What Will I find Different between Royal Caribbean and Princess?

[DubbyLee]

Just so I have an idea of what to expect, I'm posting this on both boards.

 

I will be taking my first non Royal cruise next year and I'm wondering about how each group of passengers see the other cruise line.

 

As you can see from my signature I have experienced Sovereign, Vision, and Freedom classes of RCL ships. My upcoming Princess cruise will be on Coral Princess. On RCL we have stayed in Outside, balcony and Jr. Suites and on the Princess cruises we are booked into a Mini Suite.

 

I don't expect huge differences between the two but I'm curious as to how fans of each compare the two.

 

 

I'm doing the opposite next month. Our first RCI cruise in over 20 years. We just took a Princess cruise last month. I'm kind of nervous because I feel like I know Princess inside and out.

I hope to post my own observations when we return.

[iheartbda]

Well OP, the posts are all over the place and for just about each one, you can find an opposing opinion.;) Won't counter anyone else's opinions since they are the reality for those people.:) We have more cruises on Royal but I would not hesitate to cruise Princess again.

[MichaelCMTX]

Reading with interest because DW wants to do a West Coast cruise and RCL just doesn't offer much in that dept. (maybe eventually seeing how well the Jewel sailings seem to be selling). For Celebrity, see RCL; and Princess seems more "us" than Carnival.

 

Can someone who knows clue me in to the "Princess sort-of equivalent" of a GS, just compare apples?

[rubrrick]

Reading with interest because DW wants to do a West Coast cruise and RCL just doesn't offer much in that dept. (maybe eventually seeing how well the Jewel sailings seem to be selling). For Celebrity, see RCL; and Princess seems more "us" than Carnival.

 

Can someone who knows clue me in to the "Princess sort-of equivalent" of a GS, just compare apples?

 

Of the Princess ships that we have sailed on, the suite size......of every full suite except for the Grand Suite, are about the size of a Grand Suite. If you take a full suite on Princess, they will supply you with 10 different miniature liquor bottles and sodas to go along with. If you are Elite with Princess (which we are) they double the order. That is free of charge, and a nice item, but does not compare to the drinks in the Concierge lounge on Royal Caribbean.

 

On Princess, each evening, there is a special lounge for suite and Elite guests, that has free appetizers, and special prices on certain cocktails.

 

I prefer the layout of the Grand Suite over the suites on Princess. On Royal Caribbean, I can bring the outside table in, move the coffee table to the end of the bed, and have dinner in, served at a regular height table.

 

I do prefer Princess shower and tub, vs the tub shower in a GS. One must be in an OS to have that luxury on Royal Caribbean.

 

We can entertain more people in a GS than in a Princess Suite.

 

The Princess suite comes with breakfast in Sabatini's, and it can start with mimosas, and then go on to some specialty egg dishes, not offered on Royal Caribbean.

 

Grand Suites on Royal Caribbean come with a Gold card, that allows you certain privileges that others don't have......saved seats at the ice shows, saved seats at the pool, and a special area for breakfast, and on some RCL ships, lunch as well.

 

There is a suite party on Royal Caribbean, to mingle with officers. We have never experienced that with Princess.

 

Gosh, I wish I could think of some of the other areas to compare the two lines, but being an old fart.......my brain is half dead!!:D

 

Hope that this gives you something to compare the two lines.:);)

 

Rick

[Merion_Mom]

Just so I have an idea of what to expect, I'm posting this on both boards.

 

I will be taking my first non Royal cruise next year and I'm wondering about how each group of passengers see the other cruise line.

 

As you can see from my signature I have experienced Sovereign, Vision, and Freedom classes of RCL ships. My upcoming Princess cruise will be on Coral Princess. On RCL we have stayed in Outside, balcony and Jr. Suites and on the Princess cruises we are booked into a Mini Suite.

 

I don't expect huge differences between the two but I'm curious as to how fans of each compare the two.

