MSC "Proesia" or Princess "Royal Princess"

[tricmurr]

Hello everyone. I am new here. We are taking a cruise in May 2016 to Europe. This will be our first trip to Europe. We are trying to decide between the MSC Proesia or the Princess Royal Princess. Room categories would be a balcony level/suite in both boats. Any suggestions or comments on the cruise lines would be appreciated.

 

thank you & happy holidays!

[CruiserBruce]

You might want to do some reading of the reviews for both ships, located here:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/v-3/reviews/

 

to get the feel for the type of cruise lines you are looking at. MSC is pretty different from Princess.

 

You might also want to read on the Princess board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=197

 

and on the MSC board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=80

 

to further get a feel for the cruise lines and the ships.

 

Many people will rightfully tell you a Med cruise is really about the itinerary, first, and the ship second.

Edited December 24, 2015 by CruiserBruce

[mapleleaves]

I agree with CruiserBruce ..... itinerary is the most important factor. Not just for the ports themselves, but also the port TIMES. Are you in port long enough and at the right time of day for planned activities?

Reviews are very helpful. Some people are just chronic whiners but if you read enough reviews you'll find common issues like, too many smokers, food not quickly replaced at buffets, surly staff, ship needs maintenance, etc.

[tricmurr]

Thank you so much for the information. I will check out the boards you suggested. MSC has the better ports, but was concerned about some of the reviews. I will definitely keep researching.

[ronrick1943]

What about that special deck YC? Good or Bad?

[tricmurr]

I do not believe the Proesia ship has the yacht club deck on it.

 

I did some research & that does look fantastic! I wish that was an option.

 

We have decided to go with MSC ship for the itinerary. I really hope that we made the right decision. Thank you everyone for the information!