Celebrity, Princess or Carnival

[dsmith8451]

I've sailed to Alaska on Princess and sailed six time on Carnival, paying allot more on Celebrity Infinity in June. Checking out balcony cabins and don't see much of a difference. What's the perks on Celebrity? we're on the penthouse deck, cabin #6032.:confused:

[miched]

I've sailed to Alaska on Princess and sailed six time on Carnival, paying allot more on Celebrity Infinity in June. Checking out balcony cabins and don't see much of a difference. What's the perks on Celebrity? we're on the penthouse deck, cabin #6032.:confused:

 

Carnival is a supposedly a younger crowd. But couldn't prove it from the Alaska cruise we were on. Never seen so many walkers, scooters or wheelchairs on a cruise as the Carnival Spirit in May 2008. I think the line for the handicap and those needing assistance was longer than the regular line. Forget about using the elevator.

 

Sailed X for the first time. A little older more "civilized" class of passengers. It may be due to the atmosphere that is generated on the X as opposed to the party atmosphere that is on the Carnival. Even though our Carnival Alaska cruise was basically dead compared to their other cruises. The bar staff was complaining about the lack of sales (tips).

 

The passengers on X don't seem as pushy, the ship is more laid back. The staff isn't always trying to sell something. Only one PA announcement per day as compared to every staff member having to announce some activity or sale.

 

X is just more elegant period.

 

If the price is a factor take the lesser one. If X is a little more or not that much different that take the X. You probably know or experienced that Alaska is not a party cruise. I guess it may be because it gets dark around 3 am so the night life doesn't exist. Most passengers are glued to the rail so they don't miss anything.

[ORV]

I've been on all three, I swore off Carnival about 8 years ago. I've only been on Princess once and was less than impressed. I've been on Celebrity once and it's been one of my favorite cruises so far in 12 years of cruising.

 

Everyone has to make their own judgement, there are some that prefer Carnival over X, different strokes for different folks.

[Alsmez]

I've been on X and Carnival, and I don't think there's much of a difference in average age between lines - that seems to have more to do with the length and timing of your cruise. The big difference, IMO, was the type of people and the overall atmosphere. Carnival is marketed as a "party" line, so it attracts people who are looking for a party no matter what their age. X is marketed as more upscale, refined, etc., so it attracts that type of passenger. The decor of the ships, the activities on board, etc. all reinforce this. I would certainly pay a premium to cruise X over Carnival, simply because I prefered the atmosphere of X over Carnival, but there isn't necessarily going to be a huge difference in price between the two - in fact, when we priced out our Feb 2011 cruise, Carnival cruises were about $50 more per person per day in most cases than our Equinox cruise.

[cynbar]

I think the atmosphere on Celebrity is different, more sedate and refined. Food is very good (although not necessarily head and shoulders above the others, at least in our opinion) and ambiance is more elegant. Entertainment options on our recent Celebrity cruise were more limited. Dress code is carefully followed.You are on the Celebrity boards here so you will find many people who feel that Celebrity is FAR superior to the other lines. We enjoy trying different lines because it seems too much the same to cruise the same line over and over, and we try to appreciate the strengths of each. I think it's great that you are willing to try something different --- only then can you make your own judgments, because sometimes one person is looking for parts of a cruise that others wouldn't like at all.

[Denny01]

There aren't any big 'perks' involved. I found the standard Celebrity SR's to be larger and more useful than the standard Princess SR's. Celebrity has a sofa and seating area you can socialize in while Princess rquires you to upgrade to a mini-suite to get the same.

 

I cruise Celebrity as my Line of Choice because I find the atmosphere to be more low-key and less frantic. Only one announcement, no hard sale (well, less), fewer group-fun activities. you make your own 'fun'. Lots to do but not the press to join the congaline and so on.

 

Big plus is limited smoking...none in the SR or the balcony. I find the common areas to be better laidout and less full. No chokepoints unless you insist on pressing off the ship right at docking and so on.

