Celebrity vs Princess

[upwarduk]

7 hours ago, doghog said:

We had the Plus package. Better than Celebrity's AI package.

We have transferred to Princess for our next cruise, mainly because the Plus package which was offered by our TA in a New Year offer.

Also because Celebrity have taken S class ships away from Southampton and my husband doesn’t want to trek to Amsterdam.

[hiccups]

Glad to hear good comments about Enchanted Princess, as we’re taking our first Princess cruise on her this summer—family cruise, and the ship had some better option for the varied ages of the kids.  We have the Premier package and am looking forward to the inclusions.

[XSWABBY]

We were on the Enchanted for a 10 day southern Caribbean cruise in Dec. 2023 in cabin # E701 cat. me.

We experienced heavy seas the last 3 or 4 days of the cruise. Had much squeaking, knocking and banging. Could not get much sleep for 3 nights. Reported this condition to quest services on the first day and had our room steward acknowledge the noises and he passed this on to his higher-ups. We inquired about a resolution each day to guest services and their manager.

No one from maintenance showed up until the last day, and said nothing could be done. Shims have been placed in the ceiling and walls previously to no avail. This is an existing problem from the start in many cabins.

The cabin next door did not have this problem but many others have.

Research your cabin for noise problems in rough seas.

Other then this issue, the cruise was great.

[swjumbo]

Today we washed down our own balcony.

A few days at sea meant there was salt everywhere.

Thankfully, we had been to The Sanctuary and kept the towels to dry the water off.

Now we can see through the balcony glass and our clothes aren’t covered in salt.

We miss Celebrity.

[Tomcruise92]

How I see it, Celebrity is now significantly more expensive than Princess, and not significantly better. There are strengths to each line, but they are overall similar. Princess packages are also awesome in my opinion.

[TinyG]

We are taking our first Princess cruise next year. They were the only ones really going to Scotland. X has 2 ports in Scotland which is not enough. We have already done the 14 Day Ireland~Iceland on Silly. Princess has 4 that we wanted to go to.

We found a balcony with the bump out, as the other balconies look so small.

 

Going to do the Premier package as that seems like what we are use to. I hope it's a nice cruise, but we have no perks like X and I don't think we venture away from X.

 

Would have been nice if X had more to offer as next month we will be on the Edge (my 50th cruise)and could do a future cruise.

[swjumbo]

Celebrity are missing a trick here.

During Covid we did a round the UK cruise and it was v popular.

Pity they didn’t do the same itineraries as Princess and I do wonder why??

[swjumbo]

Speciality dining is better here than on any Celebrity ship we have been on. We eat nearly every night in specialty dining and prefer them over Luminae.

 

The value for money here is amazing.
 

Third night on board and we have eaten in the steak, seafood and Italian restaurants and thoroughly enjoyed every meal. We have, on a few occasions in Tuscan, had to ask for more spinach or an extra teaspoon of mash potatoes. Not here. In fact, last night in the Italian we had to miss dessert and cheese despite our lovely waiter trying to force feed us.

 

Cover charge is around $30 in each restaurant and well worth it.

 

Sorry Celebrity fans but it’s 1- nil to Princess in this category!

[Staci0615]

One thing that I liked better on princess was the movie selection, both on the big screen and in the cabins. Having done California last year, but my next two are on Celebrity for the food and the itineraries.  

[Cruise a holic]

We are elite plus on celebrity and diamond plus on Royal.  We have sailed three times on Princess, and the ships, service and food do not compare to Celebrity or Royal.  We consider Princess on par with Carnival and NCL- not for us.

[swjumbo]

Having spoken to a few members of staff on Princess they are worked very had here compared to Celebrity.

To get a day off a crew member has to get medical approval. With Celebrity they merely ask their manager.

Long chat with a crew member today who’s first contract is here having been with Celebrity before and is finding it tough.

An example being in port he was given 30 minutes off. Some people downstairs never see daylight.

It appears that in port on Celebrity, if possible, they give as many of the staff time to get off the ship. On Princess they prefer their staff to remain onboard.

 

Edited April 19 by swjumbo

[cruisestitch]

On 4/17/2024 at 9:46 AM, Itchy&Scratchy said:

Reflection has plastic glasses in the buffet. As far as I know it's normal.

