If you sail Celebrity and Princess....

[elena7seas]

In two weeks, I will be going on my first Princess cruise in about eighteen years.

 

We will be on the Golden Princess to Alaska, from Seattle.

 

As you can see from my signature, I usually sail Celebrity. I've been trying to learn as much on the Princess boards as I can before sailing, but I was wondering.....

 

If you are someone who sails both Celebrity and Princess, what tips would you give me that would help me make the most out of our cruise?

 

I will also have my 7-year old granddaughter with me, so any comment you would like to make about the kids programme would be helpful as well.

 

Any comments or suggestions will be most gratefully received :D.

[wallie5446]

We first sailed Princess in 1992, last in 2012, it was 20 years between our Princess sailings, and it was not the same. Our first Celebrity was in 1993, the Reflection last Nov. and our sailing on the Equinox this yr, will give us enought points to reach Elite in CC. The crowd on Princess has a different 'vibe' than the crowd on Celebrity, IMHO. There is more packing the door to hurry into the buffet or MDR for fear of running out of food on Princess. Dont get in the way of a scooter, you will get run over.

Celebrity has a more country club laid back and refined feel. Even at the cheap watch sales, we did not see the pushing and shoving we did on the Ruby.

The aft pool is a puffers haven at sea.

But I do have to say that one of the most enjoyable dinners in over 25+ years, was on Princess, the Ultimate Balcony Dinning.

[bighairtexan]

I sail Celebrity, RCI and Princess (more or less in that order). I really enjoy Princess and as I'm sure you've come to read, they are more alike than different.

 

Food is so subjective, but I've had great and NOT so great food on Princess. I've had great and NOT so great food on Celebrity.

 

If your ship has an International Cafe, I loved it. Think Cafe al Bacio on steroids. You could easily have a light meal at the IC for bkfst, lunch or dinner, and it's open all the time.

 

Standard cabins on Princess tend to be smaller but I'm not in my cabin all that much.

 

I've cruised Princess over Thanksgiving twice. So there were TONS of kids. But they must be doing something right w/ their kids programs, b/c I was hardly aware that there were kids at all on those sailings.

 

Lovely ADULTS ONLY pool aft on most Princess ships.

 

You can DO LAUNDRY on Princess! (not that I love doing laundry or anything, but on longer cruises it sure helps.

 

Some of the ships mattresses are TERRIBLE. You can request an egg crate ahead of time. Though the egg crates I've had were so old is was like putting a flat 1/8 inch layer of foam. Luckily I like hard mattresses.

 

They DO have wonderful pizza in the buffet/grill area BUT some ships have an ALFREDO'S Pizza which has wonderful individual artisanal pizza. It's incredible. You sit down and order, lunch thru late evening and it's AMAZING. Assuming it hasn't changed in a year, it's included in your price and is pretty popular.

 

If you're into coffee, buy a coffee card. It has a certain number of punches and you can use it at the "for fee" coffee bar at International Cafe.

 

If you like chocolate, try their Love Boat Dream dessert (every night). It can vary a lot from night to night even on the same ship, but when they're "on" in the galley, it's so decadent.

 

Their breakfast in bed is AMAZING. I can't remember the price but it was well worth it, w/ crab quiche and champagne etc etc.

 

Chef's Table: Pricey but fabulous.

 

Wallie on the aft adult pool when I was there last year and the year b/4 no one was smoking. I was assuming it was non smoking b/c of that. And I've found the clientele on Celebrity to be considerably older than that of Princess. I guess it depends on ships and itineraries.

Edited August 11, 2014 by bighairtexan

[sunnygidget]

On Princess there is a joke about the showers: If you soap up the shower first, then get in and shimmy about to get soapy, then rinse, it's about the only option as they have very tiny showers, it's hard to move your arms about." They really do have tiny showers on Princess, on Holland they have a full tub with shower, like at home.

