RCCL Fan just booked Caribbean Princess

[lmmn]

Moving out of my comfort zone and cruising Princess in August. I'm anxious to check out personal choice dining and just try something different. Also using a new online agent...one I could talk to.

Explorer of the Seas ~ 10/02
Majesty of the Seas ~ 1/03
Majesty of the Seas ~ 8/11/03
Navigator of the Seas ~ 10/11/03
Serenade of the Seas ~ 1/31/04
Adventure of the Seas ~ 1/30/05

[Mike&Karren]

We enjoyed PC dining on the Grand. Liked to go eat when we wanted to. Hope you have a great time!

Triumph Dec.2,2000
Triumph Sept.8,2001
Spirit Dec.5,2001
Victory Sept.29,2002
Pride May 10,2003
Glory Inaugural July 14,2003
Grand Princess Sept. 28,2003
Mariner of the Seas Dec.14.2003
Mariner of the Seas Sept. 19, 2004
Jewel of the Seas Nov.14 2004
[url="http://community.webshots.com/user/mikeandkarren"]http://community.webshots.com/user/mikeandkarren[/url]

[royalcaribbeanfan]

Princess sounds like a good line. You may even like it better than RCCL. We have never been because the prices are higher. Let us know how you liked it when you get back.

Happy Cruising

Patty

[RM]

When are you going and which ship? I've been thinking about giving Princess another shot. It's hard to do with the perks I get from RCI.

Victoria, Atlantic, Nordic Empress,Tropicale, Oceanic, Grandeur, Nordic Empress, Legend, Destiny, Rotterdam,
OceanPrincess, Monarch, Grandeur,Navigator,
Monarch, Sovereign 5x's, Explorer, Enchantment of the Seas, Radiance 2x's
Up next Mariner of the Seas
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=dc143c&cdt=2004;6;20;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
Then Jewel of the Seas
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=008080&cdt=2004;12;18;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

[lmmn]

I'm going with my two teenage kids in August. Price for balcony is same as the RCCL insides...so we got a balcony on Princess!!! Going with my kids, I think we'll like the flexibility of personal choice dining. The only perk I feel like I'm missing out on is this cruise not going towards becoming a diamond member. I will definitely post a review when I get back.

Explorer of the Seas ~ 10/02
Majesty of the Seas ~ 1/03
Majesty of the Seas ~ 8/11/03
Navigator of the Seas ~ 10/11/03
Serenade of the Seas ~ 1/31/04
Adventure of the Seas ~ 1/30/05

[RM]

I was thinking of doing them in September with my DH for our 20th. Still not sure but will probably end up on RCI as I'm so comfortable with them. We did Princess several years ago (before PC dining) and liked it but it was nothing special to us. Guess RCI is too much like family. Still looking at other lines too.

Happy sailing and please let us know how you make out.

Victoria, Atlantic, Nordic Empress,Tropicale, Oceanic, Grandeur, Nordic Empress, Legend, Destiny, Rotterdam,
OceanPrincess, Monarch, Grandeur,Navigator,
Monarch, Sovereign 5x's, Explorer, Enchantment of the Seas, Radiance 2x's
Up next Mariner of the Seas
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=dc143c&cdt=2004;6;20;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
Then Jewel of the Seas
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=008080&cdt=2004;12;18;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

[MVPinBoynton]

We were on the Caribbean Princess last month on an inspection tour. It is a nice ship, but it just doesn't have the Wow impact that the Voyager and Radiance class ships have. The centrum is nice but doesn't compare to RCCL's. The main dining rooms are single story, so you don't get the beauty and openness of the multi story room. It feels more like you are in a restaurant rather than having a grand cruising experience. I do think the food is slightly better on Princess. The Caribbean Princess is a lovely ship, I just prefer the Radiance and Voyager classes better. I would take a cruise on it in a minute if I had the time.

Mike


See our reviews and pictures at [url="http://www.thepreismans.com/"]Mike and Carol's Website[/url]

Costa Classica 3/94
Celebrity Mercury 4/98
Carnival Destiny 4/99
Crown Princess 7/01
Norwegian Star 11/01
Grand Princess 12/01
Sun Princess 3/02
Celebrity Constellation 11/02
Brilliance of the Seas 6/03
Navigator of the Seas 11/03
Jewel of the Seas 06/04
Tahitian Princess 02/05

[jkrislc]

You should enjoy yourselves. I've done Princess once and RCI four times and like both lines very much. Personally, I think the service and food are a bit better on Princess, but there entertainment can be hit or miss. Both are very comparable, however.

Make sure you try the "always available" fetuccini (sp?) alfredo. It's not very saucy and served in a cheese bowl (burnt/crusted cheese). It's so fabulous that my wife is still talking about it today. The fresh fruit with casis is also very good.

