RCI vs. Celebrity - need advice

[Sun Lover]

We have only been on cruises on RCI, and they were all big ships.  Our favorite ship so far is Allure.  We are in our early 60s but are active and love the entertainment and all the activities offered on the big ships.  Our last cruise was a back-to-back last year on Oasis and we did find the food and service to be a disappointment compared to cruises in past years.  We are now interested in taking a European cruise and many people have told us to check into Celebrity, as the food and itineraries are better.  We've always avoided Celebrity due to the fact they seem to be known for an older crowd with a more subdued environment and we think we might find it boring.  For a European cruise, however, out of a 12 day cruise many of them only have 2 sea days.  I'm wondering if that would make it less boring since we'd be out and about every time we're in a port as opposed to 4 sea days on a 7 day cruise on RCI.  Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated.  Thanks.

[Big_G]

We sail both Royal and Celebrity regularly. The are different cruising experiences. Celebrity is a more relaxed atmosphere and less of a family cruise compared to Royal. Celebrity has upped there night time entertainment but there are almost no pool games. We like Celebrity because it's a change of pace. We also enjoy the aft Sunset Bar,  buffet outdoor seating, the poolside grill, no interior smoking including the casino, and lastly, the better value of their suite program. As far as food goes, we've had mixed results in MDR on both lines. To us the food has always been good on both but even on Celebrity you can be less than enthused with your experience. I think Celebrity wins in their specialty restaurants for both food and service. We prefer the S Class ships and within that class Silhouette and Reflection are our favorites. Give them a go.

[Sun Lover]

Thanks.  Have you ever cruised to Europe with either one?

[Big_G]

12 minutes ago, Sun Lover said:

Thanks.  Have you ever cruised to Europe with either one?

 

No we have not done Europe yet. It's on the list.

[voyager70]

Big_G summed it up perfectly.  I would also recommend one of the S class ships.

 

[The Fun Researcher]

Which Celebrity ships are you talking about.

 

Regarding the age difference, we didn't notice one.  However, we were sailing out of Miami in August so there were a good amount of families, and the same age passengers as Royal.

Dan

[LeeW]

Our first Med cruise was on Navigator.  But after walking around ports for 6-8 hours a day the onboard entertainment really isn't a factor.

[lola2013]

My first Celebrity cruise was the Mediterannean...nine nights round trip Barcelona on Equinox.  I have sailed with them four times since (with two more cruises booked).  At the end of May, I will be doing a similar Med cruise on Jewel of the Seas.  With the exception of a quick Cuba cruise a few months ago on Majesty of the Seas, I hadn't been on RCCL for quite some time.  Everything was wonderful...much smaller ship that I'd ever been on, but RCCL did not disappoint.  Based on pictures I've seen and reviews I've read, I anticipate JOTS will be a great ship and will meet and/or exceed our expectations.

 

Please know that our first choice for the trip would have been Celebrity, but they moved quite a few of their ships out of the Med this season which is why we switched to RCCL.   The new EDGE is doing an itinerary similar to what we will be doing on JOTS, but it's more than double the price!

 

With either choice, you'll be on a cruise in the Mediterannean...can't go wrong!

[BillOh]

I'll follow this one and appreciate any input.   For once, I have no idea what I am going to book for 2020.  We almost always cruise around the same time, but we have obligations in that period next year, so I got invited to a local online travel agency's presentation next week where they are having people from both Royal and Celebrity present.   I'll go and take it all it and let them know we are wide open to any extra special deals that might pop up. We haven't used a TA in 10 years.

[The Fun Researcher]

After half a dozen Royal cruises, I wouldn't hesitate to book Celebrity.  We felt that the food was a small step up, as was the service.  The decor is modern but still luxurious.  Fellow cruise passengers were the same as Royal.  The only thing we missed was the lack of overall activities, and that we only really noticed by about day 6.  At that point the cruise kind of felt like it was stuck in repeat.  The daily planner seemed a fraction of what you would expect on Royal.

 

Still loved it though (Equinox, Solstice class).  Loved the ship, tons of ocean views and outdoor spaces.  LOVED the sunset bar, the lawn area, and the indoor pool.

Dan

[klfhngr]

I thought the same thing about X, however my wife and I loved it! Food is very good, entertainment was good. Plenty to do but not as 'loud' as Royal. Nightlife was good, pool scene good. I say go for it! Oh, the service is great!!

 

I've done a few reviews comparing X to Princess to NCL. I'd say stay away from Princess, IMHO.

 

FYI, we have done Royal several times. Doing Symphony in May and will post a review comparing them all. 

Edited March 6, 2019 by klfhngr

[Sun Lover]

Brilliance of the Seas has a cruise that is similar to the Celebrity one we were looking at and it's about half the price.  Has anyone sailed that ship on a cruise 10 nights or longer?  How would that compare to Celebrity Reflection?  Brilliance is a smaller ship but it looks like it has more of the activities and entertainment we usually like.

[Guest]

I’ve sailed Celebrity in both the Caribbean and Europe. I’ve also gone Royal in the Med. 

 

Med cruises are port intensive, so the ship is often put second to the itinerary. The Symphony was wasted in the Med, I missed so much of the ship!!! 

