Attention: Princess Connoisseurs

[MessyJessy]

I am looking to book either a Western Mediterranean or Southern Caribbean cruise for 2006 and I need some help! :confused:

 

I have narrowed it down to Princess or Celebrity (we have not sailed on either line) and I would like to hear the positives and negatives to decide.

 

Just some background information:

We are married :D in our early 20's and are pretty active people day to day. We enjoy good food and fun with our family and friends. We like to cruise to relax and take a break from our normally hectic lives.

 

I have heard great things about Princess from several friends (Southern Caribbean on Golden and Eastern on Grand) and I wanted to hear from you Princess Connoisseurs! So don’t hold back or sugar coat anything! I want the E! true Princess story!:D

 

How do you think Princess compares to HAL or RCCL? We have sailed on both lines and will be sailing with HAL again in September.

 

What makes Princess different? For example, RCCL rock wall and miniature golf and HAL’s wooden deck chairs and wrap around promenade decks are things that make them different from the others. What are Princess’ signature items?

 

I keep looking for Southern Caribbean and Western Mediterranean itineraries for 2006 but I haven’t seen anything.:confused: When do they list the 2006 itineraries?

 

Also, after reading some of the reviews on the board many state that there is a soufflé available every night while others say nothing! So, is it true? Do they offer a soufflé every night?

 

Has anyone here taken a Western Mediterranean or Southern Caribbean cruise with Princess? If so, what ship would you recommend?

 

Thank you for your help!:D

[mr green]

I came off Mercury in March, and I considered the ship and the line to be highly overrated. Food and entertainment mediocre at best. The line should learn in my opinion, how to treat people, and not to depend on what the line was like in the past, or on the hard core X cruisers who love Celebrity. I have found Princess to be better in nearly all respects, and public relations on this line I have always found to be first class. I find Princess to be similer to HAL, except that on Princess you have both 'fixed and freestyle dining', and it also has better tours. I have two more cruises booked, one with Princess, and the other with HAL. I will never cruise with X again. In all I have cruised 13 times, but if X had been my first cruise it would probably have been my last! Have fun, :) john

[coiran]

I came off Mercury in March, and I considered the ship and the line to be highly overrated. Food and entertainment mediocre at best. The line should learn in my opinion, how to treat people, and not to depend on what the line was like in the past, or on the hard core X cruisers who love Celebrity. I have found Princess to be better in nearly all respects, and public relations on this line I have always found to be first class. I find Princess to be similer to HAL, except that on Princess you have both 'fixed and freestyle dining', and it also has better tours. I have two more cruises booked, one with Princess, and the other with HAL. I will never cruise with X again. In all I have cruised 13 times, but if X had been my first cruise it would probably have been my last! Have fun, :) john

 

Do you find the food selections on Princess to be better - equal to - or - a notch below Hometown Buffet as some posters have noted?

 

Ron

[mr green]

Do you find the food selections on Princess to be better - equal to - or - a notch below Hometown Buffet as some posters have noted?

 

Ron

 

Buffets on Princess were usualy very very good, and always available, unlike Mercury, when at 10.00 pm we could not even find a cup of coffee! Two years ago on HAL,[statendam] you could get real orange juice, if you knew were to find it. john

[Cat-Nik]

We are on Western Med in 2 weeks - one question though. As a US person why on earth fly all this way to spend virtually 2 days at sea with no weather guarantee and the Bay of Biscay a risky prospect when you could fly straight to the sun in the Med or elsewhere? Just a thought...

 

Maybe London's the attraction?

[Scotto97]

Because of your age, I would recommend Princess over Celebrity. Even on Princess, my wife and I are younger than 70% of the passengers. (I'm 38 and my wife is 28) You my want to consider RCL or a newer Carnival ship as well, since the age group on those lines is younger and more active. (RCL averages around 40, Carnival - Mid to late 30's on average) Princess passengers on a 7 day will average 50-55 years of age. Of course some are younger, some are older. The reason we like Princess is because we like the class and elegant feel they offer. So we sacrifice a more active, fun crowd for that reason. In my 20's I would have definitely taken Carnival - just a lot more fun in people watching, full dance clubs, Pool games with beer drinking, ect.

[vacationhappy]

Princess has fresh water pools that are open 24hrs/day, anytime dining (convenient on port-intensive trips) and laundry facilities (which is helpful on a longer trip).

 

I think that the food is comparable on all of the lines mentioned and good for mass production. One line may have better beef dishes while the other line may have better pasta dishes. I have found that the menus rotate frequently and they are different depending on where you are going - i.e. the food served on an Alaska cruise is different than a Caribbean cruise.

 

As far as going to Europe vs the Caribbean - for me there isn't a choice. I love the beach but would choose Europe in a heartbeat.

