princess or celebrity

[soaknitup]

Anyone have first hand comparisons Princess to Celebrity?

we are contemplating a TA with Celebrity (Equinox) next spring. We just did A TA with Princess Emerald last month. We liked the dancing venues on Emerald, not sure what Equinox has to offer in the way of dancing.

[Hlitner]

We have done numerous crossings with both lines (just did a repo on the Ruby) and would not hesitate to book either line. There are various pros and cons of each line...and also of their various classes of ships. As to dancing venues we would probably give an edge to the Grand Class Princess ships as compared to the Solstice Class Celebrity ships. Our reason is that they often use the atrium as a dancing venue on those S-Class ships and some folks seem to prefer a more intimate venue.

 

But if dancing is your true love, then a crossing on the Queen Mary 2 might be an experience. Imagine dancing in a huge Ballroom (with a dance floor that could hold at least 100 couples) to the music of a live Big Band. We are not big fans of the Queen, but for ballroom dancing she might be the real Queen of the seas.

 

Hank

Edited June 4, 2014 by Hlitner

[Cruise Junky]

I agree with Hank. I didn't see too many dancing venues on Solstice. The ship blew me away but if dancing is your focus you may want to go with Princess

 

 

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[Aquahound]

Anyone have first hand comparisons Princess to Celebrity?

we are contemplating a TA with Celebrity (Equinox) next spring. We just did A TA with Princess Emerald last month. We liked the dancing venues on Emerald, not sure what Equinox has to offer in the way of dancing.

 

As much as I enjoy Princess, I think Celebrity's Solstice Class is light years ahead. In fact, I think they're the most beautiful ships at sea.

 

All the staterooms have 32" flat screen interactive televisions with hundreds of music channels and you can even view your own photos. In fact, your photos scroll across the screen when the tv goes into screen saver mode.

 

The best dancing venue is the Sky Lounge. The band plays there nightly.

 

I highly recommend Equinox. If you like Princess, I think you'll love Solstice Class.

[geoherb]

We enjoy both cruise lines (as well as Holland America). Those are the three I look at and compare to each other before booking. Lately, Princess and HAL have had better deals overall to fit our schedule. In the past two year, we have taken three cruises on Princess and two on HAL. One difference is the Carnival stock shareholder benefit, which helps bring down the overall cost. Then I have to figure in our benefits for being Platinum on Princess (and now Elite after our last cruise). There are times when DH can take a cruise but still has to be able to check his email. The extra cost of buying an Internet package versus getting free minutes to use can tip the comparison in Princess's favor. Plus we always have a good time.

[Cruise Junky]

We enjoy both cruise lines (as well as Holland America). Those are the three I look at and compare to each other before booking. Lately, Princess and HAL have had better deals overall to fit our schedule. In the past two year, we have taken three cruises on Princess and two on HAL. One difference is the Carnival stock shareholder benefit, which helps bring down the overall cost. Then I have to figure in our benefits for being Platinum on Princess (and now Elite after our last cruise). There are times when DH can take a cruise but still has to be able to check his email. The extra cost of buying an Internet package versus getting free minutes to use can tip the comparison in Princess's favor. Plus we always have a good time.

 

LOL different priorities, the free drink packages on Celebrity trump any amount of free internet for us ;)

[Esprit]

I agree with Hank. I didn't see too many dancing venues on Solstice. The ship blew me away but if dancing is your focus you may want to go with Princess

 

 

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My exact view too. Such a shame ballroom/Latin dancing on the Solstice ships is so lacking.

[KandMB]

We are on Emerald in a few weeks and hoping to do some dancing, ballroom / Latin. Where is the best dance floor and what times, we are on the 8.15 sitting for dinner.

 

 

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[Anniesails]

I mostly cruise Princess and will be Elite on that line soon. Took one trip on Celebrity on the Celebrity Eclipse which is in the Solstice Class. It was unforgetable. The ship is beautiful, service wonderful and food about the same. I enjoyed the novelty of the green lawn with Jazz groups up there during the trip. They handed out picnic blankets and served wine and cheese. Would definately sail with Celebrity again but Princess remains my "go to" line. Enjoy your trip whichever your choose.:)

[soaknitup]

We are on Emerald in a few weeks and hoping to do some dancing, ballroom / Latin. Where is the best dance floor and what times, we are on the 8.15 sitting for dinner.

