comparrison of royal, carnival, and princess

[fragilek]

We are new(ish) to cruising carnival twice and RCI once - We had many issues on or RCI cruise so not sure if we really want to try them again - Carnival service, food and entertainment was much much better.

 

All cruises have been on the smaller class of ships. We do not watch or get involved with game show or pool game stuff but we do enjoy good theater shows and comedy nights (although did not take to the carnival adult one at all, only the family ones). Carnival shows with live music were fab but the royal last year was woefull- seen school stuff was way way better. One show the comedy magic one we were laughing (in tears ) because it was soooo bad. Food also better on carnival.

 

 

On saying that we have future cruise certificates to use to book again with royal - yes the problems were so bad they gave us these. (previous posts discuss the issues we had). So here my question - Should we try princess in a balcony cabin 7 night cruise from Athens or retry RCi 9 nights cruise from Rome in an ocean view - similar itinerary. Using up our cruise certificates they both come out at the same cost but RCI will include a drinks package.

 

 

How much better is Princess and can some one compare food and entertainment with RCI and carnival for me.

 

 

Also if anyone who like me thinks (I have never been on a large ship) they prefer smaller ships enjoyed/ dislike the size of this ship

[Working 2 Cruise]

First, what SHIP are you considering?

 

My husband and I much prefer Princess to Carnival. We absolutely hated our last Carnival cruise, so much so that when offered a free cruise on Carnival, we turned it down! Food was mediocre to bad...

 

On Princess, you'll have the wonderful Norman Love desserts...

 

The atmosphere on Princess is much more laid back. The demographics skew to older.

 

See the link to a wonderful blog here:

 

http://pescadoamarillo.blogspot.com/2016_01_24_archive.html

 

This should give you an idea of what to expect.

[fragilek]

It is either the Princess Royal or the RCI jewel. It is for our 25th wedding anniversary - so I suppose we are probably heading into the older demographic ;). Both have similar itineraries in the med but the RCI includes the drinks package and is 9 days (Princess is 7 ) for the same price. so was trying to find out how much better princess would be (if it is) to see if it is worth the potential extra cost for drinks.

Edited January 31, 2016 by fragilek

[Working 2 Cruise]

The Royal Princess is a big ship! But she's really beautiful and one of Princess' newest ships.

 

If the drink package is important, then going with RCI seems the better choice, in addition to the extra days.

 

If it was up to me, however, I'd go with the Royal Princess. But that's just me. I love the Princess atmosphere, food, and I really feel comfortable. I did mention the Norman Love desserts, didn't I? :D

 

Have a fantastic cruise and Happy Anniversary! We'll be celebrating our 25th in April. Not sure if we can make a cruise work then, but I'll try hard!

[DebJ14]

The Royal Princess is a big ship! But she's really beautiful and one of Princess' newest ships.

 

If the drink package is important, then going with RCI seems the better choice, in addition to the extra days.

 

If it was up to me, however, I'd go with the Royal Princess. But that's just me. I love the Princess atmosphere, food, and I really feel comfortable. I did mention the Norman Love desserts, didn't I? :D

 

Have a fantastic cruise and Happy Anniversary! We'll be celebrating our 25th in April. Not sure if we can make a cruise work then, but I'll try hard!

 

We too would go with the Royal Princess. We are just off the CB and spent most of the cruise discussing how much we enjoy the atmosphere on Princess vs RCCL and Carnival. We are Diamond on Royal Caribbean and Carnival and Platinum on Princess so there is a solid basis for our opinion. The entertainment on the CB was head and shoulders over anything we have seen on RCCL and Carnival's shows don't even deserve to be considered when comparing them.

 

We also think the food on Princess is better than RCCL. Carnival's used to be decent until they went to that awful American Table menu.

Edited January 31, 2016 by DebJ14

[R@Rcruisers]

Haven't been on Princess yet, will be this May. Have been on R C...CCL...and Norwegian . We just like cruising so we are ready.

[Cruise Raider]

We actually think RCCL and Princess are quite similar to one another, which RCCL possibly attracting more families than Princess and Carnival having the most kids and party atmosphere.

 

There are plusses and minuses on both lines -- since we travel mostly on Princess as a couple of their itineraries embark right here in our backyard, I will speak more to this line.

 

 

Princess went through a little period where their food was just horrible. They seem to be back on track with some excellent choices.

