Current thoughts on Royal Caribbean

[RickT]

I haven’t sailed Royal Caribbean in over a decade and have largely cruised Celebrity due to their better food and service.  My last two Celebrity cruises (post covid) were only OK and has me thinking about a change.  
Royal is offering an itinerary on the Jewel (we’ve sailed that class and like the ship) to Europe that Celebrity is not offering and I thought I’d ask if any loyal Celebrity folks have sailed on Royal recently and what your thoughts were on the food, service and entertainment.  
How did the food compare to Celebrity?

How was the overall service?

How would you compare entertainment?

Lastly, did you find Royal has started to nickel and dime like X has?

By no means am I expecting Royal to be as good as Celebrity but if Royal is still a decent offering then the itinerary may be worth trying. 

[Oceansaway17]

33 minutes ago, RickT said:

I haven’t sailed Royal Caribbean in over a decade and have largely cruised Celebrity due to their better food and service.  My last two Celebrity cruises (post covid) were only OK and has me thinking about a change.  
Royal is offering an itinerary on the Jewel (we’ve sailed that class and like the ship) to Europe that Celebrity is not offering and I thought I’d ask if any loyal Celebrity folks have sailed on Royal recently and what your thoughts were on the food, service and entertainment.  
How did the food compare to Celebrity?

How was the overall service?

How would you compare entertainment?

Lastly, did you find Royal has started to nickel and dime like X has?

By no means am I expecting Royal to be as good as Celebrity but if Royal is still a decent offering then the itinerary may be worth trying. 

Love royal and I am Diamond Plus.   I am doing a nice long cruise on Jewel OTS up the coast of Norway in August 2024 and it goes from Amsterdam. Some cruise lines have scaled back Norwegian trips but this one on Aug 10th is going to be good as it goes into the fjords to places like Flam and Olden and up to Artic.

check it out if you are interested and I think you should consider going.  

I like celebrity and am going on the Beyond this fall.  I am going on the summit in Alaska in July.  that is a very pretty ship and refurbed after 2016.   

Celebrity and royal both do nice dinner buffets and are quite crowded. Both have enjoyable entertainment. Also, you must at least try an Oasis class ship and I would say Symphony or Wonder as they have great shows.  

[Cruising89143]

We now cruise between the two. Our last few X cruises have not been what we experienced in the past. Especially the Retreat. IMHO RCI has better perks for the past guests. 
 

Since the restart, I would rate the two lines close in service with RCI being ahead of X in entertainment. Both are great cruise lines which is why we go back and forth between the two. 

[RickT]

24 minutes ago, Oceansaway17 said:

Love royal and I am Diamond Plus.   I am doing a nice long cruise on Jewel OTS up the coast of Norway in August 2024 and it goes from Amsterdam. Some cruise lines have scaled back Norwegian trips but this one on Aug 10th is going to be good as it goes into the fjords to places like Flam and Olden and up to Artic.

check it out if you are interested and I think you should consider going.  

I like celebrity and am going on the Beyond this fall.  I am going on the summit in Alaska in July.  that is a very pretty ship and refurbed after 2016.   

Celebrity and royal both do nice dinner buffets and are quite crowded. Both have enjoyable entertainment. Also, you must at least try an Oasis class ship and I would say Symphony or Wonder as they have great shows.  

We’re looking at that Norway itinerary or a similar on in May.  We’re elite and hope the Royal perks we’d get are good (especially the drink vouchers). 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

There were on the Voyager on the Arctic TA in September 2022 

They was about 6 of us who usually cruise Celebrity , we all called it the cruise from Hell 

Terrible service in the speciality restaurant, Windjammer sub par compared to OVC 

Diamond lounge , 1/2 time coffee machines didn’t work 

Entertainment was sad, we probably walk out on 3 shows , and the guy is the Schooner bar was terrible  

Silver backing on mirrors in the washroom was worn off 

Luckily the ports were great ! 
it was pretty bad 

 

[Hawkstar33]

1 hour ago, RickT said:

We’re looking at that Norway itinerary or a similar on in May.  We’re elite and hope the Royal perks we’d get are good (especially the drink vouchers). 

4 drinks if you are Elite, which is Diamond on Royal...I believe 5, if Elite Plus, but don't hold me to it.    

Edited February 7 by Hawkstar33

[cruisestitch]

I just got off back to back nine and five day cruises on Explorer OTS.  Food was a huge disappointment.  Had to send many things back.  Hot soup was served lukewarm.  Pasta dishes ranged from blah to icky, both in MDR and Giovanni’s.   The steak served in Giovanni’s was an embarrassment.  
 

Service was generally good. I had a great stateroom attendant.  I found some very good bar waiters.

 

The smoke from the casino was awful and it wafted its way into Schooner Bar where trivia was held.  I couldn’t take it so I missed some of my favorite activities.

