Back to Princess for us

[cpj]

We just got off a 7 day cruise on the Celebrity Eclipse and its back to Princess for us. First thing Ive learn is that if you want a special meal you should go to the Specialty resturants the food on this ship is no better then Princess. The buffet is not any better then Princess either. One thing Princess is better at is the buffet at night where if you just do not want to go to the MDR for any reason they have a nice setup avaiable with service and way more selection. The biggest reason is Celebrity smoking policy. My wife is a smoker and she was not aloud to smoke on the balcony this is a is a big deal to her. She enjoys having her coffie and smoke on the balcony in the morning and before she goes to bed. She never smokes in the cabin or any indoor places. She does not smoke in the casino on either line because its indoors. We also spend a lot of time in the casino. The ship is beautiful but so are princess ships. Any way she told me not to book any cruises on Celebrity or she not going to go. I just wonder does anyone else feel this way.

[enyliram]

i have been thinking of booking either the eclipse or crown princess for april 2.please tell me what food alternatives are available on the eclipse if i do not use the MDR. can you also compare the entertainment in the evening as well as daytime activities. thanks

[Hlitner]

We agree that X food is no longer the high quality of the ole years and is now very comparable to Princess. As to the smoking situation, all things being equal we would choose X because of their tough smoking rules...but we certainly can understand why a smoker would prefer Princess.

 

Hank

[azcruiser64]

I'm curious why the OP's public profile lists Celebrity as the favorite cruise line. :confused:

[cpj]

i have been thinking of booking either the eclipse or crown princess for april 2.please tell me what food alternatives are available on the eclipse if i do not use the MDR. can you also compare the entertainment in the evening as well as daytime activities. thanks

Went to buffet one night and they had a Pasta station some lunchmeat and rolls available. Also they were carving some lamb from the night before. Also had some tasteless desserts. No service you had to get your own drinks. My wife said the shows were good and the house band was also very good and the late night comedy was very good but it didnt start till 1130pm. Its a newship and very beautiful and service was also very good as is Princess.

[Coral]

I'm curious why the OP's public profile lists Celebrity as the favorite cruise line. :confused:

 

It probably was until they changed their smoking policy.

[Leesie6351]

I guess the reason there are many cruise lines to choose from is "different strokes for different folks". Ironically, we sailed once on Princess and had the most horrid experiences-- there was nothing good I could say about it. There are always things that don't go 100% smoothly or are lacking but on that Princess Cruise the cabin attendant was absent 99% of the time- the room was hardly made up- towels never replaced, bathroom floor never washed etc; the food was worse than the Golden Corral buffet and our dining room waiter was surly and sloppy-- drinks and food constantly being spilled. I know all this may have been a oddball occurrence but it was bad enough to swear me off of Princess forever!!!!

 

On the other hand, we love X's no smoking policy and while I agree that the food is no longer spectacular and is average, it's fine. The service throughout the ship is outstanding as well.

 

Maybe we both need to re-think our "never again" stances and try again??

[Salty Dawg]

We stopped cruising Celebrity after the change in their smoking policy and have been exclusive to Princess since. We found both lines to be about equal in food and service, but the new smoking policy on X was the deal breaker.

[cpj]

I'm curious why the OP's public profile lists Celebrity as the favorite cruise line. :confused:

Because it was my favorite cruise line but it is no longer my wife favorite. Celebrity food in the MDR is no better then Princess now and if you want a decent steak you has better go to the specialty restaurant on either ship. Princess does have a better buffet at night then Celebrity. The Eclipse is a beautiful ship and service was great but I never had a problem with Princess service. When I get the time I will change my profile to either line,

[cpj]

I guess the reason there are many cruise lines to choose from is "different strokes for different folks". Ironically, we sailed once on Princess and had the most horrid experiences-- there was nothing good I could say about it. There are always things that don't go 100% smoothly or are lacking but on that Princess Cruise the cabin attendant was absent 99% of the time- the room was hardly made up- towels never replaced, bathroom floor never washed etc; the food was worse than the Golden Corral buffet and our dining room waiter was surly and sloppy-- drinks and food constantly being spilled. I know all this may have been a oddball occurrence but it was bad enough to swear me off of Princess forever!!!!

 

On the other hand, we love X's no smoking policy and while I agree that the food is no longer spectacular and is average, it's fine. The service throughout the ship is outstanding as well.

 

Maybe we both need to re-think our "never again" stances and try again??

If I had the expierence you had on Princess I would feel the same way you did. On the other hand it makes no diffrence to me if you decide to go back to Princess or not.

[enyliram]

cpj, thanks for answering my questions but please tell me if i get the hungries at night after dinner what is available besides room service?

[cpj]

cpj, thanks for answering my questions but please tell me if i get the hungries at night after dinner what is available besides room service?

