Differences between Carnival and Celebrity

[NCteacherlovescruising]

I’ve seen this asked in the Celebrity forum, but curious to see the replies here. We have had 7 Carnival cruises, 1 Princess, 1 RCI, and 1 NCL. We have a Celebrity cruise coming up fairly soon. For those that have cruised with Celebrity, what differences did you notice?  

[jbethel11]

4 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

I’ve seen this asked in the Celebrity forum, but curious to see the replies here. We have had 7 Carnival cruises, 1 Princess, 1 RCI, and 1 NCL. We have a Celebrity cruise coming up fairly soon. For those that have cruised with Celebrity, what differences did you notice?  

Yes, many. For one, Celebrity targets a “premium”, but not luxury, crowd. For luxury, indulge in Cunard or Viking. It’s closest competitors are Princess and Holland America Line. Celebrity also targets an older crowd, yet remains attuned with the “RCI family umbrella.” One feature I personally like is free room service, and free in room MDR delivery service (for lunch and dinner only). Continental breakfast is incomparable with Carnival, as it houses a wider selection of novelty items including eggs, pancakes and bacon, free of charge. 

[cruzeluver]

We have a nearly equal number of cruises between the two lines.

 

Celebrity ships tend to be far quieter without the family-friendly features found on Carnival (no water slides, mini golf, sky courses etc.) and no loud music or pool-side games. One announcement per day which comes from the captain who provides weather and how far to the next port of call. Food on Celebrity is generally of a higher quality (and we like Carnival's food just fine) and service is more polished, without dancing waiters in the main dining room. 

[silversneakers]

7 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

I’ve seen this asked in the Celebrity forum, but curious to see the replies here. We have had 7 Carnival cruises, 1 Princess, 1 RCI, and 1 NCL. We have a Celebrity cruise coming up fairly soon. For those that have cruised with Celebrity, what differences did you notice?  

No comparison....two entirely different levels.

[jimbo5544]

FUN VS sedate....  I actually think Celebrity has an identity crisis on their market.... but that is another story.

Edited July 14, 2019 by jimbo5544

[PhillyFan33579]

3 hours ago, jbethel11 said:

Yes, many. For one, Celebrity targets a “premium”, but not luxury, crowd. For luxury, indulge in Cunard or Viking. It’s closest competitors are Princess and Holland America Line. Celebrity also targets an older crowd, yet remains attuned with the “RCI family umbrella.” One feature I personally like is free room service, and free in room MDR delivery service (for lunch and dinner only). Continental breakfast is incomparable with Carnival, as it houses a wider selection of novelty items including eggs, pancakes and bacon, free of charge. 

 

Our your parents looking to adopt an “old” kid? 😊. You have cruised on a lot of different cruise lines for someone your age. 

[oskarNZ]

I haven’t yet cruised Carnival, but I have cruised Celebrity a few times and I have chosen Carnival for my next cruise.The reason I have chosen Carnival is because I want to try a cruise line with a busier activity schedule.  

 

There are many things to love about Celebrity: the food is very good (I’ve cruised on 5 different cruise lines and rate Celebrities food overall as the best), the decor is modern and tasteful with lots of cosy spots to curl up with a drink or good book, the service is very good, and their promotional packages (e.g. included drinks package and wifi etc) present, IMO, good value for money. 

 

However, I feel like their entertainment schedule really let’s Celebrity down.  It’s sleepy to say the least - particularly if, like me, you aren’t into things like art auctions or spa/health talks.  

In saying that, if you like relaxing on a cruise and spending lots of time reading and lazing in a deck chair, then Celebrity is a great choice.  

[bjfitz0703]

9 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

I’ve seen this asked in the Celebrity forum, but curious to see the replies here. We have had 7 Carnival cruises, 1 Princess, 1 RCI, and 1 NCL. We have a Celebrity cruise coming up fairly soon. For those that have cruised with Celebrity, what differences did you notice?  

As a reference I often sail Carnival and own CCL stock.  Celebrity is RCL's one step up.  It is for sure nicer IMO.  Everything just seemed a little nicer.  Someone else said "premium" and I would agree with that.  Older crowd too.  That group was nicer dressed too.  We had an Aqua room and that was nice for sure.  Different restaurant too for Aqua which was very good.  On the other side, certainly not the "fun ships" though yet really enjoyed it.  Would for sure sail Celebrity again.

[Honolulu Blue]

I had one cruise with Celebrity on the Summit out of San Juan in November '17.  This was about 1 month after Maria made a mess of things, so keep that in mind.  I've had a dozen Carnival cruises - four from SJ - and about half have been the equivalent of Journeys cruises.

