Celebrity vs. Princess & sewage?

[luvmypoodle]

Hi,

 

I'm considering both ships for future cruises. I've heard good things about Celebrity and so-so things about Princess. This will be my first cruise, so I'm real new at this.

 

I heard about a sewage problem on one of the ships on Princess, the Caribbean Princess. Then I did a search on the Princess section here for sewage and read that people here experienced that too.

 

Is that common on all ships? Have any of you experienced that on Celebrity? In general what are your opinions about Celebrity and Princess? Anybody cruised on both?

 

Thanks!

[Nancyquilts]

We've been on 4 Celebrity ships and 18 Princess, and never experienced this. Nancy

[operafan]

Hi,

 

I'm considering both ships for future cruises. I've heard good things about Celebrity and so-so things about Princess. This will be my first cruise, so I'm real new at this.

 

I heard about a sewage problem on one of the ships on Princess, the Caribbean Princess. Then I did a search on the Princess section here for sewage and read that people here experienced that too.

 

Is that common on all ships? Have any of you experienced that on Celebrity? In general what are your opinions about Celebrity and Princess? Anybody cruised on both?

 

Thanks!

 

 

We've been on both lines. Did smell a sewage odor occasionally on Millennium last May (in our cabin twice too) but haven't heard any further reports of odor since last summer so I'm assuming it's been repaired. We had never smelled it before on any of our X cruises.

 

As far as a comparison of lines, we've been on Princess once. We'll never sail Princess again. We found the food inedible and the service (with a few exceptions) poor to abominable. I went through an extensive rant regarding our Princess cruise 2 years ago and have no desire to revisit it but suffice it say no one on that ship was happy. The only thing Princess has going for it is the pretty decor of the ships.

 

We prefer X. The food's good, the service is great and we've never had a problem with anything until the sewage odor problem. That was resolved to our satisfaction a few weeks after we returned home. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any further questions and I'll try to answer.

[dedlaw]

We've been on each line 3 times. Princess food is pretty good, Celebrity food is also pretty good, maybe a bit better. Lunches available at the Aqua Spa set up are a plus for Celebrity. Princess has awesome pizza. We've had fabulous service on Celebrity, and shockingly awful service on Celebrity. Princess has been consistent, but at its best not quite where Celebrity is, but close. I find no need to have a "favorite," but we prefer Celebrity overall because we enjoy traditional dining, which isn't really available on Princess. They say it is, but it is overwhelmed by the open seating dining at dinners, and that makes it feel less, uh, special. Also, while Celebrity is struggling to allow those at late seating to make all the shows (and sometimes has shows before dinner, which is a bad time as most of those picking late seating want to unwind after the day and NOT have to be dressed early for the evening), on Princess it's a mess if you're in traditional seating -- getting to any show is pretty iffy.

[dedlaw]

We've been on each line 3 times. Princess food is pretty good, Celebrity food is also pretty good, maybe a bit better. Lunches available at the Aqua Spa set up are a plus for Celebrity. Princess has awesome pizza. We've had fabulous service on Celebrity, and shockingly awful service on Celebrity. Princess has been consistent, but at its best not quite where Celebrity is, but close. I find no need to have a "favorite," but we prefer Celebrity overall because we enjoy traditional dining, which isn't really available on Princess. They say it is, but it is overwhelmed by the open seating dining at dinners, and that makes it feel less, uh, special. Also, while Celebrity is struggling to allow those at late seating to make all the shows (and sometimes has shows before dinner, which is a bad time as most of those picking late seating want to unwind after the day and NOT have to be dressed early for the evening), on Princess it's a mess if you're in traditional seating -- getting to any show is pretty iffy.

[magmagee]

Hi,

 

I'm considering both ships for future cruises. I've heard good things about Celebrity and so-so things about Princess. This will be my first cruise, so I'm real new at this.

 

I heard about a sewage problem on one of the ships on Princess, the Caribbean Princess. Then I did a search on the Princess section here for sewage and read that people here experienced that too.

 

Is that common on all ships? Have any of you experienced that on Celebrity? In general what are your opinions about Celebrity and Princess? Anybody cruised on both?

 

Thanks!

