Thinking of giving Princess a try,,,

[SpeedsterX]

Done RC once and Carnival 3 times. My group of 4 are thinking of trying something new. We're all in our mid to late 40's and very active. We're looking at a 7 day to Aruba in Feb. on the Crown Princess.

 

What do you all think? Can someone share the main differences between the Cruise lines? Thank you for any info you can share.

[Steviewonder1]

Princess is upscale at a reasonable cost. Excursions offered are good, and there are alternatives to do some on your own. Food has always been very good for us. Have sailed on the Crown and now doing it's Twin in just a few days. We have Several Cruises on Princess and will be Platinum after this cruise. Check their website for all the additional perks that Frequent Cruising can bring. Booking PH Suites gets you 2 credits per cruise instead of 1. Their EZ-Air has great pricing to get to the Cruise whether in the US or other parts of the world. You will match many of the demographics of folks on the ships. It is not a "Party Ship" like Carnival (which we have done 4 times in the past). We have chosen Princess for the Destinations and Time to get to those destinations. If you choose to book Princess, then get back here on CC and join the Board for your cruise. Ours has more than 1200 Posts and 23,000 reads for the upcoming cruise along with a ton of planning and tracking all of that.

 

Good Luck

Steve

[USNUZULOOSE]

We are also trying Princess for the first time this month. I went on a BVE and liked what I saw. I felt a little more relaxed on Princess, we have sailed Carnival 3 times. I go on Carnival and feel it is more a party scene. I like activities. But I will give a review when I return.

[BRANDEE]

Done RC once and Carnival 3 times. My group of 4 are thinking of trying something new. We're all in our mid to late 40's and very active. We're looking at a 7 day to Aruba in Feb. on the Crown Princess.

 

What do you all think? Can someone share the main differences between the Cruise lines? Thank you for any info you can share.

We cruised RCC, Carnival, Celebrity and Home Line before our first Princess. We never went back. At the time we were in our 40's and Princess just felt right. We enjoy their itinerary and most important their customer service. We have met some fantastic crew members, who we see again and again on cruises and they really make you feel at home. The ship activity is more relaxed but off the ship depends on the tours you choose. We love the grand class, which Crown is part of. If a balcony is important to you, look into caribe deck, which has bigger balconies. We find the Cabins to be just fine. The food is usually pretty good and we still go to the MD for dinner. We like the same waiter..more fun. The grand class ships have more deck and pool area than the newer Royal and also the new Norwegian Cruise ship. This will be a plus on a warm weather itinerary. (Did the Royal in July in Europe) I wasn't totally thrilled with my last cruise with Princess..it was the ship design, not the crew or itinerary. They were great!! So back to the grand class for me. I'm booked on the Emerald to the Southern Caribbean in March. Our 12 with Princess). The average age of the Princess cruiser usually depends on the itinerary and length of cruise. However, overall younger than 20 years ago. BTW, age is only a number!!

[sunsetbeachgal]

I find Princess in General to be very comparable to Royal Caribbean. We love them both, but we cruise a lot more on Princess because we have more loyalty status on them. We enjoy the food, the service levels are quite good and we like the entertainment, although that is an area where I feel RC has the upper hand. There is a nice variety of entertainment on Princess. Oh, and did I say that Princess has outstanding pizza!!!

[AZbeachboy]

We have six cruises each on CCL and Princess and two on RCL. Royal Carib was nice, nice ship and facilities, but we did not feel the staff was as friendly as the other two. Special request were more difficult to get. The DR service was not as good on either as the other two.

 

On Carnival it seems they have been to restrictive in their policies. Checking the towels out at the pool, you wait in line. I am sure a lot of people had taken them and that is why they do it now, but sometimes the wait was 20 minutes because they checked out other equipment as well. Some don't like their food, but I think that and the DR service beats both Princess and RCL.

 

Their ships are not as nice as Princess and their are more adult spaces on the Grand Class ship for adults. I feel more comfortable with Princess. They are much more amenable to special request and I think more helpful. The food is not that much different that Carnivals, Carnivals has lowed the quality somewhat it seems to me. When we have had problems with the cabin, Princess has had a better response at fixing the problem.

 

I hope this helps.

