Princess vs Celebrity

[reedprincess]

I can’t remember, are the covered pools adult only on Princess? That’s the big draw on Celebrity.

Nope, except for the Hollywood Conservatory on Majestic.. (and that remains to be seen how it will be handled for the Australian/New Zealand cruises).

[Tatka]

Correction.

 

Princess has several ships with indoor/covered pools - Island, Coral, Star, Grand, Golden, Diamond, Sapphire and Majestic all have covered pools.. No charge for any of them, loungers, pools, hot tubs, etc.

 

 

Royal class ships have the Enclave which includes a large-ish indoor hydro pool, however this are does have a charge.

 

 

 

I forgot!!! Thank you.

Maybe because our only ship with covered pool was Grand in Europe.

 

Anyway Celebrity does have very cozy pools ... I love all cushioned loungers and towels on them. Millennium class has amazing free thalasso pool. Century class didn’t have free covered pools.

[Montana]

We prefer Princess over Celebrity.

 

Very seasoned Celebrity cruisers. December will be our first Princess cruise on the Ruby. We chose club class mini since we have no priority on Princess. I am hopeful that I will want to become a repeat Princess cruiser.:confused:

[LongtimecruiserfromCA]

Nope, just a couple more appetizers....

[Gran2five]

In the last 10 years, Itinerary is the deciding factor between Princess or Celebrity. We are Elite on Celebrity and therefor enjoy a lot of perks. On Celebrity we have cruised in beautiful balcony cabins and once upgraded to a Celebrity Suite (loved the butler with snacks and coffee etc.). Our three TA's have been with Celebrity. The last one to Spain on Equinox in 2016 was the best ever. The crew had been rated as best in the fleet and it was a well deserved honor. However we have had bad moments on Celebrity - a cruise a few months later on Infinity - Pacific Coastal had the worst crew and Cruise Director we have every experienced.

 

We have very few perks on Princess as this upcoming B2B in Alaska will be our 4th and 5th cruise with them. However our two cruises a few years ago to Europe were wonderful and we expect our 14 days in Alaska will also be amazing.

 

Food wise - Princess excels with some of their menus while we liked Murano as the then specialty restaurant on Celebrity as well as some Celebrity dishes. We always went to their formal tea which was free for us.

 

We are looking to find an itinerary that we like for our 25th cruise in 2019 and may go with an entire new line for us - Oceania or even MSC on one of their new ships.

[XBGuy]

I feel like the minority here, but having done two cruises on Celebrity Reflection and one on Ruby Princess, I found my Princess experience to be closer to Royal Caribbean than to Celebrity. The Ruby stateroom felt noticeably smaller than the same category on Reflection (standard balcony), the food was about the same or slightly worse on Ruby (and don't get me started on the terribly small and repetitive buffet offering), and the wines available on Celebrity were far more interesting to us than on Ruby (where only SHARE had a wine list that truly made us smile). Add in things like Celebrity's no-upcharge Solarium, cloth towels in common-area restrooms, and more engaging programming — we were starved for activities on our Ruby cruise; everything seemed geared toward gamblers, big-spend shoppers, line dancers, or bingo players — and we didn't find Princess up to the "premium" experience we thought we were headed into.

 

But, everyone's tastes and preferences are different....

 

I understand your point about the Princess wine lists, and, as I recall from my one Celebrity cruise, their wine lists were more interesting. However, I also recall at least one selection where the Celebrity price was noticeably more spendy that the same wine on Princess--Caymus Special Selection was $225 on Celebrity in 2004 and $140 on Princess in 2011. I'm sure that you noticed that the price of Tignanello on the SHARE list was VERY reasonable. I've been told that the wine list price for the Grange is absolutely amazing, but $400/bottle is way beyond my budget no matter how much a deal it is.

 

:)

 

Most wine geeks get around the pedestrian Princess wine lists by carrying on. Princess has no limit on the number of 750ml bottles of wine that a passenger can carry on. I don't know what the Celebrity policy is.

[MicCanberra]

Princess has no limit on the number of 750ml bottles of wine that a passenger can carry on. I don't know what the Celebrity policy is.

X has a two bottle policy but no extras, Princess also allows the two bottles but if you bring more on they will incur a surcharge on the extras.

[keithm]

I'll compare the ships Regal Princess & Celebrity Eclipse, as I've cruised on both. On the Regal I found the room towels to be the worst of any cruise line I've been on. I know I'm not the only one who has this complaint. Do you find cloth hand towels in restrooms on Regal? We did on the Eclipse. Is there a "dedicated" restaurant for suite pax on Regal? You have Luminae on the Eclipse. No lounge on Regal that faces the sea. The Eclipse has the Sky lounge. Regal DOES have Piazza, which is the place to be. They have a "proper" dance floor. Overall, I find Celebrity "slightly" more upscale than Princess. Food quality & amenities on board Celebrity are declining wheras Princess is holding it's own & in some cases getting a little better. Either line is a good choice for pax. Those in the suites(on Celebrity), however do get a lot more perks compared to those in suites on Princess, yet pricing is quite comparable.

