B2B2B on Royal Princess, MSC Seaside and Celebrity Equinox. A comparison review.

[MikeyA53]

11 hours ago, matondo said:

Thank you for taking the time to review your B2B2B...I am a long time fan. We are Celebrity fans and have sailed twice on the Equinox.

 

Not sure if I missed it, but did you post any updates on your children. I think most of us long time followers feel like we watched them grow up starting with your first review of your B2B2B2B.

 

 

Arielle now 24 and Michel 22 are doing just fine, waiting for the day they give us grandkids so we can introduce the new generation to cruising.

Edited January 27, 2019 by MikeyA53

[MikeyA53]

9 hours ago, 4cats4me said:

Still enjoying your comprehensive, excellent review! 

 

Thank you.

[MikeyA53]

6 hours ago, Cruisin' Along said:

I enjoyed your review. Thanks for taking the time to write this. 

 

 

Thanks😄

[MikeyA53]

4 hours ago, bvm49 said:

Mike, you've really got me so hooked with your great writing style that I searched your past reviews for more. Although we've never been on any of your previous ships in almost 40 cruises (actually we've never been on any Carnival ships); I read some of your previous reviews. 

 

Even though I'm not a romantic at heart; I would recommend that your new followers read your review titled: "Mike & Tracy’s Excellent Adventure: B2B2B2B on Destiny, Imagination, Valor, Freedom" from Sep 2010. This contains the most moving account of your "improved" wedding proposal and renewal of vows on the cruise. I agree with the many other posters who said it was the best story ever on Cruise Critic Forums. 

Thanks again and keep up the great work

Brian

 

 

Thanks Brian for the glowing endorsement of my previous reviews. 

[MikeyA53]

Summary

 

 

 

Royal Princess　

 

 

 

Very good: Free in cabin movies, self serve laundry, allowed to bring wine, bottled water and soda onboard, not crowded, walking/running track, ice cream shop (Gelato)

 

 

Good: Ship, food, service, cabin, entertainment, gym, buffet variety, activities, staff friendliness, passenger friendliness, specialty coffee and desserts (International Café)

 

 

Fair: Only 2 specialty restaurants

 

Bad: Spa and gym on different decks

 

 

 

Very bad: Balcony

 

 

 

 

　

 

MSC Seaside:

 

 

 

Very good: Entertainment, spa, ship, activities, cruise critic party, embarkation

 

 

Good: Food, gym

 

 

Fair: staff friendliness, passenger friendliness, pre-cruise laundry special, crowded at times, specialty coffee and desserts (Venchi Cioccogelateria-Coffee Bar)

 

 

Bad: Activity prices (bowling, cinema, etc.), buffet selection, noisy at time, in cabin movies $8

 

 

Very bad: No walking/running track, specialty restaurant menu and prices

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrity Equinox:

 

 

Very good: Food, cabin, balcony, passenger friendliness, buffet variety, gym, allowed to bring wine, bottled water and soda onboard, embarkation, not crowded, specialty coffee and desserts (Café al Bacio)

 

 

Good: Staff friendliness, service, cruise critic party, ice cream shop (Gelateria)

 

 

Fair: Ship, walking/running track

 

 

Bad: Entertainment, activities, in cabin 6 free movies (others $15), activities

 

 

Very bad: Best laundry special was $49

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After returning home someone asked Tracy which ship she preferred and her answer was MSC Seaside because of the entertainment. I can’t decide between Princess and Celebrity. Princess had lots of things that were either very good or good but being a ‘foodie’ Celebrity’s cuisine was first rate.

 

 

We are planning another B2B2B for November 2019. We prefer to cruise on a different ship every time we cruise, in other words we do not like to repeat the same ship twice. We looked at Princess, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean (never been on RC) Norwegian, Holland America and Carnival. We prefer cruising out of the cruise capital area of the world (Miami & Fort Lauderdale). It makes it easier to combine cruises together. When booking a ship we look at the ship itself (Prefer newer ships), the prices and the itineraries. We wanted to include another Celebrity ships if possible but because most of their ships do not stick with a 7 day schedule (The length of their cruise keeps changing from week to week) it was not feasible to include them. The ships we looked at from Norwegian and Holland America were too expensive and Carnival was not a good fit.

