Lost Royal Caribbean Cruiser!

[Rcl Obsesd]

Yes the name says it all! I am completely and uterlly obsessed with RCCL :D and am now going on a 9 night on the Crown on July 23. Please help me as i know absolutely nothing about princess :eek: , so try and compare things to rccl so i understand. This thread can also help other cruisers so please write everything and i mean EVERYTHING that you know about princess as well as my personal cruise.

 

Thank you very much!:D

[Druke I]

Start by reading the "sticky" at the top of the page: FAQ About Princess.

 

Then ask what is not answered in that one.

[CMHF]

welcome RCL Ob,

 

We will be on the same cruise, you should join our roll call @ http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=362633. Maybe we could help you, if you gave us things that make you obsessed with RCL; then we can compare them?

Harvey

[TLRSA]

Hey Obsessed, let me see if I can give you a few ...

 

I am also a big RCCL fan, but have just come off my 1st Princess, which just happened to be the Crown... I'll try and walk my way through from start to finish ...

 

Cabins- I have been on the Voyageur and while the cabin layout is very different, the Crown is somewhat smaller but I think the space is better utilized ....

-No towel animals like RCCL

-Cabin ammenities very similar

-Cabin attendants, no complaints either line

 

Staff

[Fuzzzy]

Do not expect contorted towels.

[play21cw]

Yes the name says it all! I am completely and uterlly obsessed with RCCL :D and am now going on a 9 night on the Crown on July 23. Please help me as i know absolutely nothing about princess :eek: , so try and compare things to rccl so i understand. This thread can also help other cruisers so please write everything and i mean EVERYTHING that you know about princess as well as my personal cruise.

 

Thank you very much!:D

 

 

RCL Obsesd, what made you switch? or try something different?

[Toto2Kansas]

Rcl-One great thing about Princess is they offer self service laundry rooms on passenger decks. Including irons and ironing boards for your use. It made a huge difference to us when we stopped sailing on RCI and came over to Princess. Hope you enjoy your first Princess cruise, you picked a nice ship for your first experience.

[Pam in CA]

Princess also has freshwater pools and you can choose Anytime dining if you don't want to be locked into a specific time to eat.

 

Many things are very similar -- and subjective. Some people think the buffet is better on RCL, others think Princess is better. Some people think the dining room food is better on RCL, others think Princess is better. On RCL, the buffet is set up so that there are two lines, one on each side. On Princess, you enter on each side but the food is organized by "station" so that you can go directly to salads or sandwich meats or pizza or whatever without having to wait in line. This takes getting used to but IMHO, it's much more efficient.

 

Princess doesn't have soft-serve ice cream but they do have make-your-own sundaes in the buffet every afternoon.

 

As has been said, the cabins are shaped differently; you don't have the couch area (unless you have a mini-suite) but you do have a desk, table and chair plus the closet is the entire width of the cabin minus the hallway. It's open so that it becomes a dressing area outside the bathroom. You also have a good-sized storage closet with shelves. There's also a big shelf above the closet.

 

 

The self-serve laundry is great. It means you can bring fewer clothes or if something gets dirty, wash them.

[Jstringers]

Having done both and loved both I have gravitated toward Princess, However the nod is a small one. Anytime Dining is a huge plus. I've found the service slightly better on Princess. Some say Princess is a step above, maybe...I see them as nearly equal.

 

You'll have a blast and feel at home...both are very similar.

[Minybear]

Do not expect contorted towels.

 

Darn!!!! This would be my first time on Princess also. Loved our RCCL cruise with the towel animals and loved the Jewel. I will miss the towel animals on our upcoming cruise on Princess. Oh well!!

 

OP enjoy your cruise. You'll love it.

[Tarheelbelle]

Well, I don't think there is the emphasis on the "adventure" features of the ship, like climbing walls, water slides, ice rinks, bowling alleys, etc., that RCI has. But I imagine those features are of interest to only some cruisers. I do think that the Personal Choice dining and the laundries are excellent features. I found there to be slightly less emphasis on the party aspect of cruising on Princess as compared to RCI. I actually prefer the understated decor on Princess compared to RCI, Carnival, and NCL.

