Considering 2nd cruise - First with Princess

[ThoroughlyResearched]

Ok, so my husband and I took our first cruise on a whim back in December, when we were able to book a good deal on a balcony suite on the Norwegian Getaway. While fun, it wasn't a super great fit for us, but after some time to think on it we've decided to start considering another cruise.

 

We're both our mid-late twenties, but we're fairly laid back people, not big partiers. We enjoy relaxing by the pool, reading, going for walks around the ship, finding places to enjoy the view, maybe live music, wouldn't mind a decent show. Norwegian offered a half-hearted attempt at movies under the stars, and that ended up being one of our favorite activities. We also were happy with our balcony cabin. The balcony itself was small, but we enjoyed the view, and the room was a comfortable size and well-appointed. We really enjoyed getting to decide when and where we would eat.

 

There were several things that we didn't like with Norwegian. There wasn't really an adults only pool, only a splash area in Spice H2O that filled up quickly every day. The main pool was always packed. The food wasn't very good. The specialty restaurants were pretty good, but the buffet was only acceptable and the MDR was terrible. We ended up spending more on specialty restaurants, because the two times we tried dinner in the MDR weren't good.

 

In short, we're hoping for better food - quality over quantity. Better pool setup. A bit less kid focused.

 

Princess sounds like a good fit for us. I've read good things about the food and desserts. Shows sound fun. I am wondering though should we look to Regal or one of the Grand class ships? Do the grands feel dated? Is the entertainment as good? I've heard the pool setup for the Regal is not as good as the older ships. Any overall advice would be appreciated, especially thoughts about the overall experience and the differences good and bad between the ships.

[Thrak]

My son sailed with us twice. He was definitely one of the young crowd and, at that time, he was in his mid 30's. He did find a handful of other young people on each cruise but the passengers on Princess "mostly" start in the 50's and go up from there.

 

You will definitely be some of the youngest people on board. It will vary somewhat with itinerary though. My wife and I love Princess. We have no interest in a party cruise. We started with Princess (in our late 50's) and felt it was a wonderful fit for us. It may well be a good fit for you. On our Hawaiian cruise a couple of years ago the most traveled passenger (person with the most days sailing on a Princess ship) was in his late 30's or early 40's so it's not all old people like me. ;)

 

Since Princess does have a kids program and I read posts here on cc stating that people's kids love it there really must be younger people - I just don't tend to see them. Maybe it's the itineraries we cruise. I'd guess that 10 day and longer cruises get fewer kids and probably the Caribbean cruises get more as opposed to Hawaii, Mexico, and Alaska.

 

I've never been on the Regal. I've sailed on Grand Princess, Star Princess (twice), Crown Princess, and Sea Princess. Only 5 cruises so far but all on Princess. We love the Grand class of ships. (We loved Sea Princess too but she sailed off into another part of the globe...)

Edited April 17, 2015 by Thrak

[Colo Cruiser]

Ok, so my husband and I took our first cruise on a whim back in December, when we were able to book a good deal on a balcony suite on the Norwegian Getaway. While fun, it wasn't a super great fit for us, but after some time to think on it we've decided to start considering another cruise.

 

We're both our mid-late twenties, but we're fairly laid back people, not big partiers. We enjoy relaxing by the pool, reading, going for walks around the ship, finding places to enjoy the view, maybe live music, wouldn't mind a decent show. Norwegian offered a half-hearted attempt at movies under the stars, and that ended up being one of our favorite activities. We also were happy with our balcony cabin. The balcony itself was small, but we enjoyed the view, and the room was a comfortable size and well-appointed. We really enjoyed getting to decide when and where we would eat.

 

There were several things that we didn't like with Norwegian. There wasn't really an adults only pool, only a splash area in Spice H2O that filled up quickly every day. The main pool was always packed. The food wasn't very good. The specialty restaurants were pretty good, but the buffet was only acceptable and the MDR was terrible. We ended up spending more on specialty restaurants, because the two times we tried dinner in the MDR weren't good.

 

In short, we're hoping for better food - quality over quantity. Better pool setup. A bit less kid focused.

 

Princess sounds like a good fit for us. I've read good things about the food and desserts. Shows sound fun. I am wondering though should we look to Regal or one of the Grand class ships? Do the grands feel dated? Is the entertainment as good? I've heard the pool setup for the Regal is not as good as the older ships. Any overall advice would be appreciated, especially thoughts about the overall experience and the differences good and bad between the ships.

 

 

I would pick either the Ruby/Emerald/Crown. They are not dated at all.

The Regal would be my next pick. We used to love the Island/Coral because of only 1900 passengers. But that is changing as we speak with some major renovations to the Island happening right now in Italy. The Coral is due for the same for 2016.

