Observatons on Celebrity and Princess From A Newbie (kinda long)

About Us: My wife (semi-retired) and I (retired) just started cruising after 10+ years of no vacations due to the demands of a small business. In less than a year we have taken 3 cruises.

• · April ’17 Celebrity Reflection TA
  
• · Oct ’17 Celebrity Equinox southern Caribbean
  
• · Jan ’18 Coral Princess Panama Canal
  

Prior to that we did an Alaska cruise 15 years ago and I did a Caribbean cruise as a child in the early 60’s on Canard.

My main purpose in this post is to offer some observations on the differences we saw between Celebrity and Princess based on only a few cruises. I realize, and readers should keep in mind, that the Reflection and Equinox are larger ships than the Coral Princess. As a result, my observations don’t hold true across the entire fleets. After two Celebrity cruises, I was curious about how Princess would differ. I’ve tried to present my observations below. We are not loyal to any line - our next cruise is on Azamara and I keep watching for an affordable cruise on Oceania. I’ll start by briefly mentioning a few observations on Reflection and Equinox.

Reflection – Equinox Observations: These are sister ships, but there are a few differences.

• We much preferred the layout of the Sunset Bar on Reflection.
  
• We LOVED the Lawn Club Grill on Reflection and really missed it on the Equinox. I see that many people here like the glass show on Equinox (occupies the LCG space), but when I heard that the glass show was closed for renovation, I was hopeful that the Lawn Club Grill was coming to Equinox too. No such luck. The hot glass show just changed from a free demonstration to a paid hands-on experience.
  
• The Mast Grill on Equinox is more enjoyable because there is less wind due to design differences at the front of the deck.
  

• Cellar Masters on the Reflection is rarely used and the Gastro Pub on Equinox is a much better use of the space.
  
• Reflection has a small area on Deck 9 called Game On. It has several tables for card games, but what we really liked was that there were several gaming tables with large touch screens on the surface. These gaming tables had a variety of games that you could play. We liked a game that was pretty much like Word Search. The nice thing is that both people could play simultaneously. I looked for a home version of this kind of electronic gaming table but couldn’t find one. Seems to me like a good product opportunity for the video game industry. We were disappointed to find that Equinox lacks this feature.
  

Given a choice we prefer the Reflection over the Equinox.

Celebrity – Princess Observations: Admittedly based on a limited exposure to each.

· Embarkation: We arrived at the terminal at about 10:30am for each cruise. On both Celebrity and Princess we completed registration quickly and painlessly. On Celebrity we immediately boarded the ship, but the rooms were not ready until 1pm. On Princess we had to sit in a waiting area until about noon before we could board, however the rooms were ready when we boarded.

· Cabins: The big difference between Celebrity and Princess balcony cabins is the bathroom and the sitting area. We liked the bathroom on Celebrity much better – especially the shower size and shower door vs curtain. The sitting area on Celebrity had a love seat. On Princess you needed to book a mini-suite to get a love seat, otherwise there was just a single chair.

· Bars (getting to the really important stuff 😊): We really enjoyed the Marini and Sunset Bars on Celebrity and thought we would miss them on Princess. To our surprise we found the selection of bars on Princess to be superior. We also found the bartenders on Princess to be more personable. After a few days, many of the Princess bartenders didn’t even ask to see our cards as they told us “we know your number”. The bartenders on Princess seemed to really enjoy their jobs, on Celebrity – not so much. One disappointment on Princess is the mixes they use. Generally subpar. The worst is the pina colada mix. We drank a lot of pina coladas on Celebrity. On Princess it only took one to convince us to switch to something else. The margarita mix was OK, but not great. All-in-all we still preferred the bars on Princess – service goes a long way, we just had to be more selective about what we ordered.

· The Sanctuary: Not a comparison, because Celebrity has nothing like it. We had a lot of sea days on the Princess Panama Canal cruise and, having heard good things about the Sanctuary, we headed straight there upon boarding to book afternoons for every sea day. We loved it! I hate to rave about it because I like to keep “my favorite fishing hole” secret. The Sanctuary on the Coral is particularly nice because it has its own little pool.

· Main Dining Room: I know, I know, food is subjective so skip this section if you wish. Let me start by saying I am not one who expects fine dining on a mainstream cruise ship. When serving 1000’s of diners it’s unrealistic to expect much more than high end banquet food. In general, this is what both Celebrity and Princess accomplish. It’s fine. The menus are a bit boring, but I can always find something that sounds good. I do think Princess should be a bit embarrassed about replacing steak on the every day menu with a hamburger - but that’s just me. I’m always amazed at how both cruise line kitchens manage to serve properly cooked fish. It must be magic. I’d never order fish at a banquet hall. There were a couple fails on Princess. One was Beef Wellington where the pastry was totally soggy. The other was short rib that was so tough that it was hard to even cut. That aside, the MDR experience on Celebrity and Princess are pretty much comparable. We eat late (8-8:30pm) and anytime dining on both lines worked fine.

