Royal vs the other cruise lines

[FamilyCruiserUK]

Depends on what kinda cruise you want. Having been on both with and without children.

RCL for cruises with children, esp the Oasis class as much more for them to do.

Princess, i like without children, just a nice relaxing cruise and more dressing up (but not mandated). Just a bit more adult.

 

[JasperCruiser]

After many sailings on Royal Caribbean we tried Carnival two years ago and I can honestly say it was a great experience. We typically have a short window of time to cruise each year so any ship that comes in the crosshairs is fair game. 

[mugtech]

We have sailed Norwegian 10 times, Princess and Carnival once each and RCI 5 times.  We found RCI with the best entertainment with Princess and Carnival the worst.  Prefer live music to someone singing to taped music.  Most everything else depended on the itinerary, so far RCI has had the best for us.  Probably next 4 cruises on RCI until we get back to Asia.

[karena1]

On 5/24/2021 at 11:10 PM, scoochy12 said:

Hi all,

 

We have cruised the most on Royal and love them the most! We have also cruised Norwegian and Holland. How does Princess compare? A couple of their itineraries have me curious but hesitant. We love Royal for service, restaurant quality and all activities. What can you share / advise? Will be like Princess or be disappointed?

 

TIA!!
 

Princess is great, not as many kids.  Limited to 15 drinks a day on the beverage package.  We have sailed Princess a few times and really enjoyed it.  Not as Over the Top as Royal is with slides and such or production shows, but still good shows and great service.  Husband has always thought the food was good.

 

[Rogueperson]

As someone else said, it depends on your reason for cruising.  If you're the type that needs top notch entertainment with bells and whistles, Royal Caribbean wins.  Especially on Oasis class where you got the high dive shows, the flow rider, the new water slides, the Promenade and Boardwalk.  I can go on and on.

 

However, Princess offers a level of service and comfort that Royal can't match.  For one, the bed.  My wife and I both agree that its the best bed on the seas.  It was very very comfortable.  The food is somewhat better, but its just a more luxurious experience.  As of today, I give Princess the best burger at sea award.  That distinction use to lie with Carnival for Guy's Burgers, but their burger at the Salty Dog Grill blows Guy's away.  I now see that the Ernesto Burger has cruise critic's award for best burger, and I did try that when i was on Princess in 2019 and it was pretty good, but the free burger by itself is already better than Guy's.  The secret?  They cook that burger whether its a premium or not, to order. 

 

The staff gives you better service hands down.    Not just the tipped staff or those trying to make a sale.  In the same situation where i got the Salty Dog Burger, it was on the pool deck and I made it to the table with my burger.  I started to look around for a drink station when an attendant comes out of nowhere and asks if I wanted a drink.  Expecting Royal Caribbean's staff where the only ones that ask, are the bar staff trying to make a sale, I replied that I'm looking for the iced tea from the drink station.  He not only gets me an iced tea, but also napkins and a fork for me.  Little things like this that used to be standard in cruising, Princess has still kept.

 

The entertainment is a little more laid back and follows a more traditional cruise experience.

Edited May 26, 2021 by Rogueperson

[printingchick]

I have to agree that the beds on RCL have always been rock hard! Hate them, even when I request a mattress topper. Sailed on the post-dry dock Summit last year and the beds were heavenly! Most comfortable bed I've ever slept in on any cruise ship or in any hotel. 

 

[ericfromri]

On 5/26/2021 at 12:39 PM, NightOne said:

 

Depends on your definition of entertainment. Anyone considering Princess is not in the category looking for those activities.

 

Also, NCL may be better than Royal in that regard with their Breakaway and Breakaway Plus class ships.

 

 

they have steerage just like all the other lines.  can you say NCL is great without laughing?

[NightOne]

13 minutes ago, ericfromri said:

they have steerage just like all the other lines.  can you say NCL is great without laughing?

 

All the lines are very similar but also very different too. I'm not sure what the NCL jab is supposed to be about or what you are getting at???

 

Does NCL have more/better waterslides than RCCL? Yes

 

Are Go Carts faster and better than Bumper Cars? Yes

 

Is the ropes course where you swing out over the edge of the ship better than Royal's rock climbing wall? Yes

 

[ericfromri]

7 minutes ago, NightOne said:

 

All the lines are very similar but also very different too. I'm not sure what the NCL jab is supposed to be about or what you are getting at???

