Princess vs.....Other cruise lines

[TheRabbit]

I'm not convinced that we've found the perfect line for our family' date=' and indeed there may not be one. However, at present we keep bouncing back to Princess for the best combination of cost and quality....as well as perks from repeat cruises. In addition to Princess, we have 30 cruises on one other line and a smattering of a few others. Celebrity is probably the closest to Princess, but their entertainment left a lot to be desired and their website is a nightmare.

 

ALL lines seem to be cutting back on loyalty perks and decreasing quality. I've made the choice that, for now, I'd rather have 3 cruises on Princess than one on an upscale line. And we do like the various Princess itineraries.[/quote']

We primarily book for itinerary first and have only needed to go outside Princess one time in the last 10 years and that was to get to Bermuda while the son was out of school for spring break.

 

Princess has not been cutting their perks, but with so many people hitting the elite level, some just don't hold as much appeal. My bigger complaint is converting many of the MA minis to M1 Club class. These are usually in the best center down low locations that we like to book. Club, as I see it, gives a non-elite the ability to buy elite status for a cruise. We like fixed dining, so there is absolutely no plus up for Club.

[Stinsy23]

I haven't been cruising as long as some of you (#lifegoals), but I'm stepping out of my 'comfort zone' to take my first Princess cruise. Itinerary drove me on this one (as it has on all prior cruises). Prior to now I've been pretty much exclusively NCL. I'm learning in reading through these posts that a lot of us are kind of creatures of habit...loyal to our lines, partly because you cruise so hard to earn those perks (though they may dwindle). I enjoy reading all of your thoughts on the various lines though!

[moki'smommy]

I haven't been cruising as long as some of you (#lifegoals), but I'm stepping out of my 'comfort zone' to take my first Princess cruise. Itinerary drove me on this one (as it has on all prior cruises). Prior to now I've been pretty much exclusively NCL. I'm learning in reading through these posts that a lot of us are kind of creatures of habit...loyal to our lines, partly because you cruise so hard to earn those perks (though they may dwindle). I enjoy reading all of your thoughts on the various lines though!

Since this is your first Princess cruise, research the various ways to obtain on board credit. We left a lot of this on the table on our first cruise as we didn't know better. I take it that you are already booked, so a "refer a friend" credit is too late. But you may qualify for a shareholder credit or a military credit (active duty and retired), as well as any included in your booking deal or added by your TA. Also, repeatedly check the price of your cruise. If it goes down, you can often "refare" it to take advantage of a lower price or more advantageous package. Even after the penalty date, they supposedly will toss in some OBC as a goodwill gesture if there is a price drop.

[TheRabbit]

Since this is your first Princess cruise' date=' research the various ways to obtain on board credit. We left a lot of this on the table on our first cruise as we didn't know better. I take it that you are already booked, so a "refer a friend" credit is too late. But you may qualify for a shareholder credit or a military credit (active duty and retired), as well as any included in your booking deal or added by your TA. Also, repeatedly check the price of your cruise. If it goes down, you can often "refare" it to take advantage of a lower price or more advantageous package. Even after the penalty date, they supposedly will toss in some OBC as a goodwill gesture if there is a price drop.[/quote']

Right now there is a come back new promotion with Princess. If your cruise qualifies, this could provide OBC and free grats as well as a break on the price.

[jennybenny]

This has been very interesting thread. I think this puts Oceania at the top of my top try list for another cruise line, but I have about 4 Princess cruises booked, so it will have to be after that. ;)

[Aus Traveller]

A book that I do find very helpful in learning about other lines and ships is Berlitz Cruising & Cruise Ships written by Douglas Ward and published by Berlitz. It is updated annually. We order it every few years from Amazon.Com at:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Berlitz-Cruising-Cruise-Ships-Guide/dp/1780049781/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520238435&sr=8-1&keywords=douglas+ward

 

Keith

A friend recently lent me a copy of the latest edition of the Berlitz Guide. There was an incredible amount of interesting information, but I was disappointed at the number of errors I spotted. I haven't cruised on all the ships currently sailing or even on all cruiselines but I could only go on the ones that I do know. A few examples:

1. "With Princess only Coral Princess and Island Princes have full walk-around open promenade decks". What about the Sea and the Sun P? We know others ships have walk-around, but not on one level.

2. The book stated that with P&O Aust, gratuities are not included with the fare. They are.

3. "On Princess, only the Grand class ships have adult-only sanctuaries". Not correct. Sun class ships have it also.

