rci vs. princess

[raisincainus]

Have tried search and can,t get any old threads. Have sailed rci twice and really loved them. How does Princess compare? What I find is Princess balcony rooms seem a little bigger. Some one complained Emerald casino was small. Any help please. Planning on the Emerald in Dec.Thanks

[Steve Roberts]

We've done three RCI and three Princess. In my view neither is 'better' than the other, just different. Our four kids (9 - 16) slightly prefer RCI (ice rink, climbing wall, etc..) but the wife and I slightly prefer Princess. However, it's like saying which is best cats or dogs? They're both nice but different. Whichever you choose I'm sure you'll have a great time.

 

For us, what makes our cruise is having a decent stateroom with a balcony. Personally, I'd rather have ten days with a decent room than twents days without one.

[GldnRm01]

It is a tough comparison....We find Princess to be generally less expensive. Food quality and dining similar. Princess service and professionalism maybe a very slight edge. Coco Cay (RCI private island) way better than Princess Cay. RCI doesn't have MUTS but has interesting things to do on ship that Princess may not have, particularly for young people. RCI's big ships are kind of nice with the open promenade area - we like this better than Princess. Princess tends to move its fleet and market around in relation to climate, Generally in the states, Princess, has a more geriatric crowd - less kids. Princess' quality seems to be waining slightly due to the buyout from Carnival (our opinion). We like some of the Princess itineraries in the Carribean a little better but unfortunately they are not around during the summer months when it is more convenient to vacation out of Florida. Hope this helps.

[balanceok]

We've cruised both and find them to be fairly comparable for the money. Food is good and both and entertainment will be equivalent. However, you mind find differences on specific ships more than between the cruise lines.

 

I would say that RCI tends to have more "active" ships with a more casual atmosphere. Princess still is a great cruise line and we'll be on Princess for our next two cruises.

 

We book more for the itinerary and price than the line, but we prefer in this order: RCI, Princess, HAL, Celebrity and Carnival, based on our experiences.

 

By the way, I am one of those that doesn't pay much attention to the cabin. I would much rather be on a 20-day cruise in an Inside Cabin than a 10-day cruise in a Balcony Cabin. Last Fall we spent 25-days in an Inside Cabin cruising the Med and loved it. We've had suites, balcony cabins, etc, but it doesn't matter much to me. We've booked an Inside for our Caribbean Princess cruise and a balcony cabin for our Golden Princess cruise. it all comes down to price and availability.

[PescadoAmarillo]

FWIW- Princess's balcony cabins are NOT larger than RCI's, at least any of the Radiance, Voyager and Freedom class cabins. RC's balcony cabins include a small sitting area with a sofa; Princess's do not. Princess does have many large balconies on it's Grand Class ships (Caribe Deck), but you'll find the cabin itself still runs smaller than RC's balcony cabins.

[raisincainus]

Thanks for the imput. Think DW and I r going to do the 10 day Eastern Caribbean this Dec. We did the 8 nite on Jewel of the Seas Dec. of 06 but mother in law got bad off, then wife passed out in bath and injured her back, wasn,t fun trip. Gotta be better this time.

[KansasScrapper]

We have cruised on RC, Princess & Carnival. We perfer Princess for the any time dining & 24 buffet. Which RC did not have. On RC we liked the RP area it was like being in a city walking down the street. We had a RP room and it was fun to look out inside the ship. The widows do not open though. We would cruise RC again however most the time Princess is cheaper. As far as Carnival it is the cheapest but for a reason. We perfer their larger ships.

[tmcauban]

The problem I have with Royal Carribean is that the food is so bad. There were days where all what you can eat is the bread...

On Princess, food is better, even if some ships are getting old, tired, the Spa is a joke with expensive bad services, and the service could be too friendly.

Royal Caribbean has better ships, but the food is so bad!