suec12

From the OP - one thing I forgot to mention is that on Princess, I guess until you get to mini-suite, there is no sofa and that mattered quite a bit to us. I think you get more storage area on Princess at the cost of the sofa.

Also getting an upsell on Princess was not was not as easy as it has been on Celebrity (at least in the past). After final payment of course there were some price adjustments (we had booked an obstructed OV) and I then called in to see if I could purchase an upsell. It was an Alaskan cruise and the verandahs were much more during the regular sale period. No I could not get an upsell - at that point I was willing to spend about $1000! but was told maybe I would get an upgrade. The next week Princess called to offer me a balcony for $300! HA! I guess that pricing model works for them - I was pretty happy at that point. But often X has been willing to do an upsell when I call in after final payment.

We have had very bad experiences with select dining but we were part of a party of 6. We made reservations months ahead of time but in the end, those reservations meant nothing. We complained and it made no difference (and just to sound a tad entitled, we are all elite plus). Couples were having the same problem - being given a buzzer and WAITING. This was on the Silhouette, a Med. sail. but we also had the same problem on two other cruises - it got progressively worse. If they are not going to honor reservations, why let people make them. In the end, my frustration with this issue has resulted in us "jumping ship" for now and going back to land trips. But I agree with the poster that said, early is too early, late too late, but they have had select for years now and the logistics su*k.

We have cruised X many many times over the years, both the S class and M class ships - have been elite for the past several cruises. We had relatives that planned an Alaskan cruise and they wanted to go Princess (Emerald). We were ready to try something new so we did a 7 night cruise a few weeks ago.

As any others have said, the two lines are quite similar (but it has seemed to me that usually X has had a lower price point). I think the Emerald is bigger than the X ships and I was confused at times with the layout. I think there are two decks on the Emerald where you can not go thru from one end to the other (inside) as the kitchens and a dining room are mid-ship and do not allow passage. I'm sure if I'd looked at the deck plan early on, this would have been clear to me:)

My main point of judgement / comparison is going to be food. My summary would be, X does beef and lamb MUCH better and Princess (at least on the Alaskan itineraries) has wonderful shellfish (regular fish, not so much). Entrees on Princess included scallops, lobster tail, shrimp and even king crab legs. Their fettucini alfredao made an excellent side to these. We usually eat in the MDR so no comment on specialty venues. The X "everyday menu" with the French onion soup and escargot was much better than Princess every day. And I do think the buffets are a bit better on Celebrity. So in the end, I'd guess it would be a tie.

On our last few X cruises we were doing the select dining and on Princess we went back to assigned seating. We have been very frustrated with select dining on X - in fact that experience has pretty much led to us throwing in the towel on large ship cruises. But I thought I would post this review, I know many posters do like to see comparisons between the different lines with similar price points.

We boarded the Emerald a few weeks ago. I had read on here about lunch in the MDR (as opposed to the buffet scrum). As we were walking onto the ship I inquired with several of the staff that we went past about a dining room open for lunch. At least 3 staff told me to go to the buffet. Pig-headed person that I am, I immediately set out to investigate, going to the dining rooms, and yes, one dining room was open for lunch. It was very quiet! and the tenderloin and salmon were both delicious. We were cruising a "newbies" and they loved that quiet and gracious experience in the dining room.

We were on the cruise ahead of you - I would have loved to have seen these pics before we sailed but we did manage to find many delicious items. We were at a table for 6 and often ordered an additional entree (or two) "for the table". We especially enjoyed the fettucini alfredo as a side for the wonderful seafood entrees. The fish disappointed but the shrimp, crab legs, scallops and such were very good. And that goat cheese soufle - to die for!

I sort of hate to post it but we did have one bag that missed the flight. We were on Emerald Princess, departing Seattle on Delta at 12pm. When we arrived in Atlanta, we discovered that one of our bags had been put on a later flight. I suspect this was probably a Delta issue, not the port or the ship. The Delta baggage agent in Atlanta seemed a bit befuddled by some of the paperwork - kept insisting that this was for a flight two days earlier (really?!) but in the end, we did have the bag within 24 hours.

