Celebrity v. Princess

[artmc]

DW and I sailed on Celebrity three times and enjoyed it tremendously.

 

We're booked to do a 21-day Mediterranean Princess cruise out of Barcelona leaving May 6. We did this because it had an itinerary we like.

 

I'm wondering what differences, positive and negative, we might expect. We liked Celeb for its food (though we never did the specialty restaurants).

 

DW and I are 62 and 59 respectively but hardly stuffy and we really liked Celebrity because most of the passengers were similar in age and attitude. In other words, does Princess have a comparable passenger mix and night life?

 

And do they have classical trios/acapella groups/guitarists etc. playing in other venues?

 

How do their mainstage entertainment compare?

 

Are there trivia contests?

 

On sea days what activities take place around the pool?

 

Any other information/suggestions/thoughts would be appreciated

Edited November 19, 2016 by artmc

[skynight]

DW and I sailed on Celebrity three times and enjoyed it tremendously.

 

We're booked to do a 21-day Mediterranean Princess cruise out of Barcelona leaving May 6. We did this because it had an itinerary we like.

 

I'm wondering what differences, positive and negative, we might expect. We liked Celeb for its food (though we never did the specialty restaurants).

 

DW and I are 62 and 59 respectively but hardly stuffy and we really liked Celebrity because most of the passengers were similar in age and attitude. In other words, does Princess have a comparable passenger mix

The demographic on Princess cruises is generally older 50+ age group.

and night life?

The Royal Princess has a large Piazza (atrium) area. This is where most of the dancing and evening activities are. There is also Crooner's on deck 7 which has a piano player/entertainer every evening starting normally around 9:30 or 10. There may also be an early set. There will also be musicians in the Wheelhouse Bar, and some evenings in the Vista Lounge, which is really a show lounge, not a bar.

And do they have classical trios/acapella groups/guitarists etc. playing in other venues?

Musicians vary on specific voyages. Normally, but not always, there will be:

A string quartet, guitar entertainer, party band, guest band, Princess Orchestra performing sets of jazz, big band things like that, maybe some special shows with combined musicians from various groups. Have never seen a acapella group on a Princess cruise.

How do their mainstage entertainment compare?

Princess has production shows in the theater. You probably will see 2 or 3 different ones on your 3 week voyage. They will repeat. They are good, but only 35 mins long. There can be two or three performances a night. The 8pm time frame is the most crowded. The scenery is all high tech with high def. walls.

There will also be guest entertainers, comics, singers, musicians, magic, thing like that. They will be in both the theater and the Vista Lounge. Some shows will overlap.

Are there trivia contests?

Yes, at least two/day on both port and sea days. Also some evening trivia games.

 

On sea days what activities take place around the pool?

If it is very warm there may be some poolside or pool games. But often the staff can not get passengers to participate.There can be sessions of live music, or DJ sets. It's mostly just sit around. The outdoor movie screen goes most of the day unless there is some other activity. The Retreat Pool is adults only and has no activities.

 

Any other information/suggestions/thoughts would be appreciated

Food:

International Cafe open 24/7, free

Horizon Ct. buffet area open 5am to 11pm never closes during that time. It is very large and the best on any Princess ship. When being on the ship for a long time we have enjoyed a break from the DR. The buffet does indeed have good selections.

Alfredo's, waiter served pizza, calzones, antipasto, salads, desserts, open 11am to 11pm every day. No charge

Alcohol, probably 95% of all drinks are menu priced under $10

Like espresso? Consider the coffee card. 15 punches for around $35, included unlimited brewed coffee and special teas for the cruise. Free coffee from grounds, hot chocolate, as well as a selection of teas are available in the buffet all day and evening.

Like wine? try Vines. Good selection of wines by the glass.

On boarding you can bring on board without charge 1 x 750ml bottle of wine per person of drinking age without charge. This is for use in your cabin. If you bring the bottle to a public venue you will be charged a $15 corkage. Additional bottles can be brought on board, but will be charged a $15 corkage. These bottles will be marked and can be used anywhere on the ship.

I can't comment on Celebrity, but above are some comments regarding the Royal Princess.

