Will I like Celebrity as much as Princess?

[barbaraanne]

I absolutely love the four freshwater pools on most of the Princess ships and spend a lot of time in them, especially the adults only rear pool. We also enjoy dinner for two in the main dining room and buffet for breakfast and lunch. Delicious food and tasty deserts are very important. And finally we love comedians for entertainment, along with high quality shows in the large theater. Princess doesn't always hit the mark in the dining room or show quality, but gets pretty darn close. However, I don't know if I could live without those nice pools and spa.

 

Does Celebrity Reflection have heated pools? I know they are saltwater, but are they really inviting? What is inside the spa? Is the food better than Princess? Do the newer ships all have comedians or late night comedy? How are the shows? And are the Solstice class ships just altogether prettier than Princess, or about the same? Do people have enough room to sunbathe on loungers on the pool deck?

 

Thanks so much for your help. I'm debating between a Celebrity Reflection cruise and a Princess Emerald cruise this fall and cannot decide what would be best for us--a couple whose kids are grown and who look for a little fun in the evenings and a lot of relaxation during the days.

 

Thank you so much!!

[mcrcruiser]

I absolutely love the four freshwater pools on most of the Princess ships and spend a lot of time in them, especially the adults only rear pool. We also enjoy dinner for two in the main dining room and buffet for breakfast and lunch. Delicious food and tasty deserts are very important. And finally we love comedians for entertainment, along with high quality shows in the large theater. Princess doesn't always hit the mark in the dining room or show quality, but gets pretty darn close. However, I don't know if I could live without those nice pools and spa.

 

Does Celebrity Reflection have heated pools? I know they are saltwater, but are they really inviting? What is inside the spa? Is the food better than Princess? Do the newer ships all have comedians or late night comedy? How are the shows? And are the Solstice class ships just altogether prettier than Princess, or about the same? Do people have enough room to sunbathe on loungers on the pool deck?

 

 

Thank you so much!!

 

You can get all & more from Celebrity except the multiple pools:D .Celebrity has 2 pools one in out door & the other indoor & heated . The spa use will cost extra for Persian Gardens & massages .

 

Over all Celebrity is more sophisticated than Princess & the Reflection is a gorgeous ship through out .There is late night comedy ;as well as great shows

 

Thanks so much for your help. I'm debating between a Celebrity Reflection cruise and a Princess Emerald cruise this fall and cannot decide what would be best for us--a couple whose kids are grown and who look for a little fun in the evenings and a lot of relaxation during the days.

 

The food quality & variety on Celebrity is better than Princess:D .We have sailed both lines many times

[SantaFeFan]

Does Celebrity Reflection have heated pools? I know they are saltwater, but are they really inviting?

 

Reflection's pools are freshwater, not saltwater. All S-class have freshwater pools. It's the M-class that have saltwater pools.

 

From my experience, Celebrity is a step above Princess. Both are nice, but Celebrity is more refined and feels more luxurious. Food has always been better on Celebrity for my tastes.

 

Plus, Celebrity doesn't have those awful MUTS monstrosities blaring noise all day long. Not my idea of relaxation.

Edited May 29, 2015 by SantaFeFan

[Stateroom_Sailor]

I think Celebrity is going to miss the mark on pools and entertainment, honestly. There are areas it will outshine, too, but you have to be willing to take the good with the bad. My guess is, you would be better off sticking with the product you already like.

[WEGL81]

Reflection's pools are freshwater, not saltwater. All S-class have freshwater pools. It's the M-class that have saltwater pools.

 

From my experience, Celebrity is a step above Princess. Both are nice, but Celebrity is more refined and feels more luxurious. Food has always been better on Celebrity for my tastes.

 

Plus, Celebrity doesn't have those awful MUTS monstrosities blaring noise all day long. Not my idea of relaxation.

 

Those MUTS monstrosities are the only thing I like about Princess over Celebrity. Celebrity is pretty much a zero in the movies department. Other than that, having been on both, I think Celebrity's food is better and the entertainment is equal. As to pools, Princess has nothing to compare to X's M-class Thallassotherapy pools. For some reason X didn't keep these for S-class ships. Blu is the real discriminator for me between Princess and Celebrity. But if you don't book Aqua, then they are closer.

