Princess vs Celebrity

[BarbinMich]

I have only been on Infinity with Celebrity and Royal with Princess - Princess won hands down, the food choice on Celebrity was awful and the ship wasn't in the best shape, Princess would also win on entertainment. But everyone has different likes and dislikes.

 

Comparing the Infinity (launched in 2001) with the Royal (launched in 2013) is not really a fair comparison. A better "match" would be the Celebrity Reflection (2012). I think the Infinity was near the end of its class in terms of launch date and a much different ship from the company's newer ones ("Solstice" class). Service and entertainment might be apt areas of comparison between the Infinity and Royal, but not much else. The newer ships of both lines are pretty spectacular compared to their predecessors. We've sailed on both lines quite a bit, including the Royal P several times and the Celebrity Eclipse (2010) once. Personally, I preferred the Royal although the Eclipse did have a few advantages: some functional, some more ornamental. For example the Eclipse has a two-story-high Oceanview Cafe with floor to ceiling windows (we saw whales below while eating breakfast). But it doesn't have a 3-deck spectacular Piazza--the similar space on the Eclipse is mainly the Guest Services desk with a lot of empty (useless) floor space, maybe some chairs, but not inviting. Eclipse theater is horseshoe-shaped with balcony seating in addition to the main floor and, at the time, had Cirque de Soleil perfoming some nites, which was great to watch on eye-level from the balcony. Princess has better cabin layout better. etc.

[Cruise Junky]

We have 11 on Princess and 4 on Celebrity. Much prefer Celebrity these days. I don't like what Princess is doing with their new ships and absolutely love Celebrity's Solstice Class. Specialty dining is hands and shoulders above Princess. It costs more, but you can buy packages to bring the cost down to Princess's price. In fairness, I haven't sailed Princess since 2011 so I can't comment if they've improved or not. I don't think the S class can be beat personally.

 

Oh, and X has far better bathrooms

Edited June 8, 2018 by Cruise Junky

[chewap]

As they say, the grass is always greener.....

 

15 years ago, I would put Celebrity ahead. Now days, Princess has moved up about a quarter to half star and celebrity has fallen at least a half star starting several years after they were sold.

 

I agree, Food Quality and food selection on Celebrity has gone down considerably.

[moki'smommy]

We have 11 on Princess and 4 on Celebrity. Much prefer Celebrity these days. I don't like what Princess is doing with their new ships and absolutely love Celebrity's Solstice Class. Specialty dining is hands and shoulders above Princess. It costs more, but you can buy packages to bring the cost down to Princess's price. In fairness, I haven't sailed Princess since 2011 so I can't comment if they've improved or not. I don't think the S class can be beat personally.

 

Oh, and X has far better bathrooms

I don't know if it is fair to compare 2018 Celebrity to 2011 Princess. We've seen marked improvements on Princess since 2016 in terms of food quality. 2009 Celebrity regular dining (not specialty) was a lot better than 2018 Celebrity. That's part of why some people book specialty dining every night on that line! It's one of two ways to get the quality they used to serve to everyone.

[Cruise Junky]

I don't know if it is fair to compare 2018 Celebrity to 2011 Princess. We've seen marked improvements on Princess since 2016 in terms of food quality. 2009 Celebrity regular dining (not specialty) was a lot better than 2018 Celebrity. That's part of why some people book specialty dining every night on that line! It's one of two ways to get the quality they used to serve to everyone.

 

My Celebrity cruises go back to 2005

[Tatka]

I agree, Food Quality and food selection on Celebrity has gone down considerably.

 

 

We haven’t noticed that.

Sailing with Celebrity since 2003.

In 2015 and end of 2016 food was terrific as well as choices.

 

Princess though always beats everybody in seafood department.

[Tedferg]

 

Comparing the Infinity (launched in 2001) with the Royal (launched in 2013) is not really a fair comparison. A better "match" would be the Celebrity Reflection (2012). But it doesn't have a 3-deck spectacular Piazza--the similar space on the Eclipse is mainly the Guest Services desk with a lot of empty (useless) floor space, maybe some chairs, but not inviting.

 

Our one Celebrity cruise was on Reflection we have sailed on Regal. I agree that they compare well, but as you say, the Piazza on Celebrity did not feel like a hub as it does on Princess.

