Princess Vs. RCCL vs. Celebrity

[MixerDave]

We will be taking our first Princess cruise this year.  We been on 2 Celebrity cruises, and have just returned from a RCCL cruise.  We were disapointed in Royal Caribbean, and vowed to never sail them again.  Our friends who were "loyal to Royal" agreed with us, and the have 20+ cruises on them.

 

What can we expect?  The latest Royal cruise I would lump into a cruise on Carnival.

[roxievegas]

We had only done Celebrity until last year.  We prefer the room size of Celebrity compared to Princess.  But everything else is equal to us.  We currently have two more Princess cruises coming up in Oct

[4cats4me]

We’ve done over 20 Princess,  four Celebrity and 3 Royal Caribbean (and a Carnival. 😉)

We like all three cruiselines for different reasons.  We feel that Princess and X have more similarities that Princess and RCCL.   Princess has an older demographic than X these days, but Princess entertainment is far better than X’s, ie, much more cruise staff, lots of entertainment venues.  Royal definitely has a more wild vibe than Princess, from what I’ve experienced, 

we like the food on X and Princess equally and rate Royal a notch below both lines.  Out of the four cruiselines, even Carnival had better food.  Of course, it depends on the specific ships cruise and who the chefs are, too, or whether you like to eat at specialty restaurants vs buffets, too many factors to consider. For a short time we rated X’s food above all cruiselines we’ve been on, but through the years, their food isn’t even close to what it was almost 20 years ago.  However, it is still good.  Not sure which Princess ship you will be traveling on, but the older ones are not as good as the Solstice class on Celebrity.  The Regal, Royal and newer ships will be more like Solstice, and the Grand Class will not be as good as the Millennium Class, just my HUMBLE opinion.  

If you are going on a port intensive cruise, then you might not care as much.  

We book based on itinerary first if going to Europe, and ship attributes first, if going to a repeat destination when we know we will be spending a lot of time on the ship.  

 

We just got off the Royal Princess ship Mexican Riviera cand had a great cruise.  The crowd was quite youthful, and I even commented to my husband that it felt more fun, like Royal Caribbean. 

While onboard I had so much fun that I was considering cancelling our upcoming X cruise on Equinox, since we loved the atrium entertainment on the Royal Princess so much, and they have such limited entertainment on X.  

Without knowing you or your itinerary or your likes or dislikes, it is hard to know what you will enjoy, though.   😀

 

Edited April 27, 2019 by 4cats4me

[BarbinMich]

We've done 50+ cruises and started out with Celebrity for our first cruises in the late 1990s.  Then we started branching out to Princess and HAL, but still doing a few on Celebrity (Eclipse in the Med, 2014; Summit in Can/NE in 2015).  Have done 8 on HAL, including our last one cruise in 2017.  We're now Elite on both Princess and Celebrity, but definitely prefer Princess.  It's the best fit for us, but "fit" is a very personal thing.  Also depends on whether you cruise mostly in the Caribbean or have (or want to) branch out by cruising in Europe.  We did the latter almost exclusively by doing transatlantic cruises, either eastbound in the spring or westbound in the fall.  Lot more sea days than in the Caribbean <g>, but offer a good value IMHO and only one overseas flight.  We have done 10 TAs in the last 10 years.  So some food for thought.

[satxdiver]

We started on RCCL, then tried HAL followed by CCL and finally settled on Princess.  Over time we decided RCCL was not to our liking as they made more and more obnoxious changes in our opinion.  The lure of RCCL's climbing wall, zip lines and gargantuan ships does not do anything for us as we get older.  Our one cruise on HAL was mostly older seniors and the ship was dead after dinner so we crossed it off our list.  We joked about needing walker insurance (type that older pax use) with an endorsement for scooters.   Our first cruise on CCL was a complete disaster on a cruise ship that should have been in the junk yard.  After many enticements from CCL we finally relented and did a cruise on Magic that at the time was their second newest ship.  The experience was much better but still it was CCL with their usual literally hundreds of rugrats running around.  We now cruise occasionally on CCL because we can drive to the port in 4 hours over expressways and they keep their newer ships at the port.   Someday we will have to check our X.

 

[BarbinMich]

12 hours ago, satxdiver said:

. . .Our first cruise on CCL was a complete disaster on a cruise ship that should have been in the junk yard.  After many enticements from CCL we finally relented and did a cruise on Magic that at the time was their second newest ship.  The experience was much better but still it was CCL with their usual literally hundreds of rugrats running around.  We now cruise occasionally on CCL because we can drive to the port in 4 hours over expressways and they keep their newer ships at the port.   Someday we will have to check our X.

