Comparisons Between Princess and Celebrity?

[Rob the Cruiser]

DW and I have cruised only on Celebrity so far but Princess has several itineraries that have our attention, specifically the 28-day roundtrip Los Angeles/Hawaii/Tahiti one.

 

We would love to read comparisons between Princess and Celebrity from those of you that have cruised on both lines. Also, we would appreciate your comments about the South Pacific itinerary.

 

A bit about us: DW is 62 and I am 63. We are both retired. We have always booked Aqua class because we are fond of Blu. We dine in the specialty restaurants a couple of times per cruise and prefer a table for 2. We seldom go to the evening shows but we do enjoy live music and dancing.

 

Thanks!

[OCruisers]

While we have cruised on Celebrity and enjoyed, Princess is an overall better fit for us.

The passenger base is about the same as are many other things.

You'll not have "culture shock" giving Princess a try! :D

 

LuLu

[Astro Flyer]

I haven't sailed Celebrity but if you search this forum for "Princess Celebrity" you'll find many discussions comparing them & here is just one example.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2244115&highlight=princess+celebrity

 

I'm considering Celebrity & based on what I've read both cruise lines are similar although opinions say that each does some things better than the other cruise line.

Edited August 27, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[baldercash]

If you cruise in Aqua class on X you may be disappointed with a regular balcony experience on Princess.

We did Millie Hawaii to Singapore in Aqua on the 11th deck aft cabins the cruise exceeded our expectations.

 

We enjoy Princess but would choose Aqua class on X over a regular balcony cabin on Princess the price would be much more which is a consideration so not a fair comparison.

On Princess a Jr suite would not compare well to the amenities offered in Aqua either.

 

If I am not mistaken there is a lot of sea days on this cruise, Princess offers a enjoyable experience at a more reasonable price just be aware it will be different then Aqua class similar to a regular cabin category on X.

There will be somethings that will be a plus by sailing Princess like the price.

If it is the itinerary you want I would not hesitate.

Enjoy!

[Astro Flyer]

On Princess to Hawaii they have their Aloha Spirit Program with Hawaiian geared activities, entertainment & food. I'm guessing but would think it would be available on the OP's cruise to Hawaii & the South Pacific.

 

http://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-destinations/hawaii-cruises/cruises/aloha_spirit/

Edited August 27, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[Rob the Cruiser]

Thank-you for all the helpful responses. This is such a better perspective than reading the reviews which vary from overly positive to, well, not so nice.

[Colo Cruiser]

Welcome to the bright side. :D

[huskerc]

Fairly similar overall. As mentioned, Princess does not really offer the Aqua/Blu experience. However, the flip side of that is that their MDR food is substantially better than Celebrity's.

[pris993]

If you cruise in Aqua class on X you may be disappointed with a regular balcony experience on Princess.

We did Millie Hawaii to Singapore in Aqua on the 11th deck aft cabins the cruise exceeded our expectations.

 

We enjoy Princess but would choose Aqua class on X over a regular balcony cabin on Princess the price would be much more which is a consideration so not a fair comparison.

On Princess a Jr suite would not compare well to the amenities offered in Aqua either.

 

If I am not mistaken there is a lot of sea days on this cruise, Princess offers a enjoyable experience at a more reasonable price just be aware it will be different then Aqua class similar to a regular cabin category on X.

There will be somethings that will be a plus by sailing Princess like the price.

If it is the itinerary you want I would not hesitate.

Enjoy!

 

Opposite opinion, we are elite on both Princess and Celebrity. We have done Aqua Class only once on X - did not feel the cabin or BLUE were worth the extra costs. We always book a mini suite on Princess. For us, we find that Princess is far more responsive to special requests off menu in the MDR than X. We find the MDR on X too crowded and noisy. When we are X we stick with the buffet which is a lot better than Princess' buffet. We book based on itinerary, so still cruise X but refer Princess over X.

[HUNKY]

If you enjoy wine, Celebrity has a more extensive and higher quality list. In addition, they have sommeliers. No problem getting a table of two on Princess. You can not reserve your specialty restaurant nights in advance, must be done once on board.

[Flo71]

I have sailed on the Celebrity Infinity and the Royal Princess.

 

The Infinity is definitely an older ship and is showing it, the food however was the biggest let down for me. I thought the choice and standard of food at the buffet was poor on the Infinity. However we received good service in the MDR and food was fair in there. Entertainment on the Infinity was ok, some good theatre shows.

