Comparisons of P&O vs Royal Caribbean vs Princess

[Vampiress88]

I have been on a few (6) P&O cruises. Azura, Britannia and Iona. 
 

I have booked royal Caribbean- anthem of the seas ship and also Princess - Caribbean princess ship. 
 

im just wondering how those two ships/atmosphere compare to p&o.
 

we tried msc and didn’t quite like it same as we do p&o.
 

I do know about the difference with gratuities. 
I also know I can get obc for princess as I have carnival shares. 
I have booked both basic balcony cabins 4 berth. 
 

But for example which has the best food, entertainment, kids club etc. 

 

all the itineraries are different so I don’t need to compare that. 

[Interestedcruisefan]

We've done RCL - the kids club will have far more US and overseas kids in it than P and O which is normally mainly UK kids.

 

Our kids loved mixing with the overseas kids.  They were great kids.

 

RCL is at least as good as P and O in terms of food options and quality albeit more expensive. And we only have fond memories of our cruises with them

 

Wouldn't hesitate to book again 

 

Carnival even more fun for families

 

 

[david63]

It's a long time since I have been on RCL so I cannot comment on that.

 

I was on Princess last year and in many ways it is very similar to P&O but with a lot of Americans onboard - I will leave you to make up your own mind about that. I thought that the food on Princess was marginally better than P&O and the production shows were considerably better. Other entertainment is very much down to personal choice. The way in which dining is organised is, in mt opinion, far better than P&O in that you can reserve a table for every night in whichever MDR that you want before even setting foot on the ship (Princess is all Freedom dining - or to be precise Dine My Way). The one big thing that most people line about Princess is the Medallion that is essentially your cruise card and more.

 

The one big downside of Princess is the lack of seating in the bars.

[Vampiress88]

Sorry meant to say that both of these cruises are going from Southampton. So I would assume mostly British people on them. 
I don’t really do fly cruises

[david63]

9 minutes ago, Vampiress88 said:

both of these cruises are going from Southampton. So I would assume mostly British people on them. 

Princess will have a lot of Americans onboard no matter where is sails from - although that can vary depending on itinerary. I would suggest that you have a look at the Princess Roll Calls on the Princess forum to get some idea

[yorkshirephil]

1 hour ago, Vampiress88 said:

I have been on a few (6) P&O cruises. Azura, Britannia and Iona. 
 

I have booked royal Caribbean- anthem of the seas ship and also Princess - Caribbean princess ship. 
 

im just wondering how those two ships/atmosphere compare to p&o.
 

we tried msc and didn’t quite like it same as we do p&o.
 

I do know about the difference with gratuities. 
I also know I can get obc for princess as I have carnival shares. 
I have booked both basic balcony cabins 4 berth. 
 

But for example which has the best food, entertainment, kids club etc. 

 

all the itineraries are different so I don’t need to compare that. 

Overall entertainment I would suggest RC especially for your kids. Princess overall when compared to P&O but P&O for value. It is always difficult to compare as we all have different preferences. The atmosphere can vary even from ship to ship with passengers likely to be varied nationality on Princess and RC. 

[mrsgoggins]

I've been on both of the ships you mention. From memory, Caribbean Princess is the same layout as Azura and Ventura, but it was 8 years ago we were on her in Alaska. Great cruise but I thought the cabins were a bit tired then, but could have had work done since. We've been on a few Princess ships and for us the food was better than on P&O but Caribbean Princess has the same poor (IMO) buffet layout as the 2 P&O I mentioned and was to be avoided at all costs!

 

We were on Anthem during the first opening up of cruises on a Round the UK cruise with only around 1300 passengers aboard (less than a third capacity) and we're very impressed with it. Definitely a family ship with lots going on. 

 

The posters who have mentioned lots of Americans (and Canadians) onboard even from Southampton was quite correct. Last year's Celebrity and Sky Princess cruises out of Southampton sailed with an international clientele, which we enjoy.

 

I can't speak to children's provision on either of your ships since we didn't have our grandchildren with us on either.

