RCCL regular tries Princess

[J & G]

I have read where you can request one of those egg crate type mattress covers on CB before you sail.

 

We have done that on RC and Celebrity....they help some, but the one we had on our last cruise was REALLY more of a thin foam pad....almost like a quilt. Not a lot of help, but enough to sleep semi-OK.....

[Desertbelle]

Two tries on a Princess cruise, one mediocre, one horrible....there will never be a third!

[Happy ks]

We've cruised on both RCI and Princess and while they are quite comparable, we give a slight edge to RCI.

 

For us, RCI ships are more elegant, the beds were more comfortable (we did have a eggcrate mattress topper added and it sure helped). The pizza on Princess we found to be the same, I have no idea why people rave about it. The buffet, definitely RCI, hands down, but I avoid buffets whenever possible.

 

I think it's what people get used to, we've been on RCI a lot more than Princess.

[Flatiron]

"It always amazes me how we can sometimes have such different experiences..."

 

 

I would like to hear anyone that was on the Caribbean Princess cruise to NE/Canada Oct 1 to say that they did not observe crowding problems. I was not saying Princess cruises in general have crowding problems. The one I was on sure did. I was stepped on from behind while walking and tripped, walked into and pushed. I had to get to the theatre a half hour before the show only to have rude people come in and stand in front of me. I'm sure crowding is not a problem on other Princess ships but I have no desire to find out. Like someone said "if it ain't broke don't fix it". I will stay with RCCL.

 

 

I think it's funny that some people compare the cruise lines bysaying that RCCL ship are more luxurios and have better beds- but the pizza is better on Princess. Gee, would I like a more luxorious ship with better rooms or a drab, overcrowded ship with better pizza?

 

Flatiron

[TSC]

To add my two cents -

We liked Princess very much - but I am not a fan of the Caribbean Princess because I think it gets too crowded (sailed her twice). We loved the Golden Princess. I think food was a bit better on Princess and the entertainment at night is more varied.

 

We like RCCL too and think that RCCL, HAL, Princess, and Celebrity are all fairly comparable. We like one thing about one line - and something else about another.

 

We've also found that the age of the cruisers goes way up with a longer cruise - and with any cruise not in the Caribbean. We've done several cruises longer than 10 days (Med, Baltic, Transatlantic, and Southern Carib) and none of them had many younger people.

 

And, of course, time of year increases the number of kids - Spring break is brutal. :eek:

[cruisin' friends]

"It always amazes me how we can sometimes have such different experiences..."

 

 

I would like to hear anyone that was on the Caribbean Princess cruise to NE/Canada Oct 1 to say that they did not observe crowding problems. I was not saying Princess cruises in general have crowding problems. The one I was on sure did. I was stepped on from behind while walking and tripped, walked into and pushed. I had to get to the theatre a half hour before the show only to have rude people come in and stand in front of me. I'm sure crowding is not a problem on other Princess ships but I have no desire to find out. Like someone said "if it ain't broke don't fix it". I will stay with RCCL.

 

 

I think it's funny that some people compare the cruise lines bysaying that RCCL ship are more luxurios and have better beds- but the pizza is better on Princess. Gee, would I like a more luxorious ship with better rooms or a drab, overcrowded ship with better pizza?

 

Flatiron

 

I was on that sailing and I don't think it was that crowded most of the time. This was our first time on Princess and to be honest, I liked it much better than the two RCCL cruises I have been on before, but no where near as well as DCL or Celebrity. The beds were comfortable with the egg crate addition. I didn't like the shower.

 

The food was one of my biggest complaints, except for the Chef's Table and the pizza. There were a lot of older people and only 20 kids (I asked). The only times I had issues with crowds were a couple times by the photo area and at disembarkation. This seemed to be a mess to me. The other problem was getting off the ship in Boston. The photographers caused major backups (and near accidents) with the moving sidewalk. We avoided the buffet, not just because of the food but also the flow of the area was not good. I wouldn't say overcrowded, just not well laid out. I thought the ship was very nice looking and elegant.

 

This is why I always tell people reading reviews of ships or itineraries does not always give you the best impression. Apparently a lot of you like the food better on Princess than RCCL, while I found it the opposite. A lot of the complaints and compliments here are opinions, personal opinions. Mileage may vary.

[roe2ship]

"It always amazes me how we can sometimes have such different experiences..."