 

 

Finally we booked a 7 days cruise on Royal Caribbean Allure of the Sea leaving from Fort Lauderdale on Nov 3, 2019, with stops at St. Kitt, St. Thomas and Coco Cay. Then on Nov 10 we embark on Regal Princess for a 7 day cruise out of Fort Lauderdale to Princess Cay, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Finally on Nov 17 we take an Uber to Miami and get on MSC Meraviglia for a 7 day cruise to Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Grand Cayman Islands, Cozumel and Ocean Cay.

 

 

However, approximately 6 weeks after booking MSC Meraviglia we got a notice advising that our 7 day cruise had changed to a 4 day and a 3 day cruise with only Ocean Cay as a port for each cruise. They offered us $100 OBC for the inconvenience but we declined and cancelled. We then booked Crown Princess leaving on Nov 17 for a 10 day cruise out of Fort Lauderdale to Bonaire, Curacao, Grenada, Dominica, St. Thomas and Grand Turk.

 

 

Overall we are happy with the change, all three cruises are leaving on three consecutive Sundays out of Fort Lauderdale. Fortunately we have an aft cabin on Regal Princess  with a large balcony and on Crown Princess we also got lucky and got a balcony cabin on the Caribe deck which has large balconies compared to the other decks.

 

 

In closing I would like to post my favorite sunrise and sunset photos taken over the course of our cruises. Cheers! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In San Juan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bye

 

Edited January 27, 2019 by MikeyA53

[moresun]

Thanks so much, I really enjoyed your review and appreciate all the work involved. Fantastic job!

[trbarton]

Thanks for your review. 

 

A question....If your able it would be nice to see each area that you talked about & indicate which ship you like the best/preferred  or if it was a tie. 

 

Tom😎

[MikeyA53]

2 hours ago, moresun said:

Thanks so much, I really enjoyed your review and appreciate all the work involved. Fantastic job!

 

 

Thank you

[MikeyA53]

2 hours ago, trbarton said:

Thanks for your review. 

 

A question....If your able it would be nice to see each area that you talked about & indicate which ship you like the best/preferred  or if it was a tie. 

 

Tom😎

 

Tracy preferred MSC Seaside, liked I said in my review I couldn't decide between  Princess and Celebrity. Overall looking at all 6 cruise lines I have sailed on, I think Norwegian is at the top, then I would put Carnival, Princess and Celebrity second, and in third Holland America and MSC. However I would not hesitate to cruise on all six again. 

 

Funny thing is Tracy's two favorite cruise lines are Holland America and MSC. Goes to show we all have different opinions.

[Cafedumonde]

Thanks for the review.   I have been hoping you would post another review!  You and Tracy are a beautiful couple.  We are sailing on Princess Regal this year (1st time on Princess), so it was interesting to get your take on her sister ship Royal Princess.  We have three kids so it was an oh no moment to see you post the average age on the ship as 65-70 !  This will be an interesting cruise for us I guess.  I might have missed it in your review, but did you have the medallion on Princess? Thanks again.

