a bit more 'refined' than RCI. RCI ships have more of the 'wow' factor, like sailing on a moving amusement park.

 

Diamond to Elite reciprocity works pretty good but you'll miss the diamond lounge and the serve yourself coffee machines. On our last cruise on Infinity, we got to enjoy nice continental breakfasts & specialty coffees in the USS United States specialty restaurant which was very nice.

 

Can't speak about suites since we are interior 'troglodite' dwellers.

[Bobal]

We're loyal Royals who've sailed with Celebrity 6 times. Whilst there are some nice perks with Celebrity (better internet minutes, better laundry/dry-cleaning perks) we really enjoy the Diamond Lounge on RC and find Celebrity's Elite cocktail hour doesn't suit us as we're late diners and the function ends at 7 pm. We also love to go a get a cappuccino from the lounge whenever we feel like it and there is no dedicated lounge on Celebrity.

 

As for the JS there isn't really an equivalent - at the same sort of pricing level (i.e. falling somewhere between full suites and balcony cabins). We really like the JS for the bathtub, extra room and storage and double points We have found that suites on Celebrity are priced much higher than balcony cabins but they also now have much more enhanced benefits (such as their own dedicated dining room).

 

Celebrity is more low-key in terms of activities and (certainly with the S class ships) more stylish. We also feel the food on Celebrity to be a cut above RC.

 

It's nice to have reciprocal benefits though so we can sail on both lines :D

Edited March 5, 2015 by Bobal

[Janet524]

We're D+ with RC and have cruised about a dozen times on X. We have always found the X experience to be just a tad more upscale and sophisticated. The stateroom category that is comparable to the JS is their Sky Suite.

 

Even though we do late seating, the Elite cocktail hour worked well for us since it allowed us time to take in the show before dinner. And although there is no dedicated lounge for non-suite guests (Sky Suite doesn't qualify) we enjoyed the venue where the cocktail hour was held and got to meet many other guests.

 

IMO the higher cost is justified. We have sailed on the Millennium class and Solstice class ships and like them both. We'd give a slight nod to Solstice class.

[Rala]

We just returned from our first Celebrity cruise. We enjoyed it very much. All in all, we found the two lines (Celeb. and RCCL), pretty similar. We like the cabin bathrooms better on C (Bigger shower and bathroom just more accessible). However, the cabin itself which was the price equivalent to a Royal D cat. was smaller. We liked the decor better on Royal...Celeb. seemed a little cold to us,in general. Food, service, and entertainment were pretty much a wash.

If you have any specific questions, I will try to answer them. :)

[MMOMOM]

We've been on Celebrity twice. Celebrity appears to us to be a bit more 'refined' than RCI. RCI ships have more of the 'wow' factor, like sailing on a moving amusement park.

 

Diamond to Elite reciprocity works pretty good but you'll miss the diamond lounge and the serve yourself coffee machines. On our last cruise on Infinity, we got to enjoy nice continental breakfasts & specialty coffees in the USS United States specialty restaurant which was very nice.

 

Can't speak about suites since we are interior 'troglodite' dwellers.

 

Thanx! I will look up exactly what the perks are on Elite, but since there is no 'dedicated' lounge like Diamond, do they even have a 'cocktail' hour before dinner? We were just on the Explorer and they didn't have the dedicated lounge and used another venue, but you could only get certain drinks there. However, the 3 drinks per person were loaded on the seapass and could be used at any bar during the cocktail time period, which worked, except we did like meeting others and the conversation, snacks, etc. in the lounge itself.

[MMOMOM]

We're loyal Royals who've sailed with Celebrity 6 times. Whilst there are some nice perks with Celebrity (better internet minutes, better laundry/dry-cleaning perks) we really enjoy the Diamond Lounge on RC and find Celebrity's Elite cocktail hour doesn't suit us as we're late diners and the function ends at 7 pm. We also love to go a get a cappuccino from the lounge whenever we feel like it and there is no dedicated lounge on Celebrity.