[Scotchick]

My husband and I are in our 60's and pride ourselves in enjoying all age groups. We used to sail on only Celebrity, but found this cruise line to be a bit more staid and stuck in a certain time zone. Since sailing with Princess, we feel right at home. We particularly like the aft swimming pool, International Café and MUTS (movies, concerts, sports under the stars). We are just about ready to take off on a 21 day cruise to S.E. Asia and can't wait. I feel that Princess gives us more choices than some of the other lines. :):):)

[fnewman]

Princess vs Carnival : As an engineer, I am always looking critically at the visible quality of maintenance of each ship. No question that, for those I have sailed, Princess has a better maintained fleet. I can't see everything, of course, but trust that what I can see is representative of the entire ship.

[Blk_Amish]

Done RC once and Carnival 3 times. My group of 4 are thinking of trying something new. We're all in our mid to late 40's and very active. We're looking at a 7 day to Aruba in Feb. on the Crown Princess.

 

What do you all think? Can someone share the main differences between the Cruise lines? Thank you for any info you can share.

 

I am a active in my late 40's. I walk 20 miles most weekends and at least 30 miles each week. If you are active and enjoyed the energy level on RC and Carnival, then Princess might be a bit on the boring side. One too many classes or sit down demonstrations.

 

The Princess ships are visually stunning, with much attention paid to detail. The food I preferred on RC and Carnival but loved the buffet on Princess. Afternoon Tea should be on the top of your must try. MUTS, Movie Under The Stars was nice expect when it turned to MADD- Movie All Darn Day, Disney at that. I have sailed RC 8x, and I find the staff to be very friendly verses more cordial on Princess. RCL has many staff members from the Caribbean giving off the good ole island vibe, for me anyways. Princess tends to draw an overall more mature older crowd.

 

If you are looking for a change and something new, then you are right on giving Princess a try. Enjoy!

[JF - retired RRT]

Something no one has mentioned: Princess allows the various OBC to be combined. If you are a veteran and a shareholder, that can be a big deal. The OBC for those is 50 (for short cruises), 100 (for medium) & 250 (for longer than 2 weeks). Example: 15 day Hawaii cruise nets you $500. Plus any other OBC that you get from Princess or your TA.

Not specifically about the ships but money counts, too:D

[Tom O.]

As someone else said, the age of the passengers depends on the destination. Beach itineraries have a younger crowd, while Alaska and other cool weather destinations have an older crowd. This is true on all cruise lines.

But, the age of your fellow passengers only matters if you choose to interact with them. If you like doing lots of onboard activities, it might be of some concern. For me, it makes no difference, because I choose not to do any onboard activities. Just about the only time I interact with other passengers is in the dining rooms.

With Princess, for dinner, you can choose whether to have traditional fixed time dining or anytime dining. I have done both, and they each have their advantages. I won't get into the dining choices here, as there are lots of threads with discussions over which is better.

By the way, Princess is owned by Carnival, but, they are run as separate companies.

[sassyredhat]

My husband and I are in our 60's and pride ourselves in enjoying all age groups. Since sailing with Princess, we feel right at home. We particularly like the aft swimming pool, International Café and MUTS (movies, concerts, sports under the stars). :):)

 

Agreed......CCL seems too rowdy--for lack of a better word---for us, although we will probably sail their short cruises again.

 

RCI Radiance is our favorite ship, but at this stage, PCL fits the bill. IMO, PCL has fewer daytime activities, but if your cruise is port intensive, then it may not matter.

 

CCL has larger balcony cabins and great beds, but PCL has a fabulous closet arrangement.

We found the food to be similar, with the edge to PCL. We found no bathing suits in Lido buffet or groups of drunk 20-30 yr olds on PCL, although there may be exceptions.

We had good crew service on both RCI and CCL, but PCL is outstanding.

Pat

[OCruisers]

Done RC once and Carnival 3 times. My group of 4 are thinking of trying something new. We're all in our mid to late 40's and very active. We're looking at a 7 day to Aruba in Feb. on the Crown Princess.

 

Crown Princess is a good ship for your first Princess cruise! We've cruised on Crown several times and always enjoyed being on her. In fact, we are booked on Crown in January with the same itinerary you are considering.

 

While we still cruise on other lines from time to time (including RCCL & Carnival), Princess is our favorite and the one we most often cruise. It's the best fit for us. :)

 

If we had not tried Princess, we wouldn't have known this.

