Okie Cruiser

As a general rule - I don't see a downside to either.  

DJ Vince ~
The answers to questions such as yours are really subjective.  We started cruising in 2007 when we were in our......'s - let's just say we were younger.  🙂  Sailed mainly on Carnival and RCCL but have sailed two cruises on the Equinox and one on the Reflection.  We were on Carnival this past May, will be on the first sailing of the Allure out of Galveston on Nov 13th, will be on the Beyond B2B  this coming Feb, and are booked on Carnival's Jubilee in Jan 2024 so it is obvious that we feel each line has it's own merits that entice us to sail with them.   Were I still in my 20's and enjoyed all the non-stop activities on an Oasis class ship, I might think twice about X.  They are very good at what they do but it is definitely a more subdued environment.  We have had difficulties with the "shore based" administrative X staff but have never had anything but a great experience on board.  I guess, bottom line, you might want to try a seven day cruise on X and make your own decision.  I will have to say that after 33 cruises, the "worst one" we have been on was still Wonderful!!    Good luck - but you really can't go wrong.  

We had a B2B booked for last year in a specific cabin - one we had experienced before and really liked.  Less than a week before sailing X moved us to a cabin, in the same category, that was non-standard, small, and in a very undesirable (in our opinion) location.  We contacted X and they would not consider any alternate cabin.  Unacceptable customer service.  We cancelled both cruises - obtained FCC and rebooked B2B on the Beyond this coming Feb.  We are hoping to get through that cruise and then I am doubtful that we will return to X.  It is a real shame as we thought we had found our new favorite cruise line.  I guess it will be back to RCCL.  We will be on the Allure for the first cruise out of Galveston and hopefully that will go well.  

We had a B2B booked for last year in a specific cabin - one we had experienced before and really liked.  Less than a week before sailing X moved us to a cabin, in the same category, that was non-standard, small, and in a very undesirable (in our opinion) location.  We contacted X and they would not consider any alternate cabin.  Unacceptable customer service.  We cancelled both cruises - obtained FCC and rebooked B2B on the Beyond this coming Feb.  We are hoping to get through that cruise and then I am doubtful that we will return to X.  It is a real shame as we thought we had found our new favorite cruise line.  I guess it will be back to RCCL.  We will be on the Allure for the first cruise out of Galveston and hopefully that will go well.  

Don't know about the Luminae dining room but we saw no difference in dress in the MDR between Royal and X. People wear what they want to on both. There is no real dress code on either anymore.  We had dinner one of the specialty dining rooms to celebrate a wedding anniversary. The middle aged guy at the next table was in shorts, t-shirt and flip flops.🙄

In general, Celebrity has no toys.    Royal does.

For those of who are trying to decide between Celebrity and Royal, I'd like to give a comparison.

I was on Radiance Of the Seas in June and Celebrity Infinity in July.  My comparison is based on these two ships.

First,  both ships were built in 2000 and are almost exactly the same size. Both are gas turbine vessels, so very smooth and no soot. Both are well maintained and both are waiting for their amplification.

Now for the differences.

Radiance is much brighter and, imo, prettier. It has tons of glass and a beautiful centrum.

Infinity tries for a more subtle, sophisticated feel. There's a surprising amount of wood and stainless steel. There's no centrum,  but there is a grand staircase.

I can't make a meaningful comparison of the rooms. On Radiance,  I had an interior. On Infinity, I had an amazing oversized balcony. (Room 8166. If you ever have the chance,  stay in this room.  You won't be disappointed)

When it comes to food, Celebrity prides themselves as a food and wine cruise line. Royal does not. My first impression of Infinity's buffet was that it is an upgrade over Royal. This was especially evident in the desserts.  As the cruise went on, I found that the buffet didn't change much day to day and was exactly the same between lunch and dinner.

Royal changes the buffet menu for each meal. It isn't as good,  but the variety is better.

The main dining room is nice on both ships. Royal's menus are pretty standard fleet wide. They're good, and I know what I want each day.

Infinity had different menus.  I don't know if they are standard fleet wide or not, but they are different than Royal's.

The food was good, not great, on both ships.

I need to stop here and bring up the elephant in the room.  Many cruise lines are having staffing issues. I suspect that's why service in the mdr on Infinity was so slow. It didn't help when our waiter fell ill and another waiter had to do double duty. Everything was slow and lukewarm. YMMV

As far as sports facilities, Radiance has rock climbing, putt putt golf, sport court, kids pool with a slide.

Infinity has a sport court.

The solarium is different on the ships. Radiance has a jungle motif that's fun. A hot tub, and a normal pool.

Infinity has two hot tubs and a thalassotherapy pool. Don't know what that means? I didn't either.  It is a very warm saltwater pool with two benches where you laid down like a recliner. There were bubblers under the bench so it was like a hot tub with bubbles from head to toe. Heavenly!

Entertainment was excellent on both ships,  Radiance only had shows in the main theater 5 nights. Infinity had 7. This may change as they continue to ramp up operations.

I'm going to finish up with some random observations.

1. Royal makes you check out and return pool towels. Celebrity gives them out freely
2. Royal has a dispenser in the shower for shampoo/body wash.  It isn't very good. Celebrity gives you hotel size toiletries. They include shampoo,  conditioner and body wash
3. While both ships have kids clubs, Infinity is clearly built for an older crowd

I don't think you can go wrong on either ship. However, if you are traveling with anyone under 30, they'll appreciate the extra sport facilities.