Princess vs RCCL

[packedandready]

I'm posting this on both boards to get a balanced opinion.

 

Looking at sailing from Galveston April '14. I know that's a loooong way away, but have 2 cruises booked and like to stay prepared :p. No, I don't have a problem:eek:.

 

Comparing the same itinerary and the same length, the price difference is $350pp for the lowest price balcony (just using that for reference). Princess leaves on a saturday and RCCL on Sunday.

 

Why the big difference? Never cruised Princess, but 9 RCCL, 2 X and my first Carnival in a couple of weeks.

 

What makes Princess so much more expensive? Because new sailing for this port? Ship? Better cruising experince? Please tell all.....thanks

[fishin' musician]

The biggest differnce is atmosphere.

 

RCL has a more energeitic vibe; rah rah, rah... let's get the party started. Lots of announcements. More kid/family activities. Better production shows.

 

Princess is quieter, more laidback with an average age that is probably 10 years older than RCL.

 

I can't explain the price difference, but I would expect them to move over the next two years.

[Pam in CA]

Princess allows TA's to discount fares, RCCL doesn't. That's a big difference and why it's important to find a TA who books a lot of Princess cruises and discounts. Not all do even if they can. You can save between 10-20% and get OBC and other perks. So take that into account when planning.

 

It's been years since I've sailed on RCCL but when I was sailing both lines, I felt that the food was much better on Princess than RCCL. But food is subjective. No singing waiters. No in-cabin announcements other than what affects all passengers, such as inclement weather coming, changes in the ship's schedule, etc.

 

The dining rooms are more "intimate" than on RCCL. No 2- or 3-story dining rooms. Many things are similar between the two lines. More than there are differences.

[oskidunker]

But have no recent report.

[Sincity]

We've only been on one RCCL cruise and IMO, I find the buffet better (foodwise) on RCCL and MDR better on Princess.

[cflutist]

Been on both,

 

I think RCCL has prettier ships, 3 story dining rooms, more "active" things to do, e.g. Flo-Rider, Zip-lining, ice skating (yes, I have gone ice skating in the Caribbean), rock climbing wall etc. The Radiance was a gorgeous ship and we had a huge balcony in their bumpout section where I asked the room steward to bring down two chaise lounges for us.

 

Princess is more "refined", has better food, and better service. Plus we like the free Internet, and now free laundry and mini-bar (hubby didn't go to the free winetasting though).

 

RCCL does towel animals, while Princess does not. Hey, some of those were very creative. :D. RCCL balcony cabins generally have a sofa where Princess does not (except the former R ships).

[JBM]

Have cruised on both lines, love them both, and agree with the posted replies. RCCL is glitzy in an understated way and Princess, we found to have a homey, warm atmosphere.

Think about what you are looing for...RCCL is more active and Princess more laid back. You can't go wrong on either line! Have fun! :)

[packedandready]

Don't want to start anything...just a question...Hasn't Princess discontinued smoking on the balconies? What about other areas around the ship?

[Pam in CA]

Don't want to start anything...just a question...Hasn't Princess discontinued smoking on the balconies? What about other areas around the ship?

Yes. No smoking in cabins or on balconies. As most people don't smoke, I forgot to mention that. You can smoke on one side of Promenade deck, one side of Lido deck outside, and most nights in the Casino.

[Sandy Sails]

Princess allows you to bring one bottle of wine per person (I bought the biggest bottles of wine I could find, lol) and usually turns the other way if you sneak alcohol onboard in your checked luggage. RCCL has become extremely militant in not allowing anything. They have a huge list of no-no's. Frankly, I'm rather sick of it and don't plan to cruise on RCCL any longer. I very much enjoyed my first Princess cruise last month.

[paul929207]

Princess allows you to bring one bottle of wine per person (I bought the biggest bottles of wine I could find, lol) and usually turns the other way if you sneak alcohol onboard in your checked luggage. RCCL has become extremely militant in not allowing anything. They have a huge list of no-no's. Frankly, I'm rather sick of it and don't plan to cruise on RCCL any longer. I very much enjoyed my first Princess cruise last month.

