LIVE From the Royal Princess: 4/6/2019

[AF-1]

HBCcruiser;  thanks for sharing;  you got swag with the tour too; so that has to count

[HBCcruiser]

Swag- loved this:

 

Princess Robe.

[AF-1]

There is the swag I was talking about.  good for you.  Have a great day

[HBCcruiser]

Apron:

 

[HBCcruiser]

Photo frames and photos.

[HBCcruiser]

Personalized stationary.

 

[HBCcruiser]

Someone asked about the suite toiletries. This is what was included in the Sleep Package included with suite.

 

[HBCcruiser]

I did not take pics any of the bath items (sorry) but did bring home a lotion. The bath gel was nice, I used that daily. I bring my own shampoo and conditioner though.

[HBCcruiser]

8 minutes ago, AF-1 said:

HBCcruiser;  thanks for sharing;  you got swag with the tour too; so that has to count

 

Yes, it did! Made the tour even better!

[cruisequeen4ever]

I saved your NCL thread to read right before this one. I opened this one with the plan to read it later today but just couldn’t put it down! Such a fun read; thank you! 

[HBCcruiser]

Video tour of the Royal Princess Sanctuary: 

 

 

This was our Happy Place! 

[ceilidh1]

1 hour ago, HBCcruiser said:

Swag- loved this:

 

Princess Robe.

Oh - that's the regular robe. Is that what they give now? When we did it (8 or 9 years ago?) they gave the thick. plush robes. I LOVE it - though it was pretty darn heavy to pack in the suitcase....I am still wearing it daily after all these years!

 

They also gave a white chef's jacket rather than the apron you posted. Not even sure what happened to that, but I know I didn't wear it - I don't cook. LOL

[HBCcruiser]

On 4/10/2019 at 7:19 AM, Crzy4Crusin said:

Does anyone know what time the pool closes?

 

I asked staff and was told that it doesn’t close. Open 24/7 unless getting cleaned.

[Crzy4Crusin]

1 hour ago, HBCcruiser said:

 

I asked staff and was told that it doesn’t close. Open 24/7 unless getting cleaned.

Thanks for taking the time to get an answer for me. 

[EagleRockers]

3 hours ago, HBCcruiser said:

 

Yes, it did! Made the tour even better!

We're on the Royal in 2 weeks in a penthouse suite. Might I ask where your muster drill was held? My DH has a walking problem and I'm hoping the drill is not too far from out suite. Thanks and welcome back!

[HBCcruiser]

2 minutes ago, eaglerockers@msn.com said:

We're on the Royal in 2 weeks in a penthouse suite. Might I ask where your muster drill was held? My DH has a walking problem and I'm hoping the drill is not too far from out suite. Thanks and welcome back!

 

We were assigned Muster Station G which was by the Crown Grill on deck 7.

[HBCcruiser]

NCL/Princess Suite Comparison:

 

First, it is important to note the price difference between the two lines. Currently, to book this same itinerary one year from now the price for a Haven Suite on the NCL Joy is $5299.00 per person for a Haven Courtyard Balcony Suite (not including taxes, etc.) The Penthouse Suite on the Royal Princess  (same type of room we had this trip R609) is $2431.00 per person (not including taxes, etc.) The NCL cruise price includes three specialty dining nights for 2, free drink packages for 2, $50.00 off shore excursions in each port per person, and free WiFi for 2. The Princess price includes $300.00 per person to spend onboard. That is a total difference of $5,736.00. The drink package on Princess is about $500.00 per person so that would be $1000 added onto the price. Dining for 3 specialty restaurants would be an additional $174.00 and WiFi about $120.00. So basically, you save $4,442.00 if you sail with Princess in a Penthouse Suite. Is the NCL Haven experience worth that much more? IMO - No. Is it an awesome Experience? YES! 

 

[HBCcruiser]

The Suite Experience Comparison:

 

I am not going to compare to the Haven experience because the NCL Star does not have a Haven. We did, though, experience all of the Haven Perks including butler, priority boarding, debarkation and seating, specialty breakfast, etc.. on the Star. 

 

Embarkation/Debarkation: NCL wins on this one. On Princess we boarded with Elite passengers. On NCL we were the first group escorted onto the ship and into the specialty dining restaurant (Cagney's - which is like the Crown Grill) for suite passengers. Also, on NCL we were allowed to drop our luggage into our stateroom before going to lunch. With embarkation, NCL staff escorted us off the ship and right to the shorter customs line. There was a snafu with Princess. We had no priority disembarkation. I am going to attribute the Princess experience to lack of communication with suite passengers and perhaps a new staff learning the ropes. 

 

Dining:  I have to say pretty much a tie overall. The food in the specialty restaurants on NCL was a bit better than the food in the Specialty Restaurants on the Royal Princess. I was not all that impressed with the Crown Grill. Sabatini's was better IMO. NCL offered several specialty restaurants, and all were quite good.

 

The Club Class and Main Dining room food on Princess was better than on NCL, though. I did enjoy having the Suite Breakfast on NCL (in Moderno's) a little better than on Princess (in Sabatini's) because there were more food options and food was a little bit better. The French Press Coffee on NCL - AWESOME! This was a very close match between the two lines, though.

