TRYING PRINCESS FOR MY FIRST TIME

[Hoopster3145]

Hi, I have sailed on NCL (Nice) Carnival (Never Again) and RCCL (BY FAR my favorite so far), and I wanted to give Princess a try, so a coworker and I are going on the GRAND PRINCESS out of Texas next spring!

So what are the major differences between princess and RCCL?

1/01 NCL Majesty
1/02 NCL Majesty
1/03 RCCL Brilliance of the Seas
3/03 Carnival Jubilee
8/03 RCCL Navigator Of the Seas
1/04 RCCL Adventure of the Seas
3/04 RCCL Radiance of the Seas


8/15/04 Rhapsody of the Seas
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14 DAY LEGEND OF THE SEAS PANAMA CANAL CRUISE (12/26/04)
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3/12/05 SPRING BREAK on the GRAND PRINCESS
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[CruiseFever]

Well one big difference is that RCCL is your favorite and you've not done Princess yet.

I think you'll fare better on Princess than you did on the Jubilee, one of Carnival's oldest ships; should be no contest. But you're real heavy on RCCL sailings to the point where I'd be sure you're trying Princess for the right reasons.

I suspect that your cruise on Carnival's Jubilee was chosen for price or a quick getaway, short cruise that fit your schedule which resulted in a negative experience...so negative that you swore the line off after it. I think that might be a possible mistake but to each his own I suppose.

I just hope you'll give Princess a fair chance and remember that Princess is NOT RCCL. There's no rock climbing wall, grand promenade, parade or fast food restaurants but I see you've sailed RCCL ships that do not have all those bells and whistles too so that doesn't worry me much.

I think you'll find a very good cruise experience on board Princess.

Let us know ok?

Happy Cruising

Chris

[url="http://www.LifeIsCruising.com"]www.LifeIsCruising.com[/url]

Next up:
Caribbean Princess 06/26/04
Star Princess 10/24/04
Diamond Princess 12/22/04
Sapphire Princess June '05
Carnival Valor 10/30/05

[CaptData]

I have been on both lines. I think if you go will an open mind you will enjoy yourself.

I had some issues with RCCL, not the staff that served me but other staff members. Whe I compare lines I do it on various bases of my needs. I'm disabled, so I only go on newer ships. The newer ships from my understanding usually have the better staff.

RCCL will have some things you may like better then Princess but Princess will have some things you will like better then RCCL. One of the things I compare is ease of getting around the ship and in my room. RCCL beat theolder Princess ship but due to the crowds at time it was far worst. The Navigator is a hugh ship compared to the Dawn Princess, so I assumed that there would be some problmes with people. I could not go to the parade because I could not handle the crowd (I use a scooter). This was one of the selling points for the Navigator (my son and his girlfriend watched it). I see it on TV. On the Dawn I went throught the Panama Canel, Navigator could never do this. What you see here is why sometimes you will change ships and lines.

I'm trying Holland America next for a Southern Carb. This wayI'll have been on three of the major lines before I decide what line I like the best.

MS Maasdam 6 - 17 Feb 05

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=4169e1&cdt=2005;02;5;07;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img] Until I sail away on the ocean blue



Navigator of the Seas Western Crib 08/03
Dawn Princess - Eastern Carb 01/03
Dawn Princess Panamal Canal 11/02

[many cruises]

We have been on both RCCL and Princess. We prefer Princess because the staterooms are bigger, the food is better, the pool areas are beautiful, the entertainment is excellent, and the ships are elegant. For us, the Princess experience was more refined and luxurious. We were on the Grand last summer and it was a gorgeous ship. We loved the PC dining and the many entertainment options. We are planning to sail on the Star next spring to enjoy the options the Grand Class ships have to offer. Also, Princess limits the number of children on each sailing. Hope you have a great trip!

Many Cruises

[ssbeagle]

We have been on Princess (15 times), HAL once, RCCL once and NCL. We prefer Princess overall. The service is hard to beat and the food is better than on RCL. We also thought the entertainment was a lot better on Princess too. Princess's prices are competitive with the other lines and the ships are all very nice. I have never been on Carnival and doubt I ever will. I have just heard too many horror stories about it.


Tahitian Princess
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&prgb=32CD32&cdt=2004;11;23;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

[CruiseFever]

HI

Happy Cruising

Chris

[url="http://www.LifeIsCruising.com"]www.LifeIsCruising.com[/url]

Next up:
Caribbean Princess 06/26/04
Star Princess 10/24/04
Diamond Princess 12/22/04
Sapphire Princess June '05
Caribbean Princess 09/17/05
Carnival Valor 10/30/05

[sue d. miller]

HI

Sue
7 days on Star Princess 10/24

GROWING OLD IS MANDATORY..... GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL

[srphnx]

Anytime anyone tries a new cruise line I am happy for them, when the try Princess, I am just a little happier still.