[moki'smommy]

My Celebrity cruises go back to 2005

But you said that your last Princess was 2011.

 

Princess though always beats everybody in seafood department.

 

That's funny. I thought the salmon on Celebrity in Alaska was the best I've ever had. However, I'll now get to figure out whether it was Alaska or Celebrity that was so good on that cruise as we're doing Alaska on Princess next.

[OzKiwiJJ]

I agree, Food Quality and food selection on Celebrity has gone down considerably.

 

We've done two Celebrity cruises so far, both on Solstice, against six Princess cruises on five different ships. On our first Celebrity cruise in Dec 2015 I thought the MDR food (dinner) was not as good as Princess but on the next cruise, just over a year ago, it was noticeably better than Princess. Celebrity breakfasts aren't as good as Princess though.

 

However I have noticed the quality of food on Princess varies enormously from ship to ship but even in the few short years that I've been cruising (since Dec 2014) I've noticed cut-backs in choices and quality.

[Cruise Junky]

But you said that your last Princess was 2011.

.

Yes I did which means I’m not comparing 2018 Celebrity to 2011 Princess. I cruised them both during the same time frame.

[abbydancer2003]

I've sailed both - I've been sailing Princess regularly since 2005, and started with Celebrity a year ago (2 cruises - with two more booked).

 

On my first Celebrity cruise last year, I did a thread about the differences (Princess Cruiser tries Celebrity or something like that).

 

I like them both, although DH (who did the Reflection with me) likes Celebrity better. Comparing a cruise in a Sky Suite on Celebrity and Club Class on Princess, he decided short cruises and Alaska on Princess, everything else on Celebrity.

 

The balcony rooms on Celebrity are better than on Princess, except for the closet space on Princess. Sky suites vs minisuites are pretty equivalent, although sky suites get most suite perks, mini suites get nothing, unless it's Club Class. Club Class dining is nice, but Luminae is closer to a fine restaurant on land, CC dining is just the best service in main dining with one or two specials.

 

Finally, I hope the OP asked this in the Celebrity forum as well, they may get a different set of answers.

[Flo71]

I never said it was a fair comparison which is why I named the ships rather than just said I'd sailed both lines. But that said that was still my experience of both cruise lines and whilst I do believe that the newer Celebrity ships would be a step up from infinity I am still hesitant to give them another try due to my experience with the cruise line. I think that is understandable, if they don't want people to make those sort of comparisons then they need to raise the bar on the Infinity.

 

 

Comparing the Infinity (launched in 2001) with the Royal (launched in 2013) is not really a fair comparison. A better "match" would be the Celebrity Reflection (2012). I think the Infinity was near the end of its class in terms of launch date and a much different ship from the company's newer ones ("Solstice" class). Service and entertainment might be apt areas of comparison between the Infinity and Royal, but not much else. The newer ships of both lines are pretty spectacular compared to their predecessors. We've sailed on both lines quite a bit, including the Royal P several times and the Celebrity Eclipse (2010) once. Personally, I preferred the Royal although the Eclipse did have a few advantages: some functional, some more ornamental. For example the Eclipse has a two-story-high Oceanview Cafe with floor to ceiling windows (we saw whales below while eating breakfast). But it doesn't have a 3-deck spectacular Piazza--the similar space on the Eclipse is mainly the Guest Services desk with a lot of empty (useless) floor space, maybe some chairs, but not inviting. Eclipse theater is horseshoe-shaped with balcony seating in addition to the main floor and, at the time, had Cirque de Soleil perfoming some nites, which was great to watch on eye-level from the balcony. Princess has better cabin layout better. etc.

[Tatka]

But you said that your last Princess was 2011.

 

 

 

That's funny. I thought the salmon on Celebrity in Alaska was the best I've ever had. However' date=' I'll now get to figure out whether it was Alaska or Celebrity that was so good on that cruise as we're doing Alaska on Princess next.[/quote']I can say anything about particular dish, but when we started cruising with Princess in 2006 there were seafood buffets... split in halves Alaskan crabs, lobsters, tons of shrimp etc.. Now there are no special buffets, but on any day lunch buffet features seafood casseroles, mussles and many other choices, sushi with different caviars (not real black one, but red and from other fish)

[voljeep]

having never sailed on Celebrity X - what is included in their base fare that is not included on the Princess base fare?