 

One difference, though, was that we were able to eat in the specialty suite restaurant the last day of the cruise on NCL. Not on Princess.  I was not able to enjoy my final Eggs Benedict on our last day on the Royal. Princess should change this. Also, on NCL they offer a specialty restaurant daily for lunch - Cagney's - for suite passengers. On Princess we had Club Class, but it was in an area of the main dining room. Mostly, the same main dining menu was offered. The food was very good, though. 

 

Buffet: We did not really eat at the NCL Buffet so cannot compare the two. Both have large buffets with plenty of food choices. We enjoyed the Royal buffet for lunch 2 days and found the food to be good. 

 

[HBCcruiser]

Staff: Definitely a tie. Staff on both ships treated us very well. They worked hard to resolve problems, greeted us with a warm welcome and smile, and were always asking if we were enjoying our cruise. Of course, some staff members stood out from the rest on both ships. Our room Steward on Princess was wonderful, as was our Butler on the NCL Star. Both met our requests with ease and a smile. We really do not request anything out of the ordinary, though.  Our servers were always wonderful on both ships. 

 

Priority Seating: NCL wins on this. NCL always had priority seating for suite passengers in dining rooms. This was a nice perk. Princess did not always do that. My guess is this might be something we have to request early on. Not sure. 

 

I did miss the Towel Critters on the Royal Princess, though! I have heard that NCL is not going to make them anymore - they have become extinct. Very sad - they were adorbs. That being said, I won't compare them.

[HBCcruiser]

Time to get some work done. To be continued... 

[AF-1]

Great and honest comparison.  Like you I have sailed both lines in Penthouse Suites. So I am in tune with your comparison.  Have a great day.  

[milolii]

I am, like others, enjoying the comparison.  We have cruised NCL almost exclusively. Giving Princess a try as the NCL suites are just too much,  but the experience is awesome as you have pointed out. 

[HBCcruiser]

Ship Layout and Decor: Princess wins in this area (IMO)

Both ships (NCL Star and Royal Princess) have a similar broken-up layout. I say that because there are times when you want to get somewhere but can't "get there from here". You have to go up or down a level in order to move aft to forward. Confusing at times on both ships. NCL, though, labeled the ship nicely so yu knew which direction to walk in. Princess did not have any ship navigation signs, and for a directionally challenged individual like me, that got a little tiring. I DID get my steps in, though!

 

The Princess decor is beautiful and reminds me of the old Bellagio. I LOVE the Piazza. So pretty. The Star was a bit more modern, and did not seem as "Classy" with the decor. On Princess, I spent time in the Piazza enjoying sitting at Vines, Crooners or Bellini's and people watching. The Star did not have a large enough area to really do this. 

 

Condition:  Both ships were in good repair.  Our NCL suite had issues with the windows - there was a peeling film that interfered with viewing -  and the lighting in our bathroom and in certain specialty restaurants was too low and flickering (VERY bothersome). Princess wins on this one. 

 

Adult Areas and Different Venues:  Princess wins hands down! I LOVED the Sanctuary and Retreat area. Sooo nice to have a totally private pool, hot tubs, loungers and bar area for adults when needed. The NCL Star has no adult only pool and H2O (the only adult only area) is rather small with no loungers or sunny spots, other than near the hot tubs. 

 

Princess also offers a variety of bars and music venues from classical to rock and roll. it is nice to be able to enjoy different types of music, bars and venues. We loved Vines - for special wines and wine tasting. NCL Star does not offer a wine bar. Princess also offers entertainment by the pool with the water shows and movies/shows playing on the big screen. NCL Star does not have anything like this. 

 

Shows and Entertainment: I have to say NCL by a nose, only because there was more variety of show types on NCL, from Cirque du Soleil type shows, to broadway musicals, magicians and comedians. We did not experience this on Princess, but it could have been due to a new cast starting that week and the fact that one production was pulled from Princess ships. Not sure. What we saw was good, though, just not the same variety.

 

 

 

 

[HBCcruiser]

Suites: A tie for quality. We loved both rooms. NCL wins for variety and overall suite options.

NCL offers more suites and variety of suite room configurations and sizes. They offer larger suites with large balconies that have hot tubs, several bedrooms and can sleep 6 or more, to your basic penthouse suite with balcony  that sleeps  up to 4. The Princess PH Suites only sleep up to 3, so the option of having family suites or 2BD suites cannot be compared on Princess. You will have to purchase two separate suite cabins if you have a large family and want a suite on Princess. That being said, we enjoyed the Princess PH Suite, especially the bathroom set up.  The Royal PH suites have  narrow balconies, but we did not use it that much.  On NCL we did not have a balcony, but did not really miss it with the large floor to ceiling glass windows and seating area. 

[AF-1]

HBCruiser,  good comparison; I will tell you I have stayed in 2 bedroom Family Suite on Princess; and I picked this cabin over NCL 2 bedroom Suite due to the layout and sizing. On NCL Pearl the 2 bedroom had master bedroom and 2nd bedroom. The second bedroom was tiny and there was one bathroom.  On Princess we had 2 bedrooms and the 2nd bedroom was very good size for the kids; we had 2 bathrooms, and living room, and then we had large balcony.  I do agree with you about NCL having more suite options.  Princess does not have anything close to an Deluxe Owners Suite like NCL