Rare Jetswdo Posted June 1, 2013 #26 Share Posted June 1, 2013 I have been on Princess twice. First time the food was ok. Nothing great, but nothing to complain about. The second time, 5 years ago, I was on the Saphire for an Alaska cruise. The food was horrible on that sailing-- many others said the same. I actually lost 5 pounds that week. The ship and workers were wonderful. I am giving Princess one more chance. Due to the perfect itinerary for us, we will be on the Royal for the carribean. We will be for the first time on Celebrity in a few weeks. The itinerary was exactly what we wanted for those weeks, so Celebrity has our business. The food is supposed to be excellent. I am going with an open mind. However, so far that cruiseline has somehow "rubbed me the wrong way." Their website is bad. Friendly customer service but contradictory in answers. Also, specialty restaurants are much more expensive, wifi packages (with lousy service from what I hear), etc. But I book itinerary first, price second, etc. People on this board have posted many positive things about Princess food. Hopefully things have changed in the last 5 years! After both sailings, I will make a comparison. Anita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iancal Posted June 1, 2013 #27 Share Posted June 1, 2013 We do mostly Princess, Celebrity, and HAL. We find that there are often larger differences between ships in the same cruise line than there are between the cruise lines. This is especially true for HAL. We were on Celebrity Solstice and then a few weeks later on the Equinox last fall. We found quite a difference between the two in terms of service, food, and staff. We just signed up for first Princess cruise in a little while and we are looking forward to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love.II.Cruise Posted June 1, 2013 #28 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Thank you for your review! The last time we went on Celebrity the food wasn't good. I tried fish half a dozen times on a 14 night cruise and it was horrible. I might try Celebrity again if it is the right itinerary. We'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabookkeeper Posted June 2, 2013 #29 Share Posted June 2, 2013 Thank you so much for the comparison! Princess is my favorite and also the only line I've ever cruised on. I have wondered how the Celebrity cruises have compared and I have started to look at other cruiselines to get a different Caribbean itinerary than the ones I've traveled on with Princess. But judging by your review...I think I will stick with what I like - Princess! :) Don't make a decision on one review. We have always cruised Princess until this year and we were on the Silhouette. The one big difference in the cabins is that all of their cabins have a couch in them unlike Princess. We did not have a problem with the food, but again food is subjective. What Princess does better is definitely their desserts and I missed the cold soups I could get on Princess. We booked our 2014 cruise on the Reflection because it was cheaper than Princess. We will continue to book either Celebrity or Princess based on itinerary and price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PescadoAmarillo Posted June 2, 2013 #30 Share Posted June 2, 2013 Thank you for your review! The last time we went on Celebrity the food wasn't good. I tried fish half a dozen times on a 14 night cruise and it was horrible. I might try Celebrity again if it is the right itinerary. We'll see. In my not-so-recent but fairly plentiful (about 150 days) experience, fish is not Celebrity's forte. I've always thought Princess does fish better. But Celebrity's beef quality used to be much higher than Princess. And their breadsticks are to die for. I'm a seafood person, so I've always enjoyed Princess' dining room food. Luckily, DH, who loves his beef, usually finds something he enjoys on Princess too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dforeigner Posted June 2, 2013 #31 Share Posted June 2, 2013 Thank you for taking time to write a review. We mainly cruise with Princess but have also sailed on board Celebrity. We like both lines and would not hesitate to sail on board Celebrity again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pris993 Posted June 2, 2013 #32 Share Posted June 2, 2013 We cruise Princess (23 cruises), Celebrity (12 cruises), HAL (6 cruises), NCL (3 cruises) and Cunard (2 cruises), plus a few other lines. We did a back to back one week on Celebrity Ecilpse and one week on the Ruby last year. Was interesting to compare the two. We decided we prefer Princess too. We still cruise all the lines, depending on the itineraries... we are booked on Princess this September, HAL next April and Celebrity in Oct 2014. Keeps it interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chamima Posted June 2, 2013 #33 Share Posted June 2, 2013 In my not-so-recent but fairly plentiful (about 150 days) experience, fish is not Celebrity's forte. I've always thought Princess does fish better. But Celebrity's beef quality used to be much higher than Princess. And their breadsticks are to die for. I'm a seafood person, so I've always enjoyed Princess' dining room food. Luckily, DH, who loves his beef, usually finds something he enjoys on Princess too. Hi! HOWEVER, Celebrity serves fresh tuna (at least in Aqua class) which Princess does not. We've sailed 23 times on Princess (many ships and sizes) and 3 on Celebrity (all on the Solstice). Each line has pluses and minuses but for this fish eater (I only eat fish, no meat) the tuna choices in Aqua class can't be beat! :D Desserts are better on Princess (no souffles on Celebrity) but croissants are better on Celebrity. Beds are better on Celebrity but storage and closets WAY better on Princess. Showers are better on Celebrity but dressing area is better on Princess. Internet and laundry rooms (or unlimited free laundry and dry cleaning for Elite) are better on Princess. Indoor pool is MUCH nicer on Celebrity. LOVE Aqua class on Celebrity but also LOVE the fully