Princess compared to Celebrity

[Ken the cruiser]

54 minutes ago, Torfamm said:

I don’t think traditional early and late seating is available on E-class ships. As with Princess, can make a reservation in the same dining room at the same time each night for your party,  then request the same table be assigned for the whole cruise when on board. Requesting a shared table with the same group of strangers each night isn’t an option.

Thanks! As long as we can make specific Anytime Dining reservations and they honor them once we’re onboard, that sounds like a doable option. My DW just reminded me on our 2021 Apex cruise, she made pre-cruise reservations at each MDR and worked hard to reserve specific times on each of the 16 days of our Apex B2B. Then when we boarded the Apex, those reservations were ignored and we just had to get in line with everyone else, regardless if they had previously made reservations or not (I.e., first come first serve).

[stevenr597]

8 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Thanks! As long as we can make specific Anytime Dining reservations and they honor them once we’re onboard, that sounds like a doable option. My DW just reminded me on our 2021 Apex cruise, she made pre-cruise reservations at each MDR and worked hard to reserve specific times on each of the 16 days of our Apex B2B. Then when we boarded the Apex, those reservations were ignored and we just had to get in line with everyone else, regardless if they had previously made reservations or not (I.e., first come first serve).

That is one of the reasons that we liked Regal Princess, with Reserve Class we did not have any wait for breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

[Ken the cruiser]

23 minutes ago, stevenr597 said:

That is one of the reasons that we liked Regal Princess, with Reserve Class we did not have any wait for breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

Totally agree! Booking itineraries in Reserve Collection mini-suites or higher that allow us to dine in the Reserve Dining Room is definitely a big plus for us as well.

[asctony]

27 minutes ago, stevenr597 said:

That is one of the reasons that we liked Regal Princess, with Reserve Class we did not have any wait for breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

We were on the Enchanted last week and saw lines every time for the Reserve Class. So, it all depends on ship, amount of passengers, etc. There is no one answer. 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

2 minutes ago, asctony said:

We were on the Enchanted last week and saw lines every time for the Reserve Class. So, it all depends on ship, amount of passengers, etc. There is no one answer. 

 

We're usually there when the Reserve DR first opens around 5 pm, and as one might imagine there was no wait and were usually able to sit at the same table every night. However, we did notice it got a lot busier around 6-6:30 pm as we were leaving.

[stevenr597]

23 minutes ago, asctony said:

We were on the Enchanted last week and saw lines every time for the Reserve Class. So, it all depends on ship, amount of passengers, etc. There is no one answer. 

 

There were lines, but most of the people were not Reserve Class, we literally went to the front of the line.  

Of course at prime dining times, I am sure that there may be some wait, but my experience with club class and the newer reserve class is that they will do everything and anything to expedite one’s seating.  Another advantage is that you will be able to get the table size you want, and they also give a preference if you want to sit next to a window. 

[Lady Arwen]

54 minutes ago, stevenr597 said:

That is one of the reasons that we liked Regal Princess, with Reserve Class we did not have any wait for breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

I think this is why so many Celebrity people book Aqua class or suites to get their own private upscale restaurants.  Standard MDR reservations on all cruiselines  tend to have long line ups.

[Ken the cruiser]

Another reason Princess now gets the nod from us over Celebrity, besides the fact we are retired and in our 70s, is the extra attention to detail PCL puts in every year to create their longer more unique 3–5 week itineraries; probably to attract us "old folks"! 😂

 

For example, in Jan 2020 (before the shutdown) we went on a 25-day PCL cruise from Ft Lauderdale to Santiago, Chile by way of the Panama Canal and Easter Island! Our upcoming 30-day PCL Antarctica/South America B2B cruise RT Santiago includes 4 days cruising around the Antarctica Peninsula rather than just 2. In Alaska they offer a 14-day Voyage of the Glaciers B2B RT out of Vancouver. In Jan 2025 they have an 18-day transatlantic cruise (sort of) that goes from Argentina to Florida with 3 stops in Brazil. Then in July 2025 there is a 23-day Iberian transatlantic that goes from Barcelona to Boston by way of the UK and Iceland. We're still hoping to go on their 33-day South Pacific cruise RT out of LA. Then there is this unique 29-day Search for the Northern Lights combined with a TA cruise.

