Comparison of Princess, RCCL, and Carnival. My review of the Crown Oct 5th - 12th

[kim826]

I just got back from the October 5-12 Crown as well. This was my first Princess cruise. Previously I've been on NCL 5 times and Royal Caribbean 3. Our experience wasn't the best but mainly because of the dining room. Our cabins steward was nice and did a good job (no towel animals, but that was ok). We chose traditional dining. Our table was always last to leave due to long stretches between courses. There also seemed to be something going on between our waiter and his assistant as there were two nights that they were yelling at each other. Our waiter also had an argument with another head waiter near us. Uncomfortable. This was the first time I had ever experienced anything like that. Food was fine. Didn't have a chance to do the specialty dining as the rest of our group (we were in a group of 8) wanted to eat together as it was the only time during the day we were all together. Entertainment was fine as well. On the whole, nothing special to write home about.

[LovetheSea]

Tatka... My main problem with Celebrity is the change in the food and the higher prices. I also got tired of the same old E. Caribbean Itinerary on the Millie. Casa D Campo Yuck! Didn't want to go back there. And San Juan. Too many times there. They were also plagued with engine problems on the ships. So many of our cruises were either canceled or the ports were changed with out any prior to the cruise notice. Even though the two cruises before ours were also effected. We had things stolen from our rooms with no concern from anyone. " you can contact customer relations after the cruise" We had a cabin steward take our cushions off the balcony two days before the end of the cruise, to wash them for the next people. One time on a three day cruise the pool was closed all day for an inspection on a sunny day. The next two days it rained the whole time. I could go on and on. After 14 cruises with them, I am done! They upped the price and lowered the quality of the food. There are other lines that do a fine job. Holland had great food and service. Not crazy about the layout of their ships. I will miss the dining room on the Celebrity ships. We have also been on several RCCL ships and always had a nice cruise with them.

[Tatka]

Tatka... My main problem with Celebrity is the change in the food and the higher prices. I also got tired of the same old E. Caribbean Itinerary on the Millie. Casa D Campo Yuck! Didn't want to go back there. And San Juan. Too many times there. They were also plagued with engine problems on the ships. So many of our cruises were either canceled or the ports were changed with out any prior to the cruise notice. Even though the two cruises before ours were also effected. We had things stolen from our rooms with no concern from anyone. " you can contact customer relations after the cruise" We had a cabin steward take our cushions off the balcony two days before the end of the cruise, to wash them for the next people. One time on a three day cruise the pool was closed all day for an inspection on a sunny day. The next two days it rained the whole time. I could go on and on. After 14 cruises with them, I am done! They upped the price and lowered the quality of the food. There are other lines that do a fine job. Holland had great food and service. Not crazy about the layout of their ships. I will miss the dining room on the Celebrity ships. We have also been on several RCCL ships and always had a nice cruise with them.

 

 

Oh.. I am sorry.. Doesn't sound good.

 

Nothing like this happened to us on 2X Century and Mercury (I know they don't have pods). Our last was on Century in April, we were really surprised with low prices (5 dayer during school vacation $1069 for three of us inside)

 

We don't cruise Celebrity more, because they don't have good itineraries in Caribbeans when we need them. Also they have somewhat poor program for the teens, our 15 yo was bored..

 

I only cruised once with HAL, but wasn't impressed with service (very understaffed team), but that was in 2004.. and I heard they fixed things with Vista ships since then.

 

I find Princess too be a perfect match for now. :)

[floatel_lvr]

flvol77 - Me and my wife have noticed that we agree with all your posts! We always see eye-to-eye with your thoughts and comments.

 

We just got off the RCCL Freedom of the Seas and we had a great time, but there were many things we missed about Princess! The Windjammer buffet on the Freedom was crazy! We affectionately called it the "Helljammer" all week. The dining room was gorgeous and the service was great. We thought the ship was not as elegant and beautiful as Princess. I also did not like the Promenade, the pools or the crowds. The ice-skating rink, climbing wall, Flow Rider were all less than impressive (to us). Probably the only thing that wasn't our experience was the storage in our room. Both Princess and RCCL rooms are fairly small (the class we were in) but the storage of stuff is MUCH better on Princess (closets, drawers, hanging stuff, etc).

 

What we missed from Princess on this cruise:

*The beautiful pools! Especially the aft pool.

*4 pools! Spreads the crowds out

*Less announcements. Cheapened the experience on RCCL

*Elegance and overall "feel"

*Buffet - never closes

*Storage in room

*Price!

 

We are definitely Princess people!

 

These are interesting impressions. We also just got off of Freedom but I only have RCCL experience (so far) for comparisons.

- We share your opinion of the windjammer

- The announcements seem to be on a steady increase and are annoying. They publish the compass daily so we already know what is going on. I don't need to be told every 10 minutes.

