Regal Princess vs Emerald Princess

[dmwnc1959]

But frankly, if a really nice room and nice dining options were a priority when travelling to that region, I would book a land-based vacation on Turks and Caicos or in the Bahamas.

 

 

For the past several cruises I've picked "ship" (lots of dining options and nice rooms) over "itinerary" (eastern Caribbean, etc.), so a land-based vacation wouldn't even be a consideration. However, a really nice ship with wonderful accommodations is important. Personally, I just want to relax on a ship in the Caribbean for a week, and not a beach in the Caribbean for a week.

 

;)

[PescadoAmarillo]

My comments are about those things that are important to me...

 

The Emerald has free saunas and steam rooms, better/more pools and hot tubs, a better located Sabatinis, the Adagio bar, and better spaces for dancing. And one more port.

 

The Regal has a nicer jogging and outdoor exercise area and buffet.

 

I'd choose the Emerald Princess.

[JimmyVWine]

Again, it's one of those factors that's user dependent;

 

;)

Not just "one of those factors". All factors are user dependent. Buffets. Interactive TVs. Hot Tubs. Pizza places. Seafood bars. Promenades. All we can do when asked a question such as the one posed by the OP is to objectively report which ship checks which boxes. TV?--Regal. Pizza place?--Regal. Promenade?--Emerald. And so on. I think Emerald "wins" for pools.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I think Emerald "wins" for pools.

Any objective observer would agree with you. :)

[JimmyVWine]

... Personally, I just want to relax on a ship in the Caribbean for a week, and not a beach in the Caribbean for a week.

 

;)

That was exactly my point, so I think we are agreeing. If the idea of relaxing on a ship is more important than the creature comforts of a resort, Emerald is the better ship for outdoor relaxation.

[2little time]

That was exactly my point, so I think we are agreeing. If the idea of relaxing on a ship is more important than the creature comforts of a resort, Emerald is the better ship for outdoor relaxation.

 

Well said. I agree, it's Emerald !

[Mackenzie1]

You and I are debating the same thing--Emerald vs. Regal for a short Caribbean cruise to the Caribbean next year with a stop over in Turks & Caicos. In February, I took a four-day Caribbean cruise on the Caribbean Princess, a sister ship to the Grand Class Emerald Princess, and loved the ship. I want to take the same cruise next February, and have both the Emerald and Regal to chose from. I'm also taking the Regal next fall on a fall foliage cruise.

 

After much deliberation about which ship to take, I decided on the Emerald, mainly because balconies are important to me. The Emerald Princess has a Caribe deck that has 9' x 9' balconies, with 5' of the balcony covered, which makes it easy to stretch out and prop your feet up while gazing off at the ocean, while most of the Regal balconies are miniscule. They are only 4' deep to the railing, but only have 3' of usable depth, which means that you have to angle your chair to sit on the balcony, or sit along the railing facing forward or aft. The Regal Princess has no equivalent Caribe deck, and finding a decent sized balcony takes skill and cunning.

 

After reading many threads posted by fine cruise critic members about the Regal balcony issue, I found that there are only three areas on the Regal that have decent-sized balconies, all of which have drawbacks: (1) the mini-suites and deluxe balcony cabins in the built-out hump area of the Regal, which have angled balconies that are up to 8' deep. (The drawback: People can look up at your balcony from the small Promenade area below the cabins, and down at you from the Seawalk, which makes it less private); (2) the aft balconies, including the Dolphin and Baja decks that have 9' deep balconies (The drawback: apparently the aft balconies with their stair-step design and the placement of the MUTS screen was a major design flaw, and as a result, soot rains down on the aft balconies from the ship's smoke stacks); and (3) the front part of the Lido and Marina decks, which have huge balconies. (The drawback: Because the balconies face forward, wind can make them unusable, and I've read some posts that the balcony doors have to be locked on sea days.) For this fall, I ended up picking a cabin in the hump area of the ship, but it shouldn't have been that hard for a balcony lover to find a balcony on the Regal.