 

I look forward to reading your cruising experiences this year 😊

[Vampiress88]

27 minutes ago, mrsgoggins said:

I've been on both of the ships you mention. From memory, Caribbean Princess is the same layout as Azura and Ventura, but it was 8 years ago we were on her in Alaska. Great cruise but I thought the cabins were a bit tired then, but could have had work done since. We've been on a few Princess ships and for us the food was better than on P&O but Caribbean Princess has the same poor (IMO) buffet layout as the 2 P&O I mentioned and was to be avoided at all costs!

 

We were on Anthem during the first opening up of cruises on a Round the UK cruise with only around 1300 passengers aboard (less than a third capacity) and we're very impressed with it. Definitely a family ship with lots going on. 

 

The posters who have mentioned lots of Americans (and Canadians) onboard even from Southampton was quite correct. Last year's Celebrity and Sky Princess cruises out of Southampton sailed with an international clientele, which we enjoy.

 

I can't speak to children's provision on either of your ships since we didn't have our grandchildren with us on either.

 

I look forward to reading your cruising experiences this year 😊

to be fair I fell out with the buffet on iona due to no trays so mdr is usually good for us. 
I really must stop looking at holidays now and put on my mortgage but I can’t seem to help but want to travel while the kids are young. 
 

im sure we will be fine on both of them. Even when we didn’t like msc as much as p&o none have ever been bad really. 
 

I’ve just looked that the roll call. So many Americans. Especially from Florida. Don’t quite get it, as I wouldn’t think we have great. 
 

im not sure what difference it will actually make it being a lot of Americans???

only issues we have ever had in the past was msc kids club was in English most of the time. 

[Interestedcruisefan]

American kids we have experienced on cruises have invariably been great kids. Polite and well behaved. Positive and enthusiastic about stuff they do and great friends for your kids to make. 

Edited January 3 by Interestedcruisefan

[Ranchi]

Been a good few P&O and last summer tried Princess (Sky). Found some good plus points with Princess. Excellent boarding (15 min tops from taxi drop off to ship,) the app worked well. We pre booked 14 Nights table for two in the aft MDR before we joined the ship and cancelled as required if we wanted to use alternative dining. We’ve never bought the drinks package on P&O but did take up the ‘Plus’ option as it was being sold at a give away price which included gratuities. We don’t drink a great deal but add in a couple of coffees & bottled water through the day and it was excellent value (we had a pre dinner cocktail, glass of wine with dinner and the odd extra drink if we felt like it.) The waiter service via the app worked well. I was amazed. We ordered a drink, the app said ‘your drinks are being prepared’, a little ship appeared on the screen to indicate that our drinks were on their way and sure enough, there was the waiter who found us sitting by the window watching the sea go by from the future cruises office window (& that was one of the problems with Sky.) Our previous cruise history had qualified us for a high loyalty tier and we got access to a nice lounge for pre dinner drinks, entertainment & good canapés etc.  Very nice. We also got complimentary laundry which is an excellent service (as the laundrettes will rush you $7 a go (if you need to purchase detergent as well.) Don’t all rush to the telephones…Princess have stopped carrying over loyalty points. 
Back to boarding: the staff will encourage you to go to the buffet for lunch but there is a very nice dining room available (Estrella in our case, for day1 lunch.) 

The buffet on board is very good in the main. When we were there there was an excellent range of cheeses available (cf to the miserable selection available in the dining room- Brie & Gouda…and for variation, Gouda &Brie!) We were not overly impressed with the food in the MDR. It looked very good but….

On the plus side the International cafe is outstanding as was Alfredo’s pizza place. We had several lunches there (& even one evening meal.) At the time it was free with the Plus package- I understand you now only get two free meals there per cruise. The gelateria was OK - the premium desserts were shocking but you could get by without paying if you ordered a gelato premium desert & requested no sauce, no sprinkles, no cake, no cream. I’m not a lover of Mr Whippy type ice cream but the stuff given out from the kiosk on sun deck was rather good! 
We used the Crown grill and also Rudi’s. Crown grill was quite good, Rudi’s ok (I accept it is at sea so its not going to as good as freshly caught seafood but we wouldn’t go again (unless we had loads of OBC to get rid of.) 

