What is it about Princess do you like?

[pinkie1]

I've cruised with Princess two times and they were both ok.

I think the Emerald Princess was nicer only because it was a new ship at the time and the itinerary was nice.

I was not impressed with Golden although the itinerary was nice.

 

Sometimes I want a quick get away and my two choices are Carnival and Princess since they're the only two lines that sail out of Los Angeles on a regular basis. I usually pick Carnival because it's so cheap but I don't mind paying a little extra if the overall ship is going to be nicer.

 

My favorite line is Royal because I love all their activities, their food, they're innovative with new ideas on their ships. They seem to have a sense of "fun" without having a large partyer drunk crowd unlike some other lines.

The two Princess cruises I've been on, I felt like I was the youngest on the ship and everybody was in bed by 10pm! I was in my 30's at the time. I don't drink but I do like to dance and have fun, and I'm very active. I also like to learn and attend seminars from experts.

 

What do you like about Princess? Is there anything unique about Princess that the other lines don't do well?

[paul929207]

Itineraries

[Colo Cruiser]

Escargot.

[shredie]

 

Sometimes I want a quick get away and my two choices are Carnival and Princess since they're the only two lines that sail out of Los Angeles on a regular basis. I usually pick Carnival because it's so cheap but I don't mind paying a little extra if the overall ship is going to be nicer.

 

 

The Golden at her worst pre-drydock is vastly nicer than either the Carnival Inspiration or Imagination. The Crown has been recently in and out of L.A. That ship (in spite of the exaggerated Noro hype) is practically a different planet in terms of comparison to Carnival's old girls. The Ruby will be in L.A. The Grand (sadly much maligned) is still grander than the Carnival girls. I took one of my daughters on the Star this past year, and her most recent cruising experience had been on Carnival (one of the little ones.) Her reaction was priceless when she walked on to the Star and saw the immediate difference in decor, class, cleanliness, everything. I feel your pain about our limited choices out of L.A., but I will do Carnival only if there isn't a Princess ship going where I want to go and when.

[Buck Turgidson]

They sail out of San Francisco, which is close to where I live.:)

[jagsfan]

I like the being on a ship feeling, as opposed to a floating hotel. The service and food are usually better than on Carnival, and the itineraries are interesting ones. From the West coast, I don't know how different itineraries could be.

I love Freedom and Oasis on RCCL, though, and they really are floating resorts.

I guess it boils down to what I'm in the mood for.

[Garn]

My wife would say the afternoon tea.

 

We've found plenty to love on all of our cruises, and frankly when you get to the big ships they are a lot more similar than different in my opinion.

 

RCCL was more about the ship, and being active. We loved Disney, but it's very Disney for good and no-so good. NCL didn't do much for us. Princess seemed a little more classy than the others without being stuffy.

[dorisis]

Itineraries

 

At one time the itineraries were the best but, now not so much.

I like the Elite perks and the ability to combine OBCs including the Veteran's OBC. As far as I know, no other line is doing that.

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

Princess isn't isn't usually noted for having for a party crowd like RCI or NCL but on our last CB cruise it was much more active than normal.The crowd was also much younger than normal and liked to dance & drink.

Maybe it was because of the unlimited liquor stickers they now sell. ;)

[billco]

I've cruised with Princess two times and they were both ok.

I think the Emerald Princess was nicer only because it was a new ship at the time and the itinerary was nice.

I was not impressed with Golden although the itinerary was nice.

 

Sometimes I want a quick get away and my two choices are Carnival and Princess since they're the only two lines that sail out of Los Angeles on a regular basis. I usually pick Carnival because it's so cheap but I don't mind paying a little extra if the overall ship is going to be nicer.

 

My favorite line is Royal because I love all their activities, their food, they're innovative with new ideas on their ships. They seem to have a sense of "fun" without having a large partyer drunk crowd unlike some other lines.

The two Princess cruises I've been on, I felt like I was the youngest on the ship and everybody was in bed by 10pm! I was in my 30's at the time. I don't drink but I do like to dance and have fun, and I'm very active. I also like to learn and attend seminars from experts.

 

What do you like about Princess? Is there anything unique about Princess that the other lines don't do well?

I like that everybody is in bed by 10:00 PM and people in their 30's are the youngest.

[Cruisin' Chick]

My last four cruises on Princess have been during the summer or holiday time, so not everyone was using scooters or walkers. A full range of ages. And with the holiday cruises, there were parties in the grand atrium, maybe not every night during the two week cruises but not every one was in bed by ten.

 

What I like about Princess is the non-Vegasy decor (which is what I've seen on my Carnival cruises), the lack of stupid party games (not interested in trying to relax by the pool just to have my peace interrupted by a stuff the bikini with ping pong balls contest or a lip sync using bananas contest), much less public announcements about the latest bingo match or art auction (some CDs are better than other in realizing most of us can read the Patter). Also the self-service laundries (Carnival has these too but not on many other lines). Also the mini-fridge that's in every cabin, no matter the category. The choice of dining (we prefer late traditional) and that if you need a mid-afternoon nosh, you can get it.

