Crown Princess vs Celebrity Equinox

[Poohjo]

Hi All,

 

Me and my DH are currently booked on the 7 night Crown Princess and also the 11 night Celebrity Equinox for the same time frame. My DH stumbled over some great pricing for the Equinox, so we booked it. We have only ever sailed on Princess since we receive so many xtras on them for being past cruisers and a couple of cruises with Disney. I am interested in opinions of who have sailed with both cruiselines. Is the experience of both lines totally different or are they about the same experience? My Dh is sold on the Equinox and I am just about there also. (just a little apprehensive since we haven't cruised with Celebrity before and I have heard it is a more "Snooty" crowd)

 

Any input would be awesome! Thanks in advance!

 

Penny

[JeffCoud]

Celebrity and Princess are fairly comparable I would say. If anything X is a bit more low key or subdued, but not snotty. There's a big long discussion of this on this thread here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1250168&page=5

 

Jeff

[mpace58]

I've cruised on Princess many times, and have been on the Summit once. I really do not notice any difference.

[enyliram]

crowd on celebrity is the same as royal or princess line, perhaps a tad older depending on the time of the year .also considering these 2 cruises. have sailed on most of celebrity including the solstice which i found just too quiet for my taste. cabin, food, staff all good to excellent. entertainment sorely lacking.didnt want to do MDR every night and other options were either pay restaurants of severely limited buffet.

have sailed most of princess including the emerald. loved having access to snacks 24 hrs daily as never know when the hungries get to my DH. enjoyed the entertainment after i learned to arrive extra early for a seat in the theatre. staff excellent, buffet very good MDR good. i am leaning toward princess again but would love to hear from someone who has sailed the crown and the equinox.

princess is offering some amazingly low priced to past cruisers.balcony on crown starting at 599.

[Poohjo]

crowd on celebrity is the same as royal or princess line, perhaps a tad older depending on the time of the year .also considering these 2 cruises. have sailed on most of celebrity including the solstice which i found just too quiet for my taste. cabin, food, staff all good to excellent. entertainment sorely lacking.didnt want to do MDR every night and other options were either pay restaurants of severely limited buffet.

have sailed most of princess including the emerald. loved having access to snacks 24 hrs daily as never know when the hungries get to my DH. enjoyed the entertainment after i learned to arrive extra early for a seat in the theatre. staff excellent, buffet very good MDR good. i am leaning toward princess again but would love to hear from someone who has sailed the crown and the equinox.

princess is offering some amazingly low priced to past cruisers.balcony on crown starting at 599.

 

This was exactly what I was looking for. I have been on the Emerald Princess 3 years in a row and have been on different Princess ships the past 8 years. I love Princess. We have never had any challenges with anything with any of the many Princess Ships we have been on, but on some itineraries other Cruise lines are pricing better than Princess. The 11 night Equinox for the same time frame is only like $150.00pp more then the 7 night Crown Princess which is making it real hard not to go with Celebrity.

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

I have taken six Princess cruises and five Celebrity cruises and currently have cruises booked with both lines. If you like Princess, you will like Celebrity.

 

I cruised aboard the Celebrity Solstice (sister to the Equinox) this past May and absolutely loved the ship. This class of ship is truly stunning. I think you will love the Equinox.

 

Chuck

[barbels]

i have sailed on both ships.

 

They are totally different experiences. The Crown was crowded in all public venues. We never got to see some of the shows. That never happened on the Equinox which has much more public space per passenger. The Lido was always crowded on the Crown; it was often difficult to get a table even at off hours. This was not a problem on the Equinox even at peak times.

 

The standard balcony cabins are larger and better laid out on the Equinox. In my opinion the food on Celebrity in the MDR is not as good as it used to be but it is still far superior to the food I was served on the Crown in the mdr.

 

We are booked on the Caribbean Princess for a new England cruise in September. We won't have a lot of ship time since there are 6 ports in a 7 day cruise so the crowds won't bother us so much and we'll probably spend some of the money we saved by getting a good deal on this cruise to eat in the Crown Grill which was good on the Crown. But if we had to choose between the 2 ships on a similar itinerary we'd take the Equinox without question.

[hcat]

we cruise mainly on Celebrity & Royal--but are booked on Crown Princess for next summer. We booked b/c of the itin to the British isles- it seems like it is going to be very large compared to an S class ship......

 

can't really compare yet but the longer itin sounds tempting-- & S class ships are really so elegant & lovely-have never felt crowded on board. They may be more quiet in the evening but never boring !

