We Tried Princess, Here's My Comparison Notes

[Charles4515]

So here's a question - although I'm trying to determine my answer from ship diagrams on Princess' site. Are the swimming pools open air or are they contained indoors? DG will NOT like laying out by the pool if it's indoors!

 

And what particular sporting activities are available? I've yet to see a basketball court on any of the diagrams and I know the rock wall is out.

 

Mini golf? Ping pong? Something? ANYTHING?!?

 

And, in your opinion, what is the average age? Everyone says "older" but no one (well, almost no one) specifically states their own age! ;):D Kinda hard to deduce things when you don't know the value of any variables.

 

All the Princess ships have a large outdoor main pool. They also have other smaller outdoor pools. Some have one pool with a retractable roof in addition to two or three completely open outdoor pools. That comes in handy in bad or cold weather.

 

Yes they have a sports court, mini golf, ping pong.

 

It tends to be a somewhat older crowd but not a drastically older crowd and Princess caps the number of children on a sailing.

[Debathome]

Debathome:

Enjoy your cruise to Alaska. I was on the Serenade last year (Ultimate AK cruise) and DH/I loved the ship. It's our favorite out of all the RCI ships we sailed on. Enjoy!

Sea ya!

 

Thank you. Good to know! ;) I am looking forward to it.

Happy Sailing. :)

[CruisenLexie]

For those of you that cruised on Princess, have any of you stayed in the mini-suite or suite? If so, could you please let me know if there is a lot of storage, pros/cons in these categories, etc. Can two adults and a child be comfortable in either cabin?

 

Thank you in advance for your input.

Sea ya!

 

We stayed in a mini-suite on the Dawn and one on the Grand. The Dawn mini-suite had two doorwalls; one by the seating area and the other in the bedroom. I think 2 adults and 1 child would be fine. The bathroom was divided into two rooms. The tub with whirlpool and the stand alone shower were in one room and there was marble in there I believe and the sink and toilet were in another room. Might be helpful in your situation. The bathroom was beautiful I might add. The closet was a walk-in. There was a desk in the bedroom providing more counter space and drawers. There was a couch or loveseat in the seating room with a coffee table and TV with shelves. THere is another tv in the bedroom. It has been my favorite room so far.

 

On the Grand it was the typical shaped room. We had a couch, smaller coffee table. The area where the seating area and the bedroom are divided there are two TV's and shelves again which came in very handy and made for nice extra space. Also the desk provided more drawers and a nice counter area for one end of the couch. THe closet was very nice as it was across from the bathroom and much easier to access and light to see. THe shelves are not stuck in the closet but are outside and easily accessed. Having a bathtub was a nice feature for us as well. Here it is a tub and shower combined and it is a regular bathroom. Again I think you will be fine with 3. On some ROyal ships the couch is across from the desk and there is a small table inbetween and it can be quite crowded but of course that is a balcony room and not a suite. This mini-suite had the couch across from a wall so even with the table there was room to move around.

[LuvMyVette]

Debathome:

Thank you. Good to know! ;) I am looking forward to it.

Happy Sailing. :)

You are welcome. The Radiance class ships (Serenade is one of the ships) are beautiful! All the public areas have floor to ceiling glass so you will have a great view. Some elevators has an outside view as well. The Radiance class ships are very unique and beautiful in it's own way. I wish RCI had more of them. DH/I flipped over this ship for the beauty, the mini seating areas if you wanted some quiet time, layout, cabins, etc. This was a dream vacation and every moment was very special. I hope you will enjoy the cruise, AK ports and happy times with your friends. Have a wonderful cruise! If you have any questions regarding the AK ports or ships you can email me. Let me know and I'll be happy to help!

Sea ya!

[Cthy651]

I, too have sailed on the Princess Cruise Lines, it has, just like Royal - it's pro's and con's.

We have cruised 3 times with Princess and 3 times with Royal - I can honestly say, all our cruises have been great.

Royal just a little better, my own opinion.

My husband also prefers Royal, and we are planning to sail on the Oasis in April 2010.

