Diehard X cruiser considering Princess

[chessbriar]

Hey I'd figure I let the experienced crossover cruisers give me their views of Princess. We have friends sailing on the Caribbean Princess later in the year who have asked us to join them.

 

If you look at my sailing history, I have done 10 cruises 8 with X. I am very leary of straying away from what I like to call our line. We've done Carnival, I wanted to shot myself, and we've done RCCL and while good, there were things I missed.

 

All I'm asking is enlighten me.

[Longboysfan]

Hey I'd figure I let the experienced crossover cruisers give me their views of Princess. We have friends sailing on the Caribbean Princess later in the year who have asked us to join them.

 

If you look at my sailing history, I have done 10 cruises 8 with X. I am very leary of straying away from what I like to call our line. We've done Carnival, I wanted to shot myself, and we've done RCCL and while good, there were things I missed.

 

All I'm asking is enlighten me.

 

I think you answerd your own question.

and while good, there were things I missed.

 

There are differances an expirenced X cruiser will notice.

[Seabee]

Rick...I did this very same thing last year, in fact last March. Somewhere on the boards is my report. In a nutshell Princess won the day for activities, rooms were a slight plus to Princess...service and food were Xs. I enjoyed the experience on the Carib Princess, altho I was told by the diehard Princess folks that the Carib Princess doesn't really reflect the true Princess experience.

 

All in all, I'd go on Princess again. One word of advice.....when we went, the Queen Bee and I made a pact not to mention X while on the cruise...no comparison, no "Well on X this would be ...", etc.

[cusyl]

I found that Princess, Celebrity and HAL are very similar. You will enjoy it, what's not to like being on the open sea!

[Fang]

I too may need to move to another line. If we do it will be with Princess ( I think). Princess has no connecting cabins, only the family suite for a lot of $$$$$.

 

For the past four years my family and I have always taken a cruise over Thanksgiving. No there are no one week cruises over Thanksgiving in 2006. So if we cruise that week, it will be on another line.

 

Due to babysitters watching my daughters for a week (so my wife and I can be without kids for a week) we need to go the first weekend in January 2007. The only one week cruise available for us is out of Fort Lauderdale (to the normal ports). We have done this cruise at least four times.

 

I wish X had better one week cruises the first part of January.

 

Having sailed with X for 16 times it will be very hard not to compare.

[Keith1010]

I always think it's good to cruise multiple cruise lines if you can as what one likes and dislikes is a matter of opinion. We have done six cruises on Celebrity and three on Princess.

 

From my own experiences I prefer Celebrity. I give the edge to Celebrity in food, service, accomodations and entertainment. I thought the ships were each nice. I would give the edge to Princess in their shore excursions as I thought they were better organized.

 

Overall, for the money, I prefer Celebrity.

 

But, for every person who prefers Celebrity there will be at least someone else who prefers Princess so I do think it's good to compare lines.

 

For what it's worth, if you pick up a copy of the Berlitz Ocean Cruising Book Celebrity is consistently rated higher than the other mass market cruise lines and in the most recent Conde Nest Traveler the readers who filled out the polls rated three of the Celebrity ships as the top three for large ships for Crew/Service, with none of the Princess ships ranked in the top five, for food and dining only four ships were ranked in the top four in the large ship category and Celebrity had all four ships, and for cabins out of the top four ranked large ships, Celebrity had ships ranked number 1 and three with none ranked for Princess in the top four. For itineraries, out of the top four large ships, Princess had one ship ranked number one and Celebrity had two ships ranked numbers 2 and 4 respectively. So, I also think this speaks very favorably of Celebrity.

 

Bottom line, if you can it's good to cruise multiple lines so you can decide for yourself and it also makes you appreciate whichever is your top line as you compare it to others.

 

Keith

[gkm]

Just in case you missed it, tuggers (Gail) just sailed on Princess and had a thread about it. Here's the link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=273619

 

Garry

[chessbriar]

For what it's worth, if you pick up a copy of the Berlitz Ocean Cruising Book Celebrity is consistently rated higher than the other mass market cruise lines and in the most recent Conde Nest Traveler the readers who filled out the polls rated three of the Celebrity ships as the top three for large ships for Crew/Service, with none of the Princess ships ranked in the top five, for food and dining only four ships were ranked in the top four in the large ship category and Celebrity had all four ships, and for cabins out of the top four ranked large ships, Celebrity had ships ranked number 1 and three with none ranked for Princess in the top four. For itineraries, out of the top four large ships, Princess had one ship ranked number one and Celebrity had two ships ranked numbers 2 and 4 respectively. So, I also think this speaks very favorably of Celebrity.

 

Keith

 

Thanks Keith. I know X usually rules the ship ratings. But after the fiasco on Carnival and Carnival own Princess I don't want to walk into another less that trilling cruise.