 

 

I would like to hear anyone that was on the Caribbean Princess cruise to NE/Canada Oct 1 to say that they did not observe crowding problems.

 

 

 

Flatiron

While the Cananda itinerary on the Caribbean Princess has comments about crowding issues, keep in mind there ARE still some reviews over on the Princess boards where the issue doesn't really exist beyond normal prime times in specific areas. Everyone has a different perspective on it and how they handle it.

[Maraprince]

Princess has some advantages over RCCL in the variety of food offered via the different stations in the buffet areas. Most newbies make the mistake of stopping at the first food station they encounter without realizing that just like on RCCL different sections have different offerings.

 

Pizza is full slice size and not the mini offered on RCCL. No room service charges either. Hot, just oven baked cookies are offered in the Piaza area along with milk. This section is somewhat akin to the Promenade Cafe on RCCL.

 

What I really dislike with RCCL is that the majority of the shows are before dinner for late sitting. But what really gets me, they are not at the same time -- 7PM, 7:30PM, etc. Plus, some are only about 1/2 hr.

 

Princess repeats 2 of 3 production shows at least 3 times to allow passengers to do more than one thing at night.

 

In the Piaza area, there is entertainment at various times.

 

Better prizes for trivia on Princess.

 

MARAPRINCE

[The Big Booper]

If someone primarily cruises one line then they get used to that line and don't see problems wherein people who move around between lines see issues that one-line passengers never see.

 

The bottom line, the 4 super grand Princess ships carry the same number of people as the 5 Explorer type RCI ships but are almost 20% smaller in GRT volume and almost 100 feet shorter. By the basic laws of physics they will be more crowded then the Explorer.

 

Similarly, the M Celebrity ships and the Radiance RCI ships ae built on the same hull but the Ms carry 150-200 fewer people so the Ms will be less crowded.

 

The theater on the CB holds 800 people and the Explorer theater holds 1,300. I have never seen many standees on the Explorer while there are always loads of standees, etc on the CB.

 

It would be interesting to get a count of the number of seats in the MDRs and main buffet areas on various classes of ships of the different lines; probably old issues of Cruise Travel Magazine.

 

And ANYBODY who lives in the NY metro area knows that ALL cruise ship pizza is flavored cardboard compared to Tony's or 3 Boys Pizza place around the corner.

[roe2ship]

If someone primarily cruises one line then they get used to that line and don't see problems wherein people who move around between lines see issues that one-line passengers never see.

 

The bottom line, the 4 super grand Princess ships carry the same number of people as the 5 Explorer type RCI ships but are almost 20% smaller in GRT volume and almost 100 feet shorter. By the basic laws of physics they will be more crowded then the Explorer.

 

Similarly, the M Celebrity ships and the Radiance RCI ships ae built on the same hull but the Ms carry 150-200 fewer people so the Ms will be less crowded.

 

The theater on the CB holds 800 people and the Explorer theater holds 1,300. I have never seen many standees on the Explorer while there are always loads of standees, etc on the CB.

 

It would be interesting to get a count of the number of seats in the MDRs and main buffet areas on various classes of ships of the different lines; probably old issues of Cruise Travel Magazine.

 

And ANYBODY who lives in the NY metro area knows that ALL cruise ship pizza is flavored cardboard compared to Tony's or 3 Boys Pizza place around the corner.

In a prior post you said you were never on the CB, in this post you say there are loads of standees in the theater, how do you know this??:confused:

[The Big Booper]

In a prior post you said you were never on the CB, in this post you say there are loads of standees on the theater, how do you know this??:confused:

 

I have 6 long-time clients who cruise primarily Princess, plus we have been on the Grand twice. They all tell me they go the theater very early to avoid having to stand and there always loads of standees. A constant complaint.

 

We primarily do RCI and Celebrity and there are never standees except for a few people who slip in late, watch a bit of the show and slip out.

 

I like to photograph the shows, as anyone can tell who looks at my albums on Webshots (advt):D. We always come in 5-10 minutes before the show begins, and find a seat either at the rear center of the lower level or center balcony near the control panels. Never a problem.

 

We once wanted to see a hypnotist on the Grand, got there 30 minutes early and still had to stand and lean against something. Not acceptable at all, especially for somebody like me with leg circulatory issues.

