RCCL vs CELEBRITY

[FManke]

For those that have cruised both cruise lines, what do you find are the main differences between the two?

[Sweety]

Celebrity has more mature clients. I love both, but when I need to unwind it's celebrity.

[twangster]

Royal is geared to appeal to families across the spectrum from the young to the young at heart.  There is always a lot going on around a Royal ship.  Royal also trends to larger ships where Celebrity operates a smaller fleet.  You won't find any Quantum or Oasis class sized ships in the Celebrity fleet.  

Celebrity is more an adult cruise line, more refined but not in the luxury high end market.  No bumper cars, zip lines, ice skating rinks, water slides, sky pads, laser tag, flowriders, iFly indoor sky diving, etc. on Celebrity.  

That's not to say kids are not welcome on Celebrity but there isn't the space and activities dedicated to them like there is on Royal so you tend to see fewer kids on Celebrity.  It won't be zero kids but not as many as Royal. 

I enjoy Royal even if I don't do all the activities because it keeps me young.  Celebrity is there for me if I ever grow up and mature.  

[JLMoran]

I would also say that Celebrity tends a little bit more toward longer itineraries that visit more exotic locales. I think this will become more pronounced as Royal's older ships in the fleet (Vision and Radiance class) age out and get sold off without same / similarly sized replacements, but that's still at least 5 to 10 years out.

Example right here in the US -- Royal has regular 5-day sailings to just Bermuda, where Celebrity has the same itinerary go for 7 days (3 nights in Bermuda instead of 1). Celebrity also has other itineraries that do an overnight in Bermuda coupled with a port stop in Newport, RI and Boston, MA; or the two-night stay in Bermuda with a stop in South Carolina. In the Caribbean, Celebrity regularly goes to ports like Antigua or Barbados that Royal seldom visits.

[FManke]

9 hours ago, Sweety said:

Celebrity has more mature clients. I love both, but when I need to unwind it's celebrity.

I'm not sure about that. It seemed like we were in the youngest 40% of the ship and we're in our 50's. Could have been the itinerary though, New England/Canada in Oct.

[JLMoran]

14 minutes ago, FManke said:

I'm not sure about that. It seemed like we were in the youngest 40% of the ship and we're in our 50's. Could have been the itinerary though, New England/Canada in Oct.

Well, for sure you have fewer young parents in their 30s and early 40s with their kids on X. I would guess the lower bound is mostly upper 40s but starting to trend more towards mid- and lower 40s as Celebrity continues to work towards expanding their customer base.

[monctonguy]

I did a short 3 day Celebrity cruise to Bahamas...so its not the "normal" type Celebrity cruise and it was a heck of  a deal...but we found it to be just as "active" as Royal with possibly one of our most fun evening ever at a silent disco(which seem to be hit or miss with Royal)

 

I would say lots there in there 40's and late 30's for sure....not what we were expecting..but not a normal sample cruise either I am sure.

[Boston Babe]

I've been on 3 RC and 3 Celebrity this past 18 months.  I love both. We are on the "Mature" side, but both lines are great. I really can't say which I prefer over the other.  We have a great time on both. We are more laid back, like to read, go to Casino.  If you are looking for more "adult" time, go with Celebrity.

[FManke]

6 minutes ago, Boston Babe said:

I've been on 3 RC and 3 Celebrity this past 18 months.  I love both. We are on the "Mature" side, but both lines are great. I really can't say which I prefer over the other.  We have a great time on both. We are more laid back, like to read, go to Casino.  If you are looking for more "adult" time, go with Celebrity.

We are on the "mature" side ourselves. Not so much an age thing, more from an activities point of view. Relaxing, swimming, long walks around the ship. That's good with us. No need for ziplines, bumper cars, etc for us.  That combined with our choice of ports, would dictate our choice of cruises and cruise lines.

[Boston Babe]

1 hour ago, FManke said:

Relaxing, swimming, long walks around the ship. That's good with us

Celebrity!!  I've had nothing but great experiences with them, great food, staff, etc!!

