Can someone who has cruised DCL give feedback on Princess Cruiseline

[TLHB70]

I have to admit that our family has only cruised with two cruiselines, Disney and Holland America. We are big fans of both; their service is wonderful.
We are currently planning a 2010 summer cruise with another family. They have never cruised before. Their dates are not very flexible due to work schedule. We have found a Princess Cruise that works perfectly in their schedule and has some wonderful ports that we have never seen. We just do not know much about Princess because we do not know anyone that has sailed with them. We will have three teens/preteens with us, ages 16, 14, and 11. We are not really big party people. That is one reason we like the calmer HAL cruises when we do not cruise DCL.
Does anyone have experience with Princess cruises? If so, can you tell me about your experience with them compared to DCL? The name of the ship we are considering is the Caribbean Princess.

 

[SAGE]

We cruised on the Sea Princess in May. I believe the Caribbean Princess is a larger/newer? ship than the SP however we loved it.

The service was outstanding, like Disney - the pool areas were nicer and had better layouts than Disney.
Also we LOVED Anytime Dining!!

The entertainment on Princess was poor - actually very poor. But we are not late night people so it wasn't an issue. We did the Southern Caribbean and embarked in Barbados - wow! one of my favorite ports: cool1:

I looked at DCL prices for their upcoming Southern cruise -

For the ports we wanted, Princess was a good choice.

If there is anything specific you want to know, please post your question.

S

 

[justmestace]

We sailed on the Caribbean Princess a few years ago, a 7 night to St Martin and St Thomas & Princess' private island. For that trip it was just my husband and I, but we have two teens, so I also looked at the ship from what would have been their point of view.
It's a huge ship, and I did find myself getting lost a few times. I'm not used to not being able to go directly from one end of the ship to the other without having to go up a flight or down a flight.
I think the teens would love it though. Just seemed like more for them to do. I like the "anytime" dining....and we especially REALLY liked their private island...yes honestly, more than Castaway Cay. Everything there was a closer walk....the "adult" areas, the food, the bars....and it was fun to leave their area and go outside the fence to find local vendors selling Bahamian wares. I liked that they had a small swimming pool to refresh the toddlers, which Disney doesn't. Not that we have little ones, but it just seemed like a great idea for those poor hot kiddies. It was also very clean. And even though we tendered to it, that did not seem to be a problem at all.

The one thing I didn't like, I guess, was how huge and sometimes overwhelming the ship was. I'm used to the friendliness of the crew on DCL, and that did seem to be lacking on Princess. But then again, if you're only there a week, and only once, I guess you don't really "need" to make friends with everyone.

Other plusses were the variety of more shops onboard. Sometimes I pass time just wandering through the shops. That gets old really fast on Disney.

When we went, it was Halloween, so they had a really fun parade and costume contest for the adults...and I was surprised by the number of participants....and earlier in the day, they led the little ones Trick or Treating around the ship. Very cute. And I don't know if this is something DCL does, or not.

I think that you'll enjoy it. I really do. Especially since you have friends you are joining.

 

[unionville]

We cruised on the Caribbean Princess over Easter in 2007. It was probably one of our favorite cruises ever. Our son was 7 years old, so I'm not sure how the older kids feel about the clubs. Our son loved it! We are not party people either, but we loved seeing the "piano guy" that played in one of the lounges each night. He was so funny! We did anytime dining and loved it. We also ate in both of the "fee" restaurants. One is a steakhouse that was okay and the other is a wonderful Italian restaurant. Unlike Disney, you can take your children. We checked in a case of water with our luggage and rolled on a cooler with beer and wine with no problems. The ship has the movie screen at the pool just like Disney. No slide, but the pools are larger. My husband and I loved hanging out of the second deck of the aft pool while our son was in the clubs. What a view! It must have been the kids free area - only a handful of adults were ever there. I would not hesitate in cruising with Princess again. My husband actually prefers them to Disney - he feels that the Disney ships seem so small and outdated once you've been on the newer ships. You should check out cruise critic dot com. You can read reviews of the Caribbean Princess and they have a discussion board for Princess.

 

[TLHB70]

Thanks to both of you. I was typing SAGE a question regarding teens, andjustmestace, you answered it as I was typing.
Is there a separate area for the teens/preteen like on Disney? Or will they just have separate activities geared for their age throughout the ship.
I was overwhelmed with the size of the ship just by looking at its diagram on the Princess website. I can't get over how big it is!
We are not late night people either. We are typically in bed by 10 PM at home. So late night shows are not important to us either. We do like the stage shows before dinner on DCL and HAL. Does Princess have something like that in the evenings? Would the teens like that?