[Gran2five]

We are Elite on Celebrity so therefore tend to favor Celebrity ships but Princess wins on itineraries and in some cases food. We have sailed in Europe twice on Princess and loved the service in the Dining Room, the ports visited and the general vibe of the ships (Grand and Emerald). We are planning a TA next year and are looking to Princess again.

 

Celebrity on the other hand is like a comfortable shoe. We feel like we are going home when we sail on their ships. The food is not always the best but we have enjoyed each cruise and their cabins are larger.

 

We cannot comment on the children's programs.

Enjoy your cruise.

[elena7seas]

We are Elite on Celebrity so therefore tend to favor Celebrity ships but Princess wins on itineraries and in some cases food. We have sailed in Europe twice on Princess and loved the service in the Dining Room, the ports visited and the general vibe of the ships (Grand and Emerald). We are planning a TA next year and are looking to Princess again.

 

Celebrity on the other hand is like a comfortable shoe. We feel like we are going home when we sail on their ships. The food is not always the best but we have enjoyed each cruise and their cabins are larger.

 

We cannot comment on the children's programs.

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Can you comment a bit on what you like about the food...what type of thing you find is particularly good on Princess? I know food is very subjective, but I always like to know what people enjoy, especially if they think the food is better than on Celebrity in some/many areas.

 

When I travelled before on Princess, I remember many "prepared at the table" entrees, great pasta dishes, great desserts, but if I recall, meat and vegetables weren't so wonderful. And they had a beautiful Afternoon Tea every day in the Dining Room.

 

Of course, this was 18 years ago, so none of these memories are relevant to today, but the Crown Princess had a different themed midnight buffet almost EVERY single night. I remember, in particular a British-themed buffet, that featured fish and chips. I just remember thinking, who on earth would want fish and chips at midnight, especially after eating all day!! I never ate anything at those buffets, but I sure took a ton of photos. The presentation was beyond words.

 

And, with a nod to the book written by Chesterh, the midnight buffet was at 11:45 pm :D.

[elena7seas]

Thanks to everyone for their kind replies.

 

I am going to print off the print-friendly version of this thread and take it with me, so I don't miss anything!!

[catugirl]

Celebrity and Princess are our two favorites. We were just on Crown Princess in January and had a wonderful cruise. The MDR food was amazing, and the atmosphere in the MDR is elegant and quiet. The International Cafe is great for lunch; we didn't try it any other time of day. The pizza out by the pool is very good. The drinks are very reasonably priced. Movies Under the Stars is fun. Their specialty restaurants are very good and reasonably priced. We were disappointed at no solarium. Princess does not have a couch in their balcony cabins, but this time we stayed in a Vista suite, which was very spacious. The showers in balcony cabins are unbelievably small, but our suite had a spacious tub and shower. Service was super, the entertainment was enjoyable and the ship was beautiful. You can't go wrong with Princess or Celebrity. They're just different.

[Kirsten T]

I really love the pasta dishes, the pizza, the excellent brewed coffee at the IC (we always get a coffee card, which gives you specialty coffees for a punch but also gives you unlimited brewed coffee for the life of the card.) The treats at the IC are great - cookies, cheesecakes and chocolate pot de creme are my favorites. Pretty good sandwiches there, too. Hanging around the Piazza and people-watching with a coffee or glass of wine is fun. The aft pool area is quieter than the main pools (not a huge fan of the constant outdoor concerts and movies on Princess.) We enjoy both lines; probably like Celebrity a little better, but it's hard to beat Princess's Alaska itineraries. Hope you have a great experience!