 

I have been on 3 X cruises and am about to go on my 4th. We have never had a sewage problem and we love X. Before we had 3 cruises under our belt we did not know some of the things that could happen. Do as much research as you can about the ports. We did not do that the first time and then the second time around we got to see some of the things we missed. I think cruise critic is great. You can get a lot of good infor from this site. I wish I would have known about it my first time around. Do not be shy to ask questions. I am looking forward to meeting some of the people who visit this site when I cruise on X on March 2. The service and food and just about everything on X was everything and more than what we expected. Even though there have been a few snags on one of the cruises X does what it can to make sure the customers are satified. :)

[ricthemic]

Check out the Princess Star boards regarding bad odor

[ricthemic]

Check out the Princess Star boards regarding bad odor

[rebeccalouise]

I have never noticed a sewage problem on any line and I've been on 19 cruises on various lines. I have read about the sewage problem on various Princess ships- so be forewarned.

 

I think that Princess and Celebrity are similar in that the ships are lovely and they cater to an older crowd in general. Not much wild partying on either line.

 

I doubt you will have a bad time on either line but I love Celebrity. The ships have lots of glass, the buffet areas are well laid out. Fellow passengers are pleasant. Parents keep their kids under control. I especially like the Millenium class ships with the indoor adults only pool, spa cuisine and little touches like sorbet by the pool (all of these things are complimentary). You also get the glass on champagne upon arrival and there is zero pressure to spend money on board. No noisey announcements- just smooth sailing.

 

Drink prices are steep on Celebrity but the upside is I never witnessed any drunken behavior on the line (sailed it 5 times).

[two rabbits]

Hi,

 

I'm considering both ships for future cruises. I've heard good things about Celebrity and so-so things about Princess. This will be my first cruise, so I'm real new at this.

 

I heard about a sewage problem on one of the ships on Princess, the Caribbean Princess. Then I did a search on the Princess section here for sewage and read that people here experienced that too.

 

Is that common on all ships? Have any of you experienced that on Celebrity? In general what are your opinions about Celebrity and Princess? Anybody cruised on both?

 

Thanks!

 

Hi Luvmypoodle,

I have sailed both lines quite a few times and have found that both cruise lines offer a great cruising experience. There are pro's and con's for each. A few of the Princess pro's are far superior past passenger program, more comfortable bedding across all ships and much higher frequency of complementary upgrades. It would not be fair to you, to not at least mention the possibility of propulsion problems that have affected many Celebrity cruises in the past and remain as an on-going problem. I would recommend doing research about these problems before making any decision.

I have never noticed any sewage problem on either line. The only time I have seen drunken passengers was on a Celebrity ship and that was only because they had a free cocktail hour and I think a few got carried with the freebie. As rebeccalouise said the high prices for drinks on Celebrity not too mention the very high corkage fee in the dining rooms may give Celebrity a slight edge in this department. Given all of the facts, for me, I would definitely choose Princess over Celebrity for my cruise.

Whichever you decide on, have a great cruise

[mii]

I really suggest that you search on both cruise lines and you decide what is best for you. You will find many difference opinion on each line and that is understandable. I have sailed on both lines and there are good things about Princess and there are good things about Celebrity. Just do your own searching and decide what is best for you. The Star has a sewage smell for awhile but now it seems to be cleared up. Food is very, very subjective and you will get differing opinion.

 

Again check out both cruiselines. i bet you will find one you want to sail on. You will also find some people who have a beef with Princess and they say they will never sail with them. You will ALSO read the same thing about Celebrity of which they say they will never sail with them. You decide what is best for you.

 

Marilyn

[from the desert]

Since most of the mid-price cruise lines are so similar, why don't you select your cruise by itinerary, embarkation port, length of cruise, price. Asking people what their favorite cruise line is results in the same answer you would receive if asking someone what their favorite movie is. Everyone has a different answer and a reason for that answer. These boards are excellent sources of factual information, but leave a lot to be desired when it comes to emotion charged issues. Some people have had a perceived bad experience with a cruise line, whether a smell, or bad food, or poor service, or they have had airline and hotel issues that started the cruise off on the wrong foot and can't wait to tell everyone how BAD the cruise was.

 

If you walk into a room with 20 different people you'll get 20 different answers on this subject.

[adjburch]

Have been on both cruise lines and each has it's good and it's not so good. Check and see what excursion and times at ports and the ports you will stop at and see if that helps.

 

Just back from a Celebrity cruise and it was ok but I think we will stick to another line. My sister in law and her hubby had toliet problems the whole cruise on the Millie that we just got back from.

 

What you get out of a cruise is what you put into it. Hope you find the perfect cruise and really enjoy it.

[adjburch]

From the desert is right!

