Should You Cruise On Celebrity Or Princess Cruises? My View 

I have no experience with Princess, but I have been on two Celebrity cruises. I met a retired airline captain from the Netherlands who explained that Celebrity was his favourite because of their emphasis on a culture of safety, Crew Resource Management, etc. for me, that is a pretty powerful reason to put Celebrity high on my list.

I have travelled both ships, and hands down, Princess remains my favourite... It knows how to look after you, it is not about silly tech gimmicks, but pure grand luxury and class! Awesome foods!

The no smoking in the casino on Celebrity gives them the win for me

Celebrity Edge class is unrivalled truly magnificent

Just a quick Alaska note. I agree. Princess has the best lodges, connections and service ashore. (And Princess Bloody Mary’s are the BEST-exhausting research here 😃). Hubs and myself book a land package with Princess and the Sea segment with Celebrity or Royal Caribbean. You must be UBBER organized to plan and execute. I have done this 7 times now, each shore segment has been different.

Have to agree with Gary’s opening comments, I think Celebrity and Princess are vying for the same cruise dollar. Although I’ve sailed on both I found that Princess had much better sailings from Australian and Asian ports. The one thing Princess does far better than Celebrity is their loyalty program. 🇦🇺🚢👍

In 2017 we did back to back cruises one week on celebrity and one week on Princess in the Eastern Caribbean. In the end - we spent $1,000 more on Celebrity than on Princess - and my wife preferred Princess!

I have sailed Princess many times. I sailed on Celebrity Edge in August and loved it! I absolutely love their bathrooms! Princess needs to get rid of those dreadful clingy shower curtains! Love the gorgeous finishes on the Edge as well!

Celebrity was the choice, 20 years ago. They had the best food of any cruise line, hands down. But in recent times Celebrity seemed to have leveled off in my opinion. Good but not great. Princess has maintained a high level of quality over the recent years. When I board a Princess cruise I know what I'm going to get with very little surprise. Looking forward to a Princess cruise to Alaska hopefully in 2022.

As a person with a disability (able to walk but cannot climb stairs - I use a cane or a walker) - SO - the Edge has Princess beat. Their lifts to and from tender platforms makes my life so much easier and more relaxed - no disembarking/embarking anxiety. The only line with balcony single rooms as well -Super!

I prefer Celebrity head and shoulder over Princess. I was extremely underwhelmed by my cruise on Princess

Celebrity every time. I’ve just been on Apex and it’s incredible. Best cruise ship in the world.

Gary, we used to like Celebrity until they decided to market to a new and different demographic with the Edge class. Now they're all about suites, loud music, and weird performance art in Eden. Not to mention now they're incredibly expensive - much more than Princess and Holland. Our personal favorite is Holland America. We absolutely love it.

BIG DIFFERENCE is that as an Elite on Princess, (15 cruises), I get FREE, UNLIMITED laundry and dry cleaning. Therefore I do not need to bring luggage, just carry-on for any length of cruise as I do laundry every 2 days. No lost luggage. No waiting at airports.

As a younger traveler, personally I’m much more excited about what Celebrity is doing. I want the feeling of a swanky Las Vegas resort at Sea. I also like the idea in general of different ships having different things to discover. I love change and adventure!

I agree with everything you said. I personally prefer Celebrity. I sailed on Celebrity Edge for Spain/Portugal. Fell in love with the Infinite Balcony cabin - unbeatable.

Great video Gary!! One thing when taking value into consideration (especially when booking suites on these lines) is that once you look at the total fare including all of the included extras like gratuities/drinks/wifi/specialty dining etc. and then including airfare and excursions, it could be very valuable to do a comparison with the luxury lines (ie Silversea/Regent/Seaborn) to see how it compares. If those cruise line experiences suite you (pardon the pun), the value proposition could change for what you get.

I agree completely! I have cruised both of these lines many times. They are our two favorite cruise companies, by far. Great video! Keep up the good work!

1:20 Hey! It's Ben and David!

