Carnival vs Princess

[golfb4cruzing]

Just a quick question to folks that have done both. After 5 Carnivals, Princess had a perfect itinerary and better price, so I booked. Reading their boards, I am wondering if the cruises are as boring and stuffy as they are on the boards. I don't need them to make our cruise but a little atmosphere would help. I'd hate to be the only mule in the pasture.

[Nanatravel]

Changing cruise lines "aka Jumping Ship" is often a challenging issue. Go with an open mind, just as I did when "trying" Carnival after several Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and Princess cruises. They all are slightly different.

 

Carnival has bigger cabins when comparing Balcony to Balcony (the only class I have occuppied). Service has been good on all lines; it will differ depending on your outlook. Always be very friendly and non-demanding. We always ask about family of our servers, etc. Princess buffet may cause some congestion due to its layout; just be patient, don't go at 8AM or 12 noon etc. and you should be fine. I find entertainment to be fine on all lines and attend what interests me. Alcholic beverage costs are rising as are Photo prices. Watch your expenses here. I book private tours primarily for convenience, economy and congestion (I don't have to wait for 40 people to get on the bus.). Join your Roll Call to see what others are doing and maybe you can join them.

 

I don't participate in Pool side activites but enjoy watching the antics of others. You can do as little or as much as you wish. Aft Pool is for adults, but you will find a child or two occasionally with a parent. Sometimes it will be monitored but sometimes not.

 

Enjoy your cruise. If you have any special question, I will try to give my opinion. Oh, they have Anytime Dining down to a science. We would go about 7PM and never have a wait. Also, able to book a specific table and waiter for 3 nights at a time.

[golfb4cruzing]

Thanks Nana (that sounds funny) for the insight. Reading their boards, there is an air of stuffiness that I may not "blend" with. I just want to have a good time but not have to wear a tux 24/7. Since it is the internet I recognize the bravado that creeps in. Everything I read about the ship, itinerary, shows and amenitites sounds perfect. Hopefully the clientele does get offended if I have a golf shirt on:eek: I 've looked at their menus and might miss Carnivals but they do have shrimp cocktail every night.:p

[GradUT]

My spouse and I are about the most laid-back people you can find and we had a GREAT time on our Princess cruise last year. We thought that there was a lot more to do on the Princess cruise than on the Carnival cruise we had taken the year before. (And the prizes for the contests, etc. are a lot better. We came home with 2 bottles of champagne, some ball caps and a bunch of reusable shopping bags which really come in handy!)

 

Sure, you'll find some people "dressed to the nines" for the formal nights, but you'll also see plenty of people like my husband who wore a nice collared shirt and tie, but no jacket. Nobody looked twice--nobody cared.

 

Go on your Princess cruise and have a fun time. I'm going on a Carnival cruise again next month, but I keep thinking about that great one we did on Princess.

[lithlith]

We’ve picked our cruises based on two things itinerary and price. We like Carnival for the Caribbean and Princess for elsewhere in the world because of their itineraries. But an opinion is just an opinion.

 

 

 

Age of cruisers – Carnival is a younger crowd. I would say most are under 60. Princess is an older crowd. I would say over 60. It’s the non-retirees vs. the retirees. Some people like to cruise with people of similar ages, others don’t mind either way.

 

 

Food – I prefer the Carnival food to the Princess food. Carnival has a larger buffet with more choices, but Princess has better pizza and ice cream. As for the main dining rooms, I like the Carnival food better. And, the Carnival food is more of what I would call kid friendly; for example, you’ll always find chicken fingers and fries on Carnival, but didn’t see a chicken finger once on a week long Princess cruise. It all depends on your taste in food. Either way, you’ve got a kitchen staff trying to make “good” food for thousands of people, so I like to compare it to university dorm food – some people like it some don’t.

 

 

Day Entertainment/Activities - In my opinion, Carnival wins this hands down. Carnival is the “FUN” ship, and it definitely appeals to a younger crowd. There is always entertainment/activities on Carnival, whereas you might have to search long and hard for what Princess calls entertainment or activities. If you call a jigsaw puzzle and browsing a library entertainment, then you’ll like Princess. Carnival is louder and more in your face with entertainment, games, and music – they make announcements all day about upcoming activities and rarely will you ever hear an announcement on Princess.

