Princess/Celebrity Comparison

[kruzgal]

In the past we have tended to sail Celebrity (with a couple of Royal Caribbean trips as well) but for the first time ever we have no holiday booked for next summer and are considering a change. I am keeping an eye on a few cruises, one of which is to the North Cape on Crown Princess. Can you highlight the differences between Princess and Celebrity as you see them? We have 2 boys age 19 and 16 but they don't tend to take part in the organised activities so that is not a huge factor. Thanks for any input :)

[austinlw]

Been on 1 Celebrity, 3 Princess, and 3 Royal Caribbean. Last fall we did Celebrity Equinox (Europe) and Ruby Princess (Caribbean) about a month apart.

 

IMHO here are some of the most noticeable differences to me:

Princess ships look more like a beautiful cruise ship, while Celebrity seem more like an upscale contemporary hotel. Princess ships are more compartmentalized with smaller public rooms to give you the feel of not being on a ship with 3000 other people - unless those people are doing the same thing you are, then it's very crowded. Theater, lounges, and buffet areas tend to be more crowded than on Celebrity or RC.

 

I think food is consistently good night after night on Princess ships, more so than the other 2 lines, with my emphasis being on "consistently". Lots of opinion variation on this, as you might expect.

 

Princess ships have small laundromats on each floor, so you can do your own laundry if you need to. We felt somewhat gouged on Celebrity by their laundry service by comparison.

 

I think Princess production shows are consistently more top-notch as compared to the other 2 lines - again, like the food, my emphasis is "consistently".

 

Our verandah cabin on Celebrity Equinox was larger and better laid out than our balcony cabin on Ruby Princess. Nicer bathroom, much better hidden storage areas, and better interactive TV on Celebrity. We thought Princess cabins were very nice, until we spent 11 nights on Equinox, then saw our Ruby Princess cabin a few weeks later - definitely a notch lower, but favorably comparable to a RC cabin.

 

If you like RC and Celebrity, you'll like Princess. More similarities than differences. Great food and great service. That's why we are going on another Princess cruise in a few days.:)

[kruzgal]

Thank you for your comments - very helpful and pretty much as I expected. Just need to keep an eye on prices now!

[Esprit]

Just off Island Princess yesterday having been on two Celebrity cruises prior to it.

 

The crew on Celebrity were excellent so I was really pleased to discover the crew on Island Princess were even better. I've never been on such a friendly ship. Once the bar tenders/waiters and stewards got to know you they always greeted you by name (in my case "Mr Peter").

 

That aside I did feel disappointed with the Princess food. They now have a beefburger dish as always available in the MDR. I mistakenly thought it would be something special but it was identical to the burger you get from the Lido deck grill.

 

On the plus side the Horizon Court food at midnight (and beyond) was really good to have and in particular the desserts which in my opinion were superior to the MDR ones. Why Celebrity don't have a 24 hr buffet is most odd.

 

Peter

[Nomsayin]

We've sailed both and found them very comparable. One difference is that Princess does not charge for reserved excursions until you board the ship, whereas X charges at the time of booking.

[Gunner22aa]

We have sailed multiple times on both lines and on different ships. I have found the food comparable, mother gives the nod to Celebrity for deserts which I don't eat. We are blessed that we can stay in suites. Princess gets a big nod here. I can do without a butler for the numerous other perks Princess offers over Celebrity. A big one being free laundry and dry cleaning. We take longer (20+ day) cruises and this is big for us. The ability to do your own laundry on Princess is a plus for many especially those with children. I find Princess offers itineraries more to our liking. Not into ice skating, rock wall climbing and alike so missing those on Princess isn't an issue. I like the layout of the Princess ships better although the Celebrity Solstice class ships are well designed in my mind. Mother is a "spa goddess" and gives the nod to Princess. Casinos are pretty much the same. Either line is a good fit for us 50's cruisers.

[leonardofan]

FWIW I sailed last year on the Crown Princess after 5 2-week cruises on Celebrity.

