Diamond Princess vs Celebrity Solstice

[lynsteve]

We have for a while thought about saling the DP Australia/NZ or reverse, but one thing or another never done it.

Now we are in with a good chance but in January 2013 and also the CS will sail NZ/Freo that month. So we are thinking the CS instead of the DP, which ship would you sail.

stevo

[sab01]

We have for a while thought about saling the DP Australia/NZ or reverse, but one thing or another never done it.

Now we are in with a good chance but in January 2013 and also the CS will sail NZ/Freo that month. So we are thinking the CS instead of the DP, which ship would you sail.

 

stevo

Hi Steve

I have sailed on both ships, a mini suite on the Diamond and a Sky Suite 2 on the Solstice...the Celebrity Solstice wins hands down. Dont get me wrong I loved the Diamond, however, if your are looking for something really special try Celebrity you will love it.

 

Regards Kathy

[Lantra56]

I also have been tossing up with both these cruises - is there anyone else out there with an opinion on which is better?

[bvocruise]

I was surprised to see the price of the CS cruise we booked is quite a bit lower than the DP one or similitar ones. The DP one is two days longer but the price for the same type of cabin is $1,000 more. The HAL cruises are also higher priced compared to the CS. I’ve been on the HAL Oosterdam and it is nice but I can’t imagine it being as nice as the CS. The only thing with HAL is the ships only carry a max of about 2,000 and there is plenty of room.

Is anyone else surprised by the low price of the CS cruises to Australia next season?

[sandandsea lovers]

I was surprised to see the price of the CS cruise we booked is quite a bit lower than the DP one or similitar ones. The DP one is two days longer but the price for the same type of cabin is $1,000 more. The HAL cruises are also higher priced compared to the CS. I’ve been on the HAL Oosterdam and it is nice but I can’t imagine it being as nice as the CS. The only thing with HAL is the ships only carry a max of about 2,000 and there is plenty of room.

Is anyone else surprised by the low price of the CS cruises to Australia next season?

Yes. I booked the CS for approx $400 pp less than RCI Radiance for the same amount of days. Even better, the RCI cabin is a mid range category balcony but the CS is their best category balcony. I was so surprised at their prices when they first came out.:)

[bvocruise]

Both X and RCL were giving pre paid gratuities and on board credit also. The cost of the flight and fees for us to there will be extremely costly. We plan to offset the cost by staying longer and visiting at least one other city. Our current plan is to fly to Melbourne first to see the Australian Open before heading off to Sydney.

[Sutho]

I do not think it is fair to compare the two as they both cater to different markets. Princess is and always has been a mass market line and Celebrity is classed as Premium cruising. They are not even in the same category.

 

I have sailed on Sapphire Princess to New Zealand and absolutely loved it. It was a great ship and itinerary with plenty to do. It was my first Princess cruise and very memorable.

 

In 2013 I will be trying Celebrity Solstice on a similar itinerary and am looking forward to seeing how Celebrity is. This time it will be Celebrity's turn for me to try.

 

Choosing between the two will depend on what you are after for a cruise and style of ship.

[bvocruise]

I'm really surprised Celebrity is pricing less than Princess given they are a premium line.

[Sutho]

I am extremely suprised at the prices too which is why I booked. Even managed to get a balcony cabin. I could only afford an inside cabin back in 2005 for the Sapphire Princess. I am not sure that I will fit in with Celebrity as I am more of a P&O World Cruises type passenger and am not used to formality to that extreme. I am prepared to give them a go and will see if their food lives up to their reputation as being the best at sea.

 

I remember someone saying something once like it takes an expert to appreciate fine wine, whilst an ordinary fool would not know the difference between cheap and expensive wine. I guess the same can be said about cruising. Celebrity is a line I know to be Premium with passengers who have allot better jobs than me. It should be very interesting.

Edited January 3, 2012 by Sutho

[tjrosa]

We've cruised both Princess and Celebrity. We absolutely love solo dining, as we enjoy our time just the two of us so much, so this factor, many times, will be the deal breaker for us. We also love the more casual Piazza, where we could eat a simple, quick and even healthy lunch if we wanted, topped off by some of the best chocolate chip cookies at sea. And Sabatini's was absolutely fabulous in our opinion, but we really do love Italian food -- we went twice. Honestly after cruising both Princess and Celebrity, I don't really understand why Celebrity is considered "premium" - unless they simply mean more formal. To me our Princess experience was just as nice.

[kubies]

Actually, I am choosing Diamond Princess 2/2/13 Cruise Tour (6 night land & 14 night sea). I have sailed on both Celebrity and Princess and, while there are some things about Celebrity that I find better, I find the overall itinerary for Diamond Princess far superior. Although the price is higher for DP + tour, considering the airfare, think I am getting more "bang for the buck" with Princess.

[h & m]

We have for a while thought about saling the DP Australia/NZ or reverse, but one thing or another never done it.

Now we are in with a good chance but in January 2013 and also the CS will sail NZ/Freo that month. So we are thinking the CS instead of the DP, which ship would you sail.

 

stevo

 

 

Stevo - we have done the DP and Celebrity Equinox (sister to Solstice). Our big reason for trying Celebrity was Princess allowed smoking in cabins and balconies - now that has changed we are happy to go back with Princess.

