Loyal RCCL Cruiser considering Celebrity

[Deno1]

Hello everyone,

 

We are about 1 month away from our first European cruise. While we are on the Navigator I was planning to book our next cruise. (April 20th, 2009 on Brilliance) that will have a stop in Alexandria Egypt. This is the port that we MOST want to explore.

 

Not so crazy about some of the ports on this 11 day cruise.

 

Someone mentioned to take a look to see what Celebrity offers. I did and I do like the 13 day itinerary better that stops in Alexandria - plus it offers 2 days there instead of 1.

 

We have only ever cruised RCCL - We are 1 cruise away from being Diamond. For those of you that have cruised both - what do you think.

 

Doesn't RCCL own Celebrity? Are there BIG differences ? Will our Diamond status be honored on their ships. The cruise that we are looking at will be in August on their new shop Solstice.

 

Your opinions will help us make our decision. Thanks!

[lambs2]

We took our first Celebrity cruise last November and had had two prior RCCL cruises (plus several other cruise lines, mainly HAL). Wow! We had a fantastic cruise on Celebrity Mercury. Now this is one of their smaller ships and I believe the Solstice is a larger ship so there are sure to be some differences when trying to compare. The staterooms were exceptionally nice on our Celebrity cruise, better than we had on either RCCL previously (Voyager and Sovereign.) We also did a Cabin Crawl with other members of our CC group so got to see some of the larger suites and they were wonderful. In fact, ALL the cabins we saw were great - even the inside ones! Mirrors everywhere and incredible amount of storage space and drawers! Some things we enjoyed on our Celebrity cruise, compared to our RCCL were: refrigerators in every statroom; nightlight and upgraded bath amenties liker cotton balls and q-tips in every bath. The Aqua Spa and Thalassotherapy Pool, as well as the Aqua Spa cafe (for healthier food choices!). On the Mercury we were also delighted with the landing on the aft section of the ship for many of the floors. We did not have a balcony this cruise but this little area at the end of our hall became our balcony as there were chairs and tables out there in a semi-private setting. Excellent menu choices in all the venues we tried, including the ability to order room service from the regular dinner menu.

You will need to call Celebrity or email, them from this website http://www.celebritycruises.com/captainsclub/home.do;jsessionid=0000PFEv8pMHX8TmyCkO7J00bgf:12hdebcnj?cS=NAVBAR to see how your RCCL Diamond status transfers over Celebrity. I know there are SOME reciprocal benefits, however, I do know that they raise the requirements for most categories higher than RCCL does. Let me put it this way: We will definitely be sailing on Celebrity again - while onboard we put down a deposit toward our next cruise with them!

 

Forgot the welcoming glass of champagne when you board plus being personally escorted to your cabin...like a Celebrity!! Also more people seemd to dress up for dinner and really followed the formal dress code on those nights.

 

RCL does own Celebrity (as well as Azamara too)

[Deno1]

Thank you Lambs 2,

 

That's a very nice review of Celebrity. I am going to go to that website now.

[tcocktail]

We took our first Celebrity cruise last November and had had two prior RCCL cruises (plus several other cruise lines, mainly HAL). Wow! We had a fantastic cruise on Celebrity Mercury. Now this is one of their smaller ships and I believe the Solstice is a larger ship so there are sure to be some differences when trying to compare. The staterooms were exceptionally nice on our Celebrity cruise, better than we had on either RCCL previously (Voyager and Sovereign.) We also did a Cabin Crawl with other members of our CC group so got to see some of the larger suites and they were wonderful. In fact, ALL the cabins we saw were great - even the inside ones! Mirrors everywhere and incredible amount of storage space and drawers! Some things we enjoyed on our Celebrity cruise, compared to our RCCL were: refrigerators in every statroom; nightlight and upgraded bath amenties liker cotton balls and q-tips in every bath. The Aqua Spa and Thalassotherapy Pool, as well as the Aqua Spa cafe (for healthier food choices!). On the Mercury we were also delighted with the landing on the aft section of the ship for many of the floors. We did not have a balcony this cruise but this little area at the end of our hall became our balcony as there were chairs and tables out there in a semi-private setting. Excellent menu choices in all the venues we tried, including the ability to order room service from the regular dinner menu.

