Princess Cruisers Compare Crystal, Silversea, and Viking Ocean Cruises

[Txcotn]

16 hours ago, TBfrPH said:

@RLK33853  Thanks again for posting your experience.

 

Regarding Crystal's pool, how does the size compare to mass-market ships' pools?  Is one able to actually swim, or just wade around with a drink?

 

What about live music outside of the production showroom/theater?  Does Crystal offer much live music entertainment throughout the day in venues conducive to dancing?  Did you see many people dancing?

Yes you can actually swim!

 

[May B]

3 hours ago, LewiLewi said:

I am currently on the Island Princess. I have cruised on over 175 cruises, including three World Cruises. Favorite lines and last four cruises have been on Regent and Crystal, although I have probably been on most lines over the years. 
I am extremely pleased with the Island Princess. She is an older ship, her decor is somewhat dated, but she is very clean and comfortable and service is excellent. The food in the Bordeaux dining room has been very good. The entertainment is excellent and live music is abundant all around the ship. It is not in the luxury category, but I would not hesitate to book this ship again. Also, the cost is a fraction of what it cost to cruise on Crystal, Regent and Viking.

 

 

I often say, having accurate expectations is crucial for enjoying a cruise.

 

What category do you book on Princess?

[TBfrPH]

23 hours ago, History&Wine said:

My answers apply to the Serenity, but are probably true for both ships. 

...  Dancing is most every night in the Palm Court from 5:30 to 6:15 accompanied by ambassador hosts.  Dancing returns there after 8 pr so...not sure how long.  There is often dancing in the Cove with the hosts on special occasions such as white night. 

...

Entertainment is generally quite good but I must say I miss the quartets Crystal had in the Cove years ago.  

Thank you for this.  The Stardust Club has what appears to be a nice dance floor, reminding me of the Explorer's Lounge on the older Princess ships.  Does dancing by guests go on there, or only for the ship's performers in a show?

 

I got to be on first name basis with two band members who perform on ships.  They tell me that  ships now tend to hire duos and sometimes trios, but no longer quartets and larger.  Must be a symptom of the cost-cutting disease, at least very much so on the mass market lines, but perhaps also infecting upper end lines like Crystal.  I  fondly remember the Sunset Quartet and Los Diamantes mariachi band from a Princess cruise just three years ago.  I miss them!

[Txcotn]

Yes there’s a nice dance floor. Since we aren’t dancers I don’t know about every night but there is dancing when they have the Supper Club. There is always dancing in Palm Court. 

[Keith1010]

6 hours ago, TBfrPH said:

Thank you for this.  The Stardust Club has what appears to be a nice dance floor, reminding me of the Explorer's Lounge on the older Princess ships.  Does dancing by guests go on there, or only for the ship's performers in a show?

 

I got to be on first name basis with two band members who perform on ships.  They tell me that  ships now tend to hire duos and sometimes trios, but no longer quartets and larger.  Must be a symptom of the cost-cutting disease, at least very much so on the mass market lines, but perhaps also infecting upper end lines like Crystal.  I  fondly remember the Sunset Quartet and Los Diamantes mariachi band from a Princess cruise just three years ago.  I miss them!

On Serenity dancing is mainly in the Palm Court but on occasion there is dancing in the Stardust.

 

When Crystal reduced the overall passenger count on its ships some reduction was required in expanses to offset lower overall capacity.  While for the most part entertainment is very similar to how it was before the reduction passenger capacity took place some adjustments were made and this is one of them having a duo rather than what it was before.

 

Keith

[TBfrPH]

1 hour ago, Keith1010 said:

...While for the most part entertainment is very similar to how it was before the reduction passenger capacity took place some adjustments were made and this is one of them having a duo rather than what it was before.

 

This is happening across all cruise lines, including ones who are building bigger and bigger vessels with higher and higher passenger counts.  Princess Cruises started axing their quartets and trios just right before the pandemic.  They also started "updating" their ships to remove non-revenue-generating venues like music lounges and dance clubs in favor of bar spaces and slot machines.

[Keith1010]

Just now, TBfrPH said:

This is happening across all cruise lines, including ones who are building bigger and bigger vessels with higher and higher passenger counts.  Princess Cruises started axing their quartets and trios just right before the pandemic.  They also started "updating" their ships to remove non-revenue-generating venues like music lounges and dance clubs in favor of bar spaces and slot machines.

