to those who have been on Caribbean Princess and a RCCL voyager class ship

[momofmeg]

I am considering a fall cruise on Caribbean Princess-great price for a balcony! My problem is I did not care for RCCL Mariner of the Seas at all. There were too Many People, it was too crowded, and the food was the pits. I have read on these boards that the mega ships- no matter the line-the food is just not as good as they are feeding masses of people-any thoughts?

[stoneharborlady]

I have only been on one ship, one cruise, the Caribbean Princess. I thought the food was excellent. Karen

 

 

 

I am considering a fall cruise on Caribbean Princess-great price for a balcony! My problem is I did not care for RCCL Mariner of the Seas at all. There were too Many People, it was too crowded, and the food was the pits. I have read on these boards that the mega ships- no matter the line-the food is just not as good as they are feeding masses of people-any thoughts?

[ISABELLA]

We have sailed on Expolorer, Adventurer and CP. All three were crowded, but food on CP was overall better. The best spot by the pool on CP is back of the ship pool, passing Caribe Cafe. We just hanged around there all day - no kids, no noise from 3000 people. It was great. And this is my humble opinion. Go with CP.

[momofmeg]

We have sailed on Expolorer, Adventurer and CP. All three were crowded, but food on CP was overall better. The best spot by the pool on CP is back of the ship pool, passing Caribe Cafe. We just hanged around there all day - no kids, no noise from 3000 people. It was great. And this is my humble opinion. Go with CP.

 

Thanks Isabella-on our MOS cruise-there was an adult's only pool also-even that pool was supercrowded-we had 3600 PAX on that ship-and even though there were a rock climbing wall, skating rink, putt-putt, inline skating rink etc.-it seemed to ME on sea days ALL 3600 PAX were by the three much too small pools.

 

You make me feel better about the food though and if we book a balcony-I will be spending alot of time there-on MOS we booked an atruim cabin-so we did not have that luxury.

 

You do make the CP sound great! What about the restuarants? Are you assigned- or is pick what you want? I am sure there is a pay extra restuarant or two. we did Chops on MOS and I did like chops-much better then the reg. dinningroom food and well worth the extra $20.

 

Thanks so much for your help.

[cindyscruise]

there are 2 speciality restaurants on the CB. Both are $20. I found the food to be comparable on both CB and Explorer with the edge going to the Explorer. there is traditional dinning and anytime dining onthe CB which I like a lot. Plus the pools are spread out which helps with so many people. However if you don't like that many people maybe neither is for you. I did not find either ship to feel crowded.

[many cruises]

We have sailed on both the Mariner of the Seas & the Caribbean Princess. We definitely preferred the Caribbean Princess over the Mariner. The food was excellent on the CB & very mediocre on the Mariner. The children on the Mariner were allowed to run wild..there were even kids who destroyed public property on the ship. On the other hand, on the CB the kids were very well behaved. You can credit both the kids & the youth security for that. The shows were very crowded on both ships & we had to stand for some of the entertainment...especially Bert Stratton who is very popular in the lounge on the CB. The CB is kept very clean & well maintained. The Mariner (we were on it when it was only 6 months old) was showing signs of wear & tear & the carpets were dirty. That was our last RCI cruise. We much prefer Princess...but we probably will not sail on the CB again because there were just too many people. The other Grand Class ships have 500 fewer passengers than the CB & the new Crown Princess. We noticed a difference in the public areas.

[momofmeg]

We have sailed on both the Mariner of the Seas & the Caribbean Princess. We definitely preferred the Caribbean Princess over the Mariner. The food was excellent on the CB & very mediocre on the Mariner. The children on the Mariner were allowed to run wild..there were even kids who destroyed public property on the ship. On the other hand, on the CB the kids were very well behaved. You can credit both the kids & the youth security for that. The shows were very crowded on both ships & we had to stand for some of the entertainment...especially Bert Stratton who is very popular in the lounge on the CB. The CB is kept very clean & well maintained. The Mariner (we were on it when it was only 6 months old) was showing signs of wear & tear & the carpets were dirty. That was our last RCI cruise. We much prefer Princess...but we probably will not sail on the CB again because there were just too many people. The other Grand Class ships have 500 fewer passengers than the CB & the new Crown Princess. We noticed a difference in the public areas.

