Royal Caribbean vs Celebrity Cruises
A detailed side-by-side comparison of Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises covering ratings, fleet size, food quality, entertainment, value for money, and available sailings from UK ports. Updated for 2026.
The head-to-head
Ratings are based on aggregated passenger reviews, editorial analysis, and expert scoring. The cobalt outline marks the stronger line for each attribute.
Who should choose which?
Every cruise line has its strengths and weaknesses. Here is an honest look at who each line is best suited for, based on passenger feedback and our editorial assessment.
Choose Royal Caribbean if you want…
- Families with kids
- Thrill seekers and adventurers
- Mega-ship experience
- Entertainment and activities
Royal Caribbean may not suit you if…
- Quiet/intimate cruise seekers
- Ultra-luxury preference
- Those avoiding large crowds
Choose Celebrity Cruises if you want…
- Food and dining enthusiasts
- Modern luxury seekers
- Couples and adults
- Design-conscious travellers
Celebrity Cruises may not suit you if…
- Families wanting mega-ship activities
- Budget-conscious cruisers
- Those wanting UK departures only
Ships at a glance
A quick comparison of each line's fleet including passenger capacity, tonnage, and year of launch.
Royal Caribbean Fleet (28 ships)
Anthem of the Seas
Built 2015 · 4,905 guests
Icon of the Seas
Built 2024 · 7,600 guests
Utopia of the Seas
Built 2024 · 5,668 guests
Celebrity Cruises Fleet (17 ships)
Celebrity Apex
Built 2020 · 2,910 guests
Celebrity Ascent
Built 2023 · 3,260 guests
Celebrity Beyond
Built 2022 · 3,260 guests
Available cruises
Current sailings from both cruise lines. Prices shown are per person based on two sharing the lowest-grade cabin available.
Royal Caribbean Sailings
Save 1%4 NIGHTSKey West Perfect Day Cruise
Save 1%4 NIGHTSBahamas Perfect Day Cruise
5 NIGHTS5 Night Western Caribbean Cruise
Ports: Puerto Costa Maya · Cozumel
7 NIGHTS7 Night Italy & France Cruise
Ports: Barcelona · Toulon · Ajaccio · Civitavecchia · Naples · Messina
Save 1%4 NIGHTSWestern Caribbean Cruise
9 NIGHTS9-night Spanish Flair & Solar Eclipse
Ports: Bilbao, Spain · Gijon, Spain · Vigo, Spain · La Coruna, Spain · Paris (Le Havre), France
Save 1%4 NIGHTSBahamas Perfect Day Cruise
Save 1%3 NIGHTSPerfect Day Getaway Cruise
Save 1%7 NIGHTSNorthbound Alaska Hubbard Glacier
Save 1%3 NIGHTSBahamas Perfect Day Cruise
Save 1%8 NIGHTSSouthern Caribbean Perfect Day
7 NIGHTS7 Night Cabo, Vallarta & Mazatlan
Ports: Los Angeles · Cabo San Lucas · Mazatlan · Puerto Vallarta · Los Angeles
5 NIGHTS5 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise
Ports: Miami · Nassau · Coco Cay · Miami
5 NIGHTS5 Night Western Caribbean Cruise
Ports: Puerto Costa Maya · Cozumel
7 NIGHTS7 Night Greek Isles Cruise
Ports: Santorini · Mykonos · Athens · Split
Save 1%7 NIGHTSSouthern Caribbean Cruise
Save 3%7 NIGHTSWestern Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Palma De Mallorca · Marseille (Provence) · La Spezia (tours to Florence/Pisa) · Rome (Civitavecchia) · Naples
Save 1%7 NIGHTSGreek Isles Cruise
Save 1%7 NIGHTSWestern Caribbean Cruise
