Love Princess will I enjoy Celebrity?

[purplechic7106]

Hi there,

 

Okay so any cruise is of course better than being at home. However, that being stated, my husband and I really enjoy Princess, but due to his work schedule he is no longer able to take Sat-Sat cruises. We're starting to come up with some ideas for our cruise next Feb, and because we must do Sun-Sun are finding our choices limited with Princess (we already did W. Caribbean twice and three days at sea on E. Caribbean doesn't appeal to us).

 

So we're thinking of trying Celebrity...any feedback on the differences? I've heard good things, but just wanted to check. We're an active couple in our late 20s/early 30s, love good food and service and exploring new ports on our own. Is there lots to do on the Celebrity ships as there is on Princess? Are there enough pools? (We really enjoy the Terrace Pool area on the Grand class).

 

Also, we just came back from the W. Caribbean out of Galveston on the Grand and it was FABULOUS!!!! Loved, loved all the ports of call and had such a wonderful time. So bummed Princess is discontinuing the route, any of you who can go before they leave Texas, DO!

 

Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for your help!

[Coral]

This is going to be one of those things that you are going to have to try for yourself and report back.

 

Several of us who have sailed Princess and tried Celebrity prefer Princess and went back to Princess. I fall into this category - I thought Celebrity was too stuffy and not enough activities.

 

Others from this board, try Celebrity and prefer it to Princess. And there is yet another group who like both and sail both quite a bit. They like certain things from both lines.

 

Celebrity does have some gorgeous dining rooms and their thallossopy pool is very nice (think very warm water in a large pool with jets and places to sit). Their pools are also salt water and I prefer fresh water. They only have Traditional dining and no buffet for dinner.

 

Celebrity is going through some transitions this year. They have had a "named Chef" named Michael Roux and they did not renew their agreement with him so I expect the food to change this year. They also did not renew their Cirque de Soleil contract so I expect changes for Celebrity this year. Celebrity also does not do the exotic itineraries that Princess does but that probably is not a concern for you.

 

I really think this is something that you will need to experience for youself and report back what you thought.

[Druke I]

We've been on some 18 or so Princess cruises, and decided to try Celebrity, 3-04, to the Mexican Riviera, on Mercury.

 

Frankly, we were disappointed. We thought the ship bland and ordinary. The food in the main dining room was very good, and with what we thought slightly more polished service than Princess. The food in the Lido we thought not as good as Princess.

 

We did not think Celebrity's production shows were as good as Princess, but that is also very subjective.

 

Princess continues to appeal to us primarily for the wide range of itineraries, much more varied than Celebrity offers.

 

We've recently gone on Oceania (twice), and have another trip booked with them. Their food is really very good - the best we have had afloat.

 

Isn't it wonderful we have so many choices?

[jwave]

We sailed Celebrity BEFORE sailing Princess. We enjoyed our cruise, but we found the decor to be loud and the entertainment was awful. The food was good but EVERY item was fancy and it seemed the presentation was the most important aspect. Sometimes you just want a steak that looks like a steak.The service was good albeit stuffy. Really older crowd and not many activities.

 

We like Princess, the staff are friendly and they serve you, not like servants. If you get my drift. I always felt like the staff on Celebrity acted like Old English servants...they don't smile or talk much. VERY proper. Princess staff likes to laugh and joke while they take care of you....much more fun...and after all it is a cruise.

 

Would we sail Celebrity again...you bet, we check them for price often...BUT they are ALWAYS more expensive and since we are happy with Princess, we will sail them...for less.

[jwave]

double post so I deleted.

[cruzinchris]

We sailed Celebrity BEFORE sailing Princess. We enjoyed our cruise, but we found the decor to be loud and the entertainment was awful. The food was good but EVERY item was fancy and it seemed the presentation was the most important aspect. Sometimes you just want a steak that looks like a steak.The service was good albeit stuffy. Really older crowd and not many activities.

 

We like Princess, the staff are friendly and they serve you, not like servants. If you get my drift. I always felt like the staff on Celebrity acted like Old English servants...they don't smile or talk much. VERY proper. Princess staff likes to laugh and joke while they take care of you....much more fun...and after all it is a cruise.

 

Jwave,

Your impressions very nearly echo what DH and I thought about our one and only Celebrity cruise (Horizon) also pre-Princess. We didn't find the decor to be "loud", though; perhaps you were on a newer ship. We thought the decor on the Horizon was totally drab. Like yourself, we also didn't care for the fancy food, especially the rich sauces on everything.

