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Comparison between Celebrity and Royal


steverk

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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.

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This was an awesome comparison. Just about as "apples to apples" as you could get. Thank you for posting this, @steverk!

Are there are other folks here in the forum who have sailed similarly comparable ships, and could give similar reports on the differences and your experiences on each? I think there are really only two other comparisons like this that could be made:

  • Voyager class on Royal vs Solstice class on Celebrity
    • I'm pretty sure the Solstice class is most comparable to Voyager class in size and capacity, but if Freedom class on Royal is the better comparison...
  • Quantum class on Royal vs Edge class on Celebrity
    • The few reports I've read about Edge, Apex, and Beyond all clearly show that their designs took strong influences from Royal's Q class; but are they simply "Quantum plus" in amenities and activities, or are they a more significant step up?
    • So far, Q class on Royal has been our favorite; I feel like if I wanted to get my wife to try X, starting with an Edge class ship might be the best route (even if their itineraries are a lot more limited)
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On 7/9/2022 at 3:25 PM, JLMoran said:

Are there are other folks here in the forum who have sailed similarly comparable ships, and could give similar reports on the differences and your experiences on each? I think there are really only two other comparisons like this that could be made:

  • Voyager class on Royal vs Solstice class on Celebrity
    • I'm pretty sure the Solstice class is most comparable to Voyager class in size and capacity, but if Freedom class on Royal is the better comparison...
  • Quantum class on Royal vs Edge class on Celebrity
    • The few reports I've read about Edge, Apex, and Beyond all clearly show that their designs took strong influences from Royal's Q class; but are they simply "Quantum plus" in amenities and activities, or are they a more significant step up?
    • So far, Q class on Royal has been our favorite; I feel like if I wanted to get my wife to try X, starting with an Edge class ship might be the best route (even if their itineraries are a lot more limited)

 

Voyager and Solstice classes are so very different though, even from a ship hardware POV.  Not sure you can really compare the two.

I agree about Radiance vs Millenium class and Quantum vs Edge though.  Quantum class and Edge class were even built by the same shipyard.  But they are still pretty different.  The "infinite balcony" cabins on that class are either "love it" or "hate it".

What do you and your wife like most about the Quantum class ships?

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have been on multiple of both cruise lines and the way I explain the difference is...

  • Royal is where you want to play with toys and do things
  • Celebrity is where you want to relax and enjoy shows and events

 

  • Royal is where you want to take your kids and have fun
  • Celebrity is where you want to avoid the kids and enjoy peace and quiet

 

  • Royal (Symphony) has old ladies on the wall when men are going to the bathroom
  • Celebrity gives you riddles on the wall when men are going to the bathroom
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  • 1 month later...

Ignoring everything else and just looking at price for adults who get the alcoholic beverage package, isn’t Celebrity cheaper with “Always Included?” You’d have to account for the included gratuities. Even throwing Internet in for free, it seems Celebrity is cheaper. I’m sure with kids sail free Royal comes out ahead but not everyone sails with kids. Maybe it’s just me since I can only get the rates on the public website.

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2 hours ago, mistertomatohead said:

Ignoring everything else and just looking at price for adults who get the alcoholic beverage package, isn’t Celebrity cheaper with “Always Included?” You’d have to account for the included gratuities. Even throwing Internet in for free, it seems Celebrity is cheaper. I’m sure with kids sail free Royal comes out ahead but not everyone sails with kids. Maybe it’s just me since I can only get the rates on the public website.

We have sailed on both in the past years. I don't think that there is any question that Celebrity is about 15-20% more expensive on a cost/person/day basis. 

Having said that and qualifying my response as coming from someone  who travels almost exclusively on the "Dark Side" i.e. in a Suite, the intangibles like not feeling nickeled and dimed forever and the level of personal service has directed us more and more to the X. 

Please note that this is personal to my wife and me. 

