Princess to RCI

[divingaggie]

Hi all,

 

We (DH, DS--11, and I) have been on two Princess cruises and will be going on our first RCI cruise in March. We actually loved both the Island (smaller ship) and the Ruby (larger ship), and we are really looking forward to our time on the Freedom. I'll be celebrating my 40th birthday, and although we love Princess, this itinerary and price worked best with our plans.

 

For those of you who have had experience with both cruise lines, what are some things that RCI does better than Princess? What are some things that we should be warned not to expect on RCI that we had on Princess?

 

Here are things on Princess that we loved, liked, and didn't like very much.

 

1) Food--we loved the food in the MDR, International Cafe & pizzeria. We liked also that the buffet had some international foods for breakfast and lunch. (I'm Filipina, so I appreciated the Filipino foods that the crew offered at Horizon Court and created for us in the MDR.) We aren't big on specialty restaurants because we figure that we paid for food in the MDR. Fave foods on Princess--the goat cheese souffle, flourless chocolate cake and most of their fish dishes. Does RCI offer similar items?

 

2) Tea time--we LOVED the tea time on Princess. Is there anything close to this on RC?

 

3) Service--we loved the very personal service that we received from everyone on both ships.

 

4) Trivia--we enjoyed the trivia games that were offered each day on Princess.

 

5) Zumba--I liked doing Zumba on sea days out by the pool.

 

6) Kids' activities--our son (11) didn't enjoy the kids' clubs on Princess. He just thought it was pretty boring.

 

7) Grumpy and entitled cruisers on Princess...don't get me wrong. Many people were lovely, but I think that there were a lot of grumpy cruisers that didn't ever seem happy about anything.

 

8) We liked the game room that was always available on sea days on Princess. One of the specialty restaurants was turned into a game room in which people could go to play board games, and there were snacks and drinks available while you were in there.

 

Thanks for any input you might be able to give us! I'm excited about trying another line!

[royalcruz]

1) Food is good on both lines. I think Princess buffet food selection is better. RC offers a fish dish most nights in the MDR. Princess pizza is much better. RC offers a lot of Asian foods in the buffet, and the soups are good there too. Desserts in Chops specialty dining are great (mud pie and red velvet cake), but other desserts aren't worth the calories IMO. The cookies are yummy though.

 

2) There is a tea hour in the buffet daily.

 

3) Service really depends on particular staff, but is usually very good.

 

4) Trivia: you will find musical and other trivia.

 

7) In my experience, RC attracts a different crowd than Princess. The people are fun and social. I haven't heard the amount of complaining and fighting over seats like on Princess.

 

RC cabins are roomier for each category.

 

RC has a party daily and they are high energy.

 

RC solarium is a nice place to spend the day and it's free.

 

The piano bar on RC is much more fun than on Princess. The seating is closer together, which encourages more audience socializing and participation.

[Desert Cruizers]

We have sailed Princess three times and found the food equally good, entertainment I feel is better on Royal, Standard size balconies are larger. Unlike princess which factor in the size of the balcony with their room size, Royal gives you a room size Plus balcony. I never judge one line over another because of crew, yet found both lines have couteous crew. I also feel RCCL is easier to navigate.

[Llmtax2000]

Although the Princess pizza cannot be beat my 12-YO DD definitely prefers the higher energy of RCI as well as the higher child headcount.

 

The only thing I really miss from the Princess ships is the self-serve laundry room on each deck. Knowing that I could do a load or two mid-trip definitely made packing easier!

[Stateroom_Sailor]

 

7) Grumpy and entitled cruisers on Princess...don't get me wrong. Many people were lovely, but I think that there were a lot of grumpy cruisers that didn't ever seem happy about anything.

 

I know 3 groups of people who won't sail Princess again because of #7, which is really unfortunate. I actually posted a thread once encouraging Princess passengers to stand up to these types of people, but they said that they preferred avoidance.

