This Princess Just Tried Celebrity...

[MsSoCalCruiser]

Linda, thanks for your comparisons. How were the bands on Celebrity? Do they have a band that plays by the pool and then in one of the lounges like Princess and do they have entertainment equivalent to what you typically find in the Wheelhouse Bar on Princess?

 

Hello Michelle, you're welcome and thank you for reading.

 

I remember hearing a band by the pool and also a piano player in one of the lounges (as we were walking by). Our cruise was so port intensive that on most nights we just went to dinner, the main showroom, trivia (followed by a bit of dancing :)) and then off to bed. John, the cruise director stated that there were less activities due to our port intensive itinerary.

[Jollyholiday]

After trying Royal Caribbean and then Celebrity Silhuette & Reflection, i am so excited about our first Princess cruise on the Regal in August, although slightly apprehensive.

We loved Celebrity speciality dining and I particularly enjoyed the Martini bar. So why change? A few times I felt bored on the ship and ended going back to the room for a rest. Although, I never felt this way on Royal Caribbean.

I am hoping that although each experience is different, I am hoping that Princess is going to be in between the two.

Looking forward to a new adventure.

[gkny]

Thanks for the comparisons.

[alexspepa]

our last three cruises have been HAL, Celebrity and Princess.

 

Loved everything about HAL Noordam - except the food, it just did not compare at all to the other two.

 

I thought the food on Celebrity Silhouette was very good - going on Oceania next month for the first time and looking forward to comparing.

 

We took a short Christmas cruise on Ruby and thought everything was very good...food just a little bit shy of Celebrity but still very good.

 

my 2 cents worth:)

[kendon]

This is us. 13 cruises all with Princess and I'm afraid to try another for fear of disappointment. :D

 

I get that. We've tried three other mainstream lines and HAVE been disappointed. Princess was not our first cruise, so that wasn't the issue. Often you'll compare to your first cruise experience. Princess simply is a good fit for us.

[geoherb]

Thanks for posting your comparisons. Our last Celebrity cruise was on the Century when it was doing short itineraries from Miami. It sounds like things have improved since then.

 

I still check out Celebrity's itineraries and prices, but we haven't sailed on it since 2008. We've taken nine Princess cruises, three Holland America ones and a Carnival one since then.

[jagoffee]

Thank you for the comparison.

 

I like both Princess and Celebrity and I am looking forward to our cruise on the Royal Princess in August.

 

I have never been on the Sapphire just the Emerald and the smaller ships 4 times.

 

I have been on the Century and it is leaving the fleet. From my experience it is not the "normal" Celebrity experience. If you are serious about wanting to try something different you might want to try a different Celebrity ship. The Solstice Class ships are my favorite class ship, but I have not yet tried the new Royal Princess.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Loved everything about HAL Noordam - except the food, it just did not compare at all to the

We felt the same way! The food on the Maasdam was very good;the Noordam food was just the opposite. But the food on the Nieuw Amsterdam last November was even better than I remember the food being on Celebrity several years ago. It was the best we've ever had on a cruise.

[Bruin Steve]

I have cruised on SEVEN different cruise lines, most of them multiple times...and on several different ships on most of those lines...

 

I think one problem here is that many people have a single cruise line they are very accustomed to...and then cruise on one cruise on one ship on a different line...and tend to notice only those things that are different from what they have grown accustomed to...

 

First, you've got to realize that Century is Celebrity's oldest, smallest ship...and it is about to be "retired" from the fleet--shipped off to a European subsidary. Many of what some people might consider deficiencies are issues that have been worked out over the past many years as newer ships have entered the fleet.

 

Personally, AMONG my favorite ships are the newer, larger Celebrity S-class ships--the spaciousness and elegance are unrivaled among "big ship mass market" lines...(Though I also love Oceania's Marina and RCCL's Oasis class for other reasons)...

 

Next quick item is that, over 35+ cruises, I've found that embarkation CAN be a nightmare on ANY cruise line--for a number of reasons...Firstly, ALWAYS take advantage of any cruise line's internet advance check-in. Also, the embarkation (and disembarklation) issues vary greatly depending on the port you are sailing in or out of. This is as much a factor, if not more, as is the cruise line...And technical glitches may occur with ANY cruise line as well. Never judge this by a single experience on a single cruise and extrapolate it to the entire cruise line.

 

As to actual differences between Celebrity and Princess: I will generalize this as to the majority of Celebrity ships and Princess ships I have cruised on (pretty much discounting Century as things like the cabin layouts and sizes are much different than the entirety of the Celebrity fleet--which will soon be all either M-class or S-class).

 

Food is almost entirely subjective. Everyone has different taste in food. Personally, I love Celebrity's food and rank it second among cruise lines on which I have traveled behind only Oceania. But I have no real issue with Princess' food either. I have had many good meals on Princess. As to the buffet, I only occasionally eat in the buffets as I prefer the dining room service...But, for the most part, I have found Celebrity's buffets vastly superior--variety of selections, layout and organization, etc. Not even a close call.

