Celebrity cruiser considering Princess - Advice?

[John73]

Hi All,

I've normally stuck to the Celebrity forums on here but recently found an interesting cruise on Princess that has me tempted. It's the June 13th Caribbean Princess Canada & New England itinerary from New York.

 

Here's my question: How does the Caribbean Princess class of ship compare to the Celebrity Solstice class ships? I'd be in a standard balcony room, no suite or anything.

 

Does Princess have an alcohol package like Celebrity? Found that very valuable in my previous Caribbean itineraries on Solstice and figure with this itinerary it'd be nice to have. I haven't done a whole lot of investigations yet in to shore excursions options for this itinerary so not quite sure if it'd be entertaining enough either.

 

Any information on options for this cruise or comparisons vs Celebrity are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

Edit to Add: Also, what area of NYC would I want to stay in the night before departure? Likely be flying in to JFK. For departure, would a trip from LGA work or would I need to do EWR for better cost and reliability?

[Pam in CA]

I haven't been on Celebrity yet but since I'll be on a Celebrity cruise in just over a month, I've done some research. No alcohol package like Celebrity but drinks appear to be consistently less expensive, by $1 or more per drink, than Celebrity.

 

The Caribbean Princess sails from Red Hook, which is in Brooklyn an a long way from Newark. Not sure about hotels nearby but your best bet is to look for one near Red Hook.

[iheartbda]

I'm not much help but just wanted to say that Celebrity has been our favorite line and recently tried Princess. I would not hesitate to book Princess again if I could find a cruise I was interested in.:) I only had one little issue that is not worth mentioning because it was about food and food is VERY subjective.;)

 

You can go to the Princess web site, pick your ship, type of cabin and get a 360 virtual tour. No sofa but 2 nice chairs. Loved the closet that has no door which seems strange at first but works well. No banging door if it's a bumpy ride and no banging door by DH when I'm sleeping.;) You actually have a sort of small dressing room seperate from the rest of the cabin.....very nice.

[Denny01]

We are Celebrity cruisers, and have cruised Princess twice before and going again this Aug Around the UK. So you see we find Princess just fine. We'd pick Princess if an itinerary was the point.

 

As to comparisons, you'll find the standard Princess balcony SRs smaller than the standard Celebrity S-Class balcony SRs - the Princess SRs do not have a sofa or seating area which makes 'soclalizng' difficult in your SR. The Princess SRs have more storage areas which is nice but the bathrooms are smaller and the shower to be a challenge - we aren't big people but found the shower to be very small. Overall, the Princess SR met our needs.

 

The one Big drawback is what most point out and that is Princess allows smoking in the SR and the balcony. Most of the time, that isn't an issue, but our second cruise took 2 cleanings to reduce (not remove) the smoke residue smell. We aren't hardcover on that issue, but it was a problem. Not a problem for smokers I guess.

 

Enjoyed our cruise and hope you do the same!

 

Den

[nojoke]

Hi All,

I've normally stuck to the Celebrity forums on here but recently found an interesting cruise on Princess that has me tempted. It's the June 13th Caribbean Princess Canada & New England itinerary from New York.

 

Here's my question: How does the Caribbean Princess class of ship compare to the Celebrity Solstice class ships? I'd be in a standard balcony room, no suite or anything.

 

Does Princess have an alcohol package like Celebrity? Found that very valuable in my previous Caribbean itineraries on Solstice and figure with this itinerary it'd be nice to have. I haven't done a whole lot of investigations yet in to shore excursions options for this itinerary so not quite sure if it'd be entertaining enough either.

 

Any information on options for this cruise or comparisons vs Celebrity are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

Edit to Add: Also, what area of NYC would I want to stay in the night before departure? Likely be flying in to JFK. For departure, would a trip from LGA work or would I need to do EWR for better cost and reliability?

We are Platinum on both Celebrity and Princess. We consider Celebrity just a teeny bit more upscale than Princess. That being said, we love both lines. The Princess balcony stateroom is adequate for us--balcony decent--closet and storage space generous. The bathroom on Celebrity Solstice is nicer--especially the shower--curved glass door instead of a curtain. We do Anytime Dining--and have found both Celebrity and Princess to be very accommodating, and the food to us seems equal. ( Except Princess has that scrumptious Love Boat chocolate desert!) Princess doesn't have anything to compare to the Glass Show and lawn area on Solstice. Now, are you totally confused!! Good luck!

