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Princess or Celebrity


kuxiam
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That's tough because they are close. I would give a slight nod to Celebrity on food but only because we found some of their "around the ship" locations to be wonderful. The AquaSpa Cafe did fresh grilled salmon that was amazing and they had a small outlet for various small treats with almond croissants (bite sized) that were the best I've ever had. Their ice cream bar was also great, but often closed before the appointed hour--instead of closing at 10, they timed it so that by 10 they were cleaned up and leaving the area. In the main dining rooms, I'd give a slight edge to Princess.

 

Entertainment, it depends on what the variety acts are during your cruise. Since that's impossible to predict.......shrug. We did find more and better adult activities on Princess, especially on their longer cruises.

 

In general, I'd say that Princess has a slightly older crowd, but we were seated at a table for 6 on Celebrity where the next youngest person was 20 years my senior...and I was 50 something.

 

The spa and fitness center are operated by the same company on every ship we've been on and are totally similar. This may sound silly, but it mattered to my daughter. The "unlimited" soda plan was better on Princess because at dinner they "limited" you on Celebrity with VERY slow refills. They'd bring a can, but pour it into a glass with ice and refuse to leave the remainder of the can at the table. When she asked for a refill, it would typically take 20 minutes. She would have been totally happy with either a larger glass that could hold an entire can, or leaving the remainder of the can at the table. On Princess, whenever her glass was low, a refill would appear.

 

Overall, I would have to look at the specific cruise, dates, and cost. We loved Princess in Japan.

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We have been on Princess many times and on Celebrity once (15 days). There are pluses and minuses. We loved that on Celebrity we were greeted with a glass of bubbly and we felt that the bathrooms and particularly the bath towels were better than the Princess ships we have been on. We prefer the MDR meals on Princess rather than on Celebrity, but that is personal preference. Our cabin steward on Celebrity kept coming into the cabin while we were there (dressed or undressed) for the most trivial reasons whereas on Princess stewards are trained not to disturb the passengers unless they have to. BTW, we did not have a "do not disturb" or "privacy" sign to put outside. I fantasised about using a doorstop, but I didn't have one. We could have complained, but we don't like to. I came to the conclusion that the steward thought he was working on getting an extra tip, whereas it worked the opposite way. On Celebrity, there was a fire in a cabin near us (we heard the announcement and saw and smelt the smoke) but the ship's officers and the stewards insisted there had not been a fire. The cover-up caused a furore among passengers. I would prefer being told the truth, even if it was down-played.

 

We didn't think the entertainment on Celebrity was as good as on Princess. The stage shows were OK, but one called "Little Old Ladies" was in bad taste (seeing the age of the audience) and it was awful. We liked the trivia on Celebrity - we won most of the time. :)

 

The OP says they are aged 40 and 41. Princess probably has a slightly older passenger demographic than Celebrity, but it depends a lot on the length of the cruise, time of year and the destination. Longer cruises - older passengers because they do not have to organise time off work. Holiday season - more family groups including multi-generation.

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https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2585616

 

I answered on the OPs other thread where they specified they are looking at 10 day Caribbean cruises in March. I'll add to my other thoughts that I sailed the 10 day Eastern Caribbean Voyager in April a few years ago and there were plenty of 20- and 30-somethings on board. On my Royal Princess cruise in November both Crooners and Club 6 were jumping late into the evening. Contrast with my one Celebrity cruise (again on an M-class) where if you prefer to dine later there would always be a pre-dinner show and after dinner most nights felt like I was walking out of the dining room of the Mary Celeste.

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We were long time Celebrity cruisers that then took a Princess because family members wanted to.

 

I was pleasantly surprised by Princess. We don't do much entertainment (besides trivia) but here are a few differences.

 

We got a balcony cabin on both lines - on Celebrity we had a sofa, not so on Princess. I missed the sofa!

 

Better storage on Princess (Ruby).

 

Food.....in the MDR, Celebrity has better beef and lamb entrees. I thought the seafood on Princess much better (like shrimp and scallops, not so much the fish). But I really really like the "everyday menu" choices on Celebrity - the escargot and onion soup! Pasta probably better on Princess tho it has improved on Celebrity.

 

My HU thought the crowd was younger on Princess but we were doing an Alaskan sail - on X, we are usually in Europe.

 

But both lines are very nice. We have chosen to do another Princess cruise in March (itinerary driven). Oh one more thing - much easier to get stockholder credit on Princess.