 

As for the JS there isn't really an equivalent - at the same sort of pricing level (i.e. falling somewhere between full suites and balcony cabins). We really like the JS for the bathtub, extra room and storage and double points We have found that suites on Celebrity are priced much higher than balcony cabins but they also now have much more enhanced benefits (such as their own dedicated dining room).

 

Celebrity is more low-key in terms of activities and (certainly with the S class ships) more stylish. We also feel the food on Celebrity to be a cut above RC.

 

It's nice to have reciprocal benefits though so we can sail on both lines :D

 

Thanx! We've been looking at the Sky Suites but confused on that one as there is a Sky Suite 1 and a Sky Suite 2 which appear to have the same square footage but one is higher priced. Also, it's not clear about the 'dedicated' dining room. It looked to me that only Aqua Class had access to Blu. We don't really care about that and are happy to eat in the main dining room. Is it all traditional set time dining or do they have anything like the MTD experience Royal has .... we like that as the early seating always seems too early for us and the late, just a little late! :)

[MMOMOM]

We're D+ with RC and have cruised about a dozen times on X. We have always found the X experience to be just a tad more upscale and sophisticated. The stateroom category that is comparable to the JS is their Sky Suite.

 

Even though we do late seating, the Elite cocktail hour worked well for us since it allowed us time to take in the show before dinner. And although there is no dedicated lounge for non-suite guests (Sky Suite doesn't qualify) we enjoyed the venue where the cocktail hour was held and got to meet many other guests.

 

IMO the higher cost is justified. We have sailed on the Millennium class and Solstice class ships and like them both. We'd give a slight nod to Solstice class.

 

From what I've been reading, depending on what promotion or sale you are able to get, the price isn't all that bad. We really like the extra room in the JS which is the main reason we always it. You said the Sky Suite doesn't qualify ... does it qualify for anything perk wise? Thanx!

[MMOMOM]

We just returned from our first Celebrity cruise. We enjoyed it very much. All in all, we found the two lines (Celeb. and RCCL), pretty similar. We like the cabin bathrooms better on C (Bigger shower and bathroom just more accessible). However, the cabin itself which was the price equivalent to a Royal D cat. was smaller. We liked the decor better on Royal...Celeb. seemed a little cold to us,in general. Food, service, and entertainment were pretty much a wash.

If you have any specific questions, I will try to answer them. :)

 

Thanx! What ship did you go on and what itinerary?

[Oak Hill Cruisers]

90 minutes of free internet for Elites on the Infinity -- nice!

[DarthGrady]

I went on the Century a few years ago and loved it. I really liked the lack of PA announcements and non-checked-out pool towels. Thankfully RCI has followed suit recently on both of those issues. As others have said, the experience was just a bit nicer in all areas. They had more serving in the buffet, versus the self serve on RCI. The ship itself was also very well kept even though it is the oldest in their fleet.

[marys350]

Thanx! We've been looking at the Sky Suites but confused on that one as there is a Sky Suite 1 and a Sky Suite 2 which appear to have the same square footage but one is higher priced. Also, it's not clear about the 'dedicated' dining room. It looked to me that only Aqua Class had access to Blu. We don't really care about that and are happy to eat in the main dining room. Is it all traditional set time dining or do they have anything like the MTD experience Royal has .... we like that as the early seating always seems too early for us and the late, just a little late! :)

 

Celebrity has both traditional and MTD. We have enjoyed MTD on both cruise lines.

[sjb317]

We did our only Celebrity cruise on Century in 2012. It was a great cruise and we have considered doing another one, but for each cruise since we have ended up going with Royal. Our Celebrity cruise was definitely an "older" crowd, we were in our late 50's at the time and felt very young!:D I did not care for the buffet set up on Century and, overall, I think we liked the food better on Royal. Plus, we really missed the DL/CL on Royal ships, much better snacks and drinks.