- Freedom has 3 pool areas, the H20 waterpark childrens area, the main pool area with 2 pools (sports and regular) and the solarium. I have nothing other than other RCCL ships to compare to and we found this a good arrangement. We are looking forward to our Princess trip to compare notes.

- The Flowrider was an awesome addition to the trip. We had a ball both doing and watching.

- We had seen two or three ice shows already so we did not go. They are great but there is too much else to do. We did not skate at all.

- Due to the Promenade choices we did not miss not having a buffet available. We actually enjoy the Promenade on ships that have them.

- Room storage, that comment intrigues me. We have always felt that although the rooms are small the storage was significant for that amount of space. I am anxious to see how Princess handles this if you feel it is that much better.

 

Thanks for your input and impressions.

RA

[goouchjac]

Every cruise we take I we look at the pricing on RCCL and they are ALWAYS 25% higher, maybe not for you because you have sailed with RCCL many times and receive discounts for your status.

 

RCCL is more expensive and I have friends that are Diamond Plus and we cruise about the same time during the year and we compare prices and Princess is always cheaper.

Agree with the pricing,,,we are also Diamond on RCC and did check the prices before booking Princess,,,they are much higher this coming winter than last:rolleyes: ..We also think that is time to try another cruise line and expand our horizons:) ...

[floatel_lvr]

Agree with the pricing,,,we are also Diamond on RCC and did check the prices before booking Princess,,,they are much higher this coming winter than last:rolleyes: ..We also think that is time to try another cruise line and expand our horizons:) ...

 

We are Diamond on RCCL as well and we saved about $1000 on our upcoming Panama Canal cruise by switching to Princess.

RA

[DeRon]

- The Flowrider was an awesome addition to the trip. We had a ball both doing and watching.

 

- Room storage, that comment intrigues me. We have always felt that although the rooms are small the storage was significant for that amount of space. I am anxious to see how Princess handles this if you feel it is that much better.

 

RA

If you enjoyed the FLow Rider, climbing wall, etc. then you will miss it on Princess. My comments are based on the fact that those things are not for us, not that they aren't fun or good. People that love these things will like RCCL better.

 

The storage was adequate, and we got our stuff in there. It just was tighter than on Princess. Thanks.

[goouchjac]

We are Diamond on RCCL as well and we saved about $1000 on our upcoming Panama Canal cruise by switching to Princess.

RA

I just noticed your from Long Island,,,we lived in Suffolk, Pt.Jefferson area before coming to Fla., Lots of things I still miss, just not the high taxes:rolleyes: ..What part are you from....

[Web]

I enjoyed your review. We were on the same sailing. I had a lot of trouble finding my way around the ship!

[dforeigner]

Thank you for taking time to do a comparison/ contrast review.

[High Cs]

... and Princess will not have a ship in the Caribbean from April 19th until Oct 11th so we may end up trying the Freedom of the Seas.

 

 

We're booked on CB, April 26th, Southern Caribbean. Come join us!:)

[floatel_lvr]

I just noticed your from Long Island,,,we lived in Suffolk, Pt.Jefferson area before coming to Fla., Lots of things I still miss, just not the high taxes:rolleyes: ..What part are you from....

 

We now live in Holbrook. Once we move away we won't miss the taxes either... nor the LIPA rates (formerly Lilco) or the cost of oil. But it is a great place to live in spite of the high costs. Great beaches, restaurants and proximity to Manhattan are just a few.

RA

[Tatka]

These are interesting impressions. We also just got off of Freedom but I only have RCCL experience (so far) for comparisons.

- We share your opinion of the windjammer

- The announcements seem to be on a steady increase and are annoying. They publish the compass daily so we already know what is going on. I don't need to be told every 10 minutes.

- Freedom has 3 pool areas, the H20 waterpark childrens area, the main pool area with 2 pools (sports and regular) and the solarium. I have nothing other than other RCCL ships to compare to and we found this a good arrangement. We are looking forward to our Princess trip to compare notes.

- The Flowrider was an awesome addition to the trip. We had a ball both doing and watching.

- We had seen two or three ice shows already so we did not go. They are great but there is too much else to do. We did not skate at all.

- Due to the Promenade choices we did not miss not having a buffet available. We actually enjoy the Promenade on ships that have them.

- Room storage, that comment intrigues me. We have always felt that although the rooms are small the storage was significant for that amount of space. I am anxious to see how Princess handles this if you feel it is that much better.

 

Thanks for your input and impressions.

RA

 

 

I am not sure Island would be fair comparisson to Voyager/Freedom class.

 

Caribbean/Crown/Emerald/Ruby/Grand etc would be.. They have 4+ pool areas.. more lounges and other "interesting" places. (MUTS for example)

[floatel_lvr]

I am not sure Island would be fair comparisson to Voyager/Freedom class.

