Celebrity fan returns from Grand-Long

[Vernokenn@aol.com]

My wife and I are Celebrity Elite cruisers and decided to use Princess for a cruise on which we took our daughter, her husband, and 4 kids for an Easter break vacation. We took The Grand on a 7-day Western Caribbean cruise in verandah cabins on Dolphin deck. We returned from a cruise on Infinity just 2 months earlier, so our recollections are pretty fresh. Here are our comparisons for anyone interested. They are as they appeared in our diary, rather than in order of importance to us. Embarkation on Princess was seamless and very efficient. More so than Celebrity, even for Elite members. Our luggage was taken at the airport and we didn't see it again until it appeared outside our door of our cabin, albeit about 4 hours later. If you want to swim or sun, pack your swimwear in your carry-on. Celebrity greets you at the gangway with a tray of free champagne and a member of the staff takes you to your cabin. No champagne and you are on your own on Princess. The Grand Princess is in many respects more elegant and appealing than Infinity, Galaxy, Summit, or Century on Celebrity. Warm woods, beautiful onyx, marble and granite used all over. No wonder: it was built in Italy! Our cabin was much more spacious and conveniently laid out than Celebrity for comparable accommodations. The verandah was larger, having 4 chairs instead of 2 and measuring about 7x9.5 feet. There was a 6-foot sofa and separate TV in the sitting area, vs. a narrow loveseat and a desk on Celebrity. The bed was more comfortable, and there was all sorts of storage in drawers and shelves. The towels are small and the blankets so thin we had to ask for two more. The safe was easier to use, and perhaps best of all, the bathroom door does not open onto the entry vestibule. Two easy-to -use thermostats in the two areas. We had a bathtub instead of a cramped shower, and very pretty Venetian glass tile floor and trim. There is a 5-foot long closet opposite the bathroom door with lots of DETATCHABLE hangers. The lighting was very well done. The soundproffing is excellent. Cabins very quiet.As far as cabins are concerned, Princess is a clear choice. As far as condition of the ships interior is concerned, this 6-year-old ship seems a bit worn and beat-up. There are curved woodgrain vinyl-covered panels outside each cabin entry that are badly dented, as well as the doors themselves. The carpet is a bit worn, but clean: very light colored. There are no Thermos carafes if ice water in the rooms. You have to ask room service to bring a bucket of ice and you feel obligated to tip. The deck chairs were more than plentiful to occommodate thos who wanted to use them, but there was much saving of chairs around the pools, and the stated policy of removing property from those not used for 30 minutes was never enforced. There are glass wind-breaks every 100 feet or so on the decks-- a nice feature. Pools are beautiful and fresh water. Noticed staff doing their checks of temperature and chlorine titre. The Skywalkers nightclub high in the air over the stern was spectacular. Nothing like it on Celebrity. Casino was touted as the biggest afloat. Not true. Celebrity has bigger. The drinks are cheaper and not as good. Food on Princess is for the most part not as good as Celebrity's. I know this will stir up a hornet's nest, but it is our considered opinion. The steaks are tough. Breads not as well done, shrimp cocktails like in a diner, etc. Many disappointments and a few home-runs. The Trenette al Pesto, escargots, and a few other dishes were the best we have tasted. On the other hand, there was no wine steward, and all wines are served by the assistant waiter and the same style glasses are used for all wines. The wine list is more than adequate. Maybe a few fewer wines than Celebrity, but no problem. They have no cheese tray. If you want cheeses you are served 3 small slices of whatever they want you to have. The puff-pastry dishes have tough pastry and little filling. On Celebrity, the waiter brings a tray with all the special dessert offerings for you to see and select from. Not on Princess. The desserts on Princess are quite good, though. Soups not as good, salads about equal, but better dressings on Celebrity. Presentation excellent on both lines. The Botticelli dining room seemed a bit claustrophobic compared with the two story dining room on Celebrity with its grand staircase. We liked Princess' plan of Personal Choice dining where if we are late from a shore excursion, we can be served same as in the main dining room at any time. A great plan. The cafeteria dining facility with various stations was very confusing and traffic patterns criss-crossed. On Celebrity, a waiter carries you tray to a table for you. Dress codes seem to be largely ignored with no attempt to enforce them. The ship is much more