New Princess cruiser

My husband and I have only cruised on NCL before but after our most recent cruise on the NCL Jewel we have decided to change it up a bit. Another passenger on our recent cruise suggested to check out Princess I decided to book a Caribbean cruise for next year. I've been reading the forums and doing as much research as I can but if there is anyone that can provide some objective comparisons between the two lines, I would really appreciate it.

We normally book owner suites on NCL Star, Epic and most recently the Jewel. We have booked the Premium Suite on the Royal Princess.

Thank you in advance.

I have sailed on the Epic twice (once in Haven and once in handicapped mini suite). We have sailed on Ruby, Emerald (3x) and Royal in regular or handicapped mini suites. I did love the Haven pool and dining room, but other than that I prefer Princess. I really enjoyed the food and service at LeBistro and The Haven dining room, but other than that I think princess has better food and service. I think in general Princess ships flows better and feel less crowded than NCL. I really like the beautiful Piazzas and the International Cafes on Princess ships. Cabin stewards on both lines have been very good in my experience. NCL has a few good shows but they repeat all week. Princess has shorter shows, but new every day. The nightclub with entertainment on princess are smaller and more intimate which we like. (However, you sometimes might not be able to get a seat at a popular venue like the piano bar Crooners.) Unfortunately, we have not done a full suite on Princess, but I know they have some nice perks. I think you will enjoy Princess!

We usually sail Princess and Celebrity but have enjoyed our NCL cruises, particularly when we had the owner's suite on the Gem. But we do find that NCL offers a different experience from the other two. Overall, biggest difference is the dress code. You will find that most Princess cruisers follow the suggested dress code of either formal or smart casual for the evening. You can avoid formal dress by going to the buffet or a specialty restaurant, and some people will tell you they don't dress formally and still go to the MDR, but the vast majority will follow the code on formal nights and "clean up" for the evening on smart casual nights. In addition, the atmosphere will be quieter, more elegant and more nautical on Princess. Food in the MDRs is very good, and there are a couple of specialty restaurants but not the variety you find on NCL. Princess has many pluses ---- Movies under the Stars, International Cafe for great all day snacks, the Wheelhouse Bar for its mahogany walls and pictures of old P&O ships, the best pizza at sea. As long as you go in expecting a less energetic atmosphere than NCL, you'll be fine. We like to change it up a little, sailing the same line all the time can become a little too familiar!

WE sailed the NCL Jewel a week ago and didn't care for the service. I'm sailing Princess tomorrow and again in March in a suite. Princess has breakfast in the specialty restaurant for suite passengers but not lunch. Princess has better, more attentive service then NCL. Princess has a suggested dress code which includes 2 formals on a week cruise.

There is less hawking of things to buy on Princess. The decor is more sedate and upscale. It is still a mass market line but I give a higher grade to Princess for my cruising preference.

I would like to jump in to this thread. I too, have not sailed Princess; but have booked an Alaska cruise on Emerald. Is the pizza onboard the same on all ships, ie. same location? DW and I will be taking our grandkids so they will love having pizza. Someone mentioned the Princess ships are more organized and the flow is better; do you mean, the flow of traffic onboard? Thanks

On the Emerald, as well as the Grand class and the other Jewell class ships, the pizzeria is outside near the main pool. They make fresh pizza there throughout the day, always a cheese pizza and a pepperoni and a special of the day. It's a thin crust pizza and just delicious. The grill is also outside by the main pool, that's the place for burgers and hot dogs and fries.

I would like to jump in to this thread. I too, have not sailed Princess; but have booked an Alaska cruise on Emerald. Is the pizza onboard the same on all ships, ie. same location? DW and I will be taking our grandkids so they will love having pizza. Someone mentioned the Princess ships are more organized and the flow is better; do you mean, the flow of traffic onboard? Thanks

I don't know if the Emerald has an Alfredo's. The pizza from that venue is also delicious - and free. If the grandkids are pool crazy though, the Pizza near the pool is very good.:):) You didn't mention their ages, but Princess also has a wonderful Kids Club.:)

WE sailed the NCL Jewel a week ago and didn't care for the service. I'm sailing Princess tomorrow and again in March in a suite. Princess has breakfast in the specialty restaurant for suite passengers but not lunch. Princess has better, more attentive service then NCL. Princess has a suggested dress code which includes 2 formals on a week cruise.