We have another Royal cruise on the books because we will be travelling with my siblings +spouses. The price for an equivalent Canada/New England cruise made the difference to them.

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On 8/24/2022 at 8:19 AM, mistertomatohead said:

Ignoring everything else and just looking at price for adults who get the alcoholic beverage package, isn’t Celebrity cheaper with “Always Included?” You’d have to account for the included gratuities. Even throwing Internet in for free, it seems Celebrity is cheaper. I’m sure with kids sail free Royal comes out ahead but not everyone sails with kids. Maybe it’s just me since I can only get the rates on the public website.

I am Elite in Celebrity due to my D+ status with Royal.  My Constellation cruise in July was booked with the “always included” (drinks, WiFi, gratuities). I didn’t do my research as I was joining a relative who was already booked and clicked “buy”.
my cruise was a European cruise.  I could have lived without the WiFi onboard and just used my phone plan while in port for less $. Also how much alcohol can you drink when you’ve been out for 7-10 hours in the heat and have to do the same the next day?   Elite status entitled me to free drinks during happy hour at select bars.  The casino offered free drinks every night “as long as you are actively playing”.   It would have been cheaper for me to not do the “always included”. I did however have a large amount of OBC due to a promotion. So my difference wasn’t as great.  so long story (sorry) short, I think the package included to be considered valuable would depend on the sailing and your status level. 
 

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There so are many variables/dimensions to compare.   You have to find an apples to apples comparison.   Need to pick similar ship classes, pick similar itineraries at same time of year,  pick fares at the same cost basis (inside, outside, balcony etc)  so you can evaluate the "value" contained within each dollar.   Things can get skewed with loyalty levels because they offer different perks. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

We've done three X cruises and 1 RCL cruise in the last year. The X cruises this year were on the Summit twice and the Equinox. The Royal cruise in December was on the Oasis.

Previous X cruises were on the Equinox and Constellation. Previous RCL were the Explorer, Freedom (twice), Oasis, Allure (twice). Majesty & Empress

The first Summit cruise this year was a charter (Rock and Romance cruise in Feb), the food and service were so-so but we had a great time, non stop music.  We did the 12 night Equinox in April and the service and food decent and what we expected from X based on past experience.  A

Just got off the Summit, a 12 night Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia to Boston cruise. Service was slow/bad, food was marginal (i.e overcooked, under cooked and/or cold). Menu's were exactly the same as the February cruise and the April cruise. No variation.  Service and food was so bad this time in the MDR that we actually walked out and ate in the Oceanview cafe (OC) 4 times until we finally switched to the 8 pm seating where we actually got waited on. One of the supervisors (maitre d'?) tried to placate us one night with "free" wine (we had a premium drink package).  We originally had 6:30 reservations.  Overall it was the worse food and service ever on an X cruise.

As was pointed out, the OC pretty much has the same food every night regardless of the ship it was hit or miss.  Our experience with RCL is that the Windjammer has different theme nights. When we were on Allure once they had a seafood night with mounds of clams, lobster, fish, mussels, crayfish etc. It was the same night as lobster night in the MDR.  They didn't have that on the other Allure cruise which was about 6 months later.  I think RCL caters more to the Windjammer since more people/families eat there than at the Oceanview on X. There we very few food choices and consequently few people in the OC (at least in the evening) when we were forced to eat there.

Our cruise on the Oasis last December was pretty good, food was better than we remembered from prior to covid. We did eat dinner in the Windjammer by choice a couple times just to try it. But to be fair the ship was half full. Tend to get better service and food with fewer people around..

We had wifi and the premium drink package as part of our recent Summit cruise. They were out of many of the high end liquors and beers. Couldn't get half the stuff on their booze and beer list.  We had the basic drink package on the Equinox. No drink package on the Oasis last december we're Diamond.

