My comparison between Celebrity and Princess

[Go-Bucks!]

Just returned from my first Celebrity cruise on the Reflection. Had a 1A balcony room on the hump (great location). Wanted to share my thoughts on the experience as compared to my experiences on Princess. Granted, this was just one time on Celebrity vs. 6 Princess cruises, but here are some insights on a number of areas. Overall, I like both cruiselines and will cruise on either again. Some specifics, though, are:

 

 

Liked these on Celebrity

1) Large, deep covered balcony (had the triple sized one)

2) Roomy, well designed bathroom with large shower with doors and decent amount of storage space

3) Extremely comfortable beds and pillows

4) Great buffet layout (stations) that didn't seem congested, even when busy. Lots of seating including lots of outdoor seating with no smoking allowed.

5) Excellent buffet food - far better than Princess. Same quality as MDR.

6) Officers/staff were very visible and talked with passengers, asking if you were having a good time and was there anything they could help with

7) Very friendly crew who greeted passengers whenever they saw you

8) A covered "welcome station" at the gangway that had icy cold washcloths, water and punch, and seats to sit down to relax a minute before reboarding

9) MDR food was very good - about the same as Princess but I felt some of it was better, except for the bread - bread is much better on Princess

10) Nicer balcony floor - it was a wood laminate that was much more comfortable to stand on than Princess' blue cutout matting

11) The free drinks include lemonade and juice, although the orange juice was very watery

12) Many more TV stations, but much fewer movies - and the movies they do have were mostly violent R-rated

13) Persian Gardens (same thing as Princess' Thermal Suites) - many more hot stone beds (16) that were nice and hot, 2 different type of saunas, one aromatic steam room, and a cold room (25 degrees F, felt great). And each of these rooms could seat 7-15 people each!

14) Bigger and more elevators (8 of them are glass)

15) Very easy to get around the ship. No trying to figure out which elevators to use to get to certain places on certain decks.

16) Ship did not feel crowded despite having 3,000 pax

17) Very little "junk mail" delivered to cabin

18) Escargot is on the Every Night menu in the MDR! Yumm - they were the best ones I've ever had!

19) Lovely large MDR

20) Guest Services desk much less crowded and had more crew to help

21) Very few smoking areas and did not smell smoke anywhere. Nice to have a smoke free casino too.

 

 

Don't like as well on Celebrity

1) Balcony cabin was larger than the same on Princess, but cost more. It was much narrower than a Princess minisuite (it had a very hard sofa), but cost about the same as a minisuite. I think a Princess minisuite gives more space for the money. Decor was OK.

2) Extremely little storage space! This was a big problem. Only 3 drawers, a shelf over the beds that was very high for a woman to reach, and a small closet with no shelf. I had to keep some stuff in my suitcase under the bed.

3) Afternoon tea isn't really afternoon tea. It was just the same goodies available to pick up in the buffet. You just get it yourself, make yourself some tea at the beverage station and sit in the buffet seating to eat it. And rock music was playing! Definitely not real "afternoon tea."

4) Have to prepay for excursions.

5) My balcony rail was very worn and rough with lots of splinters sticking up. Couldn't rest my arms or hands on it.

6) Very few daily activities compared to Princess.

7) Only 2 pools and they were both CROWDED (packed out) by 9am every sea day! Also, all the other lounge seating in other areas was too. Much easier to just lay out on my own balcony.

8) Only a few movies were shown in the Central lounge during the entire week. Princess has many (and better) movies everyday, including MUTS.

9) It was nice to have a covered balcony, but the "covering" was metal and it reverberated the neighbors conversation so it was often very noisy while sitting out there.

10) Very loud music in the foyer each night

 

 

Like on Princess

1) In minisuite (which is what I usually have), there is a nice big tub and large bathroom. Have a clothesline that helps with drying bathing suits or other clothing.