Edited by suec12
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DW and I will sail either line based on price and itinerary - both have delivered great vacations IMHO.

 

X has moved to more "tiers", when we sailed Silhouette last Feb we were in Aqua class and LOVED blu but Aqua also had premium access to shorter lines for MDR lunches (some parallels to Club Class on Princess) and a few other perks. We met a couple who were in an interior and they joked about feeling 2nd class because they weren't in a "premium" cabin. I wouldn't pay for a club class on Princess because I don't normally feel the need for a mini-suite, but like was mentioned I missed having the small loveseat that was in the X cabins (though Princess has some bigger balconies that can be scored at a modest price difference, whereas X balconies are generally smaller).

 

DW and I felt the Princess shows were much less entertaining than X, but that's a personal preference thing. Limited test set, but the X cruises featured more dramatic aerial acrobatics in their shows and Pilobolus style dancers, Princess is a much more traditional song and dance style show. X isn't a true Cirque show, but leans much more that way than Princess.

 

Haven't eaten MDR dinners on X in a few years, but buffets were always good; Princess MDR food was good, and featured a local inspired option basically every dinner. Both lines seem to work their MDR servers hard with a few too many tables to cover, service has been good with that caveat in mind. If you can afford Aqua on X, I'd say that easily trumps a balcony class on Princess imho.

 

DW and I felt young on Princess for the cruise we just finished (although there were younger couples and ~250 "youth" on the NYE sailing on Crown), X had a younger vibe and younger pax (Silhouette, W. Carib, Feb '17). X had chill/house electronic music playing in the hallways (e.g., a song I recognized in the hallway off my Pandora list ironically,

),

 

We have open deposits for future cruises with both lines, and wouldn't hesitate to enjoy a sailing on either. If you want an all-inclusive though, X probably has a better shot at a deal with the multiple perks package (e.g., beverage package plus gratuities). Our last X sailing we paid to upgrade to the 4 perk package and it was a pretty good deal as it was tips, premium beverage package, obc, and unlimited internet for 2 devices.

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I've done 4 Princess cruises and 1 Celebrity. I prefer Princess, but really liked my Celebrity cruise and would go again with the right itinerary and price.

Food, I give a slight edge to Princess. If you are healthy eater, Blu is a great option (depends on category selected).

Entertainment, I loved the acrobats on Celebrity. Definitely a wow factor for me.

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. . .Entertainment, I loved the acrobats on Celebrity. Definitely a wow factor for me.

 

Celebrity has (or had) an agreement with Cirque de Soleil, the company with amazing acrobatic shows. Not sure if Cirque does shows on any other cruise line. The theaters on Celebrity are horseshoe-shaped with a balcony all the way around. IMHO, more conducive to CdS shows than the theater configuration on Princess ships, which are more like movie theaters/auditoriums. We certainly enjoyed the CdS shows we saw on our 2014 X cruise, but pretty much prefer Princess for other reasons.

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I look at prices and compare for both cruise lines (plus Holland America). I can usually get a better deal on Princess--and thus we've taken more cruises on Princess than all other cruise lines combined. Our last Celebrity cruise was a disappointment.

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I've been on 9 cruises with Princess and 2 on Celebrity.

 

MDR --- Princess by a mile. On my last celebrity cruise in September we only went to the dining room one night and that did it for us. The service was horrible and the food wasn't any better.

 

Princess --- International café (IC)... Simply the best.

 

Celebrity--- Aqua spa café (loved the grilled salmon). Service was great until the last day when they were out of everything to create the smoothies that our special alcohol card included. An employee was also super rude while people were trying to place their orders.

 

Stateroom toilets--- Yes, I went there ( no pun intended). Princess by far. Four days out of seven our toilet did not work on our last celebrity cruise.... Not cool.

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After a number of cruises on Princess, we had our first Celebrity experience recently, 27 days on an M class ship.

 

There a number of differences (some small, some major) between the Celebrity experience we had and Princess. But to summarize, overall we found the total experience to be equivalent. So if you are undecided, I suggest choosing based on itinerary and pricing.

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Observation; no one ever mentions their age and cruise length when they opine on which line they prefer. These datapoints are valuable to others when evaluating feedback.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

You are so right!

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we are elite on both lines... we prefer princess to celebrity... 28 cruises on Princess, 15 or so on X. Prefer entertain on princess more consistent, same with food and service... I guess that is why we have 28 cruises on Princess.

