Should I stick with Celebrity or try RCI????

[micmacmissy]

Haven't been on a cruise since 1999. Went on Celebrity and really loved it.

But, the new RCI ships look pretty cool....will I miss the food and service we were so impressed with on Celebrity?

We are doing a 7-day Caribbean...and the prices between the two are basically equal.

Any opinions? Thanks for helping us make our decision!

[blueliner]

Originally Posted by micmacmissy

Haven't been on a cruise since 1999. Went on Celebrity and really loved it.

But, the new RCI ships look pretty cool....will I miss the food and service we were so impressed with on Celebrity?

We are doing a 7-day Caribbean...and the prices between the two are basically equal.

Any opinions? Thanks for helping us make our decision!

The food quality probably won't be the same as it was on Celebrity, but you'll find the same great service level. If your looking for gourmet food and elegance with great service, go for the Celebrity. If your looking for good, but not gourmet, food and great service on an very active ship and full of activities, go for the RCCL.

Look at me, I've only cruised on RCCL and now I'm going to give Carnival a try! Never hurts to expand your cruising horizons!

[hcat]

you'd have to give more info abt what you liked abt Celeb--some things are not the same--like the clientele, dress(no sleeveles shirts for men on celeb) , poolside activity or lack therof (Celeb). We cruise both but to give you a better idea--what are you looking for?

[micmacmissy]

Originally Posted by hcat

you'd have to give more info abt what you liked abt Celeb--some things are not the same--like the clientele, dress(no sleeveles shirts for men on celeb) , poolside activity or lack therof (Celeb). We cruise both but to give you a better idea--what are you looking for?

I definitely don't want to see men in tank tops during a nice dinner! We felt very comfortable on Celebrity, and I liked how relaxing it was. I liked the fact that the crowds weren't loud or rowdy, and it wasn't a glitzy, party-type atmosphere. I don't need or like to witness belly flop contests by the pool.

But the new RCI ships are very appealing!

[Donna]

What Celebrity ship and what Royal Caribbean ship are you looking at doing?

[Scottsdale Cruiser]

I would stick to Celebrity than. If you don't want a "party atmosphere". stay away from Carnival and RCCL. However, you may want to try NCL. We went on a NCL cruise last month and the "party atmosphere" was not there at all(something I personally missed).

Enjoy your cruise!!

[skymaster]

IMO it depends on the cruise! On any given cruise the atmosphere can be totally different, depending on the passengers aboard. I've sailed Carnival when the clubs shut down at midnight, and the same ship a month later when they NEVER shut down, and they had to run the people out of the clubs at the crack of dawn.
Give all the lines a shot. RCI is a great cruise, IMO, and yes, I too have really, really enjoyed Celebrity.
The only line that is consistantly a "snoozer" is Holland American. They shut everything down at 11 P.M.
Also, give Princess a go. We've had some Great cruises aboard that line, and the food is excellent too. (Not as good as Celebrity formally was)
We've only sailed Celebrity once since the change of executive chef's, but the food was still very good then.

See you aboard,

Ken

[AllyGirl13]

By all means try them all!!

[Dave the Wave]

I don't need or like to witness belly flop contests by the pool.

And what is wrong with belly flop contests

[thecruisequeen]

what is a cruise if there is no belly flop

I was on celebrity mercury everything shut down early. It was pretty much 70+. One nite the show was a violinist the next nite a pianist. Two helicopter airlifts that week (heart attacks). One of the few in the lobby at 10pm was my mother sitting in a corner doing her usual 10pm routine praying her rosary beads.

This cruise was in the month of March. However my sister always sails on celebrity and loves them. But she also cruises in the summer months and easter week.

If it is watching someone being airlifted on celebrity or dancing the nite away at Boleros on RCCL it is still a vacation away from the everyday routine. I have a good time no matter where I go!

Have fun no matter what line you decide on!!!

8) 8) 8)

[micmacmissy]

Cruisequeen-

We sailed on the Mercury and loved it-- we were in our late 20's then and didn't feel out of place at all, it was spring break season though.

I notice you have sailed on the Freedom, and that is one of the ships we are considering (also the RCI Adventure). How did you like the ship? Will we feel too crowded on it? That is one of my concerns...I don't like huge crowds, buffet lines, etc. I'm impatient, I guess, but one of the things I liked about Celebrity was, we never felt crowded (except for the safety drill!)

I am wondering how well they disperse the crowds on the big RCI ships, and if it's possible to find some quiet spots during the day!

Thanks!

[thecruisequeen]

I really did not feel crowded on the freedom. The only time I had to wait in line for anything was for the flowrider (surfing). That wait can be long upto 20 minutes. However never had a line at the buffet or shows. getting in and out of the ship and tendering on port days was quick. and of course on sea days you have to reserve your pool chair early otherwise you won't have a chair. (but this is problem on alot of ships even smaller ones have where people are reserving chairs by 10:00am.)

adventurer and freedom are pretty much the same layout. freedom of course alittle bigger and has flowrider.

I would give a RCCL mega ship a try I think you will like it. I guess on the Mercury I picked a popular week with the older folks to cruise. I would cruise Celebrity again but in the summer months.
my sister has cruised on rccl/princess/celebrity/carnival. The one cruise she always talks about is Celebrity Millenium. She also cruised Adventurer and had a great time.

You can't go wrong with RCCL or Celebrity.

[misguidedangel]

Try Carnival, they are the best bang for the buck and it is fun, fun fun. I would consider going on a RCI ship, but then when I look at what there is to do, I think, no, I'll stick with Carnival. I do not like climbing--so rock climbing wall is no good. I don't skate, or want to-so skating ring is useless. I don't surf, nor do I want to-ergo the flowrider is no use to me. I think the ships are beautiful,but many of the feature activities wouldn't be what I want to do. A co-worker has been on RCI (Southern route out of San Juan) and told me about it and it seems that what they do is very similar to Carnival, only you pay more, a lot more. I compared prices and the same cabin I had on the Carnival Victory would have costed $400 more on any RCI ship.

I've heard good things about Celebrity from another cooworker who's husband won the trip. They loved it, but they hadn't been on any other cruise to compare it.

[thecruisequeen]

CELEBRITY AND RCCL WILL END UP COSTING MORE. CARNIVAL IS CHEAPER.

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR IN LIFE.