[spongerob]

Most of the Mediterranean itineraries are very port-intensive. The exception are the Sea Princess 14-day cruises out of Southampton that begin and end with 2 sea days, but still have 9 port days in a row. I think that they would be great cruises, but would require additional vacation time for recovery. Too many port days in a row get tiring.

 

As to "Why Princess?" it was just luck of the draw that we choose Princess for our first cruise. We were so impressed with what we found that we've come back ever since. I have looked at various other lines and once or twice came close to booking on one of them, but have always returned to Princess. Overall it's classy without being snobby, and we always have lots of fun.

 

I don't agree at all with the idea that Princess passengers are generally older. The average age on board varies with the cruise length and destination, ship, and time of year. Carnival, known for its youthful acitivities, still sails more seniors than any other cruise line.

[enymarsh]

I've been on RCL, HAL, and Princess and like Princess best for many of the reasons listed above, pools are fresh water and always open... also seem larger, anytime dining in the diningroom but also the buffet never closes. One thing to note, though, if you like HAL, then be aware IMO that HAL's buffet is far superior to Princess and RCL. On HAL everything on the buffet was delicious, on Princess I felt that the food (the hot food) is comparable to any typical mediocre buffet. The cold foods, though, in particular the salads and some of the desserts, well, they are definitely a notch above mediocre - wonderful, in fact. We eat mostly salads during the day so for us the buffet is awesome and more than enough. The dining room food was better for us than that on RCL, but we felt that HAL's was better than both. At some point we had to take a step back and decide what we felt were our criteria for a good cruise. When we prioritized our preferences, figured out exactly what would make or break it for us, we were able to choose a line and itinerary that created the best experience for us.

 

The Sun class ships have the wrap around deck and go to the southern caribbean, so that might be the critical point for you.

 

Have fun researching!!

[MessyJessy]

Wow! Thanks for all of the objective responses! :D I really appreciate all the help! I like to have all my ducks in a row before I pitch my next vacation plan to the husband! :p

I have found Princess to be better in nearly all respects, and public relations on this line I have always found to be first class. I find Princess to be similar to HAL, except that on Princess you have both 'fixed and freestyle dining', and it also has better tours.

mr green - I was hoping that Princess would be similar to HAL and maybe even a step up. We like HAL for a more subdued atmosphere and hope that Princess is similar. My goal is to sample all of the lines in order to gauge my favorite. Three lines down and seventeen more to go! :rolleyes:

Because of your age, I would recommend Princess over Celebrity...You my want to consider RCL or a newer Carnival ship as well, since the age group on those lines is younger and more active.

Scotto97 - We have tried both RCL and Carnival and they each have signature items that we enjoyed. We are not “party animals” and we don’t drink but we do like to have a good time and a few laughs. We might try them again someday for another cruise, but probably not this next one. :D

So what about the soufflé’s? :confused: Are they served every night? I have a very concerned Father-in-law that needs to know!

[princess44]

We haven't cruised HAL or X, but have many friends that have......we've sinced introduced them to Princess! They've commented on the service on X and HAL---positive comments. But beyond that, Princess is similar or better.

 

When I say 'service', I'm talking about having your stateroom cleaned 3 times a day compared to Princess 2 times a day and maybe more attentive in the buffet lines. (only speaking from what my friends have told me)

We love the atmosphere on Princess....adults only pool/bar area, superb staff, fun/party pool area. The entire ship is very sophisticated and classy, but not snooty.

 

We are in our early 40's, not over the hill and still like to have fun, but not get "wasted", which is what I hear about Carnival cruises (don't have first hand knowledge of this). My vote is for Princess!

[bambam]

An interesting post. Pebbles and I are on the same mission...to try different lines and find a keeper. We just finished the HAL Maasdam out of Norfolk, and loved the ship and the ports, but had some inconsistent meals (mine were great, hers were so-so at best).

 

Anyways, some good friends of our are Princess lovers, and they have convinced us to try the Sun Princess, our first Princess cruise, which offers a 10-day Southern C out of Ft. Lauderdale in April of 2006, we are booked for April 17th, the Monday after Easter.

Feel free to join us!! If you are looking at prices, let me know...there are some tricks, but essentially, we got a really good deal on a BB balcony for much less than the listed prices.. email me at bameister8@yahoo.com. And no, I am not a TA...I just enjoy helping folks as others have helped me...

 

Hope this helps...

[spongerob]

So what about the soufflé’s? :confused: Are they served every night? I have a very concerned Father-in-law that needs to know!

 

I can't promise that they will be served EVERY night, but I know that they are usually served several nights during a cruise. I have a hard time resisting them, and they usually are served piping hot. They aren't stingy with the sabayon, either.

