Princess vs Celebrity

[britsbest]

Hi all

 

We have just booked our first Celebrity Cruise on Halloween 2010 the inaugural Transatlantic.

 

We have cruised with Princess several times could some one compare/contrast the two cruise lines please.

 

Thanks

 

Bob

[hypercafe]

I have been on both, now that Celebrity has any time dinning I would say they are the same. The only difference I see is Celebrity has less passengers on the same size ship so there is less lines etc.

[lovespositano]

We have cruised on Princess 13 or 14 times and just did our first Celebrity cruise - the Equinox 10/10 Mediterranean sailing. The Equinox will blow you with away with its awesome decor all throughout the ship, the cabins and especially the ambience of the bathrooms - FAR AND AWAY SUPERIOR to anything Princess can offer. Although some people state that Celebrity's food is superior, we didn't find there to be much difference in food or service. But, clearly, Princess excels in evening entertainment - HANDS DOWN. There is so much variety of things to do on Princess ships in the evening - this is just not the case on Celebrity. The "Equinox" production show was the best we have ever seen, but the other two production shows on the Equinox were not as good as the Princess shows - especially the quality of the dancers and singers are much better on Princess. Some will disagree - everything I have said above is just my opinion.

 

We LOVED Celebrity, and will cruise with them again (LOVE those cabins and the ship in general). We also still LOVE Princess, primarily for the entertainment. So now we have TWO choices - life is good.:D:D:D

[Woobstr112G]

I've done three on both lines. Looking to go back to Celebrity (very curious about the "Solstice" class ships) for our next one. Not that I didn't like Princess overall, but the one thing that I've noticed is their ships lack individual identity. All are the same. One other thing is the higher end cabins arn't, imho, a good value for what you pay. There needs to be more pizaze.....

 

Bob

[Denny01]

Cruised Princess last year through the Canal and on Celebrity many times. We cruise Celebrity unless there is a specific reason to go to another line so I am biased towards Celebrity.

 

Found Princess very nice and would cruise it again. But realize many opinions on each line are based on the ship Class we've experienced. I liked the cabin layout on Princess better then Celebrity - liked the closet off-line from the entry. Celebrity bathrooms were larger and shower setup was better.

 

I love the Celebrity smoking policy - too many smoking areas on Princess and many were 'prime' areas to enjoy the lounges.

 

Liked Celebrity overall layout more - more areas to sit and enjoy - didn't feel the 2000+ on board.

 

We enjoy Traditionall seating for dining and Princess's is very restricted. Booked many months ahead and still couldn't get set dining. Flex dining OK, but not my choice.

 

Found too many areas in Princess Theater with blocked view of the stage and had to get there too early to just sit and wait. Not good. But that was probably that Princess Class layout.

 

Both had excellent dining and entertainment.

 

Would cruise both, but still go to Celebrity as primary choice. Wouild cruise Princess if wanted that itinerary.

 

Denny

[ellbon]

I have not been on princess in two years and hate last review said they had the same shows i saw in 08. i do like the 2 tv's in the mini suite-you can be going thru the cancel and watch from your balcony and hear it on the TV - the same for Alaska.

 

Princess mattress need to be replaced. i do like the international café and wine bar on princess. i do like the pool set up more on princess with the two small adult pools.

 

But I prefer the night life on Celebrity and the food in the specialty restaurants. Celebrity has better perks if you make Elite--but you get free internet on princess after 5 cruises.

 

In Europe and places i think the ports of call could be better with princess. but now I ma at a place that I would sail a small ship in Europe to enjoy my free time on the ship.

[Bruin Steve]

I guess I may be a little more extreme in my opinion than most...

 

I have done a couple of cruises on Princess including the Sapphire Princess over this past New Years...

 

Though my Princess cruises are, overall, enjoyable--they are by no means a terrible product--they just, IMHO, fall far short of Celebrity on a number of fronts...and in places important to me...

 

And that is part of it: We all have different criteria and different standards by which we judge our cruises, ships and cruise lines...Food can be a matter of personal taste, Service can be a matter of personal standards--not everyone notices the same things...One's sense of the quality of Entertainment can also depend on what one likes in the way of entertainment...

 

We are all different...

 

So, what I will try to do is to give you a little motre than personal opinion...I'll try to add in the specifics of where I think Celebrity exceeds Princess...

 

First of all, as has been noted, the Celebrity ships are far less crowded, more spacious...space-to-passenger ratios are better than on Princess...Some people don't notice such things readily...or have never been on a more spacious ship and are satisfied with the crowds on the ships they've been on...to me, however, they are a major point...

 

The better ratios manifest themselves in many ways...no lines, no waits, easier to find a seat in whatever venue...

 

Among my frustrations with Princess was that the showroom was WAY undersized for the number of people onboard--900 seats for a ship with over 3,000 passengers...Getting a good seat meant showing up very early to a show...by show time, people were sitting in the aisles or standing in the back...Never happened to us on Celebrity...We can usually show up just a few minutes before show time and get great seats...And on two nights of seven, they had only ONE show!

 

Princess did have some alternate entertainment in different venues, but, in order to compensate for the lack of seating, they scheduled the entertainment to overlap in time--forcing you to make choices and pass on some of that entertanment...

