Celebrity Galaxy or Emerald Princess

[susanhb]

I am trying to decide between the Emerald Princess and the Celebrity Galaxy. The price is 818.00 less on the Galaxy but it is much older. please help. Thank you

[Woodmnky]

I can't really answer this for you, but I do know that the Emerald is on its first Caribbean cruise for the season and there should be reviews posted in a week or so.

[Lois R]

Hi:) I was on Galaxy back in March and had a fantastic

time. I am sailing her again in January:D

Cannot help you with the Princess ship.

 

When were you looking to sail? Galaxy is only in fleet until

March so you only have a few months left before she leaves.

[susanhb]

We are going the end of Jan.

[hurwitz5]

We just returned from the Celebrity Galaxy a few weeks ago. We had the most fantastic cruise of the Greek Isles, Ephesus, Turkey and 2 ports in Italy (Sicily and Naples). We took this cruise because of the great itinerary. The price was also very good, we assume, because the Galaxy is an older ship (1996). We had learned prior to our sailing that the Galaxy was refurbished in April 2008 - and it showed! Almost all of the carpeting and upholstery on the ship has been re-done. It also looked like the tile work in the pool areas was also new. There was a new feel to the ship. We also discovered that the Galaxy was a very well run ship. Both the service and the food were better than we had experienced on Celebrity's Milllennium ship in January 2008 (Caribbean cruise). We also thought that the ship layout had some features that were nicer than those on the Millennium. The one negative difference was the thallascopy (sp-?) pool. There was a charge for the use of this pool on the Galaxy, and the pool was not appealing. On the Millennium class ships the thallascopy pool is beautiful and free. We didn't miss it, although we did enjoy using the thalascopy pool on the Millennium (and the Infiniti on other cruises). On the Galaxy there is a pool on the rear deck outisde the buffet area that has a retractable cover; there are also 2 good size pools in the mid-area of ship. On the Galaxy, we found more food choices on the buffet, including an excellent sushi bar (free) each night at 5:30 p.m. at the back of the buffet. The omelet stations were better run and we enjoyed the extra service area by the rear pool of the ship. We are contemplating sailing on the Galaxy again this winter because the itinerary is great for the price. We have sailed on the Caribbean Princess a few times and liked that ship, so I'm sure that the Emerald Princess will be spectacular. The Galaxy has 1900 passengers versus 3100 passengers on the Emerald Princess. If you are looking for more excitement, then I would suggest the Emerald Princess, but if you are looking for a more relaxing cruise at a better price, then the Galaxy is more than fine. Actually, two lounges on the Galaxy attracted big crowds - the Stratosphere lounge, and the Oasis Lounge were very busy on quite a few nights, despite passengers who had been out sightseeing all day. There was a very lively group of people on the Galaxy, with a wide range of age groups -from the 20's through the 80's. Perhaps the Greek Islands attracted a wide age range. In either case, you will have a great time. But feel free to book the Galaxy if you would like a smaller ship at a better price. Be aware that the passengers to crew ratio on Celebrity is geared to a higher level of service. You can check on this cruise critic website (reviews) as to the number of crew versus the number of passengers. Also, we prefer the food on Celebrity versus Princess, even though Princess has more food available at all times (24 hour buffet).

[KikiKruiser]

But you should know there is a huge difference between the Galaxy and Emerald, so it really is like comparing apples to oranges. The Galaxy is older and smaller and with fewer passengers, while the Emerald is new-ish, has many more passengers, and is a much larger ship with all the bells and whistles. Multiple dining venues, Anytime Dining, a very active ship. I have sailed on both and appreciate what each has to offer, but I also consider the size of the ship when contemplating itineraries. Are your ports going to be small islands or towns that can be easily overwhelmed by a larger ship and impact your visit, will you have to use tenders more often than docking. And IMHO, the itinerary is very important, sometimes even more important than the ship itself. But like I said, I have sailed on both and you can't go wrong with whatever reasons you decide. Bon Voyage!:)

[usha]

I really love Galaxy, and I've had 2 of my best cruise experiences on that ship.:D

Haven't been on Emerald, but I've cruised on Golden & Caribbean Princess,

and while they are very large ships, they are also the most crowded ships I've ever been on.:eek:

I'd pick Galaxy without even considering the price difference, but saving 800 bucks makes it a TOTAL no-brainer.:)