We Are Diamond Plus With 313 Cruise Points

[Trainman-2]

I do agree with the folks on the Princess boards that the balconies on the Royal Princess seem to be a bit smaller than I am used to on RCI!

 

 

[bigeagle12]

We had a huge balcony on the Grand Princess .. think it was deck 10. Check the deck plans for Emerald .. I think there are some of the extended balconies on there too.

Edited March 25, 2015 by bigeagle12

[Tagsalong]

Cruised on the Emerald several years ago and that ship convinced us that Princess has a very good product. We ended up booking the following two weeks while on board and enjoyed 21 days on the Emerald. We have since added 19 more Princess cruises to our portfolio.

 

Last September we were on the Caribbean Princess, because of an unbelievable "on-sale" price, and discovered four other Pinnacles on board.

 

Princess is definitely our other "go to" cruise line to add variety to our cruising lifestyle. Since we cannot find any good deals on RCI these days, we will be leaving in 4 days to cruise on the Regal and then shortly after to do the Caribbean TA; both at balcony prices significantly lower than anything on RCI these days.

 

As has already been mentioned, do not miss the Trident Grill for lunch and, also, any of the lunch selections at the Piazza's International cafe. Another Princess secret is the dinning room lunch on embarkation day. They will not tell you about this when you board so you will have to seek it out, but is probably in the Di Vinci Dinning Room on Deck 6.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Edited March 25, 2015 by Tagsalong

[spunks]

Rubrrick makes a great point about Princess allowing you to stack the OBC. Perhaps a big point is lost here. On RCCL you need to accumulate cruise days to get the best benefits , but you can accumulate lots of OBC on Princess almost from the beginning. Anyone with past military service (dont have to be active duty or retired)gets the military OBC. While on board you buy future cruise credits which not only count as the next cruise deposit, but gives OBC depending on the length of the cruise and cabin selection (in other words...free money) Also stockholders benefits in OBC that you can ALWAYS use no matter the deal you got. So, second time cruisers on Princess could get 500-600-900in OBC...not a bad deal.

 

Doug

[bigeagle12]

This was the size of our balcony on Grand deck 10 C644

http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd506/Britter168/IMG_0010.jpg

[bigeagle12]

According to deck plans .. looks like Emerald has these larger balconies on deck 10 too. Check with you travel agent.

[geocruiser]

Love Emerald Princess. I favor Princess over RCCL. For a larger balcony try Caribbean deck. But I like the mini suites. I also like the food on Emerald. I like having the buffet open longer and just love IC.

 

To see the IC (food that you can get day or night look at post 91. the ship is Ruby, but it is the same as Emerald. The gelato is pay for.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1744143&highlight=ic+pictures&page=5

Edited March 25, 2015 by geocruiser

[racerxspeedy]

Back to one of the original comments from the OP.

 

Loved Princess Cay - great beach and service

 

Grand Turk - nice beach at the end of the pier, huge pool with swim up bar. Has a bit of a "spring break/Carnval" feel.

 

This might make up for the laid back ship activities.

 

 

Have a great trip.

[poncho1973]

when considered "across the fleet" can add up to big bucks.

 

I have never had a "bad" cruise with RCI

 

going to try a 5 night "Caribbean Sampler" cruise next January

 

But here is where it gets "funny"

 

Got it...

 

On only one ship.

Good time.

In the Baltic.

Didn't laugh.

Edited March 25, 2015 by poncho1973

[Aboat1]

Geocruiser,

 

Thanks for all the great pictures!

 

We are the "cruise mates" of Trainman and Judith. We appreciate the very valuable info that everyone has given to us!

 

Just wondering if 5 days is enough to get a good feel for Princess!?:confused:

[geocruiser]

Geocruiser,

 

Thanks for all the great pictures!

 

We are the "cruise mates" of Trainman and Judith. We appreciate the very valuable info that everyone has given to us!