2) Afternoon tea - a classy event

3) Very good MDR food

4) Crew helps pax in buffet to get drinks and silverware. At dinner, there are tableclothes and it feels classier

5) More daily activities

6) Wider cabins

7) Lots of storage space in cabins

8) Don't have to prepay for excursions

9) MUTS and daily movies - many are very current ones

10) More pools that are less crowded

11) Lovely atrium/piazza with nice venues (esp IC) that makes sitting there a relaxing experience

12) Better loyalty perks

13) Better FCC program (although not as good as it was until recently)

14) Self-serve laundromats on each stateroom deck (and cheap too). Really a great perk for long cruises.

 

 

Don't like as well on Princess

1) Hard, uncomfortable beds and pillows - even the foam topper doesn't help. In all fairness, though, I heard they're replacing the beds so maybe that will help.

2) Buffet food that seems like banquet quality food to me. Dinner is a bit better, but still not MDR quality. Very small and crowded food area with too little seating. Very little outdoor seating and what is there is the smoking area. Plus, there is smoking allowed on a pool deck near the buffet and people have to walk through it to get in. Yuck.

 

 

I think prices are better on Princess, plus my travel agent gets me 15-18% discount so it makes the prices even better. Celebrity doesn't allow discounting.

 

 

I read on another thread that some people thought that the free drink package was causing others to be drunk, but I saw nothing like that. There was a very diverse demographic because it was spring break week. Not alot of elderly, mostly middle-agers (many with older children), and quite a few younger families with small children. Teenagers had basically taken over the Hideaway and often were a bit roudy. This is probably just because of school break.

 

 

Again, overall Celebrity provided a nice cruise and I'm willing to sail them again. Princess is still my favorite, but frankly any vacation where I don't have to work, cook, or clean house is a GREAT time! :D ;)

[OCruisers]

Thanks for your thoughtful review. I always enjoy reading a fair and balanced review. Good job! :)

LuLu

~~~

[drarill]

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience and make the comparison. :)

[Rascal1]

Thank you for a well balanced review, we have sailed Princess 4 times before and are going on our 1st celebrity cruise in May. I'm looking forward to experiencing the differences.

[Lois R]

Thanks for your comparison.:) Does Princess have a strict non-smoking

policy too? No smoking inside on any of Celebrity's ships:D and none

on the balcony either:)

[CathyCruises]

I think your review is very fair, but the one thing you don't mention is the thing that made me crazy. That's the layout and décor of the public rooms. We sailed on Sapphire Princess, and I thought the decor was very tacky, and there were way too many closed-in spaces that were dead ends, or appeared to be.

 

I guess I am just spoiled by the sweeping open spaces of the S class ships--I was totally unimpressed by the SP and would not consider sailing any ships of that class again. I also did not like the 4 separate, low-ceilinged dining rooms, felt very claustrophobic.

 

Also the indoor pool had very uncomfortable and mismatched plastic chairs and tons of screaming kids, in no way comparable to the solarium with its lovely padded loungers and relative tranquility.

 

There were some things I liked better--the storage, the wrap around deck, good customer service, being served drinks at the buffet, all come to mind--but overall I'll just stick with S class!! Luckily we have lots of choices.

[OCruisers]

Thanks for your comparison.:) Does Princess have a strict non-smoking

policy too? No smoking inside on any of Celebrity's ships:D and none

on the balcony either:)

 

Lois .... Princess no longer allows smoking on balconies or in cabins.

For inside smoking Princess has a cigar lounge (cigars, pipes, & cigarettes) and a section of the casino allows smoking (cigarettes only) except on formal nights.

LuLu

~~~~

[Lois R]

Hi Lulu:) thanks!

[Happy2cruise]

Thanks for the great comparison. IMO, You hit many right on the mark.

 

We too sail primarily Princess but have come to like Celebrity. Our TA also gives a nice discount on Princess cruises but was surprised you said Celebrity does not allow discounting:confused:. It has been our experience in the 2 previous Celebrity cruises and the one just booked, that we did receive a discount price plus the perks offered by Celebrity and the TA.

[FLJudi]

Took the same 7 day Eastern Caribbean cruise two years in a row, in the same month, one on the Ruby Princess and one on Celebrity. Way too many families and screaming children on Princess, even in their top specialty restaurant. No kids under 12 allowed in Murano on C, a much classier experience.