 

I loved the Caribbean Princess, and I know I'll enjoy the fall foliage cruise on the Regal, but I'm going with the Emerald next February. The only thing I'm not looking forward to on the Emerald is the small shower. It's hardly big enough to turn around in, and it has no place to put your toiletries if you bring your own.

Edited March 22, 2015 by Mackenzie1

[dmwnc1959]

That was exactly my point, so I think we are agreeing. If the idea of relaxing on a ship is more important than the creature comforts of a resort, Emerald is the better ship for outdoor relaxation.

 

 

Emerald Princess a better ship for outdoor relaxation.

 

Regal Princess a better ship for indoor relaxation, BUT with pools and venues and spaces for outdoor relaxation as well. But Emerald Princess has more of the "better pools". ;)

 

I relax inside, loved Royal Princess, but when I wanted to relax outside I could, in a manner that I enjoyed (not by a pool).

 

:D

Edited March 22, 2015 by dmwnc1959

[lcpagejr]

Mackenzie- Excellent comments and viewpoints... one small correction, it has been posted numerous times that the forward facing cabin balconies on the Marina and Lido decks ARE NOT closed nor have any recent passengers in these cabins reported they have been unable to access. I would think these cabins would work better for caribbean cruises... I will find out next week as we have booked M101 and M102.

 

Also...The Regal has plenty of deck space to enjoy the outside. Seriously...with thousands of passengers on board...why does the pool (s) make a difference??Other than ambiance...whats the big issue?? If everyone wanted to take a dip or swim...we would have a whole new thread/category on the need of cruise ships to build a separate deck with just a huge pool on it LOL

Edited March 22, 2015 by lcpagejr

[Mackenzie1]

Mackenzie- Excellent comments and viewpoints... one small correction, it has been posted numerous times that the forward facing cabins on the Marina and Lido decks ARE NOT closed nor have any recent passengers in these cabins reported they have been unable to access. I would think these cabins would work better for caribbean cruises... I will find out next week as we have booked M101 and M102.

 

 

Thank you for the clarification about the forward facing balcony cabins being accessible during sea days. Those cabins have wonderful interiors, so I know you'll enjoy them.

[dmwnc1959]

Also...The Regal has plenty of deck space to enjoy the outside. Seriously...with thousands of passengers on board...why does the pool (s) make a difference??Other than ambiance...whats the big issue?? If everyone wanted to take a dip or swim...we would have a whole new thread/category on the need of cruise ships to build a separate deck with just a huge pool on it LOL

 

 

I have said that before as well: that no mass-market cruise ship has the upper deck (and swimming pool) capacity to handle the entire ship's compliment of passengers. But, some ships do have more pools, better pools, and can handle those who do want to use the pool, in greater numbers, better than others. In that aspect, Emerald Princess does come out on top, although during my two weeks aboard Royal Princess the pools were never overtaxed in use, with plenty of loungers spread across several decks, and in quite a few locations.

 

:D

[Mom33]

Mackenzie- Excellent comments and viewpoints... one small correction, it has been posted numerous times that the forward facing cabin balconies on the Marina and Lido decks ARE NOT closed nor have any recent passengers in these cabins reported they have been unable to access. I would think these cabins would work better for caribbean cruises... I will find out next week as we have booked M101 and M102.

 

Also...The Regal has plenty of deck space to enjoy the outside. Seriously...with thousands of passengers on board...why does the pool (s) make a difference??Other than ambiance...whats the big issue?? If everyone wanted to take a dip or swim...we would have a whole new thread/category on the need of cruise ships to build a separate deck with just a huge pool on it LOL

 

There isn't a ship at sea that could accommodate enough pools for every one on the ship if everyone was to use one. There would be no place to put loungers.;) :D Fortunately, no matter how many pools there are, they are under utilized by passengers. Now if you want to talk about lack of a space to sit by the pool, that is a whole different story.