 

We've only been on a Carnival cruise once and that's only because my husband's college alum group sponsored a cruise.  We survived <g>.  This was 10 years ago and the ship was already 13 years old (still running today).  While the cabin was very spacious, the decor in the public areas was dark and garish.  It was fun to sail out of Tampa (and under that bridge!) and since it was only a 5-day cruise, we spent another 5 days on the beach at St. Pete.  I realize the newer ships are much nicer than the Inspiration, but we find a much better fit on Celebrity, HAL and Princess.

[4cats4me]

4 hours ago, BarbinMich said:

We've only been on a Carnival cruise once and that's only because my husband's college alum group sponsored a cruise.  We survived <g>.  This was 10 years ago and the ship was already 13 years old (still running today).  While the cabin was very spacious, the decor in the public areas was dark and garish.  It was fun to sail out of Tampa (and under that bridge!) and since it was only a 5-day cruise, we spent another 5 days on the beach at St. Pete.  I realize the newer ships are much nicer than the Inspiration, but we find a much better fit on Celebrity, HAL and Princess.

 

It’s been 27 years since my only Carnival cruise, and I am still a little traumatized. 😂 

[OCruisers]

MixerDave (OP) if you liked Celebrity, you'll be fine on Princess and find no "Culture Shock"!  

[Cruise Raider]

We are elite on both Celebrity and Princess and Diamond on RCCL.  We've also sailed a few times on each NCL, Carnival and Holland America.  All have different aspects of focus and I actually wouldn't hesitate to sail on any one of these lines again but would pick my itineraries and timing carefully when sailing on the more family friendly lines.  

 

What was it about RCCL that you didn't like?  We've most recently sailed on the Explorer of the Seas and thought she was one of the most beautiful ships on which we've sailed and their entertainment was phenomenal. 

But, we find the food is so much better on Celebrity and Princess than on RCCL, with our most recent cruise on Princess (April on the Royal) having some of the best food we've ever had on a cruise.  However, there were noticeable cutbacks and that is just since last fall.  The new dining times that Princess implemented are just such a big hassle for their passengers.  The service from some, but certainly not all, got a failing grade.  Their entertainment venues are never large enough for their scheduled shows and events.  But, their new beds ... they are best you will find on any cruise line, especially those ones on RCCL.  The newer Princess ships are maintained quite nicely, not so much for their older ships, though.  The Ocean Medallion is so very nice ... we didn't even know how much we'd appreciate it until day 2.  The wifi with those ships with the Medallion Net is also awesome as is the On Demand TV, the ability to order drinks, locate those you are traveling with and check your bill from your own device, etc.  I would highly recommend the Royal Class ship for the best of what they have to offer. 

 

The demographics on Princess tend to run a little younger and more family friendly than on Celebrity but probably not as many as you'd find on RCCL.  All really depends on the timing and length of the itinerary.  There are no rock climbing wall or surf riders on Princess but they have a lot of activities / events set up in the Piazza and you will find a mini golf course or at least a putting area on most ships.  

 

Princess also allows you to stack some offers  (not so with RCCL and Celebrity).  You can apply for military, past passenger, FCC, stockholders, casino offers (casino offers are not combinable with the sip and sail package promo, though).  

 

There are more smoking areas on Princess than on Celebrity but about the same as what you'd find on RCCL.  Princess still has some indoor areas that allow smoking, ie:  Snookers (may be called something else on different ships) and the casino, all but on formal nights.  

 

Also, Princess allows you to bring your own 750 ml bottles of wine onboard, with paying a $15 corkage fee on any bottle consumed outside of your stateroom and any bottle beyond your two bottle limit without corkage.  Eg:  you can carry a case of wine on with you at embarkation and pay $150 for 10 bottles and 2 bottles without a corkage charge, assuming you enjoy those 2 bottles in your stateroom.  If you choose to take those 2 bottles to the dining room or to a bar, you may be asked to pay the corkage on those two as well.  They also have a great wine list and sell wine packages for any cruises 10+ days at a pretty good savings...that's how it stands as of now.  I guess any of this can change.  

 

  

PS -- Celebrity is our all time favorite but they've kind of abandoned us here on the west coast, thus, we have at least twice as many cruises on Princess, which also offers a very nice experience.  

 

 

 

 

Edited April 28, 2019 by Cruise Raider

[villauk]

More similar than different. I give the food edge to X and the entertainment to Princess. Alcohol is cheaper on Princess compared to X and you can purchase a coffee card (but you’re probably used to the beverage package included on X). X’s Solstice Class cabins are slightly larger but we liked the separate wardrobe/dressing area on Princess. Afternoon Tea every day on Princess in the MDR is very enjoyable (not just for Elites). Specialty restaurants are far less pp on Princess than X. We enjoyed our Alaskan Princess cruise last year (on an older ship) enough to book another one this year, and if you check my signature, we have sailed a good few times on Royal and X.