 

 

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we found the explorers lounge to be nice before and after dinner (we had the 6pm assigned) Then would go to the then off to club fusion, the biggest dance floor. The to skywalkers later. All three have different kinds of bands, it depends on the cruise your on who is booked. there is also some dancing sometimes at explorers lounge depending on what is scheduled. If you like to dance I am sure you will find one of them you will like.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

You should try both lines ,every one has there own thoughts ..

[Esprit]

We are on Emerald in a few weeks and hoping to do some dancing, ballroom / Latin. Where is the best dance floor and what times, we are on the 8.15 sitting for dinner.

 

 

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For Latin dancing we often went to the Wheelhouse bar from 10 pm. Not a huge floor but a great venue for Salsa, Rumba, Cha Cha and Tango. The band will play the right music once they see you like to dance.

[Hlitner]

LOL different priorities, the free drink packages on Celebrity trump any amount of free internet for us ;)

 

 

We also like the drink package promos, but keep in mind that it is seldom free. Watch the pricing and you can sometimes book lower fares after the promos end...often saving more then the value of the drink package. But the worst drink package we ever saw was on HAL. We booked a long cruse with their drink package at about $20,000. The following week they ended the drink package promo and we were able to rebook the same cabin for about $ 13,000. A couple of months later we again rebooked the Sam cabin at about $9000. In the end we saved over $11,000 by not booking the "free" drink package. So it pays to watch the pricing after you book....on any cruise line.

 

Hank

 

 

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[Woobstr112G]

Both lines have something great to offer. My advice, as someone stated earlier, would be to give both lines a try.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Cruise Junky]

We also like the drink package promos, but keep in mind that it is seldom free. Watch the pricing and you can sometimes book lower fares after the promos end...often saving more then the value of the drink package. But the worst drink package we ever saw was on HAL. We booked a long cruse with their drink package at about $20,000. The following week they ended the drink package promo and we were able to rebook the same cabin for about $ 13,000. A couple of months later we again rebooked the Sam cabin at about $9000. In the end we saved over $11,000 by not booking the "free" drink package. So it pays to watch the pricing after you book....on any cruise line.

 

Hank

 

 

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HAL's package is awful! We're careful on the pricing. First time we got the beverage package our price after the promo did nothing but go up. This time it's on a med sailing and we paid the release price so we'll see where those prices go after the promo ends. At least on the Europe sailings they'd have to drop a long way to make up for picking 2 on a 13 day cruise

 

 

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[Bruin Steve]

My two cents:

 

First, I am not too much into dancing...so I hesitate to make any comment based on that...

 

I cruise for a number of other reasons...

 

I have cruised seven different cruise lines including multiple cruises on both Princess and Celebrity.

 

Though I like Princess and enjoy cruising with them, I absolutely LOVE Celebrity...

 

The thing with Celebrity is that the ships have better space to passenger ratios and, therefore, are much less crowded...which gives rise to a slightly more relaxed, more elegant cruise...

Whereas Princess Dining rooms are smaller with low ceilings and more of a closed off feeling, Celebrity Dining rooms are grand, large, open spaces...likewise, the bars/lounges and other public spaces are more voluminous, more spacious...

The showrooms on Princess tend to be a tad undersized, so one has to show up early for a decent seat...On Celebrity, they are quite ample and seating is easy...

Another thing I prefer about Celebrity is that the cabins all have seating areas with a sofa and coffee table and seem a bit larger due to the layout (they do, however, have less storage space than on Princess).

Though I enjoy the food on Princess, I think Celebrity's is better (of course food is a matter of taste and, therefor, highly subjective). I also find the dining room service a bit better on Celebrity (again, likely due to the dining room(s) configuration...as well as to a slightly better crew to passenger ratio)...

 

Of course, we all have different criteria and different standards for how we judge cruise lines...So, reasonable minds can always differ...For example, I don't include "dancing" in my criteria...and, obviously, it is a major criterion for the OP...

 

However, for the OP my advice is to go ahead and try Celebrity...I am sure you will find ample opportunity to dance on Celebrity--likely enough to satisfy your desires...and, you'll get the opportunity to experience a different cruise line--and, perhaps, find other things you like...

 

In the end, you could end up like us--We enjoy Celebrity, Oceania, Royal Caribbean and Princess...and have no problem booking with any of them if the itinerary, the timing, the price, etc. work for us...We've found we don't much care for Carnival or NCL (though we have cruised Carnival four times--somethimes, you just want to cruise and that's what works out, so...)...