 

I found a) it was more similar than I was expecting and b) there were two significant differences: Celebrity aims at an international cuisine (They don't always nail a classic dish, but the standard is there), while Princess serves comfort food, really well executed. My guess is that the budget for ingredients isn't that different, but to my taste it was a little boring.The other is the philosophy of the product--Celebrity has a customer in mind and aims everything at satisfying that customer. Princess offers a little more standard product with more options to let you--at the cost of a little effort and a little money--customize the product to your liking. I'd rather they do the work than make me do it, but the result was eminently satisfactory.

 

If you can, try to book the Chef's Dinner -- a little expensive but great fun.:)

[dinosaurdem]

We have sailed multiple times on both lines and on different ships. I have found the food comparable, mother gives the nod to Celebrity for deserts which I don't eat. We are blessed that we can stay in suites. Princess gets a big nod here. I can do without a butler for the numerous other perks Princess offers over Celebrity. A big one being free laundry and dry cleaning. We take longer (20+ day) cruises and this is big for us. The ability to do your own laundry on Princess is a plus for many especially those with children. I find Princess offers itineraries more to our liking. Not into ice skating, rock wall climbing and alike so missing those on Princess isn't an issue. I like the layout of the Princess ships better although the Celebrity Solstice class ships are well designed in my mind. Mother is a "spa goddess" and gives the nod to Princess. Casinos are pretty much the same. Either line is a good fit for us 50's cruisers.

 

When did Celebrity initiate rock climbing and ice skating?

[dinosaurdem]

FWIW I sailed last year on the Crown Princess after 5 2-week cruises on Celebrity.

 

I found a) it was more similar than I was expecting and b) there were two significant differences: Celebrity aims at an international cuisine (They don't always nail a classic dish, but the standard is there), while Princess serves comfort food, really well executed. My guess is that the budget for ingredients isn't that different, but to my taste it was a little boring.The other is the philosophy of the product--Celebrity has a customer in mind and aims everything at satisfying that customer. Princess offers a little more standard product with more options to let you--at the cost of a little effort and a little money--customize the product to your liking. I'd rather they do the work than make me do it, but the result was eminently satisfactory.

 

If you can, try to book the Chef's Dinner -- a little expensive but great fun.:)

 

Agree.

[RMLincoln]

I found Celebrity's buffet excellent for breakfast, good for lunch and almost non-existant for supper, only crew ate at the buffet for supper and the pickings were unbelievably meager IMO. So if you sometimes have a port intensive day and might plan to go to the buffet instead of the MDR, I wouldn't recommend that on Celebrity.

 

On Celebrity I did not miss having to get to the show lounge 45 minutes early to get a seat as I have had to do on Princess.

 

And I very much liked having a couch in our room on Celebrity Constellation, even insides had couches!!

 

The Anytime Dining worked very well on Celebrity where you could reserve a dining time for that evening for any time, not just very early or very late as it it on some lines, though maybe not much different from Princess. But Celebrity requires you to pre-pay your hotel charges (gratuities) if you sign up for Anytime Dining. I've read here that some Brits do not like the autotip system as it is a differnt culture, so be aware that you could not change the pre-paid tips.

 

But we will be on Star Princess next week and expect the Princess product will be wonderful once again for us. I'd take Princess, Celebrity or HAL any day, just base my choice on itinerary and pricing. The rest is so much more similar than different it's all fluff at that point. m--

[Pam in CA]

A few more comparisons: Princess cabins are laid out differently. They don't have a couch but they have far more storage, both closet storage, bedside and desk storage.

 

The buffet on Princess is open from 6am until 11pm. It doesn't close and serves a full buffet throughout the day and evening. You can have a full breakfast at 10:30am or a full lunch at 3pm. Tables are pre-set so you don't have to scurry around to look for napkins and silverware. There is also tableside beverage service: they'll bring you coffee, tea, or juice in the morning, for instance.

 

I found Princess far more flexible and willing to modify a dish on the menu and if there's something you'd like the next night that's not on the menu, just ask. You can ask for Béarnaise sauce with your steak at dinner. I often ask for entrees without sauces and/or a baked potato and steamed veggies instead of what's on the menu. They just need 24 hours' notice for special items.

