Princess vs Celebrity - My Thoughts

We took our first Celebrity cruise after 8 Princess cruises a few weeks ago. We were happy with Princess but thought it was time to try something different to just compare. We walked away saying that there were things different on both lines, some better and some worse but there was nothing that would keep us from cruising with either line again.

As a little background:

We are both in our late 50's; still working and cruise 1-2 times per year. We've never sailed on the Regal/Royal but quite a few of the other Princess Ships. We generally like the grand class but love the Coral/Island and generally book a mini suite. The Celebrity cruise was on the Summit in a Concierge cabin.

Cabin: Princess cabins are much larger than the Summit. The balcony is also much larger. Storage was fine on both. We liked the closet doors on Celebrity but liked the closet location better on Princess. Princess bathrooms seemed bigger as well. Two TVs on Princess (which I thought was silly) but only one on Celebrity and placed on the far side of the bed so made watching from the couch awkward. We both agreed that Princess wins this one hands down.

Food: (Yes, I know - very subjective) We like the MDR and buffet food on Celebrity better but we liked the specialty restaurants on Princess better. We really liked the International Cafe on Princess better than the cafe on Celebrity.

Dining Experience: Summit just went through a retro fit that impacted the MDR and so it was very hectic. We found the atmosphere more relaxed on Princess but I'm sure that the Summit will settle down and get in a rhythm.

One night we couldn't face the chaos in the MDR so went to the buffet (which was a first for us on any cruise for dinner) and had an amazingly relaxing time. Who knew?

Decor: (Again subjective) We loved the decor on the Summit. It was just a little more modern which is more to our liking. Princess is beautiful and a little more elegant but Celebrity hit home with us. We did miss the atrium on Celebrity but we also noticed that not having the formal atrium also made the ship feel less crowded (not open space wise but less crowded with people).

Pools: I really like the therapy pool on Celebrity and covered adult area (redone during dry dock) but my husband did not. The pools on Celebrity were nice but small. We really missed the aft pool on Princess. As I've gotten older and my bones are getting more creaky I really appreciated how easy it was to get in and out of the Celebrity pools (stairs vs ladders).

Theater: We went to one show on Celebrity, a comedian, but did attend a couple of events in the theater. It was nicely laid out with bench seating with small fixed tables for drinks. It was easy to make you way through the rows. We don't go to production shows on either line but I think I liked the Celebrity theater better for our purposes.

Bars: Celebrity wins this one. Their bars seem to be smaller, more intimate that Princess bars and a lot more lively. We loved the Martini and the Sunset bar on Celebrity. The aft bar on Princess is as close of a comparison as I can make on Princess. The exception would be the Adagio on Princess but still a more formal feeling bar than the liveliness of the Celebrity bars.

Promenade deck: (Almost the deal breaker) My husband loves to walk the P deck and there isn't one on the Summit. They have a walking track that winds its way through lounge chairs and a rather large smoking section (11 times around is a mile). This was a huge issue for him but he got over it.

MUTS: The Summit added an outdoor screen and lovely rattan lawn chairs with cushions during dry dock. It was a great place to watch a movie. It hasn't caught on yet to the masses and when it does the space doesn't really seem big enough to accommodate a lot of people. The one nice thing is that it is away from the main pool area so there wasn't the constant noise around the pool from movies and concerts. Princess wins on the movies they show but the experience is better on Celebrity.

As you can see there wasn't anything that would keep me from sailing on either line. The one thing I did learn is that flying to Puerto Rico for a one week cruise is too far for this Arizona girl. Maybe when I retire I'll think differently.

Let me know if you have any questions.

I pretty much agree.

I think you find as much difference between, say, two princess ships, as between a princess and a celebrity.

Thanks for taking the time to do the comparison for us! Nice to hear how well Princess fares in it!

In my opinion, you got the best of both: our favorite ships are Summit and Coral Princess. Didn't you love Crooners bar on Princess? Our favorite

Just last night I suggested my wife and I should try a celebrity cruise. The ships seem nice, the rooms look larger in the photos, and the loyalty club is tractable, with decent benefits. Plus, were aren't into water slides and theme park nonsense.