 

Caribbean/Crown/Emerald/Ruby/Grand etc would be.. They have 4+ pool areas.. more lounges and other "interesting" places. (MUTS for example)

 

I don't need a lot of the extras... My first cruise was on the Song of Norway and I was just as happy. The things people seem to like about Princess will only help to support an excellent cruise experience.

RA

[DeRon]

I don't need a lot of the extras... My first cruise was on the Song of Norway and I was just as happy. The things people seem to like about Princess will only help to support an excellent cruise experience.

RA

True. We are the same way. If you don't need a lot of "stuff" for a good cruise experience, then Princess is a better choice (IMHO) than RCCL. They do have MUTS, but they do not have all the climbing walls, flow rider, ice skating, "mall", etc.

[Tatka]

I don't need a lot of the extras... My first cruise was on the Song of Norway and I was just as happy. The things people seem to like about Princess will only help to support an excellent cruise experience.

RA

 

I personally loved number of pools on a huge ship, because it provided for excellent Adult only experience when we wanted it.

[goouchjac]

We now live in Holbrook. Once we move away we won't miss the taxes either... nor the LIPA rates (formerly Lilco) or the cost of oil. But it is a great place to live in spite of the high costs. Great beaches, restaurants and proximity to Manhattan are just a few.

RA

Yes, I totally agree!!Miss alot of NY,,born and raised there and as the saying goes "you can take the girl out of NY, but NY out of the girl:....

[sunsetbeachgal]

Enjoyed your very thorough comparison-thank you for taking the time to do this. We tried Royal Carribbean for the first time last year (the Mariner), and although it was good experience (although more $$ than Princess) we feel Princess is a better match for us and since then have taken two Princess cruises and have another upcoming.

[monakayk]

Thanks for the very nice and different way of doing a review. ITA with most of what you said about the 3 cruise lines, except that on our cruies, we felt that RCL completely over-all it was way above Carnival in every area.

:confused: Questions---so you have to wait outside the terminal before getting on the ship in Ft. Lauderdale, FL? Don't they allow you inside the terminal at all before they start to board the ship? I guess I am a bit confused about what you said, so if you could explain how Princess does it in FL...that would help me out.

We are leaving on the Crown in 1 week and are so excited to be on our 2nd cruise with Princess.

[Tatka]

 

:confused: Questions---so you have to wait outside the terminal before getting on the ship in Ft. Lauderdale, FL? Don't they allow you inside the terminal at all before they start to board the ship? I guess I am a bit confused about what you said, so if you could explain how Princess does it in FL...that would help me out.

 

 

I think it was me talking about Carnival Liberty in FLL. Yes we had to wait 45 minutes just to get inside of the terminal.

 

On Princess (Caribbean) we walked right in.. and to the check-in.

[Tatka]

 

:confused: Questions---so you have to wait outside the terminal before getting on the ship in Ft. Lauderdale, FL? Don't they allow you inside the terminal at all before they start to board the ship? I guess I am a bit confused about what you said, so if you could explain how Princess does it in FL...that would help me out.

 

 

I think it was me talking about Carnival Liberty in FLL. Yes we had to wait 45 minutes just to get inside of the terminal.

 

On Princess (Caribbean) we walked right in.. and to the check-in.

[shipoflove]

The head waiter blew that one.

 

At the end of the meal, your waiter and assistant waiter should have brought a small cake to the table and sang "Happy "Birthday."

 

Did you get the Happy Birthday balloons on the cabin door that day?

No balloons either. We saw balloons on cabin doors, but weren't sure if that was some type of birthday package that they had paid for.

[flvol77]

If you enjoyed the FLow Rider, climbing wall, etc. then you will miss it on Princess. My comments are based on the fact that those things are not for us, not that they aren't fun or good. People that love these things will like RCCL better.

 

The storage was adequate, and we got our stuff in there. It just was tighter than on Princess. Thanks.

 

The rock climbing wall and the Ice rink were two of our favorite things about RCCL, we don't need them but they are fun, at least of my wife who FLEW up the rock climbing wall.

[flvol77]

... and Princess will not have a ship in the Caribbean from April 19th until Oct 11th so we may end up trying the Freedom of the Seas.

 

 

We're booked on CB, April 26th, Southern Caribbean. Come join us!:)

 

We don't like to Fly - Yeah I know sounds a little crazy but its just too much of a hassle for us.

[DeRon]

...

We don't like to Fly - Yeah I know sounds a little crazy but its just too much of a hassle for us.

You are so lucky to be able to drive. We have to fly from Texas. By taking our free credit cards miles on Southwest, it is usually a full day event since they make 2-3 stops along the way. :cool:

 

Also, I see that you have been on the Caribbean Princess several times as well as the Grand. Did you like the Crown better, or not. New layout vs. old. Crowded feeling, etc. How do they compare between themselves? We've been on the Grand, Star, and Caribbean and thinking about the Crown and Emerald. Thanks!