· Specialty Restaurants: On Celebrity we…… Love the Lawn Club Grill, quite enjoy Murano, were surprised by Sushi on Five, Sushi on a cruise ship? That can’t be fresh. But, it was actually much better than expected, Tuscan Grill is loved by many – but not us. On Princess the choices were more limited. Many people rave about Sabatini’s, but my wife didn’t care for the menu at all. Imagine…. An Italian restaurant where someone who loves Italian food hates the menu. The Coral also has the Bayou Café & Steakhouse. Ate there once. It was OK. We did miss the Crab Shack and the occasional pub lunches which people seem to really enjoy. The best thing the specialty restaurants have going for them on Princess is the price.

· Entertainment: Princess does a much better job of offering live entertainment at multiple venues throughout the ship. As a result, I’d say Princess is much livelier at night. As for the main showroom – I like the layout of the Celebrity showrooms better. Particularly the larger size. I didn’t like having to show up at the Princess showroom early in order to get a seat. That said, I heard that Princess has better shows. The first cast show proved that to be true. The singers were much better than those on Celebrity (Celebrity tended to have one decent male and female vocalist and the rest were mediocre). The Princess cast was clearly more talented however, the following two cast shows were not good fits for the cast. The Universe Lounge on Princess was a really strange design. We sat on the balcony level which has comfy chairs and sofas. The problem is that the floor is flat. You could either sit in the front row where you could see the stage (except for the annoying railing that ran at eye-level), or you could sit on a nice sofa in the second row and look at the back of the heads of the people in front of you - with absolutely no chance of seeing the stage which was too low and not in line-of-sight. Looking down on the main level, there were also comfy chairs and love seats, but again the floor was rather flat and the stage was only raised about a foot or so. It seemed likely that those sitting in the back would have a hard time seeing the performance. Just a really strange design.

· Casino: The casino on Princess was smaller, but this didn’t really prove to be too much of a disadvantage. I play blackjack and there were only two blackjack tables - a $10 table and a $25 table. I initially thought this would be a problem, but it really wasn’t. I rarely had trouble getting a seat at the $10 table. The casino staff were great on both lines. My wife liked the slot selection on Celebrity better. The larger size of the Celebrity casino is nice too. One real plus for the Princess casino is that you can charge casino play directly to your cabin account without any added service fee (Celebrity charges 5%). On Celebrity I carry cash for the casino – no need to on Princess.

Website: I just can’t pass up an opportunity to slam Celebrity for their unimaginably poor website. I’m sure more than a few new cruisers, after having experienced Celebrity’s website, quickly decided to move on to other cruise lines. It’s a real shame because the on-board experience is so much better than the pre-cruise.

So there you have it, some observations from a relatively new cruiser. All-in-all both Celebrity and Princess do a good job providing an enjoyable cruising experience. They could certainly learn some things from one another. Still, as many have said, they are more alike than different. I would gladly return to either line.

Ps I’ve posted to both Celebrity and Princess boards. I hope this isn’t against the rules.

Thanks for the comparison. I thought the ship experiences from both lines went on were similar.

Biggest difference - The shower in the standard Princess cabin was really, really small. It was uncomfortable constantly hitting my elbows on the fixtures. Whoever designed and approved these should be fired. OK size on Celebrity.

Also, I thought the theater (Golden Princess) was a bad design. Low Ceiling, cramped, dark and gloomy. Celebrity has nicely designed theaters.

Thanks for the comparison. We did one Princess, went on to Celebrity without looking back. After reaching Elite status with Celebrity, we are now moving forward as repeat cruisers with Oceania.

Great review. Thank you!

We’ve not sailed any line except Celebrity. Princess has been on our radar for a couple of specific itineraries, but we’ve read very mixed reviews about the anytime dining, the theater size, and the coffee (amongst other things). It’s great to read a review by someone who doesn’t already have brand loyalty;). I hope you’ll eventually add your Azamara cruise to this comparison. We haven’t yet been able to bring ourselves to pay the premium for Azamara, Oceania or Viking Ocean, but each has at least one compelling itinerary not found on Celebrity.

We haven’t sailed on Equinox, but loved Reflection (also on the April 2017 TA). BTW there is also a Lawn Club Grill on Silhouette, another lovely ship. Yes, Celebrity’s web site is abysmal. One day, I may become so disgusted with the pre-cruise experience that I walk straight to another line, but we’re still happy with the onboard experience on Celebrity. That could change.

