Compare celebrity to princess- Similarities and Differences

[JP350]

I’m thinking about booking a celebrity or princess cruise for April 2023 princess currently has the better price, but celebrity is looking appealing. Could anyone compare and contrast the two lines similarities and differences. I’ve takes 22 rccl cruises 25 total so I’ll have status with celebrity. The ships I’m looking at are regal princess or celebrity apex. Any info you guys can give is greatly appreciated 

[cruisestitch]

No smoking anywhere inside on Celebrity.  Princess allows some smoking inside.

[Sillyjilly]

In the past I've found Celebrity to be a little more upscale than Princess and the food is better.

 

If the price isn't a huge difference I'd recommend trying Celebrity.

 

[basenji56]

Food is better on Celebrity.  Especially in the buffet.  I found Princess buffet disappointing.  Princess MDR is ok but not great.  I found entertainment to be better on Princess.  Ice cream is better on Celebrity.  Internet is better on Princess.  Princess has fabulous pizza.  Princess has real verandas unlike Celebrity Edge class (except for sunset verandas and suites).    Princess appears to generally be cheaper.

[JP350]

28 minutes ago, Sillyjilly said:

In the past I've found Celebrity to be a little more upscale than Princess and the food is better.

 

If the price isn't a huge difference I'd recommend trying Celebrity.

 

The price is about a 500 dollar difference but celebrity gives me a 300 dollar onboard credit so it’s about the same.

[ILgirl]

Apex, being an E class ship, if you are traveling in a standard stateroom versus a suite, there are four main dining rooms to choose from which I have really enjoyed.  The Infinite verandas on Celebrity get a lot of negative comments on these boards, some from people who have never tried them.  I’ve enjoyed the IVs as they make the cabin seem larger.  I agree it is a personal preference but I like them.

[JP350]

2 minutes ago, basenji56 said:

Food is better on Celebrity.  Especially in the buffet.  I found Princess buffet disappointing.  Princess MDR is ok but not great.  I found entertainment to be better on Princess.  Ice cream is better on Celebrity.  Internet is better on Princess.  Princess has fabulous pizza.  Princess has real verandas unlike Celebrity Edge class (except for sunset verandas and suites).    Princess appears to generally be cheaper.

Oh my kids will like the fact about the ice cream. My family likes food as the best part. Princess is cheaper here but celebrity is more appealing.

[eyelovcrusin]

I used to cruise Princess a lot 15-25 years ago and thought they were great. I have had 2 really bad experiences over past 5-10 years and great experiences on numerous Celebrity cruises. Won’t get back on a Princess cruise at this point. Found the food and service to be much better on Celebrity. I feel it’s worth extra money to enjoy the vacation vs being annoyed with poor service (waiter refusing to serve my wife a baked potato because she is gluten free?) and food ( crunchy rice, etc).

[JP350]

3 minutes ago, ILgirl said:

Apex, being an E class ship, if you are traveling in a standard stateroom versus a suite, there are four main dining rooms to choose from which I have really enjoyed.  The Infinite verandas on Celebrity get a lot of negative comments on these boards, some from people who have never tried them.  I’ve enjoyed the IVs as they make the cabin seem larger.  I agree it is a personal preference but I like them.

That’s what I’ve seen too I kinda like them because the cabin looks Bigger than standard balconies and more seating aera.

[JP350]

12 minutes ago, eyelovcrusin said:

I used to cruise Princess a lot 15-25 years ago and thought they were great. I have had 2 really bad experiences over past 5-10 years and great experiences on numerous Celebrity cruises. Won’t get back on a Princess cruise at this point. Found the food and service to be much better on Celebrity. I feel it’s worth extra money to enjoy the vacation vs being annoyed with poor service (waiter refusing to serve my wife a baked potato because she is gluten free?) and food ( crunchy rice, etc).

If you don’t mind me asking what experiences ruined princess for you. I’ve had my fair share of bad experiences with cruise lines and I don’t cruise carnival before because of two bad experiences I’ve had with them.

[basenji56]

23 minutes ago, JP350 said:

Oh my kids will like the fact about the ice cream. My family likes food as the best part. Princess is cheaper here but celebrity is more appealing.

I almost always choose Celebrity over Princess because of the food issue.  But I hate the infinite verandas because they are noisy and often won't open since the Captain can keep them shut for weather issues.  And when they are open, the air conditioning in the room is shut off.

[eyelovcrusin]

Also, tried Carnival once. Not for me. Although, we found the MDR service and food better than expected, just not our crowd. Also, had tried Celebrity 2000 somewhat inaugural cruise Millenium and was highly disappointed . Princess: Ruby(new at time) just poor food! MDR and buffet. Went onAlaska cruise (family)  poor food and service. Had same waiter/table with 2 gluten-free people and felt like we were an inconvenience! They claimed they were “sensitive to food allergies “ but were obviously clueless, not only the waiter but head waiter/maitre d.

[eyelovcrusin]

Since my poor 2000 experience which obviously took me a long time to get over, I’ve only had great experiences and memories with Celebrity since 2012!!

