Pros/Cons Princess vs. Celebrity and RCCL

[goofynewfymom]

Hi! My family, all active individuals ages 60 (hubby), Mom/Grandma (not allowed to tell age or she's writing me out of the will but 70ish!), son 21, daughter 19, and me, 52. We are planning a cruise to AK to celebrate son's graduation from college and acceptance into law school and haven't cruised in 4 years. (for those of you who have kids in college, you know why!) Our last cruises were on Celebrity, mostly and a few on RCCL. We liked Celebrity for it's excellent food, and RCCL for the ships size and all the different things there were to do. I have heard good things about Princess, and the ships we are looking at are Golden Princess and Star Princess. I would be soooo appreciative of any input you all could give me as to how Princess compares to Celebrity and RCCL. I love the idea of being able to eat at the time you would like, as we are off on shore excursions daily...I believe thats something that can only be found on Princess. Anyway, thank you so much!

 

Stephanie

[Parrot Mom]

Hi! My family, all active individuals ages 60 (hubby), Mom/Grandma (not allowed to tell age or she's writing me out of the will but 70ish!), son 21, daughter 19, and me, 52. We are planning a cruise to AK to celebrate son's graduation from college and acceptance into law school and haven't cruised in 4 years. (for those of you who have kids in college, you know why!) Our last cruises were on Celebrity, mostly and a few on RCCL. We liked Celebrity for it's excellent food, and RCCL for the ships size and all the different things there were to do. I have heard good things about Princess, and the ships we are looking at are Golden Princess and Star Princess. I would be soooo appreciative of any input you all could give me as to how Princess compares to Celebrity and RCCL. I love the idea of being able to eat at the time you would like, as we are off on shore excursions daily...I believe thats something that can only be found on Princess. Anyway, thank you so much!

 

Stephanie

 

Hands down we pick Celebrity.. We just got off two weeks on the Pacific Princess and after three two week cruises on Celebrity we will never, ever go back to Princess again..It's the amenities that Celebrity provides, the little extras, real plates and trays i the buffet.. Granted the food was better on the Princess, but for overall cleanliness (never saw them cleaning), service, attitude..When cruisers tell me that Princess and Celebrity are equal... I can now say.."are you kidding".. and list the reasons...Because the ship was so small "anytime dining was not an option"

[cynbar]

I actually don't agree with Parrot Mom, despite our shared Massachusetts roots! We enjoy Celebrity but prefer Princess. The ships we have been on (9 so far) have all been clean, the staff are friendly, and the food has been very good to excellent. I think the biggest difference from Celebrity is that the food is not as fancy on Princess---- not as many sauces and fancy accompaniments like the birds' nest potato presentation, for instance. The atmosphere overall is friendly but less formal on Princess, which appeals to us. You also will have 3 smaller main DRs instead of one multi tier one, which seems quieter and more personal to us. We enjoy Princess for the anytime dining, 24 hr buffet and better availability of food throughout the day (on Celebrity the meal times are much more rigid), the freshwater pools, and MUTS (which I admit I don't know if they have on the Star.)We would gladly sail Celebrity again but look at Princess first. We have not liked RCCL as much, mainly because of the larger number of children and teens they seem to attract. Anyway, I say give Princess a try and then you can make your own assessment.

[Parrot Mom]

I actually don't agree with Parrot Mom, despite our shared Massachusetts roots! We enjoy Celebrity but prefer Princess. The ships we have been on (9 so far) have all been clean, the staff are friendly, and the food has been very good to excellent. I think the biggest difference from Celebrity is that the food is not as fancy on Princess---- not as many sauces and fancy accompaniments like the birds' nest potato presentation, for instance. The atmosphere overall is friendly but less formal on Princess, which appeals to us. You also will have 3 smaller main DRs instead of one multi tier one, which seems quieter and more personal to us. We enjoy Princess for the anytime dining, 24 hr buffet and better availability of food throughout the day (on Celebrity the meal times are much more rigid), the freshwater pools, and MUTS (which I admit I don't know if they have on the Star.)We would gladly sail Celebrity again but look at Princess first. We have not liked RCCL as much, mainly because of the larger number of children and teens they seem to attract. Anyway, I say give Princess a try and then you can make your own assessment.