You will need to call Celebrity or email, them from this website http://www.celebritycruises.com/captainsclub/home.do;jsessionid=0000PFEv8pMHX8TmyCkO7J00bgf:12hdebcnj?cS=NAVBAR to see how your RCCL Diamond status transfers over Celebrity. I know there are SOME reciprocal benefits, however, I do know that they raise the requirements for most categories higher than RCCL does. Let me put it this way: We will definitely be sailing on Celebrity again - while onboard we put down a deposit toward our next cruise with them!

 

Forgot the welcoming glass of champagne when you board plus being personally escorted to your cabin...like a Celebrity!! Also more people seemd to dress up for dinner and really followed the formal dress code on those nights.

 

RCL does own Celebrity (as well as Azamara too)

 

Don't forget, the cool towel upon returning to ship on a hot day! The staff call all the ladies madam, the little touches that make a huge impact. Celebrity has sommelier's in the dining room. So when there is a wine tasting go because you are getting educated from a trained expert. White glove service in the dining room. Baked Alaska parade. The food is a step above although I think industry wise food has changed in the past several years.

[palmettogirl]

We have done 2 Carnival, 2 RCC and 2 Celebrity cruises. Make a note...once you go Celebrity, you'll never want to go back. It is much more upscale, more crew per person, and not as many kids. It also tends to be an older crowd in their 40's to 70's vs 20's to 50's. I could be mistaken but your Celebrity cruises can get you more upgrades with RCC but not vice versa. Passengers do tend to dress up more at dinner on Celebrity on formal and semi-formal nights; however, there are other restaurants/buffets you can go to if you do not like to dress up. If these things appeal to you, it is definately worth the extra money to go on a Celebrity cruise...you will love it! Happy Cruising!

[kbt2]

We did Celebrity for our Alaskan Cruise and it was wonderful...in our early 30's at that time, we did not mid the "older" stigma crowd associated with Alaskan and/or Celebrity cruises. Was the best to date for us. So with that being said, no Celebrity does not have the hype and promenade etc...that RCI has...however for that type cruise we did not want that caribbean feel and on the RCI ships in Caribbean we are known by name in casino/disco on thoe type cruises, so love that atmosphere in Caribbean, intineraries vary...so think u should research and see what it is u actually wanted out of ur cruise for that intinerary.

[Janet524]

 

Doesn't RCCL own Celebrity? Are there BIG differences ? Will our Diamond status be honored on their ships. The cruise that we are looking at will be in August on their new shop Solstice.

 

Your opinions will help us make our decision. Thanks!

 

Yes RCI owns Celebrity. If you are a Diamond C&A member you will receive the equivalent status on Celebrity - Captain's Club Elite Status. When you make your reservation I believe you will have to request a corresponding Captain's Club membership number. We recently took a cruise on the Millineum and it was excellent. The food and service were exceptionally good. The stateroom was not quite as well laid out as RCI's. Also, the Captain's Club perks are nothing compared to the C&A perks. The coupon book was almost useless. But this is nothing that should deter you from trying Celebrity. We will most likely do it again.

[rubrrick]

I am very impressed with the layout of the Solstice Class ships. They have some wonderful public areas, and are more like the old class of ships rather than the "promenade" style, that we think is more Vegas than cruising. We have been on the Voyager Class and Freedom Class, and of all of the ships in the RCCL fleet, we enjoy the Radiance Class and the Vision Class the best.

 

As others have said........you simply need to prejoin the Captains Club, once you have booked and paid for your cruise, and as long as you are Platinum and above.......Celebrity will honor your rating with RCCL.