4. The book stated that Sun and Sea Princess do not have any-time dining. That changed last year & was announced ahead of time.

5. The book claimed that 15% gratuity is added to drinks prices on the Sun Princess. No gratuity is added.

6. The book stated that the Horizon Court is a 'sit-down service' at night. No. It is still buffet at night.

7. The book claimed the Princess theatre seats only 550. I have been told on board by staff that it is 750.

8. I have recently sailed with Quark. The book stated they charter Russian icebreakers. No. Not any more. They use ice-strengthened former Baltic car ferries that have been refurbished.

9. The book stated that the 'Ocean Endeavour' has no lifts. Sorry. It has two. I used them often.

 

I didn't read the whole book and I am unsure of the accuracy of statements on ships and cruiselines that I am not familiar with. My comments are meant to point out that someone reading the Berlitz guide should also check elsewhere - maybe on this forum!!

[moki'smommy]

A friend recently lent me a copy of the latest edition of the Berlitz Guide. There was an incredible amount of interesting information, but I was disappointed at the number of errors I spotted. I haven't cruised on all the ships currently sailing or even on all cruiselines but I could only go on the ones that I do know. A few examples:

1. "With Princess only Coral Princess and Island Princes have full walk-around open promenade decks". What about the Sea and the Sun P? We know others ships have walk-around, but not on one level.

2. The book stated that with P&O Aust, gratuities are not included with the fare. They are.

3. "On Princess, only the Grand class ships have adult-only sanctuaries". Not correct. Sun class ships have it also.

4. The book stated that Sun and Sea Princess do not have any-time dining. That changed last year & was announced ahead of time.

5. The book claimed that 15% gratuity is added to drinks prices on the Sun Princess. No gratuity is added.

6. The book stated that the Horizon Court is a 'sit-down service' at night. No. It is still buffet at night.

7. The book claimed the Princess theatre seats only 550. I have been told on board by staff that it is 750.

8. I have recently sailed with Quark. The book stated they charter Russian icebreakers. No. Not any more. They use ice-strengthened former Baltic car ferries that have been refurbished.

9. The book stated that the 'Ocean Endeavour' has no lifts. Sorry. It has two. I used them often.

 

I didn't read the whole book and I am unsure of the accuracy of statements on ships and cruiselines that I am not familiar with. My comments are meant to point out that someone reading the Berlitz guide should also check elsewhere - maybe on this forum!!

Totally agree. We've found so many errors in various guidebooks as to make it obvious that the authors had not cruised the ships in question any time recently (at least when it pertained to those ships that I'd cruised on), and largely were repeating internet and published information, some of which was years out of date. I do realize that it would be difficult to have one of the authors cruise on each ship for each update...but perhaps each class of ship? Or indicate when the last "personal review" of the line or class of ship had occurred?

[Aus Traveller]

Totally agree. We've found so many errors in various guidebooks as to make it obvious that the authors had not cruised the ships in question any time recently (at least when it pertained to those ships that I'd cruised on)' date=' and largely were repeating internet and published information, some of which was years out of date. I do realize that it would be difficult to have one of the authors cruise on each ship for each update...but perhaps each class of ship? Or indicate when the last "personal review" of the line or class of ship had occurred?[/quote']

Most of the items I mentioned were never correct. It is not that they are out of date.

[moki'smommy]

Most of the items I mentioned were never correct. It is not that they are out of date.

OK, sorry. I found things about my most traveled line that were literally taken from the pages of the company's press releases as well as both incorrect and out of date information. I do realize that a book is out of date by the time it is published, but things that were never accurate are rather inexcusable.

[TheRabbit]

A friend recently lent me a copy of the latest edition of the Berlitz Guide. There was an incredible amount of interesting information, but I was disappointed at the number of errors I spotted. I haven't cruised on all the ships currently sailing or even on all cruiselines but I could only go on the ones that I do know. A few examples:

1. "With Princess only Coral Princess and Island Princes have full walk-around open promenade decks". What about the Sea and the Sun P? We know others ships have walk-around, but not on one level.

2. The book stated that with P&O Aust, gratuities are not included with the fare. They are.

3. "On Princess, only the Grand class ships have adult-only sanctuaries". Not correct. Sun class ships have it also.

4. The book stated that Sun and Sea Princess do not have any-time dining. That changed last year & was announced ahead of time.

