Princess cruiser trying Celebrity

[can786]

I have just booked the new Celebrity Solstice for next February. As a little background, I have cruised with Princess 10 times and HAL 4 times and like both lines very much. I cruise with my mom every year and we tend to stick with Princess because we like it and we enjoy the perks she gets as an Elite past passenger as well as the free internet for me as Platinum as I need to keep in touch with my DH and kids. I have heard good things about Celebrity and have thought about trying them, but am put off by their policy of not allowing TAs to discount their cruises so have never seriously looked into them until now. We found a group cruise on the Solstice where we will have workshops to make cloth dolls (a great passion of ours) and figured since we would be paying a premium with no chance of discounts anyway to go with the group it would be a good time to try Celebrity.

So my question for those of you who have sailed both Princess and Celebrity... what are the things that Celebrity does well? We normally book minisuites or full suites on Princess but will be in a verandah cabin on the Solstice (with three of us... yikes!). It is a Eastern Caribbean itinerary though I am not into Caribbean cruises and hot weather, so I may not even get off the ship in port. If that is the case, what are some neat things to do when everyone is off the ship?

 

Despite not being excited about the itinerary (give me Europe or Alaska anyday!) I am looking forward to the cruise and trying Celebrity.

[Pia1913]

Only one thing to say. If you've cruised Princess 10 times, you're not going to like Celebrity. Stuffy. Stuffy. Stuffy. Since you're doing a theme cruise you'll get through it happily by doing what you like most of the time.

 

Pia

[SharkieRools]

Not sure I agree with the last post. I think you'll find more similarities between the 2 cruiselines than differences. Never seen any stuffiness aboard a Celebrity ship (or Princess for that matter.) The Solstice looks like it's going to be a fabulous ship, we are hoping to book either her or the Equinox in another year or so.

 

One thing that we found pretty cool on our last cruise aboard Celebrity (on the Millennium back in May) is that they are starting to do a brunch on one morning each cruise. They had all sorts of cold dishes set up buffet style in the dining room (salads, fruit, cheeses, shrimp, etc.) and then you ordered hot items such as quiche, mini filet mignon, eggs benedict, etc. a'la carte from your waiter. This is replacing the grand midnight buffet they used to do (although our cruise had both.)

 

Another thing you'll see on Celebrity - when you return from port on a hot day they'll give you an ice cold hand towel to cool off with on your way back on the ship.

 

Other than that, I think they are pretty similar. You'll probably see similar activities during the day to the ones you see on Princess (wine tasting, trivia, cooking demos, bingo, etc.) Princess has Anytime Dining which Celebrity doesn't - and of course several Princess ships have MUTS which Celebrity also doesn't have. Another note - the repeater program on Princess is better than what Celebrity offers.

 

That being said we seem to alternate between the 2 lines - mostly by coincidence. We are looking at Princess for our next cruse (coinicidence, not because we just sailed Celebrity :D )

[CruisingJs]

I agree that you'll find more things in common than different. The first thing you're not going to like is the size of the cabins...especially going from Princess mini-suite or suite to Celebrity balcony. On the three Celebrity ships I've taken, the balcony cabins were only 182 square feet. With three people, you'll have to take turns walking around the cabin. At least they all come with sitting areas. I also like the layout of the Celebrity ships. I'm not sure why, but they were easier to navigate than the Princess ships I've been on. Have a great cruise and let us know how that doll making goes.

[Pia1913]

I agree that you'll find more things in common than different. The first thing you're not going to like is the size of the cabins...especially going from Princess mini-suite or suite to Celebrity balcony. On the three Celebrity ships I've taken, the balcony cabins were only 182 square feet. With three people, you'll have to take turns walking around the cabin. At least they all come with sitting areas. I also like the layout of the Celebrity ships. I'm not sure why, but they were easier to navigate than the Princess ships I've been on. Have a great cruise and let us know how that doll making goes.

 

I'm really amazed at your comments/comparisons when I look at your sig and see a total of 5 cruises. .

 

Pia

[megessey]

I'm really amazed at your comments/comparisons when I look at your sig and see a total of 5 cruises. .

 

Pia

 

What exactly does this mean??? :confused:

[SandG]

We did a couple of Celebrity cruises 5 and 8 years ago and I absolutely loved them. Wow, the Solstice - that's supposed to be a beautiful ship. I heard it has a "lawn" on one of the decks!

