beparker

Hi! My fiance and I are trying to decide which cruise line to go with for our honeymoon. We have decided to go on a week long cruise in the Eastern Caribbean and would like to "upgrade" a bit from the cruises we've been on in the past by going with a different cruise line and getting a bigger cabin with a balcony (if we went with Celebrity we'd prob get the veranda stateroom, Concierge Class, if we went Princess we'd prob get the mini-suite).

Based on the reviews, both lines and ships that we would be on (Princess Ruby or Celebrity Solstice) look very nice and the itineraries are almost identical! Prices are close...

Can anyone give us any insight to help us decide?!?! Again this is for our honeymoon, we're both in our mid twenties and are looking for something romantic and fun! Also - if anyone has been in either of those types of rooms we're looking at, how is the space and are they worth the "extra" for the mini-suite and concierge class upgrades?

THANKS!!!!
brooke

ParrotMom

Oh yes... we were on the C2 level of the Soltice in April..it definetely is elegant..One of the reasons we buy the CC level are the little extras and now we are Elite members.. We were on Princess and were not impressed.. the mini suite on the Pacific Princess was nothing to rave about and we were nickled and dimed to death.. I can just see you having a very romantic dinner for two in Muranos, the specialty restaurant..elegant, elegant.. BTW we do not go without a veranda..just to sit out there late at night.. you can have room service and supper on the veranda..BTW congrats on your upcoming wedding.. we celebrate next Saturday our 55th wedding anniversary... If you have more questions on the Soltice write me at [email protected] if you look under reviews you will find mine from April 25h.. We head off to Rome for a 13 day Equinox (sister of the Soltice) cruise..Last trip we went with Aqua Class...for only a few $$ more

rpowell

We were on the Coral Princess in July. We loved it! One couple in our group had a mini suite and we had a balcony room. Both rooms were roomy with lots of storage room. We actually liked our smaller room better because the bed was close to the balcony doors and we loved hearing the sound of the water at night. ( We always had the doors open.) The mini suite had an awesome balcony which had a table, two chairs and two lounge chairs.) We didn't ever feel "nickel and dimed". Would your ship have a Sanctuary area for adults? This was an amazing spot at the top level back of the ship. For $90/week we had our own plush lounge chairs, beverage & food service, private pool, privacy, and the best view on the ship.

The food on Princess was very good. We had reservations to one of the specialty restaurants and then found that that was lobster night at out restaurant. Cancelled the reservations....loved the lobster!

boom_boom

IMO unless you have elite status on Celebrity they "nickle and dime you" every bit as much as Princess.

ParrotMom

As for "Sanctuary".. the Soltice Class ships have an indoor pool/spa area where no admittance under 16 years of age. I could list the Elite advantages, but I can only tell you of our experience on the Pacific Princess which the word service and cleanliness could not be used. Read my review of the Soltice of 4/25 on t his board... We have always had outside cabins with balconies on all our cruises..with the tables, chairs, etc. Off to pack tomorrow...for our big cruise..

ParrotMom

Funny, can't remember if the Century, Galaxy and Constellation have indoor pools.. but I have never met so many repeaters as those cruising the Constellation...

Theresa

I actually felt more nickel and dimed on Celebrity compared to Princess. They probably nickel and dime the people the same, it is just everything costs more on Celebrity so I felt it more on Celebrity.

I was in my 20's when I sailed on Celebrity and I have to admit, I was bored quite a bit. Princess has a lot more flexibility and more options for entertainment and things to do.

ParrotMom - the Pacific Princess is nothing like the Emerald Princess. One holds hundreds of passengers and the other holds thousands.

beparker

Thank you all so much for your responses - definitely helps! Were still undecided but personal experiences mean more than the reviews and descriptions the cruise lines put up. Very appreciative. ParrotMom - enjoy your cruise, jealous! I'll check out your other reviews.

Thanks!!

ParrotMom

Theresa..each ship is different and the four of us elected to do the Amazon Cruise on the old R s hip, Pacific Princess and we kept comparing items to Celebrity and were so very disappointed in the service. cleanliness not to mention attitude of staff and gests. There is a review of our cruise by our friends on another board, quite devastating. Were there things we personally loved..yes. the dining room food, at breakfast guests in the MDR joked that they never got what they orderecd, the washing machines and the ports, but that was it Never have I heard Parrot Pop complain, but he reached his level when continually the buffet tables were constantly dirty Oh, did I mention if you wanted coffee in the buffet you had to go OUTSIDE ON THE DECK, where as on Celebrity there are roving carts with coffee and juices The guests were regular Princess goers and acted with a snobbery that couldn't be believed for the most part. One woman just went on and on and on about which side of the Captain she was sitting next to at a speciaL dinner Being, retired why at this point would I go on a line where I had a negative experience, rather than one that I've always felt welcomed. I'm sure Princess has many ships that I would have a lovely time, but for now I love Celebrity...all their ships.. whether the smaller or the new Soltice size. Still packing

Eschew

Since Princess is the original "love baot", I would definitely say they have the edge on romance. They also have a wedding chapel and the ship's captain can preside over the exchange of vows and it is legit and legal. Not sure if Celebrity offers that.

Just came back from Holyland cruise on the Pacific Princess. It is a small ship and is not typical of the other Mega Princess ships. It only holds 700 passenegers comparing to 2,500 - 3,000 of the typical mega ships. If your only experience on Princess cruise is on their small boutique boats and try to compare them to the mega ships, there is no comparison.

I have cruised both Celebrity and Princess and I liked both. DW prefers Princess over Celebrity for a number of reasons. She thought Celebrity shipe were dirty. Example: she discovered the bed spread was kept under the bed without any protection on a Celebrity ship (storing the bed spread for daily fold down service). On the other hand, Princess put the bed spread on the top shelve of the closet, or inside a clear plastic bag under the bed.

It is all perspective. I thought Celebrity food was better but DW disagree. Some times, the food quality depending on the source of the food. I found the quality of beef is better in North American cruise than Med cruises (the beef is tougher in Europe). On the other hand, lamb and veal is much better quality in Europe. At least that is what I have found. Same goes for fruits and vegtables. Choices maybe more limited in certian part of the world.

As to fellow passengers, they are all different. Not too many people stays on the ship permently. All teh passengers are all perfect strangers and you may never see them again. I have met many very wonderful people and some ignorant people. There will always be someone who is like a stick in the mud. They do stand out as that's what they wanted: attention.

I did find the drink prices on Celebrity more expensive, as well as they have more pushy staff trying to sell you things. Trying to sell me Baily's for morning coffee was a bit much.

You can read my review of the Holyland cruise here on this bosrd, although I concentrate more on the ports than the ship on my reviews. the link to the review is here. http://www.fodors.com/community/crui...in-october.cfm

There are more to do on a bigger ship comparing to a smaller ship.
Whatever ship you pick, you will enjoy it and have plenty of fond memories.

Debi

I've sailed both, prefer Celebrity - but every cruiser will have their own experiences, and to be honest - they're both good. I would personally go for the most space, so even though I like Celebrity, I would probably go for the mini-suite on Princess (if I got that right). As previous poster said - you'll just have a great time no matter which one you choose.... Check cruisecritic.com and you'll see a whole lot of opinions on both cruise lines (and specific ships). You'll even see reviews for the specific cruise - and details on the rooms. No one will agree - but you'll see all sides, and can then make your decision.... Also, if you know a good travel agent - I would talk to them.....