Is Princess becoming the new X?

[klfhngr]

Wow, great points on both sides..... Glad to hear that the Ruby was one of someone's favorite ship...... ;)

[FlorenceItaly]

We just got off the Regal Princess(deluxe balcony) today, and wow, were we impressed!!! She is all they say she is and MORE. We leave on the Eclipse(Aqua class) on Monday. We have been cruising Celebrity lately, but, Princess really impressed us. They were very eager to please. The service and food was top notch! The live music/entertainment was fantastic. The only thing we missed was the drink package, lol. Before the Princess cruise I would say Celebrity is our cruise line of choice. I am not so sure now. I will let you know after our Eclipse cruise.

 

For some point of reference this was our fourth Princess cruise, our last one being the Caribbean Princess in September 2015. It was not our favorite ship. Since that cruise we have been on about 5 Celebrity cruises, all M class. We are very excited to cruise on our first S class.

 

 

Marie

[MatureGeek]

I will do my first X in the next few days. My favorites are Princess, Royal and Carnival in that order. I will let you know soon.:)

[jules815]

Been reading so many posts like this no it makes me wonder if I should keep my reflection cruise. I love Royal I wanted to try their premium product but it seems like royal is better than celebrity with all the horror stories I keep reading.

 

 

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We have cruised mostly with RC, and have one cruise with Celebrity. We really enjoyed Celebrity! And not that we've ever had a bad cruise with RC, but I think we just needed a change. My next cruise is on Reflection. :)

[hubofhockey]

Wow, great points on both sides..... Glad to hear that the Ruby was one of someone's favorite ship...... ;)

 

That's me. I love that ship. I have also been on the Crown, which is close to identical, but for some reason, I liked the Ruby so much more. My take is that Princess moved away from that class of ships to save money. The Ruby has large and more pools. It has the central elevators. It has Explorers Club (which they killed off on the Royal for a ridiculously contrived entertainment space that passengers hate) and a more classic look and feel. The balconies are also much bigger. I am almost talking myself into booking the Ruby again, but our next cruise will be our first on Celebrity, a 9-night Adriatic out of Venice. I am not scared off by the threads about X drop in quality. We have Aqua Class on deck 11 and we'll "manage" to have a good time.

 

We will book Princess again at some point, but I like some of Celebrity's itineraries better for places we want to go (like Asia). We'll wait and see how much we enjoy our cruise before booking Celebrity again, but best itinerary usually wins out for us.

[HokiePoq]

Been reading so many posts like this no it makes me wonder if I should keep my reflection cruise. I love Royal I wanted to try their premium product but it seems like royal is better than celebrity with all the horror stories I keep reading.

 

 

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Azamara is their premium brand. I consider Celebrity a step above RCCL in all ways except entertainment just based on my own cruising experiences. Will be looking at RCCL itineraries in the future since we've just become elite and these two have reciprocal elite/diamond perks. That is a huge plus for future bookings.

[Oceangoer2]

We have cruised primarily on Celebrity but also on Princess. In my opinion, Princess is a step down from Celebrity, at least on the ships we have been on. There are pros and cons on each line, but Celebrity is still our cruise line of choice.

 

Food in the MDR is equal.

 

Service is equal.

 

On our last Princess cruise, the shows were terrible. There was no band, just a soundtrack. The entertainers just lip synced to the sound track.

 

Veranda cabin on Princess has only one chair in sitting area, Celebrity veranda cabin is larger and has a settee.

 

On the itineraries we use, Princess is more expensive than Celebrity for the same class stateroom. We usually cruise Princess in a standard mini-suite and on Celebrity in Aqua. They are about the same price, but we get Blu and complimentary Persian Gardens, and beverage package in Aqua, but nothing in a standard mini-suite. The new Princess Club class mini-suites are about the same price as a Celebrity Sky suite but without all the perks - butler, Michaels Club, Luminae, beverage package, gratuities, etc.

 

Yes, cocktails are more expensive on Celebrity, but you can also get an included beverage package as a perk, which is rare on Princess.

 

The Celebrity Forum seems to attract an inordinate number of complainers compared to Princess Forum. I don't know why that is. We have been on voyages with some complainers and can't figure out what they are talking about. We have never had a 'bad' Celebrity cruise or Princess either. But again, we think Celebrity gives us more for our cruising dollar.

Re 'complainers'....one starts and others follow with memory jog. Don't think there's too many that are really unhappy (if so, why not move to another line which may suit their taste better). We've sailed most lines, and settled with X...just our preference for service, quality, dining, ship size, passenger capacity and general friendliness of both staff and passengers. In general, X's site is also friendly and very informative...IMHO.

