Royal Caribbean vs Celebrity

[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. Looking for information to be able to compare food, entertainment and appearances, 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 Royal diehards which I would love to hear but not negative comments about Celebrity just to put them down. 

 

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

 

Thank you

[basenji56]

Royal ships are so different.  I would never sail on Enchantment of the Seas while I love Oasis and Quantum class ships.  I find Quantum class to be similar to Celebrity Solstice class.

 

Which Royal ships have you sailed on?

 

[firefly333]

Imo without comparing specific ships, kinda useless. I've done both, and sure of course celebrity has fewer kids, but how can you compare shows? If you dont even know which ships. Oasis class has the best shows ..

[Tlbecker1]

We have done both cruise lines, but like others have said we can’t help unless we know what ships you are comparing.  I agree with @firefly333 Oasis has the best shows and Celebrity has few kids. Celebrity has a more adult quiet vibe.

[Eastern flygirl]

it also depends on what level you are.  I am Diamond Plus and love having my free drinks anytime of day.  Celebrity is a good cruise line, sailed on them to Elite Plus and have enjoyed my cruises.  Celebrity only has a short cocktail time for top tier, and not on embarkation day.  I can’t compare food as I have not sailed Celebrity since the menu change.  I agree which ship you sail would help make the decision.  

[CruisinBanka]

Royal ships have more of the “wow factor” and much more active vibe than Celebrity. Royal entertainment and activities, especially on the larger newer ships, is superior to Celebrity.  I’ve cruised on Royal almost exclusively for over 40 sailings when we were younger and sailed with family especially.  Now we have sailed Celebrity over 20 times, almost exclusively, as we are older and enjoy a less crowded, quiet adult vibe. 

[hrmkr]

35 minutes ago, basenji56 said:

Royal ships are so different.  I would never sail on Enchantment of the Seas while I love Oasis and Quantum class ships.  I find Quantum class to be similar to Celebrity Solstice class.

 

Which Royal ships have you sailed on?

 

On Royal, I have sailed on Freedom and going on Harmony in Dec. 

 

I know that the size of the ships of Royal are much bigger.  That is not a big concern for me.

[hrmkr]

31 minutes ago, Tlbecker1 said:

We have done both cruise lines, but like others have said we can’t help unless we know what ships you are comparing.  I agree with @firefly333 Oasis has the best shows and Celebrity has few kids. Celebrity has a more adult quiet vibe.

On Royal, we are looking at the Oasis.  For Celebrity, it is the Reflection and Equinox.  I understand that the Oasis is much bigger than the other 2.

 

For you comment about Celebrity having a more adult quiet vibe, does that mean that it turns into a sleepy ghost town after 9:00?  We are looking for things to do after going to the late show. 

[hrmkr]

16 minutes ago, Eastern flygirl said:

it also depends on what level you are.  I am Diamond Plus and love having my free drinks anytime of day.  Celebrity is a good cruise line, sailed on them to Elite Plus and have enjoyed my cruises.  Celebrity only has a short cocktail time for top tier, and not on embarkation day.  I can’t compare food as I have not sailed Celebrity since the menu change.  I agree which ship you sail would help make the decision.  

We go on around 1 cruise a year and have been on Carnival, NCL and Royal so no high levels for us. We are never in the cabin so we book a inside cabin 

[sjb317]

39 minutes ago, Tlbecker1 said:

We have done both cruise lines, but like others have said we can’t help unless we know what ships you are comparing.  I agree with @firefly333 Oasis has the best shows and Celebrity has few kids. Celebrity has a more adult quiet vibe.

I would have agreed with you until we went  on Celebrity Apex.  With the exception of the Aqua shows on Oasis class which are always outstanding, Apex entertainment was truly amazing! 
 

Sherri🙂

 

[George C]

We like both lines , definitely give oasis class an edge on entertainment, but was happy with the entertainment on Edge class , definitely prefer buffet on celebrity. I know you book inside cabins but big edge to celebrity on suite perks.

[CruisinBanka]

13 minutes ago, George C said:

We like both lines , definitely give oasis class an edge on entertainment, but was happy with the entertainment on Edge class , definitely prefer buffet on celebrity. I know you book inside cabins but big edge to celebrity on suite perks.

Agree! If you are booking suites, Celebrity Retreat experience, especially on Edge Class ships, far superior to suite experience on Royal. 

[Tlbecker1]

29 minutes ago, hrmkr said:

On Royal, we are looking at the Oasis.  For Celebrity, it is the Reflection and Equinox.  I understand that the Oasis is much bigger than the other 2.

 

For you comment about Celebrity having a more adult quiet vibe, does that mean that it turns into a sleepy ghost town after 9:00?  We are looking for things to do after going to the late show. 

Celebrity IMO has older cruisers.  Royal has many young people with families, which warrants more going on in the late evening hours.

[Fouremco]

The only time we book RCI is when we are doing a family cruise with our kids and grandkids. Otherwise, we book Celebrity or HAL, based primarily on itinerary. 

[Tatka]

27 cruises with RCI and 7 with Celebrity.

 

Both are massmarket, Celebrity is a premium massmarket.

It has better quality of food, some premium touches like when you come to Solarium towels are usually placed on loungers and such.

 

Celebrity has nice kids clubs, but no slides and things like this.

Large Royal ships of course have unmatched entertainment , but we were extremely impressed by entertainment on X Edge. Larger Celebrity ships remind me of Quantum class of RCI by design and entertainment.

