Royal Caribbean or Princess?

[iambumbo]

I've been on 10 cruises, and the only time I never got the hang of the ship layout within a day was Crown Princess. After a week on her, I was still going the wrong direction. Just a very disorienting setup. Agree with those who found Crown Princess to be a very quiet ship. My GF had the same reaction to Crown Princess-- she's not a fan either.

 

I've been on Navigator once, and her sister ships Explorer once and Adventure three times. By far my favorite style of ship. (Also sailed on Carnival and NCL.) Lots to do, great entertainment, and a nice mix of people. If you want to do something, won't be hard to find something. If you want some quiet, plenty of space for you to do your own thing, even on a megaship. Interior promenade is a great place to people watch too. Love the ability to go all the way forward to the nose of the ship... just don't tell anyone, that's my secret hangout!

 

Whatever you end up picking, I'm sure it will be the right one for you. Don't sweat it and have a great cruise.

[Donna_In_India]

We had the ABC booked on Princess for next February. I just cancelled it after I researched Aruba weather and geography.

Hot, flat with cactus.

 

 

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Have been to Aruba 4-5 times including a land vacation. Always seemed like enough of a breeze so never felt as hot as some other islands (like Bahamas!)...and it's the only place I've ever gotten a gorgeous tan and didn't burn! :) Thought there were some interesting sights on the island as well - especially to cover on a day trip. Liked it better than Bonaire/Curacao.

[dani negreanu]

Been on Crown, not on Adventure.

 

It was after being on Jewel, and I didn't like the layout of the Crown's buffet:(

 

I like to try different things at b'fast and lunch at the buffet, take 2-3 small portions, and make several trips again, depending what I like.

 

On Crown, you have to stay in line every time, since the layout is very different, and there is staff enforcing it.

 

Personally, I prefer the layout of the buffet on Royal and X.

 

We r foodies, that's more important to us than entertainment and shops :)

[jlstwinmommy]

We have been on Voyager and Adventure (Adventure most recently to ABC islands) and on Star Princess and Grand Princess.

 

We like the RC ships better in general. We love the Royal Promenade and the activities on the RC ships. I really love the afternoon tea on Princess. We have done mini suites on Princess and JS on Royal. I like the aft JS on Royal on the Voyager ships. The tiered balconies on Princess were a bit odd to us.

 

We have also done suites on both ships. For suite service and perks, we prefer Princess. The Vista suite on the Star Princess was amazing with a nice aft balcony in the back corner of the ship. The service was phenomenal. The suite service on RC was fine, but we just thought Princess was better.

 

In summary - if we are doing a suite - we would prefer Princess. For a mini/junior suite, we would pick Royal. :)

[Gabrielle R.]

I posted on the Princess site- Gave my .02 worth. As I mentioned I did Crown not Navigator. I thought amount of times in port and price would be my tipping point.;)

Been thinking of you and wondered if you decided. As before, have a great cruise whatever you choose!

[Zubsin]

When I'm booking a cruise I look at the Princess itineraries first. If they don't have what I want either schedule, ship or cabin I than look at RCL... if they don't have what I want I check X than NCL if I can't find what I'm looking for I just book a flight to the Virgin Islands or Hawaii.

 

We were not impressed at all with Aruba but thought Bonaire seemed fun. Haven't been to Curacao yet but I think that will be a non-cruise trip

[bigboffs]

We have been on both ships to the ABC islands. Both cruise lines, to us, seem to offer a fine cruising experience. The ships of both lines each have their own individual characteristics. To distinguish at all, it seems that RCCL is more family(kid) friendly than Princess. Items like food and entertainment are really subjective. However, as mentioned before, the Horizon buffet is poorly designed compared to the Windjammer. We would decide on which ship gave the best accommodations for the lowest cost.