DCL vs. Celebrity comparison (Greek Cruise)

[Sykes]

The last time we were on Celebrity (2004) we were required to wear suits and dresses from 6pm on. Is that still a requirement? Sometimes in the evening I don't feel like dressing up. The ship we were on was very old and didn't have much besides the main dining every night. It was find for what it was, but I don't feel like dressing up each evening for dinner.

These days that sounds a lot more like Cunard than Celebrity. Now the practical application of the dress code is even more relaxed than the website makes it sound. For men they basically just ask for a collared shirt and long pants in the dining rooms for dinner (I usually wore jeans and an aloha shirt). There are also 2+ "evening chic" nights which are equivalent to formal nights on DCL, but even those are pretty relaxed--I saw lots of polos and khakis on evening chic nights too.

 

[hrhdhd]

I have cruised on both lines, and in this case it would be a no-brainer to take the Celebrity cruise. Given that you are more or less all adult cruisers, doing a Med cruise, getting 3 extra days for $5000 less, getting concierge vs. regular, it is pretty clear that you should jump ship! Celebrity is a bit more mellow and adult-oriented, and food is decent. I believe with concierge you will get an upgraded restaurant for meals on Celebrity. Have a wonderful trip!

<bold added>
No, Concierge Class doesn't get an upgraded restaurant. You may be thinking of AquaClass, which entitles passengers to dine at Blu.

 

[Gatrcruzer]

<bold added>
No, Concierge Class doesn't get an upgraded restaurant. You may be thinking of AquaClass, which entitles passengers to dine at Blu.

You are correct - that was exactly what I was thinking of! I forgot that they have the extra class between concierge and suite.

 

[imahistorygeek]

Just popping in on this thread to give a huge thumbs up to Celebrity. We are Platinum DCL and currently on our first Celebrity cruise on the Edge.

We've compared the two lines for the week and Celebrity comes out ahead for adults. The ship is beautiful. The service is on par with Disney if not better in some cases. The food is much better and more variety. We worried (for no reason) the passengers would be stuffy, but they are some of the nicest people.

DCL does better shows, activities, and we like the rotational dining.

The pool is amazing!

 

[Wosmama6]

There was recently another thread comparing the lines for the very expensive suites. But, I would appreciate some feedback for a decision we are trying to make.

We currently have DCL booked for an 8-night June 2022 Greek cruise, starting in Rome. The price for our family of four if close to 15K for standard verandah.

Celebrity offers an 11-night June 2022 Greek cruise, starting in Rome with all of the stops we wanted from DCL, plus Istanbul and a couple others. It is the Celebrity Reflection ship. The price would be 10K for concierge level.

We have two older children (20 and 17 at the time of sailing). We love DCL. Not as much for the Disney magic, which is fun, but because we feel like it is high quality, clean, and we know exactly what we are getting for our money. We like the style of the ships being more classical, less Vegas like. We like the corny entertainment. I think the food is good enough, but too plain, while it seems to please my wife's and daughters' pallets (youngest ordered two cheeseburgers for every dinner last time). Cleanliness is a high priority for some in our group. We like great service, but rarely ask for anything and just want to do our own thing.

We are debating a land trip, but I have some concerns about my wife's energy levels (due to some past health issues) and ability to spend much of our time moving from place to place, catching transportation, unpacking and repacking, etc. I could see the trip turning out bad if it is too exhausting.

I would book the Celebrity cruise in a heartbeat. In my opinion, we will be off the ship much of the time, and there is plenty of time to enjoy DCL in the Caribbean for much less money. And its a better itinerary! As long as we have a comfortable base to come back to each night, where we only have to unpack once, and where we are taken to place to place, I don't see a reason to pay a premium for a shorter cruise on Disney. My wife is less convinced - she likes to stick with what she knows she likes once she finds it. I think DCL is even more comforting for her in in Europe, since it is so far from home and it is familiar.

But, what should we expect with Celebrity compared to DCL? Rooms, food, service, entertainment, cleanliness, quality of the ship?

We were looking at this cruise too but our kids are 3 and 9. If my kids were older I would def go celebrity

 

[San Diego traveler]

There was recently another thread comparing the lines for the very expensive suites. But, I would appreciate some feedback for a decision we are trying to make.

