Celebrity User Just Off Discovery Yesterday (First Princess Cruise)

[Ombud]

@Ken the cruiser and @Guindalf can you compare the quality / variety of vegan food (I'm ovo lacto vegetarian) and gym on the ships? I forgot to ask about those. Not interested in lines that limit me to spicy or Indian foods when onboard (I once had one of the RCCL ships give me a slab of warmed up tofu so I won't sail that line again)

 

 

Edited September 26, 2023 by Ombud

[Ken the cruiser]

42 minutes ago, Ombud said:

@Ken the cruiser and @Guindalf can you compare the quality / variety of vegan food (I'm ovo lacto vegetarian) and gym on the ships? I forgot to ask about those. Not interested in lines that limit me to spicy or Indian foods when onboard (I once had one of the RCCL ships give me a slab of warmed up tofu so I won't sail that line again)

Not a clue. My DW has a sensitivity to gluten and dairy, but we have no experience with having to deal with vegan dietary requirements. But at the same time, the servers we’ve encountered in Luminae and Blu on our Celebrity cruises and in the Reserve Dining Room on our PCL cruises, have been very helpful when my DW has asked for menu suggestions.
 

But I will also note on those same cruises, the food served in Blu and the Reserve DR usually had very little seasonings applied. However, the food served in the Luminae usually had a lot of seasonings which would subsequently give us heartburn most of the time. Hence the reason we shifted from sky suites to Aqua cabins on our recent Celebrity cruises.

Edited September 26, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[cruisequeen4ever]

14 hours ago, Guindalf said:

 

 

If it were true, I may agree with you! I've NEVER heard canned music on a Celebrity ship that I can recall. If it's been used, it's very subtle and at 7:00AM on the pool deck or something.

There was dance music being blasted through the main chopping area hallway on the M class ship we went on and at the martini bar on the S class ship. Now personally, I love dance music, so I was happy about it. There was plenty of live music though, too. 

[cruisequeen4ever]

5 hours ago, Guindalf said:

Conclusions and final thoughts:

 

I'm not going to rate each item out of 10 or anything as it's the overall experience that counts. This was our 22nd cruise and first on Princess. It was our fourth in a suite on any line (one being on the NCL Dawn, one each on Celebrity Apex and Solstice). I have to say, and others told us before we sailed, that the suite experience on Princess is a LONG way behind that of Celebrity (our first, on the Dawn, was in 2015, and was not an equal comparison). The Retreat lounge is a real benefit, especially on the Edge class ship. Michael's Club is similar to the Concierge Lounge, but slightly better. On Solstice, we even had an exclusive close-up magic show in the Club one afternoon.

 

We didn't NOT enjoy our time on Discovery, but we didn't rave about it either. To use my theme statement, it was...

 

Good, but not great.

 

Our next cruise is to the Caribbean in February. We are booked on the Norwegian Breakaway in a Courtyard Haven Suite. We'll drive down to New Orleans, so avoiding any airport frustrations. After that, it's likely that we'll return to Celebrity as our line of choice. We're also just become Elite on that line.

 

DW turned 65 on the Saturday before we sailed and I reach that landmark next month. I had retired until a couple years ago and going back into the workplace allowed us to have a small amount of spare cash, hence the suites, but I suspect that before long, we'll return to balcony cruising. In the meantime we'll enjoy the suite life!

 

Would we sail Princess again? Yes, if the itinerary suited us. Would it be our first choice? No, not even our second or third. Would it be in a suite? Absolutely not. What we paid for what we got just wasn't worth it.

It’s funny that you had that choice of words because I literally said the same thing about my Celebrity cruise last spring. It was good but not great. That’s the beauty of having so many different cruise lines from which to choose, though. Everyone gets to have their favorite! Thank you for coming back and finishing.
 

[Guindalf]

10 hours ago, Ombud said:

@Ken the cruiser and @Guindalf can you compare the quality / variety of vegan food (I'm ovo lacto vegetarian) and gym on the ships? I forgot to ask about those. Not interested in lines that limit me to spicy or Indian foods when onboard (I once had one of the RCCL ships give me a slab of warmed up tofu so I won't sail that line again)

 

 

 

Like Ken, I;m sorry I have no experience of either. Although I'm diabetic, I don't have a sweet tooth, but I try to consider what I eat, but I'm a little more lax when on vacation!

 

Personally, I've never understood putting a.gym on a cruise ship 😉

 

Anyway, someone once told me that vegan is native American for bad hunter! 😄

Edited September 26, 2023 by Guindalf

[swjumbo]

Thanks for the information.

We’ve done all classes on Celebrity on Solstice and Edge ships but have decided to try Princess next year out of interest.

It seems, looking online, that their suite offering leaves a lot to be desired but overall it’ll be fun to try something else.

Happy cruising and thanks again.

[Ken the cruiser]

1 minute ago, swjumbo said:

Thanks for the information.

We’ve done all classes on Celebrity on Solstice and Edge ships but have decided to try Princess next year out of interest.