Both Summit cruises were in an interior cabin which were fine. We had booked a interior (we don't spend much time in our cabin so interiors work fine for us) on our Equinox cruise but was bumped up to a balcony when they shut down deck 3 which we booked on. We were given a deck 9 balcony, it was very nice.  I don't know if it was because of maintenance issues or lack of passengers and they just decided to upgrade us.  The ship was half full/empty.

Bathroom amenities were basically the same. The Summit and Equinox both had soap/shampoo dispensers in the shower as do the Royal ships.

We are back to Royal  on the Explorer the end of this November (ocean view) because we found a cheap 8 nighter. And the Serenade, ocean view cabin next Feb simply because we found a cheap 7 day to get out of the cold weather in the north where we live.  It will be our first time on a Radiance class ship so that should be interesting.

We tend to like the vibe on X and switch between the two based on itinerary. Based on recent trips on X we may end up going back to Royal. Just so much more to do and food choices are greate at least on the Oasis and Freedom class ships although menus are the same between X and RCI.  We'll see what the Radiance class has to offer.

 I don't think there is any doubt that food and service have declined on cruise ships since they began pushing specialty $ dining and suite perks.   I also think X is focusing on the Edge class ships and neglecting the lesser classes at least the Millennium class ships.  You just aren't going to feel special on a cruise anymore unless you are willing to pay up for it.

Having said all that, every cruise is different depending on the ship, time of the year, itinerary and how long you go. You pays your money, you takes your chances and as they say... Your mileage may vary.

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On 7/23/2022 at 11:32 PM, Traveling Mike said:

I have been on multiple of both cruise lines and the way I explain the difference is...

  • Royal is where you want to play with toys and do things
  • Celebrity is where you want to relax and enjoy shows and events

 

  • Royal is where you want to take your kids and have fun
  • Celebrity is where you want to avoid the kids and enjoy peace and quiet

 

  • Royal (Symphony) has old ladies on the wall when men are going to the bathroom
  • Celebrity gives you riddles on the wall when men are going to the bathroom

A  great summary - ready for Powerpoint

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Do people make more of an effort to dress in business causal (or better) during the non formal nights in the MDR and specialty restaurants on Celebrity versus Royal?  What about formal nights?  Is the manner of dress commensurate with the expected dress code?  The same questions apply to Luminae dining room.

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On 8/26/2022 at 11:19 PM, Pattycruise said:

I am Elite in Celebrity due to my D+ status with Royal.  My Constellation cruise in July was booked with the “always included” (drinks, WiFi, gratuities). I didn’t do my research as I was joining a relative who was already booked and clicked “buy”.
my cruise was a European cruise.  I could have lived without the WiFi onboard and just used my phone plan while in port for less $. Also how much alcohol can you drink when you’ve been out for 7-10 hours in the heat and have to do the same the next day?   Elite status entitled me to free drinks during happy hour at select bars.  The casino offered free drinks every night “as long as you are actively playing”.   It would have been cheaper for me to not do the “always included”. I did however have a large amount of OBC due to a promotion. So my difference wasn’t as great.  so long story (sorry) short, I think the package included to be considered valuable would depend on the sailing and your status level. 
 

How does the Celebrity casino program work compared to Club Royale?  I am diamond plus signature status and want to switch it up to Celebrity EDGE class as the food, ambiance, less kids, appeals to me.  Royal has been disappointing  with food and entertainment in my last 6 cruises this year. 

 

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On 9/9/2022 at 9:57 AM, Toby said:

Do people make more of an effort to dress in business causal (or better) during the non formal nights in the MDR and specialty restaurants on Celebrity versus Royal?  What about formal nights?  Is the manner of dress commensurate with the expected dress code?  The same questions apply to Luminae dining room.

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.🙄

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11 hours ago, Eddy said:

How does the Celebrity casino program work compared to Club Royale?  I am diamond plus signature status and want to switch it up to Celebrity EDGE class as the food, ambiance, less kids, appeals to me.  Royal has been disappointing  with food and entertainment in my last 6 cruises this year. 

