Just back from Celebrity Apex - now there's a dilema!

[ian441672]

Hi

 

Just as a bit of context, we are early 50's, first cruised 12 years ago with Princess and we have worked our way up to Elite and tend to stay in a suite which we enjoy. We are loyal to Princess, enjoy their product and (apart from 1 cruise) usually enjoy their overall food, drink and entertainment offerings. We were due to sail on the maiden Enchanted voyage from Southampton, but then something else happened that ruined so many things for so many people!

 

In those years because of the 'ideal' itinerary, we have also done 2 Celebrity cruises, first in a standard room, and the second in a Sky Suite (entry level equivalent). Since Princess were only doing UK cruises as of now, and we didnt want that, I ventured out to X again and saw a Greek and Dubrovnik cruise which looked appealing on the new (4th sailing we were on on) Apex, again in a SS.

 

See my review / blog on the X page here: 

 

It is a long read if you bear with it, but has photos, observations and other peoples views on it.

 

My main point was in my view, X have really upped their game with their Edge class ships and given me the dilemma of who my next cruise should be with! This won't resonate with everyone I know due to personal preferences, traditionalists and perhaps non-suite passengers, but being a suite passenger, it does resonate with us.

 

As a suite guest on X, we have our own large, bright, welcoming and comfortable 'Retreat' Lounge (previously known as Michael's), with a full free bar (no matter what package you are on), in-house concierge, snacks and afternoon tea, outstanding service. This leads outside to the retreat sun deck, up one level, again, purely for suite guests, with extremely comfortable loungers, beds, gazebo's, pool, bar and food service. Drinks on tap and service is continuous throughout the day. 

 

We also have our own butler (not such a big draw to us, but nice to have), who ensured we had beer and soda's restocked every day, and 3 bottles of champagne (good stuff) throughout our holiday. Nothing was too much trouble....Luminae was the suite only dining room with its (limited) unique menu and specials available, no reservations needed, and a sommelier for all your wine needs, complimentary. Speciality restaurants were superior, and of the course the 'Magic Carpet', gimmick or not, was a lovely place to have a drink at sunset.

 

The ship was inventive, enticing, modern, quirky, inviting and oh, so much more. Eden, a new concept was all this and more with immersive shows while eating or drinking at the bar / restaurant, with a rustic garden like appeal 3 decks high. The entertainment was some of the best I have seen at sea, and lets face it, it can be hit and miss wherever you are. The productions shows were like no others I have seen and the theatre is a 180 degree experience, with a huge LCD 4K 180 degree projection screen, one of only 3 in the world on ships (apparently).

 

I won't go on as all the details are to be seen on the link, and I know some will hate this ship or feel it not applicable to them, but for non suite guests I think this ship is a force to be reckoned with. For suite guests, Celebrity have really upped their game and made it very appealing over Princess, and given me a real dilemma. But what a nice dilemma to have!

 

Thanks all. Just my opinion!

[jennybenny]

Thanks for sharing. I would consider us loyal to Princess, but I have been eyeing other options in the last few years. I had ignored Celebrity and other main stream cruise lines that tend to compete with Princess, and was thinking Seabourn or Regent, but your description has piqued my interest to explore Celebrity in their suites category. Thanks! 

 

[ian441672]

1 minute ago, jennybenny said:

Thanks for sharing. I would consider us loyal to Princess, but I have been eyeing other options in the last few years. I had ignored Celebrity and other main stream cruise lines that tend to compete with Princess, and was thinking Seabourn or Regent, but your description has piqued my interest to explore Celebrity in their suites category. Thanks! 

 

You're welcome. I do like to occasionally compare, not often wanting or needing to, but when I do (or did), it certainly opened my eyes! Of course it did help only 700/3000 pax on board, but make the most of it!

 

Thanks.

[Lady Arwen]

  Celebrity is our number one with Princess number two.  We have sailed on Edge, the first ship of it’s class, and loved it!  Unfortunately, two Apex cruises were cancelled and we rebooked two more on Enchanted Princess and it was considerably less money.  We shall see if it was a good choice.

[LACruiser88]

We have cruised Celebrity several times and have enjoyed it very much.  The price difference between them and Princess is reflective in the quality of the experience.  

 

But, for the difference in cost we prefer to cruise on longer voyages with Princess.

[geoherb]

Having more choices is not a problem. I always like to look at Princess, Holland America, and Celebrity before booking a cruise. Princess has usually won out. Our last Celebrity cruise was not the best, but it hasn't kept me from looking to see if there's a bargain. 

[AF-1]

Since I don't drink Alcohol having access to a private bar either on Celebrity or Princess means nothing to me.  I 've had a butler on NCL and it was nice to have but my cabin attendant and concierge did most everything.  The Royal Class ships, SKY, Enchanted, have concierge, suite lounges etc.  Thanks for your input into what else is available.  Cheers and have a great day.

[JaniceB]

Your cruise on Celebrity sounds amazing!

[Marelaine]

What a delightful dilemma - choosing between two wonderful cruise lines. 
 

 

[compozer]

We always book Princess suites but have not been real happy lately.   I have been debating if I should check out Celebrity and i think I will after reading this.  Thanks

 

[PRNole47]

I kind of look at cruise lines as I do airlines: Book whichever offers a reasonably priced cabin class or suite, on whatever itinerary, or time of the year, amenities, schedule, etc. While I am a member of varying levels with many loyalty or reward programs, I don't let that get in the way of choosing a cruise line. I guess I don't have any "real" loyalty to any ocean or air carrier, which is OK for me.