 

My comparisons, worth about what you paid for them:

 

* The fellow guests I interacted with on the Summit were more sophisticated and frequent travelers on average than those on Carnival

* I ate exclusively at the buffet on the Summit, and I thought it was very good - certainly better than Carnival, which isn't bad at all.

* The Summit had a small Apple Store and its public access computers were Macs.

* The Internet access was E-X-P-E-N-S-I-V-E ($50 a day, $250 for the week).  I can't remember how good it was or if I bought a day, but it surely wasn't as good as the Horizon's, which I experienced later.

* There were fewer Puerto Ricans/Latinos than expected on the Summit.

* We had a rock star-level celebrity as the Captain, the one American woman on the high seas.  She was fun the hear announcements from (she made most of them) and very easy to understand.

* On the other hand, if I didn't see the cruise director at our meet & greet, then I probably wouldn't have recognized him.

* There were more lectures and such, which I appreciated.

* There were fewer announcements, which I also appreciated.

* There was less emphasis on PARTY-PARTY-PARTY FUN-FUN-FUN stuff, which I had mixed feelings about.

* Service-wise, I didn't notice much difference.  The staff I interacted with on the Summit was efficient and friendly, but no more so than the Carnival ships I have been on.

* I didn't notice much difference in the excursions.  The Summit's might have been a bit more expensive than the equivalents on Carnival.

* I liked the Summit's room service menu much better.  The service here was good the one time I tried it.  Carnival, despite its additions, is far behind on this in my eyes.

* The overall crowd seemed about the same as my Journeys cruises - mostly older, a few families and kids, but not many. 

* I was one of the first 10 people off the ship, which was amazing for someone with no status at all.  I guess no one wanted to self-disembark?

 

Overall I enjoyed my experience on the Summit and would happily take another, if the price were right (I got a super bargain fare on this one AND a pile of OBC) and I could fit it in my schedule.  I'm still waiting, but hope springs eternal.

Edited July 14, 2019 by Honolulu Blue

[NCteacherlovescruising]

2 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

FUN VS sedate....  I actually think Celebrity has an identity crisis on their market.... but that is another story.

 

Why do you say they have an identity crisis on their hands?  You don’t sound like a fan. 

[NCteacherlovescruising]

1 hour ago, oskarNZ said:

I haven’t yet cruised Carnival, but I have cruised Celebrity a few times and I have chosen Carnival for my next cruise.The reason I have chosen Carnival is because I want to try a cruise line with a busier activity schedule.  

 

There are many things to love about Celebrity: the food is very good (I’ve cruised on 5 different cruise lines and rate Celebrities food overall as the best), the decor is modern and tasteful with lots of cosy spots to curl up with a drink or good book, the service is very good, and their promotional packages (e.g. included drinks package and wifi etc) present, IMO, good value for money. 

 

However, I feel like their entertainment schedule really let’s Celebrity down.  It’s sleepy to say the least - particularly if, like me, you aren’t into things like art auctions or spa/health talks.  

In saying that, if you like relaxing on a cruise and spending lots of time reading and lazing in a deck chair, then Celebrity is a great choice.  

 

The entertainment is the only area of concern. It sounds like we will be able to find something to do, but I really enjoy the live shows, comedians, and live music on the Carnival, NCL, and most notably with RCI. 

[NCteacherlovescruising]

36 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

I had one cruise with Celebrity on the Summit out of San Juan in November '17.  This was about 1 month after Maria made a mess of things, so keep that in mind.  I've had a dozen Carnival cruises - four from SJ - and about half have been the equivalent of Journeys cruises.

 

My comparisons, worth about what you paid for them:

 

* The fellow guests I interacted with on the Summit were more sophisticated and frequent travelers on average than those on Carnival

* I ate exclusively at the buffet on the Summit, and I thought it was very good - certainly better than Carnival, which isn't bad at all.

* The Summit had a small Apple Store and its public access computers were Macs.

* The Internet access was E-X-P-E-N-S-I-V-E ($50 a day, $250 for the week).  I can't remember how good it was or if I bought a day, but it surely wasn't as good as the Horizon's, which I experienced later.

* There were fewer Puerto Ricans/Latinos than expected on the Summit.

* We had a rock star-level celebrity as the Captain, the one American woman on the high seas.  She was fun the hear announcements from (she made most of them) and very easy to understand.

* On the other hand, if I didn't see the cruise director at our meet & greet, then I probably wouldn't have recognized him.

* There were more lectures and such, which I appreciated.