5. The book claimed that 15% gratuity is added to drinks prices on the Sun Princess. No gratuity is added.

6. The book stated that the Horizon Court is a 'sit-down service' at night. No. It is still buffet at night.

7. The book claimed the Princess theatre seats only 550. I have been told on board by staff that it is 750.

8. I have recently sailed with Quark. The book stated they charter Russian icebreakers. No. Not any more. They use ice-strengthened former Baltic car ferries that have been refurbished.

9. The book stated that the 'Ocean Endeavour' has no lifts. Sorry. It has two. I used them often.

 

I didn't read the whole book and I am unsure of the accuracy of statements on ships and cruiselines that I am not familiar with. My comments are meant to point out that someone reading the Berlitz guide should also check elsewhere - maybe on this forum!!

Though I have not used it (we prefer fix dining for many reasons), I have seen sit down service in the far back of the Horizon Court in the evenings on our last few sailing on Princess. Not sure if this has changed. I thought it was added to handle the anytime dinning overflow from the downstairs areas.

[Aus Traveller]

Though I have not used it (we prefer fix dining for many reasons), I have seen sit down service in the far back of the Horizon Court in the evenings on our last few sailing on Princess. Not sure if this has changed. I thought it was added to handle the anytime dinning overflow from the downstairs areas.

The only sit-down service (given a menu and then served at the table) I have seen in the Horizon Court was the Sterling Steakhouse on the Australian-based ships. Maybe something else is offered on other ships.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Here's my take. We haven't cruised Carnival and never will. We have cruised NCL [twice] and never will again [food was not acceptable, even in specialty restaurants; and customers are treated like criminals–you can't bring water onto the ship, even if it is NCL water that you had purchased on this ship!]. We have cruised Princess three times – first two [2013 and 2014 on Coral] were very good; most recent [2017 on Crown] the food was not acceptable. We have cruised Celebrity 4 times [from 2012 to 2016–the food in the MDR was fine as late as 2015; our more recent cruises were on Xpedition in the Galapagos and in a suite so they aren't relevant to regular cabins on regular ships]. We have also cruised Oceania once [we were not impressed by the food], Crystal once [absolutely the best food at sea], and Azamara twice [a great combination of great food and service plus the most visible and accessible officers].

 

I have read about, and experienced, cutbacks on all the mass-market lines – they all seem to be in a race to the bottom. I have not read about, or experienced, cutbacks on the premium and luxury lines – in fact they all seem to be increasing quality and amenities [and prices] in a race to the top – but some of their long-time cruisers are upset with any changes [e.g. Thomas Keller restaurants added to Seabourn].

 

So until recently my answer to OP's question would be: if you can afford it, move up to any of the premium or luxury lines and you will be amazed. But there is a new trend that offers hope at the mass-market level. Celebrity's new EDGE ship will have four main dining rooms which each has a culinary focus (some of which are copied from the specialty restaurants on their older ships), and all the specialty restaurants are completely new – this offers even Inside Cabin guests the possibility of an enhanced food experience – also the entertainment will be all new and the ship design is very innovative [many of the veranda cabins have a new design copied from the latest River ships that adds the balcony space to the cabin and allows inside or outside depending on the weather]. Holland America is already known for the quality of its entertainment, and their are now touting interesting-sounding changes to their food offerings. These things go in waves, as everybody copies everybody else – maybe the cutback wave is over and we are now beginning a quality-upgrade wave [let's hope].

 

Finally, when comparing the cost of a mass-market cruise with a premium or luxury line you must calculate the value of the included amenities. [You must do this, because the value isn't the cost of the items but rather the value you put on having them included.] Regent has a page on their website that tries to show that their high fares are actually bargains because of all the inclusions:

https://www.rssc.com/experience/value-comparison

This may or may not be true for you, depending on whether you drink a lot, whether you would take the included Regent shore excursions and whether you currently buy your excursions through the ship [we book our own through the CC roll calls, at a dramatic cost savings]. The same logic applies to Viking Ocean [shore excursions and airfare discounts that you may not choose to use].

 

For us, the three cruise lines that we actively consider are Azamara, Celebrity [suite only, to get the Luminae restaurant], and Crystal. Each has great food and service. A Celebrity suite is larger and nicer than the regular cabins on the other two lines, but Celebrity's itineraries are mass-market same-old-same-old while Azamara and Crystal rarely repeat the same itinerary and go to smaller ports that the mass-market ships can't get into.

 

One final thought: each and every cruise line has certain details that are valuable to some passengers. When you switch from one to another, the absence of these things may get in the way of appreciating the unique things and overall quality of the new cruise line. Try to keep an open mind, and you will get the best out of your cruise. Happy cruising!