Nice review...and most of it agrees with our experience on the Celebrity Infinity. I did like the little "munchies" place on the Infinity better than a similar spot on any other ship we've done, and also liked the AquaSpa food outlet, largely because of the grilled salmon.

Bottom line, I could be happy on either line for the right price and right ports. Princess does have a better loyalty program.

Just last night I suggested my wife and I should try a celebrity cruise. The ships seem nice, the rooms look larger in the photos, and the loyalty club is tractable, with decent benefits. Plus, were aren't into water slides and theme park nonsense.

No Problem. Neither Princess nor Celebrity have water slides and that sort of thing. :)

I'd like to hear your report after trying Regal and a newer X s class ship. Much different atmosphere.

As you said, we too find pros and cons that even out the two lines for us. After years of cruising eexperiences, we choose on itinerary now..

AZ Cruise Lover ... Thanks very much for your comparison!

Love that you said it's not only food but many other things are also subjective. So true.

While Princess is a better fit for us, we have also always enjoyed our Celebrity cruises. :)

Thank you. One of the best comparisons I've read to date!

Interesting to hear a comparison, thanks for sharing. We've been on the CB and the Summit ( last December ) and while Celebrity didn't wow us in any department, the one thing we found that was really different was the staff. Princess staff was (in our experience) friendly and welcoming while the Celebrity staff we had on our cruise was very cold and indifferent ( with the exception of our room attendant and MDR wait staff ). We're going back to Princess for our next cruise.

In my opinion, you got the best of both: our favorite ships are Summit and Coral Princess. Didn't you love Crooners bar on Princess? Our favorite

Came off summit this weekend (first celebrity-- great!!) and doing my first princess on coral in July!!

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the Celebrity staff we had on our cruise was very cold and indifferent ( with the exception of our room attendant and MDR wait staff ).

Am I wrong to be surprised that after 8 days on the summit, only ONE crew member knew my name (without looking at my card)? I've been on much bigger ships and haven't experienced that before.

Even my stateroom attendant never once called me by name (which I guess is good since he barged into my room before 7am on disembarkation day to tell me to do a survey-- I was not dressed at the time!)

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Thx very much for the review and comparisons. Well written and to the point.

I appreciate what you wrote and agree that there are pros and cons for both lines, but I think they're more similar than different.

I've enjoyed both the M-class and S-class ships on Celebrity, but think the M-class looks a little classier. The S-class has "wow" factor, though. I do like having escargot on the every night menu! :p

So, I travel on both, mostly depending on itinerary and price. But Princess is my favorite of the two and I definitely like the loyalty perks on Princess better. Glad you had a great cruise.

We took our first Celebrity cruise after 8 Princess cruises a few weeks ago. We were happy with Princess but thought it was time to try something different to just compare. We walked away saying that there were things different on both lines, some better and some worse but there was nothing that would keep us from cruising with either line again.

 

As a little background:

 

We are both in our late 50's; still working and cruise 1-2 times per year. We've never sailed on the Regal/Royal but quite a few of the other Princess Ships. We generally like the grand class but love the Coral/Island and generally book a mini suite. The Celebrity cruise was on the Summit in a Concierge cabin.

 

Cabin: Princess cabins are much larger than the Summit. The balcony is also much larger. Storage was fine on both. We liked the closet doors on Celebrity but liked the closet location better on Princess. Princess bathrooms seemed bigger as well. Two TVs on Princess (which I thought was silly) but only one on Celebrity and placed on the far side of the bed so made watching from the couch awkward. We both agreed that Princess wins this one hands down.

 

Food: (Yes, I know - very subjective) We like the MDR and buffet food on Celebrity better but we liked the specialty restaurants on Princess better. We really liked the International Cafe on Princess better than the cafe on Celebrity.

 

Dining Experience: Summit just went through a retro fit that impacted the MDR and so it was very hectic. We found the atmosphere more relaxed on Princess but I'm sure that the Summit will settle down and get in a rhythm.

One night we couldn't face the chaos in the MDR so went to the buffet (which was a first for us on any cruise for dinner) and had an amazingly relaxing time. Who knew?

