Silhouette VS Princess

[wallie5446]

sorry OP.

Edited April 10, 2015 by wallie5446

[TomTN]

Do you smoke?

 

Any comments about the smoking policy for each cruise line?

[marco]

Cruise-A-Holic: I'm anxious to about your trip. We went on NCL, part of a group of 24 last year and everyone said "NEVER again!!!!!! If you organize a cruise on NCL don't even bother asking us to go!!!!!

[Cruise a holic]

Cruise-A-Holic: I'm anxious to about your trip. We went on NCL, part of a group of 24 last year and everyone said "NEVER again!!!!!! If you organize a cruise on NCL don't even bother asking us to go!!!!!

 

We are trying this out for the first time in August. Have sailed on the Summit four times to Bermuda- and want a change- I have heard negative things about NCL and would only sail on the Breakway in the Haven. Have heard great things about this area of the ship. It is supposed to be a quiet and less crowded area . We also have a well appointed suite. Have heard the regular cabins on NCL are very small-

 

NCL will be an experience for us, and perhaps like you we will say "never again", but who knows. Just got off the RC Quantum of the Seas and my feeling about that ship is "never again". As a result of that cruise a few weeks ago, we have cancelled our cruise on the Anthem of the Sea's, the twin of the Quantum. Guess you have to try out many ships to really get a perspective of what is truly good. However, we do love the Oasis and Freedom classes on RC-

 

Honestly, if I only sailed on Carnival, I would have thought that was the finest cruise line- but having sailed on so many ships and lines, I know what I truly enjoy! While my DH and I never had a horrible cruise- we do have our favorites and least favorites. Thus far overall IMO Celebrity is our favorite.

 

Will write a review of the Breakaway in August after our cruise.

Edited April 11, 2015 by Cruise a holic

[LabGuy64]

He is saying that the price is lower.....and the quality of what you get is lower as well

 

 

 

Don't really understand what you really mean?

[Oxo]

He is saying that the price is lower.....and the quality of what you get is lower as well

 

Thanks for your interpretation. I don't agree that the two cruise lines are that much different. They each have their plusses and minuses. That is why we cruise them both.

[geoherb]

Thanks for posting your review. I haven't sailed on Celebrity in a while. I always look at what is being offered before booking a cruise and lately the price has been too high. It doesn't help that DH teaches at a community college and we have to sail only during his breaks.

 

Our last Celebrity cruise was a disappointment in terms of food and service, too.

[hsmcruise]

After not being on a celebrity cruise for quite a while, we were disappointed in the silhoutte.( in the quality of food and service.) It was a step above princess but no longer. We have sailed many different lines and usually itinerary, price are the first consideration. The silhoutte wAs beautiful. It's weird last year we sailed HAL, NCL, Princess, and celebrity. The Silhoutte was definetly the nicest

Ship, but it turned out my least favorite, which surprises even me.

[avalon1025]

Having sailed Silhouette and Equinox within the same year as Grand Princess and Crown Princess, there is just no comparison between Celebrity and Princess. For me the interior design of Princess ships (even from photos of the new royal and regal) just feels dated and old. Celebrity and Holland America feel a notch above Princess, in all aspects that are important to me. Princess ships felt much more mass market (ie: Paper cups in the international cafe on the Crown vs ceramic plates and cups in Cafe Baccio), the princess cruises felt very much like they were positioned downmarket from the Holland American product

Edited April 11, 2015 by avalon1025

[miched]

Having sailed Silhouette and Equinox within the same year as Grand Princess and Crown Princess, there is just no comparison between Celebrity and Princess. For me the interior design of Princess ships (even from photos of the new royal and regal) just feels dated and old. Celebrity and Holland America feel a notch above Princess, in all aspects that are important to me. Princess ships felt much more mass market, the princess cruises felt very much like they were positioned downmarket from the Holland American product

 

I feel the same. HAL to me is more comparable to Celebrity. Princess is like Pontiac or Oldsmobile was in the old GM line and Mercury to the Ford line. They weren't luxury or entry level but something in between for those that feel they are above the entry level but not into the more cushy or luxury brand. That is what Celebrity and HAL are but not ultra luxury as many think they are paying for or should be. They are luxury mass market.

 

Princess ships also seemed rather bland or vanilla and not very exciting. We reached the Platinum level on both Princess and Carnival and probably sailed a 3 to 1 ratio of Carnival to Princess. On our first Celebrity cruise when we walked onto the Solstice we basically went WOW!! Never did that on any other cruise line.

 

We now mostly sail Celebrity but have also done a few more on Carnival and Princess. All of them have their own identities and really don't try to be anything that they aren't even though many passengers may think or feel that they should be.

 

happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

[Croooser]

OP,

 

I think that you did a very good job of objectively evaluating and reporting. Too many reports on here are emotion filled rants or cheerleading reports - neither of which we find helpful.

 

We made the move from Princess to Celebrity a few years ago after a couple of disappointing trips on the Emerald. IMO Princess really hurt the Grand Class when they expanded it for the Ruby and Emerald.