 

But I loved the Royal Princess, beautiful ship, lots of food options - great choice and standard in the buffet. I really enjoyed the piazza on the Royal gave the ship a lively vibe without being overpowering. Entertainment was the best I have experienced at sea, shows were excellent, lots of choice of other activities in a variety of venues in the day and evening. Staff were wonderful, from the buffet servers, bar staff to the entertainment team. I could sail on the Royal Princess over and over.

[GUT2407]

I like them both I prefer Princess (but part of that is because in Aus they charge in Aus$ which is probably not relevant to you).

 

There are some things we like more on Celebrity

 

DW loved Aqua Spa Cafe.

 

We are mid 50s.

 

In my opinion Celebrity will have a slightly younger crowd.

 

I thought Princess won on MDR food but really not a huge difference.

[cynbar]

We sail both Celebrity and Princess, enjoy both. Our last few cruises have been on Celebrity but we are back to Princess in May for their British Isles cruise, it's an itinerary Celebrity can't match. The experiences are similar overall, I think. You may want to look at a mini suite, regular balcony cabins on Princess have no sofa, only 1 chair. We love the mini suite for the extra sitting area with couch and 2nd TV, also the full bath with shower/tub combo. There is more entertainment on Princess, and generally a livelier atmosphere on most cruises (your long cruise may well have an older demographic.) We love the International Cafe for free snacks (not just sweets) all day long, the Wheelhouse lounge which is very traditional and nautical, the pizza, the smaller dining rooms, the pasta choices as one of the appetizers, the entertainment in the atrium, and the laundramat on every deck with irons. The Champagne Waterfall on formal night is a nice event, and we actually enjoy the Movies under the Stars (MUTS). Celebrity used to have better food in the MDR, but I think Princess has passed them by. Specialty restaurants on Princess are very good and much less expensive than Celebrity. Anyway, we happily cruise either line, usually make our decision based on itinerary at this point in our lives.

[Cruise Junky]

If you've been doing Aqua on an S Class you might be dissapointed in Princess, especially the Grand Class doing that itinerary. Select dining on Princess can be a gong show while on X we've only had a pager once.

 

Generally, I think the lines are more alike than different. Food, on Princess has always been fine but I found it a bit better on Solstice. Food is so subjective anyway, I'm sure you'll find things you like better on either line.

 

Ships... The Grand class, IMO, compares very favourably with the M Class of Celebrity. But we fell hard for the S class and just loved Solstice. I find it very hard to now book a cruise on the Grand Class knowing those S classes exist. Same price, same itinerary, S class every time even though I'd be giving up perks to do so.

 

Overall, for us, it's the itinerary and that itinerary is fantastic so the ship would be secondary. I don't think you'll dislike Princess, I think they're a very good line and have fantastic staff. Just go with an open mind that it's not going to be like Aqua with Blu.

[pcur]

DW and I have cruised only on Celebrity so far but Princess has several itineraries that have our attention, specifically the 28-day roundtrip Los Angeles/Hawaii/Tahiti one.

 

We would love to read comparisons between Princess and Celebrity from those of you that have cruised on both lines. Also, we would appreciate your comments about the South Pacific itinerary.

 

A bit about us: DW is 62 and I am 63. We are both retired. We have always booked Aqua class because we are fond of Blu. We dine in the specialty restaurants a couple of times per cruise and prefer a table for 2. We seldom go to the evening shows but we do enjoy live music and dancing.

 

Thanks!

 

We have just booked our second cruise for the 28 day South Seas from Los Angeles. It's an amazing cruise. Being long time RCCL and Celebrity cruisers, we jumped at this Princess itinerary. No air to pay for, wonderful itinerary, and lots of relaxing sea days.

 

Princess ships aren't as gorgeous as the newer Celebrity ships. We were on the Equinox this year, and it was stunning. However, the Princess ships are very nice. Food is about equal between the two.

 

I just haven't found another cruise line that can beat that 28 night roundtrip from Los Angeles, and Princess delivers a great cruise!

 

Princess is currently running it's 3 For Free promotion, and this cruise qualifies for it.

 

My only comment about the islands is to make sure you aren't in Papeete on a Sunday. It's a ghost town, and nothing is open. It's a shore excursion port if it's a Sunday.

Edited August 27, 2015 by pcur

[eandj]

Princess ships aren't as gorgeous as the newer Celebrity ships. We were on the Equinox this year, and it was stunning. .

 

We have cruised the S class (newest ships) of X and enjoy them. They are like "hip" hotels. Princess is really trying to get there with the Royal and Regal. We've been on the Regal twice this past year and really liked it too.