 

Your casino  level does not carry over.  Hubby did not bring cash so he paid the fee to get $ at the table.  We later asked at the cashier about getting money free of charge-he was able to get $200 via the cashier at no charge to a voucher and he had to play 10% on the slots before he could cash out.....(or something like that).

There is no website with Celebrity for their casino.  I did not gamble a lot.  My guess is Europse, which is where we sailed from,  is not a gambling itinerary-the casino was DEAD, with maybe 4 people at 3 card after 10:30 at night.....lots of idle time for the dealers, the slot machines were not being utilized much either.  They had a lot of hours of "free drinks while you play" every night...for the classic alcohol only. 
You need to call Celebrity casino to get updates as to whether or not you earned comps/or anything.  I can't even imagine dealing with that, I did not spend a lot to make it worth my time to call them.

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2 hours ago, mac66 said:

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.🙄

We were on a European cruise in July/August and my husband was turned away from the MDR for wearing Bermuda shorts.    When we inquired as to other restrictions I recall him saying no flip flops.  I do not recall if they forbade anything else.  Perhaps if the cruise was in the US the standards would be different?

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9 hours ago, Pattycruise said:

We were on a European cruise in July/August and my husband was turned away from the MDR for wearing Bermuda shorts.    When we inquired as to other restrictions I recall him saying no flip flops.  I do not recall if they forbade anything else.  Perhaps if the cruise was in the US the standards would be different?

I suppose it depends somewhat on the circumstances. We sailed one time and they lost our luggage. We went to dinner that night in shorts and a t-shirt. Our luggage was lost for 3 days until it finally showed up. We switched between stuff in our carry-ons but went to the Oceanview cafe the next two nights.

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On 9/9/2022 at 8:57 AM, Toby said:

Do people make more of an effort to dress in business causal (or better) during the non formal nights in the MDR and specialty restaurants on Celebrity versus Royal?  What about formal nights?  Is the manner of dress commensurate with the expected dress code?  The same questions apply to Luminae dining room.

As was mentioned earlier, I didn't see any evidence that dress code is enforced on either line.

However, my wife always comments that she feels underdressed on Celebrity but not on Royal.  We're pretty casual cruisers.  I usually wear a button down shirt and nice jeans or Dockers to dinner.  If it is formal night, I'll throw on a tie, but no jacket.

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On 9/6/2022 at 2:33 PM, mac66 said:

We are back to Royal (Serenade, ocean view cabin) next Feb simply because we found a cheap 7 day to get out of the cold weather in the north where we live.  It will be our first time on a Radiance class ship so that should be interesting.

I think you'll enjoy Radiance class ships.  They have fewer toys than most Royal ships.  Therefore, they attract an older crowd and feel much more like Celebrity.

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  • 1 month later...
On 7/13/2022 at 7:33 PM, karl_nj said:

What do you and your wife like most about the Quantum class ships?

Sorry, Karl. I only just saw this question to me.

We loved loved loved the Solarium on Q class. The fact that it's fully enclosed and therefore usable when we're taking a colder-weather sailing late in the year is just fantastic. The design of it is great, too, with multiple hot tubs, a tiered set of shallow pools for relaxing when a hot tub is too much, and a shallow (few-inch depth) pool with lounge chairs makes for a really flexible use of the space depending on what you want that day.

I also really liked the Music Hall space with its live bands, which is different from the live performers in the pub or Boleros, and the space with pool tables above it. Playing pool at sea is an interesting experience, especially when the tables aren't gimbal-balanced like the ones on Radiance class ships that I've heard about. 😄

The Coastal Kitchen is also a great space, as it's fully available to JS guests at dinner time (vs O-class ships, where from what I've heard you have to beg permission each night). The CK was amazing, and the food served there really is a cut above the MDR and I would argue better than any specialty restaurant on board.

