Just Back From The Caribbean Princess Iceland Norway Transatlantic

[Mackenzie1]

My post came from shock that OP paid so much and got so little, compared to what other cruise lines provide for their top suites. I would not characterize Celebrity as my favorite line -- I have cruised on 8 different lines, including Princess twice, and the cruises I have booked at the moment are on NCL, Princess and Viking Oceans. Because of that I have a perspective on what different cruise lines offer and while Princess is a very good line, IMO its Suite amenities are falling short of the competition. I thought OP and others might like to know this for future planning. BTW, Cruise Critic Hosts are encouraged to have and share opinions.

 

I don't remember seeing a Celebrity transatlantic cruise with an Iceland itinerary. If Celebrity doesn't offer this kind of itinerary, what's your point in trying to make a comparison? I've often looked at the Celebrity, but have inevitably gone with Princess because they have the best itineraries, including cruises that go to Iceland.

[Go-Bucks!]

For Lerwick we did not get off the ship due to heavy seas preventing tender service.

 

 

Enjoyed reading your review. My friend and I did a North Atlantic TA on the Crown in Sept, 2010 and had a great time. Unfortunately we also had some rough seas and missed 2 ports (Belfast, Northern Ireland and Reykjavik, Iceland). But we have been to Iceland 4 times so weren't too upset.

 

We just got back last month from a British Isles cruise and got to stop in Lerwick, Scotland. It is a lovely island and town! I bought some Shetland sheep wool yarn to make a winter scarf and our private driver took us all over the island for the day. Hopefully you'll get to return someday. On this same cruise we finally got to stop in Belfast and it was worth the wait! :)

[Go-Bucks!]

My post came from shock that OP paid so much and got so little, compared to what other cruise lines provide for their top suites.

 

When I reread the OP's post, I didn't see any price listed. Where did you see what he paid?? Maybe he got a great deal.

 

Thanks for the review, but it points up the weakness of Princess suites. You had the best suite on the entire ship, but you had to eat in the main dining room and pay for the speciality restaurants. Had you booked a similar suite (or even a much smaller one) on Celebrity, you would have had many suites-only perks that would have elevated your experience up several notches. I hope the new Club Class dining experience will be an improvement, but Princess still has a long way to go to match what Celebrity offers its suite guests.

 

I disagree with you; I've stayed in full suites on both Princess and Celebrity and find Princess to be a better value.

 

First, the Celebrity suites are generally more expensive and the butler is worthless - basically he is a glorified room service server who needed a big gratuity at the end of the cruise. The steward and his asst. did all the work in our suite. We didn't get a free minibar (we were in a Sky Suite) but we always do on any type of Princess suite - plus, we don't drink alcohol so we can substitute other beverages or coffee cards for it. For the same reason, we wouldn't utilize Michael's Club.

 

As far as food, I think Princess food is very good and breakfast at Sabatini's is excellent. We never miss it! I've heard that Luminae is very good, but I won't pay alot more for food when the regular food is good. Guess I'm not a gourmet foodie. :p

 

But the VERY BEST perk with a Princess suite is the free, unlimited laundry!!! Especially on long cruises! This is a fantastic "suites and elites" benefit from Princess. We were on a 14 day transatlantic on Celebrity and they didn't even offer a "special price" on a bag of laundry for suite passengers. We were not happy that we had to clutter our balcony with a washline of undies since they charged $3/pair. :rolleyes:

 

All the other perks are the same for both lines.

Edited September 25, 2016 by Go-Bucks!

[Go-Bucks!]

I don't remember seeing a Celebrity transatlantic cruise with an Iceland itinerary. If Celebrity doesn't offer this kind of itinerary, what's your point in trying to make a comparison? I've often looked at the Celebrity, but have inevitably gone with Princess because they have the best itineraries, including cruises that go to Iceland.

 

 

I just checked and Celebrity has one cruise that visits Iceland on May 7, 2017. The full suites start at $10,250 for 12 days!! The Luminae restaurant better be mighty good when you pay $854/day. :eek:

[Mary Ann 2]

Thank you Bob. Who did you use for the Golden Circle tour in Reykjavik? We are going there next August.

 

I would also like to know who you used for this excursion as we will be there next July.