 

If you don't mind the dates, here is what I wrote 8 years ago:

 

This is the one that I posted on the Princess board, with Princess cruisers' comments.

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=384377

 

 

I posted the same initial report on the Royal Caribbean board, so it contains comments from RC cruisers.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=384375

 

:)

[MichaelCMTX]

Hope that this gives you something to compare the two lines.:);)

 

Rick

 

This is a big help. Thank you!

[WupperAV]

We did 16 day Princess Diamond, China to Bangkok. turned out I found out on Cruise Critic they had changed our destination to Singapore and didn't tell us. We called United and they said we can't get you home due to Christmas rush, we'll call you next week. They called back and said if we'd extend 2 1/2 days they'd fly us to Bali and then home on Singapore Airline. Boy was that a tough decision!!Lol Princess was great, ship was just out of drydock, people very nice and friendly, food good and Steward hard working.y only complaints were they sent me a dirty tuxedo but took care of it before I needed it for free and IMHO, the food service staff was improperly trained and served leftover food making everyone sick and saying it was a virus , then cleaning everything, serving hot food and taking credit for getting rid of what they caused. I drove truck and have gotted the same type of "Flu"symptoms from bad food.

[reney313]

We just came back a few weeks ago from the Island Princess (Sister ship to Coral) in Alaska. I've also sailed on Diamond and Sapphire.

 

The things I love about Princess over RCI: Pizza! In general, the food is better quality (I think), MUTS--with the padded loungers, blankets, cookies and popcorn...On the Coral/Island--the smoking lounge is not a 2nd rate place!. The room layout, I really like the "open" closet outside the bathroom. General "elegance". I've actually had better service on all of my Princess cruises than on RCI.

 

Things I like better on RCI: ENTERTAINMENT and activities. Princess doesn't even come close. Even when it comes to the live music, piano player, etc. RCI has this hands down! It always seems more "fun" and "festive" on RCI, but I really don't know why. Ship layout is way better. I really get annoyed at the ships where I have to go up and down different staircases to get to a specific dining room, or the theatre. i find most of RCI ships are much easier to navigate.

 

I will continue to sail Princess, but likely only for itineraries I can't get on RCI. The product is great and I have few complaints. I have enjoyed my cruises with them and the first one I thought was way better than RCI, but then RCI lured me back after the next cruise.

 

I think it is easy for me to get too stale on one line so when I go on another I think "wow, that was great". But then it gets stale on that line too. It works for me to have different options to change it up a bit. Princess will remain in that rotation.

 

A few random thoughts on Princess that are different to take note of (some have been mentioned). This is not a comparison or what is "better", just some different things. I would have a slew to mention in the opposite direction as well...all lines have things i like!:

 

Laundry rooms on each floor.

Coffee Cards (although specialty coffee and brewed coffee is included in their all inclusive drink package. And speaking of, it is $49 a day vs. $55 that RCI charges and includes EVERYTHING...bottle water, soda, coffee, shakes, etc. including drinks. It does have a lower $ limit, but never ran into that problem except for wine. They do give 40% bottles of wine if you have the package).

Shore Excursions billed to onboard account vs. when you book

Shore Excursion prices raise and lower online according to demand. If it gets wait listed the price shoots up..

3 out of 3 guarantees, I was upgraded

eCigs allowed outside of "smoking" areas, including balcony and inside cabins. Never saw a problem with that at all.

Wine tasting and Vodka tasting are a good value and/or FREE

Champagne Fountain on Formal Night in the atrium is a great picture opp and elegant

Adult Area is the Sanctuary--on Coral it is a great place on the aft of the ship and 3 stories. But it is a pay for area. $20 half day, $40 full day. Includes butler type service. Massages, and cabanas also available.

Pizza and hamburger/hot dog stand on the pool deck is very convenient

Hot Tubs close early at night...get there early and they won't kick you out.