The theatre shows we much preferred to P&O ( maybe because we hadn’t seen them before.) The computer graphics- when they worked were very good (unfortunately the computers crashed during two of the shows.). The singing was less shrill than P&O and the sound balance was also better. 
On the not so hot side of things. The many of waiting staff appeared to be working to a tick box script and didn’t wait for or respond to any comments. The section waiter in the MDR came around every night and asked ‘Is everything fine?’ ‘Good’ and was away before any response could be made. 
The Princess Patter daily newsheet was chock full of activities - but almost all were un hosted. The cruise director tried hard but it was all a bit Ant & Dec (yes/ no interlude & getting passengers to repeat ‘one smart fellow, he felt smart..etc’)

Our main problem was the complete lack of space. Passengers laying on towels on deck due to a lack of beds/chairs. No room in bars - hence drinking in the future cruises office. 
Did we enjoy it? Of course we did, it was a cruise. Would we go again? We have one booked on Sky this year. Do we prefer P&O. I think so! 

 

Edited January 3 by Ranchi

[Vampiress88]

20 minutes ago, Ranchi said:

Been a good few P&O and last summer tried Princess (Sky). Found some good plus points with Princess. Excellent boarding (15 min tops from taxi drop off to ship,) the app worked well. We pre booked 14 Nights table for two in the aft MDR before we joined the ship and cancelled as required if we wanted to use alternative dining. We’ve never bought the drinks package on P&O but did take up the ‘Plus’ option as it was being sold at a give away price which included gratuities. We don’t drink a great deal but add in a couple of coffees & bottled water through the day and it was excellent value (we had a pre dinner cocktail, glass of wine with dinner and the odd extra drink if we felt like it.) The waiter service via the app worked well. I was amazed. We ordered a drink, the app said ‘your drinks are being prepared’, a little ship appeared on the screen to indicate that our drinks were on their way and sure enough, there was the waiter who found us sitting by the window watching the sea go by from the future cruises office window (& that was one of the problems with Sky.) Our previous cruise history had qualified us for a high loyalty tier and we got access to a nice lounge for pre dinner drinks, entertainment & good canapés etc.  Very nice. We also got complimentary laundry which is an excellent service (as the laundrettes will rush you $7 a go (if you need to purchase detergent as well.) Don’t all rush to the telephones…Princess have stopped carrying over loyalty points. 
Back to boarding: the staff will encourage you to go to the buffet for lunch but there is a very nice dining room available (Estrella in our case, for day1 lunch.) 

The buffet on board is very good in the main. When we were there there was an excellent range of cheeses available (cf to the miserable selection available in the dining room- Brie & Gouda…and for variation, Gouda &Brie!) We were not overly impressed with the food in the MDR. It looked very good but….

On the plus side the International cafe is outstanding as was Alfredo’s pizza place. We had several lunches there (& even one evening meal.) At the time it was free with the Plus package- I understand you now only get two free meals there per cruise. The gelateria was OK - the premium desserts were shocking but you could get by without paying if you ordered a gelato premium desert & requested no sauce, no sprinkles, no cake, no cream. I’m not a lover of Mr Whippy type ice cream but the stuff given out from the kiosk on sun deck was rather good! 
We used the Crown grill and also Rudi’s. Crown grill was quite good, Rudi’s ok (I accept it is at sea so its not going to as good as freshly caught seafood but we wouldn’t go again (unless we had loads of OBC to get rid of.) 