* There were fewer announcements, which I also appreciated.

* There was less emphasis on PARTY-PARTY-PARTY FUN-FUN-FUN stuff, which I had mixed feelings about.

* Service-wise, I didn't notice much difference.  The staff I interacted with on the Summit was efficient and friendly, but no more so than the Carnival ships I have been on.

* I didn't notice much difference in the excursions.  The Summit's might have been a bit more expensive than the equivalents on Carnival.

* I liked the Summit's room service menu much better.  The service here was good the one time I tried it.  Carnival, despite its additions, is far behind on this in my eyes.

* The overall crowd seemed about the same as my Journeys cruises - mostly older, a few families and kids, but not many. 

* I was one of the first 10 people off the ship, which was amazing for someone with no status at all.  I guess no one wanted to self-disembark?

 

Overall I enjoyed my experience on the Summit and would happily take another, if the price were right (I got a super bargain fare on this one AND a pile of OBC) and I could fit it in my schedule.  I'm still waiting, but hope springs eternal.

 

I appreciate your detailed comparison!  

 

What type of lectures are are you referring to?  Were they sales pitches?

 

On the Celebrity forum everyone says the service is so much better. However, on most of our cruises service has been consistently good on all lines. The one area I’ve noticed some have provided much better service than Carnival is in the buffet, where some provide drink service. That makes for a much better buffet experience than trying to manage getting your own food and drinks!  Also on Princess and NCL we really enjoyed the service on the sun decks we paid extra to be in. 

 

We usually don't order room service, but with a full menu who knows. Perhaps we would if we are successful with MoveUp, but certainly not if we stay with our Ocean View. 

 

We will be celebrating our Anniversary so few kids will be a major plus, especially since I’m a teacher so I have the pleasure of being around children all the time. 

 

We got got a good deal on our upcoming Summit cruise as well, which is why we booked it. When we were looking, we were planning on using our NCL CruiseNext certificates, but even with $500 off this was cheaper. We have since booked a NCL cruise using those next summer. 

[evandbob]

To date, I've only sailed the Celebrity Summit twice while I have been on Carnival ships 40 times.  I do have Equinox booked for October.

 

My impression of the Summit was that its decor was much classier than Carnival's tacky Farkus design.  The Summit's thallasso pool which was adult only daytime was a great way to relax on a sea day or after a day in port.  Nothing in Carnival compares to it.

 

I found the food on Celebrity to be better, both in the MDR and the specialty restaurants.  Celebrity buffet is laid out better than Carnival's, and doesn't have the long lines that Carnival does.

 

Celebrity's casino is smoke free, as opposed to Carnival's come here to the casino to smoke even when it's closed unofficial policy.

 

I find myself using multi syllable vocabulary on Celebrity when conversing with other guests, most of whom have traveled more than I have..

 

The sailings on the Summit with Captain Kate were fantastic.  There was an accident on Tortola with a tour bus going off the road that resulted in multiple serious injuries and she conveyed info to the rest of us in a timely thoughtful manner.

 

There was very loud music piped through the speakers at the main pool, and the CD on the Summit jumped into the pool for water volleyball with the guests.

 

My interior cabin on Celebrity was comparable in size and comfort to Carnival's inside.

 

While the pricing on my solo Summit's cruises was similar to Carnival's, that is not usually the case.  I generally sail Carnival with casino promo fares and I do enjoy the Diamond perks I get with them.

Edited July 14, 2019 by evandbob

[Honolulu Blue]

1 hour ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

 

I appreciate your detailed comparison!  

 

What type of lectures are are you referring to?  Were they sales pitches?

 

On the Celebrity forum everyone says the service is so much better. However, on most of our cruises service has been consistently good on all lines. The one area I’ve noticed some have provided much better service than Carnival is in the buffet, where some provide drink service. That makes for a much better buffet experience than trying to manage getting your own food and drinks!  Also on Princess and NCL we really enjoyed the service on the sun decks we paid extra to be in. 

 

We usually don't order room service, but with a full menu who knows. Perhaps we would if we are successful with MoveUp, but certainly not if we stay with our Ocean View. 

 

We will be celebrating our Anniversary so few kids will be a major plus, especially since I’m a teacher so I have the pleasure of being around children all the time. 

 

We got got a good deal on our upcoming Summit cruise as well, which is why we booked it. When we were looking, we were planning on using our NCL CruiseNext certificates, but even with $500 off this was cheaper. We have since booked a NCL cruise using those next summer. 

 

You're welcome.  I'm glad it helped you.