 

I thought the service was outstanding on both Princess and Celebrity, but think Celebrity has a bit better crew ratio.

 

And I was surprised at your comment that Celebrity was much more than Princess. My experience is they are very similar, or Celebrity a bit cheaper for the same level of SR. Make sure you are comparing same dates, itineraries, SR's and so on. Just booked a Caribbean cruise and the Princess was $350 more per person.

 

Enjoy, and try Not to play the compare game. It works much better to just enjoy the experience. We love Celebrity, but have enjoyed our Princess cruises, and enjoyed Carnival when with a group of friends.

 

Den

[Eileenrae]

I've sailed to Alaska on Princess and sailed six time on Carnival, paying allot more on Celebrity Infinity in June. Checking out balcony cabins and don't see much of a difference. What's the perks on Celebrity? we're on the penthouse deck, cabin #6032.:confused:

 

 

Did a 10 day Eastern Carribean cruise on April 1/11 on the Equinox. I give it a 10 out of 10 for sure! I would upgrade to Aqua Class if you can.....not much more but well worth it!!!

[Bruin Steve]

One MAJOR difference nobody's mentioned thus far is the CROWDING on Carnival....

 

Let's take the Carnival Triumph, for example...

101,509 gross tons

Capacity (double occupancy): 2758

Full Capacity (3rd and 4th berths filled): 3473

...and they DO fill all of those 3rd and 4th berths...

 

Compare that to the typical Celebrity ship:

M-class

91,000 gross tons

Full Capacity: 1,950

 

S-Class

122,000 gross tons

Full Capacity: 2,750

 

Do the math...

On Carnival, more of your gross tonnage is filled with passenger cabins, leaving less public space...and that public space has to accommodate a lot more people...

So, Dining rooms are crowded with tables and booths fitting closely together...

Showrooms are undersized with people having to show up very early just to get seats...

Walkways are narrow and often cannot allow the passenger demand to walk easily...

 

On Celebrity, the dining room is spacious, allowing for more elegant service...

The Showroom is ample and good seats easy to find...

The walkways are wide...

 

That (in part) is why the experience is SO different...

 

Of course, many people cruise Carnival and are oblivious to the crowds...they don't mind the waits or the lines...Perhaps their expectations are lower...or they think it's just part of the deal...

 

Everyonme looks for different things out of a cruise...

 

Some just want the lowest price...and, so long as they are having fun and getting fed and entertained, they don't care...Carnival fits their needs...

 

IMHO, and I have done four Carnival cruises, several Celebrity...also many on Royal Caribbean, Princess, Oceania and others...Carnival is really the "bottom of the barrel"...while Celebrity is the absolute best value (based on MY criteria and standards) in mass marketed lines...

 

Yes, and some people may prefer Carnival to Celebrity...

I guess there are also some people who prefer Hyundai to Mercedes...

...and Motel 6 to Hilton...

...and Walmart to Nordstrom...

...and Denny's to Spago...

 

There is no accounting for taste...

[YOW]

Yes, and some people may prefer Carnival to Celebrity...

I guess there are also some people who prefer Hyundai to Mercedes...

...and Motel 6 to Hilton...

...and Walmart to Nordstrom...

...and Denny's to Spago...

 

While we have a preference for Celebrity over Carnival, we enjoyed our cruise on the latter and would go again given the right situation.

 

I don't see the brand comparisons you've listed as an accurate portrayal. You are entitled to your opinion, others are entitled to theirs. IMHO this is the kind of hyperbole, to reference a recent thread, that gets some people overly excited about Celebrity and then disappointed with the actual product. YMMV

 

(I'd say more like Ramada vs. W; Target vs. Macy's (X used to be more like Nordstrom, but still shines in some areas); and Chili's (or maybe Macaroni Grill) vs. Houston's ... YMMV)

[bighairtexan]

YOW I very much agree w/ you. I prefer Celebrity, I really like Princess and if there were a great deal on a NEWER Carnival ship for a 7 day or longer cruise, I'd definitely consider it. If I'm planning a cruise, I start w/ =X= and use that for comparison and usually wind up going w/ Celebrity.

