Australia will be home to two new ships by 2025. But it will be a conundrum and which will you choose? A cruise on Crown Princess or Royal Caribbean International’s Anthem of the Seas?
Anthem of the Seas is the fourth largest class of cruise ships with 4905 passengers, 1500 crew members and 16 decks. It debuted in 2015. So if you and your children are looking to fill your days with non-stop thrills onboard this adventure-packed ship with its show-stopping, simulated sky-diving experience; 360-degree views from the North Star observation capsule and bumper car rides, then look no other.
For older cruisers looking for a less frantic, traditional cruise line without the bells and whistles of the fast lane, then go for the mid-sized, 3080-passenger Crown Princess as you will have more downtime to read a book, gradually unwind and hopefully, come home rejuvenated and re-energized.
Here’s a Dare to Compare Crown Princess and Anthem of the Seas.
Age of cruise passengers and itineraries
Usually, demographics vary widely between itineraries, length of the cruise, and destinations on both Crown Princess and Anthem of the Seas.
Princess passengers tend to skew a little older, mostly those approaching retirement or have retired. However, Crown Princess has a wedding chapel onboard which is perfect for those nuptials at sea. Couples in their late 20s or early 30s who want to get married in front of a small group of family and friends and not break the bank, often opt to marry at sea. It is more economical than marrying on land, especially in Sydney which is one of the most expensive places in the world for weddings.
In sharp contrast, you will find plenty of younger families and groups of friends on Anthem of the Seas. Larger ships like Anthem usually attract families, couples, and solo cruisers in their 30’s to 50’s. Anthem which will arrive in Australia in November 2025 tend to have passengers who are in their early 40s with young children as well as groups of adventure-seeking friends. The ship has 24 scheduled itineraries across Australia, ranging from 3 to 18-nights giving Aussies ample opportunities to check out the ship which is new to our shores. Anthem has a 3-night sampler, round-trip itinerary from Sydney departing 31 October to 3 November 2025 with prices starting from $626pp for an interior cabin ranging up to $2347pp for a suite.
For the upcoming cruise season Down Under in 2024-25 Crown Princess will make her inaugural journey to Australia. There will be three ships based in Australian waters including Royal Princess and Diamond Princess.
Crown offers 3 nights roundtrip Australia journey with prices starting from $444pp for an inside cabin and up to $874pp for a suite departing 21 December 2025. Since it is during school holidays and in the lead up to Christmas, there will be lots of generation Aussie families onboard celebrating the festive season.
Dining choices
Princess has a string of restaurants throughout the ship offering a range of culinary choices to suit various palates from gourmet pizzas, buffets, ice cream, afternoon tea, and specialty dining including Crown Grill, Kai Sushi, Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria, and Bayou Café & Steakhouse. All specialty dining has an additional charge for diners.
The line also prides itself on offering guests the ability to personalize their cruise dining experience so that they can decide when, how, and where they like to dine.
On RCI, you are spoilt for choice when it comes to complimentary dining on Anthem from the main dining room, Windjammer Café, Solarium Bistro, Café Promenade, Coastal Kitchen, Sorrento’s to Dog House.
The line also has a wide selection of specialty restaurants where an additional fee applies. There’s the famous Jamie’s Italian from British chef, Jamie Oliver, Chef’s Table serving five-course degustation meals, Wonderland offering fantasy gourmet dishes, Chops Grille for juicy steaks, Izumi for traditional Asian cuisine, Johnny Rockets, Solarium Bistro overlooking the spa solarium pools and La Patisserie. RCI also offers fixed and flexible dining options.
Entertainment
To get your feet moving, Princess usually has a strong line-up of dazzling musicals, magic shows, Movies Under the Stars, Broadway-style nightly performances at sea at the Princess Theatre. For those wanting to have a twirl on the dance floor, there’s Club Fusion a popular nightspot for karaoke and themed parties. There’s also Skywalkers Nightclub with a DJ spinning fabulous club tunes to keep you dancing until late into the night.
Anthem has a cutting edge Two70- theatre where guests can gather to watch some of the most iconic live performances on high-definition screens. Then there’s Music Hall, a sprawling multi-level venue which hosts some of the industry’s hottest bands from disco, big band to classic rock. At Schooner Bar, you can easily pair ice-cold brews with lively singalongs accompanied by the ship’s experienced pianists. Nightly entertainment include Broadway-style musicals, games shows and late-night dancing.
If you prefer Latin beats, head to the Boleros or you can snuggle up on the pool deck for movies under the stars on Deck 14.
Cabins
Princess cabins are cosy, have a decent amount of storage and have the ultra-comfortable Princess luxury beds. There’s an extensive selectyion of room categories with oceanview suites to minisuites without a balcony. If you stay at a suite, you will enjoy perks such as a free meal at a specialty restaurant, priority embarkation and disembarkation, fresh flowers and free laundry.
As a family-friendly cruise line, RCI has a wide range of staterooms that can often fit in three people or bigger families. It is renowned for having family suites equipped with video games, bunk beds and slides. There are other family cabin options with Pullman beds and connecting doors. Some inside cabins have virtual balcony where giant TV screens give the impression of floor-to-ceiling windows. Guests staying in suites are entitled to reserved theatre seating, VIP pool seating and priority embarking and disembarking.
Onboard activities
Princess cruises typically have lots of indoor activities from group games, lectures to dance classes. Passengers with a penchant for board games can always depend on bingo, trivia pursuits, arts and crafts lessons.
A daily schedule on RCI ship will also include trivia, bingo, dance classes, napkin or towel folding demonstrations, jewellery-making classes, keep fit classes and guest lectures. As Anthem is a Quantum class ship, there’s a Seaplex, an indoor activity centre , with roller skating, bumper cars, trapeze classes and an arcade. There’s also an escape room for young passengers aged 12 years and over – but it comes with an extra charge.
Princess ships in Australia use Australian Dollars on board but RCI use US dollars. Can be a pain with conversion sometimes
Seems odd to have a picture that is NOT the Crown Princess guys???