covered aft balconies on Princess, which Solstice class doesn't have. Service is GREAT on both lines! We also go with itinerary and price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusaninCali Posted June 2, 2013 #34 Share Posted June 2, 2013 In terms of food Celebrity failed miserably (only in my view of course). It's not only the preparation of the food that I was disappointed in - though that was an issue - it was the lack of creativity in what they served from day to day. The buffet quickly became a bore because..aside from one central area and the salad bar - the corner areas where they offered Mexican, Chinese, Indian and Italian cuisines failed miserably because the dishes were exactly the same every single day..same offerings for lunch..same offerings for dinner too. I love going to the Princess buffets because the selection changes daily and in fact changes from lunchtime to dinner time too..something that sadly doesn't happen on Celebrity. Camelia This, to me, is interesting. We sailed the Summit for 14 nts in Europe a few years back and the lunch buffet changed all the time. A few repeats with desserts, which we thought was Celebrity's weakest food area. In fact, I recall a particularly wonderful thai curry dish in the lunch buffet near the beginning of the cruise and we were disappointed to never see it again. We are cruising next month for the first time with Princess and are glad to hear that the food generally is well thought of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PescadoAmarillo Posted June 2, 2013 #35 Share Posted June 2, 2013 Hi!HOWEVER, Celebrity serves fresh tuna (at least in Aqua class) which Princess does not. We've sailed 23 times on Princess (many ships and sizes) and 3 on Celebrity (all on the Solstice). Each line has pluses and minuses but for this fish eater (I only eat fish, no meat) the tuna choices in Aqua class can't be beat! :D Hi Karen! I've made a note of it: MUST cruise Celebrity in Aqua Class! :) Hope you're doing well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishin' musician Posted June 3, 2013 #36 Share Posted June 3, 2013 While I appreciate your review, I have found that the Celebrity Summit and Princess couldn't be more different. We chose the Summit last summer to see Bermuda and had higher expectations. Princess was MUCH better in all areas, however I give the edge to Celebrity in entertainment. I found the Summit seriously lacking in decor, class, food, cleanliness, and staff service/skill. To date, for us after 24 cruises, the Summit was the worst cruise ship we have ever been on. Perhaps, the newer ships are a lot better. This reflects our experience on the Summit this past April. We've sailed most mainstream lines multiple times, including 6 or 8 on Princess; we were excited to try this "premium" brand. Sadly they fell far short of our expectations. It was the second worst ship we've sailed (first being our only Carnival experience aboard the Sensation many years ago). Has anyone mentioned the Summit getting a failing score in a CDC inspection earlier this year? This is extremely rare in the industry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iamcruzin Posted June 3, 2013 Author #37 Share Posted June 3, 2013 This reflects our experience on the Summit this past April. We've sailed most mainstream lines multiple times' date=' including 6 or 8 on Princess; we were excited to try this "premium" brand. Sadly they fell far short of our expectations. It was the second worst ship we've sailed (first being our only Carnival experience aboard the Sensation many years ago). Has anyone mentioned the Summit getting a failing score in a CDC inspection earlier this year? This is extremely rare in the industry.[/quote']I saw that report just before I sailed. There was a Princess ship that also had a failing score but I don't remember which one. I felt the ship was spotless when I sailed but maybe that was a result of the failing score. While I enjoyed my experience on the Summit and plan on sailing on her next year I don't think it was any more or less a premium product than Princess and I knew that before I went so I wasn't disappointed. I did prefer the Summit to the Caribbean Princess because it was a smaller ship and the room lay out was better. With the exception of the food I think my overall experience on the Summit was better than on Princess. As far as food goes the specialty restaurants are so over priced that it's not an option for us to eat in one every night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WannaCruise365 Posted June 3, 2013 #38 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Hi!HOWEVER, Celebrity serves fresh tuna (at least in Aqua class) which Princess does not. We've sailed 23 times on Princess (many ships and sizes) and 3 on Celebrity (all on the Solstice). Each line has pluses and minuses but for this fish eater (I only eat fish, no meat) the tuna choices in Aqua class can't be beat! :D Desserts are better on Princess (no souffles on Celebrity) but croissants are better on Celebrity. Beds are better on Celebrity but storage and closets WAY better on Princess. Showers are better on Celebrity but dressing area is better on Princess. Internet and laundry rooms (or unlimited free laundry and dry cleaning for Elite) are better on Princess. Indoor pool is MUCH nicer on Celebrity. LOVE Aqua class on Celebrity but also LOVE the fully covered aft balconies on Princess, which Solstice class doesn't have. Service is GREAT on both lines! We also go with itinerary and price. Oh your right on with everything your saying here..We also loved the Celebrity healthy offerings at the AquaSpa Café..my hubby loved the salmon sliders for lunch..it was never crowded..wonderful for a light breakfast too..We have booked an Aqua Class cabin for the 14 night Caribbean sailing..We love Princess but Celebrity is top notch as well!