Need some help comparing Princess and Royal Caribbean

[slyster]

Hello, I have cruised quite a few times and I'll be honest, I never considered Princess. I think I felt it was for more of the richer, sophisticated crowd. I have sailed in RC and carnival and felt carnival was too much partying for me. I enjoy RC for their activities and night life.

 

My partner and I are considering Princess because of their Alaska itineraries. On board amenities aren't too important because we know how port intensive the Alaska cruises are. I do wonder about Princess' nightlife.

 

I should also mention we are in our mid 40s and we are pretty laid back folks who are most comfortable in a pair of jeans and tshirt. We don't mind dressing up for dinner but we aren't really interested in formal nights though.

 

I'm just wondering if we will feel comfortable with Princess in terms of the average age of cruisers (in particular Alaska), night life, and our life style.

 

Maybe I saw too many Love Boat episodes LOL. Would like your feedback. Thanks so much.

[UpcountryTravelers]

Hello, I have cruised quite a few times and I'll be honest, I never considered Princess. I think I felt it was for more of the richer, sophisticated crowd. I have sailed in RC and carnival and felt carnival was too much partying for me. I enjoy RC for their activities and night life.

 

My partner and I are considering Princess because of their Alaska itineraries. On board amenities aren't too important because we know how port intensive the Alaska cruises are. I do wonder about Princess' nightlife.

 

I should also mention we are in our mid 40s and we are pretty laid back folks who are most comfortable in a pair of jeans and tshirt. We don't mind dressing up for dinner but we aren't really interested in formal nights though.

 

I'm just wondering if we will feel comfortable with Princess in terms of the average age of cruisers (in particular Alaska), night life, and our life style.

 

Maybe I saw too many Love Boat episodes LOL. Would like your feedback. Thanks so much.

 

Having sailed several times on both (and more to come as you can see below) I would offer this comparison. Royal Caribbean is a better choice for families and those interested in such thing as rock climbing and surf waving. Princess is quite a bit more sophisticated and upscale.

 

For Alaska, however, you will see much more relaxed apparel, and a more "laid-back" atmosphere than Princess elsewhere. The REAL advantage for Princess is the narration, and the expertise they bring aboard to enhance your Alaska adventure. For most cruises, RC vs Princess depends on your preferences (we enjoy both). For Alaska, NOBODY comes close to the total package that Princess offers.

[satxdiver]

I have been on both cruise lines. RCCL appeals to people who want physical opportunities such as the climbing wall, ice skating etc. It also has a younger pax than Princess. You will be at the bottom end of the pax on Princess. The night life on Princess is really good with several venues to while the night away such as a piano bar and three different music venues with different type of music as well as the late night disco. Food is available from 6 AM to 11 PM in the HC (buffet) as well as the 24 hour IC with a better selection than RCCL offers. The pizzeria and grill are located next to the swimming pool. Room service is available 24 hours with the only charge for pizza ($3).

 

The big difference is that there are limited slots to go into Glacier Bay and I have heard RCCL does not have one but Princess does. As for dress in the MDR on non-formal nights jeans and a collar shirt are acceptable. Formal nights can see anything from a tux to suit to sport coat to no coat all with or without a tie. Only real requirement is pants (dockers will do) and a long sleeved button up shirt.

 

There usually is few children aboard. Princess allows pax to go to their cabins upon boarding and allows all the wine you want to bring on board. However all bottles over the two free ones allowed are charged a corking fee of $15/bottle.

 

If you never have been to our 49th state, Princess offers a really good package with transportation by rail to Denali and Princess' beautiful lodges.

[Astro Flyer]

Hello, I have cruised quite a few times and I'll be honest, I never considered Princess. I think I felt it was for more of the richer, sophisticated crowd. I have sailed in RC and carnival and felt carnival was too much partying for me. I enjoy RC for their activities and night life.

 

My partner and I are considering Princess because of their Alaska itineraries. On board amenities aren't too important because we know how port intensive the Alaska cruises are. I do wonder about Princess' nightlife.

 

I should also mention we are in our mid 40s and we are pretty laid back folks who are most comfortable in a pair of jeans and tshirt. We don't mind dressing up for dinner but we aren't really interested in formal nights though.

 

I'm just wondering if we will feel comfortable with Princess in terms of the average age of cruisers (in particular Alaska), night life, and our life style.

 

Maybe I saw too many Love Boat episodes LOL. Would like your feedback. Thanks so much.

You appear to be like us on our first Princess cruise in our early 40s several decades ago.

 

We've also sailed RCL & Carnival cruises several times when on a multigenerational family cruise which has worked okay. Taste is subjective but we much prefer the Princess food & options and think that entertainment is similar. On Princess there's no extremely loud parade like in the Navigator OTS main street area which was so loud we could hear it in our balcony cabin several decks higher.

 

The term "casual elegance" is one that I think applies to Princess...more upscale than Carnival & RCL but not stuffy to me.

 

I think that their Alaskan cruises are great & they attract many first time Princess cruisers.

[caribill]

If you like RCCL and do not mind not having bowling alleys, ice skating rinks and climbing walls, then you will like Princess.

