We Tried Princess, Here's My Comparison Notes

[molly361]

We have sailed and enjoy both lines. Most of our cruises lately had been on RCL as we tried and did achieve Diamond status. We did that just in time for them to stop letting folks combine discounts etc (we are also shareholders). We are going to see if we can try Princess again (last cruise on Princess was 2005) in February 2010 but we will wait and see if prices come down for it. Right now the week we are looking at is too much for our budget.

[piercetc4]

i dont think princess honors price drops after final payment

 

we have only been on caribbean princess and enjoyed it greatly- i do prefer rci's loyalty program over princess-

 

op- cool that you got double obc for your next cruise

is a 7 nighter obc 150? per person when doing nextcruise with princess? we have one but i didnt even ask the amt when we booked it...:)

 

we may have to look at princess for next fall too :)

[molly361]

i dont think princess honors price drops after final payment

 

 

we may have to look at princess for next fall too :)

 

I don't think they do either. That is the one downside and probably the next thing that Royal will discontinue (but I hope not:p)

[Schplinky]

Gee, so far every cruise I've sailed had had my cabin ready when I boarded. And, I usually get on anywhere between Noon and 1:00 at the latest. So, when does RCI have their cabins ready? I really don't want to drag around a roll-on and my garment bag. :rolleyes:

 

 

Cabins are usually available at 1 on RCL. I'm still not sure how they can clean them after a week's sailing and have them all ready for the new people if there is no time by which people have to get out. Most ships are only truly empty for about thirty minutes or less between guests contingents.

[Schplinky]

I don't think they do either. That is the one downside and probably the next thing that Royal will discontinue (but I hope not:p)

 

 

Carnival just started a new fare class where the deposit is non-refundable but they will price match up to 48 hours from the cruise. I like a gamble...

[ellbon]

I have done 12 princess cruises and the name of the buffet is ont windjammer nor do we have a bar called somethingwith an "S" thati can not recall. hte last princess cruise the Wheelhosue bar did ont have a free lunch but I heard it has been offered since the Ruby came out.

 

it is next to impossible to walk aft on deck 7 past the photo gallery to get to dinner or the aft bar. leaving the theatre is just as fun as on Ceelbrity that is why i leave near the end. but we have nice drink trays on princess i n the theatre. we have a good closet but must use it for luggage. plus more cabin storage than Solstice.

 

we do not have to sign anything like children for a pool towel. they are in your room daily. no locked fridge as it is always empty. no bar set up! we have 4 pools with two being for over 18.

 

sailing out of FLL my cabin has always been ready when i get there between 12 and 1. i realy do not understand why i had to wait in Jan. oh we leave the cabin by 8 am for good. i have waited but not for long.

[Elva]

We too are loyal Princess fans. However, Princess, for some reason, doesn't sail the Caribbean after April:confused:.

 

This is what keeps us from trying Princess. I don't want to fly to NY to get to the Caribbean in summer.

[LuvMyVette]

ChevyCruiser:

Thank you very much for the comparison between Princess and RCI.

DH/I have cruised RCI 17 times and due to all the recent changes with RCI... we are thinking about trying Princess. I can understand cutbacks due to the economy but there is a limit. Not being able to combine discounts, stockholders credit, etc. is annoying. That saved us a lot of money over the years and due to that we were able to cruise more.

I do have a few questions if you (or others) don't mind answering them for me.

• How was the food compared to RCI?
  
• Was there a good selection on the menu?
  
• Did you try any of the specialty restaurants? If so, how much was the charge, how was the food/service/food selection/etc.?
  
• Could you post pictures of your cabin?
  
• What were the hours of the laundromat?
  
• Are babysitting services available? Hourly fee? Minimum childs age?
  

Thank you very much and glad you had a great cruise!

Sea ya!

[dutchess43]

We have sailed 11 times on RCI & 4 on Princess. I must say that the beef we had on the Crown princess in the MDR was excellent & cooked to prefection. I too am D on RCI & need one more on Princess to be Elite. I am a shareholder with RCI & am tired of their new policies which I feel should not effect the shareholders benefits. I also like the fact that we can bring wine & champayne on board Princess & it is not allowed on RCI a bummer for us. I do not like Princess deck plans RCI has makes it is easier to get around the ship. The last time we were on an RCI cruise aug 08 AOS we were not allowed to get into our cabins until 2 p.m.. At least in Princess you can drop off yur carry on before you go to lunch should you board early. I will be looking very carfeully at 2010 to choose whom I sail with.

