Comparison RCI and Princess

[ddpe]

By circumstance (Star Fire), my husband and I sailed last week on the Radiance of the Seas (RCI) for the Western Caribbean route out of Miami. Our last cruise was on my favorite ship so far, the Golden out of San Juan.

 

My comparisons are my personal opinion and experience and may not reflect everyone elses experiences - so please don't flame me. I am writing this on the Princess board because for me, Princess came out ahead.

 

Port of Miami vs. Puerto Rico - enough said. 2 hours standing outside in long disorganized lines in Puerto Rico, approximately 20 total minutes in Miami. I do not know whether this is the cruise line or the port. Baggage claim was also infinitely easier in Miami over Puerto Rico.

Winner - Port of Miami

 

State Room - A second tier balcony class on both ships. Princess came out on top for us in state room design. The Princess room was larger and had a better layout. The huge open closet area on Princess created a space to open the bathroom door without hitting anyone. My husband and I never had a problem running into furniture or each other on Princess. On Radiance, we were always hitting something - each other, fingers, a chair. Bed on Princess was great. Bed on Radiance was hard as a rock and short. The sheets on the Radiance didn't fit the small bed and pulled out every night. I woke up every night with pain in my hip from the hard bed. On the postive side, the RCI stateroom had a nicer color scheme.

State Room Winner - Princess

 

Cabin Steward - Both were great. Both did their jobs perfectly.

Tie

 

Entertainment - Princess had a choice of either the stage production or a comedian or juggler most nights. Royal Caribbean had just the production show which might include some comedy, but not real stand up. Some of the production shows on RCI were fabulous and some were worse than our local high school. The Love and Marriage (Not so Newlywed Game) was better on Princess. On RCI, it seemed like the cruise director was really putting the answers in people's mouths. The comedians were a highlight for me on Princess and I was dissappointed that RCI did not have any real stand-up shows. The bands were also better on Princess. It is important to me to go to bed by midnight because we always do active shore excursions. RCI had a lot of their best entertainment very late (like the equivalent of the Caribean Party on the aft deck on Princess). The biggest difference was the alternate show lounge. On Princess it was a great place, smoke free, with good sight lines for everyone. On RCI, it was a smoke filled room with very little seating. They also have some nice extras on Princess such as the pottery painting, needle point, and real game room with games that still have the pieces. Bingo was far more a piece of entertainment on Princess than gambling.

Entertainment winner - Princess

 

Dining - Princess food in the dining room was a grade above RCI. For instance, RCI's lobster night was one lobster. Mine had not been properly cleaned - yuch. Every time I put my fork down on RCI, they tried to take my plate away. I felt rushed in the second dinner seating. Food on RCI was always just luke warm. I will say that on the whole, the desserts were better on RCI.

 

The breakfast dining room experience on Princess was very pleasant with something just a little upscale from the buffet. On RCI, I was seated with a group of people who were already eating - no choice offered for alone or group even though the whole dining room was empty. My place setting had flakes of danish all over it and the silverware. The person seating us made no attempt to wipe this off. The food looked like it was taken directly off the buffet and put on a plate to be served.

Formal Dining - Princess!

 

Buffet - RCI wins here. The breakfast buffet was comparable to Princess. The lunch buffet however was really very good on RCI. Many different choices from fried chicken, burgers, salads, Indian food, stir fry, great sandwiches, and traditional dishes. Also better choice of drinks - water, tea, punch or lemonade for free. Person came around with a drink cart and buffet attendants always asked if they could get you something. Fountain drinks or beer were readily available. The aft deck outdoor dining on RCI was wonderful. The desserts on RCI - better. The only downside to the RCI buffet, Windjammer, is that is was not open 24 hours. You would come in from a shore excursion and by the time you washed up a little, the Windjammer would close (5pm). If you had late seating, you waited until 8:30 pm. You could order room service, but the choices were limited. Some nights, the SeaView cafe was open, but this was not consistent. The cheese plate from room service was okay, but undermined by the saltine crackers.

Buffet - RCI for lunch and desserts.

 

Staff - To be honest here is where the crew of the Radiance shined. Everyone was somewhat cold on Princess, particularly the dining room where we had personal choice. On Princess, I asked one evening if the waiter would make a recommendation. He gave a very snide response about how it wasn't worth his time. On Radiance the staff was always smiling and friendly - even the hotel staff where you often find coldness. Big thumbs up.

Staff - RCI

 

Bars - Although reasonably priced, the Princess drinks never really tasted like a good drink in a hotel bar. Also, the bar tenders were not very friendly on the Golden. It was actually a lot more difficult to get a drink on Princess. On the Radiance, you could walk right up to a bar and you were greeted with a smile and a great drink. They went around with pre-made drinks for occassions like the sailaway. I am not a heavy drinker, but this was just more pleasant. I tried things I never tried before like a French Martini, a Bellini, and a Miami Vice. On Princess, I always stuck with rum and coke because everything else was not very good and the bar staff did not seem well trained.

Bar - RCI

 

Wine - My husband has quite a wine cellar and was impressed with the available wines and the prices on Princess. Pricing and choice were not as good on RCI.

 

The TV was better on RCI due to the online shore excursion and room service menus. The list of available pay for view movies was good. More channels also available on RCI. Although I don't go on a cruise for TV, if I were sick in the cabin, I would find that comforting.

 

Ship Cleanliness - Princess comes out ahead. I noticed this the moment I boarded. There were finger prints all over the glass and brass on the Radiance. The stateroom was very clean, but the general ship appearance was better on the Golden.

 

Princess has laundry rooms! This is really nice for the snorkelers as swimsuits really get smelly after a day in the ocean. The Radiance did not have laundry rooms, but like Princess, you could send your clothes out for fairly reasonable prices.

 

Don't get me wrong. I had a fabulous cruise on RCI and loved just about every minute. I think it is really about what fits your personal taste the most. For me, the food in the dining room and the entertainment are the most important. My husband and I agreed that we would go back to Princess for our next cruise. I did have a financial loss for this cruise as RCI and my travel agent charged a premium price for the late booking on the Radiance. We are taking the 25% offer for the future Princess cruise as a way to break even on this trip.

 

By the way Labadee is very beautiful. The sail from Labadee to Grand Caymen was probably the most beautiful cruise experience I have ever had.

[Mississippian]

I have posted a similar comparison, and you will not offend the RCCL section by posting it there.

 

I found the RCCL dining room food to be pretty awful, yet served with outstanding service and flair. Princess, on the other hand, had great food with poor and sometimes surly service. On the other hand, I found the Princess buffet to be terrible, while the RCI buffet was quite good.

 

The real question is why the Princess staff has far more surly members than RCCI staff, where everyone acts like they are really glad they are getting the chance to serve you. Does a good attitude cost more?

[CrusinAgain]

Thanks for the comparison. I had always wondered if we should try the RCI ships but when I started looking I saw none had laundry rooms like the rest of the lines do and then I saw 3 sets of recommended dining room attire. I also looked at the pictures of the staterooms and they didn't look nearly as attractive as Princess and Carnival.