[B] Life is at it's best when your address floats [/B]
Two MORE open Bookings.
[B]<FONT color=red>Alaska</FONT>[/B]
Diamond Princess 05/04 ~~ Mercury 06/02
Rhapsody o.t. Seas 05/98 ~~ Legend o.t. Seas 09/95
[B]<FONT color=red>Mexican Riviera</FONT>[/B]
Diamond Princess 12/04
Diamond Princess 11/04 ~~ Diamond Princess 04/04
Sea Princess 01/02 ~~ Vision o.t. Seas 04/02[B]<FONT color=red>
West Coast-Baja Mexico</FONT>[/B]
Ecstacy 09/01
[B]<FONT color=red>Eastern Carribean</FONT>[/B]
Century 12/97
[B]<FONT color=red>Western Carribean</FONT>[/B]
Century 9/96

[bobcan]

Hoopster

We were diehard RCCL fans before we first tried Princess and we had some concerns. Here is how we felt about our first experience with them.

1) The dining room food on Princess about equal to four of our RCCL cruises but much better than our last cruise on the Brilliance. I enjoyed that the Horizon Court was open 24 hours since I usually rise at about 5:00 a.m. and could get a piece of toast or whatever first thing and we could also do lunch at our convenience rather than during the set hours. The food in the Horizon is on a par with RCCL. Service in the dining room about the same as RCCL.

2) The big name guest entertainment on RCCL is certainly better than Princess, but the Princess production shows were a breath of fresh air compared to RCCL(which I find very predictable).

3) Cabin service was about the same on both lines.

4) We found the first few days that passengers on Princess seemed a little stand-offish compared to RCCL. However, after about the third day we settled to the more laid back routine on Princess and discovered that in fact Princess cruisers were just a little more sedate than what we had been accustomed to but were non-the-less friendly than RCCL cruisers.

5) We really enjoyed the little extras from Princess, especially their special occassion extras. Each evening we would walk by cabins whose doors had been decorated to commemorate a birthday or anniversary. On our anniversary date we also presented with an anniversary cake.(A note to RCCL, Princess does not charge for birthday or anniversary cakes)

Overall, we feel that both lines have pros and cons and will travel with either cruise line again, with perhaps Princess having a slight edge.

Bob

[yancycruiser]

You'll love it. We've cruised four lines and enjoyed them all. The Grand Princess is one of our favorites along with the Grandeur of the Seas.

yanceycruiser

Carnival Pride Feb 03
Grand Princess Jan 01
RCL Enchantment of the Seas Jan 99
NCL Norway Jan 97
NCL Dream Jan 95

Sapphire Princess 8/22/04
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[sue d. miller]

24/7 buffet, pools and hot tubs!! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif[/img]

Sue
7 days on Star Princess 10/24

GROWING OLD IS MANDATORY..... GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL

[WendyG]

Princess is my favorite. I like bothe lines but Princess has better food, nicer cabins, fresh water pools, better entertainment, and lots of activities.

I did enjoy the Explorer of the Seas, the ship was absolutely beautiful, but I give the advantage to Princess overall.
I would sail RCCL again (actually debating right now between Brilliance of the Sea and the Coral Princess) for a Panama Canal cruise in Nov, but I bet Princess wins because the prices are almost ALWAYS better!
RCCL does seem to have a more "upbeat" crowd, but like a previous poster said, you just have to get those more refined Princess cruisers out of their shell (I do this at the wine tastings!) [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=008000&cdt=2004;7;17;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img] until the Caribbean Princess!



Sovereign of the Seas 8/98
Premier Seabreeze 4/99
Norwegian Wind 4/00
Norwegian Majesty 4/01
Holland America Volendam 11/01
Grand Princess 4/02
Carnival Fascination 5/02
Costa Atlantica 11/02
Golden Princess 3/03
Explorer of the Seas 7/03
Sun Princess 11/03
Caribbean Princess 07/04
Nov 04 Star or Coral...can't decide!

[isujim]

Hoopster:

We are in the same boat.....so to speak....we have done nothing but RC and NEVER had a bad experience.....we are trying our first Princess cruise in November and look forward to the experience. The folks over here seem really nice, but there aren't as many of them as you'll find on the RC boards.

They are quick to answer any questions you have. Hope we both enjoy the new experience and then we are off to Celebrity to try them next April.

Jim

Nordic Prince 8/88
Viking Serenade 3/93
Enchantment 3/01
Rhapsody 9/02
Splendour 4/03
Rhapsody, 9/03
Brilliance, 4/04

Until Our Caribbean Princess Cruise
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Until Hawaii on Inifinity
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Until Vision/Mexican Riviera
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[laginog]

Hi Hoopster!
We've done several RCI cruises and only one Princess cruise so far, the Star Princess to Alaska. We're booked to go on the Caribbean Princess in September. We love RCI's Voyager Class ships as well. I do think that Princess has better food and better cabins. I like the promenade parades and big name entertainment on RCI so I do miss that on Princess but I think the food and cabins offset it. I know you will enjoy Princess just as well as RCI!!

Car Destiny-W Caribbean-6/1/00
Sovereign - Bahamas - 6/15/01
Star Princess-Alaska-7/16/02
Navigator-E Caribbean-8/02/03
Mariner-W Caribbean-01/25/04
Caribbean Princess - 9/25/04

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0000ff&cdt=2004;09;25;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
UNTIL THE CARIBBEAN PRINCESS !!!!!!



Kathi



[img]http://home.insightbb.com/~laginog/Kathi_Whale001.gif[/img]

LOVE THE VOYAGER AND GRAND CLASS!!! BUT ANY SHIP WILL DO!!!