We currently have DCL booked for an 8-night June 2022 Greek cruise, starting in Rome. The price for our family of four if close to 15K for standard verandah.

Celebrity offers an 11-night June 2022 Greek cruise, starting in Rome with all of the stops we wanted from DCL, plus Istanbul and a couple others. It is the Celebrity Reflection ship. The price would be 10K for concierge level.

We have two older children (20 and 17 at the time of sailing). We love DCL. Not as much for the Disney magic, which is fun, but because we feel like it is high quality, clean, and we know exactly what we are getting for our money. We like the style of the ships being more classical, less Vegas like. We like the corny entertainment. I think the food is good enough, but too plain, while it seems to please my wife's and daughters' pallets (youngest ordered two cheeseburgers for every dinner last time). Cleanliness is a high priority for some in our group. We like great service, but rarely ask for anything and just want to do our own thing.

We are debating a land trip, but I have some concerns about my wife's energy levels (due to some past health issues) and ability to spend much of our time moving from place to place, catching transportation, unpacking and repacking, etc. I could see the trip turning out bad if it is too exhausting.

I would book the Celebrity cruise in a heartbeat. In my opinion, we will be off the ship much of the time, and there is plenty of time to enjoy DCL in the Caribbean for much less money. And its a better itinerary! As long as we have a comfortable base to come back to each night, where we only have to unpack once, and where we are taken to place to place, I don't see a reason to pay a premium for a shorter cruise on Disney. My wife is less convinced - she likes to stick with what she knows she likes once she finds it. I think DCL is even more comforting for her in in Europe, since it is so far from home and it is familiar.

But, what should we expect with Celebrity compared to DCL? Rooms, food, service, entertainment, cleanliness, quality of the ship?

So curious what you decided? We are booked on the DCL 8 day this June as well. Did a RCL in Europe and enjoyed it but found ourselves always disappointed we weren't on DCL.

 

[SDJEL]

We’ve transitioned to Celebrity too. Did a cruise with them this summer on Edge. We just cancelled our fantasy cruise that was booked for April and rebooked with Celebrity. Better ports and a suite for less money.

it was very clean and the service and food were excellent. Tips and drinks included. Better pools that I actually could go in. Quieter without all the little kids. I missed the chicken tenders at Flos and the Mickey Bars. Not much else.

 

[San Diego traveler]

We’ve transitioned to Celebrity too. Did a cruise with them this summer on Edge. We just cancelled our fantasy cruise that was booked for April and rebooked with Celebrity. Better ports and a suite for less money.

it was very clean and the service and food were excellent. Tips and drinks included. Better pools that I actually could go in. Quieter without all the little kids. I missed the chicken tenders at Flos and the Mickey Bars. Not much else.

What did u think of the entertainment on celebrity?

do they show any movies? First run?

what were theater shows like?

bars any good?

for older teens was there much to do? Thx

 

[SDJEL]

The production shows were weak. The guest entertainers were all very good. My husband and sons said the Aretha tribute artist was one of the best shows they had ever seen on a cruise ship and they went to both of her shows each day because they enjoyed her so much.

Only a few movies and they were all outside. It was too hot so we didn’t watch any of them. My husband who really loves the movie theater on the Disney ships missed that.

We were on one of the earliest sailings in July and there was no 18-21 club. I would have liked that for my older teens. My 13 year old disappeared into the teen club and we had to force her to join us for meals and shows.

We’re not big drinkers so I can’t attest much to the quality of the bars. But, because drinks were included we drank more than usual. Everything we tried was good.

My husband and older teens spent one afternoon in the casino. The boys learned the basics of blackjack. I don’t think they’ll ever do it again, but it was an experience.

Overall we really did enjoy it. We’ve tried Royal Caribbean several times and won’t ever go back. Norwegian wasn’t bad, but we didn’t love them either. Definitely missed a few things from Disney, but Celebrity was good enough that we’re going back. What I’ve learned is that each cruise line is great for a certain demographic. For years Disney was it for us. But now, with the super high prices and all the Covid restrictions, we’re done. I’m sad because an era of our life has passed.

