Reba 954

We are booking our first river cruise with Ama and there are a couple concerns I have.  Is there a mini fridge?  Do you actually have a room steward that comes in everyday like on Ocean cruises?  Can you get ice in your room?  We like to bring a little bourbon and would love to have ice, plus I like the occasional soda, and figured I'd buy a few in each port.  That is allowed right?  Wine too?  Thanks in advance for any insight!

3 hours ago, lakegirl16 said:

I've always considered these two lines more similar than different.  We just returned from 10 Day Ruby Princess Round Trip Alaska.  Most recent Celebrity Sailing was December 2022, Mexican Riviera on the Solstice.  Both of these ships were built around the same time.

 

I know this comparison is subjective and every ship is different, many will say the opposite of my opinions but wanted to share my thoughts.  Happy to answer any questions.   

 

In no particular order, here's my thoughts ... 

 

Television - Celebrity.  I know we don’t cruise to watch TV but Princess TV is terrible.  

 

Internet - Celebrity.  Internet on the Ruby Princess was not good, very slow.  In fairness, the Solstice had just gotten Starlink and we were sailing south and not north.

 

Embarkation  / Disembarkation - Even. 

Although I heard passengers complain it took them 1.5 hours in the 12:30 boarding group on the Ruby.

 

Entertainment - Princess. We found the shows on the Solstice in December very average.  Star Princess shows were great.  I also like the wide variety of musical entertainment in the bars on Princess.

 

Pastries - Celebrity - I always felt like the pastries I had on the Ruby were a bit dry.  One exception, the almond croissant.

 

Coffee bar - Celebrity - Location, setting and coffee selection.  Service on the Ruby was terrible.

 

Friendliness - Celebrity.  I found a lot of staff on Ruby didn’t speak at all.

 

Cookies- celebrity.  Princess cookies were dry and hard.

 

Overall food - even.  I thought both had good and not so good selections.  My one concern on the Star was often my food wasn't hot.  Not cold, just not hot.

 

Desserts - slight to Celebrity.  I can’t believe Princess changed the Love Boat Dream to Raspberry!

 

Cocktails - Celebrity - Martini bar, big plus.

 

Beds - Even.  I always sleep great at sea

 

Activities- slight to Princess.  I love BINGO! 

 

Apps -  Celebrity hands down.  Princess app is pretty worthless, can’t see menus unless you are booked in the restaurant.  

 

Spa - even.  Although I had a pedicure on Princess and first time ever she didn’t try to sell me any products!! 

 

Toiletries - Princess love the hand soap

 

Ice cream -  Celebrity - love the Gelato!

 

Casino -Celebrity - smoking on Princess is a no go for me.

 

Dining Room Service - I’m not going to compare because our last cruise on Celebrity we were in a Sky Suite.  I will say service on the Ruby was so so.  In general servers were not terribly friendly.  We ate in the main dining room 4 nights.  Only one of those nights did we have a server who introduced himself, gave recommendations and was engaging.  Wait times went from really poor to good.  We had one lunch that took an hour and 20 minutes.  

 

Overall Ship Condition - Celebrity.  

The Star Princess is looking pretty ratty. Rusted off parts on our balcony.  Furniture in Wheelhouse, leather peeling off couches, looks terrible.  Before we sailed on the Solstice, I read lots of reviews saying the ship was in poor condition, I never noticed anything.  I don't really "look" for problems because I'm enjoying my cruise. These things on the Star, I didn't have to look for, they were obvious.

 

Gelato!!!!!??????   You got lucky.  We were on the Beyond 3 months ago....no gelato at all!!!

7 minutes ago, Jeter02 said:

Yes every ship has their own cigar lounge. And yes they still do turn down and cleaning in the morning as well so twice a day.

Thanks a bunch!!!  My husband will be happy to hear that!

Is there a cigar smoking area?  And do you still get 2 room cleanings a day?  If it helps, we are in a mini suite and have the Plus package.  Thanks in advance:)  We sail in 3 weeks!

Thank You very much!

I have searched and searched, but cannot find the answer to my question.  We have never cruised Norwegian(always Celebrity)  but because of the itinerary have decided to give them a try.  We always do Aft facing balconies because typically they are bigger and or course have the beautiful view.  What I need to know is the size (compared to side balconies) of the Aft balcony on the Star.  Not the suites...just the regular aft facing balcony.  I am thinking the Sun would be the same too.  

