Which is for us Celebrity or RCC?
Apr 10th, 2003, 12:34 AM
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Which is for us Celebrity or RCC?
My husband and I (in our 30's) are well traveled and thinking of trying a cruise for a change of pace. My question is what is best for us? We have decided on the Carribean (we live in Italy).<BR>We usually stay in 4-5 star hotels and like to enjoy the services of a nice hotel. We also love nightlife (discos and bars), good restaurants, and day activities. I'd like to have a relaxed atmosphere with a lot of fun.<BR>Has anyone cruised both of these lines? I'm afraid that Celebrity (which seems more elegant) might be stiff or with an older crowd. But I don't want to be partying all night with the 18 y.o's like it's spring break. <BR>I'd appreciate some advice please. Thanks, Melissa
Apr 10th, 2003, 05:21 AM
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Melissa, I have cruised both lines but it was about 10 years ago when I was younger and still single ( in my late 30's at the time). Personally, I liked Celebrity better..Oh, I just forgot that we went on Celebrity in 1999 ( now I am married,, went with extended family). I found Celebrity to be a bit more classy with much better food than RCC. It was a bit on the staid side.. but don't forget when I did RCC I was single and looking for the more wild stuff. I think it's a tough call for you... I think it may also depend on the individual cruise . Even if it's older folks ( by that I mean 40 and 50s.) and they are a fun crowd then the disco could be hopping. Other times it could be dead by midnight. I also think that regardless of the ship, you need to find a group of people on board whom you would like to spend time with and then make your own fun.
Apr 10th, 2003, 06:45 AM
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Hi Melissa, I have sailed with Celebrity twice through work. I am only 25, but did find it quite nice. The food is amazing. The night life was lacking though. It is elegant and does cater to an older crowd. The next time I cruise I want to go on RCL.
Apr 10th, 2003, 07:55 AM
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Forget RCI...I was so underwhelmed by the Brilliance of the Seas that I would try Celebrity if there was a choice..meanwhile I will go run back to NCL where I have found service that is not indifferent, less than mediocre entertainment and food that was extremely disappointing..
Apr 11th, 2003, 10:49 AM
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Great question, but it is a very easy answer. You will like Royal Caribbean better. I have sailed 15 times and it is my experience (I am 30) that the Celebrity ships attract older crowds. We sailed on Celebrity�s Century and we joked that there must be a requirement that everyone is a century old! Just kidding. But we couldn�t believe how different the atmosphere was from RCCL. First off, Celebrity is proud to not have any public address announcements. So, you can sit out by the pool and not have a clue of any activities that are going on. This is nice if you want quiet. Carnival is the complete opposite and they have announcements that there is a belly-flop contest or whatever by the other pool. It gets people involved.<BR><BR>Carnival and RCCL are generally known as the cruiselines that are for more active people (hence the basketball court, rock-climbing wall, roller blading and ice skating areas available on the RCCL ships). Most all ships have the standard ping-pong, bingo and shuffleboard and the latter two are usually attended by the older crowd and will get plenty of use on the Celebrity ships.<BR><BR>As for dancing � all ships have a disco. The question you should be asking is how often is it used? RCCL and Carnival often have their discos packed. Celebrity often is very quiet after 11 pm because 80% of the passengers are sleeping.<BR><BR>These are my experiences and I am sure that there are exceptions. Of course there will be more 18 year-olds on RCCL and Carnival because those lines are more �family friendly� than Celebrity, so it is a trade-off. If you don't want to see kids at all, then avoid the summer and spring break seasons. <BR><BR>To me the main difference is this: Celebrity is for older people who like gourmet food, relaxing and quiet. Carnival and RCCL are for younger people who don�t particularly expect the fancy garnishings around their meals, but want plenty of high intensity activities. <BR><BR>I think that there is plenty posted about the quality of the food and no matter what others say, there is nothing �bad� about the food served on RCCL or Carnival. It may not be as fancy, but both Carnival and RCCL offer fancy dining at an additional $20 per person in a fancy restaurant.<BR>
Apr 13th, 2003, 05:50 PM
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Melissa1,<BR>You might want to also consider Princess. I think it fits nicely between RCI (younger, more party/active type crowd) and Celebrity (probably better food but likely older and a little more sedate crowd). Princess has nice, understated and classy ships, with a broad range of activities for all ages. I'm in my 30's and have always found active, younger people on my Princess cruises. The service on the ships is also great; the employees truly seem to care. If you want ice skating and rock climbing walls though, RCI is your only option.<BR>
Apr 14th, 2003, 01:47 PM
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Celebrity definitely better than RCL. If you can stay in a suite with butler service and a verandah you would probably enjoy the experience more on Celebrity. The new Zuiderdam of Holland America is livlier than other HAL ships and a Category S suite offers ammenities and concierge services and concierge level lounge that would make you feel more like you're in a 4 or 5 star hotel. We just booked a Zuiderdam cruise in a CAT S.
Apr 15th, 2003, 08:53 PM
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Thank you everyone. I'm now rethinking Celebrity, because we are disco people, and would be disappointed to find it dead at night. This is a big deciding factor. Sounds too old for us.<BR>I'll look again at RCCL and Princess too. Thanks!<BR>Melissa
Apr 16th, 2003, 08:15 AM
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We just got back from a 10 day cruise on the Celebrity Summit. We are a child-free couple in our mid 40's. We love gambling, playing games by the pool, hanging out on the deck 10 aft bar during their awesome happy hour, and just general mingling with all the friends we made through cruise critic. We are NOT the dance/disco type, however, we did pop our heads in a couple of different nights and there was plenty of action. They had theme nights like 50's-60's sock hop, latin salsa, and big band. It was packed each time we checked it out. The karaoke and piano bars were generally dead at night but the casino was always hopping until at least 1am. I have never been on an RCL cruise but my hubby has....he said the food, service and overall cruise experience were far below that of Celebrity. We like Princess too, but I still think Celebrity has the edge over them. Princess always seems to have lots of families, which is a turn off for us. Hope this helps you make up your mind.