[mr green]

The Perks.:)

 

john

[Mary Ann 2]

It's been a while since I sailed other lines, but we sailed HAL first and had a difficult time understanding the crew. It was so nice on our first Princess crew to be able to understand what everyone was saying.

 

Now there are many reasons that we love Princess from Pub Lunch to gelato and includes ordinary things like I really prefer their online registration to RCCL which was more confusing to me and required us to pre-pay excursions (since we had a death in the family and had to cancel, I especially didn't like that we had pre-paid excursions! we got it back, but didn't like hassle). Course most of all, since I am now Elite, I would really miss all those benefits!

[fabby50]

I too am on the west coast and really miss RCCL being out here. We did their short 3 and 4 day cruises several times a year and they seemed to hit the mark for us. I've heard they may be coming back and are going to do a few coastals, so I'm thinking of booking.

 

On Princess, my husband loves the design/décor of the ships. We both think the staff is very nice. I like the International Café, my husband likes the pub lunch.

 

I like Carnival too - what I don't like about the current ships they have doing their shorty west coast cruises is no steakhouse. But I think Carnival is fine and their price point certainly great.

 

A complaint we have about all lines, no matter which, is we always seem to get the older ships out here. Would be nice if one of the lines would bring something a little more modern. We didn't really understand why RCCL pulled out since the ships always seemed to be full.

[joeyancho]

We like everything about princess. But some of the standouts are: the superior level of service, the International Cafe, the gelato, the decor (especially when compared to Carnival) , the food, the variety of food venues, the variety of itineraries, the onboard credit for return cruisers, the entertainment, and on and on. Have a great cruise.

[edcindy1]

Alaska cruise tours on any Princess ship

[lolane1]

The Golden at her worst pre-drydock is vastly nicer than either the Carnival Inspiration or Imagination. The Crown has been recently in and out of L.A. That ship (in spite of the exaggerated Noro hype) is practically a different planet in terms of comparison to Carnival's old girls. The Ruby will be in L.A. The Grand (sadly much maligned) is still grander than the Carnival girls. I took one of my daughters on the Star this past year, and her most recent cruising experience had been on Carnival (one of the little ones.) Her reaction was priceless when she walked on to the Star and saw the immediate difference in decor, class, cleanliness, everything. I feel your pain about our limited choices out of L.A., but I will do Carnival only if there isn't a Princess ship going where I want to go and when.

 

Exactly. I took one Carnival cruise many years ago and that was it for me. Also left Royal Caribbean because on my last cruise with them, there were 1,000 children onboard who proceeded to run though the ship in large groups unsupervised, push all the elevator buttons, and kick the doors. Many broken elevators..... Even the library wasn't sacrosanct. Now, don't get me wrong. I love children. Have two myself and I have taken them on cruises for many years when they were young. But those days are over. Now I need vacation time to be relaxing so I can recharge before going back to work. So, I love the fact there are no ice skating rinks, surfing pools, three story pool slides, and rock climbing walls on Princess.

 

I also love the food on Princess. I love the peace on my balcony. I love the platinum perks. (and someday elite perks) I like the itineraries. However, I wish the 9 day to the Caribbean from NY would come back.

[Hotdog 52]

Princess has less children and the ones on there have more responsible parents. You don't have kids running through the halls yelling and cursing.

 

Princess has very nice ships and great crews. Food and entertainment are great also. Just an overall better experience.:)

[satxdiver]

As you can see I have sailed on four different cruise lines and I prefer Princess. Princess allows me to sign up for excursions and not have to prepay plus I can cancel most up to the day before. They allow OBCs to be stacked so I get my FCC, stockholder and military OBCs (thank you Princess for recognizing our service to the country). RCI requires payment at the time the excursion is reserved and does not allow stacked OBC in contrast.

 

I can call Princess or TA when I see a price advertised lower that the one I reserved and they will lower my price immediately (Carnival requires a form to be filled out and submitted). The Princess ships have windows on most decks so I can see the sea and feel like I am at sea. I love the seating area near the IC where I can sit and watch the waves go by. The decor is well done and it does not look like some cheap flop house (Carnival).

 

Princess does not seem to attract the drink until you puke crowd or the reproduce like a rabbit group ( I have only two). It is nice not to have the constant announcements about bingo, art auctions etc. We can all read the patter thank you. I like having the HC open continually from breakfast to late night and the tables open 24 hours (RCI closes and locks theirs). I always have access to the water, ice dispenser etc. The 12 hour pizzeria and grill right by the pool is fantastic but probably not so good for my waist.

 

As a member of the senior set, ice skating rinks, climbing walls, flow riders, high slides, inline skating, etc don't do anything for me. Again I like to feel like I am on a ship at sea and not on some gargantuan floating palace (RCI).

 

Just a few of the things I like about Princess.

Edited February 25, 2015 by satxdiver

[rpcv77]

I don't have extensive cruising experience but have been on Carnival and Disney as well as Princess, twice. I liked the fact that Princess is not a floating amusement park or shopping mall. I love feeling that I am on a beautiful ship at sea, yet without stiff formality. If I want to do things, activities are available, but mostly I like relaxing unless I'm in port where I love exploring and touring. I am almost 60, but I often travel with my 24 year old dd (who has cruised RCL too) who loves Princess too. We love the International Cafe as Others have mentioned.Princess just suits us but not everything suits everyone. It's nice to have choices!