[cynbar]

We sail both Princess and Celebrity, enjoy them both. In my opinion, they are more alike than different. Celebrity used to have an advantage in food, but I don't think that is true any longer. Our last cruise was a 12 day British Isles on Caribbean Princess, but our next is back on Celebrity. Princess does have some advantages which we don't find on Celebrity. We think the entertainment is better, more varied and more extensive. Crooner's Bar is a piano bar which is generally a lot of fun in the evenings, nothing like that on Celebrity. We prefer the MDR food on Princess, especially the daily pasta choices which are often served as an appetizer in the Italian way. International Cafe is better than Cafe al Bacio, with small sandwiches and soups and salads in addition to plenty of suites. Princess pizza is the best at sea, enough said there. We liked having the laundramats and irons available for our 2 week + European adventure. And we were impressed that Princess (at least on our BI itinerary) brought on local acts and themed entertainment ---- Celebrity did none of that on our Med cruise, experience on the ship was exactly the same as anywhere else. Anyway, there are some things we like a little more on Princess and some on Celebrity, but we will sail either one without hesitation.

[mafig]

I don't think you'll find acapella on Celebrity any more.

 

I used to think the food better on Celebrity. Not in the mdr anymore imo.

 

Since they have Blu for Spa categories and Luminae for Suites, I think something had to give and it was the mdr.

 

We were bored on our last Celebrity cruise (even with the drinks package:p).

[Hlitner]

We also cruise both lines, on a regular basis, and find things to like and dislike about both. Overall, they are very comparable.

 

Hank

[Bruin Steve]

DW and I sailed on Celebrity three times and enjoyed it tremendously.

 

We're booked to do a 21-day Mediterranean Princess cruise out of Barcelona leaving May 6. We did this because it had an itinerary we like.

 

I'm wondering what differences, positive and negative, we might expect. We liked Celeb for its food (though we never did the specialty restaurants).

 

DW and I are 62 and 59 respectively but hardly stuffy and we really liked Celebrity because most of the passengers were similar in age and attitude. In other words, does Princess have a comparable passenger mix and night life?

 

And do they have classical trios/acapella groups/guitarists etc. playing in other venues?

 

How do their mainstage entertainment compare?

 

Are there trivia contests?

 

On sea days what activities take place around the pool?

 

Any other information/suggestions/thoughts would be appreciated

 

Demographics are fairly similar...but, of course, this can vary cruise to cruise...We did a Baltic cruise on Princess that might have had the oldest demographics we ever saw...When they did that Newlywed Game thing, they tried to find couples married the longest, 25 +/- years, 10+/- years and newlyweds...All four couples ended up being octagenarians--even the newlyweds! We had our then-teenaged girls with us...and they counted the number of kids onboard--less than 20 on the whole ship...They told us we should sign up for the kids program because we were among the youngest people onboard...But, on other Princess cruises we've been on, the passenger mix was similar to Celebrity...

 

Activities are similar on both--including at least two a day trivia type games...

 

I've found the comedians on Princess to be fairly good, the production shows on Celebrity slightly better. If there is a big difference in the entertainment (other than the extremely short shows on Princess), it's in the venues...Celebrity venues are ample with seats easy to find, even arriving late...On Princess, the showrooms are way undersized for the number of passengers, so you have to get there EARLY...and comedians and magicians are often scheduled for the Explorer's lounge which is WAY, WAY too small for the demand...

 

As to food, I have enjoyed the food on both...The problem I have with Princess is that the dining room is poorly managed and it really impacts "Anytime" dining...They allow people with traditional seating assignments to crash anytime...and the result is sometimes long waits for a table and being handed a beeper--something I've never had happen in any of my Celebrity cruises...

 

The Specialty restaurants on Princess are lower priced than the ones on Celebrity...and I think the Celebrity ones are better and more interesting (Qsine blows away Share)...But, if you don't eat much in these, it doesn't matter...

 

Cabins on Princess tend to feel a bit smaller, mostly due to wasted space in the layout...So, a standard Princess cabin does not have the sitting room area and sofa you find on Celebrity--until you get to the mini-suite level...But, the Princess cabins tend to have more drawer and closet space...I prefer the glass shower enclosure on Celebrity to the plastic curtain on Princess. "Obstructed View" cabins on Celebrity means that a lifeboat is BELOW your cabin--and the worst ones have some part of the lifeboat up near the balcony railing, though all have unobstructed views looking out...Obstructed View cabins on Princess are generally window cabins with a lifeboat or other opaque equipment smack in front of your window, blocking almost everything.

 

Even with their issues, Princess does provide a good product and, though I prefer Celebrity, I don't have a problem cruising on Princess...

[keithm]

DW and I sailed on Celebrity three times and enjoyed it tremendously.

