Celebrity vs Princess

[Cruise a holic]

3 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

We were in a princess suite and had to pay a daily or weekly rate for the sanctuary.  Should be a suite deck.  I remember no adult pool.  However they did have a small pool outdoor, near the santury. Perfect newer ships now have along with a suite lounge included in the suite fare and a suite restaurant.  We said on the Caribbean and crown princess

 

Edited April 23 by Cruise a holic

[buzz031]

We are Elite with Princess and just achieved Elite status with Celebrity. I would go back to Princess for the right itinerary, though, but we do prefer Celebrity. 

[Gracie115]

11 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

We were in a princess suite and had to pay a daily or weekly rate for the sanctuary.  Should be a suite deck.  I remember no adult pool.  However they did have a small pool outdoor, near the santury. Perfect newer ships now have along with a suite lounge included in the suite fare and a suite restaurant.  We said on the Caribbean and crown princess

Yes, the Royal class ships have more perks and suite areas than the older ships. Royal, Regal, Sky, Majestic and I think one other in that class.  And most likely the Sun class has even more, though we have not been on those.

[George C]

My main complaints on Princess was very smoky casino and tiny showrooms, only time I actually saw a fight on a cruise was about saving seats , we couldn’t get to see many of the shows since there were no seats . 

[Gracie115]

5 minutes ago, George C said:

My main complaints on Princess was very smoky casino and tiny showrooms, only time I actually saw a fight on a cruise was about saving seats , we couldn’t get to see many of the shows since there were no seats . 

 

Have to agree about the casino...but for us it doesn't matter as neither of us gambles, but I don't like the smell of smoke.

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

11 minutes ago, George C said:

My main complaints on Princess was very smoky casino and tiny showrooms, only time I actually saw a fight on a cruise was about saving seats , we couldn’t get to see many of the shows since there were no seats . 

That's a very good point on the theater seating, especially if you go to the early show. We usually arrive 20-30 minutes early to get the seats we want and play gin while waiting for the show to begin. However, if you happen to arrive only 5-10 minutes early, especially if it's a good show, most of the good seats are usually pretty much gone.

[beshears]

Many good points posted here. I believe I mentioned we just got off the Princess Regal in February, and did purchase the Premier package. My son said, "Just as well purchase this package, instead of being nickel-ed and dime every time you turn around," which in the long run, I realize was true.

[Cruise a holic]

14 hours ago, George C said:

My main complaints on Princess was very smoky casino and tiny showrooms, only time I actually saw a fight on a cruise was about saving seats , we couldn’t get to see many of the shows since there were no seats . 

We also had to walk out of shows as no seats were available- sat on steps sometimes.  We had to come in at least 1/2 hour before shows.  Hope the new theatres have much more seating-   And couldn't use the Casino's as they were so smokey. 

Edited April 24 by Cruise a holic

[XSWABBY]

On 4/23/2024 at 12:50 PM, hcat said:

Surprised to hear of same problem that newer Celebrity E Class are having... How old is this ship and  have they figured out the cause?

The Enchanted Princess was launched in 2021 and holds 3660 passengers.

Don't know if they figured out the cause.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 4/24/2024 at 1:52 AM, beshears said:

Many good points posted here. I believe I mentioned we just got off the Princess Regal in February, and did purchase the Premier package. My son said, "Just as well purchase this package, instead of being nickel-ed and dime every time you turn around," which in the long run, I realize was true.

not really true - we usually sail without any packages and the only ship we felt nickeled and dimed on was MSC Seascape.

In any case, you could have purchased Plus package instead of Premier. It's cheaper and more cost effective for most people.

 

On 4/23/2024 at 3:04 PM, Ken the cruiser said:

if you optionally purchase their Princess Plus package for $60 pp/day, you get free drinks, gratuities and unlimited internet.

 

not free. 🙂 You literally pay $60 pppd day for them.

 

Edited April 25 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 4/17/2024 at 5:32 PM, hiccups said:

Glad to hear good comments about Enchanted Princess, as we’re taking our first Princess cruise on her this summer—family cruise, and the ship had some better option for the varied ages of the kids.  We have the Premier package and am looking forward to the inclusions.

you are gonna love it!

Especially with a Premier package.

We are having our second Enchanted cruise this June and I already booked her again for next summer. And right now the 3rd and 4th person free promotion is finally working correctly on their website, so I've just repriced our 2025 cruise and saved $400.

[Ken the cruiser]

13 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

 

In any case, you could have purchased Plus package instead of Premier. It's cheaper and more cost effective for most people.

 

not free. 🙂 You literally pay $60 pppd day for them.

 

So true. Just like when someone pays $75 pp/day for Celebrity's cheaper Basic Internet and the Classic Drink packages when they book one of their cruises with the All Included package. 🙂

 

Edited April 25 by Ken the cruiser

[Mark_K]

1 hour ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

not really true - we usually sail without any packages and the only ship we felt nickeled and dimed on was MSC Seascape.

In any case, you could have purchased Plus package instead of Premier. It's cheaper and more cost effective for most people.

 

 

not free. 🙂 You literally pay $60 pppd day for them.

 

Once you’ve purchased the package, the included drinks are as free as the meals, the shows, the cabin, and everything else on the ship which you also purchased.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

15 hours ago, Mark_K said:

Once you’ve purchased the package, the included drinks are as free as the meals, the shows, the cabin, and everything else on the ship which you also purchased.

you are confusing free with included. They are not free if you paid for them. 🙂 Instead, they are included in the package price.

