Will a Princess fan like Explorer of the Seas?

[DiazLoves2Cruise]

I am normally a Princess cruiser but, found a cruise on Explorer of the Seas that is hard to resist. I've waited a long time for the cruise lines to offer a Canada itinerary that included Quebec that wasn't one way or wasn't 12 or 14 nights.

 

FINALLY, someone woke up and Royal Caribbean is offering such an itinerary. If anyone is interested, here's a link:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/cruiseDetails/itineraryAndPricing.do;jsessionid=0000w5wMrUvyTm_SwHAx4Qv9gKb:10ktdmlju?packageCode=EX09N007&date=20083&selectedCurrencyCode=&promoType=

 

However, I'm not sure I'm going to like Royal Caribbean. I'm a foodie and, I've been told time and time again that I"m going to be disappointed in Royal Caribbean in the food department vs. Princess.

 

For those who have sailed both lines, what has been your experience? I'm booking regardless how bad the food is - the itinerary is too great to pass it up! I just want to know what to expect... And, I'd like feedback about the alternative restaurant...I"ll book it every night if necessary!

 

The other assistance I need is selecting a cabin. Do junior suites get the same perks as full suites? And, what perks - if any come with booking a suite?

 

Lastly, any tips, advice or recommendations you can make for me (I'm 39 traveling with my wife 37 and our two sets of parents) would be appreciated.

 

Thanks, looking forward to your replies!

[NJ Teacher]

Diaz,

 

I'm jealous - I would have booked this itinerary in a heartbeat if they had offered it earlier in the summer!

 

In my opinion, Princess beats Royal Caribbean hands down in the food department. Princess has the 24 hour buffet, good QUALITY food and more choices as far as alternative restaurants and Personal Choice Dining can't be beat. With that said, I don't hate Royal Caribbean's food but, I do find it to be pretty hit or miss. The good news is that Portofino, the alternative restaurant is worth the extra $$ - the food quality and service is tops. Additionally, you have Johnny Rockets onboard Explorer of the Seas which is an EXCELLENT alternative to the so-called hamburgers in the Windjammer. Just be aware there is a small surcharge for Johnny Rockets. And, great snacks and sweets can be found in Cafe Promenade.

 

You won't starve but, just don't expect the best food you ever had on a cruise ship.

 

Hope this helps!

[Sue L]

In our experience 5 Princess and 2 RCCL, the food on RCCL far surpassed that on our Princess cruises. RCCL does not offer the anytime dining option though and is traditional with two seatings. Explorer is a wonderful ship with a ton to do and that itinerary is really great. The staff and service were wonderful. JS's do not get the same perks as the full suite, no conceirge lounge.

 

Portofino is the specialty restaurant and was wonderful. You should definitely book one night but there is no reason to book every night!!

 

Check the link in my signature for pictures of the ship.

[DownTheShoreGuy]

I am normally a Princess cruiser but, found a cruise on Explorer of the Seas that is hard to resist. I've waited a long time for the cruise lines to offer a Canada itinerary that included Quebec that wasn't one way or wasn't 12 or 14 nights.

 

FINALLY, someone woke up and Royal Caribbean is offering such an itinerary. If anyone is interested, here's a link:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/cruiseDetails/itineraryAndPricing.do;jsessionid=0000w5wMrUvyTm_SwHAx4Qv9gKb:10ktdmlju?packageCode=EX09N007&date=20083&selectedCurrencyCode=&promoType=

 

However, I'm not sure I'm going to like Royal Caribbean. I'm a foodie and, I've been told time and time again that I"m going to be disappointed in Royal Caribbean in the food department vs. Princess.

 

For those who have sailed both lines, what has been your experience? I'm booking regardless how bad the food is - the itinerary is too great to pass it up! I just want to know what to expect... And, I'd like feedback about the alternative restaurant...I"ll book it every night if necessary!

 

The other assistance I need is selecting a cabin. Do junior suites get the same perks as full suites? And, what perks - if any come with booking a suite?

 

Lastly, any tips, advice or recommendations you can make for me (I'm 39 traveling with my wife 37 and our two sets of parents) would be appreciated.

