Celebrity Silhouette vs. Royal Princess .... again

[flannbarr]

I am 50 years old and my wife is 55 years old. We have a 12 year old son who will be 13 1/2 when we sail next year. We have sailed often over the last 10 years as can be seen in my signature.

 

We are contemplating a summer 2015 cruise and our choices are between the Baltic cruise and British Isles cruise. We are about 75% leaning toward the British Isles cruise.

 

We have never sailed Celebrity before. We are looking at the Silhouette's 7/15/15 sailing vs. the Royal Princess' 7/8/15 sailing. I have read many reviews and posts and I wish one ship was a slam dunk but it's not that way.

 

Both itineraries look great so that's not a big difference maker

 

Both ships have their strengths and weaknesses as most ships do. Will my son ever be a me to swim on the Silhouette if the Solarium is for adults only and the Royal doesn't have a solarium? The outdoor pools will probably be too cool. Or do I really care since he basically never swam on our Alaska cruise. So do I just throw out the pools and don't think about them? Maybe so.

 

Royal has some strange design issues like no center staircase and in walk around promenade deck among others. Is that a huge deal?

 

At some point, I feel like we cruises get really picky but it's our money so we have a right to be.

 

Royal is about $700 cheaper than Silhouette in an inside cabin which is $2,000 less than a balcony on both ships. Wow, that's a lot of money hence the inside cabin.

 

I am looking for comments please and am posting on both sites.

 

Thanks in advance.

[MamaKD]

We cruised Royal Princess last summer in the Med and Silhouette this past April. Although a beautiful ship, we found the size and layout of Royal Princess very irritating. People were constantly coming up against dead ends with stairs that went nowhere and elevators were always jammed. We had an aft balcony (don't get me started on the tiny size!)and the hike down that very long corridor was not fun, plus it was always littered with housekeeping carts all hours of the day. I would give the edge to Celebrity on food but Royal's dining rooms had a more intimate feel.

 

Your son may prefer the main pool on Royal and MUTS....we preferred a more quiet atmosphere on solstice class ships. Ships officers were noticeably absent on Royal but very visible and accessible on Celebrity. Theatre size on Royal meant we had to arrive 40 minutes prior to shows to get a seat, never had that problem on Silhouette.

 

I like that you can get a hot breakfast with room service on celebrity in a regular cabin - not able to do so on Royal. We found the buffet on Silhouette much less congested with more variety, loved the late afternoon selections of tiny sandwiches, scones with cream, cheese and crackers etc. Royal has the International cafe which was really nice for a light lunch or morning snacks. I know that food is very subjective....we are not fussy and can always find something we like on Celebrity but it was a struggle sometimes on Royal. You can get escargot, French onion soup, shrimp coctail and creme brulee every night on Silhouette.

 

I think your son would have a great time on Silhouette and chances are there will be other kids on board...they always seem to find each other! Whichever you choose, have a wonderful vacation and make lots of memories!

[Antonintassie]

Hi we sailed with our son on the Royal Princess in the Med ,in a suite the Royal has no indoor pool so the pool question is negated .Our Royal cruise was our first and just ok the Princess product struck us as being a little unrefined and the ship itself was rather large and not all that user friendly.I can not comment on Celebrity we have our first cruise in Jan 2015 on the Eclipse .

We have done the UK as a land based trip and I would perhaps look at this before a cruise the rail and road systems are good and the distances are short by Australian and I suspect US standards.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I've sailed Solstice and Equinox but not Silhouette. I've sailed several of the princess vessels but not Royal. I do think there will be more to do on Princess for a 13 year old hanging out with parents. The indoor pool on Celebrity is usually open for children from 5-7PM daily and we did use it in Alaska and Norway, which we have sailed on Celebrity.

 

My son is 13 now and he doesn't mind hanging out with me but he was bored on Solstice in May of this year. In years past he has joined the youth program but when he turned 12- he wasn't a fan of the teen center and just stopped going. Sometimes 13 feels not yet a "teen"- at least in our case. So that wasn't a big draw for him.