Edited May 29, 2015 by WEGL81

[Iamcruzin]

I prefer the staterooms on Celebrity. The ocean view room I had on the Summit was much more comfortable than either the inside, ocean view or balcony I had on Princess. The shower in the bathroom are quite large, the sofa and coffee table were much better than the chair and round end table on Princess which always seems to get in the way no matter where it is. There was plenty of storage on Celebrity but they don't have the walk in closet like Princess. Im not a fan of the closet. It takes up more room and I don't like seeing an open closet the first thing when you enter the room. It just looks sloppy.

 

I know that food is subjective but so is entertainment, itinerary, ship layout,and activities. Food was disappointing on Celebrity. It wasn't the quality but more of the inconsistent seasoning or lack of seasoning and how it was served which was sometimes cold or over cooked. I never experienced this on Princess. I think the menus are on par it's just the prep that is off. The hours in the buffet are limited so if you come back to the ship around 3:00 there is very limited offerings. This may just be on the M class ships. I have read that S class ships are better. What I really missed was the salad bar that is offered on Princess. Specialty restaurants on Celebrity over priced at $45 to $50 per person. We only ate in Qsine which in my opinion is equivalent to a T.G.I.F. or Apple Bee's with an iPad.

You can purchase a specialty dining package at a discount but I still think it's over priced. I think Celebrity inflates the prices of the specialty restaurants as a marketing ploy to offer discounts and persuade you to book. I received a 25% discount to Qsine which brought it to $36pp. It's a $20 experience at best after you factor in the meal that you paid for in the MDR.

 

 

I preferred the entertainment on Celebrity. On Princess the venus are always over crowded and you have to arrive 45 minutes early to see a 30 minute show. On Celebrity we got to the show 5 minutes before it started and found seats with a good view. Granted they weren't in spitting distance to the stage but we don't like to be in the front rows anyway.

 

I don't find one line more sophisticated or more upscale than the other. On a Caribbean itinerary the demographic is the same on both. I didn't experience Modern Luxury, what ever that is and I didn't come back new on Princess. However I do enjoy both lines for different reasons.

[Oxo]

Over all Celebrity is more sophisticated than Princess & the Reflection is a gorgeous ship through out .There is late night comedy ;as well as great shows

 

Thanks so much for your help. I'm debating between a Celebrity Reflection cruise and a Princess Emerald cruise this fall and cannot decide what would be best for us--a couple whose kids are grown and who look for a little fun in the evenings and a lot of relaxation during the days.

 

The food quality & variety on Celebrity is better than Princess:D .We have sailed both lines many times

 

People say that X is more sophisticated than Princess. What is more sophisticated on X than Princess?

In reality, Reflection is a much newer ship than Emerald. If you were to compare the Reflection to the Royal or Regal, I would consider that a fair comparison. Emerald is 8 years old.

Disagree that food quality & variety on X is better than Princess. We are Elite+ on X and Elite on Princess and think both are fairly equal depending on individual taste.

[cynbar]

We love both Princess and Celebrity, there are of course some differences but I find them pretty similar experiences. For us, it gets a little boring to sail the same line all the time because there are so many similarities from cruise to cruise --- for this reason alone, I encourage you to give Celebrity a try. I think you will find Celebrity a little quieter, a little more subdued than Princess. There is entertainment but less of it, Celebrity has really cut back in the extras that made it special such as a cappella groups and piano players. Decor is subjective --- Celebrity is sleeker and more modern, Princess is warmer and more traditional, both are nice. On Celebrity S class ships, all balcony cabins are the same size and same layout, and are bigger than Princess balcony cabins but smaller than the Princess mini suites. Food is subjective, we like the S class buffet better but it doesn't have the themed dinners like Princess does. There was a time when Celebrity food was a step up but I don't see that anymore. No International Cafe or MUTS or full promenade deck on Celebrity, not sure how important those things are to you. Blu would be your assigned dining room if you book Aqua Class, many cruisers feel it is a step up although we aren't quite so enthusiastic. Ships are clean and well kept, service is efficient and friendly. Amenities for suite passengers have increased but prices are up as well! As I said above, give it a try, if you like Princess you should enjoy Celebrity as well.

