Celebrity M-Class vs. Crystal

[nova1]

We chose the Infinity Holiday Cruise in part because Douglas Ward's cruise guide rates the M-Class ships almost as high as Crystal, our favorite line. We couldn't afford the astronomical rates on Crystal's holiday cruises, so we gave it a go. All in all we had a wonderful cruise and a wonderful vacation on the Infinity.

 

A few things were better on the Infinity than on Crystal. Most were not. Don't read this thread unless you're deciding between M-Class and one of the more expensive luxury lines. And don't read the thread if you're a "Celebrity can do no wrong" type.

 

First, what did we like better on the Infinity than on the Crystal Harmony or Symphony?

 

*The specialty restaurant (SS United States on the Infinity) has the best overall dining experience at sea, better than the Crystal dining room or Prego or Kyoto.

*The fitness room on the Infinity is much larger and more modern.

*The adults-only Thassolotherapy pool is a nice touch.

*The children's facility, Fun Factory, is much nicer than the tired rooms that Crystal uses. The hours are also better than what you get from the Junior Activities Program.

*Michael's Club is a great venue.

*The fare is obviously lower, though mostly in the cheaper cabins. My sense is that people pay quite a bit extra for Concierge Class on Celebrity to get the same level of service and amenities they would get in Crystal in even the least expensive cabins.

 

Next, where do we give the edge to Crystal?

 

*The main dining room on Crystal is vastly superior. The food in the Trellis restaurant is no better than what you find on HAL and less varied than what you find on a line like Disney. The service is also amateur. I'm not sure where Celebrity's exalted reputation for dining comes from.

*Casual dining on Crystal is miles ahead. The buffets on the Infinity were horrendous. We had a Thai buffet on New Year's Day that was one of the worst presentations of food I've ever seen. "Alternative Casual Dining" was poor as well--tasteless food and terrible service.

*Daytime activities on Crystal are much more sophisticated and interesting. Celebrity had mostly bingo and napkin folding and vegetable carving.

*Crystal's enrichment speakers are higher profile.

*The Junior Activities counselors are more mature and experienced (they are mostly teachers).

*The production shows are more lavish (though Crystal should change some of them) and the cabaret acts feature better talent. That said, Celebrity's new show, Celebrate the World, is one of the best shows we've seen at sea.

*The service is a notch better--not necessarily friendlier, but more extensive. People can't do enough for you on Crystal.

*The cheaper cabins on Crystal are much nicer than the equivalent on Celebrity. I saw an inside cabin on the Infinity that was drab and spare.

 

The ships are tied in my view. Celebrity has more to do, but Crystal's ships are more elegant. Celebrity's spa is really nice. I thought Celebrity's Emporium of shops were tacky.

 

So there you have it. Bottom line for this cruiser: if you snag a cheap cabin on an M-Class ship, go for it, but if you're weighing Crystal or Radisson versus an expensive cabin or suite on Celebrity, it's not too close of a call.

[superjerryw]

It's really a case of you get what you pay for. Crystal charges luxury cruise line prices and delivers the goods. Celebrity, while touting itself as a premium cruise line is really just a mainstream cruise line and is priced accordingly. Celebrity does deliver a good product and fills a certain niche in the cruise marketplace. I think that people that are happy with Celebrity expect a certain level of service and they generally feel that they are getting it. I don't think that Celebrity passengers expect the level of food and service that you get on Crystal.

[nova1]

I agree 100%, but only for those who get an inside or outside cabin on Celebrity. In my view, if you're going to pay for concierge class or above on Celebrity, you're better off with an outside cabin on Crystal unless having a balcony is a top priority. From what I can tell the better cabins on Celebrity cost at least as much as the less expensive cabins on Crystal. Just my two cents.

[katiebeth]

We have never cruised with Crystal, Raddison, Oceania or any of the higher end luxury lines. We would love to try them some time, but because we have children ages 10 and 12 have stayed with Celebrity because we feel they are a step above other lines in the mass cruise market. (although probably not as good as the luxury cruise lines) We have always been pleased with our Celebrity experience and our sailing with them again next summer in the Mediterrerean.