Been on three cruises since last August. Two Princess, Emerald and Majestic and the Celebrity Edge. Celebrity won hands down. I can only base this on my Edge experience but I loved the 4 dining rooms, the specialty restaurants were exciting and all great experiences. I found the food superior (except the pizza on deck the Emerald was amazing the Majestic didn't have it). The bathrooms are better and bigger (door not curtain for shower), Medallions on Princess were more frustrating than useful, found the Edge artwork more interesting and made the ship nicer to walk around, did not like the reduced photo packages being offered on the Emerald. Different Princess ships have different photo set ups (printed copies vs in computer to look at) and different options. Photo books available on Majestic and not the Emerald. And food was so much better on Celebrity. I kept hearing about COVID issues and lack of supplies on Princess, never on Celebrity. But lack of supplies should not affect how one cooks and serves. Picky detail but plates should look the same when served. Also liked seeing so many officers around the ship on Celebrity. They jumped in WHEREVER needed even serving food. The cruise director was everywhere. At the pool running classes, DJing at Silent Disco. Going on a Celebrity cruise next year, not E class but M class and I will see how I feel about the older ship. BIGGEST WIN FOR CELEBRITY. NO SMOKING IN THE CASINO.

Have been on 5 different lines; Carnival, NCL, RC, HAL and Princess over 19 cruises. IMO, Carnival is indeed the “FunShip” line, inexpensive and lively. Was on the Epic, too big and too crowded for us. RC about the same. It seems to me that HAL is more traditional with superb music venues and well thought ship design. Princess is really classy and we noticed that the flowers on Board are real. If I were going on a cruise for longer than a week, HAL and Princess would be my 2 choices, based on entertainment and the quality of the food. I am sure others will disagree, but we will be sailing from Southampton early November and will see how that cruise goes.

I have never wanted to take a cruise, especially since working in health insurance, and yet I am strangely addicted to your channel! I am super happy that for people who do want to cruise you make these amazing videos!

They are both great. Princess has better itinerary planning and larger ships and more consistent experience across their fleet. Celebrity has the Retreat class and different size ships, which is great if you can afford it.

I have been cruising on Princess since I was in my early 30’s. I love that they are more traditional. And that the experience is similar no matter what ship you are on. Personally when I hear about the different classes on ships it gives me the creeps and reminds me of sailing on ships like the Titanic. I like that on Princess every area is available to everyone except the special breakfast restaurant for suite passengers.

Super analysis and comparison!! Love this Vlog!! Can't wait for my next cruise. Thanks.

Both are similar Cruise Ships. Had wonderful experiences for 22 Cruise trips.

We have cruised both, but Celebrity is by far our choice. It is obviously our personal opinion and choice, but that is how it is. Thanks again for the wonderful reviews and for your incredible objectivity and expertise.

A really balanced and considered comparison Gary. We’re just fortunate to have such a diverse choice in cruise lines. A poor cruise can so often be as a result of poor research and prioritisation. Thank you Gary 👍

Hi Gary, been on 8 Princess and 3 Celebrity. Going on the Sky December 18th I Like them both but i love Princess more. It has exactly what i want I am looking for, I am a traditionalist as I have been cruising since 1972. You have hit the nail on the head about the traveler. I fit perfectly with Princess

Good info. I’ve been looking at some Celebrity Cruises lately. They intrigue me as a solo traveler. Thanks.

very details and informative .... thank you !

Thanks, Gary. I was particularly interested in this as these are our two favourite lines. Food is better on Celebrity. Last time on Princess, the eggs Benedict were smothered in cheese, and cold, not fresh and individually prepared, which was an unwelcome surprise. Princess' food seems to have gone a bit downhill over the years. Speciality dining is good on Celebrity, but agreed, the pizza on Princess is good!

I really like both. I love princess, knowing everything. But I also love trying new lines and ships.

As always, your comments are right on! We are cruising with Princess next year and chose them for a few things. For that particular trip, they offer what we need. We will be in Europe for 1 month, the cruise being only 12 days of it so the self-laundry was a plus. We want to visit all the ports so the ship's entertainment is not that important to us. Basically it will offer what we prefer in a cruise: a comfortable way to travel in-between destination.

The biggest difference is in the bow promenade cut outs reaching around the bow on Deck 8 on their older ships. This feature is an overwhelming advantage for viewing wildlife and enjoying the ocean.