[LuvMyVette]

aks368:

We stayed in a mini-suite on the Dawn and one on the Grand. The Dawn mini-suite had two doorwalls; one by the seating area and the other in the bedroom. I think 2 adults and 1 child would be fine. The bathroom was divided into two rooms. The tub with whirlpool and the stand alone shower were in one room and there was marble in there I believe and the sink and toilet were in another room. Might be helpful in your situation. The bathroom was beautiful I might add. The closet was a walk-in. There was a desk in the bedroom providing more counter space and drawers. There was a couch or loveseat in the seating room with a coffee table and TV with shelves. THere is another tv in the bedroom. It has been my favorite room so far.On the Grand it was the typical shaped room. We had a couch, smaller coffee table. The area where the seating area and the bedroom are divided there are two TV's and shelves again which came in very handy and made for nice extra space. Also the desk provided more drawers and a nice counter area for one end of the couch. THe closet was very nice as it was across from the bathroom and much easier to access and light to see. THe shelves are not stuck in the closet but are outside and easily accessed. Having a bathtub was a nice feature for us as well. Here it is a tub and shower combined and it is a regular bathroom. Again I think you will be fine with 3. On some ROyal ships the couch is across from the desk and there is a small table inbetween and it can be quite crowded but of course that is a balcony room and not a suite. This mini-suite had the couch across from a wall so even with the table there was room to move around.

Thank you very much for the detailed information on the suites. My concern is storing our items for us, our future child (we are trying to adopt) and having enough space where we aren't tripping over each other. Traveling with a little one is not easy due to packing so many items but if we have the opportunity to do so we will when he/she is old enough to cruise. I do like the bathroom setup since that would work out well and the walk-in closet. DH/I have stayed in the E and D categories on RCI with the loveseat or sofa setup. We are hooked on balcony cabins (especially aft) and do take advantage of sitting out there and enjoying the beauty around us. As you said, the sofa/loveseat is across from the vanity area with a table and it's tight. With two of us is hard... with three... it will be a comedy! Thank you again!

Sea ya!

[Dapzilla]

I've been on 3 RCI cruises and 1 Princess cruise so far...

Things I liked about Princess:

Indoor muster, with plenty of seating

Tendering process (pick up tickets, no lines)

Disembarking process (plenty of seating, smooth crowd control)

Anytime dining

The pizza is excellent!

Movies Under the Stars

Room was ready right away upon boarding

Things I disliked about Princess:

Food quality not as good as RCI

I HATED the buffet – the layout SUCKED, and several times, they had servers serving you off the buffet, which slowed down the line horribly.

Lots of nickel-and-diming (food that is free on one deck is for-fee on another)

Distinctly silver-haired, less lively crowd (average age 60-80? I would guess)

No nightlife to speak of.

More expensive bar menu (mixed drinks are about $2 more each than on RCI)

I had a great cruise on the Crown, and I’m glad I tried Princess, but in the end, I prefer Royal Caribbean!

[tori0417]

My fiance and I have cruised to RCI several times and we love cruising, but on our last cruise we felt the food quality and service has gone downhill. I am tossing the idea of taking a honeymoon cruise of Princess...any thoughts? hows the food? We will be 24 and 28 when we get married ( October 2010), so we do want a little bit more action on the ship. Also, I was looking at RCI's October 2010 schedule and the only thing going to the caribbean is the Oasis...to me that ship is just wayyyy to big. I dont want to be on a floating city for my honeymoon. :rolleyes: Anyones imput is greatly appreciated!!!!:D

[bridedoll1026]

We too are Diamond members returning in kind the (lack of) loyalty Royal no longer extend to us...we still have one cruise with Royal booked, but don't see us returning again anytime soon. We also steer friends and family to other vacation (cruise) alternatives which is a big change; we used to "sell" Royal to friends and family - no longer.

 

Exactly! I could have written that post! We're Diamond too & sailing on Mariner this weekend, probably our last if we're sold on Princess in October.;)

[kooljamming]

So here's a question - although I'm trying to determine my answer from ship diagrams on Princess' site. Are the swimming pools open air or are they contained indoors? DG will NOT like laying out by the pool if it's indoors!