 

Individual tastes do vary, but you presented the info in a way that I can evaluate based on what is important to me.

 

Thanks for a thoughtful and well presented review.

Edited April 11, 2015 by Croooser

[Host Jazzbeau]

We prefer Celebrity, but we had two very good cruises on Coral Princess in 2014. The design of that ship (and its sister, Island) are perfect for the two itineraries we took: Alaska and the Panama Canal. But if we had stopped with the Alaska cruise we would have said the food on Princess is way below the Celebrity standard -- somehow the same ship a few months later had vastly better food [and a different Executive Chef]. I would rate our second Coral Princess MDR food on a par with Eclipse last month -- both very good. BTW, I have heard so many stories about how discombobulated the MDRs get on the first night of every cruise that we always take advantage of the first-night discount at a specialty restaurant. Murano on Eclipse was wonderful that night, and on the two subsequent nights that we returned [all at a discount] -- so the Celebrity charges are indeed too high, but there's no need to "pay retail." ;) One final note: one of the things we especially like about Celebrity is that they DON'T have Movies Under the Stars -- they have a very nice indoor movie theater ("Celebrity Central" on deck 4) which is better for watching movies and leaves the pool area alone. But obviously, YMMV.

Edited April 12, 2015 by Host Jazzbeau

[hvsteve1]

What I see from discussion of Celebrity is that experiences vary, kind of like the fable of the blind men and the elephant. I think this is because no one seems to realize, and what I gathered in my first Celebrity cruise,"X" is morphing in Cunard. Why do I think that? Well, if you look at it, Celebrity is now copying Cunard's model of having different classes of passenger. Yes, all cruise lines have suites with higher levels of service. However, what class you sail with Celebrity will have an effect on your level of service throughout the ship. If you are in regular class, you eat in the MDR, which generates complaints about service and food. Anything you want additional is extra and can get expensive. If you move up to Aqua Class, you get a veranda stateroom but with nicer appointments and in a segregated part of the ship that does not allow families (no kids). You also have your own specialty restaurant, BLU, and access to the spa facilities. Now, if you move up to a suite, you have what they are hoping to position as the highest end restaurant on the ship, Luminaire. You also get a more elegant room which can be, depending on your level, almost a small apartment. And all suites get a butler. Plus, there is Michael's Lounge which is a place where only suite guests can gather have drinks, newspapers, a quiet atmosphere and a concierge. And the higher end accommodations have been tending to come with promotions. Our last cruise and our upcoming one will have free drinks, covered gratuities and a generous OBC to cover other expenses, making these cruises , for all practical purposes, all-inclusive. Thus, a Celebrity cruise is different things to different people. I may be wrong but I know of no other cruise line, other than Cunard, that has so many differences in service throughout the ship based on what level of room you have.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I may be wrong but I know of no other cruise line, other than Cunard, that has so many differences in service throughout the ship based on what level of room you have.

 

Or it may be that Celebrity is once again out on the forefront. Note that NCL and MSC have "yacht within the ship" areas now that are even more exclusive than anything that Celebrity has.

 

My take on this is that Celebrity is trying to offer a variety of options for different types of cruisers: low prices in the basic cabins (which can be quite nice at the Veranda level with the Premium drink package and a specialty dining package); more amenities at Concierge level; even more amenities and "healthy" food at Aquaclass; and now a promise of the best food at sea for Suite class passengers [note that there are even gradations within this class, with more amenities the more you spend]. When this trend started I shared your concern, but now I have changed my mind and think that it is great to offer so many choices on the same ship. And I think it will work, because the basic Celebrity product is so good. That is rather different than having a blissful Haven suite on NCL and then walking out the door smack into a Hairy Legs contest. :eek:

[need2cruisesoon]

"My take on this is that Celebrity is trying to offer a variety of options for different types of cruisers: low prices in the basic cabins (which can be quite nice at the Veranda level with the Premium drink package and a specialty dining package); more amenities at Concierge level; even more amenities and "healthy" food at Aquaclass; and now a promise of the best food at sea for Suite class passengers [note that there are even gradations within this class, with more amenities the more you spend]. When this trend started I shared your concern, but now I have changed my mind and think that it is great to offer so many choices on the same ship."

 

This is great news for Celebrity, as I agree with you that they offer a great product. But one has to wonder if near premium lines like Azamara and Oceania will need to compete in offering lower rates for their cabins based on your comment above.

 

Check some of the sailings this summer for AZ and see their pricing is on par or slightly above for similar sailings in northern Europe and the Med this summer versus Celebrity. Why then would one even consider a near premium ship when Celebrity offers all of the luxury one would expect?

Edited April 12, 2015 by need2cruisesoon

[LabGuy64]

I haven't tried either Royal or Regal but, the reviews seem very mixed on them from Princess cruisers and they overwhelmingly seem to agree that the balconies are too small. I personally also don't like that Princess has phased out the big Grand/Penthouse level suite.

