Cruise line comparison
Princess vs Royal Caribbean: which should you choose?
Princess Cruises suits travelers who want a relaxed, classic cruise with good food, enrichment and the strongest land-and-sea Alaska program among the big lines. Royal Caribbean suits families and active travelers who want headline attractions, from surf simulators and ice shows to Icon of the Seas’ water park and Perfect Day at CocoCay. Princess is quieter and skews older; Royal Caribbean is busier and built for adrenaline.
- Princess
- Royal Caribbean
Photo: Adamdl06204917, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Our verdict
For couples and older travelers, Princess delivers the calmer, more classic cruise, with good food and the most complete Alaska experience. Royal Caribbean is the better choice for families and active travelers who want attractions, shows and energy around the clock. Both lines are well run and similarly priced for most sailings, so pick based on pace: Princess for unwinding, Royal Caribbean for doing.
Princess and Royal Caribbean both sail big modern ships across the Caribbean, Alaska and Europe, but they design those ships around different ideas of a good day. On a Princess sea day you might hear a naturalist talk, join a wine tasting, read in the adults-only Sanctuary and finish with a film at Movies Under the Stars. On a Royal Caribbean sea day you might surf the FlowRider, scale a rock wall, catch an AquaTheater show and see an ice-skating production after dinner.
Princess’s Sphere-class ships, Sun Princess and Star Princess, are its largest at about 4,300 guests. Royal Caribbean’s Oasis and Icon classes are bigger still, with more neighborhoods, more pools and more people. Princess also leans on MedallionClass, a wearable disk that unlocks your cabin as you approach and lets crew bring drinks to wherever you’re sitting.
Princess vs Royal Caribbean: head to head
| Feature | Princess | Royal Caribbean |
|---|---|---|
| Vibe | Calm, comfortable and traditional; the ship is a pleasant way to reach the destination. | Fast-paced and attraction-packed; the ship itself is often the destination. |
| Typical passenger | Couples 50 and older, retirees, and multigenerational families on Alaska cruisetours. | Families with kids and teens, couples in their 30s and 40s and active friend groups. |
| Ship size | Mid-size to large, from Grand-class ships around 2,600 guests to Sphere class at about 4,300. | Large to enormous, with Oasis- and Icon-class ships each carrying more than 5,000 guests. |
| Dining | Refined main dining rooms, World Fresh Marketplace buffet, Crown Grill and Sabatini’s; The Catch by Rudi on Sphere-class ships. | Main dining, Windjammer buffet, lots of casual counters, with Chops Grille steaks, Izumi sushi and Hooked Seafood at extra cost. |
| Entertainment | Production shows, Movies Under the Stars, enrichment talks and, on the Sphere class, acrobatic acts beneath The Dome’s glass roof. | Licensed Broadway titles, ice-skating productions, AquaTheater high diving, surf simulators and zip lines. |
| Kids | Camp Discovery clubs built around science and nature activities; liveliest in summer and Alaska. | Adventure Ocean, teen clubs, nurseries and some of the biggest water parks at sea. |
| Drinks and inclusions | Princess Plus and Princess Premier bundle drinks, Wi-Fi and crew tips, with Premier adding more extras. | Deluxe Beverage Package, Refreshment Package and Wi-Fi sold separately, often discounted ahead of sailing. |
| Cabins | Balconies on most Royal-class cabins; Reserve Collection mini-suites with a private dining room on Sphere-class ships. | Interior cabins with virtual balconies, Central Park and Boardwalk balconies, and the three-tier Royal Suite Class. |
| Itineraries | Alaska land-and-sea packages, Mexico from Los Angeles, the Caribbean, Panama Canal transits, Japan, Australia and Europe. | Warm-water sailings all year from Florida and Texas, plus Alaska, Europe, Asia and Australia. |
| Price positioning | Upper mainstream; packages often improve the value. | Mainstream to upper mainstream; Icon-class sailings carry a premium. |
| Private island | Princess Cays on Eleuthera, a beach day with bungalows and water sports. | Perfect Day at CocoCay with Thrill Waterpark, plus a Royal Beach Club in Nassau. |
| Loyalty | Captain’s Circle, Princess’s long-running past-passenger club. | Crown & Anchor Society, with points per night and extra for suites. |
Which should you choose?
Choose Princess if…
- You want a relaxing cruise where a quiet deck chair is easy to find.
- You’re planning Alaska and want a cruisetour with nights at Princess lodges near Denali.
- You like the convenience of MedallionClass and drinks delivered to your lounger.
- You want to sail the Panama Canal or circle Japan on a big, comfortable ship.
Choose Royal Caribbean if…
- Your kids want water parks, surfing and climbing walls more than lectures.
- You want the most activities and entertainment you can fit into a week.
- You want a day at Perfect Day at CocoCay with its 135-foot slide tower.
- You want to see a Broadway musical and an ice show on the same cruise.
The fleets by the numbers
| Measure | Princess | Royal Caribbean |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean ships in our guide | 17 | 30 |
| Average ship age | 14.8 years | 16.6 years |
| Average ship size | 129,000 GT | 159,000 GT |
| Newest ship | Star Princess | Legend of the Seas |
| Largest ship | Star Princess | Icon of the Seas |
Calculated from the ocean ships in our guide, with build years and tonnage from Wikidata.
Princess vs Royal Caribbean: FAQs
Is Princess or Royal Caribbean better?
Princess wins for a relaxed, classic cruise and for Alaska, while Royal Caribbean wins for activities and families. Princess ships are calmer with more enrichment, while Royal Caribbean’s ships pack in water parks, surf simulators and big production shows.
Which is better for Alaska, Princess or Royal Caribbean?
Princess, for most travelers. It has sailed Alaska for decades, has its own lodges in the Alaska interior and sells rail-and-lodge cruisetours. Royal Caribbean offers good seven-night Alaska cruises from Seattle but far fewer land options.
Is Princess good for families with kids?
Yes, especially in summer and in Alaska, where Camp Discovery and Junior Ranger programs keep kids engaged. Families with thrill-seeking kids or teens will find more to do on Royal Caribbean, which has water parks, surfing and climbing walls.
Which is cheaper, Princess or Royal Caribbean?
They’re usually similar. Royal Caribbean’s Icon- and Oasis-class ships cost more than its older ships, while Princess Plus can make Princess the better value if you’d buy drinks and Wi-Fi anyway. Compare the total with the extras you’ll actually use.
Read the full reviews
Updated November 2026 by the BookMyDreamCruise editorial team. How we research and fact-check.
Sources: Princess official site, Royal Caribbean official site.