[Skai]

We do like being pampered & felt we were on Oceania. We used to feel that way on Celebrity. Where does Princess shine?(using the Regal)Great staff. Great bars to just sit & people watch. Really gorgeous ship inside. Probably the best run excursions in the business. Decent entertainment. Loved "MUTTS". Overall, Princess is a decent line, but perhaps try another line for a taste of something different. No cruise line totally bad, but some are simply better than others & unfortunately it usually comes with a higher price tag.

 

Thanks...Just booked on your recommendation(s)...

 

Looking forward to sailing on an ®-class vessel again, as one of our more memorable cruises(to-date) was on the previous Royal Princess.

[Burgmeister]

We are relatively new to cruising so, I think, many of the cutbacks had already started by the time of our first cruise (I've never seen lobster offered in a MDR for example).

 

We will be going on our first Princess cruise in May having previously done 3 x RCCI and 1 x NCL. My wife and daughter have enjoyed all of our cruises although I was disappointed with our last RCCI one (Explorer).

 

Obviously, as I have a child that cruises with us, our choices will be different from the OP and I certainly woudln't recommend RCCI or NCL to people not wanting to "enjoy" the company of children.

 

I am not loyal to a particular company and go on cruises that we can afford. RCCI seemed to shoot up in price 3 or 4 years ago (especially when you take in to account the 3rd passenger) so I stopped cruising with them. We booked NCL when they were offering the 3rd passenger for £99 and threw in a drinks package. Our upcoming Princess cruise was chosen because they ran a similar "cheap" 3rd person fare.

 

When our daughter stops wanting to come on holiday with us it will open up more cruise options (2 person cabins - out of school holidays)

[mrsgoggins]

.......

One final thought: each and every cruise line has certain details that are valuable to some passengers. When you switch from one to another, the absence of these things may get in the way of appreciating the unique things and overall quality of the new cruise line. Try to keep an open mind, and you will get the best out of your cruise. Happy cruising!

 

I didn't requote your entire post deliberately, but I did want to say what an interesting post it was and to thank you for taking the time and for your insight.

[Lynniepoo]

Thanks again to all for the feedback. It is SO helpful to hear others experiences from other lines and help us compare!

 

It seems that Princess, at least generally speaking, is one of the better lines on the mid-tier of cruising. It's too bad that there is the race to the bottom (which we see as well), but all this insight is great for DH and I to manage our expectations. :D

[paddingtonbear]

We have sailed with Princess twice and really enjoyed the Star and the Royal.

We are looking at doing a Venice to Greece cruise and were wondering if anyone had done an MSC cruise and could compare them to Princess for me?

[hlperez]

Princess and MSC are 2 very different types of cruises. I have sailed twice on both. In my opinion the only things MSC do better are that their rooms are larger and they have a very reasonable all inclusive drinks package. Princess is only in English and very American, with a lot of Americans on board. On MSC everything is announced in 5 languages (though English is the first) and it is very European, with people from all over the world. English speakers are the minority. Service is good on both lines.

 

By the way, I enjoy every cruise I go on.:D:D:D

[newcruiser1956]

Hi everyone!

 

DH and I have only cruised Princess (no. 11 is coming this summer). This is because (1) we've been generally happy on Princess and (2) the loyalty program is such that it makes sense to keep sailing with what makes you happy.

 

Like many others, DH and I have noticed a significant down-tick in the Princess cruising. Dilution of loyalty program benefits (we are Platinum), unfriendly staff, lack of good shows, etc. We are thinking of trying another cruise line, but don't really know where to start and would love some advice.

 

As for what we like - we are generally in the same demographic as other returning Princess cruisers, i.e., no kids (on the ship), middle aged. We enjoy being active, could not sit around a pool all day (although I don't begrudge those who do :)).

 

We took a peak at Oceania, and just about died over the prices...but DH thought Oceania covered more with the initial cost then other lines do with the base price?

 

Anyway, any feedback you can give us would be very helpful, and thank you! :D

 

 

How about Viking Ocean? No kids, no casino, port every day and only 900 passengers.

[paddingtonbear]

Princess and MSC are 2 very different types of cruises. I have sailed twice on both. In my opinion the only things MSC do better are that their rooms are larger and they have a very reasonable all inclusive drinks package. Princess is only in English and very American, with a lot of Americans on board. On MSC everything is announced in 5 languages (though English is the first) and it is very European, with people from all over the world. English speakers are the minority. Service is good on both lines.

 

By the way, I enjoy every cruise I go on.:D:D:D

 

Thank you for your thoughts.