Save 1%7 NIGHTSWestern Caribbean Perfect Day
Save 1%3 NIGHTSBahamas Perfect Day Cruise
Save 1%4 NIGHTSBahamas Perfect Day Cruise
Save 1%4 NIGHTSCatalina Ensenada Cruise
Save 1%4 NIGHTSBahamas Perfect Day Cruise
Save 1%5 NIGHTSBahamas Perfect Day Cruise
Save 1%5 NIGHTSWestern Caribbean Cruise
Hot deal7 NIGHTSWestern Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Palma De Mallorca · Marseille (Provence) · La Spezia (tours to Florence/Pisa) · Rome (Civitavecchia) · Naples
7 NIGHTS7-night Norwegian Fjords
7 NIGHTS7 Night Eastern Caribbean & Perfect Day
Ports: Port Canaveral · Perfect Day CocoCay · San Juan · Philipsburg
7 NIGHTS7 Night Perfect Day Bahamas Cruise
Ports: New York · Port Canaveral · Perfect Day CocoCay · Nassau
7 NIGHTS7 Night Greek Isles Cruise
Ports: Rome · Santorini · Ephesus · Mykonos · Naples
6 NIGHTS6 Night Western Caribbean Cruise
Ports: Galveston · Puerto Costa Maya · Roatan · Cozumel
7 NIGHTS7 Night Western Mediterranean Cruise
Ports: Barcelona · Majorca · Florence/Pisa · Rome · Naples
7 NIGHTS7 Night Southern Caribbean Cruise
Ports: Colon · Cartagena · Willemstad · Oranjestad
8 NIGHTS8 Night Northern City Escapes Cruise
Ports: Southampton · Kristiansand · Copenhagen · Hamburg · Rotterdam
Save 1%9 NIGHTSCanada New England
8 NIGHTSBahamas & Perfect Day with Miami Beach Stay
Ports: Miami · Perfect Day at Cococay · Nassau
9 NIGHTS9 Night Spanish Flair Cruise
Ports: Southampton · Vigo · Lisbon · Cádiz · La Coruña · Bilbao
7 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 7-night Alaska Experience
7 NIGHTS2-night Miami & 5-night Freedom of Bahamas & Perfect Day
Save 1%9 NIGHTSCanada New England
7 NIGHTS2-night Venice & 7-night Greek Explorer & Split
9 NIGHTS9-night Spanish Flair
7 NIGHTS2-night Venice & 7-night Adriatic & Greek Explorer
Save 1%11 NIGHTSTennis US Open Men's Semi Final with Bahamas and Perfect Day from Cape Liberty
Ports: New York (Cape Liberty) · Orlando (Port Canaveral) · Nassau · Perfect Day at Cococay
Save 1%7 NIGHTS3-night Miami & 4-night Bahamas & Perfect Day
7 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 7-night Alaska Experience
7 NIGHTS7-night Spain & France
Save 6%7 NIGHTSWestern Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Palma De Mallorca · Marseille (Provence) · La Spezia (tours to Florence/Pisa) · Rome (Civitavecchia) · Naples
Save 6%7 NIGHTS2-night Venice & 7-night Greek Treasures
Celebrity Cruises Sailings
Save 1%7 NIGHTSAlaska Southbound Glacier
11 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 11-night Best of Italy & Croatia
Save 1%7 NIGHTSIceland Total Solar Eclipse Cruise
Save 1%7 NIGHTSBest of Greece Cruise
Save 1%7 NIGHTSGreece Malta Turkey Cruise
Ports: Barcelona, Spain · Athens (Piraeus), Greece
Save 1%7 NIGHTSGrand Cayman Mexico Perfect Day
Ports: Miami, Florida, USA
Save 5%7 NIGHTSGalapagos Outer Loop Cruise
Ports: Isla Baltra, Galapagos
Save 1%11 NIGHTSBest of Italy & Croatia from Rome
Ports: Rome (Civitavecchia) · Florence & Pisa (Livorno) · Salerno · Messina, Sicily · Kotor · Dubrovnik
Save 1%3 NIGHTSKey West Bahamas Cruise
Save 1%7 NIGHTSAlaska Dawes Glacier Cruise
Save 1%12 NIGHTSBest of Scandinavia Cruise