Not for wine though. 🍷

[beshears]

I don't know if I will get any feed back here, but I thought I would ask, since it is in regard to Celebrity and Princess. Actually we just got off the Regal Princess in February, and for the most part, very enjoyable. I really didn't think I would like the medallion (I'm an OLD lady), but my family showed me how to use it, and twice it came in handy very unexpectedly. We did pay for the Premier package which is $80 I believe. My problem was I did NOT use it to my full advantage, but that was MY fault. I don't know if any of you who have been on Celebrity has done the Ascent ship, but if you did, I would like some feed back on this ship, as we have thought about doing this ship.

[Gracie115]

On 4/18/2024 at 5:18 PM, TinyG said:

We are taking our first Princess cruise next year. They were the only ones really going to Scotland. X has 2 ports in Scotland which is not enough. We have already done the 14 Day Ireland~Iceland on Silly. Princess has 4 that we wanted to go to.

We found a balcony with the bump out, as the other balconies look so small.

 

Going to do the Premier package as that seems like what we are use to. I hope it's a nice cruise, but we have no perks like X and I don't think we venture away from X.

 

Would have been nice if X had more to offer as next month we will be on the Edge (my 50th cruise)and could do a future cruise.

 

With the Premier package you won't miss the perks that Celebrity gives you.

 

We like both lines and the introduction of the Plus & Premier packages makes both lines pretty comparable, except in price, Celebrity is generally much more expensive.  

 

We have a TA on X this fall and another on Princess in fall 2025, am sure both will be great.

 

 

[doghog]

The CC loyalty perks/benefits are a lot better on Celebrity compared to the CC loyalty perks/benefits on Princess. But we book based on itinerary not tier levels or cruise lines. 

Edited April 23 by doghog

[sunkey1]

On 4/19/2024 at 6:50 AM, Cruise a holic said:

We are elite plus on celebrity and diamond plus on Royal.  We have sailed three times on Princess, and the ships, service and food do not compare to Celebrity or Royal.  We consider Princess on par with Carnival and NCL- not for us.

I've only sailed once on Princess so far but they are definitely a step above NCL and two steps above Carnival in ship decor and service. NCL has some good entertainment, Carnival still relies primarily on the guests as entertainment. I do love Carnival's newest ships, largely because of the (adults only) Serenity deck, with padded loungers, designated bar and pool (all free of charge). Just MY opinion.

[hcat]

On 4/17/2024 at 7:12 PM, XSWABBY said:

We were on the Enchanted for a 10 day southern Caribbean cruise in Dec. 2023 in cabin # E701 cat. me.

We experienced heavy seas the last 3 or 4 days of the cruise. Had much squeaking, knocking and banging. Could not get much sleep for 3 nights. Reported this condition to quest services on the first day and had our room steward acknowledge the noises and he passed this on to his higher-ups. We inquired about a resolution each day to guest services and their manager.

No one from maintenance showed up until the last day, and said nothing could be done. Shims have been placed in the ceiling and walls previously to no avail. This is an existing problem from the start in many cabins.

The cabin next door did not have this problem but many others have.

Research your cabin for noise problems in rough seas.

Other then this issue, the cruise was great.

Surprised to hear of same problem that newer Celebrity E Class are having... How old is this ship and  have they figured out the cause?

[Gracie115]

On 4/19/2024 at 6:50 AM, Cruise a holic said:

We are elite plus on celebrity and diamond plus on Royal.  We have sailed three times on Princess, and the ships, service and food do not compare to Celebrity or Royal.  We consider Princess on par with Carnival and NCL- not for us.

We are also Elite Plus on Celebrity, and we also sail Princess and their food in the MDR & buffet is very equal to Celebrity.  Their Chef's Table is better and less expensive.  All in our opinion of course.....  obviously your experience differs. 

[TinyG]

My brother in law and sister sail Princess usually, they are Elite. We both have stock in Carnival. My BIL keeps asking tell me the difference. We have stayed on X and are Elite. I know I don't really want to do Carnival if I have to. I do think it's on par with Holland America which we have sailed 3 times. Enjoyed things on HA, but when you won't provide the larger water because it's not on my drink package, but I can buy alcohol up to $18?

I tell him the like the atmosphere and the crew. The food, the drink packages, HIA, and getting to know a crew members so well you are ready to take them home (Daniel & Alexandra X)!

 

When booking my cabin 407 on the Regal. I could have picked another balcony, higher, in between floor, but they are so small and that a true difference. On S class we like the wedge cabins. 

