Star passenger tries Celebrity

[redrobin]

Was booked on the canceled 4/2 Star Princess, but was fortunate to rebook a cruise on the Celebrity Millennium for the same dates. Had a great time. Shared the following thoughts on the Celebrity board, but thought I'd also post them here for anyone interested in a comparison. Note that my comparisons are limited to two ships, my 7-day Alaska cruise on the Sapphire Princess and this 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Millie.

• The crowd was older, with fewer children and young adults than I'd imagine you'd find on other lines especially during Spring Break time.
  
• About 650 people on the cruise were part of a cooking 'group' with Paula Deen from the Food Network. They had some special events together throughout the cruise and were a nice group to interact with.
  
• Everyone dressed nicely, especially at night, but shorts, swimsuits and casual attire was fine for the day. Saw fewer jeans on X, but that may have more to do with the destination than the cruise line.
  
• The Millie showed some wear in the stateroom, compared to the newer Sapphire, but overall it was well-maintained and a very nice ship. Noticed the artwork displayed around the ship. The Concierge Class stateroom was comparable to a Sapphire mini-suite.
  
• X tries to give you more of an upscale feeling - the glass of champagne for everyone upon embarkation and, in the buffet, the cloth placemats on the tray and waiters offering to carry them to the table for you. Not an issue, but no one escorted us to our room upon embarkation, and only once thought I saw the cool towels available upon reboarding the ship in port.
  
• Would give the edge to X as far as food, especially at the buffet. Still like the Anytime Dining on Princess, but did fine with the traditional seating. Had excellent service from our waiter and assistant waiter and other crew members we encountered on the ship.
  
• As on Princess, prepaid tips before the end of the cruise and added a little extra. Was surprised by the number of people handing out envelopes in the dining room on the last night. Am hoping X does a good job of letting the crew know who tips them. I'm hoping no one thinks I neglected to tip them.
  
• Enjoyed the ice-cream, afternoon tea, breakfast waffles and made to order eggs, pasta station, CC breakfast smoothies, Cova Café chocolate croissants, special nighttime buffets and gourmet bites. The sushi bar and spa dining are nice options too for those looking for something differernt.
  
• Entertainment was very good. A wonderful violinist one night. The Celebrity Theater was never crowded like I remember on the Sapphire. Enjoyed the music in the lounges at night.
  
• Took a tour of the Spa and fitness area, which was similar to the Sapphire, but didn't have any treatments. Noted, but didn't try, the Acupuncture and topless sunbathing available on X.
  
• Lots of public places to enjoy including the library, conservatory (flower shop), internet café, computer lab, movie theater, lounges/bars, shops, casino... Enjoyed time on deck by the pool during the sea days. There were the usual chair savers, but finding a chair wasn't difficult.
  
• Enjoyed the martini tasting. Don't usually drink them, so it was fun for something different.
  
• Thought the art auction was better on the Sapphire.
  
• The internet is cheaper per minute on Princess, although I liked the Celebrity e-mail address you received for the duration of the cruise to send and receive e-mails for a flat $2.
  
• Although things are marked, Port Everglades was hectic and I was glad I had looked at a map in advance to have an idea of where I was going to drop off luggage, park the car, catch the shuttle back to the terminal. Our embarkation was delayed a bit because of the tragic bus accident in South America. Disembarkation was delayed a bit as well, not sure why.

Overall, would be equally comfortable cruising either line again.

[meemeec]

Thanks, Redrobin, for the great posting. Sounds like a very fair and balanced assessment.

[lindasuej]

I LOVE Celebrity. Have cruised many many times on Celebrity and love the ships, staff etc. Doing Princess for the first time in September. (Celebrity does not do the Caribbean in Sept). Hope we are as happy with Princess as you were with Celebrity.

Linda & Tom

[Hello-Kitty]

thanks redrobin, i found your reiew very helpfull, i am a full time princess addict and i am looking for something different. Thank you for your review.

So al in all pretty much the same in comparison maybe a little more upscale?

And dress at dinner was more than casual, meaning sundress for women and khakis and a button down hawaiian shirt for men?

[Coral]

Good to hear you were able to get rebooked on a ship that you enjoyed.

[redrobin]

Thanks for the replies. I forget to mention that on X I also liked having the capability to book shore excursions, preorder wine for dinner, and check my account via the television in the stateroom.

 

So al in all pretty much the same in comparison maybe a little more upscale?

And dress at dinner was more than casual, meaning sundress for women and khakis and a button down hawaiian shirt for men?