But the surprise hit for us was the Two Seventy Lounge and cafe. That became our go-to breakfast place; while the food isn't big on variety there, it's an amazing space to enjoy breakfast each morning while watching the wake through the massive aft windows, and no-one seems to know it's a thing they can do. It's always empty, and became our private "nook" for breakfast and a quiet morning every sea day.

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On 8/24/2022 at 7:19 AM, mistertomatohead said:

Ignoring everything else and just looking at price for adults who get the alcoholic beverage package, isn’t Celebrity cheaper with “Always Included?” You’d have to account for the included gratuities. Even throwing Internet in for free, it seems Celebrity is cheaper. I’m sure with kids sail free Royal comes out ahead but not everyone sails with kids. Maybe it’s just me since I can only get the rates on the public website.

 

I always get Beverage packages and wifi, and Celebrity pricing has moved into being in the same ballpark or a little cheaper (especially when a solo room is available on Edge class).  Isn't always the case, but it is worth a look each time.  Royal seems to be getting strong pricing traction lately, so it brings other lines in.  I went on Princess in Alaska this year (switched from Quantum when the itineraries were changing with the engine issues) and these days you get can Princess with drinks and wifi and all included for less than just the room on Royal many times.  

On 9/9/2022 at 8:57 AM, Toby said:

Do people make more of an effort to dress in business causal (or better) during the non formal nights in the MDR and specialty restaurants on Celebrity versus Royal?  What about formal nights?  Is the manner of dress commensurate with the expected dress code?  The same questions apply to Luminae dining room.

I have found it similar.  I dress on both.  Celebrity's descriptions doesn't use "formal" it uses "evening chic."  Seems both are going towards whatever you feel nice in is fine with us.

9 hours ago, JLMoran said:

Sorry, Karl. I only just saw this question to me.

We loved loved loved the Solarium on Q class. The fact that it's fully enclosed and therefore usable when we're taking a colder-weather sailing late in the year is just fantastic. The design of it is great, too, with multiple hot tubs, a tiered set of shallow pools for relaxing when a hot tub is too much, and a shallow (few-inch depth) pool with lounge chairs makes for a really flexible use of the space depending on what you want that day.

I also really liked the Music Hall space with its live bands, which is different from the live performers in the pub or Boleros, and the space with pool tables above it. Playing pool at sea is an interesting experience, especially when the tables aren't gimbal-balanced like the ones on Radiance class ships that I've heard about. 😄

The Coastal Kitchen is also a great space, as it's fully available to JS guests at dinner time (vs O-class ships, where from what I've heard you have to beg permission each night). The CK was amazing, and the food served there really is a cut above the MDR and I would argue better than any specialty restaurant on board.

But the surprise hit for us was the Two Seventy Lounge and cafe. That became our go-to breakfast place; while the food isn't big on variety there, it's an amazing space to enjoy breakfast each morning while watching the wake through the massive aft windows, and no-one seems to know it's a thing they can do. It's always empty, and became our private "nook" for breakfast and a quiet morning every sea day.

Never been on Quantum class, but there are alot of comparable.  Edge is smaller (so is beyond which is stretched). Around 2500-3000 people instead of 4500.  

But they are still large, similar to a voyager class in size.  But design elements are similar to some of Quantum class features.  Edge class Solarium is very nice (I believe all Celebrity solariums are fully enclosed).  There isn't tiered pools, but a nice center pool and hot tubs etc.  Very relaxing place.  Steps from the main pool area as well.  

Edge has the Club, which is a similar vibe.  Usually more DJs and such over live band though, as it is a bit smaller stage area.  No Pool tables sadly.

Luminae on supposed to be great (I haven't tried it).  I enjoyed changing restaurants on Edge class with the four dining restaurants.  Similar to how Quantum was built, but Celebrity kept the change in place and still has four distinct themes.

On Edge, to replace 270, there is Eden.  Eden is really cool with the plant and jungle feel (but not tacky).  If you go to the very back of Eden, there is a ton of seating space with massive windows overlooking the back of the ship.  There is also the Eden Cafe right there, with sandwiches etc available.  

