Is Princess upscale compared to NCL, Disney? Advice please...

[spyro1952]

One thing no one has mentioned so far is that season/sailing will most probably matter. If you're going on a longer or off-season cruise, there likely won't be many teenagers aboard. That's my experience, anyway. Last cruise I think there might have been a dozen or two teens, though one of them was an excellent pianist who practiced Chopin in the chapel and wore tails to formal night. Too bad many of the adults aren't nearly as spiffy.

 

NCL (with their "kids are free" promotion) and RCCL (and DCL, obviously) clearly aim more for the family market than Princess. That's not to say that Princess is kid-unfriendly, just that the likelihood is the passenger demographics will be different.

 

I totally agree. I now have the good fortune of being able to cruise on longer cruises not during school holidays or the summer.

[Mom33]

I will add to the chorus. Disney has the best sized "regular" cabins and bathroom setups at sea. But you pay for them. And with that extra fare, you get some of the worst food at sea without the luxury of anytime dining. With "tweens", you might find anytime dining more to your liking. Also, Disney has a pretty good "specialty" restaurant, but it is for adults only. On Princess, you can take your children to any restaurant on the ship. Huge difference to me, as we have an "only" who is an aspiring foodie. Ditching her for "fine dining" is simply not an option.

 

As for kid's programs, sometimes I think that people fret too much about this. As I mentioned, we have an only, and I worried that she would get bored hanging with the parents on sea days. So we signed her up at the teen center on day one, and she went fairly often. But it wasn't the organized activities that kept her going back. It was simply the opportunity to meet new friends and "hang out", which is what 14 year olds seem to be best at. So while DCL may set the standard for organized activities, Princess will have enough of a critical mass of like-aged kids who will hang out, soak in the teen hot tub, play air hockey and X-Box , etc. I find that teens don't really need (and frankly, don't want) too much organized activities. The word "lame" gets thrown around a lot, even if it is undeserved. Oh. And one more thing. Not sure when you are sailing and what the ages of your kids will be then, but when it comes to the kids' programs (on both DCL and Princess), make sure to pay attention to the age cut-offs, which are strictly enforced, even for siblings. I am not certain, but it is possible that at 12 and 13, your kids could be separated into different groups, with the 12 year old being the oldest in one group and the 13 year old being the youngest in a different group. Not sure about this. But worth looking into if you think it matters.

Both DCL and Princess have corkage policies, and we were able to drink our own wine on both lines without any issues. Princess will allow you to bring on drinks and snacks for the kids. Not sure about DCL. That alone cuts down on nickel and diming. And the Ultimate Soda card is not a bad deal, and works for more than just soda. Smoothies, alcohol-free cocktails and the like are included. My kid is not a soda drinker, but I think she came close to breaking even with the card. It was close. But I still prefer paying once up front to having 27 line items on my statement at the end of the cruise.

 

 

Notice that I have said nothing about NCL. It isn't even in the same ballpark as DCL or Princess. Honetsly, you can't go wrong with either line. But for me, each time I price out similar itineraries, the extra cost of DCL keeps me coming back to Princess, as does the better food and dining options. Honestly, I detested (and I'm not sure that that is even a strong enough word) the rotational dining and food on the Disney Magic.

 

You described a teen to a tee!:)

 

ONLY if they can stay afloat :D

 

:D :D

[beshears]

I have not read everyones responses, but this is mine.

 

You really threw me when you said you thought NCL was "upscale.":( Unless things have changed within the past few years, I would never say that about NCL. As for HAL, Princ, CCL, RCCL which I have been on several times (also NCL), then I would put them all in the same catagory.

[swedish weave]

NCL has made changes since Kevin Sheehan took over.

 

I have sailed NCL twice and Princess three times since last October, and find the lines and ships to be very much alike. The food has been very good on both, and I feel NCL entertainment is much better.

 

The kids enjoyment of the programs will depend much more on the mix of kids rather than what the cruise line does for them.

 

I did not get sales announcements in my cabin on either line, but I suppose I could have heard them by opening he door or changing the TV channel.

 

One big plus for NCL was their support of the CC meet and greet. We had nine senior officers including the captain at our meet and greet and were given a bridge tour plus business cards for contact in case of problems. On Princess, no senior officers attended any of the three, and the cruise director attended one.

[shepp]

One big plus for NCL was their support of the CC meet and greet. We had nine senior officers including the captain at our meet and greet and were given a bridge tour plus business cards for contact in case of problems. On Princess, no senior officers attended any of the three, and the cruise director attended one.

