Celebrity or Princess?

[NOSaints1]

If you were to sail on one line, based on food, price, entertainment which one would you pick?

 

 

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[Cruise a holic]

If you were to sail on one line, based on food, price, entertainment which one would you pick?

 

 

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Having sailed on both multiple times, Celebrity hands down. Celebrity has much better food, service and choices. The Martini and Molecular Bars are great! The specialty restaurants superior on Celebrity. The buffet on Celebrity, especially the solstice class ships have many choices and is easy to access. The Princess buffet is small-not many choices.

 

Our last two Princess cruises were so crowded, you couldn't find a seat by the pool on sea days, unless you got up at 7:00 and put down your towels. In addition, the theatre isn't large enough for the crowd, so if you do not sit down a minimum of 1/2 hour before the show, you might not have a seat-

 

The entertainment on each line isn't great- you have to go to RC for the best entertainment at sea. The cabins are about equal. We have taken a mini suite on princess which was nice and a window suite- also nice. We have also taken a Celebrity suite , sky suites, Aqua Class and Conceirge class on Celebrity. The ports of call are equal- but I have heard that some people who have sailed in Europe say that Princess has more interesting ports. Haven't sailed to Europe on either. I also like that Celebrity has a no announcement policy. So you aren't bothered all day by the staff telling you about the next "art" auction or other information that you already have.

 

We did enjoy the Santuary on the Princess, but it is costly. You have very comfortable seating and do not have to get up at the crack of dawn if you rent space for the week. Have sailed on the Crown Princess and twice on the Caribbean Princess.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Edited February 19, 2014 by Cruise a holic

[shofer]

After 4 cruises on Princess, I am eagerly returning to Celebrity. I felt that the food in the MDR on Princess was mediocre except for their pastas which were above average. The plating of the entrees was accompanied by the cheapest of vegetables, i.e. zucchini and corn. They did offer a regular lobster tail last year instead of the previous shrimp/prawn combo.

 

From 2007 to 2013, I saw a decline in the quality of ingredients and entrees offered by Princess. On our first Princess cruise, we had crab legs on the menu one night and dessert soufflés every night. Crab is no where to be found and the soufflés are only offered occasionally.

 

Our cruise is leaving Sunday so will be able to give a better response once I return.

 

Sue

Edited February 19, 2014 by shofer

[Kirsten T]

We like both lines, but have gone back to Celebrity lately because we love the S-class ships. Food is better quality on X, and variety of entertainment (if not quality) is also better on Celebrity. We've come to hate the jumbo movie screens on Princess - just too loud, all day long. We could, however, get a nice mini-suite on Princess for the price of a Concierge Class veranda cabin on X, and the mini-suite is much larger. Unfortunately on the Crown-class ships, here are only 12 minis with a covered veranda (on Emerald deck) and all the others are fully open to the cabins above, which is a deal-breaker for us. Standard Princess veranda cabins are small and not very comfortable (no couch - just a desk chair and the veranda chairs to sit on.) So for the Caribbean, we spend a little more and get what we think is a slightly better product on Celebrity. But for Alaska I'd probably choose Coral or Island Princess again, as the itinerary is hard to beat (Glacier Bay was worth the trip. Just incredible.)

[Desertbelle]

Easy choice for us, after two very unsatisfactory cruises on Princess, we won't be making that mistake again....Celebrity is our choice!

[vedettes1]

Hey NOSaints - I don't know where you are thinking of going, but if it's Alaska, I suggest you book an itinerary through Vancouver. Seattle doesn't work out too well for visiting NO Saints. Sorry, couldn't resist. We love you!

[icat2000]

I find they are very similar. I thought that Celebrity fitted out there ships with a modern feel to them and had a lot more intimate spaces, bars etc. I am comparing Ruby Princess vs Celebrity Equinox. The one downer about Celebrity is no coffee card. Would travel again with both lines.

Edited February 19, 2014 by icat2000

[NOSaints1]

Haha very funny, I was disappointed Seattle won. I always wanted to go to the Boeing plant. I would love to visit Alaska, it's expensive flying within Canada.

 

 

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[bphman]

I don't know if you posted this on the Princess board yet but you will probably get a different view. With that being said, there is no comparison. We have 3 Princess cruises under our belt and am not hurrying back. If they offer a good price and interesting itinerary I would consider them. I always felt crowded on Princess. I always felt that I had to wait in line too often. Several times I could not get a seat in the bars. Entertainment is equally blah on both. Where Celebrity excels is in service. Although food quality has slipped badly on Celebrity, it still beats Princess. And, the worst design at sea has to be the Lido restaurant on Princess. What were they thinking with the god-awful layout? There are several other small subjective aspects that gives the edge to Celebrity.

