Navigator of the Seas vs. Caribbean Princess

[SamboniMan]

Hi fellow cruisers,

 

Does anyone have feedback about which ship is best for the same itinerary out of Texas in March? We have sailed both RCI and Princess. For this itinerary in mid-March, NOS is a few hundred less but I really love Princess. There will be four of us: Husband, Me, Grammy and 10 year old son. Son says that there is more to do on NOS. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you!

[Clarea]

Navigator is scheduled to have completed a major dry dock in Feb 2014. One of the attractions your son might enjoy is the Flowrider.

[SamboniMan]

Navigator is scheduled to have completed a major dry dock in Feb 2014. One of the attractions your son might enjoy is the Flowrider.

 

Yes we did that on the Oasis. Thank you for the dry dock information. That may be the deal breaker to go with NOS! :)

[Cindy]

I've not been on the Navigator or the Caribbean Princess, but I've cruised on Mariner, Voyager, and Grand Princess multiple times at Spring Break from Galveston. With a 10-year old, Navigator would easily get my vote.

[DonnaK]

We've been on the Caribbean Princess twice, and although we really enjoyed those cruises, the ship seemed very crowded compared to RCI Voyager class ships (space to passenger ratio) and the ship/entertainment didn't have the same WOW factor. While we wouldn't hesitate to sail Princess or the CB again, our first choice will always be an RCI ship (Voyager-class and above)

[dfishner]

I have been on both prefer NOS overall but did feel the food on Princess was better. I am partial to NOS that is the one RCCL ship we have been on many times.

[Ladysilver]

We also considered these same two ships and itinerary before we decided on the Navigator. The deciding factor was the balconys on the Princess ship look down on each other instead of straight down to the water. We spend a lot of time on our balcony so we didn't like that at all.

[villauk]

Sailed on both, our kids would definitely prefer NOS. I didn't like the enclosed feel of the MDR on the Caribbean Princess, no views or connection with the sea.

[ClassicalSax]

Hi fellow cruisers,

 

Does anyone have feedback about which ship is best for the same itinerary...

Having been on both - would prefer NOS - Voyager class has better lay out and venues. Service was comparable on both.

[Alphadah]

We have sailed on NOS several times and CP once. The major difference that we experienced was the lack of public space on CP. There just seemed to be fewer places to hang out and fewer entertainment options. The promenade deck is much narrower on CP than on NOS and there is nothing that rivals the expansiveness of the NOS Royal Promenade. On CP, in order to go from one place to another its necessary to go through different spaces, there is no "main street" to get from one end of the ship to the other. We had the misfortune of experiencing a fair amount of bad weather when we went on CP and there was no place for people to go. We wound up spending a lot more time in our cabin that we would have liked.

[RevSmith]

Hi fellow cruisers,

 

Does anyone have feedback about which ship is best for the same itinerary out of Texas in March? We have sailed both RCI and Princess. For this itinerary in mid-March,. NOS is a few hundred less but I really love Princess. There will be four of us: Husband, Me, Grammy and 10 year old son. Son says that there is more to do on NOS. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you!

 

Both are great ships and both are tops on my list. There are very few differences. Lido is better than Windjammer. Pizza is better on Princess. There are more pools on Princess. Italian restaurant is better on Princess, Internet is better

Cabins are larger on RCI, There is also a sitting area in the regular cabins and a lot more storage space, service is better on RCI Steak house is Better on RCI, Shows are better on RCI and Children's programs are better on RCI. Also if you are going to Labadee it is a lot better than Princesses private island.

 

Now you decide.

[FLACRUISER99]

I have been on both prefer NOS overall but did feel the food on Princess was better. I am partial to NOS that is the one RCCL ship we have been on many times.

I also have been on both several times and agree with you 100%, I will add their is no comparison between entertainment on the ships NOS has the wonderful Ice show and Caribbean Princess has a theater that's too small for the ship and you need to arrive at least an half hour early to get a seat!