 

We had been led to believe (advertising and AAA Travel Agent) that Celebrity would offer a more sophisticated, upscale cruise experience than our previous voyages with Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian. We ended up with stuffy service, pretentious passengers, cuisine that was heavy on presentation/light on flavor, limited daytime activities, and lackluster evening entertainment.

 

We did our own research before cruising again, took our first Princess cruise in 2002, completed our seventh Princess cruise earlier this month, and haven't even thought about sailing with anyone else...:)

Chris

[BrooklynGirl2]

We've sailed Celebrity 4 times and really love them. We are trying Princess this summer because I can now only travel in summer (child in school) and Celebrity does not have any summer Caribbean itineraries.

 

My answer would really be easier if I knew what ship you would be sailing.

 

The food and service on Celebrity (X) is excellent. No the waiters and crew are not stuffy. They are professional and efficient but also extremely friendly and entertaining as well. We have made friends with many of the crew and still keep in touch with them. I have a child and they took very good care of him at meals.

 

The food had been French influenced don't know if this will be changing with the departure of Michel Roux. The soups are delicious...every one of them. The beef is tender and served to your specifications. I also enjoy the veal. We eat all meals in the dining room and also enjoy breakfast and lunch there. The pasta bar is excellent and the few times I've been to the buffet it's okay...not great. They could use improvement at the buffet. If you don't want to do formal nights you can make a reservation in the "buffet area" to eat a SIT DOWN served dinner. I think it's $2 pp extra which is the tip for service there. A seven day cruise currently has 2 formal nights, 1 informal (jackets for men), and 4 casual nights (dockers and polo shirts for men). Most ships have specialty restaurants which I hear are simply out of this world for food and service. Unfortunately, I've never been able to try one of them.

 

I find on X there is enough to do but still there is enough time to relax. If you are looking at a port intensive itinerary then you won't be on board much and would be active off the ship. They have good production shows, other entertainment like comedians, magicians, music trios, pool band, and smaller bands playing in the lounges.

 

I'd be happy to answer any other questions you may have.

[purplechic7106]

For your insight everyone! Most of the differences Princess fans have outlined are definitely where my concerns lie. And I agree it's probably just something we'll have to try for ourselves to know for sure.

 

BrooklynGrl: we are considering going on the Millienium next Feb E. Caribbean, does that influence your orig. response?

 

Thanks again!

[BrooklynGirl2]

Just wanted to add a few things:

 

The rack of lamb is to die for. My waiter knows this is my favorite and usually brings me a double portion. ;) The waiters will change any course you are not happy with as well as bring extra items. If you don't like sauce on your food then just ask the waiter to order it without or bring it on the side. I found most sauces to be light and flavorful. The rolls and bread sticks are baked on board and are very good (especially the bread sticks). I'm not a big dessert person but I love the chocolate ones. Or I just enjoy a fresh sherbert or ice cream.

 

As for the age demographic. This varies with the length and itinerary. Usually the 7 day cruises draw a younger group. Summer cruises draw younger as well. We are both 50 and have an elementary school child. He loves the kids programs. We saw many younger couples 20's-30's, family groups with grandparents, children and grandchildren. Unless you are cruising a longer off-season itinerary, X cruisers are just as varied in age group as what I'm hearing that Princess draws. In fact the reason we chose Princess is because I hear it's the closest cruising experience to Celebrity. We are also very interested in excellent food and service. While there are rude pax on every line...I did not find any personally on my 4 X cruises. We are not pretentious people and I found most people to be friendly, interesting cruisers. We sat each day with different pax at open seating breakfast and lunch in the dining room so we had a chance to converse with many different people.

[negc]

I'd also suggest that you not spend a lot of time during the cruise comparing the two. Accept each for what it is and enjoy your cruise for what it offers you, without constantly thinking "well, on Princess they would do things this way". The whole is really more than the sum of its individual parts. Each cruise is a unique experience and ought to be viewed as such. Things can change so every cruise will not be a carbon copy of the last one even if you are on the same ship or line. At the end of the cruise you may decide that overall you favor one line over the other or that the cruise experience on each, while somewhat different, was to your liking. At least you will then have some idea as to whether or not one line is a better fit for you. Then again, there are other lines out there still waiting to be sampled and one of them might actually be best for you.:)

[BrooklynGirl2]

Purplechic...it would only influence my feelings about the demographic...if you were looking for the families with children group...which you are not. You will probably find either the younger couples without kids looking for a winter getaway or older retired pax who can cruise in the winter months with a smattering of those who can leave the kids with grandma and take a winter vacation.

