Finally narrowed down - April 2017 cruise which one? Harmony VS Cleb Reflection/Sil

[deliver42]

I've been on the Oasis(Same as Harmony) and the ship rarely seemed crowded. The entertainment is top notch. To the person who compared the Epic to the Harmony in size, no comparison. The Harmony is MUCH bigger.

[aimcat]

Yes I'm so sorry I am very! It's a curse! It's only on trips though everything else I pull the trigger no problem!

Thank you all once again. You guys are the best!

[Rogueperson]

If your priority is food, go with Celebrity.

 

If you're priority is fun, then you have decide what is "fun" for you. Is fun going to a lecture? If fun going to a string quartet concert or piano recital? If fun is going to wine tastings and classes? Then Celebrity is for you. If fun entails pool activities? If fun entails dancing the night away? If fun entails energetic activities such as rock climbing, flow riders as well as a bevy of sports activities? Royal Caribbean is for you.

 

Relaxation happens on both ships, but less so on larger ships like Harmony. I have not been on the Solstice class, but they are a bit larger then the other Celebrity ships i've been on..

 

Its what your priorities are as a couple which should determine the two.

[CatlinSTJ]

Yes I'm so sorry I am very! It's a curse! It's only on trips though everything else I pull the trigger no problem!

Thank you all once again. You guys are the best!

 

 

Don't feel bad, we're in near exactly the same boat! (Pun intended). We're leaning towards Celebrity, but in our case the ports matter to us. I'd love to sail the HoS, but have read a lot about the lines and crowds that seem to plague the ship. It's a toss up but we're really looking for something different than Carnival for our 20th anniversary.

 

 

Next cruise: Carnival Vista - July 2016

[aimcat]

^glad to hear we are not the only ones. we only know carnival and from what I understand anything else is an upgrade from carnival. we are use to a ship full of kids, crowds, and hairy chest competitions lol. so I am sure harmony or silhouette will be a big upgrade for us. for me I would hands down pick harmony because I'm up for anything crowds do not bother me and I have about as much patience as you will ever find. my husband is different - very anxious in crowds, hates waiting on anything, about 10% patience lol, but on vacation he is better but not by much lol so this trip is more about making sure its comfortable for him because I will be ok either way. I am just afraid on celeb that it wont have enough to keep us going when we want to, like shows, entertainment, etc. it does seem far more relaxing but either is relaxing to me

[bklun]

I have been on all three of these ships. If you care about entertainment, hands down Harmony wins. We don't even go to the shows anymore on Celebrity. That being said, we prefer Celebrity overall for service, size of ship and the food. We never have felt out of place on either of these lines (we are in our late 50's). As far as being crowded, we were on the Transatlantic on the Harmony with 2500 Diamond. and higher (including over 100 pinnacle) and it was extremely well managed. It rarely felt overly crowded. I thought the food was superior to any of the other RCL ships we have been on recently.

 

The experiences are different on each line, I think either choice would be a great time.

[Rogueperson]

^glad to hear we are not the only ones. we only know carnival and from what I understand anything else is an upgrade from carnival. we are use to a ship full of kids, crowds, and hairy chest competitions lol. so I am sure harmony or silhouette will be a big upgrade for us. for me I would hands down pick harmony because I'm up for anything crowds do not bother me and I have about as much patience as you will ever find. my husband is different - very anxious in crowds, hates waiting on anything, about 10% patience lol, but on vacation he is better but not by much lol so this trip is more about making sure its comfortable for him because I will be ok either way. I am just afraid on celeb that it wont have enough to keep us going when we want to, like shows, entertainment, etc. it does seem far more relaxing but either is relaxing to me

 

Wife and I hate crowds. We felt the Anthem was a *little* crowded, but we haven't been on an Oasis class. We're hesitant because of the crowd and the size.

 

Both ships will have shows and entertainment. Its the type of entertainment that changes between Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. As I said earlier, Celebrity's entertainment is more "mature" You won't find the hairiest chest contest on Celebrity. Its not better or worse, its dependent on your tastes.

 

You said you've been on Carnival. In my opinion, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are not "upgrades" They are different in priorities. The main difference with Carnival is that they seem to like to involve the passengers much more than Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. The result is a cruise that is full of energy, but not quite relaxing (what your husband wants). On Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, you will notice that its more relaxing on both lines. Their activities are more spaced out, giving a much less stressful environment. If you're looking for a melding of the two. Something more relaxing yet still full of what you're used to on Carnival, go with Harmony. The additional perks of being one of the newest ships will fulfill you, but your husband will easily find it more relaxing whichever you choose. Even with such a huge ship, relaxation is not a problem. The only time any of these ships feel crowded, is if there is a large population of the ship trying to do a single thing. Production shows, muster drill, port days right after the ship is cleared for the port. The only downside with the Harmony (as I felt this on the smaller Anthem and Independence) is that because of its size, it feels more like a hotel than a ship and many times, you have to go outside to realize that you are on water.

 

Celebrity is a bit of a different product. Not bad, but in my opinion, but more refined. It is a slower pace than Royal Caribbean, but as I said, its not bad, its different. Here's an example of dining. Royal Caribbean is similar to Carnival where at the MDR, you have a waiter and assistant waiter. You will also have someone from the bar come by to take your drink order if you want something from the bar. This bar waiter is not very knowledgeable unforutunately and is only there to make sales. Celebrity, on the other hand has assigned (or at least on my last celebrity cruise in 2015) a Somellier to our table as well. He would give us recommendations for different wine and pairings for our dinner.