Celebrity vs Princes

[Pickels]

Celebrity vs. Princess

A few months back, there was a topic on Cruise Critic where someone wanted to compare the benefits/perks between Celebrity and Princess.  At that time I said that we have cruised on Celebrity three times, Equinox and Silhouette and our first cruise on Princess, Regal, was coming up.  I said I would do a fair comparison when we got off the Regal Princess; based upon prior cruises (things may have changed since then) here’s my opinion---IMHO, Celebrity offers better benefits/perks…

Embarkation:  While Princess does have the Medallion, which made the embarkation process very easy and timely, Celebrity offers priority boarding that even provides an escort to a concierge lounge where you can wait for your cabin and also ask and make inquiries to any issue or concern.

Disembarkation:  On the Regal, the disembarkation was not done in a very logical way; first you had to go to the Vista Lounge which is forward and then when your number is called, hike back to the middle of the ship to get off.  On Celebrity, you go to a lounge which is closer to the disembarkation point, where you wait but the concierge will escort you off the ship.

Food:  Princess has a great buffet in the Horizon Court with a great selection and plenty of seats.  We never had a problem finding a seat at breakfast or lunch. But, in the MDR, this is where Princess falls short;  Celebrity had more of a selection for dinner and  Princess had a limited number of selections.  And if you wanted steak, $19 please.  Desserts were quite lacking both in the MDR and the buffet.

Personal Issue:  My wife has asthma and we requested a box/floor fan for our cabin.  This helps with her breathing at night by increasing the airflow.  Our cabin steward tried, but his supervisor said none was available. When we went to the Guess Relations desk and made an inquiry, the manager said there is not one fan on the entire ship.  On every one of our prior cruises, (NCL, RCI and Celebrity) a fan was always provided.  

          This issue is so important that when I was in the process of make our reservation for the Regal, I asked about a box/floor fan and was told that that request would have to be done on the ship.  If we knew that it couldn’t be fulfilled, we would have not have cruised with Princess.

Ship Layout:  Whenever we got off an elevator; there was no way to easily tell which way was aft or forward; we always had to ask someone.  On other ships, there was always adequate displays indicating direction.  

Sanctuary: One fantastic benefit on the Regal Princess is the Sanctuary; true it will cost you extra, but well worth it.  Great service throughout the day and very comfortable lounge chairs.

Beds:  The pillows were the worst we have ever had.

Shows/Events:  Missed a lot of the events and shows because of dinner times conflicting with show/events times.

Conclusion: I said I was going to be fair and even though Princess has some good benefits/perks, it’s back to Celebrity for us.

[mnocket]

It's always good to try new cruise lines.  Now you know that Celebrity is a better fit for you.  I've also sailed on both lines and came away with the opinion that they are more similar than not.  While each has advantages and disadvantages, either works for us.  Cruising is very personal experience and there is no one "right" or "best" line/ship.  I have my first cruise on MSC coming up in Sept.  I've heard such good things about their yacht club that I decided to give it a try.  I have no idea if it will be a good fit for me or not, but the only way to find out is to give it a try.  Some people are very loyal to a single cruise line.  Me? I like to change it up a bit.  Thanks for posting your observations.  I always like reading other's impressions of cruise lines.

[Mike45LC]

Like Mnocket, I also find Princess and Celebrity to be of reasonably equal quality.  I'd sail either one.  However, Princess has most of the LA sailings, and I really prefer to sail out of LA, so Princess wins for me.

 

Pickels, I appreciate your comparison report.  I'm sorry they wouldn't give your wife the floor fan.

 

Mnocket, I look forward to your MSC Yacht Club report.  Please do it in the form of a comparison to Princess so you can post it here on the Princess Forum!!

 

[voljeep]

sounds like the lack of a floor fan was the make or break ... how big does it need to be ? - we ALWAYS take a couple

of battery operated fans for our cabin ...

[daka]

We are on REGAL this week end (April 7 to 14 from FLL) 

Lately we are finding that Celebrity has been getting into more and more "petty" charges....we find that  the set up of the Princess buffet works better.

