Princes VS. RCCL

[caribb23]

I'm having a dilemma about which cruise to choose. A 7 night Emerald Princess or a 9 night Explorer of the seas. They are both good deals from my point of view.

 

RCCL

-Good

9 night

Ports (San Juan, St. Thomas, Dominican Republic, Haiti)

Out of Bayonne, NJ (i live in new york)

Cheap transportation

Free Parking

Free $75 onboard credit per stateroom

Free travel insurance for each passenger

Deck 8 Cabin #8521

-Bad

Miss 6 days of school

T&F on the high side ($105 per person)

1st day can be cold

 

Grand Total: 2,125.34 (2 people in interior stateroom)

 

Princess

-Good

7 night

Ports (St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Princess Cays, Grand Turk)

Cheap

Over Spring Break

Great Cruise Ship

Friend from school is going on the cruise!**

Overall - GREAT

-Bad

Flights Are EXPENSIVE

 

Grand Total: 2,329.44 (can find less...just flights (including 1 night hotel) roundtrip (2) are $934!!)

 

Note: I have never been on Princess or RCCL. I have heard GREAT things from both cruise lines.

 

Which one do you think i should choose? Which has better food, entertainment, friendlier staff, etc.

Thanks experts!

[paul929207]

I wouldgo with Priness. Kids miss too much school the other way with too little educational gain.

[Host Kewlguy]

I would choose the one in which I didn't have to fly.

[luvscruising2007]

I would go on the longer cruise.:D

[Joyceoflife]

Hi. I have been on R.C. many times and Princess only once. I think R.C. doesn't compare with Princess. Years ago I wouldn't have sailed with anyone else but R.C. but not anymore. Princess gets my vote even if it is a bit more money.:)

[Cruzinnana47]

Have been on 4 RCI cruises and 3 Princess--with all things considered, I would go with the Emerald Princess cruise. The ship is newer--also, the kids won't have to miss school days, and will have a friend with them. They may enjoy the itinerary more. And MUTS is a great feature as well. The only downside I see is having to fly (which I personally HATE, but will do to go on a nice cruise).;)

 

Food is very subjective. Have had good and not-so-good food on both lines. I think I would give a slight edge to the buffet food on RCI, but our best dining experiences have been on Princess ships, overall. If you like good coffee, International Cafe on the Emerald is a plus (especially if you purchase the coffee card).

 

 

 

Good luck with your decision and have a great cruise!:)

[cruiselover57]

I'm having a dilemma about which cruise to choose. A 7 night Emerald Princess or a 9 night Explorer of the seas. They are both good deals from my point of view.

 

RCCL

-Good

9 night

Ports (San Juan, St. Thomas, Dominican Republic, Haiti)

Out of Bayonne, NJ (i live in new york)

Cheap transportation

Free Parking

Free $75 onboard credit per stateroom

Free travel insurance for each passenger

Deck 8 Cabin #8521

-Bad

Miss 6 days of school

T&F on the high side ($105 per person)

1st day can be cold

 

Grand Total: 2,125.34 (2 people in interior stateroom)

 

Princess

-Good

7 night

Ports (St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Princess Cays, Grand Turk)

Cheap

Over Spring Break

Great Cruise Ship

Friend from school is going on the cruise!**

Overall - GREAT

-Bad

Flights Are EXPENSIVE

 

Grand Total: 2,329.44 (can find less...just flights (including 1 night hotel) roundtrip (2) are $934!!)

 

Note: I have never been on Princess or RCCL. I have heard GREAT things from both cruise lines.

 

Which one do you think i should choose? Which has better food, entertainment, friendlier staff, etc.

Thanks experts!

 

While I always like to go on the longer cruises, in my opinion, missing 6 days of school is a lot for kids (especially if they're in college or high school). I would definitely pick Princess because as you mentioned too, you'll know someone on board! Maybe you can still check on getting a good deal on airfare.

[Coolmama_1]

I would also pick Princess. 6 days is alot of school to miss. Even though you can make up the work, you miss the benefit of instruction and discussion. Some school districts also limit the amount of school you can miss in a sememster without penalty.

[Cruzaholic41]

It is my opinion that if the 9 night RCI cruise is an option, the missing of school days is something you are willing to consider.

 

Kids aside, unless there was a huge difference in the ships, I will almost always vote for the longer cruise. Princess ships are gorgeous, but they do not have anything that compares to the design of RCI's Voyager Class ships.

 

I love Princess. If you were comparing 7 night cruises, it would be a tough choice for me. Travelling with DH, I would likely choose Emerald Princess. However, with kids, Explorer would be a clear choice for me.

 

I find the service to be equal on both cruise lines. The main entertainment is the same, and the staff friendliness is fantastic on both. However, the nudge goes to Explorer because of the ice rink. The ice shows are wonderful and no other cruise line has any shows to compete with them. Main Dining Room food is the same. I have always had good meals on both lines. I just have to give kudos to the physical dining room on Explorer. It is 3 stories and is, I think, the most gorgeous dining room at sea.

