Horizon Court vs. Windjammer Marketplace

[pseudoware]

For those who've also cruised w/RCI, what are your thoughts on how the buffets for the cruise lines compare?

 

Food comparison of course, but anything else, as well. Layout, service, logistics, convenience, etc. Thank you.

[Loonbeam]

Depends a LOT on what Princess ship versus what RCCL ship..

 

Royal versus Serenade is going to give you a very different matchup than Crown versus Liberty.

 

For a Liberty comparison before we sailed Royal, please see here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1726735

 

Now, I think the Royal/Regal beat anything else on the water we have seen.

[Nan_Sea]

. We were on the Brilliance of the Seas in Dec. and found the buffet there bigger but not as good. Although, the coffee was much better than Princess. Tables were not cleared as efficiently as Princess and I don't recall ever having my coffee refilled. The breakfast pastries on Brilliance were small and dry. I guess it's pretty clear we favor Princess. No plans to ever sail RCL again. Dining room food was really bad.

[-Lew-]

I've cruise on only one RCL ship...the Allure OTS. In comparing Windjammer on the Allure with Horizon Court on the Royal or Regal, I'd have to say layout of each, although different, is good. Food quality on both the Royal and Regal, however, is head and shoulders above Allure...not just in the buffet, but throughout the ship.

 

Lew

[caribill]

Except for the Regal and Royal, the Windjammer on the RCI ships I have been on have a much more open layout that allows easy flow between the various sections of the food area.

 

On the Royal and Regal, the layout is much more open than on the other Princess ships and there is also more available seating than on the other Princess ships.

[Kineticoh20]

I think the food on Princess is better however Princess could learn a thing or two from RC on layout.

[VibeGuy]

Comparing the Radiance-class ships to the Island/Coral, I'm going to have to give it to RCI on layout and atmosphere. Food? Both have hits and misses - I tend to prefer Princess, I think my DH might give it to RCI.

[Willman]

Just off the Golden. The buffet design by far the worst I have seen. Terrible design. One entrance and one exit. Every one is herded into a small cramped, over crowded food area. At times the line was out to the pool area.

 

However, the food was good and the seating area was spacious with great service.

[Kayaktom]

We just got off the Caribbean Princess. The food was good yet the layout caused significant congestion during peak times. Mandatory hand sanitizer was required before entry...which I thought was good.

[Colo Cruiser]

Nothing compares to the HC on Royal/Regal. :D

[fishywood]

Regarding buffet meals it is clear that Princess and RCI have different priorities.

We prefer taking most meals in the MDR but on Vision of the Seas last year we retreated to the Windjammer for breakfast and lunch due to the dreadfully poor service and extremely limited menus in the MDR (both in comparison to Princess and in speaking generally). Now I haven't been on the new Royal and Regal but the VoS had more room to maneuver in line and a better seating ratio than on the different classes of Princess ships. However they did a less than great job of keeping things restocked, especially meat items at breakfast, supplies at the coffee station, and the bread and dessert section at lunch which was full at opening time but was slim pickings once the popular items ran--and remained--out. The newer dessert counters Princess added to the older Grand-class ships (staffed and making fresh plates as you are there) more than makes up for a little crowding at the hot service station. And if I ever saw lines for the HC out the door onto the pool deck I would certainly take the hint and find something elsewhere to eat--its not Princess' fault that so many choose just one option when there are several.

[Colo Cruiser]

The HC on Royal/Regal leave RCCL in the dust. IMO

[lovevacadays]

I have not been on the Regal/Royal but many of the other Princess ships. RCL's layout is hands down better. However, Princess' services is better as they have drink service and keep the tables cleared. Also, Princess has extended hours in their buffets. It's been quite awhile since I cruised RCL but I don't remember them being open as much as Princess. I liked the food on both lines.

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

We just got off the Caribbean Princess. The food was good yet the layout caused significant congestion during peak times. Mandatory hand sanitizer was required before entry...which I thought was good.

Yes and no depending on who was at the entrance and never in the dining room.

[Pam in CA]

The HC on Royal/Regal leave RCCL in the dust. IMO

I agree. Not only RCCL but HAL and Celebrity as well.

