quote:

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Originally posted by Charlene:
Happiness is being on a cruise!!

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Welcome aboard.

Which Princess ship/s and cruises have you been on?

[ 03-26-2005: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

I am willing to try other lines and would love to try HAL and Radisson but of the lines I have sailed, Princess is my clear choice.

Hmmmm, Princess can't be that bad after all....

Edit: Adding Link to Poll

CN Traveler Readers Poll: Worlds Best Cruise Ships: Large.

[ 03-26-2005: Message edited by: CGT ]

Maybe it was an exception, but we were greatly disappointed with our Celebrity Millennium cruise. Right now, I would choose Princess over Celebrity.

Celebrity is my favorite "large ship" line. I find the experience much more refined and the attention to detail is far greater. No annoying PA's and bargain basement tables in the lobby selling t-shirts like on Princess. Another thing I dislike about Princess is their so-called "fine art". Instead of just having one area to display the art (which you can easily avoid), it's strewn throughout the entire ship, and most of it is crap. I think it cheapens the look of the ships. Don't even get me started on the bland decor. Truly uninspired complete with Holiday Inn hotel art but other people seem to love it. I admit it's comfortable, but that is the best thing I can say about it. It really lacks finesse.

Princess really isn't a bad line and I will continue to sail on them, I just find they have become 100% mass-market just like Carnival, NCL, and Royal Caribbean. I had higher hopes for them and most of the things they do today (like MUTS) I find disappointing. I definitely place HAL and Celebrity a notch above.

I dropped my subscription to Conde Nast Traveler because of their indifferent coverage of cruising. Perhaps it has changed now, but they used to merely rate the Line, rather than the ships. I called their attention to this in several emails which were never answered. I commented that they did not just rate "Hilton," "Four Seasons,"or "Raddison" but they rated specific hotels at specific locations.

But, based on reader polls, they merely rated "Holland America" or "Cunard," for example without being ship-specific. They even rated Diellman (sp?) highly without specifing whether it was for river cruises or deepwater.

In their "best of the best" or whatever editions, they went of for page after page in listing and describing hotels, but allocated just one or two pages on the entire cruise-ship inventory.

While Conde Naste does rank Celebrity higher, it is however, just slightly higher. Not a significant difference.

And strangely enough, I felt quartered and dollared on Celebrity. Everything on their ship is overpriced compared to other lines (comparing oranges to oranges). Their tours, drinks, transfers, etc. . are higher for the same product. Having sailed Princess and Celebrity within 2 months of each other - I was very surprised at the cost differences on the ship.

[ 03-28-2005: Message edited by: Coral ]

[ 03-28-2005: Message edited by: Coral ]

As for comparing the ships, first of all Conde Nast bases its results on numbers of people travelling on each line who send in opinions - which is presumably why Carnival and P&O don't figure as very few Conde Nast Readers would sail with them.

quote:

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Originally posted by Charlene:
I love to cruise Princess, so it really doesn't matter to me wear where they go, as long as it is warm, and upon the sea!!

Happiness is being on a cruise!!

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quote:

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Originally posted by mec1:
What is MUTS?

As for comparing the ships, first of all Conde Nast bases its results on numbers of people travelling on each line who send in opinions - which is presumably why Carnival and P&O don't figure as very few Conde Nast Readers would sail with them.

As for the Princess v. Celebrity debate I think that the food is much better on Celeb and when it comes to an environment in which to sail I think celebrity ships are all gorgeous in terms of decor and art whilst the interiors on Princess are geared to middle-class, middle-brow, middle-american country club members: bland and dull and soothing.

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quote:

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Originally posted by lasuvidaboy:

Do 'middle class' Americans belong to country clubs??

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I believe it dosn't matter wich cruiseline people sail and why as long as people have fun and a great time.

Greatings Ben.

[ 04-03-2005: Message edited by: Maasdam ]

quote:

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Originally posted by sympatico:
Where's Charlene? She makes one post and then disappears!

Charlene - if you are out there, how about returning and explaining to us your reasons for loving Princess.

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After the way Malcolm treated her initially, it's not surprising the she wouldn't return.

EDIT: spelling

[ 04-03-2005: Message edited by: CGT ]