Advice on RCCL vs Princess

[Lynzchat]

Boy, I can't sleep nights trying to decide, my DH thinks it should be easy. I put this in a general thread and someone suggested I go straight to the source.:confused:

 

We're celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary with a cruise. Our honeymoon was on HAL Oosterdam and we enjoyed it very much, balcony stateroom is our preference.

 

It looks like rates are cheaper the week of Nov 14 vs Nov 21 is that because of Thanksgiving week and kids are out of school?

 

I'm stuck between Princess Crown to Western Caribbean (Roatan and other places near Mexico) versus Royal's Navigator to Ocha Rios and other places. Would love some help deciding.

 

We're looking for a huge ship where we can't get bored in 7 days. We love to eat so that's a factor. We've heard both these cruise lines are excellent.

 

We did Carnival to Bahamas last year and it got boring after a while since we didn't really get off the ship and the food was not as good as HAL.

 

We're not experts but we really appreciate everything that these Boards have to share!

 

Please share your opinion!

[Colo Cruiser]

Boy, I can't sleep nights trying to decide, my DH thinks it should be easy. I put this in a general thread and someone suggested I go straight to the source.:confused:

 

We're celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary with a cruise. Our honeymoon was on HAL Oosterdam and we enjoyed it very much, balcony stateroom is our preference.

 

It looks like rates are cheaper the week of Nov 14 vs Nov 21 is that because of Thanksgiving week and kids are out of school?

 

I'm stuck between Princess Crown to Western Caribbean (Roatan and other places near Mexico) versus Royal's Navigator to Ocha Rios and other places. Would love some help deciding.

 

We're looking for a huge ship where we can't get bored in 7 days. We love to eat so that's a factor. We've heard both these cruise lines are excellent.

 

We did Carnival to Bahamas last year and it got boring after a while since we didn't really get off the ship and the food was not as good as HAL.

 

We're not experts but we really appreciate everything that these Boards have to share!

 

Please share your opinion!

 

Yes the rates are higher due to Thanksgiving.

 

I am assuming you are looking at the Emerald/Ruby?

 

If so they are big ships with tons to and would keep you very busy not to mention the ports as well.

We have sailed both and I don't think you would be disappointed. :D

[Lynzchat]

Yes the rates are higher due to Thanksgiving.

 

I am assuming you are looking at the Emerald/Ruby?

 

If so they are big ships with tons to and would keep you very busy not to mention the ports as well.

We have sailed both and I don't think you would be disappointed. :D

 

On Princess, I was looking at the Crown Princess that leaves on Nov. 14th. I think the Crown is also a bigger ship.

[sept10dsm]

We have sailed on the Crown to Canada/New England. It is a wonderful ship. There have been some good reviews on this board lately as well. I have sailed on Princess and RCCL. In my opinion Princess has better food (and prices for that matter). That is just my experience. Princess also allows one bottle of wine per person to be taken aboard. I enjoy the anytime dining especially on port intensive cruises. The late dinner is a bit too late and the early sometimes too early when visiting a port until 5 or 6. I think RCCL is starting some type of dining as well but they didn't have it when we cruised. There is nothing wrong with RCCL. RCCL has more of the rock climbing wall type of activity than Princess if you are looking for that, we don't use those activites so they don't matter to us. Princess has MUTS, something we did do.

 

The biggest influences on me are the price, food and atmosphere. I just like Princess' better. An example on price is we just booked a 7 day Canada/New England on CB for 499 pp obstructed OV. A similar cruise on RCCL (9 days) was over 1000. I realize there are 2 more days but not worth double the price. I assume you have posted your post on RCCL section as well. You will enjoy either cruise.

[sept10dsm]

On Princess, I was looking at the Crown Princess that leaves on Nov. 14th. I think the Crown is also a bigger ship.

Yes it is. I believe it's the same or similar to the other 2 mentioned. One thing that I don't like about the ship is the stairs/eleavators to dining. YOu have to make sure you use the correct because the hallways do not go around the ship on those levels. Not a big deal, but you have to make sure to use the right ones. I think it's a big ship with a small ship feel. Hard to explain but it is the way I see it. I have read others feel the same.