[KruzPrincess]

I'm a Princess cruiser who just went on my first X cruise on the Equinox. The standard balcony cabins on the Solstice class ships are larger. A Princess balcony won't have a couch or a big screen TV. The beds are very hard on Princess. The bathroom is smaller but it works. Closet and storage is much better on Princess. Balcony size can be the same or larger on Princess depending on which category you choose. Some balconies are covered, some partially covered and many are fully uncovered. I think service is equal. Food is subjective, but I like Princess food better. There's no different categories of service on Princess if you don't have a suite. No special dining room like Aqua Class has on X. Breakfast room service is limited to cold food on Princess. I think you'll find more entertainment and activities on Princess. The Solstice class ships have a sleek modern decor, while Princess tends to have more of a classic old world cruising decor. Both offer a good cruise experience. Go with an open mind and enjoy the differences. Princess is still my cruise line of choice, but I'd go on Celebrity again if it was a good deal.

[Cruise Junky]

Just to add to what's already been said. There isn't a drink package on Princess (yet..hoping ;) ) but their drinks are cheaper than Celebrity. While Celebrity Martini's run around $10, they're $7 on Princess. Wine by the bottle is cheaper on Princess.... just as an example, although extreme Dom Perignon is around $220 on Celebrity I think, it's $180 on Princess including the gratuity. Princess has drink specials after 8 for $2.99.

 

Princess also allows you to take more than one bottle of wine per person on the ship and you probably won't have a problem with a bottle of booze in your luggage whereas Celebrity will have you down in the naughty room.

 

As Denny pointed out, they have different smoking policies, 9 cruises with them, we've never had an issue but some have.

[willysgrandma]

We've sailed on both - no, the Caribbean Princess is not quite the same class of ship as the Solstice. It doesn't have as many of the bells and whistles, although not having a glass blowing demo isn't a big deal to me. The Solstice is a prettier ship, but the CP is very nice too, just not as new. I had no complains about the Caribbean Princess - if you would like to see pictures:

 

Caribbean Princess

 

I like Princess' entertainment shows much better than Celebrity though. Our star entertainer on the Solstice was a xylophone player!

 

I find Princess' food on a par with Celebrity now. (I used to think Celebrity has the best food out there - not anymore).

 

No, there are no drink packages.

 

If you are coming in for one night, I would stay in Brooklyn near the pier. If you are coming in earlier, I'd stay in Manhattan and take advantage of doing some sightseeing.

[lhsail]

We've cruised both lines frequenty and recently and just have one thing to add. I know you stated you would be booking a basic balcony cabin, but we love the Princess mini-suites. Depending on the sailing, they are often not much more than a balcony and solve all the concerns noted about Princess' basic balcony cabins. Have to agree that storage is much better in any of the Princess cabin choices.

[John73]

Thanks all for the info. Sounds like Princess is definitely an option. Just have to decide if the itinerary works for me.

[royalcruz]

I have been on the Solstice this year and the Caribbean Princess about 2 yrs ago. They are very different but they are both good. The Solstice feels much more upscale and modern. Passengers wear dinner attire in the evening on Solstice but on Princess if it is not formal night you will see many people in shorts and tshirts. The buffet offers a larger selection of food stations in the daytime, but Princess is the winner in the evening. The Solstice stateroom bathrooms are small but gorgeous and larger than that of the C.P. The Solstice dining room is more beautiful IMO, and there are lots of padded sun loungers with as many towels as you would like on deck. The drinks are more expensive but the pours are better. On the other hand, C.P. offers more entertainment, including MUTS, and evening activities in several venues. Compared to C.P., the Solstice is a bit quiet and lacking in entertainment.

[BosoxI]

Funny how tastes differ. I swear by Princess, but for me the Solstice class bathrooms are much better, as is the buffet set up. Entertainment? Not even close. X wins hands down based on my last cruise with them. What I don't know is how the older X ships would compare.

[texancruzer]

Hmmmm - interesting. I have a completely different opinion.

 

We recently did our first Princess cruise and while we enjoyed the itinerary (mostly new ports for us) we won't be sailing Princess again on a regular basis.

 

Our overall experience was okay but alot of little stuff made the experience less than our Royal or Celebrity experiences. (We also didnt care for Holland America but thats another thread :D)

 

Emarbarkation and Debarkation: Really nice. Princess had it down pat.

