RCL vs Princess

[The Fun Researcher]

1 hour ago, jasbo49 said:

We are long-time Princess cruisers about to take our first Royal Caribbean cruise since 2000.

 

I'm concerned as I look at CC's Royal Caribbean forum that people have to reserve shows in the theater and pay a $7.95 service charge for room service. 

 

You will face neither of these obstacles on Princess.

 

And their access to Glacier Bay is a deal maker.

 

Jim

 

Hi Jim.  I wouldn't worry about Royal.  Maybe look at it this way...?  Of all the wonderful things about cruising you only highlight two negative differences.  I agree that these are negatives versus what you are used to on Princess, but I'm pretty confident that you are going to find at least two things on Royal that you wish Princess was doing.  It's hard to have a bad cruise.  Happy sailing

 

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

The main show in Two70 does require reservations. It was the only show on Odessey that did.

I guess I would word that a bit differently.  You can make reservations on Oasis and Quantum class ships ( and I would suggest it), but even so reservations aren't required.  They always open up the shows to those without reservations closer wo show start.  Later in the cruise there is a lot more walk up availability.

[Ocean Boy]

3 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said:

 

Hi Jim.  I wouldn't worry about Royal.  Maybe look at it this way...?  Of all the wonderful things about cruising you only highlight two negative differences.  I agree that these are negatives versus what you are used to on Princess, but I'm pretty confident that you are going to find at least two things on Royal that you wish Princess was doing.  It's hard to have a bad cruise.  Happy sailing

 

I guess I would word that a bit differently.  You can make reservations on Oasis and Quantum class ships ( and I would suggest it), but even so reservations aren't required.  They always open up the shows to those without reservations closer wo show start.  Later in the cruise there is a lot more walk up availability.

Two70 has good seating and some very uncomfortable seating as well as some poor sightlines. Though you might get in without a reservation, I would highly recommend making one and getting there early.

[The Fun Researcher]

4 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Two70 has good seating and some very uncomfortable seating as well as some poor sightlines. Though you might get in without a reservation, I would highly recommend making one and getting there early.

Totally agree about the seating. For a venue that is meant to have shows in it, I can’t believe how many seats are not in good locations to see the show. (Or not comfortable to watch a show from)

[Ocean Boy]

10 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said:

Totally agree about the seating. For a venue that is meant to have shows in it, I can’t believe how many seats are not in good locations to see the show. (Or not comfortable to watch a show from)

When I was on Odyssey the CD had a gathering in Two70 where she explained all the tech that went into the venue and how much money it cost to create the room. During questions I so much wanted to ask you dreamed up some of the terribly uncomfortable seating in there but I just kept quiet.

[mugtech]

           Princess has a lot more choices for cruises in Asia, prices are reasonable.  I thought RCI has much better entertainment, got tired of hearing the theme from Love Boat.

[latebuyer]

There was a live from crown princess to alaska recently on princess thread. You can get an idea of food and itineraries etc.

[NightOne]

On 6/17/2023 at 9:33 AM, happy2bee said:

My son and his wife want to do a family cruise to Alaska next summer on Princess.  I've never been on a Princess ship.  Anyone know how they compare?

 

 

Pick a cruise that goes to Glacier Bay. There are only so many permits and Carnival Corp owns most of them

 

Consider Princess and Holland America. Holland may be the better choice because of smaller ships.

 

Norwegian has a few Glacier Bay itineraries too.

 

Ignore the comparison between cruise lines as it is all subjective.

[Tree_skier]

16 hours ago, jasbo49 said:

We are long-time Princess cruisers about to take our first Royal Caribbean cruise since 2000.

 

I'm concerned as I lIf ook at CC's Royal Caribbean forum that people have to reserve shows in the theater and pay a $7.95 service charge for room service. 

 

You will face neither of these obstacles on Princess.

 

And their access to Glacier Bay is a deal maker.

 

Jim

What ship are you going on?

[Tree_skier]

16 hours ago, Tlbecker1 said:

Exactly, that is The Book.  Odyssey isn’t cruising in Alaska and that is why I mentioned it that way.

 

16 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Ok, just sounded like a general Q class post. I just didn't want others to interpret it that way.

You need reservations for Spectra's Cabaret on Ovation.

[jasbo49]

5 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

What ship are you going on?

We're on Brilliance -- to Alaska.

 

Jim

Edited June 20, 2023 by jasbo49

[Tree_skier]

6 minutes ago, jasbo49 said:

We're on Brilliance -- to Alaska.

 

Jim

There are no shows to reserve on brilliance.  You will pay the 7.95 unless you are in a suite.  Suites don't pay it.

[jasbo49]

3 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

There are no shows to reserve on brilliance.  You will pay the 7.95 unless you are in a suite.  Suites don't pay it.

