Loved our Disney cruise! Are we crazy to consider Princess?

[hrhdhd]

Actually princess is not part of RCCL ( Royal Carribean cruise line )
RCCL is the parent company for Celebrity.
Princess cruises is part of Carnival plc group

Yes, indeed. That's why we get OBC for owning Carnival Corporation stock on both HAL and Princess.

 

[love280mickey]

Struggling with this issue again myself. After reading all the boards, I was convinced I only wanted to do Princess land then cruise. Thank you, Nancy!

then we went on the Disney Fantasy last week. DD turned 13 on the ship, got to go to the Edge this last cruise, met kids from around the country and globe, had more freedom this trip and had a delightful time. (Last time we cruised she was 10 and I still had to check her in/out of The Lab.) You know, it goes from being all about the characters, etc, to her new friends that she meets. We saw her for breakfast and show/dinner each night and beyond that, she was always asking to run off with friends. Thank goodness for the wave phones.

So, we did a dummy booking and that'll save us 10%, plus 200 OBC, plus thinking of using Costco and getting a nice Costco card from them at end of next sailing. Now even my husband is saying that maybe Disney to Alaska is still the right choice for us because of DD. (and he's the kind who would really like to never do another DCL cruise - too many little kiddos for him)

Maybe we'll give it a try for summer 2014, then someday go back to Princess on our own and do a land/cruise.

 

[LimoFam5]

I have cruised princess before and since cruising Disney I would not go back to princess.... I would be setting myself up for disappointment. Yes it would be ok but nothing compares to Disney....

 

[iloverags2]

I am a Disney cheerleader through and through (especially when it comes to Disney Cruise Line). Having said that, Princess is an excellent cruise line as well. In fact, there are some aspects of Princess I like better than Disney; overall though, Disney wins hands down.

Some things Princess does better:

• All staterooms have an open-air walk-in closet set off to the side of the entryway. Much better layout, easier to change, and no banging sliding doors!
• The buffet is open every single day from 6 a.m. until midnight. Continental breakfast is served from 6 - 7 a.m.; full breakfast is served from 7 - 11:30 a.m.; lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.; "light" snacks (light meaning soups, salads, baked potato bar, sandwiches, and the like) are served from 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.; and dinner is served from 5:30 p.m. - midnight.
• International Cafe, which is a pastry counter (they serve pastries, sandwiches, and sweets), is open 24 hours.
• MUTS (Movies Under the Stars) has "stadium" seating, meaning their are tiered levels above the pool deck with loungers. On top of that, servers come around during the movie with pizza slices, cookies, and milk. Plus the gratis popcorn is available as well.
• Vegetarian options were much more plentiful on the Princess ship.

But of course, there are many more things done better by Disney:

• Nothing beats Castaway Cay…I mean nothing! (And quite frankly, Princess Cays is the worst private beach/island I have encountered in all my cruising...it's pretty, but way too small for a large cruise ship and its passengers).
• The entertainment is always top-notch on Disney. Granted there might be fewer choices, but the quality outweighs the quantity by far!
• The bathrooms, split or not split. In fact there are no smaller showers in cruise ship staterooms than on Princess. Oy!
• While it really is a draw on the service received on both cruise lines, there is something just a little more special about Disney's crew. Somewhere, somehow Disney has bottled the formula for keeping a happy crew! (At least they always appear happy!)
• Atmosphere! Don't get me wrong…Princess ships are beautiful. But they are down right sedate. Nothing wrong with that if you are looking for something quiet and serene. But if you want a more lively atmosphere, Disney is the way to go.
• Embarkation/Disembarkation. Disney wins this hands down over any other cruise line I have sailed.

It really is comparing apples to oranges, but both are good! It's just that people always like one better!

 

[Jillscabanastories]

We had cruise to Alaska twice, once with Holland America, once with Disney. Holland America stop at Sitka, and cruised Glacier Bay, a little bit of edge there over Disney.

But, Disney blew them out of the water on shipboard experience, food, entertainment, and total ambiance. Also I really enjoyed Tracy Arm. Loved them both, but I'm a Disney gal.

 

[texasgirl29]

We did a land-cruise on the Island Princess in 2011 with our daughters, then 11 and 13. While there were not a lot of children around, they entertained themselves quite well putting puzzles together or playing board games in the card room. We've done Princess for the Panama Canal as well as Alaska. We were on the Disney Fantasy in summer 2012. The younger child loved the Edge, the older one didn't want to go to the teen club. We really like Princess -- the girls were fussed over by the staff and fellow passengers. We like Disney, too -- enjoy the shows and the ambience. Princess felt a lot less "busy."