The theatre shows we much preferred to P&O ( maybe because we hadn’t seen them before.) The computer graphics- when they worked were very good (unfortunately the computers crashed during two of the shows.). The singing was less shrill than P&O and the sound balance was also better. 
On the not so hot side of things. The many of waiting staff appeared to be working to a tick box script and didn’t wait for or respond to any comments. The section waiter in the MDR came around every night and asked ‘Is everything fine?’ ‘Good’ and was away before any response could be made. 
The Princess Patter daily newsheet was chock full of activities - but almost all were un hosted. The cruise director tried hard but it was all a bit Ant & Dec (yes/ no interlude & getting passengers to repeat ‘one smart fellow, he felt smart..etc’)

Our main problem was the complete lack of space. Passengers laying on towels on deck due to a lack of beds/chairs. No room in bars - hence drinking in the future cruises office. 
Did we enjoy it? Of course we did, it was a cruise. Would we go again? We have one booked on Sky this year. Do we prefer P&O. I think so! 

 

thank you for all that. 
it was a good deal in school holidays. It’s the lack of room in bars I don’t like sounds of. 
I didn’t like Msc virtuosa as there was nothing like the club house where we could really sit but hey ho. I’m sure we will make the best of it 

[Pandamonia]

Anthem sucks. Nobody I know likes that ship either.  I was on the launch season and also last year. I’ve got 110 days at sea with royal. 
 

biggest problem is if you like a sun lounger or a seat at a bar either inside or out! I’m not kidding when I say there is nowhere to sit on that ship with Arvia having 10x more seats on the ship. Expect near fighting on a sea day over a sun lounger. 
 

staff are clueless and you will wonder why you are tipping everyone for doing a worse job than staff on P&O. I was told anthem was one of the worst rated ships in fleet by a staff member in a restaurant. He was amazing compared to others. 
 

the food will give you heartburn, bloating and generally feel like you are being poisoned if you are anything like me or my partner. They litterally sell food which has illegal ingredients which are banned for sale in the UK and EU. They have recently had food confiscated in UK ports and had to change supplier but it doesn’t stop them stocking up in America. My Arvia cruise was the first time I didn’t spend 14 days on nexium. 
 

the staff are very friendly due to fear of bad reviews. Expect to be upsold on everything and harassed to buy junk and photos all around the ship. It’s a very different experience. 
 

prices on board are poor value because USD and 18% hidden tip inside all prices. Excursions are terrible value unlike P&O. 
 

Drinks packages are a rip off and so are all the other packages. 
 

ships are better for kids 

[terrierjohn]

3 minutes ago, Pandamonia said:

Anthem sucks. Nobody I know likes that ship either.  I was on the launch season and also last year. I’ve got 110 days at sea with royal. 
 

biggest problem is if you like a sun lounger or a seat at a bar either inside or out! I’m not kidding when I say there is nowhere to sit on that ship with Arvia having 10x more seats on the ship. Expect near fighting on a sea day over a sun lounger. 
 

staff are clueless and you will wonder why you are tipping everyone for doing a worse job than staff on P&O. I was told anthem was one of the worst rated ships in fleet by a staff member in a restaurant. He was amazing compared to others. 
 

the food will give you heartburn, bloating and generally feel like you are being poisoned if you are anything like me or my partner. They litterally sell food which has illegal ingredients which are banned for sale in the UK and EU. They have recently had food confiscated in UK ports and had to change supplier but it doesn’t stop them stocking up in America. My Arvia cruise was the first time I didn’t spend 14 days on nexium. 
 

the staff are very friendly due to fear of bad reviews. Expect to be upsold on everything and harassed to buy junk and photos all around the ship. It’s a very different experience. 
 

prices on board are poor value because USD and 18% hidden tip inside all prices. Excursions are terrible value unlike P&O. 
 

Drinks packages are a rip off and so are all the other packages. 
 

ships are better for kids 

If you hated the launch season cruise on Anthem, why on earth did you cruise again on her last year?

