Lady Arwen

We’ve honestly never considered RCI.  The Behemoth of the Seas ships just turn me off and I would imagine there would be tons of kids onboard.  Great for families and young people, but not so much for us retirees.

26 minutes ago, Retired-N-Happy said:

But if you cruised on any "damn" ship, that would lock you into HAL.  😄

Actually, we also cruise with HAL.  Love the Pinnacle class ships, especially Rotterdam.  Variety is the spice of life! lol

2 minutes ago, suzyed said:

We haven't sailed RCI in almost 12 years, but we live in Florida and we would many times spur of the moment drive down to port and take a 3,5,7 day cruise on both RCI and even Carnival!  It was just so easy!  Actually I don't believe Pinnacle was even a thing when we last sailed on RCI.  Many of our sailings were with our family.  We like to try out different expiriences, having also sailed on Cunard 5 times, MSC 3 times. In 2010 when we first sailed on the Ruby Princess we were very pleased with the Princess product.  A few more cruises and we were hooked on Princess with a sprinkle of the others in there!  We just love their itineraries, the price point, the onboard culture, the crew, the staff, etc.  Is it perfect...no way, but we feel at this time it's perfect for us!
BTW, one of my best friends sails almost exclusively on Celebrity but she's a gambler and likes the smoke free casinos.  Not saying there was anything wrong with Celebrity and we may try it again but right now we're content with our choice.

Thank you!  That explains it perfectly.  If I lived near a cruise port I would be sailing on any damn ship!

45 minutes ago, suzyed said:

Thank you...we continue to sail mainly with Princess. Different strokes for different folks! Thankful we all have a choice!

And no, we were not in a Suite.  Being Diamond on Royal Caribbean grants one Elite status on Celebrity (at least at this time).  As far as the free drinks anywhere during 5-7, nope, didn't know that.

Yes, that’s a great benefit, especially for those folks who only want a few cocktails and wine in the evening with dinner.  Unfortunately, we have to pay for the drinks we indulge in during the afternoon.  Oh well, you can’t have it all!

51 minutes ago, suzyed said:

I had access to the Elite CC HH because I was Elite on my one and only Celebrity cruise since I am Diamond on Royal Caribbean and they status match.  (As does MSC)

Yes, I’m aware of the status matching.  I just never pictured you as a Royal Caribbean cruiser!   To get to Diamond level you would need a few cruises under your belt.  I’m very surprised that you prefer RCI over Celebrity!  Like, I said, everyone has their own wants and needs and that’s a good thing.

9 minutes ago, doghog said:

Agree. One correction. Only Elite, Elite Plus and Zenith would have access to the reserved lounge during the CC HH from 5 to 7 PM. Suites never have and still don't have access to that CC HH event. Which now is limited to only  2 or 3 evenings, depending on the length of the cruise. Suite guests only have the Retreat Lounge. 
 

 I was just trying to understand how someone on their first and only Celebrity cruise had access to the Elite Lounge.  I know that suite guests can access this lounge if accompanied by an Elite member, as can a non Elite passenger who is occupying the same cabin as an Elite member.  We were on Ascent in January and enjoyed the HH every evening.

7 hours ago, suzyed said:

I kept hearing how I was going to LOVE Celebrity!  I found it nice enough but I didn't love it any more than Princess.  
Every night we went to dinner we had to wait and were given a beeper so we could go and wait and have a drink. 
The Elite lounge free cocktails were nice but 1 or 2 is all you can get in the time allotted. Drink packages eliminated the need for this. 
I'm trying to recall what was better or even equal to Princess?  To be fair I have only been on one Celebrity cruise....but have not been enticed to try them again.  Princess seems to have nicer itineraries and more bang for the buck.

To be really fair you have only ONE Celebrity cruise to compare.  You would undoubtedly encourage someone who was disappointed in their first Princess cruise to gave it another try.  I’m curious as to which Celebrity ship you sailed on.  You must have been in a suite to have had access to the Elite lounge. 

We have been sailing with Princess since 1994 and Celebrity since 1991.  In the past few years we’ve just felt that Celebrity was a better fit for us.  You prefer Princess and that’s okay.  Everyone has different tastes and expectations.  I respect yours.

I just wanted to correct one thing you mentioned.  Elite level complimentary cocktails are available at ANY bar or lounge and are limitless between the hours of 5pm to 7pm.  You do not have to be in the Elite lounge.  In fact, few people do so.  We always have a couple of cocktails at a bar and then we get a couple of glasses of wine to take into whichever dining room we’re eating at that evening. Absolutely no problem doing this.  So, 4 complimentary drinks, or more if you are so inclined, per day.  That is enough to satisfy many people who are light drinkers.  I just wanted to clarify for those who might have been unsure about this benefit.  
 