 

We did not enjoy MUTS, too much competing noise. Hard to find a quiet place anywhere on Princess most of the day. By the time you pay for Serenity, the prices compare. The indoor pool on C is free and no children allowed.

Loved to lounge there in QUIET.

 

Did not like MDR main courses at all on Princess, but the bread and desserts on P were definitely better than C.

 

I cruise Celebrity for the quiet atmosphere and the very few kids except for holidays which we avoid.

 

Different strokes for different folks.

[Gradelady]

I have sailed both and agree with you in many areas! I give an edge to Celebrity though, but to each their own opinion!

[Stateroom_Sailor]

No sour grapes or throwing anyone under the bus, great review.

[Texed]

Go,

 

Thanks for posting.

[golfb4cruzing]

Thanks for the review. Exactly what I was looking for. Our schedule isn't meshing with Princess this year and was looking at Celebrity. Don't want to go back to Carnival at any cost.

[SunnyAJ]

I was on the Ruby Princess just last week and it was my first Princess cruise. My previous cruise was on the Celebrity Reflection, so I kept making comparisons the whole trip and definitely agree with a lot of the original comments.

 

To respond to the smoking question, I found the casino on the Ruby Princess almost unbearable even to walk through. Even on the one night that was non-smoking in the casino, the smell was still in the air, carpeting, etc. Celebrity is much more enjoyable if you are a non-smoker.

 

They both had cool washcloths to greet me after our excursion, but I definitely missed Celebrity's water and juice and chairs. While Princess did have the washcloths, there was no place to dispose of it until through security and back on ship.

 

On Ruby Princess, I couldn't find an available chair poolside, despite their many pools. At one point, I asked a pool attendant and he just kind of shrugged and pointed me to another level that "might work." I found the Celebrity pool butlers much more helpful and service oriented.

 

A toss up: Princess definitely won for delicious desserts and breads in the MDR at dinner. I loved the cheese and fruit plate every day option with dessert. Although, I enjoyed the breads and pastries more at breakfast on Celebrity.

 

It was interesting to me that they each had a different way of offering casual specialty venues. For example, Bistro on 5 on Celebrity is a $5 coverage charge for your meal. Where the Vines Wine Bar on Princess requires you to buy a drink and then they give you a plate of tapas or sushi - the same idea in the Wheelhouse Bar for a traditional English lunch (delicious!) with purchase of a drink.

 

Finally, I found the Ruby Princess much more chopped up when trying to maneuver around versus the Celebrity ships. For the most part, the service on both lines is wonderful and food memorable.

 

 

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[Purplsmurf]

Just out of curiosity, what kind of cabin did you have on Celebrity? We have sailed on both Princess and Celebrity and although we love both we find Princess cabins MUCH more expensive. My parents are "black" ( that is the highest status on Princess, right?) so when we travel with them we cruise Princess and notice that we can get balconies on Celebrity cheaper....or almost cheaper...than an inside cabin. Balcony vs balcony Celebrity is a lot cheaper.

 

 

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[SunnyAJ]

I had a comparable balcony cabin on both, but went on Celebrity Reflection for the holiday sailing and went on Ruby Princess at a lower demand time. So the prices can't compare. I do have to admit that I thought Princess cabin had a lot more convenient storage, but I love the layout of Celebrity's cabin, including bathroom. And as the other reviewer said, I definitely am a fan of the flooring on Celebrity's balcony versus the rubbery blue Princess matting.

 

 

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[Cruisin' Along]

Thanks for writing this review. We are looking to try a cruise outside of Disney. My top 3 choices are Princess, Celebrity and RCI. Reviews like this definitely help in making a decision as to which might be the best fit for us.

[Go-Bucks!]

the same idea in the Wheelhouse Bar for a traditional English lunch (delicious!) with purchase of a drink.