Secret decks on aft and forward are all public. Check them out for a relaxing view. Aft decks have deck chairs.

Webcam in the always open Wedding Chapel. Friends/family can watch from home. Go in and wave at them!

Free pictures in the internet cafe--you can email to friends and post on FB--for FREE!

[sandyh422]

We have recently sailed on the Oasis and the Allure. Last year we sailed on the new Royal Princess.

 

Pros of the Royal Princess:

Mini suite had a larger bathrooms and walk in close.

The room has 2 televisions

Alfredos pizza restaurant was outstanding.

The piazza is beautiful and just a great place to enjoy a drink, dessert or a gelato while watching entertainment all day long.

there was great production show in the theatre as well as games shows and lounge singers throughout the day and night.

 

Cons for Royal Princess

There was some crowding at elevators due to a bad design.

The casino was much too small for the number go passengers on the ship.

 

The pros of the Oasis and Allure

This ship is good for multi-generational families as the

entertainment and activities was suitable for all age groups.

These ships are much more suitable for children than Princess.

This ship also offered many entertainment choices and have unique shows such as the aqua and ice skating shows..

 

Cons of Oasis and Allure

The bathrooms in the balcony cabins are way too small and the closets are barely adequate.

Some restaurants such as the pizza place and park cafe were often very crowded.

 

bottom line - when DH and I are cruising we usually do Princess. When our family is going with us, we do the Oasis or Allure

[Merion_Mom]

Coffee Cards (although specialty coffee and brewed coffee is included in their all inclusive drink package. And speaking of, it is $49 a day vs. $55 that RCI charges and includes EVERYTHING...bottle water, soda, coffee, shakes, etc. including drinks. It does have a lower $ limit, but never ran into that problem except for wine. They do give 40% bottles of wine if you have the package).

 

The $49 does not include 15% gratuity; the $55 does. Therefore that $49 becomes $56.35. :eek:

[hubofhockey]

Well OP, the posts are all over the place and for just about each one, you can find an opposing opinion.;) Won't counter anyone else's opinions since they are the reality for those people.:) We have more cruises on Royal but I would not hesitate to cruise Princess again.

 

 

We cruise on both lines as well and don't find Princess to be "stuffy". To us, Princess has a relaxed feel to it. Both lines have beautiful ships. The biggest difference is you see more families on Royal Caribbean and more middle aged couples on Princess. Entertainment has been better for us on Royal Caribbean, but Princess has several smaller scale options in the evening. We have future cruise certificates on Princess and RCI's version as well. We'll use them both.

[dorisis]

I did not see it mentioned that Princess allows passengers to combine OBCs including a veteran's credit that RC does not give. Princess also refunds most OBCs not used.

 

Both lines are excellent IMO.

[beshears]

I find that with Princess and Carnival, when I book through a TA, we are normally upgraded, which is very nice. I went through the TA for RCCL, but received no upgrade. :(

[karena1]

We typically only do Royal, but did do Princess again in Jan and are going in Dec for a week on Princess again b/c of a great deal they gave us on our Jan cruise. Differences??? Not that many

 

1. I think Princess leans to a more rich/dark décor whereas Royal has a more bright/tropical décor - not over the top like Carnival but just brighter. Princess is all dark wood.

 

2. Royal - WJ is WAY more open, Princess ships the buffet is nice but the food area is very closed in compared to Royal

 

3. Love the grill on Princess at night where you can get wings/fries/onion rings - cannot get that on Royal for the most part

 

4. Food - subjective - I think it is about the same on both

 

5. MDT (ATD on Princess) On Ruby (not sure on other Princess ships) is HORRIBLE!!!! I cannot say enough bad things about the anytime dining on Ruby. Lines were crazy!!!! Never in all the years we have done MTD on Royal have we waited more than 10 minutes. Normally get the same wait staff and table. Lines on Ruby were insane. We ended up eating in the buffet almost every night because it was so bad.