[El Crucero]

We just sailed in AQ on Equinox and for the first time ever I had to say - room steward was not as good as before. Cabin was vacuumed maybe every few days, I had to request toilet paper, since roll was coming to the end and there were none extra in the bathroom. Few times empty cups were left ..

 

This is one of the advantages of one person per stateroom, there is only one person responsible instead of two. Our female head steward on the Solstice last September was excited about the change. Her assignment was being reduced by half the rooms and she would be solely responsible for the results. She said she had several different assistants and some were worse than others and she had to take up the slack. She said her life was now easier. Her housekeeping skills and service were excellent.

[mafig]

On the cruises I'm looking at, the Princess CC minis are much less than X's Sky Suites (by about $400 p/p). However, they are about $250 more than an A2, plus there's no drink package, or anything really except two half bottles of wine.:(

Edited December 29, 2016 by mafig

[klfhngr]

We just got off the Regal Princess(deluxe balcony) today, and wow, were we impressed!!! She is all they say she is and MORE. We leave on the Eclipse(Aqua class) on Monday. We have been cruising Celebrity lately, but, Princess really impressed us. They were very eager to please. The service and food was top notch! The live music/entertainment was fantastic. The only thing we missed was the drink package, lol. Before the Princess cruise I would say Celebrity is our cruise line of choice. I am not so sure now. I will let you know after our Eclipse cruise.

 

For some point of reference this was our fourth Princess cruise, our last one being the Caribbean Princess in September 2015. It was not our favorite ship. Since that cruise we have been on about 5 Celebrity cruises, all M class. We are very excited to cruise on our first S class.

 

 

Marie

 

Marie, thank you for this great feedback! I keep hearing that Princess is upping up her game, seems to be true... I can't compare the two because I've never done X and only sailed on P almost 15 years ago! At that time, the food was ok, entertainment was ok, cabins were nice, but nothing stood out in comparison to CCL and RCCL.

 

I'm looking forward to hearing from you after the Eclipse!

[klfhngr]

That's me. I love that ship. I have also been on the Crown, which is close to identical, but for some reason, I liked the Ruby so much more. My take is that Princess moved away from that class of ships to save money. The Ruby has large and more pools. It has the central elevators. It has Explorers Club (which they killed off on the Royal for a ridiculously contrived entertainment space that passengers hate) and a more classic look and feel. The balconies are also much bigger. I am almost talking myself into booking the Ruby again, but our next cruise will be our first on Celebrity, a 9-night Adriatic out of Venice. I am not scared off by the threads about X drop in quality. We have Aqua Class on deck 11 and we'll "manage" to have a good time.

 

We will book Princess again at some point, but I like some of Celebrity's itineraries better for places we want to go (like Asia). We'll wait and see how much we enjoy our cruise before booking Celebrity again, but best itinerary usually wins out for us.

 

Looking forward to the Ruby!!! She's getting some great reviews too!

[grandgeezer]

I don't think it's so much that Princess, and the other lines are gaining on Celebrity, it's that "X" is falling back to them.

[Host Jazzbeau]

On the cruises I'm looking at, the Princess CC minis are much less than X's Sky Suites (by about $400 p/p). However, they are about $250 more than an A2, plus there's no drink package, or anything really except two half bottles of wine.:(

 

Did you add in the value (to you) of the Celebrity GO BEST package that comes with suites?

[EpochTraveler]

Azamara is their premium brand. I consider Celebrity a step above RCCL in all ways except entertainment just based on my own cruising experiences. Will be looking at RCCL itineraries in the future since we've just become elite and these two have reciprocal elite/diamond perks. That is a huge plus for future bookings.

 

 

Well celebrity is deemed premium and Azamara is considered upper premium. I agree I think I'm going to finish getting diamond so it can reciprocate to Celebrity.

 

 

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[Aquahound]

Marie, thank you for this great feedback! I keep hearing that Princess is upping up her game, seems to be true... I can't compare the two because I've never done X and only sailed on P almost 15 years ago! At that time, the food was ok, entertainment was ok, cabins were nice, but nothing stood out in comparison to CCL and RCCL.

 

You know...I just don't see it. Compared to Celebrity, I think Princess has crowded ships, small and dated staterooms, and uncomfortable theaters. Even their newest ships can't compare to the beauty of Solstice Class. It was my opinion when I cruised Regal that they missed a great opportunity to compete with Celebrity in ship design. On the contrary, I was disappointed with the ship.

 

But don't let me bring your expectations down. These are just my opinions. :)

[Tedferg]

The only thing we missed was the drink package, lol. Marie

 

Do you mean Drink Package as a Perk ? I ask, because I think Princess All Inclusive package is better value than X - if you are paying for both.

Edited December 30, 2016 by Tedferg
grammar

[El Crucero]

Do you mean Drink Package as a Perk ? I ask, because I think Princess All Inclusive package is better value than X - if you are paying for both.

