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Celebrity compared to Princess

stevenr597

By stevenr597,
in Celebrity Cruises

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stevenr597 Great Review Rare

stevenr597

Posted
Posted

My wife and I are planning to take a cruise of the Southern Caribbean, approximately 10 days.  We are looking at two fairly attractive cruises, although we give a slight edge to  the itinerary from Celebrity.  The cruises are:
1) Celebrity Beyond: Premier Concierge Class
2) Enchanted Princess: Reserve Class

We have sailed many times on both Princess and Celebrity and like both.  We will be a party of 3 and do not qualify for Aqua Class.

Opinions......

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blueslily Great Review Rare

blueslily

Posted
Posted

Hi there, I am new to celebrity, so I am not able to help with your question. But, I would like to ask you a question since you have sailed both and like both. How do you compare the two? I've never sailed on either. I sail with Celebrity for the first time in February on the Ascent. What are some of the differences between the two lines? 

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bEwAbG

bEwAbG

Posted
Posted (edited)

Concierge class doesn't get you much of anything on Celebrity.  A welcome aboard lunch on the first day is about it.  And a bottle of sparkling wine.  You also earn more points per day in the loyalty program if that matters to you.

 

Reserve on Princess gets you the separate section in the MDR on a daily basis with its expanded menu.  You also get the free bottle.  The amenities of Princess are a little more elevated, IMO. Most important to me would be a traditional balcony instead of the infinite veranda (window that opens) setup on Celebrity assuming you're really talking about a mini suite on Princess and not something else.  Itinerary would also weigh heavily assuming similar price points (I would not pay more for Celebrity in Concierge unless it was a killer itinerary that I had to sail).

 

 

Edited by bEwAbG
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Ken the cruiser "Live from...." Rare

Ken the cruiser

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, stevenr597 said:

My wife and I are planning to take a cruise of the Southern Caribbean, approximately 10 days.  We are looking at two fairly attractive cruises, although we give a slight edge to  the itinerary from Celebrity.  The cruises are:
1) Celebrity Beyond: Premier Concierge Class
2) Enchanted Princess: Reserve Class

We have sailed many times on both Princess and Celebrity and like both.  We will be a party of 3 and do not qualify for Aqua Class.

Opinions......

If I might ask, what is the bottom-line cost difference between the cabin categories you are looking at with a refundable deposit? If you're planning on purchasing the Princess Plus package or the Celebrity "All Included" packages, don't forget to include the additional daily gratuities charge on the Celebrity cruise as they no longer include it with their "All Included" package.

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upwarduk

upwarduk

Posted
Posted
10 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

All Included" packages, don't forget to include the additional daily gratuities charge on the Celebrity cruise as they no longer include it with their "All Included" package.

I certainly wouldn’t book all included again, as we are Elite Plus on Celebrity, so get 240minutes free Wi-Fi and Happy Hour drinks between 5-7pm.

The  Captain’s Club Coffee Lounge  in the morning also includes alcoholic drinks.IMG_1989.thumb.jpeg.913faf76366a03c5b046626dd81bb862.jpeg

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Denny01

Denny01

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Posted

I’ve enjoyed Princess but I find the common areas more crowded and the theaters require you to be there Very early to get decent seating. not been on Enchanted so could be off the mark on this. 

 

also, more announcements and pushes. 
 

den

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abbydancer2003 "Live from...." Rare

abbydancer2003

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9 hours ago, mahasamatman said:

You will have significantly more room in the Reserve Collection mini-suite. Princess generally has more and better dance floors (important to us), though the bands are usually comparable. Princess also has far superior speciality dining.

Agree on dance floor (although the Royal ships on Princess are pretty much the same as S class on X).  On specialty dining, I'd give Crown Grill a slight edge over Murano, as it has a wider menu.  Of course it's also about 1/2 the price of Celebrity.  (I'll let you know about Fine Cut once I'm on a ship with it and try it).

 

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the penguins

the penguins

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10 hours ago, bEwAbG said:

Concierge class doesn't get you much of anything on Celebrity.  A welcome aboard lunch on the first day is about it.  And a bottle of sparkling wine.  You also earn more points per day in the loyalty program if that matters to you.

 

Reserve on Princess gets you the separate section in the MDR on a daily basis with its expanded menu.  You also get the free bottle.  The amenities of Princess are a little more elevated, IMO. Most important to me would be a traditional balcony instead of the infinite veranda (window that opens) setup on Celebrity assuming you're really talking about a mini suite on Princess and not something else.  Itinerary would also weigh heavily assuming similar price points (I would not pay more for Celebrity in Concierge unless it was a killer itinerary that I had to sail).