[lovevacadays]

Enjoyed reading everyone's comparisons. I've thought about sailing Celebrity so this was nice to read.

 

Just off Island Princess yesterday having been on two Celebrity cruises prior to it.

 

The crew on Celebrity were excellent so I was really pleased to discover the crew on Island Princess were even better. I've never been on such a friendly ship. Once the bar tenders/waiters and stewards got to know you they always greeted you by name (in my case "Mr Peter").

 

That aside I did feel disappointed with the Princess food. They now have a beefburger dish as always available in the MDR. I mistakenly thought it would be something special but it was identical to the burger you get from the Lido deck grill.

 

On the plus side the Horizon Court food at midnight (and beyond) was really good to have and in particular the desserts which in my opinion were superior to the MDR ones. Why Celebrity don't have a 24 hr buffet is most odd.

 

Peter

 

Peter, just curious was it the beefburger dish in the MDR that is making you say you didn't like Princess' food or did you not like much of the MDR food?

 

When did Celebrity initiate rock climbing and ice skating?

 

I think the poster was referring to Royal Caribbean in this part of their post since the OP had mentioned RC in the initial post.

[dinosaurdem]

A few more comparisons: Princess cabins are laid out differently. They don't have a couch but they have far more storage, both closet storage, bedside and desk storage.

 

The buffet on Princess is open from 6am until 11pm. It doesn't close and serves a full buffet throughout the day and evening. You can have a full breakfast at 10:30am or a full lunch at 3pm. Tables are pre-set so you don't have to scurry around to look for napkins and silverware. There is also tableside beverage service: they'll bring you coffee, tea, or juice in the morning, for instance.

 

I found Princess far more flexible and willing to modify a dish on the menu and if there's something you'd like the next night that's not on the menu, just ask. You can ask for Béarnaise sauce with your steak at dinner. I often ask for entrees without sauces and/or a baked potato and steamed veggies instead of what's on the menu. They just need 24 hours' notice for special items.

 

Pam, I know that you are not fond of Celebrity and many of your observations are spot on, but having sailed both lines with some frequency, baked potatoes and veggies are available every night on both lines. You can request modifications on both, and, sometimes on the same night, but always with a day's notice you can get Bearnaise. My wife loves it.

[Pam in CA]

Peter, just curious was it the beefburger dish in the MDR that is making you say you didn't like Princess' food or did you not like much of the MDR food?

The hamburger is the same one that has been always available from the children's menu at dinner in the dining room or on the lunch menu. Only difference is that it's now on the main menu in addition to the kid's menu. It's well done and with all the trimmings. You cannot get a rare, medium rare or medium cooked hamburger.

[baldercash]

X has AquaClass if you book this level of accommodation you will be pleasantly surprised, pampered and given plenty of perks. The included private spa access and solitude room, pays for the upgrade if you utilize it. Included is dinner and breakfast at the private Blue dinning room which is limited to only the 200 or so passengers in Aqua class and suites. The healthy eating offerings at the spa have no comparison on Princess or RCI but may not appeal to everyone. At blue you get asparagus with your breakfast eggs and no Mac n Cheese or burgers offered. But you can have a fresh fruit smoothie for breakfast.

 

Princess has Movies under the stars, though on the 6 Princess cruises we have sailed it has never been well attended. This is a plus for us as we enjoy it. Negative is they do movies during the day which can be irritating and loud if one is just relaxing and reading around the pool.

 

The integrated television system on X is hard to beat with movies on demand, you can leave and stop the movie and start it were you left off days later. You can access your account on your TV, order room service and see your ship photo's on the TV in your room. The internet service is powered by Mac and technical support on board is top notch, you can buy Mac products on board.

 

The pizza on Princess is superior to RCI in my opinion, I am sure pizza is offered on Celebrity but cannot remember it which says something after 14 cruises with the line! But to be honest it is not something I go out of my way to eat, maybe one slice on a 7 day cruise.