 

Garry,

 

Thanks for the link

[jax23]

We just returned from the Caribbean Princess on the 14th. Interesting, this being our third with Princess, we are ready to give Celebrity a try. I highly recommend Princess, though on the CP I was somewhat disappointed with the food. Not that it was bad, but that I had hoped it would be better. Dinners had some mediocre choices and the (Horizon Court) buffet was fine, tho a bit redundant and not always hot. As a whole, we love Princess - we have always had good experiences with service, the ships were great (Sun, Golden, CP) and we liked the older, more mature crowd (we are in our early 40's, no kids). The last two cruises we had an excellent cabin - the aft cabins with huge balconies (B748) where you can hear the wake all night and have a partial side view. Strangely, we did notice more ship movement this time (hardly any before), even tho this was one of the largest ships. Could have just been the rough weather tho. Itineraries and excursion choices were good, and Princess Cays (private island) has always been my favorite stop. One highlight was a balcony dinner we did for our anniversary (not advertised, but we found out about them on these boards - $100 per couple and well worth it). However we feel we have exhausted the Princess experience and now we are ready for a different ship layout and wanted to try Celebrity based on the good ratings and rumors of great food. I would definately give them a try!

[CGTNORMANDIE]

PRINCESS is a good mass market line. The Grand Class ships offer a lot for the $$ and actually have a better $$ value than Celelbrity...IF...you are into mass market cruising. The absolute best value on a Princess Grand Class ship is the Mini Suite...it is better than the Concierge Class cabin on Celebrity...but... There is always a BUT... The service and crew onboard Celebrity are better. They have a better system for service on Celebrity. Do not book a suite on Princess and expect the same "suite experience" you get on Celebrity...there is no comparison...not even in the same league as Celebrity. Stay with the outside balconey cabins or Mini Suites and you will have have great accomodations on Princess.

 

The food on Princess Grand Class is strictly mass market...good but not as good as Celebrity. Princess Grand Class has Stirling Steak House which has to be one of the best deals in alternative dining anywhere. I have to say that you can have a great time on Princess and there are a lot of things that make the energy level better on Princess than on Celebrity...but...the atmosphere is different...Celebrity seems to have a more upscale feeling. CARIBBEAN PRINCESS has a more crowded feeling...as it has 600 more pax than other Grand Class ships. The STAR PRINCESS seemed a bit subdued compared to CARIBBEAN PRINCESS as it had 600 less pax in the same space. Both ships are spectacular and have a lot of great features that set them apart from Celebrity Millennium Class ships.

 

All things being equal...we still prefer Celebrity but we have become disenchanted with all the price increases and extra charges onboard.

 

ROSS

[Druke I]

Well, we have some dozen plus cruises on Princess - and did try Celebrity's Mercury 3-04.

 

We enjoyed Celebrity, thought their food in the main dining room somewhat better than Princess', thought food in Lido better on Princess.

 

We thought Princess' production shows better staged.

 

Recognize that food and entertainment opinions are very subjective.

 

We do think that Princess has many more interesting itineraries than Celebrity; but their fleet is much bigger.

 

We tried Oceania's Regatta into the Baltic this past summer, and were very impressed. Their food was much better than Celebrity, HAL, or even Crystal.

 

Isn't it wonderful we have so many choices?

[danerdoo]

With 6 Celebrity cruises completed (7th booked for April '06) and 2 Princess completed, I thought I'd offer my opinion.

 

My first Princess cruise, Dawn, Dec 2004 - I was pleasantly surprised. However, my next one, on the Caribbean Princess, May 2005 - I was very very disappointed.

 

The service was lacking to an extreme degree. As an example, one hot day at sea, my friend and I ordered a couple of drinks from a bar server. A beer for me, a pina colada for my friend. After taking our order, the server proceeded to circle the entire deck taking additional orders before going to the bar to have the drinks made.

 

Now with a tray full of drinks, he begins the circle again of delivering the drinks. As luck would have it, we were at the "end" of his loop and I got a warm beer and my friend got to "enjoy" a milky pineapple/coconut drink. :mad: hmmm

 

Are they trained to serve that way? Was he just trying to maximize his tips? I don't know, but I can't remember a bar server on X doing that.

 

In general, the service is just not as nice on Princess as on X.

 

Just one aspect to consider. I know service does not make a cruise, at least it doesn't for me, but I think you'll also find it lacking.

 

My opinion....go ahead and try it once. Then maybe you can help someone else in your quandry.

 

Enjoy!

[merela]

the perks being a frequent Princess cruiser.

 

Being a Princess platinum member, you get free uses of internet. This may not mean much for a short 7-day cruise, but for longer cruises, having access to the internet is great.

