Celebrity and Princess

[Plato123]

We are Elite Plus on Celebrity and normally book a suite of various types but are in need of a change.  We are not thrilled about the revolutionized changes to Celebrity ships.  I liken them to moving to upscale Ikea from classic cruising. We want to try Princess and have booked a suite on the Royal  for a cruise next year.

What should be expect?  Our suite looks nice and we understand the food is very good.  Any thoughts?

 

 

 

 

[Essiesmom]

There is a current thread on Ask a Cruise Question asking the same thing.  You might want to take a look at it.  EM

[skynight]

1 hour ago, Plato123 said:

What should be expect?  Our suite looks nice and we understand the food is very good.  Any thoughts?

Assuming you have booked a full suite and not a mini suite.

A few of the good highlights.

*Excellent prepared to order full suite breakfast at Sabatini's each morning. Order from the menu, or order anything. If they have the ingredients it will be prepared for you. This is one of the best full suite benefits. Don't miss it by ordering breakfast in your cabin.

*Dinner each evening and lunch on sea days in the Club Class section of the Concerto DR. Walk in anytime and be seated almost immediately.

*Like wine, try Vines. By next year wine inventories should continue to improve from the start up shortages.

*Concierge Lounge on deck 14 aft.

*International Cafe open most of the time. By next year it could return to 24/7.

*Order a variety of food & drink for delivery anywhere on the ship using the Ocean Now App, your TV or one of the screens around the ship. Much of the food is no charge.

*If you do not have the plus or premier fares suggest you look into them. It takes two to three alcoholic beverages/pp/day to break even, limit of 15 alcoholic beverages/pp/day. Most nonalcoholic beverages are unlimited, including specialty coffees, fountain sodas, waters and more.

*Both specialty restaurants Crown Grill and Sabatini's are very good.

* We loved Crooners Lounge in the evening. A very popular piano lounge.

The not so good

*No real ballroom dance floor. Dancing is in the Piazza area and sometimes in the Vista Lounge.

*No walkable promenade. Walking track all the way on the upper deck.

*Princess Live isn't very comfortable for seating or activities.

*Full suite passengers do not receive comp. access to The Enclave if that is your thing.

Here is the full suite PDF

https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/ships/PrincessSuite_eFlyer.pdf

 

 

 

 

Edited October 3, 2022 by skynight

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

There is no comparison between suites on Celebrity and what they do on Princess. Even the most highly rated suite cabin (except for Sky Suites) on Princess isn’t very nice compared to Celebrity.  Their “concierge” on Princess isn’t anything like the retreat hosts on X. No butler. No special lounge area or sun deck. You are treated like royalty as a suite guest on Celebrity.  Don’t expect that same service on Princess suites. 
 

Most of what skynight lists above is available for all guests.  I think you are asking specifically about the suite experience. 
 

I still book suites on both lines but I know what to expect going in. 

[san diego spartan]

3 hours ago, skynight said:

Assuming you have booked a full suite and not a mini suite.

A few of the good highlights.

*Excellent prepared to order full suite breakfast at Sabatini's each morning. Order from the menu, or order anything. If they have the ingredients it will be prepared for you. This is one of the best full suite benefits. Don't miss it by ordering breakfast in your cabin.

*Dinner each evening and lunch on sea days in the Club Class section of the Concerto DR. Walk in anytime and be seated almost immediately.

*Like wine, try Vines. By next year wine inventories should continue to improve from the start up shortages.

*Concierge Lounge on deck 14 aft.

*International Cafe open most of the time. By next year it could return to 24/7.

*Order a variety of food & drink for delivery anywhere on the ship using the Ocean Now App, your TV or one of the screens around the ship. Much of the food is no charge.

*If you do not have the plus or premier fares suggest you look into them. It takes two to three alcoholic beverages/pp/day to break even, limit of 15 alcoholic beverages/pp/day. Most nonalcoholic beverages are unlimited, including specialty coffees, fountain sodas, waters and more.

*Both specialty restaurants Crown Grill and Sabatini's are very good.

* We loved Crooners Lounge in the evening. A very popular piano lounge.

The not so good

*No real ballroom dance floor. Dancing is in the Piazza area and sometimes in the Vista Lounge.

*No walkable promenade. Walking track all the way on the upper deck.

*Princess Live isn't very comfortable for seating or activities.

*Full suite passengers do not receive comp. access to The Enclave if that is your thing.

Here is the full suite PDF

https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/ships/PrincessSuite_eFlyer.pdf

 

 

 

 

So most of these are for everyone not just the suite people.  The special breakfast in Sabatini's each morning and the concierge lounge are for suites.  we were just on Discovery Princess and during lunch day one side of the Skagway dining room was for concierge people - but looked like same menu? Someone else can confirm.  I also think that suite people had a free wine tasting one day, though it was only $12 if you were not in suites.  When I booked my Princess cruise (1st time on Princess) I tried to check out the suite perks and found them sorely lacking compared to Celebrity. 

