Royal Caribbean vs Princess

[Weluv2cruise2007]

Hello All. I cruise with Royal once many moons ago, and have been pretty well exclusively Princess every since. I am completely open to trying Royal again so I'm wondernig if those who have cruised both could offer me some comparisons...some pros and cons of each. Thanks so much!

[Clarea]

Hello All. I cruise with Royal once many moons ago, and have been pretty well exclusively Princess every since. I am completely open to trying Royal again so I'm wondernig if those who have cruised both could offer me some comparisons...some pros and cons of each. Thanks so much!

Some similar threads:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2210618

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2214587

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2151789

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2118530

[George C]

I much prefer RCCL over Princess, I did both Caribbean Princess and Crown Princess and found both ships overcrowded compared to all the RCCL ships I have cruised on, never had problems getting seats to shows on RCCL, was not able to see many shows on Princess since there was no room. Food in MDR I think is equal, just think there is more space per passenger on RCCL most other things are equal.

[JulieRose]

As I've said before, I find Princess to be more refined and elegant that Royal. RC is more of a party ship with belly flop contests and whatnot whereas Princess refrains from such things in favor of activities such as wine tasting.

 

(***This is just an example- please spare me your "YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO TO THE BELLY FLOP CONTEST!!!" B.S.***)

[DebJ14]

As I've said before, I find Princess to be more refined and elegant that Royal. RC is more of a party ship with belly flop contests and whatnot whereas Princess refrains from such things in favor of activities such as wine tasting.

 

(***This is just an example- please spare me your "YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO TO THE BELLY FLOP CONTEST!!!" B.S.***)

 

I have to agree with this. Our last 2 Princess cruises on the Caribbean Princess (Dec. 2013) and Emerald Princess (Jan 2015) were great. And unlike some other poster, we did not feel that either ship was at all crowded. Also, people were actually dressed up on formal nights and the Maitre'D at traditional late dining actually turned people away on casual nights who were in shorts.

 

We were disappointed in out Aug 2014 cruise on the NOS. When we walked out to the pool area we were greeted with extremely loud music and then the belly flop contest. We wondered when the ship had been Carnivalized? We did not have that experience on the Mariner or Voyager cruises.

 

We are booked on the LOS out of Galveston, but now that we are nearing final payment we are seriously considering canceling that cruise in favor of the Caribbean Princess out of the Port of Houston.

[vestamark]

As I've said before, I find Princess to be more refined and elegant that Royal. RC is more of a party ship with belly flop contests and whatnot whereas Princess refrains from such things in favor of activities such as wine tasting.

 

(***This is just an example- please spare me your "YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO TO THE BELLY FLOP CONTEST!!!" B.S.***)

I agree completely. However I prefer the energy on the Royal cruise. We took a Princess Cruise in June and while it was wonderful I couldn't help but miss the enthusiasm that we had experienced on previous RCCL cruises. While I would happily take another Princess Cruise sometime in the future I can state that we already have a Royal cruise to the Bahamas scheduled for later this year. But we also enjoy Carnival just so you know where we are coming from.

 

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[JulieRose]

It depends on what you're looking for. We were married on a Princess ship and I wouldn't change that because, for a wedding, that's the environment you want. As you can see in my sig, we are currently vacationing exclusively with RC mostly because of their modern ships, not for their vibe or level of service (which I find to be slightly inferior).

Edited July 13, 2015 by JulieRose

[Kowhai17]

I like RC better for the energy. I did enjoy the Princess cruise I took recently, but it seemed a bit "stuffy" and the evening entertainment was lacking. The Princess crowd was also largely my parents'/grandparents' age (including dear friends I cruised with), and RC tends to have a wider age range which I like. I'm not into the belly flop contests or super loud music, but the overall entertainment/activity offerings on RC I like better.

[Mrbp1]

One word to describe a major difference between Royal and Princess is FOOD!

 

The food on Princess is way above Royal. Princess has fresh made pizza, Royal frozen dough etc. Princess a grill by the pool deck for hamburgers, chicken breasts etc, Royal - nope no place for that.

 

The buffet on Princess has a better selection of food choices - even for lunch. Royal tends to get old very quickly. Even the food quality in the specialty restaurants on Princess is way above Royal. Yes, I cruise both lines and this is the one major factor that really is a standout for Princess.

