Would you book the same ship 2 years in a row

[Doug R.]

We book for itinerary, not the ship, which is why we have been on the Caribbean Princess 3 times and soon to be on the Crown Princess 3 times also. Our only one time has been on the Regal Princess, but may not be the last.

[Gracie115]

Absolutely have booked the same ship!  Your itinerary is different so it will be a very different cruise and as many have mentioned the production are pretty much the same no matter what ship you are on.  We'll be boarding the Regal in 3 weeks which is our 3rd time on her and we are very much looking forward to it and hoping that some of the staff we met last fall will still be around this year!

[MissP22]

When you're really happy with a particular ship why change unless the itinerary is something you want? We'd be happy with any of the Royal class ships any day and conversely we wouldn't go back to the CB for a few reasons we just didn't like. 

 

[terrysko2000]

We have twice on the Ruby and twice on the Crown. I loved seeing the same wait staff in the International Cafe. Also the ship is familiar and easy to get around. I would do it again.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

Yes, absolutely, especially if it's Regal Princess.

Wouldn't want to book Caribbean Princess again, unless it was going to ABC islands again. Plus, I hear it got spruced up between now and our sailing on it.

[Tak8]

I did a British Isles cruise on the Caribbean Princess and then a year later did a Caribbean cruise on the same ship.  I have no problem doing a same ship I have enjoyed.  In fact, it makes it quicker to know the ship and figure out how to get around.  

[FloaterBoat]

I absolutely would without question.  We never go to the shows, so we don't care if they're repeated or not.  We sail for itineraries and the foods and ambiance. If the ship was in great condition and food delicious, like it was on our last Crown, we'd definitely sail it again to new locales.

[donaldsc]

There are people on CC who not only have sailed all of their 100 cruises on one cruise line but have sailed to the same place on half of them and mostly on the same ship.  Don't worry about it.

 

DON

[Tatka]

We do it all the time with all companies. Especially now that we mostly cruise from local ports, but even before we sailed on Caribbean Princess 3 times - Eastern Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale;  Southern Caribbean from San Juan ; Bermuda/Eastern Caribbean from New York.

In my signature several years near ship name represent multiple sailings.

For me the only downside is I like getting ship models for my collection and when ship repeats well.. I don't get one.

Edited October 7, 2019 by Tatka

[DrivesLikeMario]

Yes, I'd do it!  In fact, I have and I will be doing the same ship twice in one year on different itineraries.  It's all about the itineraries for me; I don't care what ship is doing them.

[Tatka]

12 minutes ago, FloaterBoat said:

I absolutely would without question.  We never go to the shows, so we don't care if they're repeated or not.  We sail for itineraries and the foods and ambiance. If the ship was in great condition and food delicious, like it was on our last Crown, we'd definitely sail it again to new locales.

 

We go and care... but this is one of several downsides. Plus while production shows change only once in 5-6 years, individual performers do change often.

[BarbinMich]

We've done 50+ cruises, 31 of them on Princess ships so we've been on a lot of their ships more than once, especially since we usually do TAs in spring and/or fall and the Caribbean or Panama Canal in the winter.  We've been on the Caribbean P and the Crown 5 times each (some TAs and some Caribbean) so obviously repeat sailings on the same ship are fine with us for the reasons stated by Tak8 above.  We prefer the older ships to the Royal/Regal.  Although I will admit to being agog our first time (2015) on the Royal--esp. its atrium.

Edited October 7, 2019 by BarbinMich

[hobbyfarmer2]

On 10/6/2019 at 12:54 PM, mrbucky said:

If you get the ultimate drink package and utilize it well,  you won't remember much so it will seem new.

I really like the way you reason and think.