 

Entertainment: Again, a fairly subjective item. I know a lot of Princess regulars love MUTS. Personally, I don't cruise to watch movies, so, this is NOT important to me. Which sort of demonstrates the point--what one person thinks is great entertainment, another might find totally irrelevant. As to the main shows in the showroom, from my experience, it's a close call--I have found better comedians on Princess--and I love comedy shows...but the "production" shows are superior on Celebrity. Entertainment can be hit and miss...When I was on the old Crown Princess in the Baltic several years ago, we had some of the absolutely worst entertainment on any cruise. On my more recent Princess cruises, we've had some of the best. On the Diamond Princess a few years back, we had a comedian that was SO GOOD that, for the only time ever, we actually bought his CD leaving the show...

 

Service: IMHO, the service on Princess is MOSTLY excellent--though I've had some major issues with dining room service. Celebrity's service is many steps above. The main reason I will point to is superior crew-to-passenger ratios on Celebrity, but, overall, dining room service has a more upscale professionalism to it and we've noted little added features around the ship.

 

Cabins: I find the Celebrity cabins (on M-class and S-class ships) to be vastly superior to Princess cabins. The only place the Princess cabins exceed the Celebrity cabins is in the area of storage space--larger and easier to access closets and more drawer space that the Celebrity S-class cabins (M-class actually have very good storage). But where the Celebrity cabins clearly beat the Princess cabins is in spaciousness and layout. Princess cabins, unless you upgrade to a mini-suite, have no real "sitting area" whereas the standard Celebrity cabin--and it is true across the board from Inside cabins all the way up to Concierge class and Aqua class--have a nice sitting area with a sofa and coffee table. Princess cabins claim to have approximately the same square footage, but it is lost in the arrangement of closets and dressing area and the orientation of the bathroom instead.

 

Spaciousness and sizing of amenities: This is the clear and objective difference between the lines. Celebrity ships have a far greater space-to-passenger ratio--larger ships with fewer passengers. This manifests itself in many ways...For example, the showrooms on Princess are not adequately sized for the number of passengers--seating well fewer than half of the passengers, therefore causing one to need to arrive early to a show to find a seat. On Celebrity ships, one can usually walk into any show just about curtain time and have a wide choice of seats. Also, much easier to find seating in bars and lounges or up on the pool deck. Fewer lines, less crowding all around the ship.

 

Of course, on the whole, we all have different standards, different criteria...What is important to one person might be inconsequential to another...

And, it is very hard to have a truly bad cruising experience on any cruise line (okay, maybe not Carnival! :) )...

 

But, for me, I choose my cruises often because of the itinerary, the sail dates and where I have to get to to pick up the ship and several other factors...so, I often end up on different cruise lines--and try to appreciate them all. But, if all things were equal (price, itinerary, timing), and Iwere to choose between Princess and Celebrity, I think I would virtually always choose Celebrity...

 

JMHO...

[jaxon41]

Thanks for the comparison. I am thinking about a Princess cruise for the first time (prefer the itinerary). I have numerous cruises on X and RCCL, so am apprehensive. (Century is my favorite ship so was sorry to learn that she is being retired; sailed her before and after she was cut in half). I am looking at the Ruby Princess. I assume that like Holland (same owner), you will get a better price for a Princess cruise through a travel agent. One of things I like about X and Royal, is their prices can't be undercut by an agent (you can get a benny, however). Any advice on that?

[sunsetbeachgal]

Thanks for the comparison. I am thinking about a Princess cruise for the first time (prefer the itinerary). I have numerous cruises on X and RCCL, so am apprehensive. (Century is my favorite ship so was sorry to learn that she is being retired; sailed her before and after she was cut in half). I am looking at the Ruby Princess. I assume that like Holland (same owner), you will get a better price for a Princess cruise through a travel agent. One of things I like about X and Royal, is their prices can't be undercut by an agent (you can get a benny, however). Any advice on that?

 

Yes, a good travel agent who does a lot of business with Princess almost always can do better.

[caribill]

One of things I like about X and Royal, is their prices can't be undercut by an agent.

 

You object to saving money?

[Christine Frances]

You can get a better price on Celebrity if your TA puts you in a "Group Booking" but it is not "discounting". Probably what Princess does as well. I avoid groups though as sometimes you can't get price adjustments.

[caribill]

You can get a better price on Celebrity if your TA puts you in a "Group Booking" but it is not "discounting". Probably what Princess does as well. I avoid groups though as sometimes you can't get price adjustments.

 

Yes, a TA with Princess group bookings can offer a lower price (or can choose to keep the price savings as profit).

 

A good Princess discount TA will give the group savings discount to the client as well as offer additional discounts/amenities.

[Oxo]

Bruin Steve 5,000+ Club: After more than 75+ cruises and just off of Royal Princess and Solstice, I totally agree with your very objective comparison. The only thing I found different was that on the Royal, the buffet area was one of the best I had ever seen on a ship. It was better than X's Ocean View Cafe. X and Princess are very much alike. Food is very subjective as is entertainment, too. Both cruise lines have their pluses and minuses. We cruise both of them each year. The Solstice class is really a beautiful class. Just like the Royal with the new Regal being a beautiful new class for Princess. This also holds true to RCI, too.

