Interesting replies on this thread. We started cruising on X in 1996, & have over 25 sailings on them, but none since 2017. Lately it’s been pretty much Princess, due to X pricing, their ship within a ship, & the faux balconies on their new ships. If we ever go back to them, it will be on an older ship.
I would say each line has +&-. X used to have the best food, but that’s changed in the past 10 years, with food now comparable, although X buffet food & layout is better than P except on P Royal ships. I think Princess std. balcony rooms are inferior, with no place to sit unless you book a deluxe on Royal ships. Princess drink prices are more reasonable, & they have a much larger activities staff.
We haven’t sailed Princess since the restart, so I can’t speak to the reported decline post covid. Personally, we now look to Princess before any other line, & will see how things are in November on our third try on the repo from Brooklyn.