 

Celebrity has offered the Classic Beverage package as an optional included perk on most itineraries for the last three years. Right now you can choose one to four perks (Classic beverage package, OBC, gratuities, unlimited Internet) depending on the type of stateroom you select (inside 1, veranda 2, suite 4)

 

If you are paying for the beverage package, Celebrity is less expensive than Princess.

[Cruise Junky]

Celebrity has offered the Classic Beverage package as an optional included perk on most itineraries for the last three years. Right now you can choose one to four perks (Classic beverage package, OBC, gratuities, unlimited Internet) depending on the type of stateroom you select (inside 1, veranda 2, suite 4)

 

If you are paying for the beverage package, Celebrity is less expensive than Princess.

 

Is it? I thought princess was the same as the classic but included everything up to $10 whereas X is $8 and you can't pay the difference on a higher priced drink. I like most things better on X but if you have to pay I think Princess is better

[Cruise Raider]

In the last two years, we've sailed on Princess and Celebrity several times as well as Royal Caribbean one time.

 

I thought Royal had the absolute prettiest ship I have ever seen. We also had a great room steward, a fabulous room and some great entertainment. We knock all that right out of the water, though ... there were just lines, lines, lines everywhere we went. I would travel on them again but just couldn't get over the immense crowds on that ship!! The food in the MDR was just so so and really great in 2 of the specialty restaurants. It was puzzling that there were times of the day when you couldn't get even a little snack in the buffet. It closes down completely during certain hours of the day. The food in the buffet was also just so so.

 

We've had great food and service on Princess but I agree with some of the other posts, the cabins are tiny, the theaters and entertainment venues are not large enough for the pax wanting to attend the shows. Some of the ships are just showing so much wear and tear and have a dirty feel to them. Prices are better on drinks without the package and in the specialty restaurants. We've never had anything less than excellent meals in the Crown Grill at a not so high price. Princess itineraries usually work better for us and they have a ship, albeit and old ship, home ported in San Francisco. Princess also allows you to bring on your own wine and champagne and only charges the corkage for any bottles beyond their limit. Plus, their happy hours are quite popular and offer a huge savings.

 

Celebrity is hands down my absolute favorite, though. I like their rooms, their service has been very good in my opinion and we have enjoyed their entertainment overall. Their buffet is hands down better than that on both RCCL and Princess in my opinion. Their specialty restaurants are also excellent but at a much higher price than on both Princess and RCCL.

They have canceled luggage valet and I am not so happy about that. Their drinks are more expensive without the package inclusion but they do have promos that quite often include the beverage package perk.

I also like the elite perks on Celebrity a lot better. The coffee, especially the specialty coffees are so much better on Celebrity.

 

We've had small disappointments on all different lines, though. On Celebrity, their beverage package inclusions are very inconsistent. Their are oftentimes better wine choices on Princess at more reasonable prices.

We've had excellent room stewards and waiters on both lines ... we've also had so so service on both lines.

With the free perks, Celebrity is oftentimes a better value for us.

[El Crucero]

Is it? I thought princess was the same as the classic but included everything up to $10 whereas X is $8 and you can't pay the difference on a higher priced drink. I like most things better on X but if you have to pay I think Princess is better

 

According to an email I received from Cruise Critic today http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1470&et_cid=2869519&et_rid=58480087&et_referrer=NULL, Celebrity Classic Package is $55 plus 18% gratuity for cocktails up to $8. Princess is $56.35 plus 15% gratuity for drinks up to $10. So essentially the same price with the gratuity added. Personally, for the cocktails I order, they are $8 on Celebrity and $10 on Princess, so the maximum is not an issue. Another downside is that the Princess beverage package is only available for itineraries of 7 days and longer (according to Cruise Critic) whereas Celebrity does not set a limit.

 

If you don't purchase a package, Celebrity has the 'drink of the day' which is about 40% off. Princess has 'buy one get one for $1' for an hour a day in one of the lounges.

[Cruise Junky]

According to an email I received from Cruise Critic today http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1470&et_cid=2869519&et_rid=58480087&et_referrer=NULL, Celebrity Classic Package is $55 plus 18% gratuity for cocktails up to $8. Princess is $56.35 plus 15% gratuity for drinks up to $10. So essentially the same price with the gratuity added. Personally, for the cocktails I order, they are $8 on Celebrity and $10 on Princess, so the maximum is not an issue. Another downside is that the Princess beverage package is only available for itineraries of 7 days and longer (according to Cruise Critic) whereas Celebrity does not set a limit.

 

If you don't purchase a package, Celebrity has the 'drink of the day' which is about 40% off. Princess has 'buy one get one for $1' for an hour a day in one of the lounges.

