Princess verses Royal Caribbean??

[P.A.]

For those who have sailed on both...Princess & RC, how do they compare? Which is the best, etc?

 

We've sailed on Carnival (1999), and Princess (2004). By far, Princess was the best. After sailing on Princess, I thought I would never sail anything else. But our frineds went on RC and loved it! After looking at their pictures, the ship, Mariner of the Seas, looked a lot fancier than our Caribbean Princess. I loved the movie screen on the Caribben Princess shipand the food was great, but there was a lot of people.

 

Just wondering what everyone's experience has been comparing the two? We're looking at going again in Oct 2006 for our 30th wedding anniversary.

 

Also since we aren't going until Oct '06, should we wait a few months to book, or is it better to book this far in advance?

 

Your comments and suggestions are appreciated!

[whit53]

I have been on the Caribbean Princess, RCCL Mariner and Navigator. I much prefer the Mariner and Navigator. It has such a WOW factor, it will make your jaw drop. CP was really nice and I did enjoy the outdoor movie, but I was disappointed in the rest of the cruise. But to be fair it was only a few weeks old they had some things that needed to be worked out.

 

Enjoy your cruise whatever you decide.

 

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!!!

 

Jan

[P.A.]

Thanks for your post Jan. Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to this forum. The "Wow" factor is what I saw in my friends pictures of the Mariner, that I did not have on the CP. Although I did love the cruise. That is why I haven't ruled out trying RC.

 

Thanks again, and thanks for the Happy Anniversary comment too! :)

[P.A.]

Anyone else have any comments??

[beckers]

I have some clients who were loyal Princess cruisers after eight cruises went on

Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Sea and they loved it. Loved the layout of the ship and the service. The food however was not quite as good as Princess, but all other factors considered it was just as excellent a product as Princess and they had an excellent cruise. There is also the WOW factor of the Atrium and furnishings that Princess doesn't have. I would consider where you want to go, price and then what amenities the ship has as far things you might want to do and make my choice from there. You can't really go wrong with either lines.

 

I actually am a Princess fan myself, but am going on the Voyager of the Seas to Bermuda and am really looking forward to it.

 

Becky

[negc]

For those who have sailed on both...Princess & RC, how do they compare? Which is the best, etc?

 

We've sailed on Carnival (1999), and Princess (2004). By far, Princess was the best. After sailing on Princess, I thought I would never sail anything else. But our frineds went on RC and loved it! After looking at their pictures, the ship, Mariner of the Seas, looked a lot fancier than our Caribbean Princess. I loved the movie screen on the Caribben Princess shipand the food was great, but there was a lot of people.

 

When people describe one line as being better than another, readers should understand that their description really means that the line better satisfies their personal and particular needs or expectations than the other, and may not necessarily be better in the eyes of other cruisers. "better" and "best" are generally subjective terms and what I think of as better might not agree with your opinion. The fact that we might disagree also doesn't make one of us "right" and the other "wrong".

 

We have sailed Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean and other lines and while I have a preference, I can truly say I found many more similarities among the cruise experiences I have encountered on the various lines than significant differences. Each line has its own way of doing things, its own standards in decor, service, food,entertainment and facilities, and each line expects its personnel to provide you with an excellent cruise experience. How well they succeed in matching your tastes and meeting your expectations will color your opinion of them.

 

As far as when to book a cruise for October, 2006, I recommend booking as early as possible in order to have the widest choice of staterooms. If the price of your cruise goes down after you have booked, most travel agents will adjust your price accordingly.

[MGilly]

Hey, P.A. - I'm curious. When is your anniversary? DH and I will also be celebrating our 30th in October 2006!

[Toto2Kansas]

We are Platinum on RCI but after our last cruise with them, we won't be going back. Admittedly we did not sail on one of their mega ships and maybe there is a difference. We sailed for 14 days for the third time on the Legend of the Seas. We were in a GS suite and were amazed that there were almost no perks offered at all for a full suite. Same exact cabin we had last time, only the cut backs really showed up in this area.

The food offered was no where up to the standards (in our taste of coarse) as Princess. In fact, since we last sailed on the LOS, the food has really taken a down hill slide. The buffet was almost laughable, not even worth the trip unless you like hot dogs labeled every morning as 'breakfast sausage'. ARGH!

Next time we want to spend that kind of money on a full suite, it will definitely be on a Princess ship.

