Princess vs. RCCL: If you have sailed both please give me your opinion.

[BoPippy]

I like them both the same,but am particular to Princess.I liked RCL a lot because the drink menu for Carribbean drinks was in color and shows what the drink looked like...more FUN!! on Princess just listed and boring!!! other than that I love Princess!!:)

[xamsx]

I've sailed both and have done more RCCL cruises than Princess, but, we book for itinerary since they are both so close in amenities, service, room sizes (we book the jr/mini suite options), etc. Our next cruise is on Princess.

 

One option I like much better on Princess is the self-service laundry. Sure RCCL is fast about returning it, but I have to remember to leave what I will want laundered. That can be an issue. :p The self-service laundry on Princess allows me to run over at anytime I do remember. I can pack lighter leaving more room in my bags for cheap liquor and souvenirs.

[DiTomCruisers]

We liked the entertainment & prommenade deck better with RCCL, but the food, service, cabin and pools better on princess. We'd do either again

[Indy_Girl46]

No competition as far as we're concerned - Royal Caribbean everytime. We've done Princess twice but the Independence of the Seas is fantastic, especially if you have children. We are going on it for the third time in July - can't wait. There's so much to do.

[roe2ship]

Princess is less expensive at the mini-suite vs. junior suite level.

Just wanted to point out to you that these two are no way comparable. The junior suites on Royal are MUCH bigger. Princess' mini-suites are more comparable to the higher balcony categories on Royal.

 

I also believe you get extra points towards your Crown and Anchor, when booking a JS.

[blazerjan]

We cruised Princess many years ago and have since sailed RCCL twice.. Our last being on the Independence of the Seas with our whole family (6 adults and 3 children ages 7,6, and 3)... We booked our youngest son and his family in a Promenade Family stateroom across the hall from our two balcony rooms. It was very very roomy and they loved being able to watch the parades etc from there room. There are only 4 of these rooms on the Freedom class ships so you need to book early. As for the activitles, there were plenty for the kids and adults. We really enjoyed the food both in the MDR and the Windjammer buffet. The shows were amazing. The kids all enjoyed the Circus themed show and the Ice show.

Now before you think I am all for Royal and against Princess... my next cruise is on the Coral Princess. I tend to book my cruises for the destinations more than the ships. Either way.. enjoy.

[turquoisesea]

opps - wrong quote. sorry!

[jd1966]

We've found that they are very similar but prefer the food on RCCL. You should try a Freedom class of ship since Princess has nothing to compare.

[southnevada]

I have been on 25 cruises. Princess allows me to bring a bottle of wine on board when in port. RCI takes it away which is petty. It is the little things that makes Princess better! :)

[tcdcruiser]

Cruised both, and found RCL service (other than cabin stewart) poor. I vote Princess.

[cruizer2d]

I've been on 2 RCCL cruises, and 6 Princess. I dislike that RCCL now charges a fee for room service during certain times and that they have minimal snack foods late evening and nights. They also confiscate wine, which, I agree, is petty. Princess has a buffet set up 24/7, no charge for room service. Even for breakfast room service, I always order oatmeal and it's delivered at Princess. Both times we cruised RCCL, they CONSTANTLY messed up room service,even w/ the coffee and tea. My DD and I couldn't figure out how that could be messed up, ( and, yes, we did order correctly). I do like the entertainment on RCCL a little better,and also the choice of slots in the casino. BTW, both RCCL cruises were on the Legend, and Princess cruises were Star, Golden, Grand, Caribbean--all basic balconies. I love the fresh water pools, also. BUT,even though I'm partial to Princess, I'll take any cruise, as long as the price is right!!:D:D

[goldens4ever]

If you look at my signature...you can tell we are Princess fans. Yes...the junior suite on RCCL is huge compared to the mini suite on Princess...but I don't spend a lot of time in my room....especially as RCCL are ridiculous with how strict they are about bringing any alcohol on board. On princess, we like to bring some vodka or rum on with us and have drinks/happy hour in our room before going out....and before the crazies hit me...we spend plenty with Princess at dinner or out and about at night or by the pool in the sun....

We prefer Princess in these categories:

Food: in main dining rooms, pizza/burgers by the pool, late night food

Entertainment: comedy and hypnotists, trivia and other activities hosted by the cd staff

Service: all over the ship

Embarkation / disembarkation: Princess is always good....faster and I love getting to my room right away...instead of hanging out waiting for my room to be ready...

