Celebrity vs RCL - what differences can we expect?

[Ex-Airbalancer]

On our RCL cruise in September the entertainment was worst of any ship we have been 

The Schooner bar singer was terrible , they had a Motown sing who was 20 years was his prime , the house band wasn’t too bad 

i think on RCL old ship , don’t cruise for the entertainment 😁

[JBSteelerfan]

38 minutes ago, NorthStarStateCruiser said:

I have yet to sail on Royal (upcoming cruise on Liberty in 2024) and am curious to know specifics of why their shows are better. Are we talking vocal talent, production quality, set design, or what? I've only done Equinox and Apex and was thoroughly impressed with the shows in the theater based on the acrobatics, sets, and vocal talent. Cristalize on Apex was a very imersive experience that I would be surprised to see something similar on a Royal ship.

 

Celebrity has excellent singers and musicians, but Royal can really shine with their production shows, especially the Broadway shows.  We really like "In the Air" on Liberty and Saturday Night Fever is OK.  Wife likes it more than I do.  Many of Royals guest performers as the same that we have all seen on almost every ship/line.  And some are people we don't ever care to see again!!  (Frankie and the Dreamers)

[TeeRick]

18 hours ago, 39august said:

IMO Luminae is MUCH better than Coastal Kitchen on RCI. We are Pinnacle on RCI and have not been back since our first X cruise Dec. 2017. It's a whole new ballgame to us. Much more sedate, almost no children, older people; never have I seen an obvious drunk on X, although I'm sure such exists. I would say the clientele is more upscale overall than RCI. I particularly enjoy the various music offered in several different venues all over the ship in the evenings. 

We like Coastal Kitchen on RCCL but definitely agree that we like Luminae better.

[davekathy]

8 hours ago, neverlaysup said:

And for the Elite breakfast, if you DO NOT have a drink package.....your specialty coffee is included and you can also get some breakfast booze (Mimosa, Bloody Mary....).

Yep. Including with bellinis. Been there, done that. 

[artvlay]

13 hours ago, davekathy said:

Another plus with Celebrity is when you first board the ships you are allowed to go directly to your stateroom to pick up your SeaPass cards and drop off any carry on luggage. Your asked not to linger in the stateroom. Usually the general announcement is made at ~1:00 PM that the staterooms are ready. 

Is this a current policy on all Celebrity ships?

[davekathy]

Just now, artvlay said:

Is this a current policy on all Celebrity ships?

Yes, fleetwide.

[Gracie115]

2 hours ago, NorthStarStateCruiser said:

I have yet to sail on Royal (upcoming cruise on Liberty in 2024) and am curious to know specifics of why their shows are better. Are we talking vocal talent, production quality, set design, or what? I've only done Equinox and Apex and was thoroughly impressed with the shows in the theater based on the acrobatics, sets, and vocal talent. Cristalize on Apex was a very imersive experience that I would be surprised to see something similar on a Royal ship.

We thought Crystallize was excellent too.  On Royal they have done full Broadway productions on at least the mega ships.  They don't do as much in the acrobatic vein as I remember but as much as it is amazing I just don't enjoy them as much.  Royal also has more music in smaller venues, and they have more smaller venues than Celebrity does.  We've always enjoyed a piano bar and Royal has them, Celebrity stopped that many years ago.  

 

We have loved the Celebrity brand but now are looking elsewhere as the pricing has just gone crazy.  Our next sailing will be on Princess in late 2024...if we stick with it.  

Edited June 2, 2023 by Gracie115

[neverlaysup]

6 hours ago, artvlay said:

Is this a current policy on all Celebrity ships?

They never close the sea doors like they do on Royal. It's nice to drop everything off the minute you step foot on the ship.

[CTCruiser76]

Great topic here....we are in the same position as OP - long time RCCL cruisers switching to Celebrity as Elite...following this thread to learn.

 

Thanks

[Jandex]

We are also Diamond on RCI - first time sailing Celebrity in October - I can’t wait!
I have ‘signed’ into Celebrity website and I now have a Captain’s Club number- will this automatically register that I will be recognised as Elite? Thanks. 

[watcher_62]

10 hours ago, Jandex said:

We are also Diamond on RCI - first time sailing Celebrity in October - I can’t wait!
I have ‘signed’ into Celebrity website and I now have a Captain’s Club number- will this automatically register that I will be recognised as Elite? Thanks. 

It should look like this when you sign in and open profile...

