Should i go with Princess?

Happy new year everyone. So we have cruises royal , celebrity and holland in Europe. The cruise tour operators were fantasic on holland but no so much on royal and celebrity.

Even the cruise in general in term of activities was not up to par, we are looking to do Princess british iles on the Royal Princess.

your insight and feedback differences as of 2016 would be great please and also how does the food princess compare to royal caribbean and celebrity

thanks

Happy new year everyone. So we have cruises royal , celebrity and holland in Europe. The cruise tour operators were fantasic on holland but no so much on royal and celebrity.

 

Even the cruise in general in term of activities was not up to par, we are looking to do Princess british iles on the Royal Princess.

 

your insight and feedback differences as of 2016 would be great please and also how does the food princess compare to royal caribbean and celebrity

 

thanks

Welcome to CC.

WE find Celebrity and Princess pretty similar.

Haven't done a ships shore tour for years so can't comment on that.

Welcome to Cruise Critic. :)

Welcome to Cruise Critic. :)

thanks :)

Happy new year everyone. So we have cruises royal , celebrity and holland in Europe. The cruise tour operators were fantasic on holland but no so much on royal and celebrity.

 

Even the cruise in general in term of activities was not up to par, we are looking to do Princess british iles on the Royal Princess.

 

your insight and feedback differences as of 2016 would be great please and also how does the food princess compare to royal caribbean and celebrity

 

thanks

There are numerous posts comparing Celebrity and Princess, a quick search will bring them up.

In general, most mass market lines are more similar than different. And when it comes to Princess and Celebrity, that's very true. Food, service, demographics, etc are all similar between the two. Details may be different, ie decor, not as many classes distinctions on Princess, some activites, costs onboard (much less expensive on Princess), etc are different but overall, if you've enjoyed Celebrity and are looking for a change, you'll very likely enjoy Princess...

Happy new year everyone. So we have cruises royal , celebrity and holland in Europe. The cruise tour operators were fantasic on holland but no so much on royal and celebrity.

 

Even the cruise in general in term of activities was not up to par, we are looking to do Princess british iles on the Royal Princess.

 

your insight and feedback differences as of 2016 would be great please and also how does the food princess compare to royal caribbean and celebrity

 

thanks

I can't compare, I'll let you do that, but here are your dining options on the Royal Princess

No Extra Charge

*MDR's open for breakfast each day and evening, and lunch on boarding day and sea days. All MDR's have the same menu. If you book a full suite or a Club Class Mini Suite you will have a Club Class Section in the DR. Full Suite passengers also can have breakfast at Sabatini's.

*Alfredo's - Open every day 11am to 11pm. Waiter served pizza, calzone, antipasto, salads, desserts.

*International Cafe, open 24/7, offering some breakfast items, salads, paninis, soup, desserts.

*Wheelhouse Bar - Pub Lunch on some sea days

*Horizon Court/Bistro/Pastry Shop buffet area. On Royal Class ships these are the largest and best I have seen. Always open from 5am until late evening.

*Trident Grill, Prego Pizza, Swirls soft ice cream. These are by the Lido Pool and are open from 11am until late evening.

*Room Service, 24 hour, limited menu unless you are in a full suite. Full Suite passengers can order off the DR menu. No charge except for pizza delivered to your cabin which has a $3 charge.

*Afternoon Tea in the DR every day, except on formal night days they have a Royal Tea for $20 with champagne or $10 without.

Specialty Dining

*Crown Grill, Steak, chops, seafood $29/pp+

*Sabatini's, Italian $29/pp+

+make reservation only on board, best to visit the restaurant on boarding day afternoon.

*Crab Shack, buckets of shell fish, held some evenings in a seating area of the buffet, you will see tables in the buffet to make a reservation, $29/pp

*Fondues, Was held on the last night only in the buffet. $29/pp

*Wine Maker's Dinner, Chef's Table, visit the DR on boarding day to sign up.

*Ulitimate Balcony Dining, Dinner or Breakfast, Call the Dine Line.

*Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar, menu priced items available

*Gelato is available in the Piazza for a small charge. Ice cream is available, no charge in the DR's for lunch and dinner and also in the buffet area for dinner.

Hope this helps.

Here's the thing, with all due respect. We have no idea of the sorts of tours and onboard activities you're interested in, and how good food tastes is a matter or, erm, taste. If you hang around here, you'll find threads where one person describes the food on a cruise as inedible and another loved it.

Maybe you could tell us more about the activities you like? E.g., I love Zumba and line dancing, but found the Princess Book Club a total waste of time. What sorts of things do you like to do?

Oh, and since shore excursions are run independently, you'll find the same provider working for multiple lines or the same line could use different operators for the same port. No telling.

But as everyone says, if you like X and HAL, you'll probably like Princess.

The Holland American Group - ran by CEO Stein Kruse, oversees Holland America, Princess and Seabourn.

If you like HAL, you are in the same hands with Princess.

Comparing cruise lines can be confusing because cruises are not a static affair. Changes are constantly being made, and surprise, almost ALL changes are for the negative of the customer and for the plus of cost savings. Try this experiment, with a notepad, go through CC and count all the changes people note, and then put a + if its a change for the better or - if its a negative, then count them all up.

So when comparing X and Y, make sure both comparisons are in a very similar timeframe. In my opinion, Princess has been headed down at a faster rate than others. I think the food on Carnival is much better than Princess presently. That wasn't the case just 6 months ago, but it is now. Things change and change fast.

I had no problem with the food on our Caribbean Princess cruise last month. Our last Celebrity cruise was a long time ago. I still look at the Celebrity website for deals, but we've booked all of our recent cruises on Princess and HAL.

The food varies from ship to ship and even cruise to cruise, depending on who's in charge and who's doing the cooking. For instance, the last time I ordered the strip steak on the last night of a Princess cruise, I thought it was inedible. Two of our tablemates ordered it last month and said it was great.

thanks for your awesome help this is great!

I can't compare, I'll let you do that, but here are your dining options on the Royal Princess

No Extra Charge

*MDR's open for breakfast each day and evening, and lunch on boarding day and sea days. All MDR's have the same menu. If you book a full suite or a Club Class Mini Suite you will have a Club Class Section in the DR. Full Suite passengers also can have breakfast at Sabatini's.

*Alfredo's - Open every day 11am to 11pm. Waiter served pizza, calzone, antipasto, salads, desserts.

*International Cafe, open 24/7, offering some breakfast items, salads, paninis, soup, desserts.

*Wheelhouse Bar - Pub Lunch on some sea days

*Horizon Court/Bistro/Pastry Shop buffet area. On Royal Class ships these are the largest and best I have seen. Always open from 5am until late evening.

*Trident Grill, Prego Pizza, Swirls soft ice cream. These are by the Lido Pool and are open from 11am until late evening.

*Room Service, 24 hour, limited menu unless you are in a full suite. Full Suite passengers can order off the DR menu. No charge except for pizza delivered to your cabin which has a $3 charge.

*Afternoon Tea in the DR every day, except on formal night days they have a Royal Tea for $20 with champagne or $10 without.

 

Specialty Dining

*Crown Grill, Steak, chops, seafood $29/pp+

*Sabatini's, Italian $29/pp+

+make reservation only on board, best to visit the restaurant on boarding day afternoon.

*Crab Shack, buckets of shell fish, held some evenings in a seating area of the buffet, you will see tables in the buffet to make a reservation, $29/pp

*Fondues, Was held on the last night only in the buffet. $29/pp

*Wine Maker's Dinner, Chef's Table, visit the DR on boarding day to sign up.

*Ulitimate Balcony Dining, Dinner or Breakfast, Call the Dine Line.

*Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar, menu priced items available

*Gelato is available in the Piazza for a small charge. Ice cream is available, no charge in the DR's for lunch and dinner and also in the buffet area for dinner.

Hope this helps.

Your feedback is awesome thanks! one other things on royal did you see dessert buffet theme or in mdr the elegant buffet themes ?