Princess vs Celebrity

[4774Papa]

It is interesting to read about comparisons between cruise lines.

 

We have only cruised NCL and Celebrity.

 

We started with NCL and we still cruise with them if the price and itinerary is what we are looking for.

Celebrity is our cruise line of choice. We like the atmosphere, food, fellow cruisers that tend to be well traveled.

 

NCL has limited itineraries and Celebrity has about the best.

 

Holland America and Princess have pretty good itineraries as well, but frankly, I don't think Carnival, Royal, NCL or others have as good of itineraries.

 

For example, we are on a cruise from Tokyo on Celebrity Millenium next October. I researched for cruises including many Japanese ports. Only Celebrity and Princess had them, however, Princess' cruises were in the middle of the summer. You don't go to Japan in the summer, it is very hot.

 

Also, every time I check comparable cruises on Princess and Holland America, the prices are always more than Celebrity.

 

NCL and Carnival do beat Celebrity's prices.

 

As far as the experience goes, I trust the cc reviews. Also, outside experts evaluate cruise lines and ships. One review is not enough to rate a cruise line.

 

Celebrity gets excellent reviews, but had a really bad cruise with the Millenium in Asia, where the main port, Bali was cancelled, due to corrupt officials That cruise got many bad reviews.

 

Also, if you are in a cabin where the toiled overflows, that will affect you opinion of the cruise line.

 

Celebrity has not let us down for 7 cruises. The 5 NCL cruises were fun and in there are things that we like about NCL. For example, balcony cabins or higher have their own coffee makers. Also, the entertainment is excellent. The food doesn't compare with Celebrity and they are far more irritating with trying to sell photos or making it impossible to use the pool due to very loud music, etc.

 

Some people on this thread have made a big deal about the coffee on the ships. That is not a big thing for us. We drink about one cup a day and my DW drinks green tea most of the time. We don't go to Starbucks for their $5 coffee anyway.

 

We probably wouldn't care much for the singing and dancing wait staff on Carnival, but my Son has been on a Carnival cruise and said it was good.

 

Everyone likes different things and evaluates on different criterion. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. No need to call people names.

[chamima]

It is interesting to read about comparisons between cruise lines.

 

 

 

 

Also, every time I check comparable cruises on Princess and Holland America, the prices are always more than Celebrity.

 

NCL and Carnival do beat Celebrity's prices.

 

 

Everyone likes different things and evaluates on different criterion. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. No need to call people names.

 

If you DO consider Princess for a cruise keep in mind that, unlike Celebrity, TAs can discount Princess prices.

[Iamcruzin]

It i

Also, every time I check comparable cruises on Princess and Holland America, the prices are always more than Celebrity.

 

What I have noticed is Celebrity is priced lower or has a better promotional incentives when the itinerary opens and the price seems to increase as the ship sells out. You can pick up a good deal after final payment like all lines. Princess starts out high and about 8 to 6 months out the prices start to crash and burn. They literally were giving cruises away this year. There will always be those limited itineraries that sell out fast but I wouldn't book a 7day Princess Caribbean or Alaskan cruise more than 8 months out.

[chamima]

What I have noticed is Celebrity is priced lower or has a better promotional incentives when the itinerary opens and the price seems to increase as the ship sells out. You can pick up a good deal after final payment like all lines. Princess starts out high and about 8 to 6 months out the prices start to crash and burn. They literally were giving cruises away this year. There will always be those limited itineraries that sell out fast but I wouldn't book a 7day Princess Caribbean or Alaskan cruise more than 8 months out.

 

Why not? :confused:

If the price goes down prior to final payment you can get the lower price and still have the cabin of your choice that may no longer be available if you wait to book.

[BosoxI]

BosoxI -

 

I enjoyed meeting you while cruising on the Constellation in November 2014. Although I have no actual Princess cruising experience of my own to compare/contrast your comments, what you have said does match with what I have read here on Cruise Critic forum threads and cruise reviews. I am considering Princess for certain types of itineraries (e.g., Alaska) so I appreciate having a well thought out and expressed views on the areas you have commented.

 

I had been seeing your very helpful comments on CC for so long, I was glad we finally met up. But you disappeared after Cartagena:confused: By all means give Princess a try; all the recommendations in the world cannot make up for one's own experiences. If and when you do, I hope to learn what your opinion is. Safe voyages wherever your journeys take you..

[Christine Frances]

If you DO consider Princess for a cruise keep in mind that, unlike Celebrity, TAs can discount Princess prices.