 

Decor: (Again subjective) We loved the decor on the Summit. It was just a little more modern which is more to our liking. Princess is beautiful and a little more elegant but Celebrity hit home with us. We did miss the atrium on Celebrity but we also noticed that not having the formal atrium also made the ship feel less crowded (not open space wise but less crowded with people).

 

Pools: I really like the therapy pool on Celebrity and covered adult area (redone during dry dock) but my husband did not. The pools on Celebrity were nice but small. We really missed the aft pool on Princess. As I've gotten older and my bones are getting more creaky I really appreciated how easy it was to get in and out of the Celebrity pools (stairs vs ladders).

 

Theater: We went to one show on Celebrity, a comedian, but did attend a couple of events in the theater. It was nicely laid out with bench seating with small fixed tables for drinks. It was easy to make you way through the rows. We don't go to production shows on either line but I think I liked the Celebrity theater better for our purposes.

 

Bars: Celebrity wins this one. Their bars seem to be smaller, more intimate that Princess bars and a lot more lively. We loved the Martini and the Sunset bar on Celebrity. The aft bar on Princess is as close of a comparison as I can make on Princess. The exception would be the Adagio on Princess but still a more formal feeling bar than the liveliness of the Celebrity bars.

 

Promenade deck: (Almost the deal breaker) My husband loves to walk the P deck and there isn't one on the Summit. They have a walking track that winds its way through lounge chairs and a rather large smoking section (11 times around is a mile). This was a huge issue for him but he got over it.

 

MUTS: The Summit added an outdoor screen and lovely rattan lawn chairs with cushions during dry dock. It was a great place to watch a movie. It hasn't caught on yet to the masses and when it does the space doesn't really seem big enough to accommodate a lot of people. The one nice thing is that it is away from the main pool area so there wasn't the constant noise around the pool from movies and concerts. Princess wins on the movies they show but the experience is better on Celebrity.

 

As you can see there wasn't anything that would keep me from sailing on either line. The one thing I did learn is that flying to Puerto Rico for a one week cruise is too far for this Arizona girl. Maybe when I retire I'll think differently.

 

Let me know if you have any questions.

I think you did a good job this review. We are elite on Princess and elite on Celebrity... we have cruised the Summit, Infinity, the Equinox, Eclipse, and the Silhouette most recently, plus many of the older X ships.

We still feel Princess over all product is superior to X. The one thing we like about the X ships that Princess does not have is the lounge at the front of the ship over looking the bow... wish Princess had this feature.

We feel food and service on Princess is better except possibly the buffet... we have not been on the new Royal or Regal yet.

Thank you for the comparison.

The two things I miss on Celebrity are a promenade deck and the laundromats. And Princess mini-suites offer a nice amount of extra space for not much more money, so they are another plus when the price is right. But you booked the (IMHO) worst-value Celebrity cabins by going Concierge Class -- you can get a larger balcony and a better view for less money in an aft Veranda, or a larger balcony and better view plus better food for slightly more money in a deck 11 AquaClass. Enhanced dining room options is one area that Princess is late to the party [but finally addressing] -- Celebrity has four levels of amenity as you pay more [beyond extra space]: Inside thru Veranda; Concierge [which soon will get slightly better amenities but still dines in the MDR]; AquaClass [dines in the Blu dining room]; and Suites [dines in the Luminae dining room]. This gives us a real choice on Celebrity about which level to book, depending on the itinerary and our budget. On Princess, I see little reason to go beyond an aft balcony -- unless the new Club Mini-suite restaurant is a worthwhile upgrade.

Nice review and I agree. However, you should try the buffet on Royal and Regal Princess, it beats Celebrity buffet hands down!

Another thing we really enjoyed on Celebrity Reflection is the Molecular Bar. Sadly, I have read that it is now gone.

Overall, I agree that they are equivalent, but different.

We find them equally good. Some things Princess does better and some Celebrity does better.

We love the Sanctuary on Princess, which isn't very busy on Australian-based cruises, so we just book an in inside cabin on Princess and spend some of the difference on the Sanctuary.

On Celebrity we book a balcony as then we get the drinks package perk.

