Celebrity vs. Princess

[latebuyer]

I'm considering a pacific coastal on celebrity vs. princess and have a few questions. Its Celebrity Summit vs. Sapphire princess. I'm interested in if the food is considered better on celebrity than princess? It definitely seems the rooms are better on celebrity. Are there other differences i should be aware of? The other difference is the celebrity one is leaving in the fall so i would think its a bit better since less rough and better weather but a bit more expensive.

[prmssk]

You are talking two comparable lines and so will find opinions that go both ways. 
 

In my experience, the buffet on Celebrity is far better than Princess. I think MDR food is more comparable and can depend on who the chef is on the ship at the time. For anyone with food allergies, my experience is that Celebrity handles it far better. 
 

The Sapphire Princess will be a slightly larger ship than the Celebrity Summit. I have found some of Princess’s ships in that class to be more crowded but have not sailed the Sapphire specifically. 
 

If you are looking at a balcony or lower cabin, Celebrity’s are much more spacious. Princess puts a walk in closet in their cabins that takes up so much room that the space feels really cramped. And Princess does not put a couch or comfortable chair in any of their cabins balcony or lower. A mini suite (or Reserve Class it might called) is a bit of a sweet spot on Princess ships for space and costs but not everyone wants to splurge on that. The suite experience on Celebrity is far better with amenities but usually more affordable on Princess. 
 

I personally prefer Celebrity but like I said these are fairly comparable lines. You will have a great experience either way. 

[Rick&Jeannie]

We have our 2nd cruise booked for Celebrity later this year.  Have only done one other to Alaska on the Solstice.  We really enjoyed that cruise, but I suspect given that it was our first time to Alaska as well that our opinion may be a bit slanted.  That being said, we are almost Elite on Princess.  We've done 14 cruises with them and pretty much consider them or "go to" cruise line.

 

They *are* very comparable in many ways as @prmssk says...but I don't totally agree with her in regards to sofas & seating.  We *generally* book mini-suites and they all come with a sofa or pull-out bed.  We have booked a standard balcony room a couple of times...each time there was a smaller (2 person?) love seat sized sofa.

 

I can't give a good objective review as far as food goes since we've only done the one cruise with Celebrity (pre-pandemic)...but looking back I don't recall any really significant differences that stick out in my mind.  We never go hungry on *any* cruise!

 

We have never sailed on the Sapphire Princess but likely will before too long.

[doghog]

54 minutes ago, latebuyer said:

I'm considering a pacific coastal on celebrity vs. princess and have a few questions. Its Celebrity Summit vs. Sapphire princess. I'm interested in if the food is considered better on celebrity than princess? It definitely seems the rooms are better on celebrity. Are there other differences i should be aware of? The other difference is the celebrity one is leaving in the fall so i would think its a bit better since less rough and better weather but a bit more expensive.

We cruise with Celebrity and Princess. We like the similarities and the differences. Celebrity has a lot better loyalty program (Captains Club) than Princess (Captains Circle).

[Veinless]

We find Princess has the better lido, Celebrity the more cheerful staff. Context: 6 celebrity cruises and 1 princess cruise so far. 

[villauk]

More similar than different and we’ve sailed both lines (see signature). 

[Ken the cruiser]

We cruise with both Celebrity and Princess, and they are both more similar than different. We have also cruised on the Summit as well as the Sapphire and have Live From threads associated with each of those cruises in my expanded signature area.  If I might ask, what category of cabin are you thinking about as that will make a difference?

 

The Sapphire has a fully covered promenade that circles the ship on deck 7/8, if that interests you, whereas the Summit does not have a promenade at all. For us on Princess we book Reserve Class mini-suites or higher so we can dine in their Reserve Dining Room. On Celebrity we usually book an Aqua cabin so we can dine in Blu. If I had to compare the two, we much prefer dining in the Reserve DR over Blu.

 

Princess has self-serve laundromats whereas Celebrity does not, if that interests you.

 

Practically all of the Princess cruise fares include a refundable deposit unless you are booking a Guarantee cabin. Celebrity charges a 20% surcharge to book a cruise with a refundable deposit.

 

As far as perk packages go, Princess offers their Plus package for $60 pp/day or their Premium package for $80 pp/day.

 

 

Celebrity charges $70 pp/day for their All Included package, which only includes Basic Wi-Fi and their Classic Drink Package but not the Daily Gratuity Charge.

 

 

Just some additional items you may want to consider during your decision-making process.

Edited March 11 by Ken the cruiser

[latebuyer]

For the price of a mid aft inside cabin on princess for a 7 night cruise in the spring, i can go on an ocean view midship 6 night cruise on celebrity. I thought if food was better or substantial differences i'd go for celebrity. However, given itinerary is better on princess i am inclined to go with them. I know the inside rooms on princess aren't nice and i did really like my little couch on royal caribbean but oh well. Some people seem to think the cabins on princess are well designed. I'll think about it though as the fall is supposed to be a less rough time for the pacific coastals.

