Regal & Caribbean Princess

[camper49]

How do they compare? 

Edited February 16, 2020 by camper49

[weedpindle]

One is a Royal class ship. One is a Grand class ship. Look on the princess site to see ship layouts. Everything else is subject to your likes, dislikes.

Edited February 16, 2020 by weedpindle

[Colo Cruiser]

43 minutes ago, camper49 said:

How do they compare? 

2 different ships.

2 different experiences.

I agree about researching them first on the Princess website.

[camper49]

25 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

2 different ships.

2 different experiences.

I agree about researching them first on the Princess website.

Just wondering about personal experiences . We just cruise Regal & it was amazing! 

[jennybenny]

I personally enjoy both style ships, but they are different. Royal Class ships are bigger than Grand Class. Would do either in a heartbeat. 

[MissP22]

Caribbean Princess - Food is just so-so.

Regal Princess - Food is outstanding.

Of course this might not be all that important to your trip. 

[camper49]

3 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

Caribbean Princess - Food is just so-so.

Regal Princess - Food is outstanding.

Of course this might not be all that important to your trip. 

Yes the Regal food was outstanding!

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, camper49 said:

Yes the Regal food was outstanding!

As you can see "food" is my top priority. The promenade deck, show lounge & balcony size take backseat. 😉 

[blloydtbird]

2 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Caribbean Princess - Food is just so-so.

Regal Princess - Food is outstanding.

Of course this might not be all that important to your trip. 

I must ask, do the meals really vary from ship to ship?  If so, why would this be.  

 

I would expect a cruise line to partner with a set of vendors, providing produce and other food & beverage options for their entire fleet.  Do cruise lines really provide better cuts of meat or enhanced meal options on some cruise ships specifically?  I understand if certain itineraries would offer different fare, ie. sailings in the Caribbean offering meal options that differ from those in the Mediterranean, likely more similar to regional offerings.

 

I can't fathom why the same itinerary on a different ship would have different meals.

 

Tell me more, thanks!

[Wisconsin Travelers]

As far as I can tell, all ships in the Princess fleet offer the same MDR menus, although a regional specialty might be added on various itineraries.  Having taken different ships in "back to back to back" cruises, I've seen menus repeat often.  And sometimes my favorites on one ship don't taste nearly as good on another, even though they look the same.  

 

I'm pretty sure the food is from the same suppliers.  But the kitchen staff on each ship is different, and I think some are better than others.  You would think that the food would taste the same - kind of like visiting Olive Garden anywhere in the U.S. and finding menu items that taste exactly the same no matter where you are in the country.  My guess is that the executive chef on each ship tries to put their own "touches" on the identical menu so some food tastes "better" to you than others.  Don't forget that taste is very subjective!

 

And yes, I've had the exact same items taste differently on the very same ship from one month to the next, so saying that the food on the Regal is better than the food on the Caribbean might be true today and might be totally false a few weeks from now.  You need to remember that crews change on ships all the time, and that includes their bosses.  Some might tell their cooks to use less salt and seasonings because they believe that's what is preferred by the guests on a particular itinerary.  Others might tell their cooks to ramp the seasonings up for the same reasons!

 

Here's my philosophy:  if I'm not crazy about the food I'll probably lose a few pounds on a cruise, and that's always a good thing!  One thing is for sure - I don't have to go to the grocery store, prepare the meal and clean up afterwards!  Focus on the great things about cruising and enjoy them to the fullest - if one of them happens to be the food, savor every bite and plan to diet when you get back home.

 

 

[blloydtbird]

8 minutes ago, Wisconsin Travelers said:

As far as I can tell, all ships in the Princess fleet offer the same MDR menus, although a regional specialty might be added on various itineraries.  Having taken different ships in "back to back to back" cruises, I've seen menus repeat often.  And sometimes my favorites on one ship don't taste nearly as good on another, even though they look the same.  

 

I'm pretty sure the food is from the same suppliers.  But the kitchen staff on each ship is different, and I think some are better than others.  You would think that the food would taste the same - kind of like visiting Olive Garden anywhere in the U.S. and finding menu items that taste exactly the same no matter where you are in the country.  My guess is that the executive chef on each ship tries to put their own "touches" on the identical menu so some food tastes "better" to you than others.  Don't forget that taste is very subjective!

 

And yes, I've had the exact same items taste differently on the very same ship from one month to the next, so saying that the food on the Regal is better than the food on the Caribbean might be true today and might be totally false a few weeks from now.  You need to remember that crews change on ships all the time, and that includes their bosses.  Some might tell their cooks to use less salt and seasonings because they believe that's what is preferred by the guests on a particular itinerary.  Others might tell their cooks to ramp the seasonings up for the same reasons!

 

Here's my philosophy:  if I'm not crazy about the food I'll probably lose a few pounds on a cruise, and that's always a good thing!  One thing is for sure - I don't have to go to the grocery store, prepare the meal and clean up afterwards!  Focus on the great things about cruising and enjoy them to the fullest - if one of them happens to be the food, savor every bite and plan to diet when you get back home.

 

 

Thanks for the detailed reply, this makes sense.  I'm new to cruising and have thus spent a lot of time reading here on CC.  I have noticed many posts linking meal quality and taste to specific ships, ie I won't cruise on Ship A as the food is terrible, Ship B is so much better.  My one and only cruise was on the Caribbean Princess over the recent holiday season.  While the meals were far from extraordinary, they were entirely suitable for our needs. 

