Celebrity Eclipse or Caribbean Princess for British Isles?

[jabrown40]

I am considering a British isles cruise - like the Celebrity itinerary a bit better, but Princess sails a little later in the summer compared to June 8th ( or close to it). Any advice from those that have ever done this cruise?

[MicCanberra]

I haven't cruised the Eclipse but have on her sister the Solstice and I have sailed the Caribbean princess , out of the two I would go celebrity (the solstice is my favourite ship). As for timing for the British isles, June may be cooler than August but then the weather cannot be assured and it may well reverse. Any day of warmth and sun in England is a rarity:p

[MustBCruzn]

I am considering a British isles cruise - like the Celebrity itinerary a bit better, but Princess sails a little later in the summer compared to June 8th ( or close to it). Any advice from those that have ever done this cruise?

 

Have you considered the Silhouette for your BI cruise? The Silhouette is probably my favorite of the S-class ships and she has several British Isles sailings later in the summer. For me the bonus is that this cruise is round trip from Amsterdam, one of my very favorite cities.

[MicCanberra]

Have you considered the Silhouette for your BI cruise? The Silhouette is probably my favorite of the S-class ships and she has several British Isles sailings later in the summer. For me the bonus is that this cruise is round trip from Amsterdam, one of my very favorite cities.

 

It may work out better going to and from Amsterdam as I believe they have lower taxes for flights than Heathrow.:D

[jabrown40]

After seeing your message, I looked at the Silhouette sailings, and am keeping my fingers crossed that they offer the same in 2017. We will be on the Silhouette in March, so not only will I get to experience the ship, I'm hoping to book my 2017 trip while on board. Thanks for the help, now I'll just sit back and wait.

[MicCanberra]

After seeing your message, I looked at the Silhouette sailings, and am keeping my fingers crossed that they offer the same in 2017. We will be on the Silhouette in March, so not only will I get to experience the ship, I'm hoping to book my 2017 trip while on board. Thanks for the help, now I'll just sit back and wait.

 

Good luck, booking on board is a great idea, just watch the prices as it may be better to jump in prior to your cruise.:D

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

We did the British Isles on Infinity a few years ago. Loved it. Friends did the same cruise later in the season on Princess and said never again on Princess.

 

[yorky]

The month is not a huge issue, I've seen many June's be the best month of the year, it's pot luck.

[Presto2]

And don't forget that August is peak time for school holidays so the ship will be full of children and any site seeing places very busy. Re the weather .... don't worry about that. Anything can happen :-)

[Banjo]

I been on both ships. Eclipse for the Azores/Canaries and Caribbean Princess for Southern Caribbean. Actually loved them both. Because your sailing around the British Isles and you may have iffy weather, I probably select the Eclipse with its Solarium.

[jabrown40]

I'm hoping they will do the Edinburgh Tattoo cruise again. That looks fantastic! I had never heard of it, but went on You Tube to get an idea, and it seems like a great experience.

[MustBCruzn]

I'm hoping they will do the Edinburgh Tattoo cruise again. That looks fantastic! I had never heard of it, but went on You Tube to get an idea, and it seems like a great experience.

 

Well my wallet won't thank you, but I do. :D After reading your post I also checked out you tube...and now I have the Edinburgh Tattoo cruise on my radar for 2017.

[DrivesLikeMario]

I did the Caribbean Princess British Isles cruise in May a few years ago. What a fantastic itinerary! It was absolutely perfect - a mix of more rural stops with city ports, castles, nature, folklore and genealogical connections. It was probably my favorite cruise out of 35+ cruises.

 

Don't bank on the weather whenever you go. I arrived to record cold temperatures in England, only to spend the last few days in record high temps (95 degrees and very little a/c). I just got back from England a couple weeks ago and it was mild and quite comfortable. So, go when YOU want to go.

 

Seeing the military tattoo would be awesome and I wish I hadn't missed that but if you do go on one of these higher priced cruises that tie in the with August ceremonies, make sure you reserve your tickets for the tattoo early and pay for the better seating.

[Priya2]

I haven't cruised the Eclipse but have on her sister the Solstice and I have sailed the Caribbean princess , out of the two I would go celebrity (the solstice is my favourite ship). As for timing for the British isles, June may be cooler than August but then the weather cannot be assured and it may well reverse. Any day of warmth and sun in England is a rarity:p

Now, now! Its not a rarity! Just because you have too many rays in Australia 😜 We usually have a lovely spring or a good summer. Occasionally (ok, not often), we have both. I agree though, you are as likely to get good weather in June, as you are in August. Its all part of our charm ☺️

 

Otherwise, all I can say is that the Eclipse is a gorgeous ship. We are looking forward to our second cruise on her in June. Her sister ship should have the same level of gorgeousness :)

 

Whatever you dcide, have fun.

[Jem 12]

As someone who lives in the Uk generally I would say the weather is better in June than August, it always seems to us that as soon as the kids break up from school the weather takes a turn for the worse, that said we can never bank on anything weather wise in the Uk.

 

We did our first Princess cruise around the British Isles, we in Aug 2013 the weather wax generally good apart from in Invergorden where we couldn't dock due to high winds from Hurrican Bertha (I think)

 

There wasn't many children I remember to young boys who were beautifully behaved and one awful family with a baby who they insisted on taking into the adult only pool and the jacuzzi.

 

We generally cruise with Celebrity, we thought then that the food was better on Celebrity but the entertainment was better on Princess. We loved the international cafe on Princess.

 

Loved the itinerary, loved The Orkneys and Edinburgh.