 

My Mariner cruise was a FULL ship 3600 PAX which means lots of staterooms had over 2 people in them-plus we had 3 sea days-also the sea was so choppy that the inline skating and rock climbing walls were closed-the putt-putt was open but not so fun-as the rough waters affected your putt-hense the problem with the crowded pools. (even the adult one) the promanade at night was wall to wall people too-so not a fun place to be either for me.

 

I read at the Princess site though the CB carries 3100 PAX (2 to a stateroom) so that is on par with the voyager class-so some staterooms could have more people and there be more then 3100 people just like what happened on my Mariner cruise. So that was my concern.

 

but I am glad to har the food is better. I felt the MOS main dinningroom food was not good-the buffet was better-and we all know buffet food is just okay-I DO NOT expect buffet food to be great-but I do of the main dinningroom.

 

As far as the specialty restuarants go-yes I want the food to be good-since I pay extra-but if the dinningroom is good- I do not feel the need to pay an extra $20 as I did on MOS-(Chops was great)-I will just eat there.

 

You gave me exactly the info I wanted. thank you very much.

[montgomeryfamily]

Momofmeg, we've been on the Mariner as well as some other Voyager class ships and also the Caribbean Princess (and some other Grand class ships). The Caribbean Princess doesn't hold as many people as the Mariner. We were fortunate when we sailed on the Mariner that seas were good and everything was open, but all of the pools, including the adult pools and hot tubs, were always very crowded. Children were always in the adult pools and hot tubs. Also, the chair hogs were in full force. :)

 

On the Caribbean Princess, if you go when the ship is full, like in the summer, two of the pools are likely to be full, but the adult pool which is in the spa and the terrace adult pool and hot tubs were not crowded. Princess youth security did a good job of keeping the kids out of the adult pools and hot tubs and also the chair police helped to keep the chair hogging down by removing the stuff after the chairs remained empty for a time.

 

The Mariner and the other Voyager class ships always seemed to have large crowds in the promenade area and there was always a lot of crowd flow in the evening, with people going between dining and the show in the theatre. Princess has a lot of nooks and crannies, so there are several areas you can go where there aren't that many people. Also, because of the Anytime dining and the several shows and entertainment at night the crowd flow was better because everyone wasn't trying to go to the same place at the same time.

 

We did find the buffet to be very crowded on the Caribbean Princess and ate in the dining room for breakfast and lunch most of the time. The production show in the theatre was crowded too, and you have to get there early to get a seat.

 

We received a lot of tips and also learned a lot on our first cruise on the Caribbean Princess as to the ways to avoid the crowds and so we didn't really feel crowded. Getting the stateroom with your own balcony is one of the best tips. There are several types of staterooms on the Caribbean Princess with balconies and I would be glad to share with you my suggestions. I can compare the staterooms there with our stateroom on the Mariner or our other Voyager class ships if that would be helpful to you. Please feel free to email me at kacruiser@ev1.net with any questions or for more information.

 

I've noticed that the pricing on the Caribbean Princess is cheaper than the Mariner and if you got an atrium cabin in the Mariner, you can get a balcony cabin on the Caribbean Princess within that same budget. And Princess is cheaper with a lot of other smaller things, like soda cards.

 

I believe you will enjoy the Caribbean Princess. IMHO the food was better than the Mariner. And in addition to the dining room, speciality fee dining, and buffet, there is also the Cafe Carib, which is wonderful and no fee. The embarkation cold seafood buffet is wonderful and there is lobster on both formal nights there.

[momofmeg]

Momofmeg, we've been on the Mariner as well as some other Voyager class ships and also the Caribbean Princess (and some other Grand class ships). The Caribbean Princess doesn't hold as many people as the Mariner. We were fortunate when we sailed on the Mariner that seas were good and everything was open, but all of the pools, including the adult pools and hot tubs, were always very crowded. Children were always in the adult pools and hot tubs. Also, the chair hogs were in full force. :)

 

On the Caribbean Princess, if you go when the ship is full, like in the summer, two of the pools are likely to be full, but the adult pool which is in the spa and the terrace adult pool and hot tubs were not crowded. Princess youth security did a good job of keeping the kids out of the adult pools and hot tubs and also the chair police helped to keep the chair hogging down by removing the stuff after the chairs remained empty for a time.

