RCCL - Celebrity

[Hflors]

OK, I know that Celebrity is supposed to be a step above RCCL, but I'm now nervious that I booked a cruise with "RCCL" after the last cruise with them. We had some problems. Last time I was in a suite on Explorer this time dh and I will be in a deluxe oceanview cabin. Can anyone tell me what differences I can expect? (don't even mention missing the conceige service that was a joke! I'll not miss that at all) Has anyone cruised on both of these ships? Anyway thanks for any info you can give me. I'm not telling dh that celebrity is a part of RCCL I don't think he will be happy.

[bilgeboyPa]

Here was my experience.

I did cruise on EOS a few years ago after I had already cruise on X twice. IMOHO, EOS was not even close to X. The food in the Dining room , again my opinion,was bad. Portofinos was excellent. Basically the food there was just a bit better than on X in the dining room. There was toooooooo much going on during dinner on RCCL. Dancing and singing waiters, kids parades etc. Not really a calming atmoshere at all.

EOS was way too crowded. I was onboard for 8 days and was NEVER able to get near the pool in a chair. Service was lacking and I thought the cabins too small. I felt that if you really wanted something good, there was always a charge. Ice cream, coffee, to name a few.

I doubt if I would do RCCL again. I won't say never, but I would rather stick with X for the service and the food.

 

Jeff

[Cruisin Rick]

I've been on RCI and Celebrity and I have to be honest, I'd take the one that had the itinery we prefered. There wasn't really THAT much difference except that RCI had better entertainment and activities. Celebrity MIGHT have had an edge on the food. Hard to tell.

[sassystyxfan]

I've been on RCI and Celebrity and I have to be honest, I'd take the one that had the itinery we prefered. There wasn't really THAT much difference except that RCI had better entertainment and activities. Celebrity MIGHT have had an edge on the food. Hard to tell.

 

I like to have other things to do on a ship besides eat and drink. Shows on Celebrity are SO subpar. The shows I have seen on RC ships are topnotch. One show we saw is actually on Broadway in New York now. Not to mention the ice shows which are fantastic. They have much better activities on RC as well. I felt I had more fun on the Royal Caribbean ships without the "party" atmosphere we "hear" about on Carnival. I WILL go on a Carnival ship someday, as well as many others. I can't stand the fact that some people are so biased about one cruise line. I just want to cruise, meet people, relax, see new places, and most importantly base my opinion on experience. So I'm trying them all!

 

Another observation...I don't understand how someone can base their opinion on an entire line by cruising on one ship OR only trying one other ship on one other line. I have been on more than one ship on different lines and they have all been different. The good and bad are PER ship. All are different no matter what line. For instance - loved Voyager, liked Radiance. Although Radiance was more beautiful, there were things we liked better about Voyager. Also Voyager was brand new when we sailed on her. It was also our first "BIG" cruise. We were in awe because of the grand nature of it all. Loved Mercury, didn't really like Century, although the food on Century was the best EVER on ANY ship. I have never seen so many rude people (guests) than on Century either. I will say, we have been treated better by the wait staff on Mercury and Century than on Royal Carribean ships (by the way, the one night where the waiters all sang was no different than Baked Alaska night on Celebrity). I never saw french fries in a Royal Caribbean dining room either, but I suppose you could request them if you wanted. On the other hand, we have been treated MUCH better on both Royal Caribbean ships by the stateroom attendants. On the first day we were called MR AND MRS and our last name and we never had to ask for anything, or pre-tip for better service. What we needed was ALWAYS there period. That, in my opinion, is OUTSTANDING service. All ships were better and worse in their own ways though. I can also list examples reversing what I liked and disliked on all of the ships, but I don't have the time. It was quite interesting to compare all of them. Bottom line, how bad can a cruise be? I refuse to become a snob.

 

We are sailing Princess next time and I'm anxious to see what the ship is like - not the entire line.

 

Thanks for listening! :)

[Coolcruise02]

I have to agree with Cruisin Rick. There just isn't that much difference!

[gazzas127]

HI there laura its Gary&Bev uk from mercury cruise 2005,how are you we see you have done another cruise,we have cruised princess before Golden Princess 03&05 both times across the pond,we found them very good for us,still keep in touch with tom doyle from san diego,do you keep in touch with anyone still,nice pics of cruise,cya Gary&Bev

[Bethwte]

It may just be me, but I have found that the major difference between RCCL and X is that X just seems a bit "classier" (the crew and sometimes the passengers- sometimes). I also think the crew on X has overall been much more friendly and happy to serve, it could just be luck though, who knows :) Please no flames for this, it's just my opinion. That being said, we're really going back and forth about choosing RCCL or X for our next cruise, we like them both a lot.

