Celebrity vs Princess

In the past 8 years we have gone on 5 Celebrity seven day cruises in the Carribean and 2 Royal Carribean. We prefer Celebrity. The ships were Summit, Solstice,Eclipse and Reflection. We enjoyed them all. We thought the food and service were excellent. Now a member of our travel group has suggested Princess for a Carribean Cruise on the Regal Princess. None of us has cruised with them. Knowing in advance that there will be pros and cons, can anyone who has been on both lines give us the differences we can expect with Princess? Comparison, Similarities and Differences

Thank you

In the past 8 years we have gone on 5 Celebrity seven day cruises in the Carribean and 2 Royal Carribean. We prefer Celebrity. The ships were Summit, Solstice,Eclipse and Reflection. We enjoyed them all. We thought the food and service were excellent. Now a member of our travel group has suggested Princess for a Carribean Cruise on the Regal Princess. None of us has cruised with them. Knowing in advance that there will be pros and cons, can anyone who has been on both lines give us the differences we can expect with Princess? Comparison, Similarities and Differences

Thank you

While I answered your question on Celebrity because we to sometimes cruise on Celebrity but Princess is the best fit for us.

Just to add ....

Passenger Base: Very important and is about the same. Lots of Brits like Princess which is not a bad thing at all. Great pax base on both. :)

Service: Very good on both!

Food: No problem having dinner in the MDR on either. Princess specialty restaurants are a bit less expensive.

The International Café w/bar is open on Regal Princess 24 hours.

Most will agree that Princess has the best pizza at sea.

Entertainment: Much better on Princess. Especially in the bars/lounges which (while not late night) stay active later than on Celebrity.

More daytime activities on Princess.

Cabins: Celebrity has "apples to apples" MUCH larger cabins.

LuLu

1 X was enough for us, too boring!!!

My wife and I have sailed on Princess, 4 times and sailed on X for the 1st time this past summer. Here's how I ranked them:

Food: Princess, the buffets are about equal

Waitstaff: Princess

Cabin Size: Celebrity

Cabin Furnishings: Princess

Restrooms: Celebrity

Production Shows: Princess

Musicians: Celebrity

Comedians: Celebrity

Cruise Director: Celebrity

Cabin Attendant: Tie

Casino: Princess

Daily Activities: Celebrity

Photo Department: Princess

Check-in: Celebrity

Bar: Celebrity

Wine Selection: Celebrity

Pizza: Princess

Baked Goods: Tie

Ice Cream: Celebrity

Coffee/Tea: Celebrity

Room Service: Princess

Muster Drill: Celebrity

Officer Visibility: Celebrity

I think they are more alike than different, you will find as much difference between two ships from the same line as from the two lines.

Well that's my opinion anyway.

We're Celebrity cruisers who tried a TA on the Caribbean Princess last April, loved it and are doing the Regal Princess TA next April. Then we're doing the Panama Canal with Celebrity next fall. So we like both and they are alike in many ways.

But 1 difference that we loved on Princess was in the buffet. Servers bring you coffee or juices instead of having to find a table, get your food, then go get your coffee and the food gets cold. It's a little thing but makes buffet breakfast so much nicer.

A difference that we hated on Princess (and maybe it was just the CD as many people speculated) was the scheduling of the shows. We had late dining and had to leave the shows early to make dinner. It was always a madhouse of people arriving and departing at the same time. A little better spacing of the shows would have helped. The theatre seemed too small for the number of passengers resulting in people sitting on the stairs to see the shows.

The Solstice class ships are great but the entertainment is lacking compared with Princess.

I really like MUTS and there are more dancing opportunities with Princess.

Given the same itinerary and cost I would pick Princess

From past experience Celebrity = stuffy, Princess = friendly.

We travelled on Celebrity for the first time last month after four cruises with Princess.

We were told by our TA that if we loved Princess then we would love Celebrity, perhaps even more. We had a great cruise on Celebrity and I think it joins Princess as a favourite line.

Probably the two notable highlights on Celebrity compared to Princess were;

- Sky Lounge was an excellent place to relax and enjoy the view at any time of the day - Princess has no obvious comparator;

- The Cruise Director (Sue Denning) was superb throughout and someone whose name we will remember - we wouldn't be able to name any CD from previous trips (Princess or other lines).

