Celebrity vs. Princess

[GuardCruisers]

We have sailed many times on Princess.  Overall satisfied, but looking to see what else is out there.

 

For those who have sailed both Princess and Celebrity, what are the big differences, if any, that you have experienced?

[taxatty]

No big differences to us, other than that we've found the MDR food on Celebrity to be superior. Self-service laundry rooms and complimentary mini bar set up (latter for Elites)are  on Princess, not on Celebrity, if either of those matters to you. Princess mini-suites (which we almost always book) don't seem to have a comparable "in-between" stateroom on Celebrity.

[dianedebuda]

There's a thread on Princess discussing the same thing if you're interested... https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2632361-celebrity-versus-princess/#comments

[Redokie]

No Noise…...biggest difference for us.  No one talking on loud speaker all day and night. It's not in rooms or on pool deck!  Celebrity is a laid back cruise with more older cruisers.  The food is a BIG 2nd difference, Celebrity has the best food at sea!    If I had children, I would pick princess over Celebrity. 

[Ken the cruiser]

With Celebrity we enjoy their Elite loyalty perks as we get 3 free drinks during happy hour and 1 free bag of laundry per leg. We also love cruising in their Sky Suites and eating in the private suite-class only Luminae restaurant. We also love the evening shows in the awesome main theaters on the s-class ships.

 

On Princess we can't wait to eventually get to their Elite level so we can get unlimited laundry, but sadly no free drinks like X. We also enjoy staying in their mini-suite cabins which are usually offered at a very fair price. But what we most like about Princess over X is their much longer and more unique itineraries (see my signature below) and the multiple things to do on sea days which are made possible by their 5-6 assistant CDs, all comedians in their own right! We also enjoy their club class dining when it's included in our cabin selection ammenities, but it's not a necessity as the menu is the same except for one additional dish as the MDR. In X's Luminae they have a separate 14 day cycled menu totally different than that in the MDR.

 

But, as with most folks, the itinerary plays a major role in our selection process and since our cruising range is 3-6 weeks, Princess usually gets the nod unless another line offers something unique that we just can't resist.

Edited September 24, 2019 by Ken the cruiser

[FlamingJune1967]

This is very informative!  I've never been on Princess before, but it sounds like a great line!  It's funny  - I "discovered" Celebrity on a thread like this.  I asked to compare it with Royal Caribbean - and someone said "When I get back from an RCI cruise I feel like I need a vacation - but when I return from a Celebrity cruise I feel like I was on one!"   This sold us on Celebrity because we are at a stage in our life when "laid back" sounds pretty appealing!   

[Ken the cruiser]

2 minutes ago, FlamingJune1967 said:

This is very informative!  I've never been on Princess before, but it sounds like a great line!  It's funny  - I "discovered" Celebrity on a thread like this.  I asked to compare it with Royal Caribbean - and someone said "When I get back from an RCI cruise I feel like I need a vacation - but when I return from a Celebrity cruise I feel like I was on one!"   This sold us on Celebrity because we are at a stage in our life when "laid back" sounds pretty appealing!   

I hear ya! We're in our mid 60s and we're at the point in our cruising life where we look forward to more sea days rather than more port days, and Princess definitely has a lot to offer in that area.

[cruisestitch]

How do their smoking policies compare?  

[Kartgv]

3 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

How do their smoking policies compare?  

Both have no smoking on balconies or in cabins and in most indoor spaces.   The biggest difference is the casino - no smoking on Celebrity, while Princess allows it except for formal nights.   

[Scottygirl1]

We recently sailed on Emerald Princess and I have never been so disappointed with a buffet before.  It had the new "World Fresh Marketplace" setup and was relatively small for a ship's buffet - I seriously struggled to find anything that I wanted to eat that was tasty!  Sure it looked great but it completely lacked delicious hot food selections.  Compared to other lines I've cruised it would put me off ever sailing Princess again.  We found the MDR food to be good but we are very casual cruisers and find we'd rather just eat in the buffet for the majority of our cruise.

[Ginnyfyr]

Overall I find Celebrity is just a smidge better in every category - food in general (especially specialty restaurants - more to pick from), entertainment, cabins (I like that X has a bit of variety within each cabin type - i.e if I book a mini suite on Princess, it's going to be the same cabin floor plan regardless of ship; if I book a Sky Suite on Celebrity, sometimes I'll get a walk in closet, sometimes I'll have a bigger balcony...it's a nice little mix up). Celebrity offers more drink package options, and I find they work out to be cheaper (slightly) than Princess once you tally up the cost of the included perks. Princess tends to have more pools, and they're fresh water, not salt water. They are both great lines and we happily sail them both...at the end of the day it comes down to itinerary for us; we know we'll have a fantastic time on either line! 