 

And what particular sporting activities are available? I've yet to see a basketball court on any of the diagrams and I know the rock wall is out.

 

Mini golf? Ping pong? Something? ANYTHING?!?

 

And, in your opinion, what is the average age? Everyone says "older" but no one (well, almost no one) specifically states their own age! ;):D Kinda hard to deduce things when you don't know the value of any variables.

 

Both, one an adult only aft pool. There is also open air. We just got back and had a fantastic time. I am 44, DH is 50. They have a lot of demonstration and classes verses cheesy pool side contest (nothing against cheesy:p) I would have liked a more live music by the pool but I found a group of ladies and danced my heart out each night. I like the simple elegance of the ship, not a mall or theme park but a beautiful sailing instrument. I am thinking old means me because my butt will never scale a rock wall. The Sapphire Princess reminded me of the first time I sailed RCCL and fell in love with criusing. Overall a very rich experience to be enjoyed by the not so wealthy.

 

Adult Only Aft Pool

 

Indoors Pool

 

Outdoors Pool

[flvol77]

I hope to one day sail on Princess and be able to compare the two lines for myself directly.

 

It should be pointed out that RCI also has a cookbook, Savor, and they are currently on the second volume, Savor II.

 

Guess they don't promote it like Princess. Because I asked about a cookbook and our head waiter said they didn't have one.

[Dapzilla]

I am tossing the idea of taking a honeymoon cruise of Princess...any thoughts? hows the food? We will be 24 and 28 when we get married ( October 2010), so we do want a little bit more action on the ship. :D

 

I thought the food on Royal Caribbean was better than Princess, but food is such a matter of personal taste...

What I can say is that I don't really recommend Princess to young adults. My husband and I are 34 and 42, and we were very much the "young" people on board the Crown Princess. Princess is "elegant" to be sure, but "action?" not so much.

[flvol77]

So here's a question - although I'm trying to determine my answer from ship diagrams on Princess' site. Are the swimming pools open air or are they contained indoors? DG will NOT like laying out by the pool if it's indoors!

 

And what particular sporting activities are available? I've yet to see a basketball court on any of the diagrams and I know the rock wall is out.

 

Mini golf? Ping pong? Something? ANYTHING?!?

 

And, in your opinion, what is the average age? Everyone says "older" but no one (well, almost no one) specifically states their own age! ;):D Kinda hard to deduce things when you don't know the value of any variables.

 

 

Mini Golf - Yes

Ping Pong - Yes

BBall - Yes

Running track - yes

Decent Gym - Yes

 

We like the Crown, sisters are the Emerald, and Ruby....Princess does a great job of breaking everyone up, 4 pools with two of the them being adult that you can stay away from the noise and just relax.

 

We are younger and enjoy Princess, my wife and I our both 31 and went on first Princess cruise at 26.

 

Its all in want you want in a cruise. If you want to read a comparison I did between the Crown, Carnival Valor and the Mariner of the seas here you go.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=861473&highlight=flvol77

[kooljamming]

For those of you that cruised on Princess, have any of you stayed in the mini-suite or suite? If so, could you please let me know if there is a lot of storage, pros/cons in these categories, etc. Can two adults and a child be comfortable in either cabin?

 

Thank you in advance for your input.

Sea ya!

 

The sofa in the mini-suite folds out to a bed. I hope this helps:

 

 

[TheRoseLady]

We're sailing for the first time on RCCL this April. We've been on Princess a few times and found the following to be really nice options:

 

1. You can book your excursions and spa appointments on line 120 days prior to sailing. They are charged to your OBA, not pre-paid like RCCL.

 

2. MUTS

 

3. Afternoon tea in the dining room. This is not just some tea set up with some scones in the buffet area. This is white glove tea service with finger sandwiches, petit fours, scones with clotted cream and nice hot tea. (In our opinion- this is not to be missed.)

