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Celebrity cruisers who also cruise with Princess, what should not be missed on our first Princess cruise?

maggipie

By maggipie,
in Celebrity Cruises

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maggipie

maggipie

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Eclipse California Coastal cancelled, so our family of 4, cruising Celebrity almost exclusively the last ~2 decades, after considering the additional $2K+ airfare (hmm ... where are the "$299 flights" 🤔) for a redeye to board Reflection for a same date Caribbean itinerary, decided to keep with our original staycation plans, and now will be boarding Majestic Princess instead.
 
Very disappointed initially since we were so eager for our first restart cruise post Covid (with the lucky coincidental kids' spring break 2022 this year), but now we are looking forward to this relaxing/non port intensive itinerary to introduce us to a new line. We're easy to please and open to anything. Any recommendations from fellow cruisers who love both Celebrity and Princess, on what your favorite unique-to-Princess things are? 
 
I already have MUTS as #1, and #2, a Toasted Almond Martini, delivered, via the Medallion app 😊
 
TIA!
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Torfamm

Torfamm

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1 hour ago, maggipie said:
Eclipse California Coastal cancelled, so our family of 4, cruising Celebrity almost exclusively the last ~2 decades, after considering the additional $2K+ airfare (hmm ... where are the "$299 flights" 🤔) for a redeye to board Reflection for a same date Caribbean itinerary, decided to keep with our original staycation plans, and now will be boarding Majestic Princess instead.
 
Very disappointed initially since we were so eager for our first restart cruise post Covid (with the lucky coincidental kids' spring break 2022 this year), but now we are looking forward to this relaxing/non port intensive itinerary to introduce us to a new line. We're easy to please and open to anything. Any recommendations from fellow cruisers who love both Celebrity and Princess, on what your favorite unique-to-Princess things are? 
 
I already have MUTS as #1, and #2, a Toasted Almond Martini, delivered, via the Medallion app 😊
 
TIA!

I like are the savory food in the International Cafe, Alfredo’s Pizzeria, and the exceptional wines at Vines.

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bama4cruisin

bama4cruisin

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Another recommendation for International Cafe (IC).   We have cruised Princess several times, but it had been several years when we chose our last cruise based on itinerary.

 

In the British Isles we had several early morning private tours and enjoyed The breakfast sandwiches, yogurt parfaits and fruit at IC as it was much quicker than the buffet.

 

If you need a snack on return, the chicken salad and shrimp salad are very tasty.

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Cruise a holic

Cruise a holic

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We enjoyed the sanctuary.  It is a nice private deck with comfortable seating-  The regular pool deck on the caribbean and crown princess were always much too crowded.  Also get to the theatre early for seating.  

 

We found the ships much too crowded, but since covid- probably isn't.  Enjoy.

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Ken the cruiser "Live from...." Rare

Ken the cruiser

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Princess is our favorite for longer, more unique itineraries. In fact we’re booked an 18 day cruise out of SFO in April and a 21 day Med cruise in July.
 

Onboard on sea days and in the evening there is always some form of entertainment going on as they usually have 4-5 assistant CDs, or whatever they are calling them now, to keep it lively!
 

The evening meals in the dining room do not offer as large of portions as Celebrity, so there is a good chance we will only gain 2-3 lbs rather than 5-7 on a Princess cruise! 😂😂

 

The bottom line is we always have a great time when cruising on either, and I’m sure you’ll have a great time too!

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daydreamer16

daydreamer16

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I agree with all of the above especially Ken the cruiser! On a long cruise it's nice to have the self-serve laundry. Our very first cruise was on Princess in Alaska. In Juneau, we left our tour & decided to take a long walk back to the ship. It started to rain heavily, and our jeans became soaked. It was nice to wash & dry our jeans right away. We're Elite on Celebrity so we get some free laundry but Platinum on Princess, so no free laundry.

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Ken the cruiser "Live from...." Rare

Ken the cruiser

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3 minutes ago, daydreamer16 said:

I agree with all of the above especially Ken the cruiser! On a long cruise it's nice to have the self-serve laundry. Our very first cruise was on Princess in Alaska. In Juneau, we left our tour & decided to take a long walk back to the ship. It started to rain heavily, and our jeans became soaked. It was nice to wash & dry our jeans right away. We're Elite on Celebrity so we get some free laundry but Platinum on Princess, so no free laundry.