 

I didn't see any stuffiness in either of our cruises. There was a wide demographic, young adults, newly retirees, but mostly families and my daughter really liked the kids program.

 

The veranda rooms have gotten bigger in the Celebrity ships over the years. I see that the one on Solstice is 250 ft. including balcony. It's still not as roomy as a mini-suite, but not too bad.

 

I don't know if things have changed in 5 years but as much as I *really enjoyed* our Princess cruise, I thought the service was a notch higher and a bit more consistent on the Celebrity cruises. A server would carry your tray for to you to the table at the buffet. There were sommeliers at dinner. The public rooms (such as the theater and restaurant and lobby area) were bigger and grander, as opposed to Princess's strategy of smaller rooms to give a small ship feel. The staff to passenger ratio was also a lot higher and I don't recall ever feeling crowded as I did on my Princess cruise last week. I also thought the food on Celebrity was the best I'd ever had.

 

The therapy pool in the spa area on Constellation was very nice (it wasn't an extra charge). It was an indoor pool, adults only, with waterfalls and jets. I imagine Solstice will have something similar.

 

We had lemonade at the buffet and free ice cream at any time.

 

What I liked better about Princess was the flexibility of anytime dining, the MUTS, more pools, and a more varied choice for entertainment. I also liked how the promenade deck went all the way around the ship (albeit with a flight a stairs in the middle). The teen program was also quite good and my daughter had a wonderful time.

 

I love Celebrity, but I can picture myself doing Princess more often in the future because the fleet is larger and there's a better variety of itineraries. I really loved sailing out NYC, which was within driving distance.

 

I think it'll be exciting for you to try out Solstice, although I'm sure there will be a lot of things you'll miss from your Princess cruises. I'd love to hear what you think once you get back.

 

Have you seen this website? http://celebritysolstice.com/

 

Sue

[4cats4me]

Only one thing to say. If you've cruised Princess 10 times, you're not going to like Celebrity. Stuffy. Stuffy. Stuffy. Since you're doing a theme cruise you'll get through it happily by doing what you like most of the time.

 

Pia

 

I went on Celebrity once, 8 years ago, and have cruised Princess 8 times

with two more Princess booked. However, I still pine for a Celebrity

cruise. It was a much more elegant ship. We had previously been

on RCCL and Carnival, but the Celebrity cruise was still the very best.

 

What I love about Princess is its casualness. Love the anytime dining

and the 24-hour buffets. Celebrity did not offer that.

 

However, the dining rooms on Celebrity's ships are beautiful double-decker, and the dining experience was much more refined. We'd never

seen so many pieces of silverware at the table settings as we'd seen

on Celebrity.

Aesthetically, the ship was just more pleasing to the eye. [inifinity]

 

We also had booked the Soltice for January '09 but regretfully canceled

it due to the exhorbitant airliine prices, but that is SOME ship.

It is simply stated, beautiful, from all that I can tell.

check out this link

http://www.cruisecelebritysolstice.com/#/home/

 

I think both Princess and Celebrity have their redeeming qualities, but

the Celebrity experience stands out for me.

BTW: Their cuisine was fabulous, but others have recounted not

so great experiences with their cuisine in the past year. Food is

always subjective.

 

As far as the shows, they both were about the same.

 

I like the mini-suites on Princess. We had a regular balcony cabin

on Celebrity, but it was nicely appointed.

We had occasion to visit friends who had a Sky Suite or a royal suite,

and they had a butler who attended to their every need.

I definitely feel that having a suite experience on Celebrity is superior

to any suite experience on Princess, speaking as one who's had full suites

on Princess before. They don't offer the great amenities that Celebrity

does, like having a butler.;)

[Sunviking]

We haven't been on Celebrity for a few years but I just thought I would say some of our impressions. We sailed on the Infinity and thought the ship was beautiful. We had read how great dining was but frankly thought it was little different from the other lines we'd sailed on. We had a table in the upper level of the dining room very far aft. We seemed to always be far behind the rest of the dining room in terms of service. (Perhaps that had to do with our waiter.) The food was good but not exceptional. We ate one night at the United States (I think that was the name of the alternative restaurant). We thought the service was exquisite but the food was similar to what we had experienced on other ships. Having said that may I say that we have never been on a cruise we didn't love.

