Compare celebrity to princess- Similarities and Differences

[cruisestitch]

I was reminded this evening how much nicer the public restrooms are on Celebrity.  Well-lit, generally spacious, with cloth towels and live plants (usually orchids)

[davekathy]

18 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

I was reminded this evening how much nicer the public restrooms are on Celebrity.  Well-lit, generally spacious, with cloth towels and live plants (usually orchids)

Is Celebrity still doing the welcome aboard champaign (sparkling wine) during embarkation? 

[prmssk]

We sailed on the Caribbean Princess last month and the Emerald Princess in February.  We have previously been on the Eclipse, Summit, and Constellation.  We had a cruise scheduled for next year on the Crown Princess and cancelled it and replaced it with the Eclipse because we prefer Celebrity that much more.

 

Princess rooms are really small.  If you want any seating in the room aside from the desk chair you need to book a mini-suite (or deluxe balcony on some of the newer ships).  Standard balcony rooms and below have no couch or comfortable chair and no place to put them.  Instead, they have an incredibly large walk-in closet that you would never fill (and can't get enough hangers for). 

 

We found the food on Princess to be very good overall but with very little variety and they were not great with handling my dietary restrictions.  Being allergic to dairy, I struggled to find anything I could eat in the buffet and although they modified meals int he MDR for me, they were often bland as they would just eliminate sauces instead of replacing and the menu had no indicators on it to help me pick naturally dairy free dishes (and the head waiter on both ships, who coincidentally happened to be the same guy, was of no help guiding me when I pre-ordered).  FYI - for those in my party with no dietary restrictions and who weren't picky eaters, they generally really enjoyed the food.  

 

They didn't allow smoking on the Emerald because of COVID restrictions but those restrictions were gone by our Caribbean Princess cruise and the smoke from the casino wafted into the atrium where several of the bars are.

 

I also agree with someone else who said public spaces feel crowded on Princess ships, more than I have generally felt on the M Class and S class ships.  The theater also has less capacity than Celebrity cruise ships.  I noticed you needed to get there very early on a Princess ship to get a seat and so I looked up theater capacity compared to ship capacity and Celebrity ships can hold a much larger percentage of their passengers in their two nightly shows than Princess can in their two nightly shows.

 

All that said, we had amazing service on Princess.  We did still enjoy our cruises.  The itineraries were good. The medallion concept is amazing (although it doesn't always work).  Internet is faster on Princess (unless they have a server down).  They had some great musicians on board that we really enjoyed.  So if Princess had an itinerary we really wanted, we would book again but if there is something comparable with Celebrity, we will likely spend a little more to go on Celebrity.

[cruisestitch]

41 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Is Celebrity still doing the welcome aboard champaign (sparkling wine) during embarkation? 

At the moment they are not greeting you with trays laden with glasses of bubbly as you enter the ship, because they don’t want people congregating at the entrance.  Instead, there are trays at various venues…I got my welcome glass at Cafe al Bacio.

Edited July 20, 2022 by cruisestitch

[CU64]

1 hour ago, prmssk said:

We sailed on the Caribbean Princess last month and the Emerald Princess in February.  We have previously been on the Eclipse, Summit, and Constellation.  We had a cruise scheduled for next year on the Crown Princess and cancelled it and replaced it with the Eclipse because we prefer Celebrity that much more.

 

Princess rooms are really small.  If you want any seating in the room aside from the desk chair you need to book a mini-suite (or deluxe balcony on some of the newer ships).  Standard balcony rooms and below have no couch or comfortable chair and no place to put them.  Instead, they have an incredibly large walk-in closet that you would never fill (and can't get enough hangers for). 

