Sun Princess versus Celebrity summit

[Italian Nancy]

Has anyone sailed on both.. we just got back from the summit cruise and loved it, now looking at the Sun Princess for November 2005. any recommendations.. we are especially interested in the balcony stateroom details and how good the food is.. we are foodies.. and enjoy good wines

[FEMH]

We have sailed the Sun Princess and the Celebrity Millennium(sister ship to the Summit). Overall, I feel that Celebrity offers better food and service than Princess and is generally a more upscale cruise experience. The Millennium-class ships are a bit bigger than the Sun-class ships, but carry about the same number of pax, so the passenger-space ratio is better, although by no means is the Sun Princess crowded. The Summit is about eight years newer than the Sun Princess, so that could be a factor to consider also.

As far as the balcony stateroom is concerned, there are two sizes on the Summit - 170 sq. ft. and 191 sq. ft., not including balcony. The balconies are nice and open and really add depth to the room. On the Sun Princess, the standard balcony stateroom is ~150 sq. ft., not including balcony. There was very little seating in the room. And the balcony has an enclosed feeling, since they were built as part of the superstructure of the ship. It's almost like looking out through a big TV screen. I found it very confining.

As far as food in concerned, I felt that Celebrity excelled at appetizers, beef entrees and desserts and that Princess excelled at soups and their freshly made pasta dishes. Overall though, the quality of food of every type was a step up on Celebrity in quality and presentation. Dinner on Celebrity was more of an event than just a meal. Celebrity also had a wine sommelier that visited our table every night and suggested wines. On Princess, the waiter sold the wine and frequently, didn't know one from the other.

Good luck with whatever you choose!

[jerseygirl3]

When we were trying to make up our minds between the Summit and the Sun, the size of the cabin/balcony was the dealbreaker. The Sun is only 179 sq. ft. including the balcony. The Summit was 191 excluding the balcony. I just felt the size of the Sun balcony cabin would feel too small, so we went with the Summit. We'll be on the 3/11/05 sailing.

[cruiserforlife]

The Sun is certainly an older ship and many new inovations have been added to cruiseships since.If cabin/balcony space is important to you,you might want to stay with Celebrity.

 

The "foodie" part worries me though...it sounds as if the food quality on Princess has slipped and if that aspect of the cruise is important to you (as it should be),you may find Princess wanting here.

[carol allen]

I was on sun princess 2 years ago and have booked again for October 29, 2005. - reason - good itinerary which Summit does not have for Oct 2005.

 

I loved the summit better too - but you have to consider all things equally.

 

carol in connecticut

[Ronath]

We just returned from the Sun a couple weeks ago. The balcony cabins are smaller on Princess, but we were find with the space. It's not like we were in the room that long anyway. This was our first cruise on Princess in several years. We found the dining not quite as good as a few years ago. But, the itinerary was the selling point for this cruise for us.

[Guest tealady]

Italian Nancy,

I have been on both Summit and Sun Princess and have to agree with the above postings. The Summit is a step above, but I would not hesitate to book the Sun again.

 

I would like to comment on another question you had on the Holland America Board about the age group on the Volendam. We just returned from the November 6th cruise on her. We are in our early 50's and felt the age group was way too old for us. The atmosphere on the entire ship is very sedate and laid back. There was no sailaway party, no music by the pools, on island night they played polka music. Had it not been for a great group of Cruise Critic friends we made, we would have been very dissapointed in this cruise.

[Italian Nancy]

Thanks for the info Tealady, they kinda jumped on me on the Volendam site about asking about the wheelchairs. Glad you were honest about the age of the passenger.

[carol allen]

Thanks for the information on holland america - this is exactly what I heard that it is a much older and sedate crowd. I am also in my 50's -

 

we were thinking of switching but stayed with sun princess next october,2005 - so glad we did now.

 

just off the coral and she is beautiful - I wish the coral did itineraries other than the Panama Canal.

 

Can anyone tell me about the bands on sun princess - are they all for "older people" do they have a group that is more upbeat?

 

carol in connecticut