Regal Princess or Infinity

We are considering going through the Panama Canal again in December of 2005. Both the Regal Princess and the Infinity sail from San Diego to Ft. Lauderdale.

Which would you recommend as the superior experience in the following categories?

1. Food

2. Entertainment

3. Activities

4. Lectures

5. Shore Excursions

6. Cinema Offerings (both in cabin and in the cinema.)

Joan

We have just booked Infinity for Dec 10 2005 from San Diego to Fl. We chosen Infinity because we were very happy with our Alaska cruise in 2003 on this ship. We have not taken any of the Princess cruises (next time maybe?) so I cannot directly answer your questions but I have been onboard Regal Princess a lot of times and I'm quite familiar with it. It is a much older and a little bit smaller ship than Infinity, probably past its prime.

We are considering going through the Panama Canal again in December of 2005. Both the Regal Princess and the Infinity sail from San Diego to Ft. Lauderdale.

 

Which would you recommend as the superior experience in the following categories?

 

1. Food

2. Entertainment

3. Activities

4. Lectures

5. Shore Excursions

6. Cinema Offerings (both in cabin and in the cinema.)

 

Joan

Hi Joan!

I agree with Argonaut. The Regal is much older. A closer comparison would be the Coral Princess that we were on in December. It is almost identical to the Infinity in size and passenger capacity and only a couple of years old. It was a beautiful ship.

As to your questions, I can offer my general impressions of Princess vs. Celebrity for the categories you listed.

Food - A definite edge to Celebrity. There will probably be more options on Princess. The pizza on Princess is usually great! Celebrity would also get the nod for better service.

Entertainment - We do not attend a lot of shows, but probably Princess is a little better. The lounge entertainment on the Coral was excellent.

Activities - Probably a tie. I would give Princess a definite edge for the Cruise Director staff. They were all outstanding on the Coral and made activities like bingo, horse racing, pool games, "Princess Idol", etc. a lot of fun. They were also very friendly when you encountered them around the ship. The staff for Celebrity will be very good as well.

Lectures - The historian they engaged for the Coral was very dry and not too interesting. The usual port lectures (sightseeing and shopping) on the other hand was a cut above. Celebrity will probably be better in the pure lecture department.

Shore Excursions - A tie. I have always found that Princess is superior in moving large groups of people (they had a few challenges on the Coral). The excursions offered might vary depending on time in port. Pricing should be about the same.

Cinema - Offerings are probably another tie. The Infinity's sister ship (Summit) had a dedicated theater and we like that for watching movies. I do not know about the Regal.

Have a great cruise!

I have been on Infinity and I loved that ship! I think it's a cut above Princess, although we enjoyed our Coral Princess cruise Panama Canal (partial transit). The Princess shore excusrions can leave a lot to be desired. The port lecturer on the Coral was dull. Cinema, food, entertainment are about the same on both lines.