Princess VS RCCL

[sandees]

I just came back from a 9 day RCCL cruise- my first with them. I have cruised on Carnival once and Celebrity 5 times...this cruise was fun and it was fine though the food was a bit of a disappointment. We are ready to plan out next cruise for spring of 07- we are considering the new Crown princess and though I know no one can tell me how it is atthis point, can anyone who has been on RCCL and Princess give me some feedback. We are thinkin gof going to St MArtin and St Thomas( been there and like it) and Antigua, Barbados and St Lucia---anyone have any thoughts? Thanks-Sandee S

[ddpe]

I was on Golden Princess and Radiance of the Seas this past April.

 

My opinions are that Princess food was much better in the dining room, but the lunch buffet on Radiance was better.

 

Service in the dining room was better on Radiance. Sometimes unfriendly waiters on Princess "anytime dining".

 

Alcoholic mixed drinks were better on Radiance

 

Entertainment (the kind I enjoy- comics and bands) better on Princess.

 

Cleanliness - better on the Golden. A lot of noticeable smudge marks and finger prints on Radiance.

 

Room layout - better on Princess for same general category - balcony.

 

Although we did not have a bad cruise at all on Radiance, the Golden had a slightly higher rating with us because of the dining food and entertainment.

[negc]

I pretty much agree with the previous poster with the exception of the comparison of staterooms. We found that our balcony staterooms on Radiance class ships to be noticeably larger than a similar category room on Sapphire Princess. Radiance balcony rooms have a couch or loveseat, while the Sapphire balcony room had a barrel chair that we constantly had to move to gain access to the balcony or the refrigerator. Storage space was superior on RCI. I agree with the poster about the excellent food in Princess' dining room, although that is really a subjective determination,and found the Horizon Court lacking. I do find the production shows somewhat better on RCI than on Princess but that could be related to the relative talents of the particular performers on Sapphire versus the singers and dancers on our sailings on RCI ships). Comics on both lines didn't seem to be much different, with some being excellent and others only mediocre. If faced with a choice of an RCI or a Princess ship doing the same itinerary, I'd probably choose RCI but I definitely wouldn't turn Princess down out of hand.

[caviargal]

Just a comment on the itinerary as I have done this same one on RCI 3x (Serenade, AOS, MOS) and other lines as well. It is a very nice cruise, port intensive but I like that in the Caribbean as the ships on sea days tend to be too full these days for my taste.

 

If you had a D1 on RCI, that is equivalent to the largest balcony cabins on Crown. From my research, we have a BB at 271 sq ft reserved and about 80 of that is balcony. D1 cabins on RCI are 201 Sq Ft. They are may favorite, aft especially with awesome balconies.

 

I think we are trying Crown for this itinerary in December and are looking forward to it.

[DANofNORTH]

We did the 'Sun Princess' in Nov 2001 and loved it! We did the RC 'Brilliance of the Seas' Nov 2004 and loved it too!

 

To compare;

 

Food - both were great, but Princess was WOW whereas Brilliance was just very good

Service - both were excellent at all times (even the buffet)

Rooms - Brilliance was larger with a larger bathroom, Sun - a little smaller with a small bathroom, but you don't spend much time there anyway.

Ammenities - well Brilliance is bigger, so a lot more of everything and very nicely done (maybe even spectacular!). Sun - smaller, but really nice too!

Line ups - Big Brilliance = at times big line ups. Sun - I don't remember line ups as much.

Entertainment - both were good but I guess Brilliance was a bit more impressive with the bigger shows.

Embarking/Disembarking - Brilliance was poor & long. It seemed to take forever. Sun, basically much quicker & easier. Although, to be fair - the Sun was out of Fort Lauderdale & Brilliance was out of Miami (that may have had an impact as we have only sailed out of each of these ports once we can't compare)

 

Overall, I would say that the 'Sun Princess' was slightly better than the 'Brilliance of the Seas', but both were great cruises and I would go on either ship again with no hesitation.

 

DANofNORTH

[sharpie13]

I was on Golden Princess and Radiance of the Seas this past April.

 

My opinions are that Princess food was much better in the dining room, but the lunch buffet on Radiance was better.

 

Service in the dining room was better on Radiance. Sometimes unfriendly waiters on Princess "anytime dining".

 

Alcoholic mixed drinks were better on Radiance

 

Entertainment (the kind I enjoy- comics and bands) better on Princess.

 

Cleanliness - better on the Golden. A lot of noticeable smudge marks and finger prints on Radiance.

 

Room layout - better on Princess for same general category - balcony.

 

Although we did not have a bad cruise at all on Radiance, the Golden had a slightly higher rating with us because of the dining food and entertainment.

 

 

I was on the Monarch of the Seas and the Diamond Princess and would rate the lines the same as above.