Changing to Celebrity

After 10 Princess cruises & their decline of service and all the
nickel & diming of the past year, we have decided to change. Lori
agrees with my husband's choice of Celebrity stating they have a
superior product compared to Princess. I have read thru their web
site & notice from air to gifts in staterooms, right there a plus
after all the air problems we've have with what Princess books & then
takes no concern when they work out badly from strikes to standy tix
purchase. We also heard from folks employed by Princess that were on
their last cruise with them. That rings bad....

One thing that caught my eye is Princess only does the entire Panama
Canal in April, going to Alaska from Carib & September going to Carib
from Alaska. Celebrity does it every 2 weeks CA-FL. Millenium,
Infinity & Constellation seem to be our choices from photos we've
seen. We have to have a balcony!

So I would love to hear from Celebrity-aholics about these ships, the
verandah staterooms, etc. One question: Do only suites get robes?

But then again, this is almost 2004 & all cruiselines may be into the
nickel & diming, so if they are not much different from Princess, then
we will stay & I appreciate you telling me so. As Princess Platinum,
we only see free Net a ccess when it is open, a disembarkation lounge
with continental breakfast, never an email of deals, and no gifts,
unless Lori sends me a towel or bag.

Brenda wrote:

After 10 Princess cruises & their decline of service and all the
nickel & diming of the past year, we have decided to change. Lori
agrees with my husband's choice of Celebrity stating they have a
superior product compared to Princess. I have read thru their web
site & notice from air to gifts in staterooms, right there a plus
after all the air problems we've have with what Princess books & then
takes no concern when they work out badly from strikes to standy tix
purchase. We also heard from folks employed by Princess that were on
their last cruise with them. That rings bad....

Why not book your own air, Brenda?

One thing that caught my eye is Princess only does the entire Panama
Canal in April, going to Alaska from Carib & September going to Carib
from Alaska. Celebrity does it every 2 weeks CA-FL. Millenium,
Infinity & Constellation seem to be our choices from photos we've
seen. We have to have a balcony!

So I would love to hear from Celebrity-aholics about these ships, the
verandah staterooms, etc. One question: Do only suites get robes?

I'm not hooked on any one cruise line but I have cruised Celebrity six
or seven times. The veranda staterooms are small, like the princess
veranda staterooms, but very comfortable and well decorated.

But then again, this is almost 2004 & all cruiselines may be into the
nickel & diming, so if they are not much different from Princess, then
we will stay & I appreciate you telling me so. As Princess Platinum,
we only see free Net a ccess when it is open, a disembarkation lounge
with continental breakfast, never an email of deals, and no gifts,
unless Lori sends me a towel or bag.

I really think that nickel & diming on mass market cruise lines is here
to stay. You'll have to get used to this, unless you are willing to pay
$300/day or more for the "premium" lines.

Howard

Subject: Changing to Celebrity
From:

Everyone gets robes.. but the suites and CC get terry. The other categories
get cotton waffleweave.

Everyone nickel and dimes. Celebrity is no different.

As Princess Platinum,
we only see free Net a ccess when it is open, a disembarkation lounge
with continental breakfast, never an email of deals, and no gifts,
unless Lori sends me a towel or bag.

Don't know why you don't get the emails. Did you opt-in on princess.com?

Gifts? 4 pieces of chocolate... that's all you get. The towels and beach bags
on Princess come through from Princess via group deals. The "beachbags" on
Celebrity.. unless you are in CC or above.. are this strange material.. kinda
like a heavyweight "handi-wipe". In otherwords.. disposable.

I am a Captain's Club Elite member..... I leave in 3 weeks for my 29th sailing
with Celebrity. I pay 50 cents a minutes for internet access... just like
everyone else onboard.

I get mailings weekly from Princess.. and well as emails. Go sign up on
princess.com.

Celebrity's problem-solving skills.. and customer service department, I would
rate below Princess.

And those upgrades many people enjoy from Princess... forget about that on
Celebrity.. unless you book a minimum guarantee.

Entertainment is definitely better on Princess is that is what you like.

On the M-class ships.. there is not enough outdoor deck space for the number of
pax the ship carries. I don't care for the ship design...I much prefer the
Century class vessels.. and Horizon and Zenith.