 

I LOVE how Celebrity "revolutionized" its staterooms, including insides. It feels luxurious.

 

[deliver42]

Celebrity has better food, Royal has better entertainment, but don't underestimate the entertainment on the Edge Class. We were on the beyond and were wowed by the offerings on that ship. In fact, we were blown away by the entire ship. I've never had a problem with Royal's service, and both companies do a great job of maintenance. In my opinion, it just depends on what you're looking for. Royal ha a lot more kids and things yo do, depending on the ship. I have no problem sailing on either, and have the Ovation booked for the 2nd time in Alaska.

[helen haywood]

I’m Diamond Plus on Royal and Elite Plus on Celebrity.  There will definitely be night life on the Equinox and Reflection after the second show!  Martini Bar, bands in the Foyer, Sky Lounge, Silent Disco, music under the stars etc.

 

Celebrity still services the cabins twice a day.  The Buffet on Celebrity never gets as crowded as I hear reported of the Windjammer on Royal.

 

Much fewer kids.

[Tatka]

1 hour ago, deliver42 said:

Celebrity has better food, Royal has better entertainment, but don't underestimate the entertainment on the Edge Class. We were on the beyond and were wowed by the offerings on that ship. In fact, we were blown away by the entire ship. I've never had a problem with Royal's service, and both companies do a great job of maintenance. In my opinion, it just depends on what you're looking for. Royal ha a lot more kids and things yo do, depending on the ship. I have no problem sailing on either, and have the Ovation booked for the 2nd time in Alaska.

 

I completely agree with every word about Edge class.

Edge, Beyond, Apex... Ascent(?)

Ships are amazing!!!

 

The only controversial point is Indefinite Verandas.. which I like, but I only visited such room, never sailed in one.

[Tatka]

In some reason Celebrity has 3 channels with music for Silent Disco. 😀

Blue, Green and Red.

[George C]

Another thing about edge class is the entertainment starts early about 2 pm or before nothing big just duo or so by martini bar or another venue , rccl has no entertainment until much much later. 

[Ret MP]

I always try to stay loyal to one brand.  Not for what most would think.  I like to take advantage of the rewards/points/perks that being loyal offers.  This is my way of operating and doesn't have to be anybody else's way to look at it, just mine.  We all have our own desires, ways of doing things, expectations, justifications, and reasons.

 

Loyal to BP - 15 cents a gallon off, just as one example.   Spread loyalty around and it takes longer to get to the desired goal.  

 

YMMV

 

[LadyLion_AP]

5 hours ago, sjb317 said:

I would have agreed with you until we went  on Celebrity Apex.  With the exception of the Aqua shows on Oasis class which are always outstanding, Apex entertainment was truly amazing! 
 

Sherri🙂

 

100% agree with this!

[luckyfincruiser]

6 hours ago, hrmkr said:

On Royal, we are looking at the Oasis.  For Celebrity, it is the Reflection and Equinox.  I understand that the Oasis is much bigger than the other 2.

 

For you comment about Celebrity having a more adult quiet vibe, does that mean that it turns into a sleepy ghost town after 9:00?  We are looking for things to do after going to the late show. 

We just took our first celebrity cruise on the Equinox and have only sailed RC previously (we are diamond plus so a lot Royal cruises.  We personally felt that our Celebrity cruise was better than Royal in every way.  The service was WAY more above and beyond.  The food was exceptional, the vibe of the ship was awesome - loved the venues, the bars, Cafe Albacio, the times of the shows and the overall decor.  And it was definitely not sleep at night.

We sail in suites on Royal and were in a suite on Equinox and the suite experience was also better on Celebrity.  We loved the retreat lounge and Luminae. 

How much did we love celebrity?  We have two cruises now booked with celebrity.

FYI - we dont sail with kids and are in our late 40s.

[George C]

4 minutes ago, luckyfincruiser said:

We just took our first celebrity cruise on the Equinox and have only sailed RC previously (we are diamond plus so a lot Royal cruises.  We personally felt that our Celebrity cruise was better than Royal in every way.  The service was WAY more above and beyond.  The food was exceptional, the vibe of the ship was awesome - loved the venues, the bars, Cafe Albacio, the times of the shows and the overall decor.  And it was definitely not sleep at night.

We sail in suites on Royal and were in a suite on Equinox and the suite experience was also better on Celebrity.  We loved the retreat lounge and Luminae. 

How much did we love celebrity?  We have two cruises now booked with celebrity.

FYI - we dont sail with kids and are in our late 40s.

Suite experience is even better on Celebrity edge class outdoor retreat with bar and swimming pool is fantastic, we also do suites on both.

[Tatka]

25 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

I always try to stay loyal to one brand.  Not for what most would think.  I like to take advantage of the rewards/points/perks that being loyal offers.  This is my way of operating and doesn't have to be anybody else's way to look at it, just mine.  We all have our own desires, ways of doing things, expectations, justifications, and reasons.

 

Loyal to BP - 15 cents a gallon off, just as one example.   Spread loyalty around and it takes longer to get to the desired goal.  

 

YMMV

 

 

This is the same corporation and they have reciprocity in statuses (not all the way, but for Select/Platinum and Elite/Diamonds), also Celebrity often offers all inclusive packages which include internet/drinks/tips. Fares are higher, but with this inclusion you get the best of both worlds.

 

 Oh, we are now loyal to Royal (sailed with 8 lines), but for Celebrity I would cheat.

 Missing my Princess somewhat.