I Was A Traitor And Loved It

[superjerryw]

I was a traitor and I loved it. We just did a 7 day repo cruise on the Grand Princess from San Juan to Brooklyn and I have to report that Princess is equal to RCI. As far as the size of the ship goes, the Grand Princess would be equivalent to the Radiance class.

Cabin – we had an outside cabin that was nicely appointed but seemed to be rather small. I seem to remember most of our RCI cabins having a small sofa but you simply could not fit one in our cabin on the Grand Princess. In addition, the closet lacked doors and the bathroom was rather small as well. Definite edge to RCI.

Food – Dinner - The Grand has three separate dining rooms as opposed to one multi-level dining room. The service provided by the dining room staff was equal to that on RCI. As for the food; appetizers, soups, salads and entrees were about the same. I found the meat dishes about the same as RCI. My wife ordered fish each night and she said the fish was better than on RCI, being more moist and flavorful. Deserts were generally better on the Grand with New York style cheesecake and their special Love Boat desert (a thick chocolate mousse type cake) available every night. There was also a much larger selection of ice cream flavors each night along with a different plate of assorted cookies almost every night. A basket of bread was placed on the table each night in contrast to our last RCI trip on the Jewel where bread was given out on request by the asst. waiter. As far as dinner in the dining room is concerned I would have to give a slight edge to Princess.

Food – Lunch – On my last few RCI cruises I have found the Windjammer lacking at lunch time. I frequently looked at the food and don’t see anything I really wanted and ended up going to the grill for a burger. The buffet on Grand Princess is called the Horizon Court. It had a nice variety of food and I found something to my liking each day so I never had the need to sample the hamburgers. Slight edge to Princess

Food – Dinner – Buffet – We normally eat dinner in the dining room, but we always walk up to the buffet afterwards to see what they have so we have a general idea of what’s served in case we decide to eat there one night. (Actually, we're pigs and we go to the buffet after dinner to see if they have any different deserts....:D ) The Horizon Court seemed to have a more interesting selection of food compared to the Windjammer including a chocolate desert buffet one night. Slight edge to Princess.

Gym – the gym on Grand Princess is too small for a ship of that size and lacks sufficient equipment. In addition, the space allocated to the equipment is cramped and the machines are all jammed one next to the other. Edge – RCI.

Entertainment – Production shows were equal to RCI as were the headline entertainers. The significant difference is that you can attend two shows most nights on Princess. In addition to the main show in the theatre, there is usually another show in one of the lounges. I’m not talking about a special late show by a comedian for adults only, but a comedian or singer or hypnotist giving a show for anyone that wants to attend once or twice that night. Slight edge to Princess.

Swimming Pools – the Grand Princess has 4 pools, one of which in the aft part of the ship is limited to adults. I think the forward pool may also be limited to adults but I’m not sure. The two main pools seemed to be a better idea than the single main pool found on many RCI ships. One of the main pools also has a retractable roof. Slight edge to Princess.

Misc. – The cabin steward continually provided packages of shampoo, conditioner and body lotion as opposed to that glop in the dispenser on RCI ships. The future cruise consultant is only available on a first come, first serve basis as opposed to RCI where you can make an appointment. The video arcade is huge, with a wide selection of video games.

Overall, we had a great time on the Grand Princess. I have sailed with Princess in the past, but had not done so for a few years. I would not hesitate to cross over again. To be honest, I’m sick of going to Florida to get on a ship so the cruise line that has the best offerings from the New York area is the one that is going to get my business.

[debshomespun]

After 5 RCCL cruises, and 3 on Carnival, we also wanted to try out something new. We went on the Caribbean Princess 4/29 sailing. This ship would compare to the Voyager class. Our experience was much different than yours.

 

Dining Room: We had the traditional dining service in the Island dining room on the Carib. Princess. This dining room is very small, as there are 2 other dining rooms availible for "anytime dining" with the same menu as the Island. There is no comparision to the Voyager 3 story open dining rooms. The food served on Princess was just ok. Didn't seem to be as much variety as with RC. In the Horizon buffet, there wasn't much change in the lunch menu for the week. When they changed to snacks in the afternoon, again, not much change. Seemed to be much more variety in the windjammer on RC. The one big plus on Princess was in the Caribe Cafe, on 3 nights, they offered king crab legs, along with other seafood. This was really good! We went there for appetizers, then up to our late nite seating in the formal dining room. Overall, RC wins my vote on the best and varied food.

