Is Princess the right line for our family

[denatravels]

I've been on Carnival, HAL, RCCL and multiple Princess cruises. Princess is my favorite! I am a very active person and am able to keep busy on the ship. I am in the gym every day and love being able to look out the windows while I pedal my bike to no-where. I do not plan on another RCCL trip and I will not miss the belly-flop contest and similar activities. Give me real activities! As others have mentioned, get your basic workout in for the day and then snorkel, kayak, or do other in-port activities. The CB does have a putting green and basketball hoop and organizes some activities but generally there is very little participation in those. Have fun on your trip regardless of the line you choose.

 

 

So basically go to the gym and be in the port-- I think that really works on ANY cruise line.

[arctickitty]

I will respond to some of your items with my experiences on Princess.

 

- Like active events like a golf chipping contest for example

I played ping pong, mini golf, bocce/lawn bowling, croquet, giant chess, and shuffle board. There were sometimes activities in the patter (daily newsletter) for ring toss and ping pong contests and things like that. There was also a basketball court.

 

- Free cooking demos are always fun

I went to a free cooking demo followed by a galley tour. I also went to a fruit & vegetable carving demo. I have seen additional events in the patter, such a martini demonstration.

 

- Not a fan of sitting around all day reading and laying out in the sun, so activities to keep us busy are key

I enjoyed playing the above-mentioned games and found that the areas with them were often empty, so it was easy to walk by and start playing.

 

- Would be interested in what type of sports activities are available, mini golf, rock climbing, ropes course, etc

See above

 

- We generally eat in the mdrs, so decent food there is a must

I enjoyed the MDRs for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. I appreciated that most of the menu changed everyday. I loved the ice cream the make on board--different flavors every day. I liked having foods from all over the world.

I tend to prefer the appetizers, veggie dishes, and seafood so my tastes are different from a lot of other posters

I also appreciated their 3-5pm "snack" buffet in that it had light food that was appropriate imo for that time of day (sandwiches, salads).

- A good buffet for lunch and breakfast

I found both to have a wide variety, from healthy to decadent, and always something from another cuisine as well. In addition, there are free alternatives at the International Cafe--I often liked their desserts better perhaps because they were cuter.

- General theme is a decent selection of free food available on the ship, not a fan of upcharge meals

Only a couple upcharge places. Food at International Cafe is free. I mentioned above I liked their desserts. They have a lot of other options to offer, all free, that are not available elsewhere.

Also many ships have Alfredo's which is bills itself as an Sicilian-style pizza spot. I absolutely loved it and with help, tried everything on the menu there. This spot is free.

Also by perusing this board and looking at ship maps, you can find lots of other free spots.

Afternoon Tea was a delight as well--and free in the MDR.

- Also looking for friendly service, I have a hard time believing that DCL hired the only good cms

Compared to one experience on NCL, I found the staff on Princess to be more sincere

 

I can't compare any of the lines, but that's how I would describe my experience on Princess with the items important to you. Have fun!

[AF-1]

Let me try to convince you to try Royal Caribbean or Norwegian. I have sailed both. Been on Allure of the Seas, Freedom, Voyager, Explorer, you name it with the large ships and I have been on them. Both Allure and Freedom would have enough entertainment and shows to keep you busy. They have golf simulators, ice skating rinks, rock climbing walls, flowrider; which is the surf machine; (18yr old grandson spent entire cruise learning how to surf). Plus Allure has the zipline in addition to all the other things mentioned. Allure and Oasis have the water show; which is aerobatic divers; they have musicals like Chicago and Hairspray. You could spend half a day on the boardwalk and promenade. Norwegian Staff was excellent. They were always asking me how I was doing; how was my day. The captain of the ship kept asking guests; what are we doing right and what are we doing wrong. I want to make sure you are having a great vacation.. The newer NCL ships with the water slides; will compare to any water park. I have not been on Disney; I know they have the aquaduck; but Royal and Norwegian, will provide just as much fun for the money

[Viesczy]

Royal Caribbean is the line that probably suit you best. It does have rock climbing walls, ice skating rinks, a surf type of machine, and many other activities and very good shows.