 

We did have an aft family cabin (not a suite) on the ship and it was the only time that each morning when I went out on the balcony I found lots of cigarette butts.

[JWJs]

I went on Celebrity once, 8 years ago, and have cruised Princess 8 times

with two more Princess booked. However, I still pine for a Celebrity

cruise. It was a much more elegant ship. We had previously been

on RCCL and Carnival, but the Celebrity cruise was still the very best.

 

What I love about Princess is its casualness. Love the anytime dining

and the 24-hour buffets. Celebrity did not offer that.

 

However, the dining rooms on Celebrity's ships are beautiful double-decker, and the dining experience was much more refined. We'd never

seen so many pieces of silverware at the table settings as we'd seen

on Celebrity.

Aesthetically, the ship was just more pleasing to the eye. [infinity]

 

We also had booked the Solstice for January '09 but regretfully canceled

it due to the exorbitant airline prices, but that is SOME ship.

It is simply stated, beautiful, from all that I can tell.

check out this link

http://www.cruisecelebritysolstice.com/#/home/

 

I think both Princess and Celebrity have their redeeming qualities, but

the Celebrity experience stands out for me.

BTW: Their cuisine was fabulous, but others have recounted not

so great experiences with their cuisine in the past year. Food is

always subjective.

 

As far as the shows, they both were about the same.

 

I like the mini-suites on Princess. We had a regular balcony cabin

on Celebrity, but it was nicely appointed.

We had occasion to visit friends who had a Sky Suite or a royal suite,

and they had a butler who attended to their every need.

I definitely feel that having a suite experience on Celebrity is superior

to any suite experience on Princess, speaking as one who's had full suites

on Princess before. They don't offer the great amenities that Celebrity

does, like having a butler.;)

 

I'm right there with 4cats4me...and I certainly do pine for a Celebrity cruise when I'm sailing on Princess. On Celebrity I love the embarkation warm greeting plus the offered champagne or orange juice welcome right as you walk on board and the personal walk to your cabin by a steward in a red jacket. If you have a wheeled carry on the steward wheels it to your cabin for you. I also think the dinning room food and service is a step up on Celebrity but I prefer the Princess buffet. The two-deck height dinning room on Celebrity is awesome. Also, I absolutely love the Aqua Spa/Pool and Café on Celebrity Millennium. Itineraries and cruise fare (unless you catch a major Celebrity sale) seem to be better on Princess. Enjoy your Celebrity cruise and please let us know how you like it when you get back.:)

[can786]

Thanks to everyone for your responses. I'm not too concerned about any possible "stuffiness" as I can easily go with the flow and we will be busy with the group. I know food is subjective and as long as it isn't horrible I can usually find something to eat. I'm generally happy as long as I don't have to cook it. The Solstice looks to be a beautiful ship and there is something to be said for sailing a ship when it is practically brand new (I sailed the Star Princess when she was just 7 weeks old and she sure sparkled!).

 

I know it will be tight with three of us in a balcony cabin (I hated it when it was just my DH and I in a Caribe balcony on the Star Princess) but our friend who is with us didn't want to go for anything more expensive, plus my mom and I are still planning on our Pacific Princess Alaska cruise next year as well so we don't want to spend any more either. The balcony cabins seem to have a little more space than Princess' standard balcony cabins do. At least I was able to get a room with a sofa bed rather than an upper bunk as I will NOT climb up into an upper berth. The pictures I've seen of the bathrooms in the cabins seem like they are very nice and are supposed to be larger than most.

 

One question I have is about dressing for dinner. I found on the Celebrity site that they have casual, semi-formal (or whatever they called it) and formal nights. How dressy to people get on the in-between nights? Also, it seems that on Celebrity they offer room service from the dining room menu during lunch and dinner hours. Is this true? That would definitely be an improvement from Princess.

 

Any other info anyone has about Celebrity is greatly appreciated.

[4cats4me]

On Celebrity when we sailed, it seemed that the people were much more dressed. We were on the Alaskan cruise. I think in the Caribbean it

will be a more relaxed atmosphere. But I couldn't help but notice

how dressed up most folks appeared to be on embarkation day, and I even

worried about being in jeans, but as the week went on people became

exceedingly casual.

