First time on Princess

[Lilitchka]

I booked my first Princess cruise and have mostly sailed the Celebrity line. Can anyone give me a critique about Princess and how it compares with Celebrity. would appreciate all you can tell me about food, service, shows, etc. thanks

[mii]

What may help answer many of your questions is to look at the "sticky' on top of this page called Members share what they know about Princess or something like that. Hope this helps.

 

Marilyn

[Lillykat]

I can - we just took our first Princess Cruise on the CB - 8/6 to celebrate my husband finishing law school and taking the bar - and actually had a fabulous time. We are elite cc with celebrity. We will definitely be cruising with Princess much more often - we still like Celebrity and my parents travel with them a few times a year, in fact we might take a short cruise in March with them - but right now with our schedule and budget Princess is more reasonable.

 

Honestly - there were not as many differences as we were told we would find. We went with low expectations and were very pleased.

 

We didn't get the welcome chapagne or sorbet or cold towels on princess but we really didn't miss them. In fact on our last celebrity cruise they only had the sorbet twice and the towels if you got back onboard say after 2pm so we only got that perk 1/2 the time.

 

Shows - were about equal to Celebrity - but the comedians were better.

 

Service - now this probably depends on WHO you get. Overall we really didn't notice any difference. We found Princess staff (97%) of the time to have huge smiles and they bent over backwards to help us with anything that was needed. As some people noticed on celebrity sometimes at lunch in the dining room the service is hit or miss as you are not tipping your server. We found the service more consistant on Princess. It was about equal for our room steward.

 

Dining room - It is not white glove - but we were very pleased. As far as food went. Honestly there were pluses for Princess and pluses for celebrity. Souffles were amazing on Princess, other desserts not quite as good as celebrity but still good. Soups I give to Celebrity. Appetizers - some were equal - others it depended. Salads same way. Entrees - the meat and fish we thought was equal on Princess - BUT presentation better with Celebrity. Again a lot of these comparisons have to do with what you order as well. As always there are hits and misses. We have had some great food on celebrity and some horrible food.

 

Buffet goes to celebrity. You will not go hungry at all as Princess has plenty of choices but Celebrity has the edge. Grill also goes to Celebrity, Princess' hamburgers were not hamburgers - people were commenting that they had NO idea what they were made with - but they were not even McDonald's qualtiy - but Princess wins hands down for Pizza.

 

Rooms - We thought our room was larger and better laid out on Princess - If you compare room sizes I believe rooms are larger on the CB compared with the constellation.

 

Crowds - we were concerned - as Princess has MANY more people on board than celebrity. We were pleased at how well they handled the crowds. They seems more organized than our past few celebrity cruises. We had 4 pools so we found crowds nicely spread out. The only time we noticed that there were some minor crowding was in the theater (just go early) and at the captains party in the atrium.

 

Overall I would say from comments I have read you might be better on a smaller princess ship. We were never board on Celebrity but we did find the crowds to be slightly more our age (30 and 31) on Princess. I would say that it seems from talking with people that RCCL is more party atmosphere and many people compare it more party atmosphere to carnival, whereas, Princess is more like Celebrity, a little more sedate.

 

These observations are of course simply my opinion. I would be happy to go into more detail if you have specific questions.

[cruisequeen10]

You are going to absolutely love it.

[Pam in CA]

I haven't been on Celebrity but I just wanted to add to LillyKat's comments that the only pasta better than on Princess can be found in the North End in Boston. There's a pasta course every night on Princess that's usually superb.

 

You can generalize everything but even on the same ship at the same time, two people next door to each other can have completely different experiences. My guess is that Princess is closer to Celebrity than RCI but there will still be similarities between Princess, Celebrity, RCI and Holland America.

[Love Cruis'n]

We have been on both Princess and Celebrity, once each.

For what it's worth, we liked Princess better.

Both embarkation and disembarkation went smoother and faster.

We thought the food was generally better on Princess (but that is very subjective), and the service better on Princess - both the dining room staff, and the room staff.

In our group of 3 couples, one thought that the room furnishings on Celebrity were superior, but we all agreed that having the mini suite option (which we took) was very nice.

Overall, while we have no problem with Celebrity, we gave the nod to Princess.

Have a great cruise. :)

Terry

PS - The wives raved abvout the shows on Princess :)

[frostypenguin]

You are going to love it!!! We just got back from the Diamond Princess and it was fabulous.

 

 

PROS

Never feel crowded even though there were 2500 passengers onboard.

Crew and staff were always pleasant and smiling.

Ship was exceptionally clean. I even did laundry one day and the dryer looked like it had never been used (not a stitch of lint).

Balcony rooms (not mini-suites) were very big and the balcony is such a nice added touch.

Fresh fruit daily in your room.

Lots and lots of things to do cooking demos, wine tastings, line dancing, ballroom dancing, movies, bingo, trivia games, music, yoga, pilates, etc.

Pizza, hotdogs and ice cream were great

 

 

CONS

I think the buffet, while it had a lot of stuff left something to be desired somehow I don't think you should ever serve Lima Beans on a buffet but hey that's just me....