 

grats?

excursions?

specialty dining?

 

anything - or is it all 'extra' like Princess depending on booking perks and loyalty?

[Cruise Junky]

having never sailed on Celebrity X - what is included in their base fare that is not included on the Princess base fare?

 

grats?

excursions?

specialty dining?

 

anything - or is it all 'extra' like Princess depending on booking perks and loyalty?

 

90% of celebrity cruises in a ocean view or above come with a classic drink package. Doesn’t include the repo cruises, transatlantics, etc. Other than that, I think the inclusions are similar. Celebrity does have an indoor Solarium with its own pool for free so no need to pay for the sanctuary.

[moki'smommy]

It is all supposedly extra, but most Celebrity cruises seem to come with perks of some sort. Princess cruises are rather "sometimes" on perks, depending on how far ahead you book and what package you might choose. Last minute bookings rarely include perks.

 

We've never gotten free grats or dining on Princess, but we have both on our next 2 cruises.

[Tatka]

90% of celebrity cruises in a ocean view or above come with a classic drink package. Doesn’t include the repo cruises, transatlantics, etc. Other than that, I think the inclusions are similar. Celebrity does have an indoor Solarium with its own pool for free so no need to pay for the sanctuary.

Yes. Indoor solarium is a big plus.

About included drinks ... not sure

[villauk]

having never sailed on Celebrity X - what is included in their base fare that is not included on the Princess base fare?

 

grats?

excursions?

specialty dining?

 

anything - or is it all 'extra' like Princess depending on booking perks and loyalty?

 

 

X does usually come with a drink package for ocean view and above, but remember these are not ‘free’ but included in the base fare. Next year’s pricing on X in Europe is eye watering; during the high summer, I can go on a 13 night Princess cruise to New England for less than 7 nights on X :o. So putting things into perspective, those drink packages are being paid for.

 

We love sailing X but having experienced a not so stellar cruise on Reflection last year, we decided to give Princess another try this time. The itinerary would have to be very special for us to sail on Reflection again during peak season in Europe (you can definitely tell she has an extra deck of cabins compared to all the other S class ships) - much prefer cruising Europe on M class ships.

[Cairn Mom]

We have dear friends who love X but they never travel less than concierge class. Our one cruise on Celebrity, we did not travel in any special class and we felt marginalized. Nobody should feel that way when paying for a vacation.

We are still treated as valued guests even though we don’t travel Club Class on Princess. When we go upscale, we travel Crystal. Everyone is treated equally.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Cruise Junky]

We have dear friends who love X but they never travel less than concierge class. Our one cruise on Celebrity, we did not travel in any special class and we felt marginalized. Nobody should feel that way when paying for a vacation.

We are still treated as valued guests even though we don’t travel Club Class on Princess. When we go upscale, we travel Crystal. Everyone is treated equally.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

I’ve never felt that way on Celebrity. And we’ve always had a standard balcony. Concierge is certainly nothing to brag about. What made you feel marginalized?

[Tatka]

We have dear friends who love X but they never travel less than concierge class. Our one cruise on Celebrity, we did not travel in any special class and we felt marginalized. Nobody should feel that way when paying for a vacation.

We are still treated as valued guests even though we don’t travel Club Class on Princess. When we go upscale, we travel Crystal. Everyone is treated equally.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We cruised in inside, outside, balcony cabins on Celebrity and always got a great service. We don't care about type of cabin and spend most time outside in a nice atmosphere of pleasant co-cruisers.

I'm not sure what would make me feel marginalized. I know I don't have an access to some suite restaurants, but that's only because I am choosing not to pay for them.

Same with any line.

 

It's not a matter of class system, but rather what you are paying for. Anyway you are getting nice service.

[Cairn Mom]

We cruised in inside, outside, balcony cabins on Celebrity and always got a great service. We don't care about type of cabin and spend most time outside in a nice atmosphere of pleasant co-cruisers.

I'm not sure what would make me feel marginalized. I know I don't have an access to some suite restaurants, but that's only because I am choosing not to pay for them.

