Celebrity vs Princess - Honeymoon

[tbenson81]

Can someone give me a little insight on how they think a celebrity cruise would compare to a princess cruise for a Honeymoon. We are getting married in October and are interested in the 14 day Hawaii cruise and the only 2 who offer this are princess and Celebrity. What would be the pros and cons of each?

 

Somone mentioned that celebrity cruises are just a floating retirement home. Is this true? Anyone who has any advice who be much appreciated

[tbelian]

Somone mentioned that celebrity cruises are just a floating retirement home. Is this true?

 

No. It is not true. Who mentioned that rubbish?

 

I can't speak for princess because I have not sailed that cruise line. We did our honeymoon on Celebrity Century. it was a carribean sailing. Had a blast.

 

I think you will enjoy the Celebrity experience, IF you choose to switch your already booked princess cruise to celebrity (I noticed in another thread you said you were already booked for hawaii on princess) ... So?? Whatup.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=3372880#post3372880

[Boo's Mom]

No. Celebrity is not a floating retirement home.

 

Celebrity is a great cruiseline. In general, the service is going to be better on Celebrity. The food will be better.

 

Celebrity is, in general....a few more dollars out of your pocket. Many families, traveling with kids will choose Princess over Celebrity, because of the price issue. So, although there will be children on Celebrity....probably not quite as much as you would find on Princess.

 

I have cruised on Princess and Celebrity. The difference in the level of service was very noticeable to me. I like great service.

 

I recommend Celebrity.

 

Get a balcony (or suite :D ) if you can. You only get one chance at your honeymoon. .... :p

[tbenson81]

We had 14 days to cancel with our travel agent and after reading all the comments on all these forums, I began second guessing myself. Since the capacity is only 50% on both ships so far, I thought I will take some more time to weigh my options. One minute I am thinking Princess and the next its Celebrity. Everyone always has something contradictory to say.

[wv4891]

This is a very subjective subject, in my opinion. I don't know how active you or your future spouse are, what your likes or dislikes are. I personally do not like the 14 day Hawaii cruise that Celebrity has to offer. As I much prefer a land vacation to Hawaii. I think a much more romantic cruise would be one of the Princess cruises around Tahiti, either the Cook Islands or the Marquesa Islands. They offer a great pre and post cruise package.

 

If you are very active than Princess would be a better fit for you. The longer cruises tend to draw older crowds, as they can afford to be away longer from their jobs, if they are not retired, etc. You may not enjoy being one of the youngest couples on the ship.

 

If you are thinking Hawaii, I personnaly believe that a honeymoon there would be enjoyed more if you spent a week or two there on a land vacation.

[geoherb]

A 14-night cruise is going to attract an older crowd. I haven't noticed much difference in the average age of passengers on our Celebrity and Princess cruises to the Caribbean. There's always a mix of old and young and in-between. Our Princess cruise to New England and Canada skewed decidedly older. We were probably younger than 90 percent of our fellow passengers (and we were 40 and 46 when we took that cruise). It made getting a seat at the second show easy.

 

We've enjoyed our cruises on both lines. It's a toss-up for us as to which we choose--depending on price and itinerary. I'd gladly book either again. When on Celebrity, I miss some of the things that Princess does better--and vice versa when I'm on Princess.

[Boo's Mom]

I have found that really great service/food comes with a greater price tag.

 

You pay for what you get.

 

So, that is why Celebrity is able to charge a bigger price for its cruises. They manage their personnel a little differently. The Celebrity employees are trained in such a way, that they provide a more refined service experience for the Celebrity Passengers.

 

They charge higher....and they get what they charge. There is certainly a market for passengers who like the refined experience, without paying the really high prices for a luxury cruise experience (Raddison/Crystal, etc). I believe this is where Celebrity falls.

 

Just a slight example: On Celebrity, we have always experienced this.... when you are walking in the halls where the cabins are located....and you come across some of the staff who are cleaning....they will always stop and stand to the side and politely acknowledge you. Friendly, but not intrusive.

Something so simple....really is very nice.

 

On Carnival, Princess and RCI...we have seen all varieties of this. From completely ignoring your existence, to chatting loudly with other staff while ignoring you, to acting like they are your brother in law and aren't we all going to have a nice day today? It's all about being trained to be professional in the service area. Celebrity wins in this area.

 

Another thought: When we sailed on Princess about 1.5 years ago...there was a nasty "almost" fight in the audience of the Show one evening. I couldn't believe it. A grown woman and a grown man....not traveling together...something about stepping on the other's foot. Or...about saving seats, etc... We have never seen anything like this on Celebrity. Could it happen? Sure. We just have never seen it.

 

I like to think of the different cruiselines...as different hotel chains.

I would say that Celebrity is like a "Wyndham Hotel". ($250. a night)

I would say that Princess is like a "Hyatt". ($120. a night)

 

Both are nice hotels. One is just a bit more refined than the other. One costs a little more.

 

We received some downright poor service in the dining room on Princess. That is really hard for me to overcome. Not just an isolated experience, either.

 

Just some more comments.....to ponder.

[DeRon]

I think I would advise you a little differently.

 

My answer would be it all depends on what you and your fiance' like. If you are looking for quite, romantic, great service and food, wonderful ambience then I would say go Celebrity.

 

If you want a lot of action, less formal atmosphere, fresh water pools, 24/7 pools and hot tubs, good but not great food, better parties and more shows, then go Princess.