 

Both ships have an adults only pool area. On the Emerald, you need to pay for the use of it. On Explorer, it is free. It's a toss-up because, while you pay for it on Princess, you also get more service out of it. Also, Princess tends to be a little better with enforcing the "no kids" rule.

[printingchick]

Depending on the age of your kids, I would say six days is an awful lot of missed school and they could have a hard time catching up. If we're talking kindergarten here, or college age where they may have classes only two or three of those days, it makes a difference. If we're talking high school, I would definitely not pull them out for six days.

 

Another note: Your poll order and your descriptive order are reversed. People may click a different response than intended if they don't look closely.

[caribb23]

Thank you all so much for voting and posting.

I'm in 6th grade..some nights a lot of homework (mostly math) sometimes none... We are also on a budget and with an EXTRA 2 days, without flying, without a hotel, for a LOWER price i would lean towards RCCL...but with princess, I would most likely see a friend, not have to make up SCHOOL, and fly to fl, (can be bad and good) plus the MUTS. I don't have a TA or never used one. So with the 6 cruises I have been on, all very great deals, but this time we would like to try something different, and very inexpensive. (Just payed 3k taxes!!! =[)

[caribb23]

bump

please help!

[Langley Cruisers]

Princess ships are gorgeous, but they do not have anything that compares to the design of RCI's Voyager Class ships.

 

Completely AGREE with you here. We have also been on both ships and Explorer, although older, has that "WOW!!" factor that we found Emerald simply did not have. We liked both ships, don't get me wrong... LOVED the MUTS on Princess (so fun at night!), but the Royal Promenade just made the trip for us.

 

Some people say that the itinerary and the ports are the most important thing, but hubby and I feel the ship itself is also very important. The ship is part of the destination and it is part of the journey. We love RCI Voyager-class and larger ships.

[caribb23]

28 people say i should go on Princess

15 people say i should go on RCCL

[mizLORInj]

How'd you get free parking at Bayonne?

I have been on both ships and like both. Would be really hard to say. I can't say one wow'd more than the other--they are different but both very nice. We definitely prefer Princess food over the EoS cruise we took, but that's personal taste. Nobody beats Princess pizza and fresh burgers/dogs from their grill. Movies Under the Stars is great. That said, RC EoS's skating show and Promenade area is nice too. But those factors don't sway me to RC. Also Princess has self-service laundries so we can pack less which I really like. (I don't view doing laundry as a big hassle; we do it when we feel like it.)

 

You know that a good TA will give you a discounted price and/or onboard credit for both lines, right?

Except for one cruise last year for which we flew to MIA, I'm enjoying sailing from NY to avoid something I really used to love--flying. Now it's just a hassle. I will still do it, but probably not till I've tried all ships leaving NY, Bayonne and Brooklyn!

 

I guess you have other factors though that play a role, like missing school. Understood.

ENJOY. Whichever you choose.

[cruiselover57]

28 people say i should go on Princess

15 people say i should go on RCCL

 

Just keep in mind - this is only one cruise you're talking about! There will be other times when you're not in school when you'll have more flexibility for sure! I will agree with that some of RCI's Voyager class ships are great (just got back from the Mariner 2 weeks ago - not as big now as the Oasis but still a very nice ship)! We were also on the Diamond Princess to Alaska last summer and that too was a very elegant ship! Try Princess for this cruise and then consider an RCI cruise for the future and then you won't have to worry about missing school! I also agree with other posters - missing too many days gets teachers a tad upset! It's really hard to make up the work (unless you have a really cool teacher who can give you the work ahead of time) - just easier to take cruises when you have school breaks (in my opinion anyway)!

[Aquahound]

I'm having a dilemma about which cruise to choose.

 

I'm in 6th grade..some nights a lot of homework (mostly math) sometimes none...

 

You're in 6th grade and you're having a dilemma on which cruise to choose? :confused:

[Langley Cruisers]

You're in 6th grade and you're having a dilemma on which cruise to choose? :confused:

 

Yikes! I completely missed that part! LOL!

 

...(Just payed 3k taxes!!! =[)

 

Gosh, this just seems weird. You know how much tax your parents just paid? Seems like this is their decision, unless of course, you are paying for the whole thing.

[caribb23]

Yikes! I completely missed that part! LOL!

 

 

 

Gosh, this just seems weird. You know how much tax your parents just paid? Seems like this is their decision, unless of course, you are paying for the whole thing.

 

 

Yes, I am the one who finds the cruises, prices, etc. My mother and I are going, and she doesn't know which to choose either. Sorry, I should have said my mom and I are having a dilemma. :o

Most of my teachers will give me the homework beforehand.

We got free parking because it comes with the deal with yankee trails. You get to park at their parking lot, (or terminal, something like that) which is so much better than paying appox. $10 a day in a parking garage. Yes i realize the taxes are very high, that's why I was considering RCCL a little more than Princess because the grand total is much cheaper than princess. Although i miss 6 days of school...its always worth it =P.

Princess has MUTS and that sounds like a ++++!!<3

It's not ALWAYS about the ship, but the ports. Except for the sea days (4 on RCCL 2 on princess) so i hope you can see our problem......