I completely see your logic, and I think that is a good way of looking it.

The similarities between Princess and Celebrity are just a comforting, cozy feeling. They feel like well worn slippers, rather than new shoes, when we cruise on each of them. We love having earned elite status many years ago on Princess, and the Medallion just adds a little edge to Princess, but we enjoy both cruise lines!

Gary I really enjoy these videos packed full of the sort of info cruisers are looking for and this means they’re more likely to pick the right product thanks to you! Keep up the great work…😊

Great video Gary! Thanks

Thanks Gary for doing this interesting comparison. We've sailed 8 times on Celebrity and twice on Princess. I enjoy the more modern and interesting decor on Celebrity even as I also appreciate the classic feel of public spaces of Princess ships. I thought the food was better overall on Celebrity, although Sabatini is my favorite at sea Italian restaurant and Princess pizza is among the best. We just got off the Edge and had a fantastic experience, partly because it was only 30 percent full. The public spaces are beautiful and Eden was a favorite hangout. The food was good overall and their new pizza place may be as good as Princess. We are booked on the Majestic Princess in early December and can't wait to see how we like the latest offerings from Princess especially since we haven't sailed with them since 2010.

I love your comparisons! And I don’t think it is a cop out. It makes complete sense to me!

Happy anniversary, Gary❣️

Great video Gary ta !

Great job Gary. We'll compare too. On Celebrity Summit tomorrow and Regal Princess a month later ☺️🚢🚢

Brilliant video. Thank you!

Great review. You are consistently the best reviewer.

I agree totally. Certainly

This is why you are No. 1. Great analysis.

Princess has self serve laundry on each deck. My wife likes that on longer cruises. Also we bought 100 shares of Carnival stock when it was $10/share. Now we get extra on board money on Princess because we are shareholders.

Princess is a no brainer for us as we travel with 2 kids. Princess is far better with kids. Our kids did Disney and Princess in the same year as 7 and 8 year olds and they preferred Princess over Disney!

I sailed on the Celebrity Edge and the Apex and a few of the newer Princess ships. I do like the Atrium area on the Edge Class ships with the Martini Bar. Plus it is easy to navigate the ship. For Princess, using the Medallion to order drinks or room service was great! You can get easily lost on the Princess ship, as you have to be aware which level you need to be on for what venue you are looking for.The downside of the Celebrity Ship, you cannot order drinks as room service. That was a plus with Princess.

Love both, but Princess takes me to longer cruises. For shorter cruises the bigger are best for shows but similar in service and atmosphere. Our observation is that the longer the cruise,the better the service!

Princess for me I like that it’s familiar I don’t have to spend time exploring and looking I’m on vacation I live to relax on the ship on sea day and then explore the ports celebrity rooms are hands down nice and more up dated But for us as we are in our 50 I like the easy going familiar old way of princess would be nice if they upgraded the showers

I thought the service on Celebrity was far superior to Princess. However, Oceana is my now go to

I've seen a lot of anti-Celebrity opinions lately, and for very...vacuous reasons. Thank you for going in-depth about why you like one or the other and thank you for admitting it really does depend on what you're looking for. You wouldn't believe how many times I've heard a variation lately of, "[Insert line here] is better than Celebrity, and if you disagree, then [insert personal insult here]."

That is a hard question to answer. They are both good!

You are right, depends on what you are looking for, and how much money you have. I have never been on celebrity, it sounds good, though I love Princess. Happy anniversary.

From the comments below it looks like Princess is better for the older more settled crowd wanting a more home comfort feel and quieter experience. However I see recently it's become more child friendly so it has become more lively with alot more children than before

Thanks Gary. This is perfect. Having not sailed Princess only Celebrity Aqua Class just twice , I was interested in your assessment. Basically it depends on the destination. Both cruise lines seem to attract the same cruisers from the people I met on board, although when asked they all responded with Celebrity! I do agree Celebrity supply bespoke areas so if your not a fan of crowds or like space they are probably the best option but will definitely book Princess for Alaska. Thanks again.