[CruisingIsBest]

One of the most enjoyable overall reviews I've seen. Loved the comparisons, photos, and your reviews overall... thanks for the effort! Why don't you do your next B2B's out of Miami next time? Regal is a carbon copy of Royal... While other brands change things up with each new ship, even in the same class,  Princess doesn't innovate at all... even the brand new Sky has pretty much nothing new, expect expensive new suites. You mentioned having only the two specialties on Princess (if you don't count Crab Shack which is just a dressed up section of the Horizon Court), and that will again be the same on Royal. I do agree the awful placement of the spa on deck 5 and the gym on top. I'm Elite on Princess and I'll be back on Regal in a few weeks... only for price. Been on Regal and Royal many times, but this will be the last Princess cruise for me until they come out with the new class of ships in a few years... just too boring and stale. Royal class ships do have one of the best buffets on the seas and I'm just hoping they don't blunder that up too. Crown Grill used to be outstanding... but it has gotten so bad it's not worth the $29 unless you have OBC to burn. Terrible cuts of meat and odds are they won't cook it right either. Sabatini's new menu is awful... they try to be too fancy and they just fail vs. sticking to the the good old Italian favorites, and getting them right. Celebrity specialties blow Princess away in every regard. 

So why not try something like NCl to RCCL to Carnival out of Miami?? All newer ships. Can't speak to Carnival and RCCL, but NCL was a blast... the spa and thermal suite were huge and you can see outside unlike being in the dungeon. So many dining options you can't visit them all. Ship was "alive". Going to try Bliss in October. Regal will just be a rinse & repeat, even with the bigger balcony. And Crown? Nah. 13 years old, and everything you saw on Royal is the there too... except smaller Horizon Court, and everything else, just older. At least the spa is up with the gym though!  🙂 Thanks again!! 

[MikeyA53]

16 hours ago, Cafedumonde said:

Thanks for the review.   I have been hoping you would post another review!  You and Tracy are a beautiful couple.  We are sailing on Princess Regal this year (1st time on Princess), so it was interesting to get your take on her sister ship Royal Princess.  We have three kids so it was an oh no moment to see you post the average age on the ship as 65-70 !  This will be an interesting cruise for us I guess.  I might have missed it in your review, but did you have the medallion on Princess? Thanks again.

 

Thanks, I believe the average age will fluctuate depending on the time of the year you sail. Royal did not have medallion, apparently they are in the process of installing it now. Have a wonderful cruise.

[MikeyA53]

3 hours ago, CruisingIsBest said:

One of the most enjoyable overall reviews I've seen. Loved the comparisons, photos, and your reviews overall... thanks for the effort! Why don't you do your next B2B's out of Miami next time? Regal is a carbon copy of Royal... While other brands change things up with each new ship, even in the same class,  Princess doesn't innovate at all... even the brand new Sky has pretty much nothing new, expect expensive new suites. You mentioned having only the two specialties on Princess (if you don't count Crab Shack which is just a dressed up section of the Horizon Court), and that will again be the same on Royal. I do agree the awful placement of the spa on deck 5 and the gym on top. I'm Elite on Princess and I'll be back on Regal in a few weeks... only for price. Been on Regal and Royal many times, but this will be the last Princess cruise for me until they come out with the new class of ships in a few years... just too boring and stale. Royal class ships do have one of the best buffets on the seas and I'm just hoping they don't blunder that up too. Crown Grill used to be outstanding... but it has gotten so bad it's not worth the $29 unless you have OBC to burn. Terrible cuts of meat and odds are they won't cook it right either. Sabatini's new menu is awful... they try to be too fancy and they just fail vs. sticking to the the good old Italian favorites, and getting them right. Celebrity specialties blow Princess away in every regard. 

So why not try something like NCl to RCCL to Carnival out of Miami?? All newer ships. Can't speak to Carnival and RCCL, but NCL was a blast... the spa and thermal suite were huge and you can see outside unlike being in the dungeon. So many dining options you can't visit them all. Ship was "alive". Going to try Bliss in October. Regal will just be a rinse & repeat, even with the bigger balcony. And Crown? Nah. 13 years old, and everything you saw on Royal is the there too... except smaller Horizon Court, and everything else, just older. At least the spa is up with the gym though!  🙂 Thanks again!! 