 

I think Carnival has improved their food a LOT so the food is comparable on all 3. I do prefer the better service on Celebrity, but have had some spectacular service on Princess and even Carnival. I prefer the ambiance of the S class ships, but Princess has some beautiful elegant ships also.

[Bruin Steve]

While we have a preference for Celebrity over Carnival, we enjoyed our cruise on the latter and would go again given the right situation.

 

I don't see the brand comparisons you've listed as an accurate portrayal. You are entitled to your opinion, others are entitled to theirs. IMHO this is the kind of hyperbole, to reference a recent thread, that gets some people overly excited about Celebrity and then disappointed with the actual product. YMMV

 

(I'd say more like Ramada vs. W; Target vs. Macy's (X used to be more like Nordstrom, but still shines in some areas); and Chili's (or maybe Macaroni Grill) vs. Houston's ... YMMV)

 

Well, first, it isn't "hyperbole"...I am quite familiar with how to use that literary device...

 

However, this was NOT an overexaggeration by any means... your comparisons, intended to be milder in some fashion, really aren't much different...

 

To be truthful...Hyundai and Mercedes are BOTH automobiles...both use an internal combustion engine to get you places, both have a lot in common...One is just much better quality and has richer features...were I to use hyperbole, perhaps I would have said a Rolls-Royce and a skateboard!

 

Motel 6 and Hilton are both Hotel chains...both provide you with a room , a bed and a private bathroom for a fee...Again, for hyperbole, I might have used the Rancho Valencia Resort in Rancho Santa Fe, CA (at $2,500 per night, the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at) vs. the homeless shelter in Downtown LA...

 

Walmart and Nordstrom both sell clothes and other merchandise...

Denny's and Spago both sell food and serve it to you...You can get a filling hot meal at either place...

 

In each of my examples, the higher of the two was never the absolute best and the lower not the absolute worst... Using the extremes would be hyperbole...

 

What I gave was, IMHO, very accurate comparisons...

 

Of the MASS MARKET cruise lines--and I have cruised on most of these--Celebrity ranks at the top...Carnival ranks at the bottom...

Sure, you can go a little better than Celebrity...there are "luxury" lines which will give you even better passenger/space ratios, better food, better service and amenities...

...And you can definitely get worse than Carnival...There are some foreign lines whose standards are clearly not even close to American tastes and expectations...

 

But, within the small group of mass market, US-based, big ship well known cruise lines, these two ARE the top and bottom...

 

And, I didn't just give unsubstantiated opinion...I gave my sound, fact-based explanation in the first 80% of my post--which you cleverly ignored in order to respond only to my end comment...

 

I could go farther with OBJECTIVE reasoning--facts and figures on the amount of money each cruise line spends on food per passenger, the crew-to-passenger ratios on the respective ships--including data on the number of wait staff per passenger in the dining rooms...and so on...

 

Of course, it would not matter much to most Carnival fans...

They will blindly ignore it all and claim things like "Well I cruised Celebrity once and I thought the food was better on Carnival" or "My Carnival cabin steward was much nicer than my Celebrity cabin steward" or, as on another thread "I cruised on Celebrity once and found a hair in my food"...

 

How do I know this? The incredible comments I face every time I say anything negative about Carnival on these boards.

Even when the comments are merely factual, rather than opinion...

 

Of course, I will throw in my opinion as well...but I will never just throw it out there without some of the factual back-up tossed in as well...

 

And, of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion...and, as I have said, we all have different standards and criteria...

 

Carnival fans do NOT think CROWDING is a relevant criterion at all...Or, when they do, they don't pay attention to the facts...usually, it's just, "Well, I cruise on Carnival all the time and I never feel crowded"...

Sure...if you ignore it...

 

I eat at Denny's all the time and I like the food...