 

You can do that as well with Celebrity. What the Princess TA's are doing is putting you in a "group" in which they book a block of cabins from Princess at a lesser rate and then sell them. You can also do this on X but Princess calls it "discounting". I never do it as I like to keep the 5* pricing in order to be eligible for promos that come along. When TA's discount (or put you in a group) they don't get as much commission therefore they give much smaller OBC.

Edited December 31, 2014 by Christine Frances

[OCruisers]

Thanks OP for the time for your comparison.

While Princess is a better fit for us, we don't have a problem cruising on Celebrity. :)

LuLu

[BosoxI]

What I have noticed is Celebrity is priced lower or has a better promotional incentives when the itinerary opens and the price seems to increase as the ship sells out. You can pick up a good deal after final payment like all lines. Princess starts out high and about 8 to 6 months out the prices start to crash and burn. They literally were giving cruises away this year. There will always be those limited itineraries that sell out fast but I wouldn't book a 7day Princess Caribbean or Alaskan cruise more than 8 months out.

 

Good observations. DW and I took the two December cruises on Princess for two reasons: the Christmas cruise we wanted to take on the Equinox was ridiculously high priced; Princess was much more reasonable for pretty much the same itinerary. The second cruise was so well priced, we simply couldn't resist. And it dawned on me that four years ago we each purchased two cruise credits on Princess and they are expiring in a few months. We wanted to use at least one and I'm glad we did. Now I'm looking hard to find a Princess cruise to book and use the last credit. Incidentally, the future cruise agent on the Caribbean told me Princess is positioning more ships in the Orient and fewer in the Med. Too bad, as now it has no ships working the Dalmatian coast. For years we cruised on Princess because its itineraries suited us; that may no longer be the case. When push comes to shove, my loyalty is to itineraries and wallet, not to any cruise line.;)

Edited December 31, 2014 by BosoxI

[4774Papa]

What I have noticed is Celebrity is priced lower or has a better promotional incentives when the itinerary opens and the price seems to increase as the ship sells out. You can pick up a good deal after final payment like all lines. Princess starts out high and about 8 to 6 months out the prices start to crash and burn. They literally were giving cruises away this year. There will always be those limited itineraries that sell out fast but I wouldn't book a 7day Princess Caribbean or Alaskan cruise more than 8 months out.

We usually book early, like a year and half before the cruise. We consistently get the best prices. On one occasion, I did take advantage of lower prices, but just called and got my lower price.

 

We don't cruise the Caribbean much, just once. We go to Europe, South America, Australia, Asia, etc. Booking after final payment works when you are going Caribbean and can drive there, but not one that starts in Singapore, Buenos Aires or Copenhagen.

 

I have seen that HAL does offer some excellent bargains, but usually close to the cruise.

 

While, I book direct with the cruise line, I do check the online TAs, but most of the time the cruises are not even offered by the main online TAs and when they are, little is offered on top of the cruise line.

 

I must admit that since I am elite on Celebrity and Platinum on NCL, I look more at their cruises, but don't ignore others.

 

We are planning an Alaska cruise in August of 2016 with my Son and others, so I will try to follow pricing for the main cruise lines.

 

We might be able to book later, however, my cousin was interested in a 7 day Caribbean cruise and a year ago the cruise in January was priced at about $425 for an inside, I watched prices and they rose to $499, but dropped after final payment to $399. I was trying to advise her and since she can drive to the port, waiting until after FP works.

[Iamcruzin]

Why not? :confused:

If the price goes down prior to final payment you can get the lower price and still have the cabin of your choice that may no longer be available if you wait to book.

I have always been able to get a cabin of my choice. To be honest we are not that picky. I booked a C2 at the price of a C3 with the all inclusive offer on Celebrity. The price is $1399 pp. I booked 18 months out which I have never done. The price this far out on Princess for a 7 day cruise with a ho hum itinerary in a mid ship balcony on the Royal or Regal was $1499. However, I just checked and it is now down to $1209. The Regal/ Royal for the same week in 2015 is down to $879 plus a $150 OBC This low price is 4 months out and there is still a good selection of rooms in this category.

 

The price of the Celebrity cruise in 2015 is up to $1629 for the same category same week as the week I booked in 2016

Edited December 31, 2014 by Iamcruzin

[RDC1]

What I have noticed is Celebrity is priced lower or has a better promotional incentives when the itinerary opens and the price seems to increase as the ship sells out. You can pick up a good deal after final payment like all lines. Princess starts out high and about 8 to 6 months out the prices start to crash and burn. They literally were giving cruises away this year. There will always be those limited itineraries that sell out fast but I wouldn't book a 7day Princess Caribbean or Alaskan cruise more than 8 months out.