 

 

 

PS -- I should add that we were on Reflection this past January and there was no late night comedy show, which disappointed us. Late nights are generally quieter on Celebrity, although this varies from cruise to cruise. Also, the smoking policy on Celebrity is wonderful if you are a non-smoker, not so good if you are a smoker ---- no smoking anywhere indoors and only in a few designated outdoor spots, so even the casino is smoke free.

Edited May 29, 2015 by cynbar

[cynbar]

I should add the Reflection has a lovely area called the Persian Garden, inside the spa. It has a sauna and a steam room, and heated loungers with a dynamite view through floor to ceiling windows. This is included for passengers who book Aqua Class, but you can also but a day pass or a weeklong pass. I think it was $135 for the week but someone else may correct me on that, we were in AQ. I love the Persian Garden, one of the best things about Reflection

[miched]

Entertainment on Celebrity has never been as good as Princess and is getting worse.

 

Evertyhitng else is the same or pretty close. Cruise lines have low end, main stream and Premium. Celebrity and Princess as both main stream one step up from low end. They can be compared to what casino you like since they all offer basically the same things and the only differences are where you feel comfortable and what atmosphere you are after.

 

The big selling factor for us is that Celebrity is al pat smoke free. smoking is limited to a very few outside areas.

 

 

happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

[Cruizen Susan]

I absolutely love the four freshwater pools on most of the Princess ships and spend a lot of time in them, especially the adults only rear pool. We also enjoy dinner for two in the main dining room and buffet for breakfast and lunch. Delicious food and tasty deserts are very important. And finally we love comedians for entertainment, along with high quality shows in the large theater. Princess doesn't always hit the mark in the dining room or show quality, but gets pretty darn close. However, I don't know if I could live without those nice pools and spa.

 

Does Celebrity Reflection have heated pools? I know they are saltwater, but are they really inviting? What is inside the spa? Is the food better than Princess? Do the newer ships all have comedians or late night comedy? How are the shows? And are the Solstice class ships just altogether prettier than Princess, or about the same? Do people have enough room to sunbathe on loungers on the pool deck?

 

Thanks so much for your help. I'm debating between a Celebrity Reflection cruise and a Princess Emerald cruise this fall and cannot decide what would be best for us--a couple whose kids are grown and who look for a little fun in the evenings and a lot of relaxation during the days.

 

Thank you so much!!

 

An unequivocal YES!!!

[barbaraanne]

Wow, everyone's posts have been fantastic! There was a lot to learn in them, and they were all so helpful. It was good to learn that the pools on the new Celebrity ships are freshwater, that is important to us. Also, I agree that the MUTS is very noisy and disturbing in the daytime. We did enjoy it at night though. Also interesting to learn that there is no thelassotherapy pool on Reflection--I was hoping that there was, but at least there is a wonderful thermal suite.

 

It is great reading about everyone's opinion of the food and decor. I think I am getting a much clearer picture of the difference and similarities between the two lines.

 

Does anyone recommend taking the Summit over the Reflection? It goes to ports we'd enjoy as well.

 

Also, has anyone been on the Royal or Regal and can make a comparison to Celebrity regarding those ships?

 

Thanks so much, everyone is so helpful and kind to give me their opinions!

[SantaFeFan]

Also interesting to learn that there is no thelassotherapy pool on Reflection--I was hoping that there was.

 

According to Wikipedia:

 

"Thalassotherapy (from the Greek word thalassa, meaning "sea") is the medical use of seawater as a form of therapy. It is based on the systematic use of seawater, sea products, and shore climate. The properties of seawater are believed to have beneficial effects upon the pores of the skin."

 

Since the pools on S-class ships are filled with freshwater, I would venture a guess as to this being the reason there aren't T-pools on these ships. A loss, in my opinion, as I enjoy the T-pools on the M-class ships more than the solarium pools on S-class.

Edited May 29, 2015 by SantaFeFan

[Tak8]

I think you will enjoy Celebrity. Princess is my favorite line. I've cruised 3 times with them. I did the Celebrity Summit Christmas cruise last year. I picked Celebrity because they were sailing from San Juan and had a great itinerary.

 

The Summit is a little older, so they were a few things that I noticed. The Persian Gardens, thermal suite, was smaller and enclosed. you couldn't look out and it had no heated loungers for relaxing. The atrium area was not the wow factor I tend to experience on Princess.

