Disney vs. Princess Cruises

[DisDawg]

We love cruising Disney and are set to sail on our 3rd Disney cruise next week! But with prices creeping up, we are exploring other cruise lines for next year.

I'm pretty sure Carnival isn't for us, and i've done some research and have reviewed posts on this board about RCCL, but I haven't seen much on Princess.

Does anyone have experience cruising both DCL and Princess? If so, would you be willing to share your experience and compare the two?

 

[cds62]

We sailed on the Caribbean Princess this past April and have sailed on the Disney Magic four times. Unfortunately I cannot answer questiosn regarding the childrens programs on Princess as we did not take the kids on that cruise. In regards to the cabins they are smaller that those on the Disney ships, but are in line with cabins on other cruise lines such as Carnival, which we have also sailed. I thought the food on the Princess ship was better than Disney not only in the main dining rooms but the buffet also. The entertainment, specifically the main shows in the theater are much better on Disney and the ones on Princess are more of a Las Vegas style show. The late night entertainment (adult stuff) are about the same on both lines, with Princess having the casino to offer as an option. The Caribbean Princess is a much newer ship that any of the Disney vessels so it had more of the current features such as a mini golf, golf simulators and it had the outside movie screen before Disney put the one on the Magic.
When we started to look at a cruise for next year with thought about booking on Princess for the entire family but decided to go with RCL because we have heard they have a better childrens program. If you are going child free than I would recommend Princess over Disney.
If you have any specific questions let me know hopefully I can help.

 

[KKB]

Did our first cruise as a couple on Star Princess last Oct. & loved it!
We will be on the Magic the 24th w/ our kids, so will report during & after.
I would say Disney kids' club is unparalleled by any other line.
Room size--you do need to compare like rooms NOT like categories. Compare square footage/amenities. Princess is definitely less expensive, but is it so much for similar square footage, I'm not sure.
Happy cruising!
Kris

 

[DisDawg]

thank you for your insight. Disney does have a great kids program don't they. I would be giving up a bit there.

I am also interested more in the intangibles. I should have put that in my first post.

How does the Service compare? The friendliness of the staff?
How does the "look and feel" of the Princess compare?
What about onboard activities? Disney seems to always have options no matter what time of day.
What about the level of smoke? We were able to avoid it almost entirely on Disney.

Thanks everyone!

 

[cds62]

We were just on the Magic in November and I would have to say that the service has dimished since our last cruise in 2004 with them. Our waiter and busboy were slow and did not take much of an interest in whether we were happy with our meals. We also had problems with our cabin steward who at one point did not make up our cabin until 2:00pm and that was only after a call to quest services. We had no problems with Princess and would rate them as friendly as the staff on Disney. The Caribbean Princess is a new ship (2004) and was an awesome ship. It had an understated elegance about it and I feel that the dining rooms on the ship were nicer than on Disney. There were plenty of activities on the ship. Like I stated previously there was mini golf, golf simulators, all the traditional deck games as well as other indoor activities. My wife is very sensitive to cigarette smoke and I don't recall her complaining about the smoke other than around the casino.

 

[musicgirl]

I have not been, but my sil and brother have sailed princess a number of times.

They really enjoyed the ship. The food and service was great. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the trip. They got hooked on the newest one that was non-smoking when it first started sailing. I don't think it is non-smoking anymore.

However, they are trying another line. They are in their 40's. They felt like they were the "youngsters" on board. They did do alot with a cruise meet board so they were able to hook up with a few couples their age. They have no kids and they really enjoy the chance have a good time. Now they do not party all the time or hard, so it is not like they are looking for a rowdy group. They just felt like it was an older crowd.

 

[clten]

I've sailed with Princess a couple of times. I was disappointed in the service you received. Our cabin steward with Princess was great and did a good job on the room. But that was the only staff member that I thought gave service comparable to Disney.

A couple of years ago, Princess introduced "Personal Choice" dining. So you could come and go in the restaurant as you pleased. (They also still have fixed time dining which I prefer.) But since they introduced Personal Choice, they have automatically added gratuity charges to your shipboard account. I think service dropped off because the staff knows they are going to get a tip regardless. We did do the Personal Choice dining on our Alaska cruise because we wanted the freedom to come and go and we were with a large group anyway. The only thing that the servers were very good at was making sure they had your cabin number before you left the table -- so they got the tip credit for you that night. Other than that, service was sub-par.