 

 

What ship were you on? Have you seen or tried the Royal or Regal Princess? Totally new design, layout, etc.

[LabGuy64]

I have not been on Coral princess.....But, it seems.From what other Princess cruisers comment on that it is one of the top ships in their fleet.

lot's of very good comments

 

 

We prefer Celebrity, but we had two very good cruises on Coral Princess in 2014. The design of that ship (and its sister, Island) are perfect for the two itineraries we took: Alaska and the Panama Canal. But if we had stopped with the Alaska cruise we would have said the food on Princess is way below the Celebrity standard -- somehow the same ship a few months later had vastly better food [and a different Executive Chef]. I would rate our second Coral Princess MDR food on a par with Eclipse last month -- both very good. BTW, I have heard so many stories about how discombobulated the MDRs get on the first night of every cruise that we always take advantage of the first-night discount at a specialty restaurant. Murano on Eclipse was wonderful that night, and on the two subsequent nights that we returned [all at a discount] -- so the Celebrity charges are indeed too high, but there's no need to "pay retail." ;) One final note: one of the things we especially like about Celebrity is that they DON'T have Movies Under the Stars -- they have a very nice indoor movie theater ("Celebrity Central" on deck 4) which is better for watching movies and leaves the pool area alone. But obviously, YMMV.

[chamima]

Having sailed Silhouette and Equinox within the same year as Grand Princess and Crown Princess, there is just no comparison between Celebrity and Princess. For me the interior design of Princess ships (even from photos of the new royal and regal) just feels dated and old. Celebrity and Holland America feel a notch above Princess, in all aspects that are important to me. Princess ships felt much more mass market (ie: Paper cups in the international cafe on the Crown vs ceramic plates and cups in Cafe Baccio), If you sit down for coffee, tea or a snack in the IC you get beautiful, large ceramic cups and if you do take-away at al Bacio you get paper. Both are EXACTLY the same except the IC has actual food. the princess cruises felt very much like they were positioned downmarket from the Holland American product

 

I feel the same. HAL to me is more comparable to Celebrity. Princess is like Pontiac or Oldsmobile was in the old GM line and Mercury to the Ford line. They weren't luxury or entry level but something in between for those that feel they are above the entry level but not into the more cushy or luxury brand. That is what Celebrity and HAL are but not ultra luxury as many think they are paying for or should be. They are luxury mass market.

 

Princess ships also seemed rather bland or vanilla and not very exciting. We reached the Platinum level on both Princess and Carnival and probably sailed a 3 to 1 ratio of Carnival to Princess. On our first Celebrity cruise when we walked onto the Solstice we basically went WOW!! Never did that on any other cruise line.

 

We now mostly sail Celebrity but have also done a few more on Carnival and Princess. All of them have their own identities and really don't try to be anything that they aren't even though many passengers may think or feel that they should be.

 

happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

 

 

 

See comments in red above.

We are longtime Princess cruisers who just started sailing Celebrity about 6 years ago.

I pretty much agree with the OP's comparisons.

 

As far as decor, we were wowed by the S class decor when we first started sailing Celebrity but since then have sailed twice on the new Royal Princess (yes, I know our balcony was smaller but it was still fine for breakfast, reading and sunbathing) and now the interior "foyer" "Piazza" part of the S class feels small and dark.

We loved the large open piazza on the Royal Princess with all the music and dancing constantly happening.

[Denny01]

Enjoyed this thread. We've been on 17 Celebrity (most all) and 3 Princess (Island/Criwn/Golden) cruises. With those numbers, obviously enjoy X as our preferred Line.

 

Dining and entertainment opinions are subjective and its interesting how the relatively small things drive your preferences.

 

Entertainment:

We liked Princess for MUTS but I found it intrusive when something was always being shown. Too noisy and distracting when not a primary show. On the 3 Princess ships, the main theaters didn't accommodate as high a percentage of the ship and to get seating you had to be there at least 45min before the show. X was much more accommodating. Princess had more avail of other entertainment. X is getting very noisy with bands in main foyer area.

 

Dining:

Both were good for MDR but agree X was much better for Buffett. Loved Princess International Cafe and agree iit has much more variety than El Bacio. I loved the Princess coffee card we could share, but now getting free specialty coffees on X. Note: my status w lots of goodies on X does bias me!

 

SR.

X standard SRs are superior by far. we aren't big people but found the shower on Princess to be very very cramped, and no seating for guests in our room. So on Princess, we upgrade to mini-suite and then we compare Princess mini to X standard pricing. Not really fair because Princess suite has a much larger veranda, but won't go w standard Princess SR.

 

Service

Both Lines had excellent service but I felt Princess had more press to buy extras, and 'lectures' were infomercials; but lately, X has been overselling wine tastings and drink packages every time I ordered a wine. Told them to stop and they did.

 

Enough. Liked Princess and will cruise for special itinerary or join Princess friends. Love X and go to it as starting point for all cruising......as you can tell w 3 X cruises coming up!

 

Den