Just off Celebrity and wow did I miss Princess!

[asctony]

On 9/9/2024 at 3:22 PM, kaerofan said:

My adult daughter and I just got off the Celebrity Reflection and were really disappointed.  Princess is usually our favourite line but we were just wanting a short getaway out of Florida.  Lack of entertainment and things to do, price gouging at every turn, mediocre food (terrible pizza) and an overall dark and dismal vibe made us really appreciate Princess.

Everyone has opinions. I respect yours. 

We cruise Princess & Celebrity yearly.

Both lines are compatible.

 

I really don't understand people who cruise and their biggest comment on food is Pizza.

If you cruise MSC, PRINCESS, etc., people think that the cruise line they are on has the best pizza. That is something we can do with or without. 

Nickel & diming is said about all cruise lines. 

 

Food very subjective! We consider Celebrity has the best food. Compare to CELEBRITY, MSC, NCL, PRINCESS & RCI.

 

Entertainment was totally lacking on the Princess Enchanted when we did a 21 day cruise. One production show in 11 days. 

 

It's a good thing we have choices. So, you may cruise whatever lines you want. 

 

Remember, each cruise is what you make it.

[BamaVol]

1 hour ago, asctony said:

Everyone has opinions. I respect yours. 

We cruise Princess & Celebrity yearly.

Both lines are compatible.

 

I really don't understand people who cruise and their biggest comment on food is Pizza.

If you cruise MSC, PRINCESS, etc., people think that the cruise line they are on has the best pizza. That is something we can do with or without. 

Nickel & diming is said about all cruise lines. 

 

Food very subjective! We consider Celebrity has the best food. Compare to CELEBRITY, MSC, NCL, PRINCESS & RCI.

 

Entertainment was totally lacking on the Princess Enchanted when we did a 21 day cruise. One production show in 11 days. 

 

It's a good thing we have choices. So, you may cruise whatever lines you want. 

 

Remember, each cruise is what you make it.

Wow.  We were on Enchanted Princess in June and there were 3 production shows scheduled in 7 nights.  One was understandably canceled because of rough seas. What happened on your cruise?

[Cruise Raider]

1 hour ago, asctony said:

Everyone has opinions. I respect yours. 

We cruise Princess & Celebrity yearly.

Both lines are compatible.

 

I really don't understand people who cruise and their biggest comment on food is Pizza.

If you cruise MSC, PRINCESS, etc., people think that the cruise line they are on has the best pizza. That is something we can do with or without. 

Nickel & diming is said about all cruise lines. 

 

Food very subjective! We consider Celebrity has the best food. Compare to CELEBRITY, MSC, NCL, PRINCESS & RCI.

 

Entertainment was totally lacking on the Princess Enchanted when we did a 21 day cruise. One production show in 11 days. 

 

It's a good thing we have choices. So, you may cruise whatever lines you want. 

 

Remember, each cruise is what you make it.

You are so right.  Each day in our lives is what we make of it!  
I don’t mean to be disrespectful but I’m surprised some people on these boards even enjoy cruising.  
As far as the production shows, we’ve seen where half the production crew is sick with something contagious or the main character is injured.  They always replace it with something we can watch and enjoy.  
 

 

[ldubs]

On 9/10/2024 at 12:27 PM, BamaVol said:

They’ve read all the studies that show people won’t cross the highway for a five cent lower price on gas and 90% of Americans shop at the grocery store closest to home.  They’re betting most won’t walk to the buffet for a snack after smelling the popcorn. 

 

Our two nearest stations, literally across the street from each other, have a $0.74 per gallon difference and the higher price one is always busy.  Go figure.   

[BamaVol]

12 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

Our two nearest stations, literally across the street from each other, have a $0.74 per gallon difference and the higher price one is always busy.  Go figure.   

Fear of left turns is a thing, but that’s pretty extreme. 