 

With Princess I always book with an FCC and then anytime before final payment I see a price drop I just call Princess and have them apply it. I have not run into a case where they have failed to do so. Different story after final payment, but you certainly can book early and still catch later price drops and sales.

[Jetswdo]

Princess:

 

5-6 years ago the food was unedible on the Saphire. It was ok on the Island-

(many others complained about the Saphire food on that sailing.) This year on the Royal, the food and coffee was surprisingly good- almost as close as Celebrity Reflection.

 

drinks package annoying to me that it doesn't include water. Every time that I use Princess, I bring a lot of water on board.

Big plus: self service washers and dryers. Had a Beatles tribute band that was excellent. Big negative: Having to pay exorbitant fees for the adult sanctuary area. Ridiculous- JMHO

 

Celebrity: We are in late 50's. Prefer the quiet of Blu- very few kids. Also since only 2 to a cabin in aqua class- the cabin areas are very calm. We loved our Reflection experience last June. Ship never felt crowded even though it was a full sailing. The non alcoholic soda package worked perfectly for us- included all the water we wanted-- although our Aqua cabin always had bottles of water from steward anyway. We found the entertainment quite good on that sailing. We also just loved the adult included indoor pool area. Very relaxing. Overall for 7 day cruise- would probably pick Celebrity. Would only do a longer cruise if there were a couple of port days where I could put aside 2 hours to do my laundry.

[OuiOnboard]

......Everyone has their own likes and opinions and that is why every cruise line should not try to be the same and cater to the same people.

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

Thank you...different strokes.

[jagoffee]

You can do that as well with Celebrity. What the Princess TA's are doing is putting you in a "group" in which they book a block of cabins from Princess at a lesser rate and then sell them. You can also do this on X but Princess calls it "discounting". I never do it as I like to keep the 5* pricing in order to be eligible for promos that come along. When TA's discount (or put you in a group) they don't get as much commission therefore they give much smaller OBC.

 

 

Although some Princess TAs might put you in a group in some cases they discount the Princess cruises without being in a group. At least mine does.

 

Princess:

 

5-6 years ago the food was unedible on the Saphire. It was ok on the Island-

(many others complained about the Saphire food on that sailing.) This year on the Royal, the food and coffee was surprisingly good- almost as close as Celebrity Reflection.

 

drinks package annoying to me that it doesn't include water. Every time that I use Princess, I bring a lot of water on board.

Big plus: self service washers and dryers. Had a Beatles tribute band that was excellent. Big negative: Having to pay exorbitant fees for the adult sanctuary area. Ridiculous- JMHO

 

Celebrity: We are in late 50's. Prefer the quiet of Blu- very few kids. Also since only 2 to a cabin in aqua class- the cabin areas are very calm. We loved our Reflection experience last June. Ship never felt crowded even though it was a full sailing. The non alcoholic soda package worked perfectly for us- included all the water we wanted-- although our Aqua cabin always had bottles of water from steward anyway. We found the entertainment quite good on that sailing. We also just loved the adult included indoor pool area. Very relaxing. Overall for 7 day cruise- would probably pick Celebrity. Would only do a longer cruise if there were a couple of port days where I could put aside 2 hours to do my laundry.

 

The alcohol drink package on Princess includes all drinks under $10 including water and gelato. Very few drinks cost more than $10.

[chamima]

Although some Princess TAs might put you in a group in some cases they discount the Princess cruises without being in a group. At least mine does.

 

 

 

The alcohol drink package on Princess includes all drinks under $10 including water and gelato. Very few drinks cost more than $10.

 

 

 

Our TA also discounts without putting us in a group.

I'm aware that there are large internet TAs out there who may give slightly better discounts than ours but I like the fact that she's small, personal and pretty much available 24/7..

(Well, maybe not so small - she won some big award from Princess last year.)

Edited January 1, 2015 by chamima

[patterson3]

I've been on 2 Princess cruises (Sapphire and Crown) and 2 Celebrity cruises (Summit and Eclipse) and my wife and I felt there were far more similarities between the two lines than differences. Overall we like Celebrity a little better but would cruise either in a heartbeat. Here are a couple differences we noted:

 

Things we feel Celebrity does better:

- Food in the buffets was much better than on our Princess cruises (better quality and more choices)

- Love the juices available in the buffet area and the fact that you can help yourself (the POG especially, which they did not have on either Princess ship). On Princess a waiter takes your order and if busy, it can take a while

- Love the welcome glass of sparkling wine when you board

- We loved the S-class layout better than either Princess ship we were on

 

Things we feel Princess does better:

- Absolutely love their afternoon tea (Celebrity does offer a nice champagne high tea but it's $25 per person and it's only offered once a cruise)

- Love the fact that you can go right to your stateroom once you board the ship

- Love the wraparound promenade deck.