It seems, looking online, that their suite offering leaves a lot to be desired but overall it’ll be fun to try something else.

Happy cruising and thanks again.

If you can book an aft-facing vista suite with a fully covered balcony and with a cabin layout similar to a Celebrity suite on one of Princess' Grand class ships, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

[KKB]

On 9/21/2023 at 3:55 PM, rj59 said:

I'm Elite on Princess and have been on 5 Celebrity the last year, including following Discovery in Alaska with Solstice in Alaska a month later, and on my Mexico Solstice ones I sailed out next to Discovery. Here are my impressions, for someone who loves food and the sea, not suites or spas. 

1. Embarkation is port-specific. My worst ever was on Discovery out of Alaska, simply because of 1500 more pax than Solstice and they made everyone take their own luggage for screening. And both early and late production shows had no empty seats at 10 minutes before showtime. In FLL, Apex embarkation was also smooth and easy. On Solstice in January, I didn't see a single other passenger in the terminal at 12:30, probably because there were only 800 on board.

2. As Gary B. from "Tips for Travelers" on youtube has said, Princess ships are basically all the same design, whereas Edge-class ships are innovative and beautiful. He says Princess has become dull and predictable for him, but says the new Celebrity ships are 'running rings' around the competition. 

3. Older Celebrity ships have a forward Sky-lounge and two forward outside viewing areas for whale-wildlife watching, which I loved in Alaska and Mexico. All Celebrity ships have a covered Solarium, with pool and its own cafe. 

4. Celebrity has more interesting entertainment, with aerialists, strongmen, and cutting-edge screens on Edge-class. On Apex they had original shows every night in 3 different venues, with two separate production casts. 

5. Celebrity are very aggressive upsellers. Crew roam the ship the first day, pushing beverage packages and specialty dining, and if you have the classic, they will push you to upgrade, even in the MDR and cafe. Drinks prices are high, with even many beers priced at $11, in order to cause you as much pain and confusion as possible and be encouraged to get or upgrade a package. You have to sign a slip with a request for additional gratuity, and I've felt attitude from bartenders for not adding more. Basic wifi is severely throttled and very expensive, also encouraging you to upgrade. Of course, now tips aren't included in all-inclusive.  Waitstaff also heavily lobby for good reviews, which makes me uncomfortable. 

6. Celebrity also have a very thorough class system, based on cabin but also various levels of added service and exclusivity of restaurants and space. On Edge-class they cut off a significant part of the front of the ship for Retreat guests, which I hate as much as on NCL ships. 

7. Casino smoke is getting bad on Princess with full ships and being close to the piazza. I also hate that on Princess ships with outside promenades, they put smoking areas where people trying to walk laps have to pass by smokers. Celebrity encourages gambling with free drinks, not letting people smoke. 

8. As a solo passenger, Princess frequently will drop the doubled rate for singles. Lately, on some cruises, Celebrity has increased the solo rate to 800% of the double rate, so a Mexico cruise in November was $460 for two people, but $1400 for one. Their pricing and codes and deals are confusing and opaque, so going into their future sales office is like an auto dealer office. 

9. 

Have done 10 cruises on each line; 5 each in the last 2 years.

I agree & disagree w/ some of these.

1--Embarkation. No issues any line (Discovery great last year) except one right after start up due to COVID...situational, so I won't count it.

2--I am ADDICTED to EClass--I agree they are a step up from Celebrity's original fleet. 

3--N/A

4--Celebrity ECLass has fantastic shows. Older ships are on par w/ Princess--usually underwhelming.

5--I have NEVER encountered ANY upselling on Celebrity, so to say it is very aggressive is odd to me.

6--The "class" system is all but invisible. Irrelevant to me. (and we did Retreat once in April)

7--Agree on casino smoke. So bad on Discovery last Sept I wore a mask.

8--Solo rates--have snagged a couple good ones on both lines, but slight edge to Princess.

 

Celebrity is our FAV line...Princess a close 2nd. But Princess prices are often much better.

[Guindalf]

On 9/28/2023 at 1:00 PM, KKB said:

Have done 10 cruises on each line; 5 each in the last 2 years.

I agree & disagree w/ some of these.

1--Embarkation. No issues any line (Discovery great last year) except one right after start up due to COVID...situational, so I won't count it.

 

Seattle was a complete cluster! It was unorganized with long lines and no consideration for rhse in suites or with higher loyalty status, as with other lines.

 

On 9/28/2023 at 1:00 PM, KKB said:

2--I am ADDICTED to EClass--I agree they are a step up from Celebrity's original fleet. 

 

We loved the Apex, especially the theater. Eden is a step above for a specialty restaurant, but Le Petit Chef pales compared to 360!

 

On 9/28/2023 at 1:00 PM, KKB said:

3--N/A

4--Celebrity ECLass has fantastic shows. Older ships are on par w/ Princess--usually underwhelming.

 

Agreed.