There is less hawking of things to buy on Princess. The decor is more sedate and upscale. It is still a mass market line but I give a higher grade to Princess for my cruising preference.

I think we were on the same NCL cruise that you were (Mexico 1/24-1/31). I felt the service was fine, I just wasn't that happy with our suite. Things were broken and the ship as a whole seemed really worn out. I guess we are ready for a change. I'm very interested in your opinion of the Princess suite though.

We definitely the more sedate cruisers, not really into loud partying.

As you can see by my cruise history I like Princess and NCL. IMO The 2 lines are more alike than different. Entertainment is Better on NCL. Main dining room meals are better on Princess.

Room service is still free on Princess except for Pizza delivery. 3.00$ If I remember correctly.

As far as specialty dining goes NCL's Le Bistro is the clear winner. Although The steakhouse on Princess is very good also.

If you gamble I prefer the casino on NCL.

Service seems to be a little more personal on Princess. Servers greet you by name etc very quickly.

I don't know if the Emerald has an Alfredo's. The pizza from that venue is also delicious - and free. If the grandkids are pool crazy though, the Pizza near the pool is very good.:):) You didn't mention their ages, but Princess also has a wonderful Kids Club.:)

Grandkids will be 17 AND 15.

On the Emerald, as well as the Grand class and the other Jewell class ships, the pizzeria is outside near the main pool. They make fresh pizza there throughout the day, always a cheese pizza and a pepperoni and a special of the day. It's a thin crust pizza and just delicious. The grill is also outside by the main pool, that's the place for burgers and hot dogs and fries.

thanks for the info on pizza, I don't think Emerald has Alfredo's, their deck map says pizaa on deck 15

I have sailed Norwegian twice and Princess 6 times. They are similar in class but you definitely find an older population on Princess. I feel the entertainment on Norwegian was better than that on Princess. Food was comparable. Service on Norwegian wins by a hair--everyone had smiles and seemed genuinely happy to see you. Two of our favorite things about Princess is the MUTS (Movies Under the Stars) where you enjoy a movie on the big screen, poolside, with blankets and warm chocolate chip cookies delivered to you and the Piazza area. We always get a coffee card and enjoy lattes, etc along with fresh pastries from the International Cafe in the Piazza. I wrote a blog post describing the 3 major cruise lines- Carnival, Norwegian, and Princess and why I chose Norwegian as my favorite. I'm not sure of your ages and likes/dislikes so hard to recommend anything specific. You can read my blog post "Goldilocks and the 3 Cruise Lines" here: http://www.joyfuljourneyist.com/blog/goldilocks-and-the-3-cruise-lines

Hubby and I now sail strictly Princess because we are at Platinum level and enjoy our perks. We also like sailing the same ships because we already know our way around and can enjoy the time onboard without spending half the week finding everything and getting lost in the process-lol! If you really want to relax and unplug, Princess is for you!

thanks for the info on pizza, I don't think Emerald has Alfredo's, their deck map says pizaa on deck 15

You are right. Emerald and Ruby do not have Alfredo's restaurant. Just the pizza by the pool which is fantastic. I lived in Italy for 4 years and love Naples style pizza. The pizza on Princess satisfies me immensely and I usually have at least a slice a day.

I am the poster than mentioned that I preferred the flow on princess ships. Yes, I was talking about the traffic flow. The public areas seem less crowded and there are less "bottle necks" where crowds of people make you slow down or stop when walking on the ship. This is especially important to me when I travel with my son who is in a wheelchair.

great thread, since I, too, typically cruise NCLs new ships. Im a solo traveler (typically) and can usually get a first rate trip on NCL. . On my Jan 2 week BA cruise, i had the drink package and dined in the specialities every night. IMHO, food in MDRs has become sub par.