Elite members also get 1 complimentary bag of laundry for each passenger per seven day cruise.  Free dry cleaning and ironing of two articles of clothing.  And so many more benefits.  It works for us.

I wish you many more happy sailings on whichever Princess ship you choose.

9 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

We did a side by side cruise last year on Celebrity and then crossed over to a different terminal in the same port to board a Princess ship.  
Our comparisons of the two were stark for us! 
There were some definite advantages to Celebrity but our go to line is now Princess.  
 

The atmosphere being bright and light goes to Princess.  
The food options and alternate dining and snack venues also go to Princess. 
The comfy beds, definitely go to Princess. 

The open closet design goes to Princess. 
The lower cost pricing goes to Princess.  
The WiFi goes to Princess by a mile. 
Constant activities and events goes to Princess.  

Food is subjective but I have to go with Princess for us.  

The stemware / glass wear goes to Celebrity.  
The captains circle happy hour goes to Celebrity.  

Entertainment venues goes to Celebrity. 
The larger staterooms with a seating area goes to Celebrity.

The stateroom bathrooms go to Celebrity. 
The non-smoking in the casino is a huge Celebrity win!  

Our bottom line is that we choose Princess almost exclusively now.  We would love for them to cut all indoor smoking areas .. that’s still a big sticking point for us.  But all in all, they have overtaken Celebrity as our favorite cruiseline.  
We love the inclusions on the Plus package on the Crown/Grand class ships and the Premier package on the Royal class ships.  
 

 

 

 

 

A very fair comparison, thank you for that.  We’ve gone in the other direction and will now sail exclusively with Celebrity, with perhaps the odd Princess, if a particular sailing catches our eye.  Everyone has their own preferences and wants, needs and desires.  Celebrity ticks all the boxes for us and Princess does it for you.  I love that with cruising there’s something for everyone!

1 minute ago, FLAlaska said:

As someone who goes back and forth about trying out Celebrity,  I would love to hear more of what you love about celebrity? How is the vibe different? 

It just feels more upscale and elegant.  Not stuffy at all, but sophisticated.  The Martini Bar is the best!  So much fun trying out new Martinis and watching the amazing bartenders do their thing.  Not as many kids onboard.  People dress casually for sure, but nice casual.  Zero indoor smoking, including the casino. Yay!  On Edge class the bathrooms, in all categories, are luxurious.  Very large glass door shower stalls.  Plenty of room for storage.

I could go on and on, but take a look at YouTube videos.  Some people prefer S class, with traditional balconies, but we prefer Edge class.  We sailed on Ascent over New years this year and it was fabulous!  Food is really good and service is exemplary.  You really need to try it!

28 minutes ago, swjumbo said:

We are similar to the OP.

 

Have done many cruises on Celebrity in all classes. Came off our first Princess cruise last week.

 

We always feel deflated leaving a Celebrity ship…. even in port and couldn’t wait to go back onboard.

 

Totally opposite with Princess. We spent as much time as we could in port without getting back on board and were quite happy to get off.

 

PS We have only done speciality dining on board each and never an inside cabin.

 

Perks are better with X!

 

PS We really wanted to like Princess too but we’ve got the Celebrity bug! It just ticks every box for us.

Same with us.  Don’t get me wrong, we do enjoy our Princess cruises.  We just let slide the things that bother us and move on.  Different experience on X!  More our style, I guess.  I never stop smiling the entire time and we love our casino evenings!  I’m sure we’ll be back on a Princess ship in the future with the right ship and the right itinerary.  I never say never.

2 minutes ago, memoak said:

Except that everything is waged on hot. If you have delicate material use the self serve for that. Was and dry $6 if you bring your own detergent 

When we use the laundry service on Celebrity we attach a note to the bag to wash in cool water and low dryer.  It always comes back perfectly!

 My big issue with Princess is that smoking is allowed in the casino and it wafts out into the other public areas.  If you stay in the casino, even for just a few minutes, your hair and your clothes reek of smoke. The bathrooms on Princess, unless you’re in a suite, are tiny with awful shower curtains.  It’s dreadful!  We’re doing one last Princess cruise in August and cancelled the rest.  Just rebooked them all on Celebrity.  We’re Elite on Celebrity, so we get some nice benefits. I really tried to like Princess and gave them a fair shot, but my DH has said enough is enough.  

1 minute ago, Mark_K said:

I’m glad that worked out for you, but it’s not the same as getting a refund, and doesn’t work out for everyone.

You specifically said that Princess Platinum insurance is NOT a “cancel for any reason” plan. It is. It works basically for anyone who cancels for anything other than covered medical issues.  It is a 100% refund in FCC, not cash.  

13 minutes ago, Mark_K said:

Princess Platinum is not a cancel for any reason plan.  You may need a letter from the physician that she’s unable to travel. You do see people cruising in casts, etc.

