Celebrity cruiser trying Princess

[psternklar]

Hello,

Just booked a Jan 2018 Eastern Caribbean on the Regal. Me (53) and DW(52) have been on Celebrity Silhouette the last few cruises. Loved the Silhouette but we are looking for a change. I have been reading the boards and understand that there are many similarities between the two lines. Any must do activities on the Regal? We like shows, comedians, lounging. We are not into the late night dancing/parties. We booked a mini suite on deck 12, usually had a balcony on Celebrity. Thanks in advance...

[JF - retired RRT]

Hello,

Any must do activities on the Regal? We like shows, comedians, lounging. We are not into the late night dancing/parties. We booked a mini suite on deck 12, usually had a balcony on Celebrity. Thanks in advance...

 

Afternoon tea. There are 2 choices on the Regal/Royal...one is free and is done every afternoon from 1-3 (?), the second one costs $$ ($10?) and is more elaborate.

 

Balcony breakfast or balcony dinner. We've done the breakfast and there was enough food for 4 or 5 people. Haven't done the dinner, but the reviews rave about it.

 

As for shows, etc. No way to tell till you're on the ship. They change all the time. When you get the daily Patter, pick what interests you and go. :D

[skynight]

Regal - some preliminary info.

Mini Suite on deck 12. Did you book a Club Class mini suite. If yes, you will have Club Class dining plus some other perks. Club Class and regular dining have almost the same menus.

If you want to book one of the specialty restaurants, Sabatini's or the Crown Grill make your reservation on boarding day. Pre-cruise reservations are not available.

The buffet on the Regal is one of the best and largest around. The buffet is open from 5am to around 11pm, never closes during that time.

Try the International Cafe, no charge, open 24/7, a great place for lunch.

Alfredo's, no charge, is a waiter served pizza restaurant which includes other courses. A great place for lunch on boarding day, or any day. Open 11am to 11pm every day.

No reservations for any show. Shows in the 8pm time frame are the most crowded. Arrive around 30 mins early.

[jeromep]

Celebrity, as a RCCL property, is the more mature line and brand they offer to people that like their brands and style of cruising. Unlike Carnival Corp. properties, RCCL's "DNA" is in just about all of their other cruise properties.

 

There is more segmentation in terms of stateroom class (Suites, Concierge Class, Aqua Class, Veranda Class, etc.), on Celebrity than on Princess. There is also more segmentation in terms of dining options available to the different stateroom classes on Celebrity than on Princess. I also think you'll find the on board vibe a little different from Princess, but how you discern this will be entirely up to you.

 

Princess has typically offered a pretty straight forward cabin class system. Inside, outside, balcony, mini-suite (larger balcony stateroom), suite. They are just rolling out this year club-class mini-suites, which include a new dining segment for the club class mini-suite occupants and full suite occupants. This effort seems directed to the competitive forces of the cabin segmentation that RCCL has done for years on their ships. I think the effort is still in development, so we'll see how it goes for Princess, especially the club class dining option, where there isn't a separate dining venue for these cruisers, but a segment of an MDR cordoned off for club class passengers.

 

Unlike RCCL which imbues a lot of the corporate head's personality in their other brands, Carnival Corp. properties pretty much stand on their own. You won't find any Carnival DNA at Princess.

 

So, what's it like on board. I think you'll find most days pretty laid back. Nothing is overly loud or garish, either in terms of entertainment or interior design. I think I've used the term understated elegance to describe most aspects of Princess to first-time Princess cruisers. Most things are pretty well organized. Embarkation is generally painless and when you board your room is ready for you, unlike some other lines which may board passengers, but force them to hang out in public spaces until their rooms are ready. I also think that Princess' silent disembarkation process works well and generally very organized.

 

Dining options are pretty straight forward.

 

Horizon Court and attached properties (buffet)

 

Burgers, dogs, pizza, and soft serve on the Lido deck near the pool(s).

 

Main dining rooms(depending on the ship, the number of venues varies and the names of the dining rooms vary from ship to ship, all located off the Piazza/atrium).

 

International Cafe (24 hours, sandwiches, pastry, baked goods, snacks and coffee bar, located in the Piazza). Brewed coffee and espresso drinks are not free, I highly recommend purchasing a coffee punch card, it lowers the price significantly.