[Woobstr112G]

Itineraries for sure.....:):):)

 

Bob

[timetravler]

My first cruise was with Princess and I still sail only with Princess. What I like is the itineraries number one. However the food is just right for us. The service such as not having to wait for your cabin when boarding is a big plus. Not a lot of kids except during Christmas is great. The décor without loud colors means a lot and few announcements in your cabin. I guess the little things all add up to a perfect cruise company for me.

[EatPrayCruise]

We have only cruised Princess so we can't compare to other cruiselines, but one of the main draws is the fact that we don't feel like we are crammed in with 4,000+ other passengers. We have sailed on three different classes of ships with Princess, and find that we love the Coral & Island the best (Island may be debatable after her dry-dock). Some points that we consider important to us in no particular order:

 

*Less passengers per square feet (or so it seems on the 3 classes we have sailed)

*Repeat passenger perks & FCC/OBC

*Customer service

*Food choices

*Rest & relaxation (empty nesters who rather enjoy peaceful times without young children while on vacation)

*Mini-suites or full suites with nice sized balconies & room to spread out.

 

Everyone has priorities, so ours could be very different from the next.

[Susie51]

I like the variety of pools on Grand and Diamond Princess.

 

Forward is the adult only pool with two whirlpools and is close to the locker rooms.

 

The big lido pool and covered pool are mid ship each has whirlpools.

 

The aft of the ship has many pools for different age groups.

[Mud_Shark]

I have probably the least cruise experience of any of the replies to this thread.

 

We are 52 and sailed for the first time last year on the 15 day to Hawaii cruise on the Grand and absolutely loved it.

 

We are not drinkers, and didn't much go for the trivia and assorted activities. We only have two weeks of vacation per year - so are not about to be doing multiple cruises per year.

 

What we did like:

 

1) Movies Under the Stars -- absolutely loved it. Plus they run the same movies the next day in the Princess Theater in the afternoon if you missed it the day before under the stars. Popcorn and ice cream readily available. Blankets. It's just "our thing". Sometimes they had a second selection of movies in the Vista Lounge.

 

2) The boat goes just about silent and deserted by 11pm. I don't sleep well, so I take an afternoon nap and stay up until 1am or so. We loved hitting the aft hot tubs after the late movie and having them all to ourselves (some nights they were meshed off - closed by 11pm, but other nights they were not) - gazing at the stars or staring at the wake. Very relaxing. Often I would walk the promenade or the top side levels at midnight and feel like there was no one on the ship except some staff cleaning up from the day. Sometimes I would get up at 4am and head to the Piazza with my book in hand, and grab some pastries from the International café and sit and read. The stillness was eerily attractive.

 

3) We vacation in September - when school is in. (We will be on the Royal in September for a Caribbean cruise). The Grand had maybe 30 children on it max when we sailed last Fall. Children are fine - and we both are "kid people", but if you are looking for a relaxing stress free vacation where you can unwind, not having hoards of children running rough-shod over their parents is a good thing for us. Even the fact that the majority of passengers were older helped us out a lot on tender days -- very few of them try to head out on the first tender, so we had no line up.

 

4) Simply loved the food and the traditional dining. We have no basis for how good the food is on other lines, but we have no reason to switch yet since Princess gave us all we could imagine. If there was something on the menu that sounded exotic and I had never tried - I gave it a try. That was novel, but not always wonderful. Caviar is disgusting, as are a few other things (I just don't get the idea of cold soup) - but now I know. Our server would bring us the desert we ordered and usually slip us something extra that she thought we might like - and we usually did! We loved dining with the same table mates each night. We got to know each other and built friendships. We looked forward to catching up with everyone at our table each night. All our table mates were 75 or older (table of 8), but they all still had great vitality and they were wonderful to be around. We didn't try the specialty restaurants, but did dress up (just suit or dress) for the formal nights and enjoyed them.

 

5) The evening shows were - for the most part - great. I am sure that other lines do a great job with that too - maybe even better - but we sure enjoyed ourselves. Magician/Illusionist (done with comedy) - was wonderful. Production shows were good spectacles. Comedians were ok as long as they kept it clean. Maybe it's a well used joke and we are just new to it, but I loved the Gilbert Godfried impersonation describing the workings of the ships "vacuum toilets" firing the poop over at Carnival.

 

6) We look forward to the new star gazing program on Princess. This was not in place for our last cruise, but we hope to take advantage of it on our next one. We love summer night star gazing.

 

We simply have no reason yet to try other lines. I do like the idea of Royal's Skating rinks. Flow riders - probably would be too crowded for a couple of old rookies like us to give it a try (we want few people around when we make fools of ourselves). Rock climbing walls? maybe, but not something that calls us. These things obviously appeal to the younger demographic - and, by all means, if it's your thing - that may be your line. But for us - we are fairly confident that for now, Princess is our line.

 

Don and Allison