Princess vs Celebrity?

[Moonarino]

5 minutes ago, nini said:

As has been discussed, Princess has many cabins WITH loveseats. Just book a cabin with one.

I already booked a 10-day and I booked the category I could afford. At present I'm paying for 3 cruises. I've never sailed in a balcony cabin that didn't have some other place than the bed to sit, and I don't usually spend a lot of time sitting on the balcony. I should've looked at the stateroom diagram before I booked. If a good upgrade deal comes along I might take it, otherwise being retired (and not rich) I might actually rethink sailing Princess.

[Dbld777]

As stated by several, we've found the service, especially bar service, to be lacking when we sail Celebrity. We've also found the staff to be much friendlier on Princess. It makes a difference to us when they start to recognize you at the bar(on Princess) and are eager to serve you. We had a couple of evenings on Celebrity when we go for a pre-dinner cocktail and it's almost impossible to get waited on at that time. We also have found the CD's staff to be much more engaging and entertaining on Princess. They make the Trivia, game shows, etc. really fun and they have a good time doing their job. Different things are important for everybody of course.

[mcrcruiser]

5 hours ago, roxievegas said:

We have only sailed on Celebrity and Princess.  If price were not a consideration, I would go Celebrity.  But we are now retired, no longer wish to fly to ports and going out of southern California, we will go Princess.  Princess is equal to Celebrity in many ways, but Celebrity is costly

 

Celebrity is much more costly on average than Princess or holland America  .Some time ago we could Ahi tuna  near the  pool area on Celebrity ,then they cut it out  ,it was great for lunch .I saw the cut backs & now would not spend what they want per cruise day  ,  Actually we get better pricing with both  Holland America from San Diego port cruises or Princess & now we are under casino rates with Carnival & the prices are way down . Think that CCL is having to drop prices now because less people are wanting to cruise with this pandemic 

 

 We can drive to 3 ports >San Diego ,San Pedro & Long Beach   ,Floridians  have 4 major ports   : Ft Lauderdale  ,Miami ,Cape Canaveral  & Tampa  .We have sailed int he past out of all but Cape Canaveral  .We sailed  Royal Caribbean ,Diamond ,Celebrity ,Elite + ,Hplland America 3 star Mariner , Princess ,Ruby & Carnival  ,no idea of level but we get Casino deals all the time 

 

 We enjoy all  cruise lines  for different reasons , There has never been a bad cruise & we have done  close to 90  of them all over the world 😃   .  Now in our early 80s we find flying too much work & disappointment in flying  .Plainly a hassle 

 

 We also do long land trips in the US via our own car  .Love National parks &opens areas 😃

[KeepCalmBearOn]

16 hours ago, geoherb said:

My last Celebrity cruise was lackluster. The food was not as good as on Princess, and I had a couple of bad experiences with service.

 

Curious which Celebrity ship it was.

[vjmatty]

3 hours ago, nini said:

As has been discussed, Princess has many cabins WITH loveseats. Just book a cabin with one.

And as was responded, some people don't think having places to sit should be a deluxe feature. Since this thread is comparing two cruise lines, it's appropriate to distinguish that on Celebrity, this is considered standard. 

[vjmatty]

 

7 hours ago, roxievegas said:

We have only sailed on Celebrity and Princess.  If price were not a consideration, I would go Celebrity.  But we are now retired, no longer wish to fly to ports and going out of southern California, we will go Princess.  Princess is equal to Celebrity in many ways, but Celebrity is costly

 

Those of us in NY have the opposite problem...Princess serves the northeast poorly, whereas Celebrity offers more sailings here. 

Edited September 14, 2021 by vjmatty

[vjmatty]

 

 

4 hours ago, Moonarino said:

Nowhere to sit in the cabin is Bad especially if one has a bad back/hip like me and it's very hard to get comfortable sitting on a bed for long. Princess, please rethink this?

 

On the plus side for Princess, I've always loved having a laundry room on cruises over 7-8 days. Like you I don't trust the (overpriced) ship services.

_______

 

But I'm mostly just watching this thread, with only 1 cruise on Celebrity 10 years ago (but Apex coming in November) and still waiting to sail on Princess. Mega-thanks to all for your inputs of course.

And this is why I think it's hard, and really unnecessary, to choose one cruiseline above all others. It's ok to accept no line is perfect, so I just look for the best fit when considering dates, itinerary, cabin availability and cost. 