 

That's a YMMV. On one recent cruise of mine, pretty much the entire senior staff attended the M&G and stuck around to answer questions. No bridge tour, though.

[swedish weave]

That's a YMMV. On one recent cruise of mine, pretty much the entire senior staff attended the M&G and stuck around to answer questions. No bridge tour, though.

 

 

It has been common on NCL for the past two or three years for many of the senior officers to attend the M&G.

 

Comments I heard on Princess were that they don't often recognize the CC events.

[highheel girl]

It has been common on NCL for the past two or three years for many of the senior officers to attend the M&G.

 

Comments I heard on Princess were that they don't often recognize the CC events.

 

 

And they do not encourage you to contact them for any issues while onboard. :(

[Loonbeam]

We had the Captain, PSD, Hotel Manager and 3rd mate at hours. Twice when the Captain saw us later (we organized the M+G) he stopped and asked how we were doing and if we needed anything.

 

The quality tone and timing of invitations sure help, and when you schedule the M+G can make a huge difference (for example, right before and after mealtimes you are probably not going to see the MD or exec chef - Right after sailaway the Captain is on the bridge usually, etc).

 

And they do not encourage you to contact them for any issues while onboard. :(

[medfordgirl]

I am new to princess, we are planning our first cruise on her in Dec 2013. That being said, I usually cruise RCCL and if you are taking tweens or teens I would definitely if possible take them on RCCL Freedom class or oasis class. There is so much for that age group to do. I never saw my son when we took him on Freedom. That was almost 2 years ago and he is still in touch with the friends he made onboard. Rock climbing, ice skating, surfing all free plus lots other stuff. they even have sound proof rooms to make a music video, it is free but if you want to, you can purchase it to take home. I will buy one one of these days.they also have WII games on a big screen. this is on Freedom, Oasis, has more stuff for them to do.

[rickdeni]

I have never sailed NCL and as a TA will only sail NCL in Hawaii (where I have no choice). I have sailed the other lines. My 2 favorites are Disney and Princess. When we take my son, daughter-in-law and 2 grandchildren I pay the inflated Disney price The service is the best in the industry. I find the food to be very good. I especially like their healthy alternative station on deck by the pool. They have fresh fruits and healthy paninis and wraps. When they say "ADULTS ONLY" - it is strictly enforced - just ask my granddaughter who has on various occasions attempted to join her grandparents in the "ADULTS ONLY POOL". Within seconds of crossing the line near the pool she has had up to 4 people ask her to go back to the other pools. When my husband and I cruise we cruise Princess. We do the longer cruises which have less children. I do like Princess' anytime dining as opposed to Disney set dining. As my grandchildren get older, we will try RCL's Freedom Class with them. I don't think of children with Princess.

[Cruisin' Chick]

We are considering a Princess sail with two tween boys, have sailed Disney and recently NCL.

Looking for a bit more than the mass market, a little more upscale...specifically, the entertainment, pool space, food quality, kid programs for teens.

It looks like Princess offers a similar dining plan as NCL, a freestyle choice if you want it. But what does that actually mean?

 

Is princess similar to the current NCL "nickel and dime" you every which way you turn? Is that the norm now in cruising, or is more included?

 

I'd love to sail the premier lines, for the amenities...but we are very young 50's with two younger kids (12, 13) and my understanding is that the high end lines are mostly occupied by the older crowd without many kids around at all. We'll have to wait for that later on...and of course, then we'll be in the "older" crowd too, lol!!!!

 

THANKS for any advice.

 

My kids have not been in Princess' teen program yet. But for younger kids, most time they are playing video games. There may be an ice cream party in Horizon court. From that, I do not see their teen program will be much greater.

 

Costa had the best kids program I've ever seen.

 

Princess for Kids

They do have a Kids program. Some of their ships have better and larger Kids/Teens facilities than others. Search the deck plans.