 

The drink package is rarely included as a free perk (when they did throw it in, the prices were just outrageous), but they do have daily happy hours -- one in the afternoon and one in the evening. You can also take on unlimited bottles of wine and champagne and only be charged a $15 corkage fee for all bottles beyond 2.

 

Not sure about the Regal / Royal but many of the Princess ships have an open closet design which makes it feel so much roomier.

 

The room size of a regular balcony cabin does make it feel much smaller than what we've seen on Carnival and RCCL. No couch, just a chair.

 

The matting they use on the balconies on Princess is just disgusting ... just a debris catcher!

 

Some of the theaters and lounges on many of the Princess ships are not nearly large enough for all the passengers that want to attend. Many times, skunked out of shows we wanted to see as we didn't save a seat an hour in advance.

 

Room service is almost always accurate and quick. Coffee is made from syrup so not good but you can purchase a coffee card to get a decent cup of coffee. I read somewhere that the Regal and Royal actually have brewed coffee throughout the ship, though. Cannot deny or confirm that.

 

Smoking is not allowed in the staterooms or on the balconies on Princess and not in the casino on formal nights.

 

There is a sanctuary (for a fee) area that is adults only ... so relaxing up there. You can even purchase a massage / couples massage up there.

 

Pizza is the best!!

 

MUTS -- large movie screen for Movies Under the Sun/Stars is great. They show NFL games, movies, concerts, etc. Popcorn is available at night and blankets are provided.

 

The Crown Grill is the only specialty restaurant I can speak of ... wonderful food and service with a great atmosphere. Reasonably priced at $25 pp -- for now.

 

The internet service is usually horrible. A limited number of computers are available for use.

 

Entertainment is anywhere from good to excellent. Saw one bad comedian once but otherwise have usually been quite pleased.

 

Princess is swapping out their mattresses throughout the fleet with some wonderful ones. We've yet to get one of these on any of our sailings but think it is only a matter of time before we do.

 

Service onboard is good for the most part -- my last cruise on them had awesome service throughout all service areas.

 

Maybe not on all ships but the carpeting on the port side hallway has a red strip whereas it is missing on the starboard side. It makes it easier to quickly identify which hallway is yours. Funny that sometimes we mention this to frequent Princess cruisers and they have never noticed this before.

 

There is a self service laundry room on every passenger deck on Princess. They also have irons / ironing boards set up. While rarely busy, we've found this to be a lifesaver a time or two when you just want to get the wrinkles out.

 

There is a small fridge (more like a cooler) in each cabin. It is for your use as they don't fill it with a mini bar ahead of time (for non-elite / suite pax).

 

They have specials on alcohol (happy hour listed above) but you can also get 5 beers for the price of 4 and a wine package on cruises of 10+ days.

 

If you are a gambler, you can just load money onto your card from a slot machine and it will be added to your folio.

 

There is a kiosk near the purser's desk where you can print out / check your bill. This option is not available via your stateroom television .. at least on the ships which I have sailed on.

 

You can stack your discounts on Princess -- past passenger, military, resident, promo, credit card obc, etc. Not all lines let you do this ... Princess does.

 

Future cruise credits can be purchased onboard (and I believe shortly after you return) and be used on any future cruise. If not used prior to the expiration date, you are refunded these monies. You can also use them for any travel agency you choose and if you book a cruise and cancel, it will go back into your bank. I think with RCCL, you are stuck using the agency you picked when you purchased the Open Passage, with a short grace period. These are not always refundable on RCCL ...not sure about Carnival.

 

I am sure others will add ... hope this helps though. I usually like ships that are around 2000 pax ... I have never felt really crowded on the ships that hold 3100 pax.

[RocketMan275]

Almost all US military (active, retired, and honorably discharged) are given OBC on cruises. Seven day cruise is $100. RCI sometimes discounts some cruises. Princess gives the OBC on all cruises.

 

All Carnival lines (Carnival, Princess, Holland, etc) have a shareholders discount. Buy 100 Carnival shares and receive $100 OBC on a seven day cruises. Other durations vary. Also a $130 dividend. Two cruises a year and you pocket $330.

 

Princess, almost unique among cruise lines, allows you to stack incentives. For example, you can get the current promotion, the military OBC, and the stockholder OBC all on the same booking. RCCI requires you to choose only one.

 

Find the right Travel Agent and get discounts. Princess allows TA to discount their fares. You can often get 10% or more off the fare listed on the Princess site. Try that with RCCI.

Edited February 1, 2016 by RocketMan275