 

I think your prices are right but on X you need to upgrade to Premium for martinis, they are under $10 on Princess so included and you get 40% off bottled wine on Princess vs 20% on X

[Hlitner]

Very good discussion. We have been on many Princess cruises (Elite for at least a decade) and are Elite Plus on X. Most recently we were on the Regal Princess in October and Eclipse in November (we cruised over 100 days this year). We think each line has their pros and cons....which vary depending on the class of ship. But if we were to generalize, in the past 3 years Celebrity has been on a steady downward spiral (which seems to coincide with the new CEO) while Princess has been improving its product (after several years of decline). Several of our recent X cruises have been in Aqua...which we feel has lost much of its luster due to the menus in Blu. Celebrity has the best Alternative restaurants (especially Murano) while Princess has the better Lido. MDRs each have their good and bad so we now call it a draw....but 3 years ago we think X was in a much higher class compared to Princess.

 

Princess has lots of issues with its main production shows including a theater that is too small for its ships (they must sometimes have 3 shows to meet demand).....but we are not overjoyed with Production Shows on either line. Guest entertainers are generally decent on both lines. We love the International Cafe on Princess ships and the Lidos on the new Royal/Regal Class are in a class of their own. We have never figured out what the mystery meats are at the Celebrity sandwich station in its Lido....but those meats are not fit for my dog (who is dead). Princess has the best pizza at sea....but Celebrity pizza is better then average.

 

Three years ago we would have quickly said that Celebrity was the better of the two lines. Now, at best it is a draw....with Princess quickly overtaking Celebrity on many fronts. If "Princess Lisa" keeps cutting back on her ships while increasing prices..we will soon be rating X as somewhere behind even Carnival.

 

Hank:eek:

[gizmodog]

I am elite on celebrity but have taken the last three cruises on Princess. I must say, their drink package is far above celebrity. It is one price and includes your drinks, no select, classic, premium, which to me is ridiculous and confusing! Princess premium restaurants cost is still reasonable and they do put on a good cruise, I enjoy them very much. Celebrity's rules and packages and cuts here and there and rising cost on everything is driving me nuts.

 

 

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[Oville]

Very good discussion. We have been on many Princess cruises (Elite for at least a decade) and are Elite Plus on X. Most recently we were on the Regal Princess in October and Eclipse in November (we cruised over 100 days this year). We think each line has their pros and cons....which vary depending on the class of ship. But if we were to generalize, in the past 3 years Celebrity has been on a steady downward spiral (which seems to coincide with the new CEO) while Princess has been improving its product (after several years of decline). Several of our recent X cruises have been in Aqua...which we feel has lost much of its luster due to the menus in Blu. Celebrity has the best Alternative restaurants (especially Murano) while Princess has the better Lido. MDRs each have their good and bad so we now call it a draw....but 3 years ago we think X was in a much higher class compared to Princess.

 

Princess has lots of issues with its main production shows including a theater that is too small for its ships (they must sometimes have 3 shows to meet demand).....but we are not overjoyed with Production Shows on either line. Guest entertainers are generally decent on both lines. We love the International Cafe on Princess ships and the Lidos on the new Royal/Regal Class are in a class of their own. We have never figured out what the mystery meats are at the Celebrity sandwich station in its Lido....but those meats are not fit for my dog (who is dead). Princess has the best pizza at sea....but Celebrity pizza is better then average.

 

Three years ago we would have quickly said that Celebrity was the better of the two lines. Now, at best it is a draw....with Princess quickly overtaking Celebrity on many fronts. If "Princess Lisa" keeps cutting back on her ships while increasing prices..we will soon be rating X as somewhere behind even Carnival.

 

Hank:eek:

 

Hank, you continue to bring up Lisa, most recently she is the reason for ships being chartered, nonsense. Sorry you are disappointed in Celebrity, you've made that abundantly clear. Since you left Eclipse earlier this month, a ship we were on for 10 days after you and loved, you have complained about Blu, the Passport Bar, Michael's Club, Sushi on Five and others. It is time to move on.

 

Glad you enjoy Princess.

[Cruise Junky]

Hank, you continue to bring up Lisa, most recently she is the reason for ships being chartered, nonsense. Sorry you are disappointed in Celebrity, you've made that abundantly clear. Since you left Eclipse earlier this month, a ship we were on for 10 days after you and loved, you have complained about Blu, the Passport Bar, Michael's Club, Sushi on Five and others. It is time to move on.

 

Glad you enjoy Princess.

 

Personally I'm finding the entire "Princess" "Queen" Lisa comments extremely sexist. Nobody posted about "Prince" Michael starting the cuts. Very telling about certain posters that I used to respect. It's almost 2017 for heavens sake not 1950