[Bridge Maven]

One problem with saying that that Carnival vs Celebrity is like comparing Walmart vs Nordstrom, Hyundai vs Mercedes, Motel 6 vs Hilton, etc is that it makes it sound as if Celebrity is the best cruise line while Carnival is the worst. In my opinion, there is a greater difference between Celebrity and the top luxury lines, such as Crystal, than there is between Celebrity and Carnival.

[FiggyWig]

Well, first, it isn't "hyperbole"...I am quite familiar with how to use that literary device...

 

However, this was NOT an overexaggeration by any means... your comparisons, intended to be milder in some fashion, really aren't much different...

 

To be truthful...Hyundai and Mercedes are BOTH automobiles...both use an internal combustion engine to get you places, both have a lot in common...One is just much better quality and has richer features...were I to use hyperbole, perhaps I would have said a Rolls-Royce and a skateboard!

 

Motel 6 and Hilton are both Hotel chains...both provide you with a room , a bed and a private bathroom for a fee...Again, for hyperbole, I might have used the Rancho Valencia Resort in Rancho Santa Fe, CA (at $2,500 per night, the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at) vs. the homeless shelter in Downtown LA...

 

Walmart and Nordstrom both sell clothes and other merchandise...

Denny's and Spago both sell food and serve it to you...You can get a filling hot meal at either place...

 

In each of my examples, the higher of the two was never the absolute best and the lower not the absolute worst... Using the extremes would be hyperbole...

 

What I gave was, IMHO, very accurate comparisons...

 

Of the MASS MARKET cruise lines--and I have cruised on most of these--Celebrity ranks at the top...Carnival ranks at the bottom...

Sure, you can go a little better than Celebrity...there are "luxury" lines which will give you even better passenger/space ratios, better food, better service and amenities...

...And you can definitely get worse than Carnival...There are some foreign lines whose standards are clearly not even close to American tastes and expectations...

 

But, within the small group of mass market, US-based, big ship well known cruise lines, these two ARE the top and bottom...

 

And, I didn't just give unsubstantiated opinion...I gave my sound, fact-based explanation in the first 80% of my post--which you cleverly ignored in order to respond only to my end comment...

 

I could go farther with OBJECTIVE reasoning--facts and figures on the amount of money each cruise line spends on food per passenger, the crew-to-passenger ratios on the respective ships--including data on the number of wait staff per passenger in the dining rooms...and so on...

 

Of course, it would not matter much to most Carnival fans...

They will blindly ignore it all and claim things like "Well I cruised Celebrity once and I thought the food was better on Carnival" or "My Carnival cabin steward was much nicer than my Celebrity cabin steward" or, as on another thread "I cruised on Celebrity once and found a hair in my food"...

 

How do I know this? The incredible comments I face every time I say anything negative about Carnival on these boards.

Even when the comments are merely factual, rather than opinion...

 

Of course, I will throw in my opinion as well...but I will never just throw it out there without some of the factual back-up tossed in as well...

 

And, of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion...and, as I have said, we all have different standards and criteria...

 

Carnival fans do NOT think CROWDING is a relevant criterion at all...Or, when they do, they don't pay attention to the facts...usually, it's just, "Well, I cruise on Carnival all the time and I never feel crowded"...

Sure...if you ignore it...

 

I eat at Denny's all the time and I like the food...

 

 

Please don't take any offence... really none intended..... but were you - by any chance - ... bored today ??:cool::D

[klingoncruiser]

Check your ports and glaciers first when doing Alaska. Then look for a cruise line that seems a good fit. All things being equal..... Princess does Alaska better than anyone. However I just don't like their ships or food. I had to stop going to Alaska on them.

 

I found the Spirit to be a wonderful ship and had no problems with that ship.

 

I really do prefer RCI or Celebrity in Alaska.

 

Yes, I have been on all of them in 18 years of travel to Alsaka. All will give you a wonderful trip that is the bottom line.

 

GO to the Alaska Port board here on CC and you will get a lot more help there than on these boards.

[Bruin Steve]

Princess does Alaska better than anyone.

