Celebrity VS Princess

[Jacqueline]

I love the pools on Princess ! I also love that there is easy to access snacks (grill and pizza) right in the pool area and that it is always open ! Not just at limited hours. The quality is quite good as it is being served up all the time and not sitting under a lamp.

[jackdiamond]

We have cruised four or five times with Princess, the last two being mini suites on the Ruby and Emerarld; and, we were pleased. However, we recently cruised in AQ on the Equinox; and, hands down Celebrity is a couple of notches higher. We are elite; and, the remainder of our cruise experiences will most probably all be on Celebrity, except a seven night cruise on the Radiance this October. We are already booked on a fourteen night cruise on the Constellation in December and two ten night cruises on the Equinox next year.

[geojobes]

Roe2Ship, glad to hear the ice cream is now free. Also, it is quite true that Princess has food later into the night. However, I'm an acid reflux sufferer & can't eat much later than 10 or so.

 

Both lines offer an excellent product & fun can be had by all. I prefer Celebrity, but I don't think it blows Princess away.

[Solstice23]

Everyone's perceptions may be different...because we all start with different criteria, different standards and different expectations...

 

So, this is purely MY look at things...

 

I have cruised with seven different cruise lines, most of them multiple times...

I think it's really hard to have a BAD cruise...

They all have more good points than bad and your first cruise ALWAYS feels wonderful...

 

That said, I think Celebrity blows Princess clear out of the water...

 

Here's why:

For me, the most important thing is how crowded or uncrowded the ship is...For those who haven't done multiple cruises or cruise lines, you probably won't notice...because you got comfortable with whatever you had...

 

But, comparing, say, the Sapphire Princess that I was on last year, and the Celebrity Constellation...The Princess ships cram over 3,000 passengers into 113,000 to 116,000 gross ton ships, while Celebrity puts 2,000 onto the 90,000+ gross ton M-Class...The difference is astounding...Celebrity is much more comfortble, much more relaxing...Service is much better due to the better rtios as well...

 

Secondly, my wife really enjoys the entertainment onboard...The Princess ships' showroom is drastically undersized with only 900 seats...NOT ideal when you have over 3,000 passengers wanting to see a show...So, you end up having to show up at the showroom a half an hour to an hour in advance just to get a seat...With Celebrity M-Class and a larger theater for fewer passengers...

 

I also thought the Dining Room management on Princess was pretty bad...in trying to be all things to all people, they seemed to create a mess...Traditional dining was half empty with people with traditional assignments being allowed to use "Anytime" and people showing up at Anytime were given beepers and had to wait up to an hour for a table...

 

I also found the schedule on Princess poorly laid out with too many conflicts in the evening's entertainment programs...probably an effect of having too many passengers for the size of the venues...

 

IMHO, Celebrity is just much better managed and has better food and service...

 

Also, I found my Caribe deck cabin on Princess to be poorly laid out with no sofa and too much space wasted in hallway...I prefer Celebrity's cabin layout...

 

 

I agree also

 

we thought many of the same things while on the Caribbean Princess last August.

[Solstice23]

I love the pools on Princess ! I also love that there is easy to access snacks (grill and pizza) right in the pool area and that it is always open ! Not just at limited hours. The quality is quite good as it is being served up all the time and not sitting under a lamp.

 

 

Room Service Menu for Concierge, Aqua and suites on Celebrity blows Princess away also

[Solstice23]

Roe2ship: Hard to believe you've sailed on the Caribbean Princess 4 times and not felt crowded. We sailed her once (voyage 2) and it was tight, tight, tight in any venue we went to. Several of my X cruises on Century class seemed almost frighteningly empty by comparison...

 

 

Of all our cruise the Caribbean Princess was the only one we had to sit on the stairs 2 times to watch a show! furthermore it was crowded in so many areas, more then any other ship we have sailed, I dont remember the Grand Princess being as crowded but Caribbean was a disater design and passegner capacity wise

[A1A]

This isn't rocket science or mathmatical proofs, this is comparing and sharing very subjective opinions on vacationing. We posters are providing you why we may enjoy one Line over another, all based on our personal experiences and preferences, and biases. It doesn't matter that I may like the closets lined up one way, but think the MDR of one Cruise Line has more selections, or that the beef is better.....you must decide. So just go cruise, and enjoy. If you loved Princess, my bet is you will love Celebrity, as much if not more, but the point is, there is an high chance you will enjoy it, which is the point, not which one is edges out the other a bit in a list of criteria. We get too hung up on reviews and comparisons. Not knocking them, great info, but keep them in perspective.

 

Some people look to Itinerary and Price as their cruise selection criteria, I look to a Cruise Line - I enjoy the ports, but staying one day isn't exactly experiencing a port, it's a quick visit. We cruise for the cruising experience, it isn't a conveyance to ports. So the Cruise Line is important to us. And the criteria we use is very subjective, because it is Our Criteria.

 

So go cruise, go experience it yourself. It's good to ask...I enjoy reading other people's opinion of other Lines so I can compare. After reading these threads, there are Lines I will not try, but although we prefer Celebrity, we try and enjoy other Lines....but again, Go Cruise Yourself.

 

You are not marrying a Cruise Line when you go on one, you are not making decisions of Life/Death, War/Peace, you are going on vacation. And the great majority of us enjoy Every Cruise we've been on. Heck, with all the snide comments I read about Carnival, we've cruised on that Line and enjoyed - not my preferences in some areas, but really had fun. Why? I was cruising - with good friends, met nice people and was able to look out to the Sea, relax and enjoy. I found what I wanted to do on those cruises and did so.

 

Very subjective opinon - if you liked Princess, you'll like Celebrity. So go cruise and enjoy.

 

Denny

 

What he said!

Ken!

[Solstice23]

What he said!

Ken!

 

 

Agree!!!

[bryanjaync]

Earlier this year, i had narrowed my cruise choices to Ruby Princess or Celebrity Solstice. Since we are taking my 80 yo parents, the Solstice won. Why? My parents love the shows, and the 900 seat Princess theater seems to be too small with ensuing long wait times or no seats at all. Just my reason for X.