 

I do have to say I got a "peek" of an aft suite cabin and it was super nice and the balcony which was wrapped around a corner was amazing! 

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

9 hours ago, san diego spartan said:

…I do have to say I got a "peek" of an aft suite cabin and it was super nice and the balcony which was wrapped around a corner was amazing! 

Shhhh!  Don’t tell anyone about those or everyone will want them. 😂

[Lady Arwen]

There really is no comparison between Celebrity suites and Princess suites.  Celebrity wins hands down.  For those of you who have sailed on both, you know what I mean.  Princess suite experience is very nice and you would enjoy it, I’m sure. However, it will not give you the Celebrity experience.  This is just my personal opinion and I’m sure others will disagree.  Do some research and make your own decision.  Whichever ship you choose, I wish you a most wonderful cruise.

 

 

 

[CruiseNYC]

I would have to agree: there is no comparison.  We are Elite on Princess and have only recently begun to cruise on Celebrity but there's a marked difference in the suite experience on Celebrity.  Princess Suite breakfast in Sabatini's is wonderful - but just having a section of one of the main dining rooms for suite guests does not compare to Luminae on Celebrity. 

It does appear that Princess is catching on as the new Sun Princess is showing a suite-dedicated dining room as well as a Retreat-type Sun Deck.  

It will be interesting to see.  Meanwhile, we only have one, upcoming cruise on Princess and 4 on Celebrity.  For us, the Retreat is very appealing.

[dave_k58]

49 minutes ago, Sox Fan Cruiser said:

Shhhh!  Don’t tell anyone about those or everyone will want them. 😂

There's a youtube video about "princess vs celebrity" that was pretty interesting

[danceswithphones]

Tried an Owner's Suite on the Sky Princess. Previous two sailings were in a PH on the Celebrity Constellation. Night and day difference. OS was large but lacked a dining table and we missed the butler much more than expected. Concierge Lounge was a ghost town. What's the point of a 900 sq. ft. suite if you end up dragging the cushions off the sofa and picnicking in the floor? We are back on Celebrity next month in an Edge Villa. I am booked on the Discovery Princess for Alaska next year but I made that reservation before I realized I'd be Elite on X after November. I'll probably be changing that booking. 

Edited October 4, 2022 by danceswithphones

[Ken the cruiser]

For us we are in our early 70s and also Elite+ on Celebrity. But we have found ourselves drifting more and more towards Princess for their longer, more unique 3-5+ week itineraries. This is particularly true when we find one on a Grand-class ship with an aft-facing VS which has a huge fully covered balcony.

 

As far as the Celebrity suite amenities we've experienced on the 7 cruises we've been on so far since it started back up, we don't really need a butler, we don't use their secluded outdoor spaces and the Luminae food usually gives us heartburn, mostly because of all the rich sauces and large portions they serve. Because of these issues, we pretty much only cruise in AQ cabins now, where BTW we do not get heartburn when eating in Blu. But then we're in our 70's now, so there is that. 😄

 

OTOH we've been on an 18-day PC cruise in a Caribbean Princess VS and a 21-day Med cruise in a CC mini-suite since April and have had no heartburn when eating in Club Class dining where they serve pretty much the same meals as listed in the MDR menu.

 

As far as Princess suite amenities, the only ones that really count for us, as we do book longer cruises, is the unlimited free laundry, complimentary "one time" mini-bar service and eating breakfast in Santini's. But, if you're looking for a full list, here is a link to it - full-suite (princess.com)

 

BTW when you did a cost comparison between a Celebrity SS and a Princess VS on a similar itinerary, which one was more expensive? But I will say we do have a great time on Celebrity, if we just want to get away. However, if we're looking for a more unique 3-5+ week itinerary, then Princess usually gets the nod.

 

[stevenr597]

We book a Club Class Mini-suite on Princess and Aqua Class on Celebrity.  For us, these are the best value for the money. 

Both cruise lines are more alike then different.  Suggest you try Princess and see how you like it. 

[kywildcatfanone]

I will post here my comments.  We just returned from our first Celebrity cruise after 25 with Princess.  Just wanted to try something new.

 

Celebrity > Princess

Customer service from everyone was fantastic.  Every employee greeted you daily with enthusiasm.  Our room steward was the best we have ever had.

Canned and bottled soft drinks and water.  No fountains.  That was so great.  Princess should adopt that and do away with those fountains that only offer like 3 options.

We were on the Infinity, and my understand was there were 1500 passengers for the week, so smaller crowd, but the embarkation and disembarkation process was way better than I typically see on Princess.

Celebrity lets you order form the DR menu for room service regardless of cabin class.  Now if Princess wanted to offer a perk that wouldn't cost them anything, that would be a good one to add.