 

[TLHB70]

Thank you unionville. That is encouraging to read! I will go to cruise critic and read more about it.
Did you have trouble with having to wait to eat when you did the anytime dining? I have heard horror stories about NCL and having to wait for close to an hour to eat because of not having assigned times. Was that not the case on Princess? Did you go at typical dining times, like noon and 6 or 6:30? I guess I just cannot grasp how that works.

 

[SAGE]

We usually headed to the dining room between 5:30 - 6:30PM. Several times we were given a buzzer but the wait was never more than 15 minutes.

The Sea Princess only had the Steakhouse ( $15. fee) on this ship however our experience was great. The food was outstanding.

We did see 2 of the evening shows. Singing & dancing ..... nice but it's hard to measure up the the Disney shows! 2 other evenings we watched movies under the stars. We loved that!

Cruise critic will have good, up to date reviews for you.

 

[itutorfortravel]

I am glad I found this thread. I have been thinking about either HAL or Princess for another cruise.

DH and I are not big partiers either. And, we really enjoy having a verandah to have some private time with a glass of wine while DD is sleeping. DCL was a perfect fit for our family on our first DCL cruise, as it fit our personalities and we had a verandah! But most times verandahs on DCL are pretty pricey during the times we want to go, and I've found there are many cruiselines out there with itineraries that include places DH and I have never been, so I have to admit they are tempting. But, above all, I want DD to have a good time because if she doesn't, no one does, if you get my meaning! LOL

Oh, by the way, DD will be either just shy of her 8th birthday or right at her 8th birthday the next time we sail.

So, to the OP, can you tell me about the kids clubs and activities on HAL? We would probably go on one of the newer ships, like the Eurodam. I'd like to know what the hours for the kids clubs are on HAL, what kinds of activities they do, if they take the kids to dinners, etc. Also, does HAL have family activities throughout the day? Also, can you tell me about their private island? It looks fabulous!

For those of you who have sailed on Princess, I would like to ask the same questions...not sure which ship it would be if we do that cruiseline. There is an awesome 10 day cruise around Easter next year on the Ruby that sounds so wonderful! Just don't know about pulling DD out of school for that. We are already booked to do DCL in December of this year and pull her out for a week for that...which is still up in the air right now.

Anyhow, didn't mean to hijack this thread, but hopefully some of the questions I have asked about Princess will help the OP. Thanks!

 

[TLHB70]

I am so sorry that I cannot help you itutorfortravel. When we have cruised HAL, it was just DH and me. Our DDs usually spend time with their grandparents a couple of weeks out of the summer and that is when we do those cruises. So for summer 2010 we were going to take our friends and daughters on the HAL Alaska cruise. DH and I have done it and LOVED it!!!!!! We really want to take the girls with us next time. They are not thrilled about going. They would rather stay at grandparents than go, believe it or not. However, when we found out the friends would go, they changed their minds. The Alaska cruise is not working out too well with their work schedule, but the Caribbean one is looking good.
I can tell you that I have read great reviews on DIS about HAL kid's clubs from tvguy. Hopefully he will pop in here and be able to give you more specific information.
I can tell you that DH and I love HAL just as much as DCL. It is top notch service!

 

[justmestace]

The teens had their own area too, and the kids' area was impressive. The littler kids, that is. They even have a fenced in area where they can play outside on toys, and also with a small pool. I've often thought it disappointing that the kids' clubs on DCL were indoors 100%. I know that they do take the little ones (on DCL) to one of the aft open decks, but it's always so hot out there. The one on Princess is shaded.
But yes, they did have space for the teens-preteens, and all the activities you'd expect on Disney.

One thing that they've started doing since we cruised, is to display the wait times in the dining rooms on the TV's in the rooms. It gives you a better idea of how long you'll wait, and if you want to try a different restaurant.
Also, once onboard, you can make reservations at some of the restaurants too.

 

[TLHB70]

The teens had their own area too, and the kids' area was impressive. The littler kids, that is. They even have a fenced in area where they can play outside on toys, and also with a small pool. I've often thought it disappointing that the kids' clubs on DCL were indoors 100%. I know that they do take the little ones (on DCL) to one of the aft open decks, but it's always so hot out there. The one on Princess is shaded.
But yes, they did have space for the teens-preteens, and all the activities you'd expect on Disney.

