Royal Caribbean vs Princess?

[jargey3000]

Ok - In a few words how would you describe the difference(s) between a Princess cruise vs RC? ( we're considering a caribbean cruise, have done RC before, but not Princess) Thanks

[Donna]

I think Princess has a less "wow" factor in both decor and a lot in their entertainment, you can't beat the shows they offer on Royal Caribbean...What Royal Caribbean ship were you on before. These newer ships have a lot to offer kids/families, etc. There is always something to do...I prefer Royal, but also love Princess too.

Do you enjoy having a lot of activities or a more relaxing type cruise??

[storybookcruises.com]

I know others will have varying opinions on the differences, because as I always say, what one person loves, another will hate. Also, their opinions will be based on their experiences not only with these two cruise lines, but in comparison to others.

With that said, we've had family and friends cruises on both of these, which consisted of both younger and older people, and all of us have the exact same sentiments, so this is not just my opinion.

We all agreed that the RCCL ships have more amenities to keep the kids busy. And as we all know, if the kids are happy, the parents are happy. So if you plan to go with children, RCCL is tough to beat.

At the same time, we all prefered the food and the crowd on Princess. So, if it's just the two of you and you're not into rock climbing, ice skating, etc, then Princess may be more to your liking.

They both offer a great experience for different reasons and, quite frankly, the only way to find out which one is best for you is to try them both so you can make up your own mind. Personally, I wouldn't let anyone else's opinion sway whether or not to try either one of these because I know you'll find both of them to be very good. After all, you'll never know whether you think one is better for you than the other unless you try them.

And that is the exciting thing about cruising.

Pete

[Dave Beers]

Princess cruises can be rather sedate in the evenings as compared to Royal. Bars are more European feeling, not very vibrant. Frankly I was bored on Royal Princess last year in the Caribbean, wandering the ship at night with nothing that interested me going on. I also thought it was quite cheap to tack an upcharge on bar tabs for soda mixers. Order a rum and coke and they charged for the rum, and then added 50 cents for the Coke part.

Entertainment isn't even close to Royal in my opinion. The service on Princess can also get a bit too bureaucratic in some instances. However I think Princess has excellent buffets with a lot more variety than Royal has been showing lately. And, the best meal I've ever had at sea was the extra-fee Chef's Dinner Lumiere on the Royal Princess. Princess is much more formal too. You really feel out of place on formal nights without a jacket on, and they prefer people to remain in formal attire for the whole evening, not just at dinner.

It's really a personal thing though. I like RCI better than Princess because RCI just suits me better. I actually have another Princess cruise booked for 2017 since it is one line that still routinely does the Panama Canal while Royal has mostly abandoned it.

[Fern]

Dave, I was really surprised to read of your experience with Princess!
We were on Coral Princess last year for a long cruise. Our favorite bar was Crooner's which was SRO after about 9PM. We also never saw a separate charge for a mixer?
DH went to the Dining Room on Formal Night in a nice shirt and slacks and fit right in. In fact, we didn't see anyone in a tux or a formal dress. On the Formal Night's that we didn't go to the Dining Room we didn't feel out of place at all in casual clothes. There were many people still in shorts and T's at the buffet (and also around the ship). I agree, the Lido Buffet on Princess is very good !
Maybe there's a difference in the way the ship's officer's do things?
jargey3000, I agree with Pete. You just have to try different cruise's to see what fits your vacation lifestyle! We happen to like Princess and Carnival, but many people prefer the "fancier" line's, like Celebrity or Cunard, and some love NCL.
Enjoy whichever cruise you end up booking!

[Lakers Fan]

I was never on a Princess ship,however,I have friends that prefer that line to any other.

[seadog2]

We were on the Sapphire Princess in 2005 and vowed to never do princess again. The service was not very good. In the dining room we had to ask for almost everything, bread, water, coffee. They stuck us in a corner table and pretty much forgot about us. It was also a much older crowd. Most things onboard rolled up at 9:00. Not much to do at night. I found the staff to be very indifferent. If someone wants to do princess that's fine but it's not for me.

[Truck Cruiser]

Royal will appeal to a much younger crowd then Princess will. Both lines offer good food and service! Princess is a more formal line with a lot of wood and brass for decorations unlike Royal which is glitzy and tries to WoW you. Entertainment is good on both lines. As someone else mentioned....If you are cruising with Children, go with Royal! If you are just going with your significant other, go Princess.