jacketwatch

I am intrigued by Celeb. Anyone care to comment on the food quality?

mels

I cruised the Horizon to Bermuda and and the food was good. I was not looking for 5 star on a cruise ship either. I was on the Monarch of the Seas with Royal and the food and menu in my opinion were very similar. Good on both with similar menus and service. As for the menu I thought Escargot, filet mignon and lobster were pretty standard items on all cruise ships. Andy, how can everything can be salty ???
My friend just got back from the Princess Dawn and did not like the food or ship. She has gone on many RCCL and loved all of them. She has heard good things regarding Celebrity so that will be her next cruise. As far as Celebrity, RCCL & Princess in my opinion we are comparing apples to apples.

jacketwatch

To Mels: We had nothing like that on RC unfortunately and this was a Med. cruise. One night I think there was prime rib, no lobster at all and once our son got a tough sirloin.

davison

I've cruised RC and Carnival each once. RC had a much nicer ship, but Carnival food was superior, and seemed to have a more lively atmosphere.

andy

mels--Celebrity had very good food...French Chef-Michel Roux-does the menu...but the Best Celebrity ship that we were on was the Century...

I,too, do not like the huge mega liners as the dining rooms are sooooooooooo huge, that the poor waiters have to levels plus the kitchen level to get you your food-sometimes it comes hot,sometimes not....and you never wanted to send anything back as the wait for it's replacement was horrendous....

We are trying the Summit in the spring and hope it is good..

We just did the Princess ( Golden) and the food was terrific...Yes, steak,prime rib,french onion soup,escargot,salmon,lobster--multitude of assortments..But we have had these SAME assortments on all of our Celebrity cruises also..I think PRINCESS does better desserts, but that is my opinion...


As to HOW RCL had so many dishes with SALT....hmmmmmmmmmm, NO idea..all I can say is it was horrid....

I have friends who went on a Costa Cruise and compared it to the worst food ever--even the steaks and her husband normally eats anything....

So I have no idea how a cruise line could mess up so horrendously..all I know is my last 4 cruises were on Celebrity and the very latest on Princess...

Celebrity also has SPA cuisine in a separate dining area by their spa pool that was OUT of this world..DIET but NOT tasting like diet..Hard to describe, but I wished they did DINNER in that area--but alas, Only Lunch...

mels

Well I did book the Serenade of the Sea's RCCL for April. Went into cruise critic and this trip received
excellent ratings and reviews. Most recent Jan. 4. I was going to try the "Golden " as well but wanted the Southern Caribbean ports.
My friend that just returned from the Princess "Dawn" thought the food was not that great, however others on the trip did like it. We all have different tastes.

simpsonc510

Andy,

"we all have different tastes"

That's exactly right. Yes, we do! Isn't that what makes the world so wonderful and interesting? I learn from listening to others, here on this board for example, but in the long run, I prefer to get out there and experience something for myself and form my own opinion. And then I'll happily share it.

Wish I were on a nice cruise right now, as we are expecting some freezing rain later today, yuk!

Carol

daisee

My travel agent said that Carnival spends more $$ per passenger than RCL on food-if that helps.

esd

I wonder if the $'s per person takes into account the nightly midnight buffet that Carnival has. I think there was just one on the 2 RCCL cruises we've been on. I think the quality on both these lines is about equal...good.

sidsammy

I've never been on Royal Carribean, but I have friends, who have traveled with RC numerous times and just love it. That's why they keep on returning. I've been on both Carnival (2x) and Celebrity once. My experience was great on all three cruises. In 2001, I was on the Destiny, which was 5 years old at the time, and on Celebrity's Infinity, which was practically brand new. Both ships were very nice, but I think overall, I liked the Destiny better in the public areas. But then again the Infinity had some public areas that topped the Destiny. One nice thing about Celebrity is they don't have those blaring PA announcements telling you what's happening all of the time. Celebrity is supposed to be known for its food. It was very good, but the Destiny's food was better (in my opinion). I would travel with either cruise line again. In fact, I'm booked on the Destiny in February. I hope someday to try Royal Carribean. Or Princess, etc. Each line has its followers!!! I'd like to follow them all.