I would add this has been happening since the 1990's. Even then some of the bands were reduced and I remember when they went to recorded music.  Reducing expenses is nothing new. We sailed Princess three years in a row on the same vessel which at the time was the largest passenger vessel at sea until RCI deployed one larger. Over that three year span we saw first hand reductions.  Carnival has had a big influence on the mass market lines. Their approach from the beginning was keep fares low and pick up the revenue once the guests are on board. Thus all of the announcements throughout the day about how to spend your money.  

 

With that said, the Crystal ships were designed for many more guests than they now sail with. The reduction in overall guest capacity has been an evolution.  For example, when Crystal introduced what was called the Seabreeze suites on both ships they took out several of the standard rooms. Even before then on Serenity Crystal had removed some of the standard rooms on Deck 10 replacing them with what is now called Classic Suites.  The good news is that this means even more space for the guests to enjoy.  

 

Keith

[LewiLewi]

17 hours ago, May B said:

I often say, having accurate expectations is crucial for enjoying a cruise.

 

What category do you book on Princess?

I booked this cruise last minute and as a single. I had a balcony cabin which was spacious enough for me. My husband and I usually book a minisuite or full suite.

[BWIVince]

5 hours ago, TBfrPH said:

This is happening across all cruise lines, including ones who are building bigger and bigger vessels with higher and higher passenger counts.  Princess Cruises started axing their quartets and trios just right before the pandemic.  They also started "updating" their ships to remove non-revenue-generating venues like music lounges and dance clubs in favor of bar spaces and slot machines.

The ever-evolving dynamics among mass-market lines is fascinating to me…. The case for having so many lounge venues used to be the bar revenue they generated, but in an era when mass market lines make so much of their bar revenue from drink packages, their financial interest is in reducing redemptions on the packages, so suddenly those various lounges aren’t the opportunity they once were, and other revenue offerings get “new” cash are more attractive.

 

Vince

[BEAV]

4 hours ago, LewiLewi said:

I booked this cruise last minute and as a single. I had a balcony cabin which was spacious enough for me. My husband and I usually book a minisuite or full suite.

I’ve found that Princess, as well as other lines, often reduce hefty single supplements post-final payment date as they liquidate unsold inventory. If you’re able to go on short notice (T-60 days, etc) there’s often some decent rates for solos. 

[LewiLewi]

20 hours ago, BEAV said:

I’ve found that Princess, as well as other lines, often reduce hefty single supplements post-final payment date as they liquidate unsold inventory. If you’re able to go on short notice (T-60 days, etc) there’s often some decent rates for solos. 

I would like to know what lines reduce single supplements after final payment. Do you know which ones?

[RLK33853]

Sorry, other than knowing that Crystal caters to solo cruisers, I have no idea of how it works.  I'm sure others will chime in, if not ask the question on this board.  Of all the cruise lines we have tried over the years, this Crystal board has been the most informative and supportive.  

[RLK33853]

Last part of our review:

 

Overall Comparison

 

Without question we will cruise on both Crystal and Viking in the future.  They are somewhat different in cruise styles, yet both were impressive in their own version. 

 

Crystal’s downfall at present is that they only have two ships and thus their itineraries are somewhat limited (they expect to build 4 more ships).  They are also more expensive.  Suffice it to say though, that like many before us we have been Crystalized and when looking for a cruise, we will always check Crystal first to see if they have what we are looking for.  Further, we see no real need to keep checking out other luxury lines - Crystal is the line for us.

 

Conversely, Viking has more ships, thus more itineraries/timing, provides a Premium product, and on most itineraries we looked at is approximately 25% cheaper than Crystal.  Given our choice, we probably would spend the extra if Crystal had a cruise we wanted to take.  That said, we have already booked another Viking cruise since it had the itinerary and dates we were looking for.

 

Last but not least – we owe a big thank you to the Cruise Critic regulars who provided excellent advice while we planned our voyages.  Kudos to all of you who take the time to help the newbies!

 

And thanks to those who have followed our review.  I hope that we have answered any questions you may have had, solidified your own impressions, or at the very least made you think about these two wonderful cruise lines.

[BEAV]

2 hours ago, LewiLewi said:

I would like to know what lines reduce single supplements after final payment. Do you know which ones?

