Loyal Royal goes Princess

[denamo]

Please hold on to your hat. I fear this review could get long. Have we given up on Royal? No. Just nice to have another option with other itineraries and ships.

 

Princess was doing an itinerary we wanted to do out of Houston Bayport. Princess is getting ready to leave this port, so we went for it. Itinerary included Panama, Columbia, Costa Rica, and 2 ports in Mexico, Costa Maya and Cozumel for an 11 day cruise. We've done the two Mexico ports on several occasions, so those were no big deal, but still nice to be on a cruise. :)

 

Being from Texas, we were able to drive to port. That was a plus. We stayed in a local hotel that shuttled us to port the morning of the cruise and picked us up after the cruise. That went very smoothly. Both embarkation and disembarkation went smoothly. We received a note in our room about half way through the cruse offering times to disembark. Since we had a 6 hour drive home, we checked off an early disembarkation time. That was the time we received. Thought that was a nice touch rather than a random assigned time.

 

Upon boarding, loved we could go and drop off our carry ons in our cabin. So nice not having to schlep that around until 1:30! Also, the dining room was open for lunch upon boarding. We opted for that rather than the Horizon Court buffet. So nice and relaxed.

 

We found the entertainment to be fairly comparable to Royal...comedians, a magician, and several production shows. The singers and dancers were definitely outstanding. They also did a talent show of staff members around the ship who were not part of the entertainment staff. Some very talented staff. One of the production shows was called Bravo and included songs from Broadway musicals. Extremely well done with some very talented singers and dancers. In the Piazza throughout the day, there would be violinists, pianist, and a steel drummer. Usually that started around 5:00 P.M. each day.

 

Since we did not have access to the "Diamond Lounge" ;) we purchased a coffee card for the week. At their International Café (think Promenade Café"), you could get various coffees and teas. For each specialty drink ordered your card would be punched. It included 15 punches. Regular brewed coffee was available and would not use a punch. The cost for the card was $29 plus gratuity. It could either be purchased on board or prior to boarding. I purchased prior and it was in our room. Well worth it

 

The one topic everyone wants to know about is the food. We actually felt the food was much better than on our recent Royal cruises. The Horizon Court, think Windjammer, was structured very differently than Royal's. There were no long islands, but rather an enclosed rectangular area with food options around the outside exterior and sweets and salad bar in the middle. The portions put out seemed smaller than on Royal which had them replenished more frequently and thus fresher. Soups were also offered and a variety of individual meats throughout the week to be sliced. The only thing we found we liked better on Royal were the dressing for salads. Such a small thing, so it didn't really matter.

 

We did one ship excursion and three independent ones. For the ship excursion, we were directed to meet in the theater. We were checked in quickly and then directed to the provided transportation. Our excursion was to go through three locks of the Panama Canal. It was an awesome excursion.

 

Liked that we could book the excursion prior to the cruise and not have to pay for it. It would be included with our ending invoice. Also, dh has some special dietary needs. This excursion included a lunch and the shore excursion desk contacted us to make sure he would be ok with what they were offering. Nice personal touch.

 

Did prefer the way the balconies on Royal are designed. It was unique that we could totally see the balconies below our deck. There was no roof, so very little privacy.

 

Some things we enjoyed:

1. A chef in the buffet cooked a separate entrée on two different occasions for my husband who has some dietary needs for health reasons.

2. In the theater, there were several rows designated for those with disabilities at the back of the theater. Going up steps can be difficult for my husband, so this was extremely welcomed.

3. Twice each day, a happy hour was offered in two different lounges. One from 4:00 - 5:00 P.M. and the other from 10:00 - 11:00 P.M. It was a buy one get one for $1.00 promotion. Have seen something similar on Royal from time to time. Actually saw several purchasing beer and requesting it not to be opened.

4. We did Anytime Dining. They offered different dining room availability depending on the time you wanted to dine. Bit of a different concept. They did not have reservations available unless done at 5 or 5:30. We learned to go a bit later if we ate in the dining room. They would give buzzers just like restaurants on land. Think we waited maybe about 20 minutes.

5. Activities were plentiful throughout the day and evening. One aspect of their trivia was that in each of the lounges when offered, there were screens that revealed the answers, as well as, the hosts reading it.

6. Ship did a Voice of the Oceans competition where cruisers competed nightly for a slot for the finals. They offered being able to watch the finale remotely in one of the lounges since it was such a popular event on board. Great idea. We opted for the lounge area which was a great choice.

7. Music on board was very comparable to what was offered on Royal, so that was nice.

8. Did a good job of spreading cruisers throughout the ship in the evenings with the different lounges offering musicians. Very similar to Royal.

9. Nothing in the refrigerator to accidentally be charged for! Refrigerator was actually a refrigerator. Kept things cold not just slightly cooled.

 

 

Our overall impression was extremely positive. Without a doubt, would go on another Princess cruise. We met some great cruisers as we usually do, had a good time both on and off the ship, and felt the crew could not have been friendlier or more helpful when needed.

 

If you have questions, please ask.

Edited April 16, 2016 by denamo

[Luv my furbaby]

Though I have been on RCCL, Celebrity, NCL and Princess the majority of my cruises have been on RCCL. I too will be jumping ship next January to try Princess again - I think last time I sailed with them was 15+ years ago. I'm not unhappy with RCCL and I will sail on the Adventure in November, just want to try something different.

So glad to hear you enjoyed yourself!!

[Aboat1]

Don't tell anyone but....We went on a Princess cruise in Jan. Also!!!

 

I agree with every word you wrote in your review! Would like to add that we felt there was a higher Staff to cruiser ratio. I have no hard fact for that. It just felt that way.