One thing that they've started doing since we cruised, is to display the wait times in the dining rooms on the TV's in the rooms. It gives you a better idea of how long you'll wait, and if you want to try a different restaurant.
Also, once onboard, you can make reservations at some of the restaurants too.

Great news! Thank you so much!

 

[itutorfortravel]

I am so sorry that I cannot help you itutorfortravel. When we have cruised HAL, it was just DH and me. Our DDs usually spend time with their grandparents a couple of weeks out of the summer and that is when we do those cruises. So for summer 2010 we were going to take our friends and daughters on the HAL Alaska cruise. DH and I have done it and LOVED it!!!!!! We really want to take the girls with us next time. They are not thrilled about going. They would rather stay at grandparents than go, believe it or not. However, when we found out the friends would go, they changed their minds. The Alaska cruise is not working out too well with their work schedule, but the Caribbean one is looking good.
I can tell you that I have read great reviews on DIS about HAL kid's clubs from tvguy. Hopefully he will pop in here and be able to give you more specific information.
I can tell you that DH and I love HAL just as much as DCL. It is top notch service!

Hey, thank you so much for the feedback on HAL. I have "talked" to TVguy about the HAL kids' clubs in the past, but if I remember correctly his kids are teens so he didn't have much experience with the younger groups. Our DD will be about 8 when we cruise, so I am interested in knowing what there will be for her to do and if there are lots of kids on board. Did you notice many kids when you and your DH sailed? Did they seemed to receive warm welcomes at the pool and in the restaurants by other passengers? HAL sounds really great to me, but I just don't want to feel out of place with DD or be on pins and needles about her getting excited or "having fun" if you know what I mean!

BTW, I assume you are in NC...so are we, in the Charlotte area!

 

[TLHB70]

Hey, thank you so much for the feedback on HAL. I have "talked" to TVguy about the HAL kids' clubs in the past, but if I remember correctly his kids are teens so he didn't have much experience with the younger groups. Our DD will be about 8 when we cruise, so I am interested in knowing what there will be for her to do and if there are lots of kids on board. Did you notice many kids when you and your DH sailed? Did they seemed to receive warm welcomes at the pool and in the restaurants by other passengers? HAL sounds really great to me, but I just don't want to feel out of place with DD or be on pins and needles about her getting excited or "having fun" if you know what I mean!

BTW, I assume you are in NC...so are we, in the Charlotte area!

I did notice kids onboard. There weren't nearly as many as there are on Disney cruises, but there were definitely children of various ages. I did not notice any of them being treated rudely or cold by any other passengers, though I have to be honest and say that I was not really watching for that. I guess I need to pay more attention to it before our DDs sail it with us.
Yes, we are in the Charlotte area too.....Union County.

 

[itutorfortravel]

I did notice kids onboard. There weren't nearly as many as there are on Disney cruises, but there were definitely children of various ages. I did not notice any of them being treated rudely or cold by any other passengers, though I have to be honest and say that I was not really watching for that. I guess I need to pay more attention to it before our DDs sail it with us.
Yes, we are in the Charlotte area too.....Union County.

Oh my gosh! We are in Union County, too! Small world

Thanks again for the feedback on HAL. I'm really tempted by the other cruiselines, I have to admit. If only DCL's pricing were more in line with others, I wouldn't even consider another cruiseline, but...we currently have a SPH cabin reserved for next spring break and I don't want to let it go until I know for sure what we are going to do, but I have found that I can get a balcony or suite for less on another line than I can for my cat 10 SPH obstructed window room on DCL! It just doesn't seem right! Heck, I can even get a 10 night Caribbean cruise on the Ruby Princess in a suite for the same price as my DCL cruise. And my DCL cruise included the onboard discount!

I also have a cat 12 booked on DCL for the week before Christmas. Boy, do I wish I felt 100% good about doing that one. I got a FABULOUS price on it! But, DD would have to miss a full week of school (albeit the one before Christmas when probably no learning is happening - LOL!). Just not sure how the school would respond to that, but she will be in 2nd grade this year and I figure it's my last chance to pull her out like this before we start the EOG's.

Hope your Princess cruise works out and that you have a great time. Which one are you looking at?

 

[unionville]

Here's a little more information from another Union County, NC resident!