 

I don't base any of it on free internet or free drinks packages or any other promotion--All those are absorbed in the price anyway and you can get to the same point just by paying for it (Is there a difference if you book a cruise for $2000 and pay $200 for an internet package or you book one for $2200 and get free internet?) Really, in the end, minor differences in pricing rarely are a factor for me either...I cruise the cruise I want based on the itinerary, the timing, the ship, etc.

 

Good luck...

[OCruisers]

Princess is our favorite ... just an all around better fit for us. Still, we have never had a bad cruise on Celebrity.

Both are very nice cruise lines. :)

LuLu

[prima luce]

Every cruise ship is special so it's a very personal preference issue. I have sailed a TA on the Equinox. The ship is gorgeous but I don't feel the spaces are utilized to their best advantage. The centrum is a very small space for dancing because of the big staircase, columns, desks, etc. My biggest complaint was the way the "elite" were catered to, at the expense of everyone else. We had 900 elite on that crossing. I, personally, would not sail Celebrity again because of that. I loved our Princess Panama Canal cruise and am planning on TA on the Island Princess next March. Whichever you finally choose will be great because all cruises are!!!!!!

[Hlitner]

Every cruise ship is special so it's a very personal preference issue. I have sailed a TA on the Equinox. The ship is gorgeous but I don't feel the spaces are utilized to their best advantage. The centrum is a very small space for dancing because of the big staircase, columns, desks, etc. My biggest complaint was the way the "elite" were catered to, at the expense of everyone else. We had 900 elite on that crossing. I, personally, would not sail Celebrity again because of that. I loved our Princess Panama Canal cruise and am planning on TA on the Island Princess next March. Whichever you finally choose will be great because all cruises are!!!!!!

 

Interesting observation. We are Elite Plus with Celebrity and Elite with Princess so we do understand about the various perks offered by both lines. But I am curious how Elite perks on Celebrity impacted on a non-Elite passenger. About the only perk that we think directly effects non Elites would be the tender priority (which also exists on Princess, RCI, etc). The daily Elite Cocktail party is in a private area as is the Elite breakfast. Other then these parties we have never felt "catered to" by anyone. And now with the drink package promo, we found ourselves not even bothering with the Elite Cocktail hour (this has happened with many Elites). On cruises, such as yours, where there is an unusual number of Elites they usually give out drink vouchers to the Elites...but this would also not impact anyone not getting these vouchers.

 

 

Hank

[Maksim]

One thing I would like to mention that wasn't mentioned before is the SPA. Celebrity has incredible spa on their ships and the pool with massage. It can be either salt or mineral water. We are spa goers so it's important for us. Don't get me wrong: we love Princess and we are mostly cruising with them. In fact, we prefer Princess food (some might not agree) and International Cafe. I agree with the cabin space though. Celebrity is much better. Last year we did Asia cruise and wer epgraded to Aqua class. This also allowed us to use Blue Restaurant, which had better food quality. However, I don't care for service on Celebrity. It's not as personalized as Princess. But again, we usually look at the itinerary and price, or value for the $$$. Never tried HAL yet, but want to give it a try next year for Europe out of Venice.

[Go-Bucks!]

Though I enjoy the food on Princess, I think Celebrity's is better (of course food is a matter of taste and, therefor, highly subjective).

 

 

And you gotta love being able to have escargot EVERY NIGHT!!! Ummm. :p

[fishywood]

My biggest complaint was the way the "elite" were catered to, at the expense of everyone else. We had 900 elite on that crossing. I, personally, would not sail Celebrity again because of that.

 

I had exactly the same impression after my first (and last) Celebrity cruise on Infinity two years ago. I cannot recommend strongly enough that a first-timer avoid Celebrity like the plague.

 

I am curious how Elite perks on Celebrity impacted on a non-Elite passenger.

 

You want a list? Here goes...

 

1. On two afternoons there was "Elegant Tea" in the dining room restricted to Elites. Only one afternoon in two weeks was there Tea open to all...and the sandwiches and sweets ran out in less than 10 minutes, before many tables even had their tea poured. I heard someone at an adjacent table ask one of the head waiters "what happened to the sandwiches?" and the completely unapologetic response was "go up to the buffet".