Personally, I like to look at the ocean, not the pool.:D

Having been to the Caribbean on both class of ships within 6 months, I saw no difference in outside access and comfort. :D

[cruiser113]

Mackenzie- Excellent comments and viewpoints... one small correction, it has been posted numerous times that the forward facing cabin balconies on the Marina and Lido decks ARE NOT closed nor have any recent passengers in these cabins reported they have been unable to access. I would think these cabins would work better for caribbean cruises... I will find out next week as we have booked M101 and M102.

 

Also...The Regal has plenty of deck space to enjoy the outside. Seriously...with thousands of passengers on board...why does the pool (s) make a difference??Other than ambiance...whats the big issue?? If everyone wanted to take a dip or swim...we would have a whole new thread/category on the need of cruise ships to build a separate deck with just a huge pool on it LOL

 

Icpagejr.............. please report back on cabin with pictures if possible as we also have a future cruise booked in this cabin and friend has inside around the corner.

 

Thanks in advance

[caribill]

I'm wondering with the fewer lounges in the regal, where are the non production shows held. Where is the dancing besides the wheelhouse?

 

 

There is no dancing in the Wheelhouse on the Regal and Royal.

[happy cruzer]

There is no dancing in the Wheelhouse on the Regal and Royal.

So there is no place to do ballroom type dancing on a wood floor? that's a big plus for the emerald a for the dancers, three Venus with good wood floors.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Also...The Regal has plenty of deck space to enjoy the outside. Seriously...with thousands of passengers on board...why does the pool (s) make a difference??Other than ambiance...whats the big issue?? If everyone wanted to take a dip or swim...we would have a whole new thread/category on the need of cruise ships to build a separate deck with just a huge pool on it LOL

I don't think anyone has said there's not plenty of deck space with loungers. No, most of them are not in the shade, but there definitely are plenty of loungers. But with just two pools, one of them with MUTS blaring and pool games and one of them obstructed by cabanas and frequently windy, there are not many options to choose from. Even less available are the hot tubs: 6 that hold 5 people in a pinch, 30 people total out of 3600 passengers. The Emerald Princess has those same 6 plus a larger one on the back of the ship with great views for 3100 passengers. Some of the smaller Grand class ships are even better.

 

I'm not quite sure why someone's response in these threads is "I don't use it anyways". I don't book balconies, but I can acknowledge that the Regal has small balconies. I don't dance but can acknowledge that the Regal lacks dance options. I don't often eat in a buffet but can acknowledge that tha one on the Regal is hard to beat.

[lcpagejr]

Doesn't Emerald have MUTS as well and same problem?? This isn't a tit for tat response...We were going to cruise on Emerald until the potential fog issues scared me off because of flight limitations. So we jumped to Regal. There is differences on every ship even with the Royal and Regal...The Regal has a Dip pool in the aft where Royal does not.... I prefer to try newer ships....been on Caribbean, Sapphire and Crown.... Liked them all ...but I can tell you that on both the Caribbean and Sapphire MUTS was blaring during the day around the pool area...

Edited March 22, 2015 by lcpagejr

[Colo Cruiser]

Mackenzie- Excellent comments and viewpoints... one small correction, it has been posted numerous times that the forward facing cabin balconies on the Marina and Lido decks ARE NOT closed nor have any recent passengers in these cabins reported they have been unable to access. I would think these cabins would work better for caribbean cruises... I will find out next week as we have booked M101 and M102.

 

Also...The Regal has plenty of deck space to enjoy the outside. Seriously...with thousands of passengers on board...why does the pool (s) make a difference??Other than ambiance...whats the big issue?? If everyone wanted to take a dip or swim...we would have a whole new thread/category on the need of cruise ships to build a separate deck with just a huge pool on it LOL

 

 

 

What is wrong with having differing opinions?