 

There just seems like more to do on Princess for kids. He really loved exploring the ship. They have a variety of entertainment- not just the theater at night.

 

Either way- you are going for the itinerary and it will be a busy cruise. The ship won't be as important as say a Caribbean cruise or cruises with lots of sea days.

 

I disagree though that a land vacation will be a good alternative. It's great to unpack once. The meals are good on both lines and are all paid for. There is some entertainment each night to satisfy all of you- unlike on land where there is nothing for kids to do at night- except go to the movies or a video arcade. As for insides- I did an inside on Grand Princess British Isles and it was more than fine. I like the closet space much better on Princess.

Edited July 15, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[Gracie115]

I can't compare as I've never sailed on Princess but CAN say that our Silhouette cruise was the best we've ever had. She is a beautiful ship, very easy to navigate and a great staff. We've been on 10 Celebrity cruises on 8 different ships so do have some knowledge of the product. We stayed away from Celebrity for a few years until the "S" class ship came on board which is what Silhouette is and now have become very loyal to Celebrity again. I'm sure you would have a wonderful cruise on her!!!:)

[Project_gal]

We have never been on Princess but there is a current TV series based on Royal Princess on UK TV at present. Even allowing for the distortion caused by filming, we still have not gained a great impression of Royal Princess so far. It seemed much less classy than Celebrity. Perhaps the rest of the programmes will change my opinion but nothing so far has said cruise Princess to me.

[TomTN]

I would choose Baltic over British Isles every time, especially if you are going in July.

 

Have sailed Silhouette. Fantastic cruise to the Adriatic Sea in 2013.

[simmo]

We have sailed on both Royal Princess and Celebrity Silhouette and for us it is a simple decision - Silhouette all the way! We have a 12 year old son and he has no desire to go back on the Royal and is thrilled that we are going back on the Silhouette (for the third time) in a couple of weeks on a back to back.

Cabins: Both nice except the bathroom on Silhouette is great. Just a tiny cramped bathroom on Royal.

Food: My son could always find something to eat on Silhouette, particularly at the buffet, but was not enthused at all with the buffet food on Royal. Also, there are always free juices on the Silhouette whereas not the case on Royal.

Pools: Two lovely pools on Silhouette and the indoor pool which I understand they open to kids if the weather turns bad.

Entertainment: Table tennis, lawn club games, treasure hunts, pools, arcade, basketball court, chilling in cabin with free room service.

The Silhouette is always so clean and classy. Fellow passengers seem to always be courteous and pleasant too.

All in all, IMO, the Silhouette will not disappoint. :)

[cpj]

Both are decent cruise lines. You are posting on the Celebrity board so opinions are going to be pro Celebrity. If you post this on Princess opinions will be pro Princess. Both lines are more alike then different. Food is about the same but Celebrity has more specialty restaurants that are very good if your willing to pay extra. Have a great time and choose based on where you want to visit.

[jtand2]

I sailed on the Royal Princess last November over Thanksgiving. It is true there are several design flaws that can become irritating if you allow them too. The pool deck is rather small and can get crowded. But that was on a carribean sailing. The missing center stair case is not there but it was not an issue for me.

 

It all depends on what kind of traveller you are. If you love to complain and knit pick everything, you will not appreciate this ship ! If you're a happy cruiser that just goes with the flow , it won't matter!! Enjoy your cruise whichever you choose!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[derekjp47]

I've sailed them both within the past eight months, I've also sailed lots of cruises with both lines and like them both, so no biases with me. Hands down the Silhouette is the better choice. The layout of the Royal is very difficult for many passengers, especially because of no midship staircase, and less elevator space. The balconies are substantially smaller and very noticeable. The bathrooms are not as nice. The buffet area on the Royal is nice, but the layout creates more walking around. I found the food on both ships to be equal. The staff on both ships are very accommodating. The theater on the Royal is very under sized for the number of passengers, thereby having to hold three performances some nights. Their are only two aisles in the Royal theater, which I feel creates a safety hazard. Like on most ships you cannot exit against the outer walls of the theater, no aisles exist.