 

The Movie Under the Stars on Princess is an event whereas on Royal just something playing on a screen that you might or might not be able to hear or even see due to various structures blocking your view. No fresh made popcorn, blankets or even lounge covers that you do get on Princess. Boring on Royal - Event on Princess.

 

These are just my opinions.

[homeschoolmama]

If you choose Princess just dont get sick or die. Seriously, I have been on numerous royal ships when there have been medical emergencies and they went above and beyond to take care of the sick person and their family. Princess on the other hand didnt care that one of their passengers died on the beach after my sister did cpr for over an hour. Reader's digest version, when informing the second officer one of his ship's passengers just died on a beach, his response was "I'm going on break, go talk to guest services"....who I might add were equally disinterested. Comparing food, rooms, shows and other amenities are well and good, but that experience on Princess taught me to think of worst case scenarios. I want to know a cruiseline will take care of me if something, God forbid, awful happened. I will never ever go on Princess due to that experience.

 

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[LizzieandLuke]

I went on a Princess for my honeymoon many years ago and it was lovely. I now have a family and wouldn't think about cruising Princess. If it was just my husband and myself I would look carefully at both lines and if the price was right, Princess would probably win.

[jagmanss1]

One word to describe a major difference between Royal and Princess is FOOD!

 

The food on Princess is way above Royal. Princess has fresh made pizza, Royal frozen dough etc. Princess a grill by the pool deck for hamburgers, chicken breasts etc, Royal - nope no place for that.

 

The buffet on Princess has a better selection of food choices - even for lunch. Royal tends to get old very quickly. Even the food quality in the specialty restaurants on Princess is way above Royal. Yes, I cruise both lines and this is the one major factor that really is a standout for Princess.

 

The Movie Under the Stars on Princess is an event whereas on Royal just something playing on a screen that you might or might not be able to hear or even see due to various structures blocking your view. No fresh made popcorn, blankets or even lounge covers that you do get on Princess. Boring on Royal - Event on Princess.

 

These are just my opinions.

 

I 100% agree and couldn't of said it better.... Hell! The Fresh made Pizza That is awesome is worth a Princess cruise..... Never thought I'D say that in my early days of cruising with all the great food options, Who would want pizza.... I had to have a slice every day on my last princess cruise....

[jagmanss1]

If you choose Princess just dont get sick or die. Seriously, I have been on numerous royal ships when there have been medical emergencies and they went above and beyond to take care of the sick person and their family. Princess on the other hand didnt care that one of their passengers died on the beach after my sister did cpr for over an hour. Reader's digest version, when informing the second officer one of his ship's passengers just died on a beach, his response was "I'm going on break, go talk to guest services"....who I might add were equally disinterested. Comparing food, rooms, shows and other amenities are well and good, but that experience on Princess taught me to think of worst case scenarios. I want to know a cruiseline will take care of me if something, God forbid, awful happened. I will never ever go on Princess due to that experience.

 

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Died on the beach! Ummm! That's why Travel/Cruise insurance is a must and very important.... I'm sure if it happened on the ship this person would have had the best medical care possible..... Once you leave the ship you are on your own, Unless it's a ship excursion.....

Edited July 14, 2015 by jagmanss1

[homeschoolmama]

I know you are on your own once you leave the ship. It was the cavalier, inhumane response from every officer from the second officer to the ship doctor to security to guest services that was so disturbing. Not one expressed remorse, sadness or any other humane emotion to the dwath, the wife who was left on the beach...alone, nor those of us who were involved in trying to save his life. Not one ship personnel expressed compassion. Oh and by the way there were two other couples who were also directly involved in the tragedy and they were trwated the same way.

 

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[Ren1216]

...Princess on the other hand didnt care that one of their passengers died on the beach after my sister did cpr for over an hour. Reader's digest version, when informing the second officer one of his ship's passengers just died on a beach, his response was "I'm going on break, go talk to guest services"....who I might add were equally disinterested.

 

Died on the beach! Ummm! That's why Travel/Cruise insurance is a must and very important.... I'm sure if it happened on the ship this person would have had the best medical care possible..... Once you leave the ship you are on your own, Unless it's a ship excursion.....

