Royal vs. Princess

[baileymouse]

I've been on a bunch of Royal cruises, one Celebrity cruise, and yesterday I returned from my 1st ever Princess cruise.

 

We (3 friends and I) were on the Emerald Princess out of Red Hook, Brooklyn.  One friend is a Princess cruiser who took the Ruby Princess to Alaska in June and had a fantastic time. She kept telling me the food is so much better on Princess than Royal. Nah, it was inedible. I know things have been hit or miss on a lot of cruises, but out of a solid week I think I only enjoyed two dinners. The food at the buffet was tasteless. That same friend was on Oasis in May and she had a great time with her family, but she didn't like the food on Oasis. 

 

I like older ships, I was on Majesty a couple of times and I loved Enchantment, so I'm fine with mature ships, but this was not what I expected. What I thought was bad:

Signage was poor, it was hard to locate bathrooms in public areas.

The Medallion app didn't work well.

Information in the app didn't match what was printed on their "Princess Patter"

You can only get self-serve water and coffee at the buffet

The drinks were beyond weak, and we were paying for them, we didn't get a package.

The hallways were ugly, no artwork

The entertainment was beyond meh. There was an amazing pianist who was a delight, but the musical shows were amateurish, the entertainment in the bars wasn't as much fun as it is on Royal, and there was a general lack of activities. They had a comedian who told jokes so old I was finishing the punchlines for my friend before the comedian could get them out. He also told a lot of misogynistic and political jokes, and people walked out. 

 

What was better:

Not a lot of upselling. I never felt pressured. I never saw anyone in the Park West gallery, no one dragged me into Effy, and the spa never approached me.

The tender system was great! They use their lifeboats as tenders and it works really well. We never had a long line for the tenders, whereas I waited forever to get to and get back from Bar Harbor on Royal.

They still clean the rooms multiple times a day. I don't look for that or need it, but for those who enjoy that, there you go.

Their free pizza is closer to real pizza but it still ain't Brooklyn pizza 😉

 

They had two formal nights for a one week cruise! I was surprised. Many didn't dress the second time.

At 57 I think I was one of the youngest people on the ship. I only saw one child all week. 

 

Would I cruise with them again? Only if the price and itinerary were irresistible. I love cruising out of Cape Liberty with Royal because I can roll out of bed and be there in 10 minutes, but there's such a limited amount of itineraries from this port.

YMMV

 

 

 

 

[Jingerwoppy]

Glad you posted this. My wife and I have been thinking about trying a princess cruise. If we do, I think we'll make sure it's a short one just in case. 

[Tree_skier]

Thanks, I have friends that keep insisting we cruise on Princess with them.  I've booked a couple but ended up cancelling each one because of schedule changes in my work.  I've got them signed up for Liberty of the Seas doing a 9 night Canada/NE cruise.  Hopefully they are converted.

[baileymouse]

One other thing I forgot, there is no emphasis on hand washing. No one tells you to do it, no one seems to be doing it. I thought that was very strange.

[George C]

We had done several Princess cruises , what I disliked was the shows were super crowded , actually saw a fist fight on saving seats . Agree pizza is much better than rccl , only line that had pizza as good as New York was MSC . 

[Mittens101]

Normal Princess passenger here. We have been on over ten princess cruises and one royal. Last November was our last cruise with Princess for awhile. The service and food have gone downhill fast and they are trying to squeeze every penny out of passengers the whole way down. We first started cruising in 2009 and they used to take care of everything and made us feel special. That’s no longer the case. So we are trying Royal this year and Celebrity next year. But from what I’m hearing the industry is failing all the way around. I’m glad our first cruise was on Princess back when everyone was treated like kings and queens. Looking forward to the future hoping to find our new cruise line. Hopefully if you do take another you will have a better experience than the one you just had. 

[Mittens101]

19 hours ago, George C said:

We had done several Princess cruises , what I disliked was the shows were super crowded , actually saw a fist fight on saving seats . Agree pizza is much better than rccl , only line that had pizza as good as New York was MSC . 

I swear it was not me in the fistfight although I did accidentally hit someone with a plate of chips and guacamole when a big wind caught it. 