 

As long as I am allegedly bored, I'll go ahead and disagree with this one as well...

 

I have heard this from a number of folks before...especially Princess fans...and the cruise line themselves...

 

But, what, other than subjective opinion, is behind it?

 

Well...here is the argument, as I understand it:

1) Princess has been cruising to Alaska longer than anyone else...

2) In Alaska, Princess owns its own hotels...

3) Princess has a near monopoly on Glacier Bay due to the limited licensing by the National Park Service...

4) Princess has its own luxury domed rail cars...

 

Counter:

1) Doing something longer doesn't necessarily mean you do it better...To risk being accused of hyperbole again, Ford has been making automobiles longer than Lexus...Sears has been in the Department store business longer than Nordstrom...

2) Owning one's own hotels only means that you have the power to direct your land tour business into your own pocket without the need to constantly keep up or improve your standards to keep the business. The captive market. Celebrity/Royal Caribbean and other lines renegotiate hotel contracts constantly. The hotels Celebrity put us in were top flight. I don't care who owns them.

3) This is mostly accurate, but Glacier Bay is hardly the be-all and end-all of cruising Alaska. Celebrity, generally, takes it's ships to Hubbard Glacier instead...Both Glacier Bay and Hubbard are spectacular each in their own right. Glacier Bay has the largest number of Glaciers hitting the sea in one inlet while Hubbard is the largest single glacier to hit the sea...Either is a worthwile experience. Pick either

4) So does Celebrity/Royal Caribbean...so does Holland America...They are all attached to the SAME train, one after the other...

 

So, what is it that "Princess does better"? Food? Service? Ships? The same arguments are here in Alaska as for anywhere else. What is important to you when cruising? Or when cruising Alaska? Do you want an uncrowded ship? Something in the food? Or entertainment? Is it the cabins and cabin size? Or the view (I think Royal Caribbean advertises the ships with the largest view windows in the public areas)?

 

If it's Alaska you are cruising and you want the "best", don't buy the rhetoric on who claims to "do it best"...

 

Consider what YOU want in a cruise or cruisetour...

Look carefully at the ship (and different ships in different lines may be better than other ships, even in the same line)...

Look at Food and service and entertainment and what it is YOU may like about each line...

Look at the SPECIFIC ITINERARY you will be sailing...what are the ports and what are the hours in EACH port?

Look at the cruise tours, if appropriate...which hotels will you be on (and look for feedback on individual hotels)?...What is included in the tour package? How much of the tour is by rail and how much by coach...and which sections--and what is important to you?

 

Remember, every cruise line, each ship, each individual cruise and each cruise tour is DIFFERENT...

 

DO NOT BUY THE GENERALIZED "PRINCESS DOES ALASKA BEST" RHETORIC. You may have a great Alaska cruise on any of the lines...or be disappointed as well...

 

Personally, I loved my Alaska Cruisetour on Celebrity...My sister was grossly disappointed with hers on Princess...Of course, another ship, another itinerary, both of us may have felt differently...

 

JMHO...

[YOW]

 

I agree with the numbers you present regarding Carnival vs. Celebrity. Sorry, I meant to acknowledge that before disagreeing with your comparisons.

 

I've tried to use brand analogies with hotels, cars, etc. in the past. There's probably no real effective way to do this, since cruises are a different beast.

 

We can agree to disagree as to the degree to which Carnival and Celebrity differ. There are objective factors at play here as well as subjective ones.

[karonius]

Counter:

 

 

Personally, I loved my Alaska Cruisetour on Celebrity...My sister was grossly disappointed with hers on Princess...Of course, another ship, another itinerary, both of us may have felt differently...

 

JMHO...

 

Oh No, Bruin Steve, I hope things have changed. I enjoy reading your posts both here and on Oceania. My DH and I are Oceania fans and have our first Celebrity cruise scheduled for July.

 

We originally booked an Alaska cruise for this summer on the Regatta but had to cancel due to timing. So after scouring many cruisetours, schedules, and itineraries we ended up booking Island Princess with a 6 night prior cruisetour. I have no experience or know anyone that has cruised Princess, it was choosen only for what I mentioned. What didn't your sister like? We have plenty of time to change (7/2012).