[caribill]

I'll compare the ships Regal Princess & Celebrity Eclipse, as I've cruised on both. On the Regal I found the room towels to be the worst of any cruise line I've been on. I know I'm not the only one who has this complaint.

 

When the Royal Princess first started sailing the quality of the towels was a big complaint.

 

I do not know if these low quality towels have been replacing ones on the pre-Royal ships.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

I'll compare the ships Regal Princess & Celebrity Eclipse, as I've cruised on both. On the Regal I found the room towels to be the worst of any cruise line I've been on. I know I'm not the only one who has this complaint. Do you find cloth hand towels in restrooms on Regal? We did on the Eclipse. Is there a "dedicated" restaurant for suite pax on Regal? You have Luminae on the Eclipse. No lounge on Regal that faces the sea. The Eclipse has the Sky lounge. Regal DOES have Piazza, which is the place to be. They have a "proper" dance floor. Overall, I find Celebrity "slightly" more upscale than Princess. Food quality & amenities on board Celebrity are declining wheras Princess is holding it's own & in some cases getting a little better. Either line is a good choice for pax. Those in the suites(on Celebrity), however do get a lot more perks compared to those in suites on Princess, yet pricing is quite comparable.

On the Sky Princess I have a Sky Suite (almost 1600 sq ft including a 700 sq ft 270 degree wrap around balcony) reserved for a 7 day eastern Caribbean sailing the week before Christmas 2019. I will rebook it under the Sip and Sail at the end of the month. It is costing $3000 per person for each of 4 adults with beverages for the first 2. I just looked at the Celebrity Edge Villa (950 sq ft) for a similar sailing the same week and it is $9200 per person for each of 4 adults. I have never found Celebrity full suites to have comparable value to Princess. However, I do sail Celebrity in the lower suites as I like the ships and the service. I love the dedicated suite restaurants on Celebrity, but the price difference allows me to dine every night in Crown on Princess if I like. I find the suite perks on Princess quite nice and the same day laundry is the best thing ever (Celebrity only gives you free laundry twice in this cruise and it is not same day). I love my big, big, big balconies and my huge rooms. We spend most of our time in our room and on the balcony. Celebrity can't compete there.

[Cruise Junky]

On the Sky Princess I have a Sky Suite (almost 1600 sq ft including a 700 sq ft 270 degree wrap around balcony) reserved for a 7 day eastern Caribbean sailing the week before Christmas 2019. I will rebook it under the Sip and Sail at the end of the month. It is costing $3000 per person for each of 4 adults with beverages for the first 2. I just looked at the Celebrity Edge Villa (950 sq ft) for a similar sailing the same week and it is $9200 per person for each of 4 adults. I have never found Celebrity full suites to have comparable value to Princess. However, I do sail Celebrity in the lower suites as I like the ships and the service. I love the dedicated suite restaurants on Celebrity, but the price difference allows me to dine every night in Crown on Princess if I like. I find the suite perks on Princess quite nice and the same day laundry is the best thing ever (Celebrity only gives you free laundry twice in this cruise and it is not same day). I love my big, big, big balconies and my huge rooms. We spend most of our time in our room and on the balcony. Celebrity can't compete there.

 

Don't even attempt to compare anything to Edge at this point of time, the costs are insane and this Christmas would be her first month in service.. Compare it to an S class for normal Celebrity pricing.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Don't even attempt to compare anything to Edge at this point of time, the costs are insane and this Christmas would be her first month in service.. Compare it to an S class for normal Celebrity pricing.

The Celebrity Edge and the Sky Princess are both debuting within a month or so of each other. Both cruises are for the same week before the holidays and do not include Christmas or New Years. Both are for the top level suite offered on these brand new ships. For these reasons I feel the comparison is extremely fair. It is reflective of what I have found for every other cruise I have booked. I always compare Celebrity, Oceania, Cunard and Princess like for like when I am booking.

[Cruise Junky]

The Celebrity Edge and the Sky Princess are both debuting within a month or so of each other. Both cruises are for the same week before the holidays and do not include Christmas or New Years. Both are for the top level suite offered on these brand new ships. For these reasons I feel the comparison is extremely fair. It is reflective of what I have found for every other cruise I have booked. I always compare Celebrity, Oceania, Cunard and Princess like for like when I am booking.

 

Edge is a brand new class, Sky is the sister of Majestic, Royal, Regal... the shine is off the class. Edge is all about exciting and new and is commanding crazy prices. Something Sky will never achieve.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Edge is a brand new class, Sky is the sister of Majestic, Royal, Regal... the shine is off the class. Edge is all about exciting and new and is commanding crazy prices. Something Sky will never achieve.

That makes sense. I can agree that this may not be the best comparison based on that information.

 

So I looked up the Equinox same week, same itinerary, penthouse suite and it is $4300 per person for each of 4 people. When you factor in that on Princess you have to pay for pax 3 & 4 beverage package (and on Celebrity you don't) the comparable Princess cost is $3242 per person for each of 4 adults. I realize the perks are still more on Celebrity, but it is more that I do not use and less of what I do use. So each person will have to decide if the extra $1058 per person is worth the unlimited internet and butler or not. It is not for me, but that is just me.