 

I did a commercial marathon tonight, all the major cruise lines, which are either straight forward or funny. Princess seems the most emotionally tricky, implying that it can change you, or improve your relationship. Here's a couple examples:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yOmR7B4N4c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9bomRQkuQU

(starts out ok...)

 

The point is, I think these commercials are reaching out to people who are unhappy, and offering a fix. RCL and CCL advertise people having fun, HAL and Celebrity showcase their service, and Disney and NCL their individual magic, not escaping from yourself! So I think Princess is a victim of it's own marketing scheme, and while effective, it's drawing a crowd that is unhappy at home, and also unhappy on the ship.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Stateroom_Sailor

[dancinman66]

Hi all,

 

We (DH, DS--11, and I) have been on two Princess cruises and will be going on our first RCI cruise in March. We actually loved both the Island (smaller ship) and the Ruby (larger ship), and we are really looking forward to our time on the Freedom. I'll be celebrating my 40th birthday, and although we love Princess, this itinerary and price worked best with our plans.

 

For those of you who have had experience with both cruise lines, what are some things that RCI does better than Princess? What are some things that we should be warned not to expect on RCI that we had on Princess?

 

Here are things on Princess that we loved, liked, and didn't like very much.

 

1) Food--we loved the food in the MDR, International Cafe & pizzeria. We liked also that the buffet had some international foods for breakfast and lunch. (I'm Filipina, so I appreciated the Filipino foods that the crew offered at Horizon Court and created for us in the MDR.) We aren't big on specialty restaurants because we figure that we paid for food in the MDR. Fave foods on Princess--the goat cheese souffle, flourless chocolate cake and most of their fish dishes. Does RCI offer similar items?

 

2) Tea time--we LOVED the tea time on Princess. Is there anything close to this on RC?

 

3) Service--we loved the very personal service that we received from everyone on both ships.

 

4) Trivia--we enjoyed the trivia games that were offered each day on Princess.

 

5) Zumba--I liked doing Zumba on sea days out by the pool.

 

6) Kids' activities--our son (11) didn't enjoy the kids' clubs on Princess. He just thought it was pretty boring.

 

7) Grumpy and entitled cruisers on Princess...don't get me wrong. Many people were lovely, but I think that there were a lot of grumpy cruisers that didn't ever seem happy about anything.

 

8) We liked the game room that was always available on sea days on Princess. One of the specialty restaurants was turned into a game room in which people could go to play board games, and there were snacks and drinks available while you were in there.

 

Thanks for any input you might be able to give us! I'm excited about trying another line!

 

Hi there

well food, I marginally preferred on princess but depended on the ship

all the other items you talk of are pretty equal and available on both

rccl are known for better shows of an evening, and depending on the ship also get dreamworks parades

there is also the rockwall, and depending on ship - billiard tables, wave rider, roller blade rink, ice skating rink and independent cinemas

 

rccl tend also to treat loyal passengers a bit better

am elite on princess and nearly pinnacle on rccl

 

Cheers

Greg:)

[sunsetbeachgal]

I find them very similar...just go and have fun!!

[riclop]

Hi all,

 

We (DH, DS--11, and I) have been on two Princess cruises and will be going on our first RCI cruise in March. We actually loved both the Island (smaller ship) and the Ruby (larger ship), and we are really looking forward to our time on the Freedom. I'll be celebrating my 40th birthday, and although we love Princess, this itinerary and price worked best with our plans.

 

For those of you who have had experience with both cruise lines, what are some things that RCI does better than Princess? What are some things that we should be warned not to expect on RCI that we had on Princess?

 

Here are things on Princess that we loved, liked, and didn't like very much.

 

1) Food--we loved the food in the MDR, International Cafe & pizzeria. We liked also that the buffet had some international foods for breakfast and lunch. (I'm Filipina, so I appreciated the Filipino foods that the crew offered at Horizon Court and created for us in the MDR.) We aren't big on specialty restaurants because we figure that we paid for food in the MDR. Fave foods on Princess--the goat cheese souffle, flourless chocolate cake and most of their fish dishes. Does RCI offer similar items?