[Interestedcruisefan]

14 minutes ago, Pandamonia said:

Anthem sucks. Nobody I know likes that ship either.  I was on the launch season and also last year. I’ve got 110 days at sea with royal. 
 

biggest problem is if you like a sun lounger or a seat at a bar either inside or out! I’m not kidding when I say there is nowhere to sit on that ship with Arvia having 10x more seats on the ship. Expect near fighting on a sea day over a sun lounger. 
 

staff are clueless and you will wonder why you are tipping everyone for doing a worse job than staff on P&O. I was told anthem was one of the worst rated ships in fleet by a staff member in a restaurant. He was amazing compared to others. 
 

the food will give you heartburn, bloating and generally feel like you are being poisoned if you are anything like me or my partner. They litterally sell food which has illegal ingredients which are banned for sale in the UK and EU. They have recently had food confiscated in UK ports and had to change supplier but it doesn’t stop them stocking up in America. My Arvia cruise was the first time I didn’t spend 14 days on nexium. 
 

the staff are very friendly due to fear of bad reviews. Expect to be upsold on everything and harassed to buy junk and photos all around the ship. It’s a very different experience. 
 

prices on board are poor value because USD and 18% hidden tip inside all prices. Excursions are terrible value unlike P&O. 
 

Drinks packages are a rip off and so are all the other packages. 
 

ships are better for kids 

It's a no from Pandamonia I think!!

 

Lol

[Pandamonia]

Just now, terrierjohn said:

If you hated the launch season cruise on Anthem, why on earth did you cruise again on her last year?

I had FCC to use and it had been many years. The ship is worse in every way than the first season. The same old tired shows are still on there. The performer who does the show in the 270 bar is the same guy now 8 years older. Same exact routine. The we will rock you show is the same also. I never expected that but the sun lounger problem was the worst thing I’ve ever seen. You are a prisoner to your sun bed. You can leave for 30 mins or you lose it and won’t get another until day is well over. It’s like the ship was hit by a hurricane and half the sun beds vanished. There were entire parts of the deck with nothing on them. Compare this to Arvia where every space at least had a chair or sun bed. 
 

I won’t ever sail that ship again neither would I ever consider any of the quantum class ships. I’ll be honest the royal offering has gone majorly down hill over the last few years. Make no mistake royal could not give a monkey about the European market. They just dump there ships here for lack of other places to send them. 
 

they even put up the daily gratuity to something like 38usd per cabin and stopped doing your room twice a day at the same time. 
 

I’ve been on most of the best ships royal has including wonder of the seas and I wouldn’t rate anthem even above the independence of the seas which is older. 

[PaulManchester]

I’ve been on both P and O as well as Royal, and several times on each at that, across a variety of ships and itineraries. 
Both are great, and have a lot to offer. 
in my personal opinion (and that’s all it is, an opinion) I would say that P and O are better value as the cruise is invariably a lot less upfront, as well as cheaper on board (I’m thinking drinks in bars and speciality restaurants) and I really cannot fault them for the prices they charge. They should be openly congratulated for pricing their offer such as to make the joy of cruising open to as many people as possible.  Sadly, dependant on the make up of your fellow passengers that can be an issue, as on two occasions I have witnessed passengers making spurious complaints onboard as they were clearly disgruntled that people who they “wouldn’t be seen dead sitting alongside at home” (a direct verbatim quote from one lovely gentleman on the Ventura a couple of years ago who was annoyed that he had to share his dining table with “council house dwellers” (another verbatim quote). That however is not a P and O problem, it is a lack of manners and common human decency problem. 
 

Royal I would say are definitely more glitzy and “exciting”

onboard and, whilst this is of course subjective, I think their food offering is better. More varied certainly. I also think their speciality restaurants are better (but also more expensive). 
 

If both lines were the same price I would go with Royal every time but as there is a significant price

difference, both lines offer fantastic value for money and both have a deserved place in the market. 
 

Have a read of the reviews for both lines to get an idea of what you are booking - but ignore those reviews mentioning “Butlins”, “Beer-Swilling”, “football shirts” and the ubiquitous, but very popular “underwear from previous passenger left under the bed” (or variants thereof) - as these reviews (which both lines have aplenty, with perhaps a few more for P and O as they have more British passengers per head) are guaranteed to be untrue/ hugely exaggerated, and basically a more socially acceptable way of saying “I don’t like sharing a holiday with people I (incorrectly, obviously) think are beneath me”. 
 