Very true about the laundry!! That’s one big reason we can’t wait to make Elite on Princess, so we can get the free unlimited laundry perk! 😂😂

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Ginnyfyr

Ginnyfyr

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Was just on Majestic this past September - she's a gorgeous ship. If you're not afraid of heights, take a stroll over the Seawalk. The Chef's Table Lumiere is amazing if you can get in for it. We loved the Hollywood pool club/conservatory area, especially since we were on an Alaskan itinerary with rather crappy weather. While you're relaxing up there, use your Medallion app to order yourself a 24K margarita.

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kimlovesfl

kimlovesfl

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We've only sailed these 2 lines. The Horizon Court (buffet) has theme nights; German night is our favorite. The IC is good too. I LOVE the big, beautiful atriums on the Royal class ships. Not sure if the Majestic has a Crooner's; if it does, check it out. Lively entertainment at a piano bar. Pizza at Alfredo's is excellent. An odd thing- I find Princess has excellent soups. Like, top notch and some of the best I've had. 

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SandG

SandG

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Celebrity (s-class) is my favorite ship / cruise line because of the food, but Princess is pretty good, especially if you like Italian.  We have sailed on them 6 or 7 times because they offer itineraries that we cannot get on Celebrity, and we have 2 more booked for this year and the next, and really looking forward to them.  Their captains and cruise directors are top notch and I agree their entertainment is better and more varied than Celebrity.  We took a TA on Princess in 2019 and loved all the activities they offered during the crossing. 

One of the pubs usually has themed lunches.  It used to be an English themed pub menu that happened twice during the cruise with fish-n-chips, meat pies, etc.  They've recently added other themes on some sailings.

I also agree that the Medallion system works great.  The bar tenders / waiters will see your face when you are near the sensors and it gives a very personalized experience.  I also loved ordering a drink from the app and them delivering it to me without waiting for someone to take our orders.  The doors also automatically unlock for you.

I'll also second what others have mentioned that we love on Princess: the beautiful Piazzas, the pizza, Vines!!, the pools, crooners piano bar, did I mention Vines? and YES, that laundry for those longer sailings.  🙂 

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5:00_Somewhere "Live from...." Rare

5:00_Somewhere

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I will echo what others have said: pool deck pizza by the slice is excellent; Alfredo's is very good, too. The International Cafe is great for a light breakfast, lunch and for between meal snacks. Vines is a great experience for glass or a flight of wine, and Bellini's is always fun. If you're wiling to pay the up-charge, we have always found the Crown Grill excellent for steaks. As Ken The Cruiser noted, Princess has downsized their portions in the MDR a bit, but we actually like this. And, as on any cruise, you can order as many dishes as you want. If you can't decide between 2 entrées, don't be surprised if the waiter simply brings both (one to "share for the table"). And you can order appetizer sizes of many (if not all) entrées.  We love both Princess and Celebrity and always enjoy ourselves on both lines. I'm sure you'll have a great cruise! 😉 

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XBARBSX

XBARBSX

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Just got off the Majestic a couple of weeks ago.  As most said Alfredos is great.  One thing no one mentioned is The Bistro le Mer,  French restaurant,  it is amazing.  Not all Princess ships have it but it is well worth the upcharge.  The filet mignon was the best meal I have had in a long time, because of the sauce.  Also they had a Florentine with cheese thingy that was simply awesome, especially if you like cheese!!   I was with a group of 9 and they all loved the dinner. 

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maggipie

maggipie

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Thank you so much everyone for your words of (Princess) wisdom! I know what we love about Celebrity, and wanted to hear unbiased 😉 opinions of what might be better on/what not to miss with Princess. Not so bad to be newbies, armed with very much appreciated advice from the Celebrity crowd 😍

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LGW59

LGW59

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1 hour ago, miched said:

What did you miss?   Not sailing on a Celebrity cruise

 

Why ask this in the Celebrity forum?

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

The OP was pretty clear on why they were asking.  Made sense to me, you did not have to read it.

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