How does Princess Compare to Cunard?

What a sweeping generalisation! It's certainly not what we found on our two QE cruises last summer. We met many what you might call 'less educated' and 'less well heeled' people who had worked hard all year in order to sail for one or two weeks only on Cunard. As first time Cunard cruisers we were very surprised at how 'ordinary' people were - and pleasantly surprised at that! We only met a small number of truly snobby people who thought they were gods gift to cruising because they had cruised with Cunard.

 

We found staff to be generally miserable, and service in the Lido was dreadful, tables not cleared, no hot or cold drinks offered, staff standing chatting to each other ignoring passengers, and a request by a lady near us for a glass of water was met with a pointed finger and the comment 'over there!' Meaning get it yourself.

 

Food was bland (which didn't bother us) and the buffet was very limited, but quite adequate, and we enjoyed the typically British puddings. But compared to Royal Princess it was very poor - the wonderful Pastry shop offered extensive selections of delicious desserts and pastries each day, and nothing on the QE came close apart from the delicious scones at tea time.

 

But we loved the ship and our balcony cabin, and had a wonderful time. Afternoon tea was amazing, and better than Princess - though we do love having afternoon tea brought to our cabin each day on the Princess ships.

 

As far as food and service is concerned Princess beat Cunard hands down. But of course we were only in the steerage part of the ship, with the less well educated and less well heeled clientele, and not in 'The Grills' where maybe the cuisine would have been of a higher standard.......as befitting the more educated and more well heeled passengers..... ;):D

I often find you reap what you sow when it comes to the way a person is treated by service staff. Ive never been abused or spoken to rudely by staff on any cruise, but then again I always approach with a smile and take the time to chat a little with the person.

What I offered was an opinion based on my experiences. That's what everyone here is doing. Feel free to disagree, but there is no need for the attitude.

Also, please don't mistake well-heeled and well-educated for snobbish. They're not synonymous. Most of the people I've met on Cunard cruises have been middle class professionals. Far from being millionaires, but also far from being football hooligans. Sadly, Princess sometimes attracts the latter.

Ultimately, it really depends on the cost of a cruise as to the kind of demographics on board. Heavily discounted sailings (like my Jan Cunard TA in 2013 or a couple of my Princess cruises) will generally attract a broader spectrum of people than more expensive trips (like the Christmas cruises on Cunard ships). Cunard is generally more expensive than Princess and so generally attracts a more professional clientele.

Cunard's marketing and passenger research would certainly support what I'm saying. Try not to take it as snobbery. If you want me to talk down then let's move this over to the Carnival forum :)

I often find you reap what you sow when it comes to the way a person is treated by service staff. Ive never been abused or spoken to rudely by staff on any cruise, but then again I always approach with a smile and take the time to chat a little with the person.

 

What I offered was an opinion based on my experiences. That's what everyone here is doing. Feel free to disagree, but there is no need for the attitude.

 

Also, please don't mistake well-heeled and well-educated for snobbish. They're not synonymous. Most of the people I've met on Cunard cruises have been middle class professionals. Far from being millionaires, but also far from being football hooligans. Sadly, Princess sometimes attracts the latter.

 

Ultimately, it really depends on the cost of a cruise as to the kind of demographics on board. Heavily discounted sailings (like my Jan Cunard TA in 2013 or a couple of my Princess cruises) will generally attract a broader spectrum of people than more expensive trips (like the Christmas cruises on Cunard ships). Cunard is generally more expensive than Princess and so generally attracts a more professional clientele.

 

Cunard's marketing and passenger research would certainly support what I'm saying. Try not to take it as snobbery. If you want me to talk down then let's move this over to the Carnival forum :)

Well Cunard IS, of course, a Carnival ship. :D

And please don't imply that either we, nor the lady I mentioned, treated staff in any way rudely. We do not! We cringe when we see passengers doing just that, and always chat to our servers, and are interested in them, and treat them with respect and kindness.

This family each had a personal plate of food as well. There appeared too many strawberries to be consumed completely, but that is admittedly a guess. I didn't remain to witness the outcome.