[tomcruiser1234]

We love both cruise lines.

The service and MDR are much better on X but intertainment was better on Princess.

You really cannot go wrong on either but we are still diehard RCCL product fan's and X is part of that family. Call it loyality.

However the most loyal cruiser's I believe from our experience was the Princess fans.;)

 

Just MHO

[Holly Harbor]

In June of this year DH and I sailed on the Crown Princess around the British Isles. It was our first experience with Princess, but it was just the itinerary we wanted. The ship was beautiful and the service was fine, but we won't go back to Princess again unless there's another one-of-a-kind itinerary. MDR food seemed only average--loved the souffle desserts but the entrees, salads and sides were only so-so. With 3200+ on board it seemed crowded and without a balcony (which we didn't want on such a port-intensive cruise) there was no quiet place to get away from it all.

 

We have sailed on the Millennium and will be on the Equinox in February. We are so looking forward to their smoking policy, few announcements, and being able to order from the MDR menu for room service.

[cruiserone]

Took the Crown in 2008 and loved every minute. Have only saild two Celebrity cruises but not the Equinox. Last cruise on the Emerald and it had some of the best food we have ever eaten at sea. The staff was superior, so much so that our friends booked another cruise on her before they left.

 

I like the dining rooms better on Princess. They are cozier and more personal. I also like the dining staff and cabin stewards better. The rooms are bigger on Celebrity and I like the bedding better. Felt the crowds were about the same. All different ages and not so many children as RCI.

 

We are all different and we all judge things differently. What do you have to loose? If you don't like the ship you can always change to a Princess ship for your next cruise. I was about to change to Azamara and lately I have heard that the beds are like sleeping in a sleeping bag.:eek: Not what I would like on a hard earned vacation!!

 

Not matter what "you are on vacation" ENJOY

[jackdiamond]

The Equinox in AQ is 5.5 stars, while the Crown Princess in a mini suite is 5 stars. We have done both, but the Equinox is the winner.

[royalcruz]

I only cruise in the winter and in the Caribbean. I have cruised on the Emerald and Caribbean Princess, as well as the Solstice and M class ships. Princess has more entertainment choices in the evenings but the buffets are crowded and laid out poorly. The specialty dining isn't that special IMO (tried Sterling Grill and Sabitinis). I like MUTS and the piano bars. Celebrity S class ships are more modern and beautiful and the service seems to be more elegant. Muranos is very special. The S sunloungers are so comfortable, and there is plenty of space in the shade. The lunch buffet is the best I have ever seen. I like a lot about both lines, but I prefer Celebrity.

[jd1966]

Have sailed the Crown and the Solstice (Equinox sister ship) and enjoyed both. But the S-Class ships are a cut above and the food and service is slightly better than Princess. If you don't smoke, you will love the Equinox even more!!!!!!

[Poohjo]

I only cruise in the winter and in the Caribbean. I have cruised on the Emerald and Caribbean Princess, as well as the Solstice and M class ships. Princess has more entertainment choices in the evenings but the buffets are crowded and laid out poorly. The specialty dining isn't that special IMO (tried Sterling Grill and Sabitinis). I like MUTS and the piano bars. Celebrity S class ships are more modern and beautiful and the service seems to be more elegant. Muranos is very special. The S sunloungers are so comfortable, and there is plenty of space in the shade. The lunch buffet is the best I have ever seen. I like a lot about both lines, but I prefer Celebrity.

 

 

Thank you for the information. We've been on Emerald and Caribbean and like them both very much. We've never eaten in Sabitinis for dinner, but did for breakfast when we were booked in a suite and it was great, but the dinner menu didn't appeal to us. We do like eating in Sterling and have always throught the food was great there. Horizon is a mess no matter the time of day you go there, which means we don't do the buffet. MUTS is awesome. We don't care for the stage productions on Princess (Disney has the best in this area as we have seen) We are 99% sure we are going to keep our booking on Celebrity and cancel the Crown Princess. We are ready to try something new and we love the itinerary of the Equinox. The ship looks amazing. I just had always heard that the people on Celebrity were very snooty (I work with someone who cruises Celebrity and she is very snooty) When me and my hubby cruise, it is normally just me and him and we always get a table for 2 b/c we don't cruise to mingle with people. We go for some alone down time and pretty much stay to ourselves with the exception of shore excursions. Thanks for all the information!

[Rob&Nancy]

We sailed Equinox this year, and the Crown last year. It was our second Celebrity cruise, and the Crown was our first Princess. Most of the differences have been covered, and we far prefer Celebrity. We did not find anyone "snooty" and while we travel alone, we always enjoy meeting people and have really enjoyed our Celebrity cruises.