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You are so right!

 

 

 

I am deducing that all these mega-multiple cruisers are all 60+.

 

My own research leads me to believe Princess skews older than Celebrity on cruises >10 days.

 

And any cruise more than 10 days, non Caribbean, will def skew older.

 

We’re maxing our cruises at 10 days now. We’re 48/48.

 

We’ll be 50/49 when we sail Celebrity in Mar 2019.

 

Looking forward to your feedback when you make your decision.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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I am deducing that all these mega-multiple cruisers are all 60+.

 

My own research leads me to believe Princess skews older than Celebrity on cruises >10 days.

 

And any cruise more than 10 days, non Caribbean, will def skew older.

 

We’re maxing our cruises at 10 days now. We’re 48/48.

 

We’ll be 50/49 when we sail Celebrity in Mar 2019.

 

Looking forward to your feedback when you make your decision.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

I also think it does depend on when you sail as to the demographics. We have to cruise in the school holidays (our kids always come with us) and so there are always more children onboard (lower age range across the board) than sailing at other times throughout the year. Cruises under 10 days also are not worth the airfare, so perhaps we fall into a different category?

 

We’re taking our second Princess cruise this summer after 24 previous sailings on X and RCI. Itinerary has been the deciding factor for us (X do not sail from SF) and the fact that we were not impressed with our Celebrity Reflection sailing in the Med last summer - a complete contrast to the wonderful time we had this past Christmas on Eclipse in the Caribbean. Lately, we have found a difference between the clientele, and services offered, when the ships sail in the different regions. Cost cutting has also become more evident, although I believe this is similar on Princess after reading some of the posts on CC from long-standing Princess cruisers.

 

We’re looking forward to experiencing new things on our Princess cruise to Alaska, even if there have been several negative comments on the condition of the ship (Grand).

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I think it's important that you state what it is that you enjoy because no two 40 year couples like the same things.

 

I do think that itinerary can make a difference on this more then each cruise line.

 

We sailed both lines in our 40's and it didn't make a difference to our enjoyment of each cruise.

 

Keith

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We're 38 and 43 and cruise multiple lines, mainly Princess and Celebrity, but a good smattering of Royal Caribbean in there, wirh a Cunard or two and Carnival or two under our belts. Been cruising for a while now. Elite in Princess, Elite Plus on Celebrity, Diamond Plus on Royal Caribbean.. Nothing on Cunard oe Carnival..

 

We prefer Princess over Celebrity overall for a few reasons, but enjoy both very much. Why Princess for us? More consistent product, more laid back traditional cruise product, more live music - and live music later into the night. More nighttime venues open wirh music and people - Celebrity is mainly the Martini bar after 10... Bands end around 10/10:30pm, nightclub rarely has more than a handful of people past 10/11, etc., while Princess bands generally play till 11:30/12 most nights, actual DJ in nightclub, etc. We enjoy the free 24/7 room service on Princess along with an actual 24/7 light nite venue, whereas Celebrity charges for room service 12-6am, and does not have anywhere to get a bite to eat after 12. (yes, the daily newsletter often lists 1am as closing of buffet, bit in practice there may be a slice of rock hard pizza left).. We enjoy the more interesting itineraries ***** Princess, but that's likely due to a much larger fleet - although Celebrity has quite interesting one off sailings each year such as Mardi Gras wirh 2 or 3 night overnight in New Orleans for MG - which was an awesome way to do it. Or their Jazz sailing coming up, again several night in MG foe the jazz festival. We also enjoy the different overnight stays they have in the Caribbean to enjoy the Islands longer...

We really like the buffet on Celebrity, especially all the cooked to order items like steaks, chicken, fish, pork chops, etc and the stir fry station cooked to order daily... But Royal class ships for Princess are making up the difference!

We like Celebrity's production shows much better, but overall Princess has more evening ootions - if you don't go to the show on Celebrity, there's not really anything else going on whereas Princess has game shows, bands in the lounges, smaller show in smaller aft lounge, Atrium entertainment, etc.

Hubby hates the sport court in Celebrity's Solstice class ships - it's forward and there's so much wind it's too much of a pain to play basketball or other games...