 

2) Tea time--we LOVED the tea time on Princess. Is there anything close to this on RC?

 

3) Service--we loved the very personal service that we received from everyone on both ships.

 

4) Trivia--we enjoyed the trivia games that were offered each day on Princess.

 

5) Zumba--I liked doing Zumba on sea days out by the pool.

 

6) Kids' activities--our son (11) didn't enjoy the kids' clubs on Princess. He just thought it was pretty boring.

 

7) Grumpy and entitled cruisers on Princess...don't get me wrong. Many people were lovely, but I think that there were a lot of grumpy cruisers that didn't ever seem happy about anything.

 

8) We liked the game room that was always available on sea days on Princess. One of the specialty restaurants was turned into a game room in which people could go to play board games, and there were snacks and drinks available while you were in there.

 

Thanks for any input you might be able to give us! I'm excited about trying another line!

You will have alot more fun.

[divingaggie]

Thanks for all of your replies! I am the type of person that will be able to enjoy pretty much anything, so I know that we will find ourselves having fun and enjoying all that FOS will offer. I am interested to see what I will miss from Princess. We are still early in our cruising lives, so we want to experience different ships and lines. We would like to start building our loyalty points with a few lines, but I think it's more important to experience great itineraries and new experiences.

 

We can't wait for our cruise--38 more days!

[Stateroom_Sailor]

Thanks for all of your replies! I am the type of person that will be able to enjoy pretty much anything, so I know that we will find ourselves having fun and enjoying all that FOS will offer. I am interested to see what I will miss from Princess. We are still early in our cruising lives, so we want to experience different ships and lines. We would like to start building our loyalty points with a few lines, but I think it's more important to experience great itineraries and new experiences.

 

We can't wait for our cruise--38 more days!

 

Hey you should post a compassion thread after you get back, it sounds like you would be fair to both lines. We're tying RCL for the first time the day you disembark, then Celebrity 6 months later. We might even try Holland in 2016 for Canada/New England. We're going for itinerary/bang per buck first, then enjoy all the lines that work well for us.

[mailmama]

Princess has a grill area by pool that RCCL doesn't have. They also have to movies under the stars every night. Freedom ship might have a movie on or two nights by pool. Not near as nice. If you want burgers on Freedom, you have to go to the Windjammer and they are not open flamed (and no chicken sandwich like on Princess) Pizza is not as good either on RCCL. (IMHO) Freedom has a cafe like the Ruby's international cafe but not near the selection of items. Food in dining room is pretty comparable but we really like the mega salad bar that is available on Freedom on sea days. Don't miss it. Afternoon tea is no comparison. Don't bother. Rooms on Freedom all have a couch or love seat. This gives them an edge as to space. Service has been excellent on both lines. Our GD loves RCCL's kid's club more than any other line. They do a great job on RCCL for activities available. (ice skating, rock climbing etc) Shows are much better on the Freedom. Its really just little things that you will like about each line. That makes it fun to switch back and forth so you don't do the same old thing each vacation.

[Tyler80]

Thanks for all of your replies! I am the type of person that will be able to enjoy pretty much anything, so I know that we will find ourselves having fun and enjoying all that FOS will offer. I am interested to see what I will miss from Princess. We are still early in our cruising lives, so we want to experience different ships and lines. We would like to start building our loyalty points with a few lines, but I think it's more important to experience great itineraries and new experiences.

 

We can't wait for our cruise--38 more days!

 

Probably the biggest difference between Royal Caribbean and any other cruise line, and this causes a big stink for some, is that no Royal Caribbean ship offers self serve laundry facilities. If you need to have something laundered, you must pay the ships laundry staff to do it.