 

Cruise Details - 29-Day Northern Lights Grand Adventure - Princess Cruises

 

All at very affordable prices! 

Edited November 21, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[Lady Arwen]

41 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Another reason Princess now gets the nod from us over Celebrity, besides the fact we are retired and in our 70s, is the extra attention to detail PCL puts in every year to create their longer more unique 3–5 week itineraries; probably to attract us "old folks"! 😂

 

For example, in Jan 2020 (before the shutdown) we went on a 25-day PCL cruise from Ft Lauderdale to Santiago, Chile by way of the Panama Canal and Easter Island! Our upcoming 30-day PCL Antarctica/South America B2B cruise RT Santiago includes 4 days cruising around the Antarctica Peninsula rather than just 2. In Alaska they offer a 14-day Voyage of the Glaciers B2B RT out of Vancouver. In Jan 2025 they have an 18-day transatlantic cruise (sort of) that goes from Argentina to Florida with 3 stops in Brazil. Then in July 2025 there is a 23-day Iberian transatlantic that goes from Barcelona to Boston by way of the UK and Iceland. We're still hoping to go on their 33-day South Pacific cruise RT out of LA. Then there is this unique 29-day Search for the Northern Lights combined with a TA cruise.

 

Cruise Details - 29-Day Northern Lights Grand Adventure - Princess Cruises

 

All at very affordable prices! 

We’re booked on the July 2025 TA on Majestic!  Iceland, yahoo!  See you onboard!  Princess does indeed have some very imaginative itineraries and the reason why we also cruise with them.

[Torfamm]

3 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Thanks! As long as we can make specific Anytime Dining reservations and they honor them once we’re onboard, that sounds like a doable option. My DW just reminded me on our 2021 Apex cruise, she made pre-cruise reservations at each MDR and worked hard to reserve specific times on each of the 16 days of our Apex B2B. Then when we boarded the Apex, those reservations were ignored and we just had to get in line with everyone else, regardless if they had previously made reservations or not (I.e., first come first serve).

I can’t promise it will work for you  on this trip, but we were on the Apex twice last year and our reservations worked perfectly if that’s any consolation.

[Ken the cruiser]

3 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

We’re booked on the July 2025 TA on Majestic!  Iceland, yahoo!  See you onboard!  Princess does indeed have some very imaginative itineraries and the reason why we also cruise with them.

I have to say that’s a pretty “cool” transatlantic B2B going from Barcelona up to a cooler environment by way of Portugal, France, the UK, and Iceland before heading to Boston. 😁

[Lady Arwen]

1 minute ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I have to say that’s a pretty “cool” transatlantic B2B going from Barcelona up to a cooler environment by way of Portugal, France, the UK, and Iceland before heading to Boston. 😁

Yes, we’re excited!

[Ken the cruiser]

4 minutes ago, Torfamm said:

I can’t promise it will work for you  on this trip, but we were on the Apex twice last year and our reservations worked perfectly if that’s any consolation.

Just curious, was there separate lines for those that had reservations and those that didn’t?

[Torfamm]

15 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Just curious, was there separate lines for those that had reservations and those that didn’t?

I don’t recall seeing long lines at all on either cruise. They asked those without reservations to step to one side to wait after they approached the check-in area. It was pretty much like any land-based restaurant. For what it’s worth, we normally eat at 7 or 7:30, I can’t remember exactly what we booked. 

[S18278C]

Just off Princess Regal. Lately have been on only Celebrity. Started with Princess 15 years ago. I will only consider Princess if substantially a better deal for the perfect itinerary. This last cruise had a very poor breakfast in MDR, so poor we only ate there once for breakfast. On the last celebrity cruise, we wouldn't miss a morning. MDR dinners were a little better but nowhere near the quality of Celebrity. Going on NCL for the 1st time in a few weeks so maybe we will like that even better than Princess? Was honestly disappointed this last trip. Maybe the details of Celebrity have raised my expectations higher than Princess can deliver.

