Royal Caribbean VS Princess - Who has done both?

[scoochy12]

Hi All,

 

This will be our first Princess cruise on the Ruby coming up in a few months. We are Platinum with Royal and wanted to know who has done both lines? What are the main differences with regards to dining / food and activities?

 

TIA!!

[Lady Arwen]

It depends on which RCI ship you are comparing with Princess.  Oasis class ships are basically floating hotel/amusement parks and Princess has nothing to compare with these ships. Ruby Princess is a lovely, elegant ship but nothing like RCI behemoths.  Food is comparable, as is service.  Entertainment is another matter.  RCI is known for lots of entertainment venues and outdoor activities to please all age groups.  Princess might seem a bit bland in comparison and does attract an older demographic.  If you’re not looking for nonstop action, then Princess would be a good choice.  

[prmssk]

The biggest differences are in the vibe and energy level.  Princess is more of a traditional, quieter, low key experience.  You will still find trivia, game shows, live music, evening shows, etc. but you won't find the real active activities of Royal (waterslides, rock climbing walls, etc.).  Princess has a show every night usually a different one every night and you don't need reservations to attend (although plan on getting there early if you want a good seat).  The shows are good but they aren't the amazing quality of the Broadway and Aqua Shows on the Oasis class ships.

 

The MDR and buffet are pretty similar and I have had great food and service on both lines.  Specialty dining is a bit cheaper on Princess but there are less options than many of the Royal ships.

 

Princess has more all inclusive options so you can avoid the variable and high costs of internet and drink packages that many purchase on Royal.  For $50/day/person, you can get a Princess Plus fare which includes gratuities, internet, and a beverage package.  Princess is just now introducing an even more inclusive fare which goes into effect for sailings starting June 25. 

[dog]

I’ve been on both lines.

Pre pandemic I usually chose Princess for the affordable balcony.

I did not find much difference n the food.

 

[thisislou]

I have 36 cruises with Princess and pre - covid, they were my Goto. Not anymore. Since last October, we sailed B2B on Sky, 10 days on Enchanted and 7 on Caribbean Princess. They had gone downhill very bad. During the same time, we did a small RC to get to Diamond and them Odessey of the Sea WOW.  RC has brought up there game as Princess is slowly take there game and benefits down. RC away has something to do or eat - Princes not...

 

I could go on and on but you get the picture

[JeffT237]

We completed our first Princess cruise last month when we cruised to Alaska.  My wife and I both felt as far as food goes they were very similar as far as the MDR food quality and service, and the complimentary offerings were similar as well.  We've done specialty dining on both I'd say the Crown Grill and Chops are about the same, both very good IMO but I give the nod to Giovanni's over Sabitini's on PCL.  We both thought Sabitini's was average and not worth the up charge. Most RCCL ships will have more speciality dining choices as well.  We generally skip the buffets but the Windjammer on Royal seems to have more offerings than on Princess, we sailed on the Crown Princess and the buffet appeared small to us.

 

The service we received on board the Crown was very good, as has been the service we've experienced with Royal.  The Crown is a bit older than what we prefer but we sailed on her for Alaska so we were expecting this as we were more interested in itinerary (Glacier Bay) than amenities and entertainment, the thought was we'd be spending more time on land doing excursions than on the ship.  Without knowing what class you prefer with Royal and what your cruise preferences are it's hard to make a true comparison.  We did find ourselves a bit bored on the Crown as we ended up with a lot of ship time due to the itinerary changes and late arrivals to our ports.  We did not see any shows on the Crown as they didn't seem interesting to us but we did enjoy the live music most nights.  On RCCL we do enjoy the entertainemnt especially the aqua shows.  The overall experience from embarkation to disembarkation was very similar and enjoyable.

 

What we preferred on Princess was the pricing for speciality dinners and being able to make reservations pre-cruise, the Princess Plus pricing (drinks, WiFi, gratuities) is insanely affordable if your'e comparing it to the drink package prices on Royal, self service laundry (we are those cruisers who do laundry) generally we felt Princess's prices for all of the additional things was better than Royals dynamic pricing.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

11 minutes ago, dog said:

I did not find much difference n the food.

the food difference is clear if the Princess ship is Regal or newer. Older Princess ships, imho, have about the same food as RCI ships. Maybe, MDR is a smidgeon better on Princess. I am comparing pre-pandemic Princess and pre- and post-pandemic RCI.