We enjoy the couch in all staterooms in Celebrity, but much prefer the storage on Princess and the privacy the walk-in closet gives on Princess, both to the bathroom and out to the hall.. If the price is right, Aqua Class on Celebrity is wonderful with its excellent separate dining room f it's like specialty dining every night.. And if price were no object, Celebrity's Suite class beats Princess suite perks out of the water.. But it's rare we do suite on Celebrity, they're in such high demand!! The "class distinction" is definitely more prevalent on Celebrity, but out in the public spaces, it's not really noticeable.. We enjoy the occasional suite on Princess and the perks there too, but those Celebrity suite perks are excellent.

Celebrity wins the Internet question hands down. Faster, there's an unlimited option, etc. For those if us in the more connected generations, it's great!

 

All in all, we enjoy both for different reasons, and cruise both once or twice every year usually...

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We're 38 and 43 and cruise multiple lines, mainly Princess and Celebrity, but a good smattering of Royal Caribbean in there, wirh a Cunard or two and Carnival or two under our belts. Been cruising for a while now. Elite in Princess, Elite Plus on Celebrity, Diamond Plus on Royal Caribbean.. Nothing on Cunard oe Carnival..

 

We prefer Princess over Celebrity overall for a few reasons, but enjoy both very much. Why Princess for us? More consistent product, more laid back traditional cruise product, more live music - and live music later into the night. More nighttime venues open wirh music and people - Celebrity is mainly the Martini bar after 10... Bands end around 10/10:30pm, nightclub rarely has more than a handful of people past 10/11, etc., while Princess bands generally play till 11:30/12 most nights, actual DJ in nightclub, etc. We enjoy the free 24/7 room service on Princess along with an actual 24/7 light nite venue, whereas Celebrity charges for room service 12-6am, and does not have anywhere to get a bite to eat after 12. (yes, the daily newsletter often lists 1am as closing of buffet, bit in practice there may be a slice of rock hard pizza left).. We enjoy the more interesting itineraries ***** Princess, but that's likely due to a much larger fleet - although Celebrity has quite interesting one off sailings each year such as Mardi Gras wirh 2 or 3 night overnight in New Orleans for MG - which was an awesome way to do it. Or their Jazz sailing coming up, again several night in MG foe the jazz festival. We also enjoy the different overnight stays they have in the Caribbean to enjoy the Islands longer...

We really like the buffet on Celebrity, especially all the cooked to order items like steaks, chicken, fish, pork chops, etc and the stir fry station cooked to order daily... But Royal class ships for Princess are making up the difference!

We like Celebrity's production shows much better, but overall Princess has more evening ootions - if you don't go to the show on Celebrity, there's not really anything else going on whereas Princess has game shows, bands in the lounges, smaller show in smaller aft lounge, Atrium entertainment, etc.

Hubby hates the sport court in Celebrity's Solstice class ships - it's forward and there's so much wind it's too much of a pain to play basketball or other games...

We enjoy the couch in all staterooms in Celebrity, but much prefer the storage on Princess and the privacy the walk-in closet gives on Princess, both to the bathroom and out to the hall.. If the price is right, Aqua Class on Celebrity is wonderful with its excellent separate dining room f it's like specialty dining every night.. And if price were no object, Celebrity's Suite class beats Princess suite perks out of the water.. But it's rare we do suite on Celebrity, they're in such high demand!! The "class distinction" is definitely more prevalent on Celebrity, but out in the public spaces, it's not really noticeable.. We enjoy the occasional suite on Princess and the perks there too, but those Celebrity suite perks are excellent.

Celebrity wins the Internet question hands down. Faster, there's an unlimited option, etc. For those if us in the more connected generations, it's great!

 

All in all, we enjoy both for different reasons, and cruise both once or twice every year usually...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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I posted earlier but did not include our demographics - we are close to 65. My HU thought Princess had a younger crowd but it may have been our Princess cruise was a 7 day Alaska.

 

One more thing about Celebrity - I like the way you can play the "booking game" better on their ships. Once final payment has hit and the discounted deals are offered, you can call Celebrity and usually upgrade as long as what you want to upgrade to is at least $1 more. On our Princess sail the difference between OV and balcony was alot (Alaska) so we booked an OV. When the new fares were published, I called and wanted to pay the difference but was not allowed to. A few days later I did get the email/call (don't remember) and in the end, got the upsell for several hundred dollars cheaper than what I would have paid! But hoping to get the offer and then hoping to get an agent while the deal was still there was a bit nerve racking.

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