 

We looked into cruising with Crystal and Raddison but neither line seems terribly child-friendly, and based on what I have read on their boards, fellow passengers don't seem overly welcoming to children. I am not saying this in a judgemental manner, it's just that young families traveling with children don't seem to be their target market.

 

I will say that on our Celebrity cruises we have always been in either a CC cabin of Sky Suite, so their are a few more perks than cruising in a standard cabin.

 

My husband and I will probably try a luxury line sometime in the future, but for now Celebrity seems to "fit the bill" nicely. Our children couldn't be happier on Celebrity!

 

Nancy

[nova1]

We have sailed both Crystal and Radisson with kids. The small number of kids ahas plusses and minuses. On the plus side, the kids get lots of attention and the counselors are terrific.

 

I don't think Radisson gets too many kids, but Crystal can have a hundred during the summer and even more during the holidays.

 

We were in a Sky Suite on the Infinity. It was very nice, but I would never again spend that much money on Celebrity. The butler service was a joke. I'd rather have a smaller cabin on a luxury line.

 

But don't get me wrong, I think Celebrity is a great line and would be happy to sail it again sometime.

[Keith1010]

We used to sail Celebrity often with our children and believe it to be the best of the other mass market lines, many of which we have sailed.

 

We had always wanted to sail on a luxury line and my only suggestion is to wait for the kids to be late teens. At that point, I think they will appreciate the line and will not have a problem with lack of teen programs. We first sailed on Crystal when our son was 16 and our daughter was 20. They both had a great time. The following year we once again sailed with Crystal in Europe and at that point my daughter mostly stayed with us which was perfectly fine with her and my son met about eight other teenagers and had a wonderful time with him. Again, outside of holiday time, there really aren't going to be any children's programs on luxury lines such as Crystal which is why I would recommend waiting until they are older if you want to take them along. Now, my wife and I mostly cruise by ourselves so that opens up more choices for us.

 

In the summer Crystal now mostly serves Europe. They used to have one of their ships in Alaska but they have now retired that ship, so on the most part you will see during the summer months about 15-25 children per cruise, given that it is Europe and a Luxury line. But again, at the older age it works as long as there are a few children their age to hang out with.

 

Keith

[joelmarj]

I know that if I were to cruise Crystal I would expect it to be above Celebrity in many things. I'm not sure I agree with you on pricing though. I have a cruise on X for December 2006 with a Concierge cabin on a 10 day sailing. The price is $1000 pp less than what Crystal wants for the same time period, same sailing destination, oceanview. Yes, Crystal may have some deals every now and then, but I don't really think you are comparing apples to apples.

 

I'm not saying that Crystal is not a good choice, I just really don't believe the comparison of prices to cabins, until you start looking at suites (I've even gotten a suite at a VERY good price on Celebrity).

 

Overall, I think Crystal is likely a good line to sail with and would love to try it one day. I enjoy a more upscale experience of cruising, but Celebrity meets my expectations for overall service, food, accommodations, entertainment and all within price ranges that allow me to have a balcony or suite. As for kids, I would not even consider taking mine on anything other than a Royal Caribbean type of ship (they are 12 and 16), just because I'd like them to enjoy themselves as well, and feel that the entire atmosphere caters more to the "family" model. I'm not looking for that on either Celebrity or Crystal.

 

Thank you though for the comparison, it is very good to have such information.

[Blazerboy]

Yeah, Joelmarg, but if you cruise Celebrity, you might get stalkers who follow you from cruise to cruise.:eek: (And which of us is the stalker, and which is the stalkee? Seems like we chased you onto the one after next!)