Cheers,

Kirsten

[catsdinner]

We do mostly Princess and some Celebrity. Age group is about the same. What I like about Princess over Celebrity is coming back from an excursion in the afternoon the Buffet will have the full lunch menu while on Celebrity the choices are very limited in the afternoon. Afternoon tea in the dining room is wonderful and Pub lunches on sea days. Really love the aft pools on some of the ships. For the most part the food quality is about the same, love the prime rib on the first night. Admit the bathrooms are nicer on Celebrity but more storage in Princess cabins. Nice to have option to do laundry on Princess though now that I am elite all my laundry is free, nice perk. We get free internet after 5 cruises on Princess and not on Celebrity. The hamburgers on deck are better on Princess also. Oh and the cookies and Milk that they bring around every afternoon on deck...mmmmm Another thing I prefer about Princess is that you can order your excursions before you go but don't have to pay for them until you are onboard. Great if you have OBC, you can also combine the different OBCs on Princess.

Saying all that, my next three cruises (two are b2b) are on Celebrity. ;)

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Sarah

[royalcruz]

Can you comment a bit on what you like about the food...what type of thing you find is particularly good on Princess? I know food is very subjective, but I always like to know what people enjoy, especially if they think the food is better than on Celebrity in some/many areas.

 

When I travelled before on Princess, I remember many "prepared at the table" entrees, great pasta dishes, great desserts, but if I recall, meat and vegetables weren't so wonderful. And they had a beautiful Afternoon Tea every day in the Dining Room.

 

Of course, this was 18 years ago, so none of these memories are relevant to today, but the Crown Princess had a different themed midnight buffet almost EVERY single night. I remember, in particular a British-themed buffet, that featured fish and chips. I just remember thinking, who on earth would want fish and chips at midnight, especially after eating all day!! I never ate anything at those buffets, but I sure took a ton of photos. The presentation was beyond words.

 

And, with a nod to the book written by Chesterh, the midnight buffet was at 11:45 pm :D.

 

Princess was so different then. The dining room staff were Italian too...I guess they all "jumped ship" to Costa or somewhere else.

[bighairtexan]

My favorite things to eat on Princess would be anything Italian. Their osso buco, and pizza is outstanding and in general I would give the nod to Princess' desserts. In general I'd put their food a hair's breadth below that of Celebrity.

 

Also any of the desserts in the International Cafe. They have a gianduja mousse thing that is killer.

[elena7seas]

I think I just need to buy a coffee card and park myself outside the International Café!!!

 

Thanks everyone!

[ama]

We have sailed on Princess twice (Alaska and Panama Canal) and tried Celebrity for the first time in Europe this past June. We found the buffet, MDR soups/salads and mains better then Princess. However, Princess has better pizza and much stronger desserts. Service was excellent on both. I do think Princess offers more activities both during the day and night. We really enjoyed the educational speakers during our Alaska trip. The atmosphere on Celebrity is more refined and for our Europe sailing less kids compared to Princess.

 

I have 2 kids (DD is 7, DS is 4). My daughter enjoyed both kids clubs on Princess and Celebrity. She liked them both equally and the counselors were wonderful on both lines. She really liked the "movies under the stars" on Princess. They hand out blankets and have popcorn and it was nice to have an alternate option for family entertainment at night. My kids enjoyed pools on both lines. I think your granddaughter will have a great time. Have fun on your cruise!

[richsea]

Can't help you regarding the kids, although we took our grandson on Princess when he was 8, he did not use the kids program.

We are also mostly Celebrity cruisers, & I would just caution you to not spend a lot of time comparing the 2 lines, which was a mistake we made, particularly on our 1st Princess cruise, but just try to enjoy what Princess has to offer. We found that when we stopped the comparisons, we had a much more enjoyable time. I think the 2 lines are more alike than different.

Oh, & enjoy the time spent with your granddaughter, they're only young once! Our cruise with our grandson is one of our most cherished memories!

[OCruisers]

While we most often cruise on Princess, we enjoy cruising on Celebrity from time to time. Most who like one will also like the other. Feel sure your granddaughter will have a wonderful time on Princess. :)

LuLu

[mic123]

Those are the two lines we sail. We were on the Golden last summer out of Seattle. Me, my mom, and my 9 year old daughter.