 

Service: On Princess, we rarely saw smiling faces. As we would pass many of the crew during the day, they didn't ahve anything to say. On RC, there were always smiling faces, and a "how are you today". Our room steward was absolutely one of the best. "Ralf" is from the Phillipines, and he always had our room tip shape. No towel animals on Princess, as with RC.

 

Atrium: On the Caribbean Princess, it is only 3 stories high. No doubt, the Voyager class is much classier with the Royal Promenade.

 

At a quick glance, these are just a few of the comparisons we found. Overall, we had a wonderful cruise. We cruised along with my DH 3 brothers and signifcant others, so that made the week with their company. Would we go Princess again? Not sure. It would depend on the ship and itinery. We do plan to do the Tahitian Princess hopefully within the next 4 years. Princess does have a nice on board booking procedure. For $100. pp, you can buy future cruise credits, to be used in the next 4 years. You can transfer this to whatever cruise with your own traveal agent, with no additional money down. So, we have deposited $200. with Princess, and when we are ready to book, we just let them know what ship and date, with no additional money down.

 

Looking forward to being back at home on the RC Freedom cruise on 9/10/06!

[terri23]

yeah, but how were the donuts?

 

now get off our message board (just kidding :D)

 

really - thanks for the mini-review - Princess cruises from Galveston (near home) and I had been thinking about giving them a try, so I appreciate your comparison

[kkorman]

Being a big fan on Princess and RCI, I'll add a few cents... they are more alike than different. Food is dependent to the person tasting, but will say the Caribe Cafe on Princess was outstanding. I am not a buffet fan and at the seafood there on 3 night. For me, Personal Chioce cruising is the reason I keep going for Princess over RCI. I hate to be told when to eat. Granted on most nights last week on the Caribbean Princess I ate at 8:30, and saw the same people (funny how that works), I just don't like to be told you have to eat at this time. I will say, RCI ships are the nicest afloat, but Princess is probably closest in beauty. Sailing either would be fine with me, anytime.

[superjerryw]

yeah, but how were the donuts?

 

The funny thing is, I never saw any donuts. Breakfast, lunch or dinner, there never seemed to be any donuts at the buffet. I can't say that I was disappointed though as donuts and pizza are the two things they just don't seem to be able to make correctly on a cruise ship.

[wrp96]

Thanks for your honest review and comparison. Sounds like you went into the cruise looking to have a great time and did.

[Cruising89143]

Jerry, thanks for the comparison of the two. I have thought about trying Princess and may do some down the road.

[chorder]

Thanks for the review,We are also thinking of trying a different line in the future ,as far as decor goes I have heard RCCL has them all beat hands down. I am afraid that if the food isn't as good as RCCL it must be pretty bad the food on the Voyager (windjammer) was terrible and the Dining room food was fair at best. Though that would not stop me from cruising RCCL, it would be nice if they would take a little more pride in the meals they served.I have always thought the service was great on RCCL so I would probably judge another cruiseline tougher on that point.

[Cruising89143]

Thanks for the review,We are also thinking of trying a different line in the future ,as far as decor goes I have heard RCCL has them all beat hands down. I am afraid that if the food isn't as good as RCCL it must be pretty bad the food on the Voyager (windjammer) was terrible and the Dining room food was fair at best. Though that would not stop me from cruising RCCL, it would be nice if they would take a little more pride in the meals they served.I have always thought the service was great on RCCL so I would probably judge another cruiseline tougher on that point.

 

Two reviews of the same line on this thread and two different opinons on the food. That is how I feel about the issue with food. What you like I may not so I take what folks say about food with a grain of salt. I happen to like the food on RCI so again we have two of us with different opinions.:)

[Geema]

SuperjerryW did a great comparison - Thanks!!!

We've been on both lines and there are things on each line that are better than the other. We've been on 5 Princess and are taking our 4th RCI in November.

