CCruiser1234

We took our first Celebrity cruise after 8 Princess cruises a few weeks ago. We were happy with Princess but thought it was time to try something different to just compare. We walked away saying that there were things different on both lines, some better and some worse but there was nothing that would keep us from cruising with either line again.

 

 

 

As a little background:

 

 

 

We are both in our late 50's; still working and cruise 1-2 times per year. We've never sailed on the Regal/Royal but quite a few of the other Princess Ships. We generally like the grand class but love the Coral/Island and generally book a mini suite. The Celebrity cruise was on the Summit in a Concierge cabin.

 

 

 

Cabin: Princess cabins are much larger than the Summit. The balcony is also much larger. Storage was fine on both. We liked the closet doors on Celebrity but liked the closet location better on Princess. Princess bathrooms seemed bigger as well. Two TVs on Princess (which I thought was silly) but only one on Celebrity and placed on the far side of the bed so made watching from the couch awkward. We both agreed that Princess wins this one hands down.

 

 

 

Food: (Yes, I know - very subjective) We like the MDR and buffet food on Celebrity better but we liked the specialty restaurants on Princess better. We really liked the International Cafe on Princess better than the cafe on Celebrity.

 

 

 

Dining Experience: Summit just went through a retro fit that impacted the MDR and so it was very hectic. We found the atmosphere more relaxed on Princess but I'm sure that the Summit will settle down and get in a rhythm.

 

One night we couldn't face the chaos in the MDR so went to the buffet (which was a first for us on any cruise for dinner) and had an amazingly relaxing time. Who knew?

 

 

 

Decor: (Again subjective) We loved the decor on the Summit. It was just a little more modern which is more to our liking. Princess is beautiful and a little more elegant but Celebrity hit home with us. We did miss the atrium on Celebrity but we also noticed that not having the formal atrium also made the ship feel less crowded (not open space wise but less crowded with people).

 

 

 

Pools: I really like the therapy pool on Celebrity and covered adult area (redone during dry dock) but my husband did not. The pools on Celebrity were nice but small. We really missed the aft pool on Princess. As I've gotten older and my bones are getting more creaky I really appreciated how easy it was to get in and out of the Celebrity pools (stairs vs ladders).

 

 

 

Theater: We went to one show on Celebrity, a comedian, but did attend a couple of events in the theater. It was nicely laid out with bench seating with small fixed tables for drinks. It was easy to make you way through the rows. We don't go to production shows on either line but I think I liked the Celebrity theater better for our purposes.

 

 

 

Bars: Celebrity wins this one. Their bars seem to be smaller, more intimate that Princess bars and a lot more lively. We loved the Martini and the Sunset bar on Celebrity. The aft bar on Princess is as close of a comparison as I can make on Princess. The exception would be the Adagio on Princess but still a more formal feeling bar than the liveliness of the Celebrity bars.

 

 

 

Promenade deck: (Almost the deal breaker) My husband loves to walk the P deck and there isn't one on the Summit. They have a walking track that winds its way through lounge chairs and a rather large smoking section (11 times around is a mile). This was a huge issue for him but he got over it.

 

 

 

MUTS: The Summit added an outdoor screen and lovely rattan lawn chairs with cushions during dry dock. It was a great place to watch a movie. It hasn't caught on yet to the masses and when it does the space doesn't really seem big enough to accommodate a lot of people. The one nice thing is that it is away from the main pool area so there wasn't the constant noise around the pool from movies and concerts. Princess wins on the movies they show but the experience is better on Celebrity.

 

 

 

As you can see there wasn't anything that would keep me from sailing on either line. The one thing I did learn is that flying to Puerto Rico for a one week cruise is too far for this Arizona girl. Maybe when I retire I'll think differently.

 

 

 

Let me know if you have any questions.

Cookies and Pizza! We prefer Celebrity overall by a good margin BUT- oh boy-- love Princess' Cookies and Pizza.. Don't even get me started on the Princess Dream (desert) [emoji4]

I am very late on my post but better late than never!

 

Wanted to give my perspective of the ship from a younger crowds point of view ( I am 24 boyfriend is 25) I chose this ship after much research. I think the seller was the size of the ship and the great reviews on the food.

