Royal Caribbean vs Celebrity Cruises

so we did celebrity edge after a bunch of royal ships and the vibe is just...quieter and more polished. the food in the main dining room felt way more elevated to us, and the service was super attentive without feeling rushed. we missed the sheer energy and late-night stuff royal has tho, like the aqua theater shows. the martini bar on edge became our spot every night. one tip - get your crown & anchor status matched to celebrity's program before you go, it was easy online. we got some onboard credit and a welcome event. what ship are you trying? that totally changes things.

did edge last year, agree its a quieter vibe. the mdr food was a real step up, service felt more personal. but honestly, after a couple nights we missed the casual energy of royal’s promenade, it was almost too chill. definitely do the status match through captains club.

Glad to hear about the food, looking forward to reviewing! Thank you

I’ve cruised both many times and there’s certainly a few differences but really depends on the route. First off in general Celebrity is going to have an older crowd and lots of couples vs Royal who caters more to families. Again, depending on the route/date you may have kids aboard but they are usually the exception. Celebrity food is typically better, but again depends on the ships. The newer edge class I feel does much better with food than the older ships do. However you will often have more variety on the menu than what royal’s mdr has become. One food bonus on Celebrity ships is Blu. It’s a health focused dining room exclusive to those traveling in an Aquaclass balcony stateroom or Aquaclass suite. I’ve actually never eaten here (an upcoming trip will be my first) but most people rate it very high and even feel it’s better than the food in the suites only dining room. On board, things are much more relaxed. Even nightlife is often fairly low key compared to Royal. But again, depends on route/dates. You’ll see little differences that Celebrity does to make the cruise feel more premium. For instance when you come back to the ship from being on shore, they usually have 3-4 different iced waters (one with cucumber, one with orange slices, ect) available and crew handing out wet towels to wipe your hands with. The deck furniture is a bit nicer. Pool towels are just out and available for all, no scanning your card and scanning to return. On some of the bad side, there’s no 24hr pizza/snacks (only room service with a per order fee). Pizza/snacks/late night buffet is only open until about 1am. No scooner bar with the lively nightly sing along piano. In fact a lot of late night live music is usually more relaxed/low key. There is some lively music earlier in the evening and usually a silent disco later at night. If you’re referring to the trip you have listed on Reflection in April, then you may be in luck. First off Reflection will just be coming off a refurbishment so the ship should look good (she’s in a bit of rough shape at the moment). The short cruises on her typically have a younger more energetic crowd. Like most 3/4 day ones there’s usually more of a drinking crowd which can make the ship more lively. There’s usually a younger crowd (or at least younger by celebrity standards) on the short cruises. Also a lot of local Floridian semi-retirees, full retirees are usually on the 7 day and longer trips. As a mid 40s couple you’ll certainly be on the younger end of the passengers on board but doubt you’ll feel out of place. On that class of ships, the Martini Bar is usually the social hot spot. Finally, while you can get the status match from royal, you can also now have the points earned on this cruise go to your royal account to help your status there vs just getting credit on celebrity. This is a new program so i’m not too familiar with it and if that means when you move up with royal you still won’t with celebrity (that’s how it was before, matched status but then started earning status on each independently). So you may want to do a bit more research or call customer service. I think eventually they want both programs fully integrated but for now that doesn’t seem to be the case. Also if you gamble I do recommend spending some casino time on board. Celebrity’s casino throws out decent cruise offers (better I feel than royal, although that might have changed in the last 2-3 years since I did a royal cruise). Still even a small amount of time on a slot will usually get you discounted rates/free interior offers. Most average cruise gamblers will get free balcony offers. Sometimes it’s great, sometimes it’s not but if you’re paying full price now, you may find it’s worth it. Myself, when getting a free room, I typically gamble the cost of the room and no more. If I loose it all, it’s the same cost I would've paid anyways but if I get off the ship without loosing it all, I see it as overall being ahead. That being said, the rewards for the actual casino levels aren’t that great/useful at least not until the free wifi for 1 device at sapphire. A recent refurb post covid really killed the on board casino rewards not to mention comps. You can still ask the casino host to comp an expense you already had on board, like a paid dinner. They may or may at least comp part of it. Before they would comp you before hand….”hi, mr X, would you and your guests like to dine at X tonight or tomorrow?”….those casino days are unfortunately gone but the comp is something some miss. Speaking of casino and offers, depending on your play you may get a free cruise offer at the end of your trip. Be careful, you usually need to book then or you can put down a deposit and book on a future cruise within 30? days. In my experience, these offers aren’t as good as ones you get later via email. The only good on these is booking a none caribbean trip that’s less likely to be a comp offer (like the Norwegian fjords). Just be aware and read the fine print before pulling the trigger. Enjoy, overall Celebrity is a good line with good service. It caters to a specific crowd so if you vibe you’ll love it. If not you’ll probably be back to Royal next cruise and save cruising on Celebrity for another 10-20 years.

We made the same jump last year, sailing on Celebrity Apex after being pretty loyal to Royal. The biggest shock for us was the atmosphere—it’s not just quieter, it’s like the entire ship breathes at a slower pace. No constant announcements, no feeling like you’re being funneled into an event. It’s peaceful, which we loved, but by day three we were genuinely craving some of Royal’s chaotic energy. The food in the main dining rooms was noticeably better, especially the presentation and the pasta dishes, which felt authentically prepared. But the real standout for us was the service. On Royal, service always feels efficient but scripted. On Apex, our sommelier remembered our preferences after one night and started making suggestions before we even looked at the menu. It felt personal in a way we’d never experienced. What we missed? The late-night options. On Celebrity, after the main show, things just...wind down. The nightclub had a fraction of the crowd we’re used to on Royal. If you’re someone who likes to keep the party going past midnight, you might find yourself a little disappointed. The martini bar is fantastic, but it’s more of a sophisticated social hub than a place to get wild. A concrete tip: if you’re used to Royal’s drink package, do the math on Celebrity’s. The “Classic” package has a much lower price ceiling per drink. We got caught out a few times wanting a specific cocktail or a nicer glass of wine and having to pay the difference on top of the package, which adds up. Next time, we’d just upgrade to “Premium” pre-cruise. The loyalty status match is straightforward, but remember it’s a one-time enrollment into their Captain’s Club. You don’t get to keep switching back and forth. Also, you can choose which loyalty program earns the points for that sailing, which is great if you’re close to a new tier on Royal. Honestly, it’s a fantastic product, just different. We came back appreciating Royal’s vibrant, anything-can-happen feel, but we booked another Celebrity cruise for when we just want to unwind and be pampered. It’s less about thrills, more about feels. Enjoy the switch—it’s a great way to figure out what you truly value on a ship.

What are the formal nights like on celebrity. RC was treated like a suggestion. Is the dress code more enforced?