RCCL versus Princess

[DUBIDUB2]

Just got off the Golden this Saturday and I thought I'd jot down (unemotionally) some observations we made between the 2 companies. We have never sailed princess before and changed lines simply for the "change".

 

Some of my observations may not effect you or you may not agree but here they are all the same as we, a family of 4 (2 kids aged 16 and 13) saw it. As I re-read my list it seems negative. Overall however, we loved our cruise and so did our kids so that's the best summary I can give regardless of my negatives here.

 

1. The ships (Voyager class) versus the Golden were very different. The Voyager class were much much bigger and much easier to get around.

2. There is more stuff to do on RCCL (thanks to Voyager class) but not a lot in it unless you do them all.

3. There are darker places at night and more open decks on Voyager class if you like to Star Gaze. We couldn't find anywhere dark enough to star Gaze on the Golden We saw shooting stars almost everynight on RCCL) and did miss this.

4. Princess Sun decks are wind traps and get too hot (IMHO). This was because Princess top decks are surrounded by glass versus open railings on RCCL. On sea days it was very hot on Princess, sometimes too hot. RCCL was lovely and cool. In port, anywhere was too hot ïŠ

5. The dining rooms on the Golden had very low ceilings and you felt like you were at Dinner. On the Voyager class ships, you feel like you at a Banquet. Very different. Makes you realize what an incredible feat the Voyager class builders achieved!!

6. Food was about the same on both ships. Overall, pretty good. Neither are "fantastic" but more than good enough for us.

7. My Kids (there were 600 on board) were not impressed. Princess has no area for older teenagers to “hang out†as a group. My 13 year old did much better than the 16 year old since they used the "tiny" teen area to do stuff. Spoke to many parents whom agreed.

8.Service, rooms, wait staff, bar staff were all pretty much the same on both lines. Great.

9. Shops - no comparison. RCCL Voyager would have to beat anyone in this regard. If you like shopping or a place to “walk†/ “hang outâ€.

10. Entertainment - not much in it. I think it depends upon who's on board at the time you cruise. We had a great British comedian along with some cheesy magic. The Brit was funny all the time.

11. Sun decks on Princess were TOO small. There was not enough room for everyone on sea days. Everyone reserved beds and were gone for hours with no one doing anything about it. The fact that Voyager ships are bigger seems to lessen the problem there.

12. We preferred PC dining. Ideally, we'd like half PC and half traditional.

 

We have decided for now to go back to RCCL next year. Certainly, for us, the bigger ships in the RCCL fleet suited us more perfectly. The Golden however was still fantastic as with all our cruises, we just make everything great.

 

I can’t think of any other comparisons for now but if you have any questions let me know. I want to re-affirm – if you are on the GOLDEN, you WILL have a FANTASTIC time and if you look closely at my points, they are all pretty minor when taken in isolation, or even together.

 

God Bless.

 

 

 

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Princess - Golden (April 3rd 2004)

RCCL - Navigator (June 2003)

RCCL - Explorer (April 2002)

RCCL - Voyager (June 2001)

Carnival - Paradise (Dec/Jan 1999/2000 Millenium Cruise)

Big Red Boat (1997)

[Hlitner]

I can think of a few comments on this topic. We have been on 13 RCI cruises (12 ships) and 8 Princess Cruises as well as cruises on 10 other cruise lines. Overall, we think Princess and RCI are pretty comparable, given that there are differences. We do like the fact that Princess has fresh water pools, we like the outdoor grill area for lunch (nothing like this on Radiance Class). I agree that the main pool deck on the Grand class is more "enclosed" which can be good on windy days, and too hot on the calm hot days. However, there are other sunning areas away from the pool area that will always have a breeze. And I agree that it can be more difficult to find a deck chair on Princess than on RCI although it can be a problem on both lines. We think Princess food is currently better than on RCI, but this seems to vary year by year as each line adjusts their product. Entertainment is one of those "luck of the draw" things which really varies from cruise to cruise. However, its hard to beat the ice shows on the Voyager Class ships. We also love the Concierge lounges on the Radiance and Voyager classes (for suites and Diamond C&A members) After crusing on more than 45 different ships, we tend to make our decisions based on a combination of price and itinerary. We would also not hesitate to back on Carnival (better than many think) HA, Celebrity, Crystal, Radisson, or any other ship upon the sea.

