Princess loyalist - just returned from a Celebrity Carribean Cruise - Compare and Contrast!

[ian441672]

Hi

 

I have seen and often asked myself how Princess and X compare, so having just having come back from 10 days in the Caribbean, I thought I would share a brief overview of what I felt the differences were, good and bad.

 

A brief background (for demographics) - We are Elite Princess customers, about 15 cruises behind us usually staying in a suite and enjoy the perks. We are only second tier up on X (now), and stayed in their entry level Sky Suite and we chose this our second X cruise because of a preferred itinerary plus a good deal on a free drinks package, wifi and gratuities.

 

Embarkation: Wow! I know I will get chastised here, as not everyone is a suite passenger, but this is how it went for us. Arriving around 11.30  at Fort Lauderdale, walking through we saw a sign that said suite pax, this way. We were shown to a private elevator which took us to a private security check in area. No-one was there, we were screened and checked in, within 5 minutes. No lines, hold up or anything! We were told our room was ready (it wasn't as it turned out, but the steward was very good and let us leave our cases in the room anyhow), and we could board at leisure. This is in complete contrast to the melee that Princess always seem to have, suite or not. We were an individual, it was so quick an deficient and friendly. A win for Celebrity.

 

Room: Sky Suite, 1014 (I think), corner aft of ship, rectangular shape, large portal window for viewing and a double sliding door with large corner balcony for aft and port side views. Entry to the room was through a door off the main hallway, leading to a smaller private hallway area, and our room and another adjoining room. Very private and noise free. Not as big as standard Princess Penthouse suites, one TV, 2 metal structural pillars in the room (careful during the night and on rocky seas!!). Probably 1.5 times size of Princess Junior suite, but sideways and slightly wider. Bathroom was small, tub shower like a Junior Suite and it was cramped. Balcony furniture was not that comfy, no cushioned seats, just the soft plastic mesh ones, that we couldn't rest on too long. Overall though, it was a lovely room, plenty of space to relax, put your things and a decent size sweeping balcony, not really overlooked. The only thing that woke us was neighbouring toilets being vacuum flushed - seemingly quite loud!  In comparison, difficult to choose, but Princess might just edge it for the comfy seating outside and a larger bathroom.

 

Food: As a suite guest, similar to Club dining, we had access to the suite only Lumiere restaurant, a separate dining room away from the main dining room, about 1/3 in size probably. It had its own menu usually consisting of 3/4 appetisers and main meals, plus a standard chefs special, that remained the same throughout. Luckily though, you also had access to the main dining room menu which provided far greater choice. Sometimes we had to ask for it, other times it was provided. Like Princess, the quality varied and the first night we were disappointed, with a dried pork tenderloin. It got better, and when it was good it was very good, and when it  wasn't, well, it was just a bit disappointing! Just like Princess. Every meal started with an Amuse Bouche, but service was slow, far much more so than Club. It would often take 45 minutes before our appetiser came up, and the overall dinner service could last up to 2 hours. We like a leisurely dinner, but felt this was just a bit too long. It wasn't like that every meal, but a lot of the time it was. Service was good though, friendly fun and interactive. Celebrity do the wine thing well. The restaurant had a sommelier (I think they all do) who would offer us a choice, make a recommendation or remember our favourites, and it was basically a free pour. No signing, no slow service, no skimping - just free flow and consistent. The only time I have had a drinks package on Princess, we had to sign for every drink and it was a nuisance. Overall, almost a tie - Princess can be outstanding on food and equally mediocre. We had less to compare with as only our second X cruise, so it is tough. Despite the free flowing wine and consistent service and similar flaws (and highlights) from both, Princess only just edge it for me.

