Is Princess becoming the new X?

[Miaminice]

A few years ago we jumped ship from Royal to Celebrity - not because we didn´t like Royal but because we liked the quieter concept of Celebrity better.

 

Since then we have done all of our cruises with Celebrity in AQ. We have seen differences from ship to ship and even from time to time on the same ship. Sometimes for example we loved the food, other times is was just good (never bad). It all depended who´s running the show.

 

We except that there are changes anywhere (not just with X) and we also except that most people always complain about change - maybe we do to. I also realize that maybe it is not the changes themselves that we notice but simply the fact that we have been on many cruises with Celebrity and nothing is really knew and exciting any more. Still nice, but not as exciting as the first time. I remember sailing on S-class for the first time - it just blew me away, I loved every corner of the ship. Now I still like it, but it is just not new and not as exciting any more. However, that is not Celebrity´s fault, but my own perception.

 

Should we notice any changes that really bother us, we will just switch cruise lines without complaining on CC. Princess may be an alternative and I have also heard good things about HAL (the newer ships). However, I do realize they are on the same level on the market.

 

For a real change Oceania might be an alternative - maybe even a step up. Only heard good things and people I talked to that cruised with them are really satisfied. Only thing that might bother me is the smaller ships - but liking bigger ships that is just my personal thing.

Edited January 4, 2017 by Miaminice

[Hlitner]

I'm on the Eclipse in a couple of weeks, I'm actually taking three additional cases of screen printed caps and wife beater shirts printed with "I love Celebrity" and "I love Carnival", Thanks for reminding me I need to get these listed on the roll call. You just can't miss an opportunity like this after all.

 

Steve, you're on the same sailing, let me know your size, colour and cruise line of choice and I'll do you a deal! :D

 

Sounds like Onslow is alive and well in the UK :) I have often told DW that when I die I want to come back as Onslow.

 

Hank:D

[ISABELLA]

Sounds like Onslow is alive and well in the UK :) I have often told DW that when I die I want to come back as Onslow.

 

Hank:D

 

Onslow is quite a character. And Hyacinth and Richard going on QE2 cruise is my favorite episode. :)

What a great humor!

Edited January 4, 2017 by ISABELLA

[offnoncruiser]

We hear the X will soon have table sales of baseball caps and wifebeater shirts so that men can be properly dressed for the MDR. Apparently those items will all come with the Celebrity "X" Logo.

 

Hank

 

Finally something to spend all that OBC on :D

 

Thx.

[Mynki]

Sounds like Onslow is alive and well in the UK :) I have often told DW that when I die I want to come back as Onslow.

 

Hank:D

 

Onslow is quite a character. And Hyacinth and Richard going on QE2 cruise is my favorite episode. :)

What a great humor!

 

This is the best sketch from the entire series. It still makes me laugh out loud! :)

 

[Mynki]

Thank you for your encouraging words. So much information and many opinions here, most of it interesting but since a lot of opinions are involved it's bound to be a mixed bag of mostly positive and some negative posts. Fortunately the roll call posts for our sailing are positive and upbeat. I love hearing about Celebrity from people who have been there, and we really are looking forward to our cruise with X. Besides, being on a cruise sure beats the average work week, any day. ;)

 

We've met a lot of really nice people on board. Always remember that the forum persona can sometimes differ from the real person.

 

As for the negatives, they do exist but a cruise like every other vacation is very much what you make of it. I sometimes think these boards can set an expectation which can upset people when things don't quite meet it. I'm sure you'll have a great time. Come back and tell either way after you return. :)

[ChucktownSteve]

Always bad information. It is actually TWO letters off. Sad.

You should know! I never use the word myself. Mr. garbage mouth. :p Looks like I really got under someone's thin skin. lol

Edited January 4, 2017 by ChucktownSteve

[Mynki]

Sounds like Onslow is alive and well in the UK :) I have often told DW that when I die I want to come back as Onslow.

