A Comparison, Just for Fun

[JeffB]

I'm a die-hard Celebrity Cruise Line loyalist having notched 72 cruises with this company since 2001 and sill haven't come close to reaching Zenith!! There are many things I like about sailing on a Celebrity ship but the concept of "X" = excellence and beyond expectations (among other jingles over the years) has lost some of it's luster IMO. The industry always competitive has become more so post COVID as the lines work to recoup billions in lost revenue and retire debt. Celebrity sailings have become more homogeneous with other lines that seem to "try harder.  setting themself apart to gain market share. TBC, I'm not making this post to ding Celebrity - we have 6 future cruises booked so, we still enjoy what the company has to offer.

But, when checking fares for 7n E or W Caribbean sailings out of Fort Lauderdale, I became discouraged at the pricing, especially for suite classes. First, Industry wide, suites are in high demand so, available suites fill up fast and after introducing itineraries as far out as 24 months in advance, dynamic pricing models take charge with prices rising with demand. Just for fun, I thought I'd take a look at Princess Cruise Lines and specifically, Caribbean Princess that sails 7n E, W Caribbean itineraries out of Fort Lauderdale. If I'm looking for a suite, it's  not going to be one of the high end types (e.g., Iconic) but rather a Sky Suite. These are particularly nice on Edge class ships as are the suite perks (Retreat, Luminae Restaurant) exclusive for suite guests. They are rather ordinary on Solstice and Millennium class ships but with the same attempt at exclusivity.

Caribbean Princess was launched in 2003 and completely refurbished in 2019 so, she's a bit long in the tooth. But the cabin pricing for equivalent low end suites was 30-50% less than any Sky Suite cabins on  Equinox - the one Celebrity ship that sails the Caribbean in the summer months. So, I said, I'll give Princess a whirl - my first. Princess has a very British way to classify it's suites: Suites (high end) Club Class Mini-Suites (added perks the same as full suite guests) and Mini Suites (same cabin minus the full suite perks). Booked the Club Class Mini Suite. Compared to well under 300 sq.ft. for Equinox's Sky Suites. The Club Class and non-Club Class Suites are a spacious 325 Sq.ft sporting two rooms and very large balcony with two lounge chairs and a walk-in closet just outside of a large tub equipped bathroom. I was very impressed with the Club Class Suite. 

Princess does a similar if not a bit more convoluted "everything included." There are two tiers - Standard and Premium, priced differently with different perks. The pricing of the Standard offering is also considerably less than the "everything included" on Equinox and the Premium, although more costly, turns out, on a day to day basis, to be a really good deal. The Premium offering includes two specialty dinning credits per person (Sabatini's, an Italian menu and Crown Grill - steaks), and a photo package along with the standard prepaid gratuities, wifi and drinks package. For all categories of suite guests, a section of one of the main dining rooms is reserved for these guests. Because the number of guests is limited, there is never a wait, table spacing is more generous and table service is accordingly better. This approach, compared to Celebrity's Luminae (exclusive dining for suite guests) is hands down better in terms of quality of service and noise control that Celebrity's exclusive dining. Menus were varied and with plenty of choices. Food quality and presentation was equivalent to Celebrity's menus and for a few specific dishes, were better.

There were lots of bar venues with differing forms of entertainment. We easily found a favorite that we made our way to every night before shows. You could always find a seat at a bar; that is not the case on Equinox where unless you camp out at the Martini Bar (AKA, Ice Bar) when it opens at 4pm, it's hard to get a seat unless you happen to be walking right behind someone that is leaving and grab the bar seats before others approach and beat you to it. The production sows and entertainment were good and, for the most part, on par with Celebrity's, We were sailed aboard Caribbean Princess in early June and watched the premier of a new production show - Bravo.  It was Vegas and certainly close to Broadway level performance.  

The bottom line is that if suites are in your cruising budget, the value on Caribbean Princess sailing out of Fort Lauderdale is remarkably good. So good that, in fact, we booked Caribbean Princess sailing a 13n Fort Lauderdale to Quebec starting July 222nd on board. Doing so got us a 50% discount on a Mini-Suite (not Club Class - they were sold out) and 50% off the Premier Everything Included package. The cabin fare was equivalent to those found on 7n cruises and purchasing the Premier package was the best deal I've gotten in a long time on any cruise line. We had a very good, if not limited to one ship, experience with Princess. I'm not abandoning Celebrity but Princess is, for sure, "trying harder." 

 

 

[Mike.s]

We're looking at Princess sailing out of the UK and the Med, fares look very attractive and the add on pacakges are way cheaper than Royal and Celebrity, just haven't taken the plunge yet.

Keen to hear what others think, can see us dipping a toe in the water on a short cruise from Southampton to see how they compare.

[WAAAYTOOO]

Thanks so much for this review, Buck.  We have been considering Princess as well but I have not had much in the way of comparisons...so your info is very helpful.  We aren't venturing away from Royal until after we make Pinnacle, but once we clear that hurdle, we are definitely considering options.

[Vancity Cruiser]

I'm seeing an interesting trend in that the cruise lines rush to the bottom (how much can we cut and still have people sail?) has produced a large crack in customer loyalty. Cruisers are more willing to try other lines as their favorite things are cut by their preferred line (even though all other lines are doing the same cost cutting). All ships seem full across all lines so they are not feeling any pain of losing loyal customers but it will be interesting to see where it goes in the future.

And does MSC finally become more appealing to more cruisers as they get priced out of their preferred brands?

[FionaMG]

Thanks for the interesting and helpful comparison @JeffB.

Suites are not in our budget and in any case our inclination is always to go for the "cheapest with a window". Also, like @WAAAYTOOO, we are not ready to stray from Royal just yet, although our target is the much lowlier D+ (I will be 2 points away by mid-July!).

But those two factors aside and barring a big lottery win in the immediate future (I wish), I think Princess may well be on our not-too-distant horizon. I happened to be browsing west-coast USA cruises just the other day and noticed some fabulous itineraries that leave Royal's snoresville 3-4-7 night rotations on Navigator literally dead in the water.