RCCL vs Princess

[JAYRAY1259]

Just throwing this out there.We have cruised on RCCL about 8 times. All of the cruises we have taken were great. Naturally some were better than others, but in general all were great, with some of them being exceptional. The reason for the great to exceptional ratings vary, but mostly they were due to having fun people sailing with us. We did one other cruise with Carnival back in the 90's, we had a ball because it was our 25th anniversary and we went with two other couples, who were celebrating their 25th too. Carnival cruise lines left a lot to be desired though, of course that was in the 90's.

My question is this, we would like to hear from people who sailed on both RCCL and Princess Lines. Hopefully anyone who responds will have done at least 2-3 cruises on both lines. We are Emerald status on RCCL and have never sailed on Princess. If we go with them we won't have any extra benefits which we do have with RCCL. We are not asking out of dissatifaction with RCCL, just that we are curious to find out if it's worth giving up the perks to sail with Princess for a change. We would appreciate your unbiased opinions. Probably looking to book a new cruise within about 9 months, Thanks for your input, Joe & Libby.

[wants2cruise2]

I can't answer your exact question, We also have done mostly Royal and prefer it over our Carnival and the same about as the Celebrity, but planning Alaska next spring and choosing Princess because we heard that Princess does Alaska better.

[wants2cruise2]

I can't answer your exact question, We also have done mostly Royal and prefer it over our Carnival and the same about as the Celebrity, but planning Alaska next spring and choosing Princess because we heard that Princess does Alaska better.

 

So I guess I would also like to hear what others have to say about Royal vs Princess.

[kymbakitty]

We've been on the Souveirgn (sp?), Vision, Splendour, and Grandeur.

 

On Princess, we've been on Grand, Star, Dawn, Diamond, and Emerald. Most of them have been 14+ days.

 

We've also been on HAL, Celebrity and Carnival.

 

There are way more similarities than there are differences with these two lines. I wish I had the disposible income required of a Cunnard or Crystal, but since I just can't see spending nearly 100% more for the same amount of days, we'll stick with these mass marketers.

 

It may be a tiny bit more formal on Princess/Celebrity (i.e., more suits and still a few tuxes on formal night). Food is just as good, Entertainment is just okay. MUTS is pretty cool...but there are so many people that have never even watched a single movie...we've only watched one. Love the coffee card...that is very cool.

 

The exercise facilities are better thought out in RCI ships.

 

Is there anything specific you are wanting to know?

 

What kind of bennies do you receive that are that great? I read the different levels and couldn't see anything that seemed that great. I do have status with Princess and we do get 500 minutes of free internet, but it's going to be a long time to reach the next level which will give us free laundry.

 

Speaking of laundry, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the self service laundry areas on Princess though (irons/boards). Really going to miss that on our TA cruise in October. We'll deal though...:)

 

Dawn

[gcvt]

We sail on Star Princess this coming Wednesday - first time on Princess. I'll see if I can put together a little comparison review when we get back.

[girlguide]

We've done RC, Princess & Celebrity. There is not a lot of difference between them.

 

Princess has a coffee card & ultimate soda card, but no real wine packages. Their beds can be HARD, but I hear they are changing them out as they upgrade ships. Princess definitely does Alaska better & if you watch for deals in the spring, sometimes cheaper.

 

Food, entertainment, service has been as good as any of the RC & Celebrity ships we've been on. Not a fan of MUTS, but I don't cruise for movies & TV.

 

I like the adults only pool area on RC. Princess offers a similar area for a price - their covered pool area is for everyone.

 

The only thing I really dislike on Princess is the design of their buffet - crowded & badly organized. Food was okay, but I'm not a fan of buffet food.

 

I did like being able to go to the main dining room on embarkation day - this seems to be a secret known mostly by CC members. If you ask crew about it when boarding they will direct you to the buffet. Don't listen & look for the traditional dining room - called the International Dining Room on the ships I've been on.

 

As you can see in my signature we go between all 3 depending on itinerary, price & dates available. I work in education so usually only available spring break, summer & Christmas (not affordable!).

 

When you look at Alaska itineraries - the ones out of Vancouver take you up the full inside passage - east coast of Vancouver Island. Ones out of Seattle go up the west side of the island & it can get rough.

