Celebrity Reflection or Royal Princess for New Years?

[camarodrivenrs]

We are looking at each ship for a new years cruise. I know there are a lot of you Princess sailors that cruise Celebrity as well. I've enjoyed Princess cruises every time I've done one, but I've been wanting to try Celebrity for a while. The cruise would be on Celebrity Reflection. We are a couple in our mid 20s but enjoy the quieter, less flashy scene when cruising. What do you guys with more experience think?

[dmwnc1959]

Experience tells me that this should also be posted on the Celebrity Forum so that you get an even balance of comments from both camps.

 

It seems as if you are considering a multitude of ships. Have you narrowed it down to these two, or are all the other ships still in the running,

 

I've got prices from Celebrity, Carnival, NCL, and Princess which is on the new Royal Princess and still Royal Caribbean is more.

[Woobstr112G]

Since you've done several cruises on Princess, I'd give Celebrity a whirl.....:):):)

 

Bob

[flying fingers]

I too have been on several Princess cruises. I just cancelled my trip on the Royal next December and switched over to Celebrity Reflection. Wanted to try something different. While I was excited to see the new ship, I decided it jut would not be a big enough change for me. I love Princess, but I was falling into kind of a rut.

 

As well Celebrity has a great promotion going on and I was able to get the all inclusive drink package for free for my trip. For only $10 a day I upgraded the package to the premium so basically any liquid I put in my mouth on the trip will be free. Not getting a bill at the end of the trip is a big bonus!

[UpcountryTravelers]

We just sailed on the Reflection and thoroughly enjoyed it. As you can see below, we are long-time Princess cruisers. AND.. we have booked the Royal for her first Caribbean cruise.

 

Can't say on the Royal (although it looks wonderful), but we can say that the Reflection is a notch above our Princess experiences. Everything is just a tad upscale. Dining is very similar - the escargot and the breadsticks are not as good as Princess... the lobster is better. The Molecular Bar is a whole new experience.

 

Celebrity, based on our one cruise on the new Reflection, is upscale from Princess so far. Enough above to get us to change our cruising pattern? Not hardly; we have 2 more Princess cruises booked!

 

I should also say: Celebrity is like an upscale hotel at sea. Princess is like an upscale ship at sea. Princess is definitely more traditional - which I love.

 

We will happily choose BOTH in the future.

 

Hope this helps.......

[camarodrivenrs]

It seems as if you are considering a multitude of ships. Have you narrowed it down to these two, or are all the other ships still in the running,

 

I've narrowed it down to just these two ships. And like above people said, from what I've read most people that cruise Princess like Celebrity when they cruise with them. Also this current promotion that Celebrity has is really nice.

 

Does anything special happen onboard a ship during her inaugural year?

[Dr. Pam]

We have cruised once on Princess (Golden 2002) and enjoyed it immensely.....but we were not seasoned cruisers (and I probably in some peoples' estimation, am still not :) ). We have however followed up since then with a few cruises on RCCL and one on the Celebrity Equinox (Med 2011) which is a sister ship to the Reflection. I actually was expecting a step up to Celebrity from our past experiences on Disney Magic, Golden Princess, Splendour, Brilliance. It was not to be...... :( Although our Royal Suite was well appointed, the butler service was just OK (I much preferred the Concierge Clubs onboard the ROyal ships), MDR was nothing special, both in decor and food offerings, the specialty dining....meh???! not so much but better than the MDR and the general pervasive atmosphere of the ship, I found to be lacking. Fast forward 4 months and we are onboard the Oasis (not my decision, but an extended family decision). THe Oasis was amazing in all respects...BIG SURPRISE! Our suite attendant overshadowed our butler on the Equinox by miles and miles. MDR was above average and some of the specialty restaurants were outstanding even by my land based opinions (we have dined worldwide in some so-called Michelin star restaurants....I am not being a snob, but rather informing people that I have a tall measuring stick :) ) SOOOO, I was faced with the decision for next summer of the Celebrity Reflection or the Royal Princess (both dates and itineraries on both ships worked for us). We decided on the Royal Princess because my memory of the Golden was great and my memory of the Equinox was nothing special.....

 

I will most certainly post my thoughts after our trip this summer....

[dmwnc1959]

I've narrowed it down to just these two ships. And like above people said, from what I've read most people that cruise Princess like Celebrity when they cruise with them. Also this current promotion that Celebrity has is really nice.

 

Does anything special happen onboard a ship during her inaugural year?

 

Very rarely, even on it's Maiden Voyage. There may be some fanfare as she departs on her first revenue cruises from Southampton and Fort Lauderdale, and their inaugural arrivals at Caribbean ports of call, but that's about it.

 

Most all of the other cruises in a ships inaugural year are no different than any other cruise except you can pick up souvenirs like t-shirts, post cards, etc. with the ships name and likeness, with wording on it announcing the ships inaugural season. The ship will be more pristine, not that they aren't kept up pretty well in the first place, but the ships staff are usually picked from other ships as the best of the best to ensure everything goes smoothly.