 

The entire atmosphere of the ship flipped between the two cruises.  The nine-day was the usual Caribbean crowd, but The five day was for loud boozers and loud kids.  Lots of people trying to get away with vaping in the bars.  Security had to be called every night at Dizzy’s.

 

Diamond has four drinks/day loaded onto  their cards, Elite Plus Five, pinnacles six.  The drinks ordered in the Crown Lounge (formerly Diamond Lounge) counted against that total.  
 

the Crown Lounge was a haven…a quiet getaway from drunks and kids.  The coffee machine worked, the continental breakfast and evening snacks were delicious, as opposed to the food encountered throughout the rest of the ship.  
 

I doubt if I will be back on a Royal ship.

[prmssk]

I enjoyed the Freedom last year and had a very good experience in the MDR.   I am looking forward to the Adventure in April.

 

Just a note about some of the comments related to loyalty levels and drinks.  Celebrity loyalty only gets you a maximum of Diamond on RCCL (once you reach Elite on Celebrity).  To reach Diamond Plus and Pinnacle, you have to earn those levels just through RCCL cruises (points don't cary over from Celebrity).

[maggieq]

3 hours ago, RickT said:

I haven’t sailed Royal Caribbean in over a decade and have largely cruised Celebrity due to their better food and service.  My last two Celebrity cruises (post covid) were only OK and has me thinking about a change.  
Royal is offering an itinerary on the Jewel (we’ve sailed that class and like the ship) to Europe that Celebrity is not offering and I thought I’d ask if any loyal Celebrity folks have sailed on Royal recently and what your thoughts were on the food, service and entertainment.  
How did the food compare to Celebrity?

How was the overall service?

How would you compare entertainment?

Lastly, did you find Royal has started to nickel and dime like X has?

By no means am I expecting Royal to be as good as Celebrity but if Royal is still a decent offering then the itinerary may be worth trying. 

We have been diamond plus on rccl for a while.  Most recent rccl cruises were harmony in January 2023 (oasis class is our favorite) and the jewel in November of 2023.   We are going back on the jewel in may of this year specifically because of the itinerary ( Norwegian fjords and arctic circle).

 

main dining on our last few cruises on rccl was just ok.   For us, we cruise mostly on rccl for entertainment and ship.  Since we have seen most of the shows multiple times, it is now less important to us.  However, we have had many terrific cruises on rccl and were very loyal for a long time. 
 

We do like celebrity and have cruised with them 6 times and will in September on silhouette.  
 

We select cruises now based on itinerary and cost.    
 

[BP99]

10 hours ago, RickT said:

We’re looking at that Norway itinerary or a similar on in May.  We’re elite and hope the Royal perks we’d get are good (especially the drink vouchers). 

Hi Rick,

We are Elite on Celebrity and MOSTLY sail on RCL now (as Diamond plus). We like

RCL better now because:

1) Your drink perks on RCL-use at ANYTIME and ANYWHERE- ie. Poolside, theatre, dinner . Loaded

on card- no vouchers

2) Dedicated Diamond lounge. And YES the coffee machines WORK GREAT. Love expresso,

capachino etc. FOOD during HH is AWESOME (unlike Celebrity HH). Excellent snacks all day also.

Dedicated 1-2 attendants/waiters 24/7 to FIX coffee machines. They actually DON'T BREAK!! They

run out of milk, coffee, or need to remove grinds etc. because Diamond members LOVE using them!!

Attendants fix them ASAP!

3) Entertainment on the larger ships is MUCH better. Ice shows, Water Showa, etc. Also 24/7 Pizza

4) Service and food - same as Celebrity

5) We still sail Celebrity- due to Itinary and time of year

We have done Norway and liked it and most of the scenery is GREAT -- BUT the same scenery for all

the fiords etc. Many tiny towns in remote areas. A more layed back cruise. We liked the Baltic cruises

much more. Did them twice (some different itineraries), Much more to see and do. Action packed.

Great cities to see and explore! If you can walk then you can do each city on your own- no excursion

need. Ship parks downtown or very near. 

 

Trust me on my comments. We are also from Halifax NS!

 

Bill

 

 

[kr00t0n]

(IMO) Oasis and older Royal ships < MIllenium Class < Quantum = Solstice Class < Icon = Edge Class

[ggo85]

We did RCL for years, then moved to X and now mostly sail neither, though on X at the moment. 
 

RCL markets to families with kids.  That’s their demographic, which has changed since we sailed RCL almost exclusively in the early 2000s. You’ll find fewer kids on the smaller, older ships and fewer on certain itineraries and at certain times of the year.  But school break time, especially July and early August, can be overwhelming.   While you’ll find kids on X, there is less for them to do and, in the non-school break season, very few. For example, maybe a dozen on current cruise of 3000+ passengers. 
 