Even the bar service was not good. They were very pushy. Several times, we were "pounced" on when we first entered the lounge and when we asked if we could have few minutes to decide, they seemed inconvenienced they had to make a second trip to our table.

I thought evening entertainment was lacking on our first Princess cruise: the shows were not entertaining and the movies were very old, so it seemed the only evening entertainment was the casino. Last year, I went on the new Caribbean Princess and that had a nice nightclub and I loved Movies Under the Stars but the evening stage shows were still lacking in my opinion.

 

[KKB]

I was 38, DH 41 when we were on the Star Princess/W. Caribbean. We were on the younger half, but pretty much in the middle of the age groups. I think smaller ships/longer cruises/non-Caribbean destinations bring a slightly older crowd.
We like to go go go all day long...NEVER lacked for activities from morning until night! Ended every night in the disco--we probably were the oldest ones there! (mostly a 21-40 age group there)
Smoke--never noticed it once.
It was a subdued Vegas...more along the line of how the Bellagio is decorated. Not quite as fancy, but the soft colors, but still a bit of glitz. Excellent shape.
Service...we did traditional dining. Our main server was quiet, but excellent. The assistant was younger and saucier. Room attendant was also like the main server--excellent but quiet. We got to know several waiters (drinks)/bartenders/dealers in casino, and we felt the service was AWESOME.
The Star had just returned from 18 months in the Mediterranean, so the staff was THRILLED to be dealing w/ a younger crowd! It may have helped!
I will give you a comparison after the first of the year!! WOO HOO!
Just about ANY cruise is a good cruise in my opinion! (just being on vaca is good enough for me...I had just as good a time in Vegas when we stayed at the Sahara as when we stayed at the Mirage!)
Happy Cruising!
Kris

 

[slindamood]

I have sailed DCL 3 times (2 Magic, 1 Wonder) and sailed Island Princess in Alaska.

The food on Princess was better and the service in the restaurants was better than the most recent Disney cruise. Room service was far more extensive on Princess, and each morning the dining room had a new breakfast menu making a sit-down breakfast more enjoyable. We had traditional dining, so had the same servers each night. Our server on the Princess was named "Magic."

The cabins, for the price paid, were similar size. For the price of category 5 on Disney we had "suites" with a balcony on Princess. And they have far more 2 room suites similar to category 3 . The decks were bigger allowing a sit-down table.

Because we were in Alaska, many of the programs were naturalists or related to the local culture. I liked that. Although the Disney shows are OK, I won't leave an hour on deck or a good sunset to go to them anymore.

Yet for some reason Princess did not have the same sparkle and magic of DCL.
Can't remember the stateroom host on Princess, but remember all 3 very well on DCL and found all 3 so enjoyable. It's the little things that add up.

Actually, although different, you can't go wrong with either. And I have a fourth DIsney cruise booked but no Princess cruise booked.

 

[nrk]

We were just on the Magic in November and I would have to say that the service has dimished since our last cruise in 2004 with them. Our waiter and busboy were slow and did not take much of an interest in whether we were happy with our meals. We also had problems with our cabin steward who at one point did not make up our cabin until 2:00pm and that was only after a call to quest services. We had no problems with Princess and would rate them as friendly as the staff on Disney. The Caribbean Princess is a new ship (2004) and was an awesome ship. It had an understated elegance about it and I feel that the dining rooms on the ship were nicer than on Disney. There were plenty of activities on the ship. Like I stated previously there was mini golf, golf simulators, all the traditional deck games as well as other indoor activities. My wife is very sensitive to cigarette smoke and I don't recall her complaining about the smoke other than around the casino.

i DO AGREE THAT SERVICE ON THE MAGIC HAS DIMINISHED QUITE A BIT FROM OUR LAST CRUISE. i WOULD BELIEVE THAT IT IS DUE TO OVERCROWDING WICH WAS THE CASE ON LAST WEEKS THANKSGIVING CRUISE...

