Celebrity vs Royal

[blonde375]

Hi folks! Looking for some honest opinions from those that have sailed both companies recently.

 

As you can see, I have been a Loyal Royal for all my cruising years (20yrs) and always think "if it's not broke, don't fix it"~

 

But, I have been wondering if Celebrity might give us a little better food and accommodations and atmosphere, but, I am afraid of losing some of the "fun".

 

We are a married couple 47 and 54. We love to listen to music and dance in the evenings before/after dinner. We have always enjoyed the onboard entertainment on Royal.

 

Any thoughts/comments are appreciated! I'm posting this on Celebrity Forum as well. TIA!!!

[DonnaK]

Is there a particular Celebrity ship you are considering? Or particular itinerary? Just like Royal, the experience varies on different classes of ships.

 

We took 2 cruises on the Celebrity Summit, NJ to Bermuda. Even though it's an older/smaller ship than we are used to with Royal, we had a fabulous time. We thought the entertainment was excellent, especially in the smaller venues around the ship. The lounges always seemed to have someone performing, whereas on RCI ships, it is common to go into lounges with empty stages and empty pianos thoughout the evening. There were 3 production shows with 6 featured singers, and all the performers on the ship participated in a jam session on the last evening that was fabulous. We were really blown away by the quality and quantity of live music available all around the ship! The only thing we didn't like about the Summit was the buffet, and the lack of food after 2pm if we wanted to have a late lunch after being ashore.

[surreymum]

We are similar ages to you, with 3 mostly grown up children. We have sailed predominantly with Royal but a couple of years ago sailed Celebrity on a 12 day European cruise as we loved the itinerary. I can't say we noticed a great deal of difference between the two. We loved that Celebrity don't do the ridiculous checking out of pool towels although don't remember that being an issue last year on our Royal cruise.

 

I feel that the differences you would see depend largely on the ship and the destination plus the particular stateroom/wait staff that you have. Last year we cruised Serenade of the Seas in Norway and I found the bed really uncomfortable (they fitted a mattress topper after I mentioned it), food and professionalism (although made up with personality) worse in the MDR than we have seen before but for the first time used speciality restaurants, which we enjoyed.

 

If you enjoy Royal I'm sure you would enjoy Celebrity.

[Ocean Dancer]

Celebrity will have way less little children as the cliental is a bit older. Depending on the ship, you should be able to find danceable music, but the sidewalks usually close up at midnight. One club was open until later, but the music was way too young for me.

 

The cruise was a bit quieter and subdued, we last cruised on the Silhouette about 3 years ago and I'm thinking about a Panama Canal cruise with them in the future.

[Ocean Dancer]

Surrymum,

 

The Serenade is a Royal ship, not Celebrity's ;)

[surreymum]

Surrymum,

 

 

 

The Serenade is a Royal ship, not Celebrity's ;)

 

 

Sorry if I confused you. I said that a few years ago we tried Celebrity but last year sailed Serenade. I hadn't felt the need to clarify that Serenade was Royal as the "of the seas" is in the name of all their ships. It was perfectly clear in my head but maybe not so much when written down. [emoji3]

[Big_G]

If you won't missing the rock climbing wall, flowrider, and slides, you'll probably enjoy Celebrity. In the last couple of years they've upped their game with specialty bars, late night music, and a Miami vibe throughout the ship. I think Celebrity's specialty restaurants are better than Royal's but the shows are probably not comparable to Oasis and Quantum class shows. Probably more comparable to Freedom and Voyager Class shows. Celebrity has true 'craft' beers in their wine bars. The pool deck is more relaxed. They don't have belly flop or sexiest man competitions but they do have live music. The crowd is a little more mature, less kids, and slightly better attired. The pricing is probably pretty close when you factor in they often have all inclusive promotions. It also helps that we receive reciprocal C&A/Captain's Club benefits. We like both lines for different reasons.

[George C]

RCCL is my favorite line, but I am not loyal at all, we were disappointed in our 1 Celebrity cruise on Solictice. Entertainment was bad, food and service in MDR was bad ( I think mostly because of a new waiter) , ship was beautiful , pool area was relaxing with soft music being played. Loved non smoking casino and really the entire ship, specialty restaurants were great, also breakfast lunch buffet area better than RCCL. I am sure we will try them again.

[blonde375]

Thanks everyone!! Much appreciated!

[Jay-Bird?]

Like most, it really depends on what you want to do. My husband and I took a 10 day Scandinavian & Russia cruise with Celebrity. It was really cold, so no one was outside and the balcony was a waste of money. Our luggage was lost and we spent two days trying to get guest services to help. Also, because it was too cold to be outside the common areas were packed along with the Solarium. I did get bored on sea days, so I will keep that in mind the next time we travel North. It doesn't sound like we had a good time, but we loved all our stops. To compare we didn't find the food superior, rooms or entertainment any better than Royal. There are however, fewer children and a more laid back atmosphere. I'm pretty happy as long as I'm on a boat, but will probably stay with Royal. Good luck deciding.

 

Texas

[Babablue]

We love Celebrity. My husband and I are 42 and 46, no children. We started cruising with RCI in 2007, in 2014 we went on Celebrity's Reflection. We loved it. While on board, we booked the Equinox. In my opinion, RCI is more family oriented. I feel like I am pampered more on Celebrity. It is a slightly older crowd, with very few children. We have enjoyed both of our cruises on Celebrity and with out a doubt will book again.

[jules815]

If you won't missing the rock climbing wall, flowrider, and slides, you'll probably enjoy Celebrity. In the last couple of years they've upped their game with specialty bars, late night music, and a Miami vibe throughout the ship. I think Celebrity's specialty restaurants are better than Royal's but the shows are probably not comparable to Oasis and Quantum class shows. Probably more comparable to Freedom and Voyager Class shows. Celebrity has true 'craft' beers in their wine bars. The pool deck is more relaxed. They don't have belly flop or sexiest man competitions but they do have live music. The crowd is a little more mature, less kids, and slightly better attired. The pricing is probably pretty close when you factor in they often have all inclusive promotions. It also helps that we receive reciprocal C&A/Captain's Club benefits. We like both lines for different reasons.

 

This sums it up right here. :)

[offnoncruiser]

Although we haven't been on a RCI ship in a few years, you may miss some of the "fun" if you try a Celebrity cruise. We've gotten to the point that we don't want the rock climbing, flowrider, belly flop contests, etc., and enjoy the very much laid back feel of Celebrity. And there is enough to keep us entertained well into the evening, but perhaps not to the extent of options with RCI. But if you like music, I think there are plenty of music options to keep you happy.

 

It's all the little touches with Celebrity that add up to make it more enjoyable, and I'd place the food and service just a little notch above what is typical with RCI (IMHO). And not nearly the amount of kids on the ships (although my two teens found plenty of friends for the week on the one Celebrity cruise they did go with us). Plus, JUST ONE announcement a day from the captain, and that's it for announcements. Can't remember if there are a lot of announcements during the day on RCI ships? Can anyone elaborate?

 

I think if it's a seven day or less cruise, you'll be fine with Celebrity (especially in the Caribbean), but if it's a longer cruise or a TA, you may think about jumping ship if you spot a RCI ship in the distance!

 

Enjoy!