That said, I have enjoyed all of my cruises on any line, just enjoyed Princess a little more!

[cruisefrk]

I have sailed 20 cruises with RCCL and only 2 with Princess (just off the Glorious Caribbean Princess) -

 

The staff seems to have a fresh, more professional dress than RCCL - it just seems to add to the experience. It makes one feel like the staff is more "serious" about providing service.

 

The buffet on the RCCL ships tend to have similar food daily - the Princess ship had a very different selection each day. I was VERY impressed with that.

 

I think that Royal is trying to attract more of the family crowds (young families, family reunions etc) and Princess is not. There seems to be a much larger mix on Princess from what I see.

 

I do miss all the wonderful amenities the repeat visitors have on RCCL (Diamond member especially) that even Princess elite members do not have.

 

Prices in the gift shops/on board liquer was higher than RCCL - higher than in port even.

 

Princess is not as strict about alcohol. They actually sell a package to have in your cabins. RCCL does not. They do say they will take your bottles when you board the ship from the islands but they didnt take many of them.

 

The layout of the ship is a bit odd on Princess but once you get used to it..for example you have to go to a certain deck to walk to the staircases that take you to the dining rooms.

 

The main theatre is MUCH smaller on the Princess ships I have been on. RCCL takes a lot of time developing a theatre that holds many people. There are several set changes on their stage - with a band that is below the stage - Princess still had the "old" version of bandmembers sitting on the stage - and not enough seats for the crowd. Also, if your on late seating on Princess there are some shows you can not get to - its in the middle of dinner.

 

I cant believe I am saying this after 20 wonderful RCCL cruises but... Princess is starting to tug at my heart strings ...

[Sailfish]

I think Princess and Royal Caribbean are more alike than different. You won't find free lemonade available all day like you do with Royal Caribbean, but we solved that problem by taking a few sports bottles and filling them up with cranberry juice or other juices in the morning for the kids.

 

Princess seems to have a more adult feel to their ships, and they seem to be a tad more strict (a good thing IMO) with unruly teens and kids. I still think Voyager class ships are great, and miss this level of activity on Princess, but we don't alway cruise with our kids, so we've actually been going more (and enjoying more) on Princess than Royal Caribbean these days!

[Nliedel]

I cruised the Crown and I'm an RCI loyalist. You will be FINE! Just don't get all picky and comparing all the time. Find out what Princess does that RCI does not and appreciate that for what it is. I find both lines VERY comparable.

[Brad1185]

The Crown has some great thing going for it. You get to pay extra for pizza room service $3, intl cafe has extra charges as well as vines. You also get to pay more for alternative restaurants than RCI. If you want to reserve a deck chair you can but you have to pay. Pay, Pay, Pay.

[AAAAmerican]

Yes the name says it all! I am completely and uterlly obsessed with RCCL :D and am now going on a 9 night on the Crown on July 23. Please help me as i know absolutely nothing about princess :eek: , so try and compare things to rccl so i understand. This thread can also help other cruisers so please write everything and i mean EVERYTHING that you know about princess as well as my personal cruise.

 

Thank you very much!:D

 

The same sea you shall see.

 

Try not to compare. Go on the cruise ..drink the booze snooze have agreat time without crime..

come back then make a list what you liked disliked then the same valuations..then do your rating in comparison for what you paid and the time you had...

 

RCL:NYSe is actually a Norwiegen Cruise Line.

 

NCL is Malaysian which STAR owns now.

 

Princess is part of CCL/CUK:NYSE/LSE Carnival which is World Cruise Corp.

:cool:

 

PS: If your a Stockholder of Carnival CCL/CUK Common Stock like RCL you do get a great Sahreholder OnBoard Credit benefit also.

[Nliedel]

Most room service items are free. When you order pizza from room service on Princess, you get a whole one. Drink prices are comparable. There are some items that you pay for in the International Cafe, but most of them are free. The pay items are well marked. The alternative restaurant charges are very similar to RCI. Some RCI ships charge $25.00 for their specialty restaurants.