When we started on Disney, it was a little pricier than the other lines, but it was so perfect for our family with 3 young children. Over time the prices have steadily increased and the product has deteriorated. Now the current prices for both the ships and the parks are astronomical. We can do a suite with all of its perks on a high end cruise line for less than Disney. Some things are better, some are worse, but, overall, it is a great experience for our family. I will miss Disney going forward. If things change we may be back, but I don’t see it happening in the near future.

 

[MomOTwins]

Here's the current dress code: https://www.celebritycruises.com/faqs/onboard-dress-code

Wow, that’s more strict than I thought! I have to remind my husband EVERY disney cruise after he has packed to go back and add a pair of long pants for Palo (and jacket and closed shoes if we are doing Remy), and each time he waits until 15 mins before to get dressed and changes back to shorts and sandals immediately after. We’re not slobs and he always wears nice khaki shorts and a polo shirt, but he likes shorts on vacation.

Overall we really did enjoy it. We’ve tried Royal Caribbean several times and won’t ever go back. Norwegian wasn’t bad, but we didn’t love them either.

Penny for your thoughts on NCL and RCCL? Don’t mean to derail the thread but we are struggling with whether to rebook our Alaska cruise this summer to another line. The really big suites are out of the budget (everyone says they are cheaper than disney regular rooms, but our connecting rooms on DCL are about $10K after placeholder discount and the have on NCL is about $22K for a suite that fits our family of 5). RCCL has a junior suite that sleeps 5 for the same cost as DCL that just became available, but seeing you say never again is making me wonder why.

 

[brentm77]

So curious what you decided? We are booked on the DCL 8 day this June as well. Did a RCL in Europe and enjoyed it but found ourselves always disappointed we weren't on DCL.

We ended up sticking with DCL for this one. We watched YouTube videos of the Celebrity ship we would have been on, and it didn't feel like the right fit for us for various reasons. For such an expensive and important trip, we decided to stick to the brand we know and trust. We are paying a premium for it, but as a percentage of the entire trip, it isn't that high.

The kids are older (both in college next year) and my wife and I are excited to try some other lines, as a couple, in the next few years.

Are you still planning on the June cruise? We are pretty optimistic about it.

 

[SDJEL]

We really hated the big ships. An activity would be advertised, such as rollerskating. Then, when we would show up on time, the line was so long that you couldn’t do the activity at all. When we showed up early and got in line early, we ended up riding the bumper cars or rollerskating for just a few minutes before we had to stop.

I felt like they were constantly pushing the alcohol and up charge dining packages on us. Just charge me more upfront and give me everything. Also, there was very much a party atmosphere despite it being marketed as a family cruise line. I did not enjoy the drunken behavior that I saw at shows or around the pool.

There also really wasn’t that much to do. The vast majority of the planned events in the daily program were trying to sell me jewelry or watches or something I did not want. Anything interesting like a cooking class or an art class again involved an up charge. One of the main reasons I cruise is that it truly is all inclusive. I rarely ever spent more than $100 on a Disney cruise. Even on the Celebrity cruise this summer, my bill at the end of the cruise was less than $100. I don’t want to pay significantly less upfront for a vacation and then get nickel and dimed all week.

Also, the Royal Caribbean ships were not clean. The furniture in the lounges or around the pool was often falling apart and was dirty. People left glasses and plates everywhere. On a Disney cruise, as soon as you said it down, somebody would swoop in and take it away. I saw the same thing last summer and Celebrity. When we were on Anthem, A plate of dishes sat outside of a room for over two days. It was still there when we got off the ship.

Norwegian does the same thing with the meal and drink packages and with the up charge events during the day. However, the ship was cleaner and it did seem to be more family oriented. Next time we cruise Norwegian, we will probably stay in the Haven.

 

[MomOTwins]

We really hated the big ships. An activity would be advertised, such as rollerskating. Then, when we would show up on time, the line was so long that you couldn’t do the activity at all. When we showed up early and got in line early, we ended up riding the bumper cars or rollerskating for just a few minutes before we had to stop.

I felt like they were constantly pushing the alcohol and up charge dining packages on us. Just charge me more upfront and give me everything. Also, there was very much a party atmosphere despite it being marketed as a family cruise line. I did not enjoy the drunken behavior that I saw at shows or around the pool.