[cruisinfanatic]

The Caribbean Princess (CB) carries 3,100 at full occupancy and 3,700 full occupancy. This is comparable to the passenger load of the Explorer except that the Explorer is 80 feet longer and 24,000 GRT bigger, so the crowding is to be expected. Plus Princess sections off a large part of the pool deck for "The Sanctuary" where you pay for your lounger; this area doesn't hold many people but takes up valuable pool real estate, causing even more crowding in the other pool areas. The theater on the CB holds 500 people less then the Explorer's theater.

 

This is why we have never taken the CB and we love cruising out of NY, no air !!!

 

The Grand Princess, which we have been on, is a better design with not such a high crowd factor. The CB and it's 3 sisters are essentially the Grand Princess with another full passenger deck and not one more inch of common area. This philosophy came about after Carnival scarfed up Princess (and HAL).

 

The two new Princess ships coming in 2013 and 2014 will hold as many people as the Freedom class (3,600 double) but will be the size of the Explorer. More of the same.

The Grand is not a better design than her later sisters. Been on both and I can assure you it's a whole lot easier to navigate on the CB for example.

[cruisinfanatic]

 

The age group was much older. I am 63 and I mean much older. All the bars and clubs were empty by 11PM. I experienced quite a bit of "rude' people on this cruise.

 

That's because of where you went, not because it was a Princess ship. RCL is pretty old on that Canada itinerary too.

[RhondaC]

This is why I always tell people reading reviews of ships or itineraries does not always give you the best impression. Apparently a lot of you like the food better on Princess than RCCL' date=' while I found it the opposite. A lot of the complaints and compliments here are opinions, personal opinions. Mileage may vary.[/quote']

 

I completely agree! I personally love RCCL ships -- but a friend of mine (who has been on 2 of them) doesn't like them as much. Everyone's different, and we look at things differently. I guess that's why there is so much variety in cruise lines and ships!

 

I have not been on Princess yet, but really really want to try them next year (maybe Alaska?) :)

[The Big Booper]

That's because of where you went, not because it was a Princess ship. RCL is pretty old on that Canada itinerary too.

 

DW retired from the schools June 2005, they gave her a big package to take early retirement.

 

We celebrated by taking the newly stretched Enchantment out of Boston to Canada and New England in early Sept. that year. Not as bad as HAL but mostly seniors.

 

It all depends on when and where you cruise.

 

We had a youngish 30-40s crowd on the Solstice June 2010, 7 days out of Port Everglades. I am waiting to see what we get on the Silhouette this Dec 12th.

[KKB]

And ANYBODY who lives in the NY metro area knows that ALL cruise ship pizza is flavored cardboard compared to Tony's or 3 Boys Pizza place around the corner.

 

Now I won't even BEGIN to say the pizza on cruise ships compares to NYC (or Chicago) pizza...but it is FAR FAR better than Tony's!:p

[roe2ship]

I have 6 long-time clients who cruise primarily Princess, plus we have been on the Grand twice. They all tell me they go the theater very early to avoid having to stand and there always loads of standees. A constant complaint.

 

We primarily do RCI and Celebrity and there are never standees except for a few people who slip in late, watch a bit of the show and slip out.

 

I like to photograph the shows, as anyone can tell who looks at my albums on Webshots (advt):D. We always come in 5-10 minutes before the show begins, and find a seat either at the rear center of the lower level or center balcony near the control panels. Never a problem.

 

We once wanted to see a hypnotist on the Grand, got there 30 minutes early and still had to stand and lean against something. Not acceptable at all, especially for somebody like me with leg circulatory issues.

 

I really surprised you had that problem on the Grand because when some do experience crowding at the theater it is on the super grand class ships, not on the Grand class. Again, I think sometimes it has to do with the clientele on board that specific cruise. A much older clientele do things much differently.

 

I have never had a problem coming into the theater 15 minutes prior to showtime.

 

The theater on the Voyager class ships also has lots of columns therefore many seats are not usable as they block your view to the front stage. Also, Princess has more variety of evening entertainment, this spreads out pax to the theater and different lounges.

 

Honestly, I think some exaggerate the issue. If someone doesn’t find a lounger 2 feet from the pool, they say it’s too crowded. If someone doesn’t find a seat in the first three rows in the theater, it’s too crowded. If they don’t find a chair waiting for them at the buffet, it’s too crowded.

 

Reality is all mass market ships will have a time within one’s cruise where there are some minor crowding issues. Now how well one can tolerate it is another story.

[crazy4themouse]

The age group was much older. I am 63 and I mean much older. All the bars and clubs were empty by 11PM.

