For those who have cruised with both Princess & RCCL

[dani negreanu]

The biggest negative for us (and this is so subjective and personal) is the disorganized buffets that we find on Princess ships. Some complain about the Windjammer, but IMO Princess is much worse. No, we don't spend all our time in the buffet of course, but it's enough of an issue that it has us considering not cruising Princess again. We'll see. :)

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We also don't spend all our time in the buffet, but the long lines, the missing items (in RC there was always someone ready with another full tray, when even half a tray was empty), the staff concerned only that you queue in line for seconds, the buffer layout, and THEN you go in circles with your tray, trying to find a place to sit. They were ALWAYS closing half the seating space available. No more Princess for us.

BTW, I'm not too keen on Dynamic Dining, I don't want to spend my time making reservations 6 months ahead. We always do MTD and show up whever we feel like !!!

I've booked the Anthem only because it's the only ship going to Bilbao, hope I'll not regret it :confused:

[FLACRUISER99]

Just confirmed my love/hate relationship with reviews.

We all know about Quantum reviews...now this is what I just read about Regal...

 

Some good reviews & others that say:

- soot problems on some balconies

- small balcony rooms

- hard beds

- not easy to navigate due to stairways that end in inconvenient places.

- too many ships at port on the March 29th sail date.

- Lost some of the luster that previous ships offer.

 

Maybe we'll just do Oasis since I know what to expect. 😒 Frustrating!!!!!

 

 

 

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The uncomfortable beds is the reason I stopped cruising Princess.

[CI66774]

The uncomfortable beds is the reason I stopped cruising Princess.

 

Then you'll be happy to hear the new beds on the Royal/Regal are some of the most comfortable beds around - no joke!

 

I've cruised both. I prefer Princess. Better food, more elegant décor, calmer atmosphere, kid preferred Princess for clubs, service better. But we also like Royal. Just a matter of preference.

[LadyLion_AP]

After....

-talking it over with my family (youngest son, especially, seemed heartbroken)

- reading more reviews (on other sites as well)

- following LouTheGlue's live report (found in the Quantum section of CC)

- remembering the negatives I read about Indy & Oasis (which I LOVED my experience on those ships)...

I've decided to give Quantum a try. I've booked dining and iFly thus far. I'm fine with the DD idea, as I generally book dining in advance & spend a lot of my cruise in specialty restaurants. I HATE the idea of being connected via technology, as I LOVE that I can't check-in at work (& no one can get in touch with me 😊) considering the level of responsibility I have on a day-to-day basis! That being said... I can care less about internet speed!

 

I will report on my experience upon my return. Thanks again for your input & taking the time to give me advice. I am looking forward to cruising with Princess in the future. It appears Princess doesn't cruise to the Caribbean in August, as I considered switching my August Navigator cruise to a Princess cruise. 😕

 

 

 

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[bmc alabama]

We prefer Princess to RCCL, but then again, we've only done 1 RCCL cruise. We tried Royal this past Thanksgiving (Serenade) and I think that if we do RCCL again, we'd do a bigger ship. Princess beats RCCL (the Serenade at least) hands-down on food options. None of us cared too much for the RCCL buffet (Windjammer). One thing that we missed on Princess is that they bring you your drinks. Also, what bugged us a bit is that there are often times when the WJ was closed (i.e - 4:30 to 6:30) so when you'd come back from port, the only thing open was the cold sandwich place in the Solarium. We really missed the poolside grill/pizza that they have on Princess and also on DCL. Also, on Princess, the "Alfredo's" pizzeria off of the atriums are nothing short of fantastic.

 

All of this said, we prefer DCL to either Princess or RCCL, but usually Princess is cheaper than either and I don't feel as "nickel and dimed" like we felt on the Serenade. Also, we found Princess' ships to be nicer, but again, the Serenade isn't RCCL's newest ship, so it may not be an apples to apples comparison...

Edited December 11, 2014 by bmc alabama

[Ashland]

I tried (hard to like) PCL even sailing on the newly (when it was) refurbished Sapphire Princess...Couldn't put my finger on it but something just seemed off...I'll keep loyal to Royal...JMHO.

[chloe kitty]

We would take Princess over RCCL anytime. RCCL does have great entertainment, and the food is OK. We were pretty loyal to Princess, but now really love Celebrity because it is classier, has fewer children, and the food is the best of all the major cruise lines.

[bmc alabama]

Just one other note. Looking at Eastern itineraries on Regal Princess vs. Indy or Allure for Spring Break.

 

Regal is about $2,000 less for the 3 of us than a comparable stateroom on Allure. It's about $800 less than Indy. Now, Indy is 8-day, so that helps, but right now Princess looks like a better value for us.

 

That gets me to one of my biggest complaints about Royal, it seems as though a majority of their ships are always doing Western itineraries. I wish they'd do more Easterns...