 

Please post a comparison when you return. I would be interested in reading what your opinions are of Freedom of the Seas. Welcome to Royal Caribbean. Freedom is a great ship. Prepare to be WOWed!

[D&Gwintercruisers]

We have sailed both, and will not go back on Princess. RCI is by far a better choice for us. Although the Princess ship (Emerald) was the most beautiful ship I’ve been on, and the Southern Carribean itinerary was awesome, the only other good thing I can say about Princess is the movies under the stars are great. Loved lying out on loungers way up on the top deck and getting served warm cookies and milk while watching a movie. Very enjoyable and relaxing. However, there was so much undesirable things on this cruise that we will never go back. First, the passengers do seem to be a very “entitled” group and were overly conscious of their “card color”. Ridiculous. Secondly, I did not like the food choices at all. No, I didn’t starve. There was always something good to eat, but the menu was way to weird for our taste. Too much seafood and strange concoctions. The service in the dining room was rushed and the waiters were not friendly at all. Very businesslike and not personable. Then there’s the drinks. Order a mixed drink and you get half a drink. If you want a “double” then you get a full drink. I complained about this and tried using different bars, but same story. And no two bars seemed to agree on what a specific drink is. Ask for a Miami Vice and get five different drinks from five different bars. I don’t drink at home except for an occasional glass of wine, but on vacation I love to try all those tropical drinks and such. Very disappointing to have to pay double the already high cost just to get a full drink. Now for the biggest complaint. The entertainment staff was horrendous. They ruined more than a couple fun nights out. A group of 20/30 somethings who are all about themselves and having a good old time among themselves does nothing to make for a good time for passengers. The “deck party” started out fun. Everyone was dancing and having a good time. Then the “staff” make everyone get off the dance floor while they proceeded to take over the floor and show their moves for a very long time. People got bored and started leaving. When they FINALLY let passengers back on the dance floor, they removed the chairs while people were dancing so there was no place to sit when you went back to where you were sitting. Party over……. Worst deck party ever. Similar thing happened at one of the clubs. Everyone was dancing to the live band and having a good time. Place was actually filled. Then the “staff” came in, made everyone vacate the dance floor while they played a very childish and lame game show – again, among themselves – and 90% of the passengers left. There were maybe ten of us left after that, and nobody that left returned . Party over…….. Royal Carribbean is fun and lively and they know how to throw a party. If I had children with me, they would be number 1 choice. Even without kids, it’s still my number 1 choice.

[Big_G]

We had a great time on Princess but prefer Royal. I think the food depends on the crew and has been no better or worse on either line. You can't beat Royal when it comes to design innovation. I also think your son will find a lot more to do on Freedom.

 

 

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[divingaggie]

I will really take notes as well as I can on the differences between the two lines. Honestly, I never enjoyed the movies under the stars during my two Princess cruises. Why? Because people were such chair hogs. There were so many saved seats, and unless we rushed out at least an hour before the start of the movie, there were barely any seats available for three of us together.

 

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[cruzsnooze]

I believe the passengers on Princess are a bit older and more sophisticated then RCL. People on princess seem to do much longer cruises and Princess has two world cruises every year which shows the crowd they attract. Princess suites go first whereas on RCL cheaper cabins go first. Princess cruises are more expensive per say then RCL.

I think the food and service on either line are equal. If you like one, you'll like the other. I think RCL is higher energy in that there are more activities.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

I believe the passengers on Princess are a bit older and more sophisticated then RCL. People on princess seem to do much longer cruises and Princess has two world cruises every year which shows the crowd they attract. Princess suites go first whereas on RCL cheaper cabins go first. Princess cruises are more expensive per say then RCL.

I think the food and service on either line are equal. If you like one, you'll like the other. I think RCL is higher energy in that there are more activities.

 

RCL has 329 sailings to book, out of those 49 are 1-5 days, or 14.9%

PCL has 408 Sailings to book, out of those 67 are 1-5 days, or 16.4%

 

Where are you getting your data that Princess cruisers do longer sailings? If they tend go for slightly shorter cruises as well, as this data would suggest, does that mean that they are now less sophisticated, or is this a ridiculous statement to begin with?