Basically, we cruise Princess for its food, and we cruise RCI for the entertainment and family/kid friendly activities, like rock climbing, ice skating, surfing, ziplining, etc.

[carbon]

We have sailed both.  We are platinum with Princess and Diamond on Royal. We are sailing June 11th on crown with all its propulsion issues.  Royal ships are much nicer. Food about the same. We really like the concerts on the big screen on Princess. 

[delynn72]

I've done several of both. They both have their positives. RCCL tends to have a younger crowd and more children. Their entertainment is excellent and lots to do all day or night. The food is good. Princess is prob our favorite overall. The age group tends to be a little older, but a nice mix. The food and service are excellent. I feel Princess food is a little better than RCCL. The entertainment seems a little more refined on Princess. Overall we like them both and will continue to cruise both.

[Honolulu Blue]

I sailed on Mariner of the Seas in March (charter) and on Majestic in April.  I also sailed on Regal last December.  This is an interesting topic, but I don't have a lot to say.  I suppose I'm still in the evaluation period for both.

[dog]

56 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

the food difference is clear if the Princess ship is Regal or newer. Older Princess ships, imho, have about the same food as RCI ships. Maybe, MDR is a smidgeon better on Princess. I am comparing pre-pandemic Princess and pre- and post-pandemic RCI.

Basically, we cruise Princess for its food, and we cruise RCI for the entertainment and family/kid friendly activities, like rock climbing, ice skating, surfing, ziplining, etc.

Well, it is great to have a choice, isn’t it?

Throw in Celebrity & Holland America - and my opinion is that both of these lines are offering better food in the MDR then Princess. Just off Discovery & found it did not live up to my expectations. Alfredo’s was excellent, though, as was Crown Grill.

[Lady Arwen]

1 hour ago, dog said:

Well, it is great to have a choice, isn’t it?

Throw in Celebrity & Holland America - and my opinion is that both of these lines are offering better food in the MDR then Princess. Just off Discovery & found it did not live up to my expectations. Alfredo’s was excellent, though, as was Crown Grill.

You are so right on!  Our favourites are Celebrity, Princess and HAL in that order.  Sometimes we’re looking strictly at itinerary so it could be any of the three, whomever has where we want to go.

[MISTER 67]

15 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

You are so right on!  Our favourites are Celebrity, Princess and HAL in that order.  Sometimes we’re looking strictly at itinerary so it could be any of the three, whomever has where we want to go.

One thing for sure, Princess has much better fares than Royal Caribbean, also feel that RC gouges. We are in our mid 70s and if we go on a mega RC ship we feel we are paying for a lot of things that we would not use. We like Celebrity but they again have much higher fares than Princess and Holland America. Going forward we will probably stick to HAL and Princess. I think the food on Princess is better than RCI and on par with Celebrity with Princess having a much better buffet. Service also better on Princess. Cabins on some of the RCI ships are minuscule except for tiny showers on Princess ships.

Edited June 6, 2022 by MISTER 67

[grapau27]

4 hours ago, scoochy12 said:

Hi All,

 

This will be our first Princess cruise on the Ruby coming up in a few months. We are Platinum with Royal and wanted to know who has done both lines? What are the main differences with regards to dining / food and activities?

 

TIA!!

Congratulations in booking a Princess cruise.

Hopefully as Elite on Princess and Diamond Plus on Royal Caribbean I can help.

Princess.---------

Excellent food.

Excellent bar service.

Lovely cabins.

Older clientele.

More relaxed.

Outside big screen showing movies.

Royal Caribbean.---------

Excellent loyalty program.

Amazing facilities for the young and active.

Primarily Get your own drinks at the bar.

Excellent night time entertainment.

Excellent Speciality restaurants.

Graham.

[NavArch64]

Elite on Princess ... Diamond on RCCL .... earlier respondents are accurate ... depends on your needs and desires. Both very good at what they do.

[Ken the cruiser]

The big benefit for us, as we are fully retired, is that Princess offers longer and more unique 3-5 week itineraries whereas RCCL, as well as Celebrity, is more geared towards the 7-10 cruise itineraries.