At night everyone was dressed up every night. Not very casual at all.

We had lots of Europeans on the cruise with us, and they dress up.

[friend of Eeyore]

Since you are booked on the Celebrity cruise, the Celebrity board might be able to answer questions. However, with the three dress codes, I believe Celebrity is going to two dress codes in August sometime - those codes seem to be very similar to Princess's. Also, I believe the dining rooms may be closed for lunch while in port - buffet may be the only choice while you're in port. Again, though, you can probably find many answers over in the Celebrity forum. I am jealous - it looks like a beautiful ship!

[SandG]

One question I have is about dressing for dinner. I found on the Celebrity site that they have casual, semi-formal (or whatever they called it) and formal nights. How dressy to people get on the in-between nights?

 

I recall semi-formal was simpler dresses or dress pants for the ladies. Some wore cocktail dresses, others saved them for the formal nights. We did Alaska and Caribbean and it was definitely less formal in the Caribbean. I recall that the information book mailed from Celebrity had guidelines for this.

 

Sue

[rcacace]

We cruise almost all Princess these days but in the past have been on 6 Celebrity cruises. As I recall they have more of a formal atmosphere as other have noted. Such as taking my tray to the table for me or escorting me to my cabin. These things may be to your liking but I prefer to do it for myself.

[usha]

can786@aol.com, I think you'll find Celebrity isn't stuffy at all; it is a little more formal, and it's just nicer than Princess, IMO.:cool:

Princess has more activities, and if you need to be constantly doing something, I can see that you might get a little bored on Celebrity. Princess also has the anytime dining, which seems to be important to a lot of people. Celebrity still has fixed time dining, unless you go to the specialty restaurant or the casual dining on X.

Celebrity does have better food, IMO, and MUCH better service. The showers on Celebrity are actually life-sized.:) (I couldn't believe the showers on Princess, and I'm a very small woman!) Celebrity's ships are also a LOT more spacious; I think Princess tries to jam way too many people on their ships.

As far as Celebrity's evening dress codes, by the time you cruise on Solstice, there will be 2 formal nights and 5 smart casual or above nights. I'd say that the pax on Celebrity do dress more formally in general than the pax on Princess, so don't worry that you'll be overdressed.

It looks like Solstice is going to be SOME ship, and I'll bet you'll have a great cruise on it. Go with an open mind, and you might even be blown away!:D

[PescadoAmarillo]

can786@aol.com, I think you'll find Celebrity isn't stuffy at all; it is a little more formal, and it's just nicer than Princess, IMO.

As a frequent Celebrity AND Princess cruiser (somewhere between 11 and 13 cruises on each of them), I agree with all your comments. If Celebrity is stuffy, then I guess I am proud to be stuffy, but I don't think that's the case. Celebrity is elegant. People say Princess is elegant, and if it is, then Celebrity is twice as elegant. There is definitely a different ambiance on the two cruise lines. I prefer the ambiance of Celebrity. I also prefer the flexibility of Princess (and their itineraries, which is what got me on my first Princess cruises in 2003). I prefer some of the Elite benefits on Celebrity (the free air deviations and the special cruise pricing), but I enjoy my Princess Elite benefits more (free laundry and dry cleaning, some free internet, free minibar set up).

 

There was a period in late 2004 and early 2005 when we cruised 44 nights on Princess and 42 on Celebrity in a 4 month period of time, and the differences between the cruise lines became very obvious. So I prepared the following list of attributes. While they were true for the ships we were on, during that period, some things have changed. But I've been on Celebrity for 3 weeks and Princess for 5 weeks in the past year and a half, so I've tried to so some updating. While some things may no longer be true, I think, in general, there is still value in this list. (That's my caveat, disclaimer, or whatever you call it.;) )

 

Celebrity

Service

-Champagne and escort to cabin upon welcome

-Almost always an offer to carry your tray in the buffet

-An offer to refill coffee during breakfast and drinks during lunch in the buffet