[vjmatty]

After many years of sailing both lines, I think Royal is more ship oriented and Princess is more destination oriented. I wouldn’t sail any other line than Princess to Alaska or Hawaii, but if there are a lot of sea days on a given itinerary, especially transatlantics, I find more to do on Royal ships.

 

Princess has a lot of little differences from Royal that I like, as well as a lot of annoyances that I hate. 
 

Especially on longer cruises, I love that Princess has self serve laundry, since ships laundry tends to wash and dry too hot, making clothes fade and shrink.

 

I like how Princess treats B2B as a single cruise so there’s no closing and opening your account, OBC automatically transfers and you’re not kept from your room in between sailings. Often it’s listed both ways at booking, as a single cruise or two or three, so you can figure out which way is cheaper. 

 

Also, you can bring as much wine onboard as you want, but you have to pay $20 corkage per bottle after the first two. Kind of a genius move on their part, they get $20 a bottle without a penny of expense to Princess. No shipping, no stocking, no inventory storage in order to maintain all those $20 profits.

 

For $60 per day you get drinks, Wi-Fi and grats on the Plus program…I don’t have to tell you how that compares to Royal’s dynamic pricing. 

 

All of that being said, I hate that they ditched traditional dining times, so I now feel compelled to book Club Class or higher in order to make sure I’m never waiting for a table. And it can be a long wait. 

 

Their suite amenities are pitiful, really nothing more than Elite status benefits and a bigger room. I’m not sure why people bother, including myself lol. 
 

And speaking of cabins, Princess has eliminated seating in anything that is lower than a Deluxe balcony cabin…except a desk chair. Never mind a couch, you don’t even get chairs for both passengers to sit unless you want to bring in your loungers from the balcony. 

 

The Horizon Court buffet is nothing compared to the Windjammer...not just the food quality but the buffet setup of the ship is poorly done, cut up in multiple  smaller areas walled apart so it’s hard to find everything. I do find their MDR food to be slightly better than Royal though. 

 

Princess charges for the solarium, which they call the Sanctuary….and you can’t book in advance, so there’s a mad rush on embarking day to get your spot for whatever days you think you’ll be want to be there.

 

All in all I enjoy both lines for different reasons…even if there’s a minor reminder when I hit one of the pitfalls on either line, like “oh yeah, right, we’re on Royal”, or “whoops, forgot this is Princess.”  🙄

Edited September 25, 2023 by vjmatty
Typos!

[TravelBluebird]

11 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

Princess has eliminated searing in anything that is lower than a Deluxe balcony cabin…except a desk chair. Never mind a couch, you don’t even get chairs for both passengers to sit unless you want to bring in your loungers from the balcony. 

 

And right there is the reason I don’t sail with Princess. I need a place to sit with my legs straight out when I’m in the cabin (I have RA). Greatly prefer a couch, but in a pinch 2 chairs will do as I can put my legs out on the second chair. Once chair is ridiculous. I think every other single line I cruise has a couch in the room, except for Viking River. I even have a couch in my Wonder interior next week. 

[vjmatty]

3 minutes ago, TravelBluebird said:

 

And right there is the reason I don’t sail with Princess. I need a place to sit with my legs straight out when I’m in the cabin (I have RA). Greatly prefer a couch, but in a pinch 2 chairs will do as I can put my legs out on the second chair. Once chair is ridiculous. I think every other single line I cruise has a couch in the room, except for Viking River. I even have a couch in my Wonder interior next week. 

Yeah, luckily my refusal to sail anything less than Club Class due to the dining issue automatically means at least a mini suite (similar to JS) which includes a full couch. It’s ridiculous though….even Carnival inside cabins have a couch. 

[SPacificbound]

8 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

Yeah, luckily my refusal to sail anything less than Club Class due to the dining issue automatically means at least a mini suite (similar to JS) which includes a full couch. It’s ridiculous though….even Carnival inside cabins have a couch. 

Love your greyhound!

[Itried4498]

Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy your cruise.  I haven't done NCL, but among the other mainstream cruise lines, I generally find the food to be very similar - taste and quality depends more on the chef/ staff than the cruise line.  That said, in the MDR Princess does offer upgraded menus.  In my past few cruises, I've still enjoyed premium meats (veal, filet mignon, etc.) and seafood (scallops, orange roughy, halibut, ahi tuna, etc.) that's available for an upcharge on Carnival, RCL, etc.  Princess also has excellent breakfast and lunch (sea days) menus.  My last couple trips on Navigator OTS, only a mediocre brunch was served (rather quickly, too - kinda obvious the food was prepared ahead of time, a la buffet style).