smoker- friendly, no the detriment of non-smokers. Smoking policies not enforced. We had cigarette butts raining onto our verandah-dangerous! The Casino atmosphere made your eyes water, and not tears of disappointment. The sports bar was extremely smokey as well. You have to use tokens in the quarter slots. Inconvenient. The public rest rooms seemed to be harder to find, and no individual terry cloth towels as on Celebrity. The Princess theater seemed less elegant than the Celebrity theater. The water leak right over the orchestra the first 4 days didn't help. The Princess theater is more crowded feeling and a bit claustrophobic at the rear. The production shows on Princess are very well dome with a larger cast, better singers and costumes. But, there were only 2 production shows, with one repeated on the last night. One night there was no show of any sort-a movie instead. It was nice to have a senior staff that spoke good English. Celebrity has mostly Greek officers, some of whom can scarcely be understood. Celebrity room service breakfasts offer eggs and meats, which Princess does not offer. The orange juice tasted like TANG. We had been warned on these boards that the coffee was awful and made from liquid concentrate. We didn't find coffee bad at all. And, you could get free freshly brewed coffee all the time in deck 7 in the atrium. I had brought individual cup Melitta drip filter brewers and a pound of Blue Mountain from home and only used them about 3 times. You are also expected to tip for delivery. In Celebrity, tips were not solicited for this service, but we did tip our delivery woman at the end of the cruise anyway. On both lines, they came right on time. More live music on Princess. Music in MANY different lounges all through the evening. But no live music for dining. We had an orchestra on Celebrity. Recorded music around the pool was heavy-beat stuff, and not my cup of tea at all. Wanted to escape. The ship seems very stable and rides very well. On Celebrity, the stabilizers seemed a bit jerky and less efficient, but we never put them to a test on Grand. The highest seas we encountered were about 4-feet. The service ranged from wonderful to inattentive. I blame the pooled tipping policy here everyone gets a cut of the tip charges made directly to your shipboard account. There is little incentive for anyone to excell. Encountered the same situation on Renaissance. I suppose the Personal Choice dining makes this the easy way to go. I don't know the answer in this case. We had an unscheduled stop at Guantanamo Bay to drop off a sick passenger. It was an unexpected feature of this cruise. Glad they did this for the passenger. However, it made us late into Grand Cayman and the staff did very poorly keeping people informed about the changes in shore excursions. Our kids were only informed when disembarking that their tour to the stingrays and snorkeling wsa cancelled, leaving them with no activities for the day. They got refunds without question, though. In this regard, the shore excursion refund policy on Princess is very liberal. On Celebrity, once you have a ticket, that's it, except if the tour is canceled. Shops are nice, but no high-end jeweler like H. Stern. Not a problem for us. Lots of things to do on board on both lines. The lounges on Princess are very dark to the point of depressing. The programs and shows seem to be pitched toward a younger clientele than Celebrity. You don't find "Adult Humor" shows on Celebrity. Nor wet t-shirt contests. Some people accuse Celebrity of being stuffy and stuck-up. Well, maybe this is a symptom. The degree of adherence to formal dress on formal nights is much higher on Celebrity. I would guess the level of education (and perhaps income) of Celebrity passengers would be higher. We prefer it that way, which is not to say we did not enjoy our Princess cruise. We did, but for similar pricing and itinerary, we would pick Celebrity. We missed the daily on-board newspaper that Celebrity publishes. World news, weather, and sports scores. There are no pool-use towels on Princess. You have to take your beach-towel from your room and bring it back or you get charged for it. Liked the Trivia contests. Our family won four of them and got nice prizes. Liked the several theater-like venues where alternative shows were offered to those in the Princess theater.Vista Lounge is very elegant and intimate. Saw a good comedian and magician act there. Missed not having educational lectures. On Infinity, we had 4 excellent talks by Dick Morris of Clinton's staff. The rentals of equipment on Princess Cay were outrageously expensive. The pizza at the pool is excellent. Thats about the story. I would be happy to reply to any questions this may have raised. Bon voyage on whichever cruise you take. Haven't ever had a bad one (except Epirotiki, which mercifully is out of business).