[emmy]

We have sailed 11 times on RCI & 4 on Princess. I must say that the beef we had on the Crown princess in the MDR was excellent & cooked to prefection. I too am D on RCI & need one more on Princess to be Elite. I am a shareholder with RCI & am tired of their new policies which I feel should not effect the shareholders benefits. I also like the fact that we can bring wine & champayne on board Princess & it is not allowed on RCI a bummer for us. I do not like Princess deck plans RCI has makes it is easier to get around the ship. The last time we were on an RCI cruise aug 08 AOS we were not allowed to get into our cabins until 2 p.m.. At least in Princess you can drop off yur carry on before you go to lunch should you board early. I will be looking very carfeully at 2010 to choose whom I sail with.

Elite on Princess is 15 cruises or 150 cruise days. Did you mean 1 more cruise on Princess and you would be Platinum..that is 5 cruises or completion of 50 cruise days.

 

The Free Laundry kicks in when you are Elite. Free or almost free internet is a perk when you reach Platinum.

[lucille prudden]

We have been loyal to Royal Carib also, and tried so many other lines but never Princess, your comparisions are interesting and true. However we were so dissappointed with the food on so many counts that I don't think we will rebook. Food isn't a cruise, but it should be a treat and it was more of a daily dissappointment.

Lovely ship, very clean.

[emmy]

ChevyCruiser:

Thank you very much for the comparison between Princess and RCI.

 

DH/I have cruised RCI 17 times and due to all the recent changes with RCI... we are thinking about trying Princess. I can understand cutbacks due to the economy but there is a limit. Not being able to combine discounts, stockholders credit, etc. is annoying. That saved us a lot of money over the years and due to that we were able to cruise more.

 

I do have a few questions if you (or others) don't mind answering them for me.

• How was the food compared to RCI?
  
• Was there a good selection on the menu?
  
• Did you try any of the specialty restaurants? If so, how much was the charge, how was the food/service/food selection/etc.?
  
• Could you post pictures of your cabin?
  
• What were the hours of the laundromat?
  
• Are babysitting services available? Hourly fee? Minimum childs age?
  

Thank you very much and glad you had a great cruise!

Sea ya!

 

I have cruised 6 times on Princess and will comment on the Specialty restaurants. I much prefer the presentation, food and service in Portofino to Sabatini which is Princess's italian specialty. We went to Sterling Steak house once on a Princess ship and I actually preferred that to our Chops experience. For us after 3 times dining at Chops on various RCI it has not been the best experience. Will be trying it once again on Mariner.

 

I really like the all around Portofino experience and will be trying the Wine Pairing on Mariner.

 

Thanks to the OP for their thoughts on the two cruise lines. Like many have said I find them more alike than different but the small differences is what keeps cruising fresh for us. By trying other cruise lines you truly learn what you really like about each.

[geojobes]

Gotta start out & say, I've got no axe to grind with either line. We had a balcony cabin on the Grandeur & the Caribbean Princess. The closet was bigger on the Princess ship, but the Grandeur had a couch. The showers on both were tiny.

 

We thought the Pizza was much better on Princess than RCCL, however the coffee on Princess was the worst swill I've ever drank & I'm a 22 year Navy veteran! The Free RCCL coffee was much better than the pay "fresh brewed" on Princess.

 

We liked MUTS & that they had a 24 hour buffet on Princess, however Windjammer is laid out better on RCCL. Also, the theater on CB (that's the designation for Caribbean Princess) was way too small for the number of people on board.

 

We enjoyed both lines & would sail either again. We weren't thrilled with the anytime dining on CB, but it wasn't terrible. I think we'd just book early to get traditional on Princess.

[jtmalt]

ChevyCruiser:

Thank you very much for the comparison between Princess and RCI.

 

DH/I have cruised RCI 17 times and due to all the recent changes with RCI... we are thinking about trying Princess. I can understand cutbacks due to the economy but there is a limit. Not being able to combine discounts, stockholders credit, etc. is annoying. That saved us a lot of money over the years and due to that we were able to cruise more.

 

I do have a few questions if you (or others) don't mind answering them for me.

• How was the food compared to RCI?
  
• Was there a good selection on the menu?
  
• Did you try any of the specialty restaurants? If so, how much was the charge, how was the food/service/food selection/etc.?
  
• Could you post pictures of your cabin?
  
• What were the hours of the laundromat?
  
• Are babysitting services available? Hourly fee? Minimum childs age?
  

Thank you very much and glad you had a great cruise!

Sea ya!

 

I have a similar impression of Princess to the original poster. While I enjoyed my Royal Caribbean cruises a lot, I found more to like about Princess.

 

I'll volunteer my observations on a few of your questions. You can also see a complete review of my last Princess cruise (Crown, April 2008) in my signature.

 

How was the food compared to RCI?