 

On 9/28/2023 at 1:00 PM, KKB said:

5--I have NEVER encountered ANY upselling on Celebrity, so to say it is very aggressive is odd to me.

 

I wouldn't say 'never', but it's not as obvious for sure. The pressure to give wait staff (and even the restaurant manager) a five-star review was extremely pressured on Princess.

 

On 9/28/2023 at 1:00 PM, KKB said:

6--The "class" system is all but invisible. Irrelevant to me. (and we did Retreat once in April)

 

We never noticed it before we started the suite life. The experience without the Retreat is so good, it's not an issue. Thanks to my company asking me to come back and work for them at a good rate means we can take advantage, but we'll be back to 'regular' cruising once it ends.

 

On 9/28/2023 at 1:00 PM, KKB said:

7--Agree on casino smoke. So bad on Discovery last Sept I wore a mask.

 

Surprisingly, the air scrubbing was very good on Discovery. We weren't in there during a busy evening, but unless someone was directly smoking near us, we never even noticed a smell! Of course, Celebrity is non-smoking, so this isn't an issue.

 

On 9/28/2023 at 1:00 PM, KKB said:

8--Solo rates--have snagged a couple good ones on both lines, but slight edge to Princess.

 

Never sailed solo, so it's not something I can comment on. There are lines like NCL that have solo cabins, so they may be worth a look.

On 9/28/2023 at 1:00 PM, KKB said:

 

Celebrity is our FAV line...Princess a close 2nd. But Princess prices are often much better.

 

After this cruise, I would put Princess fourth in my list of cruise lines I've sailed, which would be Celebrity, NCL, RCCL and then Princess, with just about every other line coming above Carnival! Of course, I've never sailed Holland America, MSC, Costa or any of the super-luxe lines except for Oceania.

[PH2]

Having Miami as the only other port we've ever cruised out of, Seattle was a piece of cake. Only 2 ships versus 7, and the embarkation was so easy. We got slightly delayed because they were removing some COVID people from the previous sailing last, but it went fast. Also, they handed out these cards with group numbers and we noticed they really weren't checking so a couple we met on the ride over came with us when our group number was called and they got on about 10 groups ahead.

 

As far as upselling, there were 2 stations set up outside the buffet entrance on either side of the ship across from the elevators manned with 2-3 people actively trying to sell specialty restaurant reservations. That's about the only "in your face" upselling we saw. 

[KKB]

37 minutes ago, Guindalf said:

 

Never sailed solo, so it's not something I can comment on. There are lines like NCL that have solo cabins, so they may be worth a look.

 

After this cruise, I would put Princess fourth in my list of cruise lines I've sailed, which would be Celebrity, NCL, RCCL and then Princess, with just about every other line coming above Carnival! Of course, I've never sailed Holland America, MSC, Costa or any of the super-luxe lines except for Oceania.

Been nice to sail solo in regular sized cabins!

 

Our list is a bit different! 

Celebrity, Princess, Carnival, NCL, RCCL, DCL......MSC (never again)

(Honestly after Celebrity, I'd put the next 4 on par with each other--each seems to have strengths & weaknesses; DCL only sailed 1x 17 yrs ago--price point doesn't interest us)

 

Celebrity is the best overall product; we find Princess close (AI option is by far the best value too)

Carnival--just 1x, in Jan, 14 days on Miracle. We LOVED it, tho others said we wouldn't.

Honestly NCL & RCCL are similar in our eyes--MDR is "meh". Edge to NCL for entertainment (shows); RCCL is struggling with that one; just got off the Anthem & the shows were...odd.  

 

We choose cruises based on when/where we want to go & find the best value that fits.

Or we may get an offer for a cruise & decide to go!

We do love newer ships overall (Celebrity Eclass is my obsession!), but had a great time on the oddly decorated Carnival Miracle!

 

There are those that love MSC...and I've heard Yacht Club is AMAZING. 

 

It's good we all have different lines to like!

[hptraveler2]

Great Review! We are not brand specific but just returned from Alaska 9/13-9/22 on NCl.. 9 days from Seattle.  Have done NCL, Princess, Celebrity and Royal all over the Globe.  Have 25+ cruises under our belt and yes Seniors. Don't do suites but mostly balcony depending on Itinerary. All lines have benefits..i.e drinks, dinner, gratuities AD NAUSEUM.  We generally look for decent reviews on food, entertainment, cabin location and customer service. We have never had a cruise that failed totally in All of those categories. We look for limited encounters with fellow guests and on occasion will have pleasant conversations over a drink or your too close dinner table mates. When we return from a cruise we Always parse the pros and cons of the most recent cruise and by the next week looking to Book another adventure!  Happily retired!

 

[grannyp]

On 9/21/2023 at 11:38 AM, Ombud said:

Hi Sherri (aka @grannyp). January break from what's supposed to be a VERY wet / snowy winter sounds so good! Have fun

Well you have quite the year of adventures!  Good for you, Gayle!