 

We were on a small ship, the smallest one we have been on.. about 700 people..and admittedly a jewel of a ship. There was no "anytime dining" nor MUTS. The food, presentation and quality was absolutely outstanding..no doubt and the ports (the Amazon) were outstanding as were the two major excursions we took..But Cynbar, it was the little things that drove us crazy, even Parrot Pop..the worst room steward in 25 years..an incident with a lost watch, no chair with back in our balcony cabin nor lamp on the desk, plastic dishes in the buffet and no trays, it was the little touches... For a devastating and honest review read Cruisemates and a review by Merman. Oh yes... there were many positive things including the laundry room.. I do find that Princess cruisers are loyal to a fault although I heard grumblings of "enough was enough" by a few loyalists at breakfast one day. As a matter of fact too we are thinking of a t/a from Harwich to BOSTON in September 2010.. We will be cruising t/a the NCL Gem t/a the end of November and I do'n't expect it to come up to Princess or Celebrity, but its the ports...

[southnevada]

Having been on 25 cruises with all the major lines except Carnival I prefer Princess over Celebrity. Celebrity struck me as pompus and worked at taking the fun out of cruising. The food was great on both.

[julia]

We did Alaska on Princess last year and LOVED it. I can heartily recommend the northbound cruise from Vancouver to Anchorage... you should not miss Glacier Bay. We sailed on the Coral, which was a nice size ship and had wonderful viewing areas at the fore and aft.

 

We recently sailed RCCL and found their food, service and ship to be very nice, but we're still prone to choose Princess. It seems a better value, and we like their mini-suites over the other lines.

[Coral]

Having sailed a number of lines (Carnival, RCCL, Celebrity, HAL, Princess) - I prefer HAL and Princess to Celebrity.

 

I personally find the ships cleaner on Princess, I found the staff friendlier and more opt to carry on a conversation with you (as opposed to hide when you come) and I find the entertainment and activities better on Princess (compared to Celebrity). I think Princess a great range in age - sort of like everyone fits in on the majority of the cruises (not exotic).

 

I think the best thing to do is try it for yourself and see what you think.

 

I am not sure if you are looking at going this year or next year but I would look carefully at the itinerary - Princess's itineraries out of Seattle this year are not the best. I would pick a ship that goes to Glacier Bay.

[Cruisematic]

We cruised on Celebrity Constellation December 08 and Ruby Princess in March 09. Our experience was was much better on Princess. The food was no real comparison, much better on the Ruby. Also Celebrity only served a buffet in the main room for lunch every day. The decor and art finishes on the Constellation were eclectic to say the least, not appealing and we found the crew members more approachable and friendly on the Ruby. The list could go on. Maybe it was just that particular ship as we know people who rave about Celebrity, that was the reason we tried them. Not again any time soon though.

[Parrot Mom]

We cruised on Celebrity Constellation December 08 and Ruby Princess in March 09. Our experience was was much better on Princess. The food was no real comparison, much better on the Ruby. Also Celebrity only served a buffet in the main room for lunch every day. The decor and art finishes on the Constellation were eclectic to say the least, not appealing and we found the crew members more approachable and friendly on the Ruby. The list could go on. Maybe it was just that particular ship as we know people who rave about Celebrity, that was the reason we tried them. Not again any time soon though.

 

Were you on the trans/atlantic of the Constellation, we were... We never had a buffet in the dining except the two "brunch days"... The decor means little to me and admittedly the food was better on the Princess, but overall it was the little things we missed on Princess. We are not into buffets but the buffets on the Constellation for breakfast and lunch were not to be missed

[Parrot Mom]

We did Alaska on Princess last year and LOVED it. I can heartily recommend the northbound cruise from Vancouver to Anchorage... you should not miss Glacier Bay. We sailed on the Coral, which was a nice size ship and had wonderful viewing areas at the fore and aft.

 

We recently sailed RCCL and found their food, service and ship to be very nice, but we're still prone to choose Princess. It seems a better value, and we like their mini-suites over the other lines.