 

Ship: Ok but felt claustrophobic (ceilings are low or something) Will say that by chopping up the floorplans, no one place ever felt crowded.

 

Cabin: smaller except for the closet area (that was nice), dh missed the couch and our balcony (BA on 11 midship) overlooked two other balconies below. So we couldnt look down into the water - and felt like we were spying on those below. Didnt mean to - but that is what you look at :confused:)

 

Food/Bar: Was really really disappointed in the food. Buffet was really sub par. One steak in MDR came out "spongy" like it had been frozen too long or something. I actually only ate half of what I was served the whole week. Chops was a HUGE disappointment. Can only compare to the steakhouse on Celebrity Solstice as we usually just eat in the dining room. Solstice specialty was leaps and bounds above Princess. Service was ok. Just ok. Had anytime dining. Not our first choice but we booked late. Incident one night had me very frustrated. Also seems like the waiters were not listening or something. Lots of mixed up orders. Had one roll his eyes at me :eek: Just didnt get that "glad you're here" feeling.

Pizza was really really good tho.

 

Entertainment/Casino: don't go to the shows much. Went to one and it was b-a-d. Hypnotist and he kept plugging his dvds to cure smoking, weight loss and fear of flying etc..... all thru his show. Casino was not kind to me this trip - oh well it was fun.

 

All in all, I had heard that Princess was like Celebrity. We didnt think so.

We had a great week and a nice cruise. But if given the choice we would go with Celebrity over Princess. We are looking at a Tahiti cruise with them since the choices are limited in that area...... and I know I will have a great time.

 

Hope this helps.

[berniece2000]

I would second your post here. My first experience with Princess was EXACTLY as you describe (we also did not/could not eat much of the food in the dining room, and finally opted to eat in the buffet, mainly because I felt that at least I could take a small sampling of something so that it wouldn't be a waste if I didn't find it to my liking). Additional positive notes that I could add, though: the service in the buffet area was every bit and maybe more attentive as that in the MDR, and the comedians we saw (Jay Moore and Troy Thurgill) were superb, and kind of made up for the lame "hypnotist"....

 

My experience is limited, for sure, but based on the one cruise on each on Celebrity and Princess, I would choose Celebrity hands down for the food and drink (we especially liked the specials, which were varied daily and were amazing), the good coffee (that did not require a coffee card) and the overall feel. However, I wouldn't be adverse to going on a Princess cruise again, if the price was right and the itinerary was appealing.

[Denny01]

This has been an informative thread and hasn't turned into the 'attack that cruise line' that occurs when someone asks about another cruise line.

 

I think the big postives on Princess was with more ships, they have some unique itineraries and its nice knowing we will enjoy the ship along with the itinerary. I loved the Coffee Card, and loved the International Cafe setup. Fantastic. I agree some of the big shows were better, the 'Brit Invasion' was well done, but I enjoyed Celebrity big shows more because they had a live band while there was none on the two Princess cruises we did, and the big difference was I found the Princess theaters to be too small. Realize they have multiple shows, but people were going in an hr before to get good seats and if you went in 15min before as we do on Celebrity, there was a high chance of no seats together. Just my observation.

 

Always interesting to compare Lines, but realize we are talking about pretty minor issues. I think because we'd cruised Celebrity early in our cruise experience, loved it and continued with it as our prime Cruise Line that we identify that cruise line 'culture' as being what we now expect.

 

Cruising is an experience we are so lucky to be able to take advantage of and it helps to keep in mind that so many can't, at least as much as we do!

 

Den

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

We love Princess but last November took a cruise on Celebrity Constellation to see what they were like. We had a wonderful cruise. There was good and bad on both lines. Celebrity kicked Princess's butt regarding the buffet, Princess beat Celebrity in the dining room. We much prefer the Princess entertainment..... went to a production in the Celebrity theatre and left feeling rather deaf, the production was fantastic but they had the sound up sooooo high that it actually hurt my ears.... I wasn't the only one either. We didn't go back. Why do they do that?

 

The small touches each day were the same. Chockies on pillows, cold towels at the gangplank after a tour day etc. etc.... The service is wonderful on both lines.

 

We will now base our choice on itinerary. Princess has some amazing ones, Celebrity pretty ordinary ones..... So Princess will probably win out in the end........ oh and did I mention the wonderful captain circle benefits on Princess as opposed to Celebrity? Princess wins hands down. :D IMHO of course!