 

Buffet / Fine Dining: We are not buffet people. We enjoy being seated, choosing our food from the menu and being looked after and we don't always rave about Princess buffets (although of late they have got better). We only tend to go there for a poolside lunch or a quick breakfast if we haven't got time to wait (in Lumiere!). I have to say though, the buffet on X was (to us) a very high quality of food and amazing choice. I don't like American breakfasts (sorry USA friends, I adore you and the USA, but not your streaky bacon and strange sausages!!), so to see a UK breakfast station is always welcome (though you still can't get the baked beans right!!). But lunch is where it excelled, a Mexican station, a curry station, a carvery, a lovely salad and fresh make your own sandwich bar, a 'speciality of the day' area, plus your normal cakes and pastries. All set in a spacious free flowing port to starboard crossways area (with Princess there are walls/corridors between the differing sides of the buffet - here it is all one, and works much better, though I think in the Regal Class, it is more open plan now). Here, Celebrity win it for me.   

 

We also went to the Tuscan Grill, an Italian version of the Crown Grill I would liken it most to. $55 per head but you could choose whatever you wanted from an extensive choice, with no surcharges for extra courses (like what Princess have just introduced). It is a larger menu than Princess speciality dining restaurants, more choice and the quality is certainly there. It is more expensive than Princess, but the service was very good, with more choice, higher quality, no 'extras' to pay, so Celebrity just has it for me here too, in a nice aft setting, watching the wake of the ship and the waves sail by.

 

Service / Perks: With the free drinks package (we paid $10 pppd to upgrade to the better drinks package rather than the basic one - main difference is $9 max drink to $15 per drink [from memory], which was worth it for us, and they gave us a day free for some reason), we did not miss our Princess mini bar set up, although here, our mini bar of beer, soda and water was always overflowing at all times. Other Elite perks were not missed too much surprisingly (we had free internet which was outstanding by the way; hopefully the new Medallion internet will be like this, but it was almost like being at home - fast and consistent!). We missed the Sabatini's breakfast for sure, a peaceful mimosa filled breakfast in personal surroundings, and although Lumiere tried to deliver it, it couldn't.  The Butler service was good, though we didnt use him much, he was friendly and personable, always a smile on his face. He arrange a balcony tea for us a couple of times, which was nicer than Princess. Far less of it ( in a good way), with nice sandwiches, scones that actually tasted as scones and some delicious pastries. I enjoy Princess, but this edges it again. He would also bring us canapes, cheese and meats, pastries and so on. It was not necessary, but nice. This would be a tie I think, as with being Elite / Suite / Butler, and freebies thrown in this time, it is difficult to compare and contrast, with some slightly better and some slightly not!

 

Entertainment:  Hmmmm. Hit and miss (in my view). One guy just wasn't funny until he started juggling at the end which raised a few titters. Another comedian had apparently been on AGT or the like, and perhaps it is because we are British, but we just didn't find him funny either, just talking nonsense. We and a few others walked out. Production shows were OK, on a par with Princess. One was described as almost 'Cirque' like. Ahem, not quite, but still quite good. One highlight was a 50's rock'n'roll Jerry Lee Lewis guy. Outstanding piano player and great singer and good showman, and he even did a duet with the (good) cruise director Richard, Goodness Gracious, Greeeeat Balllls of Fire!!  A tie.

 

Other bits and Pieces: Not sure why, perhaps because we were a suite customer, we got invited to the bridge for half an hour along with 10 or so others. Interesting and we were shown round by a 3rd officer, we had restricted access to the bridge, saw the whole set up and could take pictures. A nice welcome touch which appealed to us.  Lunch was nice in Lumiere, and a nice change on sea days, to have a 2/3 course lunch with free pouring wine! Then only 3 hours till tea, then 3 hours till dinner. We were so worried about where our next meal was coming from!  We did miss the Grand Piazza in Princess, the communal area to sit, have a coffee, sandwich, pastry, salad etc watch the world go by, listen to a bit of live music etc. Celebrity have Café Bocha, but it is not the same, very busy and crowded and a lesser menu.  Michaels Club is a good addition for suite guests too, with free cocktails and sometimes live entertainment of an evening, serving afternoon tea from 3.30. Can be a bit dull (light wise) in their and the décor doesn't add to it much, but it is a nice respite sometimes, for something different. We only went in their 2/3 times, but I could see it was popular, and your suite concierge is based there too, to help book restaurants and treatments etc. The new Edge class ships are giving them a brighter more open plan and huge upscale makeover.