On 7/13/2022 at 6:33 PM, karl_nj said:

 

Voyager and Solstice classes are so very different though, even from a ship hardware POV.  Not sure you can really compare the two.

I agree about Radiance vs Millenium class and Quantum vs Edge though.  Quantum class and Edge class were even built by the same shipyard.  But they are still pretty different.  The "infinite balcony" cabins on that class are either "love it" or "hate it".

What do you and your wife like most about the Quantum class ships?

  Quantum and Edge have some similar spaces, but are sized pretty different.  Quantum is around 160000-165000, with something like 4500 passengers.  Edge is around 129000 tons with around 2500-3000 people. Edge class is built at Chantiers in France, Quantum class from Meyer Werft in Germany.  

That said, Millennium Class and Radiance class are very similar sized and likely have a lot of the same platform underneath the passenger facing areas.

 

 

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42 minutes ago, Plumlee2028 said:

  Quantum and Edge have some similar spaces, but are sized pretty different.  Quantum is around 160000-165000, with something like 4500 passengers.  Edge is around 129000 tons with around 2500-3000 people. Edge class is built at Chantiers in France, Quantum class from Meyer Werft in Germany.  

 

Ah yes, you are correct.  For some reason I though both were built at Meyer Werft in Germany.  Must have confused Edge with a different ship.

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19 hours ago, JLMoran said:

We loved loved loved the Solarium on Q class. The fact that it's fully enclosed and therefore usable when we're taking a colder-weather sailing late in the year is just fantastic. The design of it is great, too, with multiple hot tubs, a tiered set of shallow pools for relaxing when a hot tub is too much, and a shallow (few-inch depth) pool with lounge chairs makes for a really flexible use of the space depending on what you want that day.

Yes, I would agree with you there.  I think Quantum class has the best solarium out of any cruise ship, on any cruise line.  Especially for sailing out of a cold weather port. I also love how they also have a separate indoor pool that is open to younger passengers (less of an issue for you.)

I'm not sure any of the Solariums on Celebrity are as nice.

19 hours ago, JLMoran said:

I also really liked the Music Hall space with its live bands, which is different from the live performers in the pub or Boleros, and the space with pool tables above it. Playing pool at sea is an interesting experience, especially when the tables aren't gimbal-balanced like the ones on Radiance class ships that I've heard about. 😄

Music Hall is also a great venue on Quantum class ships.  On Oasis class ships they rebranded a different space as Music Hall, but it doesn't work as well as it does on Quantum Class ships.

Since Celebrity Edge is a smaller ship, they have fewer bars onboard.  Quantum class ships have the Pub, Boleros, Schooner Bar, Music Hall (each with a different musical perfomer/band), Vintages.  Plus a bar at Two70, Casino Bar, Bionic Bar.  Edge really has 2-3 indoor bars... the big Martini Bar in the middle and Eden in the back.  There is also a bar in "The Club" but it didn't seem like much was going on there.  If you want a drink and to listen to a live performer, you pretty much only have 2 options.

19 hours ago, JLMoran said:

The Coastal Kitchen is also a great space, as it's fully available to JS guests at dinner time (vs O-class ships, where from what I've heard you have to beg permission each night). The CK was amazing, and the food served there really is a cut above the MDR and I would argue better than any specialty restaurant on board.

Sounds great! When I had my JS on Anthem, we were traveling with others that were not in a JS, so we didn't try CK.

Celebrity does have some cabin classes that include a 'special' dining room.  There is a suite restaurant, but there is also a dining room for Aquaclass guests, which are just balcony cabins that cost a little more.

19 hours ago, JLMoran said:

But the surprise hit for us was the Two Seventy Lounge and cafe. That became our go-to breakfast place; while the food isn't big on variety there, it's an amazing space to enjoy breakfast each morning while watching the wake through the massive aft windows, and no-one seems to know it's a thing they can do. It's always empty, and became our private "nook" for breakfast and a quiet morning every sea day.

