Princess vs Crystal

[Chip AZ]

After taking a few cruises with Crystal over the years I just completed a 2 week cruise to Norway, Iceland on the Sea Princess. I was very pleasantly surprised. The Sea Princess carries more than twice the passengers than the Crystal boats and I worried if their was going to be a lot standing in line. That was not the case except for a few ports where tenders were required.

 

The food was every bit as good if not better, in the main dinning room. The service was better with the waiter that enjoyed his job and was very good at it.

 

The balcony cabin was not as fancy but I never needed marble sinks anyway. Room service seemed to be there as soon as I put down the phone. The room was sound proof and you never heard a peep from outside.

 

The entertainment had a lot more diversity. The Internet was 1/4 the price and there were computers always available. It was quite fast but I do recommend you bring a laptop since there is no way to upload photos from the ship's computers.

 

You certainly get more bag for the buck on Princess and it didn't give the feeling that it was a "mass market line"

 

PS. The slot machines actually let you win which was not the case with the one arm bandits on Crystal.

[GloriaF]

That is a pleasant surprise, and I appreciate your letting us know how Princess' smaller ships compare to the more luxury lines. Thank you for taking the time to report:)

 

Some of what you mentioned is true of all the ships in the Princess line, but the mega ships lose that intimate feeling. The Regal is another of Princess' small ship jewels.

[TorontoTL]

Wow, I never expected to read a review of that nature comparing a luxury line to Princess. That is nice to read that you enjoyed Princess after having enjoyed Crystal more than once. Thanks for posting your comparison.

[woodofpine]

Really - given that one is not comparing apples to apples in $$ cruise fares, you're comments will cause big smiles from Princess fans. There are plenty that wouldn't bring themselves to make those sort of positive comparisons simply for consumer loyalties' sake - many are terribly adamant about "their" cruise line's superiority (especially at the food trough)...

 

Shoot - If we cross paths I WILL buy you internet minutes. :D

[rubrrick]

Wow........very interesting comparison. The ship that I would like to try is the Pacific Princess. My DW and I loved them when they were Renaissance, and we need to try another one like the Sea Princess.

 

Rick

[Druke I]

We've done two cruises with Crystal, and some 18 or so with Princess.

 

We thought the service very good on Crystal, although we did have some issues with some of their mid-management types.

 

Bottom line for us, Princess has many more varied itineraries, and the price is much more reasonable.

 

We have found the new Oceania cruise line much more to our liking than Crystal, and Oceania does have some very agressive pricing (two for ones with air included).

[ahracer]

I think your post will validate quite a few peoples views that the smaller Princess ships do a provide a totally different experience than the over crowded monsters they are building today.

 

Scott

[Coral]

Thank you for your comments.

 

I have to agree with the others - the service on the smaller ships is much better compared to the service on the larger ships on Princess.

 

Are you planning on posting a review or posting pictures of your trip. The trip that you went on is on my list of cruises to do in the future. I would love to hear your insight into what you liked and disliked about the itinerary.

[Lynda90]

Thanks for sharing. Nice to read a positive comparison.

[Lynda90]

Thanks for sharing. Nice to read a positive comparison.

[Chip AZ]

I am planning to post photos on my website, when I get home. I don't think I should put a link here since it is a commercial site since that's what I do for a living. I'll e-mail you the link.

[English Tim]

Thanks for those positive remarks. We are early in our cruising life, but are really looking forward to the SP.

[Coral]

I am planning to post photos on my website, when I get home. I don't think I should put a link here since it is a commercial site since that's what I do for a living. I'll e-mail you the link.

 

Thank you so very much! I just got the link and I am in AWWWW! Some fantastics shots and sights. I will look back in a few weeks to see the Sea Princess shots.

[The Big Booper]

We've done two cruises with Crystal, and some 18 or so with Princess.

 

............

 

We have found the new Oceania cruise line much more to our liking than Crystal, and Oceania does have some very agressive pricing (two for ones with air included).