 

Having said that, I liked their dessert theme throughout the cruise in the buffet area. It seemed each day was a different type of dessert. One day was all pies, another all puddings, etc. I also liked the fresh pasta area on the buffet. Qsine was a fun alternative restaurant on board using IPads to order tapas style dinner.

 

In terms of entertainment, I loved their acrobats. An amazing group of entertainers sprinkled throughout various shows.

 

I'm back on Celebrity next December to try the Eclipse, a newer ship. I got a great rate and perks, so another chance to sway me towards them as my favorite Good luck with your decision.

[bl413]

I absolutely love the four freshwater pools on most of the Princess ships and spend a lot of time in them, especially the adults only rear pool. We also enjoy dinner for two in the main dining room and buffet for breakfast and lunch. Delicious food and tasty deserts are very important. And finally we love comedians for entertainment, along with high quality shows in the large theater. Princess doesn't always hit the mark in the dining room or show quality, but gets pretty darn close. However, I don't know if I could live without those nice pools and spa.

 

Does Celebrity Reflection have heated pools? I know they are saltwater, but are they really inviting? What is inside the spa? Is the food better than Princess? Do the newer ships all have comedians or late night comedy? How are the shows? And are the Solstice class ships just altogether prettier than Princess, or about the same? Do people have enough room to sunbathe on loungers on the pool deck?

 

Thanks so much for your help. I'm debating between a Celebrity Reflection cruise and a Princess Emerald cruise this fall and cannot decide what would be best for us--a couple whose kids are grown and who look for a little fun in the evenings and a lot of relaxation during the days.

 

Thank you so much!!

We just returned from a 12 day cruise on Celebrity Silhouette and were very disappointed.

We loved our last cruise with Princess in December.

I would say overall Princess hands down ..

We found ourselves eating in Specialty rest. instead of MD on Celebrity because the food was so poor!! The ship was a disappointment and we could not understand why everyone raved about how beautiful the Silhouette was. Again, compared to the Princess ships we were on there was no comparison - again Celebrity loses.

The buffet on Princess - better

The Specialty Rest. on Princess better etc etc.

We won't sail Celebrity again. IMHO

[OCruisers]

When you think about it, everything is subjective to a degree.

While Princess is a better all around fit for us, we've also enjoyed our Celebrity cruises. :)

Entertainment is much better on Princess! ;)

 

LuLu

[beltane]

Music is so important to my enjoyment of a cruise and Celebrity nails it! I LOVE their live music. Lots of variety and always very enjoyable for my age (55). I've only done one Princess cruise and for me it was WAY too quiet. I swear I could fire off a cannon down the hall at 8:30 at night and not hit a soul it was so empty. Lots of early-to-bed folks on the Princess cruise we went on. I'm not a huge party girl, but I do like to stay up until about midnight on a cruise and enjoy some music and a bit of fun. I was shocked at how quiet the ship was every single evening.

 

For Hubs and I, Celebrity has just the right amount of activity that we want, and the music, as I said, is right in our age range (mid to late 50s).

 

That said, to each his own. My husband loved our Princess cruise. Too quiet for my liking.

[gacruisergal]

Having sailed many times on both lines we tend to go back and forth depending on the itinerary. Last June we were on the Ruby for 12 nights doing the North Cape and Midnight Sun............absolutely fantastic all around

In October we were on the Royal for 10 nights from NYC to Southern Caribbean. In January we were on Reflection to the Caribbean and in March on the Island from Ft Lauderdale to Venice, Italy for 17 nights. Coming up in September we will be on the Solstice for 11 nights in Alaska.

 

We felt the Royal was way too huge and had a terrible experience getting served dinner the first night in the MDR with only 1 server available for a large area and overall the entire ship was understaffed in the food and beverage department. We had a mini-suite which was lovely as it allows much more room, a great bath with tub and a couch plus chairs. We loved the size of the Island but once again, having one desk chair and uncomfortable easy chair in the room plus the dreaded shower curtain is a turn off.

 

The Reflection was great and since we always have a balcony, there was lots of space but the closets are certainly not as huge as Princess ships but there is plenty of storage if using the over-bed cabinets and desk space. The Solstice class coming up will be like the Reflection, only older. We will wait to see if we still give the "NOD" to Celebrity over Princess.

 

By the way we are mid-70's but with little problems still enjoy cruising and will keep at it as long as we are upright!!!