 

 

Vern

 

Gen. C.H. Muir 1947

Gen. Harry Taylor 1947

Adriatica Esperia 1971

Ital. Line Michelangelo 1973

Chandris The Victoria 1985

Chandris Britannis 1986

Norwegian Coastal Voyages 1989

Epirotiki Oceanos 1990

Renaissance R-2 1999

Celebrity Galaxy 2000

Celebrity Century 2001 P.Deilmann Konigstein 2001

Vantage River Odyssey 2002

Celebrity Summit 2002

Viking Star 2003

Celebrity Infinity 2004

Grand Princess 2004

 

[Northender]

Enjoyed reading about your experience with the Grand sailng of 4/4/04. We too were aboard and while I am not going to challenge any of your statements (this was our first cruise so have nothing to compare to) I really have to make just one statement - HOW IN THE HECK COULD YOU DRINK THAT COFFEE - It is gawd awful. Agree with coffee on Promendade, unfortunately I didn't find it until Thursday. Sorry about cigarette butts raining down on you - we did not experience that at all. The only place I saw people smoking was at Wheelhouse Lounge (separate area - rest of lounge was non-smoking)and certain areas of 14th floor. Did not go into the Casino as I would expect smokers there anyway and of course, sports lounge. You sound as tho you had a mini-suite, we had balcony on port side, very nice and we only gave our cabin steward extra tip. I found that once the playing field was even for all of them, the service was very good.

I too will be happy to answer any questions. Two different people, two different views.

 

First Cruisers - Grand Princess 4/4/04

 

[mafig]

Thank you for a very interesting review.

 

One minor point. On Princess, you can order whatever you want for room service breakfast, but you have to write it in.

[starsjohn]

We are elite Celebrity cruisers soon to be elite Princess. Our observations would run similar to yours other than I have overall had better room stewards with Princess despite the pre-paid tipping.

 

John

[2dogcarol]

I read your review with great interest. I, too, have only cruised on Celebrity but have my first Princess cruise booked on the Sapphire for next January. I have had both a Sky Suite and regular balcony cabin on the Infinity. I have booked a mini suite on the Sapphire. It sounded to me like you were comparing a balcony cabin on the Infinity to a mini suite on the Grand. An unfair comparison. The Sky Suites on Celebrity have everything the Grand Suites have (although no second TV and balconys aren't as large) but they also come with many perks and a butler! I think the Sapphire looks like it will be a beautiful ship so I am very much looking forward to a wonderful cruise. I am going to enjoy the full sunshine that the Dolphin deck offers.

[Vernokenn@aol.com]

It is true we had what is called a mini-suite on Dolphin Deck, D-217. Was comparing size with our concierge cabin on Summit. The Grand was much more roomy. One other perk I forgot about mentioning that was very welcome was being greeted back abord at the top of the gangway with ice cold wet towels to cool our overheated brows aboard the Celebrity ship.

 

 

Vern

 

Gen. C.H. Muir 1947

Gen. Harry Taylor 1947

Adriatica Esperia 1971

Ital. Line Michelangelo 1973

Chandris The Victoria 1985

Chandris Britannis 1986

Norwegian Coastal Voyages 1989

Epirotiki Oceanos 1990

Renaissance R-2 1999

Celebrity Galaxy 2000

Celebrity Century 2001 P.Deilmann Konigstein 2001

Vantage River Odyssey 2002

Celebrity Summit 2002

Viking Star 2003

Celebrity Infinity 2004

Grand Princess 2004

 

[sarasotasteve]

Over-heated brows?! Now I've heard it all! sb

 

Grand Princess Sept 2001

Grand Princess Sept 2002

Grand Princess Oct 2003

Star Princess Oct 2004

[sueclark]

Thank you for your excellent comparison/review. We have always preferred Celebrity, but are looking forward to our first sailing on Grand next week.

 

We book Royal Suites on Celebrity and have the Grand Suite on the Grand. It will be interesting to compare service and amenities for these high-end suites. I have always loved the Butler service on Celebrity and am hoping that the regular service on Princess will be similar.