As far as I know just the buffet.on deck 14. They also had pizza there till 1AM

[Denny01]

Celebrity is our Line of choice, but have cruised Princess twice before, just off Golden Princess Hawaii cruise, and one in Aug around the UK on the Crown. Looking forward to it.

 

We enjoyed Princess, finding the service to be the same excellent level as Celebrity, and enjoyed the dining. The Princess smoking is an issue - our SR was smoky and they gave it another cleaning. But we aren't hardcover, but it is a problem sometimes.

 

We thought the Golden was a beautiful ship, Loved the International Cafe and the Coffee card - lots of great coffee and snacks there. Enjoyed Princess' pools and hot tub being open later, and liked MUTS.

 

As a negative, the ship felt more crowded, and finding open places as a bit of a challenge at times, and the theater was just too small - people were going in an hr before the show to get good seats and we couldn't find any two 15min before a show. And I felt there was more of a hard sell on both Princess cruises.

 

But...Big But, we enjoyed the cruise a good deal - will cruise Princess again for itinerary and thought it was very very nice.

 

But also, as said before, that is why there are multiple cruise lines that although are similar in many ways, do have differences. And or course once we get use to a Line, we overlook issues sometimes and overstress them on other Lines.

 

Hope all enjoy their cruises whatever ship/Line we are on.

 

Den

[hcat]

Yikes!...we are Celebrity regulars going on our first Princess Cruise on Crown Princess-selected b/c Celebrity does not do the RT British Isles itin

 

hope we won;t be over powered with cigarette smoke throughout the ship & on our balcony or with residue in our cabin! Luckily, there are many port days & we do not use the casino where I expect smoking is allowed..!!

 

DH smokes cigars and looks forward to the cigar lounge...but I won;t be able to breathe if there is truly that much tobacco smoke all through the ship!!

 

For a great cruise on Celebrity--try Equinox in Aquaclass with dining in BLU--it was excellent..

[momzcruzing]

I have done 5 long cruises (13-16 days) on Princess and recently returned from Celebrity Equinox and loved it. We went in Aqua Class and the dining in Blu is an amazing experience! Also the champagne brunches in the MDR on sea days are wonderful.

 

I never saw anyone smoking on the Celebrity ship, and the service with cool towels and drinks at each boarding was delightful.

 

I will most certainly sail a Princess ship again as they visit ports other lines don't, however if the ports were the same, I'd pay extra to sail the Celebrity ship.

 

Isn't it nice the cruiselines market something to make all of us happy!!

[Denny01]

You can rest assured that you will be fine. We have sailed on Princess several times. I smoke on my balcony all the time (mostly in the monring or late at night). When I have been on my balcony not smoking, I have never encountered or been bothered by other peoples smoke with the excption of one person that was smoking pipes or cigars and that really stank and should not be allowed (in fact I don't think it is). As fare as through the ship, the only area that it's noticeable is oin teh Casino on smoking nights.

 

I'm afraid you can't assure Non-smokers will be fine. Someone who smokes sometimes is not aware of how sensitive many non-smokers are to the residue smell left in a SR or how adverse it is being downwind from a smoker on a balcony.

 

I posted earlier that our SR smelled of smoke and the additional cleaning didn't remove it. Since neither of us are highly sensitive, we lived with it but it persisted. But please don't tell people they will be fine - you don't know.

 

We enjoyed the cruise but that can be an issue for some on Princess cruises.

 

Den

[Donder1]

While I have never sailed Celebrity, I like their smoking policy and for that reason alone, it might be the best choice for us. Sailed HAL in Jan and had a chronic smoker next balcony over. Yuck!!! really stunk!

[small talk]

Yikes!...we are Celebrity regulars going on our first Princess Cruise on Crown Princess-selected b/c Celebrity does not do the RT British Isles itin

 

hope we won;t be over powered with cigarette smoke throughout the ship & on our balcony or with residue in our cabin! Luckily, there are many port days & we do not use the casino where I expect smoking is allowed..!!

 

DH smokes cigars and looks forward to the cigar lounge...but I won;t be able to breathe if there is truly that much tobacco smoke all through the ship!!

 

For a great cruise on Celebrity--try Equinox in Aquaclass with dining in BLU--it was excellent..

 

I am a non smoker and I have only ever sailed with Princess and I can honestly say that you will not be bothered by cigarette smoking. I come from a family of smokers (I never have smoked), am an asthmatic as well as suffering from nasty allergies linked to cigarette smoke as well as other things and Princess' policy has not once affected me.

 

You'll be fine.:)

[latebloomer56]

I quit several years ago for the health of my family (secondhand smoke). We always have a mini and use our balcony. Not to worry it has been very rare the smoke carries to us when moving. Once in awhile if there are alot of folks out at the same time or right next to you when in port it might reach you now and again. Maybe we have been lucky. The casino is another matter all together. I do not mind it and shower as soon as I return to the room (smoke lingers in your hair on your clothes). My husband will not go with me at night because of smoking.