 

Navigator of the Seas Feb 16th has 34 Inside Cabins Available, 5 Suites

Sapphire Princess on Feb 8th has 0 Inside Cabins Available and 23 Suites

 

Where are you getting your data that Princess suites go first and RCL inside cabins go first? We're 1-2 weeks out, and I'm seeing the opposite...

[Stateroom_Sailor]

RCL Independence for Feb 9th has 6 Inside cabins Available, 0 Suites

PCL Royal Princess for Feb 9th has 5 Suites Available, 0 Inside Cabins

 

Now these are exactly the same day, same port, same region of sailing. suites on Princess and cabins on Royal did not sell out 6 months ago, they're still available a week from sailing. One more time:

 

RCL Oasis (same port) Feb 15th has 4 Inside Cabins, 1 Suite

PCL Ruby Princess For Feb 15th has 5 Suites Available, 0 Inside Cabins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Travelw]

We are Platinum on both Princess and RCCL. I prefer Princess, my wife prefers RCCL.

1) We both agree food in MDR is better on Princess.

2) I really like the grill for burgers on Princess.

3) We think the people flow in the buffet area is better on Princess than on RCCL.

4) Shows are better on RCCL.

5) Kids program on RCCL is better.

 

Dennis

[FLACRUISER99]

 

2) There is a tea hour in the buffet daily.

 

I don't think you can compare the sit down tea in the dining room on Princess with RCI's snacks in the buffet.

Edited February 1, 2014 by FLACRUISER99

[big bro]

I believe the passengers on Princess are a bit older and more sophisticated then RCL. People on princess seem to do much longer cruises and Princess has two world cruises every year which shows the crowd they attract. Princess suites go first whereas on RCL cheaper cabins go first. Princess cruises are more expensive per say then RCL.

I think the food and service on either line are equal. If you like one, you'll like the other. I think RCL is higher energy in that there are more activities.

 

I would call it pretentious not sophisticated.

[Boatingmom]

In my opinion Princess appeared more "proper" while Royal seemed to be more "yuppie". Breakfast buffet better on Royal AND Pool food better on Princess. Both are fun.:D

[rjjjcj]

We have been on 13 Princess and will be taking our 3rd RCCL cruise in March. I will agree with the post that Princess is a little more "proper", formal atmosphere & RCCL is a more lively vibe.

We have gone on RCCL lately because our daughter is older (almost 13) and there is a bit more for kids her age on the big RCCL ships.

If it were just my DH and I we would probably choose Princess. I find their MDR food better (especially seafood), poolside dining options and pizza MUCH better. RCCL extra fee restaurants are better.

Princess formal nights are dressier, so if you're more comfortable with smart casual you like RCCL. Entertainment @ same on both, although Princess movies under the stars rocks!

Enjoy!! Both are great lines with so much to offer!!

[Cindy]

You seem to be very open to change and different experiences, so I think you'll enjoy RCI. I've been on four lines, and I've found they all have some things I think they do exceptionally well and some things I would like them to do differently.

 

The only time I REALLY struggled with a cruise was the first couple days on the Rhapsody (our second cruise). Cruising was still new to me, and I compared everything to my first cruise, which is kind of like a first love...you can't ever replicate it, although you may find that later loves are even better!:D Once I realized things weren't necessarily better or worse, just different, I had a blast.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

I don't think you can compare the sit down tea in the dining room on Princess with RCI's snacks in the buffet.

 

I wouldn't compare the tea to the snacks either, but I would be interested in someone comparing the tea to the tea? I'm sure ambiance, setting, and socially they're totally different, which is probably what you mean, but the OP may just want to compare the tea quality itself. My bet is on Princess.

Edited February 1, 2014 by Stateroom_Sailor