 

 

Princess Mini suites are a no for us as all the rooms have a shower over a bath. Useless if you have mobility or balance issues. Asked why 50% didn't have a walk in shower and was told "lots of passengers ask the same question". Shame as apart from that the rooms are great.

All the cabin doors and the corridors are also narrower on Princess which is very frustrating if you use a Walker/Rollator. Our Walker had be folded to get in and out of the cabin (fits through all cabin doors on S class) and also to get passed any of the cleaning/laundry carts (again no folding on S class).

May not sound much of an issue but it really is frustrating as each time the bag on the front has to be emptied and repacked, the walker folded which means it no longer gives full support , reopened and locked. 

 

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abbydancer2003 "Live from...." Rare

abbydancer2003

Posted
Posted

In a way, you're comparing apples and oranges.  Minisuite to minisuite (sky suite on X) Celebrity wins, due to the even diluted perks.    Both would have showers over tubs.  In balcony rooms, Celebrity's are a bit bigger, as they have a couch and Princess has a chair.  Also, Celebrity bathrooms have drawers and shower doors, Princess has some shelves and shower curtains, even in mini suites. Between a Celebrity balcony and a Princess reserve minisuite, I'd go Princess.

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Cruise a holic

Cruise a holic

Posted
Posted (edited)

I would choose Celebrity.  Having sailed on princess a few times, and Celebrity many more, I prefer Celebrity.  I find Princess more crowded and "plain vanilla".  The food IMO better on Celebrity. The edge class ships are fabulous. We also enjoy the Silhouette and Reflection. 

 

  But if cost is an issue- go with the most affordable.

Edited by Cruise a holic
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villauk

villauk

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, upwarduk said:

I certainly wouldn’t book all included again, as we are Elite Plus on Celebrity, so get 240minutes free Wi-Fi and Happy Hour drinks between 5-7pm.

The  Captain’s Club Coffee Lounge  in the morning also includes alcoholic drinks.IMG_1989.thumb.jpeg.913faf76366a03c5b046626dd81bb862.jpeg


 

Does Elite Plus still get the free coffees at Cafe al Bacio or has that disappeared since covid?

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the penguins

the penguins

Posted
Posted
28 minutes ago, villauk said:


 

For future reference, I believe that isn’t the case on their new Sun and Star ships.

The only Princess cruise we have done was this year on the new Sky Princess. As the ship wasn't full we were offered a free move to a Mini Suite but having checked it out we rejected it for the reasons given. So yes unfortunately all mini suites are shower over a bath - such a shame.

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villauk

villauk

Posted
Posted
38 minutes ago, the penguins said:

The only Princess cruise we have done was this year on the new Sky Princess. As the ship wasn't full we were offered a free move to a Mini Suite but having checked it out we rejected it for the reasons given. So yes unfortunately all mini suites are shower over a bath - such a shame.


 

Yes, they are changing this to only showers in mini suites, no baths, on their new class of ships.

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bEwAbG

bEwAbG

Posted
Posted
38 minutes ago, the penguins said:

The only Princess cruise we have done was this year on the new Sky Princess. As the ship wasn't full we were offered a free move to a Mini Suite but having checked it out we rejected it for the reasons given. So yes unfortunately all mini suites are shower over a bath - such a shame.

 

This is true on the majority of Celebrity ships too.  You have to go to an accessible room if you want a curbless shower at the suite/mini-suite equivalents.  I like HAL's solution: both a tub and a separate walk-in shower in their Neptune Suites. 

 

That's really not the thrust of OP's question, though, which is a comparison between two different room types.

 

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Hlitner "Live from...." Rare

Hlitner

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Posted

We have cruised both lines for decades (32 Princess cruises and several dozen on X).  When LLP took over X and started her death by a thousand cut-backs, we completely abandoned X and have been cruising on Princess, HAL, Seabourn, and some others.  When we look at the overall 'value" of bang for the buck, we find X to be a relatively poor value when compared to Princess.  On Princess, we are quite happy in the lowest category mini-suite and would also be OK with their so-called deluxe balcony cabins (they have a place to sit).

 

Hank

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DaKahuna Great Review Rare

DaKahuna

Posted
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7 minutes ago, RedIguana said:

Is this for Elite Plus and up or is it valid for Elite? I don't see it mentioned in the benefits list, so no clue at what level it kicks in.

 

The free coffee at Cafe al Bacio is for Elite + and Zenith.  It is not one of the Elite perks. 

 

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