Edited September 14, 2021 by vjmatty

[Tedferg]

4 hours ago, Moonarino said:

I already booked a 10-day and I booked the category I could afford. At present I'm paying for 3 cruises. I've never sailed in a balcony cabin that didn't have some other place than the bed to sit, and I don't usually spend a lot of time sitting on the balcony. I should've looked at the stateroom diagram before I booked. If a good upgrade deal comes along I might take it, otherwise being retired (and not rich) I might actually rethink sailing Princess.

I think you can ask steward for a barrel chair

[Moonarino]

46 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

 

 

... so I just look for the best fit when considering dates, itinerary, cabin availability and cost. 

Same here, which is why after nearly 15 years of cruising I still have yet to board a Princess ship. (Had Sky Princess booked for last November but you know what happened there.) It's not that Princess isn't price-competitive, just that itineraries and our "mood" never lined up. Recently we made the firm decision to look exclusively for a Panama Canal cruise toward the end of next year, and Princess 11/2022 was at the top of the list. But maybe also that I'm still grieving over our missed cruise on Sky Princess. Plus we're doing a 9-day on Celebrity this November, then Harmony OTS in May. So Princess next November to Panama rounds it out nicely.

 

I'm by no means brand-loyal. I do like larger ships (love the elbow room when exploring) and broad choice of food venues, and I avoid ships overdue for mothballs. The rest is the timing of price and itinerary as much as anything.

[Moonarino]

2 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

I think you can ask steward for a barrel chair

I was thinking more of bringing an inflatable futon.

[vjmatty]

11 minutes ago, Moonarino said:

Same here, which is why after nearly 15 years of cruising I still have yet to board a Princess ship. (Had Sky Princess booked for last November but you know what happened there.) It's not that Princess isn't price-competitive, just that itineraries and our "mood" never lined up. Recently we made the firm decision to look exclusively for a Panama Canal cruise toward the end of next year, and Princess 11/2022 was at the top of the list. But maybe also that I'm still grieving over our missed cruise on Sky Princess. Plus we're doing a 9-day on Celebrity this November, then Harmony OTS in May. So Princess next November to Panama rounds it out nicely.

 

I'm by no means brand-loyal. I do like larger ships (love the elbow room when exploring) and broad choice of food venues, and I avoid ships overdue for mothballs. The rest is the timing of price and itinerary as much as anything.

Next month we're sailing Oasis OTS, first time sailing the RCL mega ships. Between being driving distance and sailing at reduced capacity, plus a competitive fare, I figured it's a good time to finally try it. After doing some research and finding out about all of the restaurants on board, plus the neighborhoods like Central Park and the Boardwalk, and the stop at Coco Cay island, I'm really looking forward to the experience.  I even booked us the unlimited dining package to make sure we can enjoy everything the ship has to offer as far as food goes. 

 

One thing about the pandemic is that after being secluded for so long, many of us are expanding outside our old parameters and thinking outside the box of our former travel tendencies. That's a good thing...it makes us all aware of our options and holds the cruise lines to some healthy competition which benefits all of us in the long run. 

[shipsealand]

Been on Princess, Celebrity as well as several other cruise brands.  Overall liked Princess the best.  Very little class distinction on Princess but Celebrity does have it and even in the main theatre.  Biggest issue is the excursions.  Princess takes care of you from beginning to end.  They have you meet on the ship in the main theatre, by groups depending on your excursion, escorts you to the places where you board the buses, and has reps with signs showing which bus to board as well as ask questions.  Celebrity leaves you on your own as in just go out to the pier and you can find the bus which happened to be in the pouring rain, no reps to direct you to which bus, you had to knock on each bus door trying to find the right one.  We and about 10 other passengers where in the pouring rain and no help.

[Luckiestmanonearth]

Really no reason to pick one over the other.  Like them both and have Princess booked in Jan 2022 and Celebrity Mar 2023.

[mcrcruiser]

5 hours ago, vjmatty said:

 

Those of us in NY have the opposite problem...Princess serves the northeast poorly, whereas Celebrity offers more sailings here. 