[stevenr597]

1 hour ago, S18278C said:

Just off Princess Regal. Lately have been on only Celebrity. Started with Princess 15 years ago. I will only consider Princess if substantially a better deal for the perfect itinerary. This last cruise had a very poor breakfast in MDR, so poor we only ate there once for breakfast. On the last celebrity cruise, we wouldn't miss a morning. MDR dinners were a little better but nowhere near the quality of Celebrity. Going on NCL for the 1st time in a few weeks so maybe we will like that even better than Princess? Was honestly disappointed this last trip. Maybe the details of Celebrity have raised my expectations higher than Princess can deliver.

Over the past year we completed three cruises, one on Discovery Princess, more recent one on Regal Princess and Celebrity Reflection.  We were Aqua Class on Celebrity, Club Class and Club Reserve on Princess.

Breakfast on Princess and on Celebrity in the dining rooms were limited, especially compared to the buffet.  Both were comparable.  We ate in the dining room instead of the buffet because the food was delivered hot and we did not have to look or wait for coffee. 

Lunch on Princess in the MDR was excellent with the inclusion of a Brunch Menu which was fairly good. Dinner on Princess had more variety in the dining room than Aqua Class on Celebrity.

On both cruise lines one could see cutbacks continuing after Covid and due to inflation.  

To be honest, one cannot compare the quality and service of either line to the good old days when there were daily Midnight Buffets and synchronized dining on Celebrity.  

[9tee2Sea]

16 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Another reason Princess now gets the nod from us over Celebrity, besides the fact we are retired and in our 70s, is the extra attention to detail PCL puts in every year to create their longer more unique 3–5 week itineraries; probably to attract us "old folks"! 😂

 

For example, in Jan 2020 (before the shutdown) we went on a 25-day PCL cruise from Ft Lauderdale to Santiago, Chile by way of the Panama Canal and Easter Island! Our upcoming 30-day PCL Antarctica/South America B2B cruise RT Santiago includes 4 days cruising around the Antarctica Peninsula rather than just 2. In Alaska they offer a 14-day Voyage of the Glaciers B2B RT out of Vancouver. In Jan 2025 they have an 18-day transatlantic cruise (sort of) that goes from Argentina to Florida with 3 stops in Brazil. Then in July 2025 there is a 23-day Iberian transatlantic that goes from Barcelona to Boston by way of the UK and Iceland. We're still hoping to go on their 33-day South Pacific cruise RT out of LA. Then there is this unique 29-day Search for the Northern Lights combined with a TA cruise.

 

Cruise Details - 29-Day Northern Lights Grand Adventure - Princess Cruises

 

All at very affordable prices! 

I put a deposit on the 33 day South pacific RT Los Angeles, 2025. I figured it was cheaper doing this cruise ( Im from LA), than flying to Tahiti, getting hotel and transport.  Chose an aft balcony by the terrace pool.  I will be stocking up on Bonine for this one ( my longest cruise yet)

[S18278C]

19 hours ago, stevenr597 said:

Over the past year we completed three cruises, one on Discovery Princess, more recent one on Regal Princess and Celebrity Reflection.  We were Aqua Class on Celebrity, Club Class and Club Reserve on Princess.

Breakfast on Princess and on Celebrity in the dining rooms were limited, especially compared to the buffet.  Both were comparable.  We ate in the dining room instead of the buffet because the food was delivered hot and we did not have to look or wait for coffee. 

Lunch on Princess in the MDR was excellent with the inclusion of a Brunch Menu which was fairly good. Dinner on Princess had more variety in the dining room than Aqua Class on Celebrity.

On both cruise lines one could see cutbacks continuing after Covid and due to inflation.  

To be honest, one cannot compare the quality and service of either line to the good old days when there were daily Midnight Buffets and synchronized dining on Celebrity.  

Aqua class has a limited special menu. Every night I always asked for and received the MDR menu for additional options. You should consider that next time in aqua. 

[chill6x6]

One clear difference and one that really matters to me.....Princess offers refundable deposits.  I now have two Princess cruises booked that I probably would have never booked.  And I fully intend on going on these cruises!

[cruisequeen4ever]

For me, Princess is a cut above Celebrity in food and entertainment and pretty equal to Celebrity in ships and crew. 

[asctony]

17 minutes ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

For me, Princess is a cut above Celebrity in food and entertainment and pretty equal to Celebrity in ships and crew. 

Totally disagree. Just got off of Enchanted 22 days.

Entertainment had the same couple as main show 3 nights of first 5 nights. Three production shows shown 2x in 22 days.