 

Sue

 

Grand Princess - Western Caribbean - April 25, 2004

 

Constellation Transatlantic 9/7/04

 

Infinity Panama Canal 4/17/05

[srphnx]

The review was very helpful, I have made the celebrity-princess comparrison myself and agree for the most part.

 

A small request, please use the paragraph break every once in a while, it is harder to read a review with no such punctuation.

 

<FONT color=red>Alaska</FONT>

Diamond Princess 05/04

Mercury 06/02

Rhapsody o.t. Seas 05/98

Legend o.t. Seas 09/95

<FONT color=red>Mexican Riviera</FONT>

Diamond Princess 04/04

Sea Princess 01/02

Vision o.t. Seas 04/02

Star Princess 12/02<FONT color=red>

West Coast-Baja Mexico</FONT>

Ecstacy 09/01

Vision o.t. Seas 10/02

<FONT color=red>Eastern Carribean</FONT>

Century 12/97

<FONT color=red>Western Carribean</FONT>

Century 9/96

 

[Johanna7]

Vern:

 

Thank you for your observations and comparisons. We have sailed Celebrity - the Century - last month. We have had 10 cruises with HAL and are going with the Brilliance next month to Europe and the Sapphire in January to Australia & New Zealand.

 

We have also sailed with other lines, some no longer in service.

 

It is interesting to see how you found Princess as we will be on board for 12 days.

 

After the cruises we have done, we prefer HAL but mainly cruise for the itineraries. We also prefer port intensive cruises.

 

This coffee thing has me worried. It wasn't the best in the Century either. The best so far was in the Noordam where they had a cappuchino machine.

 

Again, thanks for your comprehensive comparisons. It is nice to read other people's opinions.

[JUST CRUZIN]

Way to go Vern. I am a Elite Princess and Select Celebrity Cruiser. I have often tried to decide which line I like best and for what reasons. In the end I think they are very different products. I have come to the conclusion that you get what you pay for and Princess allows me to cruise twice a year. I like the line. I book a balcony with them for a 7 day cruise for only 770pp while an inside cabin on Celebrity for 999pp for a 10 day cruise. Celebrity costs more and I feel we get more . I really like them. I too enjoy viewing the deserts at the diner table with the swans on the tray and we enjoy meeting the wine stewards and having them describe there wines flavors. The cold towels at the pools and gangway. Real musicians at pool side not taped music or a 2 man electric band.

 

Vern you left out how Princess does there bingo payout. Princess always pays the same payout per game no matter how many people play. Celebrity pays out on how many people are playing. The payouts are much higher on Celebrity. On the final jackpot day when the full card prize goes there are as many as 500 people playing but lets knock it down to 250 people to be fair, and at $30 per card,(and we know some people play more than 1 card too) that's $7,500 they take in for just one game but pay out $1,000 as there jackpot bingo prize. I have seen Celebrity pay out over $5,000 for the final game prize.

I haven't heard much about bingo on these boards but had to get that off my chest.

 

We also enjoy the Cruise Critic Celebrity Connections parties that Celebrity offers. All cruise lines should take that que.

 

I will continue to sail both lines, while on Princess we just order more deserts to be sure we don't miss anything good and stay away from bingo till the final game if any.

As you said, theres no such thing as a bad cruise.

 

7 Days on The New Caribbean Princess

10 DAYS ABOARD CELEBRITY'S SUMMIT

[bcollan]

Having just returned from the Caribbean Princess, and being a 6 time Celebrity cruiser, I offer the following opinion:

 

The food is better on Celebrity. Period. The service is also better on Celebrity. The entertainment is more varied and plentiful on Princess. The embarkarion/disembarkation is also smoother. The children's program is also better on Princess.

 

Celebrity does not offer PC dining and does not have as many alternative restaurants. But Celebrity also has a stricter dress code, two formal and two informal nites per 7 day cruise, which is not necessarily "family friendly".

 

So, I would say that Celebrity is generally better for couples, while families may find more to like on Princess. Which is why we will probably go back to Princess for our next cruise.

 

Bill C.

[Nitemare]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>don't find "Adult Humor" shows on Celebrity. Nor wet t-shirt contests. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

Wet T-shirt contests?

 

They have Wet T-shirt contests on Princess?