 

The lectures weren't the sales pitches, they were info about the places we would go.  They weren't from the excursions team, so they weren't selling anything in particular.

 

I was never offered drinks in Celebrity's buffet, but the self-serve drinks worked fine for me.  I've occasionally been asked for drink orders in Carnival's buffet at breakfast when I've sat near the pools.  The one line where I was consistently served drinks at the buffet was Holland.

 

Good luck and have fun!

 

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

14 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

I’ve seen this asked in the Celebrity forum, but curious to see the replies here. We have had 7 Carnival cruises, 1 Princess, 1 RCI, and 1 NCL. We have a Celebrity cruise coming up fairly soon. For those that have cruised with Celebrity, what differences did you notice?  

You indicate 1 Princess cruise. Celebrity is very similar.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

7 minutes ago, twodaywonder said:

You indicate 1 Princess cruise. Celebrity is very similar.

 

I’m hoping not. That was our least favorite of our 10 so far, with the Oasis of the Seas and The Getaway being our favorites. 

 

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

3 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

 

I’m hoping not. That was our least favorite of our 10 so far, with the Oasis of the Seas and The Getaway being our favorites. 

 

Oasis class ships are completely different from any others. They are the best bang for the buck.

Princess and Celebrity are both laid back cursing verses others. Celebrity offers very good food. Out last cruise was on the Equinox one evening was unexpected. They had a thing called PARTY LIKE GATSBY run by a DJ. It was in the small atrium and it was packed like sardines. The music was so loud they closed the fire doors to the state rooms.

Nothing like it on the Reflection or the EDGE.

[lazydayz]

I would say the biggest difference is lack of activities. Celebrity cruises are refined, but quiet. After 10 at night, there is very little to do. 

 

Ship was beautiful, food was great, and service was stellar. But we haven't gone back.  I much prefer the lively atmosphere on Carnival and Royal. 

[NCteacherlovescruising]

6 minutes ago, twodaywonder said:

Oasis class ships are completely different from any others. They are the best bang for the buck.

Princess and Celebrity are both laid back cursing verses others. Celebrity offers very good food. Out last cruise was on the Equinox one evening was unexpected. They had a thing called PARTY LIKE GATSBY run by a DJ. It was in the small atrium and it was packed like sardines. The music was so loud they closed the fire doors to the state rooms.

Nothing like it on the Reflection or the EDGE.

 

I know the Summit won’t be anything like the Oasis of the seas. I’ve never seen any other ship like it!  I’m very much looking forward to cruising on the Summit, although the entertainment may be a little lacking I think they will make up for it in others areas. 

[kwokpot]

I have sailed Carnival & Celebrity equal amount of times (18 each) and they are as far apart a cruiseline can be. 

I have sailed both line's flagship twice (Horizon & Edge) and there really isn't any comparison. Obviously I enjoy both lines but for totally different reasons.

 

Carnival definitely appeals to the first time cruisers who are looking to be entertained and looking for lots of energetic excitement. Celebrity appeals to the person who values aesthetics as part of the vacation experience. On your 7th day on the Celebrity Edge you will find art and design details that you never noticed before. It's like staying at a 5* South Beach Miami Luxury Resort Hotel, and that's the vacation experience they are targeting. Carnival, not so much. The Horizon literally doesn't even have ONE piece of real artwork. What flies for art is cityscape photos on plastic.  

 

The dining experience on the Celebrity is much more sophisticated (You'll never find Escargot or Frogs legs described as something that you've never had before but you should try out on Celebrity as they do on Carnival!) Having said that I LOVE,LOVE my Guy's Burgers! Carnival's Steakhouses are pretty much on Par to what Celebrity Specialty restaurants offer.

 

Think of Carnival as Walmart and Celebrity as Nordstroms and you get the idea.

 

Edited July 14, 2019 by kwokpot

[oskarNZ]

5 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

 

The entertainment is the only area of concern. It sounds like we will be able to find something to do, but I really enjoy the live shows, comedians, and live music on the Carnival, NCL, and most notably with RCI. 

We have sailed on the Reflection and the now retired, Century.

 

The live music was actually very good - particularly on the Reflection, and I would say that it was an entertainment strength of Celebrity’s.  

The evening shows were a mixed bag.  The musical numbers were good, but not hugely memorable.  I avoid magicians like the plague (a personal preference) and somehow we managed to miss all the comedy shows, so I can comment on those. 

 

There were always a few trivia throughout the day, and in the evening there were the occassional men vs. ladies type games.  We went to a few and they were okay - have attended better on other cruises.