Food very subjective! About equal.

 

One big Princess advantage is Princess Plus pkgs. They include drinks, Wi-Fi, gratuities, ±.

Celebrity no long includes gratuities and more per day than Princess.

 

Princess Speciality Restaurants only $39. Celebrity $70+.

 

Those are my opinions on both lines. 

[Lady Arwen]

21 minutes ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

For me, Princess is a cut above Celebrity in food and entertainment and pretty equal to Celebrity in ships and crew. 

Except for non smoking casinos, large bathrooms with glass shower stalls, sofas and coffee tables in all ocean view cabins and higher, covered pool areas that can be used year round in any type of weather, complimentary adults only covered pool area with small buffet.  Aqua Class and full suites each have their own private restaurants and kitchens. 
 

Food, entertainment and service is generally equal, but varies depending on ship.  I don’t think Princess can be considered a cut above Celebrity.  Just my opinion, of course.  For me, Princess has a lot to do to catch up.

 

However, to each their own!  Everyone has their favourite cruiseline and ship.  We’re all so lucky to be able to make those choices and enjoy such outstanding vacations regardless of which ship we’re on.  

[doghog]

4 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

Except for non smoking casinos, large bathrooms with glass shower stalls, sofas and coffee tables in all ocean view cabins and higher, covered pool areas that can be used year round in any type of weather, complimentary adults only covered pool area with small buffet.  Aqua Class and full suites each have their own private restaurants and kitchens. 
 

Food, entertainment and service is generally equal, but varies depending on ship.  I don’t think Princess can be considered a cut above Celebrity.  Just my opinion, of course.  For me, Princess has a lot to do to catch up.

 

However, to each their own!  Everyone has their favourite cruiseline and ship.  We’re all so lucky to be able to make those choices and enjoy such outstanding vacations regardless of which ship we’re on.  

Exactly. Threads like this are interesting to read but have zero influence on any our cruise decisions. 

[stevenr597]

1 minute ago, Lady Arwen said:

Except for non smoking casinos, large bathrooms with glass shower stalls, sofas and coffee tables in all ocean view cabins and higher, covered pool areas that can be used year round in any type of weather, complimentary adults only covered pool area with small buffet.  Aqua Class and full suites each have their own private restaurants and kitchens. 
 

Food, entertainment and service is generally equal, but varies depending on ship.  I don’t think Princess can be considered a cut above Celebrity.  Just my opinion, of course.  For me, Princess has a lot to do to catch up.

 

However, to each their own!  Everyone has their favourite cruiseline and ship.  We’re all so lucky to be able to make those choices and enjoy such outstanding vacations regardless of which ship we’re on.  

Celebrity has the new Edge Class Ships.  Some would argue Celebrity is trying  to attract a younger more upscale crowed.  The balcony layout (not a real balcony) is disliked by some.  

Princess has the new the Sphere Class Ships which I believe will be an expansion of their current Royal Class, but have more dining venues, as well as a circular type theatre.

After much discussion with my wife, we decided to book the Enchanted Princess.  We do like their Club Reserve Mini-suites as well as the design of the ship, including the massive atrium and Horizon Court and Bistro 

P.S.  We had originally planned to cruise on Nieuw Statendam with several stops in Israel, but these port stops have been cancelled due to the unfortunate events. 

[Lady Arwen]

Just now, stevenr597 said:

Celebrity has the new Edge Class Ships.  Some would argue Celebrity is trying  to attract a younger more upscale crowed.  The balcony layout (not a real balcony) is disliked by some.  

Princess has the new the Sphere Class Ships which I believe will be an expansion of their current Royal Class, but have more dining venues, as well as a circular type theatre.

After much discussion with my wife, we decided to book the Enchanted Princess.  We do like their Club Reserve Mini-suites as well as the design of the ship, including the massive atrium and Horizon Court and Bistro 

P.S.  We had originally planned to cruise on Nieuw Statendam with several stops in Israel, but these port stops have been cancelled due to the unfortunate events. 

We’re doing a New Years Eve cruise on the new Ascent and can’t wait to spend my evenings in the smoke free casino!  I really wish Princess would do something about their outdated smoking policy.  We do have Enchanted booked for 2024 and Majestic for 2025, so we still have ties to Princess, but becoming less and less attractive to us.