 

We sailed the Caribbean Princess and absolutely loved it. Our server was so outstanding that we were disappointed when we sailed the Crown. We were seated at a table for 8 - our server was spread very thin with apparently the Anytime Dining people. A few nights there was a party of about 16 people that they assigned to our server. No way she could give us the proper service.

 

Hope that helps those who are planning their Princess cruises.

[stlwaterbaby]

I thought the food on Royal Caribbean was better than Princess, but food is such a matter of personal taste...

What I can say is that I don't really recommend Princess to young adults. My husband and I are 34 and 42, and we were very much the "young" people on board the Crown Princess. Princess is "elegant" to be sure, but "action?" not so much.

 

We agree, but we love being with people that are a little older than us. We do like a little night life too, which wasn't really hopping on the cruise we took with Princess.

 

All of the people were nice on the ship, but it was so crowded when we sailed on the Caribbean Princess. We are looking forward to our first RCCL cruise in May! We will definitely post a comparison - well I mean my DH will tell me what he thought, and I will post our thoughts. :) Two things I think we will miss are MUTS and the iron in the laundry room. My DH does the ironing anyway, so he said thank God he gets a break from the ironing. I do think he does the best job ironing, so that is why I like the iron.

 

Oh, and we chose late seating at a table for 6 on our cruise. We were sat with a honeymooning couple that never came to dinner once, and a pair of ladies who were there on a working cruise. They came once. So, that was a little disappointing. That is one thing I like about cruising, getting to know your tablemates. The food was an 7 out of 10 in our opinion. I did like their afternoon, white-gloved tea service on Princess. That was fun for me, but it got in the way of my DH's "ray-time" and "MUTS" time. :) That's what great about cruising though, we can do things together or on our own.

[cruisnfool]

Often the mini suites are cheaper than the JS on RCI.

Don't forget fresh water pools on Princess.

[smilz]

We actually didn't start cruising until 9 years ago. Since then we've completed 18. We are platinum om Princess and RCCL and have used HAL,NCL, Celebrity and Carnival. We tend to chose according to itinerary first followed closely by cost. Generally we have found Princess to be cheaper. We have noticed a steady decline in the quality of food on all the lines due to cost containment but excellent dishes can still be found. The fresh water pools on the Princess ships are also a real draw for me. I am only 5'1" and enjoy being able to stand in two of the four pools. I hated the pool situation on NCL's Dawn. 1 pool for 3,000 passengers is a joke! The entertainment has really improved on many of the lines but I think generally RCCL takes the prize here. Not only are the performers a bit sharper, but the stage crew seems more professional. Princess does have alternate venues however. I truly miss the ice show when on Princess. We enjoy being able to bring wine aboard Princess. Photos are more expensive. Princess offers more itineraries with fewer sea days. DH prefers this. I enjoy both. Excursions are more expensive on Princess. We also look at the total time in port. Partial days in some ports are fustrating if you want to sightsee and swim or shop. As mentioned before, Princess does not offer carribean in the summer which I find maddening. I wish there was more attention to Bermuda. I liked the old 7days with 5 in port. Oh well. Hope this helps.:)

[BadBoysDriveAudi]

Both, one an adult only aft pool. There is also open air. We just got back and had a fantastic time. I am 44, DH is 50. They have a lot of demonstration and classes verses cheesy pool side contest (nothing against cheesy:p) I would have liked a more live music by the pool but I found a group of ladies and danced my heart out each night. I like the simple elegance of the ship, not a mall or theme park but a beautiful sailing instrument. I am thinking old means me because my butt will never scale a rock wall. The Sapphire Princess reminded me of the first time I sailed RCCL and fell in love with criusing. Overall a very rich experience to be enjoyed by the not so wealthy.

 

Thank you. So I guess I have another question and I believe you're the one to answer it (seeing how you had another thread open about dancing).

 

What exactly is the nightlife like? Is it like Holland where it dies off at 11 pm or can I find people in party mode at 2 am?