Both lines nickel and dime you.  RCL is slightly worse in that (as of last time we sailed pre-COVID), you had to check out beach towels with fee if you failed to check in and almost all activities on sea days either cost extra or were promos for paid spa stuff.  There was CONSTANT harping for art auction, Bingo and the like. We’re finding more free stuff on X. The pay stuff is available but IMO not pushed as heavily.  
 

Food on X is better in MDR.  We’ve found specialty on X to be somewhat of a disappointment. Ok, but not that much better for the price.  RCL MDR food was so inedible and service so bad (waiters assigned too many tables) that we only ate in specialty restaurants. They weren’t terrific.  
 

I’ve found the entertainment on X to be quite good. Maybe it’s because the shows are new to me.  😀 The bands are good, playing a large variety of music among them.  More geared to 50+ adults, though that might also be due to our cruise demographic. 
 

Also, the non-music entertainment on our X ship is more “adult” in a good way.  So far, no belly-flopping or “Mr. Sexy” or “Love and Marriage.”  Instead, there has been curling and chirping golf ball into pool net, origami, etc.  Things for adults that aren’t (IMO) crass.
 

Service is good, but nowhere near luxury level. Sat at pool for 6 hours yesterday (port day) and no drink server ever appeared.  There is less “drink until you drop” (aka, maximize value on my drink package) on X as compared to RCL.  Again, might be the demographic of an older crowd.  

 

If you are D or higher on RCL, your benefits are better than Elite on X.  However, depends on what you use in terms of alcohol, specialty coffees, lounges, etc.  
 

With an older ship and a port-intensive itinerary in Europe, you should be ok on RCL. Stay away from July and early August — unless you want to be surrounded by kids.  And be prepared to pay for specialty restaurants if MDR food isn’t to your liking. 

 

[BP99]

45 minutes ago, ggo85 said:

We did RCL for years, then moved to X and now mostly sail neither, though on X at the moment. 
 

RCL markets to families with kids.  That’s their demographic, which has changed since we sailed RCL almost exclusively in the early 2000s. You’ll find fewer kids on the smaller, older ships and fewer on certain itineraries and at certain times of the year.  But school break time, especially July and early August, can be overwhelming.   While you’ll find kids on X, there is less for them to do and, in the non-school break season, very few. For example, maybe a dozen on current cruise of 3000+ passengers. 
 

Both lines nickel and dime you.  RCL is slightly worse in that (as of last time we sailed pre-COVID), you had to check out beach towels with fee if you failed to check in and almost all activities on sea days either cost extra or were promos for paid spa stuff.  There was CONSTANT harping for art auction, Bingo and the like. We’re finding more free stuff on X. The pay stuff is available but IMO not pushed as heavily.  
 

Food on X is better in MDR.  We’ve found specialty on X to be somewhat of a disappointment. Ok, but not that much better for the price.  RCL MDR food was so inedible and service so bad (waiters assigned too many tables) that we only ate in specialty restaurants. They weren’t terrific.  
 

I’ve found the entertainment on X to be quite good. Maybe it’s because the shows are new to me.  😀 The bands are good, playing a large variety of music among them.  More geared to 50+ adults, though that might also be due to our cruise demographic. 
 

Also, the non-music entertainment on our X ship is more “adult” in a good way.  So far, no belly-flopping or “Mr. Sexy” or “Love and Marriage.”  Instead, there has been curling and chirping golf ball into pool net, origami, etc.  Things for adults that aren’t (IMO) crass.
 

Service is good, but nowhere near luxury level. Sat at pool for 6 hours yesterday (port day) and no drink server ever appeared.  There is less “drink until you drop” (aka, maximize value on my drink package) on X as compared to RCL.  Again, might be the demographic of an older crowd.  

 

If you are D or higher on RCL, your benefits are better than Elite on X.  However, depends on what you use in terms of alcohol, specialty coffees, lounges, etc.  
 

With an older ship and a port-intensive itinerary in Europe, you should be ok on RCL. Stay away from July and early August — unless you want to be surrounded by kids.  And be prepared to pay for specialty restaurants if MDR food isn’t to your liking. 

 

Hi,

I totally agree with your evaluation!

Also, you forgot to mention that on transatlantic, transpacific and repositioning cruises

there are often fewer kids. We also love TA, TP and RP due to flying is not fun for us and

and often costs more than the cruise.

Also, in your first line you mentioned that you do not like RCL/Celebrity but didn't

tell us what is your favourite. For example I Loved Holland America. GREAT food,

EXCELLENT service, almost no kids  BUT 2-3 times the cost, and a very older 

clientele (eg. way to many scouters). I have also heard great things about many

other lines BUT I'm not willing to pay 3-6 times the price of RCL/Celebrity. 

