I like Princess because it is casually elegant. We have been on NCL and Celebrity previously, and prefer Princess.
The ships decor is subtly elegant with good use of neutral colors and good use of wood. I felt like I was in a fine hotel. We typically stay in a minisuite, which has a nice tub/shower combo, but I have heard the shower is a bit smaller than Celebrity's in the regular rooms. That is pretty common on cruise ships, the shower on NCL was so small I felt that I could have used the commode, brushed my teeth in the sink and shaved my legs in the shower all at the same time. Princess also does a good job with public spaces. There are a lot of choices and they are laid out so you don't notice all the other people on the ship. Even on the largest of thier ships, my husband and I had many moments where we felt we had the place to ourselves.
The dining on Princess is very good. Celebrity had a more imaginative menu with artful presentation. However, the portions were smaller and we had issues with items not being cooked to order and sometimes arriving cold. We have had no such problems with Princess. ONLY ON PRINCESS (I think) Personal Choice Dining-this means you choose not to have traditional set dining times (though you can choose them if you wish). You can dine when and with whom you want at dinner time. This is esp. nice for us as we travel with our daughter. The dining rooms are also set up with small areas of tables to make it seem more like a restauarant instead of a cavernous dining room, plus there are 3 main dining rooms: one for traditional set dining times and two for personal choice diners. They are not as spectacular as some you see with two stories and a huge staircase, but remember that huge space makes for huge noise.
Princess pools AND hot tubs are filled with fresh water and are open 24 hours. Very nice.
While we find the entertainment on cruise ships to be marginal, Princess theatres are comfortable with lots of seats, so you don't have to rush. Plus, they have more than one entertainment option a night so you have choices. They also pull out the stops with sets and effects.
I have found the clientele to be the most varied on Princess. We have encountered as many of 30 somethings as we have 70 somethings. I do think the low-twenty somethings are on Carnival (or somewhere else), you do not see as many very young adults.
Many people don't like that Princess has an ice cream concession on board. Haagen Daz sells icecream on the ship in a small stand by the pool. However, FREE icecream is also available in the buffet area in the afternoon, I believe.
I hope this helps.