 

For us, itinerary comes way up on our list when making decisions on where to cruise. A very lack-lustre cruise on Celebrity Reflection a couple of years ago, together with the many cutbacks, enticed us to start considering other options to X. We still cruise on Celebrity, but it has now opened our eyes to other lines, especially when they started posting the prices for Edge (and we prefer a proper balcony if we’re paying for one) 😉. 

[soccergang]

We are elite with Princess, but it is all about the itinerary and who we are sailing with.  We have two cruises lined up for later this year on Princess, with a try on Hurtigruten in the mean time.  We recently returned from a HAL South America and Antarctica sailing.  We went with another couple and had a fabulous time.  Of course, the entire passage was smooth, and the scenery was outstanding.  We had previously done a 7-night cruise on Holland and weren't thrilled.  This time, a totally different cruise.  If we are sailing with our granddaughter and family, Carnival is fantastic.  We tried the Oasis of the Seas a few years back, and my husband felt like we were in a mall.  He missed the motion of the ocean.  Bottom line, we love to cruise and I can't say we've ever had a bad one.  My brother loves Celebrity, but we haven't even tried them yet.  

[jagoffee]

On 4/27/2019 at 11:25 AM, MixerDave said:

We will be taking our first Princess cruise this year.  We been on 2 Celebrity cruises, and have just returned from a RCCL cruise.  We were disapointed in Royal Caribbean, and vowed to never sail them again.  Our friends who were "loyal to Royal" agreed with us, and the have 20+ cruises on them.

 

What can we expect?  The latest Royal cruise I would lump into a cruise on Carnival.

You should expect to find a smaller cabin without a sofa (depending on category and ship) and the more traditional shower curtain.  You should find more varied entertainment, less expensive drinks, and lower speciality dining charges.  

I cruise on both Celebrity and Princess. Depending on the ship, you should find a more closed in and cafeteria style buffet area.  

[happy cruzer]

Between Princess and Celebrity, some of the biggest differences are:

 

Cabin layout.  Princess gives up cabin space for the closet.

 

Pools.  Princess has more pools/hot tubs and fresh water.  It does vary by ship.  Celebrity has the indoor adult pool.

 

Buffets.  Princess has a more traditional setup on the older ships.  Newer Regal etc. are more like the Celebrity buffets which have lots of stations.

 

MDR.  Celebrity has steak and escargots on the always available menu.  Also has multi level beautiful dining rooms.  Princess dining will be a bit quieter in a one story room.  Princess corkage fee is $15, carryon unlimited.  Celebirty allows only two bottle carryon at this time, fee was $25.  Celebrity has Aqua Class etc with special dining rooms.

 

JMHO

 

It's all good.  Enjoy.

Edited April 29, 2019 by happy cruzer

[Fouremco]

This thread couldn't have been started at a better time. DW and I have slightly more cruises on HAL than on X and enjoy them equally, but neither offers an itinerary similar to the Scottish Highlands, Irish Countries and British Islands cruise offered by Princess that we've just started to consider for next year. From the comments here so far, it appears that we would be happy on Princess too.

[jagoffee]

3 hours ago, Fouremco said:

This thread couldn't have been started at a better time. DW and I have slightly more cruises on HAL than on X and enjoy them equally, but neither offers an itinerary similar to the Scottish Highlands, Irish Countries and British Islands cruise offered by Princess that we've just started to consider for next year. From the comments here so far, it appears that we would be happy on Princess too.

As a Celebrity fan and a Princess cruiser, I think you will be happy.

The Princess Cruises that I pick over a Celebrity option are almost always based on the itinerary.  My upcoming Princess Cruises are Alaska, Panama Cruise though the new locks, and the French Polynesia.  Most of my Princess Cruises have involved the French Polynesia and I am so pleased that Princess has decided to restart those cruises.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

as a relatively young couple without kids, we enjoyed RCI very much. Our DS started sailing with us at 3, on RCI as well, and he loved it. There was always something fun to do for the whole family. Our DS doesn't do kid's club.

 

However, RCI's food stayed boring, so per our friends' advice we tried Princess. Yes, the food was undoubtedly better, however, it came at an expense of family activities. Princess ships have nothing a family can do, besides a happy hour and bingo. Our then 5 and 6 yo kiddo had to tag along on all these boring (for him) activities, and thankfully he had a tablet with him with movies, games and cartoons.