 

Thanks, looking forward to your replies!

 

That is a fantastic itinerary! I might just have to book it along with you! LOL

 

Personally, I've found Royal Caribbean and Princess pretty comparable regarding food. If you like Princess, you'll like Royal Caribbean.

[Bay Area Hipster]

The truth is - Royal Caribbean doesn't hold a candle to Princess when it comes to food. Royal Caribbean tends to take lots of short cuts and the quality isn't really there.

 

Does that mean you shouldn't book this cruise? Absolutely not! You should book it, if this is the itinerary you want, you should go ahead and book!

 

As others have pointed out, you have alternatives for food, so focus on the trip and not the food!

 

Enjoy!

[MaineEducator]

Check out this thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=493964

 

You'll find lots of good and interesting tidbits about Explorer!

[sunsetbeachgal]

As you can see I prefer Princess, but recently took my first RCI cruise as we wanted adjoining cabins on a Caribbean cruise we were treating family members to, and Princess had nothing. My observations were that the dining room food on Princess got the nod, but the buffets on RCI were much better-better quality and the buffet area was a much nicer design. I think you will love the Voyager class ship-Mariner is such a beauty and the layout of the ship with the center shopping area is lovely and the flow of passengers makes it feel as uncrowded as a ship this large can be. Have lots of fun!

[Charles4515]

However, I'm not sure I'm going to like Royal Caribbean. I'm a foodie and, I've been told time and time again that I"m going to be disappointed in Royal Caribbean in the food department vs. Princess.

 

The food on Royal Caribbean is not bad, but you will probably be disappointed by the food department, it is a notch below Princess in my opinion, but that is offset by the ship. The Voyager class ships are better than anything Princess offers. Also the entertainment on Royal Caribbean tends to be better than on Princess. I speak from having sailed both cruise lines, a little more on Princess than Royal Caribbean, was on Explorer a few weeks ago and I think you will have a great time on Explorer.

[isujim]

I have sailed both.........if you are a foodie...........RC is better in the dining room and Princess better in the buffet area........RC wins the specialty restaurants hands down........there is no comparrison........

[cruzincurt]

With 3 on Princess; Golden, Grand, Caribbean, and 7 on RCCL, including the Explorer of the Seas under our belt, RCCL is superior in all respects in MHO. Nothing beats the interior promanade.

 

Never had "bad" food on any cruise line. "Food" has never been a determining issue in our picking of a cruise. JS only get larger rooms. A JS on RCCL is equvalent to a suite on Princess.

[elhenry]

I think the earlier poster meant a JS is equivalent to a minisuite on Princess. Bigger room, no perks.

 

I have cruised Princess for my last three: in love with Personal Choice! But I will be on Explorer in August. Traditional Dining will be tough, but a cruise is a cruise!

 

happy cruising,

el henry

[Aquahound]

I

The other assistance I need is selecting a cabin. Do junior suites get the same perks as full suites? And, what perks - if any come with booking a suite?

 

JS is a nice room. The only perks you get are priority boarding and an extra credit in the loyalty program.

 

Your other questions seem pretty well answered.

[cruzincurt]

Correction noted, we compared the JS with a mini-suite and picked the JS on the Mariner. The Personal Choice dining was nice on Princess but we ended up eating every night at 7:00 anyway, sitting at different tables, different wait staff every night. They had a lot of 2 seat tables.

[beachnative]

We bounce between RCCL and Princess because we like both lines. The RCCL dinning rooms and overall ship design on the voyager (Explorer) beats anything Princess has. We loved the Explorer and the Freedom and disliked the Caribbean Princess (but loved the Coral and the Grand). Princess wins with us on food...expecially in he alternative restaruants. Princess excells with the offering of the "Ultimate Balcony Dinner" as well as the "Princess Dream" dessert.

[Cindy]

We like both lines and cruise both...we just got off the Mariner yesterday. I love the Voyager class ships. They are well designed (better than the Grand class ships) and even with the large number of passengers they don't seem crowded. As for food, the buffet (Windjammer) on Royal Caribbean is much better than the Horizon Court on Princess. There's more variety, and the layout flows logically so you don't have people going every which way and running into each other.