[MessyJessy]

I can't promise that they will be served EVERY night, but I know that they are usually served several nights during a cruise. I have a hard time resisting them, and they usually are served piping hot. They aren't stingy with the sabayon, either.

Awesome! :D I probably like them as much as the FIL! :p The chocolate soufflé on my last cruise was very hard to resist! After finishing mine, I ended up eating some of my husbands too! :rolleyes:

 

[Once Upon A Time]

We haven't sailed on Princess for a number of years (although we will later this year), but I know quite a lot about Celebrity. I would only recommend their Millinium class ships. The Galaxy and Mercury have not been well maintained, although the food and service were excellant. With the Summit, the Infinity and the Millinum you will find outstanding food, really good entertainment, the friendliest and most service oriented staff of any line I have ever sailed and the cabin accommodations were very nice too. If you book a concierge class cabin, you will find some really nice amenities that are usually absent on other ships...well worth the extra $$.

[OhioDogLover]

We (DH & I) really enjoy both Celebrity and Princess. It is our opinion that the food on Celebrity is a bit better than Princess, but there are many who disagree. We think that Princess has more activities. I would think that a younger person would prefer Princess, but either would be just fine. Have a good time.

[cruzzers]

If you like to be in port more than at sea, I would say either the Sun Princess, 10 day or the Sea Princess 14 day. There are only 3 days at sea with both of the Caribbean cruises. We love Princess but have not experienced any other line except NCL to compare and we would say Princess is our favorite in all catagories.

[calif cruise]

Do you find the food selections on Princess to be better - equal to - or - a notch below Hometown Buffet as some posters have noted?Ron

Just had to beat that dead horse one more time eh? Sure hope it made your day!

[coiran]

Just had to beat that dead horse one more time eh? Sure hope it made your day!

 

Yes it did - Thank You Very Much!!

 

Ron

[NitaBcruising]

We have been on Celebrity's Century twice, both times have been the best food on any cruise! Their Galaxy was good, but not quite as! :) Great service, mostly!

 

We've been on Princess the most, and rather prefer it! I agree their buffet salads are better than others. Food fairly consistant and good. Service mostly very good, but an occasional slacker. :rolleyes:

 

I also like RCI's older ships, even with their smaller cabins, as they tend to have less kids, and some good itineraries. Their food and service is good!

 

I like NCL's newer ships, made for Freestyle.

 

Only one HAL cruise, on an older ship. Great cruise, ship needed renovation back then!

[houch]

 

Just finished Infinity cruise to Hawaii in Apr. It wasn't a bad cruise but I sure can't say it was better than Princess or RCCL. I don't get it why all these Celebrity cruisers say it is so outstanding and excellent. Our food was good but lacked variety. I have found the staff to be very good on all 3 lines. The cruise lines entertainers, (dancers,,,Las Vegas type shows) were excellent on all 3. They really put on quite a show.

Reasons I would chose Princess over the other 3: buffet 24/7 without the long lines and food always good; bar service in pool areas (while sunning) they didn't pester you but were always there when you were thirsty; (I didn't think I would ever get waited on on Infinity); nice size pool areas; cean and shinning ships (fake flowers on Infinity were dirty old and dusty); we have been 3 and 4 gals in one room and every time we left our steward would be in there tidying up (a tough job with all our stuff) and we always had enough room; only had 3 of us on Infinity and it was tough to find enough room to put everything;

Just a few thoughts about the ships. Never had a bad cruise and I would cruise Celebrity and RCCL again, but I do prefer Princess and I really don't understand all the hype about Celebrity.....

I started cruising age 50 and am now 60. From what I've heard of Carmival I would never cruise them. However my cousin and her husband (same age) like Carnival, go figure???

Enjoy your cruise, which ever you deside.

Carol

[captainron]

Hi Folks,

Don't be too quick to jump all over Carnival. :mad:

We were on EOS after our Paradise cruise with Carnival, and it was the talk of the ship from those who'd cruised Carnival that the food was better and the service was more attentive than RCCL. :) I agreed whole heartedly.

 

Ciao for now!!!

[izodlacoste]

Go to Europe. The Southern Caribbean is no that different from the rest of the Caribbean and a chance to go to Europe is not to be turned down.

[yancycruiser]

You guys or gals, whoever you are, gave me my morning laugh. Thanks.

[taterules]

If you want to take a cruise to get a relaxing break from your hectic lives, I'd recommend the Caribbean. From what I hear, shore excursions or tours on European cruises take all day, with long bus rides to get where you're going, and so much to pack in there. The Caribbean is much more relaxing. Even if you're going snorkeling for the day, the ride there and back will be a fun and relaxing boat trip, often with rum punch offered on the way back to the ship.