Princess Versus Royal Caribbean

My DH and I have been devoted Princess cruisers. We have been looking at the Adriatic and Aegean Medley 14 day cruise for May 2018 on the Crown Princess. This time we will be traveling with my sister and her DH and they found a 10-night Royal Caribbean cruise on the Jewel of the Seas for the Western Mediterranean which costs nearly half as much as the Princess cruise. It has 3 fewer nights but it does go to the ports we would most like to visit. Could anyone who has recently cruised with both cruise lines share their experience and insight on the differences between Princess and Royal Caribbean? I deeply appreciate any help anyone can offer. The cheaper price is appealing but I do want to make an informed decision. Thank you so very much!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

My DH and I have been devoted Princess cruisers. We have been looking at the Adriatic and Aegean Medley 14 day cruise for May 2018 on the Crown Princess. This time we will be traveling with my sister and her DH and they found a 10-night Royal Caribbean cruise on the Jewel of the Seas for the Western Mediterranean which costs nearly half as much as the Princess cruise. It has 3 fewer nights but it does go to the ports we would most like to visit. Could anyone who has recently cruised with both cruise lines share their experience and insight on the differences between Princess and Royal Caribbean? I deeply appreciate any help anyone can offer. The cheaper price is appealing but I do want to make an informed decision. Thank you so very much!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Honestly, the 2 lines are pretty comparable. We have been on both Crown and Jewel. jewel is smaller, 90k tons but very pretty. We do mostly Royal, but have done a few Princess cruises and have 2 more booked on Princess. I really don't think you would be disappointed.

Honestly, the 2 lines are pretty comparable. We have been on both Crown and Jewel. jewel is smaller, 90k tons but very pretty. We do mostly Royal, but have done a few Princess cruises and have 2 more booked on Princess. I really don't think you would be disappointed.

Thank you very much for your reply. There is a post on the Princess forum right now where a lady is asking about the "classy" difference between Princess and Carnival. I am not and snob and I am not rich but I certainly don't want to cruise on Carnival. Am I correct thinking Royal Caribbean is similar to Princess? Also, how would you compare the quality of their excursions? Thank you for taking your time to help me out with this.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We are very loyal Princess cruisers but were on Royal Caribbean last year. You will find a lot of similarities and of course some differences. Here is the review I did of the Radiance of the Seas with some comparisons:

Radiance of the Seas – May 20th (Vancouver to Seward) and May 27th (Seward to Vancouver)

For background we are in our late 50’s, are very active, and have been on 26 cruises with Princess along with samplings of most of the other main lines. This time around we cruised Royal Caribbean since the offer was just too good to turn down.

To be totally fair we usually stay in Mini-Suites or a Suite and this cruise it was in an Inside, so we are not talking apples to apples when it comes to the room. We knew that going in and although an inside is not what we typically book, we have stayed in pretty much all room categories. And although it has been a while, we are familiar with the insides on Princess so we are able to make some comparisons.

As you will see we liked some aspects, loved others, and questioned some of RCI’s decisions throughout the cruise. Basically RCI did some things better or much better than Princess but failed miserably in some other areas. Also we love cruising and RCI’s failures were for the most part inconveniences, not deal breakers.

Remember that this is one cruise with RCI on the Radiance of the Seas (which may or may not compare to the rest of RCI’s fleet) – while our comparison is to Princess where we have been on virtually all their ships, multiple times, over the past 25 years.

Embarkation

We embarked in Vancouver and since there were three ships in port it was a total gong show. It wouldn’t have mattered which cruise line you were on as US Immigration slowed the process down until it appeared to be going backwards. This isn’t the fault of the cruise line.

Upon walking onto the ship several things occurred that kind of made us question our decision. The first is that three times we had to show our passport to RCI personnel on the gangway or the outside deck – we already had our Seapass and had been cleared through US Immigration????? Really – three more times? This held up the lines for absolutely no purpose. In one instance one RCI employee wanted to see our passports and 20 feet away and within eyesight of each other another employee checked them again.

Once onboard the ship itself there was no one to direct you towards your room. We had to search for it ourselves which seemed odd – on Princess there is staff everywhere asking to assist you and everyone gets a foldup map when they get their Seapass/Cruise Card.

First impressions of the ship – Radiance of the Seas. Lots of windows but they were all so dirty you couldn’t hardly see out of them and they remained that way for the next few days.

