Any Royal cruisers tried Celebrity Solstice class?

[nekzaadvakil]

We tried Celebrity Silhouette back in 2013 and LOVED it. Celebrity's S class ships are modern and beautiful and personally only Royal's Oasis class ships are better (I've not tried the Quantum Class ships yet).

 

The food is brilliant. The service is exceptional. The atmosphere is just as laid back as on Royal Caribbean. We agree that the night life is slightly less than on Royal, but since ALL of our Celebrity cruises were in port intensive Europe, we were usually in bed by midnight since we were out exploring all day.

 

Can't wait for our next cruise on a Celebrity S class ship. You can't go wrong.

 

Nick

[roquejo]

Well, I'm a D with RCCL and will try the Solstice for the first time in Alaska few weeks from now.

 

Having read so many comparisons with RCCL vs X in this forum. I already know what to expect with Celebrity: generally less entertainment quality than RCCL but better food quality.

 

So will focus more on the food and drinks this time.

[FirstCruise2331]

We have been on many RCI and many Celebrity cruises, in all the different class of ships (except for Oasis class) and we loved them all. The only thing we like more about Celebrity is that the drink packages are often included in the price as a "perk." In the next 14 months, we will have sailed on the Summit for 14 days, the Serenade of the Seas for 10 days, and the Equinox for 10 days. Here is my youtube channel with videos of all the various ships we have been on. https://www.youtube.com/user/existentialtraveler

Lots of food, ship, and shore pics on all of them.

 

Thanks for sharing, great collection of pics well put together.

[FirstCruise2331]

I cannot speak for the ship you questioned but most are basically the same except for size.

RC ships are geared to many activities, x's ships have activities but more geared to mature adults of any age, unfortunately not many physically active activities, and yes not enough regular type of activities. Standard thing to do, like the movie theater are too crowded some people stay all day. As I said RC seems to be geared more to activities, but sometimes lacks service and this IMHO is the "main" difference. FOOD again IMHO about the same some better and some not so good. Types of food, like Miso soup and other unique dishes RC seems to win, but this varies from ship to ship and it's management. For example, on a recent cruise with RC, we had the best Miso soup every, well on a cruise ship, the Captain every morning, was in the WJ and guess what he was eating. The scrambles eggs on X are great LOL.

 

All in all it is a truly different experience and we enjoy X and are long time RC cruisers

 

Thanks for sharing your experience.

[FirstCruise2331]

I am 56 and my Bride is 50, we loved RCL until we sailed Celebrity. After seeing what you like in your post I know you will love Celebrity. We have sailed on the Equinox and the Reflection and think it is perfect for our style of cruising, good food, good music, relaxing atmosphere. and great service.Cheers!

 

Great food, music and atmosphere sounds great to me!

[FirstCruise2331]

Exactly! I sailed earlier this year with X for the first time on Constellation, an M class ship, with my 22 year old daughter. I thought it was going to be a total snooze fest for her, and was worried that maybe we should have stuck with RC. Quite the contrary...she had a ball and we loved it. There was live music poolside on sea days, people were dancing. We didn't miss the hairy chest or belly flop contests at all. The Martini Bar was hopping every night, and they had events with a live band every night in their equivalent of the Viking Crown.

 

Thought the food and service was very good. Loved that they have a poolside grill. All the little nice touches that gave it a more upscale feel. Welcome glass of champagne or a mimosa when you boarded the ship, chilled towels passed out poolside. No smoking anywhere inside the ship, including the casino. You could walk through without coming out on the other side smelling like a dirty ashtray.

 

(And as far as shows go, I live in Chicago, so we have access to really good theater all the time too. I never go on a cruise expecting to be blown away with their productions.)

 

Sounds like you had a great cruise. It sounds like there's a bit more effort put into the detail in terms of being that bit more.classy. live band or singers with guitar etc are how we like to spend our evenings on board.

[FirstCruise2331]

We are D+ on Royal and have three Celebrity cruises under our belt (all on Solstice class). We have several more cruises booked on both lines.

 

I agree with most of the comparisons here. We love the activities and entertainment on Royal. We also like the fun vibe on the ship. For example, the piano bar can be a highlight of the cruise if there is a good entertainer playing. On Celebrity the lounge entertainers are not very engaging.

 

Celebrity has better food and a more laid back attitude. The decor is classier. That said they can get a little full of themselves. For example when they have a theme night it may be a show in the centrum. On Royal there is more audience participation.