In short, book with either line. I can 99.9% guarantee you’ll have a wonderful time. 
 

Bon Voyage. 

[Ranchi]

PS. The Wi-Fi on Sky was excellent. The medallion worked well. I also liked the usb sockets integral to each bedside light - bear in mind that there are no uk sockets in the cabin but each cabin is supplied with a uk 3-pin adapter. 
Also impressed with the motion sensor that activates subdued low level lighting if you get up through the night. 
No crow’s nest or equivalent. 
Huge casino/slots area where smoking is permitted. 

[Josy1953]

15 minutes ago, Ranchi said:

PS. The Wi-Fi on Sky was excellent. The medallion worked well. I also liked the usb sockets integral to each bedside light - bear in mind that there are no uk sockets in the cabin but each cabin is supplied with a uk 3-pin adapter. 
Also impressed with the motion sensor that activates subdued low level lighting if you get up through the night. 
No crow’s nest or equivalent. 
Huge casino/slots area where smoking is permitted. 

It's funny how we all appreciate different things.  Sky Princess is one of my favourite ships but I hate the motion sensor operated lights  because I need complete darkness to sleep and I found them too sensitive.  Sometimes the movement of the sheets at the side of the bed would set them off waking me up.  I asked the cabin steward if they could be switched off but he said not possible because they are considering to be a safety feature.  I ended up covering the one in my side of the bed with a book every night.

[terrierjohn]

9 hours ago, PaulManchester said:

I’ve been on both P and O as well as Royal, and several times on each at that, across a variety of ships and itineraries. 
Both are great, and have a lot to offer. 
in my personal opinion (and that’s all it is, an opinion) I would say that P and O are better value as the cruise is invariably a lot less upfront, as well as cheaper on board (I’m thinking drinks in bars and speciality restaurants) and I really cannot fault them for the prices they charge. They should be openly congratulated for pricing their offer such as to make the joy of cruising open to as many people as possible.  Sadly, dependant on the make up of your fellow passengers that can be an issue, as on two occasions I have witnessed passengers making spurious complaints onboard as they were clearly disgruntled that people who they “wouldn’t be seen dead sitting alongside at home” (a direct verbatim quote from one lovely gentleman on the Ventura a couple of years ago who was annoyed that he had to share his dining table with “council house dwellers” (another verbatim quote). That however is not a P and O problem, it is a lack of manners and common human decency problem. 
 

Royal I would say are definitely more glitzy and “exciting”

onboard and, whilst this is of course subjective, I think their food offering is better. More varied certainly. I also think their speciality restaurants are better (but also more expensive). 
 

If both lines were the same price I would go with Royal every time but as there is a significant price

difference, both lines offer fantastic value for money and both have a deserved place in the market. 
 

Have a read of the reviews for both lines to get an idea of what you are booking - but ignore those reviews mentioning “Butlins”, “Beer-Swilling”, “football shirts” and the ubiquitous, but very popular “underwear from previous passenger left under the bed” (or variants thereof) - as these reviews (which both lines have aplenty, with perhaps a few more for P and O as they have more British passengers per head) are guaranteed to be untrue/ hugely exaggerated, and basically a more socially acceptable way of saying “I don’t like sharing a holiday with people I (incorrectly, obviously) think are beneath me”. 
 

In short, book with either line. I can 99.9% guarantee you’ll have a wonderful time. 
 

Bon Voyage. 

I agree entirely, your  comparison of the 2 lines mirrors my own, although we have only done 2 RC  cruises, Navigator and Independence, but about 20 with P&O.

As for the shows, what else would you expect when you go to see We will Rock You,  Grease, or any of the other well presented Broadway shows that RC have on board, than the hit show they portray?

A lack of loungers or outdoor seating can be a problem, but surely if there is space for more, then reporting this to hotel management might produce more loungers from storage.