[Orange Crush]

I've been curious about X for a while, I'll probably book a short one in the not too distant future to see for ourselves how it compares to Royal.  "More mature/Less kiddie" sounds like it could be appealing, but we've never felt like a Royal ship was overrun by children or catering to families in a way that took anything away from our experience.  Although, I am curious how people feel the food, service & entertainment compares between the two lines.

[AGSLC5]

Just thought I would share my opinion. I am 32 and I really like celebrity.. Sure its a more relaxed environment but I don't mind.. I find the food to be much better than Royal. I also find the beds more comfortable than Royal.. Also I am a gambler and I like that their casinos are totally NON SMOKING. This really is a plus for me.. They have the old style shows but I am ok with that. I know what I am getting when I go on celebrity. I like to mix it up I like Royal for certain trips and celebrity for certain trips.. But I don't think only old people have to go on it.. True I don't see many children but like I said I am in my early 30's and really enjoy it. I really suggest it for such places like Europe, Alaska, O Canada New England because they are more port intensive so less need for the extras that Royal provides.. 

[mom2mybugs]

At what point does it make sense to sail celebrity with using royal loyalty level?  In other words, I'm trying to figure out how to have a better level on celebrity.  Does it matter below diamond on royal?  It won't dictate my choice, but I'm curious.  Also I'm confused on aquaclass... Is this like star class? Are they suites?   Jane

[twangster]

10 hours ago, mom2mybugs said:

At what point does it make sense to sail celebrity with using royal loyalty level?  In other words, I'm trying to figure out how to have a better level on celebrity.  Does it matter below diamond on royal?  It won't dictate my choice, but I'm curious.  Also I'm confused on aquaclass... Is this like star class? Are they suites?   Jane

Aquaclass is not like Star Class at all.  More like a slightly better balcony cabin with access to the spa and a speciality restaurant (Blu) for meals.

Celebrity classes do not map to Royal directly.  There is no Star Class equivalent with a Genie for example.  Celebrity's Sky Class entry level suite is much better than Junior Suites but not quite a full Grand Suite experience.   Sky Suites on Celebrity have a dedicated suite restaurant on all ships, not just newer ships like with Sky Class and Coastal Kitchen on Royal.  Aqua and Concierge class have no equivalent on Royal.  Completely different approach.

A lot of people come to the conclusion that Diamond matching to Elite in Captain's Club makes for the best bang.

It stops there so climbing higher doesn't net you anything.  

https://www.celebritycruises.com/ca/captains-club/tiers-and-benefits

[mom2mybugs]

37 minutes ago, twangster said:

Aquaclass is not like Star Class at all.  More like a slightly better balcony cabin with access to the spa and a speciality restaurant (Blu) for meals.

Celebrity classes do not map to Royal directly.  There is no Star Class equivalent with a Genie for example.  Celebrity's Sky Class entry level suite is much better than Junior Suites but not quite a full Grand Suite experience.   Sky Suites on Celebrity have a dedicated suite restaurant on all ships, not just newer ships like with Sky Class and Coastal Kitchen on Royal.  Aqua and Concierge class have no equivalent on Royal.  Completely different approach.

A lot of people come to the conclusion that Diamond matching to Elite in Captain's Club makes for the best bang.

It stops there so climbing higher doesn't net you anything.  

https://www.celebritycruises.com/ca/captains-club/tiers-and-benefits

Thank you twangster... This was really helpful!!!   Jane

[JLMoran]

The other big difference between Royal's and Celebrity's loyalty plans is how the points are earned. Royal is a simple 1 point per night, 2 points for suites or solo. Celebrity scales the points based on the room level (all point values x2 if traveling solo):

• Inside and Ocean View = 2 points per night
• Verandah = 3 points per night
• Concierge or Aqua class = 5 points per night
• Sky Suite = 8 points per night
• Higher suites = 12 per night (18 for the two highest suite classes)

Between that and the much larger number of points to reach each level in X, it's almost certainly better / more cost effective if you've already got some loyalty build-up with Royal to just get to Diamond, then start sailing X regularly. You can get to Diamond on Royal by sailing 80 nights in an Inside cabin, 40 nights if you sailed solo; whereas reaching Elite on X would take 150 nights in Inside cabins (75 if solo), or if you book only Verandah rooms you can do it in 100 nights (50 if solo). Of course, if you're a "high roller" when it comes to cabins and you never settle for less than Concierge class, you can get there in "just" 60 nights; but I shudder to think how much more you may have paid to get that rapid rise.