 

Seriously, I've sailed both, and find that Celebrity is great for right now. I disagree about the higher end cabins on Celebrity vs. the lower end on Crystal though. We have yet to pay as much for a suite (Sky) on Celebrity as we did for a non-verandah on Crystal for a similar length cruise- admittedly we got good deals. And our PH on Crystal was about the same price as a Sky Suite, but on Crystal, it was for a six day repo cruise, and on Celeb, it was for a 13 day repo cruise! (Both were great!)

 

Love both lines, and Crystal wins in the food category easily, but Celebrity seems better for us right now, over all. I love the smaller size of Crystal, but feel that M class ships do a great job with the numbers they have.

 

But good attitude is key! I always have a great crusie experience, even when there are problems with the line...

 

Andrew

[Keith1010]

I second Andrew's comments. We always go with a positive attitude and we don't let little things bother us. We are fortunate to be able to cruise so we approach the cruise with a most positive attitude knowing that we will have a good time.

 

Keith

[woodofpine]

I've four kids and we travel together so the prospect of going onto a luxe line is not affordable on my income. I do look forward to the day I might do a luxery line solely as a couple (since the luxe line product is not truly kid designed anyway) but I'm not sure it'll ever happen because I'm a sea glutton. I'd more likely succumb to longstanding compulsions for longer cruises on mass market lines. I've been scoping the surprisingly "affordable" P&O world cruises for years.

 

I've also begun suffering another vacation addiction. H is for (heroin) helecopter skiing. I wish I was a not so idle rich heir...

[nu2sea]

This is an interesting thread and directly deals with a subject I've been looking at lately.

 

We are suite passengers, and on the M class prefer the Celebrity Suite. However, looking for our next cruise I have noticed yet another jump in the suite pricing by Celebrity. We are rapidly approaching the point where we will be booking with a luxury line since we are already paying close to luxury prices for Celebrity cruises. May as well try one.

 

Susan

[chrismch]

I was just on the Harmony in Sept 2005 and loved it. Didn't care where we went as we loved the shipboard experience so much. Will be on Century and Mercury this year. I'm really excited now about trying the m-class of ships for their specialty restaurants as I thought the food at Kyoto and Prego on Crystal were stellar! If the specialty on Infinity beats those two it must be ultra stellar!! :p

[joelmarj]

Yeah, Joelmarg, but if you cruise Celebrity, you might get stalkers who follow you from cruise to cruise.:eek: (And which of us is the stalker, and which is the stalkee? Seems like we chased you onto the one after next!)

 

Seriously, I've sailed both, and find that Celebrity is great for right now. I disagree about the higher end cabins on Celebrity vs. the lower end on Crystal though. We have yet to pay as much for a suite (Sky) on Celebrity as we did for a non-verandah on Crystal for a similar length cruise- admittedly we got good deals. And our PH on Crystal was about the same price as a Sky Suite, but on Crystal, it was for a six day repo cruise, and on Celeb, it was for a 13 day repo cruise! (Both were great!)

 

Love both lines, and Crystal wins in the food category easily, but Celebrity seems better for us right now, over all. I love the smaller size of Crystal, but feel that M class ships do a great job with the numbers they have.

 

But good attitude is key! I always have a great crusie experience, even when there are problems with the line...

 

Andrew

 

In keeping with your positive attitude "hey, never know - that stalker could become a great friend! So keep an open mind :D ".

 

Seriously, you raise my exact point, the cost for a suite on Celebrity so far does not come close to the rate for just an oceanview on Crystal. If i can get a comparable deal, I'm there!

 

Bottom line is, it's great that we have so many choices of lines to choose from and each person can pick based on their priorities and what is important. In all honesty, if I sailed on some of the worst lines, but met some of the great people I have already met it would be considered a great cruise. It's all in the attitude! For now, I try to match my preferences as closely as possible to what I can budget. Once I pick the cruise, I just look forward to the wonderful experience I anticipate having.

[nova1]

For a Mediterranean cruise this summer, a CC cabin on Celebrity (3,800) is about the same as an oceanview on the Crystal Symphony (3,900). A suite on Celebrity is more than the Crystal Symphony.