 

The Millenium is one of the newer X ships. The other people on this thread had sailed either Horizon (the oldest X ship and no longer in the fleet) or Mercury (an older ship in need of refurbishment). Millenium is smaller than the Grand class Princess ships but not as small as the other 2 ships mentioned. The decor is classy and elegant. Not in your face glitz and neon.

 

Once again, the service on X is a bit formal but not stuffy at all. The crew hails from Romania, Croatia, Phillippines, Poland, Indonesia, India, Central America and 50 other nations. It's not old English service. Maybe it's because we showed an interest in our waiters that we became friends and they entertained us with magic tricks and told jokes. My son adores our waiters and they taught him some tricks as well.

 

On X you will find umlimited towels at the pools. No need to lug them around as on Princess. The pools are salt water. They also provide an X tote bag and robes in your room. If you chose Concierge Class you get other types of perks (I'm not familiar with this). They also provide separate beach towels delivered to your room for beach use only. Upon re-boarding the ship after an excursion or beach trip ... cold towels to refresh.

 

Personally, I believe that the lines are similar. Some things are better some things not. I don't think you will be disappointed. Many people sail both lines interchangeably and that's what encouraged me to try Princess.

[Coral]

 

The Millenium is one of the newer X ships. The other people on this thread had sailed either Horizon (the oldest X ship and no longer in the fleet) or Mercury (an older ship in need of refurbishment). Millenium is smaller than the Grand class Princess ships but not as small as the other 2 ships mentioned. The decor is classy and elegant. Not in your face glitz and neon..

 

I actually sailed on the Millennium. So my comparisons are on the newer ships. I have sailed Crystal, Celebrity, RCCL, Princess and Carnival - I did find the crew pretty stuffy on Celebrity compared to the other lines. I also found that they were more concerned about presentation of food as it looked really nice but overall, I wasn't overly impressed with what I had. I may be in the minority and maybe I didn't like the French flair. Everyone is entititled to their opinions.

[jwave]

BrooklinGirl2:

 

You can't compare the two lines yet as you have not sailed both. Perhaps you will find that you are a Celebrity girl only. It has been a number of years since I have tried Celebrity and maybe they have loosened up. However, on my trip, the average age was over 60. We were truly the only people under 40.

 

Also, I enjoy the anytime dining on Princess since I find that the late seating is too late (I am a morning person) and the early seating required you to lose part of your day getting ready (definitely a line where people dress up more). I also felt the dining rooms on Princess are less "grand" and more intimate than Celebrity, I don't notice the masses that are aboard as much. Of course, I could be biased because our table was way in the back by the kitchen on Celebrity (and after 7 days in the same spot you notice)

 

Really I just found more options on Princess, Celebrity felt more regimented TO ME. Also (and perhaps they no longer do this) but Celebrity did a LOT of loudspeaker announcements which I find annoying when I am trying to relax (Princess does some but not a lot) and the waiters on deck walked by yelling "drinks" or "drink of the day". It is hard to read or relax with that going by every five minutes. There are plenty of servers on Princess but they don't announce themselves as they walk by, if you want one look up and within a moment they will be there. I like that better.

 

Of course there are things I wish they would change. Like the coffee....and the no lemonade at the buffet...and chair hogs...and no trays in the buffet...no full menu breakfast from room service (unless you are in a suite) and that sometimes the shows are full long before they start.

 

Just my thoughts. Oh yeah, and did I mention Celebrity is a LOT more expensive. I would rather cruise more often.

[purplechic7106]

Nebc- absolutey, if we do decide to try Celebrity we'll take it for a new experience. I'm sure we would enjoy it since we are very easy going and just love being on the warm, Caribbean waters. We've really enjoyed Princess and RCCL for different reasons and since they have a few choices of routes for us to chose from I want to be sure if we try a 3rd line we won't be disappointed. (Especially since Celebrity seems a little more pricey!)

 

I do have a question for you though...we are also looking at Legend OS for next Feb and I noticed you are going on her in 08. How are you going to make your travel arrangements? It looks like Santa Domingo is a little challenging to get to (versus Punta Cana or San Juan for example)?

 

THANKS!

[rebeccalouise]

I have sailed on four Celebrity vessels- Zenith, Galaxy, Millenium and Constellation and none of them have loud decor. They are all understated and elegant.

The ships are relaxing. There are things to do but there are no annoucement-so the vibe is low key. Millenium class ships have two outdoor pools and one indoor adults only (free) pool. There are many things to like about Celebrity. I don't find it stuffy at all. There aren't people partying until all hours but there are fun outside pool games, trivia, bingo.. the usuals. They have a great midnight buffet (the last formal night) and a wonderful island pool party on one of the last nights with ice sculptures, a wonderful buffet, etc. Kids program is great. Many generations are on board. It is definitely a family atmosphere- not a party atmosphere. I LOVE Celebrity.