 

The rest of this is my personal opinion, based on my personal perceptions and preferences:

The service on Celebrity is better--not just the dining venues--where Celebrity service is unmatched (not that service on Princess is poor--it's actually good, just not to Celebrity standards)--but I am also talking all over the ship--the Concierge, the Purser's desk, the Captains Club hostess, the Assistant Cruise Directors--It is hard to match Celebrity in these areas in a large ship (Oceania also excels in these areas--but they're only dealing with a 700 passenger ship). Princess just never feels all that personal.

 

I have cruised on seven different cruise lines...My very first cruise was on the now-defunct Premier (Disney forerunner)...I thought they were great (nothing to compare it to)...Then I went on Norwegian, Carnival, Royal Caribbean...had a great time on all of them--What's not to like? Any cruise beats staying home and working...I went on my first Princess cruise in 2001--had some issues, but overall, enjoyed it...Just figured I had to go back to Princess on a larger and newer ship than the one I was on (the OLD Crown Princess)...

 

BUT, then I went on Celebrity...and instantly knew Celebrity would always be my first choice...If they had the itinerary I wanted at the time I wanted, that would be where I'd go...regardless of price...

 

Of course, that doesn't stop me from cruising with other lines--where there is an itinerary I really want to sail...But, I definitely have preferences based on my experience--Celebrity is my first choice...I love Royal Caribbean for shorter cruises and for the incredible ships...I will cruise with Oceania or Azamara for some great itineraries when I'm willing to go a little higher on budget...I have ruled out ever going on Carnival again (too crowded, too many cut corners), not sure about returning to Norwegian (I'm too much a traditionalist)...and Princess needs to come a long way to get me back...and it likely won't be any of their existing large ships...

 

If you are anything like me, you will really enjoy Celebrity...

Of course, if you were very satisfied with Princess, it may not have as much of an effect on you...

 

It really depends on you...

[Kport41]

I love the Celebrity smoking policy - too many smoking areas on Princess and many were 'prime' areas to enjoy the lounges.

 

 

I was on the Emerald Princess and Solstice this year and would completely agree with you on the smoking policy. On the Emerald, we had several folks smoking on their respective balconies near ours, which made things unpleasant at times. This was not a problem on the Solstice.

[woodofpine]

Hi all

 

We have just booked our first Celebrity Cruise on Halloween 2010 the inaugural Transatlantic.

 

We have cruised with Princess several times could some one compare/contrast the two cruise lines please.

 

Thanks

 

Bob

 

You'll should like Celebrity. IMHO - the big lines are more similar than dissimilar.

 

Princess has better pools, more constant grazing (foodwise), and often a more 'gregarious' service style. Celebrity has better pool towels :D, more impressive dining rooms and a more 'elegant' service style.

 

Splitting hair to make much more of the differences.

[A Sixth?]

I'm about to take my first X cruise after many times aboard Princess ships.

 

Booked the change largely for the Celebrity no-smoking policy.... will report back in January my observations.

 

Question, are the pools on the Millenium fresh or salt and are they heated?

 

Have to admit I loved the fresh water pools on Princess.

[ellbon]

pools Are npot fresh water and the indoor pool area is cold .who needs an indoor pool in the carribbean or med.

 

i still feel somethings are better on each one. but i have good service in general on princess. when you see the same bartender nightly they know you and your drink

[Orator]

Been on many cruises on Celebrity and Princess and prefer Celebrity. This may only be my observation but I found considerably more rudeness on Princess than Celebrity.One reason might be the feeling that on Princess you always feel like you are fighting a crowd, especially when attempting to navigate through the corridors with the sale tables creating congestion. I've also noted that one must get to the Theater very early to find a seat, haven't found that on X. Perhaps more people want to see the show on Princess.

[TC Cruiser]

I've done both the Celebrity Solstice and Sapphire Princess in the same year. I found that:

 

• The dining room cuisine was about equal between the two cruise lines.
  
• Celebrity's buffet is superior to that of Princess.
  
• The beds are more comfortable on Celebrity. On the Sapphire Princess it was like sleeping on a slab of marble.
  
• Princess has more entertainment late at night.
  
• There are more programs on Celebrity for people into food and wine.
  
• There are fewer announcements on Celebrity.
  
• Celebrity has a better wine-by-the-glass list.
  
• Celebrity's martini bar is expensive compared to Princess.
  
• The "Persian Gardens" on the Solstice class ships are not worth the money but they are on Celebrity's Millennium class and the equivalent on the Sapphire Princess.
  
• The Aquaspa lunches on Celebrity are terrific. There is no equivalent on Princess.
  

 

Overall I prefer Celebrity--I've sailed on the Millennium as well--but I wouldn't hesitate to sail again on Princess.

[A Sixth?]

pools Are npot fresh water and the indoor pool area is cold .who needs an indoor pool in the carribbean or med.

 

i still feel somethings are better on each one. but i have good service in general on princess. when you see the same bartender nightly they know you and your drink

 

I'm Canadian and spring on the Med/Europe or out of Floridah Dec/Jan/Feb even to my north of Superior bones tends to be on a chilly side.... are you the Walrus elbon? :D

 

There are few general access indoor pools on most Princess ships, the out door ones to my knowledge and experience are heated.... are they on X?