 

Yes, that's an accurate assessment. There are differences between the lines, as I'm sure there are between ships in the same fleet. However, I think they are similar enough that if you like one line you would also be comfortable on the other as long as you are OK with things being a little different.

As for dress, on X we had 3 casual nights where the sundress and khakis would be fine, 2 informal nights where a jacket/slacks for men and an informal dress or pants/blouse for women were recommended, and 2 formal nights.

 

lindasuej, hope you enjoy your Princess cruise! Be sure to report back and let us know what you think.

[Italy52]

Thanks redrobin for posting your review. I have a question: is there much variety in the dinner menu? Daugher and son-in-law sailed Celebrity last year and loved the line, but found the dinner menu very limited. Your opinion? We like the variety on Princess compared to other lines we have sailed.

[lisiamc]

Hi Italy 52,

 

I've done seven cruises with Celebrity and two with Princess, and I like the food on both lines. I would give a slight advantage to Celebrity. For main courses, their menu always has one meat dish (beef, lamb, pork or veal), one poultry dish (chicken, turkey, duck or even quail) a fish/seafood dish and normally a pasta dish as well. Also you can always order a grilled chicken breast, a salmon fillet or a sirloin steak (although these are not listed on the menu.) There is also a vegetarian menu with several dishes available (these don't change from night to night.) You can also order any of the starters as a main course, or just a plate of spaghetti and red sauce, if that's what you want. I've even seen adults order off the children's menu. That makes about 20 different dishes available for your main course!

 

So, not being disrespectful to your daughter and son-in-law, but if they found the menu too limited, they just weren't trying hard enough!:D

 

Lisa

[redrobin]

In my opinion the Celebrity menu was as varied as Princess, although as long as I'm not doing the cooking, I'm not too hard to please! I found something I liked every evening, and certainly didn't go hungry. Our waiter was very helpful in letting us know which selections he felt were the best for that day, and I liked all of his recommendations.

 

On X I had beef, lamb, veal, filet mignon, lobster, turkey and fish for my entrees. As on Princess, I liked trying different soups that I usually don't eat at home. There was no "Always Available" listing in the X menu, but as lisiamc stated, you can order other things. For instance, I saw people getting shrimp cocktail, baked potatoes and ice-cream that were not listed on the evening's menu.

 

I did note that on Princess we had crab legs one night, and that was not offered on X. Also, I loved the souffles on Princess, and they were not available on X in the regular dining room. However, I enjoyed all the X desserts I tried. Hope this answers your question.

[Italy52]

Hi Italy 52,

 

I've done seven cruises with Celebrity and two with Princess, and I like the food on both lines. I would give a slight advantage to Celebrity. For main courses, their menu always has one meat dish (beef, lamb, pork or veal), one poultry dish (chicken, turkey, duck or even quail) a fish/seafood dish and normally a pasta dish as well. Also you can always order a grilled chicken breast, a salmon fillet or a sirloin steak (although these are not listed on the menu.) There is also a vegetarian menu with several dishes available (these don't change from night to night.) You can also order any of the starters as a main course, or just a plate of spaghetti and red sauce, if that's what you want. I've even seen adults order off the children's menu. That makes about 20 different dishes available for your main course!

 

So, not being disrespectful to your daughter and son-in-law, but if they found the menu too limited, they just weren't trying hard enough!:D

 

Lisa

 

Perhaps I should have re-phrased my statement, the kids did not find the menu too limiting for them, they were thinking of my tastes. I don't care for fish, or items in lots of sauces. As long as there is a meat or grilled chicken option, I am good to go.

[Italy52]

In my opinion the Celebrity menu was as varied as Princess, although as long as I'm not doing the cooking, I'm not too hard to please! I found something I liked every evening, and certainly didn't go hungry. Our waiter was very helpful in letting us know which selections he felt were the best for that day, and I liked all of his recommendations.

 

On X I had beef, lamb, veal, filet mignon, lobster, turkey and fish for my entrees. As on Princess, I liked trying different soups that I usually don't eat at home. There was no "Always Available" listing in the X menu, but as lisiamc stated, you can order other things. For instance, I saw people getting shrimp cocktail, baked potatoes and ice-cream that were not listed on the evening's menu.

 

I did note that on Princess we had crab legs one night, and that was not offered on X. Also, I loved the souffles on Princess, and they were not available on X in the regular dining room. However, I enjoyed all the X desserts I tried. Hope this answers your question.

 

Thanks for elaborating on "X" choices for dinner. I wish the menus did post "Always Available" alternatives, so I don't have to ask for something when I don't see it on the menu. I know everyone does, and I have done that on occasion, I just feel a little uncomfortable in doing so.