We cruised Carribean Princess (Easter Week to Eastern Carribean) and the Holland American Zuiderdam (July 4th week Alaska) when our son was 7 years old. It was a great travel year for our family! We have an only child that LOVES going to the kids club. The numbers of children in the kids club is much smaller than Disney, which is a good thing. The counselors get to know the kids on a first name basis and will speak to them around the ship and even off the ship if you bump into them in port. There are crafts, music, dances, computers, games, outdoor time at the basketball courts, etc.... On both cruises, he colored his own cruise shirt as a souvenir (no charge). On sea days for both cruiselines, the kids club closes around lunch (I think it was 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and around dinner time (I think it was 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.). My son used the lunch time break to swim with all of his friends at the pool. We would have him shower and feed him dinner in the room or by the pool during the evening break. My husband and I would drop him off at the club (his request) at 7 p.m. and then go to anytime dining. There was only the two of us, but we never had to wait for a table. We were also seated at a table for 2 or 4 if our son joined us. I'm not sure what would happen if you had a bigger group. We made our specialty dining reservations on the day we boarded the ship. On formal night, the kids club would take the kids to a private part of the buffet restaurant and feed them. We never had any issues with the clubs closing at for a few hours. It was sometimes a nice break. I'm pretty sure that the kids club was open all day on port days. We never leave our child while on excursions so I'm not sure.

Our HAL cruise to Alaska had very few kids, but we never felt unwelcome or out of place. We have also looked at the Eurodam. I think that a Carribean HAL sailing will be much more kid friendly, especially during a holiday. To be honest, it's kind of nice not to be on a ship full of kids. It can sometimes be a little overwhelming on Disney.

If you book a balcony room on Princess, make sure you do your research. Some balconies are fully covered, some are half covered and half sun, and others are totally in the sun. It's my understanding that some of the balconies also look down on other balconies.

The private island that Princess uses is great. You do have to tender, but it's a great beach day. The kid club operates on the island and they even have a swimming pool.

No free soda on either cruiseline. On Princess your "drink card" included an insulated Coke mug that you could have refilled.

 

[itutorfortravel]

Here's a little more information from another Union County, NC resident!

We cruised Carribean Princess (Easter Week to Eastern Carribean) and the Holland American Zuiderdam (July 4th week Alaska) when our son was 7 years old. It was a great travel year for our family! We have an only child that LOVES going to the kids club. The numbers of children in the kids club is much smaller than Disney, which is a good thing. The counselors get to know the kids on a first name basis and will speak to them around the ship and even off the ship if you bump into them in port. There are crafts, music, dances, computers, games, outdoor time at the basketball courts, etc.... On both cruises, he colored his own cruise shirt as a souvenir (no charge). On sea days for both cruiselines, the kids club closes around lunch (I think it was 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and around dinner time (I think it was 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.). My son used the lunch time break to swim with all of his friends at the pool. We would have him shower and feed him dinner in the room or by the pool during the evening break. My husband and I would drop him off at the club (his request) at 7 p.m. and then go to anytime dining. There was only the two of us, but we never had to wait for a table. We were also seated at a table for 2 or 4 if our son joined us. I'm not sure what would happen if you had a bigger group. We made our specialty dining reservations on the day we boarded the ship. On formal night, the kids club would take the kids to a private part of the buffet restaurant and feed them. We never had any issues with the clubs closing at for a few hours. It was sometimes a nice break. I'm pretty sure that the kids club was open all day on port days. We never leave our child while on excursions so I'm not sure.

Our HAL cruise to Alaska had very few kids, but we never felt unwelcome or out of place. We have also looked at the Eurodam. I think that a Carribean HAL sailing will be much more kid friendly, especially during a holiday. To be honest, it's kind of nice not to be on a ship full of kids. It can sometimes be a little overwhelming on Disney.

If you book a balcony room on Princess, make sure you do your research. Some balconies are fully covered, some are half covered and half sun, and others are totally in the sun. It's my understanding that some of the balconies also look down on other balconies.

The private island that Princess uses is great. You do have to tender, but it's a great beach day. The kid club operates on the island and they even have a swimming pool.

No free soda on either cruiseline. On Princess your "drink card" included an insulated Coke mug that you could have refilled.

Hello and thank you for your feedback! We "met" online last year...I'm the math tutor! Hope you're enjoying the summer.

It's great to hear from another mom with an only child. DD has really done well this year with making friends in new groups of people, so I can only think she'd be the same on a cruise. I hear what you are saying about fewer kids. We did DCL at spring break this year and wowsa, lots of kids! But I still never felt overwhelmed by it, but I could see where DD might have felt that way in the kids club sometimes. I just wish I could convince her that another cruiseline would be as much fun. I have pretty much Disney-fied her during her short life - ha ha!