- Love the fact that you don't have to pay for excursions until the end of your cruise (that way if you have a bunch of onboard credit you can use that towards excursions. Celebrity makes you pay when you book and if you wait until you're onboard to book them you run the risk of the excursion being completely booked)

Edited January 1, 2015 by patterson3

[Christine Frances]

Wouldn't having the excursions sold out be more common on Princess then? You could book multiple excursions beforehand and then once on board make a decision which ones to go on or which ones to cancel. That would screw it for everyone else with people having all those "just in case" bookings.

[patterson3]

Wouldn't having the excursions sold out be more common on Princess then? You could book multiple excursions beforehand and then once on board make a decision which ones to go on or which ones to cancel. That would screw it for everyone else with people having all those "just in case" bookings.

 

In theory, yes. And maybe in practice that does happen (You make a great argument as to why it would happen). Personally we haven't run into a problem with excursions that we wanted to book on Princess. If Princess was smart they would limit passengers from over-booking excursions on a particular day, but I'm not sure that they do that. Maybe we've just been lucky? I'd be curious to hear from others who have sailed Princess to see if this is a common problem?

[RDC1]

Wouldn't having the excursions sold out be more common on Princess then? You could book multiple excursions beforehand and then once on board make a decision which ones to go on or which ones to cancel. That would screw it for everyone else with people having all those "just in case" bookings.

 

You cannot book more then 1 excursion in the same time period. If you try and there is any overlap, the system will stop you, until you cancel the first excursion. You can book 1 for each port (possible two if you have a long time in port and the excursions are short enough that they don't overlap). Then if you do cancel you need to do so within the cancellation policy of at least 48 hours before that port.

 

I have had more problems with excursions being full on my Celebrity cruises then I have on my Princess cruises.

[OuiOnboard]

It has been a few years since our last Princess cruise (Emerald). We have done more X cruises lately partially because we like to avoid MDR food and like what we feel is a better dining experience in BLU and their specialty restaurants. The dining packages on Celebrity have made this simpler to achieve. Does Princess offer something similar to these X packages?

[Gradelady]

I've been on 2 Princess cruises (Sapphire and Crown) and 2 Celebrity cruises (Summit and Eclipse) and my wife and I felt there were far more similarities between the two lines than differences. Overall we like Celebrity a little better but would cruise either in a heartbeat. Here are a couple differences we noted:

 

Things we feel Celebrity does better:

- Food in the buffets was much better than on our Princess cruises (better quality and more choices)

- Love the juices available in the buffet area and the fact that you can help yourself (the POG especially, which they did not have on either Princess ship). On Princess a waiter takes your order and if busy, it can take a while

- Love the welcome glass of sparkling wine when you board

- We loved the S-class layout better than either Princess ship we were on

 

Things we feel Princess does better:

- Absolutely love their afternoon tea (Celebrity does offer a nice champagne high tea but it's $25 per person and it's only offered once a cruise)

- Love the fact that you can go right to your stateroom once you board the ship

- Love the wraparound promenade deck.

- Love the fact that you don't have to pay for excursions until the end of your cruise (that way if you have a bunch of onboard credit you can use that towards excursions. Celebrity makes you pay when you book and if you wait until you're onboard to book them you run the risk of the excursion being completely booked)

Like you, we have been on 2 Celebrity and 2 Princess Cruises. I agree !00% with what you said above. I also think Celebrity ships ( esp S class) are more beautiful and have a great 'vibe'. Princess is pretty, but a bit 'meh'.

[Jetswdo]

I should have mentioned, that yes, that package does include bottles water- (forgot that, sorry)--- but in our case, we just needed non alcohol package and did not want to pay $140 extra just for bottled water (don't drink very much alcohol)-- I like that water is included on Celebrity for the included classic package- Any way, we shlep 2 cases of water when we use Princess, which is a pain in the butt----

[vulcan1971]

I had been seeing your very helpful comments on CC for so long, I was glad we finally met up. But you disappeared after Cartagena:confused: By all means give Princess a try; all the recommendations in the world cannot make up for one's own experiences. If and when you do, I hope to learn what your opinion is. Safe voyages wherever your journeys take you..

 

BosoxI -

 

Sorry if you thought I "disappeared". The 16 day Constellation was very full of activities for me and I was kept very busy with people I met prior to the cruise as well as on the ship. Definitely will keep an eye on Princess for the future... and I will see you again on the Constellation in November 2015. ;)