I have been on both and have nothing but positive things to say. I love them both, but , I also love RCL and Carnival. I go on cruises with an open and positive mind, thus, all 13 cruises have been wonderful. I eat what I love and skip what is so so. Got 3 more cruises planned within next year.

Working out a trip for 2024. One of the major segments is going to be a trans Atlantic cruise. Your videos have been very helpful in defining the questions I should be asking about choosing a line. Between these definitely Princess. Not even a question. But I'm still looking to see if anything else would fit me better. I like a more traditional approach, but not to over the top stuffy. Thanks for the information. And please, have fun.

Long time Celebrity cruiser but never sailed Princess. I may have to after watching this. A well reasoned review Thanks!

Although I have enjoyed both lines, I am elite on Princess and never really had a bad experience with them. Sadly my last voyage on the Celebrity Silhouette had too many poor outcomes from food to shore excursions to hostile front desk staff to an awful debarkation in New Jersey. But the size of the ships has become a little too much for the two of us. Lately I have found refuge in Oceania and Azamara for not that much more than the total cost of the 2 bigger lines. The difference in the quality of food alone is worth the extra cash. In fact the trip from 18 day Auckland to Tahiti and the 16 day from Auckland to Sydney were a lot cheaper because of the terrific deal Oceania got on the airfare. Check it out.

We just went on the Celebrity Solstice to Alaska, our first Celebrity cruise, with two prior cruises on Princess. I must say that the food and entertainment on Princess were significantly better. Even those contract performers at different lounge bars were better. We hope the experience will be much improved on the next trip with the Edge class.

Been on 32 cruises, 31 with Princess, 1 with Celebrity, conclusion - no brained!

Interesting. We have sailed both lines on multiple occasions. We like them both. There are pluses and minuses to both. We have booked 2022 and 2023 cruises on both lines. Trying to figure out which one is “better” is a fun but, in my opinion, a futile exercise.

Went on Celebrity Solstice Pacific tour for 13 days. The hard sell on upgrading for food and drink beverages never stopped ! Will not do Celebrity again because of it

We start with the itinerary. So far Princess has always had better itineraries for our needs, in terms of where the ships go and how long the cruise takes. Open to try Celebrity, and always look at them, because we are at the lower end of the Princess demographic and in theory might enjoy Celebrity more. But the sort of ship experiences you talk about don’t interest us. We get a basic balcony cabin, don’t use specialty dining, use sea days to do our laundry (the self service Princess laundries are a plus for us), and can always find a quiet corner of the ship when not in port. Once we are retired, the other line we will look more closely at is HAL, who seemed the hVe longer and more in depth itineraries. Would be interested to see a three way shoot out video with them as well,

Thanks for the comparison

Like Adamson Robinson our cruises are driven by itinerary, You can throw in dates and costs as well. We are not bothered about balcony cabins but will take what is available, we like to watch what is going on and have the view that the view is important!! You can guarantee that the view from the other side of the ship is better than your side.

I’d prefer the ships being unique. The first time I cruised one of the highlights was discovering the ship. I mean it was all new on that trip but I’d like a bit of that mystery on each cruise. Not that they can shake things up too much.

I have enjoyed the Aqua Class on Celebrity recently. It was an upgrade, luckily! It was more than I usually pay, but really enjoyed the perks! I agree it depends on what you want to. I’m trying Princess to Hawaii next week. I’ll see how it goes! 🚢🚢🚢

Happy anniversary to you and your partner! I hope you have a fabulous time!!! I'd love to take a Med cruise, especially to Greece. Have you ever done a video on that aspect of cruising? I'd be traveling single.

I like your reasoning.

Nice job!

I have not sailed on either yet. I will sell on the Edge in December. We do like the fact that Celebrity offers tips, drinks and Wi-Fi included in the cruise fare.

Celebrity does offer cruise only sales on select cruises. I've sailed both and love them both. We have the Beyond booked for next December, and will probably go either the Sky Princess or one of the newer Royal Class for the Caribbean for Dec, 2023. We're waiting for Princess to offer beyond April, 2023. For financial reasons, it has to be past April.