[reedprincess]

Pickels - FWIW - Celebrity only has a concierge that escorts you on/off for Suite and Concierge class (if they even do that for CC anymore) "Regular" cabins, even with high Captain's Club status and oriorirty boarding,  etc do not have a concierge escort, or private lounge to wait, etc.  And the lounge to await disembarkation on Celebrity is often a ways from where the actual disembarkation spot is also, frequently the theater for the "masses" versus Michael's Club or some spot closer to midship.   Being Elite Plus on Celebrity, we're very familiar with their processes . It's basically no different than Princess in that they use a variety of lounges to await departure, and where you wait depends on disembarkation time, cabin types and Captain's Club status....

Bummer about the fan issue - have never had a cruise that provided a fan, we always bring our own. Interesting that Celebrity provides them for you - they never have for us. And one of my best friends has been the Guest Services director for years, even she couldn't get one supplied.  (She recently moved to Princess along with multiple other officers from Celebrity, I'd expect to see some changes on both sides soon)..

Happy sails, wherever they may take you.  

 

Mnocket - will be interested to read tour review of MSC and YC when you do. What ship/itinerary?  We found both to be excellent, thoroughly enjoyed. We have also sailed Aurea on MSC and found it to be fab also.. We have two more MSC booked. Definitely a nice change from the same old same old of Princess and Celebrity, etc. 

Edited April 2, 2019 by reedprincess

[Pickels]

Thanks everyone for your feedback, as I have said many times before, a cruise or vacation is what you make it, did we have a good time on the Regal?  You betcha!  No real big issues, but the fan issue almost was; next time we will bring a battery operated fan and hope they don't confiscate it. 

[chamima]

1 hour ago, reedprincess said:

Pickels - FWIW - Celebrity only has a concierge that escorts you on/off for Suite and Concierge class (if they even do that for CC anymore) "Regular" cabins, even with high Captain's Club status and oriorirty boarding,  etc do not have a concierge escort, or private lounge to wait, etc.  And the lounge to await disembarkation on Celebrity is often a ways from where the actual disembarkation spot is also, frequently the theater for the "masses" versus Michael's Club or some spot closer to midship.   Being Elite Plus on Celebrity, we're very familiar with their processes . It's basically no different than Princess in that they use a variety of lounges to await departure, and where you wait depends on disembarkation time, cabin types and Captain's Club status....

Bummer about the fan issue - have never had a cruise that provided a fan, we always bring our own. Interesting that Celebrity provides them for you - they never have for us. And one of my best friends has been the Guest Services director for years, even she couldn't get one supplied.  (She recently moved to Princess along with multiple other officers from Celebrity, I'd expect to see some changes on both sides soon)..

Happy sails, wherever they may take you.  

 

 

 

 

I've heard that Princess treats their employees better than other lines . Can you say what motivated your friend (and her friends) to change lines?

 

As far as embarkation and debarkation - we are also Elite Plus on Celebrity and we sail in their Aqua class and we've never had anyone escort us to our cabin. I agree that the debarkation lounges are sometimes convenient and sometimes not so. I also appreciate that Princess doesn't make shipwide announcements every 5 minutes on which groups are cleared to disembark, but has the staff in your lounge let people know.

[markf]

I haven't been on Regal P. in the last 2 years, but  the last time the food in the buffet was simply superb.

The  choices, quality  and the set up was unquestionably the best I have in 30 cruises.

I was  recently on NCL Gem and  fond  the buffet to be repetitive and lacked excitement.

 

I am wondering of there has been any change in the buffet  in the last few  years-

[Gracie115]

We've sailed almost exclusively Celebrity for over 15 years and loved it.  But we tried the Regal last fall on a 10 day cruise and had a great time!  Vines is one of the best lounges on any ship we've ever been on.  We thought the MDR food was very good and especially appreciated the service in Club Class Dining.  We also had a $79.99 unlimited internet package which was great, Celebrity would have charged more than double for that (we're "Elite Plus" on Celebrity so we get a lot of free minutes, but that's beside the point when making a comparison).

