How to decide between 2 cruise lines, same destination?

We are considering a cruise to the Baltic Sea next summer. Both Princess and Royal Caribbean have similar itinerary and price. Any thoughts of how to compare to decide? We have only been on those lines years ago, we usually travel Norweign or Celebrity! Thanks!

What I would do is go to the member review section of Cruise Critic to read review. Also read comments on the respective boards.

I also spend a lot of time on their official web sites.

Keith

Princess permits TA's to discount their best rates , RCI does not.

Princess allows OBC from several sources to be combined . RCI does not .

Princess has Anytime Dining choice . RCI does not .

But do compare the differences with onboard features of the 2 ships , that you prefer .

Princess permits TA's to discount their best rates , RCI does not.

Princess allows OBC from several sources to be combined . RCI does not .

Princess has Anytime Dining choice . RCI does not .

 

But do compare the differences with onboard features of the 2 ships , that you prefer .

RCI absolutely have My Time Dining and even though Princess allows discounting, you can make it up in OBC on RCL.

You can also post this on the individual Princess and RCI Form for more response.

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Princess permits TA's to discount their best rates , RCI does not.

Princess allows OBC from several sources to be combined . RCI does not .

Princess has Anytime Dining choice . RCI does not .

 

But do compare the differences with onboard features of the 2 ships , that you prefer .

RCI does have My Time Dining.

OP you stated you had cruised Celebrity in the past. If you have any status perks with them remember that RC owns Celebrity. Your "status" counts with RC too. Even though their loyalty programs are separate and you can't combine points, they do recognize each other.

RCI absolutely have My Time Dining and even though Princess allows discounting, you can make it up in OBC on RCL.

OOPs ! Your right RCI does have My Time Dining option.

Diamond on RCI so should have known better . Have not cruised RCI in awhile . Turned off by new ship sizes .

Princess OBC from Promos, TA , Group , Shareholder , Military can all be combined. That can be $$$.

I would base my decision on the ship, rather than the cruise line. Then compare the price.

There can be huge differences between ships in the same fleet. Especially for cruise lines that have older ships in their fleet. And there can be differences beween sailings on the same ship. The only constant seems to be inconsistency.

If you love NCL then Royal is a good choice

Celebrity and Princess are similar too! Gah.

Which ships? Thats always important too...whether you love more intimate, medium or large ships and the things they offer on board.

I would personally choose Royal as they do have a degree of elegance of you want that but also have a lot of WOW factor and fun.

Compare sizes of ships, look at past reviews of comparable itineraries for both ships, go to roll calls (if active) and possibly get some feel for passenger mix, - then go with your gut.

For Baltic’s a smaller the ship would be best. Ease of gettin off and on.

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If you are top tier repeater status, Princess has the best perks, also if you are a Veteran, you get an additional OBC and if you have a certain # of shares in Carnival Corp, you get and additional OBC, as well. Also, look at air add-ons. If you are booking your own, it makes no difference, but if you are using cruise air, does one offer a better price than the other? IF you are doing a pre/post stay, are both ships leaving/arriving from the same port? Does either line offer a good deal on a pre/post stay? And what are the ships? They vary even within the same line and folks may offer more insight if they knew what the two options are.

I'd look at port times, then do my due diligence on the ships, then cruise lines

Princess has more participation in formal nights. RCI not so much. Princess generally considered a higher end line for couples ( mostly more mature couples without kids), while paying lip service to families. RCI very family oriented(read younger couples with kids) but also has higher end restaurants that may appeal to couples esnting fewer children around.

We are considering a cruise to the Baltic Sea next summer. Both Princess and Royal Caribbean have similar itinerary and price. Any thoughts of how to compare to decide? We have only been on those lines years ago, we usually travel Norweign or Celebrity! Thanks!

If you like NCL more than Celebrity, RCCL would suit you best.

If you have enjoyed Celebrity more than RCCL, absolutely pick Princess.

Whichever ... Enjoy! :)

We are considering a cruise to the Baltic Sea next summer. Both Princess and Royal Caribbean have similar itinerary and price. Any thoughts of how to compare to decide? We have only been on those lines years ago, we usually travel Norweign or Celebrity! Thanks!

Where does each cruise you are considering port in Stockholm?

We are considering a cruise to the Baltic Sea next summer. Both Princess and Royal Caribbean have similar itinerary and price. Any thoughts of how to compare to decide? We have only been on those lines years ago, we usually travel Norweign or Celebrity! Thanks!

Personally, I would lean toward RCI because I think their ships are much nicer. Princess tends to have very dated décor and their cabins are much smaller. On Princess, you have to book an upgraded room in order to get a couch. On RCI, all rooms (with the exception of Majesty and Empress) have couches and RCI tends to have larger balconies. And one more thing, Princess ships tend to be crowded.

But that said, what specific ships are you considering?

Port times can be quite different. You want the most time in port. Also check where they dock.

Princess allows OBC from several sources to be combined . RCI does not .

Princess has Anytime Dining choice . RCI does not .

OOPs ! Your right RCI does have My Time Dining option.

Diamond on RCI so should have known better . Have not cruised RCI in awhile . Turned off by new ship sizes .

 

Princess OBC from Promos, TA , Group , Shareholder , Military can all be combined. That can be $$$.

You're also incorrect about the OBC. I just booked a RCI cruise and I have combined OBC from 3 different sources (TA, wow sale and credit card points).

The Baltic is a very port intensive itinerary - so if the price, perks and itinerary are basically the same, then your focus should probably be on: 1) port hours and docking locations and 2) the quality of food, service and evening entertainment.

European cruises are all about the ports. You’ll most likely spend all day sightseeing and have less time and energy for entertainment or other activities than you would in the Caribbean.

A smaller number of passengers will get you off the ship faster. As already posted, check time in port. Unless booking your own, check ship shore excursions to see if they’re offering what you want to see. Find out how large the groups are for each.