Food. ATD works on Princess. The ease of getting a table at the time you desire is dependent on the passengers on the ship and the itinerary. For example a Hawaii voyage tends to have older people that eat early. Caribbean tends to have younger passengers that eat later. They only food you pay for on Princess is Sabatini's (Italian Bistro) $20pp and the Crown Grill Steak & Seafood, $25pp. Almost all other food is included in the fare including The Horizon Ct. Buffet; Pizza; The Grill with burgers, chicken, dogs brats, fries; The International Cafe (on most ships), paninis, salads, soup, snacks, cookies, Soft Ice Cream by the pool. You can get coffee, Ice Tea, Lemonade, OJ at the Horizon Ct, but other drinks you have to pay for. Your kids can get a soda card where they can get unlimited fountain soda or the soda card plus (not the exact name) where they can get the soda plus mocktails, milkshakes, juice drinks etc. For yourself if you want brewed coffee & Latte type drinks you have to pay. You can pay by the drink or purchase a coffee card. The coffe served in the Horizon Ct. is good coffe, but it is made from concentrate, similar to Burger King. There is plenty of entertainment in the evening, including Movies Under the Stars which your kids would probably enjoy. Other entertainment is more adult oriented, singers, comics, production shows, magic, cruise staff activities, things like that.

 

Have only been on Carnival and then four straight on Princess. My daughter was 5, 7, 8 and 13 on her Princess cruises. If you go when there's plenty of kids, there'll be a very active program with many varied activities. There's also some science-oriented activities too (squid dissection is a fave among the kids). The tweens and teens can also participate in some of the non-kid activities such as trivia, deck parties, arts and crafts (on our Hawaiian cruises, there were plenty of classes in uke playing, hula dancing, lei-making and kids were certainly welcome).

 

There's also a night (or two) that the kids will have a private party in the buffet (one side will be closed off) where they'll eat dinner. Parents can drop off their kids and then have an "adult time" dinner. After the dinner, the counselors take the kids up to the kids' area for the evening activities. Carnival also does this.

 

On our most recent cruise, we took our girl to the Remix (the teen center) the first night and she met some girls her age that she basically hanged out with the two weeks. Usually they just went to the Remix room to find each other and then go off to the pool (she saw a lot of the movies on the giant screen there -- much more than we did). She also went to many of the shows. She thought the planned activities for the teens were lame, but she's at that age.:rolleyes:

 

She's a very picky eater, but she said the food on the Golden Princess (our last ship) was excellent. There's a pizzeria and grill (hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken sandwiches) by the outside pool on many of the ships. On many of the ships, there's the International Cafe, which is not an enclosed eatery, but a display case in the grand atrium, with all sorts of food all day long. I would often grab a dessert in mid-afternoon to take with me to trivia. The only charges are for specialty coffee and for gelato at the ICs that have that.

 

Personally, my hubby and I prefer traditional dining. We ended up with anytime on the last cruise as we didn't clear the waitlist, and didn't like it at all. We find t.d. an aspect that makes cruising so different from other types of vacations. We also preferred the service we've had in the past with t.d.

 

When you first get to your cabin on Princess, there's a program packet for the age group(s) your kids will be in with a day by day schedule. There's also a mini fridge in every cabin, which is nice. We bring on soft drinks (I'm not into coke products), water, Sobe drinks, box o'wine without any problems at all (we put everything in a plastic crate and give to a porter with a tip).

[algaebloom]

Here's my 2 cents: I've been on HAL, Princess and DCL with DW and DS.

 

Staterooms:

DCL wins here. Having a separate room for shower and toilet is a huge benefit. DCL room layout seems a bit better than Princess or HAL even though there's only so much you can do with such a small space.

 

Food:

For MDR, Princess ties with HAL here. DCL is not bad, but seems to vary a lot. Princess and HAL have much more consistent quality day-to-day. Can't beat the 24 hour buffet/cafe not available on DCL!

 

General Ship:

DCL edges out Princess and HAL here. No smoky casino's on DCL to wade through. Movies and shows on DCL are better for younger cruisers. Somehow, it just "feels" more comfortable on DCL.

 

Kids Clubs:

DCL wins hands-down even for teens. On the Golden Princess, it was kinda sad actually. DCL has a handful of dedicated CM's per kid club with lot's of inviting stuff to do. Princess was just a room with some video games. Outside of that, Princess didn't have a whole lot for teens.

 

Other cruisers:

Depends on your itinerary. Princess and HAL in Alaska have primarily older clientelle, Med was a really good mix of families. DCL is all families, so lot's of other teens to mingle with.

 

Nickel and Diming:

Depends on your expectations. I never felt nickel and dimed on a cruise. You are a captive audience, you know. :rolleyes:

 

Upscaleness:

Princess and HAL edge out DCL a tiny bit, but barely IMHO.

 

Overall, I'd go with DCL, but we're big Disney fans. If you want upscale DCL, sail on their Fantasy ship. That's supposed to be their upscale ship in their fleet.