 

We found the food on Princess to be very good overall but with very little variety and they were not great with handling my dietary restrictions.  Being allergic to dairy, I struggled to find anything I could eat in the buffet and although they modified meals int he MDR for me, they were often bland as they would just eliminate sauces instead of replacing and the menu had no indicators on it to help me pick naturally dairy free dishes (and the head waiter on both ships, who coincidentally happened to be the same guy, was of no help guiding me when I pre-ordered).  FYI - for those in my party with no dietary restrictions and who weren't picky eaters, they generally really enjoyed the food.  

 

They didn't allow smoking on the Emerald because of COVID restrictions but those restrictions were gone by our Caribbean Princess cruise and the smoke from the casino wafted into the atrium where several of the bars are.

 

I also agree with someone else who said public spaces feel crowded on Princess ships, more than I have generally felt on the M Class and S class ships.  The theater also has less capacity than Celebrity cruise ships.  I noticed you needed to get there very early on a Princess ship to get a seat and so I looked up theater capacity compared to ship capacity and Celebrity ships can hold a much larger percentage of their passengers in their two nightly shows than Princess can in their two nightly shows.

 

All that said, we had amazing service on Princess.  We did still enjoy our cruises.  The itineraries were good. The medallion concept is amazing (although it doesn't always work).  Internet is faster on Princess (unless they have a server down).  They had some great musicians on board that we really enjoyed.  So if Princess had an itinerary we really wanted, we would book again but if there is something comparable with Celebrity, we will likely spend a little more to go on Celebrity.

Prefer Celebrity but Princess design for hanging closet area by bathroom,

providing privacy while dressing + better closet storage…..hands down wins over Celebrity. Those dumb open bins over the bed are ridiculous.

[prmssk]

9 hours ago, CU64 said:

Prefer Celebrity but Princess design for hanging closet area by bathroom,

providing privacy while dressing + better closet storage…..hands down wins over Celebrity. Those dumb open bins over the bed are ridiculous.

Everyone has different preferences and I get that it does provide more privacy.  I guess I just don't really need that privacy from my husband and have never had storage issues on Celebrity ships.  And we really like having a place to sit down that isn't the bed.  Do you book standard balcony or lower rooms on Princess?  Or do you normally get a mini-suite/deluxe balcony or higher?  For those getting a mini-suite/deluxe balcony or higher, they get both space and the storage/privacy so I can see how it would be the best of both worlds.

 

I think Princess makes it all worse by starting with smaller cabins.  When we noticed how small the cabins felt on the Emerald and Caribbean Princess, I looked up square footage.  Our premium balcony on the Emerald Princess was 15 square feet smaller than the interior cabin we have booked on the Eclipse coming up.  The interior cabin we stayed on the Caribbean Princess was 21 square feet smaller than the interior we have booked on the Eclipse.  It looks like Princess's Royal class ships made the cabins slightly larger (but with incredibly tiny balconies) but they still are less square footage than Celebrity's cabins.  So taking an already very small room and taking a quarter of it for the closet has a big impact.  Some will really like that big closet.  Others will feel the closet makes the cabin feel very cramped.

[Ereggae]

Celebrity is always number one for me.  I only do Princess if itinerary is more favorable.

[CU64]

9 hours ago, prmssk said:

Everyone has different preferences and I get that it does provide more privacy.  I guess I just don't really need that privacy from my husband and have never had storage issues on Celebrity ships.  And we really like having a place to sit down that isn't the bed.  Do you book standard balcony or lower rooms on Princess?  Or do you normally get a mini-suite/deluxe balcony or higher?  For those getting a mini-suite/deluxe balcony or higher, they get both space and the storage/privacy so I can see how it would be the best of both worlds.

 

I think Princess makes it all worse by starting with smaller cabins.  When we noticed how small the cabins felt on the Emerald and Caribbean Princess, I looked up square footage.  Our premium balcony on the Emerald Princess was 15 square feet smaller than the interior cabin we have booked on the Eclipse coming up.  The interior cabin we stayed on the Caribbean Princess was 21 square feet smaller than the interior we have booked on the Eclipse.  It looks like Princess's Royal class ships made the cabins slightly larger (but with incredibly tiny balconies) but they still are less square footage than Celebrity's cabins.  So taking an already very small room and taking a quarter of it for the closet has a big impact.  Some will really like that big closet.  Others will feel the closet makes the cabin feel very cramped.