 

We love both lines but the experiences are different. We did a transpacific on Solstice and after a long run of sea days we found it boring. Later we did a Med cruise on Equinox which was port intensive and loved it. Now we tend to book Celebrity for more port intensive cruises and Royal for cruises with a lot of sea days.

 

Thanks for sharing experience. As this is quite a port intensive itinary I think we should be ok.

[FirstCruise2331]

We have travelled in suites on both lines. It's a far superior experience on Celebrity. Suites have their own Luminae dining room (as does Aqua Class with Blu) and the private Michael's Club where you can drink yourself silly all day at no cost even if you don't have a drink package.

 

But for entertainment, especially if you are taking kids (which we are on IoS next week), then RCCL is a better choice.

 

Thanks for that, suites are not within our grasp and with this trip neither is Aqua class!

 

Have fun in Indy. Check out Steve the guitarist / singer in the pub on board. He was resident entertainer on Ovation in Michael's pub and is one of the best I've seen on land or sea!

[FirstCruise2331]

We just came back from sailing on the Solstice to Alaska. Our first Celebrity cruise. We have cruised several times on Royal Caribbean. We went to Alaska to celebrate DH's retirement from working as a HR Director for over 40 years.

 

While we both enjoyed the Solstice, we really prefer Royal Caribbean.

 

Solstice did have a middle age crowd. Not to many older people (over 70), not to many younger people with families. Maybe the 50-60 year range. Also, not a lot of scooters, and did not see any "walkers". Royal Caribbean has a much better mix of ages of people, from the young to the old.

 

Passengers not as friendly on Solstice. Staff not as friendly on Solstice. Officers not as friendly on Solstice.

 

I love the hot tubs on Royal Caribbean. I only went in one hot tub on Solstice, and only stayed in for a few minutes. Hot tub water was uncomfortably hot. The smell of chlorine (or other chemicals) was very strong. In fact the whole Solarium smelled of chemicals for the entire week). Hot felt very small. Just having 4 people in it felt overly crowded.

 

The Solstice was very quiet, and for Alaska, that was okay, as we spent a lot of time watching the changing landscape. Not a lot of evening activity in the bars. Music as lacking in the bars at night. And, bar service was lacking. Servers were not roaming asking if you wanted a drink. It was much quicker to leave your seat, and walk up to the bar, to ask for a drink. In fact, I think that was expected, as we watched others doing the same thing.

 

Food may have been a bit better on the Solstice, both in the main dining room, and in the buffet.

 

Karaoke is handled differently (and weirdly) on the Solstice. The words of songs are on a large screen. The participants are facing the screen, with their backs to the audience. In fact, there is very little audience. And while this event takes place in an open bar, servers to not walk around offering drinks. Participants consisted of 2 young ladies, and 1 middle age male singing various songs. Not the party atmosphere as on Royal ships.

 

Some positives on the Solstice, I loved their coffee shop. Table service is provided both with ordering and clean up. The Promenade Cafe on Royal Caribbean is self serve and self clean up. When entering the ship the first time, you are greeted with a glass of orange juice or champagne. Also when coming back from excursions, you were offered beverages immediately upon entering the ship.

 

I also noticed on the Solstice, that staff members talked in their native language frequently while in public places It was noticed several times in the buffet, in the hall ways, and even in places like the coffee shops while serving guests. I am not complaining, it is just an observation. I never noticed that on Royal ships.

 

The shows are great in the theater on both lines.

 

We had a wonderful cruise on the Solstice, but I think my line of choice is Royal Caribbean.

 

Thanks for the honest assessment. Weighing everything up I think we're going to give this one a try for a change of line but also because of the duration and itinary. We can always go back to RCI next time around!

[FirstCruise2331]

We are Diamond level on Royal and Elite Plus on Celebrity. Love the Solstice Class ships! Extremely partial to the Corning Museum of Glass Shows which Solstice, Equinox and Eclipse have. So no Lawn Club Grill on those ships. Not to be confused with the Mast Grill which is the outside hamburger/hot dog venue which is there and a must do! I am partial to desserts and sometimes the MDR's offerings aren't interesting so we decamp to Cafe al Bachio for dessert. The coffee and tea drinks there are for a fee (covered by a beverage package) but the desserts et al in the display case are complimentary...meaning free...you do not have to purchase a beverage to get a treat. Sometimes we'll swing by in the morning and get a pastry to take back to the cabin...

 

And let's not forget Celebrity's ice cream, made on board, flavors change daily. Delicious!! The outdoor seating aft in the Oceanview Cafe. I love being able to eat outside looking at the wake. The Sunset Bar!!

