Need Help Deciding On Right Cruise Line

[stagpuder]

I'm trying to decide on the best line: Celebrity Equinox, Princess Emerald or Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Sea.

 

I am bringing my 4yo, she came with us on our last Princess cruise, she was 3yo and loved it all.

 

What I want:

 

Great Food

 

Spacious room, we will be getting a balcony, I felt the balconies on Princess were cramped for a family of 3.

 

Some Kids

 

I will say that I have cruised with Princess a few times and I was very irritated with the new "pay to use" one of their pools. I am not interested in being charged for using things on the ship, aside from specialty foods/internet.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[cherylandtk]

Hmm, food is so subjective that I won't try that one other than asking how you felt about the food on Princess?

 

Celebrity caters less to children than the other two lines, IMO. Princess does have the smallest cabins (no sofa/loveseat until the minisuite).

 

There is no pay-only pool on Princess ships. You may have thought the Lotus Spa pool was in the Sanctuary, but it is not. It is free access, but adult-only. If extra pay activities/items bother you, I believe that RCCL has more of those than Princess does.

 

Good luck in balancing your desires and finding the right ship/line for you.

[wrp96]

Generally when people are comparing food it seems like Celebrity comes out tops, then Princess, then RCCL.

 

The balcony cabins on RCCL's Jewel of the Seas are fairly good sized, especially the D category cabins (the E cabins are about 20-30 square feet smaller). I believe RCCL's cabins are generally larger than those on Princess and the D category cabins at least are larger than a balcony cabin on the Equinox. So size wise in regards to balcony cabins RCCL's Jewel of the Seas > Celebrity Equinox > Emerald Princess.

 

RCCL's Jewel of the Seas does have a small kids pool with water slide which your daughter might like. RCCL does have great kids programs, but from what I can tell the other lines also do great jobs of catering to the needs of children and making them happy.

 

Can't speak to pay areas on Celebrity. But on JOS the only pay for areas are the Thermal Suite in the spa and the golf simulator. The other activities like the rock wall, mini golf, and pool tables have no charge.

 

My question would be what are the differences in itineraries? Differences in price?

[jtcoolk]

I'm trying to decide on the best line: Celebrity Equinox, Princess Emerald or Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Sea.

 

I am bringing my 4yo, she came with us on our last Princess cruise, she was 3yo and loved it all.

 

What I want:

 

Great Food

 

Spacious room, we will be getting a balcony, I felt the balconies on Princess were cramped for a family of 3.

 

Some Kids

 

I will say that I have cruised with Princess a few times and I was very irritated with the new "pay to use" one of their pools. I am not interested in being charged for using things on the ship, aside from specialty foods/internet.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

If you choose Princess make sure you are on the Caribe deck. The balconies are almost twice the size!