 

As for charging to save deck chairs. That was not the case a year ago, but if it is now, good for them. I got up one morning to find a family of teddy bears saving six deck chairs in a prime spot. I find that practice to be abhorant on all lines and am about fed up with it. If it would not have been littering, I would have tossed them in the drink. I pointed it out to a pool attendant and they laughed.

[jerseycruzers]

We were always a rccl family until last year. We are taking our second princess cruise in July. The main difference we found was the price of the cruise. Rccl was signifantly more expensive. Having cruised on both lines we could not justify the difference. We found them to be very similar.

 

one great thing that princess has is MUTS. we really enjoyed this feature at night.

[spiritkat090909]

Princess has the Future Cruise Credit...you book a future cruise (open date in the next four years...search for details FCC) while ON the ship & you receive a reduced deposit of $100 pp AND a shipboard credit of varying amts based on category booked & length of cruise. The booking can be transferred to your favorite TA upon your return.:D

 

RCI has the shareholders credit, but the deposit isn't reduced & you have additional funds tied up in stock.

[Nymue]

You could have packed them all up in a little digny and set them a float :D

 

I got up one morning to find a family of teddy bears saving six deck chairs in a prime spot. I find that practice to be abhorant on all lines and am about fed up with it. If it would not have been littering, I would have tossed them in the drink. I pointed it out to a pool attendant and they laughed.

[Pam in CA]

If you want to reserve a deck chair you can but you have to pay. Pay, Pay, Pay.

This is misleading. You do NOT have to pay to reserve a deck chair; as a matter of fact, there are signs saying you cannot reserve a deck chair. That said, there is a small area on the Crown (but not available on most other Princess ships) called The Sanctuary where you can "reserve" a deck chair and yes, you have to pay but it also includes a number of additional amenities.

[critterchick]

Princess has the Future Cruise Credit...you book a future cruise (open date in the next four years...search for details FCC) while ON the ship & you receive a reduced deposit of $100 pp AND a shipboard credit of varying amts based on category booked & length of cruise. The booking can be transferred to your favorite TA upon your return.:D

 

RCI has the shareholders credit, but the deposit isn't reduced & you have additional funds tied up in stock.

 

RCI has introduced Next Cruise, where you can make an open booking for $100. The deposit is non-refundable, but you have 3 years to book a cruise according to the LA on Monarch (some posters have said that the credit does not expire, but I don't know if that's true). Once you make an actual booking, however, you must pay the full deposit.

 

Also, Princess will only let you apply one discount or credit to a cruise, whether it's the onboard booking credit, shareholder OBC. RCI allows you to combine whatever you qualify for - onboard booking credit (which are more than Princess offers, I believe), Platinum/Diamond discount (balcony & higher), shareholder credit, any coupon that may apply, and VISA card points, so you can significantly reduce the cost of your cruise.

 

As for differences onboard, I prefer the service on RCI. Food is comparable, drinks are better priced on RCI (and they don't measure carefully as they do on Princess) except for wine - Princess has much better prices. I like the RCI cabins (JS vs. minisuite or D-1 vs. balcony) better - I think they're more spacious. RCI wins in my book, but only by a whisker.

 

Have a great time!

[sanjosebarbie]

I cruised the Crown and I'm an RCI loyalist. You will be FINE! Just don't get all picky and comparing all the time. Find out what Princess does that RCI does not and appreciate that for what it is. I find both lines VERY comparable.

 

Well said. I go on Princess more often, because anytime dining is a huge incentive for me (and I love Princess Cays, the cruiseline's private island, more than I like Labadee). There are things that RCCL does better and things that Princess does better. I haven't been on the Crown, but I've been on other Grand Class ships, and I would say that the aft pool is one of my favorite locations on ANY ship. Also, I am not a big fan of cruiseship food, but I found Princess' to be far superior to Royal Caribbean's. I had better bar service on RCCL and better waiters and room stewards on Princess. I LOVE the inside Promenade on RCCL and I love the Centrum, with its flashier look. You'll miss that on Princess, but enjoy the other things that they do better, and you should be fine!