Sailed on Celebrity twice this year, the med and Alaska. Totally enjoyed the cruises. We are heading to the Panama Canal on princess next spring can't wait to experience the difference.

Great video, perhaps your best yet! We've cruised on both, and you're right, it all depends on where you're going and what you want to do. When I started cruising on Celebrity it was on the Horizon class, then we've moved up to the Galaxy class, then to the Millenium Class, and finally the Solstice Class. All great. But as I've said before, the jury is still out on the Edge Class, it may be a little too "out there" for this guy who's been on forty plus cruises. We may end up on Princess exclusively when the Solstice Class ships are finally sold off. I'm still "upset" that they got rid of Silk Harvest in order to introduce QSine. I'll end up on Princess just to eat at Alfredo's. Best pizza at sea! Again, great video, keep up the good work!

I find it hard to believe safety is better anywhere than on Princess. Love Princess.

Did anyone else see Ben and David in the video? 1:20

I so enjoy your coverage and insights Gary. Today I put a dep on a forward facing deluxe ocean view cabin on Celebrity's Reflection ship - which I understand has just completed a refurbishment. It's not until Jan 2025 but again, based upon your invaluable advice, I have now booked 5 cruises from Dec of this year outward. I watched your channel and Emma Cruises throughout my cancer treatment last year and feel like I've now graduated from Cruising 101 😁 Thank you so much for putting such fabulous content out there! Cheers,

An interesting and useful review Gary - thanks! I shall only say that I have been a loyal and very happy Celebrity cruiser in the past but my last trip with them on the Edge has brought that to a crash. Their 'change', which you describe very well, I found has left their newer ships with no place for the older, more traditional cruiser who is looking for a relaxing as well as exciting holiday. There was nowhere on that ship where I could find a quiet spot when I wanted to relax and get away from the noise and din. Ken

As I known, for going to Alaska, Discovery Princess will stop at Glacier Bay, however Celebrity Edges won’t.. it only stops at Endicott Arm.

great comparison. Essentially, its horses for courses. We loved our alaskan trip on Princess although didn't use their excursions or places to stay as they aren't as good (price wise) as privately. Oh, they also own most of the shops in Juneau up to the main pub so be aware of that

Thanks.

Happy Anniversary!

I traveled with princess! Fantastic ♥️

I like them both. They each have their own pros and cons.

Great video 🌸💐🌸💐❤

I would probably enjoy either cruise line but I think of the two, I would enjoy (and fit in better) with Princess Cruises.

I book pretty much on price because food & entertainment are secondary. I want to see & enjoy the ocean & destinations. So Carnival was my choice in the past when our kids were young and they were/indeed fun ships for all ages at usually less than $50pp/pd. Since Covid, no more cruises for me & our kids are now grown & married. We’ve been on Carnival, NCL, RC & Princess. I like the older, smaller Carnival & RC ships the best!

My experience on Princess has never been great. I’ve sailed with them three times over the last three decades and each time I say never again. I tried again for an itinerary or just to see if they’ve gotten their act together, but was always disappointed. Service has never been anywhere close to that on Celebrity or even RCCL and the state of the ship always seemed cheap. Princess is not for me.

I was looking hard at Celebrity recently because they had some great deals. But our next cruise is on Princess. Once you get in on a cruise lines points system you get better deals. I can go on Carnival for almost nothing on selected cruises on a casino rate. But we like the Princess Plus rate, and the more upscale atmosphere.

Excellent video. We are Disney (Platinum and love it) but wanted to try Princess or Celebrity for cruises beyond Disney. You made it tough. I like Princess because their fleet has the same design and what to expect for dining (much like Disney) but the Celebrity Ship-within-a-Ship concept is a better "get away from it all" is also appealing (like Disney's adult-only areas). Oh dear, what to do!

I would choose Celebrity. It looks lovely! I love dressing up! The classic ships are far more wonderful!

Supposed to be going on a cruise Saturday , got positive Corona test back yesterday .. lovely stuff

I love both cruise lines…

Congratz on your upcoming Anniversary. I just wish I knew which cruise line was best when going to New Zealand.

Been on celebrity, never again. Never been on Princess, so cannot really comment. Cunard is our favourite.