Cunard and Celebrity compared

[fantasy51]

For some years I have been cruising with Cunard, mainly on Queen Victoria. On Friday I completed my first cruise with Celebrity on the Reflection. I thought people might be interested to read my impressions (and those of the friend who travelled with me) of the differences between QV (Cunard’s Queen Victoria) and CR (Celebrity Reflection). Remember that these are personal opinions based on my own preferences and personality. Others would react to the same ships in a different way.

 

Décor: I love QV’s Art Deco style, but CR really impressed me with its modernism and its white and chrome. It has lovely light and airy spaces.

 

Staterooms: On both my last QV cruise and on this CR cruise we were given an accessible stateroom. CR’s room seemed much more spacious and better set out, but the balcony was nowhere near as large as QV’s. I preferred QV’s bed linen and general feel to the room.

 

Toiletries: CR operates a strange two-tier system whereby you only get shower gel if you are concierge class (balcony room with a few extra services) or above. In a normal balcony cabin or below, you only get soap. That puts me off. CR’s toiletries were a good make supplied in plain white squeeze tubes. I would put them on a par with QV. I think I find the squeeze tubes easier than QV’s rigid plastic bottles, though they don’t look as nice.

 

Food: I struggle with food because I have so many food sensitivities and am just plain fussy (no seafood, nothing shiny or slimy, no garlic, etc.). I have generally found at least one thing to eat each night on QV. On CR I must have resorted to the everday items of plain salmon, chicken breast or steak at least half the time. My friend loves good food and does not suffer from fussiness, and his reaction was that QV was better than CR.

 

MDR: I loved the décor in the MDR on CR. The light and noise levels seemed appropriate. The waiters warned us that it would be busy at lunchtime on the first 2 days and suggested we wait for later in the cruise. I then discovered that it was not open for lunch on port days, so we did not ever experience lunch service. I think QV does things much better, being open every day.

 

Bars: CR is a larger ship and so there are many more bars. These are lovely spaces in which to sit. My real favourite was Café al Bacio, set up like a coffee shop. It had a wonderful array of cakes all day long, as well as serving coffees plus alcoholic drinks. The second favourite was the Martini Bar, all white with an ice-topped bar in which we could scribble our names. The only bar in which QV excels is the Commodore Club. CR’s equivalent is under-used and not as peaceful a place.

 

Drinks package: You can’t beat CR’s unlimited drinks package, especially when you are lucky enough to get it at a special promotion price or free.

 

Dancing: It is the ballroom and the dance hosts that will take me back to QV time and again. CR has tiny dance floors and the one mainly used is in the main foyer, with art sculptures and the staircase obstructing the flow, not to mention people walking across in front of the dancers to get to the other side. If you are lucky you get a 45-minute dance session to recorded music during the day (the only time you can dance ballroom) and some shuffling around to the band in other sessions. Occasionally the band played music to which we could have danced, but we would have looked like ‘social fruitcakes’ to attempt a proper cha cha or whatever while everyone else was bopping around.

 

Staff: QV has a wonderful blend of respect and friendliness from its staff. I did not feel this on CR. There was a surface friendliness (occasionally calling me ‘Miss Diane’ and sometimes ‘Diane’) but it lacked warmth. I also did not feel the respect and care that I find on QV.

 

Entertainment: We were not impressed by the shows, except for one comedian. The singing/dancing shows were not really geared for the right age group. One show was completely incomprehensible. (They had to explain the storyline before putting it on.) Another show was too modern, all about computer games – not really suitable for older people. By contrast, on our last QV cruise we enjoyed all but one show.

 

Dress code: CR no longer has formal evenings. Some people still choose to dress up but others definitely wear clothes that would upset many Cunard cruisers. There was a huge variety of clothes, and no sense of enforcement. Also, the dress code is only followed in the dining rooms; you can wear anything in the rest of the ship. I can happily ignore what others wear; the only thing is that I missed seeing fabulous clothes. I don’t think I once said to anyone ‘I love your dress’ or ‘You look fantastic’ – and I say that quite often on QV.

 

My time on the CR was lovely, and I will enjoy my next cruise on Equinox, but it won’t be long before I book again on QV. I think I am a Cunard person at heart.

[Host Hattie]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Celebrity. I have been tempted to try them so it was very interesting to read your comparison.