The Princess policy is one bottle of wine per adult. However, they rarely enforce the rule and normally allow any reasonable (or unreasonable) amount of wine or alcohol to be carried on board.

 

RCI attempts to detect and confiscate all liquids.

[wineforhealth]

 

Princess is more "refined", has better food, and better service. Plus we like the free Internet, and now free laundry and mini-bar (hubby didn't go to the free winetasting though).

 

Just want to point out the free applies to full suite passengers and the loyalty passengers

 

 

Enjoy your cruise

[paul929207]

Just want to point out the free applies to full suite passengers and the loyalty passengers

 

 

Enjoy your cruise

That is correct. On Princess, you get free internet in a full suite. To get an internet credit, you must have completed 5 cruises or 50 nights on Princess.

 

For the free laundry and minibar setup, you must either have a suite or 15 completed cruises or 150 nights.

[wineforhealth]

That is correct. On Princess, you get free internet in a full suite. To get an internet credit, you must have completed 5 cruises or 50 nights on Princess.

 

For the free laundry and minibar setup, you must either have a suite or 15 completed cruises or 150 nights.

 

Thank you Paul for more clarification

[lafngas]

I took a Princess cruise last October in the Aegean, a RCCL cruise(conference meeting in January and this cruise was free for me! unlike the others) and a Princess cruise in March in the Caribbean.

It had been a looong time time since I sailed RCCL prior to January.

I will NEVER sail RCCL again. Walmart of the Seas,just my opinion.

[Brickwood]

I've cruised both lines several times and agree with other posters that RCCL is more active with a younger crowd and Princess is a bit more subdued. I'll cruise either one again any time!

 

Interestingly though, I've always managed to get much better pricing with Princess than Royal. No guarantee, but I think the Princess price will come down. My observation has been that Princess discounts as the cruise draws nearer but I don't see that so much from RCCL. If you look at the April 6/7 2013 cruises out of Galveston for both lines, while the inside and suites categories are $100 and $150 more on Princess than RCCL respectively, the balcony is actually a bit less on Princess. Since you're not planning to cruise until 2014, I'd keep an eye on how the prices move on the 2013 cruises which, while not a guarantee, might give you an idea of what to expect for the following year.

[packedandready]

I've cruised both lines several times and agree with other posters that RCCL is more active with a younger crowd and Princess is a bit more subdued. I'll cruise either one again any time!

 

Interestingly though, I've always managed to get much better pricing with Princess than Royal. No guarantee, but I think the Princess price will come down. My observation has been that Princess discounts as the cruise draws nearer but I don't see that so much from RCCL. If you look at the April 6/7 2013 cruises out of Galveston for both lines, while the inside and suites categories are $100 and $150 more on Princess than RCCL respectively, the balcony is actually a bit less on Princess. Since you're not planning to cruise until 2014, I'd keep an eye on how the prices move on the 2013 cruises which, while not a guarantee, might give you an idea of what to expect for the following year.

 

That's a good idea..thanks

[Matcodixon]

More similar then different.. I am not the most experienced cruiser here but I have had good experiences with both. I prefer Princess due to the itineraries, but I would not hesitate to go with RCCL if the right cruise came along.

I will make one exception though.

Since my favorite cruise so far was on one of the "small ships" now the Ocean Princess, and I have been reading the reviews here, I have absolutely no interest in booking a cruise on one of the new RCCL MONSTERS of the Seas. I have no interest in the Oasis or Allure.

[BigK09]

Just got off first and last Princess - we love RCLL - we often use the smaller ships with them for better itineraries

[caribill]

Just got off first and last Princess - we love RCLL - we often use the smaller ships with them for better itineraries

 

You may want to try the itineraries of the two Princess small ships, the Ocean Princess and the Pacific Princess. There are about 700 passegers on each of these two ships.

[BigK09]

but I think the biggest issues I had were more inherint Princess issues then the ship itself....

Lack of entertainement / communication throughout and the buffet food quality were lousy.