Pool: THIS IS HUGE WITH US....We love the freshwater pools on Princess.....and REALLY do not like the salt water pools!!!!!!!!!!!

On RCCL:

Cabins: the junior suites are wonderful....if we cruise with them again .... we would definitely book the js! Huge room and nice sized walk in closet...we kept joking about it being perfect for a small bedroom.....

I will stay with Princess when I can get what I want.....itinerary and try other lines if something excellent comes up.....anyway you slice it...a cruise is better than being at work!!!!

[kserasera7474]

hi --Was trying to check excursions to St. Petersburg and came upon your message --just in case you haven't booked yet we would recommend Princess over the Royal Caribbean. It really depends on the itinerary. It they are both the same --we found the cabins better, the food better and the entertainment better on the Princess over all the ships. We have also taken cruises on the Norwegian (not again), Holland,(ok but not for children) Celebrity (bad experience) Crystal (fabulous) and Radisson (fabulous). Princess we have taken several times and have never been disappointed. Our kids, when they were younger, really enjoyed the Princess too. Royal Caribbean really wasn't bad just seemed like it was more crowded than the Princess. Good Luck and have a great time.

Kserasera7474

[LNahid2000]

My most recent cruise was on RCL's Liberty of the Seas since we wanted to try something new after taking our last 2 cruises with Princess, and I missed Princess so much after going on that cruise. I regretted not booking a Princess cruise again after going on RCL. Here are some of the things that RCL was missing:

 

-The Windjammer buffet had very limited hours compared to the 24 hour buffet on Princess. This is the thing I missed most about Princess. Finding anything other than sandwiches on RCL after 2am was impossible.

 

-Service was not as good on RCL. We barely saw our room steward and other staff were not as nice either

 

-Dining room food was much better on Princess. Also, you could special order food on Princess while RCL would not allow us to do so.

 

-I liked the inside cabin layouts a lot better on Princess. The RCL cabin felt cramped. Also, no chocolate on your pillow at night.

 

-Liberty of the Seas felt way too big and crowded to me. I prefer Princess' Grand class ships since they didn't seem as crowded. It was hard to find a seat on Liberty of the Seas a lot of the time.

[Maraprince]

My most recent cruise was on RCL's Liberty of the Seas since we wanted to try something new after taking our last 2 cruises with Princess, and I missed Princess so much after going on that cruise. I regretted not booking a Princess cruise again after going on RCL. Here are some of the things that RCL was missing:

 

-The Windjammer buffet had very limited hours compared to the 24 hour buffet on Princess. This is the thing I missed most about Princess. Finding anything other than sandwiches on RCL after 2am was impossible.

 

Plus, RCI charges a service fee for room service after 12 midnight.

Promenade Cafe (only 24 hr. venue on RCL) has small sandwiches, only 2 types of pizza (very small slice and no comparsion to Princess), fresh fruit, cookies, some pastry, Seattle's Best regular coffee, tea and hot chocolate -- all no charge. However, Ben & Jerry ice cream pops are charged at $3.50 each plus service charge for them to reach into the freezer case and hand it over to you!

 

-Service was not as good on RCL. We barely saw our room steward and other staff were not as nice either

 

Had no service issues with RCL, but staff on Princess was friendlier and our room steward would see us coming from a mile away and open our door for us! If we were only gone 1/2 hr. for breakfast, our cabin was cleaned!

 

-Dining room food was much better on Princess. Also, you could special order food on Princess while RCL would not allow us to do so.

 

Not only was the food better on Princess in the Main Dining Room, the choices were vast in comparison to RCL who tended to repeat some of the main dishes during a 12 night voyage! On Princess, we routinely shared a pasta dish each night as our appetizer. There was only one occasion that we did not like our choice and I cannot tell how fast a replacement choice was delivered! I swear our waiter had it waiting on the service platform since he knew how our tastes ran.

 

-I liked the inside cabin layouts a lot better on Princess. The RCL cabin felt cramped. Also, no chocolate on your pillow at night.