 

My DW and I have never had a bad experience on Celebrity. If the itinerary were right......we would not hesitate to book Celebrity again. We are Elite members with Celebrity, having 10 cruise credits with them, as well as Diamond + with RCCL.

 

If I had a choice between the Brilliance and the Solstice.........I would pick the one with the best itinerary........as the ships themselves are similar in many respects.

 

Just MHO. :D

 

Rick

[freshjive1479]

I am exactly the opposite. I have sailed on Celebrity the most with RCI the second. If I can't get on a Celebrity ship, Royal has become my "default" cruise line. I've attained Elite status with Captain's Club and was happy to find out that when I go on the Serenade on April 12 I am now a Diamond with RCI.

 

I really like both lines and think you will definitely be happy with Celebrity. The Solstice class promises to be innovative and while Celebrity's ships definitely have a different feel from RCI, the food and service is really wonderful.

[pmfan]

I think you will find that Celebrity is a step above Royal Caribbean. Enjoy your cruise ~ whichever one you decide one.:)

[lmmn]

I agree with the others. However, if you like nightlife, it will be hard to find on Celebrity. Some may consider it a notch above RCCL, but we found it to be a little dull for our liking.

[Sky Sweet]

Until recently Celebrity was my favorite cruise line.

 

However, for a variety of reasons we decided to take our upcoming Mediterranean Cruise on Brilliance of the Seas instead of a Celebrity Ship.

 

One factor in that decision was the number of recent reviews about maintenance issues on Celebrity Ships. Even though that opinion is not shared by everyone, I am concerned about all the negative comments about this problem from posters who discuss positives, as well as negatives in their reviews. At the same time, most of the positive comments about condition are coming from people who think every Celebrity Cruise is perfect.

 

I would suggest reading the Celebrity Boards to see both sides of this issue, and then deciding for yourself.

[GMoney]

Deno1 - I just had to make the same decision, as I want to go to Egypt for my 40th b-day. I'm doing a combo Eastern Med cruise + 5 day Nile river cruise. I reviewed itineraries with Alexandria for RCI, X, HAL and Princess, and quickly narrowed my choices to Brilliance and Equinox.

 

After some additional research, I chose Equinox, mostly due to the overnight in Alexandria. I feel that will allow me to maximize my time in Cairo and vicinity to see things I won't see on my Nile river cruise. Brilliance offers stops in Alexandria and Port Said, which is good, but just seemed a little more challenging logistically. I plan to overnight in a Cairo hotel and not go back to the ship.

 

I wasn't thrilled with the remaining ports on either cruise; maybe I will be pleasantly surprised.

 

While for me the cruise is all about the ports, the fact the Equinox will be brand new pushed me over the edge.

 

I think both are good choices, and it will be interesting to see what other more experienced folks have to say. I've sailed X before and it's very similar to RCI. I expect Solstice class to be a large Radiance class-type experience.

[polodad]

I'm about to go on my 2nd RCCL cruise, my wife has already been on 2. We've both been on Celebrity Century in the Carib & a 9 day Alaska cruise on Mercury.

 

We are an active couple in our 50's. We both loved Celebrity. The ships are gorgeous and the service fabulous. They do some nice things like greeting you on boarding with champagne or juice & carrying the women's trays at their version of Windjammer. The cuisine & service surpass RCCL. We think the entertainment is better on RCCL.

 

The kiss of death was that we had a problem on both of our Celebrity cruises with the actual port times delivered versus the published & scheduled port times.

We ran into several shortened port times such as St. Maarten & Skagway and we surmised that they weren't due to weather or unforseen circumstances. It appeared that Celebrity deliberately engages in misrepresenting scheduled port times as a selling point. Ultimately we couldn't live with that. Yes the ships are nice, yes the food is great, yes the service is super, but it is transportation & our limited time in Skagway was an important component in the trip.