The Centrum (Atrium on Princess) was less opulent than an atrium on Princess and though smaller in dimensions, it soared eight stories rather than three or four as on Princess. This provided a lot more room along the railings to watch entertainment.

Comparable to all ships the upsells were everywhere – drink and dinner packages, etc.

Noticeably though, was the vibe of the staff. Everyone and we mean everyone was smiling and trying to make us comfortable in our new surroundings as we went exploring. Not that Princess does not – rather that we have found that the Princess staff in the last two years is so overworked due to cutbacks, that at times they seem to be on autopilot. As the weeks went on we found the entire staff to be absolutely fabulous. Bartenders we met once would know our drinks when we saw them the next time, waiters would know what type of food we preferred, etc.

We found out later that this impressive attitude may be tied to the fact that RCI still hands out envelopes to place tips in for the staff – and many of them expect that they will in fact receive tips above the mandatory auto tips.

Muster

Princess again kicks RCI – muster stations on Princess are inside and comfortable. Our first leg the muster was inside but the second leg our muster station was outside in the cold at 7:15 pm. So there was my wife in her cocktail dress standing outside on the deck for 25 minutes in 52 degree weather (11 C). RCI also stated that due to law, even those who had been to muster the week before had to attend. In the past year Princess has realized that if you had muster last week and you are continuing your voyage, you don’t have to go again. Thus RCI’s claim that it is law doesn’t ring true – if so Princess would be breaking the law and leaving themselves open to civil action which I don’t think it would do. Last part – Princess keeps track of you electronically by portable card readers at muster. RCI did so by checking your name off a paper list. Good luck with that – we wasted more time by attendants calling out cabins to those assembled and trying to find them.

The worst part – that standing outside in the wind and cold was only an inconvenience. The sad part was that no one could hear the instructions due to the wind of what to do and what not to do in an emergency. Thus if it was your first cruise you wouldn’t have a clue how to proceed.

The Cabin

We found that the RCI inside cabin was probably a little bigger than Princess but there was a lack of flat surface area and the closet was considerably more cramped. Now did we have enough room to store our belongings – definitely. Were they crammed into some areas – definitely. Lots of mirrors also gave the impression of having more room.

The shower although small seemed bigger than the one in a similar size Princess room.

There is also a couch which gives you some extra room.

Specific to cabin 3137 – lots of noise from the crew area below – hydraulics’ and beep, beep, beep at all hours.

Beds are also comparable.

Fridge is little more than a cooler but our room steward was very good at keeping our ice bucket filled.

Food and Food Venues

RCI Windjammer versus Princess Horizon Court

RCI is the clear winner on setup. Wide open and you could see both sides which allowed you to go to the line where there were the least people. Unfortunately this also meant more confused and wandering people. What we didn’t miss though was that the area remained cool no matter how many people were present. On Princess the area is more compact thus leading to the inevitable frustration as you stand in one line to get to the one area you are interested in, all the while getting hotter and hotter.

Breakfast – very comparable to Princess.

Windjammer Lunch – this is completely subjective of course but we found the food pretty comparable until you tried to eat healthy – then Princess kicks RCI to the curb. Everything in the Windjammer had sauce and the salad bar was pretty anemic with their offerings. Only on certain days would there be any peppers, mushrooms, etc. We learned that to get these types of things you had to wait until 2 pm when the Park Café opened. The salad bar in the Park Café was what you expect to be in the Windjammer.

What is totally missing though is that we like to have plain chicken breast with our lunch – this is available every day on Princess – but only once in two weeks on RCI.

The one other comment that many were making about the food in the Windjammer was that it was heavily influenced with Indian cuisine. Lots and lots of Indian dishes.

DogHouse versus Trident Grill

We can’t comment on the dogs as we don’t eat them but Princess also has chicken breasts and hamburgers, not just dogs by the pool which is so much better in our opinion.

Lattetudes & Park Café versus the International Café

Hard to compare as the International Café is 24 hours and has many options. We did prefer the Park Café when it was open though due to their fresh offerings.

Dining Room Lunch

We ate lunch in the Dining Room twice over the course of the two cruises. Both times the food was excellent. As a heads up, the Dining Room is only open on sea days.

