Regal vs. Sky vs. Emerald

[Languageman]

We are looking at the Regal, Emerald and Sky for a Spring '25 cruise. (We do not have children.)We know that they are older ships, that were updated 5-6 years ago. Are they starting to show their age or have they been revitalized and still fun to be on? We enjoy good shows and good food speciality restaurants and the casino.

[DUCHESSRN]

I am no expert but have been on all 3 . Regal and Sky are newer than the Emerald and bigger .

Depends where you are going and what you like to do . We were on Emerald in March and enjoyed the Panama Canal very much , the enclave is much smaller and no Thallostherapy pool . International cafe is smaller but a lovely ship .

[gsmith2424]

52 minutes ago, Languageman said:

We are looking at the Regal, Emerald and Sky for a Spring '25 cruise. (We do not have children.)We know that they are older ships, that were updated 5-6 years ago. Are they starting to show their age or have they been revitalized and still fun to be on? We enjoy good shows and good food speciality restaurants and the casino.

If you want casual dining options that you don't need reservations/open for lunch and a better buffet go with either Sky or Regal. Emerald isn't bad but it doesn't have a casual dining that is open and can easily get a seat at and the buffet on Emerald is smaller with not as many options (not many items rotate) but the quality of food is good.

 

As for the age of the ship they are all in really good shape and wouldn't be concerned about that part at all. Also found the casino on Emerald a bit more open than the other two.

[DUCHESSRN]

One think I did like about about Emerald was pool area on Lido was divided so you could sit at one area of the pool without MUTS . 

[LACruiser88]

We always book by the itinerary not the ship.  Hence, we have two upcoming long cruises booked on the Coral and the Island.  These are two of the oldest ships in the fleet.

[Gracie115]

While the Regal is 10 years old, Sky is only 5 and remember for about 18 months of that 5 years did not sail at all during Covid.  I would expect Sky to be in tip top shape.

[Daisyloo]

We just got off the Sky.  She is in great shape.  

[Wishing on a star]

Sky is not an older ship.  Regal has a few years on her now.

Here is what to look for....

1.  The dining venues - casual dining and bars on each ship.

2.  Regal has the great Retreat Adult Pool area...  this has been closed in by adding cabins on each side on the newer Royal Class Ships.

3. Regal has a larger and more attractive Sanctuary area.

(the last two differences are what put Regal on top for me)

 

I would probably choose either of the Royal Class ships over the Emerald.

 

Happy Cruising!

[patrickmoran]

Emerald is probably our favorite ship though we have enjoyed the Regal, especially the buffet and Alfredo's. Never been on the Sky. The balconies on the Emerald are much larger, especially on Caribe deck. Most balconies on the R & S are tiny. Most cabins on Princess ships do not have a sofa and only have a desk chair. E has more public spaces even though smaller (Explorer's, Wheelhouse, Skywalkers, Adagio and Club Fusion, which has a poor layout compared to older Grand-class ships). E's Piazza is smaller but works fine for us.

[Wishing on a star]

True about the balconies!   

The standard balconies on the Royal Class ships are small/narrow.

Larger 'premium' balconies did not come around until after ROYAL AND REGAL.

 

I see that the features of the cabin were not listed in this original post.

 

Languageman,  what type of cabin are you hoping to book?  

 

All ships will have similar features, the Piazza, theater, show lounge, bars, etc.

The Adagio on the older ship is more of a unique feature.

We enjoyed that when on RUBY.

[yyjguy]

I find the Emerald class much better than the Royal class.  Balconies as mentioned are better on Emerald, as are the outside deck arrangements  The stern area stands out.  Pools too are vastly superior on the Emerald.  For my Pacific crossing in a few weeks I chose a sister ship of Emerald rather than Royal which I used last year for the above reasons.

[J13C85]

On 8/31/2024 at 10:29 AM, Gracie115 said:

Sky is only 5 and remember for about 18 months of that 5 years did not sail at all during Covid.

We sailed on Sky 2 years in a row and loved her. The 18 months she wasn't sailing during the shutdown really helped keep her "shiny and new". 

 

On Sky, Crown Grill Bar is one of the best places on the ship to hang out. Comfy chairs, not too crowded snd a lot of times there is live music.

 

Also, Vines is a great place to take in events being held in the piazza.

[Gracie115]

3 hours ago, J13C85 said:

We sailed on Sky 2 years in a row and loved her. The 18 months she wasn't sailing during the shutdown really helped keep her "shiny and new". 

 

On Sky, Crown Grill Bar is one of the best places on the ship to hang out. Comfy chairs, not too crowded snd a lot of times there is live music.

 

Also, Vines is a great place to take in events being held in the piazza.

 

We loved Vines on the Regal, have a TA planned on Sky for next November and expect we will find ourselves in Vines frequently again!!!

[J13C85]

5 hours ago, Gracie115 said:

 

We loved Vines on the Regal, have a TA planned on Sky for next November and expect we will find ourselves in Vines frequently again!!!

They have a great booth right by the window. Love that spot

[GonzoWCS]

 

On 9/2/2024 at 5:07 AM, Gracie115 said:

 

We loved Vines on the Regal, have a TA planned on Sky for next November and expect we will find ourselves in Vines frequently again!!!

Ohh yeah Vines!

 

Cheers

[JoRoy218]

For us, hands down Emerald! We spend a good bit of morning time on the balcony and this is main reason why we strongly dislike Regal and Royal.

Emerald also has a great Promenade deck and a mod size ship (compared to Regal, etc.).