 

Does NCL have more/better waterslides than RCCL? Yes

 

Are Go Carts faster and better than Bumper Cars? Yes

 

Is the ropes course where you swing out over the edge of the ship better than Royal's rock climbing wall? Yes

 

your opinion,   just like i do not  like to drive through tennessee.   but i am sure you love it.   everyone has a different opinion and if you want to share yours, you have to listen to everyone else's

Edited May 27, 2021 by ericfromri

[Biker19]

9 hours ago, ericfromri said:

just like i do not  like to drive through Tennessee.  

OK, I'll bite, why?

[ericfromri]

8 hours ago, Biker19 said:

OK, I'll bite, why?

while it has some real natural beauty, their are just to many maniacs driving.  so crazy

[Biker19]

19 minutes ago, ericfromri said:

While it has some real natural beauty, there are just too many maniacs driving.  

Sure, compared to Switzerland, anything in the US seems that way but TN is no worse than say I95 along the East Coast through various states.

 

Biker, who lived in Switzerland for years and understand the traffic viewpoint.

[ericfromri]

12 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Sure, compared to Switzerland, anything in the US seems that way but TN is no worse than say I95 along the East Coast through various states.

 

Biker, who lived in Switzerland for years and understand the traffic viewpoint.

it was a point to show that everyone has an opinion.

[bonsai3s]

On 5/25/2021 at 3:22 PM, tserface said:

Probably not worth mentioning and certainly not a reason to choose a cruise line, but I love the International Cafe on Princess.  Best donuts on any ship (IMO). We also really love the Alfredo's pizza place.

 

It's fun to go on different lines because you get slightly different experiences.

 

The loyalty program on RCCL (at least before) is better than Princess, but I don't think a lot of people cruise for the loyalty program perks.  That's kind of a losing proposition. 

 

Tom

 

 

 

Agree, along with your post #4.  We love Royal, Celebrity, and Princess.

We still have unused "punches" on our coffee cards for the International Cafe...smile.

Love pizza and pasta...IMHO, Princess wins this one. 

 

We cruised Princess because we can drive to the ports and it sails roundtrip to Hawaii and back from San Pedro and San Francisco. For new cruisers, Princess has self-service laundry that was nice for long cruises.  Note: Once you become Elite on Princess...then you'll get unlimited free laundry.

 

We love Royal for it's entertainment and typically sway our friends to sail on Oasis or Quantum class ships...primarily because of the bells and whistles.  We did a side to side at Port Everglades, sailing 2 weeks on the Independence then sailed on the Royal Princess......loved both!  We missed the Flowrider but the dessert section on Princess made us forget.  We found food and service to be noticeably better on Princess.

 

We continue to sail on Princess (and Celebrity) for itineraries.  If loyalty perks are important to you, then Royal Caribbean wins hands down. 

 

Note: Both Royal Caribbean and Princess are sentimental to us...we were fortunate enough to have sailed the Song of America (got us addicted to cruising) and the original "Love Boat", Pacific Princess.

[bonsai3s]

Just now remembered...one other item that I like about Princess is the omboard credits they give to veterans.

I faxed my DD214 to Princess, just one time, and OBC shows up on every cruise.

Amount of OBC depends on the lenght of cruise. For example, on our 14-day Hawaii cruise, Princess gave me $250 OBC. (I do regret telling my wife...she spent it all. 😊)

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 5/26/2021 at 4:01 PM, Rogueperson said:

However, Princess offers a level of service and comfort that Royal can't match.  For one, the bed.  My wife and I both agree that its the best bed on the seas.  It was very very comfortable. 

I must disagree. We sailed on Regal Princess, and I couldn't sleep at all every time, because the mattresses were horrendous. Super hard, worn out, with a middle trench or a bulge. I really hoped that they would be replaced before we sailed in November 2019, because they were half way through replacing the old mattresses, but no such luck on deck 8.

You may have been in some fancy suite cabin...

 

I had no problems sleeping on NCL Getaway and Jade, RCI ships, or even Caribbean Princess.

 

Now, the food on Regal Princess by far made up for all the troubles with the bed.... Be it MDR, buffet or the IC. OMG, the Nutella filled donuts alone sent me to heaven via a diabetic coma.

 

RCI food, imho, is average, but it was always hot and the MDR service was lightening fast, and NCL's food was just bad and inedible with very few exceptions, or they simply ran out of things in the buffet half way through dinner time. Service was slow. I am talking MDR and buffet, of course. We don't do specialty dining.

 

I must also say that the entertainment on NCL was top notch. We had such bad experience with food and the smoke smell everywhere, that I keep forgetting to mention the great entertainment. We didn't get to enjoy some free food venues I think we would have enjoyed because they were too smoky.

