Hey NY traveler,
I'm here!

Going to the Holy land this year . We have to choose from princess
celebrity lines. Need suggestions!

My first question is why on earth would you cruise? You can see far more on a land tour in Israel and it's easy enough to drive around from one end of the country to the other (and you'd have more time if you wanted to see Petra, for example).

But if you are hell bent on doing an Eastern Med. cruise that includes stops in Israel and/or, then I don't know whether it matters much if you choose Princess or Celebrity until I know more about the itinerary differences. And knowing nothing about you, I couldn't begin to say if you'd enjoy one line more than the other. Not to mention the actual ship probably matters more than anything.

Agree about itinerary advice - and I said the same on one of your other posts on other boards.

When we lived in Europe we visited many of these places by land and yes you do get a different experience however, we thought it would be exciting in a different way with cruising. The ship itineraries are similar except their embarkation ports place their first stop in different cities.
Day #1 Sorrento Day#7 Ashdod
Day#2 At sea Day#8 Port Said
Day#3 Patmos Day#9 Alexandria
Day#4 Kusadasi Day#10 At sea
Day#5 At sea Day#11 Santorini
Day#6 Haifa Day#12 Athens

The initial ports are different however much is the same.
Just would like a little feed back from those who have been on the pacific princess and the celebrity equinox.

The Pacific Princess is a much smaller vessel than the Equinox. It was originally a Renaissance boat I believe (as were a couple of the Oceania ships) that Princess acquired some years ago. It's around 10-12 years old. The Equinox is more than twice the size and is a very new ship. So your experience will be more intimate, with fewer dining/activities choices on the Princess ship, v. less intimate, more options on Celebrity. Pick 'em.

Gardyloo,
With the Princess boat being that old I wonder about the stabilizers. I am leaning towards Celebrity.

Stabilizers have been on cruise ships for a lot longer than 10 - 12 years!!! That really isn't all that old for a ship. As Gardyloo says decide based on what you like - more or less intimate. The smaller ships are also a lot more enjoyable when it comes to visiting ports. The Equinox carries over 4 times the number of passengers as the Pacific Princess so there are so many people flooding off the ship which is especially nice in the smaller ports.

We were on the Tahatian Princess which is the same dimensions or a sister ship to the Pacific. The feel is different to be sure. It is more intimate obviously as it holds only about 700 passengers vs. 3-4k on the Equinox but the latter will have more attractions so go with what you prefer. If you like a more quiet cruise go with the Pacific but if you like more glitz go with the Equinox. BTW usually the stop in Alexandria is two days though you show one. If one ship has two vs. one day there then I would go with ship that has the two day stop. Cheers, Larry

I would choose Celebrity because of their no smoking policy.

If given a choice, I would always choose the smaller ship over the larger, especially if your interest is the ports. If you want to spend lots of time aboard, then choose Celebrity. If you want to spend lots of time ashore, choose Princes.

Jacketwatch,
We appreciate your comments, and now are leaning towards the equinox as it does have a two day stop in Alexandria.
thanks,S

Scooterr,
We were not aware of the smoking policy. It will be something to consider.Will call to find out if the ship is completely smokefree.
thanks, S

Doug_Stallings,
You are right, the size often determines what activities you engage in. We have been on both and not sure if we have a preference.
thanks, S

Smokesan: Thanks and good luck w/ your decision. BTW the sister ship of the Equinox, the Solstice was voted best of the large cruise ships in a CN Traveler readers poll FWIW. Either way you should have a very nice time. Cheers, Larry

from the Celebrity FAQ:
http://www.celebritycruises.com/befo...me=faq_answers

(sorry -- tiny url doesn't seem to like this one)

What is your onboard smoking policy?
Subject: Ship and Stateroom Details

For all Celebrity ships, smoking is not permitted inside any stateroom or on any stateroom veranda. Cigarette smoking will only be permitted in designated indoor and outdoor areas of the ship, while cigar and pipe smoking will only be permitted in designated outdoor areas. Smoking will not be permitted in any dining venue, casino, theater, hallway, elevator or corridor. Violations to this smoking policy will result in a $250 cleaning fee being charged to the guest's onboard account and may also be addressed through Celebrity Cruises' Guest Conduct Policy. Cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco must be properly disposed of and never thrown overboard. A guest must be at least 18 years of age to purchase, possess or use tobacco onboard.

Additionally, there is a non-smoking policy on all components of the land tour portion of all Celebrity Cruises cruisetour products. We appreciate your understanding and adherence.

jacketwatch & scooterr,

thanks, booking today. we'll let you know how it was.
S

Some of the cruise lines actually adjust their smoking policies when in Europe. But smoking is currently allowed on all the ships that I know of (none is entirely smoke-free), but some lines restrict smoking on balconies and in most public areas ... that's actually true across the board these days.

The European-based lines tend to be a little freer as to where they allow smoking, while the American-based lines are cutting back on smoking areas.

Doug_Stallings,
Thanks for the info. The W is interested and will pass this on to her.
S

Good and I'm glad you found the info useful. Have a great trip. Its one we want to do some day. Cheers, Larry

Just curious ... what was the final decision? Celebrity or Princess?