Besides Princess, I’ve recently seen reduced supplements on Silversea, Seabourn, Oceania and Ponant. They’re all for sailings within 90 days. It’s not an across-the-board policy. An example would be one sailing I saw was 0% supplement, while the next was a full 100%. So each individual sailing is its own “entity” from a sales and price perspective. 
 

There’s also a solo travelers forum here on Cruise Critic with one thread designated to posting reduced supplements as people spot them. 
 

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 02:07 PM by BEAV

[LewiLewi]

2 hours ago, BEAV said:

Besides Princess, I’ve recently seen reduced supplements on Silversea, Seabourn, Oceania and Ponant. They’re all for sailings within 90 days. It’s not an across-the-board policy. An example would be one sailing I saw was 0% supplement, while the next was a full 100%. So each individual sailing is its own “entity” from a sales and price perspective. 
 

There’s also a solo travelers forum here on Cruise Critic with one thread designated to posting reduced supplements as people spot them. 
 

 

 

Thank you.

[John1111]

Just to add my two cents, my wife and I have probably been on 25+ cruises over the last 20+ years.  We cruised primarily on Princess, Holland America and Celebrity.  We started in an ocean view cabin but have worked our way up to suites.  In 2019 we took the Crystal Serenity for a Mediterranean cruise.  At that time the cost of their regular balcony cabin was about the same as a sky suite on Celebrity.  

 

In the end, I was not impressed with Crystal.  Yes, there is no question that the service was a step above the other lines.  The smaller ship was beautiful and did not seem as crowded.  However, that is about where it ended.  I didn't think the food was any better.  I remember in particular I had prime rib one night and it was not very good and on another night I ordered scallops and the dinner consisted of two scallops. When I mentioned it to our waiter he said he could bring me another portion but I declined as I didn't want to wait around while everyone else was done eating.  The entertainment was good but not as good as the entertainment we usually see on the larger ships.

 

Overall I didn't think that Crystal, at about double the cost, was worth it.  Incidentally I have booked a Princess British Isles cruise this summer.  I had looked at a similar cruise that Viking offered.  The cost of the Viking cruise was almost triple and they wanted it paid up front.  

[Keith1010]

On 6/26/2024 at 8:52 AM, RLK33853 said:

Last part of our review:

 

And thanks to those who have followed our review.  I hope that we have answered any questions you may have had, solidified your own impressions, or at the very least made you think about these two wonderful cruise lines.

I have very much enjoyed your review.  Great idea to break it up into several parts.

 

Thank you for taking the time to write and share this with everyone.

 

Keith

[RLK33853]

7 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

I have very much enjoyed your review.  Great idea to break it up into several parts.

 

Thank you for taking the time to write and share this with everyone.

 

Keith

 

Thanks Keith.  I've always thought that when I read a long review I lose some of the details by the time I'm finished reading. 

 

Once again, thanks very much to yourself and to the others who helped us decide to book with Crystal and then answer our questions to plan our trip.  As you can see, we absolutely loved Crystal, and our current drawback of them only having two ships with limitied itineraries (or little flexibiiltiy in regard to times of the year they sail certain parts of the world) will hopefully be solved with two more ships being added.  As we said yesterday, we will always check Crystal first to see if they have a sailing that meets our needs when looking for a specific cruise.  If we are looking just to get away and use the cruise as a hotel, not caring where we go (we do this quite often), we will definitely cruise with Crystal.

 

Ray and Ann 

[Emdee]

9 hours ago, RLK33853 said:

 

Thanks Keith.  I've always thought that when I read a long review I lose some of the details by the time I'm finished reading. 

 

Once again, thanks very much to yourself and to the others who helped us decide to book with Crystal and then answer our questions to plan our trip.  As you can see, we absolutely loved Crystal, and our current drawback of them only having two ships with limitied itineraries (or little flexibiiltiy in regard to times of the year they sail certain parts of the world) will hopefully be solved with two more ships being added.  As we said yesterday, we will always check Crystal first to see if they have a sailing that meets our needs when looking for a specific cruise.  If we are looking just to get away and use the cruise as a hotel, not caring where we go (we do this quite often), we will definitely cruise with Crystal.

 

Ray and Ann 

Precisely what we are doing…booking Regent for itinerary and Crystal for relaxation. We will likely morph into the generation that cruises for relaxation only so Crystal is perfect for us. I sincerely hope we get a chance to cruise the new ships.