[Carolyn R]

I have been on both the Navigator and the Crown. If the ports did not matter to me I would pick the Crown hands down, but that is just me. I much prefer the food on Princess. Princess has a great wine list with drinkable wine on the lower end, not so RCCL. The mixed drinks are also more expensive on RCCL. I was not impressed by the indoor Promenade on RCCL. I also enjoy bringing some wine/alcohol onboard for drinking in my cabin without being called to the naughty room or resorting to smuggling. LOL! That being said, I would try RCCL again if the price and the ports were right. The service on both lines was outstanding.

[Lynzchat]

We have sailed on the Crown to Canada/New England. It is a wonderful ship. There have been some good reviews on this board lately as well. I have sailed on Princess and RCCL. In my opinion Princess has better food (and prices for that matter). That is just my experience. Princess also allows one bottle of wine per person to be taken aboard. I enjoy the anytime dining especially on port intensive cruises. The late dinner is a bit too late and the early sometimes too early when visiting a port until 5 or 6. I think RCCL is starting some type of dining as well but they didn't have it when we cruised. There is nothing wrong with RCCL. RCCL has more of the rock climbing wall type of activity than Princess if you are looking for that, we don't use those activites so they don't matter to us. Princess has MUTS, something we did do.

 

The biggest influences on me are the price, food and atmosphere. I just like Princess' better. An example on price is we just booked a 7 day Canada/New England on CB for 499 pp obstructed OV. A similar cruise on RCCL (9 days) was over 1000. I realize there are 2 more days but not worth double the price. I assume you have posted your post on RCCL section as well. You will enjoy either cruise.

 

Thank you so much, that is such great info. I did find Princess is lower in price since I wanted to get some sort of balcony room. We are also lazy and won't do rock climbing but we will enjoy movies but most important, we wanted to enjoy the food. On Carnival we did room service and we had remembered the room service on HAL(fabulous) but Carnival room service was quite limited.

 

What is CB? Is that Princess? I have always wanted to do New England.:D

[Lynzchat]

I have been on both the Navigator and the Crown. If the ports did not matter to me I would pick the Crown hands down, but that is just me. I much prefer the food on Princess. Princess has a great wine list with drinkable wine on the lower end, not so RCCL. The mixed drinks are also more expensive on RCCL. I was not impressed by the indoor Promenade on RCCL. I also enjoy bringing some wine/alcohol onboard for drinking in my cabin without being called to the naughty room or resorting to smuggling. LOL! That being said, I would try RCCL again if the price and the ports were right. The service on both lines was outstanding.

 

I did not know we could BYOB, that is a plus for us. We do enjoy cocktails in our room, so this is a plus. The ports don't matter but the dates do matter so it's a choice between Crown or Navigator.

[sept10dsm]

Thank you so much, that is such great info. I did find Princess is lower in price since I wanted to get some sort of balcony room. We are also lazy and won't do rock climbing but we will enjoy movies but most important, we wanted to enjoy the food. On Carnival we did room service and we had remembered the room service on HAL(fabulous) but Carnival room service was quite limited.

 

What is CB? Is that Princess? I have always wanted to do New England.:D

CB is Caribbean Princess. Last month there were great prices on our cruise Oct 17. The balcony was 699 and a mini only 899!! Since then it seems this sailing has been booked and the prices not discounted at all!! I always watch this cruise (this will be the 3rd time!!) We live in NJ so no air and just 40 minutes from the port!! In 2007 (when on the Crown) we got the 499 price as well. Some of the earlier cruises are still quite reasonable. I guess when Princess priced this last cruise for the season so well, many booked it! I was tempted to book a higher category, but with 5 ports in 7 days not much use for a balcony (for us anyway) and with cooler weather I felt we would just book an OV. My daughter an family will be travelling as well and that's what they booked. Paying for a baby adds another fare so that's all they could afford!! Any other questions, please ask!!

[sept10dsm]

I did not know we could BYOB, that is a plus for us. We do enjoy cocktails in our room, so this is a plus. The ports don't matter but the dates do matter so it's a choice between Crown or Navigator.