 

When it comes to food it tends to be subjective to a persons taste however while attending a Captain's dinner on RCI I mentioned that I thought the food was comparable to that on X. I was told in a very concise manner by a ships officer that the food was superior on Celebrity determined by a simple matter of costing out the amount spent on food per passenger.

I would judge RCI and Princess food comparable,their MDR menu's are comparable. both lines serve soft ice cream during the day while X supplies a constant changing hard ice cream counter that supplies free candy topping, love my peanut M&M's.

 

X's MDR menu is far more extensive supplying a Chief's recommendation plus identifying & offering Heart Healthy and Vegan items every night. Blues offerings are more up scale / healthy and may not appeal to everyone.

 

At the same Captain's dinner I was informed that RCI & X staff are never transferred between lines, this goes to the way they are trained to interface with the passengers to best meet their expectations. I find RCI staff more similar to Princess then X. But truth be told we have never encountered a problem with staff on any cruise line except MSC.

 

Possibly what might best define the difference between the 2 lines is highlighted by Princess offering milk & cookies while X offers a champagne cocktail and formal welcome upon boarding.

Princess offers popcorn, blankets and movies under the stars while X staff greet you at the gangway as you return aboard, offering you iced towels and lemon water.

Princess supplies a laundry room X doesn't, not because X wants to make money on your laundry but it is offering a different type of cruising experience.

If one could find the square foot per passenger allotted I would speculate X as being higher then Princess.

 

Different experiences offered by both lines, both are wonderful when embraced and neither is superior in my opinion they just require the correct mind set.

[YaddaBest]

Been on 1 Celebrity, 3 Princess, and 3 Royal Caribbean. Last fall we did Celebrity Equinox (Europe) and Ruby Princess (Caribbean) about a month apart.

 

IMHO here are some of the most noticeable differences to me:

Princess ships look more like a beautiful cruise ship, while Celebrity seem more like an upscale contemporary hotel. Princess ships are more compartmentalized with smaller public rooms to give you the feel of not being on a ship with 3000 other people - unless those people are doing the same thing you are, then it's very crowded. Theater, lounges, and buffet areas tend to be more crowded than on Celebrity or RC.

 

I think food is consistently good night after night on Princess ships, more so than the other 2 lines, with my emphasis being on "consistently". Lots of opinion variation on this, as you might expect.

 

Princess ships have small laundromats on each floor, so you can do your own laundry if you need to. We felt somewhat gouged on Celebrity by their laundry service by comparison.

 

I think Princess production shows are consistently more top-notch as compared to the other 2 lines - again, like the food, my emphasis is "consistently".

 

Our verandah cabin on Celebrity Equinox was larger and better laid out than our balcony cabin on Ruby Princess. Nicer bathroom, much better hidden storage areas, and better interactive TV on Celebrity. We thought Princess cabins were very nice, until we spent 11 nights on Equinox, then saw our Ruby Princess cabin a few weeks later - definitely a notch lower, but favorably comparable to a RC cabin.

 

If you like RC and Celebrity, you'll like Princess. More similarities than differences. Great food and great service. That's why we are going on another Princess cruise in a few days.:)

 

I agree with everything you have to say. With 49 cruises with princess there have been changes like no longer Alaskan crab and small things like that. I have found the steaks to be better since Carnival took over Princess. One thing I loved with Royal Caribbean is when you get a cabin like a balcony it compares favorably to a Mini Suite on Princess. Royal Caribbean food is no where near as good. It is not bad just not as good. I like the transatlantic and longer cruises and on princess you will see unique offerings you do not see on their 7-10 day cruises. Royal Caribbean does shut down their buffets like 30 minutes between breakfast and lunch and an hour in the afternoon. Messes you up if you want to come back from your day at port and want some fruit you have to wait till 6:30PM I think. On port days there is no sit down lunch or high teas while princess they always have them at sea or not. I think Royal Caribbean has those things like the Climbing wall, Flow Master wave pool and a much better miniature golf. They have the Johnny Rockets where there is a (nominal fee). Also the ice skating rink and on the Freedom class the cantilevered hot tub but no hot tub at the back of the ship. I think princess entertainment has greatly improved. You will see more staff from Europe on Princess as well.

