Sailing the same ship multiple times

[DanJ]

If I lived in or near a port that had one or two ships based there, like Galveston or Baltimore, I would probably repeat ships. Since we have to travel to get to a port, and we only cruise every 2 years or so, I tend to look at some variety. After having done the Grand, Sapphire and Caribbean, I'm not really dying to go back on Princess right away (plus their 3rd and 4th rates absolutely suck).

[taxatty]

We used to love the exploring factor sailing on different ships. It made it all brand new and an adventure. Now, with all the ships in the fleet pretty much sailing with the same design, it just takes some of the excitement out that used to exist for us. IMHO!

I agree with you, mostly. All of the larger Princess ships are close to cookie-cutter, but if you like them (we do), the similarity between them is not a problem. Granted that once you've been on these ships a few times the "wow factor" isn't there, but frankly, we don't care.

 

The exception to this homogeneity is the smaller Princess ships--the Royal for us was a totally different cruise experience, and our best on Princess. I'd sail on that ship again on any itinerary (except a transatlantic, because of the limited entertainment options) in a minute.

 

Les

[kooljamming]

If I lived in or near a port that had one or two ships based there, like Galveston or Baltimore, I would probably repeat ships. Since we have to travel to get to a port, and we only cruise every 2 years or so, I tend to look at some variety. After having done the Grand, Sapphire and Caribbean, I'm not really dying to go back on Princess right away (plus their 3rd and 4th rates absolutely suck).

 

We live close to LA and San Diego ports so we do this often. We have also taken breaks because the same ship to the same place gets old. Thank goodness there are 2 new ships in LA: Carnival Splendor and RCCL Mariner of the Seas. I would choose to sail RCCL and Carnival repeatedly over Princess because of the more upbeat vibe and on deck activities.

[Atomica]

I always enjoy trying new ships, and I make a point to as often as I can, however, I'm not opposed to cruising on an old favorite if the itinerary and price suit my needs. I've been on a couple ships more than once, and I always enjoy going back to them.

[royalcruz]

The only Princess ship that I have been on recently is the Caribbean Princess.

 

Compared to this ship, I prefer the Celebrity Millenium and Constellation. The specialty dining is really special. The service throughout is very good. The ships are beautiful and have fun activities. The buffet offers a nice variety, waffle bars, omelette bars, and sushi bars. The solarium has a glass roof, classical music, and offers a free thallasotherapy pool. There are plenty of seats in the theatre. I don't care for most of the dining room food on Celebrity or Princess.

 

The only things I prefer about Princess are the price and MUTS (and the pizza, but I wouldn't choose a cruise for that). The price difference is significant enough that I have booked another Princess cruise this fall.

 

I've been on Enchantment 4 times. It is a nice ship and the service is good and very friendly. It is a step down from the larger RCCL ships because it doesn't offer as many choices, but you may not feel that it is a step down at all from Princess. The jacuzzis on RCCL are larger than on Princess, so it's easy to find room in one. Most RCCL ships now offer anytime dining also. Spring break and the cheaper shorter cruises do sometimes bring a wilder crowd though.

[MsJ]

Hi.....we have cruised on HAL, RCCL.NCL and Princess....all great cruises.....we have been booking Princess for the last few years...the Ocean Princess once..(its now the P+O Oceana) ......we did the Grand twice and the Crown twice..last one being in February....we are now looking to book for February 2010 and the Crown is calling us back for a third time.....I like the decor of the Princess ships and they are starting to feel like "home".....its nice to already know what to expect..although I do like trying different cruises lines and ships......we did the Crown to southern, eastern and next year will be western..we have done the western on other ships and its my favorite itinerary as we snorkel everyday........there are other ships doing the western next February and still debating between HAL Westerdam and Crown....we did sail the Zuiderdam and it was nice...but the Crown is still my favorite....things we like are

Caribe deck cabins

anytime dining

the thermal beds in the spa

the swim against the current pool

the service

the wrap around promande deck to walk

and that feeling of familiarity that we get now on the Princess ships

 

have fun choosing and planning.....I love this stage of the process.....

Marianne

[LoveThisCruisingThing]

One advantage to sailing the same ship more than once...you know the layout! I have been on the Dawn Princess twice (back to back). This summer we are going on the Pacific Princess. Can't wait.

[2Ports]

... if there really is no difference going on the same ship.

 

There is a Royal Caribbean ship (Enchantment) for 5 days there but I heard its a downgrade from being on the Crown. Would there be any other lines such as Norwegian or Celebrity that could compare to the service (and food!:)) of the Crown?

 

... I would avoid NCL like the plague. We found the food to be better on Princess than RCI; HAL about the same. Shipwise, you might find EOS to be a step down, yes; as far as doing another cruise on the same ship, we've both repeated ships and done B2B - even B2B is very different from one week to the next - can feel like a totally different ship that you happen to know your way around, not to mention the staff!

[Grego]

I guess we aren't that fussy about the Princess ships. Even though we have sailed on most of them and a few a couple of times, it is always the thrill of being on a ship and being at sea that mattered.

 

We love to spend time weeks/days/hours before we go test ourselves on the deck layout and are always happy that after all that it is still fun to get aboard and have it all seem new to us.

 

Maybe it's because Princess is fairly consistant throughout the line that doesn't make any differences among the ships that noticeable.

 

It might be an neat question to ask and that would be, if you were only to cruise on one Princess ship for the rest of your cruise life, which one would you choose? I might have to say the Tahitian because it reminds me of what cruise ships used to be like in this part of the world.

[Shogun]

Hi Folks,

 

Having sailed b2b on a few ships I can say each cruise is different in regards the on board feeling of the ship, different mix of passengers and crew makes changes the ship.

 

As to going on the same ship my worest cruise and best were on the same ship.

 

 

yours Shogun