 

Thanks for the tips. Very partial to a poolside burger or hot dog during the day so Mast cafe sounds good. Will be sure to get some cakes from the cafe!

[FirstCruise2331]

Totally agree with you. Our favorite ships are Royal's Radiance class. They never seem crowded and offer amazing views because of so much glass. On sea days and inclement weather days the glass is a welcome design feature.

We have cruised many cruises on both Celebrity and Royal. We started cruising in our 40's and are now in our 60's. While we enjoy Celebrity and its occasionally interesting new itineraries, we find that Celebrity is a bit too subdued for us, and sometimes boring.

For a special cruise, I would choose a romantic itinerary, either cruise line, preferably 10 days or more. Choose an itinerary where, at least in some ports, you can walk off the ship and stroll through the streets of an "old town." I'd avoid itineraries where most of the sightseeing is an hour's bus ride from the dock. Choose an interesting departure or arrival port and add a couple of days in a nice inn or hotel.

Get to know your ship and its offerings before you sail. If you like to dance and like certain types of music, then ask questions here on Cruise Critic. Celebrity was doing more acoustic guitar and string quartet than rock/blues/jazz, but they may have more varied offerings on your cruise. Royal always has a great piano player in the Schooner Bar. On our most recent Royal cruise he could play any song from almost any genre. There were good bands for dancing in the lounges.

If you choose Royal, budget for the Chef's Table, a super evening of good food and fine wine. Royal's other specialty restaurant offerings are far less $$ than Celebrity; both offer an opportunity for a special dining experience.

Good luck with your choice and have a wonderful cruise.

 

Thank you very much for all the insights. Our personal preference on Ovation was the guitar player in the pub, as opposed to piano player in Schooner, but we love any live music and Celebrity seem to have that covered. I noticed the price for speciality dining on Celebrity is a good bit more than Royal. We've done Wonderland, Chops and Jamie's on RCI and enjoyed them all. Having never been to Miami we will enjoy the day before and few days afterwards. Thanks again

[boscobeans]

With 22+ cruises since 2001 and Elite on Celebrity and Diamond on RCCL (actual-not due to reciprocity) we have decided that we would rather spend our dollars on RCCL. Three Solstice class cruises on Celebrity and find them to be OK. (best part is the Mast Grill). Rooms are all the same size, aside from a few hump cabins the verandas are the same and all the staterooms are the same unless you are in a full (butler) suite. We have sailed on the small ships like Zenith and on the huge Royal ships as well.

 

Food is a matter of taste (LOL) and have always had excellent meals on both RCCL and Celebrity in the MDR's and Buffet. The specialty restaurants were good but not worth it any longer in our opinion.

 

Service is about equal.

 

I think that the RCCL itineraries offer more for the money (we only do Bermuda and the Caribbean).

 

We actually got off a Celebrity cruise a few months ago in May and cancelled two other Celebrity cruises we had in favor of one on the Serenade and one on the Navigator.

 

More ambiance on the Royal ships, the new Reflection which we cancelled just looks too stark.

 

These are just our feelings and we know others that love the Solstice ships and others that prefer something else.

 

We also feel that Celebrity is rapidly turning into RCCL in many ways. We have a better choice of ship size and style so we will stick with RCCL in the future.

 

bosco

[eel]

Thank you very much for all the insights. Our personal preference on Ovation was the guitar player in the pub, as opposed to piano player in Schooner, but we love any live music and Celebrity seem to have that covered. I noticed the price for speciality dining on Celebrity is a good bit more than Royal. We've done Wonderland, Chops and Jamie's on RCI and enjoyed them all. Having never been to Miami we will enjoy the day before and few days afterwards. Thanks again

 

 

We were on Ovation as well and have to agree that the guitar player in Michaels was far superior to the piano player in Schooner. But that is more the exception than the rule. The pianist was skilled enough - he just was not very engaging.

 

Although there is entertainment in the lounges on Celebrity we have found it to be more like the piano player on Ovation. Nice background music but little audience involvement.