Otherwise overall we would rank them as very much equal and if Celebrity did an itinerary that we fancied, we would not hesitate to book.

I realise that the OP was asking the reverse question - hopefully you can tell that we would also book Princess very happily in future! (And indeed have).

What I'm seeing here is that a lot depends on the particular ship and the staff assigned to that ship. We were on the Infinity. Great food. Best embarkation ever. I agree that the overall feeling was "stuffy" with the exception of a darling stateroom hostess. Our cruise director was was a pompous jerk. The stage shows were horrible. Entertainment around the ship was surprisingly good and the performers were quite friendly in their off time. Cabin was very small, but had good storage spaces. I've been told on another board that a cabin that small did not exist --sorry, I found and confirmed the size on line. There were some nice touches like warm wash cloths and hot chocolate when we returned from excursions and their guest services desk was great. Ice cream station was good but had limited hours and tended to close 10-15 minutes before the listed time. Could not get ice cream after the evening show, even though the schedule should have allowed it. Drinks and beverage packages were considerably more costly than on Princess, and while there was no stated limit (per hour or per day), there was an obvious attempt to ration my daughter's soda package by having dining room servers be VERY slow with refills. They would pour half a can into a glass, refuse to leave the remainder of the can (guess that was low class), and then take a long time to come back when a refill was requested.

I realize that all of this is surprisingly different than that reported above...but they were on a different Celebrity ship with a different crew.

Having cruised 4 lines, I found many more similarities than differences. Each has a slightly different flavor, but overall much the same.

nteresting

Having sailed with Celebrity 3 times previously on both S and M class ships and having sailed on Princess this past February ( Island Princess on Panama Canal cruise), I would echo most everyone's assessment that there are many similarities between both cruise lines.

Food in MDR was very good in both.

Specialty restaurants were better on Celebrity but more expensive.

Wine selection was more extensive on Celebrity but cheaper on Princess....being somewhat of a wine snob, I found many enjoyable wines on Princess, which was GREAT, just not as many choices as on Celebrity.

Cabin size, "apples to apples", Celebrity wins ( Celebrity has a loveseat or couch in almost every room), but Celebrity is more expensive "apples to apples"...

Entertainment in main theater lounge a little better on Princess ( backup bands were very good on both)......ship productions on both lines OK but NOT Broadway quality by any means ( some of the singers are only fair, in my opinion)...

Biggest difference I saw was average age of cruisers.....I'm early AARP age and if there were 100 people out of 1800 on the Island Princess younger than I was, that would be stretching it...possibly time of year ( February) and destination ( Panama Canal), but every one of the Celebrity cruises I've been on had many 30-50 year old passengers ( and children) as opposed to a vast majority of senior AARP members on that Princess cruise...

Bottom line: Enjoyed both, would go on both again ( going on quick Celebrity Caribbean cruise in January, thinking about Princess TA in 2017 or 2018)...

I am surprised by room service better on Princess. On Celebrity you can get hot breakfast delivered in all classes. Aqua and suites have even more choices. I always have breakfast on the balcony with Celebrity.

We've been on 1 Celebrity cruise and 4 Princess cruises. I much prefer Princess. To me Celebrity was just too "stuffy". The cruise staff seemed very professional but also very aloof. Also the food was a little too fancy for my tastes. When I order something I like to recognize it on the plate. With Celebrity, we'd have a little mound of green something and another mound of orange something. It was all very artistic, but I like my green beans to look like green beans :p.

My last experience (in 2008) on Celebrity wasn't great. Nevertheless, I still check out the prices before booking a cruise. Since that last Celebrity cruise, however, we have taken three on HAL and twelve on Princess.

Service was lacking on that Celebrity cruise. It wasn't up to the level we had experienced on our three previous Celebrity cruises. The food was also not as good as what we find on HAL and Princess.

I am so thankful for the time you took to respond me.As you no doubt have noticed English is not my first language for sure I have make mistakes. But I have read and understood all your message. Thank you I'm fascinated by this forum. :)

I am surprised by room service better on Princess. On Celebrity you can get hot breakfast delivered in all classes. Aqua and suites have even more choices. I always have breakfast on the balcony with Celebrity.

Agree. Plus on Celebrity you can get the full main dining room dinner delivered to your room--any room, from inside to full suite.