As for the dining room food, I thought the quality of the food on the Mariner last week was VASTLY improved from my previous Royal Caribbean cruises. I enjoyed every meal and never had a problem finding something I liked on the menu. Some things were not as good as Princess (soups, pastas) and some were better, particularly the beef. If you like the specialty restaurants, my husband and I both think Portofino's on RC is outstanding...much better than Sabatini's. One thing I don't like about Royal Caribbean is they have a set menu in the dining room for lunch (we're more dining room people than buffet people). I really miss those Princess pastas at lunch time! Also...the wine policy on RC is more restrictive than Princess. RC no longer offers corkage in the dining room since officially you're not permitted to bring wine aboard. There are some decent selections on the wine list (NOT on the "Wine & Dine" package list), but you will pay for it!:rolleyes: Still, there are things on RC that cost less than they do on Princess, so it probably all evens out in the end.

I think if you go with an open mind you'll have a great time. Try not to miss the ice show...they have Olympic class skaters performing, and you'll be amazed at what they do on a very small rink!

If you have any specific questions, just ask. I've cruised on Princess four times and Royal Caribbean three, so I can compare the two pretty easily, especially the big ships.

[Nliedel]

Honestly, I was not as thrilled with Princess food, as I was with RCI. I've sailed, and enjoyed both lines.

 

My best advice is to just not compare them. Find the things that RCI does well, entertainment, and enjoy them.

 

As for food speciffics. I like the duck on RCI and the herbed cod. Avoid the boneless, skinless chicken, lie it's poison. I really think you will like RCI's food.

[kbt2]

Dh and I were always BIG Princess fans, until the Voyager Class ships came out and now we are hooked on these ships. We have been cruising since we were in our early 20's, now we're in mid 30's. We think our age has been no problem on either line. We will say Princess does have the better quality of food (pastas for sure) then RCI. But, like some other poster said the other dining options are better on RCI (portofino's is incredible).

We like the layout of the Voyager class ships as opposed to the Grand Princess. We felt it was very crowded on Grand and on Voyager class you feel more spread out and don;t wait in lines or fight for chairs by the pool as often. Love the promenade on RCI, along with the other activities..ex..ice skating, rock climbing wall, and mini golf. One major detail we like is the dining rooms on Voyager class are a better "feel" then Princess. Dining room on RCI is a 3 story grand dining room, where as the dining rooms on Princess are more closed in.

Sure we will do Princess again..love them as well...but for now Mariner is our next booked cruise...so I say try Explorer on the intinerary u want...and report back to us your opinions. :) Have fun!

[Cindy]

Dh and I were always BIG Princess fans, until the Voyager Class ships came out and now we are hooked on these ships. We have been cruising since we were in our early 20's, now we're in mid 30's. We think our age has been no problem on either line. We will say Princess does have the better quality of food (pastas for sure) then RCI. But, like some other poster said the other dining options are better on RCI (portofino's is incredible).

We like the layout of the Voyager class ships as opposed to the Grand Princess. We felt it was very crowded on Grand and on Voyager class you feel more spread out and don;t wait in lines or fight for chairs by the pool as often. Love the promenade on RCI, along with the other activities..ex..ice skating, rock climbing wall, and mini golf. One major detail we like is the dining rooms on Voyager class are a better "feel" then Princess. Dining room on RCI is a 3 story grand dining room, where as the dining rooms on Princess are more closed in.

Sure we will do Princess again..love them as well...but for now Mariner is our next booked cruise...so I say try Explorer on the intinerary u want...and report back to us your opinions. :) Have fun!

 

You will love the Mariner! My husband and I thought it's one of the nicest ships we've been on and the crew is awesome. The new bedding is also a big improvement!:)

[DiazLoves2Cruise]

Thanks guys! I appreciate your taking the time to respond, sounds like I'm going to enjoy RCCL

[kbt2]

that makes me even more excited...if there is such a thing at this point!! :) I can hardly wait!!!!!

[cruzincurt]

kbt2...looks like you will be Platinum for this next cruise?