Leaving Celebrity for 1 cruise

[swh&cv]

We are faithful followers of Celebrity, however, we want to do the 7 day French Riviera which X does not do. We have the options of Holland America or Princess. Any feedback would be appreciated!

[reedprincess]

We are faithful followers of Celebrity, however, we want to do the 7 day French Riviera which X does not do. We have the options of Holland America or Princess. Any feedback would be appreciated!

 

A comparison today of Celebrity, HAL and Princess. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=49322215&posted=1#post49322215

We cruise Princess and Celebrity interchangeably based on itinerary, then pricing. Both have a great product with good food, service, etc. Haven't sailed HAL yet, but eventually we'll get onboard.

A comprehensive pictorial comparison of Princess and Celebrity: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2317130

I wouldn't hesitate to sail Princess if the itinerary suits you. You'll find then more alike than different overall...

Edited March 7, 2016 by reedprincess

[stouennais]

We are faithful followers of Celebrity, however, we want to do the 7 day French Riviera which X does not do. We have the options of Holland America or Princess. Any feedback would be appreciated!

Celebrity is doing a Riviera and Med Cruise next year on 24 June, however, it is very expensive but lovely itinerary.

[Fouremco]

We alternate between HAL and Celebrity and haven't cruised on Princess to date. We feel equally comfortable aboard either line, and price/itinerary drive our decision making. I don't think you can go wrong with HAL.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

No experience with HAL, but we have 4 cruises with Celebrity and 3 with Princess and find them comparable, though Celebrity gets the nod. I wouldn't think you'd be disappointed with Princess.

[OCruisers]

We mostly cruise on Princess but sometimes do cruise on Celebrity.

You should be fine on a Princess cruise! :)

[ChiGal1962]

I've cruised on HAL and Princess once each, and Celebrity several times. Enjoyed them all.

 

HAL had an older crowd and fewer activities. Fantastic food and the bed was amazing.

 

Princess was very similar to Celebrity in most ways. I was on an older ship, so it had a few issues with air conditioning (it was beastly hot out!). Otherwise. lovely.

 

I would travel on any of them again, although Celebrity does seem to be my fave.

 

So yeah, you can't really go wrong with those choices!

[eandj]

We've done all. Guess we'd pick Princess over HAL because we like more entertainment options. But if it's a busy itinerary, iI doubt you'll be disappointed in either. Variety is the spice of life.;)

[Hlitner]

You are talking about a very short (7 day) Port Intensive Med cruise which has some long port days. Many passengers on these cruises run themselves ragged during the port days, and tend to retire after dinner to their cabins to get sleep and energy for the next port :). Accordingly, on this type of cruise the itinerary and cost are king, and the differences between the mass market lines are less important. We do suggest you pay particular attention to the hours in port. For example, some of the HAL cruises leave Monte Carlo at 2pm which means being back on the ship by 1:30! Given that most things do not even open in this country until after 9 am, that is a very truncated port day! We also like that Princess does a lot of "open jaw" cruises that begin at one port and end in another. We love this type of European cruise because passengers have the option of spending time at either end (or at both) and extending their trip with some quality land time.

 

Hank

Edited March 8, 2016 by Hlitner

[Champagne Cruiser]

We have cruised both HAL and Princess, but mostly X. The more liberal smoking policy on both lines is why we choose Celebrity more consistently. HAL had a much much older demographic (getting behind the walker/scooter brigade to the MDR causes a real backup). The entertainment on Princess is better than HAL. The food is better on HAL (but not as good as X.). You will enjoy either but I would probably choose Princess vs HAL if itinerary and price were equal.

[GUT2407]

About as much difference between Celebrity and Princess as between two ships from one or the other.

[MVPinBoynton]

We used to cruise on Princess a lot before we settled in with Celebrity. We think X is much better than Princess. We have only done one HAL cruise and enjoyed it a lot. They have a good product and the food is excellent. I think it would be a good time to try our HAL.

[Bruin Steve]

We are faithful followers of Celebrity, however, we want to do the 7 day French Riviera which X does not do. We have the options of Holland America or Princess. Any feedback would be appreciated!

 

I've done a LOT of cruises on both Celebrity and on Princess...If it wasn't for specific itineraries I couldn't get on Celebrity, I'd probably never cruise on Princess...

 

To be entirely truthful, Princess isn't bad...Heck, it's a lot better than Carnival...but it's nowhere close to Celebrity IMHO.

 

Here are my main issues with Princess:

1) Space-per-passenger ratios are far below Celebrity ships...so the ships feel a bit more crowded.

2) Show rooms and entertainment lounges are all way undersized for the number of passengers on board...hard to get a seat for many shows.

3) Anytime Dining option is poorly mismanaged. They allow people with traditional dining assignments to just show up at the Anytime dining rooms--causing long waits for tables and impacting the service.

4) Cabins (anything under a mini-suite) have no "sitting area"...just a bed and one small chair. It's not the square footage, rather the design and layout of the cabin...

 

OTOH, If I wanted to cruise AND visit the French Riviera, what I would do would be to book a different Celebrity cruise out of Barcelona, then fly in about a week early to either Milan or Nice, rent a car...and drive the Riviera, ending at Barcelona...then cruise to places harder to get to...

 

If your time is limited, then fine, just take the Princess cruise...It will be enjoyable enough, just not quite Celebrity...

 

JMHO...

[clarkg]

Cruise lines are more the same than they are different. Having said that, we have sailed both and I think you would be happier on Princess.

[liverpoollad]

Sailed twice Celebrity & Princess, all cruises have been very good, but find Celebrity the better. On these cruises we have asked fellow cruisers their thoughts on HAL as we have never sailed with them,& the majority have said that Hal are more staid & not as much fun, also an older crowd.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

We used to cruise on Princess a lot before we settled in with Celebrity. We think X is much better than Princess. We have only done one HAL cruise and enjoyed it a lot. They have a good product and the food is excellent. I think it would be a good time to try our HAL.

 

I went to your awesome web site and words don't describe how impressed I am. I will be sure to consult your reviews and comments before I plan another cruise. Thank you for your web site.

[Hlitner]

We probably should have also mentioned the problem with Princess show rooms. In fact, the situation on their newest ships (Regal and Royal) is pretty bleak since the main theater is vastly undersized for the number of passengers on the ship. This creates a problem for the early diners (early dining seems to be very popular) who try to get into the shows near showtime. There will be no unobstructed seats. On our Regent Princess cruise this past fall, there were so many angry passengers (because they could not see the first show) that the cruise director changed the schedule and had the staff do 3 performances (rather than the usual 2) so folks could get seats.

 

Hank

[MVPinBoynton]

I went to your awesome web site and words don't describe how impressed I am. I will be sure to consult your reviews and comments before I plan another cruise. Thank you for your web site.

 

I am so glad you have enjoyed our website. Thanks for the nice comments.