 

Being a Princess elite member, you get free bar set up and free hors D'oeuvres before formal nights.

 

Free laundry service is a great perk too.

 

You can get really good prices on the Princess. In many cases for $65-$70 per day (inside cabin guarantee), if you are not picky about the dates you travel. That's $150 per day per couple. It's hard to find a vacation where you get room and board (and entertainment) for that price.

[aloanldy]

Chessbriar - I have had a friend Sail on Caribbean Princess and he said the ships dimensions were kind of choppy as far as the design of the ship.

He said food was good and service was good, but he prefers Royal Caribbeans layout.

 

He did say that while Princess had the big screens and the movies they were very crowded and loud.

 

He didn't really say anything horribly derrogatory so I'd have to say it'd be a ship i'd try.

 

Have a great sailing adventure.

 

Charlie

[rubrrick]

I have read the prior thoughts with great interest.

 

My DW and I travel in suites, both on Princess and on X. Our last trip on Princess was several years ago. To make a long story short, Princess has such a lack of service for their suites, that it will be a long time before we sail with then again.

 

Rick

[phdiva]

But after the fiasco on Carnival and Carnival own Princess I don't want to walk into another less that trilling cruise.

 

Carnival and Princess are two totally different experiences. The mere thought of taking another cruise on Carnival gives me a headache, but I've completely enjoyed my cruises on Princess and Celebrity.

[chasetf]

I found that Princess, Celebrity and HAL are very similar. You will enjoy it, what's not to like being on the open sea!

Although as you can see we frequent Princess, we have tried the others. I have no desire to try Carnival (hate their decor - looks like a cat house) but RCCL looks interesting enough to try.

 

My wife likes the HAL food better (althought they all are a toss up to me). My only complaint about X food was not being able to get a rare or medium/rare steak. We had probably the best service we ever had on the Zenith.

[sacway]

chessbriar -

 

We too are longtime X cruisers (10 yrs, 7 cruises) and had done only one other, RCCL (match your opinion,) before just this past month, Golden Princess Southern Caribbean. there's a thread on this cruise over on the Princess board that has several posts just on comparing the two experiences, at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=267779. What pushed us to try Princess was not the cruise experience per se, but mgmt operations and the fooling around with itineraries this past fall for no declared purpose (yanked Grenada, then put it back after too much yelping from the customers)

 

Agree with others your best bet is a minisuite. The upgraded amenities and bedding really give the cabin & overall experience a lift. Food IMHO is better and more consistent overall on X, but after 7 cruises, I was ready for a change in menus, and I appreciated the fresh papaya every morning in the buffet (the only time we'd eat there). I like the art and architecture of the X line, especially the Century class; the Grand class ships are nice, not garish. A big plus for Princess was the range of friendly 24-hour services offered at the main desk (no waiting for the Bank to open). A few other nice differences, okay wait staff in traditional dining.

 

The other difference, and this is huge if you (have to) cruise over school holidays, was the behavior of kids on board. Had a fraction of the trouble with kids on Princess than is common on X. Also, virtually no chair hogs.

 

We'll go back to X before too long, but may try Oceania first, or else Regal Princess.

[chessbriar]

Well, we're doing it. We're sailing on the CB in October. Thanks to everyone for their input.

[kysupt]

We are experienced X cruisers. We decided to "try something different" by going on the Caribbean Princess on 1/14. While I would not say that it was a bad experience, it certainly was not great. This is a HUGE ship with an inadequate staff to guest ratio. We were not pleased with the embarkation process as we had to stand for an extended period in a vefry long line. In the buffet you had to search extensively for a table while your food was getting cold. Never enough pool chairs. It just became very difficult to forget how crowded the ship really was. The staff worked hard and maintained a positive attitude. The food and entertainment were not up to X standards. I did enjoy Sterlings, one of their specialty restaurants.

 

We have tried it and will remain with Celebrity.

[Liat]

We have six Celebrity cruises - 2 Infinity - 2 Galaxy - 1 Millennium and 1 Mercury. We have sailed with Princess 3 times, on Sun Princess, Regal Princess and Diamond Princess. All are reviewed in depth under my name - Philip M. Haggerty - on http://www.cruisereviews.com

The food and food service is defintely better on Celebrity. They staff their dining rooms so that each team only has a maximum of 12 people. This results in more liesurely, personable service, with no sense of being rushed.

Of course we much prefer traditional seating rather than scrambling for meals at different times and in different venues with Princess's Personal Choice dining. This last is what we had on Diamond Princess, and we did not enjoy it. Frankly, Diamond Princess is just too big!

Entertainment varies by cruise, although Princess's custom of repeating some shows had advantages. The "small" entertainment - string quartets and solo performers on Celebrity were better.