[Conor's Grandma]

Hi All,

I've normally stuck to the Celebrity forums on here but recently found an interesting cruise on Princess that has me tempted. It's the June 13th Caribbean Princess Canada & New England itinerary from New York.

 

Here's my question: How does the Caribbean Princess class of ship compare to the Celebrity Solstice class ships? I'd be in a standard balcony room, no suite or anything.

 

Does Princess have an alcohol package like Celebrity? Found that very valuable in my previous Caribbean itineraries on Solstice and figure with this itinerary it'd be nice to have. I haven't done a whole lot of investigations yet in to shore excursions options for this itinerary so not quite sure if it'd be entertaining enough either.

 

Any information on options for this cruise or comparisons vs Celebrity are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

Edit to Add: Also, what area of NYC would I want to stay in the night before departure? Likely be flying in to JFK. For departure, would a trip from LGA work or would I need to do EWR for better cost and reliability?

 

I have to say that, in my opinion, Celebrity is the best. Having said that, I have just booked a cruise to the Greek Isles on the Ocean Princess, because of the itinerary. It was very hard for me to do that because my husband and I after being on NCL, Princess, HAL, decided that we only want to sail with Celebrity. Unfortunately, I wanted to see as many of the Greek Isles as I could and Princess had the best itinerary. We have been on the Crown and the Caribbean Princess. Thought the Crown was gorgeous and had a great time, but hated the Caribbean Princess. I think it was the time of year though. It was the summer and the kids were horrible. We couldn't get near the pool and a bunch of kids almost knocked my daughter over (she was pregnant). No staff members tried to control the kids at all, plus they were overbooked. It was a nightmare. We swore we'd never sail that ship again. Sorry to give you a negative, but, like I said, I'm sure it was the time of year. I do like the casual dining, so that is a plus. I wish they had the drink packages like Celebrity. My husband and I love it. We are actually going on the Eclipse in November and I can't wait.

 

I prefer the Solstice class ships. They are more elegant in my opinion and while you are on the ship, you feel like you are eating and sleeping in a 5 star hotel. I think the officers and the staff make you feel very welcome and very special and we love the lawn at the top of the ship, which before we saw it, thought it would be odd. I think the Specialty Restaurants are better and I love the fact that they are all together in area of the ship. We love the Martini Bar on the Solstice ships and pretty much think it is a much more upscale kind of cruise - at least that's the impression you have when you're on it.

 

I hope I have been a little help. As you can tell, my husband and I love Celebrity, but if I had to choose my second favorite, I guess it would be Princess because of the Crown.

 

Have a great time and let me know what you think about it.

 

Conor's Grandma

[Cruise Junky]

I have to say that' date=' in my opinion, Celebrity is the best. Having said that, I have just booked a cruise to the Greek Isles on the Ocean Princess, because of the itinerary. [/quote']

 

Hi - we're also on that Ocean Cruise but board the week before you in Barcelona. We have a great roll call group going if you'd like to join us.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1382119

[camofwilliamsburg]

Princess does a power hour which is 8pm to close in many of the bars for 2.99 drinks. Not all drinks are included but enough of them. We have found PCL to not have as good a non smoking policy as does X. On PCL they can smoke on one ship of the ship on open decks and any balcony. I find their food to be very good, service to be excellent, ships to be very nice and clean, cabins to be very well designed with the closet and bathroom area separated from the bedroom area. I find the ships easy to get around. I enjoy the many choices you have for entertainment and dining options.

[Sanz]

I have been on the Solstice this year and the Caribbean Princess about 2 yrs ago. They are very different but they are both good. The Solstice feels much more upscale and modern. Passengers wear dinner attire in the evening on Solstice but on Princess if it is not formal night you will see many people in shorts and tshirts.

 

I have cruised twice out of NY. Once on the Crown Princess and once on Caribbean Princess, both with Caribbean itineraires, both in July. I don't recall seeing many (if any) people wearing shorts and tee shirts in the dining room between the hours of 7 and 9 p.m. (open seating). I enjoy seeing people dressed up a bit for dinner and would have noticed people wearing shorts and tees.