 

So we migrated to RCCL. And actually we enjoy the activites and find the passenger age here a better fit for us. BUT I do miss the Celebrity waffle bar.

 

Have a great cruise & I would be willing to try Celebrity again, but DW won't.

[Deno1]

I appreciate this board so much! It really helps to hear the experience from other travelers! Over the years it has helped me make many good choices when it comes to cruising!

[NiniB]

Hello everyone,

 

We are about 1 month away from our first European cruise. While we are on the Navigator I was planning to book our next cruise. (April 20th, 2009 on Brilliance) that will have a stop in Alexandria Egypt. This is the port that we MOST want to explore.

 

Not so crazy about some of the ports on this 11 day cruise.

 

Someone mentioned to take a look to see what Celebrity offers. I did and I do like the 13 day itinerary better that stops in Alexandria - plus it offers 2 days there instead of 1.

 

We have only ever cruised RCCL - We are 1 cruise away from being Diamond. For those of you that have cruised both - what do you think.

 

Doesn't RCCL own Celebrity? Are there BIG differences ? Will our Diamond status be honored on their ships. The cruise that we are looking at will be in August on their new shop Solstice.

 

Your opinions will help us make our decision. Thanks!

 

I've only cruised Celebrity once, and LOVED it... Would cruise again & more often if the prices were more affordable for me.... I think you will enjoy.. :D

[Amlee]

Now you are going to be going on the newest ship that Celebrity has. Their won't be any reviews until it sails in Dec. I have found that each ship on Celebrity is different. From rules to games played.

 

The major differences for me is there is NO dinner buffets on Celebrity. They have pizza, pasta, and sushi(sp), also a sit down casual dinner. But your choices are limited, you have to make reservations, and the tipping is extra. There is also a specialty restaurant that is $30 for meal only.

 

Also the ship isn't as casual at night as RCI. It does state in their daily activities paper, that the attire for the ship after 6pm should follow the dining room requested attire. Yes, I have seen people turned away from the shows for not dressing on formal night.

 

You are going on a very port intense cruise. In this case I have found that the ship is more relaxed about things. If you have a long port day, you will have a very casual dining night.

 

Another thing and this has really became one of my favorites about Celebrity. On cruises such as the one your are looking at. For the nightly entertainment, they often bring in local entertainers just for that night.

[katiel53]

We have sailed on Celebrity 16 times, therefore, we became Elite with their rewards program. We automatically became Diamond when we sailed on Royal Caribbean. We are also 50 pluand love cruising.

 

Once we started sailing on RCI, we noticed how much fun their ships are compared to Celebrity. Celebrity does have better food, but they are far more formal. To make a long story short, we are now Diamond Plus on RCI and we had to do that by getting 24 credits on Royal Caribbean.

 

The perks are far better for RCI. Celebrity has next to nothing for it's Elite members compared to RCI. If it were me in your place, I'd sail one more time, whether short or your longer trip you are planning, on RCI to become Diamond. After that, then you would have Elite status on Celebrity, but until then you will be Select.

 

I know you have to decide which line is for you. To me, it would be worth the one more trip, as I said, even if a short cruise, to get to be Diamond on RCI. You can't transfer 1 credit from Celebrity to your 9 on RCI to be Diamond. I would suggest you look at the Captain's Club rewards and the Crown & Anchor rewards to see which would be best for you.

 

Geez, I have said far more than what you ever wanted to hear, but the bottom line is if you are going for the ports, do the one that has what you want. If you are going for benefits, then go on RCI. If all is equal, hey, think about what's important to you and I know you will make the right decision.

 

Enjoy.

[Amlee]

We have sailed on Celebrity 16 times, therefore, we became Elite with their rewards program. We automatically became Diamond when we sailed on Royal Caribbean. We are also 50 pluand love cruising.

