Celebrity v Princess

[Kamloops50]

I disagree about the value of the Big/Better/Best packages.

 

Looking at a 12 day cruise I have booked for this November, the difference between Better (2 perks) and Best (4 perks) is not at all worth the price.

 

If I have the Better (picking beverage package and Internet) and want to instead upgrade to Best (adding tips and $150 OBC), the cost difference is $540/person.

 

Yet the value of the the tips and OBC only adds up to $312. Why would I want to pay $540 for $312 worth of amenities?

 

Your forgetting that prepaid gratuities , unlimited internet , OBC and Premium Beverage package.

For about $500 CDN extra I get almost $1000 USD in perks.

Big savings for us. We always have a balcony the OBC is $600 USD alone I've crunched the number using the Celebrity prices.

[tacrum43]

Having sailed on both lines a few times, I personally choose Celebrity over Princess whenever possible. Princess is okay overall in my experience and their itineraries are good, but I find the service, food, condition of ship, drink package (often included in fare), decor, and activities (such as lectures by naturalists) and production shows are superior on Celebrity. Often price is about the same too, sometimes less, and Celebrity ships tend to be a bit smaller and feel less crowded to me. Celebrity also offers a full hot breakfast room service to all cabin categories and their standard balconies have a couch (even if small). To get a couch on Princess, you have to book a mini-suite. Princess does have the ultimate balcony dinner and the chef's table (if you can get it), which are both great. Just my $0.02.

[Denny01]

Boy, I'm really impressed there are no major flaming going on here. Opinions and good sharing, but no putdowms or obvious attempts to aggravate those that prefer either Line. Wow.

 

Nice to see most all realize we are talking, well posting really, about enjoying cruising and enjoying a lovely vacation. A big thank you to our Hosts which help keep us civil.

 

With that said, let me tell you why I love Celebrity and just Hate Princess........OK, I don't.

 

To be quite candid, I cruise Celebrity now because we get nice perks because we've cruised so much with them. But obviously we get the perks that keep us coming back now because we preferred this Line. And yes, our earlier cruises seemed to have had better meals and so on, but in reality I think what was posted a few times already is the reason - we've become so use to it, we start finding those little annoyances when the Line makes any changes.

 

And to a few posters who believe Celebrity has gone down in quality after experiencing a few cruises, I made comments a while ago that the quality of food in the MDR wasn't the same. Then we took an Oct cruise on the Summit up and back to Quebec (great itinerary!) and the MDR meals were exceptional considering the large numbers served each seating. So for me, the quality had gone up.

 

Enjoy your next Celebrity or Princess cruise and try to focus on the here and now and not what you think you experienced on the other Line or previous cruise. The only thing that really matters is how you are enjoying it right now.

 

Den

[asctony]

Crown Grill/Sabatini's are not in the same league as Murano/Tuscan. The food is good, but the steaks on the Regal were at best "Select" & were "Choice" in Celebrity. Tuscan actually offered "Prime" grade for an addition up charge of about $28.(Eclipse)Another thing I like about Celebrity..I just like the cloth hand towels offered in Celebrity restrooms, just a nice touch.

Are you saying that X Tuscan grill is now charging $45 then if you want a Prime grade, it is an extra $28? That is $73/meal.

[Hlitner]

Are you saying that X Tuscan grill is now charging $45 then if you want a Prime grade, it is an extra $28? That is $73/meal.

 

That is the reality...although we thought the prime beef was "ONLY" an $18 add-on.and we do not think that the beef in the Tuscan is even close to the quality found in a decent land-based steak house. Oh. and do not forget that many feel an obligation to tip extra in specialty restaurants. So a couple, both ordering the upgraded beef might find themselves paying $126 plus giving a $20 tip...which would not even include wine. And also consider that you have already paid for food/service as part of your cruise fare...not to mention autotips. So you would be essentially looking at a $200+ meal!

 

DW and I really enjoy both Murano and Qsine. But when it comes to the Tuscan, we would not pay for that venue on land or sea. We have found food and service in the Tuscan to be uneven (at best). This is also a venue that serves items like Spaghetti and Meatballs, flatbread pizza, etc. It is an attempt to be all things for all people...and we think it misses on many levels.

 

Hank

Edited February 11, 2017 by Hlitner

[UpcountryTravelers]

Boy, I'm really impressed there are no major flaming going on here. Opinions and good sharing, but no putdowms or obvious attempts to aggravate those that prefer either Line. Wow.

 

Nice to see most all realize we are talking, well posting really, about enjoying cruising and enjoying a lovely vacation. A big thank you to our Hosts which help keep us civil.

 

Agree. This is nice!

 

With that said, let me tell you why I love Celebrity and just Hate Princess........OK, I don't.