[kaytamar]

My husband and I sound just like you - we've cruised princess twice and always found couples our age. We were happy with both the ruby and regal, but the adults only pool on the regal was too deep for standing. Other than that, you'll be happy!!!

[Mud_Shark]

Your intro paragraph about your likes and preferences matches us perfectly, though we are both 52.

 

Last year we went on our first cruise, to celebrate our 30th anniversary. We took the Grand to Hawaii for a 15 day cruise. We both loved it. Walking the promenade deck - just watching the flying fish (and some other fish) jumping in the wake, or watching from the aft deck pool area was completely relaxing. We would read and swim and play a few games during the day, then have traditional dining and watch the evening show - then head to MUTS to finish off the day (MUTS is a MUST for me personally). With 11 sea days on the Hawaii cruise this became our schedule, and we really enjoyed it.

 

We met a family with small children and they said there were only about two dozen children on the ship younger than 12 years old. This was a Fall cruise so school was in session and this was a longer itinerary - hence there were few children. We saw several couples in their 20s, including a couple that got married on the ship (all dressed up in the traditional tux and white dress). Their group alone with groomsmen and bridesmaids gave the younger generation a noticeable presence.

 

At our table for 8, we were the youngest guests, by over 20 years. The other couples were in their late 70s and early 80s - but all had a great outlook on life and we got along extremely well. It was a highlight to get to dinner and enjoy their company. Oh - and we enjoyed the food - thought it was great - but this was our first cruise so we don't really have a baseline to compare against.

 

We are now booked on the Royal in September for a 10 day Caribbean cruise and will likely look at something in Europe for the following year. We felt so perfectly matched on Princess that we are now only considering Princess for future cruises.

 

As to ship -- well, we have no real experience but so far we have gone by itinerary and date - and take the ship that fits with these parameters. We take our vacation in the Fall, as it works for both of us to get time off, and we avoid crowds.

 

Hope you find the perfect fit for you....

 

Don and Allison

[lovevacadays]

From what you are describing it sounds like Princess would be a great fit for you. I have cruised several times with my nieces who are in their 20's and 30's. They love Princess. We typically do 7 day cruises and have found a good mix of ages when we cruise. The longer cruises tend to have people older than you. Most of the Princess cruisers I have met are "young" no matter what their chronological age.

 

If you are going to do a Grand Class ship I would try the Ruby, Crown, or Emerald. I have not sailed the Regal or Royal yet. I hear the buffet is amazing and the ships are beautiful.

[greenie082756]

It does sound like you would enjoy Princess.

DH and I have take 2 Princess cruises and 1 Disney cruise. The Disney cruise we did first was what got us hooked on cruising. It was so enjoyable.

 

Then after lots of reading and asking questions here on CC we decided to try Princess for our 35th Anniversary. Round trip 14 day from LA to Hawaii islands. Granted there were not a lot of children but we did see all ages on this cruise.

 

Both my husband and I thought this was the perfect cruise to unwind and relax. We were hooked on Princess after that cruise. We meet some interesting people from all ages and all walks of life. We took naps :D , we ate a lot :o and we came back wanting more. A cruise is all about attitude.

 

From what you said, I think this would be a good fit for your needs. Enjoy!

[Gabrielle R.]

Hi! I think you will enjoy Princess. My husband and I started cruising in our late 20's We started on Carnival.... We thought it was a bit too much of a party atmosphere... We tried Celebrity, Princess HAL, and Royal... out of all these lines we have found that we probably enjoy Princess best, Royal 2nd.

 

We like Princess best for a few things. The ship's- they are ship's! We enjoyed MUTS. Entertainment I liked on all our cruises. I did best in trivial Royal... I can hold my own at Princess.... I just haven't won Drat!;)

 

We really enjoyed the grand class ship's! I liked the balcony on these ship's. I like Alfredo's for pizza. I liked The International Cafe. I can't recall which ship's have Alfredo's

 

We are thinking Regal for our next trip... We keep going back to Princess... We enjoy the ship's, the crew, and where we have traveled. Have fun choosing a trip! Sometimes that is almost as fun!

Gabrielle

[adaptabl]

Ok, so my husband and I took our first cruise on a whim back in December, when we were able to book a good deal on a balcony suite on the Norwegian Getaway. While fun, it wasn't a super great fit for us, but after some time to think on it we've decided to start considering another cruise.

 

We're both our mid-late twenties, but we're fairly laid back people, not big partiers. We enjoy relaxing by the pool, reading, going for walks around the ship, finding places to enjoy the view, maybe live music, wouldn't mind a decent show. Norwegian offered a half-hearted attempt at movies under the stars, and that ended up being one of our favorite activities. We also were happy with our balcony cabin. The balcony itself was small, but we enjoyed the view, and the room was a comfortable size and well-appointed. We really enjoyed getting to decide when and where we would eat.