Babette

Brenda wrote:

After 10 Princess cruises & their decline of service and all the
nickel & diming of the past year, we have decided to change. Lori

Well having been on both Celebrity and Princess, I have to say I much
prefer Princess. I found the staff on Celebrity very aloof and not very
friendly; while on Princess everyone had a ready smile and was always
asking how things were going. That is why we booked them on our cruise
next June to Alaska. Finally I like the food on Princess better than on
Celebrity; it was more down to earth and not so gourmet. I want my
vegetables to look like vegetables, not artistic creations.

In article , Brenda
wrote:

But then again, this is almost 2004 & all cruiselines may be into the
nickel & diming, so if they are not much different from Princess, then
we will stay & I appreciate you telling me so. As Princess Platinum,
we only see free Net a ccess when it is open, a disembarkation lounge
with continental breakfast, never an email of deals, and no gifts,
unless Lori sends me a towel or bag.

All mass market lines nickle and dime. I am a Princess Platnium member
and a Celebrity Select member. Just completed a cruise on Island
Princess after three straight Celebrity cruises. Actually the free net
access is worth more than all the gifts you get from Celebrity which
are chocolates, free wine tasting,(which becomes almost free on
Princess if you buy a bottle), backstage tour, which Princess does free
for everyone, golf lesson, I don't golf), advance booking of
alternative restaurant, (never had a problem booking without this perk
on Celebrity). The Celebrity beach bag is cheap and the dye comes off.
I did not get a bag from Princess or Lori on Island Princess. I use my
own bag anyway.

As far as the Princess e-mail deals. There is something broken there. I
have requested them but all I get are snail mail mailings every week.
Maybe it is an either or. The Celebrity e-mail deals don't seem to be
as good as the Princess deals.

The main differences to me are that Celebrity gives a more fancy
presentation than Princess. Celebrity has more dress up evenings.
Celebrity has the better alternative restaurants. Princess staff has a
higher energy level and better interaction with the passengers.
Entertainement is better on Princess. Each line has strenghs and
weaknesses. You are not going to get a perfect mass market cruise. I
don't think the lines are much different in general. There are
differences, each does some things better than the other but I would
call it a wash. I do think you should book the the Celebrity cruise
even though they are not much different. I think booking on only one
cruise line like you have been doing would be boring and I think you
are getting bored. It should not be a question of changing. My next
cruise could be on either Princess or Celebrity--or RCI, Carnival, HAL,
etc. Even with the cruise line loyalty programs I don't see anything
they offer to compel anyone to be loyal to one cruise line.

--
Charles

In article , OcnGypZ
wrote:

Celebrity's problem-solving skills.. and customer service department, I would
rate below Princess.

I agree with you there.

And those upgrades many people enjoy from Princess... forget about that on
Celebrity.. unless you book a minimum guarantee.

Most of the Princess upgrades are cosmetic. But sometimes you can score
a good one. Forget it on Celebrity.

Entertainment is definitely better on Princess is that is what you like.

Enternainment was much better on Island Princess last week than my last
three Celebrity cruise.

On the M-class ships.. there is not enough outdoor deck space for the number
of
pax the ship carries. I don't care for the ship design...I much prefer the
Century class vessels.. and Horizon and Zenith.

Island Princess has the best outdoor deck space I can remember on any
ship. Celebrity has more interesting ships. Been on one Princess ship
been on most of them. Island Princess has the smallest showers I have
ever seen. Celebrity has better staterooms.

Honestly I don't get this thing that some people have of using only one
cruise line. I do understand having a favorite cruise line. How do you
find a favorite if you don't try some of the others? Also time does not
stand still for me or the cruise lines. They make changes and what I
desire on a cruise changes even in the same year. Sometimes I want
something laid back, other times I desire something with more energy.
For my last cruise I definitly needed a break from the 6 dress up
nights they had on the 11 night Celebrity cruise I took in April and
did not even consider a Celebrity booking. Princess had 2 out of 10
which I thought was perfect.

--
Charles

We've done 8 Celebrity sailings and 3 Princess sailings.

After about 5 Celebrity sailings, we decided to try Princess. We went
on the Ocean Princess and as a new ship (about 3 weeks old) she gave
every bit as good a cruise as Celebrity. A year later we tried Dawn
Princess and there was a noticeable decline in food, service and
cleanliness of the ship. A year later Grand Princess, and further
decline. Plus I found the Grand Princess VERY smoky. Poor removal of
ciggy smoke by the ventilation system. Minimal segregation of smoking
and non smoking. Maybe Ocean Princess was the outlier since it was only
3 weeks old at the time, with the most experienced crew (on the newest
ship). After Grand Princess, we're back to mostly Celebrity again.