 

 

I know a bunch of people have said that it's the itinerary, not the ship or line that makes a difference there, but that was not my experience. I sailed on the Grand Princess, out of here in Texas, over Spring Break, on a Western Caribbean itinerary. I had heard reports that Princess attracted an older crowd as far as the other Galveston ships went, and I was joking that I was going to be trapped with a bunch of 70 year olds. (I'm 45, for reference.) The 70 year olds turned out to be the KIDS -- and they brought their parents!! Holy cow, it would have made a nursing home look like Chuck E Cheese. :p

 

The cruise itself was fine, and the stateroom was fine, and the food was fine, and it was all just sort of... fine. Not *wow*. That was my one and only venture into Princess cruising -- I'm sticking with RCI and DCL from now on. :)

 

 

 

 

The nightlife on DCL was DEAD DEAD DEAD after 10:30...We danced until 2AM most nights on Princess w/ a fairly crowded disco...RCCL went late, but was never very crowded.

 

 

This is so funny to me, because I had WAY more fun until way later in the night on DCL over RCI or Princess. Just so much fun every night, every cruise on the Magic. Definitely interesting how different all our experiences can be! :D

 

 

-gina-

 

 

[kborth]

We just got back from a NE/Canada cruise on Caribbean Princess. We wanted this cruise and were debating Explorer or Caribbean Princess. We have been on Explorer for 3 of our 7 RCCL cruises on Soveriegn, Mariner and Enchantment. The reason we wanted to try Princess was the itinerary. They stopped at Newport and we wanted to see the Mansions, plus we have been to Portland a few times. I heard good and bad on these boards but wanted to see for myself.

 

We had a good cruise and the ship was alright but, it was not, in my opinion, as good a RCCL. The only area I would say Princess was better was with the food in the dinning room. That is just the food. They have 3 dinning rooms that are pretty plain. I had a good waiter and assistant but they never introduced themselves. They just served and never sang or did any of those things they do on RCCL.

 

I see the WOW factor mentioned here many times. After this cruise I have a better understanding of what this means. This ship was just not as nice. The ship just did not have anything that would stand out, the centrum area was small and plain, the dining rooms were smaller and actually drab compared to Explorer.

 

Caribbean Princess has 3,200 passengers however the public areas, shops, bars, buffet, etc. are not big enough for this many people. I really had a problem with crowds.

 

The age group was much older. I am 63 and I mean much older. All the bars and clubs were empty by 11PM. I experienced quite a bit of "rude' people on this cruise.

 

The entertainment was about the same. RCCL slightly better. The entertainment in the clubs was good but a group would play for about 1 hour and that was it?

 

We had a mini-suite and the rooms were comparable.

 

I guess when you get used to one cruise line like we are with RCCL it's difficult to switch. We did not feel as at home as we do on RCCL. I read on these boards that you will be much more "pampered" on Princess. I didn't see that at all. Like I said, I wanted to see for myself and based on that I am sticking to RCCL in the future. If it becomes a question of the cruise line or the itinerary, I'll take the cruise line.

 

Flatiron

I had the same experience and would not try Princess again.Wait and wait for anytime dining, staff not friuendly, holes in bedding and ship just not as clean.Too many people on this ship

[Jenbo57]

I am torn on Alaska. Princess does Glacier Bay and RCI/Celebrity do not!

What do people suggest?

 

For sure choose an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay. Celebrity goes to Hubbard Glacier, which is stunning it its own right, but in my opinion nothing can compare to Glacier Bay. We've visited GB on both Holland America and Norwegian, and both were excellent cruises. I'd probably give the edge to HAL, if only because the itinerary included Sitka (our favorite port).

 

The thing to remember is that Alaska is the star here, not the cruise line, ship, etc. I'd go up there on and old tugboat and be as happy as a clam...

[The Big Booper]

I really surprised you had that problem on the Grand because when some do experience crowding at the theater it is on the super grand class ships, not on the Grand class. Again, I think sometimes it has to do with the clientele on board that specific cruise. A much older clientele do things much differently.

 

I agree, the Grand was not like the Super-Grands, based on what my peeps told me. i think somebody told me that the hypnotist was really popular and everybody wanted to see him at that performance.

 

I have never had a problem coming into the theater 15 minutes prior to showtime.