[KruzPrincess]

I haven't been on the Caribbean Princess, but I've read a lot of reviews and posts about her. There does seem to be some issues with the itinerary out of San Juan. This is just something to keep in mind because I don't think that cruise is always representative of Princess in general. The theory on this itinerary is that it doesn't seem to sell well because of the long flight. Sometimes, if the ship isn't sold out they will sell last minute cruises very cheap. I want to say this in a nice way, but I've read that sometimes large groups of local people who aren't typical cruisers take this cruise and may act/dress differently than what many people might be used to. On my Princess cruises, I never see people in shorts and flip flops in the MDR at night. I see a lot of people dress well. People dressed the same on the Equinox as they did on my last Princess cruises. Just throwing this out there as a thought.

[texancruzer]

I haven't been on the Caribbean Princess, but I've read a lot of reviews and posts about her. There does seem to be some issues with the itinerary out of San Juan. This is just something to keep in mind because I don't think that cruise is always representative of Princess in general. The theory on this itinerary is that it doesn't seem to sell well because of the long flight. Sometimes, if the ship isn't sold out they will sell last minute cruises very cheap. I want to say this in a nice way, but I've read that sometimes large groups of local people who aren't typical cruisers take this cruise and may act/dress differently than what many people might be used to. On my Princess cruises, I never see people in shorts and flip flops in the MDR at night. I see a lot of people dress well. People dressed the same on the Equinox as they did on my last Princess cruises. Just throwing this out there as a thought.

 

You are very right. Many people sailing on our cruise received multiple upgrades......opening up lower grade cabins. The inside cabins were being sold to Puerto Ricans for $150. per person. We also saw a sign on St. Thomas: " Caribbean Princess 7 day San Juan $200/pp " so they were advertising in more locales than Puerto Rico.

 

HOWEVER, that had no bearing on our experience. This was our second cruise out of San Juan and both had a large Puerto Rican population onboard. We noticed alot more people speaking Spanish but other than that it didnt really have any impact on our experience. BTW: no shorts and flip flops were seen in the dining room. In fact everyone was dressed appropriately (according to guidelines)

 

NOW, the other items I mentioned (mostly service and food) definately impacted our experience.

 

We DID NOT have a bad cruise........ quite the contrary. But compared to our RCI Serenade OTS cruise out of San Juan, this one fell a bit short overall. Would we cruise Princess again ??? Maybe. We are the type who cruise more for the itinerary than anything so the right one of those would get us onboard ;)

[texancruzer]

I have cruised twice out of NY. Once on the Crown Princess and once on Caribbean Princess, both with Caribbean itineraires, both in July. I don't recall seeing many (if any) people wearing shorts and tee shirts in the dining room between the hours of 7 and 9 p.m. (open seating). I enjoy seeing people dressed up a bit for dinner and would have noticed people wearing shorts and tees.

 

Perhaps the poster meant that more shorts and t's were seen at night but not necessarily "in the dining room". As a side note, while on our recent Caribbean Princess cruise we saw many more in shorts and t's at night......but not in the dining room. Saw some in the casino and lots of other places. Don't recall seeing any in the dining rooms.

[Bay State]

We have been on 8 Celebrity ships vs 1 Princess (Emerald, a year ago). Differences are not huge and I found Princess to be very good. The complete walk-around Promenade deck was nice. Overall the ship was nice, albeit without some of the nice touches of Celebrity (linen towels in the public restrooms, extensive art display, etc.) The buffet setup on Solstice Class is nicer in terms of moving the crowd through. The Princess theater was very different with odd sight lines and difficulty getting seat without being there very early. Overall Princess was a nice experience and well worth it if they are doing the itinerary you want.

[roe2ship]

I don't recall seeing many (if any) people wearing shorts and tee shirts in the dining room between the hours of 7 and 9 p.m. (open seating). I enjoy seeing people dressed up a bit for dinner and would have noticed people wearing shorts and tees.

I agree..

 

I haven't been on the Caribbean Princess, but I've read a lot of reviews and posts about her. There does seem to be some issues with the itinerary out of San Juan. This is just something to keep in mind because I don't think that cruise is always representative of Princess in general. The theory on this itinerary is that it doesn't seem to sell well because of the long flight. Sometimes, if the ship isn't sold out they will sell last minute cruises very cheap. I want to say this in a nice way, but I've read that sometimes large groups of local people who aren't typical cruisers take this cruise and may act/dress differently than what many people might be used to. On my Princess cruises, I never see people in shorts and flip flops in the MDR at night. I see a lot of people dress well. People dressed the same on the Equinox as they did on my last Princess cruises. Just throwing this out there as a thought.

Hmm....why did the subject about San Juan come up here?? OP mentioned in his post he is interested in the CB this Summer out of New York.