I think the Millie class are by far the best class of large ships out
there. Others disagree for various reasons, like not enough dance
floors, etc.

One thing I like on the bigger Celebrity ships is that a lot of the
buffet food is served to you by staff (wearing gloves), as opposed to
passengers handling the utensils. Less spreading of germs.

Has there been decline in Celebrity since Royal Caribbean bought them?
Yes. But I think there has been more decline in Princess since our
Ocean Princess sailing.

I still like Princess, but while they used to be 1A and 1B with
Celebrity in terms of which lines I like best, they've fallen at least
down to #2 after our Grand Princess and Dawn Princess sailings.

To me, Millie class has a better passenger space ratio, more deck space,
better buffets, nicer dining rooms (the single floor dining rooms on
Princess ships feel cramped). I love the Conservatory on Infinity and
Connie. I would rate them even higher on the "elegant" scale than
Princess ships. Cabins on Millie and Century class are much larger than
those on Sun Class, though Grand and her sisters have cabins like Millie
class.

If you guys decide to go on Constellation, e-mail me. I've got a lot of
photos.

--Tom ---- doing Celebrity Galaxy Mediterranean next summer

Brenda wrote:

After 10 Princess cruises & their decline of service and all the
nickel & diming of the past year, we have decided to change. Lori
agrees with my husband's choice of Celebrity stating they have a
superior product compared to Princess. I have read thru their web
site & notice from air to gifts in staterooms, right there a plus
after all the air problems we've have with what Princess books & then
takes no concern when they work out badly from strikes to standy tix
purchase. We also heard from folks employed by Princess that were on
their last cruise with them. That rings bad....

One thing that caught my eye is Princess only does the entire Panama
Canal in April, going to Alaska from Carib & September going to Carib
from Alaska. Celebrity does it every 2 weeks CA-FL. Millenium,
Infinity & Constellation seem to be our choices from photos we've
seen. We have to have a balcony!

So I would love to hear from Celebrity-aholics about these ships, the
verandah staterooms, etc. One question: Do only suites get robes?

But then again, this is almost 2004 & all cruiselines may be into the
nickel & diming, so if they are not much different from Princess, then
we will stay & I appreciate you telling me so. As Princess Platinum,
we only see free Net a ccess when it is open, a disembarkation lounge
with continental breakfast, never an email of deals, and no gifts,
unless Lori sends me a towel or bag.

In article ,
WolfpackFan wrote:

Well having been on both Celebrity and Princess, I have to say I much
prefer Princess. I found the staff on Celebrity very aloof and not very
friendly; while on Princess everyone had a ready smile and was always
asking how things were going. That is why we booked them on our cruise
next June to Alaska.

That is generally true but I did find that the staff on Galaxy last
April was almost a nice as Princess staff.

Finally I like the food on Princess better than on
Celebrity; it was more down to earth and not so gourmet. I want my
vegetables to look like vegetables, not artistic creations.

The fancy Celebrity presentation is part of their "show" so to speak.
On Princess last week they had real vegetables that were edible which I
prefer over the Celebrity art. I think the food quality in the dining
room is fairly equivilant when you strip away how both cruise lines
present it. If you are a meat eater, the meat dishes on Island
Princess, except for the always available steak, were definitly better
cuts than I got on my three previous cruises which happened to be all
on Celebrity. They did manage to ruin the lobster on Island Princess.

--
Charles

On our September cruise on the Infinity the staff throughout the ship were
among the most friendly we have ever
experienced in our 24 cruises.

Bryan

Brenda,
I hope you enjoy Celebrity but don't go expecting miracles. I rank them
slightly above Princess mainly because their ships are far more beautiful
and their food is served with a bit more flair.

Princess is far better organized and also has better entertainment.
Unfortunately they also have some of the most uninspired and boring ships in
terms of decor. As someone else mentioned, seen one, seen them all.

I pretty much agree with everything Babette stated in a previous post on
this thread. Celebrity also nickels and dimes but not as much a Princess.
Celebrity also has a no-announcement policy similar to Princess which is a
plus.