RCI has breathtaking dining rooms, while Princess dining rooms are more typical nice restaurant dining room style.

We like the mini-suites on Princess because of the larger bathroom that has a tub, while the D1 category on RCI doesn't have the tub.

Both have similar entertainment and food.

[sgttami]

When I posted my "i feel like a traitor" thread in March...I really did.

 

Went on NCL in March and although I won't say.."I hated it." I didn't love it either.

 

We have friends who sailed on RCL and Princess and keep telling us that we'd love Princess if we love RCL...

 

Also went on Celebrity back in '96 after everyone raved how great it was....(cruise novice then)...it was OK...

 

Maybe I'm a RCL diehard cause I'm diamond and the good itinerarys are leaving from Bayonne these days!!

 

Glad you had a good trip.....

[Merion_Mom]

 

Cabin – we had an outside cabin that was nicely appointed but seemed to be rather small. I seem to remember most of our RCI cabins having a small sofa but you simply could not fit one in our cabin on the Grand Princess. In addition, the closet lacked doors and the bathroom was rather small as well. Definite edge to RCI.

 

Jerry, thanks for a very thoughtful and useful review.

 

Please tell us which cabin you had and what category it is.

 

Thank you.

[Ericknow32]

I have been second guessing my loyalty to RCI and Princess would be the next cruise line on my list. It is good to hear a good review because if the time, itinerary, and price match up I very-well might test the waters with another cruise line.

[rvrgirl]

Thats awesome! I am glad you had a great time! God forbid you said this on the Carnival thread:rolleyes:

[isujim]

Jerry

 

Glad you tried Princess (like we did) and glad you enjoyed it...........

 

We DID NOT like it and had a pretty overall bad experience..........we won't go back to Princess........

 

The important thing is we tried it just like you..........so glad your experience turned out good.

 

Jim

[Nliedel]

Thanks for the great review Jerry (that's my son's name btw). I am sailing Princess this summer. I have no qualms, no guilt and no issues with doing it at all.

 

I am concerned about the gym now, but since the Crown is a new ship I have hope (and she has a swim against the current pool. Which I will use everyday).

 

I am looking forward to the food on Princess, as much as I do on RCI. Face it, if it's not fast food and I don't have to cook it, then it's all good!

[FinelyCruising]

Jerry I am with you....looking more and more for options out of this NYC area too! Thanks for the review, two friends of mine sail Princess and enjoy it very much.

[superjerryw]

Jerry, thanks for a very thoughtful and useful review. Please tell us which cabin you had and what category it is. Thank you.

 

We had cabin P245 (Plaza Deck, Deck 5). It is category "EE", Oceanview Double.

[superjerryw]

I am looking forward to the food on Princess, as much as I do on RCI. Face it, if it's not fast food and I don't have to cook it, then it's all good!

 

That's exactly how I feel. I don't eat gourmet food at home so almost anything they serve up on a cruise ship is going to be OK and no one is asking me if I want to supersize my fries.

[Ocean Boy]

I, too, have been giving some thought to trying Princess. I love those Voyager ships but the Radiance class was not a disappointment so I think that the Grand Class could work out for me. As for food, I am just not that picky and I love buffets.

 

Cruising out of NY is becoming a big draw for me and Explorer's itineraries out of Bayonne are not very exciting. NCL is out of the question as I have no interest in making a port call at Port Canaveral, or any other U.S. port of that matter, except maybe Key West. Going to ports out of the U.S. is part of the cruising experience for me.

 

Thanks for starting this thread.

[threeofus]

I've sailed both and I would say your comparisons were right with mine...

I must agree that personal choice dining does have an edge....I like to eat early but I like the choice....and you can still sit where you want with the same server just at a different time. Gotta love it.

 

by the way Niedel - I like your new photo

[SA Traveler]

RCI has a slight edge with us overall but we do enjoy Princess. We have a Russia/Scandanavia cruise booked with Princess next July but we also have 2 RCI cruises booked this year and the Voyager out of Galveston booked for Jan '08. We've also cruised NCL and Celebrity but RCI remains #1 and Princess #2 with us. Based on itinerary we're happy with both.