 

We're booked to do a 21-day Mediterranean Princess cruise out of Barcelona leaving May 6. We did this because it had an itinerary we like.

 

I'm wondering what differences, positive and negative, we might expect. We liked Celeb for its food (though we never did the specialty restaurants).

 

DW and I are 62 and 59 respectively but hardly stuffy and we really liked Celebrity because most of the passengers were similar in age and attitude. In other words, does Princess have a comparable passenger mix and night life?

 

And do they have classical trios/acapella groups/guitarists etc. playing in other venues?

 

How do their mainstage entertainment compare?

 

Are there trivia contests?

 

On sea days what activities take place around the pool?

 

Any other information/suggestions/thoughts would be appreciated

We've done two 14 day Celebrity cruises(Eclipse Caribbean trips) & one 14 day B2B on the Regal Princess. My observations: Food was generally better on Eclipse. Seafood was better on Princess. Steak was leaps & bounds better on the Eclipse(specialty rest.)as opposed to Crown Grill/Sabatini's. We love Qsine on the Eclipse. We're both foodies & in the food industry. Dining rooms on the Regal had NO real "wow" factor like we've seen on Celebrity/Cunard. Breakfast room service is really LAME on the Regal. Entertainment was better on Eclipse(as of Jan.2015)It was decent on the Regal. Less musicians, however. Singers on Regal were very good. We LOVED the Sanctuary on Princess, worth every cent!Overall both lines have their perks, but we just prefer the Celebrity Eclipse a little more. Quality of Pax was much better on Celebrity. Sorry!, but the pax were overall a rather boorish crowd last Feb. Now keep in mind this was during Super Bowl week. After we returned to Florida & changed pax, the next crowd was much better. That being said we've been on the Eclipse during the Super Bowl week & sorry they were a much better behaved crowd. Less smokers on Celebrity as well. We will check out the "true" 14 day cruise on the Caribbean Princess for 2018. I just want to see some reviews that start coming in from later this year & early next year. The BEST thing on Princess was the staff. They seemed FAR more concerned about how much you enjoyed the cruise. Nicest staff we ever had on ANY cruise ship. Another reason we'd still try Princess out.

[skynight]

...Less smokers on Celebrity as well....

I can't really comment if one ship has more passengers that smoke than the other. This would be pretty hard to do. But, I do have to say that on the Royal Princess, the OP's ship, smoking is very limited:

No smoking in any cabin or on any balcony

Indoors smoking is only permitted in Churchill's on Deck 6, In some areas of the casino, which is smoke free on formal nights and in a section of Club 6 late at night.

Outdoors, there is a smoking area all the way aft on deck 17. There is nothing else there. There is also a small smoking area on deck 7 outside the Vista lounge where the ash disposal unit is attached to the bulkhead. There may also be (can't remember) a small area on deck 17 above and forward of the Fountain Pool.

[riclop]

Princess gets our vote for sure.

[GUT2407]

DW and I sailed on Celebrity three times and enjoyed it tremendously.

 

We're booked to do a 21-day Mediterranean Princess cruise out of Barcelona leaving May 6. We did this because it had an itinerary we like.

 

I'm wondering what differences, positive and negative, we might expect. We liked Celeb for its food (though we never did the specialty restaurants).

 

DW and I are 62 and 59 respectively but hardly stuffy and we really liked Celebrity because most of the passengers were similar in age and attitude. In other words, does Princess have a comparable passenger mix and night life?

 

And do they have classical trios/acapella groups/guitarists etc. playing in other venues?

 

How do their mainstage entertainment compare?

 

Are there trivia contests?

 

On sea days what activities take place around the pool?

 

Any other information/suggestions/thoughts would be appreciated

 

 

They are more alike than different.

 

Yes Trio or quartet in the atrium normally, but there are also bars etc in the area.

 

Main stage entertainment may be slightly better on Celebrity, but that's subjective.

 

Trivia pretty much every day, often a couple of times a day.

[OCruisers]

We've cruised on both and nothing wrong with either.

At one time Celebrity had better food ... but no longer true.

We especially enjoy the bar/lounge entertainment on Princess.

Princess over all is a much better fit for us. :)

Edited November 20, 2016 by OCruisers

[Hlitner]

We've cruised on both and nothing wrong with either.

At one time Celebrity had better food ... but no longer true.

We especially enjoy the bar/lounge entertainment on Princess.