Very similar menus, but I thought that the quality was a touch better on Princess. The buffet on Princess seemed to be a little more limited than the Windjammer, but seemed to feature more ethnic dishes and interesting themes than RCCL.

 

Was there a good selection on the menu?

Comparable to RCCL.

 

Could you post pictures of your cabin?

If you click on the Crown Princess Photos link in my signature, you'll find photos of our category BC balcony.

 

Joe

 

 

[jtmalt]

Your review is interesting. We're trying Princess this fall. My only hesitation is that I find their ships to be very bland-looking and full of pastels and murals. That said, some rooms feel different in person than in pictures so we have high hopes.

 

Hi Lee,

 

I don't know that bland is the right word. Speaking of the Crown Princess, we found it to be more of an "understated elegance". Certainly not the visual delight of Mariner of the Seas, where all that wonderful artwork was found everywhere you looked. Think "Classic Piazza" rather than "Romero Britto".

 

On the other hand, the Crown was broken up into a lot of small venues, so it always seemed intimate without seeming claustrophobic. The design of this class of ship really seems to do a lot to manage the flow of crowds, so it never really feels like there's 3,000 people aboard.

 

p.s. We always have fruit in our room on RCL. A simple call to room service gets that done.

 

It seems to be part of the regular routine on Princess. They had a card in our cabin asking which fruits and how many of each we would like in our room. The steward kept topping our fruit bowl up each day to make sure we had what we wanted.

 

Other observations: we didn't partake much in the nightlife aboard, but that also seemed a notch or two less robust than that aboard RCCL. However, we did enjoy the movies under the stars. It was just a neat experience, munching popcorn while watching a movie with the warm Caribbean night breezes...ahhh! I've got to say we also enjoyed the much later availability of food in the dining venues on Princess.

 

Pricewise, it appears that there aren't the strictures against discounting by travel agents on Princess like there are with RCCL. The right TA can REALLY discount your rate.

 

Overall, we enjoyed Princess enough that we're taking an identical itinerary on Caribbean Princess this spring.

 

Joe & Tammy

 

p.s. There's a full review & pictures in my signature link.

[Schplinky]

Hi Lee,

 

I don't know that bland is the right word. Speaking of the Crown Princess, we found it to be more of an "understated elegance". Certainly not the visual delight of Mariner of the Seas, where all that wonderful artwork was found everywhere you looked. Think "Classic Piazza" rather than "Romero Britto".

 

On the other hand, the Crown was broken up into a lot of small venues, so it always seemed intimate without seeming claustrophobic. The design of this class of ship really seems to do a lot to manage the flow of crowds, so it never really feels like there's 3,000 people aboard.

 

 

 

It seems to be part of the regular routine on Princess. They had a card in our cabin asking which fruits and how many of each we would like in our room. The steward kept topping our fruit bowl up each day to make sure we had what we wanted.

 

Other observations: we didn't partake much in the nightlife aboard, but that also seemed a notch or two less robust than that aboard RCCL. However, we did enjoy the movies under the stars. It was just a neat experience, munching popcorn while watching a movie with the warm Caribbean night breezes...ahhh! I've got to say we also enjoyed the much later availability of food in the dining venues on Princess.

 

Pricewise, it appears that there aren't the strictures against discounting by travel agents on Princess like there are with RCCL. The right TA can REALLY discount your rate.

 

Overall, we enjoyed Princess enough that we're taking an identical itinerary on Caribbean Princess this spring.

 

Joe & Tammy

 

p.s. There's a full review & pictures in my signature link.

 

Thanks guys! I was thinking of you a couple of weeks ago as we tendered into Labadee. I think Mike and I sat in exactly the same spot as we did with you!

[PirateGal]

We are possibly doing the Emerald this fall and we will be first time cruisers with Princess after two on RCL (Mariner and Liberty). Thank you for your comparison review...we are eager to find out the differences ourselves!

[rolloman]

We have been loyal to Royal Carib also, and tried so many other lines but never Princess, your comparisions are interesting and true. However we were so dissappointed with the food on so many counts that I don't think we will rebook. Food isn't a cruise, but it should be a treat and it was more of a daily dissappointment.

Lovely ship, very clean.

 

You are stating RCL food is better than Princess food? Thats funny, I doubt you posted this with a straight face.

[Charles4515]

I am a D+ on RCL and Elite on Princess so I have cruised both lines extensively. I think they are more similar then not. I like the higher energy on RCL and i think RCL has more activities. Princess has fewer kids, maybe because no rock climbing walls and similar attractions. Princess does longer more exotic cruises then RCL. We loved the Princess cruise to the Amazon, nothing like it with RCL. In the food dept. I give an advantage to Princess and their pizza is fabulous. I would rate the entertainment equal on both lines. The loyalty program on Princess is much much better then RCL. Princess has complimenary laundry, pressing and dry cleaning for their elite members and enough free internet to satisfy most users. Those two perks alone would beat RCL but they also give you a free mini bar set up with 21 beverages of your choice. Then there's 10% off the shops not limited to log stuff which RCL limits us to.

