Celebrity Vs Princess

[JoeyandDavid]

We just got back from our first impression of Princess...(the Golden).... we are here to say that in OUR humble Opinion Princess is in no way equal to Celebrity......

The small niceties that we love about Celebrity were not there ..

the linen towels in the powder rooms was absent...and no bathroom steward on Formal nights.. .... the staff's courtesy as a whole ( you know the 3 foot rule where you " smile and acknowledge")

was definitely missing..

Guest Service (cocktail servers, Table cleaners..etc were not as "punctual" as on celebrity..

And lastly...the food was not up to the same standard that we have become accustom to on Celebrity ....the specialty dining rated only fair on Princess.. And the buffet was abominable..

The ships themselves appear to be well maintained and CLEAN ....the bedding was fine for the class of stateroom we had.

The golden did not offer a table for two for traditional dining which was a HUGE disapoinment to us...

We understand that a lot of people love princess which is Great.. (especially for the Owners of Princess)...

It is just Princess is not what we are looking for when it comes to our cruising experience.

This again is only our opinion..

[cruisetarp]

Joey - Welcome back. Sorry your cruise on Princess wasn't everything you hoped it would be but I hope you enjoyed your trip.

[JoeyandDavid]

Believe it or not I slept till 10:30.... 3 mornings in a row...... I was loving THAT!!

[chachabell]

Joey -- Glad to hear your observations. Guess we are just spoiled. Started with Celebrity and hesitate to try anyone else because we are so happy with them.

Diane

[JoeyandDavid]

Hi Diane....

You are so right.... I know ..I know ..... ooohhh How I know......

[elfed]

Hi Folks,

Very interesting to read of your comparisons. I felt the same way comparing our trips to the Caribbean on the Caribbean Princess and the Celebrity Century. However on the Century it was by far and away the WORST cruise we've ever been on! It was last year's New Year's Eve cruise to the Cayman Islands. The ship virtually closed down after 11 p.m. Even New Year's Eve most people had left the deck party by 1 a.m. My wife had to start the sail away "party" as the Cruise Director's staff had no clue what to do! The ship was lifeless. I suppose it's the people who help make a cruise and there were large numbers of people like myself over 60. Still that's no excuse. The entertainment didn't come close to Princess except for an acapella group of four guys. Like you say Joey and David, the food and service were outstanding on Celebrity but we won't travel with them again.

Regards,

James.

[JoeyandDavid]

Hi James,

I will say that I must agree.. that when it comes to "celebrations" Celebrity is pretty laid back..... Having never sailed during the NYE holiday with Celebrity I can't comment personally on that holiday...(we do have the Christmas / my birthday holiday of 08 scheduled, so we can speak first hand after that)...I do know that Keith and Rita's have that yearly tradition going (sailing the new year in) and I look to hear their observations as well...

I really believe as i think we both do no cruise line is for everyone ..... ... but I do applaud you James for being able to look thru the subdued party atmosphere of Celebrity to recognize the quality of the food and Service...

With Vacations becoming so expensive I feel it is more than ever so important to book the cruises and lines that make your heart flutter... whether its a party atmosphere or subdued and sedate...

You always have to or should be true to yourself....

Thanks for the great response..

Joey[/size]

[mercedes]

Welcome back Joey, sorry your cruise was not as you expected it to be.

[JoeyandDavid]

Thanks Mercedes.....we had no expectations going in so ...its all good... its just we found out Princess wasn't for us... ...we survived....

[Dan]

Princess is more the equal to Royal Caribbean, while Celebrity is more of a step up. If Celebrity is your thing, I suggest you give Holland America a try. We honeymooned on the old Westerdam and have yet to find service like that since.

It's also difficult comparing different types of ships. Service is generally better on smaller ships, but they don't have the amenities of the larger ships. You have to decide what matters to you. I suggest that when Celebrity starts getting their mini-Voyagers a year from now, many X-vets will be complaining on the boards about how service has gone downhill.