You have to pay for ice cream if you don't eat it in the dining room during meals.

You have to pay for espresso and cappucino.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I agree with most of what Lillykat said...we've cruised them both, we like them both. Here's some comparisons I put together a few months ago when we did several Princess and Celebrity cruises in quick succession and the differences were more obvious to me. These facts were based on the Sapphire and Grand Princess and the Galaxy and the Constellation:

 

Celebrity

 

Service

-Champagne and escort to cabin upon welcome

-Almost always an offer to carry your tray in the buffet

-An offer to refill coffee during breakfast and drinks during lunch in the buffet

-Cold towels and drinks when returning to the ship on port days

-Cold towels and sherbet around the pool on sea days

 

Dining

-Five course dinner menus

-Intermezzo sorbet pre-entrée course on formal nights

-Utensils are all laid out in the place settings

-Escargot and shrimp forks and intermezzo spoons

-Sommeliers, bar stewards, waiters, assistant waiters AND assistant maitre d’s

-Captains table on formal nights

-Dinner beef entrées are generally steaks

-Salmon, grilled chicken, sirloin steak offered in addition to menu items every night

-Made to order omelet bar in buffet

-Made to order Belgian waffle bar with toppings in buffet

-Made to order pasta bar at lunch in buffet

-Casual dinners must be reserved before 5:30pm each day, but feature three rotating sit down menus; however, pasta and pizza bar open till 1 am

-Breakfast room service menu includes scrambled eggs, ham and cheese omelet, bacon, sausage and ham in addition to continental breakfast

-Still have two midnight buffets on most cruises – island night fruit and sherbet buffet and incredible Gala buffet on final formal night

-Three juice offerings plus two more on request in the buffet at breakfast

-Lemonade and two fruit drinks offered in the buffet at lunch

-Free hot chocolate available in the buffet (as well as coffee and tea) 24 hours a day

-Ceramic dishes and bowls in buffet

-Small coffee cups and drink glasses in buffet

-Unlimited soda stickers average $5 a day for the length of the cruise

-Only one size of soda glasses

 

Entertainment

-Full pool bands with singers

-Live music during dinner in the dining room

-No freshwater pools (including children’s pool)

-Hot tubs close by 9 pm each evening; pools even earlier (varies by ship/itinerary)

-One alcoholic drink size, and all alcoholic drinks are more expensive than Princess

 

Amenities/Cabins

-Large showers

-Thicker bath towels than Princess

-Easy to use ship layout pamphlets in cabin upon arrival

-Robes for some cabins are really thick

-Unlimited pool towels in all the pool areas

-Gym towels in the fitness center

-Large towels for use on shore (great for the beach)

-Free tote bag in cabin (disposable, but lasts for one cruise)

-Umbrella in cabin

-Shampoo (with conditioner) and lotion dispensers in shower and bathroom – no little packets to have to tear open

-Plastic bag liners in all cabin trash cans

-No antibacterial wipes in fitness center

No individualized entertainment system in fitness center

-Fewer free classes in fitness center

-Steam room on Century class ships is extra charge for most people

-No TV programming guide in cabin

-“Telemarketing” channels on TV promoting ship products and services 24/7; similar commercials during TV programs

-Ability to check shipboard account balance on TV in cabin

-Ability to book shore excursions on TV in cabin

 

Loyalty Programs

Nice when you get to Select and Elect levels, but not especially valuable

 

Ambiance

-Waiters in buffet wear long sleeved white shirt, black bow tie, black pants and cummerbund

-Shorts never really appropriate in the evening unless you eat pizza or pasta and then go back to your cabin or up on an outer deck area; ditto jeans.

-Cruise directors appear on TV morning show in a suit and tie

 

Princess

 

Service

-On line pre cruise support (Cruise Personalizer) with shore excursions charged to shipboard account

-Very limited (almost no) offers of coffee and beverage refills in the buffet

-Assistance with carrying food to table only if it appears you require it

 

Dining

-Personal Choice (Anytime) Dining as well as traditional dining

-24 hour buffet

-Four course dinner menus (but you can make them five course by ordering soup AND salad)

-Salmon, grilled chicken and steaks no longer available every evening in dining room

-Plastic dishes in buffet

-Soufflés offered for dessert most evenings

-Theme restaurants/menus on Sapphire and Diamond Princess

-No sommeliers, bar stewards and assistant maitre d’s (have head waiters, but fewer of them)

-Unlimited soda stickers average $2-$3 per day for the cruise duration

-Sodas in the bars/pool areas are offered in two or three sizes

-Ice tea is the only cold drink available at lunch and dinner for no charge

 

Entertainment

-24 hour freshwater pools and hot tubs

-Champagne waterfall on final formal night

-Multiple sizes of alcoholic drinks; lower prices than Celebrity

-Morning show with cruise director humorous, less formal

 

 

Amenities/Cabins

-Self service laundries

-Pool towels allocated to cabins, not unlimited although you can ask for more from your cabin steward

-No larger towels for beach use in ports

-No gym towels in fitness center

-Antibacterial wipes for fitness center equipment

-TV programming guide in cabin

-No ability to check shipboard account balance on TV; must go to Guest Relations desk

-Thinner bath towels than Celebrity

-Shampoo, conditioner and lotion in individual use packets

-Individual entertainment system in fitness center

-Free steam rooms in spa

 

Loyalty Programs

-Unlimited free internet when you get to your 6th cruise

-Unlimited free internet when you get to your 6th cruise(!)