Yes, I totally agree that breakfast in Two70 on Anthem is wonderful.  Even if sometimes they don't heat though the breakfast sandwiches as much as they should.  The view (and it being pretty empty) makes up for it.  I'm planning on having breakfast there often next week when i'm on Anthem!

They have something similar in Eden on Edge, but it didn't seem quite the same to me.

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On 10/31/2022 at 4:28 PM, karl_nj said:

Yes, I would agree with you there.  I think Quantum class has the best solarium out of any cruise ship, on any cruise line.  Especially for sailing out of a cold weather port. I also love how they also have a separate indoor pool that is open to younger passengers (less of an issue for you.)

I'm not sure any of the Solariums on Celebrity are as nice.

Music Hall is also a great venue on Quantum class ships.  On Oasis class ships they rebranded a different space as Music Hall, but it doesn't work as well as it does on Quantum Class ships.

Since Celebrity Edge is a smaller ship, they have fewer bars onboard.  Quantum class ships have the Pub, Boleros, Schooner Bar, Music Hall (each with a different musical perfomer/band), Vintages.  Plus a bar at Two70, Casino Bar, Bionic Bar.  Edge really has 2-3 indoor bars... the big Martini Bar in the middle and Eden in the back.  There is also a bar in "The Club" but it didn't seem like much was going on there.  If you want a drink and to listen to a live performer, you pretty much only have 2 options.

Sounds great! When I had my JS on Anthem, we were traveling with others that were not in a JS, so we didn't try CK.

Celebrity does have some cabin classes that include a 'special' dining room.  There is a suite restaurant, but there is also a dining room for Aquaclass guests, which are just balcony cabins that cost a little more.

Yes, I totally agree that breakfast in Two70 on Anthem is wonderful.  Even if sometimes they don't heat though the breakfast sandwiches as much as they should.  The view (and it being pretty empty) makes up for it.  I'm planning on having breakfast there often next week when i'm on Anthem!

They have something similar in Eden on Edge, but it didn't seem quite the same to me.

Actually found the Eden cafe to be very nice.   Its tucked away behind the bar and even has outside seating.  Many guests don't discover it until halfway through the cruise.   Once people find it, gets crowded for lunch.  I thought it had a nice breakfast menu, but also a very adequate lunch menu.   Both hot (grilled paninis) and cold sandwiches, soups, salads.

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On 7/9/2022 at 3:25 PM, JLMoran said:

This was an awesome comparison. Just about as "apples to apples" as you could get. Thank you for posting this, @steverk!

Are there are other folks here in the forum who have sailed similarly comparable ships, and could give similar reports on the differences and your experiences on each? I think there are really only two other comparisons like this that could be made:

  • Voyager class on Royal vs Solstice class on Celebrity
    • I'm pretty sure the Solstice class is most comparable to Voyager class in size and capacity, but if Freedom class on Royal is the better comparison...
  • Quantum class on Royal vs Edge class on Celebrity
    • The few reports I've read about Edge, Apex, and Beyond all clearly show that their designs took strong influences from Royal's Q class; but are they simply "Quantum plus" in amenities and activities, or are they a more significant step up?
    • So far, Q class on Royal has been our favorite; I feel like if I wanted to get my wife to try X, starting with an Edge class ship might be the best route (even if their itineraries are a lot more limited)

the suite class on Edge is what I would like to check out. I think thats a big difference along with food quality

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18 minutes ago, Censored said:

the suite class on Edge is what I would like to check out. I think thats a big difference along with food quality

You get Luminae and the Retreat area.  Luminae is like Coastal Kitchen.   You get better service than in the MDRs, and the food might be considered  notch better (depending upon what you're looking for).  Luminae has its own galley that services itself, Retreat bar, and Dinner on the Edge.   Edge Retreat area  provides a good value with less crowded access to the food, drinks, and dedicated pool .  Less people competing for bars and deck chairs.  I've found the service to be more attentive (better staff to guest ratio).  We'll book it because of the "perks" that come along with suite level.

