Princess or Royal Caribbean

[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. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[Lucky TGO]

I think I have the right answer? Heads it's Princess Tails it's Royal Caribbean.

Tony

[joeyancho]

I have been on both ships several times. I love both of them. You have a delightful dilemma. Navigator is a great ship with lots to do. However Crown has better food, IMHO. It also a great ship. It is more subtle than the Navigator. For example, no rock climbing wall. For us (in our early 60s, mid 50s) I guess the Crown would be our choice. However if we got a great deal on Royal, we would not hesitate to choose her.

[paylady]

You really can't go wrong with either line.

[bugeater2]

The Sip and Sail promotion tipped it in Princess's favor for my group.

[moki'smommy]

I'd look at cost and the makeup of your group. Royal Carib has lots of things that are beyond our ability due to age and physical abilities. Thus, I see no point in paying for what I can't do. It also has a lot more kids on typical cruises.

 

If the Princess Sip and Sail is applicable and the prices are the same...I'd definitely do Princess.

 

I guess the bottom line is that for us, Princess is the line that makes more sense. I'd need a reason to book Royal Carib.

[Astro Flyer]

We sailed the Navigator OTS once and the Crown five times so we obviously prefer the Crown.

 

But that's merely our preference because overall Princess provides our preferred cruise experience. When going on multigenerational family cruises, the consensus is that RCCL was the best option which worked okay for us.

 

The only things we liked better on RCCL was their free Seattle's Best coffee (not from coffee concentrate like on Princess except for the Royal-class ships) and also a slightly better variety of entertainment which included ice-rink performances. We didn't like the extremely loud events performed in their interior main street area...our balcony was several decks up & it was still too loud in our cabin.

 

We much preferred everything else on Princess but other passengers will have different opinions & there's no correct answer for everyone. ;)

Edited July 17, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[tiessa]

Royal Caribbean is a far superior line. Navigator is a great ship. Was very disappointed with Princess and headed straight to Royal Caribbean. There is just no comparison in my experience.

 

 

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[caribill]

I think I have the right answer? Heads it's Princess Tails it's Royal Caribbean.

Tony

 

Right answer on the Princess forum: Princess

 

Right answer on the Royal Caribbean forum: Royal Caribbean

[Lucky TGO]

Right answer on the Princess forum: Princess

 

Right answer on the Royal Caribbean forum: Royal Caribbean

 

See I told you I had the right answer. LOL :D

Tony

[jennybenny]

We've been on both cruise lines, but have been mostly cruising princess for about 10 year or more.

 

They both do a great job, we prefer Princess.

 

The reasons we prefer Pincess is, I'm our opinion, they are more laid back. I don't feel like I'm rushing to do things, I'm relaxing on vacation. The price is also usually cheaper than Royal Caribbean. That makes a difference.

 

We enjoy Vines, the wine bar, and we enjoy the Thermal Suite in the Spa. We enjoy their Chef's table, Sabatini's and Crown Grill. We aren't fans of anytime dining, so we still book traditional for our group. We are big enough to have our own table, so when we book specialty restaurants, we aren't making a table empty.

 

You will be fine whichever way you go.

Enjoy your cruise.

[Redwing55]

Though I'm a Princess fan, I'd take whichever had the lowest fare. However, as I say this, I've had great success with fare reductions on Princess after I booked. I've only booked once with Royal C and no such reduction.

 

No wrong choice IMHO.

[riclop]

Rcl is more fun and it has more activities.

[Astro Flyer]

Though I'm a Princess fan, I'd take whichever had the lowest fare. However, as I say this, I've had great success with fare reductions on Princess after I booked. I've only booked once with Royal C and no such reduction.

 

No wrong choice IMHO.

 

Also nearly all OBCs are combinable...military, shareholder, FCD, loyalty, TA & Princess...which in addition to Princess providing my preferred cruise experience it's also more affordable.

 

I agree, there's no wrong choice & hopefully all of the posts are helpful for the OP to decide what's their best option.

Edited July 18, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[JimmyVWine]

Rcl is more fun and it has more activities.

I enjoy myself more on Princess because it has fewer activities. Non-stop activities and in-your-face entertainment are not what draw me to a cruise. I have enjoyed RCCL, but found that as their ships got bigger, wider and more focused on rock walls, flow riders, Johnny Rockets and "Central Parks", my enthusiasm waned. Navigator is a fine ship and only has a few of the features that I don't care for and would have no difficulty booking a cruise on her. But I currently prefer the Princess product at the moment.

[neverbeenhere]

With the Labadee stop and a savings, we would go with Royal. We prefer to do the Southern on a longer cruise, but for a 7 day this looks good.

[Gabrielle R.]

Who has the better deal?

When looking at time in port... which gives the most time? We loved the ABC islands, I'd go with time in port and cost.

DH and I really enjoyed Crown Princess. We felt the food has been better on Princess, and drink prices are better.

However, we are on RCCL over Christmas and New Years because Princess didn't have a trip that matched our time off...

So, as you can see we will go on either line.

RCCL has one big plus, glass shower doors! Princess has shower curtains.

Have fun on your trip! You have a fun choice to make.

[OCruisers]

Many things are subjective -- food, décor, entertainment, service, pax base, cabins, etc.

The above suit us better on Princess than on RCCL. :)

[satxdiver]

We have been on both ships and prefer Princess as you can see at the bottom of this post. Being a member of the senior group, climbing walls and flow riders are out of our interest. Ice shows in the Caribbean seems like an oxymoron plus don't do anything for us. So what is so great about Princess you ask. First as pointed out the OBC are additive such as stockholder's OBC and FCC which being a first time Princess pax the OP would not have. Princess also adds a very nice OBC for any veterans also added to the total amount - thank you Princess for recognizing our service to our country.

 

Another nice perk is that Princess allows us to reserve shore excursions ahead of time and pay for them once we embark and they can be cancelled if we change our minds. Once pax board they can go straight to their staterooms and not have to take their hand carried luggage to lunch with them even if it is before the 1:00 PM time set by RCCL. The HC (buffet) is open continually from 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM with the food changing over the day (breakfast, lunch etc). The pizzeria and grill are located next to the main swimming pool and open from 11 AM to 11 PM. The IC similar to the Cafe Promenade has much better food offerings IMO.

 

Once you book with Princess and a cheaper price comes along, you can call Princess or your TA to perhaps get the new cheaper price. However sometimes strings are attached such as no cancellation etc so please check it out. The Princess rep always tells me what will change and what I will be agreeing to. Just some considerations to think about.