Crown Princess vs. Freedom of the Seas???

[kucmkelly]

If anyone has been on both these ships, you must be a champion cruiser. If not, I was wondering if I could get opinions from any RCCL cruisers that have been on the Crown or any Princess cruisers that have been on the Freedom. Which did you like better and why???

[eroller]

I sailed on the inaugural of FREEDOM, and I have also sailed on GOLDEN PRINCESS which is very much like CROWN PRINCESS. I'm also booked on CROWN PRINCESS in September.

 

I had a great time on both FREEDOM and GOLDEN .... and no doubt I will enjoy CROWN as well. Which did I prefer? Well, it's hard to top FREEDOM from a pure hardware perspective so she would be my pick of the two.

 

FREEDOM OF THE SEAS is just a stunning ship. Personally I did not find her too big or too crowded. In fact I had an easier time finding deck chairs (mid-day, prime spot) on FREEDOM than ships half her size. The only frustrating thing for me on FREEDOM were the elevators. My cabin was on Deck 2 so elevators were a must to get to the pool deck and they were always full and slow. A major source of frustration and totally inadeqate.

 

So what really stood out on FREEDOM:

1. Cabins - great beds/linens and the flat panel TV's were wonderful.

2. Parades - first rate and a lot of fun

3. Flow-rider - I thought it would be just another gimmick. Not so. It really was a great feature for both spectator and participant.

3. Entertainment - best production shows I have seen on any ship (60+ cruises and counting!).

4. Embarkation and Disembarkation - completely painless. I was actually off the ship by 6:30am! A world record. I caught an early 8:30am flight and was in my house in Atlanta by 10:45am. Never had that happen before.

5. Food and Service - just fine. Not spectacular but perfectly adequate. Certainly as good as anything I've experienced on Princess and other mass-market lines.

6. The ship itself. Lots of "wow factor". Many impressive areas on a grand scale. Great attention to detail.

7. Fantastic pools which are all freshwater with at least one open 24 hours.

8. Gym/Spa - best I've seen on any ship. The latest equipment and it's huge! Great views of the sea and flat panel TV's on all cardio equipment.

9. Olive and Twist - wonderful Jazz Club which is in the Viking Crown.

10. Kids activities. I don't have kids and I prefer not to have tons of kids on my cruises. FREEDOM did a great job keeping them occupied with all the amazing activities so they were never a problem for the adults.

11. My fellow cruisers - an amazing group of people and I hope to have made some new friends for life.

 

So I think you can see I was impressed with FREEDOM. I also liked GOLDEN PRINCESS but she didn't compare to FREEDOM by a long shot. Even so every ship and every cruise line has something special about them. I have no doubt I will enjoy CROWN PRINCESS and there will probably be some things I will like better than FREEDOM. Which ever ship you choose you can't go wrong. Both are new and state of the art.

 

Here's a link to my FREEDOM pics. Hope you enjoy.

http://public.fotki.com/eroller/freedom_of_the_seas/

 

Ernie

[flvol77]

I sailed on the inaugural of FREEDOM, and I have also sailed on GOLDEN PRINCESS which is very much like CROWN PRINCESS. I'm also booked on CROWN PRINCESS in September.

 

I had a great time on both FREEDOM and GOLDEN .... and no doubt I will enjoy CROWN as well. Which did I prefer? Well, it's hard to top FREEDOM from a pure hardware perspective so she would be my pick of the two.

 

FREEDOM OF THE SEAS is just a stunning ship. Personally I did not find her too big or too crowded. In fact I had an easier time finding deck chairs (mid-day, prime spot) on FREEDOM than ships half her size. The only frustrating thing for me on FREEDOM were the elevators. My cabin was on Deck 2 so elevators were a must to get to the pool deck and they were always full and slow. A major source of frustration and totally inadeqate.

 

So what really stood out on FREEDOM:

1. Cabins - great beds/linens and the flat panel TV's were wonderful.

2. Parades - first rate and a lot of fun

3. Flow-rider - I thought it would be just another gimmick. Not so. It really was a great feature for both spectator and participant.

3. Entertainment - best production shows I have seen on any ship (60+ cruises and counting!).

4. Embarkation and Disembarkation - completely painless. I was actually off the ship by 6:30am! A world record. I caught an early 8:30am flight and was in my house in Atlanta by 10:45am. Never had that happen before.