Thanks, TS. My apologies to the OP for diverting attention from your question. In general, I think you will enjoy Princess.  What ship are you looking at?

 

Jim

 

Jim

[happy2bee]

On 6/20/2023 at 11:33 AM, Tree_skier said:

What ship are you going on?

Discovery.  Age range of cruisers is 4 to 72.

[Trixie21]

Interesting Thread.

My wife and I are almost diamond plus on Royal and thoroughly enjoy our cruises with them and what they offer. They have also been superb at dealing with my wife's dietary requirements,  which is a big factor for us.

However unfortunately my wife has a further medical condition which has deteriorated to the point where we would be need to bring certain medical equipment on board. From our enquires so far it appears Royal would not be able to accommodate the specific requirements (although they are still looking into it for us).

For this reason we are considering booking a short Princess cruise (they have confirmed they can accommodate my wife's needs) just to see if it is our thing. We are in our 50's and like a relaxing cruise , with some good entertainment and enjoy music in the bars etc.

I have done a certain amount of research into other cruise lines and on paper princess or celebrity seem to be the best fit for us if we can't sail Royal.

[The Fun Researcher]

35 minutes ago, Trixie21 said:

Interesting Thread.

My wife and I are almost diamond plus on Royal and thoroughly enjoy our cruises with them and what they offer. They have also been superb at dealing with my wife's dietary requirements,  which is a big factor for us.

However unfortunately my wife has a further medical condition which has deteriorated to the point where we would be need to bring certain medical equipment on board. From our enquires so far it appears Royal would not be able to accommodate the specific requirements (although they are still looking into it for us).

For this reason we are considering booking a short Princess cruise (they have confirmed they can accommodate my wife's needs) just to see if it is our thing. We are in our 50's and like a relaxing cruise , with some good entertainment and enjoy music in the bars etc.

I have done a certain amount of research into other cruise lines and on paper princess or celebrity seem to be the best fit for us if we can't sail Royal.

Can celebrity accommodate her? With the reciprocal benefits celebrity might be a better choice. When researching celebrity versus princess, I would (and have) certainly choose Celebrity.

[RedJessi]

I literally just got back from an Alaskan Cruise on Sapphire Princes just a few days ago. Please keep in mind that I have not cruised RCI since 2016, and I only have experience on Oasis class ships - so it's like comparing apples and orangutans. 

We chose Princess for Alaska because we wanted to do land and sea - so we had several nights at the Princess Lodge just outside Denali National Park ahead of our cruise.This was BEAUTIFUL and convenient if you have any interest in hiking in Denali. Plus, as others have mentioned, Princess is one of the cruise lines allowed in Glacier Bay National Park (only 2 ships per day and there are strict size restrictions) - and Glacier Bay was on our MUST - DO list. Further, the excursions through PCL were 100% what we wanted to do. That said, there were some things PCL truly excelled at. The biggie was that our connecting flights were cancelled, leaving us stranded in Newark for 2 days. Luckily, we had given ourselves an extra day in Anchorage in case of this, but one extra day does not cover 2 lost days and we weren't going to land in Anchorage until several hours after our transport to Denali left. Princess were the heroes, as they coordinated rooms for us at Captain Cook's in Anchorage and got us on a train to Denali that only put us about 24 hours behind our original schedule and I swear I truly believe we were given prime seating on the train with the best tour guide and it ended up being one of the highlights of the trip! Additionally, we had a mini suite room onboard and it was definitely the best cabin we have ever had - Spacious with a beautiful balcony, which you 100% want for an Alaskan cruise if you can at all swing it. 

On the downside....it was, hands down, the worst quality food and slowest service we have ever experienced on any cruise, ever. Entree's NEVER came out together. There were 12 of us and we were split into 2 tables of 6, and 2-3 meals would be delivered....and a few minutes later, another 2....than the final meals would show up a few minutes after that. Every single night someone was delivered an incorrect plate, or didn't get something they had ordered - and it wasn't that we were being extra picky or asking for things off the menu - we absolutely were not. It was things like, a ceaser salad was ordered, and French onion soup was delivered or someone ordered 2 starters, but only got one (or got one and then got the second when everyone else was getting entrees). Further, it didn't matter what you said when they asked 'how would you like that cooked?' - at least as far as we could tell. Almost uniformly, steaks were ordered medium rare. But we saw everything from well done to practically raw brought out in response to this. And dinner never took less than 2.5 hours. Twice we left before even getting to think about dessert or after dinner drinks because we were either bored senseless sitting there or because we had other things to do. And heaven help you if you wanted wine WITH your meal. You may as well ask for the moon. For the first time ever, my family opted to eat dinners more than once in the (lackluster) buffet because we just did not have the energy to deal with the MDR. Very disappointing as dinners together in the MDR was one of our favorite things on DCL. Lastly, veggies were bland (mint pea puree tasted neither like mint or peas), desserts (when we actually got to order them) were sickly sweet, and it was, hands down, the worst salmon I have ever eaten, anywhere. Which, when you are in Alaska.....I mean, the salmon should be gold star. 