 

Personally, people should try other cruises lines and ships. Some people cruise one cruise line and one ship because they feel comfortable with something they know. Others cruise one time on one ship or cruise line and they think if they had a bad experience, it is the norm and they will never experience anything different. Thus, they will never cruise that cruise line/ship. That is not true. Anyone can have a problem on any ship/cruise line.

[kendon]

[quote name='Oxo']How many times have you been on Celebrity and when was the last time you were on Celebrity?[/QUOTE]

We had the same experience as Pam, two years ago on the Summit. Turned us off to Celebrity...

[Oxo]

[quote name='kendon']We had the same experience as Pam, two years ago on the Summit. Turned us off to Celebrity...[/QUOTE]

Sorry to hear that you had the same experience as Pam. If I told you about the experience I had on Sea Princess years ago, it was really a big turn off. However, we did try them again and have been cruising Princess for years. One bad apple does not make all the apples in the basket bad. If you have not tried X since then, give them a try. We cruise RCI, Princess and X yearly and really find not to much difference. But it is nice to experience different ships, food, etc.

[smtcan]

We have sailed many times with Celebrity on S-class, M-class and on Century as well as the Mercury which has now left the fleet. We have also taken three cruises recently on Princess, Star and Ruby.

There are things we enjoy on both lines, and they are our two favourites. We have had some very good food on both, but fewer poor meals on Celebrity. We prefer the buffet on Celebrity, but like the International Cafe on Princess. S-class cabins and the general layout of the ships are better from our point of view, and we love the solarium. We do not like MUTS blaring out in the daytime, but enjoy an occasional movie at night. I think Princess ships are more similar to M-class , but we have yet to try Royal - that comes in August.

To go back to the original poster's comment about boarding - the worst experience we have ever had was boarding the Star Princess in Buenos Aires, where we spent two hours standing in a hot building. I suspect that, as is usual with boarding, the fault lies with the port, not the cruise line.

Overall we would cruise either line again if the itinerary and price were right.

Sheila

[jaxon41]

Thanks for the help.

[flamomo]

Interesting comparisons! I am with the OP ...... I love, love, love the Sapphire. I spent 42 days, spread over 3 cruises, on her in 2011, and am very sad that Princess has seen fit to send her away from those of us who love to sail on her from US ports!! Edited September 4, 2014 by flamomo

[WEGL81]

[quote name='MsSoCalCruiser']Pam, They must have a new chef because we had a wonderful experience in the MDR and in the buffet. I wasn't impressed with the cookies though. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give them a 3 and I'm sure most people here know that the cookies on Princess are a definite 10![/QUOTE]

I have to comment on the cookies, because, believe it or not, that is one measuring stick I use for cruise lines. I just came off the Caribbean Princess and also sailed on Sapphire last year. Earlier this year we took our first Celebrity cruise on the Constellation. Cookies on Princess are good and are better than RCCL by a long shot. However, cookies on the Constellation were out of this world good. Now, at first I didn't think this because the 1st day they only served gluten-free cookies, which tasted like cardboard. Then I noticed a non-gluten free cookie being served in Cafe Al Baccio (sp), which is X's equivalent to Princess' International cafe, and it was incredible. So I learned to look for the non-gluten free cookies from then on. I would rate them higher than Princess because they are fresh whereas (at least) the ones I had on CB were soft, but often somewhat stale.

[Caribensun]

I too love MUTs, nice to be able to sit outside under the stars and watch a movie.
Appreciate your comparison and another vote to keep Sapphire on West coast.
Glad you were able to do 2 nice cruises.
Seadeck2

[KLLund]

I have always been sorry that they added the noise of MUTS to Sapphire Princess. It pretty much ruined the pool deck for us .. thank heavens for the Terrace Pool !

We love the Sapphire Princess also that and HAL Oosterdam are our favorite ships .. but although we live in Oregon we have only had one west coast cruise on Sapphire. After that it was in the Orient in 2006 and on Sept 11 we will be back on her leaving from Hong Kong. Somehow it seems fitting that the Sapphire and Diamond are cruising in Asia since they were built in Nagasaki.

[Putterdude]

[SIZE="3"]We have always enjoyed Celebrity, likely the very best cabin we have ever had was on the Silly in January. Everything about our H/C cabin was extremely well thought out. We find the food on X just more to our taste. However, there is no question Princess wins hands down with their entertainment and loyalty program. X made a major change to their loyal program last year which put us 200% behind where we were on their program when we made final. I appealed this to the highest level by letter and received an email from a minion saying 'that's tough'....needless to say we are in no rush to patronize Celebrity anytime soon.:mad: [/SIZE]

[KruzeKrazy!]

Thanks all for the comparison insights! We've sailed 6 different lines - including repeats with Princess but on a different ship each time.

We've often thought about trying X which is the only line we haven't tried that we're considering so all the posts are most helpful.

We agree the "hardware" (the ship and the cabin) plus the "software" (the itinerary and the crew) - along with, of course, the price - are the key determinants of our satisfaction.

We also agree embarkation being good or bad or something in between is more about the port than the cruise line.