 

 

 

Night Entertainment - The nightly entertainment big shows on Princess and Carnival are about the same in terms of quality of performers, in fact we’ve seen some of the same shows on Carnival and Princess. In terms of night clubs or dancing, it depends on what you’re looking for. If you want to dance to current music, go on Carnival. If you like something a little more low key like a live jazz band, go on Princess. On Carnival they often have night deck parties, but on Princess you’ll likely get a dirty look from the Movie Under the Stars watchers for making any additional noise on the deck at night.

 

 

 

Rooms – Princess wins this category for me because of the storage factor. Your luggage will fit under the Princess beds and they actually have enough hangers and storage space that you can unpack on Princess and not live out of your suit case. The décor of the Princess rooms is also what I would call fancy compared to Carnival.

 

 

Again, opinions are just that – opinions. You have to decide what is most important for you when cruising - itinerary, price, food, people, rooms, entertainment, etc.

[Celandine]

I've had just as much fun on Princess as on Carnival.

 

the people were just as fun!

[NotWthOutablcony]

Yes they are! Lol, we were previously Princess only cruisers, I've sailed with them 5 times, though they have a wonderful product with delicious food, nice closet space, friendly enough staff (have had a few bad apples) and amazing suite amenities, they are BORING!!!!! Not to mention you'll find yourself cruising along with about 20% of "nice, normal" cruisers, while the majority are either elderly and MEAN, when I say mean what I'm really saying is rude, rude to the staff and pax, constantly trying to run you ocher in scooters while you're trying to jump out of the way and trip over someone else's walker. The other part of that majority are upperclass snobs who find it rather enlightening to belittle the staff and critique EVERY fellow pax clothing, weight, job titles and actions.

I am not trying to scare you, I am just being brutally honest from my own opinion. We have always enjoyed our cruises with them (except one) and just got off of the sapphire princess last April, 14 day Hawaii in a suite! It was wonderful, BUT, BORING!!! We make our own fun, so its okay. We were SHOCKED when we Decided to jump back to carnival after 10 years, we had SO much fun, just couldn't believe it! Now carnival is our line of choice. I WILL sail princess again I'm sure, I don't doubt that, and please know these are just my opinions, take them with a grain of salt. Go, don't hold them to high expectations, and do like we do and bring cards, dominos, UNO and other things to keep you entertained and I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time. I'm not a cheerleader enough to say that, regardless you're on a cruise and no cruise is a bad one because I know different, but if you go in with low expectations you'll have a great time! -Val-

[golfb4cruzing]

I am starting to feel better about the decision. I just get chilly over the Princess board. We are in mid 50s but try to be active as possible. Jigsaw puzzles are not my style. I don't attend the hairy chest contest anyways.:p

[serene56]

Just a quick question to folks that have done both. After 5 Carnivals, Princess had a perfect itinerary and better price, so I booked. Reading their boards, I am wondering if the cruises are as boring and stuffy as they are on the boards. I don't need them to make our cruise but a little atmosphere would help. I'd hate to be the only mule in the pasture.

 

 

When I was looking to book our first Caribbean Princess cruise these boards did scare the heck out of me. Reading all about the ship is full of old people, nothing to do at night. Food being terrible.

 

We figure we would try it out.

Our cruise had a lot of families with over 800 kids onboard. (avoid presidents week at all costs)

 

Let me tell you-- it was the best. Totally wow'ed from moment one.

 

We ate in the dining room one time-- and ate the rest of the week in the buffet because it was THAT nice. Dinner was relaxing and quiet.

 

No 24 hours pizza but it was really good. I prefer it over Carnival and since we sailed Princess I have yet to get a pizza again on Carnival.

 

No soft serve ice cream.

 

The Princess soda card is affordable. and have a Ultimate beverage card which includes soda, virgin frozen fruity drinks, milk shakes.