I don't think you will be at all disappointed.

[PescadoAmarillo]

We have been on several cruises on both lines (Elite on both, so obviously we like them both). That said, they are more different than Princess and RC are. Celebrity is more formal and far more structured (i.e. no buffet at dinner, although there is a casual dining option with 3 alternating menus that is open in the buffet area...reservations required). The thallasotherapy pools are heavenly, but they are only free to beginning Celebrity cruisers on the Millenium class ships. They and the Aquaspa cafe on the Millenium class ships are some of our favorite areas. We think service on Celebrity is significantly better than on Princess...everyone on board acts like they are so happy to be doing things for you (yeah, right, but it's nice to be queen for a week!). Entertainment options in general (day and evening) are more limited on Celebrity. We tend to pack a lot more clothes for a Celebrity cruise...no self serve laundry, and an additional dress code in the evening (informal) adds up to heavier/more luggage.

 

If you are cruising on a Millenium class ship, be sure to try the upscale extra charge restaurant. They are generally considered to be the best of any mass market cruise line and are certainly worth the extra charge ($35pp??).

[negc]

Nebc- absolutey, if we do decide to try Celebrity we'll take it for a new experience. I'm sure we would enjoy it since we are very easy going and just love being on the warm, Caribbean waters. We've really enjoyed Princess and RCCL for different reasons and since they have a few choices of routes for us to chose from I want to be sure if we try a 3rd line we won't be disappointed. (Especially since Celebrity seems a little more pricey!)

 

I do have a question for you though...we are also looking at Legend OS for next Feb and I noticed you are going on her in 08. How are you going to make your travel arrangements? It looks like Santa Domingo is a little challenging to get to (versus Punta Cana or San Juan for example)?

 

THANKS!

 

At the present time we have booked RCI's air and a pre-cruise package at the Renaissance Jaragua. It is too early to book flights on our own because they don't open the books until about 10 1/2 months prior to the dates of travel, but once we can check on schedules and prices we will either book our flights on our own (if they are less expensive than what the cruiseline is charging) and cancel the cruiseline air (you can do that without penalty up to final payment) or, if the prices are higher than what RCI is offering, we will use their custom air department to request the flights that we want. We have done that in the past and it has worked well and didn't cost us any more since platinum C&A members (and above) can have the custom air fee waived. Same with the hotel, where I might be able to use Marriott Rewards points to book our room. So far it looks easier to get to Santo Domingo from Boston at a reasonable time and on a good schedule. The problem might be getting home without an overnight in San Juan being involved. :rolleyes: If you are going to be on the February 10th sailing with us, join our roll call and we can share information as it becomes available.:)

[shofer]

We were on our first Princess cruise after several w/Celebrity and of course had many comparisons. Thought the food on X was more upscale. I was surprised to see plain white rice served with some of my entrees on Princess. I wonder if this is new since Carnival bought them? Liked the alternative options on the menu which we all tried at one time on another. X has these but they are not listed on the menu and you have to rely on your waiter to tell you about them.

LOVED the dessert souffles. Even if I was stuffed, I managed to choke down a few tastes of those. Had the Princess Love Boat Dream which was almost too pretty to eat.

 

The service is more formal on X. If my DH did not order appetizer or soup on CP then they brought his salad out while we were eating the other items. On X, he would be served the same course with everyone else. The bus boy acted as your wine steward, no sommelier making suggestions. The wine list on X is much more extensive.

 

The room was lovely and bigger than X w/a bigger closet area but the bathroom was smaller. Although I have to say that the shower was not as small as RCCL. We had a balcony cabin and the seats were plain mesh, not padded cushions like X.

 

The production shows were terrific on CP and except for the "banjo guy" most of the entertainment was very good. But the theater only sat 600 on a ship w/1980 passengers. The sitelines were excellent but this was not set up as a "show lounge" like the Universe Lounge. If you were not sitting on the aisle, you could forget about that after-dinner drink as the it was stadium seating and the poor drink servers would have to crawl over several people to serve you.

 

Because we had early seating and the age demographic of this cruise was leaning into the high 80's we found ourselves racing to the theater if we wanted to get 4 seats together. This was a 1/2 hour before showtime. We finally decided to hit the casino after dinner and go to the late show which was definitely less attended. Say what you will about X having an older demographic, it all depends on time of year and length of cruise. I think I was the only passenger who was still gainfully employed.