You  also have Royal  Caribbean out of the newer Bayonne NJ   cruise terminal .We did the New England /Canada cruise on Anthem of the Seas  Sept 2917  ;which was a great cruise on a very large ship & the food & entertainment were tops 

 

 My wide & I grew up in the Bronx NY ;but ,we didn't start cruising until the early 90s from Los Angeles   & San Diego areas . Our first cruise was on  a old Carnival ship  

 

 

[mcrcruiser]

Unlike the East coast ,Celebrity because of relatively small fleet  does not frequent the West Coast of Calif very often . however ,RCK placed Navigator of the Seas in San Pedro ,Ca to cover Catalina Island , Ensenada Mexico  for 4 night cruises & then B2B the Mexican riviera 3 port ,7 night cruise   .We like royal as well  for their entertainment ,food ,service ie .

[mcrcruiser]

We hope Princess does the Alaska cruise again leaving & returning to Sab Pedro  .Otherwise we can drive up on a extended trip to San Franciso for the 19 night  R/T Alaska  on Ruby Princess .   We love Alaska & been there 5 tomes including a self driving trip from Seward to Fairbanks AK   .Our favorite spot to travel in the world   plus all the National Parks 

[Bruin Steve]

3 hours ago, shipsealand said:

...Biggest issue is the excursions.  Princess takes care of you from beginning to end.  They have you meet on the ship in the main theatre, by groups depending on your excursion, escorts you to the places where you board the buses, and has reps with signs showing which bus to board as well as ask questions.  Celebrity leaves you on your own as in just go out to the pier...

This take is just plain NONSENSE...

Both (or actually ALL) cruise lines are pretty much the same here...and it is port-specific...

We've been on Princess ships where the shorexes in certain ports (Mexican Riviera) were "meet on the pier"...and most Celebrity ships we've been on, the shorexes meet in the Showroom.  In fact, we just did B2Bs on Apex in the Med...and did shorexes for every port...and every one was "meet in the showroom" at a specific time.  The shorex people there give you the numbered stickers and have you wait in a specific area of the room until they call your tour number and someone then leads you out to the bus...

 

But, yes, for example, we've been to Ensenada on Princess, Carnival and NCL...and EVERY one of them had us meet our shorex ON THE DOCK...where the tour company has its people waiting with signs...

 

It's pretty much standard for most cruise lines (We've been on ten different ones) and for most ports...

 

Remember that the cruise lines themselves do NOT actually conduct the shorexes...They are done under contract with local providers in each port and almost ALL of the cruise lines use the SAME providers in each port.

 

One problem with these sorts of comparison threads is that lots of posters have only anecdotal evidence from limited numbers of cruises--usually far fewer cruises on whichever line they claim is "worse"...

[geoherb]

Princess cabins have a desk chair. I sat in mine last month in my inside cabin on the Majestic while using my computer. 

[vjmatty]

6 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

You  also have Royal  Caribbean out of the newer Bayonne NJ   cruise terminal .We did the New England /Canada cruise on Anthem of the Seas  Sept 2917  ;which was a great cruise on a very large ship & the food & entertainment were tops 

 

 My wide & I grew up in the Bronx NY ;but ,we didn't start cruising until the early 90s from Los Angeles   & San Diego areas . Our first cruise was on  a old Carnival ship  

 

 

Yes in fact we're sailing on Oasis next month, and before Covid no one could have talked me into sailing Oasis class...but wanting the convenience of not worrying about flights when things are still uncertain with cruising, plus reduced capacity and good prices, it seemed like an ideal opportunity to keep an open mind and give it a shot. There seems to be a wider variety of room size and balcony size as the ships get bigger in RCL, whereas Princess mega ships are selling balconies that resemble more of a ledge. That being said, we're also sailing in an M6 mini next year on Enchanted with those oversized balconies so I guess you just have to find what you're willing to pay for.

 

In any event, I'm hoping we enjoy Oasis enough to consider occasional 7 or 14 day sailings from home. Those who have sailed Oasis ships, even at full capacity, have told me that it doesn't feel like 5,000 passengers because of the different neighborhoods kind of spreading the population all over the ship. Hopefully this is true. 

[vjmatty]

5 hours ago, geoherb said:

Princess cabins have a desk chair. I sat in mine last month in my inside cabin on the Majestic while using my computer. 

Yes, this is true...for one person in the cabin there is adequate seating. However, unless I'm giving hubby a lap dance every time we sit, that's not sufficient for both of us. Not to mention the limits of the poor little chair if I were to do so.  