[Curly locks]

Thank you for your thoughts on both Celebrity and Cunard. We have sailed Celebrity (Solstice class) for the majority of our cruises and have been on QV once. We loved both cruise lines but unfortunately do not like the way Celebrity appear to be heading, especially concerning their revised dress code. (We must be getting old!) We are on QV in three weeks time to celebrate our 30th Wedding Anniversary and are on Celebrity Eclipse at the end of July (this was booked prior to finding out about all the changes). I'm looking forward to both cruises, but must admit my thoughts, and your wonderful comparison, makes me think this may be our last Celebrity cruise and that Cunard may become our preferred cruise line - so that all my long dresses and my husbands tux won't have to be consigned to our wardrobes!! :D

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.

[milamber]

Thanks for your thoughts. We are on the Celebrity Eclipse in a couple of days, having spent over two months on the QM2 in the last 12 months so it will be interesting to see how they compare now.

 

The one and only time we have been with Celebrity before it was probably our favourite cruise ever, but we have a feeling that Cunard will win out now. Not that there is such a thing as a bad cruise, only better ones!

[lenquixote66]

My first cruise was on a Cunard ship and I loved it .I thought it was the ultimate .

However, the best ship I have ever been on is the Celebrity Silhouette.Nothing can compare.

[Lakesregion]

Never been on Celebrity and will not be on any time soon if ever. However, my sense from reading many comments on all lines is that Celebrity appeals to the moneyed folk who are uncomfortable with traditional life styles. They seem to prefer the modern Doctor office style of décor vs the English country house. Thankfully Cunard is valiantly attempting to remain Cunard and has not for the most part been distracted by the masses yelling for as Carnival has now yielded to Denny's at sea.

[Csardas]

Why was the Celebrity Silhouette so good? Have only had one cruise so far-QV- and more Cunards booked but am curious about Celebrity too.

[fantasy51]

One more remark about the two ships: I have discovered that the 'Celebrity cough' is just like the 'Cunard cough'! However, in my case it seems to have been asthma attacks on both ships. I don't know what it is about cruising in April that sets off my allergic asthma.

[Camgirl]

Hi Diane,

 

I enjoyed reading your interesting comparison of Cunard and Celebrity. It has made me think about what is most important for us on our cruises. Whilst I would not ever count out another line, I think it will be funded for us whenever possible at the moment.

 

Hope to meet you on board again one day soon!

[LadyL1]

We have been on a couple of Celebrity ships, and generally enjoyed the experience.

The down side for us were the public areas (including the ice bar) where the "music" just seems to hit you from all angles. The bar on deck 5 was dark and a general walkway to the premium restaurants. The shower rooms win hands down when comparing to Cunard, but this is at the expense of wardrobe space.

We have not been on Celebrity since the dumbing down of evening wear, and this alone, gives us no incentive whatsoever, to rush out and book another cruise with them.

A personal opinion, but the world would be a boring place if we were all the same! Looking at Pacific crossing on Cunard in 2017, and maybe something sooner.

[DadTheBigKid]

Thank you for your comparison.

I found it very interesting.

We have never cruised / crossed and will do so in 9 days time from New York on QM2.

It's all about what makes you feel most comfortable / relaxed within a budget I guess.

All tastes should be a covered in any industry.

We have got three wonderful young adults and are setting out on "couples" holidays"

Haven't felt so young and carefree in years 😀

[fantasy51]

LadyL1, thank you. You have reminded me of a couple of things that I meant to add in.

 

I too found the music on CR to be too loud. I like to talk in the evening. It was very difficult with such loud music playing right into the bar.

 

I appreciated the lack of announcements in staterooms. On QV I was always woken up by the announcement that we had docked; on CR that announcement was only in public spaces.

 

I much prefer the QV Captain's announcements to the CR Captain's announcements. The latter seemed to go on too long and lacked dignity. It was too busy talking about the 'fabulous Reflection' and its 'wonderful officers' etc. and I did not feel an announcement was the place for such hype.

 

I did not know if the lack of wardrobe space was only because we were in an accessible room, but it sounds from your comment as though it is general. We managed but the wardrobe was packed. I was a bit horrified at the poor quality of the hangers provided - mainly metal ones from dry cleaners. Others looked as though they had been left behind by previous guests.