Dining Room/Dinner

We enjoy Anytime Dining on Princess which is supposedly pretty similar to My Time on RCI. Again Princess kicks RCI in this area. If the dining room is backed up on Princess you get a buzzer and away you go to a bar or to wander. With My Time you wait off to the side with the others that are waiting. Plus many on My Time have reserved a table and they wait until it is free. It does move but Princess is much better in getting people free to wait wherever they want. In our case we had a table reserved for the entire two weeks and only ended up eating at it three times as it was always occupied even though we had it reserved. Rather than wait we just took the option of sitting somewhere else.

Dining Room food – again subjective but here are our thoughts. In some ways each cruise line is superior to the other. Princess always has a different fish each night where RCI did not. Lobster and other seafood such as tiger prawns and scallops are far superior on Princess (we did not compare the paid venues). RCI is far superior with their beef though. Chicken is a tie. Vegetables on Princess are steamed while RCI appears to cook theirs in oil.

The strangest thing occurred when we attempted to order some of their all the time available menu items – they said they were out. RCI’s failure to anticipate the required supplies seemed to be a reoccurring theme over the two weeks.

Desserts – we rarely eat desserts but do so on a cruise. In our opinion RCI has better desserts than Princess.

Dining options – on RCI you can upgrade to a lobster or better steak in the regular dining room for an upcharge. Princess does not do this. Both lines have their Speciality Restaurants for a fee.

Dining Rooms – Princess has separate dining rooms for traditional and Anytime, where on the Radiance they are in one big two story room with a very nice balcony up top. The main floor is traditional where the upper floor is My Time. Radiance has great big floor to ceiling windows which really make the room, especially in Alaska where it remains daylight during dinner. There is also a water feature wall that is between a double staircase from the upper to lower floor which is pretty nice. RCI also has the food come out and the dishes taken away to a main kitchen area where with Princess there are food stations for the waiters to serve from. RCI’s concept was kind of nice as you don’t have the waiters cleaning dishes, etc beside you. Basically it is somewhat of a tie between the two lines but I would probably give Radiance the edge due to the windows and views.

Dining Room staff.

RCI waiters are like Princess was 5 to 10 years ago – fabulous. That is not to say that Princess has bad waiters – just tired and overworked. As noted we found that RCI dining staff expected an additional tip at the end of the cruise.

Coffee – not specialty but just coffee. Princess has long been criticised for their bad coffee. RCI has much better coffee.

Bar Service

On Radiance we experienced very personal service – unfortunately the stock on this ship became a bit of a joke. The beer you just finished was no longer available, as was the glass or bottle of wine you were drinking. When you picked a new one from the menu you found that it was unavailable as well. But wait – they have others that aren’t on the menu…………… It became a bit of a joke to us and to many of those we spoke with, as each bar had different stock and what was available, would change daily. On Princess they do run out of the odd thing but for the most part they keep their supply closet full.

Drink Pricing

Beer prices are pretty comparable for both lines. RCI was considerable higher for things like Martini’s and the like (probably $2.00 per drink).

Beer Selection

On paper RCI has a much better beer list than Princess – unfortunately a lot of brands were unavailable.

Getting on and off at ports

Princess is so far ahead that RCI isn’t even in the race. RCI restricted everyone to one point of entry and exit which meant long lineups – really??? Princess always has at the very least two points of entry and exit.

Pool Deck

Princess ships have far more seating area around the pools. Although Radiance is similar in size to a like sized Princess ship, we realized that RCI has four staircases where Princess has two. The staircases take away a lot of lounging area. Radiance also has a lot of permanent structures which limit how you can move your chair to follow the sun.

Radiance loungers are made of the little plastic strips which I didn’t even think you could buy anymore. Princess loungers are far superior.

Solarium

Very comparable to Princess solariums – although no upper deck on Radiance which again limits the seating area somewhat.

Sport Deck Activities

RCI has way better amenities such as their rock climbing wall if you are so inclined and also their mini-putt is far superior.

Movies Under the Stars

The big screen on the Radiance was a bit of a joke – probably less than half the size of the screens on Princess. Also in bright sunlight you couldn’t see the picture very well – again on Princess the resolution is great no matter how bright the sun is. Same goes for the sound system – Princess is far superior.

Continued.............

Fitness Area

Radiance’s fitness area is in many ways superior to Princess, although I was informed by the personnel that this isn’t necessarily the case on other RCI ships.

On the Radiance there is lots of room to work out and the equipment is in good shape. A plus was that after day one the fitness area was pretty much vacant - two days we were the only individuals in the entire area. This may be due to the fact that it is a port intensive cruise and plus many people went hiking when they were on shore.