 

[momofmab]

Pre-Covid, we were "loyal to Royal", having sailed on various classes of their ships.  We've also sailed quite a bit on NCL.  I have always wanted to try Celebrity but feared that my kids would be bored compared to the bells & whistles offered on most Royal & NCL ships.

 

Now that we're empty nesters, we tried Celebrity for the first time earlier this year (Beyond) and I absolutely loved it!  I loved the understated elegance of the decor - the neutral colors (I have never been a fan of the bright decor on most other mass market lines - a small thing for most people, but I appreciated the relaxing environment.)  The crew were some of the friendliest I have ever encountered (no "washy-washy" stuff).  I thought the shows were the best I had seen on a cruise.  There were only a few kids, but we cruised when school was in session on purpose (hope to never sail during a Spring Break week again!)

 

I still feel that if you're cruising with elementary/middle school aged kids, they might be bored on Celebrity.

 

I loved Beyond's MDR concept of having 4 different themed dining rooms to choose from (not sure if this is on all Edge class).  Food was mostly good - I usually adjust my food-related expectations accordingly and don't fret about it.  Food is not the reason I cruise. I have a hard time believing that one can't find anything to eat on a cruise, regardless of the line.

 

The only negative to Celebrity is that the Retreat level is so expensive.  We've sailed suite level on Royal & NCL (before the launch of their respective Star/Haven concepts) and would love to do the same on Celebrity, but I can't find a reason to justify the prices for a week (I know, I don't doubt it's worth it for those who do).  On Celebrity we will likely stick to a concierge veranda/IV.  In order to get our suite-level fix, we are trying MSC's Yacht Club later this year on one of their newest ships.

 

 

Edited June 4, 2023 by momofmab

[KKB]

Our 1st cruise was Princess & we fell in love with cruising...cruised DCL, RCCL & mostly Princess for the 1st 10 years we sailed.

Then we tried Celebrity & we fell in love with CELEBRITY. Why? Service & food just a step above those other lines. 

Veranda will be comparable to any other line.

We don't feel the need to book specialty restaurants as MDR is very good.

You don't have the "bells & whistles" that RCCL has--but that also means typically fewer children.

Will be curious to know YOUR impressions!

[KKB]

2 hours ago, momofmab said:

Pre-Covid, we were "loyal to Royal", having sailed on various classes of their ships.  We've also sailed quite a bit on NCL.  I have always wanted to try Celebrity but feared that my kids would be bored compared to the bells & whistles offered on most Royal & NCL ships.

 

Now that we're empty nesters, we tried Celebrity for the first time earlier this year (Beyond) and I absolutely loved it!  I loved the understated elegance of the decor - the neutral colors (I have never been a fan of the bright decor on most other mass market lines - a small thing for most people, but I appreciated the relaxing environment.)  The crew were some of the friendliest I have ever encountered (no "washy-washy" stuff).  I thought the shows were the best I had seen on a cruise.  There were only a few kids, but we cruised when school was in session on purpose (hope to never sail during a Spring Break week again!)

 

I still feel that if you're cruising with elementary/middle school aged kids, they might be bored on Celebrity.

 

I loved Beyond's MDR concept of having 4 different themed dining rooms to choose from (not sure if this is on all Edge class).  Food was mostly good - I usually adjust my food-related expectations accordingly and don't fret about it.  Food is not the reason I cruise. I have a hard time believing that one can't find anything to eat on a cruise, regardless of the line.

 

The only negative to Celebrity is that the Retreat level is so expensive.  We've sailed suite level on Royal & NCL (before the launch of their respective Star/Haven concepts) and would love to do the same on Celebrity, but I can't find a reason to justify the prices for a week (I know, I don't doubt it's worth it for those who do).  On Celebrity we will likely stick to a concierge veranda/IV.  In order to get our suite-level fix, we are trying MSC's Yacht Club later this year on one of their newest ships.

 

LOL--if Celebrity "kicks things up" a bit over other lines, E-class kicks things up a bit over all other Celebrity ships!

I'm OBSESSED with E-class ships! MDR best we have had...but specialty dining is SO good, we always have to do that once or twice, too.

We snagged a deal on Retreat sailing on Easter (4800/2!!!) & loved it but would struggle to justify the price if it was over $5K. We would just rather sail more often. 

[travelbuds]

On 6/1/2023 at 10:01 AM, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

 

........ you probably won't need the drink package which is quite expensive.  Also you can carry on liquor, .....

I thought a passenger could only carry on two 750ml bottles of wine at embarkation.