 

Specialty, cover charge restaurants (typically Sabatini's - Italian, Crown Grill - steakhouse, and on selected ships Share by Curtis Stone - multi-course small plates, and the Salty Dog - gastro pub usually located in the Wheelhouse Bar at lunch). This is not an extensive list because different ships often have different specialty restaurants depending on what Princess is currently developing/promoting and what the upgrade schedule for any given ship is.

 

Ultimate Balcony Dining (another up charge dining option, but it gets rave reviews)

 

Room service (Princess does not charge for room service, and the menu is somewhat limited, but I always give the room service steward a couple of bucks when they drop off the order).

 

You will not suffer for food, nor will you be nickel and dimed to eat well.

 

Evening entertainment is generally pretty extensive. You'll find production shows, live music and dancing, DJ'd music and dancing, movies; either in one of the lounges, the Princess Theater after the shows have completed for the evening, or Movies Under the Stars at one of the pools, take your pick. There are the obligatory smaller bars with a piano vocalist, etc. I think that Princess' live entertainment is excellent, and their production shows are generally very good. There is no good way to tell what shows or entertainment will be on your cruise until you get there. It may be possible to get somebody on the CC boards who has been on a recent similar itinerary on your ship to provide insight, however booked entertainers can change suddenly from voyage to voyage.

 

I think you'll enjoy the mini-suite. You'll have plenty of room to spread out and a decent sized balcony. I haven't been on the Regal or Royal, so I can't speak to the minis on those ships, but I find that the minis on the older Grand class ships to be very comfortable and not too bad a place to hang out if you don't want to be in the public spaces.

 

Most Princess ships have the Sanctuary, which is the adults only day area located top of ship. Again, those that are into the Sanctuary rave about it, but it is charged on a 1/2 day or full day basis. We've never used it, mostly because we book mini suites or full suites and we have plenty of room to spread out without having to rent space to do so.

 

The one must do thing I generally advise is to keep your eye out for the Pub Lunch on sea days. Assuming that the ship isn't substituting the free pub lunch for the Salty Dog up-charge pub lunch, I think you'll find it kind of fun. It's your stereotypical British pub fare, bangers and mash, fish and chips, scotch egg, type stuff. Most everyone things that the fish and chips is excellent, and I'm very partial to the bangers and mash. As and aside the Salty Dog menu is appealing to me, and you might find it either on Princess' web site or maybe a sample posted on CC, but for what they charge for the Salty Dog lunch, it sure seems reasonable. I think the Salty Dog charge is $12-13 and you get 2 or 3 menu selections for that price.

 

If the Ultimate Ship Tour is being offered, you have to sign up for it at the Passenger Service desk, and it is kind of expensive $150/person. But you get to see parts of the ship that passengers rarely get to see, you get to visit the bridge and meet and greet with the captain with snacks and champagne. Afterwards you get some items from various parts of the ship you visited. You get a folder with photos of your tour group in various places on the ship which were taken by a ship's photographer that was with your group. You get one of the plush Princess bath robes. You also get an official Princess chef's jacket (not had too much use for that one yet, but it is fun), plus a personalized note pad made in the ship's print shop. All in all the merchandise you get after the tour is up retails for about what you paid to take the tour.

 

If you have more specific questions, let us know.

[psternklar]

Thanks for the info so far. Sknight just a mini not Club, I did not think it would be worth the extra $400pp although I did enjoy Aqua on Celebrity for the quick embarkation/debark. JF my wife will love the tea, thanks. Jeromep, I appreciate all the info. Did the tour once on a Carnival ship (Dream I think) and it was fun.

[easyboy]

Try the Horizon Bistro, an extension of the Horizon court. More buffet food options. Bellini's Bar at the atrium on deck 6 is also a nice place to unwind.

[KruzeKrazy!]

Look for the fantastically informative Princess/X comparison by bimmer09. He is an avid Princess cruiser who tried and also liked X - and in particular the Silouette. He has great photos and methodically compares all the primary aspects of the two experiences and ships.

[skynight]

There is no salty dog on the Regal.