 

Once we started sailing on RCI, we noticed how much fun their ships are compared to Celebrity. Celebrity does have better food, but they are far more formal. To make a long story short, we are now Diamond Plus on RCI and we had to do that by getting 24 credits on Royal Caribbean.

 

The perks are far better for RCI. Celebrity has next to nothing for it's Elite members compared to RCI. If it were me in your place, I'd sail one more time, whether short or your longer trip you are planning, on RCI to become Diamond. After that, then you would have Elite status on Celebrity, but until then you will be Select.

 

I know you have to decide which line is for you. To me, it would be worth the one more trip, as I said, even if a short cruise, to get to be Diamond on RCI. You can't transfer 1 credit from Celebrity to your 9 on RCI to be Diamond. I would suggest you look at the Captain's Club rewards and the Crown & Anchor rewards to see which would be best for you.

 

Geez, I have said far more than what you ever wanted to hear, but the bottom line is if you are going for the ports, do the one that has what you want. If you are going for benefits, then go on RCI. If all is equal, hey, think about what's important to you and I know you will make the right decision.

 

Enjoy.

 

The Celebrity "perks" sucks eggs. A coupon book that really isn't worth snot and a little bitty thing of chocolate. It's sad really.

[Funcouple]

Royal Caribbean owns Celebrity.

 

The Celebrity "Brand" is different than the Royal Caribbean "Brand". As with all cruise companies there are variations from ship to ship within their fleet yet the overall "Brand" or "Product" is usually consistent from ship to ship within a company (or cruiseline).

 

Royal Caribbean is great at what they do and offer, Celebrity is also great at what they do and offer.

 

Celebrity tends to offer a bit of more "refined" cruise experience over Royal Caribbean. Royal tends to be more of a "hoopla" and casual type of atmosphere within a beautiful setting. On Celebrity you'll find beautiful teak wood in the public restrooms with stalls all the way to the floor. You'll also find rolled up cloth wash cloths in the public restrooms. Linen placemats on your tray in the buffet. The food is a step up in the gourmet end. The sushi bar is a nice plus on Celebrity. The stateroom attendant tends to be more refined on Celebrity. A lot of these things are subtle, but more obvious to the person who cruises a lot on premium brand cruises.

[GMoney]

Celebrity tends to offer a bit of more "refined" cruise experience over Royal Caribbean. Royal tends to be more of a "hoopla" and casual type of atmosphere within a beautiful setting. On Celebrity you'll find beautiful teak wood in the public restrooms with stalls all the way to the floor. You'll also find rolled up cloth wash cloths in the public restrooms. Linen placemats on your tray in the buffet. The food is a step up in the gourmet end. The sushi bar is a nice plus on Celebrity. The stateroom attendant tends to be more refined on Celebrity. A lot of these things are subtle, but more obvious to the person who cruises a lot on premium brand cruises.

 

I'm sorry, but these statements just makes me laugh. Your "premium" cruise line is a mass market cruise line, just like RCI, Princess and HAL. Please help me understand what it means to have a "more refined" stateroom attendant. And while I agree the food on X is a tad better than RCI, it is hardly "gourmet." And at the end of the day, the fact that X public restrooms have stall walls down to the floor doesn't factor into the enjoyment of my cruise at all. :)

[Nancynurse]

We are Celebrity cruisers who are headed to RCI for our first cruises in May. So I can't compare the two. However I have to say that I was thrilled to hear of the decent perks that RCI has. Celebrity perks aren't anything to speak of, but the food ad service are great. Whatever you decide, I hope you have a great cruise.

 

Nancy

[Angelmom828]

Celebrity is more upscale and formal. Service is a notch better in our experience and little details nicer that add up to a lot of nice touches. However, Royal Caribbean has more of the "Wow" factor. When you board a Voyager class ship, you look around and say "Wow!". We love the Promenade and many activity choices. Royal Caribbean in our experience has better entertainment and activities but Celebrity has better food and service. If you prefer the itinerary on Celebrity go for it.