Which is better for an older couple - Enchanted Princess or Caribbean Princess?

[drpclarke]

Oh y'all...

 

I have a client who wants to take his wife on a cruise for their 69th wedding anniversary! The cuteness of it is killing me!

 

He wanted to go on Celebrity, but he just can't make that work financially. Pricewise, it looks like Enchanted Princess or Caribbean Princess are the best bets for him. I looked at reviews, and it looks like there MAY be more children on Caribbean Princess, but I'm not sure. 

 

I imagine he and his sweetie want a nice, quiet, and relaxing cruise without tripping over little ones.

Anyone know these ships well enough and can offer an opinion?

Thanks so much!

Rachel

[TK76RCA]

The ship isn’t as much as a factor on Princes for kids, what does matter is length of cruise,Itinerary and time of year….

longer cruises less kids, holidays more families etc

 

Edited January 27 by TK76RCA

[partybarbie]

Enchanted is newer, so if the itinerary is similar, I would pick Enchanted.

[donswife]

Caribbean is smaller and a little easier to get around,  and sitting out or walking on the promenade deck is very nice to do.

[Spudd]

I had clients on Caribbean recently and they said the ship was very old and tired. Not a good review at all. Same clients enjoyed Enchanted.

[pilot]

1 minute ago, donswife said:

Caribbean is smaller and a little easier to get around,  and sitting out or walking on the promenade deck is very nice to do.

I thought Caribbean had an extra deck, so more people?

[donswife]

41 minutes ago, pilot said:

I thought Caribbean had an extra deck, so more people?

Smaller than Enchanted though. I really like the Sapphire. 

[curlybelle2]

We were on the Enchanted last February and had a great time. A beautiful ship and much newer than the Caribbean. The buffet is much bigger and more options for food. We are going on her again in March of this year.

But, The Caribbean has a walking promenade deck that we really enjoy. And the Caribbean has a walk-in step into the pool. We were very disappointed that there weren't any walk-in steps on the Enchanted. 

Kaye

 

[startedwithamouse]

2 hours ago, drpclarke said:

Oh y'all...

 

I have a client who wants to take his wife on a cruise for their 69th wedding anniversary! The cuteness of it is killing me!

 

He wanted to go on Celebrity, but he just can't make that work financially. Pricewise, it looks like Enchanted Princess or Caribbean Princess are the best bets for him. I looked at reviews, and it looks like there MAY be more children on Caribbean Princess, but I'm not sure. 

 

I imagine he and his sweetie want a nice, quiet, and relaxing cruise without tripping over little ones.

Anyone know these ships well enough and can offer an opinion?

Thanks so much!

Rachel

 

You're a TA - surely you're not just looking at reviews of comparing two ships for which will have more children?  

 

Time of year, anyone knows school holidays are where there are more...children. 

[cr8tiv1]

There are so many factors to take into consideration.

 

Caribbean has a full promenade and more public spaces.  Enchanted is newer with bells and whistles.  I believe the Enchanted will also have more passengers and the Piazza will be noisy and a zoo.  But she will have more up to date production shows.

 

I like the Grand/GEM class ships.  I have yet to book a Royal Class ship.  In fact, I cancelled a cruise because Princess moved me over from the Grand to the Regal to the Sky.  

 

You should be looking at itineraries and time of year.  

[Steelers36]

I believe PCL has moved as much as possible into the Piazza/Atrium, so I wouldn't expect a lot of relief from noise on the CB.

 

The OP asked about kids.  @drpclarke, as others have suggested, the itinerary and dates are critical to advise you, so please give us that info.  Kids are more likely on a 7-nighter as opposed to a 10-nighter if during school.  If the voyage is being booked during holiday periods, well there are going to be more kids around.  That said, Princess is hardly a place where one will encounter hordes of screaming urchins running about.

 

All things equal, I would go for the newer ship.

[cr8tiv1]

@Steelers36 You are absolutely correct.  All the (4) cruises I took in 2023, the Piazza was used for all events that used to take place elsewhere.  It was no longer a place to sit and enjoy your latte or have a nice conversation with a fellow passenger. Even the lovely classical groups were drowned out.  Such a shame.

[mevs904]

We have sailed on both ships.  Although we were not terribly impressed by the Caribbean Princess we do love the full promenade deck and larger balconies.  Yes, the Enchanted is newer, but we were very put off by the loud piazza, especially when they had loud bands performing there.  The atmosphere in Sabatini’s was ruined by the noise and we made a point to address it in our survey, asking them, “What on earth were you thinking?!”  Yes, a new ship can be nice, but it is not necessarily better.

[cr8tiv1]

By "client" are you saying you are a TA representing them?  Have you ever been on a Princess ship?

 

Much depends on the above.  But also the stateroom they pick.  If they want a balcony or above, the Caribbean P has much better balconies.  If they want a suite, the Royal Class ships have a concierge's lounge.  If in an interior or ocean view, they may enjoy the Caribbean Promenade much better. 

 

Are the itineraries the same?  Do they plan on getting off the ship?  Are they buffet people (I am not)?  Will they have a Beverage Package?  So much more goes into picking a cruise than date, ship and itinerary.

[nini]

19 hours ago, drpclarke said:

Oh y'all...

 

I have a client who wants to take his wife on a cruise for their 69th wedding anniversary! The cuteness of it is killing me!