There should be the Crab Shack, buckets of shell fish, casual dining some evenings in a seating section of the buffet area. There may be Fondues one night, not sure if it is still offered. Also casual dining in the buffet. Both have a $29/pp charge. You will see tables in the buffet area where they accept reservations.

[spearmint]

We gave sailed RCCL Adventure- and Allure of the Seas. We found the food somewhat like Princess, which is fine by me.

 

Otherwise, all our cruising has been with Celebrity... about 21 cruises. We got tired of the downgrading of their product, especially, but not limited to , the menu department. Have been on Silhouette for 3 back to backs, the last being Nov. 2015. I had enough. When I spend 3-4 nights with the everyday menu, and even that produces trashy chicken or sirloin, it is time to try something else.

 

In April and again in November we cruised Regal for the same itinerary, back to back. We much prefer the classier decor over the Solstice class, and were glad to get rid of those damned stations in the cafe. Horizon breakfast is good, but I do think Celebrity is a bit better with its dedicated stations for eggs, waffles and pizza. (They had these stations in place on ships long before the entire cafe turned into their now frenzied stations.)

 

The menus in the dining rooms are fine in comparison to Celebrity's offerings.

 

We are booked on the Royal at the end of February for 10 days, and, since it is identical in decor to the Regal, we won't be disappointed. We can dance in the Piazza, which is larger and a hell of a lot better than the "dance floor" at the bottom of a staircase; and the band is in its own area, not inside the space for the elevator shafts.

 

We don't care where the ships go... you see one Caribbean island, you have seen them all for the most part. We really love being aboard. Celebrity, when we first started in 1999 had a menu selection far and away above anything that we have had on the other lines. They have downgraded their offerings and the quality to the point that we had to leave. I am more fussy; my wife will eat almost everything offered. When in Nov. 2915 even she was disappointed with daily and everyday menu offerings, I knew it was time to leave.

 

Bill

[keithm]

Hello,

Just booked a Jan 2018 Eastern Caribbean on the Regal. Me (53) and DW(52) have been on Celebrity Silhouette the last few cruises. Loved the Silhouette but we are looking for a change. I have been reading the boards and understand that there are many similarities between the two lines. Any must do activities on the Regal? We like shows, comedians, lounging. We are not into the late night dancing/parties. We booked a mini suite on deck 12, usually had a balcony on Celebrity. Thanks in advance...

Having done 3 Eclipse 14 day trips, I think you'll like the Regal. We did a 14 day B2B in Feb.2016. The Piazza area of the ship is gorgeous. This trip we just did on the Eclipse the food was far inferior to the Regal. in 2014/2015 the food was much better on the Eclipse. I attribute this to a poor ex. chef as opposed to budget cutbacks. Desserts on the Regal are bland except the Norman Love desserts, which were fine. The specialty rest.(Sabatini's/Crown Grill)while nice, are/were no match for Tuscan/Qsine/Murano. Then again, they cost a lot more. The few downsides I did NOT like on the Regal: No stairs next to the central elevators causes a lot of logjams. Theater is small compared to Eclipse. No beverage service in theater & no place to put drinks. What a revenue loss here! No forward lounge over looking the bow of the ship. Really?? Entertainment was decent: good comedians & theater shows. There is a nice tea service for about $10 in the Piazza area as well as a nice free tea service in one of the dining rooms. Nice way to relax. Do try the Sanctuary. There is a fee, but boy was it worth it. The Sanctuary makes the whole cruise worth it.

Edited February 7, 2017 by keithm
spelling

[UpcountryTravelers]

One difference you will note on Princess: they do not have the "class distinctions" that you have on Celebrity. With the singular exception of a specialty restaurant exclusive to suites at breakfast (only), all venues are open to all passengers all the time.

[psternklar]

Thanks all for the replies, only 347 day to go....

[ggprincess2004]

I just wanted to note that afternoon tea is not served from 1 to3, but rather from 3:30 until 4:30 on most ships. Occasionally, the time is 3 to 4, to accommodate the early dining seating, if needed, on that particular cruise.