 

Sherri:)

[KathyPet]

Have cruised RCCL a about 4 times and Celebrity once. Celebrity is definitely a step up from RCCL. Service in the restaurants is more refined and the food is better with more upscale offerings than RCCL.

[MMOMOM]

This is sounding better and better .... 90 minutes free internet, nice! And MTD too .... booked at present for the Allure in May in the Med, but thinking I might pay more attention to the sales going on now for next year with Celebrity. Gotta try it!! We've been thinking about it for a while and maybe now it's time! :)

[kc320]

They do have an evening cocktail hour for Elite as well as a continental breakfast...you can get specialty coffees, mimosa's & bloody mary's at the breakfast...in the evening cocktail hour there is a good asst. of drinks to choose from & waiter's with trays of hor'dourves...

 

Celebrity's buffet also has hand dipped ice cream as well as soft serve...and a variety of sprinkles & toppings for it...

[Oak Hill Cruisers]

They do have an evening cocktail hour for Elite as well as a continental breakfast...you can get specialty coffees, mimosa's & bloody mary's at the breakfast...in the evening cocktail hour there is a good asst. of drinks to choose from & waiter's with trays of hor'dourves...

 

Celebrity's buffet also has hand dipped ice cream as well as soft serve...and a variety of sprinkles & toppings for it...

 

And the buffet had sushi every night.

[jgnova]

We have sailed mostly on Celebrity, but took Royal this past January (and back in 1990). As others mentioned, the Elite internet benefit is nice - as is the free laundry. Not sure what they're doing this year for the Elite cocktail hour - they normally reserve a lounge unless they have too many members and then give you 3 coupons per person per day.

 

Things I specifically like on Celebrity over RCI:

• Their coffee place (Cafe al Baccio) has table service, making it a nice place to relax almost any time of the day.
  
• Bistro on Five has a nice, but limited, menu and is a nice quiet place for lunch or dinner or embarkation day for a minimal charge.
  
• Fresh made free ice cream in the buffet with different flavors every day.
  
• Don't have to check out and return beach towels daily
  
• The life boat drill is inside - sometimes in places with chairs.
  
• The food is nicer and the food presentation is much nicer.
  
• Outside bar at back of ship off the buffet
  
  

Things I specifically liked on Royal:

• Junior suite - nothing that affordable on Celebrity
  
• Themed menus in the buffet - different every night.
  
• I think the bar entertainment was better
  
  

We took Celebrity Summit from San Juan in January 2013 - did a B2B and it was fantastic. I've posted a review and links to photos and scans of menus and daily activities at http://www.sjajg.com/travel/cruise2013C/Celebrity%20Summit%20review.htm We flew down the day before. Note that RCI and Celebrity both use the Pan Am port for cruise embarkation - not the piers near Old San Juan. So plan on a taxi if you want to do any wandering before departure, which is fairly late.

 

j

[bighairtexan]

Like RCI, Celebrity will often load 3 free drinks on your card if there are too many Elite and above.

 

The Sky SUite is the closest to a Junior Suite and often isn't that much more than a higher end balcony. S1 vs S2 is mostly a matter of location (though some of the S1's on the M class have a larger configuration and/or larger balcony).

 

Suites (and Zenith which is more or less like Pinnacle) can go to Michael's Club 24/7 for the free coffees, snacks, light bkfst etc, but this is only if you're in a suite HIGHER than a Sky Suite).

 

All Suites have a butler who comes around and delivers canapes, afternoon tea w snacks and tea. You can also get them to bring a cappucino or espresso. All Suites can have their butler deliver all meals off the MDR menu and they're served IN COURSES not all plopped on the table as they are on RCI.

 

As of April (earlier maybe on some ships) there will be an entirely separate SUITE RESTAURANT called Luminae w/ a menu not available anywhere else on the ship. SKY SUITES and ABOVE are included.