 

We still love Celebrity, our next cruise with them is 12 days away, but the next two after that are with Princess. They are far more alike than different.  

[OCruisers]

39 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

We've sailed almost exclusively Celebrity for over 15 years and loved it.  But we tried the Regal last fall on a 10 day cruise and had a great time!  Vines is one of the best lounges on any ship we've ever been on.  We thought the MDR food was very good and especially appreciated the service in Club Class Dining.  We also had a $79.99 unlimited drink  package which was great, Celebrity would have charged more than double for that (we're "Elite Plus" on Celebrity so we get a lot of free minutes, but that's beside the point when making a comparison).

 

We still love Celebrity, our next cruise with them is 12 days away, but the next two after that are with Princess. They are far more alike than different.  

 

Having Club Class Dining and the PBP make Princess cruises especially enjoyable.  

[reedprincess]

5 hours ago, chamima said:

 

 

I've heard that Princess treats their employees better than other lines . Can you say what motivated your friend (and her friends) to change lines?

 

 

While no, I'm not at liberty to share her circumstances, in general - yes, it has to do with both how the employees are treated, and compensated - and the overall culture of the company. My mate had worked for Celebrity for many years - leaving was tough, to say the least, but necessary for any development and furtherance of her career . There's several cruise directors who've "jumped ship" in the last year or so - Alex is one that comes to mind. And several other senior officers who've left for smoother seas, so to speak, whether Princess or other lines...  I'd expect to see some changes at both sides due to the  senior personnel change overs...  

Personally, we're not sailing Celebrity for a bit due to not liking some of the extraneous charges such as room service delivery fees, upcharge room service items, lack of later night activities, class separation and sheer price. It's all become a bit much. Perhaps absence will make the heart grow fonder! Lol.

 

In the meantime, Princess fits the bill fairly well. And after trying MSC - we'll definitely be doing more with them!

 

Happy sails.

[caribill]

12 hours ago, Pickels said:

Personal Issue:  My wife has asthma and we requested a box/floor fan for our cabin.  This helps with her breathing at night by increasing the airflow.  Our cabin steward tried, but his supervisor said none was available. When we went to the Guess Relations desk and made an inquiry, the manager said there is not one fan on the entire ship.  On every one of our prior cruises, (NCL, RCI and Celebrity) a fan was always provided.  

 

 

Is that a typo or a comment on the services there?

[Gracie115]

8 hours ago, OCruisers said:

 

Having Club Class Dining and the PBP make Princess cruises especially enjoyable.  

 

Oh...must have been overly tired last night, I meant Unlimited INTERNET package for $79.99, not a drink package, we did NOT have one of those, sorry for the error.     

 

We found the staff on the Regal to be AT LEAST as good as any staff on any Celebrity ship.  

 

The only real complaint is that, as so many have said, the balconies are ridiculously narrow.  But that is not a deal breaker for us at all.

Edited April 3, 2019 by Gracie115

[Gracie115]

3 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

Oh, and we never had an issue finding seats in the theater, even though we arrived just a few minutes before the show.  I had read that was a problem, we didn't experience that.

 

 

Edited April 3, 2019 by Gracie115

[chamima]

54 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

 

Oh...must have been overly tired last night, I meant Unlimited INTERNET package for $79.99, not a drink package, we did NOT have one of those, sorry for the error.     

 

We found the staff on the Regal to be AT LEAST as good as any staff on any Celebrity ship.  

 

The only real complaint is that, as so many have said, the balconies are ridiculously narrow.  But that is not a deal breaker for us at all.

 

Your original post said unlimited INTERNET.

When OCruisers quoted you they changed it to "drink package"

[Pickels]

6 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Is that a typo or a comment on the services there?

Good Catch -- I created my article on Word, and that was  typo, darn auto-correct! Have a good day!

[tillys mom]

Interesting reading- can anyone do a MSC- Princess comparison?