[KathyC]

We waited until we reached Diamond before sailing Celebrity, and we'll be in Aquaclass.  For us, booking Aquaclass was more about Blu, the dedicated specialty restaurant, than any other reason.  We got an amazing resident rate which made it affordable, I don't know how often we'll be able to do it unless we get a good deal.  I'd rather cruise more in smaller cabins, than cruise less for the more points per night. 

[twangster]

55 minutes ago, KathyC said:

 We got an amazing resident rate which made it affordable, 

Another difference... Celebrity does tend to offer resident rates more than Royal.  Definitely take the time to enter your state when looking at rates on Celebrity.

[JLMoran]

16 hours ago, KathyC said:

We got an amazing resident rate which made it affordable, I don't know how often we'll be able to do it unless we get a good deal.

15 hours ago, twangster said:

Another difference... Celebrity does tend to offer resident rates more than Royal.  Definitely take the time to enter your state when looking at rates on Celebrity.

And one more difference -- While Celebrity has an upgrade bid option like Royal, I've gotten confirmation from multiple individuals that even relatively recent sailings that were under this program saw somewhat high levels of last-minute cancellations that opened up cabins at or just after final payment. I would wager that this is in large part because unlike Royal, Celebrity continues to allow suite bookings with refundable deposits. For sure those same posters noted that they often make multiple bookings for the same time period and then cancel all but one or two that they decide will be the ones they actually want to take.

Assuming his holds, and I don't see why it won't as long as Celebrity continues its current policies, you can still watch for the possibility of cabin upgrades at reasonable prices post-final payment, even without using the bidding system.

For sure, I'm looking for one of those opportunities when my Iceland & Greenland sailing gets closer. Would love to move from two inside cabins to a Family Veranda that sleeps four. Just for the space and nicer accommodations.

[FManke]

On 6/25/2019 at 11:57 AM, JLMoran said:

The other big difference between Royal's and Celebrity's loyalty plans is how the points are earned. Royal is a simple 1 point per night, 2 points for suites or solo. Celebrity scales the points based on the room level (all point values x2 if traveling solo):

• Inside and Ocean View = 2 points per night
• Verandah = 3 points per night
• Concierge or Aqua class = 5 points per night
• Sky Suite = 8 points per night
• Higher suites = 12 per night (18 for the two highest suite classes)

Between that and the much larger number of points to reach each level in X, it's almost certainly better / more cost effective if you've already got some loyalty build-up with Royal to just get to Diamond, then start sailing X regularly. You can get to Diamond on Royal by sailing 80 nights in an Inside cabin, 40 nights if you sailed solo; whereas reaching Elite on X would take 150 nights in Inside cabins (75 if solo), or if you book only Verandah rooms you can do it in 100 nights (50 if solo). Of course, if you're a "high roller" when it comes to cabins and you never settle for less than Concierge class, you can get there in "just" 60 nights; but I shudder to think how much more you may have paid to get that rapid rise.

Once again, here comes the math! 

[JLMoran]

3 hours ago, FManke said:

Once again, here comes the math! 

Yup. But when that math can save me thousands of dollars in cruising fares to hit those benefit levels, it's good math! 

[monctonguy]

On ‎6‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 11:03 PM, twangster said:

Another difference... Celebrity does tend to offer resident rates more than Royal.  Definitely take the time to enter your state when looking at rates on Celebrity.

Agreed...much better offers with Celebrity based on resident rates than ever with Royal....not sure I have ever even seen one with Royal tbh.

[JLMoran]

1 hour ago, monctonguy said:

Agreed...much better offers with Celebrity based on resident rates than ever with Royal....not sure I have ever even seen one with Royal tbh.