[prmssk]

3 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

We have booked a standard balcony room a couple of times...each time there was a smaller (2 person?) love seat sized sofa.

On what Princess ship?  On the Grand class and its subclasses (which includes the Sapphire), you have to get a mini-suite to get seating in the cabin (besides the desk chair).  Balcony rooms used to have a barrel chair but I think those have all been removed.  

 

The Royal class of ships has a category called a Deluxe Balcony which does have a small loveseat but all the standard balconies and below do not.  

 

I'm not as familiar with the Coral and Island.

 

I think this is changing with the Sun Princess though.  Photos and deck plans of the Sun Princess look a lot nicer for those in standard balcony and below than the other Princess ships.

[MISTER 67]

4 hours ago, latebuyer said:

I'm considering a pacific coastal on celebrity vs. princess and have a few questions. Its Celebrity Summit vs. Sapphire princess. I'm interested in if the food is considered better on celebrity than princess? It definitely seems the rooms are better on celebrity. Are there other differences i should be aware of? The other difference is the celebrity one is leaving in the fall so i would think its a bit better since less rough and better weather but a bit more expensive.

We are Elite with Princess and heading to Elite with Celebrity, as we speak I will give a slight edge to Celebrity, X definitely has the better buffet with amazing variety. As far as the MDR I give a slight edge to X as well as the entertainment. Service is very good on both lines. As far as ships I think Princess ships have much nicer public rooms as well as the Atriums but X has larger cabins,  I happen to like the closets very much on Princess ships. Cruise fares are better with Princess. In closing IMHO you can’t go wrong with either line.

 

 

[Rick&Jeannie]

2 hours ago, prmssk said:

On what Princess ship?  

I did a bit of detective work on past cruises (as best I could) and I may very well have been thinking of a different cruise line.  Apologies.  The 2 balcony cabins that I could find were on the Crown and Regal.

[NMTraveller]

3 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We cruise with both Celebrity and Princess, and they are both more similar than different. We have also cruised on the Summit as well as the Sapphire and have Live From threads associated with each of those cruises in my expanded signature area.  If I might ask, what category of cabin are you thinking about as that will make a difference?

 

The Sapphire has a fully covered promenade that circles the ship on deck 7/8, if that interests you, whereas the Summit does not have a promenade at all. For us on Princess we book Reserve Class mini-suites or higher so we can dine in their Reserve Dining Room. On Celebrity we usually book an Aqua cabin so we can dine in Blu. If I had to compare the two, we much prefer dining in the Reserve DR over Blu.

 

Princess has self-serve laundromats whereas Celebrity does not, if that interests you.

 

Practically all of the Princess cruise fares include a refundable deposit unless you are booking a Guarantee cabin. Celebrity charges a 20% surcharge to book a cruise with a refundable deposit.

 

As far as perk packages go, Princess offers their Plus package for $60 pp/day or their Premium package for $80 pp/day.

 

 

Celebrity charges $70 pp/day for their All Included package, which only includes Basic Wi-Fi and their Classic Drink Package but not the Daily Gratuity Charge.

 

 

Just some additional items you may want to consider during your decision-making process.

The extras on Princess are quite a bit less...

[Oxo]

5 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

The extras on Princess are quite a bit less...

Please beore specific. TIA

[NMTraveller]

2 minutes ago, Oxo said:

Please beore specific. TIA

When you compare the price of the Princess Premier package to the Celebrity Premium drink package they are about the same.  Except the Princess package includes a lot more.

[cruisestitch]

Princess allows smoking in the casino.  celebrity does not.

[Oxo]

2 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

When you compare the price of the Princess Premier package to the Celebrity Premium drink package they are about the same.  Except the Princess package includes a lot more.

I totally agree! Princess provides much more for $!

Celebrity is way too high on everything! Drinks, tips, Speciality Restaurants, cabins, etc.

Out of X, MSC, NCL & Princess - X is the most expensive!

Yes, I cruise them all and see the prices.

Happy Cruising! 

[Oxo]

1 hour ago, cruisestitch said:

Princess allows smoking in the casino.  celebrity does not.

I don't smoke or gamble. I cruise! 

[prmssk]

9 hours ago, Oxo said:

I don't smoke or gamble. I cruise! 

I don't smoke or gamble either but depending on the layout of the ship, smoking in the casino can affect other areas of the ship.  On my last cruise on the Caribbean Princess (which is fairly similar to the Sapphire Princess), smoke from the casino made its way into the atrium and the popular bar Crooners, making those areas not so enjoyable for non-smokers.