 

Hank

[ljr7225]

I mourned the absence of the traditional midnight buffets on the Diamond Princess. The 24 hour all-you-can-eat Horizon Buffet just didn't do it for me. Quality v. quantity.

 

More anything? More everything!

[DUBIDUB2]

Hlitner, good post. Kinda summizes more than I had and you've definately done more cruises to better compare.

 

The problem I found on Golden was that the "other" places to "lounge" during the hot days were right in front of the ships noisy extractor fans. Especially also the shady areas.

[cruzenbabe]

I'm trying to decide between the Radiance of the Seas or the Caribbean Princess.

Have been on the Majesty, Sovereign, Spirit & Imagination.

We're taking a 1st time cruiser with us and I want her to be blown away.

How do the decor in the atriums differ from RCCL & Princess.

I'm reading that Radiance of the Seas is one of the most elegant ships out there with all her glass windows.

[RcclPrincessCruiser]

As atriums go, royal carribean has got princess beat. On royal carribean (rccl) the Atrium was a place where you visited a lot and was huge, but on princess I found we did not fo there as often and it is only 3 stories high, which is small compared to Royal Carribean

[coiran]

DUBIDUB@

 

I don't understand your post - your comments said the RCL was far better than Princess on all counts - yet you said they were minor and Princess was OK - will you go on Princess again or go back to RCL.

 

NCL PRIDE OF AMERICA Oct. 2004

SUN PRINCESS 2004 Caribbean

REGAL PRINCESS 2003 Europe

GOLDEN PRINCESS 2002 Canada New England

SUN PRINCESS 2002 Panama Canal

SUN PRINCESS 2002 Mexico

DAWN PRINCESS 2001 Caribbean

DAWN PRINCESS 2001 Caribbean

SEA PRINCESS 2001 Alaska

REGAL PRINCESS 2000 Mexico

REGAL PRINCESS 1999 Panama Canal

PACIFIC PRINCESS 1999 Europe

SUN PRINCESS 1998 Caribbean

ROYAL PRINCESS 1996 Panama Canal

 

 

[Brad1185]

I would stay away from RCI since they started charging for hamburgers, ff and onion rings.

[CruisenEd]

My problem with RCCL is you can't open the balconys between cabins. ON Princess we have had up to 4 cabins all linked together as a group so we could go back and fourth between cabins. I would try a RCCL ship if there were only 2 of us going, but when you go as a group, having the ability to go between is great.

 

Time until the Coral Princess Leaves

 

Caribbean Princess April 2, 2005

[JanetMarie]

While I am a Princess lover I would definately cruise on RCL, our second preferred line. They offer some wonderful food and staff cameraderie!

 

OUR NEXT ONWARD JOURNEY!

 

[MVPinBoynton]

Cruzenbabe,

If you want to impress someone with atriums, you won't beat the Radiance class. I was just on the Caribbean Princess for an inspection a couple weeks ago and it was a lovely ship; but it doesn't wow you like the Radiance class. One thing that Dubidub2 mentioned made a big difference to me. The low ceiling dining rooms on the Grand Class make you feel like you are in a normal restaurant rather than in a grand dining room on a cruise ship. I like the food and its presentation much better on Princess, but the Radiance Class dining room is much more elegant, as is the M Class on Celebrity. Every class of ship has its own personality. You won't go wrong with the CP or Radiance, they are both winners.

 

Mike

 

 

See our reviews and pictures at Mike and Carol's Website

 

Costa Classica 3/94

Celebrity Mercury 4/98

Carnival Destiny 4/99

Crown Princess 7/01

Norwegian Star 11/01

Grand Princess 12/01

Sun Princess 3/02

Celebrity Constellation 11/02

Brilliance of the Seas 6/03

Navigator of the Seas 11/03

Jewel of the Seas 06/04

Tahitian Princess 02/05

[Bisous3]

DUB-

I have heard the shows on RCCL are fantastic. Did you see any of the musical productions?

 

Suzanne

Oceanic '82

Oceanic '83

Century '01

Century '03

Millennium '03

Island Princess '04

[Italy52]

We were on the Dawn a couple of weeks ago and thought the tendering process was a little disorganized. Can someone who has been on both Princess and RCCL's larger ships compare tendering processes. We have sailed RCCL before and enjoyed the line. However, we have not sailed on their larger ships as of yet. Hubby was worried about the ship being too crowded when tendering, days at sea around the pool and the food court. Thanks in advance for your responses.