5. Food and Service - just fine. Not spectacular but perfectly adequate. Certainly as good as anything I've experienced on Princess and other mass-market lines.

6. The ship itself. Lots of "wow factor". Many impressive areas on a grand scale. Great attention to detail.

7. Fantastic pools which are all freshwater with at least one open 24 hours.

8. Gym/Spa - best I've seen on any ship. The latest equipment and it's huge! Great views of the sea and flat panel TV's on all cardio equipment.

9. Olive and Twist - wonderful Jazz Club which is in the Viking Crown.

10. Kids activities. I don't have kids and I prefer not to have tons of kids on my cruises. FREEDOM did a great job keeping them occupied with all the amazing activities so they were never a problem for the adults.

11. My fellow cruisers - an amazing group of people and I hope to have made some new friends for life.

 

So I think you can see I was impressed with FREEDOM. I also liked GOLDEN PRINCESS but she didn't compare to FREEDOM by a long shot. Even so every ship and every cruise line has something special about them. I have no doubt I will enjoy CROWN PRINCESS and there will probably be some things I will like better than FREEDOM. Which ever ship you choose you can't go wrong. Both are new and state of the art.

 

Here's a link to my FREEDOM pics. Hope you enjoy.

http://public.fotki.com/eroller/freedom_of_the_seas/

 

Ernie

 

Too bad RCI doesn't have one thing that will keep me going back to Princess

 

Anytime Dining.

[cws]

So I think you can see I was impressed with FREEDOM. I also liked GOLDEN PRINCESS but she didn't compare to FREEDOM by a long shot.

 

I have not been on either ship, but chose Crown Princess for a cruise in December. Based on what I have read, Crown is a significant upgrade from Golden (deck plans have changed, new venues added, all-new decor, etc.).

 

Everybody is different, but I would say Crown is better than Freedom. Freedom seems too family oriented (which may be what you're looking for, I don't know). Many of Freedom's new features are geared toward kids (such as an entire pool area). I also don't like the promenade...when at sea I want to be able to look out a window and view the ocean as much as possible, not be in an enclosed area.

 

Some of Crown's features that impressed me enough to book:

 

1. The Sanctuary, which looks absolutely amazing. I'm not worried about the $15 fee. I plan to enjoy it at no charge from 5:30p on.

 

2. The International Cafe, which sounds like it has a huge variety of changing food items throughout the day (with bakers and ovens on the premises).

 

3. The choice of anytime dining if I so desire.

 

4. Movies Under the Stars, which I happen to love.

 

5. A more initimate dining experience. Freedom's huge dining room reminds me of a eating in a hall. When you think of the atmosphere in fine dining restaurants, you think of smaller, intimate places. And that is how Princess' dining rooms are.

 

6. The unique performers/entertainment in the Piazza.

 

7. Oh, I don't want to forget the itinerary. Once Crown begins 7-day southern cruises out of San Juan (the one I'm taking), there is no comparison in my mind. Crown wins hands down.

 

8. The champagne waterfall on the last formal night...great fun!

 

From what I've read, both ships are nice. I think it just depends what you are looking for.

[Redsgj]

Too bad RCI doesn't have one thing that will keep me going back to Princess

 

Anytime Dining.

My sentiments exactly. I would love to sail on another Radiance class ship but the thought of having to eat dinner with who they tell me to and when they tell me to - no thanks! 6:00 is way too early and 8:30 is way too late IMHO!

[madelinerose]

Ernie, thanks so much for the photos. The Freedom looks absolutely gorgeous. ;)

 

Hey, if you're on the Crown September 3, please join our Roll Call:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=202846&page=33

 

 

Karen

Baltimore

[caviargal]

My sentiments exactly. I would love to sail on another Radiance class ship but the thought of having to eat dinner with who they tell me to and when they tell me to - no thanks! 6:00 is way too early and 8:30 is way too late IMHO!

 

Funny how that differs from person to person.

 

I do not care for open dining and always book a table for 2 or however many are in my travel group.

 

I love knowing when and where I will dine each night and 8:30 is perfect.

 

Only on the small ships like Regent does open dining appeal.:)

[madelinerose]

oops...wrong thread.