 

I am looking forward to this new brand up to 7 next year! Next month back to X on the Edge. We don't think we will like the IV cabins, so a first sunset veranda!

 

The price is $2798 less than our X cruise in 2018 for 14 days.

 

 

 

[George C]

On 4/17/2024 at 11:19 AM, Gracie115 said:

We love the suites on Princess, lovely rooms.  Their Plus and Premier packages are far better than X's all included.  Just booked a TA in November 2025 to celebrate our 40th anniversary!!.  

 

Service has always been good on Princess for us anyway and the same on X.  Princess has not upped their prices anywhere near what X has done.  We sail for where we want to go now, not for the cruiseline.

Does Princess have the suite dinning room and suite lounge with free drinks all day , also Suite outdoor retreat like Celebrity?

[Ken the cruiser]

39 minutes ago, George C said:

Does Princess have the suite dinning room and suite lounge with free drinks all day , also Suite outdoor retreat like Celebrity?

Nope. Well, they have a separate Reserve Dining area and get to have breakfast in Sabatini’s, and if you optionally purchase their Princess Plus package for $60 pp/day, you get free drinks, gratuities and unlimited internet.
 

But Princess does have awesome Vista Suite cabins, with huge fully-covered aft-facing balconies on their Grand-class ships, with some pretty cool perks, for a lot less than a Sky Suite cabin on a similar itinerary. For example, with the Princess Plus package included, the Alaska cruise we’re getting ready to go on runs around $425 pp/day (with the Plus package) whereas a similar cruise in an S2 Sky Suite costs around $645 pp/day with a refundable deposit.. And best of all, you don’t have to pay extra for butler service! 😁

[Gracie115]

1 hour ago, George C said:

Does Princess have the suite dinning room and suite lounge with free drinks all day , also Suite outdoor retreat like Celebrity?

 

 Yes they have a separate dining room called the Reserve.   Also have the concierge club that serves cocktails in the evening on the Royal class, no, not all day.  If you book with the Premier package (on all classes) you can drink anywhere you want, don't need a "dedicated" lounge.  

 

Sabatini's breakfast is vastly superior to Luminae, and we love Luminae. 

 

Since only E class and a few S class have the outdoor retreat there is no way to compare that stat....but that was hardly important to us.  If we need that kind of space you can always book the Sanctuary which covers that.  So if you want the "same" experience you can get pretty close.   

 

 

Edited April 23 by Gracie115

[Mark_K]

On 4/17/2024 at 11:52 AM, D. B. said:

My medallion was supposed to unlock my cabin door but rarely worked unless I waved it around right at the door or slapped it against the wall.

Another useless waste of time and I like my Celebrity  Seapass card that works ever time.

Speaking from experience, not every SeaPass card works every time.  

[Gracie115]

9 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Nope. Well, they have a separate Reserve Dining area and get to have breakfast in Sabatini’s, and if you optionally purchase their Princess Plus package for $60 pp/day, you get free drinks, gratuities and unlimited internet.
 

But Princess does have awesome Vista Suite cabins, with huge fully-covered aft-facing balconies on their Grand-class ships, with some pretty cool perks, for a lot less than a Sky Suite cabin on a similar itinerary. For example, with the Princess Plus package included, the Alaska cruise we’re getting ready to go on runs around $425 pp/day (with the Plus package) whereas a similar cruise in an S2 Sky Suite costs around $645 pp/day with a refundable deposit.. And best of all, you don’t have to pay extra for butler service! 😁

 

 

AND the aft corner suites on the Royal class are amazing suites.  We are booked in one for a TA in Nov 2025...can't wait.

[Cruise a holic]

5 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

 

 Yes they have a separate dining room called the Reserve.   Also have the concierge club that serves cocktails in the evening on the Royal class, no, not all day.  If you book with the Premier package (on all classes) you can drink anywhere you want, don't need a "dedicated" lounge.  

 

Sabatini's breakfast is vastly superior to Luminae, and we love Luminae. 

 

Since only E class and a few S class have the outdoor retreat there is no way to compare that stat....but that was hardly important to us.  If we need that kind of space you can always book the Sanctuary which covers that.  So if you want the "same" experience you can get pretty close.   

 

 

We were in a princess suite and had to pay a daily or weekly rate for the sanctuary.  Should be a suite deck.  I remember no adult pool.  Maybe newer ships now have along with a suite lounge included in the suite fare and a suite restaurant.