 

Just a vignette that remained stuck

 

Hope you have a wonderful cruise on the Island Princess!!!! Exciting to have your departure coming so soon. Have fun !!!!

I find it fascinating to watch people eat. I eat very little, but am still quite zoftig, while my girlfriend, with whom we sometimes cruise, is tall and skinny and eats really amazing amounts of food and never gains an ounce. When I watch her fill up her plate, or request 6 orders of crab legs at dinner, my mind spins, but she eats every bit and often goes back for more. She is worse than a teenage boy.

I sure wish we were going on the Island, but our cruise at the end of this week is on the Golden, and then the following week we board the Pacific Princes in Los Angeles to sail back home. We just learned that our all-time least favorite Cruise Director will be on the Pacific, but I am looking on the bright side and viewing it as an opportunity to discuss her apparent dislike for dancing on board. She once told us that there would be NO DANCING at a party where there was a beautiful dance floor and a wonderful band playing great dance music. I am curious to see if she tries to tell us that directive came from the captain, as we had discussed it with him later and he told us that he loves to see people dancing and would never make such an order.

I will let you know what she says.

Just off the QM2. Our first Cunard cruise. It took me a while to get used to the formality compared to Princess.

Staff are not as jovial on Cunard. They are obviously told to be absolutely respectful with not much room for fun. The captain is treated like God and his daily updates hold no humour whatsoever. Guests dress for dinner, whether formal or informal nights. Shorts after 6 are frowned upon. Everything is "proper", very British. Could be seen as "stuffy".

Initially I was disappointed and felt that Cunard was out dated and very over rated. However, we eventually relaxed. The service is good and the ship is very nice.

The shows/entertainment were OK. We saw Roy Walker, who was good.

Films were old and the planetarium shows were rubbish.

The talks were boring except for FW de Clerk who deserved his standing ovation.

Food in the Britannia was very good, the Kings Court was a bit of a circus with limited choice of food.

The other thing to consider is age. The guest seemed to be a lot older on the QM2.

So.... In summary the QM2 was good. The itinerary suited us.

HOWEVER..... A cruise to Asia on the Diamond Princess a couple of years ago was absolutely fantastic (not just good).

.... The captain is treated like God and his daily updates hold no humour whatsoever. Guests dress for dinner, whether formal or informal nights. Shorts after 6 are frowned upon. Everything is "proper", very British...

Glad to hear it! :D

Very nicely stated.

FWIW, it's amazing to me how one person can state their opinion and be roundly criticised for doing so.

Good Grief people it's an opinion, it doesn't have to be yours but how about a bit of respect and dignity in a rebuttal.

I often find you reap what you sow when it comes to the way a person is treated by service staff. Ive never been abused or spoken to rudely by staff on any cruise, but then again I always approach with a smile and take the time to chat a little with the person.

 

What I offered was an opinion based on my experiences. That's what everyone here is doing. Feel free to disagree, but there is no need for the attitude.

 

Also, please don't mistake well-heeled and well-educated for snobbish. They're not synonymous. Most of the people I've met on Cunard cruises have been middle class professionals. Far from being millionaires, but also far from being football hooligans. Sadly, Princess sometimes attracts the latter.

 

Ultimately, it really depends on the cost of a cruise as to the kind of demographics on board. Heavily discounted sailings (like my Jan Cunard TA in 2013 or a couple of my Princess cruises) will generally attract a broader spectrum of people than more expensive trips (like the Christmas cruises on Cunard ships). Cunard is generally more expensive than Princess and so generally attracts a more professional clientele.

 

Cunard's marketing and passenger research would certainly support what I'm saying. Try not to take it as snobbery. If you want me to talk down then let's move this over to the Carnival forum :)

Cunard offers various interesting discussions - and a distinctly more formal atmosphere. I would say the food and service are comparable. I recall my Princess cruise as seeming crowded, and there wasn't the spacious feeling (or the classic atmosphere) for which Cunard is noted. My general recollection is of a lot of glitzy, plastic decor on Princess vs. the traditional mahogany and brass decor of Cunard.