mlinkinhoker

We've always preferred the food on RCCL but haven't done Carnival as I have never had one person I know say they liked it. But we have always had excellent waiters on RCCL who catered to our every need - child, husband on Adkins diet (even though he didn't have a clue - we explained and he did excellent job taking care of our needs) Always had lobster, steaks, and they have always been willing to bring an additional lobster for my hubby who LOVES lobster.

actran

What is "cruise critic" ?

andy

Cruise Critic is another CRUISE WEBSITE:

http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/O...mp;s=927093444

also Cruise-Addict is another great cruise link:

http://www.cruise-addicts.com/forums/list.php?f=1

These are way more busy than the FODORS cruise boards...Go look...you will love them!

Michigangal

Aerowing:
We have cruised twice on Carnival, twice on Royal Caribbean, and once each on Celebrity & Princess. We wanted to try out different cruise lines to get a feel for each one. We are by no means "experts", but I can give you my humble opinion (we are in our early 40's). We received excellent service on all 4 cruise lines. No complaints. We were very satisfied with the food on all 4 cruise lines. Each offered a nice variety of entrees, special soups, and desserts. With regard to cabin size, we chose the cheapest cabins on both our Carnival cruises, which were much roomier than the other 3 cruise lines. So, if you are purchasing the smallest cabin, but like to have more elbow room, then Carnival might be your best bet. With regard to meeting other people in our age group and getting together to enjoy the nightlife, Celebrity was our favorite, with Royal Caribbean coming in second. Carnival did a nice job, but it seemed like there were more 20-somethings and retirees than passengers in our age group. Our Princess cruise was the most "reserved", with what appeared to be a quieter crowd.

At several ports of call, we got a group of people together, and rented a cab driver with a van for several hours, and had him/her drive us around the island, stopping wherever we asked him/her to. We've done this in St. Thomas, Barbados, Aruba, Martinique, St. Maarten, Antiqua, Dominica, and Grenada. We would negotiate the price BEFORE leaving the pier, and split it equally between us, adding on a generous tip at the end. Usually we had 8 or 10 people in the group. On other islands, we've purchased shore excursions (both ship-sponsored and privately) and have had good luck with both.

For cabin size and layout (including virtual tours), you can check all of this out on several different websites.

I think you would have great time on the Destiny; but if you're planning to cruise again in the future, you might want to try out another cruise line, which will give you a basis for comparison. Hope this is helpful...happy sailing!

globeguy

It has always been said on the ships of RCCL that if you are in your cabin and need to change your mind you need to go out in the hallway as the room is simply too small.

mels

I have been on both RCCL & Celebrity
and I agree with you Michigangal. Both were so similar. As far as the cabin size if I was looking for a large room
with all the amenities of a 4 & 5 star
I would not have booked a cruise.

truth

I have only been on RCCL 2 times. Both experiences were fun. The ships are beautiful and well maintained. I have been on Carnival 5 times. The food is much better, IMO the employees are friendlier, and most importantly, the guests are friendlier. I am in my mid 30's and found tha a lot of people on the ships were around that age, too. Both cruiselines are fun and worth the money, but if I am choosing for the "fun" aspect, I would choose the Carnival.

Aerowing

Well we decided to book a cruise on the Carnival Destiny after all the reply's. wer'e booking an inside cabin since wer'e never in the room anyway. Thanks everyone for all the great advice!

jacketwatch

Bon Voyage! We took that ship last summer. I Think you'll do fine.

bandit4267

You wont be dissappointed. We did the destiny in 2001 and it was our favorite cruise. Dont know where your from but check the airlines for flights instead of going through carnival as there are some very good prices out there right now. The airport code for San Juan is SJU. Have a great trip. OH yeah, some other poster was right definately rent a 4x on aruba. And stop at baby beach to snorkel.