It's really just a bottle or box of wine per person. We do bring a box of the Black Box, no glass to worry about and the wine is pretty good for being a box wine.

[JSWalk]

I have not sailed RCCL only Princess. We love Princess it just fits us very well. That being said I wanted to let you kinow that the Room Service menu on Princess is limited also. They have sandwiches, salads, Hot dogs and Hamburgers, and I think cookies. They also have pizza delivery for I think a $3.00 fee. Also if you plan to bring wine you may do so in your carry on. However if you want a mixed drink and want to bring a bottle, secure it in your checked luggage.

[Guest Spo]

Since rock climbing, ice skating and flow rider don't interest us in the least, we've not been on RCCL so I can't comment on that.

 

I love Princess and have been on the Crown. It's a beautiful ship. Since you mentioned room service, I thought someone should let you know that unless you're traveling in a full suite, the room service menu on Princess is pretty limited, especially breakfast. That is probably my biggest complaint about Princess and it's definitely not big enough to keep Princess from being my favorite!

[Shifra]

Room service on Princess is nothing like HAL. Only continental breakfast and limited items you can order the rest of the time. No ordering from the dinner menu for room service unless in a full suite.

 

The nice thing about Princess for you is, the Crown is a great ship for romance!

 

My concern would be your comment on being bored on Carnival. I have not been on that line but it seems to me if Carnival bored you maybe cruising is not the right vacation to choose.

[sept10dsm]

Princess does have the balcony dining (for a fee) as well. WE have never really used the room service, but as the others have said the regular room service is limited.

[Woobstr112G]

Princess all the way for us. One thing that does bug me though (small as it may seem) is that when you order things to be in the cabin for sailaway you get vouchers that require to call room service to have the items delivered.....Dining room food is the best though. Outstanding in every category. Buffet food is typical fare being no better or worse than other lines. Overall service on both Princess cruises, with the exception of our Diamond steward, was outstanding.....:)

 

Bob

[Lynzchat]

I have not sailed RCCL only Princess. We love Princess it just fits us very well. That being said I wanted to let you kinow that the Room Service menu on Princess is limited also. They have sandwiches, salads, Hot dogs and Hamburgers, and I think cookies. They also have pizza delivery for I think a $3.00 fee. Also if you plan to bring wine you may do so in your carry on. However if you want a mixed drink and want to bring a bottle, secure it in your checked luggage.

 

Thanks for the bottle advice, so if we take vodka, we should check it? But if we take wine, we can hand carry?

[CruisinChris]

Just an FYI regardless of whether you BYOB you can always enjoy cocktails in your room by calling room service. Full bar service is available and they'll even bring you a little bowl of buts or chips if you ask.

[Lynzchat]

Since rock climbing, ice skating and flow rider don't interest us in the least, we've not been on RCCL so I can't comment on that.

 

I love Princess and have been on the Crown. It's a beautiful ship. Since you mentioned room service, I thought someone should let you know that unless you're traveling in a full suite, the room service menu on Princess is pretty limited, especially breakfast. That is probably my biggest complaint about Princess and it's definitely not big enough to keep Princess from being my favorite!

 

 

BTW, love your signatures about Disney...been to the resort twice this year but I can agree that cruising is probably much better.

 

I'm glad you said Crown was beautiful, because I just booked it less than 20 minutes ago! I'm so excited now.:D

[Lynzchat]

Room service on Princess is nothing like HAL. Only continental breakfast and limited items you can order the rest of the time. No ordering from the dinner menu for room service unless in a full suite.

 

The nice thing about Princess for you is, the Crown is a great ship for romance!

 

My concern would be your comment on being bored on Carnival. I have not been on that line but it seems to me if Carnival bored you maybe cruising is not the right vacation to choose.

 

Romance is what we're looking for...after 5 years, we need some romance!;)

 

I should have clarified about my Carnival comment, we enjoyed it but when we went to the piano bar, it was always empty, no piano player, but it was like everyone was packed in the disco, so you're right we want romance and I'm hoping that Crown is the place!