I'm getting resident discounts right now as part of the current pricing on my Anthem sailing to Bermuda this October: For a balcony room at least, it's a $130 discount off the NRD list price, and $101 off refundable.

They only started showing about a month ago, and final payment is in a couple more weeks. And even with those discounts the pricing is still above what I paid at original booking. But they're definitely there, although that's the first time I've seen it. (also the first time I've actively looked for them)

[twangster]

13 hours ago, JLMoran said:

I'm getting resident discounts right now as part of the current pricing on my Anthem sailing to Bermuda this October: For a balcony room at least, it's a $130 discount off the NRD list price, and $101 off refundable.

They only started showing about a month ago, and final payment is in a couple more weeks. And even with those discounts the pricing is still above what I paid at original booking. But they're definitely there, although that's the first time I've seen it. (also the first time I've actively looked for them)

Florida resident more frequently get resident rates.  You'll never see them in NJ (for a Florida based cruise) just as I won't in CO.  Bayonne benefits NJ residents with rates that that FL residents won't see - on Royal.

The difference with Celebrity is that Celebrity still throws a bone to folks like me who don't live in a state with a cruise port.  Royal doesn't, not very often.  

[mworkman]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

Florida resident more frequently get resident rates.  You'll never see them in NJ (for a Florida based cruise) just as I won't in CO.  Bayonne benefits NJ residents with rates that that FL residents won't see - on Royal.

The difference with Celebrity is that Celebrity still throws a bone to folks like me who don't live in a state with a cruise port.  Royal doesn't, not very often.  

Isn't that the truth, i haven't seen resident or military rates on any of my sailings with Royal.

[twangster]

I've never understood the concept of rewarding folks who don't have to fly to a cruise. 

I have to buy a plane ticket to cruise so therefore I and not eligible for cruise fare discounts.  How does that make sense? 

I have flexible travel plans, Southwest offers reasonable airfares under 90 days yet I am penalized because I have to fly.  

Why should someone who can drive to the cruise port get a discount?  

Celebrity seems to be on the same page as me, Royal not so much.  

[mworkman]

I might see myself cruising more with Celebrity in the not so distant future, especially when longer cruises tend to be our thing.  @twangster As much as i hate to say it, i believe you are correct in saying the smaller (Radiance Class ships) would be transferred out of Royals fleet to make room for the bigger ships and now Perfect Day Island trips. The writing is on the wall and i refused to see it! 

[FManke]

1 hour ago, mworkman said:

I might see myself cruising more with Celebrity in the not so distant future, especially when longer cruises tend to be our thing.  @twangster As much as i hate to say it, i believe you are correct in saying the smaller (Radiance Class ships) would be transferred out of Royals fleet to make room for the bigger ships and now Perfect Day Island trips. The writing is on the wall and i refused to see it! 

If RC does decide to eliminate their smaller ships, as long as there is a want or need for smaller ships, somebody will continue to offer them. Each company will just have to decide what direction they want to go. I hope there will always be a place for smaller ships. As the ships get larger, they lose a lot of their charm in my book. They just start to lose their "ship shape" and just start to look like a hotel affixed to a hull. Just my opinion.

[twangster]

1 hour ago, FManke said:

If RC does decide to eliminate their smaller ships, as long as there is a want or need for smaller ships, somebody will continue to offer them. Each company will just have to decide what direction they want to go. I hope there will always be a place for smaller ships. As the ships get larger, they lose a lot of their charm in my book. They just start to lose their "ship shape" and just start to look like a hotel affixed to a hull. Just my opinion.

Azamara with just three smaller ships is worth considering for exotic itineraries.  

Empress is going to Tortola a few times now which is appealing.  I’ve picked a handful of Majesty and Empress sailings because the rates are pretty great right now.  

Celebrity is pumping out Edge class ships but there’s a lot to be said for their smaller ships where there are still suite restaurants just like the newer and bigger ships. 

The reality is as ships grow older it’s doesn't make sense to continue operating them.  For Royal a new ship build is going to be big, mega big.  The rest of the RCCL is not as focused on big. 