From someone who has done 25 cruises with Princess, I take issue with the comment about Princess' decor. There is NOT a lot of glitz and plastic. I prefer Princess over all the other mainstream lines with IKEA decor for the main reason that Princess DOES have brass, stone, and wood to give that traditional maritime/ocean liner feel (even though it technically is a cruise ship). I'll be going on my first Cunard cruise in August and look forward to making the comparison.

Welcome to the Cunard board kendon, have a great trip and don't forget to come back and tell us how the 2 lines compare.

I have tried a few others and not found one I like as much as Cunard but Princess may well be next on my list to try. (Only on an itinerary where Cunard doesn't sail !)

Sadly Princess has not updated their decor since the 80's and well, it looks it. I find Princess ships to be lacking in decor, the pastels, the paint by numbers murals, plastic flowers and plants, all so need to be updated.

From someone who has done 25 cruises with Princess, I take issue with the comment about Princess' decor. There is NOT a lot of glitz and plastic. I prefer Princess over all the other mainstream lines with IKEA decor for the main reason that Princess DOES have brass, stone, and wood to give that traditional maritime/ocean liner feel (even though it technically is a cruise ship). I'll be going on my first Cunard cruise in August and look forward to making the comparison.

Hear! Hear! Kendon.

With 7 Princess cruises sailed and the sea in my blood (been sailing since the days of steam) and a love of all things nautical, I can attest that glitz and plastic isn't part of the PCL decor. That is part of the reason why I like Princess so much.

As Kendon says it is a decor that uses polished wood, brass, glass and marble aligned with a soft cool color palette. You will see much art on the walls, ship models in perspex cases, flowers and comfortable furniture (function over form) with much use of leather and burnished wood.

After 7 cruises I have maybe 4,000 pictures of Princess interiors and exteriors.

Don't reach for a stiff drink (but if you do I'll have a Jamesons on the rocks, please). I won't show all 4,000 but I will pull some to illustrate.

Adagio Lounge Ruby Princess. A jazz trio entertains in the evening.

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Corner detail Wheelhouse Bar, Caribbean Princess

 

 

 

 

Corner detail from Sabatini's Italian Restaurant, Caribbean Princess

 

 

Library detail, Ocean Princess

 

As Princess was once part of the P & O group, there are still some British traditions which are very popular such as the sea-day's Pub Lunch with steak and kidney pie, bangers and mash etc washed down with Guinness or Bass Ale perhaps and of course afternoon tea.

Here is Afternoon Tea delivered to an aft suite on the Caribbean Princess. Note on the scone plate there is raspberry jam and clotted cream, not butter as served on Cunard. The Tea is from a choice of maybe 12 blends.

Teak furniture is featured on suite balconies and on Promenade deck chairs and loungers.

Princess has a fleet of 18 ships, most built in Italy (some France, some Japan) with Captains in the main from Great Britain and Italy. Cruise directors are mainly from GB and the USA. The ambiance on board is one of relaxation, civility and order.

Service in my experience has been stellar. The food very commendable.

Is it the PERFECT cruise line?

No.

There is no such thing.

I am hoping this gives many of you a better idea of what Princess may be like.

Norris

Welcome to the Cunard board kendon, have a great trip and don't forget to come back and tell us how the 2 lines compare.

I have tried a few others and not found one I like as much as Cunard but Princess may well be next on my list to try. (Only on an itinerary where Cunard doesn't sail !)

Thank you. I'm sure my QM2 cruise will be great and I've said it before...I look forward to all the differences from the prior cruises I've taken with Princess (23 of them!) and others I have only done once each. I've done my research and have an idea what to expect. I'll be sure to report back to CC.

Happy cruising! :)

Bimmer09, thanks for sharing the fabulous photos.

Bimmer09, thanks for sharing the fabulous photos.

You're welcome sir!

Princess has been very enjoyable to cruise with for us- 7 cruises since August 2011 with another coming up in September this year.

I am interested in sailing other lines though which is why you'll see me on many of the boards from Azamara to Viking and that is why I have shown up on the Cunard board.

When is your cruise and where do you sail?