 

That's my recommendation for you. We do love Princess but it may be too quiet for you.

 

Quoting above for truth.

 

Princess is a great product! It might be a little sedate compared to RCL and what you've listed.

 

RCL is a great product too! It is not as sedate as Princy and prolly more in line with what you're looking to do while on board.

[tourismtessy]

Having cruised Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Princess, I would suggest Royal Caribbean or Norwegian for your family. They are more geared towards "active" cruising versus the "relaxing" Princess line. I find the entertainment on Norwegian to be the Best. Pools and rock climbing walls on Royal Caribbean will suit your needs. I think they are similar in pricing. I like Norwegians freestyle cruising: Eat dinner anytime versus the Traditional dining times. Also they offer "dress up or not" nights where you do not have to dress formal. We don't like having to pack extra clothes for formal nights so this is a bonus. I've been on Princess and Norwegian most recently and it has been years since our Royal Caribbean Cruise.

[nycruise]

"Eat dinner anytime versus the Traditional dining times. "

 

NCL was first but virtually every line offers that option and have for the past 10 years.

[jennybenny]

This has been a very interesting thread to follow.

 

It does sound like your "now" requirements of fun and activities is geared more towards a Royal Caribbean cruise.

 

We have sailed on RCCL but it's been a long time. In our youth (my early 20's and husband's late 20's) we cruised Carnival and Royal Caribbean a lot (probably 15-18 cruises), we are in our 40's now.

We did one Disney cruise when the kids were little and they loved it, I loved it, but the price was just too much for us to be able to afford that kind of vacation regularly.

What's happened is that now we only cruise Princess (with the kids, currently 8 and 12 years old). We like the relaxing atmosphere and we keep busy during the day, with a morning workout, and we attend various activities around the ship, we find there is never any "spare time". We also do early dinner, and sometimes we catch a show, or sometimes we head back to our room, watch a movie with the kids or we all read and go to sleep. It's a busy, fun filled day, for us, but it is over fairly early 11-midnight.

 

We like the perks of being Platinum, and hope to get to Elite someday, so we've remained loyal to Princess because we like their product. Yes, there have been issues, but whenever we've experienced issues, we talk to someone about it and it's usually resolved. We try to have a positive attitude and don't let things bring us down. We've never had a "bad" cruise with any line, so whatever you end up with, just try to enjoy it. If you feel you will do nothing but compare to DCL then maybe you should stick to DCL. If you want to find something new, then you have a few options. Good luck! It's hard to break away from what you know and are comfortable with, but hopefully you will enjoy it.

[MTdreaming]

I personally prefer Princess, think the food is slightly better, love the International Cafe, much better than RCL's similar option, however for you with your wish list I think RCL would work best. We tend to do Princess if by ourselves but when are young adult children join us we do RCL.. they love the rock climbing wall, absolutely adore the flowrider, the mini golf is good, it is just much more active. If you do pick princess I would suggest a very Port Intensive cruise without a lot of sea days. We did find the entertainment on RCL to be better as well - the ice show is not to be missed, however Princess has hired a new person to rework their entertainment shows so it is in a state of flux, that might depend when you are actually planning on your next cruise. Hope you find an itinerary that works for you, just go with a good attitude and lowered expectations and you will be pleasantly surprised and have great memories as a family.

[FloridaCrazy]

Got off Royal Princess this morning so now we have some comparison. Food was way better and they handled my wife's allergy (gluten) great. Movies on TV and on deck were good. Entertainment variety and quality weren't what we've experienced with RCI and Disney. I think we are 10 years too young for Princess now. Food and service though were phenomenal!

 

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[Napagirl]

Another vote for you toward RCL! Lots and lots to do. Entertainment is really good too.