[RvrCrzr]

I love them both. I think PRINCESS is more relaxing...maybe because there were less activities geared toward 20-40 year old range. (comparing 7 day to a 10 day) I found myself much more relaxed after my PRINCESS vacation.

 

I take RCI when I feel like having fun, kicking up my heels and partying. (not that you can't relax on RCI...because you can!) It just seems to have a more festive atmosphere. I do think RCI ships are more WOW! Love those huge atriums! If you haven't been on a VOYAGER CLASS ship...you are MISSING OUT! Talk about WOWWWWWWW!

 

I flip-flop between the two lines. Next up...15 day Hawaii!

[Fairsailing]

We have sailed Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean and other lines and while I have a preference, I can truly say I found many more similarities among the cruise experiences I have encountered on the various lines than significant differences. Each line has its own way of doing things, its own standards in decor, service, food,entertainment and facilities, and each line expects its personnel to provide you with an excellent cruise experience. How well they succeed in matching your tastes and meeting your expectations will color your opinion of them.

 

I agree 100% - you can have a fantastic cruise on either line. While RCCL is a step above in the area of ship design, they are otherwise roughly the same product. It's kind of like comparing Coke and Pepsi. Try as they might to differentiate themselves, they are still cola. And if you like cola, you'll probably like both (although you may have a slight favorite). One thing is for sure, it's better to try all of the lines for yourself than take the word of people on this site who proclaim "X line is better than Y line." Variety is the spice of life:)

[Fairsailing]

The food offered was no where up to the standards (in our taste of coarse) as Princess. In fact, since we last sailed on the LOS, the food has really taken a down hill slide. The buffet was almost laughable, not even worth the trip unless you like hot dogs labeled every morning as 'breakfast sausage'. ARGH!

 

I don't know what is going on in the cruise industry, but I saw those hot dog "breakfast sausages" on our Sapphire cruise last month - only they were mixed in with the scrambled eggs! Double ARGH:eek:

 

Next time we want to spend that kind of money on a full suite, it will definitely be on a Princess ship.

 

I don't think suites are worth it on the older RCCL ships for sure. No concierge club = no free cocktails :mad: .

[Cindy]

I've been on both lines, and found more similarities than differences. Here are my opinions...keep in mind that my comments are based on 2 Princess cruises and only one on RC. I thought the food and service were better on Princess. Both Princess ships were low-key and understated in decor. The Rhapsody had more of a "WOW" factor than the Princess ships, with the soaring atrium. Princess breaks their ships up into smaller, more intimate spaces. I would give Royal Caribbean the edge in entertainment and activities. I thought the production shows in particular were great. If you like that sort of thing, RC's "Quest" was more fun than "Pub Night" on Princess.

 

We always choose a balcony cabin, and the standard balconies on Royal Caribbean are bigger than those on Princess. On Princess, you have to move up to a mini-suite to get a cabin with a couch in the sitting area, whereas you get that in a balcony on RC. I do like the Princess touches that are available to all passengers, like robes, fresh fruit, etc.

 

We're planning two cruises right now...Grand Princess next March (just the 2 of us), and a family cruise on the Explorer of the Seas to Bermuda next June. I'm excited about both, and I think the Explorer will be a good choice for children because of all the activities. I'm looking forward to seeing one of the Voyager class ships.

 

To sum it up...if I'm not at work, don't have to cook, don't have to clean, and can do as much or as little as I like, it can't be bad!!!:D

[jdm]

We have been on 13 Princess cruises and only one Royal Caribbean cruise - Adventure of Seas - with a group of friends this past winter. We enjoyed the cruise, but didn't really need the "glitz". The food in the cafe court was very good. The dining room was nicer than on Princess, but food is better on Princess, though I call the food served nowadays - wedding banquet type.

 

We are back to Princess. We are in our mid fifties and prefer the lower key atmosphere of Princess. Also, we like to dance - not disco type, just normal ballroom type etc. and we didn't find that on Adventure of Sea. It might have been there, but we didn't find it. We also thought drinks were less expensive on Princess . We believe Princess is great in "people moving". We rarely have to wait in line etc.

 

I think you have to ask yourself what features are important to you. Both deliver a quality product for the money.

 

 

 

 

 

We have also been on NCL, Costa, and Celebrity. Of those three we would only go back on Celebrity.

 

I think you have to consider what your likes are.

[pepper]

I'm glad you posted this question, as I have been see-sawing between the two for our next cruise. We have only just last Jan cruised for the first time on RCCL Serenade of the Seas and loved it We are in our early 30's and everything from the ship, excrusions, entertainment, and food were fabulous. There were more activities going on than we could possibly partake in. As well, one of the highlights of our cruise was the open-air seating in the Windjammer. There are the typical resin tables, but just before you get there, there are wicker, padded chairs/couches and tables to dine/lounge upon. Late dining with the sound of the waves sitting in comfort and not being exposed to the elements were wonderful (our two friends that came with us agreed this was a highlight too).

 

Saying that, I hesitate to book the Grand Princess for this Jan/Feb as I was not sure how it would compare? Does it have this open-air dining? Are there activities galore? Is there a buffet dinner (Crohn's disease in husband makes this a nice option compared to the dining room)? Any more input would be helpful, and I'm so glad this thread was started..

[Cindy]

Saying that, I hesitate to book the Grand Princess for this Jan/Feb as I was not sure how it would compare? Does it have this open-air dining? Are there activities galore? Is there a buffet dinner (Crohn's disease in husband makes this a nice option compared to the dining room)? Any more input would be helpful, and I'm so glad this thread was started..

 

The Grand Princess has open-air dining outside the Horizon Court. You can also take your food aft to the adult pool area, and enjoy a quiet, relaxing meal. The buffet is open 24 hours a day, so if you choose to eat buffet all week it is possible to do so. A good option for you might be Personal Choice dining. You could eat in one of the PC dining rooms if the menu suits your needs, or opt for the buffet. There are also 2 specialty restaurants -- Sabattini's Italian and Sterling Steakhouse.

[atlcple2]

My parents have been on 4 cruises with Royal Caribbean and until the last cruise, would never even look at another cruise line. The went on an older ship (which was actually the same ship they went on the first cruise) and were not at all happy with how they had kept the ship up. They said they wouldn't cruise with RC again because of it, or if they did, they would only go on the newer ships. My husband and I have been on 3 Carnival cruises and the last 2 were new ships which we loved. We have our first Princess cruise on the CB in September and are looking forward to the "understated elegance" of it. The Fantacy on Carnival was our first cruise and we had a great time, but the decor was a little too "Vegas" for us....not to say we won't do it again sometime and take the kids. I think the earlier post said it well that each person likes different things and reviews vary because of that. I do think that once you have gone on a brand new ship (the Pride was the 3rd voyage when we went on it) with a balcony, your expectations are higher for your next cruise and some of the older ships might not meet those expectations. In any event, a cruise is a cruise and we would have a great time regardless! Just my 2 cents worth!

[Oi]

We just had our first princess cruise, and although we loved every bit of it, our 2 week cruise with royal to australia/new zealand was just fabulous. They still do towel animals too which I love!

 

Both are WONDERFUL lines and comprable to each other (I find). Have a great time!

[P.A.]

WoW! Thanks you guys for all your comments & suggestions! These are the things I wanted to hear. I am fully aware that everyone's idea of a "good ship" or "likes & dislikes" can be totally different, it helps to hear others comments.

 

Our last cruise with Princess, Oct '04, to the Eastern Caribbean, was great and when we got off the ship we were ready to get back on! It's hard for me to make changes when something seems right. Like the next time I want to go back to the Eastern Caribbean just because I enjoyed it and didn't get to do some things I would have liked to have done. My husband on the other hand, would like to go somewhere different. He actually wants to go on an Alaska cruise, but I like the warm climates. But someday we will take the Alaska cruise. I've heard it is absolutely wonderful!!

 

We'll be making up our mind soon. As to which line we go with, we'll just see which offers the best price I guess, since their both so good. We'll difiantly do a balcony stateroom and we would love to take our two daughters and son in law too. So price will be a big part in our decision.

 

Thanks again! :)

[P.A.]

Hey, P.A. - I'm curious. When is your anniversary? DH and I will also be celebrating our 30th in October 2006!

 

Merry ~ Our anniversary is Oct 23rd! :) Cool! You going on a cruise for your anniversary? I can't imagine spending it any other way. And with our family would even be better!

[Princesshhi]

We have sailed with RC 12 times and we have enjoyed all of our cruises. We sailed the Voyager, Explorer (2x), and the Mariner (2x). Those ships are beautiful. If you havent'st sailed on one you should really try it. We are also booked on the Freedom of the Seas. That ship will be out next spring.

 

That being said, we are booked on the Coral this November. We have cruised the Sea Princess (loved it) and the Grand and Golden Princess (did not like those ships at all). We do like Princess for many reasons. I thought the food is slightly better however, RC has good food too. We really like PC dining and wish that RC would start that on their ships. We like the fresh water pools, laundry room (we don't like to go home with dirty laundry and we usually spend about $100 when we are on RC because they do not have laundry facilities).

 

One thing we really do not like about the new Princess ships is the uncovered balconies. I really have to do research to make sure I get a covered balcony.

 

Both cruse lines are wonderful. I will like the fact that the Coral has a lot more public area with fewer passengers.

 

Try the Voyager class ships. They are really very different than any other ship we have been on. Princess and RC are very much the same. It all depends on price, what places you want to go to, etc.

[HMcruiser]

Merry ~ Our anniversary is Oct 23rd! :) Cool! You going on a cruise for your anniversary? I can't imagine spending it any other way. And with our family would even be better!

So is ours Pam :) and we are also doing the anniversary cruise thing!!

 

I was curious about this, too, because my parents loved their RCL cruise, but Princess was so much cheaper for us this time. I'm really looking forward to it, and the more I read the more I think this was the right decision for us...we have such stressful jobs that we like a more relaxing cruise experience.

 

Michelle

[HighLordDave]

We took our first cruise on Mariner of the Seas last year and it was fabulous. One of the things we did while on the ship was to poll other passengers and see how Mariner of the Seas and Royal Caribbean stacked up against other ships.

 

The feedback generally fell into the following categories:

 

Holland America - A favourite of the older crowd

 

Carnival - Party boats

 

Royal Caribbean - Good for families; biggest, best ships

 

Disney - Great for families; kind of pricey

 

Princess & Celebrity - Good all round experience; the general opinion was also that these two had the best food.

 

At the terminal after disembarkation, one guy told me that the Mariner of the Seas was the worst ship he had ever been on, "It's too **$@&* big!!!! I'm 86 years old and that ship is too damn big to be walking all over!"

 

Clearly, his experience was different than mine.

 

When it came time to booking another cruise, we picked the Star Princess because it does the western Caribbean itinerary we wanted and because the price per person was about $200 less for a comparable cabin as on the Mariner of the Seas.

 

If price were not a factor, I would not have hesitated to book another cruise with Royal Caribbean or on the Mariner of the Seas.

[cruise fairy]

I agree 100% - you can have a fantastic cruise on either line. While RCCL is a step above in the area of ship design, they are otherwise roughly the same product. It's kind of like comparing Coke and Pepsi. Try as they might to differentiate themselves, they are still cola. And if you like cola, you'll probably like both (although you may have a slight favorite). One thing is for sure, it's better to try all of the lines for yourself than take the word of people on this site who proclaim "X line is better than Y line." Variety is the spice of life:)

 

Great analogy Fairsailing;) Coke and Pepsi...I like it! I'm a Pepsi (Princess)person myself.

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

There are so many people who have a long list of Princess cruises after their name and have never tried another line. Likewise on the RCI board there are those that have never tried anything but Royal Caribbean. The logic of that is if you've had good experiences, why mess with it?

 

I can understand that and to each their own. But I think people who stick with just one line consistently are missing out on different experiences. The major cruise lines offer basically the same product and similar quality food. But there are differences and sometimes they are subtle.

 

So if you're one of those people who only likes to "Escape Completely" or one of those people who only likes to "Get Out There", give the other line a chance. Try some "Freestyle Cruising" or "Cruising Italian Style" next time.

 

You don't have to switch your allegiances but you may find some surprises that make the competitor a great experience too. Those of you who "line hop" based on ship features, destinations and price will know what I'm talking about.

 

BobK/Orlando

Note the variety:

just off:

Sea Princess, DFDS Crown of Scandinavia & TT-LINE Peter Pan (6/05)

Carnival Valor (12/04)

next up:

Sovereign of the Seas (10/05)

Costa Mediterranea (01/06)

[MGilly]

Merryl ~ Our anniversary is Oct 23rd! :) Cool! You going on a cruise for your anniversary? I can't imagine spending it any other way. And with our family would even be better!

You must've gotten married on Saturday - we got married on Sunday. Our anniversary is Oct. 24th. While we'd love to take a cruise for our anniversary, we have to wait for school vacations. I'm an elementary school teacher, and taking time off during the school year is really difficult. We've got a cruise planned for winter break this year, so maybe we'll do that again in December 2006.