micbri Posted September 14, 2013 #1 Share Posted September 14, 2013 My wife and I have cruised seven times, all on Princess, and for the most part we've enjoyed it. We like the anytime dining and found the service and food quality pretty good. But we've gotten tired of the tinkering they've done with the entertainment - half-hour theater shows and comedian's performances. We're thinking about giving Celebrity a try this winter on a seven-day Caribbean cruise on the Silhouette? Any advice? What can we expect? Any former Princess cruisers who can give us a comparison? Your help would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowyboy Posted September 14, 2013 #2 Share Posted September 14, 2013 My wife and I have cruised seven times, all on Princess, and for the most part we've enjoyed it. We like the anytime dining and found the service and food quality pretty good. But we've gotten tired of the tinkering they've done with the entertainment - half-hour theater shows and comedian's performances. We're thinking about giving Celebrity a try this winter on a seven-day Caribbean cruise on the Silhouette? Any advice? What can we expect? Any former Princess cruisers who can give us a comparison? Your help would be appreciated. If report in reply #2 does not do the trick nothing will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micmacmissy Posted September 14, 2013 #3 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Try http://www.cruisewithgambee.com and read his photo review of a 7-day Silhouette trip. Amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4774Papa Posted September 14, 2013 #4 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Expect great food, great service and excellent entertainment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickykay Posted September 14, 2013 #5 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Much more open feeling to the ship, beautiful main dining room, significantly more comfortable bed, much better selection at the ocean view cafe ( although I will give the edge to Princess on the pizza), etc. On Shiloutte last March, wonderful ship and cruise! Enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cruisestitch Posted September 14, 2013 #6 Share Posted September 14, 2013 A nearly smoke-free environment. There is no smoking anywhere indoors, no smoking on verandahs, limited smoking areas outside. Cold towels and iced drinks on your arrival back to the ship from a shore excursion, or hot chocolate if the weather is cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tak8 Posted September 14, 2013 #7 Share Posted September 14, 2013 I am also thinking of trying Celebrity with Princess being my preferred cruise line. I'm looking at the Eclipse. I enjoyed your review and the photos are great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miched Posted September 14, 2013 #8 Share Posted September 14, 2013 On X you can expect No smoking No coffee card Quieter No rah rah rah No movies under the stars No Sanctuary but you if you feel the need you can rent an Alcove Better drinks Not really much differences but enough to know there is. You can feel the difference when you step on board and offered a glass of welcome champaign. .:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CleoChase Posted September 14, 2013 #9 Share Posted September 14, 2013 We decided to give Celebrity a try last year and loved it. We still like Princess too and will be continuing to cruise with both lines. We stopped going to Princess shows a long time ago. We actually only when to one show on the Eclipse last year. It was a Cirque like show and was fabulous. There was also a couple lecture series while we were on the Eclipse. One on the ship itself, one on color theory and one on C-5 planes and different ways they have been used in military campaigns. There may have been others, but those are the ones that we sat in on. I found the recycling at sea lecture fascinating. I loved that there we very few announcements. We went on the Caribbean Princess after the Eclipse and the one thing that really stood out was the constant PA announcements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuAnn Posted September 14, 2013 #10 Share Posted September 14, 2013 both Princess and X and prefer X. I think the food on Princess..for us...is not of the same quality as X. The S class of ships have a very modern look...and we like those...but have also enjoyed the older ships as well. TBH..we don't book Princess any more unless they are the only ones offering a cruise during a time frame we want. Give X a try...I don't think you'll be disappointed! LuAnn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smtcan Posted September 14, 2013 #11 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Our most recent cruise was on Star Princess in South America. We booked it because friends were going and the price was better than Celebrity for virtually the same itinerary. We enjoyed the cruise, but our next two bookings are with Celebrity. We liked Coffee card and International Cafe (loved those shrimp at lunch time) Not much waiting for Anytime Dining Well kept cabin, but small bathroom Pub lunch We didn't like Crowded feeling all around the ship Noise from MUTS in the daytime on the few days it was warm enough to be outside Food quality - no cruise food is perfect, but we had a higher ratio of poor meals than on any other line. A couple of really excellent meals though. Crowded theatres with short shows Dark inside bars and lounges. Fine in the evening, but claustrophobic in daytime when it was not warm enough to be outside. These are my opinions, yours may be different! Sheila Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hurwitz5 Posted September 14, 2013 #12 Share Posted September 14, 2013 We have sailed on both, but prefer Celebrity. The newest Celebrity ships have a lot more shade by the outdoor pool - which is a big plus for us. We sailed on the Silhouette last January and loved the ship. We have sailed in the Caribbean many times, so if we stopped at a port we visited many times, we opted to stay on board and enjoy the amenities of the ship. We find Celebrity more relaxing than Princess, with better food, service, and entertainment. The 2 pluses for Princess is their pizza and Movies Under the Stars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royalcruz Posted September 15, 2013 #13 Share Posted September 15, 2013 We prefer Celebrity solstice class to Princess: smoke-free solarium lots of shaded loungers near main pool all loungers are padded better drink pours wine dispenser machines (I do like Princess's wine bar too though) jazz bands in ensemble lounge more seating in theatre people dress up more in the evenings more open buffet specialty dining more modern roomier basic balcony rooms (all have couches) fewer announcements Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisetrail Posted September 15, 2013 #14 Share Posted September 15, 2013 My wife and I have cruised seven times, all on Princess, and for the most part we've enjoyed it. We like the anytime dining and found the service and food quality pretty good. But we've gotten tired of the tinkering they've done with the entertainment - half-hour theater shows and comedian's performances. We're thinking about giving Celebrity a try this winter on a seven-day Caribbean cruise on the Silhouette? Any advice? What can we expect? Any former Princess cruisers who can give us a comparison? Your help would be appreciated. Ship design: Internal space on Celebrity - nice but cold, spacious, wow-effect. Open decks - no comparison with Princess. Pool areas are two times smaller. Overcrowded sun decks. No separate open pool area for adults. No promenade deck. Cabins - more traditional design (completely different from Princess), but a bit narrower than standard. Nicely appointed. Limited storage space. For two people - no problem. Food MDR - same Buffet - Princess wins Free alternatives - International cafe + Pub Lunch simply wins. Specialty restaurants - Celebrity is a solid winner Celebrity does not offer proper afternoon tea - Princess wins. Entertainment - subjective as both are close. Not bad. Unfortunately their notable thing - Hot glass show is not available on the Silhouette. Another formerly "major feature" - grass lawn on the Silhouette - dramatically ruined by paid cabanas. Itinerary - 3 ports on our last cruise on Celebrity - the most boring I have ever had on any cruise. Celebrity design is for older adults - mostly to stay like in a hotel, minimal open air options. It's OK for a colder regions if you cruise for ports. But for the Caribbean we don't consider Celebrity. My grandpa does. In my ranking Celebrity product is #5. It's good to try something different. The Eclipse is the best option to try Celebrity. Next time try HAL new ships - most comfortable ships and best itinerary (Eastern Caribbean). I think you'll like your cruise. A "novelty effect" will help. Enjoy your cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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