[wallie5446]

If you were to sail on one line, based on food, price, entertainment which one would you pick?

 

 

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We sailed Princess the 1st time in 1992 for our 10th Anniv, this sailing became the benchmark for how we graded a cruise, sailed the Ruby Princess in 2012 for our 30th. First sailed Celebrity in 1994, sailed the Reflection last Nov. I will be hard pressed to get my wife to consider sailing Princess again. Was it bad, no, but no where near the quality we were used to. Where as the a Reflection moved past the Zenith/Horizon as our favorite ship's.

Entertainment is the last thing we consider, food can be manipulated to be ok, better, to very good, price, you get what you pay for. Celebrity has been and for the conceivable future will be our line of choice. We have also sailed on 5 other lines.

ps: we are also fans of the 16 Emerald deck aft Mini's on Princess, and their Ultimate balcony dinner is one of our favorite things of all time.

Edited February 19, 2014 by wallie5446

[hughdm]

We also have found that the food and specialty restaurants on Celebrity are superior to Princess. Also if you spring for a suite, the benefits that go with it are superior. That being said, we still will sail Provinces, particularly to Alaska.

[cruzngrl]

Ditto to all of the above sailed Celebrity a few times and tried Princess last year..Big Disappointment.. Happily going again on X next year

[jaspersmommy]

%#$?>%^@$!!!

 

We have absolutely loved our Celebrity cruises. I really want to do a Pacific Coastal cruise in spring 2015. I was so disappointed to see that the Century was leaving the fleet in April 2015 as it had some nice Pacific itineraries which really interested me. Recent discussions on the X board indicated that several people had been told by X that there would be no more Pacific Coastal cruises, so I started looking elsewhere.

 

I ended up booking this past weekend with Princess. Now I'm wondering if I've made a horrible mistake.:eek:

 

Tell me I won't be sorry...

[Desertbelle]

You might love Princess, give it a try. You will never know for sure unless you experience it yourself.

 

 

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[MsSoCalCruiser]

%#$?>%^@$!!!

 

We have absolutely loved our Celebrity cruises. I really want to do a Pacific Coastal cruise in spring 2015. I was so disappointed to see that the Century was leaving the fleet in April 2015 as it had some nice Pacific itineraries which really interested me. Recent discussions on the X board indicated that several people had been told by X that there would be no more Pacific Coastal cruises, so I started looking elsewhere.

 

I ended up booking this past weekend with Princess. Now I'm wondering if I've made a horrible mistake.:eek:

 

Tell me I won't be sorry...

 

Which Princess ship will you be sailing on?

 

I've yet to sail on Celebrity but I am now Platinum on Princess. I think they have a good product. Try the Sorbet in the MDR. If you're on a ship with a Crown Grill, you might want to give that a try. We loved it.

 

There is an extra cost involved but I really liked "The Sanctuary".

[janny444]

Having sailed on both cruise lines I would say Celebrity is better than Princess by a small margin On the Princess threads there is a similar question regarding Princess v P&O and I would say Princess is better than P&O by a large margin

[wallie5446]

%

 

I ended up booking this past weekend with Princess. Now I'm wondering if I've made a horrible mistake.:eek:

 

Tell me I won't be sorry...

 

Horrible? No. Sorry, no. Overjoyed when you return to Celebrity, yes!

 

The ONE thing you really really need to try, on Princess, is the Ultimate Balcony Dinning. Best meal we had all week on the Ruby in 2012. Maybe it was an off night, but the Crown Grill was a wasted evening, should have stayed with the MDR.

[gecko12]

I don't remember one exceptional moment on my 10 day cruise with Princess but our 10 day Celebrity was phenomenal. From wonderful dinners, sunset drinks at the aft bar, shuffleboard after dinner with the kids on the wide promenade deck. So many great points about Celebrity. Princess was such a let down, I wanted to jump ship. The MDR food was horrible. After 3 nights we ate in the buffet for the rest of the trip. The kids club was so rude the first day the staff told us our kids would be better suited playing basketball and ping pong on their own. They were 7 and 9 at the time. That is not old enough to go around on a ship by themselves. I just wanted a half hour for them to play with other kids. For example, the dodge ball they touted at a specific time in their kids program never happened. We went down there and all they had to say was that they were closing in 30 minutes and weren't doing it. I'm an easy going person, you really have to push my buttons to get me upset. I was so, so, so, disappointed with their attitude. Celebrity kids program was far superior, organized and friendly. We still had a great family vacation but it wasn't because of Princess.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

If Princess is doing an itinerary that I prefer- I go with Princess. I like the ambiance of Celebrity better. The Celebrity ships feel spacious and modern, while the Princess ships are more compartmentalized and the decor is a bit outdated, especially in the staterooms. The woodwork and bedding just looks tired to me.