 

I think both lines are more alike than different My daughter picks the things she wants to do in the club and finds them both similar. She always ends up making new friends.

 

We had a wonderful time on that cruise, but then we have fun on all of them :)

 

Oh, and as someone else already noted, the Chef's Table on Princess is a lot of fun and worth the expense in my opinion.

 

You will all have a great time!

[PSCruiser]

As many others have said, get ready for great pizza!!

[whataboutport]

I didn't care for most of the MDR food on Princess (WAY too salty), but I LOVED the Intl Court for their salads and sandwiches. For breakfast though, know it is only sweets, like pastries and donuts, other than the Egg McMuffin they offer that isn't that great.

 

Princess room service food is pretty good, but skip the room service breakfast. Arrives cold and the juices are tiny, like double shot glass tiny!

 

Yes the pizza is great! Crust is perfect, but they only usually have 3 varieties per day; one pepperoni, one cheese, and a daily special. I didn't find usually an all veggie pizza, and I don't fancy cheese only.

 

If I remember correctly, the port side is the smoking area at the aft pool. We were at the starboard side and didn't really noticed much smoke smell. We did smell it a lot a few decks above the casino where it wafted through the stairwell.

Edited August 12, 2014 by whataboutport

[wallie5446]

We did smell it a lot a few decks above the casino where it wafted through the stairwell.

 

On the Ruby, the cigar lounge was at the entrance to the casino, and had another door that opened into the casino.

[Nancyquilts]

Love the cold fruit soups on Princess. Like having an extra dessert early in the dinner.

[LovetheSea]

I have been on 8 Princess cruises and I am an Elite member on Celebrity. We changed from Celebrity because of the Itineraries and the price jump. If they were the same price and had the same ports I would go Celebrity every time.

The food, the drinks, the entertainment , the service all better on Celebrity. We have enjoyed Princess cruises but does not compare at all in my opinion.

I thin Princess is cutting back on food costs. They seem to be getting cheap. We may choose Holland for our next cruise.

[aikensbest]

We have cruised on both lines and find them very similar in most ways. Food is subjective so I never try to rate that ( learned that if it is too salty or whatever inform the staff and in the future it will be to your liking). Each line has different classifications for cabins. Princess has better storage, and if a mini suite all else becomes equal. For us the itinerary is the most important and additionally the perks. Example, Princess TA.s can discount, previous military service gives you additional monetary benefits. Celebrity has drink pkgs, etc, but benefits are not combineable.

We have found ship personnel to be great on both lines and either line will satisfy whatever you are looking for in a cruise.

Enjoy!

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

I greatly enjoy both lines (11 cruises on Princess and 8 cruises on Celebrity). I cruised aboard the Golden Princess in September 2013 and was very pleased the ship. As many of the posts above have stated, the lines are more alike than different. Both lines have their own strengths and weaknesses. Overall, I think they are fairly comparable. I agree that the pizza and desserts on Princess are excellent. In particular, I enjoy the souffles in the dining room.

 

Chuck

[Gran2five]

Can you comment a bit on what you like about the food...what type of thing you find is particularly good on Princess? I know food is very subjective, but I always like to know what people enjoy, especially if they think the food is better than on Celebrity in some/many areas.

 

When I travelled before on Princess, I remember many "prepared at the table" entrees, great pasta dishes, great desserts, but if I recall, meat and vegetables weren't so wonderful. And they had a beautiful Afternoon Tea every day in the Dining Room."

 

 

The food - I agree our first cruise on Princess was about 15 yrs ago and yes, a lot of Italian delicious food, midnight buffets and the like. Today, not so much but we have had wait staff on both of our last Princess cruises who have recommended a side of delicious pasta for example. The desserts are where they shine - we had soufflés at least twice each cruise. It is subjective and you can't go wrong with either line.

Edited August 12, 2014 by Gran2five