Love the Sky Lounge and sommeliers on Celebrity but prefer the MDR experience overall on Princess, especially for breakfast and lunch.

I think the entertainment is slightly better on Princess, especially the musicians. More variety and less use of prerecorded backing tracks for singers.

We're tending to do more cruises on Princess at the moment as they have a year-round presence in Australia, with at least three ships in our waters over our winter and more in summer, whereas Celebrity only comes here for our summer season.

Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts.....:):):)

Bob

We are now in our early 60's--

On Celebrity we book the aqua cabins. Loved the Reflection- wasn't crazy about the Summit- I think I just prefer Celebrity S class better. What I don't like about Celebrity is not having self service laundry--

On Princess we love the mini suite cabins- very comfortable. I think the balcony cabins are roomier on Princess as well.

I prefer the many restaurant choices on S class Celebrity ships-- But then again, I thought the food was excellent on Coral Princess (although there were just too many annoyances which I posted on this forum.) I also thought the food was excellent on the Royal. Several years ago on the Sapphire, we loved the ship and the crew, but the food was dreadful- really bad-- but I haven't heard lately of anything like that on Princess ships.

Princess tends to have itineraries that I prefer-- So for us, that is the most important thing- The ship itself is no longer the destination for us, just the most comfortable form of travel to get us from one port to the next. We will be staying in an inside cabin for the first time for New England itinerary on the Regal. Since there is only (hopefully) one sea day, we figure we will be so tired after exploring the ports all day- that a balcony would be wasted for us on this trip. Also in a couple of years we will want to do Princess's British Isles cruise--so whatever ship is available at the time will get our business!

Thanks for your comparative review.

I agree that there are pluses and minuses on both sides.

We have always only taken a standard balcony cabin. Celebrity's cabin was larger (nice sofa to lounge on). Bathroom was much nicer (real shower). But the wardrobe was not as large on Celebrity and in an awkward location. And there is no self laundry on Celebrity, which for me became a real issue. I don't trust anyone with some of my clothes, so they just didn't make the trip.

Buffet was much larger with better selection on Celebrity, but we found that it was closed at times when we needed it. For example, we were heading off to a noon excursion and wanted a quick bite first, only to find that the buffet was closed until 11:30. It was a very quick bite. Oddly enough, they didn't seem to have coffee available early in the morning. I did like that there was a staff member distributing and insisting on hand sanitizer at the entrance.

The MDR on Celebrity was beautiful, well organized, without the issues with Princess Anytime dining. However, the food itself was not comparable. According to the Assistant MD, Celebrity has redirected funds from the MDR to support Blu and the specialty restaurants. Dinner menu selections included meatloaf, mac and cheese, country pork chops. There were several evenings when I was at a loss to find anything appealing (other than dessert of course).

The entertainers were superior on Celebrity, but the venues were not. Where on Princess the Explorers Lounge is used, on Celebrity entertainers were crowded into the Atrium or the entertainment court. It was so congested that there was lots of pushing and shoving to get a better location.

On Celebrity we felt that there was a lot of pressure to upsell or buy additional services. Outside the buffet, there was always staff trying to sell you specialty restaurants, and spa staff trying to sell services. Corridors were wide outside the shops, but then tables were set up with merchandise which restricted movement. Good merchandising perhaps, but we felt like herded cattle.

Education at sea was totally lacking on Celebrity. On day 1, we attended what we believed would be an introduction to the ports we would be visiting, but which ended up being a hard sell on port excursions.

One final note. My husband and I, while not teetotalers, don't drink more than a glass of wine or two, or a mixed drink. We found that the wine packages were much more expensive on Celebrity. Again, we were told by a sommelier that the prices were high to support the "free" drink packages, free drinks to Elite, and higher cabin classes. However, by not accepting any of the "free" perks, we were able to obtain an excellent price for our cruise.

I think it comes down to itinerary, and the "feel" of the cruise line. We have enjoyed our Princess cruises for the voyage itself, and we did enjoy the Celebrity cruise but primarily for the itinerary.

Thank you for your review/comparison. I have never sailed Celebrity. Been on many many Princess cruises. Enjoyed every one immensely.