 

But that's exactly how some cruise line advertise these "for purchase" things as free. On MSC they used to advertise it as "Free drinks and wifi", but you end up paying about $270-400 pp per 7 day cruise for them at a "Better value rate".  Thankfully, they stopped calling it "Free drinks and wifi" and now call it "Add Drinks, WIFI and Save".

 

 

[Mark_K]

11 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

you are confusing free with included. They are not free if you paid for them. 🙂 Instead, they are included in the package price.

 

But that's exactly how some cruise line advertise these "for purchase" things as free. On MSC they used to advertise it as "Free drinks and wifi", but you end up paying about $270-400 pp per 7 day cruise for them at a "Better value rate".  Thankfully, they stopped calling it "Free drinks and wifi" and now call it "Add Drinks, WIFI and Save".

 

 

I didn’t say anything was free (it’s not), my point was up that if you’ve purchased the package, the drinks are just as free as everything else commonly called free.

[D. B.]

4 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

you are confusing free with included. They are not free if you paid for them. 🙂 Instead, they are included in the package price.

 

But that's exactly how some cruise line advertise these "for purchase" things as free. On MSC they used to advertise it as "Free drinks and wifi", but you end up paying about $270-400 pp per 7 day cruise for them at a "Better value rate".  Thankfully, they stopped calling it "Free drinks and wifi" and now call it "Add Drinks, WIFI and Save".

 

 

The Only Thing Free on a Cruise Ship is the Air.

 Everything else can best be described as Included but Free is good marketing................

[George C]

4 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

you are confusing free with included. They are not free if you paid for them. 🙂 Instead, they are included in the package price.

 

But that's exactly how some cruise line advertise these "for purchase" things as free. On MSC they used to advertise it as "Free drinks and wifi", but you end up paying about $270-400 pp per 7 day cruise for them at a "Better value rate".  Thankfully, they stopped calling it "Free drinks and wifi" and now call it "Add Drinks, WIFI and Save".

 

 

MSc yacht club comes with premium drink package and WiFi . 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

3 hours ago, George C said:

MSc yacht club comes with premium drink package and WiFi . 

But one has to pay extra to enjoy MSC's YC, right? It's not free.

[Rick&Jeannie]

On 4/17/2024 at 8:43 AM, Sox Fan Cruiser said:

I agree. It feels more like home on Princess but they do have their problems. Celebrity is just a better product. 
 

Although….  I just got off the Sun Princess today in their version of The Retreat and they have definitely stepped it up a notch. Service throughout the Sun was much better than other ships and their suite service almost was equal to Celebrity. Almost. Much better than in the past. 

Haven't sailed the Sun yet...how did you like Corinne? (CD)

[Rick&Jeannie]

On 4/17/2024 at 11:52 AM, D. B. said:

My medallion was supposed to unlock my cabin door but rarely worked unless I waved it around right at the door or slapped it against the wall.

Another useless waste of time and I like my Celebrity  Seapass card that works ever time.

I have sometimes experienced the same issue with it not unlocking properly. You can go to Guest Services and they will replace the battery, which will *usually* resolve that problem. You may have gotten a Medallion that was approaching the end of its battery life. I once got one that wouldn't even let me scan onto the ship to embark!

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

1 hour ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Haven't sailed the Sun yet...how did you like Corinne? (CD)

I usually don’t like the cruise directors. Their over the top happiness and their annoying interruptions over the loud speaker bother me. So I’m not a good one to ask. We don’t go to any events where we see their staff so they are not part of our cruising experience. And yes, she was as annoying as her counterparts on other ships. Probably more so. 
 

Again, as you can probably figure out, I’m the worst one to ask that question!  🤪

[D. B.]

3 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I have sometimes experienced the same issue with it not unlocking properly. You can go to Guest Services and they will replace the battery, which will *usually* resolve that problem. You may have gotten a Medallion that was approaching the end of its battery life. I once got one that wouldn't even let me scan onto the ship to embark!

That was just One of the things I disliked about Princess.

 I will not be sailing with them again.

[hawkesbaynz]

We have enjoyed eight cruises on X (just stepped off Millenium after an excellent Japan cruise) but only one Princess cruise (Enchanted). Pros and Cons for both but comparable enjoyment and overall cruise. We have a cruise on the Sky to the Artic in June. The comparable Apex cruise was £1000+ more for fewer days. If the Sky is as good as Enchanted we will go ahead booking on itinerary and price.

[Gracie115]

1 hour ago, hawkesbaynz said:

We have enjoyed eight cruises on X (just stepped off Millenium after an excellent Japan cruise) but only one Princess cruise (Enchanted). Pros and Cons for both but comparable enjoyment and overall cruise. We have a cruise on the Sky to the Artic in June. The comparable Apex cruise was £1000+ more for fewer days. If the Sky is as good as Enchanted we will go ahead booking on itinerary and price.

 

No reason it shouldn't be just as good, they are the same class.  Sky debuted in 2019 and Enchanted in 2020.

[Cruise till you drop]

We sail both but more partial to Celebrity for many of the same reasons mentioned already.

 

However one unique reason is that we like to pre book our room and  Celebrity is the only one of the two that can guarentee my room.  Princess says they will and when you show up, find that you are assigned to a different room that feels like a downgrade (even though they try to convince you it’s an upgrade)