If you’re a coffee drinker, what did you think of the coffee on the two lines? Did you notice more cigarette smoke on Princess?

Thanks for this comparison. I mostly sail on Princess, but I am considering booking on Celebrity for my next cruise. This was helpful as I am just starting to learn about Celebrity.

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Thanks for the comparison. We did one Princess, went on to Celebrity without looking back. After reaching Elite status with Celebrity, we are now moving forward as repeat cruisers with Oceania.

I'm eager to try Oceania. I'm sure I'll find the right cruise in the next year or so.

Great review. Thank you!

 

We’ve not sailed any line except Celebrity. Princess has been on our radar for a couple of specific itineraries, but we’ve read very mixed reviews about the anytime dining, the theater size, and the coffee (amongst other things). It’s great to read a review by someone who doesn’t already have brand loyalty;). I hope you’ll eventually add your Azamara cruise to this comparison. We haven’t yet been able to bring ourselves to pay the premium for Azamara, Oceania or Viking Ocean, but each has at least one compelling itinerary not found on Celebrity.

 

We haven’t sailed on Equinox, but loved Reflection (also on the April 2017 TA). BTW there is also a Lawn Club Grill on Silhouette, another lovely ship. Yes, Celebrity’s web site is abysmal. One day, I may become so disgusted with the pre-cruise experience that I walk straight to another line, but we’re still happy with the onboard experience on Celebrity. That could change.

 

If you’re a coffee drinker, what did you think of the coffee on the two lines? Did you notice more cigarette smoke on Princess?

I agree about the premium cost of Azamara and Oceania. The question in my mind is does the upgraded experience offset the cost and still provide good value. I'm hoping it does, but we'll see.

As for coffee..... I'm not hyper particular and we found the offerings at Cafe Al Bacio (Celebrity) and the International Cafe (Princess) to be comparable. Otherwise the coffee on both lines is so-so. Smoking on Princess is allowed indoors at two locations - Churchills Cigar Lounge (totally enclosed) and in a small section of the slot area in the casino. Never a problem for us, but I suspect that hyper-sensitive people still complain.

Thanks for this comparison. I mostly sail on Princess, but I am considering booking on Celebrity for my next cruise. This was helpful as I am just starting to learn about Celebrity.

 

 

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I say go for it! I'm not impressed by the perks offered by the cruise line loyalty programs. I guess you could call me a promiscuous cruiser:p

Thank you for this review, i have a lot of Celebrity cruises under my belt and only one on Princess, but I agree with you 100%.

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I agree about the premium cost of Azamara and Oceania. The question in my mind is does the upgraded experience offset the cost and still provide good value. I'm hoping it does, but we'll see.

As for coffee..... I'm not hyper particular and we found the offerings at Cafe Al Bacio (Celebrity) and the International Cafe (Princess) to be comparable. Otherwise the coffee on both lines is so-so. Smoking on Princess is allowed indoors at two locations - Churchills Cigar Lounge (totally enclosed) and in a small section of the slot area in the casino. Never a problem for us, but I suspect that hyper-sensitive people still complain.

Yes, that’s exactly what we wonder. The thing is, the “included” offerings must be things we want, and they must be the quality we want. If not, we’re paying a premium for “inclusions” that are of no interest, or are inadequate. Even knowing this, I am fascinated by some aspects of each of those lines. There’s that one Azamara itinerary.....lol

Thanks for your coffee assessment! I am sensitive to smoke, but those venues wouldn’t bother me. At one time, Celebrity had an enclosed indoor cigar lounge which didn’t bother me at all. I’m rarely in the casinos, so no worries there.

Thank you for a very nice and objective review. I've sailed on both celebrity and princess and I agree overall with your assessments.

If you’re a coffee drinker, what did you think of the coffee on the two lines? Did you notice more cigarette smoke on Princess?

-I look forward to a good cup of coffee and find the coffee in Oceanview on Celebrity better than the free coffee on Princess. However, the coffee available at Cafe al Bacio (X) and international cafe (Princess) are both great.

Smoking on Princess is allowed indoors at two locations - Churchills Cigar Lounge (totally enclosed) and in a small section of the slot area in the casino. Never a problem for us, but I suspect that hyper-sensitive people still complain.

I am very sensitive to smoke and did notice the smoke in the casino on princess even in the non-smoking section.

Thanks for the thoughtful review.

I'm E+ on my next Celebrity cruise and will be Platinum on my next Princess. So while I've preferred Celebrity and cruised more often on them, I've always been open to cruising on Princess and, indeed, have one booked on each line in the near future.