[sandancer]

Thank you for your thoughts on both Celebrity and Cunard. We have sailed Celebrity (Solstice class) for the majority of our cruises and have been on QV once. We loved both cruise lines but unfortunately do not like the way Celebrity appear to be heading, especially concerning their revised dress code. (We must be getting old!) We are on QV in three weeks time to celebrate our 30th Wedding Anniversary and are on Celebrity Eclipse at the end of July (this was booked prior to finding out about all the changes). I'm looking forward to both cruises, but must admit my thoughts, and your wonderful comparison, makes me think this may be our last Celebrity cruise and that Cunard may become our preferred cruise line - so that all my long dresses and my husbands tux won't have to be consigned to our wardrobes!! :D

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.

 

This post could have been written by me! We have cruised with Celebrity many times, the most recent being the Eclipse TA. We are also on the QV in 4 weeks to celebrate a big birthday. We tried the QE last year and loved the ship. We found the MDR food to not be as good as Celebrity but as we all know, food is subjective. The big plus for us is the dress code on Cunard. Having cruised for over 25 years we still love the dressing for dinner ambiance. Like yourselves we are looking to sail more with Cunard in future.

[babs135]

We did a southern ta on the Celebrity Eclipse and returned home on the QM2 so have had the chance to compare brands within a week of each other.

 

Loved both and really can't find any fault with either; although telling people we were going on the QM2 elucidated far more 'wows' than saying we were sailing with Celebrity!! Of the two ships we were looking forward more to the QM2 and she didn't let us down. Approaching and boarding her in New York was far more impressive. And the whole experience on board was everything we had hoped it would be and better

 

One thing we felt was better on the Eclipse was (and don't laugh) the bread! A bread basket was on the table in the MDR every evening and our table of 8 demolished it very quickly that eventually the waiter was standing by with a second basket at the ready :D On the QM2 bread was merely offered but not left on the table, and yes, I know if I had asked I would have got more, but it was just a nice touch to have it already there. Nor was it as tasty.

 

I didn't know that Celebrity had dumbed down the dress code. What a shame, it is so nice to see everyone in their finery.

[Wordzz]

Just my perspective here. We sailed on Princess (Diamond Princess) and Celebrity Eclipse before discovering Cunard. Since we have, we now don't really consider any other lines than Cunard, though if we did it certainly wouldn't be Celebrity. We found the Eclipse very glitzy, very modern, and it seemed to us very much trying to provide something akin to a land-based experience. It seemed to be trying to pretend not to be a ship, and didn't feel as if it had much 'connection' with the sea. There being no promenade deck to speak of added to that feeling. The ship also felt very crowded at times, which surprised us for such a big ship.

 

I know a lot of people enjoy the service and food on Celebrity, and indeed that was one of the things that attracted us to it, but for us both were a disappointment. Eclipse is the only ship - possibly the only holiday - where we've had to complain about poor service in the MDR, and we found the service generally throughout the ship to be a little 'clinical', with no real warmth. We found the service on Princess to be much friendlier, and on Cunard it's a notch up again, in our view.

 

The Eclipse was very new when we sailed on her, so some of these issues might just have been teething troubles and may no longer be relevant. However, now that they have abandoned the formal dress code, we will definitely not be sailing Celebrity any time soon.

 

It's horses for courses, of course, and it's great that there is something for everyone. When you spend (lots of) your hard-earned money on a cruise/crossing, it's good to know that there is a product that ' fits' and delivers the experience one is hoping for. For us, Cunard does that. Celebrity didn't.

 

One thing that Celebrity does do really nicely, is offering cooling towels and a cold drink when you rejoin the ship after a day in port. On hot days that is so welcome, and is something Cunard and other lines could emulate.

[Ray66]

One thing that Celebrity does do really nicely, is offering cooling towels and a cold drink when you rejoin the ship after a day in port. On hot days that is so welcome, and is something Cunard and other lines could emulate.

 

In my experience Cunard have always provided cooling towels on a hot day when you rejoin the ship.

[GUT2407]

An interesting read thanks.

 

We are yet to cruise Cunard (come on February), but have been happy with our Celebrity cruise experience, probably our second choice so far.