[Beamafar]

On 9/11/2024 at 4:43 AM, Itchy&Scratchy said:

I didn't realize at the time of ordering how bad it would be. The menu didn't say "a side of canned beans."

 

 

Plus, I am usually interested only in meat... It wasn't the only entree with this side - time after time I was wondering what the heck was happening with Princess food which I had always found to be great.

We do love Princess, mostly for its food, though, and I already booked our next year's Princess cruise (also on Enchanted) and I am thinking about booking Regal for 2026, but they really have to rethink the beans.

“Italian bean casserole”. 🙈  Must use that one when offering baked beans on toast to Mr B for breakfast.  😆

[Itchy&Scratchy]

18 hours ago, asctony said:

Entertainment was totally lacking on the Princess Enchanted when we did a 21 day cruise. One production show in 11 days.

it's hard to believe and I wonder what happened. We had 3 production shows (really good to awesome) and some guest performers (they were pretty bad) on our 7 night Enchanted cruise 2 months ago. The lady juggler in the Piazza was better than guest juggler in the theater.

Edited Sunday at 02:56 PM by Itchy&Scratchy

[555]

28 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

Our two nearest stations, literally across the street from each other, have a $0.74 per gallon difference and the higher price one is always busy.  Go figure.   

Must be because of the election coming up. 

Enjoy the temporary discount. 

[ldubs]

1 minute ago, 555 said:

Must be because of the election coming up. 

Enjoy the temporary discount. 

 

The two have always been pretty far apart in pricing.  I drive an extra 6 miles to Costco for the savings.  

 

I think I have taken this thread off course.  Sorry about that.  

[Crown Vic]

38 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

Must use that one when offering baked beans on toast to Mr B for breakfast.  

Ah! Baked beans on toast… 👍…the quintessential English delicacy… yum! Cheers…

[chisoxfan]

10 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

The two have always been pretty far apart in pricing.  I drive an extra 6 miles to Costco for the savings.  

 

I think I have taken this thread off course.  Sorry about that.  

We are big C fans but never bought gas there. Always a line.... if it takes 20 min in line to save 5 bucks I would rather skip the aggravation. And that is if I go to Costco anyway.... if you have to drive there you figure the cost of gas and it makes less sense IMHO. I think high pricing in food, gas, insurance has numbed us down. Three years ago a 15% increase in insurance had me scrambling for new coverage....now I call my agent and thank him for still considering me worthy 

[Beamafar]

7 minutes ago, Crown Vic said:

Ah! Baked beans on toast… 👍…the quintessential English delicacy… yum! Cheers…

… and Irish  ☘️  - sláinte. 😁

[Crown Vic]

2 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

… and Irish  ☘️  - sláinte. 😁

Perhaps with Kilbeggan if you are so inclined…Eirinn go Bragh…

[dreams_of_travel]

16 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

I don’t mean to be disrespectful but I’m surprised some people on these boards even enjoy cruising.  

This comment made me laugh.  It is so true it would seem at times. LOL!   I get it, people want a perfect vacation cruise, but things can and do not always turn out that way.

 

As for Princess vs. Celebrity:  I prefer Princess' cruises mainly for the International Cafe.  I appreciate being able to get a sandwich or a sweet item 24/7.  I was on a Celebrity cruise in Jan 2023 with my now adult son who "grew up" sailing on Princess.  He was super frustrated that he could not find a sandwich, let alone make one of his own based on the late night offerings of the 

Celebrity buffet area.  He also did not like their late night pizza either.  I know he is biased with his Princess experiences, but he was mentioning things that I had not thought about.  I have taken the International Cafe for granted on past sailings but now I see it with a different view. YMMV

[commodoredave]

18 hours ago, asctony said:

Remember, each cruise is what you make it.

To an extent. It’s also what the cruise ship and its staff make of it. As they say, it takes two to tango!

[insidecabin]

On 9/12/2024 at 8:38 PM, TRLD said:

The other alternative would be a fixed price that would be higher than the average charged under the current system. Since they wouldnot be able to adjust pricing for denand. Do not think most would like that either.