Having said all this, you can't go wrong with either choice, but my personal preference is the Silhouette.

[2theship]

I sailed on the Royal last October and the Silhouette for the second time in January. I will never sail on the Royal again but I'd love to sail the Silhouette many more times. It's much harder to get from point to point on the Royal and the cabins are nicer on the Silhouette.

 

Having said that, either itinerary is so port intensive that it may not really matter. You'll get off the ship early every morning and go all day long. After dinner, you may not care whether the theatre is lovely (Silhouette) or so badly designed it's a fire hazard (Royal). In the end, you're probably best off choosing for itinerary and price.

 

Also, having cruised in Europe with teens, it beats a land vacation hands down. You get to many more places, you can be thinking about other things than how to get from once city to another, your son can have a chance to spend some time with his peers rather than his parents.

[jtand2]

I sailed on the Royal last October and the Silhouette for the second time in January. I will never sail on the Royal again but I'd love to sail the Silhouette many more times. It's much harder to get from point to point on the Royal and the cabins are nicer on the Silhouette.

 

 

 

Having said that, either itinerary is so port intensive that it may not really matter. You'll get off the ship early every morning and go all day long. After dinner, you may not care whether the theatre is lovely (Silhouette) or so badly designed it's a fire hazard (Royal). In the end, you're probably best off choosing for itinerary and price.

 

 

 

Also, having cruised in Europe with teens, it beats a land vacation hands down. You get to many more places, you can be thinking about other things than how to get from once city to another, your son can have a chance to spend some time with his peers rather than his parents.

 

 

I agree. I would not sail with Princess , or at least until I'm in my sixties!! No offense to anyone out there. Princess just has a different vibe than all the other cruise lines I've been on! Cruising on the celebrity reflection this November, looking forward to it. Ship looks amazing!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[2theship]

I'll sail on Princess again, just never the Royal or the Regal. In fact, we're on the Ruby next month. I still prefer Celebrity overall but if the right itinerary is out there, we'll go with Princess.

[lucinjo]

Just a note regarding the Solarium pool. If the weather is cool on the cruise, they often open the Solarium pool a few hours a day for families with children.

[flannbarr]

So I decided to book the Celebrity Silhouette 7/3/15 Scandinavian/Russia sailing.

 

I ended up booking a bump balcony so I could get the 123 offer which was not available on inside cabins.

 

Now it is time to start planning....

[Cruise Junky]

So I decided to book the Celebrity Silhouette 7/3/15 Scandinavian/Russia sailing.

 

I ended up booking a bump balcony so I could get the 123 offer which was not available on inside cabins.

 

Now it is time to start planning....

 

Wow..inside to a hump. Nice job :) enjoy!

[flannbarr]

Well I discussed this with my wife and we are getting nowhere near Russia and really don't want to give them any of our money considering the current political situation.

 

We are back to the British Isles and we like the Royal Princess itinerary a lot better. So Royal Princess here we come. Yes, I know about the design flaw, etc. but we will be off the ship so much it probably doesn't matter too much.

[Oxo]

So I decided to book the Celebrity Silhouette 7/3/15 Scandinavian/Russia sailing.

 

I ended up booking a bump balcony so I could get the 123 offer which was not available on inside cabins.

 

Now it is time to start planning....

 

How much more did that BUMP cost you compare to the inside? Just checked our bookings on S and they sure have increased in the past 3 months.

[emileg]

We have sailed on both the Royal Princess and the Silhouette. Both are fantastic ships and would sail on both again in a heartbeat. I would give a small edge to the Silhouette for its striking modern design, whereas the Royal, while beautiful, is a little more traditional in design. Also, Princess has no equivalent of Aqua Class with its Blu restaurant. If you take the Royal, try for one of the front facing deluxe verandah obstructed view cabins. The only obstruction is the steel instead of a transparent plexiglass railing. On the Silhouette, try for one of the angled balconies, such as 1610.