 

 

The Mariner and the other Voyager class ships always seemed to have large crowds in the promenade area and there was always a lot of crowd flow in the evening, with people going between dining and the show in the theatre. Princess has a lot of nooks and crannies, so there are several areas you can go where there aren't that many people. Also, because of the Anytime dining and the several shows and entertainment at night the crowd flow was better because everyone wasn't trying to go to the same place at the same time.

 

We did find the buffet to be very crowded on the Caribbean Princess and ate in the dining room for breakfast and lunch most of the time. The production show in the theatre was crowded too, and you have to get there early to get a seat.

 

We received a lot of tips and also learned a lot on our first cruise on the Caribbean Princess as to the ways to avoid the crowds and so we didn't really feel crowded. Getting the stateroom with your own balcony is one of the best tips. There are several types of staterooms on the Caribbean Princess with balconies and I would be glad to share with you my suggestions. I can compare the staterooms there with our stateroom on the Mariner or our other Voyager class ships if that would be helpful to you. Please feel free to email me at kacruiser@ev1.net with any questions or for more information.

 

I've noticed that the pricing on the Caribbean Princess is cheaper than the Mariner and if you got an atrium cabin in the Mariner, you can get a balcony cabin on the Caribbean Princess within that same budget. And Princess is cheaper with a lot of other smaller things, like soda cards.

 

I believe you will enjoy the Caribbean Princess. IMHO the food was better than the Mariner. And in addition to the dining room, speciality fee dining, and buffet, there is also the Cafe Carib, which is wonderful and no fee. The embarkation cold seafood buffet is wonderful and there is lobster on both formal nights there.

 

Yes I noticed the price differance also-and I picked the atruim cabin BY CHOICE on MOS and not by cost-I have done, insides, oceanviews and balconies and that was something differant.

 

I really did enjoy that-I watched the parades from my window-and also I spent my promande times mostly in the late afternoon before dinner-Often the calaspo band was there across from the coffee shop. That was nice and enjoyable.

 

My biggest disapointment was the crowds by the pools (all three) and the so-so food in the main dinningroom.

 

What is funny to me-is lots of those who love the voyager class-say they don't cruise for food-if they want great food-they go to an upscale restuarant at home-that that is not important to them on vacation.

 

Ofcourse these people for the most are mid thirties with teen and pre-teen children-so I can see why they like the voyager class ships and feel the way they do. In our case though, we are middle aged and our one daughter is a grown woman now-so our needs are differant.

[Pam in CA]

I've been on the Explorer of the Seas as well as the CB (not to mention the Sapphire Princess) and overall, I would say they're comparable with pluses and minus' on both sides.

 

Food is very subjective with two people having opposite opinions about the exact same dish so it's really hard to judge based on comments here. Our experience on the Explorer is that the food was no where near as good as on Princess and the service was really poor, even though we had the same waiters serving the Captain's table.

 

One thing I much prefer about Princess is that the buffet is open 24/7. If you get up late and want eggs and fruit, no problem. If you want to eat a late lunch, no problem: you can have hot dishes, fruit, sandwiches, pizza, etc. One day on the Explorer, we got back after a tour about 2PM and had to order a sandwich from room service. On the CB, you can go to the buffet at any time and find a variety of food.

 

Also on the CB, there is a 2nd seating area, the Cafe Caribe, for the buffet that was never full. Even if we went to have breakfast or lunch at prime times, we had no problem finding a table. One day, I saw that they were offering Pac Rim dishes in the Cafe Caribe for lunch, including sushi.

 

When we were on our CB cruise, the weather wasn't that great so almost everyone was inside on sea days. I never felt crowded and could easily find a comfortable chair to curl up in.

 

Everyone's experiences are different but given a choice between the Explorer or the CB, I'd take the CB.