 

The system is pretty clear. Inital pricing is  what the cruise line expects to be lowest based upon their models, it then goes up as the ship fills. How much it goes up depends upon the booking rate vs projections.  The price might go lower due to a sale or if bookings are behind and empty cabins need to be filled after final payment date.  

 

These days prices are mustly going up after initial release.

 

 

There is behind the scenes discounting.

 

The headline fares stay high but there are various offers not available to everyone or partially hidden.

 

Princess have the on board discount list had 25%-35% on the last list I saw.

 

NCL and Princess do loyalty discounts some on a selective basis.

 

We have had a few 10% from Princess this year, last year NCL got our business with discounts on the account.

 

Flash sales of the packages new bookings only.

NCL this is a fairly regular 50% Free at Sea. 

 

Princess have done Plus at a discount last year 50%.

more recently they did Premier for Plus which is a 23% discount on Premier

 

I am seeing a few cruises where spare capacity has gone to TAs to bundle with flights & Hotels for not a lot more than the cruise is selling at.

 

There are also the casino offers where they can manipulate capacity without reducing prices.

 

What also seems to be happening is they can manipulate discounts through the bidding process.

Keep headline prices high.

Shuffle people up based on bids 

Over book the cheapest cabins and hope enough cancel to make space to move people up a d not have to make move over offers.

 

 

[Beamafar]

39 minutes ago, Crown Vic said:

Perhaps with Kilbeggan if you are so inclined…Eirinn go Bragh…

Go raibh math agat (that’s “thank you” - in case the mods have a problem with a foreign language post). 
 

As an apology to the OP for being off-topic - enjoying this thread as we have a couple each of Princess and Celebrity cruises booked (sailed X before, but new to Princess). 
 

 

Edited Sunday at 04:21 PM by Beamafar

[vakamalua]

On 9/14/2024 at 4:54 PM, asctony said:

 

 

Entertainment was totally lacking on the Princess Enchanted when we did a 21 day cruise. One production show in 11 days. 

 

 

 

Recent 7-day Enchanted had 2 don't miss production shows--Rock Opera & Spotlight Bar--about the best we've seen in over 35 cruises.  Plus a Whitney Houston tribute, guy from Cirque de Soleil in theater, comedy 5 out of 7 nights in lounge.  Last Celebrity the entertainment was pathetic except for a great Irish music duo.  

[asctony]

1 hour ago, vakamalua said:

 

Recent 7-day Enchanted had 2 don't miss production shows--Rock Opera & Spotlight Bar--about the best we've seen in over 35 cruises.  Plus a Whitney Houston tribute, guy from Cirque de Soleil in theater, comedy 5 out of 7 nights in lounge.  Last Celebrity the entertainment was pathetic except for a great Irish music duo.  

So, your telling me what you saw. I'm telling you what I didn't see. 

What does that mean? Two different cruises at two different times.

[vakamalua]

13 minutes ago, asctony said:

So, your telling me what you saw. I'm telling you what I didn't see. 

What does that mean? Two different cruises at two different times.

Obviously, it means that you can't generalize about a cruise line on the basis of one cruise.  But myself & probably others on this thread are referring to experiences based on multiple experiences withe two lines being discussed.  It seemed expedient to just reference our last cruise on each line.  Very sorry you had poor entertainment on your 21-day Enchanted cruise; sure you provided specific feedback.

[asctony]

30 minutes ago, vakamalua said:

Obviously, it means that you can't generalize about a cruise line on the basis of one cruise.  But myself & probably others on this thread are referring to experiences based on multiple experiences withe two lines being discussed.  It seemed expedient to just reference our last cruise on each line.  Very sorry you had poor entertainment on your 21-day Enchanted cruise; sure you provided specific feedback.

FYI - On Celebrity we are Elite+ and on Princess Elite. So since I compared one of my Princess' cruise to post that on my 21 day cruise we only had 1 Production show in 11vdays dies not qualify as a comparison between the 2 lines?