The only issues we had were that all the treadmills faced out to the ocean, but once you were on them you couldn’t see out if you were even moderately tall since the windows have blinds that block your view. Also the elliptical machines all face the aerobics area instead of some facing the ocean. The fitness area staff acknowledged that they have had a lot of complaints regarding both.

Another point about the equipment is that none of the aerobic machines have built in fans which Princess does. This makes a huge difference when there are a lot of people working out and the area gets warm.

Last point is that none of the aerobic machines – treadmills/ellipticals have any televisions which are pretty much the norm on Princess or in any updated fitness facility. This makes for a pretty boring workout.

Fitness personnel

RCI staff in this area dominate. Princess fitness staff only speak to those who pay for their services. The Radiance fitness staff were always moving around encouraging people and just being there to handle questions posed by many of those who have never stepped into a gym before.

Entertainment

Entertainment is always a crap shoot. The first week we couldn’t believe the entertainment options and how the staff and passengers worked together. Singers were unbelievably good, jugglers juggled, and one of the two comedians was hilarious. Week two it was like we were on a different ship. For the most part the entertainment sucked on week two. Plus the new group of passengers didn’t partake in much thus the theatre was just about empty as were the Centrum or other venues. We felt sorry for the Cruise staff at many of the organized events as they were empty.

Cruise and activity staff were far superior on RCI though. They lead the activities and are very involved.

Cruise Critic and Veteran get togethers again were events on RCI, where on Princess you get lip service at best. RCI is the clear winner.

In Room Television

We were looking forward to the interactive television on RCI. In reality though it was a pain – slow to react and limited programming. Princess is better in this area.

Tour Desk

If there was something that really ticked me off with RCI it was their Tour Desk. On the first leg of the trip we were walking into Hoonah (Icy Point) when we saw a Killer Whale near shore. We started taking pictures with a telephoto lens and saw the whale heading towards a group of kayakers on a tour from the ship. The whale came up right between the kayakers and we got some photos that were spectacular of the people four feet away from the whale. A couple of days later we took a look at the photo on our computer and saw how truly spectacular these photos were. We thought that the people on the kayak tour would like a copy and went to the Tour Desk to tell them we had it and would they contact the passengers on that tour (we provided the time and date) to let them know we had the photo should they want it. The individuals at the desk quickly informed us that they didn’t care and that if we were not interested in booking a tour we were wasting their time.

End of the cruise

I’ll start with our portfolio – the front desk was hit and miss depending on the individual. The first week I went to pay off my bill and was told that they would take the $648 in paper money, but not the remaining 82 cents – they only accept bills and no coin – although they would pay me back the 18 cents???? The second week with a different individual they gladly let me pay off the bill with both. This was such a small item, yet was perplexing and makes you wonder what the first guy was thinking.

Where Princess clearly dominates though is at the end of your first leg of a back to back cruise. On RCI, passengers lost their unused first leg cruise benefits. On Princess things like your unused On Board Credit and Internet just roll over to the next cruise.

Disembarkation

We disembarked in Vancouver and only one piece of our two pieces of luggage showed up in the terminal. An anomaly perhaps………not quite. The Vancouver terminal staff informed me that this happens every cruise with the Radiance – yes it also occurs with other lines but they said that the Radiance luggage system continually fails to keep luggage tags together with their lot numbers and that it could be anywhere. We were told to wait with a group – 10 other people were in the same boat. Our misplaced luggage showed up later, still with its tag number, thus this was very frustrating. Especially since in 26 cruises with Princess this has never occurred.

Overall

So as you have seen there is good and bad with both lines and both meet our expectations. Would we cruise again with RCI – possibly? It would be dependent upon pricing, itinerary, etc.

We still prefer Princess though as although both lines are similar in many ways, our perks as Elite Members of the Captain Circle are too good to not take advantage of (free laundry, complimentary Internet, On Board Credit, carryover of benefits on back to back cruises, etc). Plus although subjective, we prefer the overall food offerings on Princess.

All that said if you were travelling with kids I would think there is more to do on RCI.

Thank you for taking the time to read our review – as you can see the lines are comparable in many ways but when you figure in status, Princess is a no brainer for us. This would be especially true if we were planning a lot of excursions – say a European cruise as it would be far easier to get off and on at the ports.

