Princess V Carnival ...... Constructive opinions please

[stingau]

G'day All,

Ok this is the GO..... After having cruised with P&O aussie ships that are rejects from other lines we discovered the Ruby Princess and loved it.

 

Now we are coming back to the States again but this time only Carnival have cruises that we want to do. We are looking at a B2B in early Sept. on Carnival Freedom.

 

Now anything has to be better than the P&O Pacific Star which was previously the 1982 built 35000 ton Costa Tropicale. Even our aussie newest ships are the old Regal Princess and Crown Princess. But I digress..

 

Anyone sailed on both Ruby as well as the Freedom. What difference's can we expect. Somewhere I read popcorn which was free on Princess has to be paid for on Carnival. On P&O Aust anything outside of the 3 meal times you pay for including Room Service.

 

Both seem to have anytime dining

Both seem to have good kids programs

Both have open air big screen movies

 

Can you get breakfast delivered to your stateroom on Carnival?

What are the room sizes and fitting like

Any difference in Food Quality? Both ships will be departing/did depart from Ft Lauderdale so suppliers should be the same.

 

Also this will be our first B2B so any perks/benefits that we should expect

 

All help and advice gratefully received

 

Steve

[DMaugle]

Steve; We cruised on Dream last summer and have cruised Caribbean Princess, not the Ruby, and have another Caribbean Princess lined up for this summer. The Dream is essentially new so wear and tear will not be an issue. Cabins are a nice size on all Carnival's newer ships. There are a lot of passengers on either of your choices so no advantage either way. The Dream did have their Lanai deck which wraps around the stern. We sailed in an aft cabin and found it detracted from our privacy but if you do not have an aft this feature provides nice aft views. Cruising in September will eliminate kids from the equation for either cruise line.

 

We have found food to be pretty equal between Princess and Carnival, and better than RCCL and worse than Celebrity. Room service is free but takes a bit of time. They'll both have the "specialty" restaurants for a minimal fee and we have found them to be exceptional. You won't pay for popcorn, or pizza, or anything else around the pool decks.

 

Have not done a B2B so no info from that point of view.

 

You have two good choices so take the one that best fits your budget and provides the itinerary that you'll enjoy most.

[Minoushka]

Cabins on Carnival are USUALLY bigger esp balconies

Good Service good food ...similar to Princess in DR

Yes you can get room service ...FREE ..I use it mostly for breakfast ...my son for late pm sandwiches

Shows are fine Service is good Entertainment esp late night comedians GREAT

I like the Manchurian Wok station ..choose your veggies get them stirred fry with sauce you like Buffet s0-so dining room better

Big Screen on deck

Samples of different products in cabins

Bathrobes .......NIce itineraries

Some ships GLITZY GLITZY but I think they are Cool .PRincess ships very subdued in comparison

Good Kids program

Carnival is Fine ,Go you will enjoy it

 

Michele

[moniquet]

Only sailed once on each. Both seemed similar. Emerald has nicer decor but Carnival had better food and staterooms....Also didn't have a problem with sunloungers like on Emerald.

[Umbarger]

Staterooms are much larger on Carnival. I found the food to be very similar in the dining room. Entertainment on Carnival was better. Carnival decor is more Vegas style. Loved the free self serve ice cream. Lots of kids on Carnival and it is a more casual atmosphere. A lot more choices of what to drink in the buffet. Also, hot chocolate, cappacino and expresso free.

 

I don't care what cruise line - there is no such thing as a bad cruise.

[AmberTeka]

Hello..Down Under! The Freedom is one of our favorite ships. We have taken the 8 day cruise to the Panama Canal twice. Once in January. Perfect. Once in June..with the kiddies out of school.....NEVER AGAIN. We have cruised Carnival several times in Sept ( our anniversary Month) and it is fine. School for most USA students starts during late Aug. and most are cranked up and 'learning" the young scholars after the Sept. Labor Day Holiday.