 

I also find that the staff on Celebrity is really welcoming at every turn. I don't get the same feel on Princess.

 

The buffet on Celebrity is hands down better than Princess.

 

Princess has better pools and I absolutely love Movies Under the Stars at night. The shipboard entertainment was excellent on my last cruise. So I'm not knocking Princess- I just prefer Celebrity but I'm sure I'll sail Princess again because they often have some good deals on better itineraries.

Edited February 19, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[miched]

Smoking policy Celebrity

 

Friendliness of officers Celebrity

 

Loayatly club Celebrity

 

Entertainment choice

 

Food choice

 

Itinerary choice

 

Quality of drinks Celebrity

 

Ambience Celebrity

 

Service choice

 

Small added nice personal touches Celebrity

 

Cost varies on too may factors but similar.

 

Overall atmosphere Celebrity

 

 

🌅🚢🐳🐬

[jaspersmommy]

Which Princess ship will you be sailing on?

 

I've yet to sail on Celebrity but I am now Platinum on Princess. I think they have a good product. Try the Sorbet in the MDR. If you're on a ship with a Crown Grill, you might want to give that a try. We loved it.

 

There is an extra cost involved but I really liked "The Sanctuary".

 

 

We are booked on the Grand Princess in a Vista suite. It's a fairly roomy suite with a huge balcony but the stateroom itself looks really dated. After sailing on Celebrity S-class, I'm struggling with going "backwards" to a dated suite (where the nightly cost is considerably higher than anything I've paid on X so far in a comparable suite).

 

I think I'm going to cancel and look at some X itineraries, although it doesn't look as though a Pacific Coastal will be an option :(

 

One thing I've seen complaints about many times with Princess is constant announcements over the PA system. Can anyone comment on whether those complaints were exaggerated? Are they really that bad?

[Host Jazzbeau]

One thing I've seen complaints about many times with Princess is constant announcements over the PA system. Can anyone comment on whether those complaints were exaggerated? Are they really that bad?

 

We were on Coral Princess twice in the last year and there were very few announcements. None were audible in our cabin unless we opened the door.

 

We also found the food and service on Coral Princess to be as good (and friendly) as we had gotten on Celebrity in 2012. But most of the posts on this thread seem to be comparing the newer ships, so I guess what others call "dated" decor strikes us as "classic." The new ships (on both Celebrity and Princess) are way too Vegas for our taste!

[bigeagle12]

Just got off the Equinox our first Celebrity cruise. It was fantastic!!!

 

Things that stood out:

 

... Murano's was the best specialty restaurant we have experienced

... Loved cabin design, especially the large shower and storage in bathroom

... Loved the no smoking policy in the casino

... Beautiful ship

 

However, all that said, for my personal preferences I would sail either Celebrity, Princess, or RCI in a heartbeat. We are in our mid 50's active and enjoy entertainment late into the evening/early morning.

 

If I have to pick a favorite it would be Princess by a nose for the following reasons:

 

... Larger lounges - more entertainment options (excluding Oasis and Allure)

... MDR and buffet food slightly more to my taste

... Piano bar .. Appears Celebrity is eliminating this

... International Cafe

... Cheaper soda card

... Coffee card

 

So here is how we make decision. If traveling with kids and grand kids .. RCI. If traveling by ourselves or with other couples any of the three.

 

 

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[tullahlula]

We have done two cruises on the Emerald Princess, Europe and the Caribbean, everything was so unbelievably great, we loved every minute. We had only a couple of niggling complaints ...poolside is busy and noisy, not for us but that is why we booked a balcony stateroom and yes, sometimes the buffett could get a little congested but if flexible with your lunch periods it could be avoided. Food in the MDR, fantastic. Staff throughout the ship polite and friendly. Decor, beautiful and elegant. Have also been on HAL cruise...no competition, Princess wins hands down. So we decided to do a Central American/ Caribbean tour and would happily have gone with Princess but Celebrity Equinox offered a better itinerary, so we have booked with Celebrity and after all the fantastic comments on here about this cruise line compared to Princess...all I can say is...Celebrity you have some pretty big shoes to fill!

[Coloradocruiser01]

I have cruised both lines and find that you can't go wrong choosing either one. I do find the food to be a little better on Celebrity and the ships on Celebrity seem to allow for more room per passenger. Have fun!:D