 

 

One small correction: the Pub Lunch (usually in the Wheelhouse Bar, but sometimes in other venues on different ships) is free - no drink purchase necessary. Pub Lunch is served on sea days. :)

[happybos]

Thought this review was great. We have not travelled with Princess but probably will at some point. Probably the only very minor thought I had was your comment about the lack of variety in the free in room movies. I was a little under the weather (ok, I will admit it, I was a touch seasick) on our Solstice cruise from New Zealand in December and I spent a couple of days resting in my cabin catching up on all the kids movies I had missed! Perhaps you missed that there were several categories of movies and only saw the featured ones? Or perhaps your cruise did have fewer available movies than ours :)

 

 

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[cruise47]

Thanks. This was a very balance review.

[cynbar]

Thanks for your review. We also sail both Princess and Celebrity, and we see pros and cons in both lines. One thing I haven't seen anyone mention about Princess is the Wheelhouse Bar, with its mahogany decor and paintings and models of past P&O ships -- really makes us feel as if we are on a classy ocean liner instead of a floating hotel. But we have yet to find a cruise line that is perfect in every way, and at this point we look for itinerary first. Our next cruise is a 10 day Med cruise on Reflection this May, but I have no doubt we'll sail Princess soon and will enjoy both cruises.

[4774Papa]

Just returned from my first Celebrity cruise on the Reflection. Had a 1A balcony room on the hump (great location). Wanted to share my thoughts on the experience as compared to my experiences on Princess. Granted, this was just one time on Celebrity vs. 6 Princess cruises, but here are some insights on a number of areas. Overall, I like both cruiselines and will cruise on either again. Some specifics, though, are:

 

 

Liked these on Celebrity

1) Large, deep covered balcony (had the triple sized one)

2) Roomy, well designed bathroom with large shower with doors and decent amount of storage space

3) Extremely comfortable beds and pillows

4) Great buffet layout (stations) that didn't seem congested, even when busy. Lots of seating including lots of outdoor seating with no smoking allowed.

5) Excellent buffet food - far better than Princess. Same quality as MDR.

6) Officers/staff were very visible and talked with passengers, asking if you were having a good time and was there anything they could help with

7) Very friendly crew who greeted passengers whenever they saw you

8) A covered "welcome station" at the gangway that had icy cold washcloths, water and punch, and seats to sit down to relax a minute before reboarding

9) MDR food was very good - about the same as Princess but I felt some of it was better, except for the bread - bread is much better on Princess

10) Nicer balcony floor - it was a wood laminate that was much more comfortable to stand on than Princess' blue cutout matting

11) The free drinks include lemonade and juice, although the orange juice was very watery

12) Many more TV stations, but much fewer movies - and the movies they do have were mostly violent R-rated

13) Persian Gardens (same thing as Princess' Thermal Suites) - many more hot stone beds (16) that were nice and hot, 2 different type of saunas, one aromatic steam room, and a cold room (25 degrees F, felt great). And each of these rooms could seat 7-15 people each!

14) Bigger and more elevators (8 of them are glass)

15) Very easy to get around the ship. No trying to figure out which elevators to use to get to certain places on certain decks.

16) Ship did not feel crowded despite having 3,000 pax

17) Very little "junk mail" delivered to cabin

18) Escargot is on the Every Night menu in the MDR! Yumm - they were the best ones I've ever had!

19) Lovely large MDR

20) Guest Services desk much less crowded and had more crew to help

21) Very few smoking areas and did not smell smoke anywhere. Nice to have a smoke free casino too.

 

 

Don't like as well on Celebrity

1) Balcony cabin was larger than the same on Princess, but cost more. It was much narrower than a Princess minisuite (it had a very hard sofa), but cost about the same as a minisuite. I think a Princess minisuite gives more space for the money. Decor was OK.

2) Extremely little storage space! This was a big problem. Only 3 drawers, a shelf over the beds that was very high for a woman to reach, and a small closet with no shelf. I had to keep some stuff in my suitcase under the bed.

3) Afternoon tea isn't really afternoon tea. It was just the same goodies available to pick up in the buffet. You just get it yourself, make yourself some tea at the beverage station and sit in the buffet seating to eat it. And rock music was playing! Definitely not real "afternoon tea."

4) Have to prepay for excursions.

5) My balcony rail was very worn and rough with lots of splinters sticking up. Couldn't rest my arms or hands on it.

