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Rhapsody of the Seas is also the ship that Royal Caribbean deploys on some of its most destination-focused itineraries, the type that have particular appeal to retirees looking to see more of the world. Each features a selection of exclusive menu items — new American in Cosmopolitan, Mediterranean in Cyprus, French in Normandie and Italian in Tuscan — along with selections from the Celebrity Signature menu. Celebrity's ships attract a narrower, more upscale demographic, mostly Gen Xers in their 40s and 50s and retirement-age baby boomers, with some childless millennials, too.
RELATED PORTS
Demographics vary widely between itineraries, length of the journey and destination on both Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean. Passengers on Princess, however, tend to skew a little older, especially on smaller ships. You’ll find plenty of families and younger groups of friends on Royal year-round.
CRUISES
Guests can pre-purchase dining packages ranging from one specialty meal to unlimited specialty dining, although some menu items will incur a surcharge. Transatlantic and transpacific sailings offer plenty of relaxing sea days and stops at must-visit cruise destinations. Go from colorful Caribbean towns to iconic European capitals, or explore bazaars, exotic isles and dense rainforests in regions like the Arabian Gulf, the South Pacific and Latin America. From California’s star-studded streets and Hawaii’s idyllic islands, to the rugged coasts of Canada, New England and Nova Scotia, North America cruises unlock all kinds of unique ports across the continent and beyond. And immerse yourself in the diverse cultures and untamed fauna that make each island so unique.
Royal Caribbean Cabins
The two-level Ultimate Family Suite — a more playful and colorful option for families with younger kids and a very generous budget — is available on Wonder of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas and Spectrum of the Seas. In 2025, the cruise line will christen MSC World America, a Miami-based megaship sibling of 2022's MSC World Europa. From coast to coast, Mexico is packed with incredible landscapes, flavorful food, and rich, vibrant history. Head west to the Mexican Riviera to explore deserts, go wine tasting and kayak through epic rock formations.
South Pacific
It all starts with the boldest cruise ships at sea — and ours have won awards for everything from world class dining and spectacular entertainment, to record-setting onboard thrills and groundbreaking innovation. Both cruise lines are known for offering affordable cruise fares and onboard fun for passengers of all ages, although Royal Caribbean's prices can be considerably higher on its newer, more popular ships. Each has an extensive fleet that includes splashy megaships carrying more than 6,000 guests at full capacity and a wide range of itineraries in top cruise destinations such as the Caribbean and Europe. For solo travelers, all five Meraviglia-class ships offer 129-square-foot Studio Balcony suites, which have the benefit of balcony access without a required single supplement.
Passenger Demographics on Princess Cruises vs. Royal Caribbean
While most activities are included, two attractions that have an additional cost on Royal Caribbean cruises are the North Star and iFly (sky diving simulator). The cruise line has a partnership with Lego, so creative kids who love to build will be thrilled. Activities for Young Club and Teen Club attendees include sports tournaments, video gaming, dance competitions and karaoke. In its main dining room, Royal Caribbean recently rolled out seven nights of new themed menus (French, Italian, Caribbean, Mexican, Mediterranean, etc.). The Classics section, offering selections such as grilled chicken breast and herb-crusted salmon every night, has been removed, although some of these favorites do appear at times on the new menus. Marketplace, MSC's bustling buffet option, which on its newer ships can accommodate more than 1,300 guests at a time, is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Hogging the charging ports
Royal Caribbean's Newest Ship to Feature an Epic '80s Music Spectacular - Royal Caribbean Blog
Royal Caribbean's Newest Ship to Feature an Epic '80s Music Spectacular.
Posted: Fri, 19 Apr 2024 15:39:13 GMT [source]
Narrow your focus down to cruising, and you're still met with a nearly overwhelming selection of choices — with many claiming to be the best cruise lines within their specific sector. Do a little digging, and you'll find options ranging from small to supersized ships sailing a variety of itineraries, including family-friendly, party-centric and even some adults-only voyages. Compared to other cruise lines, such as Norwegian and Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean has so many free things to do on their cruise ships. This is a huge plus, since paying for extra activities on a cruise can really add up, especially when you’re cruising with a family.
Passengers
It also has one of Royal Caribbean's signature Royal Promenades in its interior — a mall-like space filled with eateries, bars and shops. With access to a stylish rooftop pool, loungers at the suite area's private sun deck and higher-level food in its private Coastal Kitchen eatery, you may never want to leave the enclave. However, this being Royal Caribbean, you'll also have access to a seemingly endless array of amusements from waterslides to aerial water shows just steps away. Royal Caribbean is the world's biggest cruise line, and it has more ships than any other major line, including vessels in a wide range of sizes and with a wide range of amenities. While they all have a lot in common, they have some major differences, too, that make them more or less appealing to different types of travelers.