[griffy116]

I love hearing the comparisons of RCCL and Celebrity. We are Diamond on Royal and have another Royal cruise planned in December and a Celebrity cruise planned for next June. It will be our first celebrity cruise so we have no idea what to expect. We have a Classic Drink Package which I think will serve us just fine. We were disappointed on our last Royal cruise (7-night) to find we could no longer get the Wash 'n Fold discount because they now only offer it to Diamond members on an 8-night or longer cruise. I will get 20 items washed and folded FREE on Celebrity. When we first started cruising on Royal, they offered a welcome drink. That stopped MANY years ago and it was surprising to find out that Celebrity still does this. I'm looking forward to trying the Mast Grill and Al Bacio. Everyone seems to love both. I've heard no complaints. We have booked an OV cabin. We usually book a balcony, but we've found we use it less and less in recent years, so we will see how this works out. We have excursions planned on all the ports. We also spend our days at sea out by the pool. Are there any other tips from people that have sailed both Royal and Celebrity I need to know? I'm still confused about the priority tender service. We're Elite but no suite so do we still get this? Is it only offered if I book the excursion through Celebrity? What about the menus in the MDR? Anyone have them? Where should I go for lunch on a sea day? I'm going to miss the Tutti salad on Royal. Internet speed has improved greatly this past year on Royal. How does it compare with Celebrity? All advice and tips appreciated.

[Sancho_proudfoot]

We are loyal RCL-ers, but we were onboard Infinity, as we wanted to do a Panama canal transit, and at the time CL didn't have any.

 

We missed the Royal Promenade - the pubs, eateries and just a good place to meet and mingle.

 

Didn't like having to pass through all the shops on the way anywhere.

 

We loved the martini bar with its ice topped counter and flair bartenders.

 

Food, entertainment generally similar.

 

CD was AWFUL, easily the worst we have encountered.

 

Pool area gorgeous, lovely comfy loungers, attentive waiters.........

Edited August 9, 2016 by Sancho_proudfoot

[Big_G]

We started mixing Celebrity in with Royal a few years ago. To date we've sailed Equinox (1), Reflection(3), and Summit(1) and have Silhouette booked. Over the years we've sailed with Celebrity, they've upped their entertainment game with their Miami vibe. We've never been bored on a Celebrity Cruise except for the one time I watched pool aerobics on Equinox. :eek: We still love our Royal cruises but for us, Celebrity beats the hell out of Royal with it's outdoor venues which include the aft facing Sunset Bar, aft facing Ocean View Cafe, Lawn Club, Lawn Club Grill, The Porch, and poolside Mast Grill. We also find the food quality in the specialty dining to be superior and the service about the same to Royal. I'd give an equal rating on main dining experience. One other thing that stood out to us is the visibility and interaction with senior staff and officers. They seem to be more visible than Royal's and more apt to engage you about your cruising experience. We enjoy both lines equally for their differences.

Edited August 9, 2016 by Big_G

[jules815]

Sounds like you had a great cruise. It sounds like there's a bit more effort put into the detail in terms of being that bit more.classy. live band or singers with guitar etc are how we like to spend our evenings on board.

 

It was a very nice cruise. We will still sail with RC, but the change was refreshing, and I can see us enjoying both lines. It's especially nice that they honor our Diamond status with Elite status on X. (The free bag of wash and fold laundry was a nice perk, and something we don't get as Diamond on RC.)

[mil76]

We did Equinox in the Med, specifically because they had an itinerary that hit both Mykonos and Santorini, which for some reason Royal doesn't seem to do.

 

PROS:

• Reciprocal Elite status. Perks were nice. Free laundry on a 12 day cruise was very convenient. The staff was very attentive. Might be because there weren't as many Elites on this cruise, where Diamonds on Royal are usually like an ant infestation on any perks offered.
  
• Specialty restaurants were great. They had low bookings so they offered BOGOs every night.
  
• We LOVED Bistro on Five. I can't believe they got rid of it. Well I can, since we were usually the only ones in there, but the crepes were fantastic.
  
• Hand scooped ice cream in the buffet during the afternoon on sea days. The frozen goo served on the pool deck on Royal is no comparison.
  
• Beach/Pool towels in the stateroom. Wow, they actually trust their customers!
  

 

CONS:

• Older crowd overall. We went early in June before the schools in Europe were out, so our kids didn't find as many kids as they are accustomed to on Royal. If you don't travel with kids, this is a PRO.
  
• Not as many activities for sea days. You can only lawn bowl so many times. If you like to just chill by the pool all day, this is your cruiseline. If you like things like Flowriders, rock walls and full basketball courts, this isn't your cruiseline.
  
• Noise- we were mid-ship and the room vibrated from the bar two floors below. This on a cruise that had almost no nightlife. There were days we had back-to-back long port days and wanted to get some sleep, but it wasn't possible with the noise.
  
• Entertainment nowhere near Royals level. We left most of the shows mid-way and eventually just stopped going. No pub singer, which is one of our favorite activities.
  
