Royal Caribbean or Princess?

[geneology]

Want to go to the ABC Islands in March 2018. Choice of Royal Caribbean - Navigator of the Sea or Princess - Crown Princess. Which would you choose and why? We have never sailed on either line before. Itinerary is basically the same. Will probably book a Balcony or Jr. Suite. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[SuiteTraveler]

Do you want lots of shipboard activities (Navigator) or are you more into going to a spa and having a more traditional type cruise (Crown Princess.) As to food, I think Princess is better but RCCL is good. I like the RCCL cabins a bit better. They feel roomier to me and I like the decor better. Princess is just a bit more upscale and refined and much more British than RCCL overall, but they are both good. What I would look at is the price. If Princess is cheaper, I'd go with Princess. If RCCL is cheaper, I'd go with RCCL. Hope you have a great cruise!

[Ashland]

Want to go to the ABC Islands in March 2018. Choice of Royal Caribbean - Navigator of the Sea or Princess - Crown Princess. Which would you choose and why? We have never sailed on either line before. Itinerary is basically the same. Will probably book a Balcony or Jr. Suite. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

I would do Navigator and just checked #9628 JS is available for the 9 nighter...grab it...quick...Have been in this cabin on Mariner (Asia) & Adventure (southern caribbean B2B last month) and will book it again next chance I get..;)

[OCruisers]

A mini-suite on Crown Princess would be our choice in a "Heart Beat"! :)

[Ashland]

A mini-suite on Crown Princess would be our choice in a "Heart Beat"! :)

 

I tried that "once" and missed my RCI larger cabin and walkin closet ;)

[ano]

Royal was the first cruiseline I ever sailed on, and maybe 10 or 15 years ago it was a bit upscale as Princess is today. But over the years Royal has focused on bigger and bigger and bigger ships with more fad type features (which is fine) but the negative is they have been cramming more and more people on these ships. We sailed Allure of the Seas maybe five years ago and after that, we said never again. Yes it has lots to do but lines for everything. Want to go see a show, well you better have signed up well in advance because likely its full now. Want lunch in the buffet? We'll I hope one of you has 20 minutes to walk around and find a table for the group because the odds of finding one otherwise are slim to none. If your not 12 years old or don't have kids traveling with you that are, then this will be less than a fun experience.

 

So I guess the question is do you have young kids were you are willing to put up with the aggravation or are you older? If you are not traveling with kids, then Princess is a MUCH nicer experience. We have sailed Royal maybe 8 to 10 times, but never never again. Its just not fun. Its turned into a hassle and that isn't why we cruise.

Edited July 14, 2016 by ano

[geneology]

No kids just DH and myself. We are young 55's. We have been on Carnival - hated it, NCL was fun, truly enjoyed our cruise with X so we booked them again to see if it was just the itinerary or X or the X passengers. They were a little bit quieter than NCL - would have liked a little more ship activity but we found people were more friendly and we met some great people on the cruise. We liked that the most about the cruise with X. We are hoping for the same experience in 2017.

 

I have always wanted to go to the ABC Islands and a cruise is the only way to get DH there. So I compromised - :D These were the two cruises that I liked - trying to figure out which line would fit us best. We have only cruised on ships with 2300 passenger capacity. Princess is about 3080 and and Navigator of the Seas even larger with 3807. So it will be our first time trying a larger ship. I have read the ship reviews. Just looking to see what else people might be able to add to help in the decision making.

[Grandma Dazzles]

You will find lots of comments pro and con for both lines/ships. Suggest posting the same questions on the RC board and Princess board.

 

Disagree with Ano's comments about crowding on RC larger ships. Found they handle people moving very well. Design of the ships facilitates good flow of passengers. Sometimes crowded when a show has just finished, for example, or right before dining room opens for traditional dining, but otherwise never had a problem.

[Aquahound]

Disagree with Ano's comments about crowding on RC larger ships. Found they handle people moving very well. Design of the ships facilitates good flow of passengers. Sometimes crowded when a show has just finished, for example, or right before dining room opens for traditional dining, but otherwise never had a problem.

 

I also disagree with Ano's comments. I've cruised Navigator twice, and twice on Princess ships that are of the same design as Crown. RCI Voyager Class ships (Navigator) feel far less crowded than Princess ships. I think it's because of the higher ceilings and much larger open spaces throughout the ship....such as the dining room, Royal Promenade and main theater. Plus, you have to book a mini suite on Princess to get a room the size of a standard balcony on RCI. At full capacity, Navigator of the Seas has a space to passenger ratio of 37, whereas Crown Princess is 29.7. These stats support my opinion that Navigator is less crowded.

 

But crowding aside, I also prefer Navigator for numerous other reasons. I think the ship is a lot nicer and I think Navigator has better entertainment...especially for the shows in Studio B (ice rink).

[marco]

All things being equal, I'd go with Princess. We've been on both lines several times and feel Princess is just a notch above when it comes to dining and overall fit and finish of the ship. However, not enough so that should RCI be significantly better pricing, go with RCI.

[JimAOk1945]

Having been in a mini on the Star Princess and a JS on Navigator, I would suggest Navigator. The JS is roomy, with a large walk-in closet, and larger bathroom.After cruising on three different Princess cruises, I feel RC provides us with a better overall experience.

 

Cruising is a great way to travel. Have a wonderful vacation.

Edited July 16, 2016 by JimAOk1945

[geneology]

You will find lots of comments pro and con for both lines/ships. Suggest posting the same questions on the RC board and Princess board.

 

Disagree with Ano's comments about crowding on RC larger ships. Found they handle people moving very well. Design of the ships facilitates good flow of passengers. Sometimes crowded when a show has just finished, for example, or right before dining room opens for traditional dining, but otherwise never had a problem.

 

 

Thank you - I will

[Arzeena]

Who ever has a better pricing would be my choice.

I like Princess for a lot of reasons and I like Royal for another set of reasons.