I think I could have written pretty much your entire review, I agree with it so completely. (OK truth be told I enjoy Sabitini's but overall prefer Celebrity specialty dining.) I even agree and have made the same observation on the bars. I prefer the service, layout and vibe of the bars in general on Princess but their mixes are only fair. Luckily I'm a Dirty Martini drinker so it's not a huge deal. :D

Excellent review. Thanks for taking the time to write and share this.

Keith

Wonderful comparison. Thank you so much for sharing.:cool:

What an incredibly well written and honest review. This should be published in one of the cruise magazines

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I really enjoyed reading your impressions of the 2 lines. As it happens, my husband and I have been on all 3 ships you mention. We are Platinum on Princess and have one future cruise booked and we are Elite Plus on Celebrity with one future cruise booked. So overall we prefer Celebrity. I agree with all of your impressions, except that we enjoyed Sabatini's. I have a few additional observations. We feel that the breakfast and lunch buffets on Celebrity are far superior to those on Princess. We also feel that the pizza on Princess is much better than that on Celebrity. We will continue to travel on both lines based on itinerary and price.

I really enjoyed reading your impressions of the 2 lines. As it happens, my husband and I have been on all 3 ships you mention. We are Platinum on Princess and have one future cruise booked and we are Elite Plus on Celebrity with one future cruise booked. So overall we prefer Celebrity. I agree with all of your impressions, except that we enjoyed Sabatini's. I have a few additional observations. We feel that the breakfast and lunch buffets on Celebrity are far superior to those on Princess. We also feel that the pizza on Princess is much better than that on Celebrity. We will continue to travel on both lines based on itinerary and price.

We are elite+ on Celebrity and have several Princess cruises under our belts. I agree with all your points, especially about the buffets. I do not like the buffet layout on Princess, although this was greatly improved on Royal Princess. A plus is having coffee served at breakfast, but the big minus is the plastic plates and cups. I do not like them, but it isn’t a deal breaker.

Thanks for your insights. Booked our first Celebrity cruise for Nov. this year. Will keep some of things you mentioned in mind.

BTW, I didn't find Princess's nightlife lively on my only cruise with Princess. But then again, every other cruise ship's nightlife is quiet compared to NCL Sky partyboat.

Thanx for sharing, MN

Ira

Thank you for the comparison review. I enjoyed reading it.

Thank you so much for taking the time to make this comparison. We've sailed mostly on RCCL but have one Princess cruise under our belts. About to go on our first Celebrity cruise. Since we liked Princess, sounds like we will like Celebrity....

We took our first Princess cruise last May on Crown.

I was very impressed with the pre cruise web site.

Also that when you become Platimun, which we now have via P&O, you get 250 free internet minutes on a 14 night cruise. This aspect will encourage me to consider a Princess cruise if the itinnary is right.

However, I was unhappy with a few aspects.

The Captain decided that we were not going into Genoa ‘due to operational reasons,’ which I accepted, until we found out that Majestic Princess had managed to dock the day after we should have. I asked for a rebate on the bus portion of the trip we had booked Genoa to Portofino.

I was told, “ you went on a tender.”

But every passenger passenger on the ship was able to use the tenders to Santa Margarita!!:evilsmile::evilsmile:

Eventually, on the last afternoon, I was told I would have a refund to my OBA. This came on the last morning, too late to use in the bars. This money was not refunded to my C.C on the last morning, as it would have been on Celebrity. I was told it would take between 4-6 weeks.

It still hadn’t been refunded 6 weeks after the cruise, so I rang Southampton. I was told the 4-6 weeks was for U.S customers only, my refund would have to be applied for and I would eventually be sent a sterling cheque, as automatic payments are only for U.S customers.

I am afraid this aspect has clouded my impression of Princess, so we are back to Celebrity in June 2018.

Thank you for interesting comparison of our two favorite lines (out of 8)

I feel you should try larger ships of Princess.

Buffets on Royal and Regal are to die for, although previous class (Caribbean, Ruby, Emerald, Crown) are better designed.

Thank you for interesting comparison of our two favorite lines (out of 8)

I feel you should try larger ships of Princess.

Buffets on Royal and Regal are to die for, although previous class (Caribbean, Ruby, Emerald, Crown) are better designed.

Thanks for the suggestion. I will be looking at the larger Princess ships in the future. I did think the buffet on the Coral was rather small compared to Celebrity's and wondered if it was more comparable on the larger Princess ships. Good to hear that it is.

Thanks for the suggestion. I will be looking at the larger Princess ships in the future. I did think the buffet on the Coral was rather small compared to Celebrity's and wondered if it was more comparable on the larger Princess ships. Good to hear that it is.

The buffet on the Coral is similar to most of the Princess ships. The buffets on the Royal and Regal are much bigger.