[LittleMissMagic]

Coming from someone who has sailed both Princess and Royal Caribbean and had positive experiences with both, I think your son would have more to do on the Navigator of the Seas. It has an ice rink, rock wall, basketball court, mini golf, the new flow rider, and a new outdoor movie theater. Plus, the ship will have just gotten out of dry dock, so it will look really good. The only features on the Caribbean Princess for a 10-year-old to enjoy are the outdoor movie screen and swimming pool. If the itineraries are the same and the Navigator of the Seas is less expensive, then I'd go with that one. Not to mention, it sounds like your son would enjoy it. Give Royal Caribbean a shot!

[George C]

Hi fellow cruisers,

 

Does anyone have feedback about which ship is best for the same itinerary out of Texas in March? We have sailed both RCI and Princess. For this itinerary in mid-March, NOS is a few hundred less but I really love Princess. There will be four of us: Husband, Me, Grammy and 10 year old son. Son says that there is more to do on NOS. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you!

 

I just was looking at both and booked RCCL, we sailed on Caribbean and Crown Princess ships and found them way to crowded missed most of the shows since show rooms were way to small, saw fight on saving seats. Rccl is a little bigger with more things to do and never seemed crowded, also compared the prices on the mini suites and RCCL was much lower since we get a 55 and older discount and diamond discount ( I believe RCCL mini suites are also bigger) Love that both ships will be sailing year round from Texas

[Jimnbigd]

I'd go with the Navigator. It departs on Sunday, so you can fly in on Saturday, stay overnight in Houston or Galveston, and fly home after the cruise. Princess departs on Saturday, so you'd have to fly in on Friday and take an extra vacation day, or chance it and fly in the day of the cruise (not recommended).

 

One plus (perhaps) for Princess is that it is using the new (well, sort of new but hardly used) Bayport terminal which is closer to the Houston Bush (north) airport. If going on the Navigator from Galveston, try to fly into Houston Hobby (the south airport) -- Southwest Airlines still has no bag fees. Ground transportation from Houston (either airort) to the ship is often not cheap.

 

Don't book too early a return flight. After 1pm should be OK.

[The Big Booper]

The 4 Princess Super-Grands (CB, Crown, Emerald and Ruby) all carry the same number of passengers as the Voyagers but are almost 20% smaller, 113 GRT vs. 138 GRT. This is most apparent in public spaces such as the theater and secondary showrooms. And when it rains and people are forced inside.....

 

We went on the Grand Princess and felt it was OK but a Super-Grand is the Grand with an extra deck of cabins (500 extra people) and no additional public space.

[austinlw]

I can tell you our reasons for booking Navigator rather than CP out of Galveston this coming February:

 

We have been on Princess 4 times and RCI 3 times. Our last 2 Caribbean cruises were on Princess in late fall of 2011 and 2012 because of the interesting itineraries (out of FLL) and the deals we received. While we really enjoyed those Princess cruises, found them very relaxing, and thought the MDR food was generally a bit superior to our RCI cruises, we have concluded that we have had more fun on RCI ships, so we are ready to return to RCI for this one out of Galveston (which we can drive to). The price difference between Navigator and CP and the upcoming Nav refurb only serve to reinforce that decision, given that they will be visiting the same ports.

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

I have cruised aboard both the Navigator of the Seas (in 2011) and the Caribbean Princess (in 2009). I would choose the Navigator of the Seas because there is much more to do (Royal Promenade, ice shows, etc.). Also, the Navigator will have recently completed a major refurbishment prior to your cruise.

 

Chuck

[bigeagle12]

Navigator hands down if itinerary is the same. If itineraries were different then I would say go for the best itinerary. Both are great ships.

 

 

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[Cruzin-K]

With four of you I'd say Navigator for sure. It's just a more fun ship, I think.

 

I only chose Princess because I can't afford to sail on the Navigator by myself :(

[SamboniMan]

Thanks everyone! I think we have decided on Navigator of the Seas based on everyone's feedback (and the fact that it is going into dry dock).

 

Much appreciated...

[Llmtax2000]

It sounds like you've already made up your mind -- but to "pile on," my DD was very frustrated on the Princess ships with the small number of children on board, even during a spring break caribbean run.

 

I did like the self-serve laundromats on Princess, though, and the fact that I didn't have to re-enter my credit card every time I added a "pre-cruise planner" item. But neither of those outweighs an unhappy child!

[LittleMissMagic]

Congrats on your cruise! I hope that you have a great time on the Navigator of the Seas!