Was a nice cruise overall. After sailing Caribbean Princess, we must say we prefer Celebrity. However, Caribbean Princess is getting older so may feel different if we had sailed on a newer ship. In saying that, our bed was the most comfortable bed I've ever slept on in my life. And the pillows were also great. We ate anytime dining in dining room every night. Almost all of our appetizers were amazing, main courses were good to not that great. Most staff very friendly. One main reason for choosing Princess was to have the steam room located in ladies change room. It was under maintenance for the full 2 weeks - never got to use it once and I was not a happy camper. Deck 7 on this ship allows you to walk the whole ship - loved this because I do not enjoy walking the track around a pool in direct sun as you have to on most ships. This ship is showing its age and there was also lots of maintenance going on (especially when in ports).
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Was pretty smooth. Fellow who checked us in was very slow. Neighboring agents all checked through 2 sets of guests while we waiting to get checked in.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Food was good. In Island Dining room, appetizers were amazing - main courses were good to not so good.
Buffet had a nice selection and was laid out nicely. We ate breakfast at the buffet in Planks, where it was less busy. Typical buffet food and pretty much the same every day.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Fitness center had a good selection of machines, weights, etc.
Steam room in ladies change room was under maintenance for our full 2 week cruise. I was not happy.
Spa and fitness area had a funny smell the whole 2 weeks (musty). It was not pleasant.
Pools were great. Loved sitting in the Movies Under the Stars area - but they played the same "filler" segment every single day between movies. Not sure why they can't play documentaries or something different daily.
Lots of places to sit around pool areas (in and out of sun). We didn't find it too hard to find a place to sit every day.
Lotus Spa
2 out of 5
Steam room in ladies change room was under maintenance for our whole 2 week cruise. Asked about it pretty much daily and was given same response "maintenance is working on it". I was offered opportunity to pay to use another one. I didn't want a co-ed one, I booked Princess because I like using the steam room in the ladies change room. It was very disappointing to not get to use it even once.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
One show was really good (comedian), several shows were good, and a few were not that good, and a couple of the acts (comedian, juggler) were absolutely awful.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Most staff very pleasant and nice. Nothing worth complaining about.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
This cabin was on Deck 8 (Emerald) and an aft cabin. It was a great cabin, with an oversized balcony. Its listed as partially obstructed because there is a support beam, but honestly the balcony is so big that the beam is not an issue at all. Had 2 chairs, 2 footstools and a large round table on balcony and still tons of room for moving around. Cabin is located above Club Fusion and I didn't hear any noise from there during our 2 week cruise. Will mention though that because the back of this ship is flat (not tiered), the wake is pretty noisy when outside. Compared to aft on Celebrity which is tiered, the wake wasn't as loud.
Got off and walked around the port shops. Did not purchase anything. No excursion.
Had some entertainment while on balcony before departure. Allure left about 45 minutes before us and 3 couples missed the boat. Watched them arrive at the port and stop looking stunned, then talking to a RC agent for the longest time, then turning around and leaving port. All had on swimming attire - sure hope they had their passports and a credit card.
Crappy port. Ship ports right in the freight ship yard. Had an aft cabin and opened curtains to a container ship being offloaded right in front of us. Got off and went for a walk to the downtown area. It was busy and confusing. There were travel aids on corners during the walk to point you in the right direction at least. Couldn't wait to get back on the ship.
Disembarkation was ok. Would be better if people followed their times for getting off - but so many people getting off before they were scheduled makes for congestion.
can you tell me the cost comparison between Princess and Celebrity?
We are seasoned Princess travelers and have many perks....would we enjoy cruise as newcomers to Celebrity?
thanks....
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