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New to Princess - compare to RCI

KeyOfSea

By KeyOfSea,
in Princess Cruises

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KeyOfSea

KeyOfSea

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As you can see from my sig, we've mostly sailed on Royal Caribbean. We've booked a Baltic cruise for next August on Equinox and are really looking forward to it. We enjoy traditional dining but will be trying 'flex eating' this time.

 

Please tell me how the 2 lines compare and highlights of Princess to look forward to.

 

Thanks :D

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skellis

skellis

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Is this in the wrong forum? Equinox is not a Princess ship. That said, we did the Emerald Princess in the Baltic last year and it was fantastic.

 

RCI's cabins were bigger but not necessarilarly better, the service was not as good, and I found the offerings in the buffet and dining rooms to be inferior to Princess. The food was so bad (European itinerary) that I ate in Portofino for dinner for most of the cruise. Food venues on Princess (buffet -Cafe Caribe and room service) are available 24 hours. and Princess has the best pizza afloat. Princess has Movies Under The Stars (MUTS) and RCI doesn't.

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KeyOfSea

KeyOfSea

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Is this in the wrong forum? Equinox is not a Princess ship. That said, we did the Emerald Princess in the Baltic last year and it was fantastic.

 

RCI's cabins were bigger but not necessarilarly better, the service was not as good, and I found the offerings in the buffet and dining rooms to be inferior to Princess. The food was so bad (European itinerary) that I ate in Portofino for dinner for most of the cruise. Food venues on Princess (buffet -Cafe Caribe and room service) are available 24 hours. and Princess has the best pizza afloat. Princess has Movies Under The Stars (MUTS) and RCI doesn't.

 

:o :o :o Sorry, I confused 2 of our cruises. Yes, we will be on the Emerald Princess for the Baltic.

 

So, let me see if I can summarize what you said. Please let me know if I got anything incorrect.

 

On the Emerald Princess:

1) Cabin will be smaller but not worse than RCI

2) Service will be better (This surprises me because we've had great service on RCI)

3) Buffet will be better (I'm glad to hear that because I don't really like RCI's buffet but I never starve ;))

4) Good pizza

 

Thanks!!

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FLACRUISER99

FLACRUISER99

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:o :o :o Sorry, I confused 2 of our cruises. Yes, we will be on the Emerald Princess for the Baltic.

 

So, let me see if I can summarize what you said. Please let me know if I got anything incorrect.

 

On the Emerald Princess:

1) Cabin will be smaller but not worse than RCI

2) Service will be better (This surprises me because we've had great service on RCI)

3) Buffet will be better (I'm glad to hear that because I don't really like RCI's buffet but I never starve ;))

4) Good pizza

 

Thanks!!

Add an older crowed and dress is a bit more formal. Terrible mattresses on Princess.
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KeyOfSea

KeyOfSea

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Add an older crowed and dress is a bit more formal. Terrible mattresses on Princess.

 

Smaller shower with no hand shower.

 

 

We're in our late 40's and early 50's so older won't bother us. We love formal!! I'm not thrilled about the mattress but I'm usually so tired I have no trouble sleeping. Smaller shower??? :eek: I didn't think it was possible. :) We don't use the hand held shower, so that won't be an issue.

 

BTW, I've decided, after looking at your countdown clocks (and past cruise list), that I want to be you when we retire. ;)

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FLACRUISER99

FLACRUISER99

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We're in our late 40's and early 50's so older won't bother us. We love formal!! I'm not thrilled about the mattress but I'm usually so tired I have no trouble sleeping. Smaller shower??? :eek: I didn't think it was possible. :) We don't use the hand held shower, so that won't be an issue.

 

BTW, I've decided, after looking at your countdown clocks (and past cruise list), that I want to be you when we retire. ;)

All and all I think the two lines are about equal if you like free booze and are D or D+ go RCI, if free laundry is your thing and you are Elite go Princess. :eek:(Only kidding)
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gingera

gingera

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Add an older crowed and dress is a bit more formal. Terrible mattresses on Princess.