[fireelks]

I am taking my first princess cruise in march. I would rather have been on celebrity, but the price was right with princess. I have sailed with Celebrity many times before and I know the level of service to expect. But then again maybe there is a bais to what you know you are comfortable with.

 

Reading the princess boards I am becoming concerned that there will be charges for things I have never had to pay for. I am also a little concerned about the open dinner policy. But who knows maybe I will have to comeback and change my post next month.

 

I have only had one sewage problem in 20 years of cruising. And that was on the Carnival Tropical (it was decomissioned and sold shortly after that). It was not a pleasant exprerience.

 

I would choose celebrity if only because I know I like it.

[kiska]

Hi there,

 

We have sailed with Princess 4 times - 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005. We absolutely loved it in 2001 and 2003, 2004 was not quite as good, and after the 2005 sailing we said never again. We've seen what Princess used to be, but after Carnival absorbed it a few years ago, it just all went downhill. The staff are surly, unhappy, and rarely do what they're actually supposed to do. No one smiles at you, no one talks to you, no one wants to make sure that you are actually having a good time and are satisfied. I'm talking about the basics here, like someone at the end of the buffet line helping you carry your full plate to the table, waiters at the traditional seating dining room getting you the right orders or actually listening to you and noting your preferences. There was one highlight that I have to mention, Sun Princess sailing in March 2005, and the person is probably not there anymore, but he impressed me so much at the time, it was just like old school Princess used to be in 2001-2003. His name is Solomon, he was the Seoux Chef. Every morning at breakfast he greeted every person that walked by him and paid them a compliment. When I was intrigued by the kitchen, he organized a tour for me. The most wowing one of them all was when I was getting a salad, and didn't see any sunflower seeds for garnish, so I asked Solomon who happened to be nearby. He asked me where I was sitting, and said he'd bring them out to me. A few minutes later he manifested with the sunflower seeds ... and a huge bowl of strawberries, watermelon, and whipped cream. He really made me feel like a princess, and also reminded me of what service on Princess used to be. The old timers are leaving one by one, and the new crew, sadly, does not know the meaning of service and quality that Princess used to stand for.

 

Let me give you one last example of why we said we will never sail on Princess again. The port was St. Thomas, and we tendered there. The ship was set to leave at 6, I believe, and we got to the tender station around 3:30. I could contend with there being a line, but not a line or passengers who were forced to wait for over 45 minutes in the sweltering sun of the Caribbean in March. And the reason that we waited was because the crew felt it necessary to first put the passenger's duty free purchases on board the tender, then the waiting CREW members, and only then the passengers. I specifically recall an elderly gentleman who had to get up off his wheelchair for it to be folded and put on the tender, while he himself had to sit on the plastic beach chair that the crew provided. There was also almost no shade unless you were standing under the few umbrellas directly by the tender, and very little water provided as well. We found it utterly appalling that Princess would treat its loyal customers in such a manner. Apparently the duty free purchases were worth more than the passengers. Of course, due to the multitude of bags and cases of duty free purchases there was limited room on the tender, only about half the capacity was left. And there was absolutely no apology from anyone.

 

We have not yet sailed on Celebrity, so we cannot make a comparison, but we have sailed on Royal Caribbean and found the service to be much better than that of Princess. My advice - steer clear of Princess, it's going downhill fast, and will soon be in the same class as the Carnival that owns it.

[Wilcoam]

In my exp, which is I've sailed more with X, I'll sum it up as....

 

If you are older, looking for more attentive service, slightly smaller ships, sommeliers at dinner, a more traditional cruise, and classier cruise exp, X wins hands down...

 

but...

 

If you're younger, prefer open sun filled balconies, larger balconies, the choice of anytime dining, less relaxed dress at dinner, potentially newer ships, better nightlife, Princess wins hands down.

 

I think both lines have a premuim cruise experience. I rate the food equally (Prin wins at dinner, X at lunch n breaky) but Princess is slightly less expensive and allows Ta's to offer more discounts and OB credits.

 

For what it's worth, I prefer both lines over HAL.

 

jc

xpedition Sept 2007

[Drew B]

I doubt you will have a bad time on either line but I love Celebrity. The ships have lots of glass, the buffet areas are well laid out. Fellow passengers are pleasant. Parents keep their kids under control. I especially like the Millenium class ships with the indoor adults only pool, spa cuisine and little touches like sorbet by the pool (all of these things are complimentary). You also get the glass on champagne upon arrival and there is zero pressure to spend money on board. No noisey announcements- just smooth sailing.

 

 

Really? I felt a great deal of pressure to spend money!