Also, is there a difference between decks?  Are there loungers as opposed to just chairs with ottomans?

Thank you in advance for any help you can give😀

Does anyone know  which port the Sky docks at in Copenhagen?  I have looked at numerous port schedules and I am only finding times, not the actual port.

Thanks for any help you can give!!

We have M108 for our July Baltic cruise and I am wondering about the motion thing also.  I dont get sick unless its really rocky, but I am thinking ....Baltic + High Deck + Front of ship = very rocky...lol.  Love the room, but hope we didn't make a mistake:)

On 3/1/2022 at 1:16 PM, Virginia100 said:

I agree to think people coughing have Covid is a foolish statement. I have sinus issues all the time and very stuffy nose. I cough all the time. I went for a Covid test last week just as a dry run for my 3/26 cruise to see the documentation during one of my really stuffy days. Was negative.

Have to agree with all these people....my husband had throat cancer several years ago, and because of it, coughs alot. Sometimes you'd think he was dying...lol.   He's not sick!  There are many many reasons people cough.

We are so happy to be rid of the masks...I just moved our stash of masks to the garage, and I hope I never see them again!  I just wish it was the same for the crew!  I miss seeing their smiling faces, and I am sure its uncomfortable for them.  They are all vaccinated ....let them lose the masks!!!!  I want no reminders of these past couple years.  Go ahead...flame me....just my opinion:)  I could care less if someone wants to wear a mask....I just dont.

I also was able to move my booking from a horrible TA, without their permission.  I contacted celebrity and advised them of the situation.  They sent me paper work to sign and they took care of it.  I think some TAs are just burned out, but in my case, she was awful before Covid...lol.  I now have a GREAT TA!

Thanks so much...that was exactly the impression we had after watching some You Tube videos showing the Edge Suite.  Glad we passed:)

22 minutes ago, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

We had an aft corner once on an S class ship.  No soot at all.  Recently had an aft corner on Edge and there was soot occasionally.  I was careful to wipe the chairs before sitting and the cabin steward also wiped them.  We also hung bathing suits behind the chairs, hooked with clothespins, and pulled back to the balcony doors so as to be unobtrusive.  No soot ever.  

I noticed you sailed on cormer suite (our favorite) on both Edge and S Class ships.....Was wondering your thoughts on the rooms?  We loved the S class, but looking at the Edge corner suite, we were less than impressed...in fact we canceled it, and took aft facing Aqua Class.  We felt like the cost was ridiculous for that suite.  The aft corner suites on Princess put the Edge to shame.  Don't get me wrong, we prefer Celebrity for must everything else but that room on Princess can;t be beat (IMHO).  We are anxious to try a bigger Princess ship to really compare other things.  Nice to have choices:):)

Thanks for asking...I have the same question:)

On 8/28/2019 at 5:39 PM, Edinburghgirl1 said:

The aft Aqua class cabins on deck 11 of the M class ships are great. Massive balconies  and very handy for Ocean view buffet and bar. 

.Hi, I have a deck 11 aft facing booked in 2021....but I am a little concerned.  I have read a lot of reviews that say the movie above is going constantly and VERY loud.  Did you experience that?   Sometimes people exaggerate, so I sure would love your opinion, or anyone elses too:)

Its funny how everyone is different.  Our last cruise was in a suite and we MUCH preferred Blu over Luminae.  We had no trouble at all eating there every night.  The only issue was the Maitre'D from Luminae kept calling to ask why we weren't coming there for dinner....lol.  They keep track of where you eat.

Wow, you guys have been great with the responses!   I feel so much more well informed now.  I had to laugh at those saying once you go suite its hard to go back.  We booked a sky suite on Celebrity 3 years ago, and haven't been able to do anything else since...LOL .  BUT, we can only cruise once a year right now.....hubby is not retired yet....so once we can go a couple times a year we will HAVE to choose between once a year in a suite, or twice a year in a reg balcony.

I really appreciated the feedback on comparing Celebrity and Princess. We have been a little worried the service wouldn't be up to par with Celebrity.  But, the more I research the better I feel.  If the Princess ship is half as friendly as the Princess people on CC, we are good to go:)  We are both excited to be trying a new line, with new itineraries.  We are like little kids waiting for a new adventure😁

Happy sailing to everyone! 