 

Actually, Oceanic uses two of the former R ships from defunct Renaissance Cruises, which are the same as the new Pacific Princess and Tahitian Princess. Since Oceanic is run by the same people that ran Renaissance it would be interesting to see how Princess changed the ships when they bought them from the Renaissance/Oceanic decor.

[Druke I]

Neither Oceanic nor Princess changed much in the decor.

 

We've been on Pacific Princess (new) and Oceania's Regatta, and they come close to being identical in decor. In fact, both brochures use photos from the old Renaissance Line, at least for cabin descriptions. You may have noticed that Princess did not name the decks, nor did they renumber the cabins.

 

Interesting to note that Princess reduced the passenger load, as they needed more cabins for entertainers to run the type entertainment shows they offer. Pacific & Tahitian Princess are 640PAX double occupancy, and Oceania is running 684PAX double occupancy. Some deck 3 cabins and some obstructed view deck 6 cabins now house cruise staff/entertainers on Princess.

 

Oceania has both specialty restaurants open every night, on Princess they are open on alternative nights. Oceania does not keep the lido open 24hrs, as does Princess.l

[cws]

Pacific & Tahitian Princess are 640PAX double occupancy, and Oceania is running 684PAX double occupancy.

 

Princess actually lists the capacity at 670.

[meemeec]

Chip,

Thanks for giving us your thoughts re: Crystal and Princess. I have heard the same things from people we have met on Princess cruises who have also sailed Crystal. They liked Crystal but thought the Princess experience was equally good at far less cost.

If you get a chance I would love to see your pictures as well..... meemeec at yahoo.com

[Druke I]

Yes you are correct. My 640 was a mental typo. 670 is the correct number, a reduction of 14 (7 double occupancy cabins) from the as built 684.

 

I know I should have looked it up, but was being lazy, and relying on memory, which obviously was flawed!

[mike35]

Actually, Oceanic uses two of the former R ships from defunct Renaissance Cruises, which are the same as the new Pacific Princess and Tahitian Princess. Since Oceanic is run by the same people that ran Renaissance it would be interesting to see how Princess changed the ships when they bought them from the Renaissance/Oceanic decor.

Oceania (not Oceanic) has three former R ships - the Regatta, the Insignia, and the Nautica. Their CEO, Frank DelRio, was the former Renaissance CEO. He has done a masterful job of refurbishing the ships, hiring the best in the industry, and launching what has become our very favorite cruise line.

 

The cuisine is second to none - overseen by world-famous chef Jacques Pepin. The two specialty restaurants -- Polo Grill (prime steaks, seafood, lobster, etc) and Toscana (gourmet Italian cuisine) supplement the incredible variety offered in the Grand Dining Room - and there is no supplemental fee to dine in any of the restaurants.

 

We also love the 24/7 country club casual dress code. After three Oceania cruises - all in excess of 15 days, we've never experienced anyone "dressing down". If one wants to dress more formally, no one would really care - it's just not the "important" subject that seems to be cussed and discussed on "formal night" cruise line Cruise Critic boards.

 

Other plusses to us -- anytime dining - eat with whom you want, when you want; never any "nickel and diming" to buy drinks, tchochkes, etc; fun, low-key entertainment; a great piano bar (in the Martini Lounge); very few or no kids on board, since there are no children activities; well-traveled, savvy fellow passengers without phony pretensions; spotlessly clean and well-maintained throughout the ship; and finally - practically 100% smoke-free.

 

So - although the small Princess ships and the three Oceania ships share the ex-Renaissance hulls, the on-board experiences are significantly different.

 

BTW, we'll be on the Island Princess in Alaska in 7/31, and I'm 100% certain that we'll have a fabulous time!

 

Mike

[bdjam]

I think your post will validate quite a few peoples views that the smaller Princess ships do a provide a totally different experience than the over crowded monsters they are building today.

 

Scott

Amen brother – and let’s hope that Princess can continue to keep those totally different experiences separate – I’d hate to see the mega-ship experience bleed over to what is presented on the small ships.