[Hlitner]

When it comes to shows on Princess (and many other lines) changing the ship does not necessarily change the show.  In fact, you are liable to find the same shows, some of the same Guest Entertainers, similar menus, etc.  Princess and most other lines keep the same shows for at least 4-5 years.   We do a lot of cruising (many different cruises each year) and do like to book different lines to keep everything fresh and interesting.  But sometimes we find ourselves on the same line too many times, and the sameness can be annoying.  We just came off (last month) a 16 day cruise on the Caribbean Princess and in a few days we will be on a 25 day Emerald Princess cruise.  We will have likely seen some or all of the Production shows.  In fact, when it comes to long running shows like "Bravo" we have seen it 4 or 5 times :(.   In many cases we have seen the Guest Entertainers multiple times since Princess (and other lines) tend to keep using their most popular guest entertainers.  In fact, we have seen a few Guest Entertainers on multiple cruise lines....and for periods of around 20 years!  Many of the good ones do not go away and they just keep singing contracts with the cruise lines.  In fact, some of these entertainers have taken on legendary status.  I think one of the most famous is Perry Grant who has been working on cruise ships for decades.  He even has his own following.  And then you have piano bar planers/singers like "Barry from Boston" who have been around for more than 25 years.  

 

Hank

[jennybenny]

Yes, we book the same ship every year for the Holidays.  The Itinerary changes depending on the year (but alternate between the same 2 itineraries). We enjoy the lovey staff, it's like coming home. If you liked the itinerary, and enjoyed the ship, why not book again!  The shows tend not to change much, as others have stated, but if it's the itinerary you enjoyed, I would definitely do it again. 

[Thrak]

A couple of years ago we sailed 28 days on Emerald Princess - Hawaii and South Pacific cruise. I would gladly have sailed the same ship and the same cruise again the next year. It was a great cruise with a great roll call group, a great crew and a great CD. We had a fantastic trip and I would have loved to do it again the next year.

[Mike45LC]

We have sailed the same ships (Star, Ruby and Crown are all repeaters for us), and we have also sailed the same "class" of ships.  Really, if you are on the Star or the Crown, what difference does it make?  All of the Grand class ships are pretty much interchangeable!  They might change the location of the Future Cruise Desk, but except for that, everything is about the same!

 

And as others have already said, you will find the same production shows on each ship, and often the same entertainers.  Take any Princess cruise to Alaska and you will meet the sled dog puppies and the Park Rangers.

 

If I have to see Once Upon A Dream and Colors of the World again, well, I might catch up on my sleep a bit, dozing off during the shows!  

[nbsjcruiser]

On 10/6/2019 at 7:36 AM, dulcemariamar said:

I had a fantastic time on my Baltic Cruise on Regal Princess but I am a bit annoyed because the cruise I want to do next year, British Isles, is also on Regal. 

 

Can I assume correctly that all the shows will be the same? 

Would you book the same ship again or would you try to find a different ship even if the itinerary isn't as interesting for you?

We'll be on the Regal this fall for our second year in a row and 3rd time in 4 years. So to answer your question - yes I would. Its not necessarily going to be the case that all the shows will be the same. The productions shows will likely be the same but the comedians and any guest entertainers will be different. The food will probably be the same while the quality of food and service may vary. The first time we were on the Regal 4 years ago the food and service was knock your socks off good - 10 out of 10 imo. Last year? It was still quite good but there were a couple misses. 

[PMGS247]

Yes but back to back years is probably the limit for me.  Just did so on Caribbean Princess last year and this year.  One eastern Caribbean, one western.  Need something different next year.  Having said that if the CB were running a different itinerary that I really wanted to go on I probably would have done it again.  This would be a very different dynamic for someone who cruises multiple times a year and at variable times of year, vs someone like me who mostly cruises once per year and around the same time.

[seacruise9]

Hi, 

 

I cruised aboard the Crown Princess in 2018 (eight-day Southern Caribbean to the ABC islands) and last month (12-day British Isles cruise from September 10-22, 2019). I chose both cruises because of the itinerary. The British Isles cruise was excellent. The cruise was very port-intensive (nine different ports), but I greatly enjoyed the ports.

 

Chuck  

Edited October 8, 2019 by seacruise9