Looking at a princess cruise

[Cruisingrampy]

Have only ever done celebrity. How do.princess ships.compare? 

[cr8tiv1]

Princess' fare is more reasonable.  You can choose to cruise with/without a drink package.  

 

I have been on one Celebrity cruise and enjoyed myself. I have been on MANY Princess cruises and have enjoyed them ALL. 

[roxievegas]

We did our first cruise with Celebrity and continued until we decided not to fly to locations and stick close to the home port of San Pedro (L.A.)

if you look at my signature you can see the cruises we have taken.

Celebrity cost more, but the balony cabins are larger and all have sofas, where Princess has a chair and desk (unless you get a deluxe Balcony

I think everything else is pretty much equal

 

I would base any cruise on the places to visit and the cost.

 

 

[nini]

3 hours ago, Cruisingrampy said:

Have only ever done celebrity. How do.princess ships.compare? 

This is a wide range question. We were on the Celebrity Reflection in October 2018. We found it to be a snobby atmosphere snide comments from the crew. The dining room took us over an hour to get our entree. the buffet had flies on the food. No thanks. Our cabin steward was a sweetie.

[caribill]

Before the pandemic, we found Celebrity and Princess to have about the same overall experience.

 

Some things we liked better on Princess and some on Celebrity, but overall had great experiences on both.

 

One difference now is that Princess no longer offers Traditional dining, two fixed times for seatings where you ate at the same table with the same waitstaff with the same dining companions every evening.

[Torfamm]

7 hours ago, Cruisingrampy said:

Have only ever done celebrity. How do.princess ships.compare? 

They are more alike than different in my opinion. On the positive side Princess has savory food as well as pastries at the International Cafe, their equivalent to Cafe Al Bacio and they offer self service laundry which is fantastic on long trips. They also still have formal nights.
 

The biggest negative for me is that Princess allows smoking in the casino on most itineraries while Celebrity has no indoor smoking at all on any ship, any where. Celebrity also has better food in the MDR

[Esprit]

We switch between Princess and Celebrity all the time. This year we were on Regal and next year I fancy going on Celebrity Beyond.

I'd be splitting hairs trying to draw comparisons.

[Lady Arwen]

Food on Celebrity is a notch higher than Princess.  Cabins on Celebrity are much nicer in every category, from interiors to suites and on every ship.  Edge Class ships are in a league of their own.  No smoking anywhere, except for a few designated outdoor areas, which are very comfortably furnished.  The staff and crew are outstanding…….friendly and engaging but also very professional.  If you report a problem, it’s taken care of immediately.  Entertainment is about the same. Every Celebrity ship has a Solarium which has an adults only pool/hot tub and lounge area with a retractable dome and the Aqua Spa Cafe.  This area is complimentary to every guest over the age of 16, as is the food and beverages in the Cafe.

 

Princess does offer some lovely itineraries that Celebrity does not.  Alaska is much better with Princess.  The IC is outstanding and Celebrity hasn’t anything that compares.  Princess does feel more reminiscent of cruising in the past.  Very down to earth and homey.  It’s comfortable.  Staff and crew are very pleasant.  I can’t think of anything really negative about Princess.  We’ve enjoyed all of our Princess cruises.  It is much less expensive to sail with Princess.  You can get a Mini Suite for the same price as a premium balcony on Celebrity.  
 

Personally, I would choose Celebrity first and then Princess, depending on itinerary and cost.  We go back and forth between the two and it works for us.

[rbtan]

11 hours ago, Cruisingrampy said:

Have only ever done celebrity. How do.princess ships.compare? 

Depends. On higher end accommodations(suites etc.)Celebrity is far better(more costly, too)In standard accommodations, pretty similar. Big difference would be Celebrity Concierge or Princess Club Class. Club Class gives you a much larger cabin overall. Food is more subjective. We preferred Celebrity specialty rest. much more. Food on Princess is NOT a strong point in our opinion. The lunch specials we've seen the specialty rest. were terrible. You can order from the specialty rest. if you choose. Entertainment is pretty similar. It varies a lot by ship class. Entertainment is better on Royal Class rather than the Grand Class. The same goes for celebrity.

[Lady Arwen]

2 hours ago, rbtan said:

Depends. On higher end accommodations(suites etc.)Celebrity is far better(more costly, too)In standard accommodations, pretty similar. Big difference would be Celebrity Concierge or Princess Club Class. Club Class gives you a much larger cabin overall. Food is more subjective. We preferred Celebrity specialty rest. much more. Food on Princess is NOT a strong point in our opinion. The lunch specials we've seen the specialty rest. were terrible. You can order from the specialty rest. if you choose. Entertainment is pretty similar. It varies a lot by ship class. Entertainment is better on Royal Class rather than the Grand Class. The same goes for celebrity.

Actually, the comparison should be Celebrity Aqua Class and Princess Club Class.  Aqua Class is far superior to anything on Princess.  Aqua Class guests enjoy a separate dining room, Blu, with its own menus and kitchen.  Anytime dining with no wait or reservation.  Wonderful service.  Suite guests enjoy their own restaurant, Luminae.  Outstanding in food and service.  Concierge class is just a level above a standard balcony with nicer linens.  You get afternoon canapés which are dreadful and not much else.  Celebrity reds to eliminate this category.

[Kay S]

Don't get caught in the horrible nightmare that is Princess technology.

[rbtan]

1 hour ago, Lady Arwen said:

Actually, the comparison should be Celebrity Aqua Class and Princess Club Class.  Aqua Class is far superior to anything on Princess.  Aqua Class guests enjoy a separate dining room, Blu, with its own menus and kitchen.  Anytime dining with no wait or reservation.  Wonderful service.  Suite guests enjoy their own restaurant, Luminae.  Outstanding in food and service.  Concierge class is just a level above a standard balcony with nicer linens.  You get afternoon canapés which are dreadful and not much else.  Celebrity reds to eliminate this category.

You're right Princess really has nothing like Aqua class. Never had to wait in Club Class, though. Food overall on Celebrity is better. We felt the buffet was much better than that on Celebrity. This is only for Royal class. Buffet was terrible on the Star Princess.

[JAN2321]

Have been on both Celebrity and Princess and been very happy with both and feel they are similar in many ways.  Celebrity is more expensive but does include drinks, wifi and gratuties and so needs to be considered.  Also we have found we can have a full suite on Princess for the price of a mini suite on Celebrity but if you have a mini suite on Celebrity it does include the Retreat lounge and sun deck and Luninea restaurant.  We found no problems with the food on either ship but food is a personal choice but certainly had no complaints.  The staff on both were very friendly and efficient. Embarkation went smoothly and quickly with both.  I think you will be just as happy on Princess as Celebrity - we certainly were.