[carib]

Here it is.....:):):)

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/25882507@N08/albums

 

Bob

 

Had a look at your pics Bob. That was a fabulous cabin you had on the CB. One of these days I will have to try that kind of luxury. :)

[cynbar]

My post came from shock that OP paid so much and got so little, compared to what other cruise lines provide for their top suites. I would not characterize Celebrity as my favorite line -- I have cruised on 8 different lines, including Princess twice, and the cruises I have booked at the moment are on NCL, Princess and Viking Oceans. Because of that I have a perspective on what different cruise lines offer and while Princess is a very good line, IMO its Suite amenities are falling short of the competition. I thought OP and others might like to know this for future planning. BTW, Cruise Critic Hosts are encouraged to have and share opinions.

 

I am never sure why some people try to diminish someone's pleasure by saying in effect "Sure, you may have had a good time, but you got a lousy deal." Is it to take them down a peg, as the old saying goes? The OP had a wonderful time and enjoyed his suite experience -- what Celebrity offers has no bearing on this. For the record, we sailed in a Penthouse suite on our Caribbean Princess British Isles cruise after several voyages in Celebrity suites. We missed Luminae and Michael's Club a little, but not enough to detract from our wonderful trip. Cabin was lovely, service excellent, food in the MDR was very good, and the itinerary was top notch. Loved the free laundry on our 2 week trip, also.I would not hesitate to sail in a Princess suite again. Maybe we can reserve comparisons of cruise lines for those threads that ask for a comparison.

 

PS -- Just reread my post and the last line sounds a little harsh, but I'm not going to delete it. I do feel this way, the OP and his wife had such a good time, it doesn't seem right to disparage it.

Edited September 25, 2016 by cynbar

[Mackenzie1]

I am never sure why some people try to diminish someone's pleasure by saying in effect "Sure, you may have had a good time, but you got a lousy deal." Is it to take them down a peg, as the old saying goes? The OP had a wonderful time and enjoyed his suite experience -- what Celebrity offers has no bearing on this. For the record, we sailed in a Penthouse suite on our Caribbean Princess British Isles cruise after several voyages in Celebrity suites. We missed Luminae and Michael's Club a little, but not enough to detract from our wonderful trip. Cabin was lovely, service excellent, food in the MDR was very good, and the itinerary was top notch. Loved the free laundry on our 2 week trip, also.I would not hesitate to sail in a Princess suite again. Maybe we can reserve comparisons of cruise lines for those threads that ask for a comparison.

 

PS -- Just reread my post and the last line sounds a little harsh, but I'm not going to delete it. I do feel this way, the OP and his wife had such a good time, it doesn't seem right to disparage it.

 

I share your thoughts and feelings, cynbar. I've also read that cruise companies frequently comp Cruise Critic hosts with free cruises to curry favor with them.

Edited September 25, 2016 by Mackenzie1

[need2cruisesoon]

I share your thoughts and feelings, cynbar. I've also read that cruise companies frequently comp Cruise Critic hosts with free cruises to curry favor with them.

 

From the FAQ:

 

Who are Hosts?

 

Hosts oversee specific forums. They generally have the ability to edit and delete posts, move threads, and perform other actions. Becoming a Host for a specific forum is usually rewarded to users who are particularly helpful and knowledgeable in the subject of the forum they are hosting.

 

Hosts Are Here to Help Out; Their Opinions Are Their Own!

Many of our Hosts contribute to various discussions. They are free to contribute, or not contribute, as they see fit. Their opinions are their own. Cruise Critic does not regulate what the staff says about a location, cruise line, shore excursion or travel provider.

 

Our volunteers are drawn from a wide circle of daily life. Most of them are experienced travelers -- either realtime or "armchair." All are outside the travel field in their professional lives. You should not believe that our hosts have any additional insight or information simply because they have a "Host" prefix to their name. Cruise Critic hosts are not representatives nor employees of Cruise Critic.

 

The Community Manager has overall control of everything that happens within the Community. The Community Manager oversees how the board is styled, what forums to create and how to organize them, what information to require from members and who to appoint as Hosts. You may contact the Community Manager at: community@cruisecritic.com

[tjwa]

I share your thoughts and feelings, cynbar. I've also read that cruise companies frequently comp Cruise Critic hosts with free cruises to curry favor with them.