[George C]

My problem with celebrity is entertainment, my issue on princess is that seem more crowded hard to get a seat for there entertainment. 

[pink tulip]

I think both lines have good things to offer. Celebrity's food, restaurants and  service are a step up. The bathrooms and balconies are larger on Celebrity. However Princess’s open closet idea is amazing! Every cruise line should adopt this! Also The Sanctuary on Princess is my favourite! Watching The Love Boat reruns on Princess is fun too. A bit of a quieter older crowd wth fewer children on Celebrity. 

Celebrity usually offers better incentives and perks so we are cruising with them again this time. 

[villauk]

2 hours ago, pink tulip said:

I think both lines have good things to offer. Celebrity's food, restaurants and  service are a step up. The bathrooms and balconies are larger on Celebrity. However Princess’s open closet idea is amazing! Every cruise line should adopt this! Also The Sanctuary on Princess is my favourite! Watching The Love Boat reruns on Princess is fun too. A bit of a quieter older crowd wth fewer children on Celebrity. 

Celebrity usually offers better incentives and perks so we are cruising with them again this time. 

 

 

I’d agree: it’s swings and roundabouts, good things on both and more similar than different. X gets the edge on food, but Princess in entertainment. The IC is good on Princess and there’s always somewhere to sit in that area.  Drink prices are less on Princess than X. The itineraries are far more varied on Princess. We sail on both lines and we don’t sail for the perks.

[Umbarger]

Since I found Celebrity I don't sail Princess anymore.  Celebrity is so much better.  Better Food, Great Service, no crowds, less kids and better perks.  

[Esprit]

If I could sail on the Edge Princess that would be my perfect cruise combination.

The Royal class ships are excellent too. Just so much more going on day and night compared with Celebrity. If you want a laid back cruise with limited night life then sail Celebrity. For a younger vibrant atmosphere then it's Princess.

[upwarduk]

The only advantage for me is that Princess have a better free I.T allowance, 240 free minutes If we sailed for 14 nights as Platinum.

After having tried Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas, where we had Diamond status, we have booked Celebrity Silhouette again for 2020. We both feel that it suits us best (70+ year olds).

[cruisestitch]

So with smoking in the casino all but formal nights, don’t the Princess casinos smell of smoke all the time?  That was certainly my experience on royal princess, but that is the only one of their ships I have sailed on in the past few years.

Edited September 24, 2019 by cruisestitch

[Tatka]

11 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

With Celebrity we enjoy their Elite loyalty perks as we get 3 free drinks during happy hour and 1 free bag of laundry per leg.

 

Unlimited now during HH in lounge or almost any bars.

Edited September 24, 2019 by Tatka

[Iamcruzin]

13 hours ago, GuardCruisers said:

We have sailed many times on Princess.  Overall satisfied, but looking to see what else is out there.

 

For those who have sailed both Princess and Celebrity, what are the big differences, if any, that you have experienced?

Keep in mind that you are on a Celebrity board so the replies will probably be lean towards Celebrity. 

Rooms 

Celebrity rooms beat Princess IMO.  Princess offers you a dressing area that many who sail that line like. I prefer the small sofa on Celebrity over a walk in closet on Princess. Inside. Ocean view and standard balcony rooms on Princess seem very cramped. They are just not conducive to comfort and that closet takes up room where a sofa and go. They actually removed the one barrel chair and round end table to make room feel larger. The only place to sit is at the desk or your bed. I don't find that the closets allows for any more storage than what's offered in the draws and built in closet that Celebrity provides. In the past the room didn't matter as we were out and about most of the time. I find as we have gotten older and have been on many cruises that we tend to spend more time in our room than we did in the past.  The showers on Celebrity are larger and the shower curtain doesn't try to abduct you when you turn the water on. I don't know how any one with some size fit in the Princess showers.

 

If you want comfort on Princess you have to go up to a deluxe balcony which are only offered on the newer Royal Class ships or to a mini suite.  For the same or a little more money you can book a Sky suite on Celebrity and get the suite benefits that come along with the room. A dedicated restaurant with upgraded food in one of them.