-Cold towels and drinks when returning to the ship on port days

-Cold towels and sherbet around the pool on sea days

Dining

-Five course dinner menus

-Intermezzo sorbet pre-entrée course on formal nights

-Utensils are all laid out in the place settings

-Escargot and shrimp forks and intermezzo spoons

-Sommeliers, bar stewards, waiters, assistant waiters AND assistant maitre d’s

-$30 corkage fee, wines have higher prices than Princess

-Captains table on formal nights

-Dinner beef entrées are generally steaks

-Salmon, grilled chicken, sirloin steak offered in addition to menu items every night

-Made to order omelet bar in buffet

-Made to order Belgian waffle bar with toppings in buffet

-Made to order pasta bar at lunch in buffet

-Casual dinners must be reserved before 5:30pm each day, but feature three rotating sit down menus; however, pasta and pizza bar open till 1 am

-Breakfast room service menu includes scrambled eggs, ham and cheese omelet, bacon, sausage and ham in addition to continental breakfast

-Still have two midnight buffets on most cruises – island night fruit and sherbet buffet and incredible Gala buffet on final formal night (although the latter is endangered)

-Three juice offerings plus two more on request in the buffet at breakfast

-Lemonade and two fruit drinks offered in the buffet at lunch

-Free hot chocolate available in the buffet (as well as coffee and tea) 24 hours a day

-Ceramic dishes and bowls in buffet

-Small coffee cups and drink glasses in buffet

-Unlimited soda stickers average $5 a day for the length of the cruise

-Only one size of soda glasses

Entertainment

-Live music during dinner in the dining room

-No freshwater pools (including children’s pool)

-Hot tubs close by 9 pm each evening; pools even earlier (varies by ship/itinerary)

-One alcoholic drink size, and all alcoholic drinks are more expensive than Princess

Amenities/Cabins

-Large showers

-Thicker bath towels than Princess

-Easy to use ship layout pamphlets in cabin upon arrival

-Robes for some cabins are really thick

-Unlimited pool towels in all the pool areas

-Gym towels in the fitness center

-Large towels for use on shore (great for the beach)

-Free tote bag in cabin (disposable, but lasts for one cruise)

-Umbrella in cabin

-Shampoo (with conditioner) and lotion dispensers in shower and bathroom – no little packets to have to tear open

-Plastic bag liners in all cabin trash cans

-No antibacterial wipes in fitness center

No individualized entertainment system in fitness center

-Fewer free classes in fitness center

-Steam room on Century class ships is extra charge for most people

-No TV programming guide in cabin

-“Telemarketing” channels on TV promoting ship products and services 24/7; similar commercials during TV programs

-Ability to check shipboard account balance on TV in cabin

-Ability to book shore excursions on TV in cabin

Loyalty Programs

Some value in cabin discounts; free air deviation if using cruise line air.

Ambiance

-Waiters in buffet wear long sleeved white shirt, black bow tie, black pants and cummerbund

-Shorts never really appropriate in the evening unless you eat pizza or pasta and then go back to your cabin or up on an outer deck area; ditto jeans.

-Cruise directors appear on TV morning show in a suit and tie

Princess

Service

-On line pre cruise support (Cruise Personalizer) with shore excursions charged to shipboard account

-Very limited (almost no) offers of coffee and beverage refills in the buffet (but Princess states that this is changing)

-Assistance with carrying food to table only if it appears you require it

Dining

-Personal Choice (Anytime) Dining as well as traditional dining

-24 hour buffet

-Four or five course dinner menus (but you can make them all five course by ordering soup AND salad)

-Salmon, grilled chicken and steak available every evening in the dining room.

-Plastic dishes in buffet

-Princess states that placemats and place settings will be available on all tables in the buffet

-Soufflés offered for dessert most evenings

-Theme restaurants/menus on Sapphire and Diamond Princess

-No sommeliers, bar stewards and assistant maitre de’s (have head waiters, but fewer of them)

-$15 corkage fee

-Unlimited soda stickers average $4.25 per day for the cruise duration

-Sodas in the bars/pool areas are offered in two or three sizes

-Ice tea and milk are the only cold drinks available at lunch and dinner for no charge

-Hot chocolate is free only on cold weather itineraries

-Some ships offer fresh baked cookies and milk poolside during the afternoon.