[Bruin Steve]

Oh No, Bruin Steve, I hope things have changed. I enjoy reading your posts both here and on Oceania. My DH and I are Oceania fans and have our first Celebrity cruise scheduled for July.

 

We originally booked an Alaska cruise for this summer on the Regatta but had to cancel due to timing. So after scouring many cruisetours, schedules, and itineraries we ended up booking Island Princess with a 6 night prior cruisetour. I have no experience or know anyone that has cruised Princess, it was choosen only for what I mentioned. What didn't your sister like? We have plenty of time to change (7/2012).

 

No, it wasn't terrible...and I didn't mean to imply that...

She wasn't all that thrilled with the food or service and she thought a couple of the Princess-owned hotels were not that well maintained--showing a bit of age...But she did have a good time...she just compared it to the many Royal Caribbean ships (which she liked) and the one Celebrity cruise she had been on...and adived me to go ahead and do it on Celebrity...

 

But there is nothing wrong with doing Princess to Alaska...

I just meant to note that the line that seems to travel around that "Princess does Alaska best" is sort of an unsupported claim...they do Alaska...much like everyone else...They do have a few differences, but they are not necessarily advantages...IF you like Princess, you will like Princess in Alaska...

 

For me, and I think this may be a point with those who prefer Oceania, when choosing between Princess and Celebrity, I would go with Celebrity due to the space per passenger ratios...figure the Sapphire Princess is 116,000 gross tons with 2670 passengers at double occupancy while the Celebrity M-Class are 91,000 gross tons with 1950 passengers...a little smaller ship with a considerably fewer number of passengers...

 

Whichever you end up with, enjoy!

[Longboysfan]

What there is on or not on Celebrity and other lines ships:

 

When they built the most recent series of ships along the 130,000 to 110,000 ton ships.

 

Look at the cost paid to build.

Carnivals entry was about 550 mil.

NCL entry was about 650 mil.

Celebrity was past 990 mil to build.

 

All things being the same to build a ship - where did Celebrity put the extra 300 mil plus into their ships.

[mafig]

Bruin Steve, As far as Alaska:

 

I've always heard that Princess got priority dockage in Alaska.

 

Is that not true?

 

:)

[Bridge Maven]

Bruin Steve, As far as Alaska:

 

I've always heard that Princess got priority dockage in Alaska.

 

Is that not true?

 

:)

 

Mafig, my husband and I took a cruise to Alaska on Celebrity's Infinity in 2001 when the ship had only been in service for a few months. At one port we had to tender while Holland America and Princess ships got the two dock spaces that were available. However, we were told that was because Infinity was a new ship that had no priority status and priority for dock space was determined by the ship itself and not the cruise line.

 

This year we are taking another Alaskan cruise on RCL's Radiance of the Seas which is older than the Princess ships that are doing Alaska. It will be interesting to see if Radiance gets priority for dock space over the newer Princess ships.

[Snorkel Dawg]

As long as I am allegedly bored, I'll go ahead and disagree with this one as well...

 

 

Bruin-you might have been bored, but I'd never call you boring! I enjoyed reading your comments.

[Bruin Steve]

Bruin Steve, As far as Alaska:

 

I've always heard that Princess got priority dockage in Alaska.

 

Is that not true?

 

:)

 

I think it's a myth...

When we were in Ketchikan on the Summit, we were docked all day while two Princess ships sort of shared a berth...One was docked only in the morning...then it pulled out and another that had been treading water out at sea all morning came in and docked for the afternoon...

 

I am guessing each cruise line makes its reservations and the ports deal with all of them...

Just look at the itineraries...If any cruise line publishes port hours, you can bet they are in port for those hours...

No one kicks some cruise ship out of its berth because Princess comes along...

The Princess itineraries aren't any better than anyone else's as far as port schedules or hours in port...