 

Just wondering if 5 days is enough to get a good feel for Princess!?:confused:

 

 

I have never done a five day on Princess. All my Princess cruises have been 7, 10 or 14 days. We were on Regal princess this March (3/8 sailing) and all I can say about that ship is wow!

We did two 10 night on Emerald. Loved both of them. We really like the food. But every one has different tastes. You will not find hamburger or hot dogs at the buffet. They are out by the pool. Pizza has it own place too.

My DH enjoys the fish and shellfish at the buffet at lunch.

My down fall is passing by the IC and eating some sweets.

[dplusd]

I do agree with the folks on the Princess boards that the balconies on the Royal Princess seem to be a bit smaller than I am used to on RCI!

 

 

 

Trainman - I was actually referring to the balcony stateroom as being smaller than Royal. If you are used to a Royal Cat D balcony you will be disappointed with the size of the regular Princess balcony stateroom.

 

As others have previously mentioned, the larger balconies on Grand Class ships (including Emerald) are the Caribe deck...deck 10. Those balconies are about double in size and are half covered and half open above.

[Trainman-2]

Our T/A was able to book us a Handicapped Cabin. On RCI they are 50% bigger than a regular balcony cabin.

 

We will find out all about them in January.

[bigeagle12]

If you are interested it looks like there are a couple handicap balconies left on deck 10 with the large balcony.

[m4hami]

Theirs is the best .. Carnivals is pretty good too, and is availed 24 hours a day.

 

 

Love the pizza on Princess & the ice cream & pop corn right next to MUTS!

[cruiselife4me]

LMAOROTF -- got the visual for sure......as it is said -- "The grass isn't always greener on the other side, it just may be different".

 

 

And you still have to mow it!!

 

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Trainman-2]

If you are interested it looks like there are a couple handicap balconies left on deck 10 with the large balcony.

 

We have one on Deck 11 and are going to stay with it.

 

But thanks for the tip!

[critterchick]

I don't think of Princess as being any better than RCI, but I always factor in the price, and Princess wins hands down most of the time for a comparable itinerary (and saves me tons of time and money if I want to cruise from LA, since I don't have to fly to port). I struggle to find a lot of differences between the two lines, other than ship layout/decor and a more "correct" staff on Princess.

 

I like both lines. Royal has had an edge until recently. Now I'm looking forward to three Princess cruises in 2016 and 2017 after my two RCI cruises this year. I'm anticipating good cruises on both lines. They are so close, in my opinion. Like posters above have said, each line has its good/bad points.

 

Be sure to try the Princess pizza - best on the high seas.

 

We started cruising in earnest with Princess and only had an RCI cruise thrown in now and then. It was the service on RCI that made us switch to them nearly full time for several years - when the price and itinerary were nearly identical, that was the tiebreaker. Now that there is often a big price difference, especially when we just want a one week cruise from a US port and have to buy an airline ticket, Princess is in equal contention with RCI.

 

One will never know if the grass is really greener on the other side unless you have tried it.

 

I'm Pinnacle with Royal Caribbean, with just over 1300 points when we disembark the Vision of the Seas in a few weeks. Home for a week and a half, then on to the Ruby Princess for a Mexican Riviera cruise after that. I'm also Elite with Princess but only have 25 cruises with them.

 

The price for cabins on Princess seems to be a bit lower than Royal Caribbean. The suites on Princess are not that well laid out, and I much prefer any suite, GS and up on RCCL.

 

While the drinks in the lounge are not free for Elite members, I am able, with Princess to stack my stockholder credit, Elite credit, military credit, and on board booking credit, so I wind up with anywhere between $400 and $600 for a 7 day cruise. It costs me about $30.00 per night for two of us drinking in the lounge, or about $210.00 of my OBC's used. I tip cash on top of that.

I'm still left with plenty of money for gratuities, and a night out (or two) at a specialty restaurant.