 

The buffet quality generally varies by ship.  This is also true of Carnival and RCL  The Crown Class ships (like the one you were on) have smaller buffets.  The buffets can be quite disappointing, yes.  Navigator OTS had an outstanding lunch and dinner buffet but they've scaled them back as well.  

 

Princess' production shows still use live music (that is, people actually playing instruments) which makes them stand out IMO.  That said, most all entertainment I've seen on board any ship is literally just something to do.

[bmc alabama]

16 hours ago, Itried4498 said:

The buffet quality generally varies by ship.  This is also true of Carnival and RCL  The Crown Class ships (like the one you were on) have smaller buffets.  The buffets can be quite disappointing, yes.  Navigator OTS had an outstanding lunch and dinner buffet but they've scaled them back as well.  

 

This is VERY true. We find that the Royal Class Princess Ships (Royal, Regal, Sky, Enchanted, Discovery, and Majestic) are far superior, especially in the buffet, compared to the Grand class Princess ships.

 

We like Princess a lot, but we much prefer the newer ships.

[doghog]

Looking forward to our March 2024 Enchanted Princess cruise. Booked it for the intinerary. This will be our 6th Princess cruise. The last time we cruised with Princess was 2010 on the Grand. Their Captain Circle perks/benefits can't compare to the CAS. 

Edited September 27, 2023 by doghog

[Russ Lomas]

On 9/25/2023 at 6:07 PM, Mittens101 said:

Normal Princess passenger here. We have been on over ten princess cruises and one royal. Last November was our last cruise with Princess for awhile. The service and food have gone downhill fast and they are trying to squeeze every penny out of passengers the whole way down. We first started cruising in 2009 and they used to take care of everything and made us feel special. That’s no longer the case. So we are trying Royal this year and Celebrity next year. But from what I’m hearing the industry is failing all the way around. I’m glad our first cruise was on Princess back when everyone was treated like kings and queens. Looking forward to the future hoping to find our new cruise line. Hopefully if you do take another you will have a better experience than the one you just had. 

I guess everyone is hoping the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.  You were unhappy with the cutbacks on Princess, so you are going to try RCCL for a change.  We have grown unhappy with the cutbacks on RCCL, so we are trying Princess for a change.  Guess we should compare notes again after we have each sailed another cruise line.  I guess if you are not familiar with the product that the other cruise line offered previously, we are ignorant to how much the quality has fallen and that is what cruise lines appear to be banking on going after new customers and alienating previous passengers who have shown loyalty to one line or another.  I hope we both find the grass greener on the other side.  Hope you enjoy your upcoming RCCL cruise.  We are looking forward to our Princess cruise because is was 1/3 the price that RCCL was asking for the same cruise (different ship obviously) and the PLUS package with Princess is a steal compared to what RCCL asks for the same perks.

[Tatka]

On 9/25/2023 at 6:07 PM, Mittens101 said:

Normal Princess passenger here. We have been on over ten princess cruises and one royal. Last November was our last cruise with Princess for awhile. The service and food have gone downhill fast and they are trying to squeeze every penny out of passengers the whole way down. We first started cruising in 2009 and they used to take care of everything and made us feel special. That’s no longer the case. So we are trying Royal this year and Celebrity next year. But from what I’m hearing the industry is failing all the way around. I’m glad our first cruise was on Princess back when everyone was treated like kings and queens. Looking forward to the future hoping to find our new cruise line. Hopefully if you do take another you will have a better experience than the one you just had. 

We had 7 with Princess and food was always better on Princess till the last one in 2019 (for  New Year 2020%) on Crown Princess. Whole experience was strange including ship’s upkeep. Royal Princess several years prior was amazing. Princess used to have such amazing seafood buffets … with lobsters, split crab legs.

[Itried4498]

3 minutes ago, Tatka said:

We had 7 with Princess and food was always better on Princess till the last one in 2019 (for  New Year 2020%) on Crown Princess. Whole experience was strange including ship’s upkeep. Royal Princess several years prior was amazing. Princess used to have such amazing seafood buffets … with lobsters, split crab legs.