Same with any line.

 

It's not a matter of class system, but rather what you are paying for. Anyway you are getting nice service.

 

 

 

Actually, we had some issues and when we complained, we were made to feel that our problems were unimportant. Unfortunately, it happen two separate times on that cruise. Many people enjoy X and that’s fine. Each to their own.We have cruised with Princess, Crystal and Oceania and have always been treated well so we’ll stick with those and maybe try others. Lots of ships in the sea lol.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[keithm]

The food is the same menu as the MDRs from the same kitchen. There is one extra entree each night' date=' usually made in the CC area by the head server. Our service was excellent, but we've always had good service on Princess. Not so on Celebrity.[/quote']

Celebrity's food declined a lot in less than 2 years(except specialty rest. which are still excellent) We've switched for a couple of cruises(2018-2019) on Oceania's Riviera. We're diehard foodies & the Riviera didn't disappoint. After next year we'll likely give Princess another shot. Their newest ship should be coning out by then(?) I do have to say The Regal's Chilean Seabass was about the best we've had at sea. Not impressed by the quality of the steaks in CG or Sabatini's. Not terrible by any means, just not as good as we expected.

[GUT2407]

Celebrity's food declined a lot in less than 2 years(except specialty rest. which are still excellent) We've switched for a couple of cruises(2018-2019) on Oceania's Riviera. We're diehard foodies & the Riviera didn't disappoint. After next year we'll likely give Princess another shot. Their newest ship should be coning out by then(?) I do have to say The Regal's Chilean Seabass was about the best we've had at sea. Not impressed by the quality of the steaks in CG or Sabatini's. Not terrible by any means, just not as good as we expected.

 

 

My honest opinion Celebrity Solstice (Oct 2017) and Emerald Princess (Dec 2016) there wasn’t much difference between food quality in the MDR

[caribill]

It is all supposedly extra' date=' but most Celebrity cruises seem to come with perks of some sort. Princess cruises are rather "sometimes" on perks, depending on how far ahead you book and what package you might choose. Last minute bookings rarely include perks.

 

[/quote']

 

90% of celebrity cruises in a ocean view or above come with a classic drink package. Doesn’t include the repo cruises, transatlantics, etc. Other than that, I think the inclusions are similar. Celebrity does have an indoor Solarium with its own pool for free so no need to pay for the sanctuary.

 

Just as Princess has promotions that come with a perk such as gratuities or alcohol beverage package, Celebrity often has promotions that come with one such perk that is actually included. Sometimes no such perk is included.

 

Following is an example of price differential for Celebrity perks on a 12 day cruise I was on last year.

 

First of all, there were four possible perks (values are for my 12 day cruise):

a) basic beverage package (I do not remember the value)

b) $150 OBC (per person)

c) unlimited Internet (worth $282/person)

d) gratuities (worth $162/person)

 

If you have pricing where one perk is actually included at no additional cost, you can pick any of the four even if it was advertised as having the beverage package.

 

The three add on packages are:

1) Go Big (includes one perk of your choice)

2) Go Bigger (includes two perks of your choice)

3) Go Best (includes all four perks with the beverage package being their higher one instead of the basic package)

 

Pricing (per person) added to the basic cruise fare for my 12 day cruise:

1) Go big with one perk $150.

2) Go bigger with two perks $150+$180=$330

3) Go best with all four perks $150+$180+$360=$690

 

So for two people in a cabin (both must pick the same perks), you would pay $1380 to have all four perks. Celebrity does a good job of marketing, so people say they booked and have all four perks, but may not realize that they definitely paid for them,

 

Picked the $150 OBC? Well, you paid either $150 or $180 for it, depending if it was your first pick or a later pick.

 

Picked the $162 gratuities? Again, you paid either $150 or $180 for them.

 

Picked the unlimited internet worth $282? Also paid either $150 or $180. But do both people really need unlimited Internet on two devices at the same time? If not, you are paying for two people either $300 or $360 for a perk that costs $282 for one device at a time. It should also be noted that members of their loyalty club can get discounts up to 25% or more if purchasing the Internet instead of it being a perk, making it a $211.50 value for a single device.

Edited June 10, 2018 by caribill