 

On Royal Caribbean, the drinks are free in the DL or CL at happy hour, but our greatest problem is overcrowding in the lounges. We don't want to hog an area, but it's a much different atmosphere in a Royal Caribbean top tier lounge, than that of a Princess top tier lounge. Royal Caribbean wins that hands down.

 

Oh, one other thing about drinks on Princess vs Royal. In a Princess suite, we get 20 miniature bottles, of different varieties, which we can trade in for just vodka, for instance. So on a 7 night cruise, we can enjoy a cocktail, on Princess, in our cabin.

 

I do enjoy a cocktail in the cabin, and on most CL's on Royal, they now allow most folks to take their drinks with them, so if the CL is overcrowded, I'll get our drinks from the bartender, and then take them back to our cabin. No concierge has stopped us from doing that in the past year.

 

Well, that about covers suites, and the cocktail hour on each line.:)

 

The major plus for Royal Caribbean is the openness and friendliness of it's officers. Maybe we would see a difference leaning the other way if we had as many points on Princess, but I don't think so. As far as the attitude of the officers, Royal Caribbean beats Princess, hands down.

 

I could go on, but I'm sure that there are others here that will give their impressions, good or bad.

 

Rick

 

I don't often agree with everything you say in a single post, but you've nailed it. :)

 

For those drinks that we pay for, Princess has a stingier pour, but they also charge a lot less than RCI, especially since the new $10 pricing appeared. And you don't need to ask for the house label - an unscrupulous server may pour top shelf and try to charge you for it, but the one time it happened to me (I had even said "house") I wasn't charged for it.

 

It's always easy to find a friendly crew member to hang out with - we find that the winetenders in Vines fit the bill nicely. And we don't anguish over not being invited to dine with a senior officer, because Princess hasn't done that since we first sailed with them in 2002.:p

 

And let's not forget technology - Princess' website remembers that DH is retired Navy, so the military OBC attaches automatically to every single booking - a true thank you to veterans instead of discounting a sailing that isn't selling well, usually after final payment. And they remember our information when we check in online - all I have to do is update the airport where I want them to send my body in an emergency (it's filled in, but doesn't seem to register). Easy to do.

 

As an aside, Princess does require two years of active duty, not just "any" service - a friend who left 3 months shy of 2 years has not been able to take advantage of the OBC.

 

We don't care for the Horizon Court unless we're going at an off hour, but love the pizza and Trident Grill burgers/chicken/hot dogs offerings. Crown Grill beats the pants off of the new devalued Chops (for $25, too). Sabatini's is equal to Giovanni's Table, in my opinion. MDR food is usually better - we tend to dine later so seldom have to wait for a table if we've forgotten to make a reservation in advance. Full suites have priority, and can pretty much book any time they want. No priority based on CC level.

[Paulette3028]

I don't think of Princess as being any better than RCI, but I always factor in the price, and Princess wins hands down most of the time for a comparable itinerary (and saves me tons of time and money if I want to cruise from LA, since I don't have to fly to port). I struggle to find a lot of differences between the two lines, other than ship layout/decor and a more "correct" staff on Princess.

 

 

 

We started cruising in earnest with Princess and only had an RCI cruise thrown in now and then. It was the service on RCI that made us switch to them nearly full time for several years - when the price and itinerary were nearly identical, that was the tiebreaker. Now that there is often a big price difference, especially when we just want a one week cruise from a US port and have to buy an airline ticket, Princess is in equal contention with RCI.

 

 

 

 

What exactly do you mean by 'a more correct staff on Princess'?

[Bellalago Breeze]

[quote=Trainman-2;46043144

 

 

My next Live Report will be from the Serenade Of The Seas sailing on November 13th[/color][/b]

 

We'll also be with you on this one. See you then!

[spunks]

To bring up an earlier question.....I am not sure you can get the "flavor" of any line on a 5 day cruise....A whole different than normal crowd goes for the short cruises.