Yes, always a minisuite but any balcony will do if necessary. 

[Mississippian]

On 7/14/2022 at 1:39 PM, basenji56 said:

Food is better on Celebrity.  Especially in the buffet.  I found Princess buffet disappointing.  Princess MDR is ok but not great.  I found entertainment to be better on Princess.  Ice cream is better on Celebrity.  Internet is better on Princess.  Princess has fabulous pizza.  Princess has real verandas unlike Celebrity Edge class (except for sunset verandas and suites).    Princess appears to generally be cheaper.

The Princess buffet isn't nearly as good as it was 20 years ago.

[Justprettynpink]

We went on a Princess Cruise then immediately to a Celebrity cruise last month. The chat feature on the main page on the Princess App Does NOT send chats to your travel companion while the Celebrity App the chat on the main page will….

 

My husband sent me a nice message on the Princess App….Guest Relations replied 🤣🤣

[Fishboy1947]

Looking at airfares to Europe, The Princess EZAir are significantly less than Flights by Celebrity. The Princess airfares to Europe have been consistently significantly less than market anytime that I have checked them.

Edited July 21, 2022 by Fishboy1947
Clarity

[abbydancer2003]

I sail both.  Most things have been covered, but I'll give some of my opinions - for what they're worth.

 

I normally book mini suites.  The perks are better on Celebrity, since they have a suite restaurant, and lounge.  Princess added Club Class to their center minisuites, and there's a separate section for dining for them and suites.  It is a slightly better dining venue, but it's still the main dining.  Advantages are  that you avoid the mess that is now "dine my way", ie you just show up.  And they do have an extra entree every day, and some ships have a lunch pasta, and a couple of times I've seen a breakfast special.  

 

Princess ships have better in room storage.  We were just in a balcony on the Eclipse, and it's a good thing DH can reach over the bed, because otherwise we'd be way short of storage.  The closet on Princess is nice, because there's space for suitcases on the floor and lots of room.  

 

On the Grand/Gem class ships, there's also a walk around Promenade deck, which is nice.  The other thing it has for us, is true dance floors.  Not just the atrium and occasionally the sky lounge.  Princess also still has their elite cocktail hour.  Drinks aren't included, but there's a nice buffet spread.

 

I'm Elite on both.  I have unlimited laundry on Princess, and 1 bag on X.  Although on X DH gets my status, so he was Elite on my points because I also sail with my sister on Celebrity.    It's much easier to get to top tier on Princess.

 

Finally, Princess has better itineraries if you live on the west coast.  My current thinking is Princess if I want a short cruise, such as a coastal, and X for interesting cruises.

 

That said, my mom is taking our whole family (7 of us) on an Alaska cruise in September.  it's on Princess because of Glacier Bay. 

And X can't go because Royal lines got banned for a while.

 

If the price is close, I'd do X

 

[deultgen]

On 7/19/2022 at 6:46 PM, CaliforniaCruiseCocktails said:

Our last two cruises were Princess and we are doing our spring cruise on Celebrity because we were really disappointed in the food on Ruby Princess last week -- especially Sabatini's, which was odd because we LOVED Sabatini's on Discovery this spring. We're giving Princess one last whirl in December with a New Year's cruise on Diamond to Mexican Riviera.

Sabatini's on the Ruby is a beautiful space.

[lhsail]

We’ve have sailed both lines extensively. Years ago, we leaned towards Princess. Shortly before Covid, we had a couple of fantastic cruises on the Equinox and post-Covid have sailed Celebrity numerous times. Our loyalty has shifted. I’ll just summarize what others have already said: aside from storage, Celebrity cabins are larger and more comfortable with a sofa, etc. and balconies are bigger; better food and beverage selections on Celebrity; Celebrity has really ramped up their entertainment; younger/better mix of demographics; staff very visible around the ship.