 

Food

Princess wins in this category.  Ever since Celebrity started their segregated dining experience for suite and Aqua guests with Luminae and Blu the food in the main dining rooms has suffered. The food on my recent Royal Caribbean trip was much better than my meals on Celebrity. On my last Celebrity sailing the meal weren't hot or they were over salted and over cooked.  On Princess everyone eats in the same MDR. The only exception is if you book Club Class you eat in a special section of the dining room where you are seated immediately. The menu is the same except one entree which is the special for that evening.  I would defiantly book the Sky suite on Celebrity before the Club Class on Princess

 

Itineraries

 

If you are going to the Caribbean it really doesn't matter much. It's all the same.  Palm tree Palm tree... Tee shirt Tee shirt. Diamonds International ...Liquor store.. Governors Mansion... Palm tree Palm tree, Or you can just sit on the beach or hang out at Señor Frogs.

For Europe, Alaska and any other part of the world do your research. I feel that in this case itinerary trumps any other category like food and entertainment   Princess does seem to drop price closer to final payment.  Although Celebrities high prices must be the cause of decreased bookings because I seem to get a lot more last minute deal emails than ever before.

 

Entertainment

I think all cruise ship entertainment is just lame. Anyone who thinks they are viewing a Broadway/Vegas production has never been to Broadway or Las Vegas.  It's all just a step up from at High School or Nursing home production.

 

Since you are new to Celebrity the Elite perks of the loyalty program will have no meaning when making your decision.  Look at price carefully because they offer a NRD if you don't book at the higher price with the perks. Their sales are may also subject you to a NRD.

Edited September 24, 2019 by Iamcruzin

[Tatka]

3 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

Celebrity rooms beat Princess IMO.  Princess offers you a dressing area that many who sail that line like. I prefer the small sofa on Celebrity over a walk in closet on Princess. Inside.

 

I agree with your assessment. Celebrity beats Princess in terms of rooms. At all levels.

Small note. Not all Celebrity cabins have sofa. Insides anyway.

[Iamcruzin]

53 minutes ago, Tatka said:

 

I agree with your assessment. Celebrity beats Princess in terms of rooms. At all levels.

Small note. Not all Celebrity cabins have sofa. Insides anyway.

Princess insides, ocean view and balconies don't even have chairs anymore. I sailed in an ocean view on the Summit and I couldn't believe how much of a difference the shower size and loveseat made in our enjoyment of the room.  We were on RC Anthem in June for a 9 day cruise and I couldn't fill the closet or draws and both over packed clothing that was never worn. Princess has the worst rooms at sea.

[Tatka]

4 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

Princess insides, ocean view and balconies don't even have chairs anymore. I sailed in an ocean view on the Summit and I couldn't believe how much of a difference the shower size and loveseat made in our enjoyment of the room.  We were on RC Anthem in June for a 9 day cruise and I couldn't fill the closet or draws and both over packed clothing that was never worn. Princess has the worst rooms at sea.

 

We just sailed on Summit two weeks ago. Had amazing inside cabin. The best on a high seas! Better than Cunard's

We did not have sofa, we had chair though.

 

I agree about RCI cabins being better than Princess too. To me this is the only Princess's weakness. Luckily we almost always book insides and don't spend any time there except for sleeping.

[crazyman3]

On 9/24/2019 at 12:30 AM, GuardCruisers said:

We have sailed many times on Princess.  Overall satisfied, but looking to see what else is out there.

 

For those who have sailed both Princess and Celebrity, what are the big differences, if any, that you have experienced?

 

To help you with specifics, what level of accommodation do you opt for on Princess? 

[Kartgv]

We're currently on the Summit; our last 2 cruises have been on HAL (Volendam in April) and Princess (Ruby in February).    We're finding that there are things that we really like and dislike on all of the lines in comparison with the others.    Once our cruise is done, we plan on doing a comparative review.   

 

A couple of Initial likes/dislikes on Celebrity compared to the other:   very poor bar service  in both Rendevous and Cellar Masters - (best bar service was HAL); very nice music in lounges (3 different groups so far); dining room food (we're in Blu on Celebrity, did Club Class on Princess) - pretty much a toss-up.   Overall all the cruises have been very enjoyable with relatively minor ups and downs.   

 

One minor complaint so far - sent out a bag of laundry (travel clothes we had worn for 2 days).   They came back with 2 pairs of pants rolled up and stuffed back into the bag - no pressing.   The only options on the laundry slip were "Wash", "Press" or "Dry Clean" - don't know what you have to do to get something washed AND pressed.    On Princess, even our knit PJ's came back pressed and on hangars!