Back to the cruise experience, I think they're similar, a lot depends on what you prefer and if you're a family VS a couple who wants a more adult crowd when cruising. I have cruised RCL more because I could hop on the Monarch in LA for a short cruise whereas Princess doesn't have a short cruise out of LA.

 

I also have done quite a few cruises on both Princess and RCI. I agree that they are more similar than not but I give the nod though to Royal Caribbean of the two cruise lines these days. The Voyager class and later RCI ships are more innovative, fun and energetic than the Princess ships. RCI has something for all ages but has a younger demographic. As far as loyalty perks, the Royal Caribbean ships have the Diamond and Concierge lounges. I find the crew more friendly on Royal Caribbean and guest relations more helpful on Royal Caribbean than on Princess. When friends ask me to recommend a cruise I almost always find myself recommending a Royal Caribbean ship over a Princess ship except for Alaska and exotic cruises.

[jtmalt]

Thanks guys! I was thinking of you a couple of weeks ago as we tendered into Labadee. I think Mike and I sat in exactly the same spot as we did with you!

 

(Off topic)

Yup, that was a great spot at Hideaway Beach. I wonder if it will be available after the new pier & visitors center is completed? BTW, I can't tell you how much we look forward to each new set of cruise photos you post!

 

(On topic)

Tammy ads that she didn't like the main pool areas on Princess (freshwater, by the way) as much as RCCL, but the Lotus Pool near the Sanctuary and the Terrace Pool on the aft deck made up for it.

 

Also, we did enjoy the Anytime Dining option. You didn't have the camaraderie of set seating or the relationship with your wait staff, but not having to rush to make it to dinner after a shore excursion was a definite advantage, especially on a port-intensive itinerary.

 

Joe & Tammy

[Cruise Junky]

As far as loyalty perks, the Royal Caribbean ships have the Diamond and Concierge lounges.

 

And on Princess at that level you have a free mini bar set up in your room, free internet, free laundry and drycleaning.

[Papa T]

Just finished my 37th cruise last week with RCCL but have only two with Princess (total of 28 days). While I found the food and service to be generally good on both, my experience with guess services on the two Princess cruises was a deal breaker. There was little attempt to "own" and address significant problems they created. I have found guest services on RCCL generally to be responsive. I'm currently booked on another Princess cruise which for me will be their last opportunity to demonstrate appropriate customer care.

[VASOXFANN]

We recently cruised on the Emerald Princess. All other things being equal, here's what we noticed that we liked about Princess over our experiences with RCI and Celebrity:

 

Thanks for posting this. We'll also be cruising with Princess for the first time, right after our third RCI cruise, so I've been looking for how RCI cruisers like them.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise :)

[Charles4515]

(Off topic)

Yup, that was a great spot at Hideaway Beach. I wonder if it will be available after the new pier & visitors center is completed? BTW, I can't tell you how much we look forward to each new set of cruise photos you post!

 

(On topic)

Tammy ads that she didn't like the main pool areas on Princess (freshwater, by the way) as much as RCCL, but the Lotus Pool near the Sanctuary and the Terrace Pool on the aft deck made up for it.

 

Also, we did enjoy the Anytime Dining option. You didn't have the camaraderie of set seating or the relationship with your wait staff, but not having to rush to make it to dinner after a shore excursion was a definite advantage, especially on a port-intensive itinerary.

 

Joe & Tammy

 

From the construction I saw in December I kind of doubt there will be a Hideaway Beach. That looks like where the dock and new visitor center will be located.

[Tucker in Texas]

Gee, so far every cruise I've sailed had had my cabin ready when I boarded. And, I usually get on anywhere between Noon and 1:00 at the latest. So, when does RCI have their cabins ready? I really don't want to drag around a roll-on and my garment bag. :rolleyes:

 

I think maybe in the suites you can get in early but not in the lower cabins. In fact, they block off the entryways with a fire door to the cabins so you can't even drop your stuff off and go explore or eat. A real PIA to lug your carry-ons around until 1:00 or 1:30 and they open the fire doors to let you in your cabin.

 

We've only done Princess once and I enjoyed it. Now that RCI has pulled the plug on combination of benefits (right after I made Diamond, too), I will sure be looking at them in the future. If you own Carnival stock, you can get OBC with that.

 

Tucker in Texas