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  • 2 months later...

We stick with Royal to increase our status and points - it's nice that you can have the same status on Celebrity (I think that's still the case) but you don't earn additional points to carry over to Royal. We did the Greek Isles on Celebrity and I thought the food was better quality than Royal but that was many years ago so I think it probably depends on your ship and the staff among other things. The specialty dining options definitely take it up a notch IMO too! 

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23 hours ago, mac66 said:

Just an update from our late Nov/early Dec RCI 8 night ABC island cruise on the Explorer. Very nice cruise. Food and service were very much better than the 3 X cruises we did last year.  I think we are done with X for awhile. We have another RCI cruise set up in Feb.

I'm curious to hear what class of rooms and ships you were in during these cruises.  Were you in the MDR for your meals and did you do any specialty dining?

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On 1/12/2023 at 1:52 PM, AspiringCruisePlanner said:

I'm curious to hear what class of rooms and ships you were in during these cruises.  Were you in the MDR for your meals and did you do any specialty dining?

Dec '22   RCI Explorer 7 nighter..We did a cheap inside cabin. Dinner was in the MDR every night. No specialty dinning or drink package. Food was good and service was very good.

Aug '22-  X Summit-9 night, inside- drink package, wifi were included. No specialty dining, MDR a couple times but service and food was so bad we ended up going to the OV cafe most of the time.

Mar '22-X Equinox 12 night-booked an inside but they shut the deck we were on down and moved everyone. They gave us a balcony on deck 9. drink and wifi included. MDR or OV a couple times, no specialty dinning. Food and service in the MDR was hit and miss. Very frustrating.

Feb '22-X Summit, 7 nighter. Inside cabin-this was a charter, No specialty dinning, no drink package. MDR or OV every night. When we got tired of the slow/non existent service we switched to the OV cafe.

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Pre-shutdown, the Oceanview Cafe on Summit was amazing.  There was a rotating station every night with some of the best buffet food we have had in our 31 years of cruising.  The fresh made daily ice cream in Scoops was fabulous.  None of that frozen chemical stuff that comes out of the machines for us! LOL  Loved the map on the wall that told you where each section was and what they were serving in it each meal.  Hand tossed pizzas, too. 

We're back on her in April, I hope things haven't changed too much.  We sailed Beyond on October, and while she had some struggles due to staffing issues, we were not unhappy.

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  • 2 weeks later...

We are Diamond+ on RCI and looking to book a Celebrity Beyond cruise in 2024 or 2025.   Had a question about drink packages.

The 5 drinks we get each day on Royal are plenty, do we need the premium package on Celebrity, an everything included package, or something else for similar quantity?

I also read that Celebrity participates in the the Royal Shareholder OBC program, which would be a nice perk.

 

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On 1/31/2023 at 9:26 AM, Va4fam said:

We are Diamond+ on RCI and looking to book a Celebrity Beyond cruise in 2024 or 2025.   Had a question about drink packages.

The 5 drinks we get each day on Royal are plenty, do we need the premium package on Celebrity, an everything included package, or something else for similar quantity?

I also read that Celebrity participates in the the Royal Shareholder OBC program, which would be a nice perk.

 

Based on the fact that 5 drinks per day is enough for you, I'd forgo getting a beverage package as you'd need to drink 6 or more alcoholic drinks each day to make the classic or premium beverage package worthwhile. I'd recommend booking a sail only rate and just paying as you go.

Since you're D+ with RCI, you're automatically Elite with Celebrity.  Elite and above Captain's Club members get free drinks at most bars on the ship between 5-7 every night except the first night.  As many as you can drink in that timespan.

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