She's in 2nd grade this year and I'd love to take her out for a week to go just before Christmas, but Union County sounds likes it's really cracking down on the elementary attendance policy, so I don't know...

 

[unionville]

If you are going to miss school, I would think that 2nd grade would be the year. Once they are in 3rd grade, it's all down hill because of the EOG's!!! We are cruising over Thanksgiving this year which means he will only miss 2 days. We went to Disney World at Thanksgiving one year for the same reason. We cruised DCL for the first time when he was in kindergarten. We also went the week before Christmas and he actually ended up missing a week due to illness before we left. You could get her assignments before you left and she would have an entire week after Christmas to make them up. As a high school teacher, it's really me that can't miss the week of school. We have to be creative when planning our vacations. Students go a little wild after more than 2 days with a sub!!!!!

 

[lilo62]

I was glad to find this thread! After sailing with DCL 4 times, my DH and I decided we needed to branch out and try another cruiseline. Cost was also a HUGE factor. My step-mother-in-law has polio and all she does for her vacation is cruise. When we talked to her, she recommended Princess over all the other cruiselines (and she has sailed with all of them over the years) as the most comperable for us to DCL. Let me tell you all...she was SO right. We went on our first Princess cruise this past May. We did a 7-Day Southern Carribean and left from San Juan on the Carribbean Princess. We got the same type of room as we would have gotten on DCL; room with a verandah. The boat was absolutely beautiful - I loved the atrium which is like a piazza in Italy. The islands we visited were spectacular and I really want to do this cruise again. Of course, as with everything in life, there are pluses and minuses. What we missed was the extra-friendliness of the staff (but that;s Disney training in of itself) and the entertainment was average. The food was fantastic and the verandah was bigger - that made us use our room a little more. We have no children so it was nice not have noisey hallways in the AM. The cost was biggest draw for us to try Princess. It was 1/2 the price for 2 of what we would have paid with DCL and we experienced more islands. Even with airfare to PR, all we spent on board, excursions and some other items, we still came out under of what we always would spend overall on a DCL. We loved Princess so much that we recently booked another cruise for May 2010 and the cost is still below what DCl charges.

I would highly recommend Princess. I know some folks like RCCL, but the rooms are much smaller than DCL or Princess and I have heard the food is horrible. I just think you should get what you pay for and if you pay all that money on a cruise to have your food included, it better be above board and I am a very picky eater.

So, I say give it a try!

 

[ctc917]

Hi I'm interested in all this great cruise info too and I was wondering if anyone knows which other cruise lines use salt water in their pools instead of just the regular old pool water.

Thanks
ctc917

 

[TLHB70]

I was glad to find this thread! After sailing with DCL 4 times, my DH and I decided we needed to branch out and try another cruiseline. Cost was also a HUGE factor. My step-mother-in-law has polio and all she does for her vacation is cruise. When we talked to her, she recommended Princess over all the other cruiselines (and she has sailed with all of them over the years) as the most comperable for us to DCL. Let me tell you all...she was SO right. We went on our first Princess cruise this past May. We did a 7-Day Southern Carribean and left from San Juan on the Carribbean Princess. We got the same type of room as we would have gotten on DCL; room with a verandah. The boat was absolutely beautiful - I loved the atrium which is like a piazza in Italy. The islands we visited were spectacular and I really want to do this cruise again. Of course, as with everything in life, there are pluses and minuses. What we missed was the extra-friendliness of the staff (but that;s Disney training in of itself) and the entertainment was average. The food was fantastic and the verandah was bigger - that made us use our room a little more. We have no children so it was nice not have noisey hallways in the AM. The cost was biggest draw for us to try Princess. It was 1/2 the price for 2 of what we would have paid with DCL and we experienced more islands. Even with airfare to PR, all we spent on board, excursions and some other items, we still came out under of what we always would spend overall on a DCL. We loved Princess so much that we recently booked another cruise for May 2010 and the cost is still below what DCl charges.

I would highly recommend Princess. I know some folks like RCCL, but the rooms are much smaller than DCL or Princess and I have heard the food is horrible. I just think you should get what you pay for and if you pay all that money on a cruise to have your food included, it better be above board and I am a very picky eater.

So, I say give it a try!

Thank you so much for your great information! I have told DH that we need to get together with this other couple and make a final decision. It is looking like we will be booking this Princess cruise. Thank you all so much for your help!