[YOLO]

So if twangster is correct, I should occasionally see discounted rates for cruises out of the Boston terminal since I live in MA.  I'll have to look...

[twangster]

29 minutes ago, YOLO said:

So if twangster is correct, I should occasionally see discounted rates for cruises out of the Boston terminal since I live in MA.  I'll have to look...

It all depends.  If sales are strong don't spend a lot of time looking...

[JLMoran]

2 minutes ago, twangster said:

It all depends.  If sales are strong don't spend a lot of time looking...

Exhibit A -- The Iceland & Greenland TA that's sailing out of NJ isn't offering bupkis for resident discounts as the ship is nearly sold out over a year ahead of sail date.

EDIT -- Also wanted to note that if you want the included perks on a room, then don't look at resident rates either; IIRC, those rates are generally rock-bottom pricing that exclude perks. Pinging @KathyC who I recall got a resident rate a while back, just to confirm that.

[monorailmedic]

42 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

EDIT -- Also wanted to note that if you want the included perks on a room, then don't look at resident rates either; IIRC, those rates are generally rock-bottom pricing that exclude perks. Pinging @KathyC who I recall got a resident rate a while back, just to confirm that.

I can't say for certain that this is the case every time, but in general, cruise lines (not just X) tend to strip OBC or other incentives for resident rates and other discounted fares.  It's another reason it's important to compare apples to apples when looking at prices.

[YOLO]

Good point.  I like to try to boil down my rate to a per person per day calculation (apples to apples).  When I do I always add in all the perks like OBC to be consistent.  Also, I have been excluding gratuities, pre paid or otherwise.  I probably should reconsider that though.  It's nice to be under $100 per person per day for an inside.  Of course other room categories will be more.  Usually I find that Celebrity runs a bit higher than Royal.  Sorry, getting off topic with this...

[ChessE4]

On 6/25/2019 at 8:55 AM, twangster said:

Aquaclass is not like Star Class at all.  More like a slightly better balcony cabin with access to the spa and a speciality restaurant (Blu) for meals.

Celebrity classes do not map to Royal directly.  There is no Star Class equivalent with a Genie for example.  Celebrity's Sky Class entry level suite is much better than Junior Suites but not quite a full Grand Suite experience.   Sky Suites on Celebrity have a dedicated suite restaurant on all ships, not just newer ships like with Sky Class and Coastal Kitchen on Royal.  Aqua and Concierge class have no equivalent on Royal.  Completely different approach.

A lot of people come to the conclusion that Diamond matching to Elite in Captain's Club makes for the best bang.

It stops there so climbing higher doesn't net you anything.  

https://www.celebritycruises.com/ca/captains-club/tiers-and-benefits

I believe this has changed.  When I checked Celebrity's website last week, they had new tiers and additional benefits for D+ and Pinnacle equivalents. 

[KathyC]

4 hours ago, JLMoran said:

Exhibit A -- The Iceland & Greenland TA that's sailing out of NJ isn't offering bupkis for resident discounts as the ship is nearly sold out over a year ahead of sail date.

EDIT -- Also wanted to note that if you want the included perks on a room, then don't look at resident rates either; IIRC, those rates are generally rock-bottom pricing that exclude perks. Pinging @KathyC who I recall got a resident rate a while back, just to confirm that.

 

4 hours ago, monorailmedic said:

I can't say for certain that this is the case every time, but in general, cruise lines (not just X) tend to strip OBC or other incentives for resident rates and other discounted fares.  It's another reason it's important to compare apples to apples when looking at prices.

In our case, there was no perks for the resident rate.  It was also $25 deposit at the time, and our resident rate was refundable.   A few months after the killer rate we got, they offered another, higher, rate that did include 3 perks.  But it was non-refundable, and the new rate was double our old one.  If you wanted a refundable rate, it was the same higher price but no perks.  Needless to say, I kept  my cheap resident rate.

[JLMoran]

1 hour ago, ChessE4 said:

I believe this has changed.  When I checked Celebrity's website last week, they had new tiers and additional benefits for D+ and Pinnacle equivalents. 