 

We cruised on the Dream to the Eastern Carribean. To us..it is no comparison. And yes, the Dream was sparkling clean..every Carnival ship I have been on is clean, clean. The food is the same on all of the ships..but the Dream has an extra deck..but the same amenties...same number of elevators. They have opened up new eating venues..like lunch on the Plaza Deck and brunch in the Dining rooms..but still. A lot of people. Not so many elevators.

 

The Freedom is the Dream...minus a passel of people. The Activities Staff..and it may be different now..was our all time favorite. We play Trivia..and they made the matches competitive and great fun. The productions were great.

How I would rate them....and I fell in love with Princess because they have trivia, trivia....great passengers...laid back a bit more. Carnival pops. Your kids will adore it. Princess......subtle. Still great fun..classier, if I can use that cliche.

Food...Both are good. Pizza is open all night on Carnival..Horizon Court is basically open all night on Princess. International Cafe on Princess..LOVE IT.

Activities...for adults.....Princess better. For Kids..Carnival. Both good

Productions....Carnival...by a long shot. They do good shows. Period. Princess...not so hot.

Cabins..Carnival..space and the best bed outside of heaven. Princess..closet space..place to dress outside of bathroom. Carnival..bigger shower. Princess...I mean you get to know the shower curtain up close and personal.

Carnival has low prices in the fall. And often, they offer upgrades when you book. Sometimes it is the best in the category. From an entry level Balcony to the top..or ditto for oceanview. The Oceanview on Carnival..if you get the "C" category is 225 sq. ft. It has a sofa..all OV do. on Carnival. I love their OV. We have stayed in them quite a bit. The Standard Inside has 185 sq. ft.

 

If none of you get sea sick..ck. the rates for the cabins at the very front of the ship. They are often classified as Interior..but they have windows. The windows are obstructed in that a large deck is outside, and you see part of the deck outside your window..and whoever is out there..keep your curtains closed..but still part of the sky...plenty of light. Plus..a little sort of private deck...very close. No lounge chairs..but benches to sit on. Read the Carnival Message Boards for a couple of week before you book and learn about the 'secret" decks and such.

We have been on Carnival...8 times..Princes once..but we are sailing Princess in two weeks and again in January 2012. My heart now belongs to Princess, I guess..but with a family, particularly with young ones.........I would look long and hard at Carnival...if the sailing was when USA schools ARE IN SESSION..and NO HOLIDAYS. But that might just be me. FALL is a PERFECT Time to cruise Carnival. Ditto Princess. We had the time of our lives on our Princess cruise last November.

Good Luck. Happy Sailing.

[AmberTeka]

Yes, You can get room service breakfast but it is continental. The menu is in your room..you hang it on your door at night..and the choice is assortments of fruit, different fruit juices, different breads ( toast, pastries), different cold cerals with milk, coffee, tea, etc...then jellies, butter, etc.

On Carnival, I always call room service when we get up and request coffee for two. It is no charge, but I aways tip a few bucks. It is the biggest pleasure. I don't do it on any other cruise line, and I don't know why, but on Carnival...first thing when I wake up..I grab that phone and within 10 minutes it is usually in the cabin. I take an envelope of One dollar bills, just for that little pleasure, and if I have any left at the end of the cruise, I tip the Maitre 'D with that. And that solves that puzzle.

We did get the Room Service on days we had early Shore Tours, and it is a good breakfast...just not a hot one. The menu for other meals is pretty basically the same as other ships. Hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, sandwiches, tossed salads, chef salads, desserts, sodas, etc, a cheese plate, a veggie plate...a nice selection I thought. I did order a tuna sandwich plate for lunch one day and it came with chips, a pickle, it was toasted..very nice. Usually we eat in the MDR or on the Lido Deck Restaurant. They do not have an International Cafe on Carnival. Big minus. Or at least to me. They do have a Creams..which is sort of a coffee shop with cookies. They do serve sushi at 4 if you like that...