• There were a few single twentysomethings on the cruise, who were loudly dropping f-bombs and discussing their exploits at the pool, despite seeing a kid 3 feet away. Never experienced this on Royal. This was just luck of the draw, but it destroyed the "more classy, more upscale" myth we had heard about Celebrity.
  

 

We travelled with kids so the perspective is a little different, but even the in-laws said they preferred Royal. We were in Athens with a Royal ship, and everyone joked about wanting to stow-away.

 

Since it was such a bucket-list, port intensive cruise it served our needs and we fondly remember the cruise now. In some ways I would say it was better than Royal for this specific cruise, since the focus was on the ports we were visiting rather than the ship we were on. It's one thing to miss an hour on the beach in Cozumel as opposed to "Honey, can we skip Pompeii so we can stay onboard and do the morning Flowrider session?"

[FirstCruise2331]

We r foodies and enjoyed the food on Equinox -- everywhere.

 

Also, the hot glass shows were so riveting, we preferred to see them, and grab something at the buffet. We went twice, and every time they made different items, explaining all the stages - very interesting.

 

It was only DH and me (65, 66 years).

 

The quality of entertainment is not important to us, mainly in a port intensive cruise.

 

Thanks for the insights.

[dagunny]

We have done enough Celebrity that the next cruise gets us Elite+. Reflection has a lot of restaurants and we absolutely love Muranos and the Lawn Club - Muranos has Chateaubriand and lobster flambe at your table. Superb taste. Steaks are wonderful at the lawn club and one could make your own pizza and cook your own steak if desired.

 

One tradeoff is RCCL has the Concierge club where you can meet and greet but Celebrity has their lounge in the equivalent of the Viking Crown where people line up an hour early to get in. Never seen old people move so fast. Celebs martinis are in small glasses and since they deliver the hors d'eourves, it takes forever to get any if you actually get one. This one goes to RCCL.

 

The one thing I do not like about Celeb is they give you points for the amount of money you spend. i.e. 5x for concierge class...... Why not just charge a fixed amount and give you Zenith upfront... It's all about the profit.

 

RCCL sticks with 2x for RS, OS, GS and JS.

 

If RCCL had Muranos and Lawn Club (oh yeah and Bistro on 5 - love that for a place to park on embarkation day) I would never go back to Celeb unless Celeb had the better itineraries. Loved Antarctica.

 

Celeb reminds me of Cunard - if you have been there you know.

 

We own stock in RCCL and I think they do a better job for the money spent. They also pay dividends and went from $28 to $73 in a few years. Hmmmm.

 

Solstice class is definitely their best shot but all in all we like the smaller intimate ships.

[maggieq]

We loved our solstice cruise. Reflection was ok and had a great time on summit. With rccl changing their discounts on balconies, I will seriously consider celebrity going forward. With a drink package and prepaid gratuities included it is really a no brainer for us.

[tbmrt]

The food, service, ambiance and solarium with covered roof were wonderful.

 

However, there wasn't much evening entertainment other than a fabulous martini bar. Not many daytime activities.

 

To us, this ship was mainly about the ports and relaxation inbetween.

 

This year we're headed to the Oasis...This cruise will be all about the ship and fun.

[FirstCruise2331]

Agree with what others say. We did a similar Caribbean itinerary on Equinox year before last and LOVED it. We just got back from 2nd RCCL cruise and it did not compare - not even close. Loved the grass lawn on the Equinox and the glass blowing shows- just fascinating. Food, service, drinks- all were way better on Celebrity.

 

Thanks, the ship sounds like it has very nice features.

[FirstCruise2331]

I agree with most said; however, Equinox had a great show "Equinox" that was designed just for that ship. It has to be seen to be appreciated!!

 

Also, Bistro on 5 is a must do. It is open on embarkation day (maybe around 1:00PM). We enjoyed that and Muranos was superb!!! I usually don't do dining recommendations as things do change day to day but I don't believe I am taking any risk with these!

 

Oh and the Ice Cream place does close promptly at 10:00PM. I have disappointed myself more than once showing up a few minutes late :(

 

 

This is on the Constellation but very similar to Equinox.

 

Thanks for the recommendations

[FirstCruise2331]

Never been on a bad cruise. Just some are better than others :D Sailed Allure in April. Great cruise. RCCL isn't Celebrity though. We have sailed Eclipse and Reflection. Loved the Lawn Club Grill and the Sunset Bar. Currently booked on Silhouette in January 2017 and Equinox in October 2017 (great perks!). I vote Celebrity heads above RCCL. JMHO :D:D

 

I would agree that any day on holiday is a good day! Lots seem to concur with you re. Celebrity being a better experience.