 

Cheers!

[weedpindle]

3 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Caribbean Princess - Food is just so-so.

Regal Princess - Food is outstanding.

Of course this might not be all that important to your trip. 

And when the F&B Director or Executive  Chef changes, food taste also changes. And they will change. Five times on the CB, one cruise the food was horrible, the rest were great, every time on the Regal great.

Edited February 17, 2020 by weedpindle

[Wishing on a star]

I agree.  I would go with Regal, without question, for all of the other great things about Regal.

Yes, there have been menu cutbacks and changes, back at the end of 2018, when I was on Regal.  With the changes, and the Food and Dining staff onboard,  it was awful!!!!

I believe that either they have ironed things out, or have new Food and Beverage staff.  As it sounds like things are much better.   And, the Regal has what might be reported to be the best buffet on the Princess line.

 

Yes, the current head of F&B and staff does make a difference!  (and that can often change)

Even with the menu cutbacks and changes, some can be much better than others.   This might be an example.  On our last trip to Florida, we ate at Outback out of convenience.   It was pretty good!  Tried ours again in our area.  Twice... will NOT go back.

 

Given the two ship choices,  I would not hesitate to choose Regal over Caribbean, any day.

Edited February 17, 2020 by Wishing on a star

[stoneharborlady]

2 hours ago, MissP22 said:

As you can see "food" is my top priority. The promenade deck, show lounge & balcony size take backseat. 😉 

 

It would be my priority too.

[rdsqrl]

I'm not a fan of the Royal-class, but I'd be hard-pressed to choose CB again, unless it was the only ship doing a can't-miss itinerary.  I liked the ship itself all right, but it was absolutely the most crowded I've ever felt on any Princess ship -- there just seemed to be people everywhere all the time, and this was on a warm weather itinerary.  I can't imagine sailing  her on a chilly, multi-sea-day cruise.  People would be stacked up like cord wood in every lounge.    That said, she was in good shape for her age and my cabin/bathroom was spic and span, the internet was fast, and the staff on our cruise was exceptional.  But I'd probably pick Regal, assuming itinerary and cost were equivalent.  

Edited February 17, 2020 by rdsqrl

[BarbinMich]

We haven't been on the Regal, but have been on her slightly older sister, the Royal twice for a total of 24 days (TA, Caribbean).  Have been on the Caribbean five times for a total of 59 days.  We enjoyed all these cruises.  Pluses for the Caribbean IMHO are the promenade deck (Regal doesn't have one), better theater seating layout, Explorer's Club (on the Regal there's the far inferior "Princess Live"), larger casino (I was truly amazed how small the Royal's casino was).  Personally I don't like the Royal/Regal buffet--yes it's large and expansive but the food is also more likely to cool off faster compared to that on the Caribbean and the other older ships.  A plus for the Royal/Regal if you're doing a warm weather cruise is a covered area aft of the buffet--wonderful view of the wake, lots of loungers and few people, plus bar service.  I prefer the spa on the Caribbean to that on the Royal including the former's Thermal Suite.  The atrium of the Royal/Regal is truly spectacular with two winding stairways from the floor above.  The atrium on the Caribbean is ok, but not spectacular.

Edited February 17, 2020 by BarbinMich

[kywildcatfanone]

Very different ships. 

[Wisconsin Travelers]

Very different ships, indeed!  We always choose by itinerary and date first, then ship second, and that always seems to work out for us.  We like different classes of ships for different reasons.  I think if you go on a cruise with an open mind you'll find things you LOVE and other things maybe not so much.  But after many, many cruises there was truly only one that we really didn't enjoy much at all for a variety of reasons . . . and they had the absolute best food of any of our cruises!  

[MissP22]

12 hours ago, blloydtbird said:

I must ask, do the meals really vary from ship to ship?  If so, why would this be.  

 

I would expect a cruise line to partner with a set of vendors, providing produce and other food & beverage options for their entire fleet.  Do cruise lines really provide better cuts of meat or enhanced meal options on some cruise ships specifically?  I understand if certain itineraries would offer different fare, ie. sailings in the Caribbean offering meal options that differ from those in the Mediterranean, likely more similar to regional offerings.

 

I can't fathom why the same itinerary on a different ship would have different meals.

 

Tell me more, thanks!

I agree with Wisconsin Travelers view. Although the food vendors may be the same for all the fleet, it's how they prepare it in the galley that really counts. Somehow the CB just doesn't have the capability to do it as well as on a Royal class ship. They also don't have the space to offer nearly an many selections at their buffet.

 

 

10 hours ago, weedpindle said:

And when the F&B Director or Executive  Chef changes, food taste also changes. And they will change. Five times on the CB, one cruise the food was horrible, the rest were great, every time on the Regal great.

I also though that might be the case but we recently had a change of Executive  Chefs (Feb 2nd) on the Regal B2B2B trips and  I couldn't detect 1 change in any of the items in both the DR & buffet areas.

Perhaps similar tastes for both Chefs? 

We've only been on the CB a few times but after the last change to the  World Fresh Marketplace it was our last until they change their way of operation. 

The layout of the buffet was better but the care of prep was terrible.

Consistently cold item, preselected  food in cardboard containers, terrible sandwiches that were also made up ahead of time, etc. 

There are to many ships around with better reputations to try the CB again.