 

To be quite candid, I cruise Celebrity now because we get nice perks because we've cruised so much with them. But obviously we get the perks that keep us coming back now because we preferred this Line. And yes, our earlier cruises seemed to have had better meals and so on, but in reality I think what was posted a few times already is the reason - we've become so use to it, we start finding those little annoyances when the Line makes any changes.

 

 

For the same reason, Princess is now our first choice, but itinerary can make us switch (such as our upcoming Equinox cruise). We were comparing individual cruises, but I have to say: I have researched Celebrity's loyalty program and find Princess to be FAR superior for us. With 15 grandchildren, free internet is big....(and the minibar setup is great for on-balcony relaxing!)

 

 

Enjoy your next Celebrity or Princess cruise and try to focus on the here and now and not what you think you experienced on the other Line or previous cruise. The only thing that really matters is how you are enjoying it right now.

 

Den

 

Absolutely. And we'll see you on a Celebrity cruise sometime in the future.

[Shadow9612]

I'd definitely give it a try. We tried Princess once but decided it wasn't for us at that particular time. They're more smilar than different :).

 

I am reconsidering a Princess Cruise so have been re-reading some past threads like this.

 

Vaillauk - responding to this 'older' thread in the hopes you'll see this! I value your comments on the boards and I noticed your comment on Princess was very similar to my thoughts. When reading your posts throughout cc, I value your insights! I really wish cruise critic had a functional messaging system between users :(

 

I tried the Caribbean Princess as my 2nd ever cruise, before I ever knew about Celebrity, and I enjoyed it. (I actually always enjoy my cruise no matter what lol - it's a vacation on the ocean!). Then, about 5 years ago, I tried the Ruby Princess, but was underwhelmed. Again, not one complaint about Princess - I enjoyed the cruise. Just still left feeling X was a better match for me.

 

Since both of my previous Princess cruises were on the Grand Class, and I really like the Celebrity S class, I'm considering giving a 3rd try to Princess on their Royal Class (Royal Princess). Would be interested to hear your thoughts, as well as others of course!

 

So as I plan to cruise beyond Celebrity, for a change, my current search originally narrowed me down to MSC vs. Oceania, but now I'm thinking MSC vs. Princess. Welcome any thoughts on a comparison between MSC and Princess (knowing that I'm an avid loyal Celebrity cruiser, non-suite).

 

With gratitude!

[villauk]

I am reconsidering a Princess Cruise so have been re-reading some past threads like this.

 

Vaillauk - responding to this 'older' thread in the hopes you'll see this! I value your comments on the boards and I noticed your comment on Princess was very similar to my thoughts. When reading your posts throughout cc, I value your insights! I really wish cruise critic had a functional messaging system between users

 

I tried the Caribbean Princess as my 2nd ever cruise, before I ever knew about Celebrity, and I enjoyed it. (I actually always enjoy my cruise no matter what lol - it's a vacation on the ocean!). Then, about 5 years ago, I tried the Ruby Princess, but was underwhelmed. Again, not one complaint about Princess - I enjoyed the cruise. Just still left feeling X was a better match for me.

 

Since both of my previous Princess cruises were on the Grand Class, and I really like the Celebrity S class, I'm considering giving a 3rd try to Princess on their Royal Class (Royal Princess). Would be interested to hear your thoughts, as well as others of course!

 

So as I plan to cruise beyond Celebrity, for a change, my current search originally narrowed me down to MSC vs. Oceania, but now I'm thinking MSC vs. Princess. Welcome any thoughts on a comparison between MSC and Princess (knowing that I'm an avid loyal Celebrity cruiser, non-suite).

 

With gratitude!

 

Hi again :),

 

I'd noticed you'd been looking at alternatives too ;). In fact, I was going to reply on your other thread. I think our Reflection cruise must have had a similar effect on us both :confused:.

 

We thought our first experience of Princess was quite bland (it was quite a few years ago), however, we've tentatively booked another sailing for next year to give it another try. We decided it could have been just that one sailing at that time that didn't wow us. In general, the lines are more similar than different, but after this last cruise on X, it's given us the push to branch out. The itinerary and timings were slightly more favourable on the Princess sailing too. It sails from the west coast, perfect for an opportunity for a few days pre cruise somewhere different. We're bound to compare, it's the nature of the beast ;).

 

I think all the little niggles on Reflection e.g. no cans, no available sun beds, overcrowding, lack of decent entertainment, the general feel throughout, resulted in us feeling 'it wasn't the X we are used to' - as you stated on the other thread 'something was off, but you couldn't put your finger on it'. We're hoping our Eclipse sailing at Christmas is more akin to the usual X offerings ;).

 

We haven't tried MSC, so I can't comment on that line. We enjoy all of our vacations as well - anything is better than being at work :D.