I’ve been in a few overnight European ferries so think I know what you mean.

 

I’ve enjoyed every cruise I’ve been on too!

[Rosethorn40]

Gotta put my two cents in :D

 

We have sailed Princess the most, but have ventured out to try other lines; Carnival (yes Carnival and it was fine), Holland America (Love it, but its very quiet at night), Celebrity (Liked it very much), NCL (Okay, but probably not the best fit for us), and Royal Caribbean (Again, not really the best fit for us). So I would happily sail Carnival, HAL, and Celebrity, but when I come back to Princess it just feels right.

 

I have been on several Viking River Cruises, so I am dying to give Viking Ocean a try, but the cruise I am most interested in starts at 6 grand pp for a 14-day cruise. That's kind of rich for my blood. I've looked at some of the lines considered a little more upscale, and again not sure if the value is there for me. So while waiting for my winning lotto numbers to materialize I am going to have to stick with the Mass Market Lines.

 

Enjoy trying out other lines to find the best fit for you, and if nothing quite measures up, you can always come back to Princess.

[kennicott]

We hear you. We have about 300 days sailing on Princess, 200 days on HAL and 120 on Regent. Most of our recent cruises have been on Princess. We were finding the MDR on Princess ships to be getting pretty bad, so we began eating dinner only in the specialties or the buffet. That is until we got on the Pacific Princess, here is what I said in a review after about two months total on this ship: "We really like the ship and the crew, from the Captain on down. The main dining room (MDR) folks are exceptional. The high point for us is that the main dining room service and cuisine has restored our faith in the MDRs, at least on this vessel. Maitre d'hotel, Oscar Perego, has to be one of the best if not the best in the business. We originally intended to do a few dinners in the two specialty restaurants but the staff and service was so great in the MDR the only specialty we bothered to use was a Ultimate Balcony Dinner, which was exquisite." However, I also said this about the last voyage: "I posted an excellent review after our first cruise on this ship, it still remains one of our favorites. However, since then on this ship, there has been a little improvement here and there and some degradation. Which has resulted in my dropping the previous rating." So, we are out looking again like you appear to be. Perhaps a waste of time.

About three years ago it seemed that FDR (Frank Del Rio) CEO of Regent suddenly learned how to charge Even when cranking in all the extra charges on Princess we could, like mostly specialty meals, business class air, equivalent mini-suite cabin, shore excursions, etc. in order to make Princess product commensurate with Regent's, on an equivalent length cruise with similar ports, Regent became almost three times as expensive as Princess. Don't kid yourself, these so called "luxury/all inclusive lines" are great but not all that great or better than the mass markets. Lately we have looked again at Regent and its cheaper sister line Oceania. We just got off the Pacific Princess where we had originally booked two segments, 49 days, of a world cruise, that price was approximately $57,000. We would like to try the Regent Seven Seas Explorer, so I was comparing pricing again, FDR hasn't changed much. 48 similar days on the Explorer would be $112,000. for us. Oceania has four of the eight R ships of the defunct Renaissance Cruises, the Pacific Princess is R-3, one of the sisters. Deck 8 on those ships have the "mini-suites", we love those cabins. Oceania wants you to pay for a butler in order to get one on their vessels.

Some, don't hold loyalty perks in high esteem. Not my wife. Just tell her she is going to have to do and pay for laundry again, and I have come to really appreciate other perks, like all the free internet I get. Meaning, it is hard to give that up by trying a new line, particularly when many of my friends using Celebrity, Cunard, NCL, RCI tell me the rest of the industry is undergoing similar degenerations. As far as Regent and Oceania, it appears they both started taking a dump about the time NCL bought them, around three plus years ago. We know HAL is on a downward spiral, that is why we quit booking them four years ago.

We have found that the service levels and cuisine quality depend heavily on the particular ship and the type of voyage it is on at a given time, as well as the cruise line's reputation. For instance, on a 4 week overseas cruise versus a short term booze type Caribbean cruise on the same ship, guests are likely to experience a significant escalation of overhaul quality on the voyage of longer duration.

We also find that the Berlitz ranking of the nine major cruise line cuisine overall food scores has generally been a fair representation. Currently MSC has jumped to the number one position. I.e. Princess is rated # 3 (6.9) and HAL # 4 (6.2) while MSC is # 1 (7.1) and Celebrity # 2 (7.0). (Carnival is # 5 at 6.05, RCI and NCL are tied for # 6 @ 6.1, AIDA is # 7 at 5.73, COSTA is # 8 @ 5.7)