[bubbadog]

sometimes i think its the crew that makes the ship,but in general too royal caribbean always seems to be more expensive:rolleyes:

[TorontoTL]

My partner and I have always looked at RCI everytime we book a Caribbean cruise. I have to agree that for similar itineraries and similar cabins that RCI is usually noticably more expensive. Enough so that we have yet to book a cruise with RCI. I still do not understand why they are priced more, is it because of the Promenade in the middle of the ship and the ice rinks? I guess that their ships in the Voyager class are unique enough and there is enough demand that they can charge as much as they do.

[Host Caroline]

I prefer Princess to other lines... 16 with them of the 30 or so I've been on -- and went on Mariner in 9/04 and CB in 9/05 (and back this Sept.). We prefer the Anytime Dining, and actually enjoy MUTS some evenings... the aft adults only pool is great place to relax. Overall I found the entertainment to be a tad better on RCI but prefer the alternative restaurants and the onboard experience on Princess.. Not that impressed with the Promenade area on Mariner and pool area just always seemed more overcrowded..

[partyboy]

Hi momofmeg!

 

In October of 2004, I cruised for my second time in two years on a Royal Caribbean ship. The first time, in 2003 I was onboard the Grandeur of the Seas. I was fairly new to cruising. I thought then that I really enjoyed myself. It was better than a few cruises I had taken prior to.

 

Fast forward one year and 3 more cruises under my belt including NCL once, Celebrity once and Carnival once. It was now time to try RCL again for my next adventure. Princess was on my mind, but I had heard so many things about old nasty people on Princess I never gained any momentum towards that effort.

 

Enter the Voyager of the Seas!!

Boy O Boy, was I excited, my first mega ship. I couldn't wait.

 

Fast forward to conclusion of cruise.

NEVER AGAIN!!

The food was horrible. The steaks were grey, the seafood was tasteless, the chicken served to me two times in one night was still showing signs of red blood inside. The 12 other strangers at my table agreed that this was the worst they too had ever experienced, and although they are now life long friends, I question their judgement to this day in their choice of friends, but not their feelings regarding food! :eek:

 

The service was so poor and beyond comparison to any other cruise including the old NCL NORWAY . The Norway shined in comparison to the Voyager. Our table on the Voyager never got through dinner within 2-3/4 hours time. That was tiring! We watched the tables around us finishing up before our main courses were even served. The Maitre D's were no better in their effort.

 

Finally, fast forward 2 months later until my first experience on PRINCESS!!! I thought nothing could ever be as bad as the Voyager. Let's give the new Caribbean Princess a try.

 

Without boring you any further...Seven Princess cruises in a row later in less than two years I hope will provide you with some kind of proof IMHO that PRINCESS RULES. The food is very good throughout the entire ship IMO! And I'm talking about your future booking, the Caribbean Princess.

 

I want to try the other lines again, but I'm afeared!!!:eek:

I feel safe, I'm happy and I'm where I belong. It's hard to keep count of the numerous RCL fans and Carnival cheerleaders I've converted to Princess and they're not looking back either.

 

I'm sailing on the Caribbean Princess for the forth time in 16 months in a few weeks. I'm as excited for this cruise as I was for all the others. The crew is FANTASTIC.

 

Obviously, the above is only my opinion so take it for what it is...my honest opinion.

 

I wish you a terrific voyage and please report back to us upon your return!

[montgomeryfamily]

Momofmeg, I agree that the food on the Voyager class ships is not that great. I believe that is why the alternate fee based dining is so popular, although we have never understood what the great attraction is about Johnny Rockets except the portion sizes, which are huge. The food on the Caribbean Princess is very good (except we weren't that impressed with room service). The pasta in the dining room is unbelievable and we enjoyed the menu every night, except that we did eat in Sterlings both times on Caribbean night. But we were going to the Cafe Carib also for "pre-dinner appetizers" of lobster and crab legs on embarkation night and formal nights--it was hard to restrain ourselves since we were eating dinner that night, as the food in the Cafe Carib is very good and no fee.