[SeaHunt]

Over on the Celebrity board poster @fridge has posted they are on the Apex now and there are only 300 guests! I can't imagine what that would be like, but pretty sure I'd love it!

 

JMO I love all suites on all lines (who doesn't), but Celebrity suite class is hard to beat. And one of the best things is that their suite service is just as good among all their ships too. 😊

[dreams_of_travel]

On 8/12/2021 at 10:26 AM, ian441672 said:

Hi

 

Just as a bit of context, we are early 50's, first cruised 12 years ago with Princess and we have worked our way up to Elite and tend to stay in a suite which we enjoy. We are loyal to Princess, enjoy their product and (apart from 1 cruise) usually enjoy their overall food, drink and entertainment offerings. We were due to sail on the maiden Enchanted voyage from Southampton, but then something else happened that ruined so many things for so many people!

 

In those years because of the 'ideal' itinerary, we have also done 2 Celebrity cruises, first in a standard room, and the second in a Sky Suite (entry level equivalent). Since Princess were only doing UK cruises as of now, and we didnt want that, I ventured out to X again and saw a Greek and Dubrovnik cruise which looked appealing on the new (4th sailing we were on on) Apex, again in a SS.

<snip>

I won't go on as all the details are to be seen on the link, and I know some will hate this ship or feel it not applicable to them, but for non suite guests I think this ship is a force to be reckoned with. For suite guests, Celebrity have really upped their game and made it very appealing over Princess, and given me a real dilemma. But what a nice dilemma to have!

 

Thanks all. Just my opinion!

I enjoyed your writeup for your Apex cruise.  I also was on an Apex cruise this summer, and wow! was it wonderful.  (similarly small numbers, and never seemed crowded b/c the people just were not onboard)

 

I have a similar dilemma about choosing between Princess and Celebrity.   I will have to see how my next three Princess cruises (Alaska, short Caribbean, and longer Caribbean) stack up against my oh so memorable Greek holiday.   I have been looking over next year's Celebrity sailings vs Princess, and I keep finding the Celebrity ones seem to offer something different.  Not on their newest ships, but that doesn't matter that much to me.  Though I am a huge fan of the Eden dining/venue space.  I guess going forward I have more flexibility/choice in where I spend my money.  While I was working towards Elite on Princess, I sailed them without much thought b/c I wanted the Elite perks.  Now that they have reshuffled the perks, they aren't as important any more. YMMV

[loge23]

Yes, there are very good options out there now.

We're currently booked on three Princess cruises, primarily for the itineraries - we are long-time Princess cruisers. In recent years, we tried other a couple of other lines - Celebrity and Viking Ocean - and enjoyed the difference in services and amenities. We're currently booked on the Edge for October in a Sky Suite, based on pretty much what you described, similar to which we had heard from friends.

The suite itself, an S1, resembles our usual digs on Princess, a mini-suite, but the amenities significantly outshine that which we have on Princess. The cuisine of Celebrity has also seemingly been upgraded, while Princess has slipped a bit, imo.

Viking is really a whole different experience from the big ships, but one which we thoroughly enjoyed as well and we will almost certainly return for the right trip. 

Point is, good options! Princess keeps us because the perks, but the other lines are snatching folks like us away by meeting or exceeding those perks - loyalty or not. 

 

[ian441672]

18 hours ago, loge23 said:

Yes, there are very good options out there now.

We're currently booked on three Princess cruises, primarily for the itineraries - we are long-time Princess cruisers. In recent years, we tried other a couple of other lines - Celebrity and Viking Ocean - and enjoyed the difference in services and amenities. We're currently booked on the Edge for October in a Sky Suite, based on pretty much what you described, similar to which we had heard from friends.

The suite itself, an S1, resembles our usual digs on Princess, a mini-suite, but the amenities significantly outshine that which we have on Princess. The cuisine of Celebrity has also seemingly been upgraded, while Princess has slipped a bit, imo.

Viking is really a whole different experience from the big ships, but one which we thoroughly enjoyed as well and we will almost certainly return for the right trip. 

Point is, good options! Princess keeps us because the perks, but the other lines are snatching folks like us away by meeting or exceeding those perks - loyalty or not. 

 

Yes, the SS is slightly bigger than a junior suite on Princess, but as you say the amenities, add on's and service far outweigh this. I have been is the Owners Suite (huge room and triple balcony, aft of ship) on Princess for not much more than a SS on Celebrity, but now the perks for suite guests do tip in favour of X. (Mind you, you do pay extra for it, over on top of equivalent to X). And as my wife said, after sailing on the Apex, the Princess ships seem outdated now. Would like to see how the Enchanted was, more edgy / modern, or just an upgrade to 'traditional' (which we do enjoy also)?

[Wheelhouse]

We are also Elite on Princess but saw the introductory video on Celebrity Beyond and decided to give it a try.  We booked a Sky Suite for the inaugural itinerary in April.   We will be on the Enchanted in February so it will be a good opportunity to make a comparison.

[ian441672]

1 hour ago, Wheelhouse said:

We are also Elite on Princess but saw the introductory video on Celebrity Beyond and decided to give it a try.  We booked a Sky Suite for the inaugural itinerary in April.   We will be on the Enchanted in February so it will be a good opportunity to make a comparison.

Lucky you, on the Beyond. We were only on the 4th sailing on the Apex, so it will be a similar feel, only newer (but with more passengers!). It will be an amazing ship, with Luminae at the very front of the ship (giving you a captains view whilst dining!) and they are expanding the retreat deck over 2 decks as well.

 

I would be interested to hear on the Enchanted as well, so please let us know! Two amazing cruises coming up!