 

Biggest difference we found between the 2 ships -

Celebrity service is outstanding, lots of little things starting with the sparkling wine as you board. The staff seem to have more time (maybe a better staff - passenger ratio)

 

Things we prefer about Celebrity - all balcony cabins have a sofa, on Princess we had to go to a mini-suite to get a sitting area.

 

Although we prefer to eat in the dining room, when possible, the buffet on Celebity is well designed - much easier to get around and find a table.

 

We found Princess food a little bland, Celebrity more to our taste, but that is very subjective.

 

Things we prefer about Princess - self-service laundry, really important to us on longer trips, or a cruise combined with more travel.

 

Swimming pools larger on Diamond Princess.

 

Both are lovely ships, I would sail on whichever had a better itinerary and price, but everything being equal would choose Celebrity for great service.

 

Hilary :)

[wilwin]

New opinions as of 2016?

[Aus Traveller]

We have only been on one Celebrity ship, but have been on many cruises with Princess. On Celebrity we missed having service in the buffet restaurant. On the first morning I asked about coffee and the answer was "Over there Madame". The staff only clear the tables and provide no service. On that cruise the food in the buffet was never hot, even immediately when the buffet opened. A few other people on this board made the same comment.

 

We loved the glass of bubbly when we boarded the Celebrity ship. Nice touch. The cabins and bathrooms were great and the towels were thick and fluffy.

 

Maybe our room steward tried to give us extra service but he drove us crazy. At least four times a day he knocked and just barged into our room when we were there. In the evening we would be in our PJs - rather embarrassing. He came to give us clean glasses, face washers (that we didn't use), the paper for the next day etc. etc. The cabin did not have a "Privacy" card to put in the door. Maybe we could have been more forceful in telling him not to come in, or we could have complained to a supervisor, but we do not like to do that. I felt that he was trying to impress us so he would get an extra tip, but it worked the other way.:D

 

These were our experiences. Other people will probably have different opinions. :)

[GUT2407]

We have only been on one Celebrity ship, but have been on many cruises with Princess. On Celebrity we missed having service in the buffet restaurant. On the first morning I asked about coffee and the answer was "Over there Madame". The staff only clear the tables and provide no service. On that cruise the food in the buffet was never hot, even immediately when the buffet opened. A few other people on this board made the same comment.

 

We loved the glass of bubbly when we boarded the Celebrity ship. Nice touch. The cabins and bathrooms were great and the towels were thick and fluffy.

 

Maybe our room steward tried to give us extra service but he drove us crazy. At least four times a day he knocked and just barged into our room when we were there. In the evening we would be in our PJs - rather embarrassing. He came to give us clean glasses, face washers (that we didn't use), the paper for the next day etc. etc. The cabin did not have a "Privacy" card to put in the door. Maybe we could have been more forceful in telling him not to come in, or we could have complained to a supervisor, but we do not like to do that. I felt that he was trying to impress us so he would get an extra tip, but it worked the other way.:D

 

These were our experiences. Other people will probably have different opinions. :)

 

I don't have an issue with the lack of service, but agree some food wasn't hot enough.

 

I also has a Steward that seemed to keen to earn his tip. I had a couple of days where I wasn't well (got hit in the back) and he was asked to just leave me alone, seemed to hard for him. But then on the last day he was telling everyone how lucky they were to be going home as it was nearly Christmas and he had to be on the ship taking care of us so his family could afford to have a Christmas and how he wished he had a little extra to send them.

 

By the same token there were a few things Celebrity did better than Princess, Aqua Spa cafe was Mrs Gut's favourite, we liked the Sandwich bar and the home made Ice Cream should have been declared illegal.

[MicCanberra]

I would choose either depending on the itinerary, timing and price, although would prefer the Solstice.

One thing to note is that now the DP operates on AUD for the Aussie season which can make a difference to on board spending, although X normally has the drink packages as a perk.

[Brisbane41]

I have sailed on both.

 

I really think you need to investigate cruising more as both are separate cruise lines and both try to cater to a completely different demographic of clientele.

 

The idea of your travel agent pushing out a load of brochures on different ships is just lazy and useless. People need to be informed that there are different styles of cruising that cater to different levels and have different price ranges. It is unfair to compare those two ships because they are not in the same category. You first need to decide what style of cruise you wish to be on first before ship becomes part of that question.

[avalon007]

I have sailed on Solstice & she is a beautiful elegant ship. The specialty restaurants on board are some of the best I have been to - especially Murano if you like an elegant experience.

 

The buffet dining room was also good with home made ice cream daily that was excellent as well.

 

They have a very good theatre show on Solstice that is a bit like a Cirque du Soleil type of show.

 

Adults only covered pool is nice & lots of space with varied seating including a couple of monster size hammocks.

 

I think you need to compare specific ships to each other for size, options available on board etc as well as all the other things mentioned in this thread, as ships within a single cruise line can vary greatly.

 

Age demographic may also be something to consider, we found Solstice had an average age of between 45-65 with less children than some other cruises - although that can depend on itinerary & time of year.

 

Out of Australia Princess is known for being an older demographic in general.

 

Hope that is helpful. :)