Regal Princess vs RCL Serenade of the Seas

[jpcello]

I'm currently holding two reservations - both are accessible balcony cabins. The itinerary is almost identical for both cruises (Princess out of NY up to New England and Canada and RCL out of Boston up to New England and Canada). Both cruises are early October 2016.

 

We've never sailed Princess before. We have had great experienced on various RCL ships but we've stuck mostly with their larger/newer ships (Allure & Oasis, among others).

 

Would love to hear from others on their experiences - both good and bad. I'm having a hard time deciding which one would be better for us. We're two middle-aged women (sisters) who like more low key entertainment, activities, etc. An enjoyable afternoon is finding a quiet place to read for a few hours, maybe have a cocktail or two, attend a wine tasting. Food and service is very important.

 

Thanks in advance.

[vickila]

Well, we are Diamond Plus on Royal and love our perks because of it, bit last October we gave the Regal Princess a try for a quick get away and absolutely loved it! It's quite lovely and enjoyable.

 

The ship is beautiful, the food was very good and entertainment was fun. The Atrium was designed for light entertainment to be seen at various times from all levels. The International Cafe was open late for snacking and had a nice presentation always. The only con we saw was the balconies were skinny depth-wise so that one had to sit turned, otherwise knees hit the rail. Also there was no shore excursion/shopping talk.

 

Try it, "change is good". We found excitement in discovery and are going back again this year. Unfortunately Princess is only here in NY for Sept/Oct cruises and Red Hook is just an ok embarcation port with a unpopular tourist area surrounding it. I think the Regal Princess is a good choice for the NE/CAN cruise. Accessibility is good too. Accessible cabins are large, but even though accessible, not deep enough to get a scooter or w/c out comfortably. Vicki

Edited May 11, 2016 by vickila

[jpcello]

Thanks for the feedback Vicki. I'm leaning toward Princess mainly because of cabin location.

 

Princess cabin location seems good because decks above and below are cabins. On Royal, our cabin is directly above the casino, Vintages and the Schooner Bar. I'm very concerned about the noise from below. That's probably why the accessible cabin was still available - bad location.

 

My sister lives in Manhattan so Red Hook isn't a problem as long as we can park. The Royal cruise leaves from Boston so we would simply drive up that day.

[xxoocruiser]

RCCL's Radiance Class ships are my personal favorites for overall accessibility. Serenade and Brilliance are my preferred choices. Have not been on the Regal Princess .

[sanspike]

Loved the accessibility of Radiance class ships. Smooth getting into balcony. Plenty of room.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jpcello]

Y'all aren't helping :D I absolutely love Royal - never been on this class but we have never had any issues on our Royal cruises. I'm just concerned about the noise. Our last cruise was on NCL and the noise coming from the outside deck 3 decks above us (where they had their nighttime parties) was just awful. Walls shaking, complaints every night to guest services. Even the neighbors were complaining, so it wasn't just me. So the fact that this cabin is directly above Vintages (which shouldn't be bad) but the casino and Schooner bar is also right there.

 

Right now leaning toward Princess. I also don't want to hold the accessible cabin too long - because I know how hard they are to get.

[xxoocruiser]

Y'all aren't helping :D I absolutely love Royal - never been on this class but we have never had any issues on our Royal cruises. I'm just concerned about the noise. Our last cruise was on NCL and the noise coming from the outside deck 3 decks above us (where they had their nighttime parties) was just awful. Walls shaking, complaints every night to guest services. Even the neighbors were complaining, so it wasn't just me. So the fact that this cabin is directly above Vintages (which shouldn't be bad) but the casino and Schooner bar is also right there.

 

Right now leaning toward Princess. I also don't want to hold the accessible cabin too long - because I know how hard they are to get.

 

RE: Serenade. The Casino as well as the Schooner bar are not "right there" as stated in your post. Neither really should have any effect on your cabin as neither are in the direct vicinity of the accessible cabins. For that matter there are no accessible cabins directly above or below Vintages .

 

Assuming you booked either 7610,7612 or 7614 which are all accessible cabins to the aft of Vintages, these cabins are over the public hallway leading to the Schooner bar and not directly above it. Based on my many years of cruising one needs to be more concerned when the public area is directly above the cabin rather than below as was the case with your experienced on NCL.

 

Not trying to talk you into the Serenade instead just offering a different perspective as to cabin location. Though have not be on the Regal Princess I have been on other Princess ships and the overall cruising experience is also nice.

Edited May 12, 2016 by xxoocruiser

[jpcello]

RE: Serenade. The Casino as well as the Schooner bar are not "right there" as stated in your post. Neither really should have any effect on your cabin as neither are in the direct vicinity of the accessible cabins. For that matter there are no accessible cabins directly above or below Vintages .

 

Assuming you booked either 7610,7612 or 7614 which are all accessible cabins to the aft of Vintages, these cabins are over the public hallway leading to the Schooner bar and not directly above it. Based on my many years of cruising one needs to be more concerned when the public area is directly above the cabin rather than below as was the case with your experienced on NCL.

 

Not trying to talk you into the Serenade instead just offering a different perspective as to cabin location. Though have not be on the Regal Princess I have been on other Princess ships and the overall cruising experience is also nice.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I'm booked in 7614. I'm not that familiar with the layouts (except on Oasis/Allure), so knowing they're over the hallways and not directly over the bar helps.

[vickila]

Well, we are Diamond Plus on Royal and love our perks because of it, bit last October we gave the Regal Princess a try for a quick get away and absolutely loved it! It's quite lovely and enjoyable.

 

The ship is beautiful, the food was very good and entertainment was fun. The Atrium was designed for light entertainment to be seen at various times from all levels. The International Cafe was open late for snacking and had a nice presentation always. The only con we saw was the balconies were skinny depth-wise so that one had to sit turned, otherwise knees hit the rail. Also there was no shore excursion/shopping talk.

 

Try it, "change is good". We found excitement in discovery and are going back again this year. Unfortunately Princess is only here in NY for Sept/Oct cruises and Red Hook is just an ok embarcation port with a unpopular tourist area surrounding it. I think the Regal Princess is a good choice for the NE/CAN cruise. Accessibility is good too. Accessible cabins are large, but even though accessible, not deep enough to get a scooter or w/c out comfortably. Vicki

 

Two other thoughts to add. The Princess Regal has a transfer system for scooters/wheelchairs on to their tenders. It was quite easy and a delight to be able to take the scooter to Newport, RI and Bar Harbor, Maine right on to the tender.

 

Also felt the tables in the dining room, were not as closely laid out as on Royal. If you do choose the Regal Princess, try Alfredo's Pizzeria in the atrium. It is an elegant sit down whole pie pizzeria (and a few other options) served and FREE.

 

Also on the top deck is a look down strip that one walks on that sees all the way to the bottom. Just a "discovery" option....but adds to the fun.

 

Only one DR had an accessibility problem as it was aft. I don't remember the name. The MD was happy to change it for us. Vicki