 

Thanks. We have been on Norwegian Escape and Getaway and I really enjoyed them. We have also done 13 cruises on Carnival. However I have to disagree with you concerning Crown Grill and Sabatini’s, we enjoyed both of them and looking forward to going again.  In addition we want to do the chef’s table on Regal.. Crown Princess is a 10 day cruise with a really good itinerary. They also have the Salty Dog that sounds interesting.

Edited January 28, 2019 by MikeyA53

[CruisingIsBest]

1 hour ago, MikeyA53 said:

 

Thanks. We have been on Norwegian Escape and Getaway and I really enjoyed them. We have also done 13 cruises on Carnival. However I have to disagree with you concerning Crown Grill and Sabatini’s, we enjoyed both of them and looking forward to going again.  In addition we want to do the chef’s table on Regal.. Crown Princess is a 10 day cruise with a really good itinerary. They also have the Salty Dog that sounds interesting.

I've done the Chef's table three times... it's been a while, but I think it might have been a much grander affair a few years back. We got the cook books, like 5 apps in the kitchen along with enough wine to get you rolling before you even sit at the table! Then they just starting bringing out one dish after another with the main course being very extravagant. It was amazing each time. Glad you enjoyed Crown and Sabatini's... just been so many times, and have seen the constant drop. As long as you had a good time, that's all that counts!! I've read so many unfavorable reviews lately that I'm eager to see for myself in a few weeks. I'll remain hopeful. Princess still has some of the best Elite benefits, of any line and I love the front facing cabins. In the end, even a not so good cruise is better than Connecticut in winter, right? 

[MikeyA53]

35 minutes ago, CruisingIsBest said:

I've done the Chef's table three times... it's been a while, but I think it might have been a much grander affair a few years back. We got the cook books, like 5 apps in the kitchen along with enough wine to get you rolling before you even sit at the table! Then they just starting bringing out one dish after another with the main course being very extravagant. It was amazing each time. Glad you enjoyed Crown and Sabatini's... just been so many times, and have seen the constant drop. As long as you had a good time, that's all that counts!! I've read so many unfavorable reviews lately that I'm eager to see for myself in a few weeks. I'll remain hopeful. Princess still has some of the best Elite benefits, of any line and I love the front facing cabins. In the end, even a not so good cruise is better than Connecticut in winter, right? 

We’ve also done the chef’s table several times on other cruise lines, always nice to try a new one.

[CRLess]

I think I have attended 3 or 4 Chef's Tables on Princess, but never on the Regal or Royal.  The Lumiere setting looks pretty awesome.  Most people don't realize there is also two other options on the Royal and Regal for an upcharge dining experience.  First is the Winemaker's Dinner, which is a 5 course meal paired with wines served in the Wine Cellar in the main dining rooms.  I believe it is done 3-4 times per cruise and is a great value at $40/pp.  The second is the Super Tuscan Wine Dinner which is done once a cruise in Sabatinis.  It also is a 5 course meal paired with Italian wines and runs somewhere around $60/pp.  We have done both the Winemaker's and Super Tuscan several times...both are outstanding meals for the value.

[FLCruise7]

Be sure to check out Alfredo's when you're on the Regal later this year - one of our favorite places!!  The veal stuffed ravioli is oh, so yummy!!  I always get the salad, ravioli and tiramisu!  Like a specialty restaurant without the upcharge.

[MikeyA53]

9 hours ago, CRLess said:

I think I have attended 3 or 4 Chef's Tables on Princess, but never on the Regal or Royal.  The Lumiere setting looks pretty awesome.  Most people don't realize there is also two other options on the Royal and Regal for an upcharge dining experience.  First is the Winemaker's Dinner, which is a 5 course meal paired with wines served in the Wine Cellar in the main dining rooms.  I believe it is done 3-4 times per cruise and is a great value at $40/pp.  The second is the Super Tuscan Wine Dinner which is done once a cruise in Sabatinis.  It also is a 5 course meal paired with Italian wines and runs somewhere around $60/pp.  We have done both the Winemaker's and Super Tuscan several times...both are outstanding meals for the value.