 

One cool thing about each sail away is that in Miami, the very long and narrow ship channel that parallels the MacArthur Causeway provides some amazing views of the high end homes and mansions built on the islands north of the causeway, and the cars driving alongside often honk their horns. In Fort Lauderdale, the residents of the condominiums at the entrance to the ship channel blow air horns and wave flags. The sail away from FLL is incredibly short compared to the one out of Miami, which is my all time favorite besides San Francisco when you sail under the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge.

 

Celebrity Cruises is still my all time favorite cruise line.

 

And if you are going to choose Celebrity Reflection, grab that promo before it expires! ;)

 

.

[dforeigner]

We are looking at each ship for a new years cruise. I know there are a lot of you Princess sailors that cruise Celebrity as well. I've enjoyed Princess cruises every time I've done one, but I've been wanting to try Celebrity for a while. The cruise would be on Celebrity Reflection. We are a couple in our mid 20s but enjoy the quieter, less flashy scene when cruising. What do you guys with more experience think?

 

We have sailed on board Celebrity and would not hesitate to do it again.

[Eppe4]

You can't go wrong with either ship. We just returned Saturday from the Celebrity Reflection. The ship is magnificent and the service wonderful. We were in Aqua Class and our restaurant was Blu. We are Princess cruisers and we're booked on the Royal for 30 days starting in September. New Years cruises always bring a younger crowd so you'll be happy with either choice. We were on the Ruby Princess over this New Year's and it was a great crowd. Enjoy your cruise and I'm sure neither ship will dissapoint.

[Mulege]

I would sail either one. The new Royal will be more like Celebrity Solstice ships than the older Princess ships. Many Princess Elite have stated their displeasure and don't like the Royal or Solstice. But that is the direction of the new Princess ships to come. Times change. I sailed on original Pacific and Island Princess and hated the new ships at first but realized it is just times changing, give me a new ship anytime now.

 

Out with the old and in with the new!

[NYcruisefan08]

I'm actually debating between both ships as well - Royal Princess or Celebrity Reflection - but for an August Med. cruise. We are a couple in our mid to late 30's, no kids, don't drink or party that much. Like to have a nice dinner in the evening, not a huge fan of shows. We do like MUTS quite a bit.

 

Does anyone know which way to go in that scenario? We won't really be focusing as much on the ship entertainement (I don't think) - I imagine we will more likely be using the ship as a floating hotel that takes us between ports. Although we will have 2 sea days. The ports are good on both ships - mostly Greek Islands, Turkey and Italy.

 

During sea days we like to lay out in the sun and read.

 

The deals on Celebrity are amazing right now.

 

We sailed Ruby Princess in 2011 in the Caribbean and liked it.

 

Help!

[camarodrivenrs]

I sure wish that Princess would offer a similar deal.

[fishywood]

One thing to consider is going with a line you have never sailed with before during a holiday. Your expectations could be unrealistically high--and not just because you may be paying more than twice as much as someone sailing the same cruise a couple weeks before and after you. Only you know if you will not find it too difficult not to keep comparing the new line (Celebrity) to the old (Princess) and/or contrasting with how you normally spend New Year's at home.

 

As for a quick compare and contrast, this summed it up perfectly:

Celebrity is like an upscale hotel at sea. Princess is like an upscale ship at sea. Princess is definitely more traditional - which I love.

 

My big mistake was booking a 14 night South America cruise on a line I was unfamiliar with (which just happened to be Celebrity). I know now to never book a "special itinerary" cruise on a new line before shaking them down on a short easy voyage first--and to never pick a "floating hotel" line over a "traditional cruiseship" line ever again.

[camarodrivenrs]

Not worried about that as anything is better than new years in Fairbanks alaska. I haven't had trouble adjusting to carnival or Costa as I enjoy cruising regardless of ship.

[Hannah0707]

I have been on both cruise lines for New Year's cruises multiple times. Last year I went on the Celebrity Reflection for New Years and the party was quite disappointing. The Princess New Year's is much more of a fun party with balloons and streamers, just a great time. If you are looking for a quiet New Years definitely take the Reflection. They are both great cruise lines. Let us know which one you chose. I'll be on the Royal for New Year's this year.

[camarodrivenrs]

I have been on both cruise lines for New Year's cruises multiple times. Last year I went on the Celebrity Reflection for New Years and the party was quite disappointing. The Princess New Year's is much more of a fun party with balloons and streamers, just a great time. If you are looking for a quiet New Years definitely take the Reflection. They are both great cruise lines. Let us know which one you chose. I'll be on the Royal for New Year's this year.

 

I ended up selecting the Reflection for New Year's because of the 123GO deal, but I couldn't resist adding a short Princess cruise right after so Princess isn't left out.

[Hannah0707]

I ended up selecting the Reflection for New Year's because of the 123GO deal, but I couldn't resist adding a short Princess cruise right after so Princess isn't left out.

 

That sounds wonderful. I hope you have a great time.

 

 

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