 

We had to ask for robes on Princess where they are already in the room on X. The only water on CP was for purchase where you have a pitcher w/ice water on X and an ice bucket.

 

There is a tent set up on the dock for X where you can get cold water and/or fruit punch along w/a cold cloth when you are coming back from excursions. Nothing like that on Princess.

 

Hot cocoa is free on X. You pay for it on Princess as well as the ice cream. My DH liked the coffee on CP and I liked the dispenser for hot beverages which were very hot. The cups were also bigger than on X. A decent sized cup for coffee or tea. X does have nice trays w/cloth placemats in the buffet instead of large platters. X also has a sandwich station during lunch but I only stumbled on it from 3-4 PM on CP. The pizza was very good on CP.

 

There were no announcements on CP as well as X. If you wanted to know what was going on, you looked in the daily paper. The pools were great with plenty of chairs. Only one day did we have to go searching for a place to stretch out in the shade. Liked the unlimited pool towels on X. Beach towels were also bigger and thicker on X.

 

That said, I would still cruise Princess again. We had found an internet price on this cruise which was way below anything X had to offer. Also, I think Princess is definitely the winner w/the shore excursions. Very big selection and lots of different activities. The Coral Princess is equal in size to X's Summit which we have been on twice and maybe newer. It is a really lovely ship. I think the cruise experience is pretty equal and I don't think you will be disappointed with Celebrity.

[laurieb]

we have sailed both lines but with a limited!!! number of ships. I like the food better on X, but the food on the Tahitian Princess is pretty good. I like the wine selection on TP better( they have 2 different wine lists, one of them is excellent!). I don't find X stuffy at all, we alaways have had very friendly service. I think rooms are very comparable, and we had pitchers of water on both lines. mybe because it is a smallerl ship, ice cream on TP is nc. I do like the buffet better on X for breakfast and lunch.

[dileep]

Aftyer 3 great cruises on Celebrity M-Class ships we are trying Princess for the first time. Why? Because of the itinerary. The Princess prices seem to be lowr than the comparable itineraries on Celebrity.

 

Celebrity used to allow travel agents to discount their prices. Starting sometime last year, they have stopped that practice. The X cruise we were booked on for Sept this year was almost $1000 more than the two 14-day cruises thate we were on before.

 

We founs Princess cruise in October with an itinerary that we like better and we ended up with cost similar to the previous X cruises.

 

We will see how we enjoy the ship, food etc. But since we are travelling with friends for the first time we are sure that we will enjoy ourselves.

[darnapar]

Love Celebrity

Love Hal

Like Princesses A LOT

Hate Carnival

We choose a cruise more on the itinary and what the best deal is for when we can go.

A few words to cruise by "enjoy the strengths of each ship and with Celebrity that means working out more."

[TorontoTL]

I think when we all make these comparisons between cruiselines we really do have to keep the price in mind. Of course if Oceana is more expensive that Carnival, Oceana hopefully will be better in certain areas. Likewise with these X vs Princess comparisons, overall typically Princess prices are less than X for most comparable cruises, well then there must be some areas that Princess has to be saving money in order to still make money on the cruise. Similarly Carnival and NCL vs RCL or PCL.

[iancal]

Princess is a wonderful cruise line and we think it currently has best value for money. Having said that, Celebrity is our favorite in that price range. We find the food and especially the entertainment better on Celebrity. We have not been on the larger Celebrity ships. Notwithstanding that, I think it is really down to a partular ship, a particular crew, and a particular voyage. We find that the trips can really vary. If you have the same experiences that we have had with Celebrity, you will not be disappointed.

[Cachecara]

We have cruised both X and RCI and had great cruises on both. This Sept we will venture out and try our first Princess. Why the change? Princess had a great price and unfortunately-X's newer ships in the fleet (the M class ships) have all had major consistently inconsistent mechanical problems. We are not about to plan and salivate over a cruise to find out we aren't going to get what we hoped for! We have heard great things about Princess, so Princess here we come!

[BrooklynGirl2]

Posting on this Board is getting more and more frustrating as I just lost another post...:mad: :eek:

 

Karen...it looks like we both jumped ship to Princess this year. What ship are you sailing?

 

We are on the Crown in June. We are splurging on a balcony cabin. I know I will be spoiled for life :D . I will be sure to post my review on both forums. We were led to Princess because of itinerary and time of year...as we can only cruise now in summer. X has pretty much abandoned those of us who cruise with kids in summer from the northeast.

 

We know there will be differences but we are going with an open mind (and traditional dining ;) ) and I know we will have a great time.