Considering a move to Princess

[Fawn]

I'd like some advice here from Princess cruisers. I've done Disney for years with my daughters, and we love it. But we're thinking of trying something new...mostly because my girls are getting older, and we just need a change!

 

This is a cruise for myself and two daughters, 19 and 20 next year. The lines we are looking into are Princess, Celebrity and Carnival. We have done RCCL and didn't like it at all, so that's out.

 

Thanks for any opinions or advice on which ships you can offer us!!

[sunsetbeachgal]

We cruise Princess at least once or twice a year, and have been very pleased. The newer ships are quite lovely and have something for everyone! Food is consistently good with lots of options and service has always been good. And itineraries and prices (especially lately) are always attractive. Welcome!

[ckr31]

we have been on several cruises and maybe three other cruise lines.including the ones you have taken once we took a princess cruise we will never even consider another line.

 

1)the food is first class

2)the ships are very clean and nicely designed

3)the prices are fare

4)the service well lest just say you feel like royalty

5)choice of dining,traditional or anytime you wish

however I may be just partial

[-Lew-]

 

I've done Disney for years with my daughters, and we love it. But we're thinking of trying something new...

Hi Fawn,

 

We're big-time Disney fans....DVC members...who spend an average of 6+ weeks a year at Walt Disney World.

 

We began cruising with DCL, but after a few cruises we decided to try another line: Princess. We have since cruised nine times with Princess and haven't looked back.

 

Poor food quality on DCL was one of the primary reasons we decided to try Princess. We found there to be no comparison...Princess menus, food quality, and dining room service is head and shoulders above DCL.

 

Anytime dining is a big plus! With traditional dining, we always found ourselves planning our day around our dinner seating time. With anytime dining you go to one of the two anytime dining rooms when you're ready. It's as simple as that!

 

Does dining room staff still beg for good reviews on the cruise survey at the end of the cruise? We found this very annoying and a big turn-off for us!

Evening entertainment is superior and different from cruise-to-cruise on Princess. The same shows were presented on each DCL cruise we took. It became boring after awhile.

 

Cabin for cabin type, Princess is less expensive. This was not the deciding factor for us, but it's a fact. There are smaller balcony cabins on Princess ships with huge (9' x 9') balconies that are much less expensive and are perfect for two people. A mini-suite on Princess is comparable to a standard cabin on DCL.

 

The DCL ships are spotless and so are Princess. You're going to have a wonderful time on either cruise line. Princess just seems to do it consistently better.

 

Lew

[Caramel1398]

Hi there,

I think you'll be very happy sailing with Princess. We took our first cruise with Princess and decided to try Royal Caribbean for our second (due to itinerary) and are going back to Princess.

The service is WONDERFUL as is the food, atmosphere and everything else. From what we've heard, Carnival tends to be more of a party ship described as "Vegas on water." Princess seems to be more of the family atmosphere. Anyway, I'm sure you'll be happy with Princess!

 

Caramel1398;)

[kooljamming]

I'd like some advice here from Princess cruisers. I've done Disney for years with my daughters, and we love it. But we're thinking of trying something new...mostly because my girls are getting older, and we just need a change!

 

This is a cruise for myself and two daughters, 19 and 20 next year. The lines we are looking into are Princess, Celebrity and Carnival. We have done RCCL and didn't like it at all, so that's out.

 

Thanks for any opinions or advice on which ships you can offer us!!

 

First may I ask what you did not like about RCCL?.

 

I have done RCCL several times, Carnival twice and Princess once, with another booked for August. I don't think you will have a bad cruise on Princess but whether it will be great depends on your likes and dislikes. We were on Sapphire Princess and while it lacks the wow factor of RCCL, I was blown away by the overall elegance of the ship. You couldn't help but stop and take notice of the detail around every corner. Among the three lines, my best dining experience was on Carnival with Princess not quite meeting my expectations. What I didn't like about Princess and missed about RCCL and even Carnival was the much livelier vibe of the ship. At times I think Princess was a bit on the sedated/boring side. I see more similarities between RCCL and Carnival than Princess so I think you are heading in the right direction. If you are not going to miss the activities, livelier vibe, and the stunning look of RCCL then Princess should be a fantastic choice. Carnival for us was FUN, not PARTY with wonderful food in the MDR but lacks the formality that I admire about Princess. There is no way to have a bad cruise on Princess, but greatest will depend on what you are seeking. We had a great vacation because what we loved about Princess out-weighted what we missed on the other lines. We also had great vacations on Carnival and RCCL because we chose each vacation seeking something different.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I'd like some advice here from Princess cruisers. I've done Disney for years with my daughters, and we love it. But we're thinking of trying something new...mostly because my girls are getting older, and we just need a change!

 

This is a cruise for myself and two daughters, 19 and 20 next year. The lines we are looking into are Princess, Celebrity and Carnival. We have done RCCL and didn't like it at all, so that's out.

 

Thanks for any opinions or advice on which ships you can offer us!!

 

If you didn't like RCI I would think you definitely wouldn't like Carnival. While Carnival seems to have better food and larer cabins than RCI other than that they are basically the same.

 

RCI has very pretty ships compared to Carnivals. Carnivals ships are don't with lots of colors. I wouldn't say Carnivals ships are ugly, they are just different.

 

I'd say go with Princess.

 

Of course I don't know why you didn't like RCI. I've been on all the mainstream lines and have only had 1 bad cruise on NCL.

 

Carnivals 7 day itineraries are definitely not the "party ships" as some have "heard".

 

My wife and I are in our early 50's, don't smoke and maybe have 3 drinks per week and had a great time on our Carnival cruises.

 

Good Luck and have a great cruise on whichever ship you choose to sail on.:)

 

Bill

[aloisia]

We love the Disney cruises however just sailed on the Sea Princess and had a wonderful holiday. (there are now threads re: problems on the SP but luckily we got off in time).

 

- I love Anytime Dining! Food was good to excellent.

- Pool areas were a nicer layout than Disney.

- Our inside cabin was a little smaller on Princess however the storage was great.

- The entertainment was ok. I've read the larger Princess ships have better shows etc.

- Staff/ service excellent. As good as Disney.

- Ship was clean. Again as good as Disney.

 

It seems the Emerald & Crown ships get very good reviews. Your family will have a great time.

[Fawn]

This is all great...thanks! Looks like for the time we are cruising, our choices are Emerald Princess, Crown Princess and Caribbean Princess.

 

Again, advice and info??

[JustinPlusLauren]

We've only ever sailed with Princess, and we absolutely love it. We love the Anytime Dining options, the cruise ships are always clean, the food is fantastic, and the prices are the most reasonable we've seen.

 

We sailed on the Caribbean Princess in December, right before they refurbished the whole ship. From what I've heard, it looks amazing. The ship is very large and has tons of pools, the movie screen, etc. I've also heard that the Emerald and the Crown are great ships, too! I think if you go with any of those, and then base the rest on your itinerary of where you're going, you'll have a great trip! :)

[sunsetbeachgal]

And don't forget the Ruby (sister ship to Emerald and Crown, and the newest of the 3).