I just got off a RCCL cruise, but want to try a Princess cruise. Has anyone any opinions on both lines? We loved the Enchantment of the Seas, but would like a more sophisticated line with a bit more to do...more eateries, shopping...classes maybe. Woule love to hear from you! Thank you!

Tov
Royal Carribean is GREAT!!!!! as far as Princess goes read the post mishap on the Diamond. Ater reading that if you want to go on princess more power to you. Not me..
Tom

Unfortunately it does seem that Princess bungled the situation with the Diamond recently. However, I have had clients on them in the past (4 years ago) with no complaints. If you're looking for classes, you may want to check out Holland America or the luxury lines (Crystal, Silversea, Seabourn, Cunard etc.) as some of their sailings have lectures onboard.

PRINCESS IS THE BEST
My humble opinion..........

Tov
Karen is correct in the fact that Holland America is very good. More classy than a lot of the others.i would say more formal than classy actualy, but very nice.Celebrity is also a little more formal or classy than some of the others. i would definately stay away from Princess after these people on the Diamondwere treated.This treatment was not ship policy, but cruise line policy and if this is how they treat thier geusts I do not want to be one of thier geusts.I look forward to my cruises FOR WEEKS PRIOR,so if were to book on a princess there would not be much to look forward to would there? More like what to look out for!!!!
Tom

To further elaborate on my choice of PRINCESS....
I think service is what brings me back to Princess, it is excellent. I often travel alone, and I have never had any problems. I do not enjoy a ship full of drunk/disorderly people/kids. I do enjoy dressing for dinner. I do not think it is appropriate to go to the dining room in shorts & halter tops. The food has always been excellent. Now there are SO many dining alternatives too. The entertainment is good. I will say that if you do cruise often the shows are repeats. Sometimes that is a good thing.
I have cruised on other lines, RCCL, NCL, Costa, Carnival, Home Lines.
But, for now Princess remains my 1st choice.

Thank you all for your opinion! Now I am REALLY mixed up! ha
I will check out Holland America....I didn't know what happened to the Diamond....can someone tell me????
Thanks!
PS...I am NOT a formal person...just want a bit more educational activities

Tov
Read what happened on the Diamond Princess under cruise reviews. Or go to mihap on the diamond princess in this forum. I can assure you that after you read those horror stories about the treatment of the passengers that will help you make up your mind. The accident was just that, a could happen any where on any line.IT is what the line does after the fact that really matters.Please read it and make up your own mind.
Tom

[PS...I am NOT a formal person...just want a bit more educational activities[/QUOTE]

Princess is not totally formal, they just like you to be properly dressed in the dining rooms.
The 2 formal nights men wear suits often, some do have the tux.

As for the educational programs the new Coral Princess does have classes they conduct on board. Topics vary, photography, computers, cooking, etc.

For enrichment opportunities I would also suggest you check out Celebrity. On my last 2 Celebrity cruises they offered a number of interesting classes and lectures.
Nancy

Tovanatasha,

Both RC and Princess are examples of excellent cruise lines but they do differ. IOHO, the Royal Caribbean line has the most beautiful ships at sea and we find Princess is a close second. The major difference in the two lines, is in the food and the way they schedule their entertainment. With RC, their cuisine is a hit or miss operation. We’ve had excellent food on some of their ships , and on some the food was very poor. We find Princess to be much better in this department and more consistent in the quality of their food.. The food and the service is excellent. It isn’t often you find a souffle on a cruise menu or can you order Coffee Latte & Cappuccino with no extra charge. On our last cruise, we were offered souffle for dessert five nights of our 10 day cruise. Of course being Italian, we also like the fact that we could order a number of Italian dishes. They do a lot of things we like.

Princess does a lot of theme lunches and dinners. The main dinning room had theme nights with the menu featuring the most popular dishes of that country and the dinning room was decorated accordingly. The Horizon lunch room had a theme lunch most every day. Just to mention a few. They had an elaborate Sushi display for the Golden Dragon lunch. It featured all kinds of Oriental dishes and Sushi. It was a big hit. Another was a Mexican lunch, “Pancho’s Cantina,” featuring a full array of Mexican food. We haven’t seen it done any better on any other lines we have cruised on.

If you like to dance, Princess wins hands down. The main reasons we like the Wheelhouse, is the type music that’s offered and the way it’s scheduled. Princess is one of the few cruise lines that has dance music starting at five o’clock and they (usually) hire combos that play the kind of music we like to dance to. RC is lacking in this area. On most of their ships the main dancing is done on and platforms of the stairway and the walk ways around the small area set side for the performers. This and the food is one of the main reasons we are have switched to booking Princess.

Another major difference is the way they schedule entertainment. Where most cruise lines have a featured show each evening, Princess schedules two feature shows each evening. One in the vista room and one in the show room and they schedule them for two consecutive evenings. You have a choice of which show you would like to see.

If you have any questions you would like us try to answer, don’t hesitate to drop us a line.

Our warm regards,

Tovanatasha,

[PS...I am NOT a formal person...just want a bit more educational activities[/QUOTE]

I overlooked this question!

)An excerpt from our Coral Princess review)
Princess has a Scholarship program called. Scholarship@Sea: It’s a lecture enrichment program that encourages you to “Learn While Cruising.” The lectures and demonstrations are held in the Universe Lounge. Its has three revolving stages and giant projection screens, and can handle an audience of 400 people. This program gives the passengers the opportunity to learn new skills or update their knowledge on a variety of topics, including pottery, cooking, computer skills, web page design, estate planning, watercolor techniques, finance, photography and visual arts. A number of new features were built into the ship, including a full demonstration kitchen, like the kind you see on the TV food shows and the first onboard pottery studio and kilns. All courses are free and passengers can enjoy as many as they wish.

Some of the lectures offered on our cruise:
Chess: History & Rules of the Game
Responsibility of Grand Parenting: Godfrey Harris
Advanced PC Concepts: Fred Perry
From Russia With Love: Barbara D. Mayer
Breadfruit Bligh & Events Leading to the Bounty Mutiny: Captain Michael Irving
Digital Cameras: Fred Perry
Financial Implementation of Weather Derivatives: Anjelina Belakovskaia
Horatio Nelson-El Pequeno Almirante Ingrel: Captain Michael

We’re sorry we didn’t include this with our first e-mail. I hope it gives you the information your seeking.

Warm regards,