 

 

Princess > Celebrity

Celebrity Internet was awful and expensive. 

Celebrity pricing in general was higher for everything including specialty dining which was ridiculously high.  But they do typically offer more OBC to sort of even that out.

Celebrity has saltwater pools

Celebrity venues such as buffet, and burger grill had some limits on hours.  The burger place closed at 5:30pm each day.  Couldn't get a burger for dinner.

 

I was expecting the food to be better on Celebrity, but I found it to be almost exactly what I'm used to on Princess.  Was actually sort of disappointed about it as people on their forum told me it would be noticeable, but it wasn't to me.

We are going to take another one, but will do so on a newer ship.  I do like that even their newer ships are smaller than Princess.

 

 

 

 

 

[Mike07]

On 10/3/2022 at 4:15 PM, Plato123 said:

We are Elite Plus on Celebrity and normally book a suite of various types but are in need of a change. 

 

 

 

 

I hear ya.... I did b2b between the Solstice and Edge class ships... and I'd take Solstice every time.  Every square inch of the Edge class seems to be a creative way to nickel and dime you.

[nini]

Our experience is that Celebrity is snooty and Princess is warm and friendly. It does not matter what cabin you have booked. This is just our experience and will not book Celebrity again.

[GUT2407]

To be totally honest, in my opinion more alike than different in so many ways I would suggest there is about as much difference from two ships from the one company as between one from each company, though Princess tend to an older demographic. But that is here in Aus so it may be different where you are sailing.

[LibertyBella]

I love both cruise lines very much.  They are both upscale, sophisticated, elegant, geared a bit more toward adults, and totally capture the essence of traditional cruising with a modern approach. I have sailed on each line multiple times. They both also feature very creative itineraries, and strong shore excursion experiences. I book Princess and Celebrity when I want an excellent itinerary-focused cruise where I can tour and learn (Alaska, Baltic, Mediterranean, etc.).

 

I sailed Celebrity in 2019, I will sail Princess in  Summer 2023, and this year I sailed Cunard, much more traditional and formal, and also a strong contender for one of my favorites, though the activity level is a bit lower.  I will also be sailing Viking in a few months. (I had a RC cruise booked for 2020.)

 

BUT, I have also sailed NCL, RC, Carnival, Holland America, etc., and would not hesitate to book any of those lines when I simply want a fun, relaxing, easy-going cruise experience, especially in the Caribbean.  I have, however, decided that I am simply too old to go on a Virgin cruise, as having a tattoo parlor available is of no interest.

[Lady Arwen]

6 hours ago, nini said:

Our experience is that Celebrity is snooty and Princess is warm and friendly. It does not matter what cabin you have booked. This is just our experience and will not book Celebrity again.

We’ve been sailing with Celebrity since the early ‘90s and never, ever, would I define Celebrity as snooty.  Quite the opposite, actually.  The most fun we’ve ever had on cruise ships were in the Celebrity fleet and we’ve sailed on most of them.  Perhaps your cruise was just one of those “off” weeks.  

[nini]

4 hours ago, Lady Arwen said:

We’ve been sailing with Celebrity since the early ‘90s and never, ever, would I define Celebrity as snooty.  Quite the opposite, actually.  The most fun we’ve ever had on cruise ships were in the Celebrity fleet and we’ve sailed on most of them.  Perhaps your cruise was just one of those “off” weeks.  

I am glad that you have had good experiences. We were on the Celebrity Reflection for 12 nights in late 2018. It was throughout the ship. I am glad you did not have to constantly see the flies on the food in the buffet- EVERYDAY! The crew did nothing about it. Trying to get anyone to stop at our table in the buffet area was a total joke. We were used to the Princess crew checking on us constantly to offer beverages and to clear our plates. A bartender talked down to us and informed us that there were only 2 white wines included in our beverage package. Fine, but he was quite uppity about it.

[sloopsailor]

5 hours ago, Lady Arwen said:

We’ve been sailing with Celebrity since the early ‘90s and never, ever, would I define Celebrity as snooty.  Quite the opposite, actually.  The most fun we’ve ever had on cruise ships were in the Celebrity fleet and we’ve sailed on most of them.  Perhaps your cruise was just one of those “off” weeks.  

 

We're Elite on Celebrity and we never felt the "snooty" vibe you mention. Or maybe we are also snooty and don't notice it? 🤣

[Mike07]

On 10/11/2022 at 1:07 AM, nini said:

Our experience is that Celebrity is snooty and Princess is warm and friendly. It does not matter what cabin you have booked. This is just our experience and will not book Celebrity again.

 

 

You're not alone there. Princess seemed like a more normal crew and passengers. Celebrity seemed to have entertainers and staff that thought they were elitist and it was a privilege you got to work with them. Though, some of the service employees on Celebrity were just as chill as Princess, and I definitely raved about those employees in the survey.