 

Enjoy

[actuarian]

My wife and I were faced with the same decision for next summer and we went with the Caribbean Princess (July 7 sailing so we will miss the Edinburgh Tattoo). We went with Princess for three reasons: (1) We reserved a Window Suite on Princess for less than the cost of an Aqua Class room on Celebrity. We lose the veranda but get far more space and suite perks. (2) Princess sails out of Southampton, which allowed our TA to sell us a package including 5 nights in London before the cruise and one more after. (3) It was easier to find business class flights to London using our Delta miles than to Amsterdam.

Edited December 6, 2015 by actuarian

[Tiggertastic]

Eclipse because f its facilities. Yes we have school hols in August but I can't really say our weather is iffy as one person put it, it's usually quite good in August

[MicCanberra]

Now, now! Its not a rarity! Just because you have too many rays in Australia We usually have a lovely spring or a good summer. Occasionally (ok, not often), we have both. I agree though, you are as likely to get good weather in June, as you are in August. Its all part of our charm ☺️

 

Otherwise, all I can say is that the Eclipse is a gorgeous ship. We are looking forward to our second cruise on her in June. Her sister ship should have the same level of gorgeousness :)

 

Whatever you dcide, have fun.

 

Yes, I thought I may get a bite there. :p

 

I once spent three weeks touring the UK (2012) and only got three days of rain so I know it can happen that the weather is optimal. for cruising and touring.

[TMLAalum]

The Europe itineraries come out tomorrow for Captain's Club members. If the 2017 schedule includes an overnight for the Tattoo in Edinburgh, you might want to book it asap. And if you prefer ship tours, book Celebrity's Tattoo excursion quickly too because it was sold out months ago.

 

We booked our Tattoo cruise 9 months after the schedules were published- verandas were too pricey for us, so went with an OV and only a few of those cabins were available!

 

For us, the ports-of-call + the Tattoo, not the weather, were the deciding factor in booking this cruise.

 

Good Luck!

[Cruzaholic41]

I am considering a British isles cruise - like the Celebrity itinerary a bit better, but Princess sails a little later in the summer compared to June 8th ( or close to it). Any advice from those that have ever done this cruise?

 

I'd rather sail further into the summer but when comparing ships, there is no contest. Caribbean Princess was one of the most crowded ships I have ever been on and in no way does it compare to Solstice Class ships. The staterooms are tiny and dated and the TVs aren't interactive. The lounges are cramped and there is very little outdoor viewing space from inside the ship.

[villauk]

We much prefer S class ships to Caribbean Princess (have sailed on both). We also felt very enclosed on the CP. You can check cruisecal already for the 2017 itineraries, they are listed there for both Silhouette and Eclipse.

 

I don't think you'll have too much of a problem with hordes of children on the itinerary: it being August, most US schools will have returned and the majority of UK families wouldn't consider a cruise around the British Isles ;). The same is true with both the Scandinavian and Icelandic itineraries (our children loved the fact that there were fewer kids on these sailings :)).

 

Weather is so unpredictable - you could experience anything in June or August. Just bring an umbrella and you'll be fine :D.

[MicCanberra]

The Europe itineraries come out tomorrow for Captain's Club members. If the 2017 schedule includes an overnight for the Tattoo in Edinburgh, you might want to book it asap. And if you prefer ship tours, book Celebrity's Tattoo excursion quickly too because it was sold out months ago.

 

We booked our Tattoo cruise 9 months after the schedules were published- verandas were too pricey for us, so went with an OV and only a few of those cabins were available!

 

For us, the ports-of-call + the Tattoo, not the weather, were the deciding factor in booking this cruise.

 

Good Luck!

 

The tattoo is a wonderful spectacle however, if it is not top of your list adds an expense to the cruise you may not want.

[blueboro]

We have been on both ships in the Caribbean. I would definitely vote for the Eclipse. While we had a good time on the Caribbean Princess, the ship is older and is showing wear and tear. Also, I find this class of Princess ships very hard to navigate...as certain decks just end and you must go down or up to get to where you want to go. And elevators that are beside each other may only access certain decks. I did find food better on X. It was not bad on the CP but several nights it was hard to find anything that looked good.

 

If you are a non-smoker you will want to avoid anywhere near the casino on Princess because after 10+ years of smoking, the smell has seemed to permeate the area around the casino.

 

Also, lastly if you have to tender there are about 600-800 more pax on the Princess.

[MicCanberra]

We have been on both ships in the Caribbean. I would definitely vote for the Eclipse. While we had a good time on the Caribbean Princess, the ship is older and is showing wear and tear. Also, I find this class of Princess ships very hard to navigate...as certain decks just end and you must go down or up to get to where you want to go. And elevators that are beside each other may only access certain decks. I did find food better on X. It was not bad on the CP but several nights it was hard to find anything that looked good.

 

If you are a non-smoker you will want to avoid anywhere near the casino on Princess because after 10+ years of smoking, the smell has seemed to permeate the area around the casino.

 

Also, lastly if you have to tender there are about 600-800 more pax on the Princess.

 

I would agree with most of those reasons although I didn't find that the casino on the Caribbean smelt of smoke (we were last on it in October this year).

[jabrown40]

The 2017 British Isles cruises are posted on Celebrity's website now! They are showing a cruise that will be in Edinburgh around Aug 13 or so, and although it isn't listed as a Signature cruise, I'm wondering if one would still be able to attend the Tattoo, since the ship is there overnight. It's certainly the most I will ever have paid for a vacation though!