Polas437

Hoping to take my daughter on a cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale immediately after her graduation from graduate school this May. We have a choice between two -- Caribbean Princess (Eastern Caribbean) or Allure of the Seas, Royal Caribbean (Western Caribbean). She is in her late 20's. Which cruise would be better?

mendezka

I'd definitely say it depends on what type of experience you two are looking for! In my limited experience (5 princess cruises, 2 Carnival, 1 Royal Caribbean), 25 years old. This would be my analysis between the 2.

Price- Generally I find princess is cheaper, mainly due to less "amenities".
Food- Princess wins hands down IMO.
Service- I'd take the princess dining staff. Deck staff probably Royal.
Entertainment- Both have gone down hill a bit from in the past, I'd say both are fairly disappointing at this point. Hope you get a magician or comedy act on board. The singing acts get old quick! a lot of the entertainment now is just karaoke and pop star nights...
Activities- Obviously Royal has all of the bonus activities, flow rider, zip lines, etc etc... But and I feel its a huge but, The lines for any activity you actually want to do are insanely long. I'm talking 2hrs+ for flowrider at peak times. I found myself not wanting to do any of these activities after the 2nd day, just because I wasted so much time standing, doing nothing.
Further, with the family based demographic on Royal almost anything you or your daughter would want to do, I'd expect a fairly long line. Even the pool lounging was a bit tedious for me on Royal. With Princess it was almost impossible not to find a lounge chair, or have a ton of space in the pools. The only cramped space I found was at the Lotus Spa's adults only pool area. I found the family areas more enjoyable most of the time, it felt less crowded! Princess generally is an older crowd, which means potentially less friends & partying, but more peace & relaxation.
Night clubs- Royal for sure. Princess gets very few people actually showing up to their events.

My family, 4 of us kids, have all chosen to pretty much only go on Princess from here on out. At least in my experience, we find the things we actually want to do way less crowded than on the other ships. Looking at websites, Royal looks tempting. But for me, the crowds & lines that get involved just aren't worth the hassle, we have more time "vacationing" when we are on princess & more times standing in lines getting annoyed while on Royal. We end up doing our adventuring on our shore days! Generally save a bit on our ticket prices & spend it on excursions!

Hope this could help a bit!

Polas437

I just found out we have a third option for my daughter (in her late 20's) and myself -- 6 Night Eastern Caribbean on Carnival Magic. Should we consider Carnival Magic?

mendezka

I prefer the Eastern Caribbean routes myself. If savings are significant, go Carnival. If minimal, I'd choose Princess. Carnival is a much younger crowd than what you'd get on Princess. Similar to what you'd get on Royal. But Carnival is a little step down compared to the other 2 IMO quality wise, normally the price reflects that though so sometimes it's worth it!. If you are looking to hang out, drink, & don't mind crowds & kids running around, more drunks, Carnival is a great time! Lower quality food, but slightly better entertainment in my experience. If you want a slightly "fancier" cruise then go with princess. If you want all the amenities, go with Royal. Truth be told, focus more on your shore days, find fun excursions & no matter what ship you choose, you and your daughter will have a great time. All staffs are great, & you can find activities you want to do on-board! even if it's just lounging in the sun. Especially if it's your first cruise, you'll have fun on any ship!

Polas437

Thank you!

mendezka

Also just a tip, if you are looking to save $. Don't book your shore excursions with the cruise ship itself. Find an independent company. You'll pay about half the price & get a more exclusive experience. Instead of running with a crowd of 60+ people, you'll get around 10-15. Always plan on arriving at the ship around 1 hr 30 mins before departure & you won't run into any issues!

Polas437

How about drinking water? Do we have to buy water on the ship?

mendezka

Drinking water is free on ships. Just ask any waiter or bar & they will give you it. Totally safe to drink. All of the cruise lines also have beverage packages. Where you can get unlimited soda & juices. Carnival: $8.50 per day for adults. Princess: $8.05 Royal: $8.50 (I believe). You can also get alcohol packages (typically 15 various drinks). Carnival: $51.95 if you pre-purchase. Princess: $59.95 Royal Carribean $55.00.

mendezka

And from what I've heard, I'm no expert, the water is generally "cleaner" on most ships than what you would get from your home's tap. Mainly due to the filtration systems that the ships use for all water supplies.

mendezka

Also, the following are also included without purchasing a drink package.

Iced Tea, Lemonade, Water, Tea varieties, Non- Specialty Coffee

jonsail

As an alternative to a formal shore excursion, you will find in most Caribbean ports a bunch of cabs waiting. You can negotiate with the driver what you want you to do and what you want to pay--and dollars are gladly accepted. That way you get a custom tour for usually less than what you would pay for a regular tour. I have found local cab drivers friendly, courteous, honest and interesting.

Polas437

Thank you!

Polas437

Thank you

Randyk47

Orlando Vic

Carnival is known as the "Walmart of the seas". They have a reputation on some of their shorter cruises as being booze cruises with a lot of rowdy, drunken passengers.

Go with Princess!