 

 

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[LadyLion_AP]

Hi all. I decided to switch ships & wait for the Anthem. Sorry to say I won't be able to report on the Quantum. Looking forward to cruising Freedom of the Seas, as I got a great price today and my entire family loved the Indy!

 

 

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[Langley Cruisers]

Hi all. I decided to switch ships & wait for the Anthem. Sorry to say I won't be able to report on the Quantum. Looking forward to cruising Freedom of the Seas, as I got a great price today and my entire family loved the Indy!

 

LOL! OK, well Freedom class is wonderful and you will have a great time. :) Honestly, it sounds like there are many kinks to be worked out on Quantum, so I, for one, fully support your choice.

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[Cuizer2]

Hi all. I would like to hear your thoughts/opinions about switching my Spring Break cruise. Our family of 4 (2 teens) are booked on the Quantum for March 29. We really want to experience the ship. Reviews, the amount of money we're spending, & the not-so-great ports have me considering switching ships. I am looking at Regal Princess as a possibility. I've never cruised with Princess but did enjoy Carnival (1st 2 cruise experiences). My family LOVES Royal Caribbean and have cruised both the Indy & Oasis of the Seas during peak seasons. We are accustomed to a lot of passengers & kids. (Constraints of school!) Regal is a new ship which is why I'm considering it. To know....Entertainment/Activities are very important to me on sea days. If I switch, the following will change....

1) We live in the DC area so we will have to fly as opposed to drive but will still save money, as the Regal cruise is half the price. FYI...We always book two staterooms.

2) We'll visit better ports.

3) We'll probably never experience Quantum but would potentially cruise on Anthem in the future.

 

Please tell me your thoughts.

Thanks in advance.

 

 

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I've been on eleven Royal Caribbean cruises (I am now D+) and I've been on two Princess cruises (the Caribbean Princess and the Sapphire Princess). I have not been on the Quantum.

 

As for the ships, I think the kids would enjoy the Quantum more and the adults would enjoy the Regal Princess more. Basically Royal Caribbean, Carnival, NCL and Disney are very family oriented. Princess can handle kids, but the ships do not offer as many kids friendly options as Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Disney and NCL do.

 

I like kids and enjoy cruising with them. The kids tend to add some energy to the cruise experience. So, if I am going with kids, I want to make sure they are happy. You know your kids better than I do. That said, given what you have posted, I would go with Princess.

 

To give you a better flavor of Princess, I am going to provide links to my two Princess reviews. If nothing else, it will give you a good flavor for the cruise experience on Princess.

 

Caribbean Princess - July 2010 ...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1240120

Since I moved the album, the photographs do not show up. However, if you go to post # 46 you will find a new link to all the photographs that I originally posted with the review.

 

Sapphire Princess - April/May 2012 ...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1630011

[LadyLion_AP]

Thanks for the information! Looking forward to cruising Princess one day. That being said, we decided to switch to the Freedom (see post #34). My cousin was having way too many issues with making reservation for the Quantum and I was already on the fence regarding switching. I feel Freedom is a "safe" choice. My family cruised its' sister ship, Indy, last Xmas and absolutely loved it.

 

I've been on eleven Royal Caribbean cruises (I am now D+) and I've been on two Princess cruises (the Caribbean Princess and the Sapphire Princess). I have not been on the Quantum.

 

As for the ships, I think the kids would enjoy the Quantum more and the adults would enjoy the Regal Princess more. Basically Royal Caribbean, Carnival, NCL and Disney are very family oriented. Princess can handle kids, but the ships do not offer as many kids friendly options as Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Disney and NCL do.

 

I like kids and enjoy cruising with them. The kids tend to add some energy to the cruise experience. So, if I am going with kids, I want to make sure they are happy. You know your kids better than I do. That said, given what you have posted, I would go with Princess.

 

To give you a better flavor of Princess, I am going to provide links to my two Princess reviews. If nothing else, it will give you a good flavor for the cruise experience on Princess.

 

Caribbean Princess - July 2010 ...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1240120

Since I moved the album, the photographs do not show up. However, if you go to post # 46 you will find a new link to all the photographs that I originally posted with the review.

 

Sapphire Princess - April/May 2012 ...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1630011

 

 

 

 

 

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[Cuizer2]

Thanks for the information! Looking forward to cruising Princess one day. That being said, we decided to switch to the Freedom (see post #34). My cousin was having way too many issues with making reservation for the Quantum and I was already on the fence regarding switching. I feel Freedom is a "safe" choice. My family cruised its' sister ship, Indy, last Xmas and absolutely loved it.

 

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A good choice. That said, I usually just read the question and respond. I'm not going to read thirty posts just so I can reply. Enjoy your cruise.

[LadyLion_AP]

A good choice. That said, I usually just read the question and respond. I'm not going to read thirty posts just so I can reply. Enjoy your cruise.

 

 

😄 I get it! Thanks for the link to your reviews. They're very well done and added to my enthusiasm of eventually trying Princess.

 

 

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