 

There were several things that we didn't like with Norwegian. There wasn't really an adults only pool, only a splash area in Spice H2O that filled up quickly every day. The main pool was always packed. The food wasn't very good. The specialty restaurants were pretty good, but the buffet was only acceptable and the MDR was terrible. We ended up spending more on specialty restaurants, because the two times we tried dinner in the MDR weren't good.

 

In short, we're hoping for better food - quality over quantity. Better pool setup. A bit less kid focused.

 

Princess sounds like a good fit for us. I've read good things about the food and desserts. Shows sound fun. I am wondering though should we look to Regal or one of the Grand class ships? Do the grands feel dated? Is the entertainment as good? I've heard the pool setup for the Regal is not as good as the older ships. Any overall advice would be appreciated, especially thoughts about the overall experience and the differences good and bad between the ships.

 

We did our first Princess cruise March 29th on the Royal (1o day southern). The ship was great and the service excellent. The food was also excellent. We normally do not do the buffet but used it on Princess some mornings (Breakfast ends at 9:00AM in the dinning room) and at lunch some days. No lines and higher quality selections. The average guest age was fairly old (over 500 guest were doing a back-to-back on this cruise). We are in our early 50's and felt very young. At the muster drill my wife and I looked at each other and wondered if we made a mistake booking this cruise it kind of looked like a retirement home. Did we get on a Holland ship by mistake? We ended up meeting some great people and some older couples who did not seem to act any older than their 30's. The only issue we found was much of most of the live music played was from the 1940's-1950's and early 1960's. We ended up going to trivia games, cooking shows and Princess live shows often. The comedians did only "G" rated shows. The production shows were still high school musical grade level. The CD and entertainment staff was very good. Pub night was great. We have dome multiple Carnival cruises and found the Princess experience more sophisticated and refined, a plus to us. Finding a lounger in the sun was not a problem most of the time. Chairs in the shade were always full (chair hogging is practiced on Princess also) and the pools were giant and never full. The only things we liked more on Carnival was the better music (1970's to current), the comedians "R" rated shows and the fitness center on Carnival is bigger with more equipment. Is Princess the line for us? Not really sure. We are kind of in between Carnival and Princess. We like the more upscale feel, better food and service of Princess with the live entertainment on Carnival. The price for this Princess cruise was less than any Carnival cruise we could find and was priced in Canadian dollars. A big advantage now. The ports were also great.

Edited April 18, 2015 by adaptabl

[searoses]

Regal was my first princess cruise in jan....I spent a lot of time at the retreat adult pool....a very nice space forward with hot tubs and plenty of loungers....met people of all ages here and there....the buffet was terrific with so many choices and good quality ingredients....did the mdr twice....one night awful with an older man flossing his teeth at the table after a pretty bad meal and the second night great fun with pretty good food....the ship is classy and beautiful.....csn't imagine you would not enjoy yourselves....always something going on in the lovely atrium...

[kitkat343]

We are a couple in our late 30s, and Princess is our favorite cruise line. We sailed the Norwegian Star, and had exactly the same concerns about their food (which we knew about ahead of time, so we weren't upset - I expected to eat all meals in specialty restaurants on Norwegian and didn't worry about it).

 

The Princess ships are generally quieter, with much fewer children. On our second sailing, our son was one of only 11 children on board. The kids clubs on Princess are excellent and surprisingly have better hours than Norwegian. On the older ships (like the Coral) there is very little else available specifically for children, which means that kids like my son are more likely to be in the kids club while we are at sea, and not bothering you on your vacation. If you travel while schools are in session, you are likely to see very few children on a Princess ship. The food in the MDR is quite good, and they will bring extra food if you don't like your meal.

 

If you are looking for a quiet, relaxing ship, Princess might be a very good fit for you. We've been very happy with Princess' itineraries - their roundtrip Panama Canal and Alaska both had really interesting itineraries. It is true the average passenger will be much older, but everyone was very friendly.

Edited April 18, 2015 by kitkat343

[SoCal Cruiser78]

...I am wondering though should we look to Regal or one of the Grand class ships?...

 

The only thing I can think to add to the previous comments is that the Regal/Royal are much larger than the Grand-class ships, and are about the size of the Getaway you were on.

 

With the Royal/Regal, you gain newness, some added amenities and improvements, but also have more fellow passengers to contend with and haven't true promenade decks, as I understand it. The last is a deal breaker for some. So consider whether the Getaway seemed a good fit for you size-wise when deciding on your next ship, or if you might prefer something a "size" smaller.