Edited May 28, 2021 by Itchy&Scratchy

[George C]

39 minutes ago, bonsai3s said:

Just now remembered...one other item that I like about Princess is the omboard credits they give to veterans.

I faxed my DD214 to Princess, just one time, and OBC shows up on every cruise.

Amount of OBC depends on the lenght of cruise. For example, on our 14-day Hawaii cruise, Princess gave me $250 OBC. (I do regret telling my wife...she spent it all. 😊)

Best discount is MSC they gave us a ten percent discount on fare , had travel agent send them my dd214.

[ericfromri]

1 hour ago, George C said:

Best discount is MSC they gave us a ten percent discount on fare , had travel agent send them my dd214.

on some royal cruises , the military discounts could be 100's or nothing.  i got 450 off on an anthem cruise 4 years ago.

[Rogueperson]

1 hour ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

I must disagree. We sailed on Regal Princess, and I couldn't sleep at all every time, because the mattresses were horrendous. Super hard, worn out, with a middle trench or a bulge. I really hoped that they would be replaced before we sailed in November 2019, because they were half way through replacing the old mattresses, but no such luck on deck 8.

You may have been in some fancy suite cabin...

 

 

I didn't have a special room.  It was just a regular balcony.  However, I do believe the Ruby Princess was refurbished only 6 months prior to my sailing on her in May of  2019.

[broadwaybaby123]

I've cruised on Princess before, on the ACTUAL "Love Boat"!  It's a great line, but a bit pricey.

[joand452]

Our last Princess cruise was on Ruby Princess in 2010.  We had sailed on Sapphire (2006) and Crown (2007) before that.  Maybe it was just the crew on the Ruby, but I vowed never to sail on Princess again.  The servers were rushed in the MDR (we had anytime dining).  I really missed the MDR servers on Royal.  It was just not a good experience.  Their balcony cabins have just the desk chair, if you didn't want to sit on the bed.  You need to move up to a mini-suite to get a sofa in your cabin.  The Horizon Court (their buffet) is so small -- no more than than 25 people could fit in there at a time -- long waits for food.  I much prefer the set ups on Royal and Celebrity.  I don't remember much about the food.  Except the Crown had fabulous pizza!

 

Of course, now DH wants to sail on one of the new ships for their longer itineraries.  He's my banker, so I go where he goes 😉

 

We sailed on Celebrity Equinox in 2018.  It was very nice.  So nice that our next cruise is on Apex.  I do remember that we really enjoyed our dinners in the MDR -- food and service!

[BillHana]

RCL usually has 5 or 6 different musical entertainers/groups who perform in the centrum and various other venues around the ship. How does this compare to Princess and others?

 

The daytime entertainment on RCL is themed trivia challenges and little else. How does this compare to Princess and others?

 

[CanadaRob]

I'm now in the demographic which would be prime for Celebrity/Princess, but will still cruise Royal mostly even though the Flow Rider, rock climbing, etc aren't really in my wheelhouse.    Princess has a couple of itineraries that really interest me(Circle Caribbean to name one) but have a hard time seeing 'value' with their pricing.  Food and service have been always been good to excellent on Royal but did book a Mexico Riviera on Princess with last year's 3-D-sale just because at the time Royal/Celebrity didn't have that as an option.   Have tried Carnival/MSC too, but I guess Loyal to Royal 

[ReneeFLL]

On 5/25/2021 at 8:06 AM, printingchick said:

As others have mentioned, Celebrity is also worth trying. If you have at least 5 cruises on Royal, they recognize your loyalty status to an extent, which is also nice. Went on Celebrity Summit just before Covid hit in early 2020 and loved it. Similar to Royal, but minus a few of the more "cheezy" things that I actually like. (Such as the belly flop contest and the 70s party.) They offered a FREE galley tour (even gave us champagne.) Speaking of champagne, you get a glass just for boarding! It's a more upscale experience, but still in the Royal Caribbean family.

 

It’s not how many cruises you have taken, but it’s how many points you have. 
 

On 5/25/2021 at 11:54 AM, NightOne said:

 

Princess is better than Royal in every single category plus you don't have to hear people constantly talking about their "loyalty status" on Princess.

 

Doesn’t Princess also have a loyalty status?

[ReneeFLL]

On 5/27/2021 at 1:21 PM, ericfromri said:

they have steerage just like all the other lines.  can you say NCL is great without laughing?

This comment makes no sense. Who said anything about steerage?