Royal Caribbean vs. Princess - differences?

[AFsouth]

We've sailed both and they're comparable. Princess has better Itineraries and Pizza. Royal, better entertainment options. We're currently booked on Allure (did Oasis twice), and are considering changing to a Princess 10 day southern with nice ports. Still undecided.:confused:

[NYCRUISR]

We are Diamond members on RCCL. It has been our cruise line of choice for quite some time. However, this past June we tested the waters of Princess by cruising on the Caribbean Princess out of Brooklyn, NY. I have to say that I believe both lines are fundamentally similar. There were actually some things I liked how Princess did it better and some not. Our overall experience was a big positive and we will certainly cruise them again in the future.

 

The biggest difference to date is of course the ship design. I spoke with many people on CB and they like the design just fine whereas I prefer the RCCL big ships with the Royal Promenade, and of course on the Oasis class...... it's surely something else.

 

Princess has the new Royal Princess coming up and I will certainly cruise on her. I like how Princess is moving ahead in design...going towards the RCCL interior but holding it back to resemble what has worked well for them.

 

They are both good line in my opinion.

[cccult]

We happen to do Royal and Princess 1 year apart, both out of Houston, tx. and both the week before spring break. Therefore both cruises had very few children on board. I'm 30 and my husband is 40 we felt both lines represented our age group fine. Navigator was a much nicer ship, very open and we never got turned around or lost. Emerald Princess seemed to have several dead ends, which got us turned around a few time. Though, they had hand painted murals throughout the ship, which we loved. Mostly because that's what we do but also because it feels classy to have hand painted work to admire... I didn't notice a huge age difference between the two ships, both had their fair share of retirees, and people in our age groups. Overall I thought the food was better on Princess, they do have fantastic pizza :) we made a special trip everyday to enjoy that... I get the the arcade is for the kid-o's but Royals arcade was way better. Plus, royal just had hipper things going on it seemed like. Princess felt really relaxed and easy going, where royal seemed kind of livelier and had things going on all night every night. Plus they have salt water pools, which I love... Princess was like, everyone was in bed by 10:30 or so but they had a current jet in the adult pool which is a great workout. All in all, they were both great, I'd look into who is offering the better deal and go with that line.

[MCC retired]

We cruise and enjoy them both frequently .

We don't care for RCI's mega ship size but enjoy the Radiance Class .

We also don't care for Princess's newest ship designs , Royal & Regal .

We are Platinum in PCL & Diamond on RCI so we enjoy those benefits on each.

Princess does have the edge in recognizing Military and Shareholder with OBC's that are combinable with most any promo fare :) and Princess allows TA's to discount Princess rates upfront.:)

[sellwingri]

Our first 2 cruises were on Princess and we enjoyed both but thought something was missing so we decided to try Royal Caribbean. We're now Diamond on RCI and enjoy everything about it. 3 free drinks in the evening is a big benefit (equivalent of at least $60 per night for the 2 of us) and the entertainment is excellent. Can't imagine cruising without seeing The Quest which never gets old!! We did go back to Princess because of the itinerary on one cruise after 3 on RCI and it was just ok.

 

When our daughter was younger, she cruised with us and didn't like the bunks. RCI has sleeper sofas in designated rooms so she liked that. Princess doesn't have those so we ended up booking a junior suite so she'd have a bed, not a bunk. Obviously it cost us more.

[jagsfan]

We alternate lines because there are things on each that we enjoy.

I was concerned about Royal Princess because I'd heard so much about no midship stairs. It wasn't a problem for us.

Loved RP's Horizon Court, International Cafe, and pizza by the pool or in Alfredo's

Things always going on in the daytime, and movies on demand, plenty of them, on our stateroom tv.

Oasis is now our favorite RCI ship, even though it's big. We found it easy to get around and I love the entertainment. It's the only ship I even see the entertainment on.

That's the big selling point for me, because their food is pretty much on a par with Princess.

RCI's balcony cabins are a little bigger than Princess's, on the average. I like having a shower door instead of a curtain, on RCI, but Princess's closet arrangement beats everybody's.

