back to RCI

[cinal]

We just got back from taking our first Princess Cruise

one word sums it up BORING !!!!!!!!!!

So it's back to RCI we go

[pinkrosesdeb]

So sorry to hear that! We haven't tried Princess but your description really sums up our HAL cruise. We really wanted to try something besides RCCL but after that 1 we have stayed with our tried and true favorite for now.

[superjerryw]

Funny, we cruised on Princess a few weeks ago and had a great time. I found both lines to be very comparable.

[Erie Dave]

We felt the same way after sailing on the Dawn a few years ago..Our particular cruise had a much older group of passengers than we are used to. Even the casino was fairly inactive later at night. We may try again some day, but not for a while.

[cruise182]

We just got back from taking our first Princess Cruise

one word sums it up BORING !!!!!!!!!!

So it's back to RCI we go

 

we felt the same after doing a b2b on 2 lines. First week Golden Princess. 2nd week Serenade. No comparison. We will be staying with RCI.

Staff more friendly on RCI

Food was better on RCI

Windjammer 10 times better set up then Princess

Just not as much going on's either.

[travellady]

Sorry your Princess cruise was boring. We had the opposite experience on each of our 3 Princess cruises - Diamond to Mexico, Sapphire to Alaska, and Caribbean Princess eastern Caribbean. However, all were holiday or school vacation sailings with many fun people onboard and much to do. I'd say the Caribbean Princess during this past Christmas was the most fun in terms of entertainment and non-stop revelry. My single 27 year old twins sons were onboard as well and I don't believe they slept more than 4 hours a night.

 

Great entertainment, not just the main show but always funny comedians on each ship we've sailed.

 

And, enjoyed the food as much as we did on RCCL and in fact, preferred Anytime Dining as we felt no stress to get back to the ship at a certain time.

 

That said, we've all decided on Explorer of the Seas the week before Christmas this year. Sailed the Voyager and know we love that class of ship and were ready to head back to RCCL.

 

But, we could go either way depending itinerary and what we want out of a ship for that trip.

 

I do agree HAL can be considered boring, my husband and I love HAL to just chill and reconnect. It's a classy experience, fantastic food, but probably not one I'll recommend to my single sons, at least not for awhile.

[Berliner]

We just got back from taking our first Princess Cruise

one word sums it up BORING !!!!!!!!!!

So it's back to RCI we go

 

bye bye,

 

if you need more action thats fine,i prefer the more relaxed atmosphere.

thats what i think is vacation.

 

Enjoy the action.&

have a great cruise.

[ZoeyZoo]

I feel the same. I went over Christmas and was bored during the day... DH is a Princess fan so I'm trying to convert him.

[cruise182]

bye bye,

 

if you need more action thats fine,i prefer the more relaxed atmosphere.

thats what i think is vacation.

 

Enjoy the action.&

have a great cruise.

Perhaps you should try RCI!

Thanks for stopping over on the RCI boards!

[SissasMomE]

The pizza on Princess is phenomenal. The food court is much better on Princess than Royal Caribbean. I think the staff on RC is friendlier than Princess, and I think the dining room food is equally comparable on both lines. I thought the piano bar on the Caribbean Princess was awesome, and there were tons of people there every night laughing and singing and having a ball. I did not see that on the Grandeur cruise I was just on, but it was also a much smaller ship. I would pick RC over Princess simply because a friendly crew means a lot to me. The real test for me will come with my Voyager cruise in December. That ship is comparable in size to the Caribbean Princess. I am curious to see if a bigger ship means less friendly staff. I hope not! I think Princess has gone downhill somewhat since Carnival bought them, but that is only a personal opinion.

[caviargal]

We just got back from taking our first Princess Cruise

one word sums it up BORING !!!!!!!!!!

So it's back to RCI we go

 

Just curious: which ship and itinerary? Boring daytime or evening?

 

Was this a family cruise or were you adults sailing?

 

I have been looking at Princess as an alternative to RCI as they are more dilgent about limiting the # of kids per sailing, have youth security, etc. And I have read that the majority of pax follow dress codes.

 

Was this your experience? Inquiring minds need to know :)

[kkorman]

Time of year, length of cruise, type of ship, destination of cruise will tell you a lot about what type of person is onboard.