 

Atmosphere wise, Celebrity go slightly ahead. With most of the bars, they are in open space (not in a closed room such as Wheelhouse Bar, or Explorers lounge), they are all similar in openness like Crooners bar. There always seems to be something going on too. I found on Princess, nothing would be happening in Crooners as there was a Panpipe flute man playing in the plaza area, or a string quartet doing some tune which stopped everything else from happening. On X, there were bars a plenty set up to walk by and sit down, with a pianist, a live vocalist and band, or just a duet playing nice acoustic versions of old and modern songs. It led to a better atmosphere in these areas and you could always find something to see and do, rather than hide away in a closed bar with not always something going on. Celebrity have a big plus there.

 

In saying that, there is far less natural light on a X ship than Princess and less windows visible, or ability to hop out on deck to have a wonder. It is a completely different layout of course, but it was noticeable of the lack of natural light in the main entertainment areas.

 

Casino was good, more going on than a Princess one, with spot prizes, free cruises, free slot play for everyone, free drinks at certain times. More visibility of activity, and even my non-casino wife said this, as she won a $75 spot prize for putting her first $ in all cruise!!

 

Think that's mainly it! This is not knocking Princess - I love the company and have enjoyed sailing around the world, and I enjoy and appreciate the perks I have earnt and hopefully continue to earn. But, there is competition out there, and business to be won. When X offer me free gratuities, wifi and drinks, I am not going to say no. I was surprised about how little I missed my suite/Elite Princess perks, though probably I got a whole lot of them in other ways. Sabatini's was the big thing I missed, and a decent size bathroom, plus the plaza/piazza area and Alfredo's lovely pizza restaurant! Damn, the more I write, the more I miss!!! However, X did deliver - a great room, a visit to the bridge, free pouring wine and strong general amenities and a great buffet and some top service providers.

 

I'm still loyal, Celebrity Wowed me. Princess will be my first call, but Celebrity will be right up there as a strong contender. In the UK we rarely got good deals such as the X triple benefits, and only now have we just got a good Princess deal of £35pppd extra for the triple whammy of drinks, gratuities and wifi. If that hadn't happened, Princess may have lost some business, but I keep an open mind. We had a lovely cruise, great service, lovely ship, great buzz and good vibe, certainly enough to entice us back - well done Celebrity; but equally I am looking forward to our maiden Enchanted Princess cruise this June - looking forward to coming 'back home'! Decisions, decisions...…..

 

PS - As fairness, I will duplicate this post in Celebrity and Princess pages.

 

Thanks for reading, hope I didnt bore, and please remember and I do acknowledge, these views are only mine from a grateful and lucky position of being Elite and sometime suite customer.

 

Ian.

[ian441672]

Our room, balcony tea, sailaway from St Lucia, and Sunset over St Kitts, and a sunset view from our little window!

Edited January 26, 2020 by ian441672

[1025cruise]

Which ship were you on? Equinox or Edge?

 

We've sailed Equinox twice (with three Princess cruises under our belt) and though we don't do suites, we've been very happy with Celebrity, almost to preferring it to Princess.

[39august]

Which ship? Tuscan has been $45 pp for some time. I hope it has not gone up to $55 on all ships. Nice fair comparison. 

[RickT]

Thank you.  I used to alternate between Celebrity and Princess however my last 8 cruises have all been on Celebrity.  As you state, each line is good with personal preference being the deciding factor (not to mention itinerary and value for the $).  Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[mafig]

Yes, I was also wondering, what ship?

 

I haven't been on Princess in years, so perhaps you can clarify this.  You liked Club class better than Luminae?  Isn't Club just a roped off section of the dining room?  With the same menu as the main?  

 

I'll be interested to read the comments....on both boards.

 

Thanks for the comparison.

[mikkelhansen]

20 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

Which ship were you on? Equinox or Edge?

The stateroom colors are not Edge, I can say that much. Most probably Equinox, I don't believe any other Celebrity ships than EG and EQ currently sail out of Port Everglades.

[Denny01]

Excellent post and comparison. And very even-handed. I’m a Celebrity cruiser with 3 Princess cruises. Enjoyed Princess and found the two Lines close in many ways.