 

On the Freedom.Western Voyage..you will have 4 sea days. The excellent Children's Program would factor in my decision on that one. They keep those children busy and happy has been my observation.

The Eastern has more ports.

Carnival owns both Princess and Carnival as you know. I think they do a super job on both. I also like HAL..but it is a little boring. Not much to do on sea days if you don't sun or swim.

You and your children will have a great time on either. And sleep like you are in heaven. Those beds.on Carnival,.....are the best. Hint, hint......Princess.

[paradiseisaprincessaway]

Hey

 

I sailed with Carnival on the trimpuh, and the caribbean princess. I liked princess a heck of alot better.

 

I found that the balcony on the carnival was total crap and very small - it would be tight with 2 people...the princess balcony was more than enough room for 4-6 people.

 

the food was pretty much the same except we indulged in lobster more on carnival.

 

Popcorn you have to pay for and service during movies was horrid.

 

Overall i wouldnt sail with carnival again unless it wasone hell of a great deal, i have choosen princess for all my cruises since.

 

but i did have fun on the carnival cruise i just made it fun -

[cruzmax]

We have cruised on Princess (Ruby, Crown, Emerald) and on Carnival (Liberty, Valor) and loved them all.

Princess is a quieter atmosphere, but Carnival isn't loud, I would describe it as festive. The decor is more colorful. One can always find a quiet area somewhere.

In my opinion, the food options are better on Carnival - the ships we were on had a Deli with great sandwiches, a wok or Mongolian Grill area (our favorite for lunch), and a fish & chips area, in addition to the buffet area. Sounds like we are big eaters, but not - we just like the variety.

Dining room service goes to Princess, but Carnival food selection is equal to Princess in my opinion.

Entertainment has been great on all our cruises.

Enjoy your cruise!

Pam in KY

[jpg1747]

Here is some Carnival dining information:

 

https://www.goccl.com/irman/bookccl/sections/shipboard/DiningOnboard_left.html

[socaljo]

Carnival..bigger shower. Princess...I mean you get to know the shower curtain up close and personal.

 

Hi AmberTeka! I read in another post that you are sailing again in 2 wks.... (boohoo, we sailed 2 wks ago & I still am reading these threads! :p) so I had to pass along the SHOWER CURTAIN MAGIC that I learned from a CC thread! DH thought it was a miracle, as he remembered those shower curtains! Take 4 or 5 of those big black metal clamps (used for big stack of papers) place them along the bottom of the curtain, and ENJOY your shower with a curtain that keeps to itself! :D:D

[ChrisB123]

I've heard that the suites on Carnival give you nothing more for your money then a larger room. The suites on Princess offer a LOT more.

[sarge98]

The ordinary balcony on Carnival is 35 sq Ft, on Princess it's 45 sq ft. The difference is Carnival's cabin is larger by 10sqft, the balcony size difference. The cabins are alsi set up defferently, so take your choice.

[Nanatravel]

I have traveled both the CCL Freedom and Emerald Princess (Sister to Ruby & Crown) twice

 

Can you get breakfast delivered to your stateroom on Carnival? Yes, but primarily just Continental Breakfast. I've never tried to write in a hot breakfast request.

What are the room sizes and fitting like; This is where Carnival beats Princess hands down. There is a sofa bed in the room (extra storage under the sofa). I honestly think the balconies are equal but I've had some aft cabins that are much bigger on CCL and Princess secret cabins C742

Any difference in Food Quality? Maybe portion wise and choice wise a tad better on Princess but I've never had a bad meal on Carnival. Also, like their Seafood Buffet above the normal buffet on CCL and the various stations on each side for Taste of the Day, Deli, Salad Bar, Dessert Bar, Hot entree's of the day and an Asian station. Traffic is much better on CCL than Princess in the buffet.

