Crown princess vs celebrity

[caribill]

One question, can you pre reserve 'Anytime Dining' on Princess like you can on X?

 

No.

[villauk]

No.

 

Thanks ;).

[ghstudio]

 

Obviously we wouldn't get our free bag of laundry or the internet minutes etc.:D, but it would be a different ship to explore, timing in the ports appears to be better and X don't sail from the West Coast during our school summer holiday period. You have also highlighted that the entertainment is better on Princess (I think as your comment was slightly confusing :confused:?).

 

One question, can you pre reserve 'Anytime Dining' on Princess like you can on X?

 

A few, even on the Princess board, have stated that the difference is more visible when booking suites (which we don't as we always travel with our family) - X winning in that department - anything below that is virtually like for like. I appreciate the review as it does give one 'food for thought'.

 

Sorry for any confusion....We felt that entertainment both in the theater and in different venues around the ship was better on Princess.....While celebrity seems to have eliminated the string trio, etc to save the expense, Princess still has live entertainment at various bars and venues around the ship....guitar, string, singers, etc.

 

You can pre-reserve anytime dining on Princess but you have to call each morning after 8AM to reserve for that night. We did it the first night and didn't bother again since we don't mind sharing a table with others. We generally dine at 7pm but found only very short waits, if any at all.

[4774Papa]

Both NCL and Royal Caribbean have cruises that go to the North Cape.

[dsarah]

We were on the same North Cape Norway cruise as the OP. Haven't been on Princess for several years so we were extremely impressed with the friendliness and service of the crew. When we sat down at the buffet someone immediately came and asked if we wanted anything. Made to order omelets can be ordered and a server brought it to the table. We were always greeted with a smile. Our cabin steward was friendly and always visible in the hall as he worked on the cabins. The dinners in the main dining room were consistently good and our wait staff was excellent.

 

Its true that Celebrity has that wonderful forward facing lounge and Crown Princess doesn't have anything similar. But compared to our cruise last May on Celebrity Infinity through the Panama Canal, and this cruise, Princess wins hands down. The service on the Infinity was terrible and we very rarely saw the cabin steward. The food in the dining room was so bad that we dreaded going to dinner each night! Several meals were inedible, and the wait staff was rude and condescending.

 

Perhaps the newer Celebrity ships provide a better experience but based on our two recent experiences, Crown Princess gets our vote.

[villauk]

Sorry for any confusion....We felt that entertainment both in the theater and in different venues around the ship was better on Princess.....While celebrity seems to have eliminated the string trio, etc to save the expense, Princess still has live entertainment at various bars and venues around the ship....guitar, string, singers, etc.

 

You can pre-reserve anytime dining on Princess but you have to call each morning after 8AM to reserve for that night. We did it the first night and didn't bother again since we don't mind sharing a table with others. We generally dine at 7pm but found only very short waits, if any at all.

 

Thanks for clarifying the entertainment position :). I only wondered about the pre-reserving as there are 7 in our group dining together. We do usually eat around 6.45, so hopefully it should be too much of a wait.

 

We're looking at Grand Princess. I know she's an older lady, but I'm hoping the staff performance and food etc. outweigh any age issues. It's funny because we cruised on Millie last Christmas (approx the same sort of age as the Grand) and we had a better time on her than we did on Reflection this past summer.

[cruisequeen4ever]

It was interesting reading your perspective as I am a loyal Princess Pax who just sailed Celebrity for the first time this summer. We definitely prefer Princess; I thought Celebrity would impress me a lot more than it did.

 

 

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[Cruise a holic]

My son, daughter in law and their two daughters just got off the Emerald princess today. They were in a mini suite. They said bathroom had terrible plumbing issues that weren't repaired successfully. They also complained about the food and service. People they were talking to who have sailed on other Princess ships said this ship was the worst. We sailed on the Caribbean and Crown a few years ago and we definitely prefer Celebrity

[SkystheLimit]

We spent 35 days on the Crown in Feb/Mar of this year. Loved the itinerary. Crew and staff were great. Dining room food variable. Specialty dining disappointing. Ship appearance good. We did have a maintenance issue with our cabin that was not corrected. Our balcony door was never really secure. In rough seas the door would fly open. Obviously, a previous problem based on the amount of tape,etc. on the lock.