 

 

6. Royal has the DL and CL and nightly comp cocktail hour. Princess does not. They have some food, but no free drinks. On the flip side, as Elite, you do get the free bar setup in your cabin - 7 single servings of booze and some water/soda

 

7. I think the layout of the ships on Royal flow better than Princess. Princess is more chopped up. Not that it is bad, just not quite as easy to get from one end to the other without going down and over.

 

We have many Royal cruises under our belts and will continue to cruise them for the most part. But when a great deal pops up on Princess or Celebrity (since we have high status on both) comes up, we look at them for sure.

[reney313]

The $49 does not include 15% gratuity; the $55 does. Therefore that $49 becomes $56.35. :eek:

 

Good Point! For some reason, I thought we paid the 15% gratuity on top of the $55. I just looked at the website and it does say the $55 per day includes the gratuity.

[Desert Cruizers]

Main differance is size of their cabins. Princess includes the balcony in their sq ft, thus actual room space is smaller then Royal. We felt the food and service were pretty equal, entertainement goes to Royal, ease of navigating also to Royal. Overall we have had wonderful service on both lines but prefer Royal. Friends of ours had a JS and it was smaller then a D-1 we had on Royal and narrower.

[DebJ14]

I did not see it mentioned that Princess allows passengers to combine OBCs including a veteran's credit that RC does not give. Princess also refunds most OBCs not used.

 

Both lines are excellent IMO.

 

We like both lines very much and are now alternating between the two. We like that Princess has full suites that are aft facing (larger balconies) and that we have both a stall shower and a tub. On RCCL you have to book a Royal Family Suite or Owners Suite or better to get that. We enjoy breakfast at Sabatini's more than breakfast in Chops, perhaps it is the specialty coffees and mimosas that make it a more special experience. The first night complimentary cover in one of the restaurants is a nice perk too and pretty much balances out the free cocktails in the CL on RCCL. We also love the free laundry and dry cleaning on Princess. We go home with nearly all clean clothes and I do not have a huge dry cleaning bill at home the next week.

 

I do however wish that Princess had Concierge service for the suites.

 

Someone said that RCCL has a party for suite guests with the officers. We had that several years ago, but the last 2 RCCL cruises in 2012 and 2013 there was no such party. We asked the Concierge about it and he said it had been discontinued.

 

We used to think that Princess was stuffier, but as we age we realize the age of passengers on Princess is more our age and there are more younger families on RCCL. To us this is a plus because there are fewer children.

 

We like that you can piggy back OBC on Princess. We have a $100 OBC for booking on a promo and will add another $100 to that for the shareholder credit. It is such a pain on RCCL that to use the coupon you have to give up the C & A discount.

[Llmtax2000]

We've sailed four cruises on both Princess and RCI. The following are my observations:

 

Love, love the laundry rooms on Princess.

 

Love the pizza, burgers, and fries poolside on Princess.

 

Love the rooms and suite perks on RCI.

 

Love the bingo on Princess -- the RCI payouts are tiny, and the computerized cards on RCI took he fun out of the game.

 

Love the ethnic and age diversity on RCI -- Princess skews much older and much less ethnically diverse.

 

Love RCI's private beaches at Labadee. Beyond a relaxing.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[CruisinCadie]

I've been following this thread because we've sailed Princess before but never Royal so I wondered what to expect.

 

On our Ruby Princess cruise last March, we had no problems with Anytime Dining, but the experience may vary depending on how many are in your party and how flexible you are. It was just DH and myself, we enjoy dining with different people, and we are not tied to any particular table or set of servers. The longest we had to wait was 15 minutes. If you have a larger party, want a 2-top, or want a specific table or waitstaff, you may have a longer wait.

 

Kathy

[counsdr]

Thanks for all the points of view!

I'm sailing Princess for the first time next month, so this was all very helpful!

Bon Voyage everyone!

 

Cheryl