 

Being from the snowy Northeast there is no way that I want to go to Alaska..and see ice bergs.. give me the warm and sunny days...lol

[mjkbaok]

Plastic plates in the buffet???? That's really odd. That was not our experience (not questioning your experience as we weren't there) on the Ruby in March. We had very large plates. Actually I believe they increased the size of the plates in an effort to get rid of the trays. I couldn't fill up the plate and I tend to eat alot.:D Bad room steward can happen on any ship with any cruise line as can a "lost" watch. Maybe the chair and lamp issues have to do with the ship. We had both on the Ruby. Sorry your experience wasn't the greatest. I have not sailed with Celebrity so I cannot offer anything there. My advice to the OP is to try various lines multiple times and then decide for yourself which is best. I've had good experiences on Carnival and now Princess. I like them both but prefer Princess. I've only heard good things about the Princess ships that go to Alaska. I would suggest that you go to the Alaska boards and read several reviews there.

[PMK]

I've been on a couple of Celebrity cruises, a couple of Princess cruises, and a Holland America cruise; each time with family members and friends with an age range of late 20's to 60's. I didn't hate any of them, but after the last one (Celebrity Summit this past February/March), I'm leaning toward Princess. Princess has something for everyone: they have ships of all sizes (including the 700-person sized ship, which is the identical ship used by Celebrity's Azamara and by Oceania, but cheaper, more mid-sized ships, and the larger ships). Surprisingly, I actually prefer the large ships. Although I like Celebrity's older and Holland America's usual 2,100 person ships, I find that Princess' large ships feel the same size because of their fantastic layouts. Movies under the Stars, which some refer to as MUTS, is a plus (if you use it). I personally like the aft adult pool. Although it's small, it's not so popular that you can't find a spot there. It's incredibly quite and offers the best spot on the ship, in my opinion. The entertainment is better, although the entertainment on the Holland America ship I was on this past November/December was better quality (but not as frequent and varied). My favorite entertainer by far is Bert Stratton on the Caribbean Princess. People actually go on the cruises just because of him, although I'm not sure if he's aboard currently.

 

I find the food on cruise ships to be less impressive than it was a few years ago. My first Princess cruise (Caribbean Princess) had fantastic food (with the exception of pasta, which I have always found sub-par on standard crusie ships). My first Celebrity cruise had fantastic food. Princess' desserts are far superior, in my opinion, and they have the most varied food options. When I was on the Summit this past spring, I was appauled to see the lack of food options for a late lunch (2:30) and for dinner if you didn't want to go to the main dining room or to the specialty restaurants. Fortunately for me, I always go to the main dining room. The best service I've had with respect to food was on the Celebrity Century a couple of years ago. My experience on the Crown Princess last spring wasn't as good, however. And my experience on teh Summit this spring wasn't as good either (which I mostly blame on the nationality of the executive and sous chefs, which noticeably influenced the style/taste of the entrees). Other than that, it's been virtually the same on every ship. Cabin service is virtually the same, in my opinion (speaking from a non-suite passenger's point of view (although the Princess minisuites are nice), and from someone who doesn't require butler service). I find that Princess' ships are actually cleaner than the others and have better poolside service.

 

Personally, I wouldn't recommend Princess' minisuites. They're nice and spacious, but the layouts a little strange, in my opinion, and some of the other standad balconies are just as big. The full tub is nice, though.

 

I'd base it more on the intinerary than on choosing between Celebrity's and Princess' names. Princess' prices used to be far better, but lately, they're pretty awful, I think. Princess also (used to anyway) offers better discounts for past cruisers than Celebrity does, which is a benefit. Celebrity offers you worthless "coupons" (i.e., invitations to spend money to get something relatively useless, or that you wouldn't have otherwise purchased, in return). I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Princess re-opens the post-Thanksgiving day Southern Caribben cruise on the Caribbean Princess because of the itinerary. If they don't bring it back, I might be headed back to Celebrity. Good luck.

[kimchee1212]

To be quite honest, I prefer Celebrity, but I do not have anything bad to say about Princess.

 

The food on Princess is and has always been outstanding.

 

I prefer Celebrity for the things that are a little extra, like you mentioned. The touches that they put on the service and food makes the experience much more intimate and memorable. The food is about the same, in my opinion.

Entertainment goes to the Celebrity; much more to do on sea days.

 

 

However, I encourage you to try Princess, as I think that you may enjoy it!

