Emerald Princess vs. Celebrity Equinox: Your opinion

[Raycruise2010]

I'm debating between these two ships. I've been on Emerald and really like the food. I've also sailed Celebrity Millenium, and liked the entertainment better. Equinox is significantly more expensive than Emerald. Who has sailed both ships? which do you prefer? I'm also interested in any thoughts on the Equinox, thanks

[Woobstr112G]

Haven't sailed on the Solstice class yet but everything I've read about them is mostly positive. I've also sailed the Emerald/Ruby and have enjoyed both sailings. The food was for the most part very good to great on both ships. If cost is a factor to you I'd stick with the Emerald. One other thing to consider also is itinerary. I'm dying to try the Solstice class, but for now (IMHO) Princess itineraries are much better than Celebrity's itineraries.....

 

Bob

[Leia]

I'm not all that much help because I haven't sailed on Emerald, but I did sail on Crown and the Equinox within 6 months of each other. I loved both ships, but the Equinox is really fabulous. It's very stylish and there was a great assortment of different types of bars and entertainment venues, we particularly loved the bar at the top and back of the ship, just past the grassy space. We had anytime dining and it worked out very well for us, and the buffet on the Equinox was far better than Horizon Court on Crown. They had an unlimited drinks package on Equinox, I assume they still do? We really liked that for waters etc to take to the Mediterranean ports. Oh and the spa facilities on Equinox were gorgeous.

 

That said, if the price difference is huge, I might stick with Emerald, I really enjoyed the pool area on Crown, the separate spaces just seemed to give you more options than the one larger space on Equinox (as beautiful as it was).

[iancal]

We had a similar choice last Feb. We have not been on the Emerald. The prices were close although Equinox was slightly more expensive for this 10 day cruise (after booking we took advantage of a price decrease which actually made it less expensive than Princess). We selected Equinox. We both agree it was the absolute best ship (based on our preferences) that we have sailed on. The entertainment was first rate, as were the 2 enrichment lecturers. We did not know this before we booked. So why did we choose Equinox? It was a new ship. We like Celebrity's smoking policy. We do not like Princess beds (even with the mattress topper) and we do not like their awful coffee made from syrup. That tipped us over the edge. The itineraries were equal in our opinion. Will we go on Princess again. Absolutely, we like Princess- as long as the ship, price, value, and itinerary match up to what we want. But thier uncomfortable beds and their terrible coffee (to our tastes) are always lingering in the background if all else is equal.

[Solstice23]

The specialty Places on Solstice class are amazing! The Lawn Club is Quiet and free! not as on princess where youneed to pay for a quiet spot on Astro turf. Both Lines are great But Solstice class is modern elgance at its best.

 

Check your age discount and Resident Discount on the Equinox also

 

Either choice just enjoy your cruise!

[ALANG]

Just recently got off the Equinox and have sailed on the Emerald. The Equinox is a wonderful ship and the service and food were top notch. I sailed in Aqua Class which was a treat because of the added benefits and the Blu Restaurant. Additionally the lawn area and the glass blowing show are a nice added feature. I also would like to point out that DW and I had a very nice cruise on the Emerald. However, we would choose the Equinox over Emerald.

 

Alan

[Kirsten T]

Interesting comments. We're on Emerald in January and Celebrity Eclipse in March - as much as I love Princess, I have to say we're doubly jazzed up about Eclipse! We haven't been on Celebrity in a while, so we'll be interested to see if their version of Anytime Dining works as well. Their new all-inclusive drink options are also interesting. We're paying almost as much for a Concierge-class veranda cabin, 7 nights, as we are for 10 days in a mini-suite on Emerald. Price might keep us with Princess next year, but we'll see how much we love Eclipse. Maybe it'll be worth it. ;)

Cheers,

Kirsten

[iancal]

We did anytime dining on the Equinox. It worked out really well for us. We made a 6:45 standing reservation. We also found anytime dining on our Princess cruises to be excellent.

[Sea&SkiCruiser]

We sailed the Emerald two years ago, Southern Caribbean and the Equinox last month, Holy Land. While it’s not possible to compare the itineraries, I will say that both were excellent. We have also sailed the Millennium, the Coral and Island Princess, RCI, HAL and Carnival. We aren’t loyal to any particular cruise line but choose the itinerary and price that suit us. That being said, our most positive experiences have been on Princess. The Equinox is a beautiful ship; the staff was professional and friendly and the service was excellent. Where it fell short in our minds was in the quality of food in the main dining room (sometimes inedible), entertainment, and lack of interesting activities on sea days. On Equinox, I purchased the classic nonalcoholic beverage package which included specialty and brewed coffee and on the Emerald I purchased a coffee card, which was well used. We will sail Celebrity again if the price and itinerary are right but so far we prefer Princess.

[Infi]

Have been on Emerald and Ruby (twice), and all three S-class ships thus far (just disembarked Eclipse Saturday). I've enjoyed my cruises on all the ships. Everyone has their own tastes, however. For example: I would give Celebrity the edge on food and Princess the edge on entertainment, but all of that is subjective.

 

Princess provides a very nice, comfortable cruise experience and delivers a consistent product. You know what you're getting with Princess time after time. They have some great entertainment and activities and some of the best itineraries around. However, the look of Celebrity's S-class ships is just so different from anything else out there, they're like gorgeous hotels at sea. The glassblowing show is so unique and fun to watch - it's different every time, I could attend every show and never get bored. The Lawn club is a quiet, fun space for relaxing or playing some lawn games. The specialty restaurants (Tuscan Grille, Murano, and Silk Harvest) are fantastic, the service can't be beat. If you liked the entertainment on Celebrity before, I think you will be blown away by the production shows on S-class. Solstice: the show (or the Equinox or Eclipse shows on their respective ships) is an amazing Cirque style production with some amazing acrobatics. Hands down, the best show I have seen at sea.

 

Probably the only thing that would make me (and has made me) choose Emerald over Equinox is itinerary. Princess really comes up with some great itineraries, Celebrity does not. If budget is a concern and the price difference is really large, maybe Princess would be the better choice. I doubt you'll be disappointed with either ship: food, service, entertainment is all very good to excellent on both. But the S-class on Celebrity just has that X factor (no pun intended) that, with all other things equal (itinerary etc.), gives them the edge for me.

[WeBeGone]

We were on the Equinox and enjoyed it as I've never disliked any cruise, but we're back to Princess. If the itineraries were the same, and even if the prices were the same, I'd still choose Princess. We think the Celebrity ships are "stuffy", expensive, and more upscale than we enjoy. We're flip flop and t shirt kind of people since we live on an island and Celebrity was just too ridgid for us. I've seen green grass. I've seen glass blowing. I hate sitting at the same table with the same people every night. I thought a $25 corkage fee was outrageous. And the shops were so high end I thought I was on Rodeo Drive. But if that's your thing, you'll love Celebrity.