 

I've been on 3 Princess cruises, and I don't recall anything CLOSE to a wet T-shirt contest.

 

Adult humor at the late comedy show? Sure, I've seen that, and I've seen folks walk out of those shows, but I've walked out of a few boring lounge singer shows myself.

 

Anyone recall a Wet T-shirt contest?

[sue d. miller]

Not me!!

 

Sue

7 days on Star Princess 10/24

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[marco]

Been on both many times, differences...yes, but we love 'em both and would not hesitate to take either, any day.

[argosy]

Cruise Director on the Golden told us that Princess would not do wet t-shirt contests; that those are for another line.

 

If you saw a wet t-shirt contest, it must be a change in policy. I say the same thing about this in response to the review on the Celebrity board.

[Jacqueline]

I have spent weeks on the Grand and never seen a wet t-short contest. That observation is out of line with my own experience.

I do really like Celebrity and thing that they are actually more kid friendly and have better programming (more hours, more flexible as well as in room options). The kids dinner every night is something that we never had on Princess.

 

Jacqueline

Constellation 3/20/04

HAL Westerdam 7/30/04

Tahitian Princess August 2003

Grand Princess Western Caribbean 2003

Brilliance of the Seas Baltic 2002

Ocean Princess- Alaska 2001

Celebrity Zenith- Bermuda 2001

Grand Princess Med 2000

 

[Vernokenn@aol.com]

The wet t-shirt contest was for men and held late at night. I guess it was supposed to be funny. Not really my idea of entertainment, but if it appeals to some people, I guess there isn't anything wrong with it.

 

 

Vern

 

Gen. C.H. Muir 1947

Gen. Harry Taylor 1947

Adriatica Esperia 1971

Ital. Line Michelangelo 1973

Chandris The Victoria 1985

Chandris Britannis 1986

Norwegian Coastal Voyages 1989

Epirotiki Oceanos 1990

Renaissance R-2 1999

Celebrity Galaxy 2000

Celebrity Century 2001 P.Deilmann Konigstein 2001

Vantage River Odyssey 2002

Celebrity Summit 2002

Viking Star 2003

Celebrity Infinity 2004

Grand Princess 2004

 

[Bisous3]

I just returned from the Island Princess 10 day Panama Canal.

I consider myself a "foodie" and would like to point out that in that department,(and of course this is just my opinion) Celebrity does French food and breads better, Princess does Italian specialties,pastas and pizza better.

 

Thank goodness I brought my own travel coffee pot because the coffee on Princess was nasty.On Celebrity you can always get a good cup in the main dining room or Cova cafe.

 

I posted a comparison on the Celebrity board as well, and said I'd call it a tie, and would decide which line to cruise with according to the price, itinerary and dates.

 

Suzanne

Oceanic '82

Oceanic '83

Century '01

Century '03

Millennium '03

Island Princess '04

[PeabodyNVL]

I'm confused about the "no cheese tray". Usually, on the menu every night is a "variety of international cheeses". It is more than 3 slices of whatever cheese you like. In addition, you can be more specific and order a plate of "hard cheeses", which is delicious.

 

When the Grand was built, the Atlantis casino was indeed the largest afloat, area wise. Could be Celebrity fits more into a smaller space, so it feel like more is going on. The Grand is no longer the largest casino, just as it is no longer the largest ship afloat. Everyone has to keep up with the Joneses!

 

I have to say, I hate the lack of real news available aboard Princess. If you are lucky enough to catch one of the CNN World broadcasts, you are lucky. Otherwise, they have one channel with printed "news"...mostly just obscure blurbs that mean nothing. We Americans are used to being saturated with news, so having little to none is something that takes getting used to .

 

All in all, I would expect Celebrity to be above Princess in almost every way. It's supposed to be. When ranked, Celebrity is always placed above Princess. Princess competes directly with RCCL. Princess is a bit more family oriented than Celebrity. For some people that is a plus, for others a negative. I have read that Celebrity food is outstanding. I guess if you are used to that, Princess is a step down. If you've never done Celebrity though, Princess food is very good.

 

Pea

 

5/9 Golden Princess  

[argosy]

I've done both. Though I think Celebrity's is better, it is only SLIGHTLY better...and not that much of a difference. I would in no way say that Princess' food is a "step down."