[Esprit]

My favourite is Princess but we cruised last month on Celebrity Silhouette and had a fantastic time and the Edge class ships are fabulous.

 

However, Celebrity is more expensive and their cruise durations don't match our desire for 14 night cruises. We also love to dance Ballroom/Latin and Princess give us far more opportunities than Celebrity.

 

 

 

[mcrcruiser]

3 hours ago, vjmatty said:

Yes in fact we're sailing on Oasis next month, and before Covid no one could have talked me into sailing Oasis class...but wanting the convenience of not worrying about flights when things are still uncertain with cruising, plus reduced capacity and good prices, it seemed like an ideal opportunity to keep an open mind and give it a shot. There seems to be a wider variety of room size and balcony size as the ships get bigger in RCL, whereas Princess mega ships are selling balconies that resemble more of a ledge. That being said, we're also sailing in an M6 mini next year on Enchanted with those oversized balconies so I guess you just have to find what you're willing to pay for.

 

In any event, I'm hoping we enjoy Oasis enough to consider occasional 7 or 14 day sailings from home. Those who have sailed Oasis ships, even at full capacity, have told me that it doesn't feel like 5,000 passengers because of the different neighborhoods kind of spreading the population all over the ship. Hopefully this is true. 

Yes you will not have the crowds except in the show rooms front & back .you need reservations   for the shows  & expect to wait in line to enter the shows  if the ship has it's normal capacity   .Other than the shows  ,we felt like any other ship 7 the service was great  . in the MDR for breakfast we had a awesome buffet  .Coffee & juice were served  .We would definitely sail RCL if we could  locally  .

 

 When it comes to pricing remember that Diamond level & up gets a additional balcony discount   .Also Diamond  level & up gets to go to the Diamond lounge .On that class ship it was incredible the drinks & snacks  were yum 

 

 We totally enjoyed the New England /Canada cruise . If you can latch onto private tours on your roll call go that route to get away from the big bus crowds  ,especially with this virus 

 

  

[mcrcruiser]

22 minutes ago, Esprit said:

My favourite is Princess but we cruised last month on Celebrity Silhouette and had a fantastic time and the Edge class ships are fabulous.

 

However, Celebrity is more expensive and their cruise durations don't match our desire for 14 night cruises. We also love to dance Ballroom/Latin and Princess give us far more opportunities than Celebrity.

 

 

 

We also see Celebrity as a higher cost cruise line . There once was a  pdf of  inder sold cruises & those prices were much more reasonable . Call Celebrity & asl about the PDF listing of cruises that are at lower cost 

[AstoriaPreppy]

Speaking from experience, Princess tends to be much more "traditional" than Celebrity.  Formal nights that still feel formal, champagne waterfalls, balloon drops, etc. The food is good, but very straightforward. Entertainment is also very traditional. The styling of the ships is also more traditional: lots of brass and marble and wood. The one non-traditional aspect of Princess is Ocean Medallion, which is a truly astounding implementation of technology. 

Celebrity has a much more "modern" vibe: the martini bar has a DJ and not a lounge singer playing the piano. The food is more in line with what you'd find in an urban restaurant in 2021, especially in the specialty dining venues. Entertainment is often better, especially on the Edge series which feature full-scale cirque-lite productions in the main theater (WITH RAIN). The ships are incredibly innovative, and styled much more like a W Hotel than a Marriott. If you're sailing in a suite, Celebrity will far exceed the experience on Princess, with much more exclusivity. 

 

For lots of cruisers, the looser upscale vibe of Celebrity can be off-putting, but they're always trying new things. For a cruise experience that comes closest to an old-school experience, (other than Cunard), Princess is a great option. 

 

Either way, they're both great lines, and you'll likely have a great time.

[Moonarino]

8 hours ago, vjmatty said:

Yes, this is true...for one person in the cabin there is adequate seating. However, unless I'm giving hubby a lap dance every time we sit, that's not sufficient for both of us. Not to mention the limits of the poor little chair if I were to do so.  

And problems like my back/hip. A hard straight chair is ok for me for maybe 20 minutes (on a good day).

 

Thing is, I'm also finding less (good) seating in hotels/motels these days unless we go deluxe or suite. Could be Princess is taking its cue from the wrong place(s).