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Caribbean Princess vs Brilliant Lady
The Princess Cruises Caribbean Princess was built in 2004. It was renovated in 2024. It's 20 years older than the Brilliant Lady, which was built in 2024. This is an adults-only ship; all guests must be 18 or older. The exterior of the ship was was slightly tweaked so it can go through the Panama Canal, opening different itineraries compared to its sister ships.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
Ship Size
The Caribbean Princess is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 952 feet long and 158 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.6 football fields, as wide as 3 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 19-story building. It's about the same size as the Virgin Voyages Brilliant Lady.
Number of Passengers
Princess Cruises Caribbean Princess holds 16% more passengers than the Brilliant Lady based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Caribbean Princess has less space per person compared to the Brilliant Lady.
| Princess Cruises Caribbean Princess | Virgin Voyages Brilliant Lady | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Caribbean | Lady |
| Gross Tonnage | 112,894 | 110,000 |
| Length | 952 | 912 |
| Beam/Width | 158 | 125 |
| Passenger Decks | 19 | 13 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,140 | 2,700 |
| Crew | 1,200 | 1,150 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.6 | 2.3 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 36 | 41 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Caribbean Princess has eleven different dining options like Slice, The Salty Dog Grill, and World Fresh Marketplace. Of those options, ten are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other four options have an additional fee.
The Brilliant Lady has one more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Sun Club Cafe, The Dock / The Dock House, and The Wake. twelve of these restaurants are complementary.
The Princess Cruises Caribbean Princess has about the same number of dining options as the Virgin Voyages Brilliant Lady.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Brilliant Lady might be a better choice then the Caribbean Princess. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Princess Cruises Caribbean Princess | Virgin Voyages Brilliant Lady | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 11 | 12 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 10 | 12 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 4 | 0 |
| % of Included Options | 64% | 100% |
| See the options | See the options |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship.
There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. You can check out recent the bar menus for the Brilliant Lady below.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Princess Cruises Caribbean Princess has a total of 4 pools and 7 hot tubs.
Virgin Voyages Brilliant Lady has fewer pools than the Caribbean Princess and fewer hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Brilliant Lady. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and two of the hot tubs are adults only on Caribbean Princess.| Princess Cruises Caribbean Princess | Virgin Voyages Brilliant Lady | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 4 | 2 |
| Pools - General Access | 3 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | ||
| Total Hot Tubs | 7 | 6 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 5 | 4 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 2 |
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. On the Caribbean Princess, 80% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Brilliant Lady, only 55% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Princess Cruises Caribbean Princess | Virgin Voyages Brilliant Lady | |
|---|---|---|
| Acrobatic Show | ✗ | ✓ |
| Afternoon Tea | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✗ | ✓ |
| Art Auctions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Group Fitness | ✗ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Private Karaoke Rooms | ✗ | ✓ |
| Putting green | ✓ | ✗ |
| Salon | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sports Court | ✓ | ✗ |
| Tattoo Studio | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✗ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Princess Cruises and Virgin Voyages are both considered "Premium" cruise lines. Premium cruise lines typically offer upscale food, accommodations, and service. These typically cost about $150 - $400 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Princess Cruises Caribbean Princess will likely be cheaper than on Virgin Voyages Brilliant Lady.
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.
| Princess Cruises Caribbean Princess | Virgin Voyages Brilliant Lady | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $17.00 | Included |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% | Included |
| Soda Price | $2.50 | Included |
| Domestic Beer Price | $6.25 | $8.00 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $77 -$100 | No drink package available |
| Internet Plan | $24.99 per device per day | Basic Wi-fi is included. Premium is $30/day and Work from Sea is $50/day. |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | ||
Princess Cruises offers two packages to bundle onboard expenses. The Princess Plus package includes daily gratuities, the basic beverage package, 2 fitness classes, 2 casual dining meals, and internet for $60 per day per guest. The Princess Premier package upgrades to the premiere beverage package, wifi for up to 4 devices per guest, two specialty dining meals, unlimited casual dining meals, unlimited fitness classes, and a photo package for $80 per guest per day.
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Founded in 2020, Cruise Spotlight's goal is to help people understand every aspect of cruising. Plenty of sites focus on the perfect Instagram pictures and marketing fluff. We focus on what really matters: onboard expenses, tips for cruise ships, detailed cruise reviews, and more. Our goal is to provide helpful, unbiased information to new and established cruisers. Over the years, we've helped millions of people get the most from their cruise vacation.
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