[KKB]

19 hours ago, latebuyer said:

I'm considering a pacific coastal on celebrity vs. princess and have a few questions. Its Celebrity Summit vs. Sapphire princess. I'm interested in if the food is considered better on celebrity than princess? It definitely seems the rooms are better on celebrity. Are there other differences i should be aware of? The other difference is the celebrity one is leaving in the fall so i would think its a bit better since less rough and better weather but a bit more expensive.

Celebrity & Princess are our 2 fav lines, in that order.

 

We find them VERY comparable, particularly the older ships as you are mentioning. These 2 ships are nearly the same age, both refurbished 4-5 years ago. Summit is a bit smaller/fewer passengers.

Sailed the Sapphire summer of 2022. Have not sailed Summit, but have sailed same class, Constellation (same class), twice--it was our 1st Celebrity cruise & made us a fan.

 

EVERYTHING is comparable, including rooms. Princess standard balconies don't have a sofa (but has DH says--all we use it for is to toss clothes on...), but I like how Princess' closets are set up--it opens toward the bathroom as opposed to the room which creates a sort of dressing room. Closet is HUGE.

Yes, It does make bedroom area a bit smaller. But we aren't in our room much anyway.

Interiors are slightly smaller, but not cramped like NCL Breakaway class!

Food--shows--activities...no discernible difference.

 

We did MX Riviera in October some years ago & I was surprised how cool it was (considering all my cruises prior had only been in the Caribbean)

 

Regarding price--I would likely choose the Princess if it is cheaper. If you are adding AI on Celebrity vs. Princess Plus on Princess, remember that Princess includes gratuities & Celebrity does not any longer.

Agree w/ above post--I have to pay to upgrade Celebrity's drink plan to get wine & liquor brands I like. DH is perfectly fine as he mostly drinks beer & frozen drinks.

Edited March 12 by KKB

[Torfamm]

19 hours ago, latebuyer said:

I'm considering a pacific coastal on celebrity vs. princess and have a few questions. Its Celebrity Summit vs. Sapphire princess. I'm interested in if the food is considered better on celebrity than princess? It definitely seems the rooms are better on celebrity. Are there other differences i should be aware of? The other difference is the celebrity one is leaving in the fall so i would think it’s a bit better since less rough and better weather but a bit more expensive.

I was a loyal Celebrity cruiser until 2019 when I tried Princess for an Iceland and Norway cruise. At that time, I would have said Celebrity had much better food, but not any more. Princess has improved a lot and my last three cruises on Celebrity had very unimpressive meals.

 

I think that the cabins on the Summit are fine but nothing special although I always liked the Sweet 16 balconies. On the Sapphire Princess, the extra-deep, half-covered balconies on Caribe deck are my favorite. They are twice the size of other balconies.

 

Celebity’s big advantage for me is the non-smoking casino. For a short cruise it won’t be much of an issue but Princess has self-service laundry and very large closets that are a huge advantage on longer trips or if you’re bringing a lot of sports equipment like golf clubs or scuba gear.

 

In general, I think Celebrity and Princess are more alike than different. Were Elite on both lines and I base my decision on itinerary first, then cabin availability and total cost including drinks, gratuities and internet.

Edited March 12 by Torfamm

[BP99]

20 hours ago, latebuyer said:

I'm considering a pacific coastal on celebrity vs. princess and have a few questions. Its Celebrity Summit vs. Sapphire princess. I'm interested in if the food is considered better on celebrity than princess? It definitely seems the rooms are better on celebrity. Are there other differences i should be aware of? The other difference is the celebrity one is leaving in the fall so i would think its a bit better since less rough and better weather but a bit more expensive.

Hi,

We have cruised on both (Elite on Celebrity). I think the food on both is good and comparable. I think

on this website you will ALWAYS find people who complain about food on different cruise lines and ships.

My only question for them is: What do you eat at home? The ONLY noticeable cruise food is when we did Holland America. It was better (and service outstanding) BUT was it worth paying the higher fares? NO.

We don't only travel on cruise ships to eat. We also seem to find food we enjoy! Also many cruiselines

have outstanding shows (ie water shows, theatre, concerts etc) which for us is a BONUS. 

We cruise to enjoy visiting different places in the world. We actually save money cruising Europe, Australia etc. Hotels prices are CRAZY there lately. They have also increased in USA and Canada! Also, we save money on cruising TA and TP (often cheaper) and flying from Canada is expensive (and also uncomfortable!)

Bill

[latebuyer]

Thanks everyone. It seems like most people think Celebrity and Princess are similar so i am inclined to choose the princess cruise which is cheaper and has a better itinerary. However, if hell freezes over and they offer no single supplement on the celebrity cruise, i would jump on it.

Edited March 12 by latebuyer

[Torfamm]

2 hours ago, latebuyer said:

Thanks everyone. It seems like most people think Celebrity and Princess are similar so i am inclined to choose the princess cruise which is cheaper and has a better itinerary. However, if hell freezes over and they offer no single supplement on the celebrity cruise, i would jump on it.

Hope you have a great cruise!