My subjective opinion of differences is:

  - Celebrity had a bit better service and dining but not much difference except better buffet setup, but now with the Edge Class 4 main dining rooms that’s a.big plus;

  - never booked a Celebrity suite always went standard veranda, but with Princess, had to upgrade to mini-suite because I found their standard verandas to be definitely smaller than Celebrity;

  - the three Princess ships I cruised on had smaller theaters and you had to be there way ahead of the show to get two seats together. 

 

I’d have no issues booking with Princess for a specific itinerary or join friends; but much like the OP, I check with my preferred Line (Celebrity for me) first, then compare.

 

Den

[ian441672]

4 minutes ago, mafig said:

Yes, I was also wondering, what ship?

 

I haven't been on Princess in years, so perhaps you can clarify this.  You liked Club class better than Luminae?  Isn't Club just a roped off section of the dining room?  With the same menu as the main?  

 

I'll be interested to read the comments....on both boards.

 

Thanks for the comparison.

Sorry - it was the Reflection.

 

Club vs Luminae? They are different - yes, Club is a 'roped off area' from the MDR, with a separate entrance and queueing system, with minimal / no wait. They have the same menu but the head waiter also prepares some 'specials' every night, table side, purely for CC. In reality this is a make shift hob / kitchen and prep area, where he/she will cook and create a fresh dish for you and deliver it to your table. This includes (some delicious) king prawn dishes, scallops and pasta, steak Diane and so on, not on the regular menu. Its a nice touch can be a main, appetiser size or dessert.

 

Club is more open space, with a slightly quicker service - equally as attentive as Luminae, and has a slightly less feel of a 'fine dining' restaurant. It is difficult to say, in hindsight, I much preferred on over the other, it depends on what you like. I did enjoy the sommelier and service and choice of menus, but in Club I enjoyed the more open plan of it all and the special preparations.

[ian441672]

7 minutes ago, Denny01 said:

Excellent post and comparison. And very even-handed. I’m a Celebrity cruiser with 3 Princess cruises. Enjoyed Princess and found the two Lines close in many ways.

My subjective opinion of differences is:

  - Celebrity had a bit better service and dining but not much difference except better buffet setup, but now with the Edge Class 4 main dining rooms that’s a.big plus;

  - never booked a Celebrity suite always went standard veranda, but with Princess, had to upgrade to mini-suite because I found their standard verandas to be definitely smaller than Celebrity;

  - the three Princess ships I cruised on had smaller theaters and you had to be there way ahead of the show to get two seats together. 

 

I’d have no issues booking with Princess for a specific itinerary or join friends; but much like the OP, I check with my preferred Line (Celebrity for me) first, then compare.

 

Den

Thank you, and yes you are right. The theatre is probably a third bigger than the Princess one, and just as busy!  Princess rooms do vary in size depending on the ship, and the Princess mini suite is a decent size cabin.

[hcat]

Good review..

Appreciated the Comparisons.. We are sticking with X for now!

 

Tuscan on Reflection is a Specialty Restaurant ( upcharge)...On EDGE it is one of the 4 mdrs...no upcharge...it is also also the location of the Elite  lite breakfast  on EDGE and S Class ships

 

Surprised how dated Ref looks compared to EDGE, esp  b/c it was the newest  S Class ship.  But also the most crowded!

 

OP...Did you use the Solarium, gym or Spa?

 

[ian441672]

10 minutes ago, hcat said:

Good review..

Appreciated the Comparisons.. We are sticking with X for now!

 

Tuscan on Reflection is a Specialty Restaurant ( upcharge)...On EDGE it is one of the 4 mdrs...no upcharge...it is also also the location of the Elite  lite breakfast  on EDGE and S Class ships

 

Surprised how dated Ref looks compared to EDGE, esp  b/c it was the newest  S Class ship.  But also the most crowded!

 

OP...Did you use the Solarium, gym or Spa?

 

Regrettably (shamefully)….no!

 

Although we did a walk through, and they compared similarly I would say, dependant on class of ship.