 

I'd be a fool to exclude other people who've cruised Princess from answering, so I'm accepting answers from anyone with specific knowledge. :D

[BadBoysDriveAudi]

Mini Golf - Yes

Ping Pong - Yes

BBall - Yes

Running track - yes

Decent Gym - Yes

 

We like the Crown, sisters are the Emerald, and Ruby....Princess does a great job of breaking everyone up, 4 pools with two of the them being adult that you can stay away from the noise and just relax.

 

We are younger and enjoy Princess, my wife and I our both 31 and went on first Princess cruise at 26.

 

Its all in want you want in a cruise. If you want to read a comparison I did between the Crown, Carnival Valor and the Mariner of the seas here you go.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=861473&highlight=flvol77

 

Thanks for the information and the comparison.

[BadBoysDriveAudi]

Mini Golf - Yes

Ping Pong - Yes

BBall - Yes

Running track - yes

Decent Gym - Yes

 

We like the Crown, sisters are the Emerald, and Ruby....Princess does a great job of breaking everyone up, 4 pools with two of the them being adult that you can stay away from the noise and just relax.

 

We are younger and enjoy Princess, my wife and I our both 31 and went on first Princess cruise at 26.

 

Its all in want you want in a cruise. If you want to read a comparison I did between the Crown, Carnival Valor and the Mariner of the seas here you go.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=861473&highlight=flvol77

 

Thanks for the information and the comparison. Also thank you on specific ages. It's not that I don't hang around people who are older than I; that's actually something that's benefitted me in more ways than I can count. I just also prefer to cut up with folks my own age every once in awhile.

[kooljamming]

Thank you. So I guess I have another question and I believe you're the one to answer it (seeing how you had another thread open about dancing).

 

What exactly is the nightlife like? Is it like Holland where it dies off at 11 pm or can I find people in party mode at 2 am?

 

I'd be a fool to exclude other people who've cruised Princess from answering, so I'm accepting answers from anyone with specific knowledge. :D

 

Dancing was a concern for me. It's definitely not your shake you booty, drop it like it's hot ship. However one is only limited by their determination. Before going I placed a call out for people wanting to dance on the roll call. I met a group of ladies who were willing to party to the sounds of the live band to the disco. I got my share of dancing in but it was more by luck of the call. I was out until 12 to 1 am a few nights. I am still tired:D

[ChevyCruiser]

Hi ChevyCruiser, thanks for the review! Question for you, is this diagram from Princess web site accurate? I ask because on the diagram the closet doesn't appear 6' long.

 

I've noticed in the Princess Cruise Atlas (printed version) that the cabin diagrams seem to be a standard diagram. I was expecting a much smaller closet as shown on the diagram and was pleasantly surprised by a larger closet than expected. The friends we cruised with reported that they have always had the 6-foor closet, even on inside cabins. My personal expereince is based on my single cruise with Princess thus far.

[kooljamming]

I've noticed in the Princess Cruise Atlas (printed version) that the cabin diagrams seem to be a standard diagram. I was expecting a much smaller closet as shown on the diagram and was pleasantly surprised by a larger closet than expected. The friends we cruised with reported that they have always had the 6-foor closet, even on inside cabins. My personal expereince is based on my single cruise with Princess thus far.

 

Here is a pic of the closet. You also have shelves and a safe behind the mirror door

[Beanie01]

I've never been on Princess, but my parents are frequent Princess cruisers - they are now 75. Last month they cruised on the new Ruby Princess. My mom said there were plenty of people in their 30's, and families pushing strollers. I think it may be starting to change, as far as the age they attract. I work with people who have sailed Liberty of the Seas, ranging from their 30's to 50-ish with teenage kids, so looks like Royal attracts many ages. Personally, I like more to do, so I'm looking forward to my RCL cruise in Oct. with 3 sea days, as I'm planning to climb the rock wall, boogie board on flow rider, ice skate, and hit the gym. (I think after this cruise, any other cruise line will seem boring to me because it won't have as much to do!) My last cruise was on Carnival, which had a mixed crowd. I saw people from their 20's on up to their 70's, and plenty of kids, but definitely more younger folks than older.