 

I'd try the Golden, as it's fresh of out dry dock! :D

[Peace2U]

Never having been on Celebrity (yet), I can only compare Princess and RCCL. Overall they are similar, ie, the decor, activities, food, service, passenger demographics. I prefer the cabins on our Princess ship better. They had refrigerators, fruit if desired, and more room. RCCL had activilities we wanted to go to but alot of them were later than we wanted to stay, whereas Princess has them at earlier times. The kids programs were similar but I think RCCL has more things to do. Overall we prefer Princess. Hope that helps.

[NancyIL]

I'm assuming you want to do an Alaska cruise in 2009, because the Star Princess won't be in Alaska in 2010. I have done one-way Alaska cruises on Princess and Holland America, and will do a roundtrip cruise on the Golden Princess in 2.5 weeks. For a first-time visit to Alaska, there are better itineraries than Princess's out of Seattle. I think Holland America has the best roundtrips out of Vancouver and Seattle, and I would take a look at those.

[cruzendude]

Though you may already realize this if you post the same questin on the X board you will get the exact opposite response as you have gotten here....too many cheerleaders on all boards here to get an honest comparison so its best to just try them yourself and make your own decision.....we sail both X and Princess and both have small advantages over the other such as MUTS and energy are better on Princess and food and ambiance is more to our liking on X.....

 

With the diverse age groups you will have on this specific cruise I would prolly lean more towards Princess as there will be more things for the younger people to do onboard

 

BTW... Princess cheerleaders who "claim" to have connections with the company....can you ask them to get rid of those god awefull turquoise jackets the waiters wear? Those things are hideous! :D

[jff50]

Hands down we pick Celebrity.. We just got off two weeks on the Pacific Princess and after three two week cruises on Celebrity we will never, ever go back to Princess again..It's the amenities that Celebrity provides, the little extras, real plates and trays i the buffet.. Granted the food was better on the Princess, but for overall cleanliness (never saw them cleaning), service, attitude..When cruisers tell me that Princess and Celebrity are equal... I can now say.."are you kidding".. and list the reasons...Because the ship was so small "anytime dining was not an option"

Given your apparent dislike for Princess (and seeming desire not to cruise them again), why do you seem to be prowling the Princess boards? It looks to me like most of your posts are on the Princess boards. Not sure why you seem to have such an ax to grind, but you are not being helpful to most people that are looking for information here. Especially since you are less than accurate on some of your statements related to Princess (Princess does not charge $11 for a pot of coffee from room service). You seem to have been on one Princess cruise on an R-Class ship. Very different than all the other (larger) Princess ships. Interesting that the one thing that the OP specifically referred to was anytime dining, and you can't even speak to that.

 

I've been on 20 Princess cruises (every class of ship but the smaller R-Class) and 3 Celebrity (Horizon, Galaxy and Summitt). Am going on my 4th Princess Alaska cruise in June (Diamond Princess Vancouver to Whittier). Love the anytime dining on Princess--can't imagine going back to Traditional. I believe that the Golden and Star both have MUTS--lot of fun. Love the fresh water pools. Prefer the smaller, more intimate dining rooms on Princess (to the larger Celebrity dining room). I actually prefer Princess food/menus to Celebrity. More energy on Princess. Love the unique dining experiences that only seem to be offered on Princess. Ultimate Balcony Dining is great/romantic. Chef's Table is a great, unique and interesting experience.

 

All that being said, I'd recommend Princess Voyage of the Glaciers over the round trip from Seattle. The Voyage of the Glaciers (one way between Vancouver and Whittier--for Anchorage) includes College Fjord and Glacier Bay--great for Glacier viewing. The round trip from Seattle includes Tracy Arm (but not Glacier Bay or College Fjord). Tracy Arm is very pretty, but the glaciers are at the end and it seems that most ships don't get all the way to the glaciers.

[Parrot Mom]

Rather than write a review of our cruise I honestly felt I should answer the statement that both lines are equal..IMHO I found this was not so..it's not that I did not enjoy our cruise on Princess, but I found it lacking in many areas compared to Celebrity.. If you really want to read a devastating review go to Cruisemates...for a review by two cruisers who were on the ship with us.. Princess cruisers are loyal to a fault...Our Celebrity cruises have not been perfect, but the term "little things mean alot"..applies. There were many positive things about our cruise and if you have read my comments on the board I've listed them

[jff50]

Rather than write a review of our cruise I honestly felt I should answer the statement that both lines are equal..IMHO I found this was not so..it's not that I did not enjoy our cruise on Princess, but I found it lacking in many areas compared to Celebrity.. If you really want to read a devastating review go to Cruisemates...for a review by two cruisers who were on the ship with us.. Princess cruisers are loyal to a fault...Our Celebrity cruises have not been perfect, but the term "little things mean alot"..applies. There were many positive things about our cruise and if you have read my comments on the board I've listed them

I don't really have a need to read a devastating review of the Pacific Princess. Reviews on Cruisemates can be very hard to find--the one you are referring to does not seem to be in Cruisemates section for cruise ship reviews anyway. I did look at the reviews of the Pacific princess on Cruise Critic, and it looks like the ship did pretty good. Not like it is that relevant to an Alaska cruise on a Grand Class ship anyway--which was kind of the point of my previous post anyway.:rolleyes:

[Woodmnky]

To the OP - As seen you will get a huge variety of responses on these boards and it will be up to you to decide based upon budget, tastes and timing what you prefer.

I am assuming that you are choosing the Golden and Star itineraries due to these both being roundtrip from Seattle. We chose the Star for the same reason and because we got an extraordinary price (2 for 1), however, the more that I read the more that I am a little disappointed that we will not get to see Glacier Bay. For DH & I this is not that big of a deal as all of my family lives in Seattle and being young we are sure to visit Alaska again.

However, this may be something that is very important to your family.

Overall, I would book based more on the intinerary that the name of the cruise line.

BTW, DH & I are loyal Princess cruisers and love the line for many of the reasons that some others have stated as negatives.

[Parrot Mom]

I don't really have a need to read a devastating review of the Pacific Princess. Reviews on Cruisemates can be very hard to find--the one you are referring to does not seem to be in Cruisemates section for cruise ship reviews anyway. I did look at the reviews of the Pacific princess on Cruise Critic, and it looks like the ship did pretty good. Not like it is that relevant to an Alaska cruise on a Grand Class ship anyway--which was kind of the point of my previous post anyway.:rolleyes:

 

Your right.. it isn't relevant to your cruise to Alaska..but it was one persons opinion on his first cruise on a Princess ship.."it's up at the top, under the sticky: Review..." Sadly like everything in life.. first impressions are hard to shake.. Enjoy your cruise to Alaska

[Coral]

Being from the snowy Northeast there is no way that I want to go to Alaska..and see ice bergs.. give me the warm and sunny days...lol

 

Maybe you should actually go to a place before stating your preferences. We get a lot of snow where I live and I much prefer Alaska to the Caribbean. And I can say that I have been to both many times - which makes me a little more qualified to make statements about Alaska.

[Parrot Mom]

Maybe you should actually go to a place before stating your preferences. We get a lot of snow where I live and I much prefer Alaska to the Caribbean. And I can say that I have been to both many times - which makes me a little more qualified to make statements about Alaska.

 

As it turns out I don't prefer cruising the Caribbean, but either Bermuda or trans-atlantic from Europe.. THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL THAT I WOULD WANT TO GO WHERE THERE ARE ICEBERGS AND I NEED A JACKET!!! We have been on many whale watches from ships large and small from MA and even years ago adopted one...Stub... who wintered in the D.R. With my discretionary funds I much prefer warmer weather.. Why did we do the Amazon!! Easy.. always wanted to visit the Amazon and Manaus.. After revisiting St. Lucia after 25 years it saddens me to see the usual tourist stores/jewelry chains...Sadly, the shop we had visited 20 plus years ago (Bagshaws) is now a touristy shop with none of the Bagshaw work available..

[NancyIL]

THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL THAT I WOULD WANT TO GO WHERE THERE ARE ICEBERGS AND I NEED A JACKET!!!

 

That's a shame, because Alaska is very beautiful.

[Parrot Mom]

That's a shame, because Alaska is very beautiful.

 

For now thanks I'll take the coast of Maine, Portland, Bar Harbor and the beautiful seaside cities in Canada including Halifax and St. John..