We have 23 Celebrity cruises and 56 Princess cruises. Do we have a little of experience to compare both? 

This year we were on Celebrity 2 times and will be on Princess 2 times. 

What else do I need to qualify for your requirements?

[BamaVol]

1 hour ago, asctony said:

FYI - On Celebrity we are Elite+ and on Princess Elite. So since I compared one of my Princess' cruise to post that on my 21 day cruise we only had 1 Production show in 11vdays dies not qualify as a comparison between the 2 lines?

We have 23 Celebrity cruises and 56 Princess cruises. Do we have a little of experience to compare both? 

This year we were on Celebrity 2 times and will be on Princess 2 times. 

What else do I need to qualify for your requirements?

All those cruises and you chose one example to share.

 

i asked upthread if something happened to cause cancellations.  Most of us got more than one show on much shorter cruises.

[cruise4mom]

I have sailed with Celebrity in the past and had amazing cruises. My friend and I wanted to go to Hawaii and I talked her into a

celebrity cruise. This was May of 23 on Eclipse. Let me start off of

with the cost was double that of any other cruise line but we did it based on my previous experiences. Let’s say the trip was the 2nd worst cruise in over 40 years. Staff never smiled. Half of the bars were closed on the ship.

Those that were open had no servers and if you wanted a drink it was a 20-30 min wait. That is if the. Sr tender acknowledged you. The food was barely edible! Dinner took 3.5 hours nightly. To even get out water refilled was a feat. We

met many many others who take this same cruise yearly state the food and service was horrible. The entertainment was appalling. To be honest I have been to better middle school performances then what we were subjected to. Speciality dining was $75 a meal.

at Murano’s our waiter was rude and non existent. Once he took our order we could not find him.’we had to flag down other waiters for assistance and upon leaving he finally appeared.

i also ordered a dish with lobster and in the entire dish there was one quarter size piece of lobster. Then we had many sea days. On Princess there is always something to do however on this ship the activities consisted of trivia. One day they did offer for painting. We arrived and waited. Finally a staff member came in, dropped off supplies, and stayed I have to be somewhere else and walked away. Thankfully, another passenger knew what to do and taught the class. Our room steward was horrible! Our room was never made up until after 3pm. We ask for a set of extra towels in the beginning and inform them that we like them to be refreshed during the cruise. We also request ice daily. Our steward did none of that. He didn’t even remove dirty dishes. Hawaii was beautiful and we had an aft balcony however the service, food, entertainment And activities left much to be desired. Another thing, when making a complaint or addressing any issue on Princess the staff go out of their way to correct or rectify the issue. Not on Celebrity. No real real response except we will look into it. Completed the survey, submitted a complaint thru proper channels and even wrote to the CEO and not one person responded. We will stay with Princess! They provide  great product, at a fair price,

and you can’t beat the service! 

[shandryl]

Its been awhile since I have sailed with Celebrity so, my comment is just that.  I like celebrity. Personally I have never had a bad cruise with them. Check this out! Its really hard to be mad at Celebrity when confronted with this! Just saying!  🙂 

Never seen this on Royal or Princes at any level. 😉

Edited Monday at 04:15 AM by shandryl

[Itchy&Scratchy]

11 hours ago, shandryl said:

Its been awhile since I have sailed with Celebrity so, my comment is just that.  I like celebrity. Personally I have never had a bad cruise with them. Check this out! Its really hard to be mad at Celebrity when confronted with this! Just saying!  🙂 

Never seen this on Royal or Princes at any level. 😉

cafe el bachio didn't look anything like that on Reflection in April 2024. It had a much more demure presentation of the same sweets which were also served at the buffet.

 

But this was Enchanted Princess in 2022:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

that pictured, 2024 Enchanted offerings didn't look this good either.

Edited Monday at 03:30 PM by Itchy&Scratchy