 

Yes, a few years ago Royal Caribbean asked CC to give them the details of pro Royal Caribbean members.:eek:

Edited September 25, 2016 by tjwa

[sunsetbeachgal]

I tend to agree with those who feel that the Hosts comments about Celebrity suites were inappropriate. My rule of thumb on CC is to answer questions and offer opinions only when asked for. Bob was clearly pleased with his suite and the value provided, and I am happy he and Holli had such a wonderful cruise!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited September 25, 2016 by sunsetbeachgal

[shredie]

I share your thoughts and feelings, cynbar. I've also read that cruise companies frequently comp Cruise Critic hosts with free cruises to curry favor with them.

 

That's interesting. I guess the system could be in danger of corruption.

[satxdiver]

Thanks for the review. We will be sailing CB on the Canada to Florida repositioning. I have just a quick question on whether CB has transitioned their MDR always available menu to the Curtis Stone fare.

 

The Curtis Stone selection was at the bottom of the right menu page. It did not appear every night however and there seemed to be only a few selections over all. Each night the menu had one Curtis Stone selection offered. We were also on the 29 day B2B cruise. Enjoyed the cruise and this was our first TA.

[satxdiver]

I am never sure why some people try to diminish someone's pleasure by saying in effect "Sure, you may have had a good time, but you got a lousy deal." Is it to take them down a peg, as the old saying goes? The OP had a wonderful time and enjoyed his suite experience -- what Celebrity offers has no bearing on this. For the record, we sailed in a Penthouse suite on our Caribbean Princess British Isles cruise after several voyages in Celebrity suites. We missed Luminae and Michael's Club a little, but not enough to detract from our wonderful trip. Cabin was lovely, service excellent, food in the MDR was very good, and the itinerary was top notch. Loved the free laundry on our 2 week trip, also.I would not hesitate to sail in a Princess suite again. Maybe we can reserve comparisons of cruise lines for those threads that ask for a comparison.

 

PS -- Just reread my post and the last line sounds a little harsh, but I'm not going to delete it. I do feel this way, the OP and his wife had such a good time, it doesn't seem right to disparage it.

 

Sounds like pure jealousy to me.

[RDC1]

Bob... we were on the same cruise plus the British Isles portion as a B2 B....i finished my review on cruise critic the other day and it pretty much mirrors your observations....Great crew, very good ship and incredible ports of call....

 

my only negative comment on the entire 29 day wonderful adventure had to do with a lack of appropriate response by guest services to an on going noise issue up in sky walkers. Every sea day morning some very loud music being played by some very loud speaking and dancing passengers caused a lot of friction with the 40-50 folks reading books quietly.... it started with a polite request to turn down the noise...a few days later it became a shouting match...then it almost got into physical confrontation... guest services totally dropped the ball on this after at least a dozen complaints from different passengers....their response was to do nothing or even address the matter.

 

It does raise an interesting question. If you have an area, such as Sky Walkers, where the function during the day is not defined by the cruise line and which does have a dance floor, who defines what action is acceptable, dancing vs reading. The fact that the cruise line did not get involved would seem to imply that they viewed both as acceptable and neither had priority in using the room.

[Woobstr112G]

Regarding all the posts about the cabin I had, how much it cost, whether or not it was a good value, and did I enjoy it:

 

Not including the pre paid gratuities, AIBP, etc, I paid 18Kish for the cabin. Was it expensive; Oh yeah, it was very expensive but the overtime I worked the previous 18 months, helped pay for it. Did I enjoy it, He** yes. Did I think it was a good value; Yep. Will I do it again? Probably not because I will be retired in 2018 and will not have the overtime crutch to help me pay for the GS or something similar. I will however splurge soon after I retire because I want to say I did at least one cruise on a luxury line such as Seabourn or Silversea.....:):):)

 

Bob

[cruisequeen4ever]

Thank you for another excellent Live From and review! Can't wait for your next one!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Mackenzie1]

Regarding all the posts about the cabin I had, how much it cost, whether or not it was a good value, and did I enjoy it:

 

Not including the pre paid gratuities, AIBP, etc, I paid 18Kish for the cabin. Was it expensive; Oh yeah, it was very expensive but the overtime I worked the previous 18 months, helped pay for it. Did I enjoy it, He** yes. Did I think it was a good value; Yep. Will I do it again? Probably not because I will be retired in 2018 and will not have the overtime crutch to help me pay for the GS or something similar. I will however splurge soon after I retire because I want to say I did at least one cruise on a luxury line such as Seabourn or Silversea.....:):):)

 

Bob

 

You go, Bob! Congratulations on living the dream! Also, thanks again for being such a wonderful Roll Call leader.