 

I was on the Crown Princess last Christmas/New Year's.  The ship was just fine.

 

Every single cruise line has made cut backs.  None of us are happy with them - it was understandable when cruise fares hit historic lows early last year but unacceptable for them to continue as they reach historic highs.  But ultimately... it is what is.  

 

The reality is... most cruises are more similar than they are different.  On this forum, when people are partial to their favorite cruise line and/ or ship, it's always the same rhetoric when they are on one they'd rather not be: "OMG, it was horrible!!  The food was totally inedible, the entertainment awful, the piano bar not classy enough... and the people!!"  For many years, my parents stayed at a mediocre hotel so one day I booked them in a top luxury hotel.  My mom didn't stop complaining, and I realized then -- they're comfortable with the mediocre hotel and are adverse for even good change.  But me personally, I've never failed to enjoy a cruise.

 

This forum also needs to stop comparing what things were and compare how things are.  Princess, RCL, etc. have all cutback on menu options.  But Princess still makes items standard... that cruise lines like RCL charge extra for.

 

 

 

 

[Mittens101]

5 hours ago, Russ Lomas said:

I guess everyone is hoping the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.  You were unhappy with the cutbacks on Princess, so you are going to try RCCL for a change.  We have grown unhappy with the cutbacks on RCCL, so we are trying Princess for a change.  Guess we should compare notes again after we have each sailed another cruise line.  I guess if you are not familiar with the product that the other cruise line offered previously, we are ignorant to how much the quality has fallen and that is what cruise lines appear to be banking on going after new customers and alienating previous passengers who have shown loyalty to one line or another.  I hope we both find the grass greener on the other side.  Hope you enjoy your upcoming RCCL cruise.  We are looking forward to our Princess cruise because is was 1/3 the price that RCCL was asking for the same cruise (different ship obviously) and the PLUS package with Princess is a steal compared to what RCCL asks for the same perks.

That’s funny we are looking forward to our rccl because we got a fabulous deal and don’t even have to book any flights. Maybe I’ll be running back to princess after this, but I think if we aren’t thrilled we may just find another way to vacation at least for awhile. Maybe travel to all 50 states again before we get too gray. Then after that cruising may call again 

[Mittens101]

4 hours ago, Tatka said:

We had 7 with Princess and food was always better on Princess till the last one in 2019 (for  New Year 2020%) on Crown Princess. Whole experience was strange including ship’s upkeep. Royal Princess several years prior was amazing. Princess used to have such amazing seafood buffets … with lobsters, split crab legs.

We were on crown a few years ago. Excellent cruise for us probably my second favorite. Food quality changes with each chef. I think the best food experience we’ve had was on regal princess. Royal was great our first sail on her then they changed chefs and the options in the buffet weren’t as good for me. Hubby was happy he’s a meet lover, me not so much. 

[Tatka]

11 hours ago, Itried4498 said:

 

I was on the Crown Princess last Christmas/New Year's.  The ship was just fine.

 

Every single cruise line has made cut backs.  None of us are happy with them - it was understandable when cruise fares hit historic lows early last year but unacceptable for them to continue as they reach historic highs.  But ultimately... it is what is.  

 

The reality is... most cruises are more similar than they are different.  On this forum, when people are partial to their favorite cruise line and/ or ship, it's always the same rhetoric when they are on one they'd rather not be: "OMG, it was horrible!!  The food was totally inedible, the entertainment awful, the piano bar not classy enough... and the people!!"  For many years, my parents stayed at a mediocre hotel so one day I booked them in a top luxury hotel.  My mom didn't stop complaining, and I realized then -- they're comfortable with the mediocre hotel and are adverse for even good change.  But me personally, I've never failed to enjoy a cruise.

 

This forum also needs to stop comparing what things were and compare how things are.  Princess, RCL, etc. have all cutback on menu options.  But Princess still makes items standard... that cruise lines like RCL charge extra for.

 

 

 

 

 

Is golden paint is not peeling off in elevators?I honestly have not witnessed it on any ships before or after (60 cruises with 8 lines). Smell.. .and everything. I am also never this issue before on ships.