Yet, Ive got 2 Princess cruises booked, one cuz I needed a particular date and departure port, and the British Isles in July. Ill report back after each, but Princess seems to have better itineraries than NCL. While Ive enjoyed traditional dining and formal nights in the past, I only use carry on luggage now, so a sundress is all Ill pack.

Princess seems to have better itineraries than NCL.

Great point; I too think Princess has better itineraries, especially abroad. I like the fact their Mediterranean cruises seem to always include a port outside of the EU so that we can avoid the VAT taxes while onboard.

You are right. Emerald and Ruby do not have Alfredo's restaurant. Just the pizza by the pool which is fantastic. I lived in Italy for 4 years and love Naples style pizza. The pizza on Princess satisfies me immensely and I usually have at least a slice a day.

Thanks for your positive feedback. My wife and I are 64/62. Active; I can go anywhere and do anything. It is not a problem getting around. We chose our Alaska cruise because of the itinerary. Since we are taking our grandkids who are 17&15, we wanted something that would work. We don't have the time to do the land portion due to scheduling conflicts; so a 7 day cruise is it. Princess had a good itinerary; our travel agent has sailed this itinerary and recommended it. We looked at both NCL and RCCL. We have sailed both these lines and they have similar itineraries; but we chose Princess for two reasons

1. We wanted to try a different cruise line and different ship

2. Wanted to travel round trip into one city verses flying into a city and departing from a different one.

3. We book suites when we travel because that way we don't have to worry about loyalty programs; although we have status with both RCCl, and NCL.

I am the poster than mentioned that I preferred the flow on princess ships. Yes, I was talking about the traffic flow. The public areas seem less crowded and there are less "bottle necks" where crowds of people make you slow down or stop when walking on the ship. This is especially important to me when I travel with my son who is in a wheelchair.

This is good to know. We sailed on a 14 night cruise on NCL Jade in the med last summer. That ship is cut up and you will be walking down corridor and it stops; you say, hey wait a minute; how do I get to the dining room? Well you have to turn around go back to stairs, go up one flight and then back down stairs and finally down the corridor. Very bad layout. I saw a Princess ship in Venice last year; and googled the itinerary. We had a good itinerary on Jade, but Princess had a very good one also. We had 14 night, they were out for 10 nights.

Here is what I feel about NCL. I chose the NCL Jade last year for several reasons

1. Anytime dining and no dress code (I wear suit and tie to work; it is nice not having to dress up on vacation)

2. Have only sailed RCCL and have been all all of the class of ships. Wanted to try different line with longer itinerary. The only two lines that had long itineraries in Europe were NCL and Princess

3. The staff of Jade were excellent; always smiling and happy to help

4. During our meet and greet the entire staff was present. The captain said if any problems came up during our cruise; to contact him. He gave us his cell phone #. He said he wanted us to have a perfect vacation; and wanted to be able to fix any problems that may arise during the cruise. What a great attitude.

5. NCL had longer itinerary and that was important

6. We had 10 in our group. Even with anytime dining the dining rooms could accommodate us pretty much whenever we wanted to eat. That was nice

great thread, since I, too, typically cruise NCLs new ships. Im a solo traveler (typically) and can usually get a first rate trip on NCL. . On my Jan 2 week BA cruise, i had the drink package and dined in the specialities every night. IMHO, food in MDRs has become sub par.

Yet, Ive got 2 Princess cruises booked, one cuz I needed a particular date and departure port, and the British Isles in July. Ill report back after each, but Princess seems to have better itineraries than NCL. While Ive enjoyed traditional dining and formal nights in the past, I only use carry on luggage now, so a sundress is all Ill pack.

I am with you on casual attire