 

To the OP- it would be REALLY helpful to know why it is you were not impressed with Royal Caribbean. I think that would let us all be able to tailor advice specifically to you :)

[C 2 C]

Another observation...I don't understand how someone can base their opinion on an entire line by cruising on one ship OR only trying one other ship on one other line. I have been on more than one ship on different lines and they have all been different. The good and bad are PER ship. All are different no matter what line.

 

Thanks for your well-expressed opinion. We will be sailing on Voyager for one week April 29 prior to getting on Galaxy May 6 for a 16 day transatlantic.

Century is our favorite ship. It is too bad you did not enjoy it. We were on Summit B2B in November. The two weeks westward through the canal was one of our best cruises ever. The two weeks returning was one of our worst. Same ship, same crew, same intinerary. No-one can base their opinion on just one voyage. Hope you enjoy Princess. We are looking for a good deal on Princess this fall. All cruise lines have their faithful following. No-one can say that they are wrong just because it does not appeal to us.

[bubbie617]

We've done 30+ cruises, most of them on RCCL or Celebrity. Our first two Celebrity cruises were on Zenith a year apart beginning in 1999. It was only okay the first time and horrendous the second time. In fact, we never saw our cabin attendant during that second trip. Some days we had to call at around 4 p.m. to have the bed made and to get fresh towels. We got so disgusted that we finally made an appointment with the Hotel Manager and spoke to him about the lack of service from the cabin steward. I didn't want anything I wasn't entitled to. I wasn't looking for any freebies; I just wanted someone who would do his job each day. The Hotel Manager couldn't have cared less. His attitude was appalling. We also found the food in the dining room marginal at best.

 

We finally decided to try Celebrity again last year because we saw an itinerary we couldn't resist. We were on Infinity over Thanksgiving for two weeks round trip from San Diego to Hawaii. I can't say enough wonderful things about the trip. Service was top-notch. The shows were fabulous (and I don't usually love cruise ship shows). Food was great. The only negative was the size of the cabin. We found the Concierge Class cabin to be small and poorly laid out. It also lacked enough drawers and hanging space for a two week cruise.

 

Our first cruise way back in 1983 was on RCCL (Song of America) and we were immediately hooked. We have now done 22 RCCL cruises and are leaving in less than 3 weeks for a transatlantic on Brilliance of the Seas. We have always had tremendous service on all RCCL ships. Cabins have ranged from "big enough" to spacious. We usually stay in a Junior Suite and love the walk-in closet and generous drawer space. I don't know what the OP's problem was with the Concierge Lounge. We love it. Yes, we have had great concierges and so-so concierges, but when does one person make or break a cruise?

 

I'm truly sorry the OP had such a negative experience. Our feeling is that each line has its strengths and weaknesses. Is one better than the other? Not in our opinion. We love the perks that come with RCCL's "diamond C&A status". You don't have most of them on Celebrity. Would that stop us from booking another cruise on either line? No sir!

 

Get me a cabin on RCCL or Celebrity going any where at any time!! Just give me a couple of hours to pack!

[bilgeboyPa]

Another observation...I don't understand how someone can base their opinion on an entire line by cruising on one ship OR only trying one other ship on one other line. :)

I believe this is directed to me :rolleyes: First impressions are EVERYTHING!!! There was plenty of time during that 8 day span that they could have turned around my opinion. Especially after 2 seperate meetings with 2 different officers. Enough said about that..AGAIN!! I am NOT going to spend a lot of money on a product that with my first encounter didn't like or enjoy. It is far to costly to 'Give it a whirl again" when I know what I like and I know where to get it. Luv ya to death, but PLEASE let me be intitled to my opinion. I really don't want to re-hash this everytime this type of thread starts. The OP asked for opinions, I gave mine. And if you noticed, I was MUCH kinder and more tempered in my opinion of that experienced than I have been in the past. So I AM making progress here ;) .

PHEW!!!...Now..Muah to you and all our love to John!!!:D

 

Jeff

[fouti123]

Hi,

To me all cruises are wonderful. With that being said I just got off the Constellation on a two week trip and from all the hype I was not that impressed. The cc cabin was very small and the television was on the side of the bed & no privacy curtain between the sitting area and the bed. I found the food average and did not have one great dessert. Forget it if you want food after 10:00.

I love all cruises, but I think you will like RCCL. Truly, there is not much difference and RCCL is so much prettier especially the Radiance class.

Good luck, I'm sure you will have a wonderful time.

[Host Kewlguy]

Forget it if you want food after 10:00.

 

Doesn't X still have those delicious "late night bites" in the public lounges?

[Bethwte]

Doesn't X still have those delicious "late night bites" in the public lounges?

 

Yes, as well as late night pizza, pasta, and caesar salads. And of course, there is always 24 hour room service. I never felt hungry... but, that's just me...

