Mariner of the Seas vs. Caribbean Princess

[cassidyk]

Hello all! I am new here and am looking for some advice. My husband and I are in our late 20's and are looking to take a cruise the week of labor day and I am torn between either the Mariner of the Seas or the Caribbean Princess. We have cruised previously on Celebrity, Disney, and twice on Carnival so we don't have any experience with either RCL or Princess.

 

I am hoping there are some of you out there who might have cruised on both of these ships or at least both of these cruise lines that could offer some feedback on which you would recommend or what you feel are the pros and cons of each. This would also be our first time sailing the larger class of ships so I am sure that will be a new experience in and of itself. Thank you in advance for any help you can offer!

 

BTW, I also posted this on the Princess board in hopes of reaching a wider audience. :-)

[Inshape]

I would vote Mariner for the same reasons we continue to do Voyager class vs Princess line . We have done 3 cruises on CCL and this oct will be our 3rd on RCI, and 2nd time on Mariner.

The ship is wonderful. The service is great. The food was wonderful too.

The activities on the ship are without comparison to anything on Princess.

Unless you will not use the rock climbing, the mini golf, the inline skating , the ice skating...then maybe laying around the pool deck all day on Princess will be fine. On CCL my kids were bored after a few times down the slide. At least on Voyager class there is so much to do no time to be bored.... Would like a bit less to do so I can relax all day pooliside!

[amy hood]

I know you asked about Car.Princess but haven't sailed on it. However my nephew has sailed on both and he was disaapointed with he March sailing on Marnier of the Sea. He said its was too crowded, food wasn't as good, staff not a freindly and the entertainment wasn't as good as Princess. He also prefered the decor of the Golden and freshwater pools.

 

Biggest complaint was very rude children not being supervised.

 

Princess does have minigolf and other activites on the Car. Then there is the Movies under the sea and they even offer classes ranging from painting pottery, photography, cooking and other things.

 

Now I am worrried because I have booked 2 cabins on Liberty of the Sea for next Dec.:mad:

[The Big Booper]

I see you posted the identical question here and on the Princess site. Since you are in your late 20s, if you are active types the big RCI ships are the best fit for you. Loads of stuff that nobody else has such as the rock walls, ice skating, full court basketball, in-line skating. parades on the Promenade, etc. The RCI ships also have 8 deck atriums, far more dramatic that the Princess 3 level atriums. Also the big RCI ships are better laid out in terms of passenger movement, you don't have to go up and down decks to get around blocked areas of the ship. Food is a personal choice so I can't talk about that. They both have good service, but no towel critters on Princess, whereas RCI has them.

 

RCI sticks to traditional fixed seating wheras Princess has that as well as personal choice dining. I have read here that not all Princess pax like the personal choice and go on a waiting list to get back to fixed.

 

In general, RCI ships better looking, better designed and more active. And if you want quiet you can find it on RCI as well as Princess. And RCI is conveting all pools to freshwater, same as Princess.

[The Big Booper]

I left this out. Princess had the Love and Marriage game as a throwaway at 10 AM on the last day at sea, RCI puts it at night for everybody at 10 PM. And finally, THE QUEST !!!!!!!.

[GMoney]

They are both great ships. Princess has Movies Under the Stars, which is awesome. Either way, you can't go wrong. IMO, the RCI and Princess products are very similar.

[bryan5557]

I sailed on Caribbean Princess April 1-8 (Eastern itenary). Sailed with wife and teenage daughter and her friend. Had previously sailed on Carnival Glory and Triumph. CB was very nice ship, and actually not too crowded despite being a Spring Break week. Food was on par with Carnival Glory and entertainment was similiar. Theater was somewhat smaller meaning that you needed to arrive a little early to get a good seat. Casino was not as large as Carnival. Ship was very clean, staff was courteous. We had traditional dining, and one thing I liked was that you weren't rushed through dinner like Carnival now tends to do. Fresh water pools were very nice, and there were a couple of pool spots for adults only that gave you some relief from kids. Movie Under Stars was a pleasant surprise, and the nighttime movies were good quality. All in all I would recommend the CB to anyone.

 

However, having said that, my wife and I are going to try Mariner next May for our anniversary. We like to try different cruises, and like the itenerary (Western) for the Mariner. Good luck with your choice. I think either will make for a wonderful trip.

[debshomespun]

Just returned from the 4/29/06 eastern sailing of the Caribbean Princess. We have been on Navigator (5/05 western) and Explorer (western 5/03). IMO, RCCL was a much nicer cruise.