Ray & Ann

I like both of these cruise lines. Very simply:

I like Princess because they have self serve laundry available and because the balcony dividers open up to the one next door (we usually travel in groups)

I like Royal Caribbean because the rooms (balcony) are a little bigger and do have the couch. They usually have a little more active things to do on board. I think their stewards are more outgoing and interactive.

So we end up going back and forth between the cruise lines depending on itinerary

We love Princess and very much like Royal.

We find Princess experience a bit more refined. A bit as Royal is not Carnival, but much nicer.

We do think that Princess beats Royal in food department, especially in buffets. She beats all lines there.

We do like Royal's cabins better with couches etc.

Royal does have beautiful ships, and Radiance class is one of the most beautiful. We sailed on Brilliance (sister to Jewel) and loved it. So many windows! And they were clean.

Imho European cruises are very port intensive, so ship becomes less important, but Jewel is worth trying.

I've cruised three times with Princess (Golden, Emerald, Star) and twice with Royal Caribbean (Brilliance and Jewel). I concur that there are more similarities than differences between the two lines. I loved that the water was visible from so many places on the RC ships - glass elevators, floor to ceiling windows in many places, etc. I also much prefer the buffet on the RC ships - the layout was so much better.

Muster - RC is outside but you don't have to bring the life jacket. We were able to sit on our last muster - mobility issues and the crew was great about directing us to the elevators to get to our muster station once they saw the cane. Princess is inside, but you have to take the life jacket. I'd call this one a wash between the two lines.

MDR - RC has the most wonderful sunflower seed rolls, and they bring the bread tray around a few times during dinner - there isn't a bread basket on the table as there is with Princess, but RC has better variety. Food comparable on each, but the Norman Love desserts on Princess give them the edge.

Cabin - similar on both, but it was very nice to have a sofa on the RC ships.

I think you will love the Jewel - it's a beautiful ship and we had a wonderful time on her. Enjoy!

Jewel has wonderful inside pool open at all times. Could be good if weather is not great.

I haven't sailed RC in a long time, but I am a serious Princess loyalist who just sailed the Med on Celebrity for the first time due to the itinerary. Europe is so port intensive that the ship is of much less importance than other places. That said, we missed Princess terribly, and this was the first cruise we've actually been ready to disembark. Do we regret it? No because they took us to top pick sites Princess couldn't deliver on. We are excited to go back "home" this winter though!!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Hi,

Princess and Royal Caribbean are two of my favorite lines. I have taken 18 Princess cruises and 21 Royal Caribbean cruises. Also, I currently have cruises booked on both lines. Overall, I think the experience is fairly similar. Princess is slightly more refined, but the very large newer Royal Caribbean ships have a tremendous variety of features. However, the smaller ships such as the Jewel of the Seas are more similar to the Princess ships.

I have cruised aboard the Jewel of the Seas and really liked the ship. It is very well designed and has a lot of glass and exterior views. There is a wraparound promenade deck, beautiful two story dining room and very attractive Centrum lobby. I think the Jewel of the Seas is one of Royal Caribbean's best ships.

Chuck

I find the beds and bedding (duvets, sheets and pillows) to be inferior on Royal Caribbean versus other cruise lines (haven't sailed Princess yet but have sailed Carnival, Disney, and Celebrity)

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

You'll see our history below.

A difference we found between RCCL and Princess is that on RCCL once you have booked that's the price, no matter what happens. On Princess, we have had two price reductions after final payment, and on one cruise (Alaska), when Princess offered AIBP after we had booked, they let us upgrade to the AIBP if we moved to a bigger room. The difference for one week was $200, and for that we got the AIBP and a free specialty dinner. RCCL, on the other hand, in my experience, has a Turkish bazaar approach to pricing. The couple next door may be paying twice as much as you or half as much.

We have three cruises on Princess and our most recent on RCI (Oasis). The deciding factors for us were 1. Age, Princess skews much older and this is preferable to us, and 2. Food options, the Princess buffet stays opens much later and the IC is 24 hours. We're back to Princess for those reasons.

Our only experience with Princess was aboard the Golden, and while the experience felt a bit more refined, the ship ambiance and decor felt very similar to what we've experienced on Royal's smaller ships. I think that you'll appreciate and enjoy what Royal has to offer (and specially considering that there's such a price difference ). My opinion is that I would pick Princess for a more subdued, adult oriented cruise for just my wife and I, and I would pick Royal for a more active, family oriented cruise if I'm sailing with the entire family.

