My Dilemma Help me decide on Ruby Princess or not!

[scher]

Never sailed on Princess before but have sailed RCL many times. Maybe someone reading this can help me make a decision. Here is my issue. I am wanting to sign up for a Med Cruise and there are 4 that seems to really fit the bill Ruby Princess is the one that is the most attractive because of the ports and the actual ship itself but it is also seems to be 2 grand more then the others we are 4 people husband wife and two older children and would share a large suite or get two seperate rooms. The others which have similar itineraries are NCL Sprit but seems very old and run down and the Holland America Nu Amerstadam also the New Carnival Breeze.....The main place I want to go are Venice, Barcelona and Tuscany, Rome and Mykonos. Like I said the Ruby looks like the best ship but the rooms seem really tiny compared to the other ships and for 2 grand more I don't get it. Any thoughts?

[paul929207]

Med cruises tend to be port intensive, so the ship is less important.

 

However, if they itineraries are the same or real close than the ship would be he deciding thing. Princess has many ships in the area and they have been there for a long time. So they have more local relationships built up.

[teacherman]

We have sailed the Med several times on RCCL, Holland, and Celebrity. We have sailed Princess 6 times, but only in the Caribbean. I do not find a great difference in the lines. For the Med, itinerary is the main thing, as you will be "out and about", seeing things, not lying around the ship. I would try to pick a cruise that either begins, or ends, in Rome, and spend an extra 3 or 4 days in that city to do it justice. Sometimes you can find a ship that does Rome to Barcelona (or vice versa). In that case, you could spend extra time in both cities. Also, it is difficult to "experience" Tuscany from a cruise, unless it stays overnight in Livorno, in which case, you could leave the ship and take the train to spend overnight in Florence. (We did this, and it was great) You also are traveling with children, which may change the whole plan. I cannot comment on the difference in price. It may be time of sailings, length, itinerary, etc. It just comes down to supply and demand. Good luck.

[Toddy709]

Have you priced Princess with, say, one balcony room and an inside across the hall for the older children (if they are old enough). We find that that is often less expensive than it would be to cram all four of us in one balcony cabin.

[Square]

I like Princess, but 2 grand? I'd never pay that much more for a cruise. Find another ship you like and drop 2k on some fun.

[5326jan]

Find a good travel agent that discounts and gives some OBC that would help. Also read up on the boards and find out which lines have the least complaints..... keeping in mind that people do love to complain!:rolleyes:

 

For us it's always itinerary first, then ship, but we do love Princess. Next find out if your ship will dock at the ports or if they have to tender. Tendering takes up a lot of precious time in port and is also subject to weather delays.

[deedeetoo]

We had the same dilemma but I can assure you the difference in price was not $2,000. We found a discount TA and the difference in price was $600 total for 4 people in two cabins (1 balcony, 1 inside), plus I get $150 OBC, plus I can do self-serve laundry on Princess which is probably going to save me $50, and there is no corkage fee on Princess for wine in my room which should save me about $150, so really the price difference is only about $250 total. You need to find a discount TA.