 

I love the Princess mattresses.....to me, they are very firm(some describe them as hard) and I sleep best on these kind of mattresses....If you don't like this kind, ask to have an egg crate placed.

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KeyOfSea

KeyOfSea

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Dear Key,

We just sailed on the Star Princess on a Baltic Cruise. The story is on our website

www.stevekathytravels.com

 

 

Kathy or Steve,

 

Thank you SO much for the link to your stories. I can't wait to show my husband. We did a Christmas Market river cruise in 2008 from Vienna to Nurnberg. That was our best cruise so far.

 

Trish

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KeyOfSea

KeyOfSea

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I love the Princess mattresses.....to me, they are very firm(some describe them as hard) and I sleep best on these kind of mattresses....If you don't like this kind, ask to have an egg crate placed.

 

We have a 'super plush pillow top' mattress so it sounds like an egg crate will be needed. :) Thanks

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Carolyn R

Carolyn R

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I prefered the food overall by far on Princess, especially the MDR and International Cafe. The buffet on RCCL is more spacious and well done.

 

I did not like the promenade on RCCL, very smoky, and I prefer Princess' use of passenger space on the outside decks including the variety of pools.

 

I found the service to be very good on both lines and I had an excellent time on my RCCL cruise at a very good price, just prefer Princess overall.

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Jasperdo

Jasperdo

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I think Princess and RCCL are the closest matched mainstream cruise lines. The Princess ships don't have the 'Wow' factor that you find on the newer Royal Caribbean ships. But aside from that, I find that the two cruise lines offer a very similar experience in regards to dining and entertainment. You'll probably find that RCCL does certain things better, and that Princess does other things better. But in the end, it should all even out. At least that's been my impression.

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gerig

gerig

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Freshwater pools, promenade deck that you can really circle, international cafe, aft pool that provides shade.

 

I can honestly say I slept like a baby - maybe it was the slight rock of the ship - but I had no problem

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caribill

caribill

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Yes, we will be on the Emerald Princess for the Baltic.

 

 

We were on the Emerald for the Baltic itinerary last year. You can find my report as the first entry at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=999930

 

This should help give you an idea about visiting the Balic on a Princess ship.

 

One big difference about Princess vs. RCCL - you do not pay for your pre-reserved shore excursions before the cruise.

 

John Lawrence, the Princess port lecturer on this itinerary the last few years, has a DVD of his lectures available on his website. Well worth the money to buy and view in advance. http://johnlawrencecd.com/

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cruise1234

cruise1234

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As you can see from my sig, we've mostly sailed on Royal Caribbean. We've booked a Baltic cruise for next August on Equinox and are really looking forward to it. We enjoy traditional dining but will be trying 'flex eating' this time.

 

Please tell me how the 2 lines compare and highlights of Princess to look forward to.

 

Thanks :D

 

We have done Princess three times and RCI once. Princess is generally more expensive,balcony rooms are larger and in my opinion I prefer it. I have a second RCI booked and may change my mind after it but I doubt it.

 

I had a bad experience on RCI, their dining room for breakfast was dirty. There was food on the floor from the previous evening which to me is disgusting. We had a hard time finding a clean table. I also think the size of your ship may make a huge difference. We went on the serenade of the seas and it was not that large.

 

You will not be disappointed in Princess unless thing have changed in the last couple of years.

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KeyOfSea

KeyOfSea

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We were on the Emerald for the Baltic itinerary last year. You can find my report as the first entry at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=999930

 

This should help give you an idea about visiting the Balic on a Princess ship.

 

One big difference about Princess vs. RCCL - you do not pay for your pre-reserved shore excursions before the cruise.

 

John Lawrence, the Princess port lecturer on this itinerary the last few years, has a DVD of his lectures available on his website. Well worth the money to buy and view in advance. http://johnlawrencecd.com/

 

 

Your thread was wonderful!! I even posted a link to it on our roll call thread. Thank you so much for the information.

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