Both ships will be departing/did depart from Ft Lauderdale so suppliers should be the same. Don't know what you mean by "suppliers". Princess has embarkation down to a science. You board by deck. Numerous desks are marked clearly. When one desk is clear of waiting passengers, they will call the next guest in line over. They set a separate entry room up for Elite & Platnium passengers on Princess. Don't recall anything special on Carnival and I have equal past passenger status.

 

I look at the ships and itinerary. Carnival does have Staff entertainment in the dining room. Some love this and some hate it. I for one think its a fun way to end the evening meal and only takes a few minutes.

[Whirlybird]

Hi. I am 52 year old male and cruised on Carnival once, Celebrity once, RCCL twice and Princess 16 times. I thought food on Carnival was awful. RCCL comparable to Princess and Celebrity not as good.

 

I tried hard to like Carnival, but my biggest problem was age of the other cruisers, too young for me. It felt like I had entered a college bar scene, there were 20 year old drunk girls hitting on me in the middle of the afternoon while I was sitting in a lounge chair next to my wife. It was just terrible.

 

Princess is great for a relaxing no hassle vacation, the food is very good and its an older age segment. They have a very good kids program. I've been on most of their newer ships and they are excellent. Always have had a great vacation on Princess ships, without question.

[jrobe]

"there were 20 year old drunk girls hitting on me in the middle of the afternoon while I was sitting in a lounge chair"

 

 

Just when I thought Princess was the best... :)

[stingau]

We have cruised Carnival several times in Sept ( our anniversary Month) and it is fine.

 

Amber September is our anniversary month as well 12th of sept to be precise, hence the reason for the cruise in Sept. It will be our 26th anniversary and I have been trying to make our anniversaries special lately as during our married life I missed a few due to other committments. Our 20th anniversery I spent sleeping in the mud on an army exercise while my wife spent it at the whitsundays on Qld's Great Barrier Reef with our 2 youngest and the dragon- in -law ( her mother).

 

So it looks like it will be Carnival, "She who has to be obeyed" ( the missus) wanted an anniversary cruise on princess to a beach based cruise out of the States or anywhere EXCEPT Alaska. She hates the cold, lucky we live in Qld where it rarely gets colder than about 60deg F even in winter. So like the song says "2 out 3 aint bad"

 

Steve

[AmberTeka]

Hi AmberTeka! I read in another post that you are sailing again in 2 wks.... (boohoo, we sailed 2 wks ago & I still am reading these threads! :p) so I had to pass along the SHOWER CURTAIN MAGIC that I learned from a CC thread! DH thought it was a miracle, as he remembered those shower curtains! Take 4 or 5 of those big black metal clamps (used for big stack of papers) place them along the bottom of the curtain, and ENJOY your shower with a curtain that keeps to itself! :D:D

 

I will be at Office Depot and purchase some tomorrow. They anchor that blasted curtain...am I correct? This is a WONDERFUL tip. I just got so frustrated with that curtain that I thought about going around stinky..but nawww...could not do it.

 

We do sail in two weeks, and I am being so organized. This time. I am getting my clothes ready to pack. Wondering if I should get a kindle..but I wonder if I can get the Sci Fi Pot boilers I love on e-books...THE ANTICIPATION OF A CRUISE..BLISS

Thank you for that tip..and I mean it!!

[AmberTeka]

Our anniversary is On Sept 2. We have been married 38 years..or all of his life as my DH puts it. We were on an anniversary cruise with Carnival, on the Glory, when Katrina struck. The CNN news, which is all you get on Carnival..that and local news out of Denver Colorado for some reason..and on Weds. night we started hearing about it. My Sister was a nurse on the Gulf Coast so we were concerned. It seemed forever until we got home..but Florida was untouched. I will NEVER forget that cruise.

The western Freedom route..in Panama..in Sept. will be hot enough for anyone. We took the Train Ride and really like it. It was pricey..but we had an English Speaking Guide..we saw the Canal..then got on buses and went to the Pacific Side..saw the Old USA Army Base..then some posh areas of homes..Next Time we took the ferry. In June. We were so hot, I stepped over an iguana without blinking an eye..to get back on the AC bus. Great port.

