Princess vs Celebrity

[Texex2]

Trying to decide between Sapphire Princess out of Southampton or Celebrity Eclipse out of Amsterdam for a Baltic cruise next year. Ports of call almost identical. Any feedback from anyone familar with both? Price is very close but Princess is 14 days whereas Celebrity a 12. Pros and cons? What about departure ports? Is one perhaps muvh cheaper for airfare? Wife and i are 60 so a party boat is certainly not necessary. Lastly, best price is for a September cruise. How cold will it be? Good month? Sorry for the ling note but would welcome any feedback. Thanks Jim

[easyboy]

Check this previous thread on comparison in general.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2454469&highlight=princess+vs+celebrity

[Keith1010]

Jim:

 

Let me begin by saying that I do prefer Celebrity over Princess.

 

With that said I would rather have an additional two days on the ship and these cruises are usually port intensive so the ship isn't as important.

 

You should price them out and also look for ease of flights.

 

It will likely be less cost to get to London then Amsterdam.

 

Whatever you do arrive a couple of days before the cruise so you can tour around, get over the jet lag, have time should your luggage get lost and also have a fall back plan should the flight be delayed or cancelled.

 

As to weather I would like to see a list of all ports but it will likely be on the chilly side and with some rain so it is key to layer clothing and have an outer jacket that is waterproof.

 

Keith

[sloopsailor]

Jim:

 

Let me begin by saying that I do prefer Celebrity over Princess.

 

With that said I would rather have an additional two days on the ship and these cruises are usually port intensive so the ship isn't as important.

 

You should price them out and also look for ease of flights.

 

It will likely be less cost to get to London then Amsterdam.

 

Whatever you do arrive a couple of days before the cruise so you can tour around, get over the jet lag, have time should your luggage get lost and also have a fall back plan should the flight be delayed or cancelled.

 

As to weather I would like to see a list of all ports but it will likely be on the chilly side and with some rain so it is key to layer clothing and have an outer jacket that is waterproof.

 

Keith

 

I agree with what Keith said. I prefer Celebrity a bit more than Princess, but not enough to lose two days cruising. We did Baltic in late August, early Sept 1010. The weather was pretty nice the entire time. Many days we didn't need a jacket or sweater. But the later in September, the cooler it might be. The second week was cooler than the first, but not by too much.

 

If you are doing St. Petersburg, do yourself a favor an book with a private company for tours. We had four in our party and booked with Anastasia Tours. The cost was comparable to what the ship tours would have cost us, and we were able to visit more places in the same amount of time.

 

They picked us up at 8:30 am the first day, and dropped us back at the ship around 9:00 pm that evening. A long, but fantastic day. They again picked us up at 8:30 am the second day, and got us back to the ship an hour before departure at 4:30 pm. The personal touch that private tour companies can give you is well worth it there. For instance, for lunch on the first day we went to an out of the way restaurant that was one of our guides, Helen, favorites. Good food, and authentic surroundings and food choices. We were the only tourists in the place. For dinner we went to a favorite of our driver, Dimitri. Again, we were the only "out-of-towners". And the food was excellent. Lunch the 2nd day was at Podvorye restaurant in the outskirts of St. Petersburg, not far from St. Catherine's Palace. This restaurant is a popular one to take visiting dignitaries and celebrities to give them a taste of authentic and wholesome Russian dining.

 

The guide and driver were "off-the-clock" during those those meal times, so they were very happy to tell us about themselves and what life was like for them, and were equally interested in us and our lives. Two wonderful people!

[NantahalaCruiser]

Celebrity does not have a September 2018 sailing. If you are looking at a late August sailing with a stop at Rostock, you should know that the travel time one way to Berlin is about 2.5 hours. On your Princess cruise the travel time from Gdynia to Gdansk is only about 30 minutes.

[Texex2]

Celebrity does not have a September 2018 sailing. If you are looking at a late August sailing with a stop at Rostock, you should know that the travel time one way to Berlin is about 2.5 hours. On your Princess cruise the travel time from Gdynia to Gdansk is only about 30 minutes.

 

Thanks for all of the tips and feedback provided! I think you all have tipped the scale for me and we will try Princess Sept 2018. In particular, the feedback on St Petersburg tour will be helpful. Any other experiences or suggestions always welcome. Jim