-Unlimited free internet when you get to your 6th cruise(!!)

-Free laundry when you get to your 16th cruise

 

Ambiance

Wait staff in buffet wear tropical shirts and shorts

Cruise director appears on morning TV show in casual attire

[woodofpine]

I've always enjoyed most the cruises when I embarked with the low expectations. The first time I cruised Celeb I went with very high expectations and was disappointed... the second time, I went with low expectations and had a terrific time (same ship).

 

Celeb does certain things better than Princess and has certain ship features superior to Princess... and you can say the same thing in reverse...

 

I suggest you leave the cruise critic mindset at home for after you return. Go critical and you'll find reasons to be; go open minded with low expectation and you'll have a great time!

 

P.S. Stick with traditional dining.

[Lilitchka]

Thanks to all who sent in their thoughts. I'm confident we'll have a great time. Frankly, the most obvious differences I read are the buffet being less appealing than on the Celebrity. We never eat at the buffet, so that's not an issue here. We eat all our meals in the dining room, and from what I read here, the food is pretty good. As for the sommelier, who cares who brings the wine, as long as we can get our fill of good wine. The main reason we decided on Princess this time was the ports of call. We got tired of the same old, same old, islands and this particual trip has some islands we haven't been to in a long while, like Martinique and Grenada. Can't understand how rarely other liners go there. Martinique has great wines and prices and you may have guessed, we love our wine. :D

 

Thanks again for your critiques.

[m steve]

JMB410 says most of it. Celebrity dining makes you feel that you are in a first class restaurant while Princess is just a dining room. The table ware on C is set for formal dining adding and removing silver as needed, quite classy.

The show rooms were better laid out on C than P and the shows were better.

My standard balcony cabin on C was much larger for about the same price. The P syrup coffee is awful at every location. There was no quiet bar for after dinner drinks on P. Drinks were cheaper on P but always a measured pour that seemed on the short pour size. Usually had to order doubles.

Concierge Class on C was very nice w/full bfst menu in your cabin and room to eat it there or on balcony. Staff was better trained especially in dining room. Beef on C were better quality in main DR and served as ordered.

I usually try different lines because of itinerary but C stands out over P in most areas while on ship. Also their Duty free shopping was better for liquor and cigs. The daily bargains were equally poor and the art auctions the same.

I liked P's movie schedule in the cabin better but tying up the large theatre for films gives you their opinion of the live shows.

I am traveling on P in Feb on Diamond and hope that is better than the Sun.

The change in ding room menus doesn't make sense to have 5 venues w/same food just different decor left over from 5 different types of food, especially if you are charged a premium to use them.

[xanax]

I noticed mention of Ballroom Dance lessons on Princess, but do they have actual Big Band music playing at anytime? Also do they have an IDOL contest (Similar to Amercan Idol tv show) or a Talent Show?

 

Lastly, where can I find a Patter from the Sun?

 

Very excited fo rmy first Princess Cruise!:D

 

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

[houch]

Was reading the posts and just had to comment. I was on Celebrity to Hawaii in Apr, first time with them and had heard many good things about them that C was better than P. I didn't find that to be true! All in all they are pretty close, C being a bit more expensive and not worth it, in my opinion. I am going on the Sun P again ( Panama Canal in 2003) in Nov and can't wait. I desided to do it again because really enjoyed it the last time.

In reading the comments I have desided it must relate to the ship and the time you go because I didn't agree with many statements. Always got cold towels on P never on C no sherbert on either. Both had a table full of silverwear at dinner every night. Free ice cream on C but the lines were so long that I never bothered to wait. Always long lines on C for the buffet and you had to go through the whole line. On P you could roam through the buffet for the items you wanted with no long lines. Also buffet open 24/7 on P. On C the menu was limited with little variety, many repeats, I didn't feel that way about P.To me the food and service were about the same on both. C had live music during dining, a nice touch. Rooms seemed the same. The cruise line dancers and singers with their musical shows were good on both. Decor on C I though bland where on P a variety of colors and bright. The artificial flower arrangements throughout the ship on C were very dirty and dusty. We commented on that but never saw them cleaning any of them. We found several little quiet areas on P to have a before or after dinner drink, in fact the ship never seemed crowded (except on port days when everyone wanted off at the same time, true for both). One thing about C I really didn't like was them carrying your tray in the buffet. I noticed someone thought that a plus. I would try to get by them and when they grabbed my tray I felt I couldn't take the time to look around for a place I liked and had to sit quickly just anywhere. Then when they left I would get up and find a place I liked better.

All in all they are both pretty equal I think. It just depends on what you prefer and look for in a cruise. Have been on RCCL too and found it to be somewhat less in all areas than P or C, but I still enjoyed it and had a good time. I would cruise any one of them again, even though my favorite is P.

Enjoy your cruise. Carol