 

My boyfriend and I spent the week on the regal for my spring break. We are pretty calm young folk ( haha) not big partiers so we found the older crowd on the regal not a problem. The only problem I noticed were the activities were geared toward a older crowd. Which we expected. But we still had a great time exploring the ship and playing endless amounts of bingo.l and trivia. Not having a lot of stuff for us to do caused us to spend a lot of time in the casino( haha) we were a little bummed the club was very quiet as well.

 

We stayed on the aloha deck in a mini suite. (We upgraded after a price drop) (Aloha414) I absolutely loved our room. I kept hearing reviews that the location was not good due to the sky view being above. This did not bother us one bit. Barely even noticed it. The room was a great size and loved being able to close off the sitting area while we slept. Helped with the bright light of the morning sun. We also got a glass of champagne when we arrived. We decided to do the balcony breakfast one morning which was very nice and relaxing. Our balcony was also a great size. A lot bigger than I have ever had on a cruise. We had no problem with people on the sky walk above us. Having no stairs mid ship was a little problem but we were fine with walking forward or aft if they were busy. Only noticed them being really busy the first two days.

 

We loved the food. Alfredo's being my favorite. We only did one formal night. We were a little bummed the second one was on the night of Cozumel. We were too tired to come back and get ready to eat in the dining room. That was the only night we did not eat dinner in the dining room. We were always sat right away.

 

Boyfriend and I both purchased the unlimited beverage package. We are not huge drinkers but did find it well worth the money for we did not have to worry about how much money we were spending. Loved having the ability to purchase water bottles before bed and also as we were getting off the ship at ports. We also were able to enjoy coffees and gelato! Definitely recommend doing this. No stress and big bill at the end of the week.

 

We spent our last night at the Crown Grill which was delicious and worth the up charge!

 

Overall we had a very relaxing week on the ship. Would only change a few little things, like taking advantage of the adults only pool ( had lots of shade) and eating breakfast in the dining rooms ( did not know it was offered) other than that We really enjoyed ourselves and would definitely come back to the regal one day!

Thank you for the feedback. My spouse is 52 (I'm 52) , and she thinks that Princess rolls up the streets a little bit early. I love their ships, especially their signature signature Wheelhouse Bars.

~Bob

Hi,

 

 

 

Me and my wife plan to take our daughter on a cruise this summer. She will be 7 months at the time we take the cruise.

 

 

 

I've gotten mixed reactions from friends and family. Do you guys think shes to young to go on a cruise? I'm not worried about the amount we have to pay for 3rd passenger. I'm more worried about safety and heath.

 

 

 

Thanks

 

Stan

It's an incredibly bad idea. Leave her with grandma or other trusted relative.

She will have no memory of the cruise- and any temptation to have pictures with your daughter on "her first cruise" will be outweighed by the time taken to care for her.

It will not have been a good cruising experience-it will have been babysitting albeit in an upscale environment.

Gators,

Ocean Aria must must see. Arrive early for a good seat. It's that good.

Also, and I haven't seen anyone mention it, socialize in Dazzles. It's a nice nightclub IMO overlooking the boardwalk.

Email me for pics if you wish.

-bob

Hi Carol,

Thank you for your post. It's perfect timing, too! We are at home going over logistics for our first ever Viking River cruise, exactly what you are doing, this December 5-12.

We have an extremely early flight out of NUE disembarkation day, and while we are moored there from the night before, are concerned about an airport transfer in the wee hours. Our flight is at 06.30.

If you have time while aboard, could you inquire from Viking staff their recommendation about hiring a taxi for an appx 03.30 pickup? Or, should we just go after dinner the night before? (Yuk).

Thank you in advance!

-Bob

San Diego, Calif

Hi,

You will get one for being 'Gold', as will your husband- if you registered the first cruise with RCCL. If not, obtain a Crown & Anchor membership number, and get credit for that first cruise.

Cheers!

Bob

Hello all,

My wife & I are going on Century in a week or so (3 Apr). I'd really appreciate any comments you can offer..especially the service. I have read elsewhere on Cruise Critic that, while the ship is beautiful (given her recent refurbishment), the crew especially in the main dining room seem to be standoffish.

For anyone that comments here, please talk about cabins (anyone stay in Concierge Class?);and membership perks (We are Diamond with RCCL, so are wondering what the 'Elite' treatment is); Is there any free entrance/membership to the Spa area?; and any other comments you care to make.

Thanks!