6) Very few daily activities compared to Princess.

7) Only 2 pools and they were both CROWDED (packed out) by 9am every sea day! Also, all the other lounge seating in other areas was too. Much easier to just lay out on my own balcony.

8) Only a few movies were shown in the Central lounge during the entire week. Princess has many (and better) movies everyday, including MUTS.

9) It was nice to have a covered balcony, but the "covering" was metal and it reverberated the neighbors conversation so it was often very noisy while sitting out there.

10) Very loud music in the foyer each night

 

 

Like on Princess

1) In minisuite (which is what I usually have), there is a nice big tub and large bathroom. Have a clothesline that helps with drying bathing suits or other clothing.

2) Afternoon tea - a classy event

3) Very good MDR food

4) Crew helps pax in buffet to get drinks and silverware. At dinner, there are tableclothes and it feels classier

5) More daily activities

6) Wider cabins

7) Lots of storage space in cabins

8) Don't have to prepay for excursions

9) MUTS and daily movies - many are very current ones

10) More pools that are less crowded

11) Lovely atrium/piazza with nice venues (esp IC) that makes sitting there a relaxing experience

12) Better loyalty perks

13) Better FCC program (although not as good as it was until recently)

14) Self-serve laundromats on each stateroom deck (and cheap too). Really a great perk for long cruises.

 

 

Don't like as well on Princess

1) Hard, uncomfortable beds and pillows - even the foam topper doesn't help. In all fairness, though, I heard they're replacing the beds so maybe that will help.

2) Buffet food that seems like banquet quality food to me. Dinner is a bit better, but still not MDR quality. Very small and crowded food area with too little seating. Very little outdoor seating and what is there is the smoking area. Plus, there is smoking allowed on a pool deck near the buffet and people have to walk through it to get in. Yuck.

 

 

I think prices are better on Princess, plus my travel agent gets me 15-18% discount so it makes the prices even better. Celebrity doesn't allow discounting.

 

 

I read on another thread that some people thought that the free drink package was causing others to be drunk, but I saw nothing like that. There was a very diverse demographic because it was spring break week. Not alot of elderly, mostly middle-agers (many with older children), and quite a few younger families with small children. Teenagers had basically taken over the Hideaway and often were a bit roudy. This is probably just because of school break.

 

 

Again, overall Celebrity provided a nice cruise and I'm willing to sail them again. Princess is still my favorite, but frankly any vacation where I don't have to work, cook, or clean house is a GREAT time! :D ;)

I disagree with you about Princess being cheaper. I routinely compare Celebrity cruises that I book with similar (if there are) cruises from NCL, Holland America and Princess. I have never seen Princess cheaper than X. NCL is sometimes cheaper, and with a huge sale sometime Holland America is cheaper.

 

We don't cruise in the Caribbean much, so I don't know if that is what you are talking about.

[crusingnut]

I disagree with you about Princess being cheaper. I routinely compare Celebrity cruises that I book with similar (if there are) cruises from NCL, Holland America and Princess. I have never seen Princess cheaper than X. NCL is sometimes cheaper, and with a huge sale sometime Holland America is cheaper.

 

We don't cruise in the Caribbean much, so I don't know if that is what you are talking about.

 

We have booked our 1st Celebrity cruise to SA. We have sailed Princess the most and compared prices for months prior to booking. Princess was $350/pp less for basically the same itinerary. We have also gotten significant price reductions before final payment with every cruise (not Caribbean) on Princess but from everything I've read I'm not expecting that with Celebrity. We wanted to try Celebrity for a change but they were definitely more expensive. I'm looking forward to it.

[blueboro]

Agree with a lot of what you said. We prefer X mainly due to the layout of Princess ships. We were on Caribbean Princess last year and it is so cut up that you many times had to go up or down two decks to get to something on the deck you were on. And the elevators aft each seem to go to some decks but not others. We did especially like the Ultimate Balcony Dinner on Princess but the balconies themselves are some of the ugliest we have ever encountered with the cheap blue plastic flooring that allows everything to get in the cracks.