 

I agree with an earlier poster that the Equinox always felt uncrowded, even though the ship was almost 100% sold out. The Crown was very tight quarters in all the public areas. Hands down, we thought Equinox had the best cabin design - the bathroom has SO much storage and the cabins feel roomier. Staff on both were excellent.

 

The biggest difference I found between the Crown and Equinox? The movement of the ship. I found the Crown VERY rocky and actually woke a couple of nights and was truly frightened by the motion of the ship and the horrendous creaking and groaning the ship made with the movement. I thought we hit something a few times. :eek: I found Equinox very stable and never once had the same feeling of instability. I would not sail the Crown again for that reason alone.

 

Go with Equinox and make sure to post a review - multi-line cruisers often have a great perspective.

[Infi]

Have sailed Solstice, Equinox, Emerald, and Ruby (twice). Some differences you will notice on Celebrity:

--Less entertainment options in the evening - usually just a show in the theater and some live music (acapella, string quartet, pianist).

--Daytime activities tend to focus more on enrichment (language classes, lectures, lessons) and are slightly less busy than Princess.

--Less crowded ships. You won't have to show up 20+min before a show to get a seat, as has been my experience on Princess. I always forget that the S-class is a smidge larger, they feel smaller than the Crown class on Princess because of better passenger flow and more space per passenger.

--Less announcements

--Better options in the buffet, more spacious and less crowded/chaotic than Horizon Court by far.

--Saltwater pools, only 3 on Equinox vs. 4 on Princess

--Specialty restaurants are a bit different on X, there's nothing really analogous to Sabatini's or Crown Grill. You'll have your choice of Murano (continental, formal service), Tuscan Grille (Italian steakhouse, gorgeous views), and Silk Harvest (Asian, a touch more casual). Service is very emphasized, both here and in the MDR.

--Hot glass show: glassblowing demonstration show by the Lawn club, very fun and unique. Check it out at least once, it's worth it.

--No International Cafe, but the rough equivalent, Cafe al Bacio, has some sweet treats during the day.

--No lunch in MDR on port days, and no teatime in MDR daily. (There is an elegant tea once per cruise, and snacks in the Oceanview Cafe in the afternoon.)

--No MUTS

--Less of an upsell. On Princess I frequently feel pressured to buy drinks, wine packages, etc. and I just don't get that on X. For example, on Celebrity, they would never try to sell cookbooks or lemoncello after dinner in the dining room. Are there upsells? Of course. But the staff is more subdued and doesn't push them as heavily.

 

You will find snooty passengers on either line (and all lines, for that matter). I ran into a few doozies on our recent Ruby Med cruise - no line is immune, they're just a fact of life, unfortunately. Just ignore them, they're not worth the effort. For the most part, passengers are friendly and nice to chat with.

I think if you enjoy Princess, you'll like Celebrity as well. I know it can be hard to give up the perks of one line for the great unknown ;), but it's good to see what else is out there. Please share your experiences when you return - Princess vs. Celebrity is one of the most commonly asked comparisons on the boards, and input is always great.

[Poohjo]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the great details and comparisions. We have decided to keep our booking with Equinox and cancel our Crown Princess Cruise. The only thing that we will miss is the extra perks on Princess, but if we do enough cruises on Celebrity, hopefully they offer similar perks. I can share the love between multiple cruiselines.

 

Penny

[royalcruz]

I'm sure that you will love the Equinox. I forgot to mention that you don't have to get to the theatre very early to get a seat.. it's usually fine to arrive a few minutes before showtime (unlike Princess).

[hcat]

In June of this year DH and I sailed on the Crown Princess around the British Isles. It was our first experience with Princess, but it was just the itinerary we wanted. The ship was beautiful and the service was fine, but we won't go back to Princess again unless there's another one-of-a-kind itinerary. MDR food seemed only average--loved the souffle desserts but the entrees, salads and sides were only so-so. With 3200+ on board it seemed crowded and without a balcony (which we didn't want on such a port-intensive cruise) there was no quiet place to get away from it all.

 

We have sailed on the Millennium and will be on the Equinox in February. We are so looking forward to their smoking policy, few announcements, and being able to order from the MDR menu for room service.

 

This is pretty much why we booked the Crown trip--for this specific itin... but overall like a smaller ship, less smoking & of course, our Elite perks-- when we sail on Princess we will just be first time cruisers!!

 

Hope the post about the ship rocking is not a general experience..