[snichols23]

On 6/1/2023 at 12:01 PM, lv2cruisgrl said:

We stopped sailing on RC a while ago.  On a whim we did Wonder of the Seas last month and said, ok we are done with them.   Food was the biggest issue, tasteless, cold, lack of choices on WOS. 

We did a transatlantic on WOS in October. FANTASTIC! We purchased the unlimited dining package for the 14 day cruise. Ate in every restaurant more than once. No complaints here. this package was perfect for the TA cruise. Good for lunch on sea days and dinner nightly. Would do it again. Loved every restaurant and the service was superb.

 

We love Celebrity but specialty dining on some ships is lacking. Quiet ships. very relaxing

 

[snichols23]

44 minutes ago, travelbuds said:

I thought a passenger could only carry on two 750ml bottles of wine at embarkation.

2 bottles per room

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

4 minutes ago, snichols23 said:

2 bottles per room

 

Depends on what your cruise docs say. Many - even those printed in the last week - still say 2 per person.

[travelbuds]

4 minutes ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

Depends on what your cruise docs say. Many - even those printed in the last week - still say 2 per person.

I'll have to read the small print!🙂

[NutsAboutGolf]

57 minutes ago, snichols23 said:

2 bottles per room

 

Outdated info

 

[travelbuds]

28 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Outdated info

 

I just read the alcohol policy on Celebrity website. 👍

 

Guests are not permitted to bring alcoholic beverages onboard; with the exception of embarkation day when each guest (of legal drinking age) is permitted to bring onboard one (1) 750 ml bottle of wine (which are subject to a corkage fee) per guest....... 

[NutsAboutGolf]

10 minutes ago, travelbuds said:

I just read the alcohol policy on Celebrity website. 👍

 

Guests are not permitted to bring alcoholic beverages onboard; with the exception of embarkation day when each guest (of legal drinking age) is permitted to bring onboard one (1) 750 ml bottle of wine (which are subject to a corkage fee) per guest....... 

 

Wow!  I stand corrected, guess I missed the boat (had to!) on them updating the policy.  With that being said, if one forgets that they left a few bottles in their checked luggage, there's a chance they make it on and if they don't, you get them back on the last day

[George C]

On 6/2/2023 at 7:37 AM, TeeRick said:

We like Coastal Kitchen on RCCL but definitely agree that we like Luminae better.

I always thought luminae was better than CK , but really disappointed on last to recent cruises in Luminae this was on beyond and summit . Suite perks are definitely better celebrity suite lounge has free drinks all day not a 3 hour happy hour and if you are in a suite on E class outdoor retreat was great. Smoking is a huge difference Celebrity has no indoor smoking area , I was also pleasantly surprised at entertainment on beyond. But rccl oasis class has so much entertainment. I got a much better price for rccl grand suite than the smaller sky celebrity suite cost of way less even with buying UDP and I save money by leaving out of Galveston. Rccl also give Diamond level 4 free drinks and a free photo , celebrity does give elite a free bag of laundry. Way way more children on oasis class than any celebrity ship.

[lv2cruisgrl]

2 hours ago, snichols23 said:

We did a transatlantic on WOS in October. FANTASTIC! We purchased the unlimited dining package for the 14 day cruise. Ate in every restaurant more than once. No complaints here. this package was perfect for the TA cruise. Good for lunch on sea days and dinner nightly. Would do it again. Loved every restaurant and the service was superb.

 

We love Celebrity but specialty dining on some ships is lacking. Quiet ships. very relaxing

 

The steakhouse was good but the evening dining room was not good. We were with another couple and they agreed. 

[TeeRick]

13 hours ago, George C said:

I always thought luminae was better than CK , but really disappointed on last to recent cruises in Luminae this was on beyond and summit . Suite perks are definitely better celebrity suite lounge has free drinks all day not a 3 hour happy hour and if you are in a suite on E class outdoor retreat was great. Smoking is a huge difference Celebrity has no indoor smoking area , I was also pleasantly surprised at entertainment on beyond. But rccl oasis class has so much entertainment. I got a much better price for rccl grand suite than the smaller sky celebrity suite cost of way less even with buying UDP and I save money by leaving out of Galveston. Rccl also give Diamond level 4 free drinks and a free photo , celebrity does give elite a free bag of laundry. Way way more children on oasis class than any celebrity ship.

We enjoy the Crown Loft suite on Oasis Class and the close proximity to the Suite Lounge and Coastal Kitchen.