We enjoy Princess and to each his own so don't see us changing because of the smoking policy. Though interested in checking out X now.

Hope I didn't jinx us for TA in Oct.

 

Laura

[hcat]

I am a non smoker and I have only ever sailed with Princess and I can honestly say that you will not be bothered by cigarette smoking. I come from a family of smokers (I never have smoked), am an asthmatic as well as suffering from nasty allergies linked to cigarette smoke as well as other things and Princess' policy has not once affected me.

 

You'll be fine.:)

 

thanks to you & others who posted assurances.. we are looking forward to the cruise & DH will be able to smoke a cigar in the proper lounge without being on an outer deck--

 

it'll be nice to try another line for a change of pace-although no repeat cruiser perks for us this time around!

[cynbar]

We are loyal Princess cruisers who sailed the Eclipse in January in an AQ cabin. It was a very nice cruise and we enjoyed our meals in Blu, but overall, it didn't have the WOW factor I was expecting. If you go over to the Celebrity boards, they make it sound as if Celebrity is so spectacular, you would never sail another line afterwards. We just didn't see it. My only complaint was that for late diners, 5 out of 7 nights the shows were before dinner, which I don't care for, and that left very little to do after dinner. But otherwise, everything was very nice but not over the top. We must be lucky because we have never been bothered by smokers on our 9 Princess cruises, so that wasn't a factor. Anyway, we would sail Celebrity again, but will probably look at Princess first and then base our decision on itinerary and price.

[leanimal1]

We enjoy changing our meal to the buffet a couple times on the cruise. Last year we were on the celebrity and were dissappointed that there was no evening buffet but they had a great daytime buffet. For this reason we are back to Princess this year.

[Denny01]

I'm surprised posters keep saying that non-smokers will be fine and they will not have any problems....we don't know that. Our 1st Princess cruise on the Island Princess through the Canal was great and no smoke issues. Our SR and balcony were fine. On our Golden Princess cruise, as I said before, had smoke residue smell. And more than a few posters have stated they were affected by smokers on other balconies. So it is a possibility, maybe even a high possibility that a non-smoker will not be impacted in their SR, but we can't say all will be fine...if may well not be.

 

For those that are adversely impacted by smoke, you are taking a chance. From most reports, it is a low probability, but it is there because people can smoke in any and all the SRs you are going to have, and there is a chance your neighbors will smoke on the balcony.

 

The Princess smoking rules are reasons some people select this Line - they like the rules...they follow them and are considerate of others, but if 'we' the non-smokers complain, we have no reason to....we took the chance.

 

As to Celebrity - someone asked If it was true about the more restricted smoking rules. It is. No smoking allowed in any SR or on any Balcony. there is smoking allowed in usually the foward large lounge on each ship port side, and port side of the pool deck, and in an open air bar area. And it is enforced. Celebrity doesn't have MUTS, the pools close earlier and there will be other differences. That's why its so nice we have so many choices.

 

As you can see from my signature listing my upcoming cruises, I'm on the Crown Princess for the Around the UK cruise. Looking forward to it...enjoy Princess in many ways and will take my chances because although I don't smoke, it is not something that drives me crazy and can 'survive' being exposed.....a bit.

 

Den

[Dutch Explorers]

Yikes!...we are Celebrity regulars going on our first Princess Cruise on Crown Princess-selected b/c Celebrity does not do the RT British Isles itin

 

hope we won;t be over powered with cigarette smoke throughout the ship & on our balcony or with residue in our cabin! Luckily, there are many port days & we do not use the casino where I expect smoking is allowed..!!

 

DH smokes cigars and looks forward to the cigar lounge...but I won;t be able to breathe if there is truly that much tobacco smoke all through the ship!!

 

For a great cruise on Celebrity--try Equinox in Aquaclass with dining in BLU--it was excellent..

 

 

Just curious, if you have so much problems with tobacco smoke how do you deal with your DH smoking cigars. If he spends time in a cigar lounge there is no way he will not bring that smell into your cabin.

Nobody in my family smokes but if we went to a party where people smoked we have to wash our clothes immediately not to have that smell in our house.

Also on our cruises as long as we stayed away from the smoking areas we did not encouter any smoke/smell issues.

[1 HappyCruiser]

 

For those that are adversely impacted by smoke, you are taking a chance. From most reports, it is a low probability, but it is there because people can smoke in any and all the SRs you are going to have, and there is a chance your neighbors will smoke on the balcony.

 

The Princess smoking rules are reasons some people select this Line - they like the rules...they follow them and are considerate of others, but if 'we' the non-smokers complain, we have no reason to....we took the chance.

 

 

 

Den

 

That's very true but at the same time if the non smokers who do have problems by just keep quiet about it, nothing will ever improve. You know there are still problem areas aboard the ships even though Princess tries their best to have both groups coexist with balconies being the biggest offending areas.