But I guess getting a problem resolved would reduce the strength of the complaint.😉

[Interestedcruisefan]

12 hours ago, PaulManchester said:

I’ve been on both P and O as well as Royal, and several times on each at that, across a variety of ships and itineraries. 
Both are great, and have a lot to offer. 
in my personal opinion (and that’s all it is, an opinion) I would say that P and O are better value as the cruise is invariably a lot less upfront, as well as cheaper on board (I’m thinking drinks in bars and speciality restaurants) and I really cannot fault them for the prices they charge. They should be openly congratulated for pricing their offer such as to make the joy of cruising open to as many people as possible.  Sadly, dependant on the make up of your fellow passengers that can be an issue, as on two occasions I have witnessed passengers making spurious complaints onboard as they were clearly disgruntled that people who they “wouldn’t be seen dead sitting alongside at home” (a direct verbatim quote from one lovely gentleman on the Ventura a couple of years ago who was annoyed that he had to share his dining table with “council house dwellers” (another verbatim quote). That however is not a P and O problem, it is a lack of manners and common human decency problem. 
 

Royal I would say are definitely more glitzy and “exciting”

onboard and, whilst this is of course subjective, I think their food offering is better. More varied certainly. I also think their speciality restaurants are better (but also more expensive). 
 

If both lines were the same price I would go with Royal every time but as there is a significant price

difference, both lines offer fantastic value for money and both have a deserved place in the market. 
 

Have a read of the reviews for both lines to get an idea of what you are booking - but ignore those reviews mentioning “Butlins”, “Beer-Swilling”, “football shirts” and the ubiquitous, but very popular “underwear from previous passenger left under the bed” (or variants thereof) - as these reviews (which both lines have aplenty, with perhaps a few more for P and O as they have more British passengers per head) are guaranteed to be untrue/ hugely exaggerated, and basically a more socially acceptable way of saying “I don’t like sharing a holiday with people I (incorrectly, obviously) think are beneath me”. 
 

In short, book with either line. I can 99.9% guarantee you’ll have a wonderful time. 
 

Bon Voyage. 

That's a great post

[Interestedcruisefan]

13 hours ago, PaulManchester said:

I’ve been on both P and O as well as Royal, and several times on each at that, across a variety of ships and itineraries. 
Both are great, and have a lot to offer. 
in my personal opinion (and that’s all it is, an opinion) I would say that P and O are better value as the cruise is invariably a lot less upfront, as well as cheaper on board (I’m thinking drinks in bars and speciality restaurants) and I really cannot fault them for the prices they charge. They should be openly congratulated for pricing their offer such as to make the joy of cruising open to as many people as possible.  Sadly, dependant on the make up of your fellow passengers that can be an issue, as on two occasions I have witnessed passengers making spurious complaints onboard as they were clearly disgruntled that people who they “wouldn’t be seen dead sitting alongside at home” (a direct verbatim quote from one lovely gentleman on the Ventura a couple of years ago who was annoyed that he had to share his dining table with “council house dwellers” (another verbatim quote). That however is not a P and O problem, it is a lack of manners and common human decency problem. 
 

Royal I would say are definitely more glitzy and “exciting”

onboard and, whilst this is of course subjective, I think their food offering is better. More varied certainly. I also think their speciality restaurants are better (but also more expensive). 
 

If both lines were the same price I would go with Royal every time but as there is a significant price

difference, both lines offer fantastic value for money and both have a deserved place in the market. 
 

Have a read of the reviews for both lines to get an idea of what you are booking - but ignore those reviews mentioning “Butlins”, “Beer-Swilling”, “football shirts” and the ubiquitous, but very popular “underwear from previous passenger left under the bed” (or variants thereof) - as these reviews (which both lines have aplenty, with perhaps a few more for P and O as they have more British passengers per head) are guaranteed to be untrue/ hugely exaggerated, and basically a more socially acceptable way of saying “I don’t like sharing a holiday with people I (incorrectly, obviously) think are beneath me”. 
 

In short, book with either line. I can 99.9% guarantee you’ll have a wonderful time. 
 

Bon Voyage. 