 

2. On one sea day there was a galley tour; on another, a "meet the cast" event in the showroom. Both for Elites only, no equivalent opportunity for us peons, and no other activities open to all being run on those days.

 

3. Fuller's Ales and Bitters were only stocked in Michael's Club. Which as you know is restricted to Elites mornings and afternoons. And on my voyage did not even bother to reopen after Elite happy hour except for the few nights that either the party band or Spanish guitarist was playing there. And you can guess the response when I asked at another bar if a Fuller's could be fetched for me.

 

4. All these exclusive activities and announcements--besides being printed in the Celebrity Today--were displayed on a giant whiteboard in the Centrum that I had to walk by whenever leaving or returning to my cabin (on Deck 3 forward of the Purser's desk). It just felt like Celebrity was rubbing it in that there were all these seemingly routine assets I was not entitled to--plus a crewmember stationed right there whose job it was specifically to NOT assist me. At least most other lines have their "concierge" in a private office.

Edited June 7, 2014 by fishywood

[Cruise Junky]

I had exactly the same impression after my first (and last) Celebrity cruise on Infinity two years ago. I cannot recommend strongly enough that a first-timer avoid Celebrity like the plague.

 

 

 

You want a list? Here goes...

 

1. On two afternoons there was "Elegant Tea" in the dining room restricted to Elites. Only one afternoon in two weeks was there Tea open to all...and the sandwiches and sweets ran out in less than 10 minutes, before many tables even had their tea poured. I heard someone at an adjacent table ask one of the head waiters "what happened to the sandwiches?" and the completely unapologetic response was "go up to the buffet".

 

2. On one sea day there was a galley tour; on another, a "meet the cast" event in the showroom. Both for Elites only, no equivalent opportunity for us peons, and no other activities open to all being run on those days.

 

3. Fuller's Ales and Bitters were only stocked in Michael's Club. Which as you know is restricted to Elites mornings and afternoons. And on my voyage did not even bother to reopen after Elite happy hour except for the few nights that either the party band or Spanish guitarist was playing there. And you can guess the response when I asked at another bar if a Fuller's could be fetched for me.

 

4. All these exclusive activities and announcements--besides being printed in the Celebrity Today--were displayed on a giant whiteboard in the Centrum that I had to walk by whenever leaving or returning to my cabin (on Deck 3 forward of the Purser's desk). It just felt like Celebrity was rubbing it in that there were all these seemingly routine assets I was not entitled to--plus a crewmember stationed right there whose job it was specifically to NOT assist me. At least most other lines have their "concierge" in a private office.

 

Wow talk about different experiences. I have zero status on a Celebrity and the only elite thing I noticed last month was that someone we were chatting with In the martini bar was able to pay using elite coupons for their drinks. I didn't once have an area closed off for elites, absolutely no sign of what you experienced. Perhaps your cruise was a fluke?

[Hlitner]

So if we understand, your problem is you resent certain passengers qualifying for events not open to you. I guess your issue would also apply to any airline with frequent flyers get upgrades and perks, hotel chains where frequent clients get upgrades and perks, etc. We agree that some ship events can be crowded ( we seldom go to things like the captains reception to avoid the crowds) but not being invited to a specific Elite event does not negatively impact you. It is the same on nearly every other cruise line where frequent customers (and often those in suites) get extra perks. Instead of wasting energy on being jealous, just cruise enough to earn those perks for yourself :)

 

Hank

 

 

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[fishywood]

I have no clue how you came to the conclusion that I have a "problem" and am jealous of Elite members and the perks they have earned. I was simply pointing out the well-established fact that Celebrity (and its corporate sibling RCI) closes off public areas for its Elite functions far more than Princess or most other lines. Yes Princess has its Platinum/Elite/Suite happy hour (which I happily attend) but that is where the similarities end. RC and X close a public lounge for its Elite breakfast service; Princess uses Sabatini's which would otherwise not be open at that hour. On Princess a first timer is welcome to afternoon tea in the MDR every day; they are free to attend the cooking demonstration (if they can find a seat) and galley tour and any other daytime activity they please. And after their first cruise they are permitted to visit the Captains Circle host onboard, unlike Celebrity where their Captains Club host's sole function (other than meeting with only Elite guests by appointment) is to host the Elite-only events. Again, I am simply offering facts--without passion or prejudice.

Edited June 7, 2014 by fishywood