Celebrity Ascent vs Princess Cruises Sun Princess

The Celebrity Ascent is a fairly new ship, being built in 2023. The Celebrity Ascent features many of the new additions seen on the Celebrity Beyond including more outdoor space, a more grand central atrium, and an improved Rooftop Garden. It's 1 year older than the Sun Princess, which was built in 2024. Sun Princess is the first in a whole new class of cruise ship for Princess Cruises. It's the 3rd ship to be sailing under the Sun Princess name.

Comparison Overview

• Ship Size
• Number of Passengers
• Food and Restaurants
• Bars and Drinks
• Pools and Hot Tubs
• Ship Features and Activities
• Cruise Costs
• Onboard Costs

Ship Size

The Ascent is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 1,073 feet long and 128 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3 football fields, as wide as 2.4 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 17-story building. Compared to the Princess Cruises Sun Princess, the Ascent is 21% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Celebrity Ascent holds 24% fewer passengers than the Sun Princess based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you compare the total tonnage of the ship to the number of passengers, or what we call the "Space Ratio," the Ascent has more space per person compared to the Sun Princess. This means that you might have a bit more space to yourself on the ship, although there still could be some crowded areas like buffets, pools, etc.

	Celebrity Ascent	Princess Cruises Sun Princess
Class	Edge	Sphere
Gross Tonnage	140,600	177,882
Length	1,073	1,133
Beam/Width	128	126
Passenger Decks	17	21
Passengers (double occupancy)	3,260	4,300
Crew	1,416	1,600
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.3	2.7
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	43	41

Food and Restaurants

Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.

The Ascent has nineteen different dining options like Eden Cafe, Le Petit Chef and Family, and Blu. Of those options, eight are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other eleven options have an additional fee.

The Sun Princess has three fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are The Catch by Rudi, O'Malleys Irish Pub, and Umai Teppanyaki. nine of these restaurants are complementary and the other thirteen have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Ascent might be a better choice. It has 19% more dining options than the Sun Princess.

If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Ascent might be a better choice then the Sun Princess. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.

	Celebrity Ascent	Princess Cruises Sun Princess
Total Dining Options	19	16
Complimentary Dining Options:	8	9
Additional Fee Dining Options:	11	13
% of Included Options	42%	19%
	See the options	See the options

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship.

There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. You can check out recent the bar menus for the Ascent and the Sun Princess below.

Pools and Hot Tubs

Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Celebrity Ascent has a total of 5 pools and 6 hot tubs. 1 of the pools and 2 of the hot tubs are exclusive access, which means there's either an extra charge to access them or you need to book a certain class of cabin to have access to them.

The Princess Cruises Sun Princess has the same number of pools as the Ascent and more hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Sun Princess. If you like ships without extra charges or exclusive areas, this might be a better choice since everyone will have access to these areas.

Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and two of the hot tubs are adults only on Ascent.

	Celebrity Ascent	Princess Cruises Sun Princess
Total Pools	5	5
Pools - General Access	3	4
Pools - Adults Only	1
Pools - Exclusive	1	1
Total Hot Tubs	6	11
Hot Tubs - General Access	2	10
Hot Tubs - Adults Only	2
Hot Tubs - Exclusive	2	1

Ship Features and Activities

Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. On the Ascent, 67% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Sun Princess, only 62% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.

	Celebrity Ascent	Princess Cruises Sun Princess
Adults-only area (additional fee)	✗	✓
Afternoon Tea	✗	✓
Art Auctions	✗	✓
Basketball	✓	✗
Beyond the Podium Talk Series	✓	✗
Bingo	✓	✗
Casino	✓	✓
Eden Entertainment Space	✓	✗
Fitness Center	✓	✓
Jogging Track	✓	✓
Outdoor movies	✓	✗
Pool-side Movies	✗	✓
Rooftop Garden	✓	✗
Royal Afternoon Tea	✗	✓
Shows - musical review	✓	✓
Spa	✓	✓
Spellbound by Magic Castle	✗	✓
Sports Court	✗	✓
Thermal Suites	✓	✗
	Learn more	Learn more

Cruise Costs

Celebrity and Princess Cruises are both considered "Premium" cruise lines. Premium cruise lines typically offer upscale food, accommodations, and service. These typically cost about $150 - $400 per person per day.

Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year.

Onboard Costs

Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.

Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.

The table below will help you compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.

	Celebrity Ascent	Princess Cruises Sun Princess
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day)	$18.00	$17.00
Tip added to drinks & services	20%	18%
Soda Price	$4.00	$2.50
Domestic Beer Price	$8.00 See drink menus	$6.25 See drink menus
Drink Package Price	$55 - $99 Learn more	$77 -$100
Internet Plan	$19 to $30 per device per day	$24.99 per device per day
*Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates.

Celebrity Cruise Lines offers an "All Included" program. Guests who book a cruise using this promotion will have wifi and alcohol included. Some sailings are available without this program so pay attention when booking. Typically prices are lower if they don't include "Always Included." The wifi and alcohol package are the base levels and can be upgraded for an additional cost.

Princess Cruises offers two packages to bundle onboard expenses. The Princess Plus package includes daily gratuities, the basic beverage package, 2 fitness classes, 2 casual dining meals, and internet for $60 per day per guest. The Princess Premier package upgrades to the premiere beverage package, wifi for up to 4 devices per guest, two specialty dining meals, unlimited casual dining meals, unlimited fitness classes, and a photo package for $80 per guest per day.

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