 

[airtime247]

I've sailed twice each on Princess (Sea Princess to Alaska and Star Princess to Mexico) and Disney (Magic Western Caribbean and Panama Canal). I loved all of the cruises.

The balcony room on Princess was a good size but the inside cabin felt much smaller than on Disney. The food was very good on both. Princess had a bigger menu and to be honest, it was a lot easier picking something off the menu each night than on Disney. Another thing I liked much more about Princess was the accessibility of food throughout the day that was sorely lacking on Disney. We had late dining on both our Disney cruises and after the lunch buffets and restaurants closed (usually after we get back from port), we were stuck with that "theme park food" on deck 9. At least on Princess, we felt like we had no problem getting good food any time.

Princess doesn't come close to Disney with the entertainment. While I saw the shows each night, it was mainly cheezy Vegas-style cabaret shows. They were entertaining but not my thing.

The staff on Princess were great too. I had no complaints about the level of service at all.

I'm really sensitive to smoke too and it wasn't bad on my two Princess cruises. I did have problems on my balcony with the cabin just upwind from us but that can happen on any cruise. The smoke was a little thicker around the casino but elsewhere on the ship like near the pools wasn't bad.

Since Disney is primarily non-smoking, it felt thicker to me in certain areas like Deck 4, the adult pool/Cove Cafe, etc.

We love Disney the most but probably won't be sailing with them much anymore unless their prices go down. We'd love to try Royal Caribbean but would jump at the chance to go on Princess again.

Whichever other lines you choose, be sure to check the reviews and ratings on the ships. Whereas Disney only has two ships and they are both kept in great shape, with the other lines, their ships very greatly in age and they can really show it. As much as we loved the Sea Princess, it was very different than the (then new) Star Princess.

-steve

 

[DisDawg]

Thank you all for the very detailed responses. It sounds like Princess would make a good alternative for us. We are checking into a Thanksgiving cruise next year for our extended family, and their prices are very nice that time of year.

 

[Jeepers Lady]

we took our first Princess cruise September 04 to Alaska -- did the 2 week (1 on land, 1 at sea)------the Coral Princess was gorgeous ---had outstanding food and staff -----the only really smoky area was around the casino --and the cigar and cognac bar -----but it didn't drift out into the common areas ----to see Alaska -- it's an awesome cruise line

 

[Lthouseprincess]

One Princess, one thing that scared me was it said that smoking was allowed in the staterooms? Are they smelly????

 

[bkline]

I sailed on the Disney Magic and Golden Princess. Both were Caribbean cruises. Here are some comparisons:
Food: Both have very good to excellent. Disney excelled in their speciality lunch buffets and palo's. Princess has a wonderful alternative Italian restuarant called Sabatino"s. Children are allowed in their specialty restaurants. I like including my DS, so I considered this a plus. Princess has a more varied selection in the diniing room and, personal preference, I liked the choices better.
Service: Both have very friendly staff. No complaits or weaknesses on either line.
Cabin: I was spoiled because I received a free upgrade to a Vista Suite on the Golden. I love the split bathroom on Disney. I had this on the Golden, but only available in suites.
Children's program: My DS enjoyed both. Disney was a little overcrowded for his tastes at times, but fun. Princess offered some educational activities like dissecting a squid for 9-12 year olds. Princess does not devote the amount of space that Disney does to the kids program.
Entertainment: Disney shows are wonderful. Princess has good productions and most nights you had several options from which to decide.
Overall, Princess was probably my favorite cruise with Disney a close second. Considering price, I will be taking more Princess cruises than Disney cruises in the future. I don't think you will be disappointed on a Princess cruise except you don't have the Disney appeal. In addition to price, some things I liked about Princess over Disney: my DS could go with me to the fitness center, 4 pools with one against the current pool, mini-golf,and tennis court on board. I hope this helps.

 

[castlegazer]

I feel bad piping in here because I have yet to take my Magic Cruise, but I am a fan of Princess so I thought I'd tell you what we will miss. We will miss the larger balconies - we sat out every morning and had a hot breakfast (missed item #2) on a full table with two chairs on our verandah brought out and set up by the room steward meticulously.