[shepp]

Possibly what might best define the difference between the 2 lines is highlighted by Princess offering milk & cookies while X offers a champagne cocktail and formal welcome upon boarding.

Princess offers popcorn, blankets and movies under the stars while X staff greet you at the gangway as you return aboard, offering you iced towels and lemon water.

Princess supplies a laundry room X doesn't, not because X wants to make money on your laundry but it is offering a different type of cruising experience.

 

While I hold no brief against X - I really enjoyed my only Celebrity cruise - maybe it's worth pointing out that if you crave cheap champagne, you can drink all you want at the champagne waterfall, and milk and cookies are available every afternoon, not at boarding in place of a glass of budget bubbly.

 

While it's not a constant, I've been greeted by cold towels at more than one Princess port. I find it a really, really, really small deal. (On the other hand, the only MUTS popcorn I ever ate was foul.)

 

And "a different type of cruising experience?" Really? As in: "if my shirt is wrinkled, I can't quickly iron it myself, offering me a more inconvenient and costly cruise experience?" It's not like anyone is forced to spend time in the laundry room.

 

I think what you're aiming at is "X is classier." And it probably is, though not, at least in my limited experience, as much as X would like to pretend it is.

[KruzPrincess]

I enjoyed my one Celebrity cruise a lot, but I prefer Princess. Also, I just don't see it as being "classier". I do think Princess is more comfortable, so maybe there's that. I think they are more alike than different. I sailed on the Equinox and I had a balcony cabin with a couch, big screen TV and comfortable bed. All that was good. Most other stuff I like better on Princess. I like the food better and I think there were more activities. It was always very sedate on my particular Celebrity cruise. Staff is good on both. Night time buffet is better on Princess. I think there are more food options on Princess. I love the International Cafe, Movies Under the Stars and the pizza.

[Mulege]

Celebrity offers in room dining for BLD at no additional cost. Princess has the Ultimate Balcony dinner at substantial cost. Princess used to have better shows but since they have gone to multi 30 minute shows, the product suffers. Celebrity Solstice class rooms are larger than Princess. The Royal will be more comparable to the Solstice ships. More modern. Pizza is the best on Princess.

[caribill]

Celebrity offers in room dining for BLD at no additional cost. Princess has the Ultimate Balcony dinner at substantial cost.

 

I assume the Celebrity BLD is off the regular dining room menu. The Princess UBD is a special dinner including wine, flowers and photographs along with a special menu, not what is being served in the dining room that evening. The servers stay nearby to serve each course as needed.

 

Not an apples-to-apples compatison.

 

What is fair to say is that Celebrity offers in room dining for BLD, but Princess does not do this usually unless booked in a full suite.

[Esprit]

Peter, just curious was it the beefburger dish in the MDR that is making you say you didn't like Princess' food or did you not like much of the MDR food?

 

 

It was the food in general that was a little disappointing. I only had the beefburger because I didn't fancy much the others on offer that night.

 

As is often said food is a subjective matter and I'm not a "foodie". I rarely visited the Horizon Court buffet as the food just wasn't hot enough for me either. On the other hand the British pub lunches were excellent, particularly the battered prawns (shrimps).

[AZaTaz]

We have sailed 2 times on Celebrity and 5 times on Princess. I agree with most of what was said that there is more similarity than differences but will add the staffs on all of our Princess cruises were more "friendly" than those on our Celebrity cruises.

On every one of our Princess cruises there were those staffers that went out of their way to chat with us. No such thing happened on either of our Celebrity cruises. Does that make us decide which line to cruise? No we chose by itinerary. In 2014 we will cruise 14 days on Celebrity then move to a Princess ship for the next 30 days.

Evelyn

[Waihekean]

"Down under" the big difference is price. Princess is a lot dearer then Celebrity. About double for a Med cruise.

Princess will not allow price drops, while X does allow non Americans to take advantage of promotions and get your deposit back if needed.