[sassystyxfan]

HI there laura its Gary&Bev uk from mercury cruise 2005,how are you we see you have done another cruise,we have cruised princess before Golden Princess 03&05 both times across the pond,we found them very good for us,still keep in touch with tom doyle from san diego,do you keep in touch with anyone still,nice pics of cruise,cya Gary&Bev

 

Good to see you! I'm glad Princess was a positive experience for you and hope it is the same for us. I'm keeping an open mind :)

We keep in touch with several people. In fact, we met Jeff and Kevin for a cruise to W. Caribbean last January. We'd love to see you two again as well!

Keep in touch!

[sassystyxfan]

I believe this is directed to me :rolleyes: First impressions are EVERYTHING!!! There was plenty of time during that 8 day span that they could have turned around my opinion. Especially after 2 seperate meetings with 2 different officers. Enough said about that..AGAIN!! I am NOT going to spend a lot of money on a product that with my first encounter didn't like or enjoy. It is far to costly to 'Give it a whirl again" when I know what I like and I know where to get it. Luv ya to death, but PLEASE let me be intitled to my opinion. I really don't want to re-hash this everytime this type of thread starts. The OP asked for opinions, I gave mine. And if you noticed, I was MUCH kinder and more tempered in my opinion of that experienced than I have been in the past. So I AM making progress here ;) .

PHEW!!!...Now..Muah to you and all our love to John!!!:D

 

Jeff

 

Actually, I was directing my comment about biased people to the entire Board. I have particularly found Celebrity cruisers to be the most adamant about "their" cruiseline, however. It cracks me up how snobby some people can be :confused: . My point was that I am not going to be like that - I will try them all and, therefore, know which line suits us best. That's all. No hashing over or flame war, Jeff. I still love you. Settle down. Love to you and Kevy.

Signed,

Open Minded :p

[beverland]

As you can see from my cruise history, I've been on several different cruise lines and several different ships. I cannot honestly say I have ever had a terrible cruise. Some have better than others.

 

We had wonderful service and food on Century and are looking forward to trying Zenith in November.

 

Our favorite ship on the RCI line was Grandeur, although we've had great service on other ships, that one was just special.

 

We also loved the Nordic Empress, now Empress of the Seas - wonderful little ship and great staff.

 

Mariner of the Seas just "didn't do it for me". Nothing I could really put my finger on, but the level of service just wasn't there for some reason. I think the ship is just too big for my liking - although, it is beautiful and there is always something going on - ice shows, parades, etc.

 

We've also had great times on Carnival and the now defunct Dolphin Cruise Lines as well as a few others.

 

Bottom line:

1) Celebrity seems a little more refined and we loved Century staff.

 

2) Royal Caribbean probably comes in as our favorite because there is typically more to do, the staff is usually wonderful and we get the Diamond C & A perks - although, now those will be matched on Celebrity.

 

3) Carnival can be fun and the food has also been great on the past few cruises - maybe better than RCCL.

 

It is what it is. Every cruise is a different adventure. As somone posted earlier, each ship has it's own personality and I believe that can change with the Captain and management rotations. Some are wonderful, some are great and some are so-so. BUT, I'm still on vacation and someone else is making my bed, cleaning my bathroom, cooking and serving my food. How can you not like that?? :p ;)

[sassystyxfan]

As you can see from my cruise history, I've been on several different cruise lines and several different ships. I cannot honestly say I have ever had a terrible cruise. Some have better than others.

 

We had wonderful service and food on Century and are looking forward to trying Zenith in November.

 

Our favorite ship on the RCI line was Grandeur, although we've had great service on other ships, that one was just special.

 

We also loved the Nordic Empress, now Empress of the Seas - wonderful little ship and great staff.

 

Mariner of the Seas just "didn't do it for me". Nothing I could really put my finger on, but the level of service just wasn't there for some reason. I think the ship is just too big for my liking - although, it is beautiful and there is always something going on - ice shows, parades, etc.

 

We've also had great times on Carnival and the now defunct Dolphin Cruise Lines as well as a few others.

 

Bottom line:

1) Celebrity seems a little more refined and we loved Century staff.

 

2) Royal Caribbean probably comes in as our favorite because there is typically more to do, the staff is usually wonderful and we get the Diamond C & A perks - although, now those will be matched on Celebrity.

 

3) Carnival can be fun and the food has also been great on the past few cruises - maybe better than RCCL.

 

It is what it is. Every cruise is a different adventure. As somone posted earlier, each ship has it's own personality and I believe that can change with the Captain and management rotations. Some are wonderful, some are great and some are so-so. BUT, I'm still on vacation and someone else is making my bed, cleaning my bathroom, cooking and serving my food. How can you not like that?? :p ;)

 

That's what I'M sayin'!