Celebrity vs Royal Caribbean

[hrmkr]

We are starting to look at some cruises for Feb and have it down to Royal and Celebrity.  We have sailed on Royal several times but not on Celebrity.  Wanted to see if people can give their opinions about the 2 cruiselines.  I know that Celebrity is a step up but wanted to know in what way (food, entertainment, service, etc.)

 

Would be helpful if there is feedback from people that have been on both cruiselines.  I know that I will get responses from the Celebrity diehards which I would love to hear but not negative comments about Royal just to put them down. 

 

I am going to post the same thing on the Royal Forum to get their "side" of the story.

 

Thank you

[Luvcrusn]

X tends to be a bit quieter and adult oriented than Royal. None of the X ships even come close to the larger Oasis class ships, the largest holding slightly more than 3000 passengers. The food tends to be better, but with recent post-Covid cutbacks the differences seem to be narrowing. Royal offers more varieties of activities for families travelling with children than does X.  You will not find water slides, bumper cars, wave pools etc. on X.  The shows, especially on Royal are more varied with venues like the aqua theaters etc. X has 2 or 3 cast production shows per cruise depending on the length of the cruise and the rest are visiting entertainers. X doesn't require passengers to make reservation for their shows which generally have 2  showtimes per night to accommodate both early and late diners. Select dining is what X calls its Anytime Dining, but the concept is the same. 

Edited July 24, 2023 by Luvcrusn

[WestLakeGirl]

This thread may be of interest

 

 

[keesar]

I would give the nod to Royal Caribbean in terms of Entertainment and being a more active experience.  Celebrity has slightly better food but that does not include the pizza and burgers.  

Service is a mixed bag as both lines have had a big turnover in staff and many are new and learning their jobs.  The Celebrity ships are smaller and have a quieter feel to them.

 

I am glad you have posted on another board as you will get other opinions.

[hrmkr]

What about a nightlife?  Especially after going to the late show.  On Royal, there is a sing along piano bar that is fun along with other bars and activities going on .  I want to know if Celebrity quiets down quite a bit later in the evening.  I don't want to walk around a ghost ship with everyone in bed.  Of course, if there is a port the next day, people may go to bed earlier since they have to get up early at the port. I am talking about when the next day is a sea day and you can sleep in a little bit. 

 

With the entertainment, especially the live music, what type of music is being played?  Contemporary, 80's, classic, oldies, jazz, etc.

[39august]

Celebrity pax tend to be more mature and laid  back  than RCI. IMO the food is still better, even with cut backs.  RCI  wins on entertainment. But there is all sorts of live music in different venues around the ships. Usually the house band sticks to rock, but others will be folkie, jazz, classical, etc. Service has always been a step up from RCI to Celebrity in our opinion. I also much enjoy the lectures that I have attended on X over several cruises. We are Pinnacle on RCI but will never go back after our experiences for the last 4 years on Celebrity. We also enjoy the casino which stays open late.  But we are in the older demographic and do not require all the toys on RCI ships. 

[lv2cruisgrl]

We have done many cruises on both.  We now prefer Celebrity.   The entertainment on Royal is a bit better, however we feel the food on Celebrity is better.  Celebrity has a quieter vibe.  We are never board on sea days or evenings. We prefer Celebrity in our old age...67 & 73.  We made the mistake of doing Royal recently and said never again.  However that's just because we don't care for the large ships, crowds, etc.

Edited July 24, 2023 by lv2cruisgrl

[mrgabriel]

21 minutes ago, hrmkr said:

What about a nightlife?  Especially after going to the late show.  On Royal, there is a sing along piano bar that is fun along with other bars and activities going on .  I want to know if Celebrity quiets down quite a bit later in the evening.  I don't want to walk around a ghost ship with everyone in bed.  Of course, if there is a port the next day, people may go to bed earlier since they have to get up early at the port. I am talking about when the next day is a sea day and you can sleep in a little bit. 

 

With the entertainment, especially the live music, what type of music is being played?  Contemporary, 80's, classic, oldies, jazz, etc.

 

We haven't sailed on an E class ship, so my experience is primarily on S class.

 

There isn't a piano sing-along bar like on Royal Caribbean. Entertainment tends to be more sedate - music to drink martinis to - lol

 

There has always been something going on in the Sky Lounge after the late show in the theatre. It might not continue on until 2 a.m. but there's something to do and see. The music tends to be 80's and 90's with a bit of 70's thrown in. The ABBA show is always extremely popular, and on our last cruise they had a show with the performance cast & it had a lot of Queen music. 

 

Silent Disco has everything - classic rock, every decade from the 60s onward, dance music, Latin music

 

Ensemble Lounge has more jazz and classical.

 

There's usually a band or DJ in the Grand Foyer and that music encompasses almost everything.

 

On the pool deck, more club/dance music.

[mailmama]

Here's my 2 cents worth:  Both cruise lines will give you an awesome experience. It depends on what you want out of your vacation. Royal has lots of bells and whistles with non-stop activities.  The larger the ship, the more activities are happening. Celebrity has a slower pace of activities with lots of time to relax and enjoy the ocean views. It really boils down to your expectations and desires. Traveling with family? Then Royal is the way to go. Looking for quiet down time? Go Celebrity. Both have great staff and enjoyable food and clean ships.

[ECCruise]

30+ Celebrity, about a dozen RCCL.

 

For us, it is all about the itinerary and the length of the sailing. A 7 day Celebrity in the Caribbean at holiday time is going to be lots more active and in-your-face than a 14 day in Europe in the shoulder seasons, especially on Vision or Radiance Class.

 

As for food, Celebrity marginally better.  Entertainment goes strongly to Royal.  Service pretty much a wash.

 

FWIW, we no longer sail the Caribbean or on any sailings less than 10-12 days so that would determine much of our choice there. 

[Shiba_Lover]

Nothing negative on Royal - I think it depends on what you are after.  Are you taking children?  For sure go for Royal.  Royal has a lot of activities that kids would enjoy, or even adults if you like to do waterslides or thrill ride activities.  You won't find that on Celebrity.  Some of the Royal ships even have ice skating.  Royal also has more food options than Celebrity, several quick serve places - again handy if either the adults in your party like that or there are kids who want to eat on a different schedule.  Both will have evening activities like music and shows.  Royal will have slightly better production shows (be sure to reserve).  Both have a casino.  If you want non-stop action and plenty of activities (other than trivia) or have kids - I would opt for Royal.  If you want more relaxing - go for Celebrity.  It's just a matter of what you are looking for in your trip.

[CruiserByHeart]

Love both cruise lines -- for their strengths and differences.

Enjoy the spectacle of parades and shows with RCI. 

Love the quiet and adult style of Celebrity.

Neither are better, just different 😃👍😉

[kayehall]

You mentioned Feb for a cruise.  Check your dates.  Prices can be very high if around Presidents weekend/week.  Usually schools have a break and you may find more kids.  Airfare and hotels are usually more expensive.

[hrmkr]

14 hours ago, kayehall said:

You mentioned Feb for a cruise.  Check your dates.  Prices can be very high if around Presidents weekend/week.  Usually schools have a break and you may find more kids.  Airfare and hotels are usually more expensive.

The dates we are looking at for Celebrity are fine. Reflection on Feb 3 and Equinox on Feb 24.