 

We did the Super Tuscan so next time in addition to the chef’s table we will try the Winemaker’s.

[MikeyA53]

7 hours ago, FLCruise7 said:

Be sure to check out Alfredo's when you're on the Regal later this year - one of our favorite places!!  The veal stuffed ravioli is oh, so yummy!!  I always get the salad, ravioli and tiramisu!  Like a specialty restaurant without the upcharge.

 

We will definitely make a few visits to Alfredo’s over the course of our two cruises on Princess Regal and Crown. 

[hllwdcruiser]

Thanks again for this wonderful review. I found your comparisons extremely helpful and your positive attitude made the entire adventure enjoyable.

 

Did you happen to do the same type of review for NCL? I need to check out your profile. It's been years since I sailed on that line but have been reconsidering after reading so many good things about it.

 

I did take the time to read your vow renewal thread that was linked here. You truly do have a beautiful family and Tracy sure is one lucky woman and you are one lucky man. DH is a LEO down here in South FL. He is also the quiet type but, unlike you, doesn't have much romance in him. I showed him how you surprised Tracy....not that I think it will do any good, but a girl can always hope!

[MikeyA53]

6 hours ago, hllwdcruiser said:

Thanks again for this wonderful review. I found your comparisons extremely helpful and your positive attitude made the entire adventure enjoyable.

 

Did you happen to do the same type of review for NCL? I need to check out your profile. It's been years since I sailed on that line but have been reconsidering after reading so many good things about it.

 

I did take the time to read your vow renewal thread that was linked here. You truly do have a beautiful family and Tracy sure is one lucky woman and you are one lucky man. DH is a LEO down here in South FL. He is also the quiet type but, unlike you, doesn't have much romance in him. I showed him how you surprised Tracy....not that I think it will do any good, but a girl can always hope!

 

Thank you, glad you enjoyed my reviews. Below is a link to a B2B we did on Carnival Vista and Norwegian Getaway. Good luck with your husband.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2356583-mike-amp-tracys-continuing-adventures-b2b-on-carnival-vista-amp-norwegean-getaway/

[hllwdcruiser]

18 hours ago, MikeyA53 said:

 

Thank you, glad you enjoyed my reviews. Below is a link to a B2B we did on Carnival Vista and Norwegian Getaway. Good luck with your husband.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2356583-mike-amp-tracys-continuing-adventures-b2b-on-carnival-vista-amp-norwegean-getaway/

 

Thanks for the link - it was another wonderful review. NCL does look tempting but I think the only thing that would deter me are all the venues that require an up-sell. I understand this is the trend of mainstream cruising, I guess you just have to budget for it.

[greenie082756]

Excellent review! I think you were quite fair and equal in all of your observations.

We have only cruised with Disney and Princess. Hope to try another cruise line or two once hubby retires in about 2 years.

 

We are taking the Royal Princess to Alaska at the end of the season (September) and this will be our 2nd cruise to Alaska. For myself, the experience of having all of your senses alive while seeing that beautiful state is refreshing to the soul. We have never been on the Royal and thanks for the few tips you showed like Deck 19. 

 

Again, thank you for taking the time to share. 

[SenatorsFan]

Mike, it's so nice to see you back again! Thanks for another wonderful review and all of the great pictures.

Heather

[MikeyA53]

22 hours ago, greenie082756 said:

Excellent review! I think you were quite fair and equal in all of your observations.

We have only cruised with Disney and Princess. Hope to try another cruise line or two once hubby retires in about 2 years.

 

We are taking the Royal Princess to Alaska at the end of the season (September) and this will be our 2nd cruise to Alaska. For myself, the experience of having all of your senses alive while seeing that beautiful state is refreshing to the soul. We have never been on the Royal and thanks for the few tips you showed like Deck 19. 

 

Again, thank you for taking the time to share. 

 

Thanks, I  appreciate it.