 

Loved the MUTS set up. They had pool loungers with extra "padding" , Blankets and Pop Corn at night. First run movies too!

 

Thanks for your review.:)

[Aboat1]

Yikes!!

 

Just saw you were from Harlingen Texas! DH was stationed in Port Isabel and we lived in Harlingen on Peachtree Court! Worked at the Methodist Hospital and the Eye Surgery Center. Still belong to the Harlingen Credit Union! Small world.

[OCruisers]

Thanks for you very well written and thoughtful review.

So agree! It's great to have another cruise line that is also enjoyable.

While Princess is our favorite, we also enjoy cruising on RCCL from time to time. :)

LuLu

[denamo]

Yikes!!

 

Just saw you were from Harlingen Texas! DH was stationed in Port Isabel and we lived in Harlingen on Peachtree Court! Worked at the Methodist Hospital and the Eye Surgery Center. Still belong to the Harlingen Credit Union! Small world.

Know exactly where Peachtree Court is. Yes, it's a small world! :)

[Clarea]

Really appreciate the comparison, thanks.

[rubrrick]

To the OP........thank you for such a wonderful, and true review.:)

 

While we are Pinnacle Club members on Royal Caribbean, we are also Elite on Princess. We also sail MSC, Holland America, Celebrity, NCL, Cunard and a few others, of late, we seem to sail on Princess as much as Royal Caribbean.

 

Much of the reason is that we live close to the West Coast, which Royal Caribbean abandoned some years ago, but when we want a quick "get away" with a drive instead of flying, we head for Los Angeles, or their port city of San Pedro for a Mexican Riviera cruise.

 

We still prefer Royal Caribbean, but today Princess is getting half of our money, as we like to cruise out of the West Coast. We also think that Princess has better food, and a quieter atmosphere, something that some of us senior citizens like!!:D

 

Rick

Edited April 17, 2016 by rubrrick
added verbage

[Paulette3028]

4. We did Anytime Dining. They offered different dining room availability depending on the time you wanted to dine. Bit of a different concept. They did not have reservations available unless done at 5 or 5:30. We learned to go a bit later if we ate in the dining room. They would give buzzers just like restaurants on land. Think we waited maybe about 20 minutes.

 

We don't do MTD on Royal and what you are describing with their version called "Anytime Dining" would not be to our liking.

 

We like the MDR atmosphere and feel, and rarely even go to specialty restaurants on board. We like to know when we are expected for dinner and expect not to wait to be seated for our dinner.

 

The only exception for us, is if a ship has an Izumi Japanese restaurant. IF it does, we will have dinner one night there.

[JimAOk1945]

Thanks for your review and comparison. We enjoy cruising on both RC and Princess, but prefer the perks offered to suite guests on RC.

 

The itinerary you described is awesome. We did that one out of Fort Lauderdale. The canal experience is wonderful.

 

Our favorite port stop was Cartagena, Columbia. Do you have a favorite?

[Vexorg]

I just finished doing the opposite - sailing RCCL (albeit on one of the smaller ships in the fleet) after years of sailing Princess exclusively. I think both have their advantages and disadvantages, but ultimately I found the experience pretty comparable for both lines, and would be likely to sail RCCL again if the itinerary warrants it. Then again, all things being equal I would probably stick to Princess since I am near Captains Circle elite status there, and don't see myself getting that high anytime soon on RCCL. I will go into more detail on the cruise when i am back on a device with a real keyboard, but ultimately I think I want to try an Oasis or Quantum class ship at some point to see how those ones are.

Edited April 17, 2016 by Vexorg

[gadaboutgal]

We don't do MTD on Royal and what you are describing with their version called "Anytime Dining" would not be to our liking.

 

We like the MDR atmosphere and feel, and rarely even go to specialty restaurants on board. We like to know when we are expected for dinner and expect not to wait to be seated for our dinner.

 

The only exception for us, is if a ship has an Izumi Japanese restaurant. IF it does, we will have dinner one night there.

 

Princess has the same dining options that Royal has with the 2 set dining times and permanent table assignment.

 

We, too, like Princess and agree with everything the OP has stated. We are Pinnacle on Royal but also Elite on Princess and find both lines are exceptional.

[cinnamon]

Very interesting. We are Diamond + on Royal and Platinum on Princess. When we sail with them it's because of the itineraries they offer. The perks are not as good but we love the Coffee cards and find the food and entertainment better than Royal.

[FlaGirl13]

I love RCL but one of my bucket list destinations is the Panama Canal and they don't go there so I foresee Princess in our near future. Thanks for your review.

[PLEIKU68]

We did a land tour of Switzerland and then a transatlantic this past October with Princess. Overall an excellent trip. I will say Princess has better land excursions than RCL and they also win the pizza contest hands down. :):)

[SargassoPirate]

She Who Must Be Obeyed and I bounce back and forth between Royal and Princess. There are things about both lines that we like and things that we don't. Just a few:

 

More often than not, Royal acts like they've never done a port day before when you report to the theater for excursions. Princess is much more organized, seats the excursions together and releases the cruisers by row so there is a minimum of pushing and shoving. Very Organized.

 

On longer cruises, we love the laundromats on Princess.

 

On Princess we like MUTS for evening movies with popcorn, but dislike when they run the MUTS screen all day long and blast the soundtrack around the pool area.

 

We enjoy the D and D+ evening events on Royal since the drinks are free, and only discounted on Princess.

 

Overall, it seems to us that Princess hires better guest lecturers.

 

That being said, we never hesitate to choose one or the other, depending on the itinerary.

[George C]

We went from RCCL to Princess to Hal now back with RCCL, wish RCCL did cruises over 7 days from Texas, my one big complaint on Princess was I felt ships were too crowded could not get a seat for a show most of the times