 

We gave Celebrity a try in a suite, and will say there are more similarities than differences between the lines. I suggest you read the Patter (daily activities sheet) closely. I also suggest that you try to get a spot for the Chef's Table or Wine Maker's Dinner. As with the Ultimate Ship's Tour, spots are very limited, and so you want to make that request as soon as you board. For either of the two dining options, call the DINE line from your stateroom phone as soon as you board to request the reservation, and go the Passenger Services Desk asap if you are interested in the Ultimate Ship's Tour. If you get on that, taking home all the goodies is a challenge if you are flying, as the plush bathrobes take up a lot of space, and do add some weight to the suitcases.

 

Enjoy.

[LeeW]

Thanks for the info so far. Sknight just a mini not Club, I did not think it would be worth the extra $400pp although I did enjoy Aqua on Celebrity for the quick embarkation/debark. JF my wife will love the tea, thanks. Jeromep, I appreciate all the info. Did the tour once on a Carnival ship (Dream I think) and it was fun.

 

Princess embark is pretty much based on when you arrive at the port. Weddings and Bon Voyage Experience (which you could possibly sign up for) get on first, then Elite and Platinum, maybe Gold and then everyone else. In practice if you arrive at about 10:30 you will on the ship by 11:30. Regal and Royal seem to limit access to your cabin until 1, but on other ships the cabin is open as soon as you board.

 

Disembark is based on your flight time (or tours/transfers) but anyone can request walk-off and these get off first. And if you don't like your assigned disembark time all you need to do is ask at Passenger Services. You don't need to pay extra for any of this.

 

Milk/coffee/tea are delivered from a cart on the pool decks around 4 PM. Hot chocolate chip cookies. Coffee card gets a bunch of lattes and premium tea, plus is good for the gelato bar.

[arb18]

Hello,

 

I did my first Celebrity cruise this summer and love the ratio of staff to passengers and the smaller ship feel but I love Princess. Regal is a BIG ship. If you are in the mid ship area the missing stairs are a pain in the rear! Balcony sizes are small...unless you really search for one of the bigger balconies based on the curves. The skywalk is great but after the first time or 2 it's charm wears off. TV system is AMAZING. On Regal you can start and stop movies and continue them at a later time, huge tvs. My husband LOVED this. I'm sure he will miss this on the cruise to Alaska we are taking in July on Emerald.

 

Food-the buffet is very good. We did the cost tea and he really enjoyed that (I did it for him). We had the balcony breakfast (honestly lots of food but unless you love salmon don't bother) balcony dinner was the best thing we did food wise. SOOOO worth the money. We even had food brought from the dining room because I loved an entree that was being offered that night. They don't have ice cream like Celebrity does (which is a shame) Drink package worked well for us. I love the fettucine alfredo on the everyday menu...my favorite.

 

I did use the Sanctuary and food it very relaxing and comfortable. It just depends on what you are looking for out of your sea days. Get there early to sign up if you want it.

[riclop]

Princess is better especially in entertainment.

[KruzeKrazy!]

Celebrity comes first alphabetically but Princess has 1 less letter and only two vowels.

 

Now try to make sense of that!

 

(Sorry, couldn't resist a little nonsense for fun...[emoji4]).

[reedprincess]

FWIW, for those commenting on the center staircase issue with Royal/Regal - it's been remedied on Royal, and will be remedied on Regal at her drydock this coming year.... Royal now has a center passenger staircase. Regal will get hers soon..

Always cracks me up though, when in compared to Celebrity especially, as Celebrity only has two banks on stairs all the way up and down all the decks, and only two banks of elevators also - as compared to Princess with three elevator banks and stairs at all three (except Regal and Grand)....

[KruzeKrazy!]

FWIW, for those commenting on the center staircase issue with Royal/Regal - it's been remedied on Royal, and will be remedied on Regal at her drydock this coming year.... Royal now has a center passenger staircase. Regal will get hers soon..

Always cracks me up though, when in compared to Celebrity especially, as Celebrity only has two banks on stairs all the way up and down all the decks, and only two banks of elevators also - as compared to Princess with three elevator banks and stairs at all three (except Regal and Grand)....

We certainly appreciate the convenience factor and the benefit/need for those who are mobility restricted but for us our cruise experience is not defined by staircases (or lack thereof).

[caribill]

go the Passenger Services Desk asap if you are interested in the Ultimate Ship's Tour.

 

 

Princess offers the UST only once per cruise, usually on the last sea day.

 

Celebrity offers their version multiple times on almost every sea day.