 

THe one thing I think RCI does with their Crown and Anchor Club that I prefer over Celebrity's Captain's Club is that lovely balcony and above discount.

 

I think it might be nice to spring for the Sky Suite if you're used to JS's. If only for the butler (who will pack and unpack for you and arrange reservations as well as always trying to feed you). And Luminae Restaurant (which besides exotic ingredients is supposed to do more "local sourcing" and more made to order entrees). Open for Bkfst, Lunch and Dinner to suites and INVITED SUITE GUESTS on a space available basis. Guests would pay $50 for dinner and $30 or 40 for lunch and 20 for bkfst.

[MMOMOM]

We have sailed mostly on Celebrity, but took Royal this past January (and back in 1990). As others mentioned, the Elite internet benefit is nice - as is the free laundry. Not sure what they're doing this year for the Elite cocktail hour - they normally reserve a lounge unless they have too many members and then give you 3 coupons per person per day.

 

Things I specifically like on Celebrity over RCI:

• Their coffee place (Cafe al Baccio) has table service, making it a nice place to relax almost any time of the day.
  
• Bistro on Five has a nice, but limited, menu and is a nice quiet place for lunch or dinner or embarkation day for a minimal charge.
  
• Fresh made free ice cream in the buffet with different flavors every day.
  
• Don't have to check out and return beach towels daily
  
• The life boat drill is inside - sometimes in places with chairs.
  
• The food is nicer and the food presentation is much nicer.
  
• Outside bar at back of ship off the buffet
  
  

Things I specifically liked on Royal:

• Junior suite - nothing that affordable on Celebrity
  
• Themed menus in the buffet - different every night.
  
• I think the bar entertainment was better
  
  

We took Celebrity Summit from San Juan in January 2013 - did a B2B and it was fantastic. I've posted a review and links to photos and scans of menus and daily activities at http://www.sjajg.com/travel/cruise2013C/Celebrity%20Summit%20review.htm We flew down the day before. Note that RCI and Celebrity both use the Pan Am port for cruise embarkation - not the piers near Old San Juan. So plan on a taxi if you want to do any wandering before departure, which is fairly late.

 

j

 

Thanx! Great info and I loved your review and pictures! As I said in the beginning, we have been loyal to Royal but have really wanted to see what Celebrity is all about. I've been playing online all afternoon and signed up for the Captains Club and was happy to see they gave me a number and have already put us as Elite. Did some mock bookings for pretty good prices and good OBC. So, once we find an itinerary we want we will probably book if the price and timing is right for next year. I'm still looking at Reflection or Equinox, but it's looking like Summit is the one for the Southern Caribbean. I'm assuming that is your favorite since you've sailed it a couple of times? We are also used to larger ships as we really have just done Voyager and up Classes with Royal. But that being said, these aren't exactly 'small' ships either! Thanx again! :)

[MMOMOM]

Like RCI, Celebrity will often load 3 free drinks on your card if there are too many Elite and above.

 

The Sky SUite is the closest to a Junior Suite and often isn't that much more than a higher end balcony. S1 vs S2 is mostly a matter of location (though some of the S1's on the M class have a larger configuration and/or larger balcony).

 

Suites (and Zenith which is more or less like Pinnacle) can go to Michael's Club 24/7 for the free coffees, snacks, light bkfst etc, but this is only if you're in a suite HIGHER than a Sky Suite).

 

All Suites have a butler who comes around and delivers canapes, afternoon tea w snacks and tea. You can also get them to bring a cappucino or espresso. All Suites can have their butler deliver all meals off the MDR menu and they're served IN COURSES not all plopped on the table as they are on RCI.

 

As of April (earlier maybe on some ships) there will be an entirely separate SUITE RESTAURANT called Luminae w/ a menu not available anywhere else on the ship. SKY SUITES and ABOVE are included.