 

Doug

[caribbean sailor]

We really enjoyed out last cruise on the Allure this past January.

 

 

Read My Live Report: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2148676

 

 

I have read lots of threads moaning and groaning about RCI's decisions to reduce their costs, cut back amenities, add new cabins, and increase prices for on-board activities.

 

 

I accept as a fact of life that RCI is in business to make a profit and provide a good return on investments by its stock holders. I realize that the small decisions RCI makes to reduce expenses, when considered "across the fleet" can add up to big bucks.

 

 

I have never had a "bad" cruise with RCI and still consider what I get to be well worth the price I pay.

 

 

But, along with our best cruising friends, Kathie (aboat1) and Jack we are going to try a 5 night "Caribbean Sampler" cruise next January on the Emerald Princess.

 

 

We will visit two destinations that we have never been to.

 

 

 

 

And the ship looks nice.

 

 

 

 

But here is where it gets "funny"

 

 

I have been spending some time recently on the Princess Boards, and Guess What!

 

 

They are moaning and groaning about the same things on the Princess Boards as we are here on the RCI Boards.

 

 

I have formed a mental image of a long line of cruisers, towing their luggage from the RCI Terminal to the Princess Terminal carrying signs that say "We Are Gonna Try Princess" passing another long line of cruisers towing luggage in the opposite direction carrying signs that say "We Are Gonna Try RCI!"

 

 

Happy Cruising Everyone!

 

 

My next Live Report will be from the Serenade Of The Seas sailing on November 13th

 

 

Let me guess you own a few shares of stock.Thanks for the laugh needed that.:D

[NavyVet1959]

Variety is the spice of life ... haven't had a bad cruise yet ... the grass is green on both sides of the fence.

 

All the cruise lines are comparable .. food is subjective .. all have good ships and not so good ships .. entertainment is subjective .. grumpy people aren't happy on any ship or cruise line .. etc

 

Bottom line .. a cruise is what you make it .. do your homework before the cruise .. kick back and enjoy :-)

 

We had a saying in the Navy -- "A bitching sailor is a happy sailor"... From some of the threads that I've seen on this board, I suspect that there must be a lot of "happy" cruisers also. :)

 

I have spent a lot of time out at sea. Maybe more than some of the folks around here that list a screen full of cruises in their tag lines. I've been to at least one destination that I suspect that most people here have not been to though -- Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Didn't get to do anything, but I can technically say that I've "been" there. :)

Edited April 3, 2015 by NavyVet1959

[LeeW]

Been on Emerald several times and it is a great ship. You will find it more similar to RCI than different. Balcony cabins are smaller - usually no sofa - but have a huge closet. Buffet is open much longer (but not 24 hours) and the menu changes from day to day, plus at dinner serves most of the main dining room food. Grill, pizza and ice cream places are included and have the best french fries at sea. Hard ice cream is extra but soft serve is included. Get the donuts at the international cafe in the morning.

 

Anytime Dining really does work like RCI, but you may or may not be able to make a reservation earlier than 8AM on that day. We usually just show up (2) and they give us the same table and waiters. They will encourage you to sit with others but not force it. Typically the two dining rooms off the atrium are Anytime and the one aft is fixed seating.

 

Make sure you check the port forums for Grand Turk and Princess Cay. We like going right after getting off the tender, but either works. Plenty of shade trees and umbrellas. If you buy a soda card it won't work on the island (all soda there is cans). There is a small shopping area just outside the gate - take a photo id and buy some crafts from the locals!

[airbusdrvr]

As the old saying goes, "different strokes for different folks". A fellow co-worker has been on two Carnival cruise and I kept telling him he should try RCCL . I guess I must have sounded like I was working on commission. Last fall he and his DW went on Liberty. I was really looking forward to his rave review of RCCL when he returned.

 

When I asked how he liked RCCL on his return he said it was good but he and his DW preferred Carnival...... as the old saying goes .