 

Absolutely not acceptable, even though the person was on shore. He was still their passenger, he had a wife who was a passenger. Other passengers were also effected. This isn't about money (ie: insurance) or the quality of care/CPR he received on the beach. It's about how the situation was responded to, and the obligation a cruise line has to their passengers. If ever a time when some compassion, caring and assistance was needed, this was certainly it!

 

Anyway -- back to the OP and the original topic:

 

I've sailed with RCI and PCL, love 'em both. Once upon a time, I liked PCL just a bit more, but I imagine it was because they were my "first" and held a special place within. Once I sailed RCI a few times and then later returned to PCL, eh... it wasn't quite as great as I remembered. But RCI isn't as great as they once were either. That's definitely NOT to say either are bad, not at all! Just, things have changed over the years (for both companies). We thought the food is better on PCL, but I sure don't go hungry on a RCI ship. I also agree with those who feel the energy and entertainment is a little better on RCI. If I am sailing with a family group, which I typically do, then RCI would be my first choice as they tend to please most people. If it were just the two of us, PCL would get my first consideration. But I'd be very happy on either line.

Edited July 14, 2015 by Ren1216

[trogmd]

I have been on both and enjoyed both equally.

Princess did have great food but lacked in the entertainment.

RCL is more fun but is also much more expensive.

I find most cruise companies that I have been on have as many good points as each other.

Variety is the spice of life. :)

[smeck]

I just completed a two week cruise on the Caribbean Princess my first with Princess.

 

Pros.

MDR food always hot and better quality.

Cabins ready when boarding embarkation day.

Never a line when leaving the ship on port days

Movies under the stars

Grill by the pools

Aft Pool

Pizza

Longer hours of buffet operation

 

RCCL pros.

Mini suite bigger and larger balcony

Design of ship

Better air conditioning in public areas.

Windjammer

Entertainment

Bread in dining room. ( I love Bread)

Royalty program.

Availability of officers

 

Both had great areas of expertise. It all depends what's inportant to you. One thing I can guarantee from either line you won't regret your decision.

[Big_G]

It's been a while but the biggest difference we saw like others here was the energy. Right now we're splitting between Royal and Celebrity. We've chosen Celebrity over Princess because it's a tad more refined and they have reciprocal benefits with Royal.

[celly]

One word to describe a major difference between Royal and Princess is FOOD!

 

The food on Princess is way above Royal. Princess has fresh made pizza, Royal frozen dough etc. Princess a grill by the pool deck for hamburgers, chicken breasts etc, Royal - nope no place for that.

 

The buffet on Princess has a better selection of food choices - even for lunch. Royal tends to get old very quickly. Even the food quality in the specialty restaurants on Princess is way above Royal. Yes, I cruise both lines and this is the one major factor that really is a standout for Princess.h

 

The Movie Under the Stars on Princess is an event whereas on Royal just something playing on a screen that you might or might not be able to hear or even see due to various structures blocking your view. No fresh made popcorn, blankets or even lounge covers that you do get on Princess. Boring on Royal - Event on Princess.

 

These are just my opinions.

 

I am with you, IMHO Princess has much better food but I like the Royal Caribbean ships and service better.

[cruisinpoler]

I have cruised with Carnival 3 times, Royal 4 times, and just returned from an Alaskan cruise on the Crown Princess.

 

I am 41, active, and adventurous. I have enjoyed RC the most out of the three for many reasons. One is the layout of the ships. I found myself still getting lost on day 7 of my Princess Cruise. For me, the Royal ships were more intuitive. While the common areas on Princess were elegant, There was not a real center of activity with the fun energy of the promenade. Also, I really love Central Park on Oasis class, and there was no public area on the Crown Princess to sit and relax in a relatively calm environment like that either. The entertainment on Princess was seriously lacking, and we found ourselves bored with nothing to do many evenings. I am not a belly-flop contest kinda girl, but I do enjoy the Quest, the Newlywed Game (or whatever they call it on Royal), and the other shows that I have seen on Royal. The food was good, although I found the buffet did not have the variety of RC. I recall the windjammer having ethnic options almost every day. Central Park Cafe also had a great variety, as opposed to International Cafe on Princess which had very limited options. It was tough to find food "after hours" on Princess.