[Beamafar]

12 minutes ago, eyelovcrusin said:

Since my poor 2000 experience which obviously took me a long time to get over, I’ve only had great experiences and memories with Celebrity since 2012!!

That’s good to know cos we did a 14 night in a Sky Suite on Millennium (in 2016 in Asia) and thought we’d never sail X again.  We’re giving them another try (again in an SS) on Edge and are hoping for a much better experience. 

[Mirage]

We were recently on the Celebrity for the TA in May then went right after on Enchanted Princess.

We have cruised both lines many times. I have not been on the Regal so cannot comment specifically on that ship.

Apex was a Sunset Veranda, and the Enchanted Princess was a mini suite.

The food in my opinion is better on Celebrity. We ate in all the MDR’s and all the specialty restaurants.

Princess, we dined in the MDR’s and Sabatini’s, and the Steak house.  I would say disappointed with the Specialty on Princess and the MDR was just okay at best.

Cabin on Apex was great, we have been on Infinite Verandas on Edge class, and they do not appeal to me.

Princess mini-suite is fine and is somewhat similar although has a tub and the balcony is quite small.

The bar venues are certainly different between the two lines. Martini Bar on Celebrity gets the nod as a better venue.

I will say pizza on Princess slightly better only that is not a big draw for me.

Buffet on Princess is to me an awkward setup. Celebrity easy and better variety and quality.

To each there own.

My children have traveled extensively with me on many cruise lines, if you ask them, they vote for Celebrity every time.

[luv4cruises]

1 hour ago, cruisestitch said:

No smoking anywhere inside on Celebrity.  Princess allows some smoking inside.

Only in the casino.

[Jeremiah On a Cruise]

I've been on both a few times.

 

I would agree with others that Celebrity tends to have slightly better food - both in terms of selection and quality in the MDR and buffet.  Blu (and I presume Luminae)  also offers a vastly superior dining experience than Club Class for premium staterooms.

 

Entertainment is mostly equal, with maybe a slight edge to Princess. 

 

The smoke free casino is a big plus for Celebrity.

 

Service is superior on both, but I've found it to be slightly more reliable on Princess.

 

I strongly prefer Celebrity ship designs over Princess.  The layout, flow, and décor of Celebrity, in both the cabin and public areas, is typically much much nicer.  Princess has some snazzy and luxurious features (e.g. they do the atrium as well as anyone), but overall - I have a strong preference for Celebrity.

 

Similarly, Celebrity ships are often more intuitive and less crowded than Princess.  Granted, my favorite two ship classes I've ever been on are the Celebrity M and S classes (I haven't got on an Edge class yet.)

 

The crowds on Celebrity tend to be a bit younger, more hip, more diverse, more liberal, and less formal than Princess.  You can decide if these are good or bad.

 

No offense intended, but I prefer the pre-cruise experience of Princess.  Their website tends to be better, their rollcalls larger, and forums more active and friendly, and their groupies more positive.  

 

Princess has always felt like a bit more of a polished company off the ship.  On the ship, they are both great.  (note that both are going through major issues the last few years due to staffing)

 

Technology/features is a push.  Princess is miles ahead with their Medallion approach when it works  - though the technology is highly unreliable, and has turned into much of a stressor than a feature.

 

Itinerates are often better on Princess.  I live on the west coast, and Princess offers much better itineraries to Alaska and Mexico. 

 

Celebrity is, appropriately, but slightly more expensive.

 

Ultimately, both are great.  Personally, I'll pay a bit more, and accept a slightly worse itinerary to sail with Celebrity over Princess - but thousands of people make the other choice each day - and I'm not about to fault them for that.

Edited July 14, 2022 by Jeremiah On a Cruise

[kokopelli-az]

39 minutes ago, luv4cruises said:

  2 hours ago, cruisestitch said:

No smoking anywhere inside on Celebrity.  Princess allows some smoking inside.

---------------

Only in the casino.

And in Churchill's Lounge.

[LMaxwell]

There is a nice YouTube channel called "Tips for Travelers" by a guy named Gary - He has a few videos on each cruise line and then one directly comparing Celebrity with Princess.  He does a nice job of explaining the little differences and providing you perspective. 

[Sillyjilly]

2 hours ago, JP350 said:

The price is about a 500 dollar difference but celebrity gives me a 300 dollar onboard credit so it’s about the same.

If 500 bucks isn't that much to you I say go for Celebrity.

[aggiejd2000]

2 hours ago, luv4cruises said:

Only in the casino.

I didn't know this!  We're thinking of straying from Celebrity and I was considering Princess but the smoking is a non-starter for us.

[Arizona Wildcat]

The passengers tend to be a bit older.  Far less children.  Buffet at Celebrity is excellent.  Only thing we like better on Royal was Diamond lounge.

The deal breaker for us is anything near the casino reeked of cigarettes.   Not just in the casino.

[George C]

My main gripe on Princess is there ships are too crowded, hard to get seats for shows , once saw a fistfight over saved seats. They do have good pizza . Smoke in casino is terrible.

[homedepot124]

The decor is much better on Princess.  Everything on Apex is gray - very drab.  The corridors on Apex look like an office building. 

[intr3pid]

One has been criminally convicted twice for dumping in protected waters, and the other not.