Princess over all is a much better fit for us. :)

 

We were so disappointed in the food on our last Celebrity cruise that we have decided not to book any more X cruises until we see how it goes on our upcoming Eclipse cruise. If food is still declining, we will probably focus on other lines (including Princess) for the next couple of years. Our most recent 3 Princess cruises have been very pleasing in terms of both cuisine and entertainment. We have this sinking (no pun intended) that Celebrity keeps cutting back while Princess (and some others) are improving their product. Sure hope we are wrong (about X).

 

Hank

[Lucky TGO]

Princess gets our vote for sure.

You can add my name to this list.

Tony

[workstocruise]

Celebrity gets my vote hands down! Our last Princess cruise had the worst food ever at sea and almost the worst entertainment. Princess does have good itineraries but we still prefer Celebrity overall. We were on the Constellation in October on an Adriatic Sea cruise and the food in the MDR was excellent.

[caribill]

 

We're booked to do a 21-day Mediterranean Princess cruise out of Barcelona leaving May 6. We did this because it had an itinerary we like.

 

d

 

Since this is a B2B of 11 days and 10 days, menus and most entertainment will repeat on the second segment.

 

I assume the same occurs on B2B Celebrity cruises.

[keithm]

I can't really comment if one ship has more passengers that smoke than the other. This would be pretty hard to do. But, I do have to say that on the Royal Princess, the OP's ship, smoking is very limited:

No smoking in any cabin or on any balcony

Indoors smoking is only permitted in Churchill's on Deck 6, In some areas of the casino, which is smoke free on formal nights and in a section of Club 6 late at night.

Outdoors, there is a smoking area all the way aft on deck 17. There is nothing else there. There is also a small smoking area on deck 7 outside the Vista lounge where the ash disposal unit is attached to the bulkhead. There may also be (can't remember) a small area on deck 17 above and forward of the Fountain Pool.

I just have to say what I saw on the ship. I'm sure the smoking rates go up & down. It was the smoking in the casino I didn't like. No matter what it DOES get carried out of the casino by pax going in & out. The smoking areas were far aft, that's true, but with the wind blowing you smelled it in the entire back of the ship. You even say the smoking areas are pretty limited, but it's still several areas. More than I've ever seen. Trust me there were plenty of pax smoking on their balconies. They were quite visible when the ship was docked. I'm sure some pax got hit with a stiff fine by Princess for that. It's the lax smoking on HAL that keeps us off. I'm fine with Churchill's lounge(have one on Cunard)I just feel there should be NO smoking anywhere INSIDE the ship. Overall the Regal was a gorgeous ship. There were some real oddities, though.. No central stairway, which meant massive backups for those going to dinner. We would walk to the end stairways & use them. The main theater, though nice had no where to place a drink & no bar service. That's a real loss of revenue there. I don't drink, but like to have a soft drink/sparkling water at the show. The theater is small for a ship the size of the Regal, at least compared to Cunard/Celebrity. The restaurants all had low ceilings. I like the multi story ceilings I've seen on other ships. No forward lounge/bar to view over the bow of the ship, the strangest thing of all! We're still considering Princess. I'm waiting for reviews of the Caribbean Princess "true" 14 day cruises coming up.

[Coral]

I'm sure some pax got hit with a stiff fine by Princess for that. It's the lax smoking on HAL that keeps us off.

 

Holland is changing their smoking policy:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=225

 

http://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Holland-America-to-ban-balcony-smoking

[Esprit]

We haven't cruised with Celebrity since our daughter ceased being one of the entertainment team. As part of cut backs Celebrity halved the entertainment team working under the cruise director.

 

Whilst we enjoyed our Celebrity cruises my preference is Princess. They have far more going on day and night.

[MisterMet]

For a really excellent comparison, refer to Bimmer09 review called Comparing Princess and Celebrity

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[MisterMet]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2317130

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[caribill]

Overall the Regal was a gorgeous ship. There were some real oddities, though.. No central stairway, which meant massive backups for those going to dinner. We would walk to the end stairways & use them. The main theater, though nice had no where to place a drink & no bar service. That's a real loss of revenue there. I don't drink, but like to have a soft drink/sparkling water at the show. The theater is small for a ship the size of the Regal, at least compared to Cunard/Celebrity. The restaurants all had low ceilings. I like the multi story ceilings I've seen on other ships. No forward lounge/bar to view over the bow of the ship, the strangest thing of all!