 

I have had great and average experiences on all the lines I have traveled. Princess recently has been meeting my needs. What I look for in a vacation depends on my life at that time. So I may choose relaxing over active or a longer vs. a shorter cruise. In doing so, I will get a very different group of passengers. A 10-day Caribbean cruise will have a different crowd than a 7-day and so forth.

 

IMO, it is up to you to have a good time. The cruise lines pretty much offer similar experiences, it is up to you to make it a great cruise.

[kkorman]

Just curious: which ship and itinerary? Boring daytime or evening?

 

Was this a family cruise or were you adults sailing?

 

I have been looking at Princess as an alternative to RCI as they are more dilgent about limiting the # of kids per sailing, have youth security, etc. And I have read that the majority of pax follow dress codes.

 

Was this your experience? Inquiring minds need to know :)

 

I have done Princess cruises from 3-21 days and the number of kids varies greatly depending on where and when you are travelling. In general there are less, but that is a vague statement. They do have youth security onboard and they will enforce rules. That is nice for the adults only parts of the ship.

 

You do not see many if any shorts and tee shirts in the dining room on Princess. Resort casual is starting to include denim though which is perfectly ok with me. Princess is a very comfortable line and offers a very comparable product to RCI.

[abowsi]

Caviargal-

 

While I'm not the OP, I'd like to respond to your questions. We (husband, self and 5 year old son) just returned (5/20/06) from the 7 day eastern caribbean sailing on Caribbean Princess. This was our first Princess cruise after 8 RCI's (the last two being on Mariner) - we decided we wanted to try another line and chose Caribbean Princess because we like the large ships.

 

Overall, we decided we like RCI better than Princess. Overall, we felt the food was better on the Caribbean Princess, but our experience with the childrens programs, the friendliness and interaction of the staff and the passenger age range on both ships will take us back to RCI next year.

 

Don't get me wrong - we had a wonderful time last week - I mean I was on a cruise in the caribbean with beautiful weather and I wasn't at work! - it's just that RCI "fits" us - the activities and shows on board ships such as Mariner are what works for us.

 

Oh, and yes, I would say 99% of the passengers followed dress code policy in the dining rooms during formal nights on Princess. Also, youth security was very visible (my five year old called them the "yellow shirts") and actively warned the few children in the pool about jumping and diving.

[M&A]

Just got back this weekend from our first cruise - A transatlantic 14 days on the Jewel of the Seas. The ship was probably 90 percent retirees - over 65 and very few single people and there was a total of 19 kids.

The bars were empty around 11 PM and the few young people and some crew members were in the disco around midnight.

It was a very quiet cruise but we really enjoyed it. If you were expecting a party atmosphere and bars and disco open til late forget it, the only lively place on the ship after midnight was the casino.

 

If you were a first timer to RCCL and the transatlantic was your first cruise you would probably say that it was a very boring cruise line. It all depends on the time of year and itineray. The crew were telling me that the previous week on a Carribean cruise there were 500 kids - a week later on the transatlantic 19.

[caviargal]

Caviargal-

 

While I'm not the OP, I'd like to respond to your questions. We (husband, self and 5 year old son) just returned (5/20/06) from the 7 day eastern caribbean sailing on Caribbean Princess. This was our first Princess cruise after 8 RCI's (the last two being on Mariner) - we decided we wanted to try another line and chose Caribbean Princess because we like the large ships.

 

Overall, we decided we like RCI better than Princess. Overall, we felt the food was better on the Caribbean Princess, but our experience with the childrens programs, the friendliness and interaction of the staff and the passenger age range on both ships will take us back to RCI next year.

 

Don't get me wrong - we had a wonderful time last week - I mean I was on a cruise in the caribbean with beautiful weather and I wasn't at work! - it's just that RCI "fits" us - the activities and shows on board ships such as Mariner are what works for us.

 

Oh, and yes, I would say 99% of the passengers followed dress code policy in the dining rooms during formal nights on Princess. Also, youth security was very visible (my five year old called them the "yellow shirts") and actively warned the few children in the pool about jumping and diving.

 

Those are all real pluses for me and the main reasons I have drifted away from RCI. Thanks for responding.:D