Cruise Spotlight
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Celebrity Solstice vs Princess Cruises Discovery Princess
The Celebrity Solstice was built in 2008. It was renovated in 2021. The Celebrity Solstice was the first cruise ship to feature a full half-acre of living grass on board. It'll undergo rennovations and will debut in March 2026 with some new upgrades. It's 14 years older than the Discovery Princess, which was built in 2022.
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 Solstice is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 1,033 feet long and 121 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.9 football fields, as wide as 2.3 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 13-story building. Compared to the Princess Cruises Discovery Princess, the Solstice is 16% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Celebrity Solstice holds 22% fewer passengers than the Discovery 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 Solstice has more space per person compared to the Discovery 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 Solstice | Princess Cruises Discovery Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Solstice | Royal |
| Gross Tonnage | 122,000 | 145,000 |
| Length | 1,033 | 1,083 |
| Beam/Width | 121 | 126 |
| Passenger Decks | 13 | 19 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,850 | 3,660 |
| Crew | 1,284 | 1,346 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.2 | 2.7 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 43 | 40 |
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 Solstice has ten different dining options like Main Dining Room, Sushi on Five, and Le Petit Chef at Qsine. Of those options, nine are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other six options have an additional fee.
The Discovery Princess has four more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are The Salty Dog Grill, Chef's Table Lumiere, and Crown Grill. eleven of these restaurants are complementary and the other eight have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Discovery Princess might be a better choice. It has 40% more dining options than the Solstice.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
| Celebrity Solstice | Princess Cruises Discovery Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 10 | 14 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 9 | 11 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 6 | 8 |
| % of Included Options | 40% | 43% |
| 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 Solstice and the Discovery 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 Solstice has a total of 3 pools and 6 hot tubs.
Princess Cruises Discovery Princess has more pools than the Solstice and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Discovery Princess. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and two of the hot tubs are adults only on Solstice.| Celebrity Solstice | Princess Cruises Discovery Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 6 | 10 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 4 | 9 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 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. You might up paying more while on board the Solstice. Only 67% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Discovery Princess, 73% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Celebrity Solstice | Princess Cruises Discovery Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults-only area (additional fee) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Afternoon Tea | ✗ | ✓ |
| Art Auctions | ✗ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✗ |
| Beyond the Podium Talk Series | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bingo | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hot Glass Show | ✓ | ✗ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lawn Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✗ | ✓ |
| Outdoor movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| 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. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Celebrity Solstice will likely be cheaper than on Princess Cruises Discovery Princess.
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 Solstice | Princess Cruises Discovery 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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