 

Another detail to consider - if you're not doing a land tour before or after it can be cheaper & easier to do a 14 night round trip on Princess. These are also sold as 2 - 7 night itineraries & treated like a B2B, but you need to request credit for 2 cruises if you bought it as a 14 night. We asked & received the additional credit - after our one night this spring we will be Platinum! Princess still counts "per cruise" for their loyalty program.

[Marty in KY]

We did Mariner of the Seas in 2005, and I remember a lot of things I like about that ship. We did Crown Princess about 2 years ago, and I remember almost nothing. Except watching the NCAA tourney on the big MUTS screen. That was cool. But I seriously wonder sometimes "was I on that trip??" (and I don't drink alcohol) So we're taking Freedom of the Seas later this month, but I probably wouldn't choose Princess again unless we got an unbeatable price. Nothing bad--it just wasn't that memorable.

 

To add some insight, my wife and I are in our 30s and have three children. We've cruised 11 times: Disney (4), Celebrity (1), Carnival (2), RCI (2), Princess (1) and our first cruise was on the old Big Red Boat. We've never had a bad cruise--it's our very favorite way to vacation. But Disney is our favorite when we can get a good deal. So that may shed a little light on why we prefer RCI over Princess. Hope this helps a little.

[royalcruz]

Princess lacks the high energy parties that are so fun on Royal, maybe because there aren't as many young adults on Princess. Princess doesn't have solariums but they do have MUTS. Princess allows you to bring a bottle of wine per person.

[Ashland]

We have sailed exclusively for many years with RCI...This past February after missing the Mexican Riviera now that RCI has left the west coast we decided to give PCL a try...

 

A great opportunity we thought with the Sapphire Princess just coming out of an extensive drydock, booking the much sought after minisuite E731 and the joy of a 1 hour drive to the port of San Pedro...Excited to finally give another cruiseline a try, so we went with an "open mind"...

 

Sorry...something just seemed "off" or at least to us...Hard to say exactly what it was...So...back to our comfortable cruises with RCI...Flying to whatever port that takes us..

[powelweb]

We just sailed Princess for the first time to Alaska this summer after many RCL cruises, a couple of X cruises with 1 Disney and 1 Carnival cruise, too.

 

I agree that there were more similarities on Princess than differences, and also agree with the comment about RCL's buffet having a better layout. We also missed the royal promenade as a key activity for parades, and found the Princess atrium and layout was a little choppy in design with the mid-ship elevators only going to certain decks. The shows were pretty comparable, and comedians were very funny.

 

I bought the ultimate beverage non-alcoholic package for myself, which included soda, milkshakes and hot chocolates, so that was nice. And we did do self-laundry which is not available on RCCL.

 

DD (8) seemed to like the kids club just as much as on our last X cruise which was when she really started attending it.

 

For us being diamond though, DH and I agreed that in general, we'd probably stick with RCCL or X if the itinerary and price are generally equal with Princess.

 

Was very happy to have sailed with Princess through Alaska, and thought it was a great touch that they had photographers up on deck during the glacier bay day to capture wonderful pictures.

 

Hope this is helpful

wendy

[Bizzie07]

We are platinum with both Princess and RCL. We enjoy both and would sail with either if the price and itinerary was right. We prefer the food on Princess but not enough differences to bother about. We always sail with our daughter who is now 15 and prefer the cabin layout on RCL. She prefers the activities on RCL but again would go on Princess in a heartbeat. Entertainment is the same on both lines. Select the one that suits best and enjoy!

[bigeagle12]

We have sailed both Royal and Princess and although we prefer Royal (mainly because of the Voyager class ships) we would do either again in a heartbeat.

Here is just a quick comparison (our opinion) of the 2:

 

Embarkation - equal

Disembarkation - advantage Princess

Muster Drill - equal

Food - slight advantage to Princess - little better quality and more variety

Dining Room (service) - equal

Dining Room (decor) - advantage Royal

Cabins - advantage Princess - bigger closet - better layout

Entertainment - equal

Ship (Promenade vs Atrium) - advantage Royal

Casino - advantage Royal

Service (Dining Room) - equal

Service (Windjammer vs Caribe) - advantage Royal

Service (cabin) - equal

Johnny Rockets vs Trident Grill - advantage Princess (free)

Movies Under the Stars (MUTS) - advantage Princess

Promenade Cafe vs International Cafe - advantage Princess

Pizza - advantage Princess

Bars/Lounges - advantage Princess

Onboard Activities - advantage Royal

[JMG]

We have done 4 Princess cruises are all but D+ on RCI.