Costa Rica...if you take a trip into the interior..It is so lovely. I would love to go back. I would sign up for the Coffee Tour Trip in a heartbeat. So many folks have posted over how they enjoyed that. It is odd to see volcanoes...smoking..and banana plantations...so close.

We have never taken the eastern route of The Freedom..but God Willing, we will one day.

I love the Freedom. I have mentioned that before..but It is just a really nice ship.

 

I hope you and your family have a lovely cruise.

[socaljo]

I will be at Office Depot and purchase some tomorrow. They anchor that blasted curtain...am I correct? This is a WONDERFUL tip. I just got so frustrated with that curtain that I thought about going around stinky..but nawww...could not do it.

 

We do sail in two weeks, and I am being so organized. This time. I am getting my clothes ready to pack. Wondering if I should get a kindle..but I wonder if I can get the Sci Fi Pot boilers I love on e-books...THE ANTICIPATION OF A CRUISE..BLISS

Thank you for that tip..and I mean it!!

 

The clamps work to weight the curtain. It really makes a huge difference, but go for 5, it can't hurt! :p

 

And I love, love , love my kindle. You can go on amazon.com & find out if your fav author is available on Kindle. Just look up the book, the kindle version will be offered, or there is a box saying "let the publisher know you want a kindle version". Also, their cust svc is remarkable for kindle. I had an original kindle for 2+ yrs & wore it out. It froze one day, and none of the tech spt tricks worked anymore. So the guy on the phone sold me a new one for $100 OFF retail. Yes, I got a new Kindle2 (3G version), in the 6" screen I prefer,for only $89. Shipped next day for free. HOLY COW! I can't think of another product that I have used up, and was replaced at such a discount. And for poolside use, I put it within a ziplock bag!

 

Enjoy your cruise, and happy anniversary!

[wilfros]

We sailed on Caribbean Princess in June 2009 and then our next cruise was on Carnival Pride one month ago (departed Baltimore MD Feb 6th 2011).

 

As a "Princess" cruiser I was concerned about many, if not all, the same things that have been addressed above this post. When I asked the same questions as you just did we got much the same answers.

 

Inspite of this we booked Carnival Pride for a 7 day cruise and had a wonderful time. If you would like to read me review (it includes 3D photos if that is of any interest to you) by clicking on the link below.

 

Princesser does Carnival

 

We Love Love Love Princess for their ships and interior decor but all things considered we found our time on Pride to be fantastic and we wouldn't hesitate to cruise Carnival again.

 

We are in our late 50s and retired so we make sure we don't cruise during any of the holiday periods when larger than normal number of kids (or young adults) would most likely be on board.

 

I hope our review is of some value to you. If you have any questions just post on the above link as that is the one I watch for questions that are asked.

 

Whatever you choose enjoy your cruise. We will most likely be on Golden Princess next as we really want to see Hawaii.

[Hlitner]

No problem with Carnival but we are not big fans of doing back-to-backs out of a USA port. There are several issues. 1. Most of the entertainment will be repeated on the two cruises. 2. Most (if not all) of the dining menus will be the same on the 2 cruises. 3. You will have to go through the embarkation stuff two times (things like the boring Welcome aboard show). 4. If you are going through a USA port (i.e. back to back out of Miami or Ft Lauderdale) you will have to disembark the ship (between cruises) and get cleared by the US Immigration folks before you can leave the port or reboard the ship. And finally, back to backs (am speaking about 7 day cruises) are like taking 2 seven day cruises as opposed to a single 14 day cruise. Trust me that the atmosphere on longer cruises (not back to back) is a different experience (and we think very desirable).

 

Hank

[moniquet]

Hank I absolutely agree. Only done 1 back to back and never again. Also if you have made any good friends it seems a bit flat when they leave after the first week.