 

Having been on both lines a number times, I found the overall experience is about the same other than the items I mentioned above.

[slyster]

Thanks for all your feedback. It sounds like trying an Alaska cruise through Princess may be a great first Princess cruise. I appreciate everyone giving me more insight. It's definitely worth considering. Thanks again!

[PensFan1028]

As others have said, if you can go without the physical activities that RCCL offers then you will enjoy Princess. DW and I are in our late 20's and while we did enjoy the pool games and such on our one and only RCCL cruise, we prefer the food and service on Princess. We enjoy the relaxation and making our own fun when we feel like it.

 

We don't have children and Princess certainly gives you a little more "peace and quite".... in my experience the children on board are young teenagers or older most of the time and typically well behaved.

 

Can't wait to do Alaska, maybe our 5 year anniversary. Have fun!

[ckornuta]

You will love Princess. It is not nearly as stuffy as its reputation.They have great food and itineraries.We are are very casual and never really dress up alot[just semi nice] and we never feel out of place.We have cruised most cruiselines and like Princess the best.The ships are like staying at a nice hotel that moves around!

[cruzsnooze]

I've sailed to Alaska on both Princess and RCL. They are about equal in quality. If I were to go on a cruisetour I would avoid RCL. The hotels RCL uses are off the beaten path in Denali and require a shuttle into town. Princess' wildnerness lodge is in town and much nicer. RCL hass more activities, Princess is more laid back. Neither require formal wear anymore, dockers and a collared shirt will get you into the dining rooms.

If you're just on a cruise without a land package pick either one. Look at itinerary and price and pick the advantageous one. If all things were equal I'd go with RCL (cruise only) because I like their balcony cabins better. Princess has one barrel shaped chair in their balcony cabins and RCL has a small sofa in theirs so there is a place to sit in the cabin if you watch a movie or want to read. On Princess I always book a mini suite to get the sofa and expanded counter space.

Edited February 22, 2016 by cruzsnooze

[slyster]

I love Royal Caribbean, it's a great fit for us. However, we do want to go to Glacier Bay and that's important to us. It sure sounds like Princess can be a pretty good fit for us at least for this particular cruise and it can give us an idea of whether or not it might work. Thanks everyone!

[sunsetbeachgal]

Glacier Bay is such a highlight, I think you have made a very good choice. Yes, more activities on RC, especially for families, but for us plenty of entertainment on Princess.

[Astro Flyer]

Glacier Bay is such a highlight, I think you have made a very good choice. Yes, more activities on RC, especially for families, but for us plenty of entertainment on Princess.

 

I also enjoyed the Princess enrichment presentations such as in Juneau by the first female winner of the Iditarod dog sled race back in 1985...Libby Riddles.

 

While not everyone likes his style, I enjoyed the enrichment lectures by Michael Modzelewski whose website says he has a lifelong Princess contract. He's lived the life of an Alaskan explorer so he has many experiences to share & I also enjoyed his narrative while passing through beautiful Alaska.

Edited February 22, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[OCruisers]

Princess is a great choice for Alaska where Princess is well know for providing excellent cruises! It would be a shame to miss Glacier Bay!

Don't worry! You're going to find Princess not to be in any way as "stuffy" as you're thinking!

You'll have FUN! :D

LuLu

[Napagirl]

How funny, I wouldn't describe Princess as stuffy at all! It's true there are less activities such as rock-climbing walls, water slides and the like.

 

We really liked Princess and are getting ready to try out the California Coastal. The Alaska cruise is really beautiful. I give it a thumbs up!

[ontheweb]

I also enjoyed the Princess enrichment presentations such as in Juneau by the first female winner of the Iditarod dog sled race back in 1985...Libby Riddles.

 

While not everyone likes his style, I enjoyed the enrichment lectures by Michael Modzelewski whose website says he has a lifelong Princess contract. He's lived the life of an Alaskan explorer so he has many experiences to share & I also enjoyed his narrative while passing through beautiful Alaska.

 

I agree with everything you wrote, especially about Michael Modzelewski. Being able to listen to him and interact with him definitely added greatly to our Alaskan cruise experience.

[tiessa]

I'll be fair and admit I've taken only 1 cruise on Princess, which was terrible, and about 8 on Royal Caribbean. Royal Caribbean beat out Princess in almost every category but that could be just that specific cruise. Princess is not stuffy. It is just kind of boring and plebeian. . I heard a number of Elite passengers remark how Princess has gone downhill since Carnival bought them.

 

At 40 I would definitely prefer RC but itinerary is important. We ended up on Princess because they were the only ones with a partial canal trip and we were very disappointed. We are in our mid 60's and were bored. The vibe was not sophisticated just not fun.

 

Jeans and t shirts are fine. In fact, on formal night we even saw people in khakis and Hawaiian shirts. Like any cruise line anything in manner of dress pretty much goes.

 

We went on princess at the end of January on a 10-night cruise. I saw no children and the average age probably was about 60-65. There were lots of canes and walkers but most of the folks were very friendly and lively. I met some great people on board but sitting and talking with them was the most fun I had and the best part of the cruise.