[Lady Arwen]

1 hour ago, MISTER 67 said:

One thing for sure, Princess has much better fares than Royal Caribbean, also feel that RC gouges. We are in our mid 70s and if we go on a mega RC ship we feel we are paying for a lot of things that we would not use. We like Celebrity but they again have much higher fares than Princess and Holland America. Going forward we will probably stick to HAL and Princess. I think the food on Princess is better than RCI and on par with Celebrity with Princess having a much better buffet. Service also better on Princess. Cabins on some of the RCI ships are minuscule except for tiny showers on Princess ships.

Have you been on any of the Edge class ships on Celebrity?  Food in MDR and buffet is a real step up from the others.  Bathrooms, even in lowest interior cabins, are far superior to anyone else.  Service is top notch, as is entertainment.  Eden is mind boggling….Disneyland for adults!  Pricey?  Yes, it is, but Celebrity fans don’t care.  Princess showers are horrible….tiny with that darn shower curtain.  However, Princess has some really nice itineraries that we enjoy that Celebrity doesn’t offer, so that’s when we choose Princess.  We like HAL, but it’s getting a bit predictable.  Itineraries never change.  Good value for the money, though.

[MISTER 67]

28 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

Have you been on any of the Edge class ships on Celebrity?  Food in MDR and buffet is a real step up from the others.  Bathrooms, even in lowest interior cabins, are far superior to anyone else.  Service is top notch, as is entertainment.  Eden is mind boggling….Disneyland for adults!  Pricey?  Yes, it is, but Celebrity fans don’t care.  Princess showers are horrible….tiny with that darn shower curtain.  However, Princess has some really nice itineraries that we enjoy that Celebrity doesn’t offer, so that’s when we choose Princess.  We like HAL, but it’s getting a bit predictable.  Itineraries never change.  Good value for the money, though.

Have not sailed on the Edge class yet, seems we always wind up on the Equinox which is a great ship, pretty classy and not too big, in fact we are sailing on her next Sunday the 12th. 

[Esprit]

9 hours ago, Lady Arwen said:

Have you been on any of the Edge class ships on Celebrity?  Food in MDR and buffet is a real step up from the others.  Bathrooms, even in lowest interior cabins, are far superior to anyone else.  Service is top notch, as is entertainment.  Eden is mind boggling….Disneyland for adults!  Pricey?  Yes, it is, but Celebrity fans don’t care.  Princess showers are horrible….tiny with that darn shower curtain.  However, Princess has some really nice itineraries that we enjoy that Celebrity doesn’t offer, so that’s when we choose Princess.  We like HAL, but it’s getting a bit predictable.  Itineraries never change.  Good value for the money, though.

The Edge was brilliant, but I will never sail on Royal Caribbean again. I swing between Celebrity and Princess. Both have their positives and negatives, but both far superior to Royal Caribbean.

[AF-1]

Princess offers all inclusive fairs, Royal does not. Royal has great entertainment along with good food.  Princess has good entertainment along with great food.

[carbon]

12 hours ago, MISTER 67 said:

Have not sailed on the Edge class yet, seems we always wind up on the Equinox which is a great ship, pretty classy and not too big, in fact we are sailing on her next Sunday the 12th. 

We have done 28 cruises, (Princess, RCCL, Celebrity and Disney)four on Equinox and it is our favorite ship!

[darnoc23]

Are the cruise fare prices comparable or is one more than the other?  

[AF-1]

darnoc23; cruise fares vary by destination, and the ship itself.  Right now Celebrity Apex commands a premium price because its a new ship.  But you can still get some good pricing deals for certain cruises. 

[Lady Arwen]

1 hour ago, AF-1 said:

darnoc23; cruise fares vary by destination, and the ship itself.  Right now Celebrity Apex commands a premium price because its a new ship.  But you can still get some good pricing deals for certain cruises. 

Actually, there are some good prices on Apex for certain itineraries.  Celebrity Beyond, the newest ship in the fleet, is quite a bit more expensive in the Med than the other ships.  Edge class ships tend to price higher than S class and certainly more than M class.

[fishin' musician]

RCL has a louder let's get this party started vibe with lots of announcements.  Princess has a quieter, more serene vibe with far fewer announcements.  RCL targets families and features lots of activities for kids.  So if you've got kids the choice is obvious.  If you don't have kids the choice is also obvious.