Both lines have older and newer ships. So comparisons of the ships themselves depends on which you are comparing as well as room categories.

 

We like both cruiselines. We have done more than a handful of each. They are more similar than different. We look for interesting itineraries first at this point in our lives. Then ship.

 

You won't be too disappointed in either. The pros and cons are pretty slight.

[pcur]

We have cruised the S class (newest ships) of X and enjoy them. They are like "hip" hotels. Princess is really trying to get there with the Royal and Regal. We've been on the Regal twice this past year and really liked it too.

Both lines have older and newer ships. So comparisons of the ships themselves depends on which you are comparing as well as room categories.

 

We like both cruiselines. We have done more than a handful of each. They are more similar than different. We look for interesting itineraries first at this point in our lives. Then ship.

 

You won't be too disappointed in either. The pros and cons are pretty slight.

 

When we were on the Equinox this past April, we did a b2b with the Allure TA. My husband really disliked the Allure: too many overcrowded public spaces. Although he was very impressed with the Central Park area. The Equinox was very large, and had a more refined and quieter feel to it.

 

We've been on the Sapphire and the Star (which was the previous 28 night South Pacific cruise), and much preferred the Star. It had the buffet area remodeled, and the traffic flow was miles ahead of the Sapphire.

[eandj]

When we were on the Equinox this past April, we did a b2b with the Allure TA. My husband really disliked the Allure: too many overcrowded public spaces. Although he was very impressed with the Central Park area. The Equinox was very large, and had a more refined and quieter feel to it.

 

We've been on the Sapphire and the Star (which was the previous 28 night South Pacific cruise), and much preferred the Star. It had the buffet area remodeled, and the traffic flow was miles ahead of the Sapphire.

 

I wasn't referring to Royal Carribean ships ;). I suggested comparing X 's newest class of ships to PRINCESS' Royal and Regal makes more sense.

[pcur]

I wasn't referring to Royal Carribean ships ;). I suggested comparing X 's newest class of ships to PRINCESS' Royal and Regal makes more sense.

 

I know. But, I WAS comparing Celebrity's Equinox to the Allure, and then the two Princess ships I've been on to each other. ;)

[need2cruisesoon]

"Princess ships aren't as gorgeous as the newer Celebrity ships. We were on the Equinox this year, and it was stunning. However, the Princess ships are very nice. Food is about equal between the two."

 

Agree, we just sailed the Silhouette in July and yes a very premium feel to the ship as well as the cabins. We would sail X again and love the S class ships.

 

 

 

[RMMariner]

We have been on one cruise with Celebrity (Infinity to Alaska this year) and one with Princess (Grande to Hawaii in March). We enjoyed both and found more similarities than differences. We found the food better on Princess. A bit of a surprise really because we were told that Celebrity had better food. Infinity was a nicer ship than the rather tired Grande, but Princess definitely had more things to do, and seemed more relaxed. I am sure each voyage and ship is different. Celebrity does seem to be a little more expensive, and we seemed for a number of small reasons to enjoy our Princess cruise more. I would say one thing for sure, our kids had a better time on Princess. Our next cruise will be with Princess. Just a personal opinion from someone who admittedly has much less experience than most people on this board.

[RMMariner]

I have sailed on the Celebrity Infinity and the Royal Princess.

 

The Infinity is definitely an older ship and is showing it, the food however was the biggest let down for me. I thought the choice and standard of food at the buffet was poor on the Infinity. However we received good service in the MDR and food was fair in there. Entertainment on the Infinity was ok, some good theatre shows.

 

But I loved the Royal Princess, beautiful ship, lots of food options - great choice and standard in the buffet. I really enjoyed the piazza on the Royal gave the ship a lively vibe without being overpowering. Entertainment was the best I have experienced at sea, shows were excellent, lots of choice of other activities in a variety of venues in the day and evening. Staff were wonderful, from the buffet servers, bar staff to the entertainment team. I could sail on the Royal Princess over and over.

 

I agree very disappointed with the food on Infinity (just got back from Alaska) I agree with everything else you said as well. Had a good time on Infinity, but had a better time with an older ship (Grande) on Princess.

[Fisherwoman]

I'm Elite on X and just finished my 14th cruise on Princess. The new Solstice class ships on X are far superior to Princess but Princess has far more activities and entertainment. I find the food better on Princess too! I usually pick the itinerary and then the ship. If both were the same I would chose Princess! We just got off the Grand Princess and the food is better than any X, RCCL or Holland America ship we've sailed on. It was AWESOME in the MDR!