You'll never really know, until you take a Princess cruise and see for your own self. ;)

 

LuLu

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[gracie65]

I'm Platinum on Carnival, have done two RCCL and will soon be doing my 4th on Princess.

In my 14 Carnival sailings I have never experienced a rowdy crowd. I have sailed in the fall, winter, and end of summer but never spring break. I think from what I have read it may be a bit too rowdy during that time.

I have had better food and service on many Carnival ships over the other. Same for Princess and RCCL. I have just felt more at home on Princess then RCCL. I think the layout of the deck plans is more similar on Carnival and Princess.

Never have I had a bad cruise even last year on The Crown when our ship had to return do to the Noro outbreak.

I think we were like you wanting something new and different to us and Princess seems to be a good fit. I love The Crown Grill and Sabitini's.

Would I still sail Carnival, yes if the itinerary, ship and date all worked. I would love to see some of these do some different islands on a 7 night instead of the same old places I have been to several times.

[likestorelax]

I have sailed carnival, celebrity and Princess. Princess is my favorite because the ships are just beautiful. I find lots of activities I like to attend. Often I have trouble choosing what evening entertainment I want to go to. Food on all ships is OK-When you cook for thousands it can only be so special. Just love the New York Style Pizza at the pool and think the specialty restaurants are worth the extra price too. Overall I feel service on all the cruise lines has gone down hill over the years, likely due to cost cut backs. On princess saw empty plates, cups rolling around deck by the pool. Had a bartender reading a magazine and didn't notice me standing at her bar. Cabin stewards have all been top notch.-We are in our 40s and 50s and aren't partiers. Princess suits my style. My husband feels celebrity offers classier service, better food. I have enjoyed my Carnival cruises too but just prefer Princess.

[MauiLvrs]

We are also trying Princess for the first time this month. I went on a BVE and liked what I saw. ... But I will give a review when I return.

 

If you're not having a great time by the M&G ... say something and I'm sure that one of us will point you in the right direction ;)

[pakarinen]

Never have I had a bad cruise even last year on The Crown when our ship had to return do to the Noro outbreak.

 

We were on that sailing also and I have to say that the Crown is a beautiful ship and the service was very good, even with the pax and crew sick. We were very happy with the food (IC was my favorite. Oink! LOL!) and we loved our balcony.

 

We were travelling with a group of ballroom dancers though and we spent most of our time on that instead of other onboard activities, so I can't comment on the casino, wine bar, etc.

[luvcdays]

Done RC once and Carnival 3 times. My group of 4 are thinking of trying something new. We're all in our mid to late 40's and very active. We're looking at a 7 day to Aruba in Feb. on the Crown Princess.

 

What do you all think? Can someone share the main differences between the Cruise lines? Thank you for any info you can share.

 

 

You will never know until you try! Passengers on Princess, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Holland America and Celebrity are all the same now a days. You will find a mix of ages, activities, and personalities on all of them.

On Princess there is always something to do whether it is an organized activity or on your own. You can go swimming, play basketball, run track, go to exercise classes or just use the gym, ping pong, paddle ball, golf simulator, bean bag toss, shuffle board, mini-golf, and dancing. They also have very active shore excursions for you also.

We love the classic decor on their ships. Whatever you decide, have fun.

[gracie65]

We were on that sailing also and I have to say that the Crown is a beautiful ship and the service was very good, even with the pax and crew sick. We were very happy with the food (IC was my favorite. Oink! LOL!) and we loved our balcony.

 

We were travelling with a group of ballroom dancers though and we spent most of our time on that instead of other onboard activities, so I can't comment on the casino, wine bar, etc.

 

 

Were you on the Roll Call for that sailing? We all missed our M&G since we boarded so late then I got locked in my cabin's bathroom for close to 2 hours. I hadn't even locked the door, a screw had fallen loose inside and jammed the lock. Even with all that happened it still wasn't a bad cruise, not the best but not bad. I did get sick and confined myself to the cabin. Luckily I had brought some phenegren with me and started taking them as soon as I started feeling sick. This was the night before we were to get to Curacao. I was actually releaved when the Captain came on and said we were headed back. I was starting to feel a bit better but not good enough to have gotten off the ship to do anything. I am sure hoping my sailing coming up on The Royal goes better!!LOL