[deck chair]

Hello

 

One area that Cunard wins big is in the live music area. Unlike most cruise lines, including Celebrity and HAL, Cunard has wisely NOT cut back the number of live musicians. Celebrity relies way too much on canned music (Much of it loud) in many of their venues, You will also NOT find ballroom dancing to orchestras on Celebrity. You will not find live musicians in Celebrity nightclubs

 

To me this is something that really sets Cunard apart from others. Lets hope Cunard management NEVER change this in a misguided effort to save money. It would backfire big time!

 

Deck Chair

Edited May 9, 2016 by deck chair

[Wordzz]

Hello

 

One area that Cunard wins big is in the live music area. Unlike most cruise lines, including Celebrity and HAL, Cunard has wisely NOT cut back the number of live musicians. Celebrity relies way too much on canned music (Much of it loud) in many of their venues, You will also NOT find ballroom dancing to orchestras on Celebrity. You will not find live musicians in Celebrity nightclubs

 

To me this is something that really sets Cunard apart from others. Lets hope Cunard management NEVER change this in a misguided effort to save money. It would backfire big time!

 

Deck Chair

 

Well said.

[Camgirl]

In my experience Cunard have always provided cooling towels on a hot day when you rejoin the ship.

 

I agree. Certainly on QE and QV they do.

[Wordzz]

In my experience Cunard have always provided cooling towels on a hot day when you rejoin the ship.

 

That's good to know. We've only sailed to northern climes with Cunard, so it hasn't arisen (yet). :)

[rafinmd]

For me, between the two it's Cunard hands down. The only thing I preferred on a Celebrity ship was the public toilet doors were all mechanically operated so you could leave the toilet by bumping the button with your elbow or something else other than turning the handle with your hand. The only other positive was they have probably the best and most flexible airline program in the industry.

 

My disdain for Celebrity is based on mainly 3 factors.

 

1. The Caste System. There were a few little things I missed on QM2 as a first timer in a Britannia cabin but very little. I had the run of 99% if the ship, Britannia was as good as anything Celebrity offers, and If there were some special events in the Grills lounge they were not missed because Cunard offered everybody a full program of great events. The Celebrity Solstice has one forward facing public space (compare that to QM2's Library, Atlantic room, fitness center and Commodore Club). On my eastbound transatlantic I was NEVER allowed to be in that space to watch a sunrise; it was always limited those hours to the equivalent of Diamond WC members.

2. Celebrity was constantly bragging about their enrichment program and it was pretty good but not nearly up to the hype. Celebrity talks about enrichment while Cunard delivers.

3. The miserable, windblown excuse for a jogging track. I injured my ankle in Ft. Lauderdale before the crossing and could only walk a bit the first few days. I almost regretted my ankle getting better as the voyage progressed because it brought home just how bad the facilities. To make matters worse, the 5-foot wide track ran right through one of the few smoking areas. QM2 does have a smoking area aft on the Promenade deck but it is wide enough to give smokers a wide berth.

 

Roy

[Chunky2219]

Just off Celebrity Silhouette last week. We seem to alternate between Cunard and X, in either QG (on QV and QE) or Royal/Celebrity Suite on Celebrity. I did plan to post a blog but awful internet performance put paid for that and I had a toot about it over on the Celebrity board.

 

Anyway...... my comparisons, based on suite versus QG and with an eye on food (which is one of the main reasons why we cruise) are:

 

By way of size comparison, an RS is about Q2 and a CS is about a Q4 but without the wet bar and it's a bit better laid out. Celebrity gives you two very large TVs instead of the hopeless little swivel thing. If you go to RS you get unlimited internet, unlimited speciality dining, premium drinks package, two bathrooms and a Jacuzzi on the balcony.

 

We went off Celebrity because the MDR food, service and choice didn't match what we were paying for real estate. Now they have "suite class" with it's own restaurant. The best thing I can say is that Cunard has been slowly slipping downhill from the great days of silver service and Celebrity Luminae is working up from MDR. They haven't reached the cross over point yet, Cunard is still comfortably on top.

 

Don't expect the Maitre d' to be cooking crepes Suzette or his own speciality by your table as on Cunard. There's no cheese trolley with a festering mound of Stilton, just a cheese plate option every night, If there's someting special you have a hankering for then it will have to wait until you get home, unless it's something that can be brought in from the MDR menu, which rather defeats the object. Typical menu is 3-5 starters and entrees, no a-la carte. You'll soon get fed up. Quality was very good though and very nicely presented. The wait staff are friendly, efficient and enthusiastic but it's not a well oiled machine.