 

As noted they are very similar. On Princess you will find many Brits that are doing B2B cruises since the ship is originaly from the P&O Line and with the cost of airfare and promotions, it is more efficient for them to book this way. We a lot of super people.

 

Princess is a little more laid back and conservative but otherwise we found it be great. Princess does have the My Time Dining down to a science and one entire DR level comprised the MTD folks. Tables of 8, 10, 12 (or smaller) and they are filled as people come into the dining room so there is hardly any wait from the time you are seated to the time you are being waited on. You can opt to share or not share a table. You can walk in - which we did every night with no wait or you make a reservation.

 

Our perks with RCI at the D level are worth staying with RCI but if Princess has a better itinerary...we would book without a concern.

[Big_G]

We did a stretch of Princess cruises a few years ago but even though we enjoyed them immensely, we made the conscious decision to come back to Royal because of a better overall experience. As others have said, they are a lot alike but we thought the ships and service were just a little better on Royal. Now we're feeling out Celebrity and have found it a slightly more upscale experience (just a little) and more relaxed.

[knittinggirl]

We've done Princess twice: Alaska and Hawaii.

 

The Good

 

 

Self-Service Laundry

 

Alaska Itinerary w/ Glacier Bay

 

Connoisseur Cruisetour option in Alaska

 

Hawaii RT from LA

 

Better Programming

 

Assorted Chocolates at Turn down

 

Free Basket of Fruit in Room

 

Great Service

 

Coffee Cards - Unlimited coffee, tea and hot chocolate for the entire cruise, and punches for specialty coffees may be used on future cruises - About $30

 

The Bad

 

 

Uncomfortable Beds (I'll be interested to try them on a refitted ship) for us, this is a deal breaker. We were in a Vente Suite, 3 egg crates and still got sore backs.

 

Horizon Court - I grabbed a table and the husband went to get two plates on embarkation day. Took 45 minutes to negotiate the long line. After that we went to the pizza and hamburger station by the pool. Rats! This is not doing the line breaks!

[FLACRUISER99]

Coffee Cards - Unlimited coffee, tea and hot chocolate for the entire cruise, and punches for specialty coffees may be used on future cruises - About $30

No longer true, Princess now dates the cards and they can only be used on the current cruise.

[Tak8]

I've done my last 3 cruises on Princess, prefer them and I've done one on Royal. I like Royal and really enjoyed the cruise, but I like the feel on Princess.

A few things I like better about Princess:

Freshwater pools

Pizza

Suite benefits (when I can afford a suite)

This December, I will be back with Royal doing the Brillance Southern Caribbean from San Juan. I'm back because I want to sail from San Juan and I really like Tortola as a port. Royal has that and Princess has abandoned SJ for now. I'm sure their are things I will miss, but also things I will enjoy about being on Royal. I think it's good to switch a line once in a while. You may find a new favorite or convince yourself you should never try a different line again. As long as I like a line, I'll go with who can get me where I want to go.

[OCruisers]

We've been on LOTS of Princess cruises and some RCCL cruises. Princess is our favorite ... but we like to "sleep around".

 

There is much more alike than different about Princess and RCCL. Nothing to really not like about either.

 

You'll enjoy giving Princess a try. :)

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[jdr1000]

My wife an I sailed with Princess just once on the Caribbean Princess. We had one of the large suites with all the supposed perks.

 

Embarcation process was so disorganized that my wife banned them as a choice for future cruising. Imagine going to a concert with one door. Disembarcation was similar. Just a bad experience. Maybe a one time thing, but she does not forget it. The room was great and the service inside similar to RC.

 

We keep using RC and Disney without any problems.

 

J

[nbsjcruiser]

We've done numerous RCI and one Princess. My take on Princess is that the food was THE best food I've had on any lines we've been on, NCL, Carnival, RCI, Princess. The Crown Princess was beautifully maintained and the staff was as good as you'll find anywhere. Night time entertainment tended to be a bit lacking, not in quality like Carnival just that there wasn't much going on. The seem to rely on the big 50 Foot TV a little too much, just like Carnival does.

 

All in all we had a good cruise and would do them again if they weren't so damned expensive.