Ports: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Save 1%3 NIGHTSKey West Bahamas Cruise
11 NIGHTS11 Night Italy & Greek Islands
Ports: Naples · Santorini · Athens · Dubrovnik
Save 1%7 NIGHTSBest of Greece Cruise
Save 1%10 NIGHTSGreek Isles & Turkey from Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Messina, Sicily · Athens (Piraeus) · Thira, Santorini · Ephesus (Kusadasi) · Mykonos Town, Mykonos
Save 1%7 NIGHTSTortola, St. Kitts, Puerto Plata
Save 1%3 NIGHTSKey West Bahamas Cruise
Save 1%12 NIGHTSBest of Japan Cruise
7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Italy, Spain & French Riviera
Save 1%3 NIGHTSKey West Bahamas Cruise
10 NIGHTSBest of Greece from Athens with Stay
Ports: Athens (Piraeus) · Rhodes Town · Ephesus (Kusadasi) · Thira (Santorini) · Mykonos Town · Thessaloniki
Save 4%7 NIGHTS7 Night Italy & French Riviera
Ports: Barcelona · Villefranche-sur-Mer · Portofino · La Spezia · Civitavecchia · Naples
Save 4%7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Stavanger, Norway · Nordfjordeid · Geiranger, Norway · Bruges (Zeebrugge)
7 NIGHTS7 Night Best Of Greece Cruise
Ports: Rhodes · Kusadasi · Santorini · Hydra · Mykonos
7 NIGHTS7-night Grand Cayman, Mexico & Perfect Day
Ports: Miami · Perfect Day CocoCay · Cozumel · George Town · Nassau
Save 1%9 NIGHTSItalian Riviera & France
9 NIGHTSItaly, Spain & French Riviera from Barcelona with Stay
Ports: Barcelona · Nice (Villefranche) · La Spezia (tours to Florence/Pisa) · Santa Margherita · Rome (Civitavecchia) · Naples
8 NIGHTSMediterranean Masterpieces
Save 3%14 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords and Arctic Circle cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Stavanger, Norway · Alesund · Olden · Tromsø, Norway · Honningsvåg, Norway
Save 1%12 NIGHTSBoston Maine Canada Cruise
Hot deal15 NIGHTSLake Garda & Venice with Best Of Italy & Croatia Cruise
Ports: Ravenna · Zadar · Dubrovnik · Kotor · Messina · Salerno
14 NIGHTSMediterranean, Italy and Spain cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Seville (Cadiz) · Cagliari, Sardinia · Rome (Civitavecchia) · La Spezia (tours to Florence/Pisa) · Nice (Villefranche Sur Mer)
15 NIGHTSAlaska with Dawes Glacier from Vancouver & Banff, Toronto & Niagara Falls with Stays
Ports: Vancouver · Icy Strait Point · Skagway · Juneau · Ketchikan
Hot deal8 NIGHTSGreece, Malta & Turkey from Athens
Ports: Athens (Piraeus) · Thira · Ephesus (Kusadasi) · Mykonos Town · Rhodes Town · Valletta
14 NIGHTSHawaii with Vancouver and Waikiki Beach Stays
Ports: Vancouver · Hilo, Hawaii · Kailua Kona, Hawaii · Honolulu, Oahu
Hot deal12 NIGHTSAdriatic & Greek Isles from Athens with Stay
Ports: Athens · Thira · Rhodes Town · Ephesus · Mykonos Town · Dubrovnik
Save 19%11 NIGHTSAdriatic & Greek Isles from Athens with 1-night Stay
Ports: Athens (Piraeus) · Thira · Santorini · Rhodes Town · Rhodes · Ephesus (Kusadasi)
Save 2%10 NIGHTSAdriatic & Greek Isles from Athens
Ports: Athens (Piraeus) · Thira, Santorini · Rhodes Town, Rhodes · Ephesus (Kusadasi) · Mykonos Town, Mykonos · Dubrovnik
10 NIGHTSWestern Caribbean with Miami Beach Stay
Ports: Miami · Perfect Day at Cococay · Cozumel · George Town, Grand Cayman · Nassau