 

Just returned from Celebrity Eclipse 13 day cruise. Dining room and specialty restaurant food was much better than on the Crown. We love the forward observation lounge on the S class ships that are available to everyone on sailaway. Buffet much better and more organized than the Crown.

 

It is a bit unfair to compare the Crown and the Eclipse because of the difference in age of the ships. Ironically, the Crown was in port in Southampton on our departure and arrival. We reminisced about our time when we saw her.

 

So, we would sail on the Crown again with the right itinerary with the understanding that she is not new.

[Siora7777]

We didn't try Tuscan Gill and a $45 charge seemed high for us. We may do a specialty package on Millennium for Alaska next June (not going to do Blu with our two college age kids with us).

 

Tuscan Grill is wonderful.

[drsel]

It was interesting reading your perspective as I am a loyal Princess Pax who just sailed Celebrity for the first time this summer. We definitely prefer Princess; I thought Celebrity would impress me a lot more than it did.

 

 

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Kindly enlighten us about the differences and similarities.

In what way was Princess better?

I'm sure it must be, cos it is much more expensive. How is the higher cost justified?

[cruisequeen4ever]

Kindly enlighten us about the differences and similarities.

In what way was Princess better?

I'm sure it must be, cos it is much more expensive. How is the higher cost justified?

 

 

 

The following is my review and will hopefully answer your question.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2517247

 

 

 

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[mafig]

It must be too early for me.:( I posted my comments but stuck them at the end of CruiseQueen's post. Basically I said I didn't like Princess' Anytime Dining, because they allow Traditional diners to switch and also they always make us fight for a table ford two.

[gwsster]

Wow, going on our first Celebrity cruise on the Infinity in a 2 weeks. I hope I am not bored and disappointed with the lack of entertainment and mediocre reviews of the food. This may be a One and Done on Celebrity. We have done NCL, Disney and Princess and all have been good with pro's and con's. The one drawback to Princess was the beds, every cruise was like sleeping on a rack and that is what has kept us away. I hear that the beds have been replaced so may want to try them again.

[FlorenceItaly]

Some quick background for POF. Lately, we have mainly been cruising on Celebrity(Elite). Our most recent cruise with Princess(Ruby) was on the Regal(balcony), 11 nights, in December, loved it. A week later we followed it with the Eclipse(AQ), 6 nights. We most recently sailed the Infinity(OV) in May for 11 nights, and are returning in October for the Panama Canal(FV). We've had the PC cruise booked since 2015. If we were not traveling with others I probably would have changed the reservation to Princess or HAL. Our next two are the Crown(interior) in January, and HAL Noordam(interior) in June.

 

One distinct difference I notice on Princess is their desire to please. As mentioned "No" is not in their vocabulary. Imo, Celebrity has no problem saying no. Also, in regards to ships, I am finding the M class very worn. I could probably overlook it IF their rates reflected accordingly, but, they do not. I find the Celebrity activities limited. When cruising Celebrity we generally have the drink package as a perk. We really like this. Otherwise, their drinks are too high, imo. It seems Princess is more reasonable in this regard. I find the food on both lines very good. These are just a few thoughts.....

[mafig]

While Princess' drinks are more reasonably priced, I find them tiny and there used to be threads over there that the drinks were watered down. Don't know if that's the case or not, but I remember having drinks that you wondered if there was any alcohol in them at all.

[dsarah]

Its hard to compare because of different classes of Celebrity ships. We had horrible service on Infinity through the Panama Canal last May, but our earlier cruise last January on Eclipse was good for the most part.