KLC
UPCOMING CRUISES:
---------------------
PRIDE OF ???????-HAWAII (01/05)
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=800080&cdt=2005;01;2;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-1000[/img]

PREVIOUS CRUISES
-------------------------
RCI's Monarch of the Seas (01/04)
Star Princess (6/03)
RCI's Rhapsody of the Seas (4/01)
Carnival's Ecstasy (6/96)
RCI's Viking Serenade (1/94)

[mattinla]

Just came off the Diamond Princess.. would not go out of my way to sail Princess again. RCI does a much better job. Just my opinion, but I have had the opportunity to sail many different ships and several lines over the past 18 months and I can say Princess was the least impressive.

For a brand new, huge ship, it felt like a claustrophobic Ramada.

CRUISES: Queen of Bermuda '89 Tropicale '99, Explorer of the Seas '02, Radiance of the Seas '02, Vision of the Seas '03, Queen Elizabeth 2 '03, Infinity '03, Serenade of the Seas '03, Monarch of the Seas '03, Norwegian Star '03, Queen Mary 2 '04,
Diamond Princess, '04

Detailed ship pix: [url="http://community.webshots.com/user/mattinla"]http://community.webshots.com/user/mattinla[/url]

[angel dog]

I have been on the Navigator and Mariner. For something different my daughter and I went on the Caribbean Princess on Spring Break 4-10. It was a beautiful ship but does not come close to the Voyager class ships. The whole time we both kept saying we had wished we were on the Mariner.

The idea of PC appealed to me as well but just about every night the line was very long waiting for a table unless you went at 5:50 or 8:30.

Next time we will stick to RCCL

Jan

[RM]

Mattinla and Angel dog was there anything specific that made you long for RCI?. I'm still thinking about it and I'm nervous to switch lines. Would love your opinions.

Victoria, Atlantic, Nordic Empress,Tropicale, Oceanic, Grandeur, Nordic Empress, Legend, Destiny, Rotterdam,
OceanPrincess, Monarch, Grandeur,Navigator,
Monarch, Sovereign 5x's, Explorer, Enchantment of the Seas, Radiance 2x's
Up next Mariner of the Seas
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=dc143c&cdt=2004;6;20;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
Then Jewel of the Seas
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=008080&cdt=2004;12;18;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

[lmmn]

It's been interesting reading the RCCL posts and then the Princess posts. Princess cruisers like Princess more than RCCL. It makes me even more curious to check it out for myself. In all honesty, it will have to be pretty bad for me not to have a great time.

Explorer of the Seas ~ 10/02
Majesty of the Seas ~ 1/03
Majesty of the Seas ~ 8/11/03
Navigator of the Seas ~ 10/11/03
Serenade of the Seas ~ 1/31/04
Caribbean Princess ~ 8/14/04
Adventure of the Seas ~ 1/30/05

[Keisele]

I found this post very interesting because I was curious about the differences between Princess and Royal Caribbean. I will be going on my first Princess cruise 5/29/04 on the Caribbean Princess. However, I am planning for another cruise in April 2005 and am considering RCCL's (RCI's) Jewel of the Seas. This will be my first time on Royal Caribbean, too, so I am anxious to read more of your opinions on these two lines.

[cruzinpsycharnp]

We liked the Princess. The lap pool is never busy and was great fun with the jets turned on...if you can find it. The food was not good. Three night I sent inedible food back and the second choice was not much better. Imperceptible sauce on the eggs benedict and they were not available often. Check with your wait staff on didning recommendations. We were given whatever level it's called showing you've been on 2 cruises because I said something to the wait staff about the bad food. Their Windjammer was the same every day and just a lot of pasta salad, terrible sushi and warmed over dining room food. Specialty restaurant was great. Fun times by the pool. Shows were good. Have fun.

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=00ffff&cdt=2004;6;13;16;0;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img] till Mariner
Queen Elizabeth 1963
Florida 1966
Mardi Gras 1980
Holiday 1982
Tropicale 1999
Pride 2002
Grand Princess 2003
Mariner 2004

[Folgy]

RCCL has much nicer suites IMO.I do like Princess very much though. They have much more activities and fun things to do.

[img]http://sc.groups.msn.com/tn/92/02/GoodFriendsComeTogether/3/1d.jpg[/img] Alaska (my BIG 50)Serenade of the Seas
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=dc143c&cdt=2004;8;8;12;0;00&timezone=GMT-0800[/img]

[momofmeg]

I rate my one Princess cruise the best as far as food-entertainment and service were concerned. I did find that my Carnival Miracle cruise was just as nice as Princess. I do believe it is the ship and not the line. I would cruise Princess more though if she offered opitions like Pt.C and Tampa as I hate flying.

We are planning on booking Mariner out of Pt.C next. Since we were not that impressed with Sovereign we thought we would try a newer Voyager class ship.

As you can see from my signature we are no fans of any one line.