 

At night the Cafe Carib has table cloth covered tables and waiters to handle beverage service, so even though it is a buffet, it is different from the regular buffet. For some mouthwatering pictures of the Cafe Carib buffet, click on this link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=288

 

The Caribbean Princess doesn't have a promenade, but you can sit out on your balcony and eat chocolate covered croissants with a beautiful and quiet view of the ocean. :) Actually we did enjoy the parades on the promenade, but the area was always so crowded, we always went up a couple of decks and watched--probably a similar view as you had in the Atrium cabin, but we weren't as comfy.

 

The Wheelhouse Lounge has nice music before dinner for listening and dancing and usually is not crowded. There are also some other nice nooks and crannies for people watching or reading a book.

 

Also, there is a coffee shop on the Caribbean Princess that sells the speciality coffees. When we were on the Grand a few months ago, they had a coffee coupon book where you paid a set fee and it gave you a certain number of coffees. It made the price of the coffees as much as half price or more, because we could order any of the speciality coffees (without alcohol) that we wanted, in either the coffee bar or the dining room. I understand this is available on all of the Grand class ships. Hopefully someone can confirm it is available on the Caribbean Princess.

[momofmeg]

My partner and I have always looked at RCI everytime we book a Caribbean cruise. I have to agree that for similar itineraries and similar cabins that RCI is usually noticably more expensive. Enough so that we have yet to book a cruise with RCI. I still do not understand why they are priced more, is it because of the Promenade in the middle of the ship and the ice rinks? I guess that their ships in the Voyager class are unique enough and there is enough demand that they can charge as much as they do.

 

I think so-at least the voyager class-(radience class does not have that-)over all it seems those ships have stuff for people that are very athelic-but if you are only interested in like me-walking the track, working out a little in the gym and vegging by the pool, there is no need for that- but then I am WELL into middle age-as I said I can see why mid- thirtish people with pre teen and teen children go for those ships.

 

One thing I must add-I did enjoy the ice show-I love to watch ice skating-but to anyone who has been to a big skating arena to see an ice show-well it is NOTHING like that-the rink is really very small in comparison-it can't be the "same" no matter how talented the preformers and they were very talented.

 

My daughter, (she is in her early 20's) did enjoy going and ice skating in the afternoon. I did not try that myself-too old-I would be falling on my butt for sure.(Perhaps taking one of those "unsheduled" helicopter rides?)

 

So anyway I would prefer a cruise with better food-leave the voyager class ships to the younger, athelic types I say.

[Len3]

We cruised on the Voyager of the Seas last October to Canada and just loved the ship. We also have cruised on the Sun Princess to Alaska and loved that. It seems that RCCL is heading for the "mass" market as they build ship that can carry from 3,500 to 5,000 people. That's just way more people than I want to deal with. I'm sticking with Princess.

[CruzeNewbie]

Thought I would add my 2 cents - I've sailed on Explorer of the Seas in the past, and just got back from the CP Eastern Caribbean Feb 25-Mar4 cruise. The food on the CP was far better, hands down. The buffet offered more selection, and seemed fresher. But the dining room food was the most noticeably different - higher overall quality. I am not a picky eater, so this difference would likely be even more pronounced for some people.

[partyboy]

CruzeNewbie,

 

I feel exactly the same way you do!

As a tiny side note....CP has been reserved for the Coral Princess!!!:D

You were on the CB!:)

I'm very happy to hear you enjoyed the Caribbean Princess. She's my favorite ship hands down. But I might change my mind once I try the Crown Princess in October.;)

I have no idea what initials she's going to receive....any help?

[wvjohn]

We just got back from our first cruise :) on voyager and I am looking at Caribbean Princess vs. Voyager class for the next winter trip? On the Voyager, the kids (12,13,16) stayed pretty busy but the my 16 yr old DS complained that most of the activities were geared toward middle schoolers.

Anybody have any experience with this?

 

Also, we ended up not eating in the main dining room after 2 nights because 6 pm and long sit down dinners are just not our style. We ended up eating at the Windjammer/Island Grill and found the food and variety very good. People seem pretty positive about the "choice" dining program, but would love to hear more.

