Celebrity vs Princess

[GUT2407]

I don't find food on any line to be spectacular, I'd class it as good, rather than great.

 

But then food quality is such a personal issue

[midwestchick]

Having been big fans of Celebrity, we recently tried our first Princess cruise on the Star, with another planned in January on the Caribbean. I think this thread demonstrates very well how close the two lines generally are, and the small differences are what translate into which you'll like better.

 

I feel the open buffet layout of Celebrity's Solstice-class ships far outweigh our limited buffet experience on Princess. The Star's buffet was consistently a bottleneck with lines I rarely see on Celebrity. And while nice to have beverages delivered on Princess, I don't really miss it on Celebrity (though any of the staff would be more than willing to fetch you something if you ask).

 

I found bar service deplorable on the Star. Often waited 10+ minutes after ordering a drink in a lounge before getting it. X was far better in that regard, though I think they focus on the beverage service... everywhere. I swear I've never seen as many drunk people late at night as on Celebrity. Not that I have a problem with that.

 

Definitely enjoyed the MDR on Princess more, but that's not to say X is inadequate.

 

I found the X ships also easier to navigate, took me several days to figure out the Star and just getting around the decks. But that could just be lack of familiarity.

 

Service was impeccable on both. In fact, I'd probably give the edge to Princess.

 

I completely understand the "stuffy" atmosphere comments on X. They seem to think stuffiness is synonymous with "luxurious" which isn't really true. Didn't really annoy me as much. Though it will be interesting to see how that changes with X dropping formal nights.

 

All in all, I'd sail on both again without any hesitation. Though for nothing other than personal taste, I slightly prefer Celebrity.

 

But yes, Princess pizza wins hands down.

 

 

We're booked on the Star next fall. I've been looking for more information on that ship. Interesting read. We chose Princess because of the itinerary.

[Aus Traveller]

Celebrity has better buffet than Princess, except for Royal Princess and Regal Princess who have the best buffet at sea, bar none! I do like the recent change on Princess where they bring you beverages, rather than having to get your own like Celebrity (and past Princess).

We started cruising on Princess seven (or so) years ago and we have always had table service on beverages in the buffet. Maybe before that it was different. :) We really missed this on Celebrity.

 

We cruised on the Celebrity Century and found that the food in the buffet was never hot, even immediately when it opened. If we had lunch on board on a port day we would have a hamburger made out on deck then go into the airconditioning to eat. The buffet area looked good, but we felt eating food not kept at the correct temperature was tempting fate (or tummy bugs).

[baldercash]

Part of the difficulty in comparing cruise lines is the huge difference in class of ships within each cruise line. So cruising on X Century a very old ship now long gone and comparing it say to the Regal is redundant.

We enjoyed sailing on X Zenith and Horizon back in the day but they are closer in size to Island Princess and remind us more of Oceania's current smaller ships, yes the service and offerings were that much better way back when.

X has the Millennium class about the same age but smaller then the Grand which are closer in size to the Solstice class but the Solstice class are far more modern in design and compare closer to Regal / Royal which is much larger and also an even newer design.

 

There is just no way to compare apples to apples the buffet on Millie class are different then on Solstice just as the buffet is different on Regal / Royal ships to other Princess ships. So saying you prefer the buffet on Royal compared to an X ship may also mean you prefer it to other Princess ships as well.

Class of cabins cause even more diversity in experience as X now offers Concierge and Aqua class which offers a private dinning room and a ship board experience much different then just the MDR and now a private dinning room is offered for suites.

If one cruises inside compared to even a simple balcony ones perception of a cruise line is totally different as well.

 

Then one has to consider the Loyalty level of the cruiser, an Elite member on X would experience a totally different level of appreciation for their cruise due to perks compared to a newer cruiser regardless of class of cabin. Though suite guests now get the same perks as Elite plus. The same applies on Princess a seasoned Princess Loyalist gets far more perks and thus a different experience likely for less money then a novice Princess cruiser in the same class of cabin or even higher.

 

As is constantly stated food is subjective and boiling your cruise down to I prefer Princess because it has better pizza or X is better as they have better ice cream and you can get gummy bears and M&M's likely says more about the cruiser then the line.

 

That all said we enjoy both cruise lines mainly for their subtle differences as it freshens up the cruise experience. When it comes down to choosing it is more about itinerary, timing and price in that order for us when booking a cruise not if we get water delivered to our table in the buffet area or a free cocktail party every evening of the cruise.

 

Both great lines to cruise.

[reedprincess]

Part of the difficulty in comparing cruise lines is the huge difference in class of ships within each cruise line. So cruising on X Century a very old ship now long gone and comparing it say to the Regal is redundant.

We enjoyed sailing on X Zenith and Horizon back in the day but they are closer in size to Island Princess and remind us more of Oceania's current smaller ships, yes the service and offerings were that much better way back when.

X has the Millennium class about the same age but smaller then the Grand which are closer in size to the Solstice class but the Solstice class are far more modern in design and compare closer to Regal / Royal which is much larger and also an even newer design.

 

There is just no way to compare apples to apples the buffet on Millie class are different then on Solstice just as the buffet is different on Regal / Royal ships to other Princess ships. So saying you prefer the buffet on Royal compared to an X ship may also mean you prefer it to other Princess ships as well.

Class of cabins cause even more diversity in experience as X now offers Concierge and Aqua class which offers a private dinning room and a ship board experience much different then just the MDR and now a private dinning room is offered for suites.

If one cruises inside compared to even a simple balcony ones perception of a cruise line is totally different as well.

 

Then one has to consider the Loyalty level of the cruiser, an Elite member on X would experience a totally different level of appreciation for their cruise due to perks compared to a newer cruiser regardless of class of cabin. Though suite guests now get the same perks as Elite plus. The same applies on Princess a seasoned Princess Loyalist gets far more perks and thus a different experience likely for less money then a novice Princess cruiser in the same class of cabin or even higher.

 

As is constantly stated food is subjective and boiling your cruise down to I prefer Princess because it has better pizza or X is better as they have better ice cream and you can get gummy bears and M&M's likely says more about the cruiser then the line.

 

That all said we enjoy both cruise lines mainly for their subtle differences as it freshens up the cruise experience. When it comes down to choosing it is more about itinerary, timing and price in that order for us when booking a cruise not if we get water delivered to our table in the buffet area or a free cocktail party every evening of the cruise.

 

Both great lines to cruise.

Small but important correct. Concierge class does not have separate dining. Aqua class has Blue, the orher room category with different dining is Suite Class -they have Luminae as Suites only dining along with Michael's club lounge for suite only lounge. Much closer to RCI or NCLs suite class amenities. No such thing on Princess, for any cabin category. Even the Princess nightly PES event doesn't come close to comparing.

Absolutely agree with you by the way, when comparing cruise lines, one has to compare -as close as possible -apples to apples, room type to room type, ship class to ship class, etc.. And overall, lines are more similar than different in the main things, ie included venues, entertainment options included, etc. Differences are more in smaller details -room setups, extra costs, atmosphere onboard (and that can be vastly affected by management onboard), etc.

We sail Princess (elite), Celebrity (Elite Plus) and RCI (Diamond) and enjoy all three for different reasons..

Enjoy.

[UpcountryTravelers]

I am surprised by room service better on Princess. On Celebrity you can get hot breakfast delivered in all classes. Aqua and suites have even more choices. I always have breakfast on the balcony with Celebrity.

 

And we do on Princess. Their jalapeno omelets are awesome!