RCL vs Princess

[Winesnob]

My husband & I have taken 2 grand class Princess cruises and have a wonderful time, but we are looking into trying something new. We are thinking of trying RCL...any suggestions? We want to travel to the Caribbean in Feb '06 and looking for ship suggestions as well. Thanks!

[superjerryw]

I would suggest one of RCI's Radiance class ships. That would be the Radiance, Jewel, Seranade and Brilliance. They are not as big as the Voyager class ships but overall they are more luxurious. If you like the Grand class you will probably like the Radiance class.

[negc]

I agree with the recommendation about trying Radiance class. If you want something with all the bells and whistles, such as ice skating rinks and a royal promenade, you will find the Voyager class awesome, but those ships are unlike any others currently sailing and make it difficult to compare to other cruise experiences. Radiance offers much that Voyager does but, unlike on Voyager, you never seem to lose sight of the ocean and never forget you are at sea on a beautiful cruise ship. The ships offer a range of itineraries and will provide you with a great opportunity to decide how RCI and Princess compare in your own mind. We have sailed on both Princess and RCI and prefer RCI, but our tastes may differ, so try a Radiance class ship and decide for yourself. :)

[sealegs9]

My husband & I have taken 2 grand class Princess cruises and have a wonderful time, but we are looking into trying something new. We are thinking of trying RCL...any suggestions? We want to travel to the Caribbean in Feb '06 and looking for ship suggestions as well. Thanks!

 

Winesnob-

You will like the wine list and prices better on Princess. RCL offers many bottles you can pick up locally for $6-$10 / bottle (and not good finds); they mark up those "cheap" wines 350-500 percent. I resent paying $40 for an $8 bottle of wine I wouldn't even buy at home. They do have some decent choices and good on the high end. However, with a high markup, we choose to bring our own on board. The wines poured (tastes) at the "Winetasting" activity are the lower priced ones usually offered by the glass and not too good. We have fun, though and enjoy the cheese and crackers. I've not seen the higher level wine tasting as offered on the Grand Class. I found both wine tastings on Princess far superior and their wine selection is more suited to my taste and markup very reasonable (sometimes not even 100 percent). We purchased all our wine onboard.

 

As for the remainder of the ship- if you like the Grand class, I'd recommend a Radiance Class or Voyager class ship. The other classes many not have as much activity selection as you are used to on the Grand class.

 

We found the food a bit better on Princess- not a make or break decision for a cruise choice.

 

Entertainment and activities staff on RCCL wins hands down on RCCL.

 

We prefer the "European" service on Princess over RCL. Not that RCL has bad service, just a personal preference. Not a make or break issue, either.

 

I did find the average age a bit older (maybe 50 ) on Princess and late 30's on RCCL during school holidays and summers (we can only go when school is out). We're 50, so we don't mind being in the middle. If you're younger and like to party, you'll like RCL. We found Princess more sedate at night (action in different venues, but more subdued). The nightly games on RCCL are a riot. The ones on Princess are boring and poorly attended.(Again, won't make or break decision).

 

Princess limits the number of children on specific cruises. I'm not sure if RCCL does. We had 850+ kids on our Voyager cruise last August and only 200+ on the Caribbean Princess this past April. Our 11 y.o. son prefers the kids program on Princess- mellower and less crowded.

 

Specialty restaurants on Priness win hands down -IMHO- loved Sterlings. Chops on the Serenade was very good but Sterlings was outstanding. We did not try Portofinos on RCL (menu doesn't interest us for xtra $). We loved Sabbatinis, but too much food- once in a lifetime experience.

 

Hope this helps.

[bluehorizonlover123]

Having taken 4 Princess cruises and one RCL cruise I would say forget RCL. We went on the Navigator. The ship was beautiful, the service was excellent but the food, entertainment and overall cruise experience was far superior on Princess. Just my two cents. We are going on the Enchantment in 2 weeks and the reviews on cruise critic have been fair at best. RCL is definitely not worth the extra money they charge for it!!!!