You'll find an enormous difference between these two cruise lines if you sail aboard one of Royal's newest (and huge) Oasis class ships. They are on a class of their own and like nothing else out there. They are very active ships and will keep you on the move during the entire cruise. The variety of everything, from entertainment to dining options (apx. 24 to choose from) will blow your mind. There's SO much to do that you'll most likely need to pick "must do" activities, several which are physically demanding, and save the rest for a future sailing (or risk dropping dead halfway through the cruise). We started our cruise aboard the Allure trying to do everything but finally realize that we couldn't do it all. But your cruise aboard the Jewel will be more subdued and traditional.

With that said, I would definitely give Royal a try. Worse thing that can happen is that, after this cruise, you choose to go back to Princess.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Our only experience with Princess was aboard the Golden, and while the experience felt a bit more refined, the ship ambiance and decor felt very similar to what we've experienced on Royal's smaller ships. I think that you'll appreciate and enjoy what Royal has to offer (and specially considering that there's such a price difference ). My opinion is that I would pick Princess for a more subdued, adult oriented cruise for just my wife and I, and I would pick Royal for a more active, family oriented cruise if I'm sailing with the entire family.

 

You'll find an enormous difference between these two cruise lines if you sail aboard one of Royal's newest (and huge) Oasis class ships. They are on a class of their own and like nothing else out there. They are very active ships and will keep you on the move during the entire cruise. The variety of everything, from entertainment to dining options (apx. 24 to choose from) will blow your mind. There's SO much to do that you'll most likely need to pick "must do" activities, several which are physically demanding, and save the rest for a future sailing (or risk dropping dead halfway through the cruise). We started our cruise aboard the Allure trying to do everything but finally realize that we couldn't do it all. But your cruise aboard the Jewel will be more subdued and traditional.

 

With that said, I would definitely give Royal a try. Worse thing that can happen is that, after this cruise, you choose to go back to Princess.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I'm sure those ships are spectacular however, I could never sail on a ship with 8,000 people on it!

I thought so many people would be a problem for us on Allure, but surprisingly, probably due to design we didn't experience crowds anywhere.... In fact it was less crowded than on many smaller ships as people spread out nicely.

I have been on Crown Princess and also on the Radiance (sister ship). I would choose the Jewel. It is less crowded and that class of ship is actually pretty. You also have a covered pool.

Princess is the best fit for us.

We like being able to go directly to our cabin when we first board the ship. :D

We have done both.. like many have said they are more similar than different, however there are differences. Royal has more outdoor and sport things.. surf simulators, rock climbing etc, ice skating. They also have the indoor area, that some love but I dislike, a glorified mall. I think Princess excels in food and the International Cafe is consistently better than the similar venue on Royal. Entertainment varies. Princess has more trivia, madcap type of games to participate in as well. So... depends on what you are looking for. In the Med with a port intensive program, it probably for me would come down to price. Whichever you choose I hope it is a great and memorable trip.

My 2¢.

We prefer the food on Princess. We prefer the ambiance on Princess. The passengers are a bit older, which suits us. There is no denying that the newer Royal ships are spectacular. However rock climbing etc does not interest us. That is for a younger demographic. I'm sure you will have a great time no matter which line you sail. There is no wrong choice.

I'm sure those ships are spectacular however, I could never sail on a ship with 8,000 people on it!

They are definitely not for everyone. But I will admit that I was pleasantly surprised at how these ships actually feel considerably less crowded than ships that are literally a fraction of their size. In fact, in many places these ships almost feel deserted. We found ourselves walking around several times and realizing that we had that part of the ship pretty much to ourselves. We found many quiet spots including outdoor decks which went completely undiscovered by most passengers during the entire week.

From the moment you arrive at the port, passengers are divided and board the ship at different locations. The ships themselves are divided into "neighborhoods" which keeps passengers smartly spread out. You will never see all 6,000+ passengers crowding one area.

But once again, these ships are definitely not for everyone. Even with the great passenger flow, lack of crowds, and great space to passenger ratio, they are still enormous and going from one corner of the ship to another can take a long time. For example, the kids' Adventure Ocean is located all the way forward and our stateroom was located all the way aft. More than once, my wife and I took turns going to get the kids because we dreaded the 3 football field length walk to go get them and then returning! [emoji28]

Sent from my iPhone using Forums