[Cruizen Susan]

Thank you so much for the detailed comparison.  We are the opposite of you.  Elite on X  and one recent Alaska cruise on Princess.   I'll compare apples to apples (suite to suite).   We were in the Grand Suite on the Grand Princess,  equivalent to the Penthouse Suite on X.   We were blown away by the size and the many features.   The price was less than half of a CS, RS or PS on a 10-12 day cruise on X.   There was no butler, but the cabin steward and staff were at our beckon call.  And correct, no Luminae, but the Matre'd met us at every meal and escorted us like royalty to our table.  Service unparalled.  

 

Everything else was a step or more above on Princess too,  except one thing.  The perks!!  Can't beat the perks that come with the high end suites on X!!   Heck, even the inside cabins often come with all the perks if you choose that option for a higher price.

 

It's nice to see differences....keeps the competition on their toes!!

 

 

[Northern Aurora]

Interesting comparison and review.

 

Celebrity bans smoking in interior venues, including the casino.  How does the Celebrity smoking policy compare to that of Princess?

[Silkroad]

Thank you for your very helpful comparison. We’ve not sailed Princess, but we’ve considered trying the line for some itineraries. It sounds as though your butler was very good. Do you recall his/her name? Would you say the dress code on the two lines is similar? 

[ian441672]

1 hour ago, Cruizen Susan said:

Thank you so much for the detailed comparison.  We are the opposite of you.  Elite on X  and one recent Alaska cruise on Princess.   I'll compare apples to apples (suite to suite).   We were in the Grand Suite on the Grand Princess,  equivalent to the Penthouse Suite on X.   We were blown away by the size and the many features.   The price was less than half of a CS, RS or PS on a 10-12 day cruise on X.   There was no butler, but the cabin steward and staff were at our beckon call.  And correct, no Luminae, but the Matre'd met us at every meal and escorted us like royalty to our table.  Service unparalled.  

 

Everything else was a step or more above on Princess too,  except one thing.  The perks!!  Can't beat the perks that come with the high end suites on X!!   Heck, even the inside cabins often come with all the perks if you choose that option for a higher price.

 

It's nice to see differences....keeps the competition on their toes!!

 

 

Good to read. Yes, we’ve done the Grand and Owners suite on Princess and the price is very good compared to X, With some very large rooms and the steward doubles as the butler too. Hope you enjoyed your Mimosa breakfast too! Glad you’re a princess fan as well, they are very good and as many have said, perks aside, compare favourably with each other. 

[ian441672]

1 hour ago, Northern Aurora said:

Interesting comparison and review.

 

Celebrity bans smoking in interior venues, including the casino.  How does the Celebrity smoking policy compare to that of Princess?

Yes, it was lovely and clean on the casino! Princess allow smoking in casino except for 2/3 smoke free nights per cruise. Else where it seemed similar for both ships. On some princess ships, there is a small smoking lounge and bar in an enclosed room, but I think they may be disappearing. 

[ian441672]

8 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

Thank you for your very helpful comparison. We’ve not sailed Princess, but we’ve considered trying the line for some itineraries. It sounds as though your butler was very good. Do you recall his/her name? Would you say the dress code on the two lines is similar? 

His name was Rudy. We had little demands or needs but he was there when we wanted him, friendly and efficient. Dress code slightly more relaxed on X. I enjoyed the casual chic nights rather than the full blown formal (although that is a bit watered down in itself now), where I could wear smart jeans, collared shirt and sweater and feel comfortable, while my wife could dress up a bit as she wanted. Some people went the whole hog and it was nice to see, and some made no effort whatsoever, but all in all, slightly more relaxed on these nights. Other than that, pretty similar. Thanks. 

[Gordoncruickshank]

We started our main cruising with Princess and did 6 cruises with them, in either mini suites or full suites.  We enjoyed every cruise with Princess. We found that the suite inclusions were minimal, breakfast at Sabattini’s wad about it plus the mini bar set up. We always found the buffet too much like school dinners for us but loved the cruises we did. 
 

we found Celebrity in 2012. We did a 20 night b2b in the Caribbean in 2011 in a mini suite and decided to rebook the following year. I went to book it but Princess pricing changed and it was £1500 plus dearer for the same thing a year later. 
 