We liked the cabins better on all the X ships. Although Diamond Princess was very new when we sailed on it, we thought the cabin sterile and the bathroom plastic.

We did cruise tours with Princess twice - one was a six day middle Europe tour taking in Budapest, Vienna and Prague before going to Copenhagen for a Baltic cruise on Regal Princess. We also did a four day land tour in Alaska at the end of our Sun Princess trip. Both of these land tours were extremely well done. Princess deserves a lot of credit for these tours.

It is difficult to compare sea day entertainment because there were only two sea days on the Baltic cruise, effectively none on the Alaska cruise and three on the Mexican Riviera on Diamond Princess. Celebrity had a number of sea days on our transatlantic trip and four on the Hawaii cruise, plus several on the Panama Canal trip. Celebrity does a pretty good job with these; I think a lot better than Princess.

Generally the space ratio for passengers is higher on Celebrity and the passenger-crew ratio better also; although service on Princess is very good and its e-mail plan of a flat low per minute charge - no minimums or mandatory blocks of time, is the best at sea.

We like the fact that Captain's Club members on X do not have to pay a deviation charge if we decide to arrive days early or leave days late.

Of course Princess, with its larger fleet, has a much wider choice in cruises, and can visit some more exotic places. This becomes more appealing as our cruises mount up. We are sailing on Constellation to New England and Canada this fall, on Expedition to the Galapagos in January and a RT to Hawaii next April because BW loves Hawaii. But after that we may have to look beyond Celebrity for cruises to places we have not visited.

So, if the cruise itineraries are basically the same, and you can find the same type of stateroom for the same price, or close, opt for Celebrity.

[Oxo]

Having sailed all the major cruise lines, Princess is still our favorite. No one cruise line is the best. It is what you enjoy. Food, cabin, service is very subjective. We have had both good and bad on all. We sailed Mercury on 11/05 and it was poor food, service, etc. So, try a different cruise line and make you own judgments.

[Loracpin2]

My husband and I are Elite Capt's Club members who just returned from our first Princess cruise. We were on the Jan. 14 sailing of the Sapphire Princess to the Mexican Riviera. We chose this cruise because we wanted to experience Personal Choice Dining, but I'll get to that later. I'll try to make my comments as balanced as possible.

 

POSITIVES: The ship is absolutely beautiful and meticulously maintained. Public rooms are wonderful with dark woods everywhere. Individual restaurants are small and intimate. We had a mini-suite, which I have to agree, is much nicer than a Concierge Class stateroom. Larger standard balcony, full size sofa in sitting area, walk-in closet, bath tub, etc. I would also have to say that our room steward was as attentive as any we had on Celebrity cruise. Very good choices of entertainment with different shows scheduled simultaneuously in various venues. This worked very well for us because my husband much prefers comedians than the usual productions shows.

 

NEGATIVES: Personal Choice (now called Anytime) Dining is not what we expected. We called to make reservations for either 7:00 or 7:30. I was told our choices were 6:15 or 8:00 for reservations. I again requested our personal choices and again was told that wasn't possible. I guess their definition of "anytime" and ours is very different. As for the food, it was OK. Some meals were better than others but nothing was excellent. This is also true for their specialty restaurant, Sabitini's. As you would expect, since people eat in different restuarants each night and all the tips are pooled, the service was OK too. It did improved greatly when we decided to eat in the Vivaldi restaurant 3 times and request the same wait staff. They took great cares of us and we took great care of them. The Horizon Buffet was a disappointment as well. No Omlet Station, no Waffle and Pancake Station, no Pasta Station, same boring desserts, etc.

 

As a result of this cruise, however, we are faced with a dilema. We're booked on the Millenium this fall for a Med. cruise. With all the negatives on the Boards recently on the condition of this ship, do we stay with Celebrity and go with better food and service or change to Princess and sail on better maintained ships with no sewer smells?

[sddiver]

Great game the other day.

 

Princess hugh, I guess the lack of caribbean intineraires have taken a toll?

Pam and I have done two. The Star for a 7 day Mex Riviera and The Dawn for a 10 day Southern Caribbean. They compare very favorably with X though they may lack for a few things here and there. I know you and Kathy will find the martini bar no problem. I have had friends take that ship and enjoyed themselves. I prefer the smaller older Sun Class just because of the size and amount of people on those big ones. Get your reservations in early to secure traditional seating or you will get stuck with the anytime dining which can be lame.

 

Rich

 

PS did you paint the walls of the baby's room or is that wallpaper?

[sacway]

Recommend you decide early if you are interested in Anytime Dining or Traditional and if the latter get in the queue even if there are no places available. We were 150+ in line for early seating but were able to get a spot through a visit to the Maitre d' right after boarding. The Princess board has a number of threads on this topic so you'll be able to learn +/- of dining options.