 

Overall, Princess has larger balconies. We have been on the EOS in several different balcony categories and the balconies were much smaller than on Princess. The overall space on Princess' regular balcony cabins and on their mini suites cannot be compared to RCL and are much better value. Love all the closet space on Princess (both the Crown and Caribbean Princesses) compared to that of RCL's EOS. Even with only 2 people, there was limited storage space on EOS compared to what you get on Princess. Let's not forget that on Princess in a mini suite you get 2 TV's and 2 separate areas that can be made private by drawing the drape across. Just better layouts on Princess vs. RCL.

 

-Liberty of the Seas felt way too big and crowded to me. I prefer Princess' Grand class ships since they didn't seem as crowded. It was hard to find a seat on Liberty of the Seas a lot of the time.

 

Princess has a much better boarding and disembarking system than RCL in the NY area. Cannot speak for other ports. Princess never felt crowded. Liked that 2 of the 3 production shows were repeated so you could choose other activities.

Also, hated the fact the RCL on both their ships and Celebrity switched show times over 1/2 the nights so that the late seating had to go before dinner while early sitting went after dinner. This meant that we had to be ready by 7 PM to go see the show thereby defeating the whole purpose of late seating and the extra time to relax or get ready for dinner. This became an issue if we had a late departure from a port and were returning from a tour that would board just before we sailed. Some times these shows were less than an hour. After dinner there wasn't much to do but look around in the smaller lounges to see who was performing.

Princess only switched the show time in San Juan to bring Juan Carlos and his flamenco show on board (no extra charge). He does 2 shows and leaves before the ship sails.

 

 

MARAPRINCE

[Minoushka]

hi

 

I have not read what others wrote but here is my experience on both lines

Cabins are similar in size RCI might be slightly bigger

FREEDOM oTS is an amazing ship if you like BIG .The ice show s are wonderful ...do not miss .The other shows were great too.

Dinners are comparable but breakfast and lunch better on Princess

Service excellent on both

Shopping a bit better on RCI

Clientelle similar

Casino bigger on RCI

I loved the FREEDOM but i did not like predinner shows I prefer them AFTER dinner ...forces Casino on you

 

I'm sure your kid will love ice skating in the Carib ..mine certainly did .He went every day ..the performers are the instructors ...all former champions ...very nice group.

 

Go ENJOY

[John Reid]

Within the last 16 months I have cruised on the Freedom of the Seas (Caribbean) and Grand Princess (Alaska Inside Passage). I enjoyed both cruises. I'll borrow a previous poster's format.

 

Embarkation - equal

Disembarkation - both were a moderate mess. Disembarkation often seems worse at the time.

Muster Drill - big adavantage Princess. No jackets in a lounge as opposed to sweating to death outside, listening to the drill in four languages.

Dining Room (service) - equal

Dining Room (decor) - advantage Royal

Dining Room Food- Food is not that important to us on a cruise; we are not fussy. However, Princess was far superior. We felt that the Freedom offerings were beneath "banquet event" level. Golden had reasonably moderate sized portions appropriate for a multi-course meal. Freedom appeared to design their portions for the Olsen twins.

Buffet - Advantage Freedom. The buffet food was decent on Princess but there are more choices and a better layout on Freedom. You could get your own beverages - HOWEVER, the Princess buffet was open WAY longer. We were busy with activities and sometimes had dinner near midnight! Golden staff cleared tables more quickly.

Room Service - Freedom, but Princess did not have after-hours surcharges. It was easier to have beer and cocktail beverages delivered for our room refrigerator on Golden in advance for use when we wished.

Cabins - advantage Freedom - Our balcony stateroom was about as big as our Princess mini-suite. However, our mini had a bigger balcony and tub/shower.

Entertainment - Golden better in lounges, but Freedom does bigger production stagings for the big shows. Also, the ice show was good. Freedom had Quest. Nothing comparable on Golden.

Ship (Promenade vs Atrium) - Different. One not better just different.

Ship layout - different. Enjoyed both. Golden was more "compartmentalized" with nooks to discover. Freedom "flowed" more. Really enjoyed walking Freedom's upper decks at night.

Casino - equal

Service (Dining Room) - equal

Service (cabin) - equal

Johnny Rockets vs Trident Grill - apples and oranges

Movies Under the Stars (MUTS) - advantage Princess

Promenade Cafe vs International Cafe - different, both enjoyable

Pizza - very different approaches. Golden is by the pool, Freedom is in the Promenade. Golden was just pizza (but good); Freedom had paninnis, salads, etc. and had its own eating area. Nice place.