Carnival Tropicale 10/15/98 Western Caribbean
RCCL Sovereign of the Seas 11/22/99 Bahamas
Carnival Fascination 09/23/00 Southern caribbean
HAL Statendam 05/20/01 Alaska
RCCL Sovereign of the Seas 11/08/01 Bahamas
Pacific Princess 09/29/02 Bermuda
Carnival Inspiration 12/14/03 Western caribbean
Carnival Miracle 04/09/04 Bahamas

[cruiserforlife]

I think if you go with an open mind devoid of opinions,you'll have a fantastic time.

IMHO,I have found Princess to excel in Food,and poolside fun.I give a slight nod to RCCL in service and entertainment.Both lines provide great entertainers and shows so the difference is very slight.

Of course in these cost-cutting times,much has changed and the cruise you take next week may be different from the one last week.

Cruising is still an excellent vacation and no matter what line you choice,it's still better than being at work.

I applaud you for trying something different.I personally think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Have fun!

"a bad day at sea is better than a great day at work and a lousy day at sea is still pretty damn good!"

[bnldavis]

We were on the Grand a couple of years ago and while it was a great time (hey we were cruisin' [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]) I prefer RCCL. We've been on the Grandeur, Voyager, Explorer and Mariner and just like the ships a little better. One thing I did NOT like was the Personal Choice dining. There was always constant activity around you - much like a shoreside restaurant. Table bussing and resetting, people coming in and out to get to their tables, tables being rearranged, etc. We prefer the set dining and the familiarity with the wait staff that brings, but many prefer a more flexible schedule.

I did find the pool choices better - and Princess has freshwater pools (vs. saltwater on RCCL), but all in all we came back to RCCL. You will have fun though - you are crusing...

Ben

[emilygrace]

Just got off the Coral Princess this last Saturday, and we've been on the Radiance twice. With my limited cruising experience, I still saw some differences. Dining room food was the same, but as a previous poster said, the one level dining rooms don't give you that grand dining experience. The buffet on Princess really suffered in comparison to the Windjammer on Radiance! Not only the layout of the stations, but the food as well. Still edible, but just not as good.

The shows were good (we had seen one act on our last Radiance cruise!)and the activities were about the same. The crew didn't seem as friendly as on RCCL, and there seemed to be a definite division between the British crew and the rest.

As far as cabins go, we've had balconies on all our cruises and they're about the same size, but I prefer the layout of RCCL, with a small sofa. There's much more storage on RCCL.

All that being said, I would still consider Princess for a future cruise. The whole reason we took this one was to see if we might like Princess for our future Alaska cruise. At this point, it would depend on itinerary and price. I do like the fact that Princess sails out of SF, which would eliminate air travel for us. I just wish more ships did.

And now we look forward to our Jewel cruise!

Coral Princess
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=00ffff&cdt=2004;5;6;16;00;00&timezone=GMT-0800[/img]


[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=9400d3&cdt=2004;09;11;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
Until the Jewel of the Seas

[emilygrace]

Ooops....forgot to mention....LOVED the PC dining! But I have no problem with traditional dining, if that's all that's offered. That aspect would not be a decision maker for me.

Coral Princess
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=00ffff&cdt=2004;5;6;16;00;00&timezone=GMT-0800[/img]


[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=9400d3&cdt=2004;09;11;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
Until the Jewel of the Seas

[mattinla]

I have another post going here with my detailed impression of the Diamond.. which many of you have seen... and you know, I would never tell anyone not to try another cruise line. I was told not to sail Norwegian... but Norwegian Star was an amazing experience for me. If you're booked on Princess, go and enjoy. It might work for you.

However, if you are booked in a suite (above mini-suite) I can tell you for sure that Princess has the lowest level of "suite amenities"/service/decor among RCI, NCL and Princess. RCI really makes their suites special, and I have to say while standard cabins on NCL are not as nice as standard cabins on RCI, their suites blow everyone out of the water. They are so richly appointed... but the Princess suite was decorated just like any old cabin....and there were no special amenities...

[Folgy]

However, if you are booked in a suite (above mini-suite) I can tell you for sure that Princess has the lowest level of "suite amenities"/service/decor among RCI, NCL and Princess. RCI really makes their suites special, and I have to say while standard cabins on NCL are not as nice as standard cabins on RCI, their suites blow everyone out of the water. They are so richly appointed... but the Princess suite was decorated just like any old cabin....and there were no special amenities...
---------------------------------------------
I agree with 100% Matinnla

[img]http://sc.groups.msn.com/tn/92/02/GoodFriendsComeTogether/3/1d.jpg[/img] Alaska (my BIG 50)Serenade of the Seas
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=dc143c&cdt=2004;8;8;12;0;00&timezone=GMT-0800[/img]

[Darngoodcruisers]

Hi,
Have been on 8 Princess and 7 RC. We like them both. They are similar yet different enough to go back and forth. Have cruised other lines, but prefer these two.
Carol