 

One of the things I prefer about the Princess buffet is that there is no line-up. I've never seen one other than perhaps a couple of people lined up to take something from a station. You enter and then can go anywhere you want. At breakfast, I go in and get fruit and cottage cheese, then head to the eggs and bacon. The only people lined up are those who want to be in a line. Princess has stations, not a line.

[bachcruise]

I can't speak for Royal Caribbean but Royal Princess horizon court blows away any ship buffet I've experienced. No lines (on a Christmas cruise), endless selection and great tasting food.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[iancal]

We did a Sun Princess Fiji cruise on Feb 20, followed by an RCI Voyager of the Seas Australia/NZ cruise on March 16.

 

Absolutely no comparison. Princess Horizon had much better food. More fresh fruits, more salad, and better salad choices, and a wide variety of very good cheeses in the Horizon. Princess Horizon desserts were excellent. Prepared food was top notch.

 

Windjammer had melons, unripe pineapple, and for a time bananas. Cheese was mostly bland, lower cost items (Diamond club cheese trays were the exception). Desserts were awful-our impression was that they were frozen commercial type loaf cakes etc.

 

Layout of both was about equal to us.

 

Bottom line is we have the distinct impression that RCI is really lowering their food offerings and the quality of the food.

 

MDR food on Sun Princess was excellent. RCI was very mediocre and the your time dining organization was a mess. It was a far cry from our RCI Serenade Med cruise last October. Based on this last RCI cruise I doubt that we will be trying them again...notwithstanding our great Diamond Club benefits.

Edited April 6, 2015 by iancal

[Astro Flyer]

I agree. Not only RCCL but HAL and Celebrity as well.

 

One of the things I prefer about the Princess buffet is that there is no line-up. I've never seen one other than perhaps a couple of people lined up to take something from a station. You enter and then can go anywhere you want. At breakfast, I go in and get fruit and cottage cheese, then head to the eggs and bacon. The only people lined up are those who want to be in a line. Princess has stations, not a line.

I feel the same way & much prefer the Princess buffet setup & food than on the Navigator of the Seas.

 

Lacking a grill, they had burgers in greasy serving pans to assemble a hamburger & they seemed to have unlimited ways to prepare the same meatballs.

Edited April 6, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[Esprit]

I really didn't like the Windjammer on IOTS. It was like being in a motorway service station. That and the Royal Promenade were the worse bits of that cruise and put me off RCCL for life.

[catwoman6226]

Like a poster above me, I was also on the Brilliance in December (New Year's cruise), but I feel a little differently. We liked the food in the MDR, for the most part, but felt the quality had slipped since our previous cruise on the Jewel 2 years earlier. I know from reading a lot of these boards that that seems to be a common thread across cruise lines.

 

I really liked the Windjammer. Very easy to navigate, lots of room between stations, food was replaced quickly. Salad bar was outstanding - so fresh. I don't remember seeing any issues with tables not being cleared. Every time a crew member walked past our table, we were asked if we needed refills on our sodas. So much depends on when you go, etc. so this post is just meant to offer a different point of view, not to argue with the earlier poster at all.

 

I also like the Horizon court - have only been on the Golden, and that was a few years ago. We are planning a cruise to Hawaii in 2017 and hopefully some short cruises before that - also completely agree with whomever said that it's not entirely fair to compare Princess to RCL - so much depends on the particular ship.

[pseudoware]

Thanks for the replies. I've actually been on one RCI cruise but was wondering if our experience was an outlier or not. My wife and I felt the food in Horizon Court, at least for the half-dozen Princess cruises we've done, was simply better than what Liberty of the Seas offered. We seemed to bring this up daily while in the WJM on LOS.

 

One thing I did like in the WJM were the bar-style tables w/stools. Those were perfect for when I'm eating alone, like after a morning workout. And we definitely prefer the open layout of the food stations on RCI.

 

On the other hand, the WJM closing for a while in the middle of the day definitely threw us off. On Princess, we're used to grabbing something from the buffet at any time throughout the day.

 

We'll be on our 2nd RCI cruise in June. We couldn't find a Princess cruise w/similar itinerary that meets our schedule, but we welcome the greater sample size. The buffet food on our lone RCI cruise wasn't necessarily terrible, it just wasn't as good as what we're been accustomed to in the "Horizontal" Court (as my son used to say when he was younger). :)

Edited April 7, 2015 by pseudoware