 

Without getting too nitpicky about things like a baby grand that is just in my way and a balcony that is half the size as Princess Sky suite, the second couple on Celebrity would be sleeping on a pullout couch in the living room whereas in the Sky suite they have their own master bedroom and the two master bedrooms are separated by the living room and dining room. This gives a lot of privacy for two couples traveling together if you get my drift.

I do love Celebrity and will continue to sail on her however, when it comes to full suites for me Princess has more space for less money and has the perks that are important to me.

[ravinblue]

We have cruised Celebrity 4 times, but are considering Crown Princess in the British Isles next May. I have appreciated reading all the opinions on rooms, cabins, pools, etc. Any comments on Princess's WiFi? We noticed a huge improvement when Celebrity went to their XCelerate technology a couple of years ago, much faster than our recent HAL or Viking cruises.

[keithm]

Don't even attempt to compare anything to Edge at this point of time, the costs are insane and this Christmas would be her first month in service.. Compare it to an S class for normal Celebrity pricing.

Good point. I'd wait until the glitches are out of the system. That's a reason we waited a bit on the Regal. Everything went smooth as far as the ship was concerned.

[Tatka]

The Celebrity Edge and the Sky Princess are both debuting within a month or so of each other. Both cruises are for the same week before the holidays and do not include Christmas or New Years. Both are for the top level suite offered on these brand new ships. For these reasons I feel the comparison is extremely fair. It is reflective of what I have found for every other cruise I have booked. I always compare Celebrity, Oceania, Cunard and Princess like for like when I am booking.

 

 

 

Do you sail in suites with Cunard or in Britannia class?

[BarbinMich]

I'll compare the ships Regal Princess & Celebrity Eclipse, as I've cruised on both. . . No lounge on Regal that faces the sea. The Eclipse has the Sky lounge...

 

We've sailed on the Royal and the Eclipse and am sorry that Princess "dropped" their Skywalkers Lounge for the Royal/Regal. OTOH, Celebrity has had the Sky Lounge (or something similar) on all their ships even the "ancient" Summit which we revisited a few years ago. I did find the outdoor space aft of the Horizon Court on the Royal to be a good place to sit and watch the ocean, although it's also a smoking place (weren't any when I used it, fortunately). I also liked the lawn area on the Eclipse.

[pris993]

in the past 20 years, we have cruise Princess, Celebrity, Holland America, Cunard and NCL.... I rate Princess above all of them. We are elite on both Princess and Celebrity.... so that means we have cruised both a lot... Princess provides a more consistently good product over all for us. We are seniors have been cruising for 40 years on 9 different lines.

[Tatka]

in the past 20 years, we have cruise Princess, Celebrity, Holland America, Cunard and NCL.... I rate Princess above all of them. We are elite on both Princess and Celebrity.... so that means we have cruised both a lot... Princess provides a more consistently good product over all for us. We are seniors have been cruising for 40 years on 9 different lines.

 

 

 

For us Princess also wins overall if you take into consideration all things, although Cunard has bought us with quality of lounge entertainment, educational program, complete uncrowdness. Celebrity is more cozy than Princess.

[MicCanberra]

The two lines are more similar than different which for me means that itinerary, timing and price are the deciders before which line and /or which ship.

[wildtky101]

How does the sea day entertainment compare between Celebrity and Princess? We’ve sailed the Reflection and found that we didn’t have much to do during the day. I was just wondering how Princess compared to Celebrity in the daytime entertainment category (we usually sail NCL and it seemed there were more scheduled activities than on Celebrity).

 

 

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[MicCanberra]

How does the sea day entertainment compare between Celebrity and Princess? We’ve sailed the Reflection and found that we didn’t have much to do during the day. I was just wondering how Princess compared to Celebrity in the daytime entertainment category (we usually sail NCL and it seemed there were more scheduled activities than on Celebrity).

 

 

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I think this is one area that can really vary between ships and also itineraries. I have never had an issue with either line but have noticed that some cruise have so many more activities and also variety compared to other cruises.

[Tatka]

How does the sea day entertainment compare between Celebrity and Princess? We’ve sailed the Reflection and found that we didn’t have much to do during the day. I was just wondering how Princess compared to Celebrity in the daytime entertainment category (we usually sail NCL and it seemed there were more scheduled activities than on Celebrity).

 

 

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It is pretty similar and at the same time varies from ship to ship. Princess has little performances at Piazza during the day and nice Zumba classes outside at least on new ships.

 

We enjoy local entertainers who Princess invites sometimes

[Tatka]

I know that New Year celebration is fun on any line, but we had a blast on Royal celebrating 2017 New Year.

 

There were so many parties going on. British New Year in the pub, many hours of dancing in Piazza with eventual balloons drop. On upper deck there was a disco. On huge MUTS screen they shown where each Princess ship celebrates New Year. It was amazing!