 

He wanted to go on Celebrity, but he just can't make that work financially. Pricewise, it looks like Enchanted Princess or Caribbean Princess are the best bets for him. I looked at reviews, and it looks like there MAY be more children on Caribbean Princess, but I'm not sure. 

 

I imagine he and his sweetie want a nice, quiet, and relaxing cruise without tripping over little ones.

Anyone know these ships well enough and can offer an opinion?

Thanks so much!

Rachel

 

The ship does not determine whether there will be children or not. It is the time of year, length of the cruise and destination.

I would vote for the Enchanted.

[Wishing on a star]

For me, the newer ship wins.   Caribbean is showing it's age.

All other differences can be worked around.   Being familiar with Princess helps!

At certain times, the Piazza can be more active/loud...  they do have sets of entertainment, with the ships band... etc..  but that can be avoided.  No problem.  Always other places to be.

Have they cruised before?

Will they want to cruise during the Summer, Holiday???

Do they want things to be more upscale and 'new'?   (an older ship might not impress as a first time experience)

What type of cabin will they be booking?

 

Many bemoan the lack of a full promenade.  But, something tells me that this couple are not ones to want to get their walking miles in.

The should be able to find some areas to sit and watch the sea go by.

NOTE:  Deck 7 Aft, deck areas on both Port and Aft of Vista Lounge.

Perhaps the deck areas on both sides of the Piazza.  I don't think that is always closed off for those who are dining.

The wake-view area, Aft on Lido, is not always an 'active' place.  and they should be able to find a nice spot there.  Or the upper level overlooking that, on the Sun deck.

And, the deck overlooking the adult Retreat pool area might work, if the weather is calm and not windy.

 

Edited January 28 by Wishing on a star

[Barry H]

Enchanted has deluxe balcony cabins that come with a love seat. More room than a balcony and less expensive than a mini suite. On the Caribbean Princess you need to upgrade to a minisuite to get a couch in the cabin.

[Rick&Jeannie]

We all have a lot of questions whose answers might help give the OP some advice...but she has not weighed back in.  I also noted that the OP is not "following" the thread.  It somewhat begs the question "How much experience does she have with Princess?"  (I'm absolutely not trying to give her a hard time...but we need a bit more info if she really wants help.)

[Musky Ike]

Just off a b2b on the Caribbean out of FLL. The first week to the west had loads of kids everywhere. The second east leg  hardly any. I could not figure out why. Others mentioned the MLK holiday was during the first week. I never thought that was a school break. But what do I know. Anymore schools seem to take different break times.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 1/27/2024 at 6:28 PM, drpclarke said:

I imagine he and his sweetie want a nice, quiet, and relaxing cruise without tripping over little ones.

if they go outside of school breaks (spring and summer break, Christmas, NYE and Thanksgiving breaks), there will be very few kids. And it will be much cheaper.

 

I would 100% go with Enchanted. We enjoyed 10 days on her in 2022 (despite being younger than the regular demographic and having an 11 yo in tow), and we are about to enjoy her again with my parents (70+) and a 13 yo in tow.

 

We found Caribbean Princess old and tired in 2016.

Edited January 29 by Itchy&Scratchy

[bphman]

We are booked on the Enchanted in August so I can't comment but have sailed the Caribbean and, overall, did not like her.  The ship's very crowded and there always seemed to be a backup at the elevators.  I doubt they will be doing the bar scene but there always seemed to be a shortage of seating.  If the sailing is during cooler weather, the Caribbean is not the ship for that.  The pool decks are open with less shade than the other newer ships.  Make sure they book a midship cabin as there will be a lot of walking from one end to the next.   

[tonit964]

Sorry, but this thread is very strange. It's the "client" part that is troublesome for me.

[Rick&Jeannie]

[arizonaperson]

Yep, the op/ author has not returned to this thread. Perhaps it was just a question they were thinking about and moved on,it happens. As far a client- they could be a banker, a tax person, a business owner,etc.Client means so many things.

Update-i just saw a post from a few days ago under Royal Princess and op says they are a travel agent & needs help,so that explains that now.

Thread probably needs to be closed??

 

 

Edited January 30 by arizonaperson

[cr8tiv1]

Wow...what a little bit of clicking will find you.

 

@drpclarke must be a new travel agent or is not very familiar with Princess cruises.  S(He) posted this on another thread.  It would be nice if OPs would return to their thread to update or even acknowledge others who have tried to assist.

 

 

 

• •  208
• December 30, 2000
• Charlotte NC USA

• #1  

Posted Friday at 04:12 PM (Guessing January 26, 2024)

Please?? 😁

 

I am a travel agent and I have booked a group on Royal Princess. Unfortunately, I haven't been on this ship, so I'm at a disadvantage in answering their questions!

 

One of the clients has many questions, and I'm hoping you all can answer:

 

1. This is an Alaskan sailing going Seattle RT. He thinks the port side is the best side because he'll have views of the glaciers, etc. more often than he would should his cabin was on the other side of ship. Thoughts?

2. He wants to do Penthouse suite. They are available on decks 12, 14, and 15. However, he has heard that on deck 14 and 15 that those on penthouse balconies can look up and see people above them looking down. Anyone have thoughts on that?

3. In addition, he has heard that soot is a problem on the ship, so the upper deck (especially in the back of the ship) can get a light coat of soot and it can be problematic. This was the first I've heard! Anyone know anything?

 

If you have any opinions on where best location of penthouse suite would be, please let me know.

Thanks!!

Rachel