Caribbean Princess or Explorer of the Seas?

[Newbcruiser1]

Hi Everyone! My friend and I, 2 girls in our early 20's are planning on taking our second cruise together, a girls fun/relaxation trip, in June. We're looking at either the Explorer of the Seas from NJ, or the Caribbean Princess from NY. Our last cruise was a year ago on the Radiance, and we had a great time.

 

RCI seems to have more activities, and while my friend would have a lot of fun with the rock climbing and other sporty activities, I'm not a big fan of that stuff, but Princess's MUTS and personal choice dining appeal to me.

 

Itinerary-wise, they are almost the same, except RCI goes to St Maarten instead of Grand Turk.

 

The prices are about $200 or so apart (RCI being more expensive as of now).

 

Do any of you cruise experts have any opinions on which ship might be better for us as far as activities, food, fellow passengers, and overall experience go? And why?

 

Thanks in advance! :D

[cynbar]

Well, you've already tried RCCL, so why not try Princess this year and see how you like it?? We did the same itinerary on the Crown in 2007, and it was a great trip. The Caribbean Princess is a big ship so you likely will get a wide range of ages, you'll just need to look for them a little bit. Skywalkers is the nightclub, opens at 11:00 pm, and is usually pretty lively on an itinerary with several sea days such as yours will be. MUTS is really great, both day and night. And we really like Grand Turk as a port stop --- there is a beach right at the end of the dock with plenty of free loungers, and Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville Cafe is just a few steps away with an active pool scene and good food and drinks. Your friend can certainly find active, sporty things to do in the ports.Anytime dining is a great way to meet new people or choose to dine with someone you meet on the ship. And the extra $200 saved will come in handy. Have fun, whatever you decide.

[ModelDoc]

My vote is for Princess. I'm also in my early 20's, and having sailed both on Princess and RCCL, I think Princess may suit you and your friend's needs better. MUTS is fantastic at night, Skywalkers is usually buzzing with passengers (particularly the younger crowd), and all of the various evening shows are sure to keep you entertained.

 

Besides, if Princess is cheaper than RCCL, you're definitely getting a better value for your money with Princess. ;)

 

Angela

[Newbcruiser1]

Thanks for the opinions! :)

 

I was sort of starting to lean towards RCI for various reasons including the fact I realized a promenade-view room is the same price as an obstructed OV on Princess, it sounds less crowded, and I'd love to go to St. Maarten, but you guys are making me very unsure now! LOL!

 

Any other advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated!

[caribbeanboy]

I have never been on a Voyager Class ship yet, but was two weeks ago on the Independence OTS (Freedom Class) and really really loved that ship.

 

As you can see below I went last year on the Caribbean Princess and last month on the Ruby Princess (pretty much same ship)

 

If ship was the deciding factor I (personally) would go for the Explorer(almost identical to Freedom Class), but that's my choice. And yes, any cruise that will call at St.Maarten will get my priority.

 

But one thing is for sure, you can't go wrong on either one!!

[momphoto]

We were on the Mariner of the Seas (same class) We loved this ship, food in the dining room was excellent, shows and entertainment outstanding. Our biggest complaint was the lack of available food in the afternoon. Once the lunch buffet was closed there was a small dinner in the promanade that had sandwiches and such and other then that Johnny Rockets which you had to pay extra for and was not worth it at all. We had late dining on this cruise so to us it made a big difference not being able to find a lite bite.

 

We will be sailing Princess in the spring, but all I have read about it so far it sounds wonderful!!

[macmax]

I have sailed on both ships and as an earlier poster said, you will have a great time on either but you may want to consider the fact that CB sails out of Brooklyn and Explorer goes out of Newark. As airport/ship transfers can be quite expensive in the NYC area, you should consider whether it is cheaper for you to fly into Laguardia or Newark.

[omarchs]

I am a little older than you, but have been on both ships.

 

I think the food on Princess is a little better, but I thought the Caribbean Princess was more crowded than the Explorer. I thought the crew on the Explorer was friendlier than Princess.

 

Either isn't a bad choice and even though I think the Explorer is better it isn't $200 better.

[mizLORInj]

Been on both and I liked both. The ships are more similar than different. I liked the cabin on EoS better, but I like things like laundry facilities on Princess. Food better on Princess IMO. While Johnny Rockets was cool on EoS, I could've done w/o it and had free burger on Princess. And Princess pizza rocks! EoS was no comparison!

While the promenade area on EoS is nice, Princess has nice shopping areas and restaurants too.

Read some of the member reviews to see what cruisers had to say.

I would go on either again. I'd probably choose based on itinerary since both ships are very nice.

 

Enjoy--whichever you choose!

[Tatka]

We've been on both.

 

Our preferance is Caribbean Princess.

 

Our 17 yo liked Explorer more.

 

Go figure.

 

--- We found Explorer to have more "wow" things, which we don't necessarily use, like climbing wall or rollerskating, it felt a bit like being in a mall. Explorer did have pools opened all night long, but Princess has also long hours. Ice show was great, and parades on promenade entertaining.

 

--- Caribbean Princess wowed us by being much more ellegant, having nicer pools (including 2 adult only ones), and MUTS, more flexible dining, better small scale entertainment.

 

I don't want to upset anybody, but on our both Princess cruises PAX was more sophisticated, better adhered dress code etc. Many of passangers were from Europe and particularily from UK, they were very nice. On Exploler cruise there were some not very nice groups of folks out of NJ...(nothing against this great state!) ;)

 

But if you check my signature we are repeating Explorer of the Seas (they have great price for 9 dayer out of NJ for April school vacation). So it can't be that bad. :D