Plus the ships are plenty big enough to avoid people you don't believe worthy of sitting near you

 

Same as in the real world

Edited January 4 by Interestedcruisefan

[Pandamonia]

just be careful assuming all of royal ships are a similar experience. They are not. Food is also not better. It can be ALOT worse and also on occasion better. There has also been a marked change in the quality since pandemic. There can also be a difference between Euro and American sailings. There is very little consistency between ships. 
 

they also do not keep chairs and sun beds in storage. Not sure where that idea has come from. They might relocate them out of the shade in to the sun where possible but it’s still not enough. Compared to azura and Arvia I’ve been on there is nowhere near the same number of chairs. 
 

I do like royals big ships and indi is good too but the value of the holiday has gone now. Americans just want to screw every dollar out of you. 

[Vampiress88]

11 hours ago, Josy1953 said:

It's funny how we all appreciate different things.  Sky Princess is one of my favourite ships but I hate the motion sensor operated lights  because I need complete darkness to sleep and I found them too sensitive.  Sometimes the movement of the sheets at the side of the bed would set them off waking me up.  I asked the cabin steward if they could be switched off but he said not possible because they are considering to be a safety feature.  I ended up covering the one in my side of the bed with a book every night.

I need darkness to sleep too. It annoys me that hubbys phone display is on all night so I’ll not like these light either 

[Guest]

I’ve done the Crown, Emerald and Ruby Princess, but that was back in 2007, 2008 and 2011 and I haven’t done a Princess since. However I loved those cruises, and the Crown was my first cruise. I was 11, and met friends from all over the world. In fact, I still keep in touch with some Canadian sisters that I met in the kids club!!! Even though the ship didn’t have the bells and whistles of RCI, I was never bored. Kids clubs were full of games consoles, air hockey machines etc. they did great parties, scavenger hunts and one night we even played guitar hero on the big outdoor screen!
 

I’ve done RCI more recently- last one I did was the Navigator in 2019 (also done Adventure and Symphony). I was too old for the kids clubs by my first one, but there are lots of activities to keep kids entertained! The iFly skydive simulator, the rock wall, flow rider, bumper cars. The food is also a larger selection than P&O. Lots of American dishes, more curries, often do themed nights in the buffet which are always good! IMO, The food in the MDR is more varied, but it may have changed since I last sailed. I’d read reports it had gone downhill since Covid, but I’ve also read recently that they have sorted things out again.

 

Both will be a fantastic cruise, but with a more American feel. Enjoy! 

Edited January 5 by Glitterati

[FamilyCruiserUK]

Sorry i cant comment on princess as i havent been on princess for a number of years. 

So Royal. I have been an Anthem, brilliance and more recently Oasis of the seas. I have to say i didnt enjoy Anthem. I didnt enjoy the lay out of the ship. For a big ship the atrium was just crowded and not many places to sit and chill. I also didn't enjoy the fact that there is a graturity on everything. The staff and food was good tbh but for the value id go with P&O or a better royal ship Oasis for example which is amazing. I would even say that Independence of the seas is better then anthem. As for what children can do, the ifly is great but i wouldn't pay for it as well as the arm thingy. It was free on port days but fully booked out. Kids club is good, although my daughter prefered P&O kids club. 

 

So P&O, recently went on Arvia. Gorgeous ship, the atrium is really good and open, lots of seating. The buffet is very good, had lots of options for those who are gluten free etc. The specialty restaurant esp the keel and cow was fantastic, although they get booked up quick. Daughter loved the kids club. The only negative i found was the pools. Just small, lots of them but small and packed in school holiday cruise. The indoor pool, retractable roof, the space around it was just small and not sunbeads but reclining chairs. A third of the area was used up by the stage. Lots of sunbeds all over the ship. The shows were good, except the take that show sadly as i love take that.

 

 

So in conclusion its swings and round abouts. 

For me unless its an Oasis class or the Independence of the seas, ( we just booked for Aug 25) i would stay with P&O. Anthem just dosnt do it for me and its not got that extra WOW factor for me.to pay the extra premium. 

On a side note you can pay Graturites daily on Royal or remove them completely on board. Its up to you.