 

Hank:D

 

 

Sorry Hank, I didn't explain myself very well. I won't be wearing them, I thought I'd sell them before Celebrity start. Get the jump on their sales team so to speak. My target market will be those sailing in the lowly sky suites. What do you reckon? You think they'll sell well these days after the abolition of formal night? :D

[galensgrl]

Just relax and enjoy your cruise. I am certain that you will have a great time. Please do not concern yourself with some of the negative comments especially the ones that say negative things about something that most people like. Comments like "mere" Sky Suite, wines that are not drinkable and Michael's Club is going downhill are just one person's perspective and should not really be considered an opinion shared by most people. After all even those making the comments are most likely still cruising on Celebrity (or at least are considering it) otherwise why would they be posting on the Celebrity thread? I am not really criticizing those posting the comments because it is their experience and opinion which should always be welcomed.

 

The Sky Suites have been amazing for us and so has the Michael's Club. If you are in the corner S1 it will be even more special. If you want to dine with friends in the MDR it will not be a problem. Since you can order from the MDR menu and make special requests i believe you will find the Luminae a much better experience. It is more along the lines of a Specialty Restaurant. The one time we had the Ultimate Dining package we stilled dined in the Luminae about 1/3 of the time ever though we could dine in the Specialty Restaurants at no extra charge. Of course you may want to try the MDR just for the experience. By the way the Luminae is Select dining as well.

 

I am confident that for the most part those people making negative comments concerning their Celebrity experiences do not mean to negatively impact your anticipation of the cruise. I do cruise with other Cruise lines, but mostly with Celebrity because my DW and I love the experience.

 

I confess to being a Celebrity cheerleader, a Princess cheerleader, and a general cruise experience cheerleader. I find cruise vacations to be relaxing, enjoyable, and a great overall value.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Thank you for being a cheerleader! So far on 6 cruises, none has been flawless, but we choose to focus on the positives. Despite minor disappointments, we have enjoyed every cruise so far. If ever we have an issue on a cruise, we immediately address it by respectfully bringing it to the manager in charge of that area. The only issue that we couldn't do anything about was the food quality in the MDR on our last NCL cruise. We were told if the MDR wasn't up to our standards, we should go for the upcharge dining. :rolleyes: I've heard their dining has improved since then, but we've been trying other options so we wouldn't know. Yes we have one of the corner aft suites! I feel so lucky that the one we wanted became available. We were wanting the bigger balcony (and bathroom!) and only found out about Luminae and Michael's after we booked. We've never been in a suite before, we are really looking forward to our cruise with X. Thanks!

[klfhngr]

After reading all of the responses, we're actually excited about both cruises! We have no concerns over one or the other. Confident that we'll enjoy both. The only difference is that we're going alone on X and with P, we're going with a group. This will be the first cruise EVER that we've gone alone! Will we have fun?!!! Alone=wife and I! lol!!

 

I'll post an HONEST review and comparison of both cruises! Itineraries will NOT count since you really can't compare the two.

 

Thanks again, all!

[varoo]

After reading all of the responses, we're actually excited about both cruises! We have no concerns over one or the other. Confident that we'll enjoy both. The only difference is that we're going alone on X and with P, we're going with a group. This will be the first cruise EVER that we've gone alone! Will we have fun?!!! Alone=wife and I! lol!!

So you chartered the entire ship just for the two of you?? ;)

Will you each have your own penthouse suite?

 

Won't there even be any staff or crew on board? :eek:

 

 

[wallie5446]

Wow!

 

The last few pages of this thread have really gone to the bad comedy writers. This one belongs on the Sail Away board where the games are played 🤔

 

I know, I forgot, this is the way a chat board is theses days, we should no longer expect anything serious on CC.

[Lastdance]

Well, my DH and I were in an S1 and had very early reservations in Blu. Everything was great and the food was excellent. Since my DH had a very nice pair of jeans on with a great shirt, no one said anything; however, one guy looked at My DH's jeans and looked like he was going to throw up. He moved back and forth and his eyes bulged out of the sockets. When his eyes met mine, I just smiled and asked if he was okay...it was really hard for him to say yes, as he tried hard to look away...really??? This never happened in Luminae! He really thought that only the very best dressed eat in Blu and we were lower class...never saw him again!!! Furthermore, I never even mentioned it to my DH...

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited January 8, 2017 by Lastdance

[Germancruiser]

Oh yes- thats right- X - no longer represents the Chandris Service- still good of course- at least I think it is!