This is not correct.  We recently had to cancel our cruise because of an emergency surgery for our dog.  We had Platinum coverage.  The cancel for any reason benefit does not refund you in cash, but in FCC, which were available immediately to us.  Two days later we used the credits to book another cruise.

3 hours ago, JenkintownMom said:

We are arriving tomorrow.... staying at hotel near Heathrow. We hooked the shuttle to Southampton from Heathrow Friday. What time to be back at Heathrow Friday morning  to pick up shuttle to terminal?

 

Many thanks in advance.

I would arrive early morning to get the bus to the terminal.  They do wait until the bus is full.  You will be checked off the manifest list and given a bus number.  You will wait until a Princess rep escorts you to your bus.

3 hours ago, Mark_K said:

Which shuttle? 

The Princess transfer bus from the airport to cruise terminal.  

3 hours ago, DCThunder said:

Fly Lufthansa or Air France and hear all airplane announcements in both German and English, or French and English.  I haven't flown on Emirates or Etihad so don't know if announcements are in Arabic and English.

Fly Air Canada and Westjet it’s English and French.  People tend to forget that Canada is a bi-lingual country.

Just cancelled two Princess cruises for 2025 and rebooked on Beyond.  We booked one of the deluxe ocean view cabins on deck 9 forward.  Very large cabin and great views.  I prefer Edge class ships over S class.  

23 minutes ago, Krozulo said:

Thing is, I feel like I can order what I want when I want, without counting, and come out ahead without the package. It's the port days that would really make it up. 

 

I just hate to lose at a corporation's game. They push the packages hard for a reason, and it's not because it's such a great value to everyone. 

I get it.  You do what you feel works for you.  I’m not worried about the corporation making money on the packages.  Every corporation is out to make money, not just the cruiselines.  Every single day we lose the game, one way or another.  It’s a part of life we’ve come to expect.  

Perceived value is in the eye of the beholder.  For us it’s great value and I enjoy it.  For you, not so much.  The point is, do what makes YOU happy!

7 minutes ago, FancyPants21 said:

Then don't count.

 

Once you have made the decision to get the package then forget numbers and just go and do whatever you want knowing you have a fixed price.

 

It isn't about "making it up" or making sure you drink enough drinks. It is about not having to count anything... you pay a fixed price and that is what it costs regardless of what you do. Just go and enjoy yourself. 

 

I really don't understand it... people go on a cruise, costing thousands usually, and then spend time worrying and stressing over the cost of a few drinks. To me that isn't why I go on a cruise. I do that at home... on a cruise I want to know I can do what I want and to know how much it is costing me up front.

 

So I will always get a package and NEVER count drinks.

 

If after the cruise I feel that I didn't get the value from the package that I expected then may be I don't get it next time but even then... I wouldn't count drinks. That is not the point of cruising IMO.

I have to agree with you.  If I had to spend any of my precious vacation time adding up the cost of a drink or coffee or specialty dining, I would be so stressed out just thinking about the numbers.  We just pay for the package and forget about it.  When we get home we only have memories of the good time we had and not whether we lost money or broke even or any of that.

I certainly understand that not everyone can or wants to do that.  Some people thrive on budgets and spreadsheets and daily calculations.  The packages are for people who know they’ll get their money’s worth and for people who don’t really care.  To each their own.

2 hours ago, tourismtessy said:

Can you tell me how much it is for half day in the sanctuary? Also, do you go there right away on embarkation day to reserve?

Half day, which is four hours, is $20.00.  You must get to the Sanctuary as soon as you board,  it fills up very quickly!

56 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

I really hope you mean in public areas and not in the privacy of your room!😱

@memoaksaid “in public”.  You have nothing to worry about, your cabin is completely private.

1 hour ago, martinitime1 said:

I have a question about the casual dining. We have Plus but nowhere in our documents does it show the casual dining on offer. Are we missing it somewhere?

Just go to the Princess website and look up the packages.  It’s very clearly stated what each package  offers.    If you have the Plus package, you have 2 casual dinners per person.

I have no idea why you’re experiencing this every night.  I rarely have this type of issue, but mostly when everyone else is seeing the same.  Some people find it happens on different servers.  I’m certainly not a tech person, so I’m hoping some of our knowledgeable members can advise you.

We use a Princess CVP and never have issues.  Any changes, regardless of the nature, she gets it done in mere minutes.  I’ve never sat on hold, spoken to an agent that I don’t understand, had my booking cancelled and I’ve never been stressed or upset.  
 

If you don’t have a reliable travel agent or CVP, please do yourself a favour and reach out to one or the other.  No cost for either one, but their service is invaluable.  Our CVP has been doing our bookings for years and I wouldn’t know what to do without her.  Sorry, for your experience.  I can’t imagine how stressful it must have been.  I hope you enjoy your cruise!