We will very much miss the gorgeous adult atrium pool. I know DCL has adult pools, but the ones on Princess are beautiful tropical atriums.

We will miss the food. I have spent quite a bit of time looking over menus from DCL and while I haven't tasted the food, the selection is more limited than on Princess.

I will also miss the spa (not we as my DH is not a fan of spas - give him a quiet corner to read and he is all set). The spas on the larger cruise ships are amazing places. They usually have indoor spa pools and outdoor dedicated spa pools. I will miss this a lot.

But, that is all that comes to mind. I am soo looking forward to our Disney Cruise. Its going to be amazing. Plus I can't wait to see how much the kids love cruising too (hopefully).

I have heard from friends and realtives that the service on Princess has gone down hill.

 

[SC Minnie]

We have sailed on the Magic and Wonder as well as Princess. DD was 6 and 7 on the Disney cruises and 9 on Princess. We are sailing Princess again over Christmas in a few weeks.

The whole trip is what you make of it. If you are going to be comparing every little thing on Princess to DCL you will probably be disappointed. There were some things we missed and didn't feel the 'magic' so to speak on Princess but we really enjoyed it (especially since we are sailing with them again ).

Service-- I think that depends on who you get. On the Magic we had great servers for dinner. They made the trip extra special. When we sailed on the Wonder they were just OK. We did Anytime Dining in Princess. Out cabin stewards have all been OK-- nothing outstanding, nothing bad.

The kids programs weren't has good as Disney but they were OK and DD had a good time. The evening shows in the theater weren't has good as Disney but it would be hard to compete there. Princess does have a casino and a bigger nightclub. There seemed to be more nightlife on Princess than DCL.

PM me if you would for me to send you copies of the children's programs from our upcoming cruise.

 

[grannyminnie]

Bumping this old thread to get any new comments on this question. I have the same thoughts....really want to do a Disney Alaska cruise because of my "secure" feeling about knowing what to expect, but also have heard that Princess is a good cruise line to explore Alaska with.
My concerns about another cruise line are that they will be more "party ships" and that is the last thing I want to encounter. I guess it's just more the family feeling I desire to have even tho my sister and I are older and will not be accompanied by any children.
Any comments from you more recent cruisers will be really appreciated.

 

[mevelandry]

Bumping this old thread to get any new comments on this question. I have the same thoughts....really want to do a Disney Alaska cruise because of my "secure" feeling about knowing what to expect, but also have heard that Princess is a good cruise line to explore Alaska with.
My concerns about another cruise line are that they will be more "party ships" and that is the last thing I want to encounter. I guess it's just more the family feeling I desire to have even tho my sister and I are older and will not be accompanied by any children.
Any comments from you more recent cruisers will be really appreciated.

I haven't cruised with them yet but... Princess is not known as a "party" cruise line.

I've sailed many times on Carnival, which has the reputation of being "booze cruises"... but with the exception of our last one which had a little bit more of a "party crowd", we have always had quiet and very family friendly cruises.

I think you should take the chance. Just try to get to know how different the cruise lines are before you sail with them, in order to know what to expect and you're more likely to have a good time.

 

[FSU Girl]

Bumping this old thread to get any new comments on this question. I have the same thoughts....really want to do a Disney Alaska cruise because of my "secure" feeling about knowing what to expect, but also have heard that Princess is a good cruise line to explore Alaska with.
My concerns about another cruise line are that they will be more "party ships" and that is the last thing I want to encounter. I guess it's just more the family feeling I desire to have even tho my sister and I are older and will not be accompanied by any children.
Any comments from you more recent cruisers will be really appreciated.

I've sailed on Princess 6 times as a teenager and then Disney as an adult (did I do this backwards? lol) I always enjoyed the cruises on Princess, but I haven't been on them since 2007. I have a cruise with Princess booked right now for next year. I know they have a more upscale dress code for the MDR. The age also tends to skew much older. I think their mini-suites are the same size as a cabin on Disney, so comparing prices that is what you should look at. If you don't mind a smaller room though you can get something a lot cheaper with them than you can with Disney. I sailed to Alaska on Princess and had a great time. They get to go to locations Disney can't. They also have cruises that leave from Seattle, which is easier to get to than Vancouver.