There also really wasn’t that much to do. The vast majority of the planned events in the daily program were trying to sell me jewelry or watches or something I did not want. Anything interesting like a cooking class or an art class again involved an up charge. One of the main reasons I cruise is that it truly is all inclusive. I rarely ever spent more than $100 on a Disney cruise. Even on the Celebrity cruise this summer, my bill at the end of the cruise was less than $100. I don’t want to pay significantly less upfront for a vacation and then get nickel and dimed all week.

Also, the Royal Caribbean ships were not clean. The furniture in the lounges or around the pool was often falling apart and was dirty. People left glasses and plates everywhere. On a Disney cruise, as soon as you said it down, somebody would swoop in and take it away. I saw the same thing last summer and Celebrity. When we were on Anthem, A plate of dishes sat outside of a room for over two days. It was still there when we got off the ship.

Norwegian does the same thing with the meal and drink packages and with the up charge events during the day. However, the ship was cleaner and it did seem to be more family oriented. Next time we cruise Norwegian, we will probably stay in the Haven.

Oof, I can handle the upcharge stuff since the price is a good deal, but the not clean part would freak me out! Thanks for sharing. This decision is stressing me out so much.

 

[I_love_Cruising]

We were on the Norwegian Getaway in October 2021 for a Greece cruise. We loved it, the food was amazing, more choices than DCL. The dinner concept of not having a first and second seating was amazing, we loved that we could just go to whatever dining room we wanted and get seated. It was much more relaxing after being out in the ports all day.
We were amazed at how clean it was, they were cleaning all the time, everywhere, spraying down tables and seats between guests, cleaning the handrails all the time and so on. We felt very very safe. They respected every Covid protocol that they had in place.
The shows were great, Broadway style musicals. We saw 2 shows, one we really loved, the other one was less to our liking, but both were good quality shows.
Service was amazing, everywhere. It was the same level as on DCL.
The cruise was as amazing deal at 2200$ for a 11-day cruise in a balcony cabin for 2 including drinks package, free specialty restaurants and free internet. We tried it because it was cheap, but after experiencing it, we are ready to pay their full price next time.

The cruise was the exact same level of comfort and service than DCL, just without Disney characters.

 

[mevelandry]

We really hated the big ships. An activity would be advertised, such as rollerskating. Then, when we would show up on time, the line was so long that you couldn’t do the activity at all. When we showed up early and got in line early, we ended up riding the bumper cars or rollerskating for just a few minutes before we had to stop.

I felt like they were constantly pushing the alcohol and up charge dining packages on us. Just charge me more upfront and give me everything. Also, there was very much a party atmosphere despite it being marketed as a family cruise line. I did not enjoy the drunken behavior that I saw at shows or around the pool.

There also really wasn’t that much to do. The vast majority of the planned events in the daily program were trying to sell me jewelry or watches or something I did not want. Anything interesting like a cooking class or an art class again involved an up charge. One of the main reasons I cruise is that it truly is all inclusive. I rarely ever spent more than $100 on a Disney cruise. Even on the Celebrity cruise this summer, my bill at the end of the cruise was less than $100. I don’t want to pay significantly less upfront for a vacation and then get nickel and dimed all week.

Also, the Royal Caribbean ships were not clean. The furniture in the lounges or around the pool was often falling apart and was dirty. People left glasses and plates everywhere. On a Disney cruise, as soon as you said it down, somebody would swoop in and take it away. I saw the same thing last summer and Celebrity. When we were on Anthem, A plate of dishes sat outside of a room for over two days. It was still there when we got off the ship.

Norwegian does the same thing with the meal and drink packages and with the up charge events during the day. However, the ship was cleaner and it did seem to be more family oriented. Next time we cruise Norwegian, we will probably stay in the Haven.

Which RCCL ship were you on that was not clean? (The two we have sailed on were so « ****’N’Span » that we could eat on the floor. (Mariner OTS and Adventure OTS).

 

[miguelgar83]

My parents did a Celebrity cruise that sounds very similar, but I don't think it stopped in Istanbul. They thought it was fantastic. No complaints at all about cleanliness or anything like that. Celebrity is a really good line, I'd go for it.