How does Princess compare?

[Janet524]

We are just off the Caribbean Princess and did not enjoy it as much as our cruises on RC. The crew was great and our dining room team was one of the best we have ever had. But the ship itself was difficult to get around....you couldn't get from one end of the ship to the other on some decks. The one thing that we noticed was the lack of seating on public areas. Around the Piazza (the Princess equivalent of the RC Centrum) the on!y seating was on deck 5. There were no tables or chairs around the railings on decks 6 and 7, and it was difficult to get a seat to read a book, or just people watching. The theater seating was also lacking. Unless you got there 25 minutes before the show it was impossible to get two seats together. We found the food to be underwhelming. Entertainment was so-so. Our standard balcony cabin had lots of storage, but there was only one side chair and one desk chair, no sofa or settee. The balcony was much smaller than the standard RC balcony. Based on this cruise we will probably not do Princess again.

 

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[travelingmomonthego]

Agree food is better on Princess but that is all. Took he most boring cruise w/ Princess last March, the ports were great but the ship/activities were dull--mostly trivia, bingo etc. Many sedentary activities. If they had dance classes, crafts classes etc so many people showed up only about 1/3 could participate. Think they would know how to plan this better by now... Shows very amateur, dancers not good. I only used Princess as RCL has stopped the West coast Mex Riv cruises. But now decided it is worth it to fly across the country to get on a fun cruise

 

 

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[Tahina cruising]

My and my husband's first cruise was on Princess. Neither of us liked it. Almost made us swear off cruising. I tried Celebrity a few years later with a friend and loved it. Then did Royal Caribbean with same friend and loved it. Booked on Royal Caribbean in 16 days and can't wait. Would never do Princess again.

 

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[Bella O]

Thanks so much for sharing what the reviews and cruise web-sites can't or wont say. These boards are priceless!

[Mainiac85]

Thanks for all the replies. We are a couple with a 14 yr old daughter. The Princess sailing is the best price, but am afraid daughter may be bored. We always get off ship at ports but still....may need to re-think.

We have sailed Princess twice, and always been very pleased with them, We are in our early 50's, but I think for a teenager they will be kind of bored, not too much for activities for the younger crowd!!!

[rubrrick]

We just returned from a Mexican Riviera cruise on the Ruby Princess. We are Elite on Princess with 28 cruises with them. We are also Pinnacle Club members on Royal Caribbean, and would prefer to sail on Royal more often, but they left the West Coast and claim to never return.

 

The activities on Royal are far superior to Princess. However, the food on Princess, in the buffet surpasses that of the Windjammer. The cabins on Royal Caribbean are better laid out than Princess, both the Royal Jr Suite compared to the mini suite on Princess, and the full suites on Royal are much better than Princess.

 

Rick

[rocklinmom]

We are elite on Princess but thinking of switching to Royal for a 2019 British Isles cruise, so this thread is very interesting for me. I notice a lot of similarities between lines (we also do NCL a lot and they are comparable as well). I am glad to know that we would probably be just as happy with RC. The cruise I am considering is on Brilliance of the Seas, which looks to be older and not as huge as some of the other RC ships. I could only do oceanview cabins, so does anyone have recent experience with that ship or those type of cabins?

[Steelers0854]

I would recommend that everyone try every cruiseline at some point in time. Without knowing exactly what you like to get out of a cruise it’s hard to recommend one way or the other. While we have our first RCL cruise booked in April we just finished our 8th Princess. We are DINKs in our 30s and have cruised Princess for over a decade. We have also done Disney, Carnival, and NCL. For us Princess is the best thus far. But we don’t do rock climbing walls, flow riders etc. We enjoy relaxing, time out by the pool, people watching, and some actives like trivia, and meeting with other passengers to play card games etc. we are definitely old souls and so Princess suits us well. We also enjoy the performances during the day in the lounges and piazza area on Princess with a variety of musical and performance acts.

 

That being said we have had family members with kids sail Princess (ages 7-11) and they have found the kids program to be fun and had a great trip.

 

If your looking for a lot of activities to keep you busy, Princess may not be for you. If you just want great service, good food, and manageable pool decks then give it a try.

 

Yea, the average age on Princess is significantly higher than RCL, I laughed when I read the post from the individual that said she was 75 and thought she was at the median age, this is simply not true. Maybe on that particular trip it was, but yes, you will generally find more retired folks than newlyweds.

[jacketwatch]

I would say quite favorably really. We have been on 6 Princess cruises and 4 with Royal. I do think that Royal has ship designs that are most to our liking, especially the Oasis and Anthem classes. They are spectacular. IMO Royal is way ahead of the curve in ship design. I like the Voyager class too and have never been on a Freedom class. I have also never been on the newer Princess ships like the Royal and the Regal or the Majestic.

 

As for day time activities lets put it this way. No matter what line we have been on, whether its Royal, Princess, Celebrity, Carnival or NCL we have never been bored.

 

Service has always been very good on Princess, a notch above Royal until our recently completed cruise on the Ovation in Dec. We were treated very well then, as good as any other time we have cruised with any other line.

 

Food is always touchy. Well for me I don't expect fine dining. Lets face it its banquet food and no matter what line we have been on we have been generally pleased. On the Ovation there was no free lobster or prime rib this time. This is an extra fee item on the MDR menu. I don't know if Princess has adopted this as well but our last two Princes cruises in 2014 and 2016 did have these items for free in the MDR and I think prime rib was available on the NCL Getaway at the free pub, O'Sheehans every night.

 

I really don't care about the age of the passengers. We go to enjoy ourselves, the ship and the ports and always meet many more people who are nice no matter what their ages are. Hey you are on vacation. Have fun.