 

As mentioned, they do host a few onboard lectures.  I went to one about Bletchley Park which was interesting, but the other few were on topics that didn’t interest me.  I can’t remember what those topics were, but they were all unrelated to cruising.   The port talks we were offered did read like they were all talks about the excursions on offer so I only went to one (and yes, it was about the excursions).  

 

It was really during the day that I would have liked to have seen more on offer - particularly things like art lessons or cultural lessons about the countries your visiting, or lessons on how to play certain games like mahjong etc etc.  

On the Reflection, they changed their art studio into a paid photo place, which I thought sadly showed a sign of moving away from cheap or free entertainment to profitable sales.  

I’m not a lounge by the pool kind of gal, but found I was doing it more than usual because of lack of other things to do.  You could tell most the ship had the same thoughts as the pool area was always very busy.  Similar to when they held a big budget movie in the theatre (that’s the main show theatre, not the cinema) and the theatre was pretty full.  I think that speaks mountains about what else was on offer that a film would be that busy.   

 

Lastly, the shops onboard offer mostly high end products, which is great if you like expensive luxury items.  We don’t spend a lot of money on material things and just prefer cheap souvenir type items, so for us, the shops were largely wasted onboard space.  This is very much a personal preference though.  

 

At the end of the day though, I need to emphasise that I did love both of my cruises with Celebrity and would cruise them again if the itinerary and price was right.  They just don’t offer enough of a product (purely because of entertainment) to keep my loyal.  

Edited July 14, 2019 by oskarNZ

[jbethel11]

7 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

Our your parents looking to adopt an “old” kid? 😊. You have cruised on a lot of different cruise lines for someone your age. 

Haha, for someone from NY, these are the only cruises directly available. This is why I don't have higher-loyalty with one specific line. 

[hotsauce126]

I'd like to try Celebrity as their ships and amenities seem really nice but some of these comments have me worried. Are the majority of their entertainment options catered toward the 50+ crowd?

[NCteacherlovescruising]

1 hour ago, oskarNZ said:

We have sailed on the Reflection and the now retired, Century.

 

The live music was actually very good - particularly on the Reflection, and I would say that it was an entertainment strength of Celebrity’s.  

The evening shows were a mixed bag.  The musical numbers were good, but not hugely memorable.  I avoid magicians like the plague (a personal preference) and somehow we managed to miss all the comedy shows, so I can comment on those. 

 

There were always a few trivia throughout the day, and in the evening there were the occassional men vs. ladies type games.  We went to a few and they were okay - have attended better on other cruises.

 

As mentioned, they do host a few onboard lectures.  I went to one about Bletchley Park which was interesting, but the other few were on topics that didn’t interest me.  I can’t remember what those topics were, but they were all unrelated to cruising.   The port talks we were offered did read like they were all talks about the excursions on offer so I only went to one (and yes, it was about the excursions).  

 

It was really during the day that I would have liked to have seen more on offer - particularly things like art lessons or cultural lessons about the countries your visiting, or lessons on how to play certain games like mahjong etc etc.  

On the Reflection, they changed their art studio into a paid photo place, which I thought sadly showed a sign of moving away from cheap or free entertainment to profitable sales.  

I’m not a lounge by the pool kind of gal, but found I was doing it more than usual because of lack of other things to do.  You could tell most the ship had the same thoughts as the pool area was always very busy.  Similar to when they held a big budget movie in the theatre (that’s the main show theatre, not the cinema) and the theatre was pretty full.  I think that speaks mountains about what else was on offer that a film would be that busy.   

 

At the end of the day though, I need to emphasise that I did love both of my cruises with Celebrity and would cruise them again if the itinerary and price was right.  They just don’t offer enough of a product (purely because of entertainment) to keep my loyal.  

 I’m much more concerned about the nightlife than day. I’m perfectly content to lay by the pool with a good book or listen to music. 

[oskarNZ]

4 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

 I’m much more concerned about the nightlife than day. I’m perfectly content to lay by the pool with a good book or listen to music. 

If you’re content to lay by the pool, then you’ll be fine.

We’re early to bed, early to rise type people, so we didn’t ever really attend anything after 10pm.  Not many options ran late, but I remember thinking that that the evening offerings were a bit better than the daytime ones because you had things to pick from i.e. the theatre, the cinema, live music (that was usually playing in at least a couple of area), couples/gender type game shows, the cocktail shows put on by barman at the Martini bar, and some nights there was a silent disco or dance party of some sort.  

 

If nothing else, it’s definitely worth giving Celebrity a go to find out for yourself.  My experience is that they are often really good value for money once you calculate the ‘free’ perks you often get as part of their promotions.