Twinsfan5 Posted September 7, 2013 #1 Share Posted September 7, 2013 Hello all, thinking about a cruise for winter 2014 that would include a stop in Aruba. Current options seem to be Crown Princess or Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas. We have cruised NCL and Celebrity in the past, and have enjoyed both. Anyone have any thoughts or comparisons? I will ask in the Princess threads as well. We usually like mini suites or balconies, and two connecting rooms are a plus, but not a necessity. Thanks for any and all insight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Cruizers Posted September 7, 2013 #2 Share Posted September 7, 2013 We have sailed both Princess and RCCL, but not on the ships you mention. My personal feeling is, we prefer cruising on Royal for all around enjoyment. I generally compare the Ports, length of time in each and base my decision on itinerary and times in ports, then ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twinsfan5 Posted September 7, 2013 Author #3 Share Posted September 7, 2013 We have sailed both Princess and RCCL, but not on the ships you mention. My personal feeling is, we prefer cruising on Royal for all around enjoyment. I generally compare the Ports, length of time in each and base my decision on itinerary and times in ports, then ship. Thanks for the response. Good idea to compare time in ports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matj2000 Posted September 7, 2013 #4 Share Posted September 7, 2013 Princess... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Cruizers Posted September 7, 2013 #5 Share Posted September 7, 2013 Twinsfan5, your welcome, whichever cruise line you choose I am sure you will have an enjoyable time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satxdiver Posted September 7, 2013 #6 Share Posted September 7, 2013 I have sailed on both ships. The Adventure has the usual voyager class amenities such as ice skating rink, climbing wall, royal promenade, etc. The royal promenade with its British pub and evening activities are great. The cafe promenade is not as well stocked as the Princess international cafe but both are 24 hour. The Crown Princess has the Piazza (deck 5), pool side ice cream, grill and pizzeria, skywalker lounge at the top of the ship, etc. One nice thing about the Princess is that the HC is open continually from 6 AM to 11 PM or midnight. Even outside those hours you can still use the tables and get water and ice from the dispensers while the WJ is locked between meals and after serving with no access. IMO which is subjective I really do not see much difference in the food offered in the MDR or HC/WJ. Some would agree and some would not. I do love pizza and the Princess pizzeria near the Lido pool is far superior to the pizza offered in the WJ. I also like the Trident Grill on the Princess near the Lido pool that serves fresh made burgers and hot dogs all day. The Adventure has a Johnny Rockets ($) which has better burgers though but is crowded often and away from the pool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twinsfan5 Posted September 7, 2013 Author #7 Share Posted September 7, 2013 Thanks for the details Satxdiver! (Now I'm hungry for pizza!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Booper Posted September 7, 2013 #8 Share Posted September 7, 2013 Both ships carry roughly the same # of passengers, but AOS is around 15% larger and 50 feet longer so it will be less crowded. The theatre on AOS seats 1,300 while the Crown only holds 800? or 900? AOS lido buffet uses the superior island setup where the Crown uses the older more inefficient cafeteria line method. AOS has no poolside grill, RCI's biggest pool-deck omission. AOS has large non-covered adult only pool, the Solarium. Bigger then the Crown's rear pool. Princess pizza better but still inferior to land based pizza. AOS has an ice rink, for guest use and for high caliber professional ice skating shows, using former Olympic skaters. Both ships have lots of bars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mm1251 Posted September 7, 2013 #9 Share Posted September 7, 2013 Both ships are really nice (IMHO). The difference for me would be the flight to San Juan to catch AOS. Sometimes it is pretty pricey. The Adventure's itinerary is 4 ports and 2 cruising days; good or bad - it depends on how many times you've done St. Thomas, etc. The Crown is 2 ports, one private island, 3 cruise days. Tough! Both will be awesome. I think it would be a price decision for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiftLockCouple Posted September 7, 2013 #10 Share Posted September 7, 2013 We have sailed on the Caribbean Princess ( this year ) , same itinerary as the Crown in 2014. We have also sailed from San Juan on the Serenade of the Seas ( 2012 ). I agree with MM1251. In this case a choice between island time or sea time the cost of flying to San Juan. The food as mentioned was very comparable, the RCCL ships are easier to navigate but the Princess ships have all of their entertainment on the same deck except Skywalkers. The buffets are much better laid out on the RCCL ships. The Princess HC was a pain in comparison. The cabins on Princess were better laid out in our opinion. The Closet space was better and it shielded the light from the bathroom so as to not disturb others in the room. Little differences between the two. Like picking your favourite car, it comes down to personal preferences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.