10 of 28,670 Royal Caribbean Cruise Reviews
While the solo cabins on the Quantum-class ships don't come with a dedicated solo lounge as they do on Norwegian ships, solo travelers will find Royal Caribbean-hosted meetups for solo travelers on the vessels. It's a great way for single travelers to find others in the same boat, so to speak. Royal Caribbean's Icon Class, Oasis Class and Quantum Class ships feature the most thrills in the fleet — perhaps even at sea. Oasis Class vessels are known for their collection of waterslides and the Ultimate Abyss dry slide that drops riders 10 decks through a spiral tube pulsing with light. These ships also have an ice skating rink, zip line, escape room, pop-up laser tag and a carousel. Royal Caribbean's fleet of more than two dozen ships includes some of the largest vessels at sea and features groundbreaking innovations and family-friendly attractions.
But during my three days on Icon, I returned to the centrally located space more often than expected. It's the first show-at-sea I've seen with a waterfall and nine-foot-tall robotic arms, and so far, it's one of my favorites. The ship's riff on Broadway-approved "Wizard of Oz" — 16-piece live orchestra and flying bed included — delighted me, a hater of most musicals.
As for bars and lounges, both offer a wide selection, including pool bars, piano and karaoke bars and sophisticated lounges. MSC's World Europa and Euribia have more than 20 places to imbibe, while Royal Caribbean's 10 largest ships each have a dozen or more — and Icon of the Seas will feature 15, including a few new concepts. The closest MSC comes to matching Royal Caribbean's stateroom and suite offerings is aboard MSC World Europa, which debuted in late 2022 and features 19 stateroom categories, including seven new designs.
Princess is also known for its nightly (weather permitting) Movies Under the Stars, which lets guests relax on loungers by the pool as they watch feature films and snack on free popcorn. When Sun Princess debuts, it will feature two main Lido Pools, a Wake View Pool and a forward-facing Sea View Pool, as well as a pool in the adults-only Sanctuary, which requires a daily fee. There's no escaping the in-your-face excitement of Royal Caribbean's onboard attractions. Princess, meanwhile, takes a more old-school (but still lively) approach to keeping its guests happy. While Princess is finally starting to elevate its suite accommodations for top-tier guests, it still lags far behind Royal Caribbean in offering innovative stateroom design.
Royal Caribbean's ships cruise to more than 300 destinations worldwide, but the heart of its business is the Caribbean and the Bahamas. Celebrity's Camp at Sea kids program also caters to children in three age groups (3-5, 6-9 and 10-12). Programming focuses on recreation, hobbies and learning-based activities in arts and science. Its Teen Club keeps 13- to 17-year-olds entertained with sports competitions, silent discos and video game parties. Royal Caribbean's older ships carry 2,000 to 3,900 guests, and its newest more than 5,000, putting it at the forefront of the megaship trend.
There are DIY launderettes for easy cleaning of kids' clothing often available on each passenger deck. Yes, there's an obvious difference when it comes to these two cruise lines' onboard attractions. Royal Caribbean guests can embrace exhilarating rushes and gravity-defying challenges — hence its greater popularity with families.
Or maybe it has been a few years since you've boarded a ship, due to the worldwide pandemic plaguing your travel plans. Deciding on a cruise line is more complicated than ever with so many options from which to choose. Princess also loves a good game show, and some of its ships invite passengers to play a version of Deal or No Deal or The Voice of the Ocean. They are also asked to wear white and gold and join the Love Boat Piazza Party for a night of music, dance and a love-themed game show. Princess' onboard offerings might seem tame by comparison, but its old-school entertainment has a certain charm that the line's repeat cruisers love. There's no onboard arcade, but the kids and teens clubs do offer popular video-game consoles (PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox).
One unique booking feature MSC offers in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe is the option for guests to embark in any port visited on a looping seven-night itinerary as long as they disembark in the same port. This megaship features a new 300-seat multifunctional entertainment space call Luna Park Arena that hosts everything from movies and game shows to breakfast raves and stroller disco. Seaside-class ships have both a theater and a glittering multi-deck atrium with a stage, where live musical performances take place throughout the cruise. Royal Escape Rooms (available on seven ships) are fun for the entire family (kids, however, must be 12 or older).
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