Celebrity vs Royal

[Sergio11]

Hello everyone, I have only been on Royal Caribbean and I am almost Diamond Plus. I have a friend who has been trying to convince me to switch over to Celebrity. What are the pros and cons of each and differences? Am I missing out by having not tried Celebrity? My friend things I am. Thoughts?

 

 

 

Thanks

[jelayne]

IMHO, Celebrity's food and service are better, more refined atmosphere, fewer kids, only 1 announcement a day, crew/ officers friendlier generally a more adult cruise.

 

Royal has better entertainment, more things for kids/young adults (rock wall, flow riders, mini golf, ice skating) and we like the Diamond Lounge on Royal.

 

After 10 cruises on Royal we tried Celebrity in 2012 and have done 10 Celebrity cruise and 1 Royal since then.

[goodycruising]

We find each ship that we have tried on Royal to be a different experience, and the same with Celebrity. It can depend on the staff and the other cruisers, as well as the ports and weather. Even back to back cruises present you with totally different trips.

 

We did find the food very good on Celebrity Solstice, particularly the buffet. The staff on all ships are just people that sometimes have better days than others, and they are generally trying their best.

 

Some cruises we have done the selection presented on Royal would be more to our taste in the main dining room. We have met some great people in the main dining room doing "my time dining" and on other trips we have found some people at set dining times to be not a match for us (and I am sure they felt the same!)

 

The shows and entertainment are a very subjective personal thing, and what one person thinks is great can be a big yawn to others. We found on Solstice that the theatre became very full quickly with people sitting in the isles at times, whereas on Royal we found it was rare for the theatres to be packed out, and we enjoyed some of the shows more.

 

The Solarium set up on Solstice was much bigger and quieter with just a small café in the corner, whereas on Royal they seem to be making the adult Solarium area into a bigger café area, with much more through traffic if you are trying to have a quiet relax.

 

On Royal we do like the Diamond Lounges, and while the reciprocal level of elite was nice on Solstice, the 2 hour function up in the Sky Lounge did not give us the same feeling. We like getting coffees and sitting in the quiet Diamond lounge during the day.

 

My summary: Add up the itinerary, price etc, and decide for yourself what you really want to do. What one person recommends may not be the best for someone else's taste. We have trips booked on Solstice, as well as Radiance, Voyager and Explorer, and there are different reasons for each booking. We know we will enjoy each trip, as there is one constant for each ship - the feeling of sitting and looking out at the seas is fantastic on every one!

[PSCruiser]

While I would still get in enough cruises to earn your D+ on Royal, I would highly recommend giving Celebrity a try, since your D status on RC earns you Elite on Celebrity, which has some nice perks. Evening cocktails similar to RC, also a nice breakfast with bloody Mary's, which RC doesn't have. Elite perks a too numerous to list, check the website.

 

Overall, Celebrity is just a bit more sedate, which many guests like.

[Desertbelle]

When people asked me this question I always say that modern cruises ships and cruise lines have more in common than they have in differences. One might have slightly better food and the other one better entertainment, or one might have better decor and the other one better activities. But, they all offer you a good time.

 

Every cruise is slightly different, depending on itinerary, ship, time of year and you. I haven't hated a single cruise, but I truly have favorites. I won't return to some cruise lines for my own personal reasons, and I return over and over to other cruise lines....for my own personal reasons. :D

 

Give it a new ship or cruise line a try. If you don't like it, you never have to go back....but, you will never know what is out there if you don't try it.

 

As for the Royal/Celebrity comparison, I love them both! They are slightly different, but each time is a great experience!

[kelmac]

Just did a BtoB matching Celebrity's Reflection with RCL's Anthem of the Seas; here is the breakdown (by the way I've cruise RCL 9 times and Celebrity 27 times):

 

Mac-O-Meter is on:

 

Food -- Celebrity is a 9.3 and RCL is 8.6; loved Jamie's on the Anthem and the Roast Beef sandwiches in two70 are excellent. Celebrity always comes through in the food department; best in the mass market field.

 

Service -- Celebrity 9.6 and RCL 9.1. Both are excellent here.

 

Entertainment -- Celebrity 8.8 and RCL is 9.4. Anthem has the best entertainment of any ship I've sailed.

 

Cabins -- Celebrity 9.3 and RCL 8.9. The Anthem was built at Meyer Werft and feels more like Celebrity is this area. RCL's older ships have small cabins, but are well designed.

 

Passengers -- Celebrity is an adult cruise line with well traveled passengers 9.4. RCL is a family cruise line and the number of kids is noticeable 8.8.

 

Atmosphere -- Celebrity is very modern, with no-smoking anywhere in the interior of the ship 9.7. RCL is morphing into a more modern feel, but people can still smoke in 1/2 of the Casino 8.2. Celebrity has more room per passenger (better space ratio).

 

On board activities -- Celebrity 8.4, very sedate and people must entertain themselves. RCL 9.4, very active with tons of things going on all over the ship. I did iFly and North Star on the Anthem; bumper cars, trapeze, basketball, soccer, rock wall, flow rider…,

 

Internet -- Celebrity 6.2, just like all the other ships. RCL 6.2, however, the Anthem was 9.8 with internet speeds 100 times better than any other ship. Very hi-tech!

 

Officers -- Celebrity 9.5, the Greek officers are everywhere and interact with the passengers all the time. RCL 9.1, International officers are better than most.

 

Personal Experience -- Celebrity 9.6, we've always been treated like VIP passengers. The Elite Lounge is fun and the service is top notch; we've been invited to the Captain's Table 13 times.(twice we had to decline because of other obligations); We've explored the Galley, Behind the scenes tours, the Bridge, the Engine room control center, the Helipad, and the crew quarters.

RCL 8.8, excellent Diamond Lounge on many of the ships.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

Edited August 11, 2015 by kelmac

[drewdie]

Very loyal to RCCL, but after two recent cruises on Celebrity, have to say that we also love what Celebrity has to offer. While the suites on the newer RCCL ships are amazing ( two story etc..) and the Suite/Diamond + lounge is great, Luminae (suite guest restaurant on Celebrity) is a total game changer. The food and service surpass any speciality dining on RCCL. It is also nice to experience new entertainment and venues. We would be happy to cruise with either line.

[Andy]

Hello everyone, I have only been on Royal Caribbean and I am almost Diamond Plus. I have a friend who has been trying to convince me to switch over to Celebrity. What are the pros and cons of each and differences? Am I missing out by having not tried Celebrity? My friend things I am. Thoughts?

 

 

 

Thanks

 

Hi Sergio,

 

I frequently sail with Celebrity and we're very happy with their cruise experience. We sailed on Oasis of the Seas a few weeks ago. In my review, I compared both brands. Here's a link to my review. I hope you find it helpful !

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=47268681&postcount=72

Edited August 11, 2015 by Host Andy