 

On Princess, the staff were not pleasant, no smiles, how are you today, and in the buffet, they sorta just looked at you like you had 2 heads! Our room steward was wonderful though, and always had a smile. The ship seemed cut up, having to use certain elevators to get to the dining rooms. MUTS was just okay, nothing spectacular. They did have plenty of poolside activities. The atrium was disappointing compared to the promenade on the Voyager class ships. We didn't do much entertainment, so I can't comment on Princess, but the ice show on the Voyager class are the best shows at sea, IMO.

 

We were going on Princess, maybe expecting too much, as I had read they were classier than RCCL. Not so, IMO. The food at the buffet was not a large variety, as most days, lunch was very similar. They do have the Caribe Cafe, with 3 nighs of seafood, and the king crab legs were fantastic! We tried Princess, and will be back to RCCL. We are trying Hollarn America in October, but will be on Freedom in Sept.

[luv2bcruzin]

Hi, I had to jump in here and give my 2 cents. We have sailed RCCL, CCL, Disney and Princess. My travel agent told me how great Princess was going to be, better food, better service you get the picture. That said, our cruise on the CP was the least favorite of all our cruises. We sailed with a group of close to 100 people from the central Florida area and most of us were very dissappointed. Most surprising was the quality of the food or lack of quality I should say, even my wife's grandparents were not impressed. I posted a review of the CP here on the Princess thread only to creamed by all the Princess fans. RCCL'S Voyager class ships are hard to beat! The Mariner of the Seas would be my choice, as a matter of fact I just booked it, we will be sailing Oct 1st. Have a great day!

[Ella2]

I have sailed both, and have to agree with some of the comments made here.

 

On Princess, the staff were not pleasant, no smiles, how are you today, and in the buffet, they sorta just looked at you like you had 2 heads!

THAT, honestly, was my biggest issue with the Caribbean Princess (I had several others, although we had a good time overall). The CREW just was not very friendly. Perhaps it was because they were dealing with a boatload of cantankerous 85-year-olds (I'm not kidding, we sailed in early December 2003, and the average age was at least 80...as a younger family with a then 10-year-old, we were WAY outnumbered...and I'm NOT knocking the elderly, just this group seemed particulary CRANKY!). The crew on Mariner as a whole was MUCH, MUCH better.

 

The ship seemed cut up, having to use certain elevators to get to the dining rooms.

Yep, agree with that, Mariner has a much more open feel. The CP is designed to feel more "intimate", but in reality it IS difficult to navigate, at least for the first couple of days.

 

As for FOOD...we had good and not so great on both ships, but I would definitely give the nod to the Mariner ALTERNATIVE restaurants.

 

The things I DID like better on the CP...the Movies Under the Stars really was fun for us, especially the night they did the "Wizard of Oz" sing-along. The DISCO was MUCH better on the CP, it is a huge space, very open, lots of room...much better than the cramped, dungeon-like space on all the Voyager-class ships.

 

We are sailing Mariner again late next month, and I WILL be trying another Princess ship in the future. I know better than to base my opinion of a whole line on one cruise. But comparing these two ships and experiences head to head, I definitely give the nod to the Mariner as the best choice.

 

Hope that helps a little. :)

[cassidyk]

Thank you all so much for all of your input. I am happy to say that we are now booked on the Sept 3-10 sailing of the Mariner of the Seas and are really looking forward to it! Thanks again!

[dagadget]

Thank you all so much for all of your input. I am happy to say that we are now booked on the Sept 3-10 sailing of the Mariner of the Seas and are really looking forward to it! Thanks again!

 

Great choice. We are booked on Mariner of the Seas for March 18th 2007 when you finish the cruise let us know how it went for you.

[alec n]

we cruised on marnier last year and are booked for next april. we have sailed on princess and for us it dosent come close to rccl. have a great time.

[AdamKnows]

Cassidyk,

I am 28 and my wife is 24 so I am within your age group. I sailed on the Mariner in November of last year (Eastern Caribbean) and again in February of this year (Western Caribbean). I have been on 5 cruises so I know quit a bit about the various ships. The Mariner is perfect for people 20-30 because there is so much to do. From rock climbing, ice skating, shopping, clubbing (my favorite hang out is the Wig and Gavel English pub), roller blading...etc. There are too many activities to list. The food was superb and the ship breathtaking. I really think you can’t go wrong with the Mariner. If you have any additional questions or would like pictures of a specific part of the ship let me know.

Thanks,

Adam

[cassidyk]

Thanks Adam! I really appreciate the offer to provide more info and I am sure I will take you up on it. :-) My husband and I just turned 29 and this will be our first cruise alone since having our 17 month old daughter so I want to make sure I know as much about this ship beforehand to ensure we get the best experience we can.

 

Are you on the boards frequently or is it easier to reach you via email? Thanks again!

Kathryn