Bars/Lounges - slight advantage Princess. One of the main lounges on Freedom is Boleros. If you don't like Salsa music, well... But they did have a lively piano bar while Golden had a classy Harry Connick style performer. There was a soloist in the Pub on Freedom doing pop songs. We listened from the outside Promenade tables. The Pub itself was thick with smoke. Golden entertainment tended to end earlier (nature of the demographics on the Alaskan itinerary.

Onboard Activities - equal except for the activity types like rock climbing and Flowrider on Freedom, if those interest you.

Pools - different approach. Freedom has two outdoor side by side and the Solarium. There was also another secluded pool. Also had a kids splash pool area. Golden had four separate locations. Both ships were freshwater. Freedom is a good warm weather pool ship.

Families - Freedom was definitely set-up for families with kids to enjoy. Our 32 and 31 year old kids liked it, also.

 

I would cruise either class again. Either is a great experience.

[NancyIL]

Within the last 16 months I have cruised on the Freedom of the Seas (Caribbean) and Grand Princess (Alaska Inside Passage).

 

 

The Grand Princess hasn't been in Alaska recently - if ever. Do you mean the Golden Princess?

 

**Never mind - you did mention Golden.

[John Reid]

Quite true; it was the Golden, not the Grand.

[KerriCornell]

Great info...I think for my husband and I we would stick with Princess, but we might try RCCL for my daughter.

 

I have sailed both (Rhapsody of the Seas with RCI and Ruby Princess). They both have wonderful things about them so you'd need to decide whats more important for you and your family.

 

Royal Caribbean was definitely more lively. Much more going on in and around the ship. There was always something to do and lots of people willing to do it! In my opinion, the staff was much more friendly. I still keep in touch with a waiter/bartender on that ship! The food was actually better (although some may disagree). There was just an overall vibe of happy people having a good time. Yes there was more children, but I did take this one over the summer.

 

The Ruby Princess was a much nicer ship (she should have been as she was brand new when we sailed her!) and yes the cabins are just a bit more roomy. The overall layout of the ship was a bit more confusing but beautiful and clean. There were less activities going on and the cruise director had some trouble trying to get people involved in games and activities. My biggest complaint for the Ruby Princess (and Emerald and Crown) is the pool layout. I much prefer the layout on Royal Caribbean. That said, we are taking another cruise in 2 months on the Crown Princess. They happened to have a better itinerary to the Eastern Med :)

 

Both cruise lines have great qualities... lots of luck!

[JHB1901]

I understand I am opening a big can of worms here. I am posting this on the RCCL thread too. I have not sailed RCCL and am considering trying it out. I am looking at Freedom class ships. I have sailed Grand class ships on Princess (Grand and Star). I was thinking the additional recreational activities might appeal to my husband and child.

 

I am looking at Caribbean cruises.

 

I will be traveling with one child, age 11, my husband and my inlaws (both in their 60's).

 

Can you give me some advice. Esp. on cabin size, food quality, etc.

 

Thanks

 

Hi,

 

I have sailed on both and I much prefer Royal Caribbean for the following reasons:

 

- Royal Caribbean ships are much better designed. Nicer flow, more interesting lounges, more variety amongst the ships.

- The food was much better on Royal Caribbean.

- The service was much quicker and friendlier on Royal Caribbean.

- The cabins seemed larger and better designed on Royal Caribbean.

- The prices are better with Royal Caribbean, better value and they have more price promotions to get a great deal.

 

Based on my experience, I would recommend Royal Caribbean over Princess in a second. I would only sail on Princess if they were offering an itinerary I want to go on and Royal Caribbean is not doing the same.

[coupleoffish]

Just back from trying a princess cruise again and would have to say that we do enjoy rccl better but on the adventure series and the ones just below them because we did do the freedom when it first came out and thought the ship was beautiful but lacked enough staff and balconies were noisey because way they were made lighter i guess, so back to the other series for us which we always have had no complaints from the service to the food and entertainment wins hands down on rccl along with the promenade is layed out much better on rccl. Our mini suite was very nice on princess but the balcony had no cover which meant you were on display to everyone every time you were on it,I like more privacy. Staff on emerald was very nice just as on adventure series. food in mdr about the same but spec.rest wins hands down on rccl. Now that we have tried out each line a few times and had to choose between them(with or without a child) we would choose rccl (but like i said not bigger then adventure series).