 

Balconies cabin do not have sofas. Some times I miss it

[Sea and Me]

I would like to say that we have sailed Princess enough times to make Platinum status. We are a retired couple who are not considered "old" just mature:) On several of our Princess cruises we met a mix of people. We enjoyed the younger couples ( could be our children) and the older ones (ages older than ours). Our cruises were never "boring" there is so much to do. The staff we met were great on all our cruises. We always are friendly to them and appreciate what they do for us being the shiproom steward or the wait staff. A friendly Hello and how are you today goes a long way. I have seen "older" passengers treat crew by being demanding but then maybe that is how they act while not on vacation!! The passengers range in age. On the longer cruises you will find the "older" population but also honeymooners.

I would recommend Princess (no never worked for them) and the results are what you make it. As my DH says "never had a bad one" and I agree. We are going to try Carnival and going with an open mind. Have a great cruise!!

Carol

[Nanaimobound]

I have only been on the older Dawn Princess for 10 days, but it was one of our favorite cruises. We had a great time it wasn't stuffy at all and it was an Alaska cruise! :D

I really enjoyed the last night parties. They do a champagne fountain and it is really fun.

 

The menu is pretty basic as well, but the dishes were prepared perfectly.

It's true the cabin space is less, and the tiniest balconies too. But you will have a great cruise!

[toledo_cruiser]

Golf.. we've only taken two Princess cruises, but would do so again in a heartbeat. I didn't think the demographics were that different on my seven day cruises, but I imagine the 14+ day cruises would skew to an older crowd ( DW is planning a 15 day Hawaii cruise now). I prefer the appearance of the Princess ships, but that is subjective and YMMV. I'm close to platinum on Carnival, but I still want to try other lines so the experience doesn't get stale.

Jim

 

Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk

[nycruise]

No comparision, Princess is above Carnival, head and shoulders.

 

Jump at that Princess cruise, you'll probably be loathe to go back to Carnival.

 

We only sail Carnival on "special itineraries", like Europe and new ships out of New York. We haven't been on a regular Carnival Itinerary in a decade, prefer almost any other line.

 

Just my opinion.

[golfb4cruzing]

We are heading out at the end of March for the Eastern Caribbean run. 4 stops in 7 days, so the ship is less important than say a TA. The absence of soft serve ice cream is a downer. Wish I had known that beforehand, could have been a tiebreaker. lol. I know Carnival and Spring Break but with Serenity it really wasn't an issue on the Legend last year. That was a great ship and we enjoyed Tulum. But this itinerary has Princess Cay and GT with St. Thomas and St. Maarten. The best run I think. Hopefully it's a smooth Spring Break with them. Or we'll be back for more Western runs, if the price is right.

 

Sidenote: I ordered snorkle gear for the wife from Leisure Pro and it is excellent quality.

 

I appreciate everyone's educated opinions.

[nycruise]

Free softserve and regular ice cream on Princess Lido deck in the afternoon, cups and cones, served by staff. Not 24 hours maybe 6 hours.

[serene56]

No comparision, Princess is above Carnival, head and shoulders.

Jump at that Princess cruise, you'll probably be loathe to go back to Carnival..

 

 

Yes, it is above Carnival but sometimes the dollar dictates that we take the carnival cruise. With the OP finding prices comparable to Carnival--Im jealous.

 

Our cruise next year is on the Ruby- its almost 1400 more then what we paid for Carnival this year-- same week

[geoherb]

We're thinking of taking a Carnival cruise after just finishing our 11th on Princess. I haven't sailed on Carnival since the Carnivale in the mid 1980s. But I figure going in with a good attitude will help me have a good time. In the early 1990s, we sailed on Norwegian and Royal Caribbean. Once we took a Princess cruise, we thought their product fit us better. We also like HAL and Celebrity.

 

A lot of the passenger demographics depends on the itinerary and time of year you sail. Off-season cruises can get a lot of retired folks, making the ship feel like a retirement home.

[serene56]

No comparision, Princess is above Carnival, head and shoulders.

Jump at that Princess cruise, you'll probably be loathe to go back to Carnival..

 

 

Yes, it is above Carnival but sometimes the dollar dictates that we take the carnival cruise. With the OP finding prices comparable to Carnival--Im jealous.