I will be looking forward to your review. Hopefully you'll post photos too.

At some point I hope to write my own Cunard review but as we can only take a maximum of two cruises a year (and we like land vacations just as much) it may take a few years before we cast-off on a Queen.

Cheers!

Norris

I thought I might add my comment to this thead, though a bit late in the game. I have taken 14 trips on Cunard, and 1 on Princess- the Island Princess to be specific. I have to say Cunard beats the pants off Princess in food, accomodation (no electric plugs in the bath room, among other things) and service. But, for me the single thing drove me nuts on Princess was the attitude of the senior staff. They were not only unhelpful, they spent a large amount of time telling me I was wrong as well.

I travel in QG on Cunard, and booked a significant suite on Princess. I was traveling with a number of friends and hosted a pre-dinner gathering each night. On five nights in a row, setting this up with the ship's crew required different processes each night. Finally, exasperated, I ask to speak to the senior staff in charge only to be told the problems didn't actually happen. It was my first and very last Princess cruise.

Sadly Princess has not updated their decor since the 80's and well, it looks it. I find Princess ships to be lacking in decor, the pastels, the paint by numbers murals, plastic flowers and plants, all so need to be updated.

All of Princess' flowers and plants are real...

Now, NCL...that's a different story.

Bimmer09, we will be on the QM2 the week of August 4th. We cruise exclusively with Princess now but have done RCCL, NCL, and Celebrity once each. Looking forward to Cunard for both the ship experience and the transatlantic by sea. We booked rather last minute and are anxiously awaiting our guarantee stateroom assignment. I will certainly report back. :)

All of Princess' flowers and plants are real...

 

Now, NCL...that's a different story.

Interesting, on the Grand the palm trees in the lobby, plants around the sanctuary were all fake. A few real potted houseplants around the ship and that it.

We have sailed four times with Cunard and over thirty times with Princess.

 

The thing we like best about Cunard is the dancing in the Queens Room. DH also loves the fencing lessons.

 

The thing we like best about Princess is the pizza. :p We both also love Zumba.

 

We get two military on board credits and stockholder credit on both lines. That's good. On Princess we get a ton of other perks, like free laundry and dry-cleaning, free internet, free mini-bar set-up, priority ship and tender embarkation, free wine tastings, and discounts in the ship stores. On Cunard we get some free internet but that's about it. Even as we increase our status on Cunard, I don't believe the perks get much better.

 

Other than at the muster drills and some special events, like crossing the equator celebrations, I have never felt crowded on either line. Yes there are times when you need to get to the theater early to get a seat, but that is true on both lines.

 

Cunard is more elegant than Princess and more people on Cunard dress for dinner, and we like that a lot.

 

Princess offers anytime dining and we really prefer that to playing Russian Roulette with fixed dining. On Cunard, we always qend up with cool table mates, but it usually takes a table switch or two.

 

The people on the ships vary greatly depending on the embarkation and disembarkation cities, the length of the cruise, the cost, and the itineraries. I don't think you can make any accurate comparison based on the line as much as the individual cruises. For instance, you are much more likely to see less sophisticated people on Alaska cruises because "everybody" wants to go to Alaska. That said, however, some of the most sophisticated and delightful people we have met were on Alaska cruises. You just can't predict.

 

They are both great lines and I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to book a cruise on either line, unless Sammy Baker was the Cruise Director. I don't know what's up with that woman, but for some bizarre reason she discourages dancing on her ships. We actually cancelled a 31-day South American cruise when we discovered she was the Cruise Director.

Have to agree about Sammy Baker! We were on a 19 day South American and we were very disappointed with the entertainment she lined up. HAL was doing similar itinery at the same time and after reading people's blogs I think we had a lot of missed opportunities.

PunkiC seems to sum it up pretty well. Cunard, definitely more cultured and refined. Princess struck me as good for people who've outgrown Carnival but aren't old enough for HAL. Trivia and karaoke were the intellectual highlight of the day, couldn't envision something like fencing or a Cunard library. Princess paid lip service to dancing but pretty obviously didn't care.