Our only Celebrity was on the Reflection, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Another Celebrity cruise is booked for us already. However, Princess is still our favorite.

Celebrity has larger staterooms with VERY inferior storage space, but better bathrooms. Nice balcony, which is important to us as we like our balcony breakfasts. They are about the same for breakfast as we can get our hot preferences on either line. (Omelets, bacon, etc.)

Celebrity has better buffet than Princess, except for Royal Princess and Regal Princess who have the best buffet at sea, bar none! I do like the recent change on Princess where they bring you beverages, rather than having to get your own like Celebrity (and past Princess).

Princess has nothing like the Molecular Bar, which we loved (but I hear is no longer...). Celebrity has nothing like Skywalkers - a wonderful place to quietly relax and watch the sea from way up high.

Entertainment and main dining are very subjective, so I can't compare. I do like the more open MDR on Celebrity. Service in all areas is very similar: friendly and competent.

Conclusion: Princess still our favorite - Celebrity any time an interesting cruise comes up (like our Mardi Gras cruise in 2017!!)

Our only Celebrity was on the Reflection, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Another Celebrity cruise is booked for us already. However, Princess is still our favorite.

 

Celebrity has larger staterooms with VERY inferior storage space, but better bathrooms. Nice balcony, which is important to us as we like our balcony breakfasts. They are about the same for breakfast as we can get our hot preferences on either line. (Omelets, bacon, etc.)

 

Celebrity has better buffet than Princess, except for Royal Princess and Regal Princess who have the best buffet at sea, bar none! I do like the recent change on Princess where they bring you beverages, rather than having to get your own like Celebrity (and past Princess).

 

Princess has nothing like the Molecular Bar, which we loved (but I hear is no longer...). Celebrity has nothing like Skywalkers - a wonderful place to quietly relax and watch the sea from way up high.

 

Entertainment and main dining are very subjective, so I can't compare. I do like the more open MDR on Celebrity. Service in all areas is very similar: friendly and competent.

 

Conclusion: Princess still our favorite - Celebrity any time an interesting cruise comes up (like our Mardi Gras cruise in 2017!!)

Not sure when you lasted sailed X but next time you are aboard check out the Sky lounge at the top and front of the ships, Princess has no lounge that comes close for a view of ports and passages amazing when doing a Canal passage up fjords or entering and leaving ports like Sydney. Plus for the chosen few usually on back to backs you may be invited to attend a sail away party on the helipad on the front of the ship.

The size of the cabins and the fact X balconies are bigger and include a couch with vastly superior bathrooms like shower doors instead of curtains and multiple shower heads in Aqua. For us far out weigh storage space as we only bring one case each which each weigh less then 20kg so we have space to bring purchases home. The open clothes closets on Princess lack a certain class and have far more space then a normal cruiser can possibly use.

We give the shows on X a plus as the theaters have space to handle the ships capacity so seating isn't the crush on Princess and the can do two full length 1 hr products not the 3 half hr shows offered on Princess.

Agree with the lack of drink service though drinks are delivered on a random basis at times but not to be counted on. I think the smaller dinning rooms are a little quieter on Princess but anytime is better on X and Princess has nothing to match Blu and Aqua class.

We sail and like both for their differences.

Our last cruise (Jan 2015) was on the Celebrity Equinox, our first (and probably last) cruise on X. While it is supposed to be "upscale", I was surprised that we had to get our own drinks at the buffet, as if we were in a fast food restaurant.

My main complaint about the Equinox is its ugly artwork - I know this seems minor, but the main "art" in our cabin was an awful photo of what seemed to be a closeup of electrical wiring. Opposite the elevator on our deck was a drawing of a man climbing out of a sewer. Why did anyone think this was appropriate for cruise ship decor ?!? Almost all the decor on the ship was "modern" and, for the most part, ugly.

Plus, the main deck for shopping and dining had the casino stuck right in the middle of it - NOT "upscale" at all, in my mind.

We are cruising on Princess for the first time soon, so I am hoping it is an improvement over Celebrity in these categories !

We have a lot of experience with both lines. We have sailed every class ship Celebrity has ever had and we have sailed with Princess since the Grand Princess was launched - many of those ships multiple times and we have sailed on the Regal.