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellarosa Posted August 3, 2013 #39 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Interesting post contrasting Celebrity and Princess. We have sailed many times with Princess, but tried Celebrity in March. I have to say that the meals on Celebrity are not very good--over cooked, little seasoning or flavor, one night the meat was so tough that the sharp knife could not cut it and that was true of other diners that evening. Very disappointing. Celebrity's décor was lovely, entertainment ok, but the food in main dining room and at the stations in the buffet was not as good as Princess, in our opinion. Food on Celebrity in main dining room was disgusting!! what an embarrassment for a top rated cruise line... never again, oh did I mention I got sick from the so -called filtered water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KruzPrincess Posted August 3, 2013 #40 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Hi!HOWEVER, Celebrity serves fresh tuna (at least in Aqua class) which Princess does not. QUOTE] I think I read recently that Celebrity has stopped offering tuna and salmon at the Aqua Spa Café....if I'm not mistaken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chamima Posted August 3, 2013 #41 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Hi!HOWEVER, Celebrity serves fresh tuna (at least in Aqua class) which Princess does not. QUOTE] I think I read recently that Celebrity has stopped offering tuna and salmon at the Aqua Spa Café....if I'm not mistaken. I read that also but my reference was to the dining room , Blu, for Aqua class. Tuna was on the menu for dinner lots of times and I've only had it once that I can remember on Princess (and it wasn't good). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oxo Posted August 3, 2013 #42 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Cruise both Celebrity and Princess. You cannot compare Blue on Celebrity to MDR on Princess. You pay extra for Aqua class that includes Blue. Celebrity and Princess food is the same. Food is very subjective. JMHO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baldercash Posted August 3, 2013 #43 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Great review. A question on the ice cream requiring a straw? The melted ice cream in the MDR was it coming from the ice cream bar as you exit the buffet restaurant out to the pool area were they have the full selection of flavours? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbracelife Posted October 1, 2014 #44 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Thanks for the comparison! I have only been on one cruise, on Princess, and loved everything about it. I was considering Celebrity for an Inside Passage cruise in Alaska because their cabins do seem more spacious, and I am traveling with my two grown children. I was able to get a mini suite on Princess though for only a few hundred more, and with almost that same amount in OBC, than a veranda on Celebrity, but was thinking that it might be nice to have an indoor pool. The food on Princess was fabulous though, and I think that outweighs having a pool, since I'm certain that we can find other activities to keep busy with. Thanks again!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasrose0219 Posted October 3, 2014 #45 Share Posted October 3, 2014 (edited) I can say that the DH and I have been on 2 cruises since we've been married. One on the Ruby Princess (12/2012) and one on the Celebrity Silhouette (02/2014). Hands down we preferred Princess to Celebrity, which is why we are booked on another cruise in Feb. 2015. The staff of the Silhouette were amazing, and the cruise director Patty was AMAZING! Other than these two things, the only thing that we wish Princess did that Celebrity does is to offer creme brule on the room service menu. No joke, we ordered it in our room every single night...we have no shame. Other than these items, the cruise (not ports) was just blah for us. The food and the entertainment left a lot to be desired, and 2 days straight the potatoes at breakfast (from the buffet) tasted so much like fish that I almost got sick. The only shows we enjoyed on the ship were those of the guest performers, and most of the time, the entertainers from the atrium/bars were FAR better than those in the production shows. Also, we felt like Celebrity shut down extremely early at night, and that left us on some nights just killing time walking around the ship. When we were on Princess, I never felt like this was a problem. There were times on the cruise we ended up doing things separately because there was so much stuff that we both wanted to do. Most of all, I missed my karaoke....I love love love me some karaoke, and Princess never let me down during the cruise. On Celebrity there was one night that it was scheduled for an hour and that was it. However as far as the ship goes. The silhouette is BEAUTIFUL! The rooms are great, and just walking around the ship you get this wonderful feeling of modern luxury. We have not counted out Celebrity for good, that's for sure, but for now we are going back to our first favorite and setting sail for a 10 night cruise on the Royal. Edited October 3, 2014 by texasrose0219 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chamima Posted October 3, 2014 #46 Share Posted October 3, 2014 Thanks for the comparison! I have only been on one cruise, on Princess, and loved everything about it. I was considering Celebrity for an Inside Passage cruise in Alaska because their cabins do seem more spacious, and I am traveling with my two grown children. I was able to get a mini suite on Princess though for only a few hundred more, and with almost that same amount in OBC, than a veranda on Celebrity, but was thinking that it might be nice to have an indoor pool. The food on Princess was fabulous though, and I think that outweighs having a pool, since I'm certain that we can find other activities to keep busy with. Thanks again!:) Some of the Princess ships have an indoor pool. Which ship are you booked on? I agree about the food being better on Princess! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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