It's a bit of a trade off for us. More cruises for less $ or less cruises for more $$$.

Also, we mostly pick itinerary that gets to a country we wish to explore for 2 weeks

post cruise.

Bill

[PTC DAWG]

I find Royal to cost more than Celebrity on similar itineraries…especially if a drink package is figured in.  
 

I like NCL better if sailing with younger folks…otherwise, I’ll stick with Celebrity..

[lv2cruisgrl]

We use to sail RC all the time but as we aged, we switched to Celebrity.  Did a cruise last fall on Wonder of the Seas.  Said it will be most likely the last.  Food not good, served cold. Shows were good. Room steward was good.  

[George C]

We did a sister ship to jewel to Europe a few years ago, entertainment will be better than celebrity but not as good as the larger rccl ships. I think celebrity is about the same for mdr but better buffet . I would do this class for European cruise but not Caribbean.

[newtocruiseinblue]

15 hours ago, cruisingator2 said:

We now cruise between the two. Our last few X cruises have not been what we experienced in the past. Especially the Retreat. IMHO RCI has better perks for the past guests. 
 

Since the restart, I would rate the two lines close in service with RCI being ahead of X in entertainment. Both are great cruise lines which is why we go back and forth between the two. 

What are the perks for past guests that you like best? We cruise Holland and celebrity but we’re thinking of doing celebrity and Royal….to stick with earning one group of points…thank you!!

[ggo85]

We like the luxury lines.  Costs more up front but, when you factor in all that’s included, not that much more.  Smaller ships.  Older demographic but not ancient.  Exceptional service.  Silversea and Crystal so far.  
 

Perks depend on your cabin and frequent cruise status. 

[Mark_K]

14 hours ago, Hawkstar33 said:

4 drinks if you are Elite, which is Diamond on Royal...I believe 5, if Elite Plus, but don't hold me to it.    

The reciprocity ends both ways at Diamond/Elite perks, so an Elite+ would still get 4 drinks.

[Torfamm]

I tried a couple of cruises on Royal in the last year and a half and wasn’t impressed enough to book again. That said, if it were the only opportunity to get the itinerary I wanted, I wouldn’t rule them out.
 

I’d take look at Princess if they offer what you want though even if you don’t get any reciprocal benefits. I’d always been loyal to Celebrity but we tried them for the first time for a Norway and Iceland itinerary in 2019 and really enjoyed it. So much so that we go back and forth between Celebrity and Princess now. They seem to offer a lot of longer, more interesting itineraries and offer a very similar experience to Celebrity.

Edited February 7 by Torfamm

[Oceansaway17]

18 hours ago, RickT said:

We’re looking at that Norway itinerary or a similar on in May.  We’re elite and hope the Royal perks we’d get are good (especially the drink vouchers). 

well honestly pick RCL for the itinerary and not just the perks.  by 2026 things will be just a bit different for some locations in Norway so go this year or next.

[squadron]

23 hours ago, RickT said:

We’re looking at that Norway itinerary or a similar on in May.  We’re elite and hope the Royal perks we’d get are good (especially the drink vouchers). 

You will be Diamond 4 drinks up to $14 or Diamond Plus - 5 drinks up to $14 dollars - any place any time!  

[cruisestitch]

Elite and Elite Plus reciprocity both cap at Diamond.  Zenith too 

 

similarly, Diamond, Diamond Plus and Pinnacle all get reciprocal recognition at Elite. 

[welshrich]

We've done about 45 RCI cruises, and last year did our first on Celebrity, wow!, what a difference, reminded us how RCI used to be.  We sail RCI more for the ship as we've been to most of the ports they service, we did the Celebrity as it went from Dubai to Singapore.   I thought the Edge was in lovely, not all the bells and whistles of RCI but apart from the indoor skydiving on quantum class we don't tend to use slides etc.   Service was so much better on Celebrity all over the ship from the cafe to stateroom attendant to restaurant service.  We ate in the dining rooms in the evenings, did not try any speciality ones as the MDR seemed same standard as speciality on RCI.

 

We've since booked 3 more on X, still like RCI and have some booked with them.

[cruzeluver]

We sail both as we do not want every cruise to be the same type of experience. X when we want relaxation, better food and a quieter atmosphere. Royal when we want more energy, more nightlife and just more "wow" factor from a ship. Our last on Royal was Serenade which is the same class as Jewel and we enjoyed it very much. Lots of glass on those ships with ocean views from just about any space onboard. Service was very good. Specialty dining was excellent and main dining room is banquet food like all mass market ships, but good for what it is. On board perks at the mid loyalty levels are fat better on Royal. Very little for Elite right now on X (mostly the opportunity to get discounts on services). But loyalty programs mean almost nothing to us so no big deal.