 

Based on our recent experience on our 2 week Crown Princess Norway cruise, a couple things that "seem" to be unique to Princess and consistent across all Princess ships as far as we know:

 

They give the military OBC perk that includes any past veterans. The longer the cruise the more OBC. You just submit your proof once for the current cruise and from then on Princess automatically applies it when you make another booking.

 

They have several self service laundry rooms with irons and ironing boards.

 

There are excellent food options 24 hours a day. Celebrity and Royal Caribbean both have "down" periods. When coming back to the ship after being in port, it may be hard to find anything to eat.

 

Free internet -- as Platinum level we received 250 free minutes per person on our 14 day cruise. That was plenty to check email and do goggle searches.

 

They have table service in the buffet for beverages so you don't have to stand in line at the stations. Also they have a system at the made to order omelet station whereby you get a ticket and give it to your server, and they get your omelet for you. No long line waiting for orders!

[upwarduk]

Princess doesn't have guest speakers...celebrity does on some cruises.

They do have coffee break chats with 'Celebrities.' We had Harry Rednapp on our May cruise to the Med.

 

 

 

The Captain (Justin Laws) would walk around the ship and chat. I spoke to him, also my husband mistook him for a pool attendant and asked him where the towels were kept on deck 15! The captain pointed to his stripes and smiled.

 

Obviously we wouldn't get our free bag of laundry or the internet minutes etc.

villauk

If you have ever sailed with P&O you will be given a loyalty level. From 3, 14 night P&O cruises you will be Ruby. When we finished our 14 night cruise on Crown we became Platinum (51 nights sailed) so next time we sail on Princess, we will be Platinum and get 250 internet minutes for a 14 night cruise.

There are laundry rooms on Princess.

 

The crown princess is showing its age.

ghstudio

Crown has just left Southampton, on her way to New York, via Iceland. I understand that she will then go into dry dock.

Edited September 4, 2017 by upwarduk

[AC Stew]

Our Princess dining experience: We choose the open dining. They won't take dinner reservations prior to sailing. However, as soon as we board, I make a beeline to the maître d who'll be on duty at one of the MDR restaurants. We always get a set dining time with a table for 2. Word of warning though; even with a reserved time, a short wait isn't unusual.

[villauk]

villauk

If you have ever sailed with P&O you will be given a loyalty level. From 3, 14 night P&O cruises you will be Ruby. When we finished our 14 night cruise on Crown we became Platinum (51 nights sailed) so next time we sail on Princess, we will be Platinum and get 250 internet minutes for a 14 night cruise.

There are laundry rooms on Princess.

 

We've never sailed with P&O as we prefer more of an international mix onboard rather than just Brits (but thanks for the thought ;)). I did recall that one is able to complete their own laundry on Princess, so only the internet minutes missing ;). Do they allow you to use their computers for airline checkin or would I have to purchase internet minutes? TIA

[upwarduk]

Sorry, I can't answer that query re airline check in, as we sailed Southampton round trip.

 

 

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[caribill]

We've never sailed with P&O as we prefer more of an international mix onboard rather than just Brits (but thanks for the thought ;)). I did recall that one is able to complete their own laundry on Princess, so only the internet minutes missing ;). Do they allow you to use their computers for airline checkin or would I have to purchase internet minutes? TIA

 

On Princess you must purchase Internet time to do airline check-in. They usually have a 15 minute special on the last full day of the cruise.

[villauk]

On Princess you must purchase Internet time to do airline check-in. They usually have a 15 minute special on the last full day of the cruise.

Thanks :).

[FlorenceItaly]

Wow, going on our first Celebrity cruise on the Infinity in a 2 weeks. I hope I am not bored and disappointed with the lack of entertainment and mediocre reviews of the food. This may be a One and Done on Celebrity. We have done NCL, Disney and Princess and all have been good with pro's and con's. The one drawback to Princess was the beds, every cruise was like sleeping on a rack and that is what has kept us away. I hear that the beds have been replaced so may want to try them again.

 

I would love to hear your thoughts on your Infinity cruise. Thanks.