 

Our cruise next year is on the Ruby- its almost 1400 more then what we paid for Carnival this year-- same week

[golfb4cruzing]

What I paid for a balcony (8K) on the Legend last April, 1800.00, western run, they wanted 2100.00 this year, when I talked to the same PVP as last year. On Princess, I think a better itinerary, an 8A balcony, for 1999.00. We drive down, so the travel costs are comparable. I read the balconies on Priness are smaller but there is only the 2 of us. I am really only out there for sailaways. So I thought we'd give it a shot. Good news on the ice cream since our balcony will be on the Lido deck. We have been to the 2 Saints several times but GT was on my bucket list.

[cdamion]

I have sailed and enjoy Princess more than Carnival. You will find that the cabin, while smaller, is better designed. The ship's design is much better for the flow of passengers - it will never feel as crowded as Carnival's big ships and there will more going on in several venues for you to do. Lots of live music. The Lido deck is much better designed to spread out passengers too.

 

Go and enjoy - and try the Chicken Salad in the International Cafe.

[mizLORInj]

I tried Princess after watching brand new Caribbean Princess sail into a port while I was on Carnival Imagination. I thought that ship was so amazing looking, I wanted to see what it was like.

I like both lines and will continue to sail both. And others!

Princess ships are beautiful. Yes, the cabin classes are different, e.g. Carnival balcony cabin is somewhere in size between a Princess balcony and Princess minisuite.

have fun!

[kellieann5]

We've done a few Princess cruises where the itinerary looked better- Alaska and Panama.

 

Princess still (or at least, did in 2009) offers free, true, real CABIN UPGRADES! When their upgrade fairy calls- it's to move you out of an OV to a balcony, for FREE!

 

Princess definitely attracts a bit of an older crowd (or maybe it was the itineraries we chose). No hairy chest contests, but still good entertainment- good bands, etc. They also have big band music every night- which my husband and I LOVED! Great for dancing- and I've got to tell you...some of those 'older' folks can seriously get down on the dance floor!

 

Princess has souffles every night for dessert. Heaven. I'll probably get flamed...but chocolate melting cake has NOTHING on Grand Marnier souffle!

 

Love Princess, Love Carnival, Love Norweigan. Not crazy for RCI- but hey, a cruise is a cruise! Go- have a blast! Just bring a book for pool time, because there will be no Sexy Legs contest to entertain you.

[golfb4cruzing]

I booked under the BG balcony guarantee to get the price. Waited about a week and then they sent our assignment which is a BA on the Lido. I was happy for the Lido. I was hoping for the owners suite but they said it was taken.

[karatemom2]

We have sailed Princess nearly exclusively the past few years so let me share my impressions. We are not seniors. We are 40 something parents of a tween and a teen. We fell in love with Princess on our very first cruise. The kids loved the children's programs onboard, the food and service were outstanding, the entertainment great and onboard activities frequent and engaging for the entire family. Since we travel during school holidays, although the demographics on Princess might normally skew toward a more senior crowd, during our cruises there have been lots of other families and people our age onboard. There is a lot to love about Princess. The ships, public rooms, cabins and dining rooms are elegant. The heated indoor and outdoor freshwater pools. The lovely afternoon teas. I could go on, but I think you get the gist.

 

So now we are booked on an upcoming Carnival cruise. Why? Because of a great itinerary and price. Because of the connecting balcony rooms for our family. For the wonderful beds I hear so much about and for a change of pace in food, entertainment and activities. As much as we like Princess, it will be a welcome break and provide us with some variety. And I am certain we will really enjoy our cruise on the Spirit.

 

I have come to the conclusion, that most will tend to favor a certain line over others for very personal reasons. But that doesn't mean it isn't fun and worthwhile to branch out and try other lines and form new experiences. I am excited to be going on a Carnival cruise and I'm certain I will discover things I really love about Carnival. I'm sure a Carnival cruiser would be equally as happy trying out a Princess cruise.

 

You can always come back to your favorite, just as I'm sure we will cruise with Princess again in the future. But for this year we are giving some other great lines a shot and looking forward to new discoveries.

[golfb4cruzing]

karatemom I agree with everything you said. We are a little older but the scenario still holds.I hope Princess beds are acceptable or I will have a tough cruise. Carnival's are okay but nothing fabulous when they are put together. I bring my TENS unit just in case. I will go into it with a very objective eye and just want to get away with my bride. It's been 35 years but she's still my bride.:)