In short, while I don't regret cruising Alaska with Princess.....I don't think I would ever cruise Princess for any other destination. 

[Trixie21]

10 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

Can celebrity accommodate her? With the reciprocal benefits celebrity might be a better choice. When researching celebrity versus princess, I would (and have) certainly choose Celebrity.

Still waiting on Celebrity to get back to us - however since they are part of the Royal Group i have a feeling they will follow the same policies.

And yes , Celebrity would be a good choice also and particularly for the reasons you mention.

[RedIguana]

14 hours ago, RedJessi said:

On the downside....it was, hands down, the worst quality food and slowest service we have ever experienced on any cruise, ever

 

14 hours ago, RedJessi said:

Almost uniformly, steaks were ordered medium rare. But we saw everything from well done to practically raw brought out in response to this. And dinner never took less than 2.5 hours

 

14 hours ago, RedJessi said:

And heaven help you if you wanted wine WITH your meal. You may as well ask for the moon

        Just off the 10 day on Crown that returned June 2nd. I had the complete opposite experience. 2 top dine my way for comparison. Dinner never took more than an hour, steak/beef came out as ordered (medium in my case), fish dishes were good (Branzino, sea bass, etc. no salmon, sorry, consider salmon trash fish). The few times I went to dinner without wine already in hand, I had a glass within 5 minutes of being seated, and the staff always made sure it was refilled before it was empty.  Food on the Crown Princess, Rotterdam (HAL), and Celebrity Infinity since the restart has been better than the 4 RCL cruises I have been on (Brilliance, Serenade, Explorer, Jewel).

        The downside of the Crown. MTD was a mess getting in 2 nights (20 minute wait, with a reservation). Not a problem before 6:30 or after 7:30 usually. Figured out to just go to a different dining room if there was a long line. Wine availability was also an issue (as it has been on just about every cruise since the restart on all 4 lines I have been on), as several that were listed were not in stock. Not an issue after a few days as you figure out what was loaded onboard. I have had issues on Royal since the restart with wine service at dinner (one night on Jewel was finished with main course before wine showed up, always stopped by vines after that on the way in). Ship was sold out, and many rooms were occupied with 3-4 guests.

       I suspect your experience was tied to such a large group. No excuse for it though. I would have asked for a different seating area and waitstaff after the second occurrence of what you had. I have only done that once, and it was on a Royal ship.

        

         

[BazingAu]

My parents' Princess cruise to Alaska has been their favorite. It is the cruise which they compare all other cruises to.

[time4u2go]

7 hours ago, BazingAu said:

My parents' Princess cruise to Alaska has been their favorite. It is the cruise which they compare all other cruises to.

Same here. Except not my parents. Me. 

[yancycruiser]

Been on RCCL and Princess many times and agree with the other posters on these two things:

Food is better on Princess

You don't want to miss Glacier Bay

Other than that, we have had great experiences on both cruise lines.

 

[KKB]

Our 1st cruise was 20 years ago on Princess (we were late 30s) & it made us fall in love with cruising.

We have taken the kids on DCL, RCCL, Princess & Celebrity. They loved them all. 

Princess does AK really well--we did Discovery last Sept. 

AK cruises are more relaxed & chill, and so is Princess.

But our kids never really cared much about the bells & whistles that RCCL/NCL have (water slides, wave machines, race cars, etc). They have just as much fun playing trivia, game shows or just card/board games with the family. They enjoyed kids/teen clubs on all lines.

So it's really about what their purpose is & what their kids like.

[latebuyer]

I've just been looking at rccl app and they definitely have a lot of trivia. However i agree on first cruise to go to glacier bay.

[FLSteve11]

On 6/17/2023 at 10:33 AM, happy2bee said:

My son and his wife want to do a family cruise to Alaska next summer on Princess.  I've never been on a Princess ship.  Anyone know how they compare?

 

Count me in the Princess for Alaska crowd.    I really enoy Royal,  it's about half the cruises I do on that line.     But Princess just does Alaska better.     It has a lot more Alaska items involved,  whereas on Quantum  I just felt like Alaska was just kinda....there.     There were very few things related to Alaska on board.         Plus, as mentioned,  Glacier Bay is really great to see and Royal doesn't go there.

[KKB]

One of the best things of our Princess AK cruise was the naturalist (heard RCCL doesn't do this? Sailing Quantum to AK in Sept so I can do a true comparison then)

 

Also--different salmon EVERY night. It was fresh, they had different varieties & interesting preparation. I was in HEAVEN.