It was super convenient - I would probably do it again.

Getting ready to sail on the Emerald to Alaska - forecast looks dismal:( We have not sailed Princess before. Do they have a good selection of recent, or classic, movies to view in the cabin? Does the Patter list the movies available, or will I find them on the TV?

Probably best to just jump in and then watch for better deal. You can re-price since you are in the US. I like keeping my booking with Princess for this reason - I have found if you transfer to a TA it may not be quite as easy but others may disagree. But usually when one sale ends, another starts up in a week or so.

I'm a new Princess cruiser - a friend was telling me (but I'm not sure how "in the know" she is) that OBC cannot be used in the casino? (on X it sure can!). She also said if you use your cellphone on the ship, even tho we are sailing Alaska (we are AT&T) that Princess? charges $5.00 a minute to talk and 50 cents for texting. She wasn't sure who was collecting the fees, the phone company or ship, but she thought the ship. Thanks for any info you can give!

I did not see names of wines in the packages - just prices (like 7 bottles of $21) On the list, were names and it seemed the least expensive wine was about $28, with many being in the $30's and up.

I was tickled pink with my recent upsell - on 7 day Alaska, we were booked in an obstructed OV - got the upsell to a balcony for less that $300. The balcony cabin must have been selling for at least $1200 more for most of the regular sale period. I'm a very happy fist time Princess cruiser!

Our first Princess cruise - I did a little research here but ended up confused. I read about the wine packages and there were bottles included in the inexpensive package for about $21? but then I downloaded an extensive lists of offerings (not part of a package) and it seemed the least expensive bottle was around $28? I like pinot grigio or possible a french rose - what prices might I be looking at? THANKS!

How chilly are these flights? I assume the plane is enclosed (seaplane I think) will it be heated?

Alaskan cruise - not on formal nights, jeans OK?

OK flat rate towncar $45 to DT Seattle - just arrive and call ground transportation?! extra for luggage? tip expected? thanks!

Always worth a try - call Celebrity or your TA. Sometimes they might upgrade you (if the price of the cabin has gone down) or they may want to upsell you - you might pay a bit more, to get a much better cabin. Good luck!

OK I love this quote "if you don't see something you care for, ask for the children's menu" - like, is that where they are hiding the escargot?

Glad to hear that you thought the food was good - I'm another one that would like to see the menus - we cruise 7/16 - also have a very quiet roll call.

Since we don't seem to be able to see the menus - any standout food memories from the MDR. Thanks!

The ships may be identical but I would suspect the food would be much better on Azamara.

They had Celebrity Air? please let us know how this is resolved!

fishy wood - thank you!

Can you believe I have another question! Do they deliver the boarding pass and luggage tags to our cabin? thanks again!

Princess better food? I've taken many Celebrity cruises - I have been quite satisfied with their food and I can be picky. So elfinmagic, for my upcoming first Princess cruise, I'm going to have high expectations

Boarding Emerald in Seattle - I would like to take on a bouquet from Pike's market. Is this allowed? (I read on another board that Carnival was stopping this) and will my room steward get a vase for me? Thanks!

Would like a detailed report on the pre-disembarkation luggage check in service for port of Seattle. This is done on the ship? when? you pay the luggage fees for bags if not free? Then put our bags out at night before disembarkation? and see your bags when you arrive home? or at the SEA airport? And you can also get a boarding pass from Princess for your airline? Thanks for any info you can give.

If you are asking about Victoria, it would be about a 20 minute walk to the main inner harbor area (where the famous Empress hotel is located). There is also a fishermans wharf about 10 minutes away that has some simple restaurants and some frisky sea lions. There is a water taxi that stops there as well - 9am to 9pm - so if you are there in the day, you can go from there to downtown enjoying the water!

You are on the Canada board - have you posted on the West Coast Departures board? You should find some answers there or on TripAdvisor.