[LauraS]

.........I've also read that cruise companies frequently comp Cruise Critic hosts with free cruises to curry favor with them.

 

 

Really? Where did you read that? I'd like to read it myself and prepare an official response.

[Mackenzie1]

Really? Where did you read that? I'd like to read it myself and prepare an official response.

 

I've seen general references to that in reviews by cruise critic of new ships. Maybe I've interpreted the comments incorrectly, in which case, please accept my apologies. I do think it would be helpful to have an an official response from cruise critic for those of us who may not have the correct impression. It's easy for incorrect assumptions to be buttressed when reading off topic posts that flame the value offered by another cruise line.

[LauraS]

I've seen general references to that in reviews by cruise critic of new ships. Maybe I've interpreted the comments incorrectly, in which case, please accept my apologies. I do think it would be helpful to have an an official response from cruise critic for those of us who may not have the correct impression. It's easy for incorrect assumptions to be buttressed when reading off topic posts that flame the value offered by another cruise line.

 

Hi again!

 

We are talking two different scenarios here.

 

Our "hosts" are volunteers. They help out here on our community forums. Our community forums are "cruiser to cruiser"; that is the informational being shared here is all unofficial as it pertains to cruise line information and facts. They are not representatives for our company nor do they don't review ships for Cruise Critic,

 

With regard to the professional reviews on our site at http://www.cruisecritic.com; those are written by our professional staff editors and writers (full time employees) as well as freelance journalists and, as standard in the industry, they are placed on board when space permits. Here is a link to our Editorial Policy.

 

When you say "official response from Cruise Critic" I don't know in what context you are referring....in respect to all of the above my response is official as a fulltime employee of the company. Is that what you meant?

 

Hope this helps,

 

Laura

[Mackenzie1]

Hi again!

 

We are talking two different scenarios here.

 

Our "hosts" are volunteers. They help out here on our community forums. Our community forums are "cruiser to cruiser"; that is the informational being shared here is all unofficial as it pertains to cruise line information and facts. They are not representatives for our company nor do they don't review ships for Cruise Critic,

 

With regard to the professional reviews on our site at http://www.cruisecritic.com; those are written by our professional staff editors and writers (full time employees) as well as freelance journalists and, as standard in the industry, they are placed on board when space permits. Here is a link to our Editorial Policy.

 

When you say "official response from Cruise Critic" I don't know in what context you are referring....in respect to all of the above my response is official as a fulltime employee of the company. Is that what you meant?

 

Hope this helps,

 

Laura

 

Hi Laura,

 

Thank you very much for taking the time to post the information about the difference between an employee and host. By the way, I only mentioned "official response" because that was what you had mentioned wanting to provide in your original post. Enjoy your day.

 

Thanks again,

 

Mackenzie1

Edited September 26, 2016 by Mackenzie1

[tailspintom]

The Curtis Stone selection was at the bottom of the right menu page. It did not appear every night however and there seemed to be only a few selections over all. Each night the menu had one Curtis Stone selection offered. We were also on the 29 day B2B cruise. Enjoyed the cruise and this was our first TA.

 

Thanks for the reply, diver. So the beef medallions, salmon remain on the anytime dining? I ask because of some chatter on other threads that the anytime changed. On the Grand in March it had been as it was previously.

[OLYMPUS]

Bob, I want to thank you for your upbeat and cheerful "live" and post trip reports!

My husband and I have cruised with Princess over the past 20 years. Sometimes we have had a suite, and have enjoyed the Window Suites the most.

We are set to sail again in less than two weeks and after over 450 days at sea.

I was not looking forward to this cruise. My reasons are health related, but nothing that would keep me from cruising.

I have always followed your wonderful adventures and your excitement and pure joy before and during your cruise has really changed my outlook!

Thanks for sharing the highs and lows with the CC community, it has made me wake up and smell the roses.

Also, I will remember to pack an extra pair or two of eyeglasses.

My best wishes to you and Holli for your continued health and happiness :)

[missdenise]

Thank you for a wonderful review. This cruise is on my bucket list.