 

My family and I sailed 10 nights on the Reflection around Italy and the Greek islands. One of my favourite cruises! 

 

I found the food in the MDR and buffet to be slightly better. The rooms are also on par with the newer Royal ones. Lots of lovely public spaces, very modern but still luxurious. All loungers round both pools are padded, robes in all staterooms etc, a glass of bubbly in your hand as you embark. It’s the little things that make it feel that extra bit special.

 

I found the entertainment to be fine. After port intensive days you don’t tend to stay up late! The theatre shows are the same as Royal, and they have the usual trivia, piano man, band etc. They also had two silent disco nights when I was onboard! It was so good! I’ve attached a photo of the second one that was hosted in the Solarium! 

 

 

Edited March 6, 2019 by Guest

[Sun Lover]

Do you think that Reflection would be worth double the price of Brilliance for a similar itinerary?

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Sun Lover said:

Do you think that Reflection would be worth double the price of Brilliance for a similar itinerary?

I’ve not sailed Brilliance (or that class of ship). I think it depends what you are after! Reflection is a gorgeous ship. But if it’s the ports you are really interested in, I would go for the one with the best itinerary! 

[Biker19]

Nope.

[lv2cruisgrl]

We are also in our 60's and have done both cruise lines. Much of what others have said is true.  However we find ourselves now liking Celebrity more (less kids). On Celebrity we think the  food is better, shows are hit and miss.  However the service is great.  We love Reflection (and her sister ships) better than Brilliance.  Since you are doing a port intensive cruise I really wouldn't worry about what ship you take, either would work.  

[Redrobo]

Have a look at this review of Silhouette, and some of the others on the site. A few years old but shows the ship.

 

https://www.thepreismans.com/med_silhouette.htm

[Big_G]

2 hours ago, Sun Lover said:

Do you think that Reflection would be worth double the price of Brilliance for a similar itinerary

 

I think Reflection is a much nicer ship than Brilliance but not double the price. When you look at the the price make sure Celebrity isn't including perks in that pricing. Some times they offer a tiered all inclusive pricing.

[39august]

Just off Reflection. Gorgeous ship, great food and service. But I certainly wouldn't pay double for the same itinerary as Brilliance, which has her own charms. The itinerary is what is important in this case!

[lovesthebeach2]

3 hours ago, Sun Lover said:

Brilliance of the Seas has a cruise that is similar to the Celebrity one we were looking at and it's about half the price.  Has anyone sailed that ship on a cruise 10 nights or longer?  How would that compare to Celebrity Reflection?  Brilliance is a smaller ship but it looks like it has more of the activities and entertainment we usually like.

 

Brilliance is our favorite class of ship.  Along with many cruises out of Tampa we have also done a 12 day Italy cruise, a 12 day British Isles cruise and we have a 15 night TA Arctic cruise booked For 2020. We love the layout of the ship.

[mac66]

Celebrity (X) caters to the baby boomer (like me) crowd. In my experience having sailed on both X and RCI the entertainment, food, service, ambiance/atmosphere, music venues are all better on X. There is perhaps more to do on RCI ships.  

 

I've not sailed the Med  but I guess value (cost) and itinerary would trump those X benefits. X is not worth double the cost, but I've found X to have pretty good deals which make them competitively/comparatively priced at times.

Edited March 6, 2019 by mac66

[h20skibum]

4 hours ago, klfhngr said:

I'd say stay away from Princess, IMHO.

I think Princess and X are similar in the experience offered.  

 

We have Royal booked for our Med cruise this year, so we will find out how that is.  Now, if I were sailing Alaska, I would choose Princess

[parrotfeathers]

Service on Celebrity is A+++

 

[klfhngr]

19 hours ago, h20skibum said:

I think Princess and X are similar in the experience offered.  

 

We have Royal booked for our Med cruise this year, so we will find out how that is.  Now, if I were sailing Alaska, I would choose Princess

We only have two Princess cruises under our belt, and they were BOTH boring and blah. The last one in 2017 was really bad. NONE of the workers wanted to be on that ship. It wasn't just my impression. Many in our group and many others posted reviews saying the same thing.

 

X was NOTHING like Princess! IMHO... Lots to do and staff was great! I was really impressed when many of the staff were waiting for us to board the ship (ABC Islands) and they were all dancing and having a blast as we all walked onto the ship! With drinks for us in hand! Great times!

 

Just to show that we're not biased, we have approx 20 cruises under our belt. Cruised on Commodore, Carnival, Royal, NCL, Princess and X.

 

One thing is that I will no longer knock any cruise line before I try them. I swore to myself that I would never try NCL because of the things that I've heard, i.e., lousy food, lousy service, bad staff, bad cruisers, etc. Well, we tried NCL this past Oct and it was probably the best or one of the best cruises that we've ever had, hands down!  I've told all of my friends to try her out! The food, activities, staff, beer selection, lol was great! We're actually booked on the Bliss in Oct.

 

As mentioned, I'll then do a comparison between X (Equinox), NCL (Escape), Princess (Ruby) and Royal (Symphony).