[Lynzchat]

Princess all the way for us. One thing that does bug me though (small as it may seem) is that when you order things to be in the cabin for sailaway you get vouchers that require to call room service to have the items delivered.....Dining room food is the best though. Outstanding in every category. Buffet food is typical fare being no better or worse than other lines. Overall service on both Princess cruises, with the exception of our Diamond steward, was outstanding.....:)

 

Bob

 

Bob--really if I preorder something for the room, like champagne or wine, then instead of being in the room, they just put vouchers? For Carnival, we ordered wine for each night and they had the wine there when we got to the room...so Princess doesn't do that?:confused:

[Lynzchat]

Just an FYI regardless of whether you BYOB you can always enjoy cocktails in your room by calling room service. Full bar service is available and they'll even bring you a little bowl of buts or chips if you ask.

 

 

Good to know about the cocktails for Room Service! :D

[hubofhockey]

Boy, I can't sleep nights trying to decide, my DH thinks it should be easy. I put this in a general thread and someone suggested I go straight to the source.:confused:

 

We're celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary with a cruise. Our honeymoon was on HAL Oosterdam and we enjoyed it very much, balcony stateroom is our preference.

 

It looks like rates are cheaper the week of Nov 14 vs Nov 21 is that because of Thanksgiving week and kids are out of school?

 

I'm stuck between Princess Crown to Western Caribbean (Roatan and other places near Mexico) versus Royal's Navigator to Ocha Rios and other places. Would love some help deciding.

 

We're looking for a huge ship where we can't get bored in 7 days. We love to eat so that's a factor. We've heard both these cruise lines are excellent.

 

We did Carnival to Bahamas last year and it got boring after a while since we didn't really get off the ship and the food was not as good as HAL.

 

We're not experts but we really appreciate everything that these Boards have to share!

 

Please share your opinion!

 

Just looked at these two cruises. Isn't the RCCL cruise 5 days and the Crown Princess 7 days? Crown Princess is also a much newer ship than the Navigator. I would also give edge to Crown Princess itinerary.

 

I am not a fan of dinners in the MDR on Crown Princess. I did read from a live thread that Crown is going to make adjustments to the running of their kitchen. But I did really like the buffets for breakfast and lunch on the Crown Princess and both of their specialty restaurants.

 

The big plus for the Crown Princess is the great freshwater pools. There is also the outdoor movie screen. It's a beautiful ship and you will never feel congested. There are varied entertainment choices at night. I liked the Crown so much that I picked its sister ship for my next cruise. But I have no issue with RCCL and we'll do a cruise with our kids on one of their newer ships in a couple of years.

[Lynzchat]

Just looked at these two cruises. Isn't the RCCL cruise 5 days and the Crown Princess 7 days? Crown Princess is also a much newer ship than the Navigator. I would also give edge to Crown Princess itinerary.

 

I am not a fan of dinners in the MDR on Crown Princess. I did read from a live thread that Crown is going to make adjustments to the running of their kitchen. But I did really like the buffets for breakfast and lunch on the Crown Princess and both of their specialty restaurants.

 

The big plus for the Crown Princess is the great freshwater pools. There is also the outdoor movie screen. It's a beautiful ship and you will never feel congested. There are varied entertainment choices at night. I liked the Crown so much that I picked its sister ship for my next cruise. But I have no issue with RCCL and we'll do a cruise with our kids on one of their newer ships in a couple of years.

 

Yes, you're correct, one cruise is 5 versus 7. I'm glad you gave edge to Crown because I just booked it about 30 minutes ago based on feedback! I'm so excited and so glad that you like the Crown. Not sure what a live thread is, but I'll do a search on kitchen adjustments.

 

Thanks again everyone! I love and value everyone's postings!:)

[Tak8]

I like both lines but prefer Princess. I was on The Crown about 2 years ago and it is a wonderful ship. It was my first MUTS experience. A lot of fun wathcing football on the big pool screen. Since you like food, The Crown Grill is excellent and Sabatini's is a wonderful experience. Unless there is a big price difference, I would go with Princess.

[Colo Cruiser]

they'll even bring you a little bowl of buts or chips if you ask.

 

No I am not biting. :eek: