Princess verses Royal Caribbean??

[khfadpi]

We have did Princess last summer and Holland a couple of weeks ago. We liked Princess better. I would like to try one of the big RCCLs next, but that is alot of money if I am going to still like Princess better. Its hard to know what to do. :confused:

[Texasbob]

Rhapsody and Grand Princess for a March sailing. I just got off Radiance of the Seas to Alaska and loved it (got the cruise bug now.) I have no doubt that I would like Rhapsody, but still iffy on the Grand. I have read some negative comments about it, but nothing all that specific. How would you rate the Grand for the following:

 

wheelchair accessibility (my wife is disabled)

fitness center (big with me)

children's programs

 

Also, does Princess still have "traditional dining" as an option?

[Cindy]

I have no doubt that I would like Rhapsody, but still iffy on the Grand. I have read some negative comments about it, but nothing all that specific. How would you rate the Grand for the following:

 

wheelchair accessibility (my wife is disabled)

fitness center (big with me)

children's programs

 

Also, does Princess still have "traditional dining" as an option?

 

I've been on both the Rhapsody and the Grand, and my personal preference is the Grand.

Sorry, I can't answer your question about wheelchair accessibility.

The fitness center on the Grand was quite large and well equipped. The fitness center on the Rhapsody was somewhat smaller. At the time we sailed the Rhapsody, there were several pieces of broken equipment...that has probably changed since our cruise was in 2002.

Both cruises were during peak family travel time (Thanksgiving and Spring Break). We travel as a couple, but both ships seemed to do a good job keeping the kids entertained. We didn't see young children or teenagers behaving poorly on either cruise.

Princess still offers traditional dining. You can choose early seating, late seating, or personal choice. We had traditional seating last March, and have chosen it again for March 2006.

A couple other things helped with our decision of which ship to choose. The Grand sails Saturday to Saturday, so we have a day to recuperate before going back to work. We also found the prices on the Rhapsody for a balcony cabin to be about the same as for a mini-suite on the Grand Princess. We had a mini on the Grand last March, and thought the cabin was fantastic. We've chosen the same type of cabin for our cruise next March.

Hope this helps! Any more questions, just ask!

[Casachic]

Was on the Navigator 6 months ago and on Caribbean Princess this week. Both were 7 days, both were balcony cabins and both were caribbean routes. Honestly, there were things that I liked about each. The balcony on Princess was bigger but the stateroom on the Navigator was bigger. The food on Navigator was better but the Princess pools and decks were not as crowded. I could go back and forth but honestly, if you want a big ship with a lot to do, either one is great. I would choose on routes and cost.