1 minute ago, cruzsnooze said:

It is one bottle of water per day per person not 2 as someone wrote above. The main dining is open embarkation day but they will try to steer you to the buffet, just say no thank you, which dining room is open today. Sometimes I have received Jack Daniels Red Label not the Dewars so it's hit or miss. Don't forget you have Club Class dining not the regular anytime which is wonderful. 

ooooohhhhh...the Jack would make hubby very happy...lol   Thanks!

Thanks so much to everyone!  We are really looking forward to trying Princess.  We are Elite with Celebrity but we got so tired of the same ole itineraries on the same ships...lol(a sad problem to have!!!).  We live in Florida and pretty much stay in the Caribbean, because of limitations in time available.  Hopefully going to try Europe next year.    I have heard great things about Princess, so we are excited.  But there is a lot to learn!  One other question I thought of...does anyone have a suggestion for lunch on embarkation day, besides the buffet?  Want to try and avoid crowds.

This is our first time sailing with Princess, and we have booked an aft full suite.  I have been trying to get answers to a couple small questions, and cant seem to find them.

First, in the mini bar set up that is complimentary, can you trade for bourbon?  or specifically Jack Daniels?  

Second, I've read conflicting reports about whether you get 2 free bottles of water each day or not.  We are on the Crown Princess in March.  I am wondering if anyone has been on her recently and knows the answer for sure.  I was going to order bottled water, but not if its free:)

Third, is there an Elite Lounge on the Crown?  And if so, is it free drinks like Michaels Club on Celebrity?

Thanks in advance for any help!!

Rebecca

Oh and I had one more question...pretty please:) Does anyone know if The Chef's Table is offered on the Crown Princess 10 day cruise --Caribbean?

I want to thank everyone for your replies....it has helped out greatly! I love Cruise Critic!!!! I would never have known about the OBC for shareholders or the military OBC without CC.....awesome people, helping other people!

And kudos to PRINCESS for offering the Military OBC ! Too bad other cruise lines aren't as supportive of our military;). Just makes me want to sail them all the more.....regardless of whether we were military or not.

I am so looking forward to this cruise. We had gotten in a rut with Celebrity...same ships, same itineraries year after year. I am leaving Edge out because we refuse to pay the ridiculous rates they want for a terrible itinerary . Also, we usually do a suite and they have "segregated" the suite occupants so much on that ship, that it wont feel right to us. I don't feel like if I have a suite, I should have a separate pool area ect….The separate dining was fine every now and then, and Michaels Club is nice...who needs more than that? We regularly sail with other friends who may or may not have a suite. I didn't want to feel like we couldn't socialize with them...lol.

Okay sorry for the rant...:rolleyes:. Thanks again!

We are both stockholders in Carnival, and my husband is retired Air Force. Can we take advantage of both OBC's or is it just one ? We have a suite booked for a 10 day cruise on Crown Princess in March of next year. This will be our first cruise with Princess. We are Elite with Celebrity, but wanted to try something different;). I am hoping we will like Princess.

Does anyone know if they offer a Moscato on board? Celebrity did not, and it was very frustrating, since that's my drink of choice. Are you allowed to bring wine on board? If so, how many bottles?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Rebecca

Princess does provide sightseeing maps. They are not usually very good.

 

If you are going to tour on your own. Get a guide book. Rick Steves's Med Cruise ports is very good

I 100% agree....great book...handy size.

Cant understand why you are posting here before you have resolved or at least tried to resolve the issue. There are senior staff eg the Hotel Director for one who should be advised and given time to try and rectify the situation. Whilst I agree that the service at the spa appears to be substandard stop complaining here in CC and do something to seek rectification. You may be surprised at the outcome. I cannot for the life of me understand why people use forums like this to bellyache and complain before going through the appropriate steps with senior management to rectify a complaint. If the complaint cant be resolved satisfactorily then by all means come here but until .....................

I have to agree with you. On our last cruise we had a very major issue with the Spa. I am not going to go into it here, because they did make up for it, and promise to get it corrected. But I will say, we got a call from the Main Headquarters in Nevada, when we got back from the cruise. He was sincere in his apology, and more than made up for it. Yes it did cause a headache on our cruise, but because we said something, hopefully it will make it better for future cruisers. If they don't know there is a problem, they cant fix it.

Glad to hear you found it...was going to suggest you just call Celebrity or Travel Agent. I'm sure they could help you:D. Have a great trip!