 

THe one thing I think RCI does with their Crown and Anchor Club that I prefer over Celebrity's Captain's Club is that lovely balcony and above discount.

 

I think it might be nice to spring for the Sky Suite if you're used to JS's. If only for the butler (who will pack and unpack for you and arrange reservations as well as always trying to feed you). And Luminae Restaurant (which besides exotic ingredients is supposed to do more "local sourcing" and more made to order entrees). Open for Bkfst, Lunch and Dinner to suites and INVITED SUITE GUESTS on a space available basis. Guests would pay $50 for dinner and $30 or 40 for lunch and 20 for bkfst.

 

Thanx and great information to know! Appreciate it! :)

[jgnova]

Thanx! Great info and I loved your review and pictures! ... I'm still looking at Reflection or Equinox, but it's looking like Summit is the one for the Southern Caribbean. I'm assuming that is your favorite since you've sailed it a couple of times? We are also used to larger ships as we really have just done Voyager and up Classes with Royal. But that being said, these aren't exactly 'small' ships either! Thanx again! :)

 

You're welcome. As to Summit being our favorite - it was more the itinerary - Bermuda in the summer and then that was the ship out of San Juan. Big vs small - we've been on one larger Celebrity and, for various reasons covered in our review of that sailing, did not like that class. But that's us and we respectfully acknowledge that others feel the opposite. So long as Celebrity has their M-class and RCI has their Vision class, we'll be happy. Otherwise we'll have to start looking at Azamara and others in that size.

[MMOMOM]

Thanx everyone for all the input and feedback! I'm thinking our next cruise will be Celebrity .... a lot of it sounds really good. We'll probably always like Royal and certainly not abandon the line, but we've been wanting to give Celebrity a try for a while now and all this info has helped. Think I know what we're looking for. Now just to find the right dates, ship, itinerary, cabin and price! Appreciate your help! Thanx again! :)

[Scotty G]

We are really interested in a Southern Caribbean Cruise and would love some islands we haven't been to and Celebrity seems to offer some of that. Most leave from Puerto Rico, but they do have some that leave from Miami or FLL. Those cost a bit more and are longer in duration, but we think it would be equal to flying to Puerto Rico and the money spent on hotels. We're open to either. So, just wondering if anyone on here has done Celebrity and/or a Southern Itinerary and might have some advice/information that might be helpful. Thanx! :)

 

We had done 10 and 11 night Southern Caribbean cruises on Jewel OTS out of Port Everglades. When RCI stopped that itinerary out of Florida we decided to try Celebrity Equinox for both the 10 and 11 night Southern Caribbean. We were extremely please and will continue to use Celebrity mixed with RCI cruises.

 

You should give them a try!!! Register now for the Captains Club and look for deals!

 

Bon Voyage.

[MMOMOM]

We had done 10 and 11 night Southern Caribbean cruises on Jewel OTS out of Port Everglades. When RCI stopped that itinerary out of Florida we decided to try Celebrity Equinox for both the 10 and 11 night Southern Caribbean. We were extremely please and will continue to use Celebrity mixed with RCI cruises.

 

You should give them a try!!! Register now for the Captains Club and look for deals!

 

Bon Voyage.

 

Thanx! I saw those and they look really good. I also registered for the Captains Club and was pleased to see they already had us as Elite! They DO have deals, including some pretty nice OBC, which I was surprised at because a lot of times when I've looked directly on the cruise line site, the prices aren't as good as some of the other sales I see online. I will continue to look and think our next cruise will definitely be Celebrity. Was almost tempted to change from our already booked Allure in May! LOL!! But, it's a Med cruise we also got at a good rate, we've done the Oasis and want to go on the Allure too, so we'll keep that. We won't abandon Royal, but I probably will be booking a Southern Caribbean with Celebrity for next year. I thank everyone so much for all the feedback .... both my husband and I are excited to try Celebrity! :)