[Northender]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Johanna7:

Vern:

 

 

 

This coffee thing has me worried. It wasn't the best in the Century either. The best so far was in the Noordam where they had a cappuchino machine.

 

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

Cappachino available on Grand Princess

 

 

 

Grand Princess 4/4/04

 

[ssbeagle]

We were on the same cruise and even though we are Elite Princess cruisers, I will never go on a cruise during spring break again. This was our second time on the Grand and I was amazed at how many children were allowed to run the halls late at night. I was almost mowed down by one on deck 10 when I was walking to the rear elevators. I wouldn't let the Grand be a major example of a Princess ship. The Royal which they are getting rid of unfortunately, is bright and airy. We are going on the Tahitian Princess for the second time in November.

 

If you had problems with smokers, all you have to do is talk to the Purser's desk and they will put a stop to butts raining down on you.

 

We were not delayed arriving in Grand Cayman because of the uncsheduled stop in Guantanamo. I was thrilled that I got to see Gitmo even though it was from our balcony, but I did feel sorry for the ill passenger.

 

The food in the Horizon Court is not as good as the dining room food. I was appalled at the lack of service in the buffet area too. The best meal was the night they served the lobster tails in the dining room. We had traditional dining (1st sitting) and our table waiters were fast and efficient.

 

I didn't think the entertainment was all that good, but we enjoyed the Shake, Rattle & Roll show. That should have been done in the main theater though for best viewing purposes.

 

Our son, daughter-in-law and 2 grandsons were on board with us. The service from the cabin stewards and table waiters was excellent. Even though we thought the Kids Zone hours could have been improved upon, it was a good program for children. It was too bad more kids weren't taking advantage of it. I took my 5-year-old grandson to the pool while the ship was in Cozumel and we stayed until too many kids came in unsupervised. They were running and jumping without even looking to see if anyone was close by. After my grandson almost got pushed under because of that we left the pool. They should never have used the Painted Desert lounge for the children's talent show. There was not enough room for everyone to sit and it was difficult to see.

 

I think when we cruise we will stick to the time of year when children are mostly in school. Also, the smaller ships don't cater to children very well.

 

That cruise had 2890 passengers on board when double occupancy is only 2600. Every cabin was filled. The cruise staff was good and we really like the trivia games.

 

Grand Princess

Tahitian Princess

 

 

[Jane110]

Vern,

 

Many thanks for your thoughtful report. We've been on 2 Celebrity cruises and will take our first Princess cruise in June in a mini-suite.

 

Sorry to hear that Princess doesn't have too many guest speakers giving lectures. And I'm sorry I won't be getting that nice glass of bubbly when we board.

 

Now you were making a joke when you said....

 

>>>>>>It was nice to have a senior staff that spoke good english.<<<<<

 

weren't you?

 

Jane

[Vernokenn@aol.com]

When I commented that it was nice to have senior staff that spoke good English, I was not kidding. Captain Andy Porter is a Brit, and you could understand his announcements perfectly in contrast to the Greek accents we heard on Infinity and Summmit lately. A couple of other items I forgot to mention in my earlier review contrasting Celebrity to Princess: Princess does not put on midnight buffets nor the very elaborate Grand Buffet that we enjoyed visually on all Celebrity ships. Another tasteless entertainment they had aboard Grand was a beer-guzzling contest at poolside. The other commentater's comments about the heavy load of children during this Easter Week sailing are well-taken. Our 4 grandchildren were there too, but well-behaved (of course).

 

 

Vern

 

Gen. C.H. Muir 1947

Gen. Harry Taylor 1947

Adriatica Esperia 1971

Ital. Line Michelangelo 1973

Chandris The Victoria 1985

Chandris Britannis 1986

Norwegian Coastal Voyages 1989

Epirotiki Oceanos 1990

Renaissance R-2 1999

Celebrity Galaxy 2000

Celebrity Century 2001 P.Deilmann Konigstein 2001

Vantage River Odyssey 2002

Celebrity Summit 2002

Viking Star 2003

Celebrity Infinity 2004

Grand Princess 2004