We tried a Celebrity cruise in an Aqua Class room b2b for 22 nights for a fraction of the Princess Cruise and thoroughly enjoyed it so much that we did another 4 cruises with them over the next year.

 

we have now done 20 cruises mostly in suites with Celebrity. 14 suites, 6 in Aq class and have a further 6 booked all in suites. We have done Sky, Celebrity, Royal and in a few weeks our first PH suite and the Celebrity suite experience, from what we had pre 2012, has totally eclipsed anything we received on Princess. We have only done one RCL cruise again in a suite in 2009 and even then the evening cocktail period beat the Princess experience although that was very much a once and done experience.

 

we did an MSC cruise in the YC last year and that actually ticked all the bases other than their dedication ton7 night cruising. I do not want to do short cruises any more. Their cruises re-eat the same itinerary so b2b isn’t an option for us but the suite experience beats anything we have done.

[upwarduk]

We are now Platinum on Princess and find their free Internet minutes (240)far superior to Elite on Celebrity (90).

[Torfamm]

We have cruised with Celebrity almost exclusively (with the exception of a cruise on the Paul Gauguin in the South Pacific). We took our first cruise with Princess last summer to take advantage of a 14 day cruise from London going along the fjords of Norway and then to Iceland.  We found Princess to much more like Celebrity than different. 

 

Embarkation in Southhampton was very similar and the veranda cabin also felt quite a lot like Celebrity. There was an advantage in having a huge closet on the Sapphire Princess, especially since we had cold weather and bulky clothing. Having a shower curtain instead of a glass door was a small negative though.

 

What we loved about Princess was the availablility of savory food at the International Cafe, especially for my husband to grab a breakfast sandwith to bring back to the cabin when he brought me a coffee in the morning.  Neither of us liked the buffet for breakfast, the ordering system for omelets where you have to place your order then find a waiter to bring your omelette to you and then return to buffet to get whatever else you are having was annoying at best and impossible when there were no seats to be found.  We tried eating breakfast there once and gave up.  We either relied on the International Cafe and ate in our cabin or went to the main dining room..

 

Another positive for Princess was that we really enjoyed Alfredo's Pizza for lunch. On the negartive side, the food in the dining rooms did not seem to be as good as on Celebrity and their "every day" options on the menu ran more toward hamburgers than steaks which was a disappointment when nothing on the evening's menu was appealing.  We tried the steak house that was just a section of the buffet  on the Sapphire and also Sabatini's. Both were okay, but not that special.

 

All in all, we feel they are very comparable and are booked for a Carribean cruise with Celebrity in a few weeks and Southeast Asia with Princess later in the year. Our number one criteria is itinerary going forward.

Edited January 26, 2020 by Torfamm

[Northern Aurora]

33 minutes ago, ian441672 said:

Yes, it was lovely and clean on the casino! Princess allow smoking in casino except for 2/3 smoke free nights per cruise. Else where it seemed similar for both ships. On some princess ships, there is a small smoking lounge and bar in an enclosed room, but I think they may be disappearing. 

 

Thank you for the reply.  Neither my husband nor I are smokers, and find the smell more annoying every year as we get older.  And when I am around cigarette smoke I start sneezing (and I really mean SNEEZING).  So the not having interior smoking venues is a draw for us.

[fragilek]

thank you for that we haven't tried Princess yet, this will help when I spy a Princess itinery I like 

[Torfamm]

23 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

Thank you for the reply.  Neither my husband nor I are smokers, and find the smell more annoying every year as we get older.  And when I am around cigarette smoke I start sneezing (and I really mean SNEEZING).  So the not having interior smoking venues is a draw for us.

THIS!  I totally forgot to mention that I was stunned to realize that Princess allows smoking in the Casino.  It is horrible.

[WonderMan3]

Thank you for this comparison. We had done two Princess cruises prior to trying Celebrity and enjoyed them. The last one was 2011 though and since then I have read a lot of negative feedback from longtime Princess cruisers so have been a little concerned as I just booked a cruise on Sky Princess for this coming December. This post helps set my mind at ease.