 

There are seven other speciality dining restaurants, which vary from excellent (QSine, Murano) to pretty okay (Blu) to "used to be rather better and now needs a make over" (Tuscan Grill, Bistro on 5). There's an outside pool bar serving dogs and hamburgers too.

 

The equivalent of the Grills Lounge is Michael's Club. It's better in every way except for not having any view at all, which makes it a bit dark. The bar staff were excellent, very much aided by us having a drinks package which meant no receipts to sign and often a drink arrived with just a nod. Sometimes the replacement arrived as the glass emptied.

 

Cunard concierges have never been a problem, they are helpful, effective, pleasant. The lady on Silhouette (Anca) was in an entirely different league, nothing too much trouble and she was frequently there until after 9pm sorting people out. As an example, I have a mobility problem so picking tours is a problem. The solution - she organised a meeting (in Michael's Club, not at the desk), with two people from the tours desk to advise and book stuff. At a tender port, instead of having priority tender tickets as Q3 and above get, suite guests could turn up at the Club and be escorted down to a tender. I could quote another half dozen examples but the comparison for me is quite clear, Celebirty is miles ahead in this regard.

 

Michael's Club had entertainment for many of the nights - excellent guitarist/singer, acoustic duo, jazz singer - all brought in for an hour between gigs elsewhere on ship.

 

Others have commented on ship decor and ambiance so I won't add any more other than to say we like both lines. The arrangements on "sale day" were just as chaotic (and annoying) as Cunard.

 

Cunard canapes are five little items on a plate. Why five, I can never figure it out? Celebrity is an order of magniture better and it's different fare on every day. Bread, tapanade, herb oil, cheese. The next day it was olives, grilled artichoke, pate, bread, tomato salad, mozerella balls and proschuito. Cunard - it's time to improve on this front.

 

There's no DIY laundry on board. Instead we got 2 x 30 items for free, also several items of dry cleaning and pressing. Dress code is now very relaxed, which tbh I'm not a fan of. But we were flying, so it meant that we didn't have to schlep a penguin suite and three eveing dresses. I don't think balcony cabins get the same freebies so anyone who likes to turn washing over on ship would be either disappointed or out of pocket.

 

I wasn't a fan of having a drinks package, I'd prefer having OBC please so that we can buy a very nice bottle and savour it over an evening or two. But in the end we were pleased with it, other than the single item upgrade policy which is cock-eyed. It meant we drank less wine and more after dinner port, with plenty of water and soft drinks.

 

We had no need of cool towels, but there was chicken broth at the gangplank when returning. It was cold in Norway and Denmark!

 

WiFi connectivity drove me nuts. I'm not talking about the satellite connection, I'm talking about being able to log on. But Celebrity is rolling out "Xcelerate" which is supposedly fast enough to stream video and to Skype call. They offer an unlimited package but we got 2 x 90 mins for free.

 

There's no equivalent of afternoon tea in the Queen's Lounge. Instead the butler brings coffee, sandwiches, buns, deserts, etc. to the suite at about 4pm.

 

Cunard captains are highly professional. Celebrity captains are probably every bit as professional, but harbour a desire to be stand up comedians.

Overall, unless there is one Cunard feature that you are particularly devoted to, like for example the ballroom dancing, then I'd recommend taking a look at Celebrity. They have more ships and more desinations, especially since ships are not tied up with world cruises and TAs.

 

 

.

Edited May 9, 2016 by Chunky2219
typo

[morbihan]

I agree with what you say.

 

The breaker seems to be ballroom dancing. When you don't dance it is unimportant and other factors come in such as the ship herself, cabins, food, drink, service etc. As for dressing up, I do take my party frocks. It will be interesting to see if 'underdressed' people annoy me. I did see people in shorts after 18.00 on QV in the public rooms.

 

We sail at the end of the week with Silhouette again. We sailed on Queen Victoria in January. Personally, I prefer Silhouette. A much more open, brighter ship. Personal opinion again.

 

People are so certain that Cunard are the best that they are reluctant to try another line and they are mistaken. Give the others a go. You may be pleasantly surprised.

[midlevel_curator]

I think I've been spoiled by my time on Cunard (and Disney). Hopefully this doesn't ruin my upcoming cruise on Princess. Haven't tried Celebrity yet.

Edited May 9, 2016 by midlevel_curator