The overarching Royal experiance is better. i've also done big Royal ships and I prefer those to Princess too

 

The only thing better was Zumba!

[sunsetbeachgal]

just sailed on Royal Caribbean after five years os cruising nothing but Princess. We were traveling with a family with children who chose it, and since Princess does not have any ships in the Caribbean in May, they weren't an option. The ship we sailed on, Freedom of the Seas, was lovely..large but really didn't feel crowded. As others have said, the crowd in general is younger and they have so many features geared for children that worked out great. The entertainment was far better on Royal, and dining room I felt was better on Princess. I'm not a buffet fan, but would give a slight edge to royal. Pizza, far better on Princess, Coffee quality far better on royal, but missed the food at the International cafe, which is where we often grab a quick bite to avoid going to the buffet. I liked the design of the Freedom of the Seas with the central promenade....very easy to find yur way around, and great places to have a cup of coffee or a drink and people watch!

[dorisis]

Only the Ocean and Pacific Princess have cabin space in the standard cabins that compares to cabin space in the RC ships I have been on. One needs to book a mini suite on Princess for a larger cabin.

 

~Doris~

[J & G]

I'm posting this on both boards to get a balanced opinion.

 

Looking at sailing from Galveston April '14. I know that's a loooong way away, but have 2 cruises booked and like to stay prepared :p. No, I don't have a problem:eek:.

 

Comparing the same itinerary and the same length, the price difference is $350pp for the lowest price balcony (just using that for reference). Princess leaves on a saturday and RCCL on Sunday.

 

Why the big difference? Never cruised Princess, but 9 RCCL, 2 X and my first Carnival in a couple of weeks.

 

What makes Princess so much more expensive? Because new sailing for this port? Ship? Better cruising experince? Please tell all.....thanks

 

We are usually RC cruisers, but just returned from a 12-day on Crown. It was a very nice ship! Either cruise would be super.....

 

Here is sort of a brief comparison:

 

-Comparable category cabins are larger on RC

-More small entertainment venues on Crown - better large theater on RC

-More live music (duos, piano, etc) on Crown

-Ice skating shows (really great) on RC Voyager class ships

-MUTS on Crown (sometimes good....other times, loud and irritating and nobody watching the movie, especially during the day)

-Zumba (in the atrium near the International Cafe on Crown while we were trying to eat lunch and talk - VERY irritating!)

-Food (imho) better on RC

-Itineraries better on Princess (itins are the same out of Galveston)

-RC ships are easier to find your way around on - more decks go all the way through

-Younger, more active crowd (more kids) on RC

-More things to do on sea days on RC

-More places to sit around the pools (more pools) on Crown

-More places to play cards/dominoes on Princess (if you're into that.....)

-More elevators on Crown - feels less crowded

-Self-service laundy rooms on Princess (this was HUGE to us, as we were gone three weeks!)

-Debarkation smoother on Princess

-Princess seems more likely to upgrade - never got an upgrade on RC - both couples of us got one on Crown

 

All in all, I would go on either one again! If you love the pools for sea days, go with Crown. If you have kids who will be looking for things to do other than pools, go with Navigator.

[PescadoAmarillo]

We've only been on one RCCL cruise and IMO, I find the buffet better (foodwise) on RCCL and MDR better on Princess.

We haven't been on RC in a couple of years, but this is my recollection also. I'm not impressed by Princess buffets (even the salad bar was cut back last year) and didn't used to eat in them, but now that the dining room is closed in port days, find myself there more than ever. However, luckily, Princess has more food available poolside than on RC. Grilled items and pizza can all be obtained without even putting on a coverup and going inside. The downside is that, if you want pizza and salad, you end up walking to two different places to get both.

 

I miss RC's entertainment, but they kind of lost my business (for the most part) when they went to larger ships than the Radiance Class (which are the most beautiful ships EVER). I will cruise on the Oasis/Allure once someday, just to see what it's all about (don't want to judge without trying it). But, really, most of their ships are too big and too inward-focused for my taste.