One thing to consider is how flexible, or un-flexible you are. Princess is
all about choice... when and with whom you want to dine, what show to see
each evening, 24 hour dining, 24 hour freshwater pools, etc. Celebrity is
all about tradition. Strict first and second seating times. Strict buffet
times. One show after dinner. Pools that close at dusk. They run a tight
ship and are certainly less flexible then Princess. This is one thing to
keep in mind.

Someone mentioned Princess upgrades and Platinum. Princess does upgrade,
but it's pretty much a farce. When you have 30+ cabin categories and
basically only two types of cabins onboard, well, you do the math. What
they call an upgrade (BF to BA for instance) is really no upgrade at all.
Some categories only have two cabins in them, so you are guaranteed an
upgrade although the cabin will be no different. Celebrity certainly does
not upgrade as much but when they do it's more substantial. Also, Celebrity
is smart in that they will sell open cabins during embarkation at flat
rates. Unlike Princess, which does not upgrade at the pier and places "ship
sold out, no cabin changes" signs at the Purser's Desk even when the ship is
empty, Celebrity actually welcomes *paid* upgrades at the pier if available.
It's a smart way for the cruise line to generate extra revenue and make the
passenger feel like they are getting a deal. It's a win win for everyone,
and a smart business decision by RCI/Celebrity. Princess head office likes
to have far too much control, and they don't seem willing to permit upgrades
(even paid) by the ship's staff to perspective passengers. Their loss.

Regarding past passenger membership clubs. I find the Princess system is
more valuable. I'm a Platinum member with Princess and not only is my
onboard cruise card colored platinum (for instant recognition), but I even
my name tag outside my cabin (a Princess exclusive) is colored Platinum. Of
course the main incentive for being a Platinum member is the unlimited free
internet access. Princess is the ONLY line I know of that does this. I
just returned from the CORAL PRINCESS last week, and I charged up over $400+
of internet charges.... all removed from my bill. It's an excellent perk.

So at the end of the day all this sounds like Princess would be better.
Well, what seems is not always what is. Even with all the Princess perks I
still prefer Celebrity. Celebrity is great with the small details, and
these are the things I notice. Being met with a flute of champagne and
escorted to your cabin, more expensive chocolates on your pillow, no
announcements, real china in the buffet, someone to carry your tray if you
choose, a linen lined tray in the buffet, unlimited towels by the pool,
finesse in preparing food, thought provoking art work, eclectic yet tasteful
decor, fabulous specialty dining on the M-Class ships. All the little
touches add up to a wonderful product that I hope you enjoy. It's not leaps
and bounds ahead of Princess, but it is a tad bit nicer IMO.

I also agree with Charles about limiting oneself to one line. I could never
do this, too boring. I want something new and interesting and like to try
out all the latest ships... regardless of the line. I'm not loyal to any
one line, but in the large ship category Celebrity would probably be my
first choice. Even so, I would not hesitate to sail on Carnival, Princess,
NCL, RCI, etc., and do. HAL is a little sedate for me so I tend to avoid
them.

Ernie


"Brenda" wrote in message
m...
After 10 Princess cruises & their decline of service and all the
nickel & diming of the past year, we have decided to change. Lori
agrees with my husband's choice of Celebrity stating they have a
superior product compared to Princess. I have read thru their web
site & notice from air to gifts in staterooms, right there a plus
after all the air problems we've have with what Princess books & then
takes no concern when they work out badly from strikes to standy tix
purchase. We also heard from folks employed by Princess that were on
their last cruise with them. That rings bad....

One thing that caught my eye is Princess only does the entire Panama
Canal in April, going to Alaska from Carib & September going to Carib
from Alaska. Celebrity does it every 2 weeks CA-FL. Millenium,
Infinity & Constellation seem to be our choices from photos we've
seen. We have to have a balcony!

So I would love to hear from Celebrity-aholics about these ships, the
verandah staterooms, etc. One question: Do only suites get robes?

But then again, this is almost 2004 & all cruiselines may be into the
nickel & diming, so if they are not much different from Princess, then
we will stay & I appreciate you telling me so. As Princess Platinum,
we only see free Net a ccess when it is open, a disembarkation lounge
with continental breakfast, never an email of deals, and no gifts,
unless Lori sends me a towel or bag.