I don´t even wanna ask what " Punt" means...! LOL!

[Pushka]

Just off Princess Diamond. Not impressed with buffet at all. Regulars said food in MDR had declined. Crew were excellent. Management level? Jury out on that. The theatre was tiny and production space therefore limited. I thought the decor not impressive.

Edited January 12, 2017 by Pushka

[HUNKY]

Princess' three most recent ships are very much like the Celebrity S class. Similar colors, buffet layouts and cabin design. Just wish Celebrity had the Princess Sanctuary, and throw in HAL's Koningsdam theatre!

[Pushka]

Princess' three most recent ships are very much like the Celebrity S class. Similar colors, buffet layouts and cabin design. Just wish Celebrity had the Princess Sanctuary, and throw in HAL's Koningsdam theatre!

 

 

But the celebrity solarium doubles as the Sanctuary. And the undercover pool on Diamond smelt awfully of pool chemicals.

[Cruise Junky]

Princess' three most recent ships are very much like the Celebrity S class. Similar colors, buffet layouts and cabin design. Just wish Celebrity had the Princess Sanctuary, and throw in HAL's Koningsdam theatre!

 

I'll take Celebrity's Solarium any day of the week over the paid Sanctuary.

[El Crucero]

Well, my DH and I were in an S1 and had very early reservations in Blu.

 

Blu doesn't take reservations.

[G.C]

Princess has always been a step up from CCL [and in Carnival Corp's view a small step below HAL, although most Princess cruisers probably don't agree] The stratification of cruise lines is pretty clear and stable, at least if you stick to broad bands. CCL, MSC, NCL and RCL are the bottom tier [with no consensus on how to rank them among themselves]. Celebrity, Princess and HAL are the next tier [and you are seeing the lack of consensus comparing them]. Azamara and Oceania are next; and Crystal, Regent, Silversea and Seabourn are the top. [i left out Cunard because it depends too much on which class you book; Viking Ocean because they are too new; and several really small-ship lines.] It is highly unlikely IMHO that any line will move up or down from those bands, but there is lots of jockeying back and forth within the bands.

 

For me this is the best break down for new cruisers who are looking for a general guide. I strongly agree that each cruise line seems to move around every few years in it`s own tier group.

 

Most frequent cruisers have been on great cruises to come home and read a review trashing that cruise. Does that make either view wrong? It`s all about personal choice and I choose to look for the best in each cruise no matter which ship I`m on.

[Pushka]

I'll take Celebrity's Solarium any day of the week over the paid Sanctuary.

 

 

Me too. Last week we were just saying the same. Sanctuary is nice but an expensive extra. Solarium pretty much offers the same but sometimes crowded but only with adults.

 

 

Blu doesn't take reservations.

 

 

And suite passengers can only dine there when there is availability. Luminae is the suite restaurant.

Edited January 12, 2017 by Pushka

[Hlitner]

I'll take Celebrity's Solarium any day of the week over the paid Sanctuary.

 

Agree! The price charged by Princess, for the Sanctuary is ridiculous. In a sense they are offering you a lounger with peace and quiet for only $80 a day (per couple). The Sanctuary is very nice (on some of their ships) but it is hard to justify that price. The irony is that Princess (and most other mass market lines) do just about everything possible to destroy peace and quiet on pool decks. And Princess has realized that some folks are willing to pay big bucks for just that. We would like to see pool decks that are relatively quiet (no blasting sound system, Movies, etc.) and let those who want noise pay for it!

 

One other interesting fact is that if you cruise on the Ultra Luxury Lines....what you get is peace and quiet with few to no announcements. On our recent Eclipse cruise lots of folks were unhappy when the cruise director insisted on blasting play by play for pool volleyball...throughout the entire pool deck (and above). There were about 16 folks playing volleyball and hundreds of others with no interest. But Celebrity insists on disturbing the masses for the gratification of a very few.

 

Hank

[Pushka]

I guess some people need fake fun.

[klfhngr]

Wow, didn't know you had to pay for quiet time by the pool on Princess!

[klfhngr]

Wow, didn't know you had to pay for quiet time by the pool on Princess!