 

We have a lot of Princess FCC to use up from a canceled Australian trip, so we are going on the Ruby Princess in December and the Enchanted in February. It will be interesting to see how we feel about Princess after several wonderful recent Celebrity cruises. 

[AstoriaPreppy]

Princess pizza is stellar, whether from the sit down pizza restaurants or the lido poolside pizzaria. Celebrity pizza doesn't come close... although I still think Royal Caribbean's Sorento's Pizza is by far the worst pizza at sea.

 

Princess attracts a lot of cruisers who have sailed with the line for decades, while Celebrity has been better about bringing in newer/younger/more diverse demographics. 

 

Princess feels much more like a "traditional" cruise experience in many ways than Celebrity does... which is why some of their efforts to shake things up (no assigned dining times for anyone, etc) have caused so many issues with loyalists.

 

Princess entertainment is less creative than Celebrity, and aimed at a much older, more traditional clientele. Celebrity's newer ships feature acrobats, aerialists, rain in the theater, etc. New Princess ships have song and dance revues that are often cringe-worthy.

 

Princess has TINY standard staterooms, that are oddly designed. Instead of a closet, they have a wall/railing that provides privacy space for dressing (it's 2022 not 1822, so I've never understood the modesty feature). Princess bathrooms are also *tiny* and poorly designed compared to other new build ships. Celebrity's new ships have substantially larger standard staterooms, with an infinite balcony. You'll read lots of mixed opinions of the infinite balcony, but we found it to be the best standard stateroom we've *ever* had. 

 

Princess technology is miles ahead of Celebrity. They've spent billions on outfitting their ships with transponders that can track your location down to a 1-2 ft radius. This means you can order snacks or drinks to be delivered anywhere at any time.

 

Princess tends to do much better with local enrichment and programs. i.e. bringing entertainment or activities on in a port, or offering local food/beverage options onboard. On Celebrity, it's a lot more formulaic... menus don't really change, and any lecturers may be completely not relevant to the voyage you're on.

[CharlieCharlieCharlie]

On 7/14/2022 at 8:33 PM, intr3pid said:

One has been criminally convicted twice for dumping in protected waters, and the other not. 

...and killed several whales in Alaska, one recently.

[AstoriaPreppy]

26 minutes ago, CharlieCharlieCharlie said:

...and killed several whales in Alaska, one recently.

 

Hey, only NCL is the line that actually *hit an iceberg* in Alaska.

[CharlieCharlieCharlie]

I should have responded to the OP's question.  My husband and I have enjoyed both Princess and Celebrity, as well as a few other lines.  We have not sailed on Apex, but really enjoy the S Class ships best.  We have sailed on several Princess ships, including Regal's sister ship, Royal.  It was a beautiful ship.  It has been a number of years that we have primarily chosen Celebrity ships. (Nothing to do with the  hitting of whales and dumping in protected waters, more to do with sailing a side by side set of cruises on Royal Princess and Celebrity Silhouette and noting the differences.)  Although we don't gamble, we like that there is no smoking indoors and barely noticeable in any of the outdoor areas where it is allowed. There were many areas around the princess ships where the smoking was very annoying. We both agree that the look of the Celebrity ships is more modern and they seem more luxury in style.  Even the balcony/veranda feels better.  The food has usually been much better on Celebrity as compared to Princess, but I am sure it depends on the ship and the itinerary, tastes and expectations.  The spa on the Royal Princess was fabulous, but the Apex is likely to be amazing too.  Even though there was so much to do on large RCCL and NCL ships and they are very family oriented, we certainly have found most meals on Celebrity ships to be much better than the RCCL and NCL ships we have sailed.  The cabins and verandas (we usually sail in a suite of some type, but have stayed in the Aqua and veranda cabins as well as princess regular balcony cabins) are larger and more comfortable on Celebrity.  Some ships, some cruises and some lines have been better for us, but all of them have been great in some way.  Bottom line, I would choose the Apex  over Regal if the itinerary was similar.