 

It may have been partially because this was an Alaskan cruise and kinda cold outside, but the vibe was way more laid back. In a way, I enjoyed that but I prefer to have a choice. We ended up going to karaoke every night... well, that was fun but it did get a little old. A couple of things I really enjoyed on Princess were the naturalist lectures and the open back of the ship, where they gave you hot chocolate and blankets as you watched Alaska go by. The lectures were actually incredible and life altering!

 

For me, Royal is the best because it is a mix of fun, entertainment, and good food. The food really is not significantly better in my opinion, and the service was not what I had experienced in the past on RC. We hardly ever saw our room steward, and the waiters were just OK. The variety on RC is better, and I actually thought the wine tastings on RC were classier, more informative, intimate, and showcased better quality wines. The tastings I attended on Princess were in the MDR and about 100 people were there. In Vintages, there were 8 of us.

 

Embarkation on Princess was a breeze, but it is always pretty easy on Royal as well.

 

An 82 year old man traveled with us. He had cruised on Carnival and Royal as well, and he preferred Princess. He thought the food was better and enjoyed the atmosphere more.

[susancruzs]

Interesting read! I haven't sailed with Royal lately, last time Brilliance in 2003. I'm on the Vision in Oct. for a Med plus TA so I'm interested to see how it compares to Princess.

 

I was onboard Emerald Princess last year 25 days, it was great. For all the talk on the boards about declining food on cruises, I thought it was very good. I've been cruising since 1982, 12 Princess, 4 Royal, 4 NCL, 1 Carnival, 2 Celebrity, 1 Costa.

 

I know Vision is a smaller ship, which is fine but realize future is bigger. I was onboard the Sea Princess for 21 days and size wise, comparable to Vision. I cruise for itinerary so next year back to Princess for Baltic on the Regal, following year Radiance to Australia. The itinerary is destination for me, not the ship so I probably won't try the Royal biggies!

[OCruisers]

We like Princess better but also sometimes cruise on RCCL. :)

[sellwingri]

Our first 2 cruises and one through the Panama Canal were all on Princess. 2 were great and 1 was not so great, but this was many years ago. We now almost exclusively cruise on RCI because we love their ships, the entertainment, and just the overall vibe. We also love the benefits that come with being Diamond. I recently found a Princess cruise that I was going to book because it went to 2 ports we haven't cruise to in the past. I called our TA and she ended up talking us out of it. She knows us well enough to know that the more refined Princess isn't our "style" and that we should probably stick to RCI, which we did by booking a 10 day cruise for next April.

 

They are similar but I would say if you want a more vibrant cruise with lots of things to do outside of main showroom productions, I would go with RCI. If you want a more refined experience, which will still be great, choose Princess.

[traveling1969]

I know folks don't go on a cruise to stay in their cabin but having a comfy oasis to rest and recoup in is important to us. We generally stay in balcony cabins and I must say that RCCL is definitely a better choice if that is important to you. Princess balcony cabins do not have any comfortable seating; only a stool and a small chair, while those on RCCL ships have a sofa or love seat. The newer Princess ships have a new class of cabin called Deluxe Balconies that have a sofa but these are priced significantly higher than standard balconies. Other than that, the two lines, while different in many respects, are both excellent in our opinion.

 

Harry

[bigboffs]

We cruise on both, but give RCCL a slight edge. Our observations may/may not sit well with "cheerleaders." Here are some. RCCL ships are far more family oriented with an emphasis of kids activities. Most Royal ships have more large open areas, and the rooms seem a bit larger. Although food itself is VERY subjective, the layouts are not. Buffet choices on Princes are more extensive and it is served until midnight (or later on some ships). The Buffet layout is much better on Royal as is the placement of food. Although "headliners" entertainment quality on Royal has gone down in recent years, it is still better than Princess. Internet on Princess is extremely fast compared to most Royal ships, and ii is cheaper. The RCCL loyalty benefits, especially if you enjoy alcohol beverages is far better on Royal. On Princess, there are self use laundry facilities that for many cruisers are a blessing. During summer months, Princess does not do Caribbean cruises.