 

One more thing; I understand that NCL doesn't have traditional assigned dining in the same dining room each night. If you aren't aware of how traditional dining works vs. anytime dining on Princess, you might want to read some threads on it. IMHO, anytime dining on Princess doesn't always run as smoothly as on some other lines, so I wanted you to be aware of this before choosing anytime just b/c it may have worked well for you on NCL.

 

Hope this helps. Enjoy your cruise, whatever you decide :)!

[skynight]

I would give it a try. Grand class ships are older, but to my way of thinking have lots more passenger friendly space, including lots of pools and extra lounges as compared to the the Royal/Regal. I have been on many grand class ships and they have all been in nice shape. All Princess ships have lots of free dining choices, and some reasonable priced surcharge dining, $25 & $20pp. Dining areas like the Horizon Ct. Buffet are open from 6am until midnight, never closing. Other areas such as the Trident Grill, Prego Pizza open 11am to 11pm. The International Cafe is open 24/7. The Royal & Regal have improved the buffet area and also have an improved Alfredo's (waiter served, no charge) with added menu items. Every ship has free Pub Lunches on some sea days, a nice alternative. Drinker? All inclusive beverage package is $56.35/day/pp. I would rate Princess' MDR dining as high end and just as good or better than HAL for example. I don't have any first hand knowledge regarding NCL.

[Cruisin' Chick]

We're not foodies (my hubby likes just about all types of foods, and my daughter and I are picky eaters), but we wouldn't want to feel pressured into eating at specialty restaurants just because the MDR food is so bad. The only time on our five Princess cruises we've eaten in a specialty restaurant was simply because we got a complimentary dinner.

 

We've seen a wide range of ages on our last four of those cruises as school was out (summer for our Alaskan cruise, and winter break for our Hawaiian cruises). Usually even on the cruises with a high number of kids, there's plenty of things to keep them occupied so you might not even notice them except at the pools. My daughter was 15 on our last cruise, but she and her fellow mid-teenagers would find things to do, and she also went to many of the shows -- with us or without us.

 

I'm a major fan of traditional dining -- the one time we had anytime (never cleared the waitlist), we didn't care for it at all. Not because of the waits -- just one out of the 7 times that we bothered to go to an AD room, but we can clearly see the differences between AD and TD such as having the same waitstaff that we jibbed with, not dealing with awkward serving (as we did on AD with sometimes being sat down at tables with passengers who have already ordered their food) and not feeling rushed (and if you do want to eat quickly at TD because of a show you want to attend, just explain it to your fellow tablemates and waitstaff -- they will understand).

[Boatingmom]

We did the regal over Easter break and there were lots of people your age. The concerts were matchbox twenty,pink and I forgot the other one. The adult pool was mostly 30-50 year olds. This was a multi generational cruise but the 70+ were found more at the piazza area and early traditional dining. The activities included bingo, trivia, ice carving demo, stargazing, and movies under the stars. There could have been more activity choices on sea days. The shows were ok and the comedian was hysterical. Princess is a good fit for us. The food was ok not great but definitely better than we found on Carnival or norwegian cruise line.

[geoherb]

Our first cruise together was on Norwegian. When we switched over to Royal Caribbean, we knew we'd never sail on NCL again. That was 26 years ago. We have since sailed on several RCI cruises, Celebrity, Holland America, and Princess. Our favorite is Princess, but the other three are good as well.

[Lammy23]

My husband I sound just like you two! We are in our late 20s, definitely not partiers but enjoy some drinks and good entertainment. We were very hesitant about taking our first cruise, but we are currently living outside of Seattle and decided to take advantage of the super convenient roundtrip to Alaska out of Seattle that Princess offered last fall.

 

We were easily a couple of the youngest people on the ship, by at least 30 years. But we did see a handful of couples our age. Very few kids (it was September). But honestly, that's what we were hoping for! The demographic did not bother us in the least. And the ship (Golden Princess) was not a snoozefest, we enjoyed MUTS, the comedians on board, the little dance club was fun. Not the most exciting nights of our lives, but we were satisfied.

 

As for the food...meh. We were not expecting much considering it was a cruise. We are admittedly snobby about what we eat..organic, local, not processed, non-GMO, yea..that sort of snobby! But at the same time it's gotta be delicious! The buffet was ok, the MDR was better, the specialty dining in the Crown Grill was the best meal we had on our cruise. Overall it wasn't terrible food by any means, but we were feeling the bloat and crumminess by the end of our trip.

 

I think you would enjoy Princess judging from your post. And I think you'd enjoy the older ships from what I know of them. Cruising is not our preferred method of vacation, but we think it's a great option to see a little chunk of the world that we wouldn't want to take a whole week to stay in one place in. I say go for it! We are going for cruise #2, again with Princess, in February to the Western Caribbean and are anxious to see how it compares to our first experience.