 

[HappyCamper49]

On 7/14/2022 at 1:58 PM, JP350 said:

I’m thinking about booking a celebrity or princess cruise for April 2023 princess currently has the better price, but celebrity is looking appealing. Could anyone compare and contrast the two lines similarities and differences. I’ve takes 22 rccl cruises 25 total so I’ll have status with celebrity. The ships I’m looking at are regal princess or celebrity apex. Any info you guys can give is greatly appreciated 

I have only sailed on the Solstice class of Celebrity, but why not just give Celebrity a chance and YOU decide which line you prefer?  We have enjoyed the cleanliness of Celebrity ships, the always smiling employees with a "Can Do" attitude.  We can truly say we have enjoyed the food on Celebrity ships too.   Now since you have children I do not know how much they would enjoy a Celebrity cruise.  They do have kids programs and activities, but I cannot comment on those.

Personally, my husband and I love Celebrity!  Give it a try.

[jzad]

On 7/14/2022 at 4:25 PM, Jeremiah On a Cruise said:

I've been on both a few times.

 

I would agree with others that Celebrity tends to have slightly better food - both in terms of selection and quality in the MDR and buffet.  Blu (and I presume Luminae)  also offers a vastly superior dining experience than Club Class for premium staterooms.

 

Entertainment is mostly equal, with maybe a slight edge to Princess. 

 

The smoke free casino is a big plus for Celebrity.

 

Service is superior on both, but I've found it to be slightly more reliable on Princess.

 

I strongly prefer Celebrity ship designs over Princess.  The layout, flow, and décor of Celebrity, in both the cabin and public areas, is typically much much nicer.  Princess has some snazzy and luxurious features (e.g. they do the atrium as well as anyone), but overall - I have a strong preference for Celebrity.

 

Similarly, Celebrity ships are often more intuitive and less crowded than Princess.  Granted, my favorite two ship classes I've ever been on are the Celebrity M and S classes (I haven't got on an Edge class yet.)

 

The crowds on Celebrity tend to be a bit younger, more hip, more diverse, more liberal, and less formal than Princess.  You can decide if these are good or bad.

 

No offense intended, but I prefer the pre-cruise experience of Princess.  Their website tends to be better, their rollcalls larger, and forums more active and friendly, and their groupies more positive.  

 

Princess has always felt like a bit more of a polished company off the ship.  On the ship, they are both great.  (note that both are going through major issues the last few years due to staffing)

 

Technology/features is a push.  Princess is miles ahead with their Medallion approach when it works  - though the technology is highly unreliable, and has turned into much of a stressor than a feature.

 

Itinerates are often better on Princess.  I live on the west coast, and Princess offers much better itineraries to Alaska and Mexico. 

 

Celebrity is, appropriately, but slightly more expensive.

 

Ultimately, both are great.  Personally, I'll pay a bit more, and accept a slightly worse itinerary to sail with Celebrity over Princess - but thousands of people make the other choice each day - and I'm not about to fault them for that.

Ditto on all of this.  Great review of both and I totally agree.  

[deliver42]

Couldn't have said it better.

[Ken the cruiser]

For us, as we are retired and like to go on longer 3-5 week cruises, Princess offers some very unique itineraries whereas Celebrity is more of a 7-12 day cruise line where you have to book B2B cruises if you want a longer sailing experience. 

 

Also, I have found I usually gain 4-5 lbs after a 3 week B3B Celebrity cruise, mostly because they serve larger portions at dinner, whereas I usually don't gain any weight on a similar Princess cruise because of their smaller portions.

 

But both lines have now become our go-to cruise lines, depending on itineraries, as we simply have a blast on both!!