 

The Royal Princess had the central stairway prepared for passenger use on its recent dry dock, so it is expected the same will happen to the Regal.

 

When we were on the Royal, they did have bar service before a show started, but like the regal, there is no place to place a drink. (By the way, although larger would be better from a passenger viewpoinbt, the theaters on the Royal and Regal are the largest in the Princess fleet.)

 

The restaurants on all Princess ships are just one story.

[cekim]

Just back from Hawaii 15 day cruise on the Star Princess. I did the Caribbean on the Eclipse in April. Celebrity win this argument no problem. Star Princess should be taken out of the fleet.From the moment we got on to the moment we got off there was a smell in the air. Did not matter where we sat outside there was a toxic smell . It was disgusting, i spoke to the captain when he was on his daily walkabout and he said it came from the funnels and it depended on which way the wind was blowing.There is no WOW factor on the Star. We found the food to be over salted and poor quality meat. Princess have taken the filet off the favourites menu which was very disappointing as the choice of dishes was not for us.Too much seafood which we don't eat. Staff were very good everywhere we went on the ship. Never thought much of the Princess singers and dancers, struggled badly with the singing. No toilets outside the Amalfi dining room had to go upstairs to the disabled toilet which was often busy, toilets were flooded or out of order frequently.My wife was quicker going back to the room to use the toilet.Never experienced anything like this on the Eclipse.Just my opinion but it will be Celebrity in the future for me.

[stevenr597]

We are Elite on Celebrity and Platinum on Princess. That statement that there are more similarities/differences between the lines is correct, but there are some differences.

 

1) Shows: Celebrity shows are much more impressive. That is not to say that Princess Shows are not excellent, but to short.

 

2) Theatre: Celebrity is bigger, but there were plenty of chair hogs. One individual would come into the theatre early and claim 8 or 9 seats for his/her friends.

 

3) Tours: Princess has them better organized

 

4) Atrium: Especially on the Royal Princess, Princess wins this hands down. Loved to sit in the atrium, listen to the live music and drink a cup of Espresso.

 

5) Buffet: Especially on the Royal Princess-outstanding. This is not to say that the buffet on Celebrity is not excellent.

 

6) Balcony: Major mistake on Royal Princess- to small.

 

7) Aqua Class: Clearly a step above on Celebrity. We are booked to take Club Class on the Royal Princess this Oct.

 

8) Passenger's: Same on both ships, usually an upscale ground compared to Carnival. Not as old compared to Holland America.

 

9) Port Stops: I have found that Princess seems to be a more port intensive line than Celebrity. Better selection.

 

All in all, both lines are upper middle or perhaps near luxury. I don't think you could go wrong with either line.

[keithm]

The Royal Princess had the central stairway prepared for passenger use on its recent dry dock, so it is expected the same will happen to the Regal.

 

When we were on the Royal, they did have bar service before a show started, but like the regal, there is no place to place a drink. (By the way, although larger would be better from a passenger viewpoinbt, the theaters on the Royal and Regal are the largest in the Princess fleet.)

 

The restaurants on all Princess ships are just one story.

The theaters/dining rooms on Cunard(even the smaller QV & QE)along with S class Celebrity ships had are considerably larger theaters & main dining rooms. The 1 story dining rooms have no WOW factor. I do LIKE the thought of the central stairway. That will alleviate the logjams for those wanting to go to dinner.

[keithm]

Just back from Hawaii 15 day cruise on the Star Princess. I did the Caribbean on the Eclipse in April. Celebrity win this argument no problem. Star Princess should be taken out of the fleet.From the moment we got on to the moment we got off there was a smell in the air. Did not matter where we sat outside there was a toxic smell . It was disgusting, i spoke to the captain when he was on his daily walkabout and he said it came from the funnels and it depended on which way the wind was blowing.There is no WOW factor on the Star. We found the food to be over salted and poor quality meat. Princess have taken the filet off the favourites menu which was very disappointing as the choice of dishes was not for us.Too much seafood which we don't eat. Staff were very good everywhere we went on the ship. Never thought much of the Princess singers and dancers, struggled badly with the singing. No toilets outside the Amalfi dining room had to go upstairs to the disabled toilet which was often busy, toilets were flooded or out of order frequently.My wife was quicker going back to the room to use the toilet.Never experienced anything like this on the Eclipse.Just my opinion but it will be Celebrity in the future for me.

Though I prefer Celebrity. Do give the Royal class ships on Princess a try. They were quite nice.