 

I am usually not a complainer at all. And Princess together with Celebrity were our #1 lines. This is why I was upset. It was 2019...  not post Covid. I have not tried Princess Postcovid.

 

In 2019 we had Side by Side Explorer for Christmas (5 days) and Crown Princess (10 days) for NYE. Explorer was just an add on ... never ever I expected Explorer to be much better experience.. even in Food department.

[NightOne]

On 9/24/2023 at 4:44 PM, baileymouse said:

She kept telling me the food is so much better on Princess than Royal. Nah, it was inedible.

 

Inedible? BS

 

When you get to this early in a review you know you can just quit reading.

[baileymouse]

You weren't there, were you?

 

Most of the dinners were terrible. I heard plenty of people complaining about it. Out of the week, I think I liked two choices.

 

1st night - fish was tough and overcooked. 

2nd night - The duck l'orange had no orange on it anywhere and was extremely tough. The pate appetizer was like a cross between baby food & baby poop

3rd night - rack of lamb was good

 

Other dinners that week were just as bad as the first two. Duck breast was again tough, the striploin was terrible. 

 

Their signature dessert that they kept pushing tasted like 1970s lipstick.  

 

The line for the tea was incredibly long but once people saw what was being served, the dining room quickly emptied out. Pastrami with mayonnaise? Ugh! 

 

The Indian food on the buffet had no spicing whatsoever. 

 

The breakfast menu in the dining room was very limited compared to Royal. They only offered eggs benedict on the last day, and it wasn't worth the wait. 

 

One of the people I was traveling with is a flavor chemist and she said she had a conversation with a chef from NYC who was onboard who also said the food was disgusting. The best meal we had was in Bar Harbor, off the ship.

 

[doghog]

Threads like this are another great example why we would or would not book a cruise line, ship, itinerary, etc. based on others opinions and experiences. Positive or negative. 

Edited September 27, 2023 by doghog

[Itried4498]

9 hours ago, Tatka said:

 

Is golden paint is not peeling off in elevators?I honestly have not witnessed it on any ships before or after (60 cruises with 8 lines). Smell.. .and everything. I am also never this issue before on ships.

 

I am usually not a complainer at all. And Princess together with Celebrity were our #1 lines. This is why I was upset. It was 2019...  not post Covid. I have not tried Princess Postcovid.

 

In 2019 we had Side by Side Explorer for Christmas (5 days) and Crown Princess (10 days) for NYE. Explorer was just an add on ... never ever I expected Explorer to be much better experience.. even in Food department.

 

The ship was in excellent shape.  I heard more than one person comment that they believed it was a new ship (obviously it's not).  Whatever problems existed have been resolved.  

 

We'll be in the Explorer for two weeks next month, and then the Emerald Princess (identical sister ship of the Crown) for two weeks over the Holidays, so we'll be able to compare as well :).

 

 

[Itried4498]

7 hours ago, baileymouse said:

You weren't there, were you?

 

Most of the dinners were terrible. I heard plenty of people complaining about it. Out of the week, I think I liked two choices.

 

1st night - fish was tough and overcooked. 

2nd night - The duck l'orange had no orange on it anywhere and was extremely tough. The pate appetizer was like a cross between baby food & baby poop

3rd night - rack of lamb was good

 

Other dinners that week were just as bad as the first two. Duck breast was again tough, the striploin was terrible. 

 

Their signature dessert that they kept pushing tasted like 1970s lipstick.  

 

The line for the tea was incredibly long but once people saw what was being served, the dining room quickly emptied out. Pastrami with mayonnaise? Ugh! 

 

The Indian food on the buffet had no spicing whatsoever. 

 

The breakfast menu in the dining room was very limited compared to Royal. They only offered eggs benedict on the last day, and it wasn't worth the wait. 

 

One of the people I was traveling with is a flavor chemist and she said she had a conversation with a chef from NYC who was onboard who also said the food was disgusting. The best meal we had was in Bar Harbor, off the ship.

 

 

If you had said the you didn't think the food was as good as RCL, I could understand.  But when everything is inedible and the signature dessert tasted like "lipstick," it sounds like you're comfortable/ partial with RCL and didn't like the change.  And flavor chemist, really, lol?  It'd be more believable if you said Gordon Ramsey was onboard critiquing the cooking :).

Edited September 28, 2023 by Itried4498