 

[love280mickey]

We just booked the Wonder to Alaska, for summer, 2014, so exciting. We looked at Princess, but with our 13 year old dd who just had a great time on The Fantasy, we decided to stick with Disney for now.

 

[mncooldad]

Funny to see this thread. We did our first cruise on Disney Magic last month and are bitten by the cruise bug. So we are trying to make it happen again next spring break. While looking at pricing there is a Princess cruise that is $3000 less than the Disney cruise we were looking at for same number or days and similar but different stops. We love Disney, but is it worth that much extra cash? More importantly will my kids have that much less fun? And will Princess be that accepting of my kids just roaming the ship? With 5 of us and needing two rooms it adds up. Tough decision.

 

[love280mickey]

Funny to see this thread. We did our first cruise on Disney Magic last month and are bitten by the cruise bug. So we are trying to make it happen again next spring break. While looking at pricing there is a Princess cruise that is $3000 less than the Disney cruise we were looking at for same number or days and similar but different stops. We love Disney, but is it worth that much extra cash? More importantly will my kids have that much less fun? And will Princess be that accepting of my kids just roaming the ship? With 5 of us and needing two rooms it adds up. Tough decision.

I think you should consider the costs, I know I did. When you did The Magic last month, did you do a future cruise booking for the 10% savings and OBC?

For us, that savings alone is what makes our Wonder Alaska cruise comparable to others. I did compare same type of cabin and itinerary with RCCL, it was only about $400 cheaper, not enough to make me switch from Disney. I also looked at Princess and I believe they were about $800 more.

 

[Luv2Diz]

OP here. I've appreciated reading everyone's thoughts and opinions. We are just back from another fantastic DCL cruise, this one to the Bahamas!

I'd like to go back to Alaska in either 2014 or 2015 and I am seriously considering trying Princess or HAL, though, for a few reasons: Lower cost, easy 4 hour drive for us to Seattle rather than driving 8+ hours to Vancouver (especially with the I-5 bridge out), we've done the shows and activities on the classics, many of them several times now and it would be interesting to see what other lines offer. I'd also like to see Glacier Bay.

My boss is currently on his first ever cruise - on HAL to Alaska. Can't wait until he gets back to hear his thoughts and opinions!

 

[texasgirl29]

You won't be disappointed in Princess. We are in our 50s with children 13 and 16. The girls loved Princess, enjoyed the other passengers and the staff. We never felt like we were on a cruise with "old people" although it was not as hustle and bustle as Disney. We flew to Fairbanks, then took a bus to Denali, a train to Talkeetna and another train to the ship. Three more stops along the coast and disembarked in Vancouver. It's a slower pace, lots of scenery.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Yes, indeed. That's why we get OBC for owning Carnival Corporation stock on both HAL and Princess.

So Carnival has Holland AND Princess? Two more reasons to stick with DCL...

I have heard that Celebrity is on par with DCL?

 

[NancyIL]

So Carnival has Holland AND Princess? Two more reasons to stick with DCL...

I have heard that Celebrity is on par with DCL?

Carnival also owns Cunard and Seabourne, among others. That's definitely NOT a reason for me to avoid a cruise on HAL or Princess, and I have a future cruise booking on each of them.

I have enjoyed 2 Celebrity cruises, and I'm looking forward to another in January. Many people who have sailed both DCL and Celebrity would say the food is better on Celebrity.

 

[becky_AK]

OP here. I've appreciated reading everyone's thoughts and opinions. We are just back from another fantastic DCL cruise, this one to the Bahamas!

I'd like to go back to Alaska in either 2014 or 2015 and I am seriously considering trying Princess or HAL, though, for a few reasons: Lower cost, easy 4 hour drive for us to Seattle rather than driving 8+ hours to Vancouver (especially with the I-5 bridge out), we've done the shows and activities on the classics, many of them several times now and it would be interesting to see what other lines offer. I'd also like to see Glacier Bay.

My boss is currently on his first ever cruise - on HAL to Alaska. Can't wait until he gets back to hear his thoughts and opinions!

I'm not trying to hijack your post, but Glacier Bay, or rather the town of Guatavus is my home. LMK if you have any questions about the area.