11 NIGHTSItalian Riviera & France from Rome with Stay
Ports: Rome (Civitavecchia) · Naples · La Spezia · Portofino · Nice (Villefranche Sur Mer) · Marseille (Provence)
15 NIGHTSSwiss Alps, Bernina Red Train and Greece & Turkey Explorer with Milan and Rome Stays
Ports: Rome · Souda Bay · Thira · Ephesus · Istanbul · Mykonos Town
13 NIGHTSGreece, Turkey & Italy from Rome with Stay
Ports: Rome (Civitavecchia) · Souda Bay (tours to Chania), Crete · Thira, Santorini · Ephesus (Kusadasi) · Istanbul · Mykonos Town, Mykonos
Save 1%11 NIGHTSCanaries Portugal Cruise
Save 3%9 NIGHTSBest of Greece from Athens
Ports: Athens · Rhodes · Ephesus · Thira · Mykonos · Kavala
21 NIGHTSTreasures of Tahiti & Fiji from Honolulu with Waikiki Beach Stay
Ports: Honolulu, Oahu · Papeete, Tahiti · Moorea · Raiatea · Suva · Lautoka
Save 4%7 NIGHTS7-night Tortola, St. Maarten & Puerto Plata
Ports: Miami · Puerto Plata · Tortola · Philipsburg · Miami
Save 2%11 NIGHTSGreece, Turkey & Italy from Rome
Ports: Rome (Civitavecchia) · Souda Bay · Thira (Santorini) · Ephesus (Kusadasi) · Istanbul · Mykonos Town
Hot deal11 NIGHTSItaly, Spain & French Riviera from Barcelona with 1-night Stay
Ports: Barcelona · Naples · Messina · Rome (Civitavecchia) · Portofino · La Spezia
11 NIGHTSGreece & Turkey from Athens with 1-night Stay
Ports: Athens (Piraeus) · Thessaloniki · Istanbul · Ephesus (Kusadasi) · Thira (Santorini) · Rhodes Town
10 NIGHTSGreece & Turkey from Athens
Ports: Athens (Piraeus) · Thessaloniki · Istanbul · Ephesus (Kusadasi) · Thira (Santorini) · Rhodes Town
Royal Caribbean vs Celebrity Cruises: the bottom line
Choosing between Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises ultimately comes down to what kind of holiday you are looking for. Both are well-established cruise lines with loyal followings, but they cater to different preferences and budgets.
Royal Caribbean, founded in 1968 and headquartered in Miami, USA, operates a fleet of 28 ships. It is categorised as a contemporary cruise line and scores 4.6/5 overall based on 24,500 reviews. The line is particularly strong for families with kids and thrill seekers and adventurers, making it a natural choice for cruisers who value those attributes.
Celebrity Cruises, established in 1988 from Miami, USA, has a fleet of 17 ships. As a premium line rated 4.7/5 from 11,200 reviews, it excels at food and dining enthusiasts and modern luxury seekers. If those are your priorities, Celebrity Cruises deserves serious consideration.
On food, Royal Caribbean scores 7/10 compared to Celebrity Cruises's 10/10. For entertainment, Royal Caribbean comes in at 10/10 versus Celebrity Cruises's 7/10. Value for money favours Royal Caribbean with a score of 7/10.
Our recommendation: browse the available sailings above and compare itineraries, dates, and total cost including what is bundled in the fare. The best cruise line is the one that matches your specific needs, budget, and travel dates. Use the scores as a guide, but remember that individual ship and itinerary matter just as much as the cruise line brand.
Royal Caribbean vs Celebrity Cruises — FAQ
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