[Xport]

16 hours ago, reedprincess said:

FWIW - Celebrity only has a concierge that escorts you on/off for Suite and Concierge class (if they even do that for CC anymore) "Regular" cabins, even with high Captain's Club status and oriorirty boarding,  etc do not have a concierge escort, or private lounge to wait, etc.  And the lounge to await disembarkation on Celebrity is often a ways from where the actual disembarkation spot is also, frequently the theater for the "masses" versus Michael's Club or some spot closer to midship.

 

Along with Suite [but not Concierge Class] guests Celebrity also provides priority luggage handling on embarkation day and disembarkation day, escorted priority embarkation from the terminal to Michael's Club or The Retreat Lounge, and escorted priority disembarkation from Michael's Club or The Retreat Lounge to those who--regardless of cabin category--are Zenith members in their Captain's Club...

[Gracie115]

4 hours ago, chamima said:

 

Your original post said unlimited INTERNET.

When OCruisers quoted you they changed it to "drink package"

 

Well thank you..I didn't go back and look, just assumed I had erred....

 

I wonder why he changed it? Weird.

[Gracie115]

13 hours ago, OCruisers said:

 

Having Club Class Dining and the PBP make Princess cruises especially enjoyable.  

So why did you change the wording of my post?

[OCruisers]

8 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

So why did you change the wording of my post?

 

VERY sorry, Gracie, I actually thought you meant to say PBP  which was dumb  of me. 

 

[Gracie115]

17 minutes ago, OCruisers said:

 

VERY sorry, Gracie, I actually thought you meant to say PBP  which was dumb  of me. 

 

All good, just wasn't sure what was going on....anyway would love a PBP if it only cost $79.95 for the whole cruise!!!! 😀

[reedprincess]

2 hours ago, tillys mom said:

Interesting reading- can anyone do a MSC- Princess comparison?

They're very different. 

In short, Princess is s fairly typicall mads market line, caters mostly to USA/Canada/UK/Australian sensibilities, tastes, atmosphere, entertainment, etc . Very good, abd very similar to Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Holland America, etc in their business model. Also, they answer to stockholders.

MSC is Italian, privately owned and much much much more Continental in atmosphere, attitudes, flavors, service type, entertainment, etc.  The demographics aboard are much much higher Continental European and South American.  What's included is based on what experience you purchase (some examples being whether room service is included or you may for delivery, massages or not, drink package or not, anytime dining, and so on)

We thoroughly enjoyed out two MSC sailings his year, and have two more booked later this year. Enjoyed the different onboard atmosphere, loved the wider demographic of guests - with all the various cultural differences, loved the much less intrusive and icer the too service from crew angling for more tips, lived not being nickeled and dimed every day, or being asked about wine tastings or Specialty dining or drink packages or art auction or whatever while eating or around the bars and so forth. Had some of the lowest onboard accounts we've ever had, due to the inclusions with our bookings and the much lower prices aboard.  And the cruise cost sane or less as similar weeks aboard Princess.

We're definitely fans, but will also still be cruising the other lines - and MSC ahead of Celebrity nowadays. 

 

Yes, a sidetrack post . But, you asked. Lol.  I could go more in depth, but not here 

 

2 hours ago, Xport said:

 

Along with Suite [but not Concierge Class] guests Celebrity also provides priority luggage handling on embarkation day and disembarkation day, escorted priority embarkation from the terminal to Michael's Club or The Retreat Lounge, and escorted priority disembarkation from Michael's Club or The Retreat Lounge to those who--regardless of cabin category--are Zenith members in their Captain's Club...

As for this, yes - Suites. CC used to have done of the privileges back in the day, hence my () around the CC part, and noting whether they even did anymore. 

Not in a suite, regardless of your CC status, you're in whatever Lounge they assign for disembarkation (with the exception of Zenith, of which there's extremely few).  

[Mike45LC]

9 hours ago, Gracie115 said:

 

Except for The Voice, we did not have problems finding good seats at the theater.  Most of the time, front row seats were available 10 minutes before show time.  (Ruby)