 

The theater on the Voyager class ships also has lots of columns therefore many seats are not usable as they block your view to the front stage. Also, Princess has more variety of evening entertainment, this spreads out pax to the theater and different lounges.0

 

I know about the columns, that is why having 1300 seats on a 3100 pax ship lets most people avoid the columns.

 

Honestly, I think some exaggerate the issue. If someone doesn’t find a lounger 2 feet from the pool, they say it’s too crowded. If someone doesn’t find a seat in the first three rows in the theater, it’s too crowded. If they don’t find a chair waiting for them at the buffet, it’s too crowded.

 

Reality is all mass market ships will have a time within one’s cruise where there are some minor crowding issues. Now how well one can tolerate it is another story.

 

If Royal and Celebrity ever leave Bayonne for a year and the only game in town is Princess then I might try the CB. When the new Royal Princess is delivered and if it sails out of NY I might try it. But based on what I have read it will carry as many people as the Freedom class but be marginally bigger then the Explorer. And we consider the Freedom crowded in the summer when the kids are on it in force.

[Maraprince]

If someone primarily cruises one line then they get used to that line and don't see problems wherein people who move around between lines see issues that one-line passengers never see.

 

The bottom line, the 4 super grand Princess ships carry the same number of people as the 5 Explorer type RCI ships but are almost 20% smaller in GRT volume and almost 100 feet shorter. By the basic laws of physics they will be more crowded then the Explorer.

 

Similarly, the M Celebrity ships and the Radiance RCI ships ae built on the same hull but the Ms carry 150-200 fewer people so the Ms will be less crowded.

 

The theater on the CB holds 800 people and the Explorer theater holds 1,300. I have never seen many standees on the Explorer while there are always loads of standees, etc on the CB.

 

It would be interesting to get a count of the number of seats in the MDRs and main buffet areas on various classes of ships of the different lines; probably old issues of Cruise Travel Magazine.

 

And ANYBODY who lives in the NY metro area knows that ALL cruise ship pizza is flavored cardboard compared to Tony's or 3 Boys Pizza place around the corner.

 

 

This due primarily to the misconception that there is only a one- time performance of 2 of the 3 production shows. Passengers don't necessarily get the information given to them that if you miss the first presentation of the production show, you have the chance/opportunity to see it again. Panic sets in and everyone rushes in the last minute trying to find a seat.

We've been on sailing on both CB and Explorer where one person will hold 8-10 seats and the very last minute only part of the group shows up and the seats remain empty because no one wants to crawl over them to get into the seats.

We learned not to be shy and ask up front if the seat is taken. Also, we will split up and take a seat where it exists. Many times the seats in the middle of the row go empty because no one wants to make the effort to get to them.

Not all pizza is created equal! Carnival and Princess both serve the full size slice and feature a special of the day along with the standard cheese and saugage pizza. RCCL has almost a finger food size slice and unless you get in right out of the oven, not the greatest!

MARAPRINCE

[Desertbelle]

One of my biggest complaints about Princess is the over-crowded showrooms and missing shows because of no seats. I can't understand designing a cruise ship so badly.

[Gilpet]

We cruised Great Britain and Iceland on Crown Princess in June of this year......it was our first and last cruise with Princess. I agree with the poster who said that all the ceilings seem low, I felt the same way, and also it always seemed quite dark and enclosed when compared to RCI but this is not the reason we will not sail with them again. I think that we will all agree that the staff/crew have a huge impact on your enjoyment of the cruise - our first night on Crown Princess in the MDR our waitress was rude and argumentative, neither we nor the others at our table could believe it! This was all over a "well done" steak that was very pink in the middle. We hadn't made a fuss and didn't send the steak back (I ate around the outside) just commented on it when she cleared the table.............unbelievable! We also thought that everything was very disorganised and not up to the standard of RCI. We also found the customer services desk staff to be unhelpful and unreliable.

 

In answer to the bed query - after practically no sleep on the first night because the bed was so hard, I spoke to our stateroom attendant (very helpful, friendly and attentive) and he added a mattress topper Which was a great improvement.

 

We aren't normally "complainers" and are usually willing to give anything a second chance but I'm afraid Princess is the exception - we might consider it if they offered us a free cruise but would never pay to travel with them again!!!

 

Gill

[cruisinfanatic]

One of my biggest complaints about Princess is the over-crowded showrooms and missing shows because of no seats. I can't understand designing a cruise ship so badly.

you could go earlier