Princess VS RCCL for a BIG family cruise

[cruisergirl79]

I would love to hear people's opinions on a possible family cruise I am thinking about for 2013.

 

A little information, my mom's 60th birthday is April 2012 and my FIL's 60th is May 2013. I would like to plan a family cruise for 2013 end of April or beginning of May.

The reason I say 2013 is because April or May 2012, I will have a 3 month old and my SIL will have a 5 month old, so that won't work.

 

So 2013 and would be at least;

4 seniors ages 55-62

6 adults ages 28-34

3 kids ages 1 - 4

 

There may be more people this is just our immediate family. I am leaning towards RCCL because of the kids programs, but again if this is for my parents 60th b-days, would they be better off with Princess?

 

Just to add - for most people, other them myself, DH and DS, this will be their first cruise. So they don't have anything to compare too.

 

TIA, for your thoughts.

Margaret

[cb at sea]

Either line will work just fine....there will be plenty of other kids on both lines at that time of year.

The nice thing about a cruise is that your parents can do as they wish, and so can the families/kids! (And by the way, at 55-62, we do NOT consider ourselves "seniors", despite what AARP might say!!!!)

[cruisergirl79]

Either line will work just fine....there will be plenty of other kids on both lines at that time of year.

The nice thing about a cruise is that your parents can do as they wish, and so can the families/kids! (And by the way, at 55-62, we do NOT consider ourselves "seniors", despite what AARP might say!!!!)

 

Trust me I don't consider my parents seniors by no means (or that age for that matter) LOL.

 

Thanks for your reply. I guess it will depend on the ship an itinerary :D Gotta start my research!

[Essiesmom]

Keep in mind that for the non-potty trained only RCCL (and only on some ships) will have water play areas they can use. This does not exist on any Princess ship. EM

[rolloman]

For families there is no comparison to be made. Royal Caribbean is your choice. Princess is great but for a family no one can touch RCCL (with the exception of NCL EPIC). If you want me to give you specifics, break it down for me and tell me exactly which ships you have in mind.

[cruisergirl79]

Keep in mind that for the non-potty trained only RCCL (and only on some ships) will have water play areas they can use. This does not exist on any Princess ship. EM

 

I know, that is definitely one of the pros for RCCL.

[cruisergirl79]

For families there is no comparison to be made. Royal Caribbean is your choice. Princess is great but for a family no one can touch RCCL (with the exception of NCL EPIC). If you want me to give you specifics, break it down for me and tell me exactly which ships you have in mind.

 

It's been a while since I was on Princess, but I remember the Caribbean Princess very well. The other Princess ships I'm interested in are:

Emerald

Crown

Ruby

I've been on the Star and I believe Grand is a sister to Star, so I know that one too.

 

As for RCI

I'm new to RCI, going on Serenade in September, but interested in

Freedom

Navigator

Brilliance

possibly Oasis, but not sure if I want that big (yet).

 

So far those are the ones I'm thinking about, are you sure you still want to give me specifics rolloman? :D

[cruisergirl79]

For families there is no comparison to be made. Royal Caribbean is your choice. Princess is great but for a family no one can touch RCCL (with the exception of NCL EPIC). If you want me to give you specifics, break it down for me and tell me exactly which ships you have in mind.

 

 

What about the NCL Epic, is that good for families too? I've never cruises NCL, how is the price comparison for the Epic with RCI and PCL?

[rolloman]

What about the NCL Epic, is that good for families too? I've never cruises NCL, how is the price comparison for the Epic with RCI and PCL?

I will answer this first. The Epic is consistantly much cheaper to go on than its RCCL and as well as most Princess voyages with similar itinerarys. I also think Epic is an outstanding choice for family with a great pool decks seperated for all children, kids and adults. Has rock wall, bowling alleys and one of the best kids clubs out there. Rated one of the best for entertainment with Blueman group and Nickalodean at Sea. The only RCCL ships out there I would choose over EPIC are Oasis/Allure.

[rolloman]

It's been a while since I was on Princess, but I remember the Caribbean Princess very well. The other Princess ships I'm interested in are:

Emerald

Crown

Ruby

I've been on the Star and I believe Grand is a sister to Star, so I know that one too.

 

As for RCI

I'm new to RCI, going on Serenade in September, but interested in

Freedom

Navigator

Brilliance

possibly Oasis, but not sure if I want that big (yet).

 

So far those are the ones I'm thinking about, are you sure you still want to give me specifics rolloman? :D

Well that is easy because Emerald Crown and Ruby are sister ships. No doubt nice ships but compared to Oasis, Freedom class or Voyager (Navigater) class has limited entertainment and dining options. I will state Princess Sabatinis is one of the best speciality restuarants out there though. Your Princess choices have a nice little kids club area but not on the same level as RCCL ships mentioned. You do get a laundry area on several decks which can be useful for a family. RCCL now has the Shrek Dreamworks activities on board which can be fun, Princess has nothing similar. RCCL Freedom and Oasis has a nursery for your 1 year old, Princess will only let you bring your under 3 in for a parental supervised play. So in a nutshell, RCCL has more dining, more activities, wider range of activities for family, bigger ships with open promenade to walk with the family together or get space away from the family ( lol ) if that is what you choose. Better pool areas that encompass the whole family. My opinion is Princess is great if you are a couple but for family the newer RCCL ships you mentioned specialize in that area.

[cruisergirl79]

Thank you for that rolloman!!

 

Of all the things that I have read on RCI and my experience with PCL, I agree RCI is better for families. I am a little biased on PCL cause I really like that line, since I've been on it with my hubby so much, but it is a great ship for couples for sure.

 

I think I may look into the Epic now to tell you the truth, you've got my interests peaked, especially of the cost aspect and family oriented.

 

Thanks again for all the info, now I have LOTS to think about and narrow things down for my DH. :cool:

[boulders]

I've sailed on RCCL's Radiance and Voyager class ships and Princess' Grand Class. RCCL definitely has more options for the 1-2 and 12-30 year old set. However, their service can be spotty. On RCCL, I've experienced luggage lost for the entire week (it was given to the RCCL rep at the airport, put on the bus, and never got off the bus :confused:). No one with RCCL ever figured out what happened to it. We were also told the wrong place to go on debarkation and missed our tour and bus to the airport. Both issues were partially due to the poor English comprehension of RCCL's customer service staff. Princess' ships seem to run more smoothly. All of the customer service staff speak perfect English. We had an issue with one of our tours and the desk at the dock put us on another tour with little problem.

 

DS6 likes both the Princess and RCCL kids clubs. Carnival was good too.