 

After 3 Princess cruises like that, we tried Norwegian. Jade was similar to Princess in terms of not having anything to do for families with kids - small and boring, but the food was sooooo much worse. And the smoke smell was horrible. We booked it for the itinerary - 6 terrific ports in 10 days. To add insult to injury, the old ship broke down on day 3 of the cruise and we had to go home. Never made it to the 5 terrific ports. We made up that cruise on Norwegian Getaway - many family and kid friendly activities, great entertainment, bad food, smoke smell, average itinerary.

 

So, I took a chance on RCI again and booked the Allure during a fantastic sale. The same average itinerary as the Getaway (Western Caribbean), but the ship itself was fabulous. So much fun stuff to do, and the entertainment was wonderful! The food was actually better than NCL's, although nowhere near as good as Princess, but it was totally offset by all the fun things we did. Loved it! Would do it again in a heartbeat, if I can only find a good sale.

 

Which I found for our upcoming Princess cruise. A great sale and we are looking forward to great food again. We do love Regal's premium FREE on demand movie program, and since the ship doesn't offer much to do, DS takes a great advantage of the free movies. And I take advantage of the down time and read on the balcony.

 

We love different things about different cruise companies, and we try to enjoy them all. Now, if RCI could just have Princess quality food and sail on Southern Caribbean itineraries during school breaks - that would be marvelous. 

[Rogueperson]

I've done all three.  At THIS moment, Royal Caribbean stands as my go-to cruise line.  It fits my demographics and my interest.  10 years ago, Carnival was my go-to.  But my tastes have change.

 

I've done only 1 princess but will be boarding the Ruby Princess on Sunday.  Last Princess I did was in 2010 and I loved it.  I thought the entertainment was awesome, the ship was beautiful.  The food, although good, didn't stand up as much as other things on the ship.  It was comparable to Royal Caribbean in my opinion.

 

Celebrity, I've done 3 cruises, with my last one in 2015 on our honeymoon through the Panama Canal.  The food on the ship, I believe, was still a step up from Royal Caribbean and even Princess, however, that step has become a lot smaller than it was in 2005, the last time I did Celebrity.  Before, the food was a wow factor (to use Royal Caribbean's slogan), but now, I found it was just a edge better.  Entertainment, I will give it to Princess, only because much of the entertainment on Celebrity was not on par to my tastes.  I would say their entertainment is more...refined, or mature, whereas Princess is still mass market entertainment.  For example, I found that Celebrity had high quality musical recitals and dance numbers.  Their skill blew away what I saw on Royal Caribbean and even Princess, BUT, I'm not a big music fan, so the quality was a little lost on me.

 

That being said, I will do any of those cruises again, as I've enjoyed all three lines, but given my age and my interest, Royal Caribbean is my go to..for now.

[GUT2407]

My opinion is they (Princess and Celebrity) are more alike than different.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

Go on the Harmony. I bet your thoughts will change about Royal for sure. There may always be a bad cruise. Our worst one was on the new EDGE. Does not reflect the other Celebrity ships at all. We did have one not so great cruises on each, Carnival, Royal and Celebrity and Princess. So not all ships are the same. 70 cruises for us. Carnival offers a lot of fun for the younger crowd and the largest state rooms. Food is average but the steak house is excellent and at $34.00 including gratuities it is a great deal. Royal has the best food. On the Oasis ships, the very best entertainment of all ships and cruise lines hands down. Carnival and Royal are both excellent for kids to enjoy so much. Princess and Celebrity are about par. Mostly for the older and not so much for children at all. Average food and shows. Note: For all ships. You want some peace and quiet. Never cruise during spring break or when school is out. We always do Halloween on Carnival. Awesome participation from everyone even the crew. Other ships. Not that great.

[BarbinMich]

1 hour ago, twodaywonder said:

. . . Our worst one was on the new EDGE. Does not reflect the other Celebrity ships at all. . . .

What didn't you like about the EDGE or was it that cruise in particular?  I've been familiarizing myself with the Edge to see what all it has to offer and if we'd like to try it.  Thanks!  Our last X cruise was a 14-day Med on the Eclipse in 2014 and generally we liked that ship, especially the buffet and the theater.  However, not real happy with our obstructed (altho not really--just couldn't look at the water directly below-just a tender boat) view balcony for various reasons.

Edited May 6, 2019 by BarbinMich

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

Please see my review. However. The EDGE is already getting changes for the better due to the amount of negative reviews. You will notice it is one of the very few reviews that get 3 stars as the most. A very high number of 1 & 2 stars for the amount of reviews. I gave it 2 stars.