Entertainment

-Freshwater pools and hot tubs open longer hours (they are no longer 24 hours a day, the hot tubs no longer bubble, and the hot tub temp averages 95F degrees)

-Champagne waterfall on final formal night

-Multiple sizes of alcoholic drinks; lower prices than Celebrity

-Morning show with cruise director humorous, less formal

-Multiple entertainment offerings each evening; many are audience participation based (i.e. trivia, game shows, Princess Idol)

-Princess Theater is not large enough to accommodate early dining passengers, need to arrive early for shows

Amenities/Cabins

-Self service laundries

-Pool towels allocated to cabins, not unlimited although you can ask for more from your cabin steward

-No larger towels for beach use in ports

-No gym towels in fitness center

-Antibacterial wipes for fitness center equipment

-TV programming guide in cabin

-No ability to check shipboard account balance on TV; must go to Guest Relations desk

-Thinner bath towels than Celebrity

-Shampoo, conditioner and lotion in individual use packets, transitioning to small bottles as inventory is used

-Individual entertainment system in fitness center

-Free steam rooms in spa on most ships

Loyalty Programs

-Limited free internet when you get to your 6th cruise

-Free laundry when you get to your 16th cruise

-Free minibar setup on your 16th+ cruises

Ambiance

Wait staff in buffet wear tropical shirts and shorts

Cruise director appears on morning TV show in casual attire

 

I would love to take a Solstice cruise! I think that Celebrity (and RC) does a good job of coming out with really different and unique cruise ships when they change ship classes. Princess's recent classes all seem to blend together a bit.

[SandG]

As a frequent Celebrity AND Princess cruiser (somewhere between 11 and 13 cruises on each of them), I agree with all your comments.

<snip>

There was a period in late 2004 and early 2005 when we cruised 44 nights on Princess and 42 on Celebrity in a 4 month period of time, and the differences between the cruise lines became very obvious. So I prepared the following list of attributes.

<snip>

 

I am in awe. This is a terrific list. Thanks for posting it.

 

Sue

[terrierjohn]

One question I have is about dressing for dinner. I found on the Celebrity site that they have casual, semi-formal (or whatever they called it) and formal nights. How dressy to people get on the in-between nights?

Only sailed X once but found the dress code to be almost identical to Princees, casual nights were just that, unless of course you want to dress up which some did.

Celebrity had one nice feature, in most of the bars they serve little bite size canopies and desserts around 11:30 each night, with the waiters bringing them to your table.

Overall Celebrity was very impressive and we will definitely be back and probably will try one their new Solstice class ships.

[can786]

Wow! Thanks for that great list. I try not to compare different lines too much when onboard a new line or ship, but there are always some things that cruise line A will do better than others, just as there are other things that cruise line B will do better. I am looking forward to trying Celebrity and seeing the things that they do well.

[usha]

Pescado Amarillo, GREAT LIST! Thanks for posting it!:D

[PescadoAmarillo]

I try not to compare different lines too much when onboard a new line or ship, but there are always some things that cruise line A will do better than others, just as there are other things that cruise line B will do better.

You're absolutely right. You can't keep drawing critical comparisons while you're on the ship. When I walked onto an older Celebrity ship after a 30 night cruise on the new Sapphire Princess and only a week at home, I had the wrong frame of mind, and Celebrity could do nothing right. It took me about 3 days to accept that they do some things the same, others differently, and I personally prefer certain things better on one cruise line and certain things better on another. When we returned home from our whirlwind adventure, through, I was able to look at things much more pragmatically and just list the facts as I remember them. And I tried very hard to keep my personal preferences out of the list of comparisons.

[DeepWaterMariner]

Both Celebrity and Princess have more things in common than differences. Now that Celebrity is finally doing away with informal dress the lines are more the same than ever. The buffet service thing (more service on Celebrity) is true if you ignore the enhanced service on the Princess mega ships (Emerald etc.) which have greatly improved service in both the Horizon Court and the Carib Cafe. My worst run in with chair hogs took place on Celebrity so I'm biased in that area.

[usha]

Both Celebrity and Princess have more things in common than differences. My worst run in with chair hogs took place on Celebrity so I'm biased in that area.

Hmmmmmm, interesting.:cool:

What date/ship were you on that you saw so much chair-hogging on Celebrity?

[DeepWaterMariner]

Hmmmmmm, interesting.:cool:

What date/ship were you on that you saw so much chair-hogging on Celebrity?

 

The Zenith in February 2007.