We have decided, after our last Celebrity cruise on the Infinity, that we will not sail with Celebrity again. We really do not like the Solstice class ships of Celebrity - the M class is now just OK for us since my husband has some mobility issues and walking from the front to the back of the ship multiple times a day is hard for him.

We love Princess and all that they have to offer and the ships live better for us.The buffet on Princess is easier to navigate and you are helped if you need it and beverages are brought to you. The Pizza on Princess is the best! The International Cafe is open 24/7 and is a great place for a quick lunch or late breakfast or just to hang out. The ships that have Alfredos have a great venue. The coffee bar is excellent - we always get a coffee card since we love coffee. The ships are light and bright inside and there is an adult pool aft. The food, IMO, is better on Princess and Anytime Dining is easier on Princess. The entertainment is also better we think.

We don't get off the ship much anymore and really enjoy it when in port -

Celebrity is not the same cruise line we started sailing with in the 1980's - but then what is - they seemed to be "selling" a lot on our last cruise. The buffet on the Infinity (which we try to stay our of) was always unkept - tables not cleaned - help not offered when obviously needed - those kinds of things. We have had many wonderful cruises with Celebrity in the past - but they will not be part of our future cruising. We sill stick with Princess. We are leaving in two weeks on the Emerald for a nice relaxing 5 day before Christmas!

Having been big fans of Celebrity, we recently tried our first Princess cruise on the Star, with another planned in January on the Caribbean. I think this thread demonstrates very well how close the two lines generally are, and the small differences are what translate into which you'll like better.

I feel the open buffet layout of Celebrity's Solstice-class ships far outweigh our limited buffet experience on Princess. The Star's buffet was consistently a bottleneck with lines I rarely see on Celebrity. And while nice to have beverages delivered on Princess, I don't really miss it on Celebrity (though any of the staff would be more than willing to fetch you something if you ask).

I found bar service deplorable on the Star. Often waited 10+ minutes after ordering a drink in a lounge before getting it. X was far better in that regard, though I think they focus on the beverage service... everywhere. I swear I've never seen as many drunk people late at night as on Celebrity. Not that I have a problem with that.

Definitely enjoyed the MDR on Princess more, but that's not to say X is inadequate.

I found the X ships also easier to navigate, took me several days to figure out the Star and just getting around the decks. But that could just be lack of familiarity.

Service was impeccable on both. In fact, I'd probably give the edge to Princess.

I completely understand the "stuffy" atmosphere comments on X. They seem to think stuffiness is synonymous with "luxurious" which isn't really true. Didn't really annoy me as much. Though it will be interesting to see how that changes with X dropping formal nights.

All in all, I'd sail on both again without any hesitation. Though for nothing other than personal taste, I slightly prefer Celebrity.

But yes, Princess pizza wins hands down.

We have been on Celebrity 2x and loved it the staff is so friendly, always take the time to say hello. Food exceptional, shows are a little lacking but so what after a long day of fun in the sun nothing beats a few pops and a comfy bed to get some zzzzs before another great day

We will be going on the regal soon so cant wait to see all the hype. Were going in with an open mind because at the end of the day only you can decide which cruise is more for you

We have been on Celebrity 2x and loved it the staff is so friendly, always take the time to say hello. Food exceptional, shows are a little lacking but so what after a long day of fun in the sun nothing beats a few pops and a comfy bed to get some zzzzs before another great day

 

We will be going on the regal soon so cant wait to see all the hype. Were going in with an open mind because at the end of the day only you can decide which cruise is more for you

We did 2 trips on the Eclipse which we loved. This time(due to scheduling issues)we're doing a 14 day B2B on the Regal. Should prove interesting. We're foodies, so Eclipse really met our desires. I hear Princess really isn't to that standard, but the Regal is their top ship, so perhaps things will be set to a higher standard. My reviews will tell our experience.

We have been on Celebrity 2x and loved it the staff is so friendly, always take the time to say hello. Food exceptional, shows are a little lacking but so what after a long day of fun in the sun nothing beats a few pops and a comfy bed to get some zzzzs before another great day

 

We will be going on the regal soon so cant wait to see all the hype. Were going in with an open mind because at the end of the day only you can decide which cruise is more for you

I don't find food on any line to be spectacular, I'd class it as good, rather than great.