Disparities between Princess and Royal Caribbean

After sailing on multiple Royal Caribbean cruises and a few other lines, we are thinking about taking a Princess trip. After being “loyal to Royal,” what do you think we would like or not like about Princess?

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We are individuals from Princess. Even my three lads, ages 25, 24, and 21, wouldn’t switch to a different line.

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Do you take children on cruises? Then continue using RCCL. If not, try Princess; although, I believe you would prefer Celebrity. Additionally, you can use Celebrity’s RCCL loyalty level.

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Alcohol is not the main focus. more targeted at the over-40 demographic.

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I would also consider Celebrity, depending on your degree of Royalty, as they match status and have some good benefits. In May, I took the Edge for my first Celebrity trip. Very elegant, less childish, and very good.

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@Jayden We used Equinox, however there were a few things we didn’t like. However, the service was excellent.

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@Dorea Check out the updated Edge class (Apex, Beyond, Ascent, Xcel, Edge). Different from the M and C class by night and day, however some people still like the earlier ships.

I think, biased though I may be, that the Edge class offers the best premium line/minimum kid experience available.

FWIW, wife/I mid/late 50’s did princess for literally decades before moving to Celebrity may 6 years ago. Never turning around. Possibly 100 days were spent on X.

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Since my family prefers the Princess brand and I have benefits on it, I have been cruising since I was a little child (I’m currently in my late 20s). With my best friend, I went on a Royal cruise the previous year. Silent discos, ice skating performances, and game shows were among the more entertaining options offered by Royal, but in my opinion, Princess had much superior food and a more laid-back atmosphere. Princess continues to be my favorite because of the laid-back atmosphere and the food, but both have advantages and disadvantages.

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Princess makes a celebrity comparison. Carnival/NCL is compared to Royal.

Princess will attract an older, quieter population with less children. Princess offers a ton of entertainment in the evenings. Princess has one feature: all of its pools are freshwater (well, except for the Pacific Princess, which wasn’t designed for Princess, as I recall).

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@Mboks Azamara Cruises purchased Pacific Princess in 2021.

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@Meech Yes, to give Oceania the finger.

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The rooms were larger but there were no bells and whistles.

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I completed one of each. I honestly wasn’t interested in cruising again after the Royal Caribbean trip, but I gave it another go. LOVED Princess. Much more tranquil.

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Princess is more classic cruising. Less children, no slides, and considerably more relaxation. older demographic. With fewer children running around, Princess is my preference. They also use excellent medallions. However, Princess isn’t what you want if all you care about are the slides, etc.

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@Salish This is the response.

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@Adele What is the quality of the food?

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@Alain Now on the Enchanted Princess.

The food is decent; it’s definitely better than at Royal and Carnival, which is to be expected given the slightly higher price range. However, it isn’t a significant enough enhancement to be the only consideration when making a decision.

@Banice Despite being RCL seasoned travelers, we have a January Discovery Princess trip planned. Over the past couple of years, Royal’s food has left me feeling a little let down. Not as good as it was before the pandemic, but better than it was in 2023.

In late 2025, we’re also going on a Celebrity Cruise. We were looking for the distinction between “premium cruise lines” and RCL.

The odd thing is that, when you compare Plus to RCL’s comparable packages, our Princess Cruise was actually less expensive than an RCL cruise. Since RCL drink packages cost $80 per day and I don’t drink that much, we have never purchased one.

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@Alain I did my last Royal cruise approximately a year ago, and I believe the food here is better than it was. I haven’t formed an opinion on the MDRs yet, but the buffet is, in my opinion, the most obvious quality improvement to yet.

My partner was interested in the NE and Canada itinerary, so we thought we’d try Princess. Normally, I only book with Carnival or RC.

Since we’re in our early 30s and Celebrity has a more contemporary product/program, I think it would be a better fit for us. I also want to give Celebrity a try.

I hope your cruise in January is enjoyable!

Fantastic during our cruise