Golden Princess or RCCL Serenade?

[travelhound]

My husband and I are looking at the Golden Princess or RCCL Serenade of the Seas for next February. Has anyone been on either/both and have a recommendation. They do the exact same route, so that won't make the decision and a charter company in Minneapolis is offering both for about the same cost.

 

We've been on 15 cruises, but never on Princess. We like active excursions, especially snorkeling/catamaran. Any insight is greatly appreciated.

 

Teri

[CruiseFever]

Has anyone been on either/both

 

 

Oh yes, the Golden!

 

Here's more on the Golden from our March sailing

[PescadoAmarillo]

Teri-I will be on my first Grand class cruise this fall, so I can't comment on it, but I can tell you that we have done two cruises (23 days total) on the Radiance of the Seas, sister ship to the Serenade, and we've found the Radiance class of ships to be truly the most beautiful we've ever been on. Our favorite parts were the Solarium, the Windjammer (with an indoor dining area, an outdoor protected dining area and an outdoor covered dining area), and the Centrum. I personally like RCCL's two story dining rooms...some people do not, believing that the Grand class one story dining rooms are more intimate. But I love all the glass, all the viewing areas on the Radiance class ships. RCCL's pools and hot tubs are not fresh water, and do not stay open past about 10 pm, and RCCL does not have self serve washers and dryers on their ships (if that is important to you). Also, their soda cards are considerably more expensive than on Princess. You will otherwise find Princess and RCCL very similar with (my impression) the service and food quality a bit lower on Princess, but then that varies by ship within a cruise line anyways. Also, consider that the Serenade will be considerable newer than the Golden.

[lmmn]

I cannot speak for the Golden, but I have been on the Serenade. The ship is stunning!

[KCSungirl]

Hi Teri,

 

I have cruised SOS and the Star Princess, sister to Golden. I would say they are very comparable except for a few things. RCCL is definitely more family oriented. I prefer Princess because it is more adult oriented. Obviously that depends on the season and itinerary, but there are always lots more kids on RCCL. I also prefer the open dining on Princess. We hate being on a dinner schedule because we like to eat a various times depending on the time ashore. We always dine off the ship when in port. Always like to try the local fare. We also like to meet lots of different people which is easier to do when you are not assigned to the same table every night. However, I have never had a bad experience with tablemates on any cruise. I really think the food is equal. It just depends on everyone's preference. The fish entees on Princess were better than RCCL, but the beef might have been better on RCCL. I have never had a bad meal on either. The entertainment is also good on both ships. I had balcony cabins on both ships and the Princess cabin was slightly larger. You can't go wrong either way, but I personally would chose Princess or Celebrity over RCCL because it feels the most comfortable to me for my age (40) and activity choices. Have a great cruise, Sungirl

[Coral]

I have been on the Golden and the Radiance (sister to Serenade).

 

I found the Radiance to be a very beautiful ship and the size is great but I prefer Princess as far as a cruise line. So, combine the Radiance and Princess together and you get the Coral/Island class (my favorite).

 

Truthfully - As a ship, you will probably prefer the Serenade. But I find the service and food better on Princess. I would end up choosing the Golden because my experiences with Princess far exceeds my RCCL experiences.

[travelhound]

Thanks for all of the great responses. I doesn't sound as if we'll be disappointed with either ship. Being on a ship in the Caribbean is always better than Minnesota's February!

 

Thanks again,

Teri

[Taylor]

I have been on the Ocean Princess and the Serenade and would be 100% for the Serenade. We are giving Princess another try in Sept but as we have also been on HAL. RCCL and Celebrity, Princess is at the bottom of our list.

[wyocruiser]

We were on the Serenade last New Year's and on the Golden in July. I would definitely choose the Golden. I realize it's older, but you will never know it once you are on the ship. I like the fact that the Golden has a 24-hour buffet, and I found the food in the dining room to be much better prepared and presented than on the Serenade. Since we were on a holiday cruise on the Serenade and RCCL has a lower drinking age, there were a lot of drunken teenagers which you hopefully would not have in February.

 

Also, the entertainment on the Golden was definitely more enjoyable than the entertainment on the Serenade. The acts on the Serenade could have been combined into a single variety show.