Like I said, we alternate because we enjoy them both.

 

 

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[Bound4Bermuda]

I sailed on Princess (don't remember which ship) 10 years ago and Royal Explorer OTS 5 years ago, and definitely prefer RCCI. As many have said, the clientele on Princess weren't just older but elderly--I would say most people in their 80s. There were only a handful of other couples in their 30s, so we all found each other and hung out. On RCCI, all ages are represented fairly equally and even the older people were more "with it" and participating in all of the nonstop fun activities. Princess was a lot stuffier, so if you want that old-school, "air of class" cruising experience you'd get that on Princess, but if you want excitement and fun and ice skating and rock walls and all of that kind of stuff, go with RCCI.

 

 

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[CRUISEFAN0001]

Appreciate all the experience-based feedback in this thread.

 

We're loyal to Royal...but considering a Princess Panama Canal cruise (also considering Celebrity - but don't want one for 15 days, which appears to be all they offer).

[UandMe4Ever]

Appreciate all the experience-based feedback in this thread.

 

We're loyal to Royal...but considering a Princess Panama Canal cruise (also considering Celebrity - but don't want one for 15 days, which appears to be all they offer).

 

Hi, I believe Princess has a 10 or 11 night from Florida. We did it a couple of years ago on the Island Princess. It was wonderful. Not sure which ship goes when on Princess.

Whichever, you can't go wrong with Princess.

 

Have fun planning :-)

[CRUISEFAN0001]

Hi, I believe Princess has a 10 or 11 night from Florida. We did it a couple of years ago on the Island Princess. It was wonderful. Not sure which ship goes when on Princess.

Whichever, you can't go wrong with Princess.

 

Have fun planning :-)

Thank you. Yes...Coral Princess does a 10-day roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale.

[yuvraj]

I have been on loads of RC sailings but only one on Princess.

 

Princess

+++++

Better around the ship service including buffet.

Best pizza on any cruise line I have sailed on.

Movies under the stars with popcorn. Good choice of films which are then available to watch for free from your cabin. Choice of films much better than RC.

Better thermal suite (sauna, steam room)

Focal area is the centrum as opposed to promenade.

More interesting itineraries for European sailings.

Found the overall experience more relaxing than on the large RC ships.

 

RC

++

Better choice and options in the buffet IMO.

More activities and things to do on the ships.

Shows /Entertainment is better on the latest class ships.

Preferred the dinning room menu and food choice but that is a matter of taste.

Better choice of specialty restaurant venues.

 

All depends on the ship but above is based on my limited experience with Princess. At the moment the prices are really good so tempted to go on another Princess cruise.

 

I like both cruise lines and believe they offer different experiences rather than saying one is better than the other.

[Cuizer2]

We happen to do Royal and Princess 1 year apart, both out of Houston, tx. and both the week before spring break. Therefore both cruises had very few children on board. I'm 30 and my husband is 40 we felt both lines represented our age group fine. Navigator was a much nicer ship, very open and we never got turned around or lost. Emerald Princess seemed to have several dead ends, which got us turned around a few time. Though, they had hand painted murals throughout the ship, which we loved. Mostly because that's what we do but also because it feels classy to have hand painted work to admire... I didn't notice a huge age difference between the two ships, both had their fair share of retirees, and people in our age groups. Overall I thought the food was better on Princess, they do have fantastic pizza :) we made a special trip everyday to enjoy that... I get the the arcade is for the kid-o's but Royals arcade was way better. Plus, royal just had hipper things going on it seemed like. Princess felt really relaxed and easy going, where royal seemed kind of livelier and had things going on all night every night. Plus they have salt water pools, which I love... Princess was like, everyone was in bed by 10:30 or so but they had a current jet in the adult pool which is a great workout. All in all, they were both great, I'd look into who is offering the better deal and go with that line.

 

Were you aware that this thread was four years old when you posted? How did you even find it?

Edited March 10, 2016 by Cuizer2

[George C]

Were you aware that this thread was four years old when you posted? How did you even find it?

 

I think they were looking for a 5 year old tread but couldn't find it