[PescadoAmarillo]

Doesn't Emerald have MUTS as well and same problem?? This isn't a tit for tat response...We were going to cruise on Emerald until the potential fog issues scared me off because of flight limitations. So we jumped to Regal. There is differences on every ship even with the Royal and Regal...The Regal has a Dip pool in the aft where Royal does not.... I prefer to try newer ships....been on Caribbean, Sapphire and Crown.... Liked them all ...but I can tell you that on both the Caribbean and Sapphire MUTS was blaring during the day around the pool area...

 

The Emerald Princess has four pools without the noise from MUTS.

[Astro Flyer]

Dancing, for the most part, was in the atrium. Lots of people were out there when they had a band playing, but the floors are marble and not suitable for by-the-book Ballroom Dancing. The Vista Lounge also has an available floor area for dancing when they have music back there.

 

:D

 

So there is no place to do ballroom type dancing on a wood floor? that's a big plus for the emerald a for the dancers, three Venus with good wood floors.

I'm not a dancer but as I recall the Vista Lounge had a wooden floor that was sometimes used for dancing. I did see dancing in the Piazza with many passengers participating.

Edited March 22, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[JimmyVWine]

Regal is more of an "inside" ship where your focus is drawn to the terrific interior venues. Emerald will be more of an "outside" focused ship where you will have a more welcoming balcony (if you book that category), a full Promenade for outside viewing, spaces where you can access the bow and stern for great views, more pools for lounging and more open deck space to connect with the great outdoors.

 

Emerald Princess a better ship for outdoor relaxation.

 

Regal Princess a better ship for indoor relaxation

 

As I said....I think we agree. :D

[RyanMFitz1]

I had never cruised on Princess prior to my past Regal Princess cruise this past February.

 

So i can only offer my opinions on Regal ( although have been looking at a cruise on the Emerald in the future).

 

The Regal lives up to her name in every essence. From the first moment you walk on board and look at the atrium, you realize you are in store for something amazing.

 

Contrary to other people on cruise critic, I found it very easy to navigate around the decks. It doesn't take you long, once you get your bearings, to figure out the "shortcuts" to get from point A to point B. And you will find that you only need stairs to achieve these 1 floor up or down shortcuts.

 

I don't think you would be disappointed at all with the multitude of things to do onboard the Regal.

[mrsgthatsme]

Thanks so much to all for taking the time to offer your great opinions on both ships! It is great to know that there are positives for each one. Your insight will be very helpful to us. I thought it might be helpful for me to be more specific about what exactly we are looking for, since many of you correctly noted that "best" for one person may not be "best" for another.

 

Important: Great service, cleanliness, a nice ship, outdoor seating areas, nice balcony in stateroom, good food, uncrowded in feel, comfortable beds, quiet, option for sitting at table for two at dinner, exercise room

 

NOT important: casinos, bars, "nightlife", restaurants with extra fees, spa services. Pools are minimally important. We may swim a few times, but not every day or for lengthy periods of time.

 

One of the posts regarding weather actually got me thinking though... If November and December tend to bring more rain, I would hate to have any of our days rained out or filled with clouds, since sunny, nice weather (along with relaxation and getting away!) is a HUGE part of why we are taking this trip. We would be really, really disappointed if we got a lot of cloudy or rainy weather. The only sailing on the regal princess would be Nov 4, and the Dec, Jan, and March sailing are on the Emerald so maybe that is important too?

[caribill]

One of the posts regarding weather actually got me thinking though... If November and December tend to bring more rain, I would hate to have any of our days rained out or filled with clouds, since sunny, nice weather (along with relaxation and getting away!) is a HUGE part of why we are taking this trip.

 

November (except Thanksgiving week) and December until Xmas time are usually times of low demand, not because of weather, but because people are preparing for the holidays combined with their kids being in school at that time.

 

January is also a low demand time after the holiday period.

[Astro Flyer]

November (except Thanksgiving week) and December until Xmas time are usually times of low demand, not because of weather, but because people are preparing for the holidays combined with their kids being in school at that time.

 

January is also a low demand time after the holiday period.

 

There are some really great cruise & air fare deals during those times so they're great times for me to travel...better prices & less crowds are a big factor for me.