[momofmeg]

We just got back from our first cruise :) on voyager and I am looking at Caribbean Princess vs. Voyager class for the next winter trip? On the Voyager, the kids (12,13,16) stayed pretty busy but the my 16 yr old DS complained that most of the activities were geared toward middle schoolers.

Anybody have any experience with this?

 

Also, we ended up not eating in the main dining room after 2 nights because 6 pm and long sit down dinners are just not our style. We ended up eating at the Windjammer/Island Grill and found the food and variety very good. People seem pretty positive about the "choice" dining program, but would love to hear more.

 

We did the voyager class for our daughter last year (she is 21) and she was disapointed in it. Her favorite cruise was the old Pacific Princess and that was an old, not so nice ship, but she had the topnotch Princess service and food-so she wants to go on the Caribbean Princess with us.

 

Ofcourse we have no idea if it will be better. There won't be no rock climbing wall or skating rink ofcourse, but better food and service, I think. Our daughter loves the disco and karoke, so she woould love any ship that has that.

[montgomeryfamily]

Wvjohn, the Caribbean does have a teen center and disco and a lot of activities for teens. They have hot tub parties, pizza parties, and a youth Princess Idol contest. There are also Playstation activities (I believe these are tournaments, but we are not that familiar with Playstation, so we weren't sure) which are held on the MUTS. The kids had a blast playing on basically a movie size screen. The only caveat is that if you cruise during the winter season when schools are in session, there are much fewer kids onboard and fewer activities, although there is still plenty to do.

 

In addition to the Anytime dining in the formal dining room, so you can eat at a time more suited to your family, there is also a buffet and the Cafe Carib. The Cafe Carib is great--lobster on three nights and delicious food. I put a link to pictures of this buffet on a post earlier in this thread. At night the Cafe Carib has table cloth covered tables and waiters for beverage service, but a buffet for the food. And you can dress up for formal night or not in the Cafe Carib--you see people dressed both ways.

 

Our nephew was 17, almost 18, when he went with us, but I'd be glad to ask him questions you might have. Please feel free to email me at kacruiser@ev1.net for any questions or info.

 

Momofmeg, your daughter might be interested in the Princess Idol competition. It is usually singing to a karoke song and I think three people are selected to compete in a finals competition for prizes. If she prefers to sing more for fun, there is also the sing-alongs that Bert Stratton does sometimes in Crooners and now, apparently, there is the regular karoke. They used to have karoke all the time on Princess, but when the Princess Idol competition was introduced, they discontinued it. We, and I'm sure others, always wrote on our comment cards for every Princess cruise we took thereafter to please bring back the regular karoke. And now a recent cruiser has reported that regular karoke was on the Carbbean Princess! :)

 

Also, there is an incredible nightclub which sits on a deck above the ship--great views!! And one night there is a theme party in the nightclub which is 70s/80s night, with the cruise director's staff dressed up and performing as the Village People! There are also several other theme parties, line dancing and other dancing classes, and several team game activities like trivia. So if your daughter liked the old Pacific Princess, I bet she will really enjoy the Caribbean Princess. We usually particpate or have family members that participate in a lot of these types of activities, so feel free to email me for more information.

[wvjohn]

thanks for the information!

[phantomtales]

I think it depends on what kind of vacation you are looking for. Having been on the AOS and CP, I think they are both wonderful for different reasons. The CP had way better food and more places to escape the crowds (we liked the bar over-looking the back of the ship near the aft pool). The entertainment and overall energy of the AOS was better. Hope this info helps.

[GottaLuvCruising]

I am considering a fall cruise on Caribbean Princess-great price for a balcony! My problem is I did not care for RCCL Mariner of the Seas at all. There were too Many People, it was too crowded, and the food was the pits. I have read on these boards that the mega ships- no matter the line-the food is just not as good as they are feeding masses of people-any thoughts?

 

From my experience, the food on Princess is much better than on RCI Voyager. But I actually endured more crowds on the Caribbean Princess, primarily in trying to find a table in the casual dining and finding a seat in the Princess Theater. Otherwise, I much preferred the Caribbean Princess over the Voyager.