Where you looking on their website? Here's the full verbiage from the Captains Club "How to Enroll" page, which lines up with the table @twangster posted earlier (bold red added by me for emphasis / clarity):

Quote

Reciprocity Between Brands

Equivalent recognition is one of the benefits of being a Captain's Club, Crown & Anchor Society and/or Le Club Voyage loyalty member. It offers loyalty members the opportunity to receive recognition and similar Celebrity benefits with matching tier status–both pre-cruise and onboard–when sailing with one of the three brands. Members of one loyalty program must enroll in a sister program in order to receive equivalent recognition benefits.

Points on Celebrity and Azamara are earned cumulatively in both loyalty programs. For example, 20 Club Points earned on a Celebrity sailing will be reflected as 20 points in both Celebrity's and Azamara's loyalty programs. The total Club Points for the member will reflect all qualified points earned.

Points earned on Royal Caribbean are earned only for the Royal Caribbean loyalty program. Points of each loyalty program cannot be added together. Points are calculated using the applicable brand's program level accrual system.

 

The following program levels are equivalent for loyalty program recognition purposes:

• Preview
  • Azamara LeClub Voyage: Preview
• Classic
  • Azamara LeClub Voyage: Adventurer
• Select
  • Azamara LeClub Voyage: Explorer
  • Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor Society: Platinum
• Elite
  • Azamara LeClub Voyage: Discoverer
  • Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor Society: Diamond
• Elite Plus
  • Azamara LeClub Voyage: Discoverer Plus
  • Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor Society: Diamond
• Zenith
  • Azamara LeClub Voyage: Discoverer Platinum
  • Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor Society: Diamond

 

[ChessE4]

I saw the Elite Plus and Zenith on the page I viewed.  There was nothing on the page that stated Diamond was equal to Zenith or Elite Plus.

https://www.celebritycruises.com/captains-club/tiers-and-benefits

The reciprocity table you reviewed above wasn't on the above page.

1 hour ago, JLMoran said:

Where you looking on their website? Here's the full verbiage from the Captains Club "How to Enroll" page, which lines up with the table @twangster posted earlier (bold red added by me for emphasis / clarity):

 

 I am not disputing the new information provided above, but I think the original table was confusing  because it omitted Elite Plus and Zenith, which clearly exist at Celebrity.

[JLMoran]

11 hours ago, ChessE4 said:

I am not disputing the new information provided above, but I think the original table was confusing  because it omitted Elite Plus and Zenith, which clearly exist at Celebrity.

Agreed that the policy and how it’s presented can be confusing. At its core, X will treat you as Elite level in Captain’s Club if you’re Diamond, D+, or Pinnacle in C&A. And Royal will consider you Diamond level if you are Elite, E+, or Zenith in C&A. Neither matches the levels 1:1 (although it would be nice if they did!)

[twangster]

11 hours ago, ChessE4 said:

I saw the Elite Plus and Zenith on the page I viewed.  There was nothing on the page that stated Diamond was equal to Zenith or Elite Plus.

https://www.celebritycruises.com/captains-club/tiers-and-benefits

The reciprocity table you reviewed above wasn't on the above page.

 I am not disputing the new information provided above, but I think the original table was confusing  because it omitted Elite Plus and Zenith, which clearly exist at Celebrity.

The chart above is for Royal C&A members sailing on Celebrity and was in response to that exact scenario:

       At what point does it make sense to sail celebrity with using royal loyalty level? 

The chart doesn't compare the two loyalty programs, just the status recognized for Royal cruisers while on Celebrity.

Does Captain's club have moire levels?  Sure.  In terms of status recognition for Royal C&A members though it doesn't matter.  Status recognition stops at Elite level benefits. 

If a Diamond member cruises on Celebrity they get Elite benefits.  

If a Diamond Plus member cruises on Celebrity they get Elite benefits.  Diamond Plus do not get Elite Plus benefits.

If a Pinnacle member cruises on Celebrity they get Elite benefits.  Pinnacle do not get Zenith benefits.