Hey all, need your help selecting between Princess and Carnival!

[NODAK1979]

My wife has talked me into a 2nd cruise...our first cruise was with Norwegian last year.

 

The cruises that go where we want to go in a 7 night cruise depart out of San Juan. I would like this as it'd give me an opportunity to explore Old San Juan for a day or so before departing.

 

There are two ships that have pretty similar prices and ports that we're interested in....the Caribbean Princess & the Carnival Victory. I need to make a choice between the two, but I'm just not sure which is the better line for us.

 

We're a couple with no kids. I'm 33 and she's 27. We aren't "hard partiers" or anything....but we won't be in bed by 9 every night either.

 

I've heard that Carnival is the party line....and perhaps a lot of that is due to their advertising....but I don't know. If it's a line that's going to be prone to having lots of college aged kids being ridiculously loud all the time, then I'll stay away. I'm hoping that leaving from San Juan kind of quells that.

 

As for Princess, I know about nothing about this line. Is it that much nicer than Carnival?? What's the vibe?? Is the entertainment generally as good??

 

I appreciate any and all help. Seriously....it's greatly appreciated.

[paul929207]

We sail mostly on Princess and love their cruises, but I am 60. In the Caribbean, all ships will have people of all ages. All will have kids, especially when schools are out.

 

We found the service much better on Princess than on Carnival

[NODAK1979]

We sail mostly on Princess and love their cruises, but I am 60. In the Caribbean, all ships will have people of all ages. All will have kids, especially when schools are out.

 

We found the service much better on Princess than on Carnival

 

I always have thought of Carnival as the Walmart of cruising, which I guess is unfair since I haven't been on one of their ships yet. People can either tell me I'm right or wrong.

[cruisegirlkat]

Personally, I always go with Princess. I'm only 56 but I've been sailing with them for years. I agree with Nodak1979, even though I am a big Walmart fan, I don't want it when I cruise. Princess tends to be classier. Even though you will have kids on board I don't believe there will be as many as you would see on Carnival. Enjoy your cruise. Kathy

[Krazy Kruizers]

Have done quite a few Princess cruises -- I would choose them over Carnival.

 

Princess is more upscale than Carnival.

[seacat65]

Go with Princess.

 

You will be much happier

 

:)

[tak81288]

My wife has talked me into a 2nd cruise...our first cruise was with Norwegian last year.

 

The cruises that go where we want to go in a 7 night cruise depart out of San Juan. I would like this as it'd give me an opportunity to explore Old San Juan for a day or so before departing.

 

There are two ships that have pretty similar prices and ports that we're interested in....the Caribbean Princess & the Carnival Victory. I need to make a choice between the two, but I'm just not sure which is the better line for us.

 

We're a couple with no kids. I'm 33 and she's 27. We aren't "hard partiers" or anything....but we won't be in bed by 9 every night either.

 

I've heard that Carnival is the party line....and perhaps a lot of that is due to their advertising....but I don't know. If it's a line that's going to be prone to having lots of college aged kids being ridiculously loud all the time, then I'll stay away. I'm hoping that leaving from San Juan kind of quells that.

 

As for Princess, I know about nothing about this line. Is it that much nicer than Carnival?? What's the vibe?? Is the entertainment generally as good??

 

I appreciate any and all help. Seriously....it's greatly appreciated.

 

I would choose by price. That itinerary is very port intensive (only 1 sea day if I am not mistaken). Unless you plan on on cutting some of your port days short, you will not be on the ship for a huge chunk of your cruise.

 

I would invest more of my $$ in port activities since that is where the majority of your time will be spend.

 

Carnival is definitely not a party cruiseline. Yes, they do like to have fun, there may be a deck party or two and a dance club that has optional participation and that is about it.

 

Time of year plays a huge factor on who the crowd will be too. I just got off of a Carnival cruise last week and it was by far the most mature, oldest crowd I have seen on Carnival to date. Granted, it was mid January and schools are in session.

 

Lastly, most college kids aren't going to spend extra $$ to fly out of San Juan to get on a cruise ship, when there are plenty of them leaving closer to home. Plus Carnival requires you to be at least 21 years old to sail without a parent/guardian. Otherwise, someone in the cabin has to be at least 25 years old which is basically in your age range.

 

Once you get into the 6-8 day cruises on Carnival, the crowd gets a a lot tamer.

 

Good luck on whichever one you chose.

[LarryL]

Several years ago we sailed out of San Juan on the Golden Princess. There was a lot to do and there was a good mix of age. There was never a lack of activities and Skywalkers was continuously full until 1-2 AM. The partying is certainly there if you want it or you can be a little more subdued with other nighttime venues.

I looked at Carnival once and found the ships are on the extremely bright to gaudy side. There seemed to be too much sensory overload for me. I’ll stick with Princess and Royal Caribbean as I really like both and have never been disappointed.

That said, Carnival does have a pretty loyal following, as well.

Good luck with your decision. Compared to spending a week in North Dakota, on vacation in January, you can't go wrong with either.:eek:

[cb at sea]

Carnival is NOT the "party ship" that it used to be advertised to be! Their decorations are a bit "over the top", but you can do as little or as much of everything as suits you! It's not a non-stop party!

[trish1c]

We aren't "hard partiers" or anything....but we won't be in bed by 9 every night either.

 

You will be if you sail Princess. :p They close all the bars before midnight expect the disco which only stays open until 2. It was a very laid back, sleepy ship. We wanted more action.

We took this cruise last March. The ship is elegant. The food was fine. Princess converted me to a believer. You can get good pizza on a cruiseship. The hot chocolate chip cookies in the afternoon were amazing.

The entertainment was not that great. The Jean Ann Ryan company does a much better job, IMO.

If we wanted to sail this itinerary again & the choices were the same: Carnival, RCI, & Princess, I might be tempted to try Carnival only b/c RCI is so much more expensive than the other two. We didn't dislike Princess but we learned that it doesn't suit us

[LarryL]

You will be if you sail Princess. :p They close all the bars before midnight expect the disco which only stays open until 2. It was a very laid back, sleepy ship. We wanted more action.

 

 

Not entirely true for all destinations or ships. Even with the demographic a little on the older end on Alsakan cruises, we closed the Explorers Lounge a few times, after midnight. On the last night we pulled into Whittier while we were enjoying our last drink (past 1AM). Maybe it was so because they don't have a Skywalkers on this ship. Anyway, there is a nightlife on Princess.:)

[FantasyIsland]

I am 62 and we have taken 8 cruises on Carnival, one on RC, and going on Norwegian in 2 weeks. We have found that it isn't the cruiseline, it's the destination and/or the time of year that creates a "party" atmosphere. If you're heading off to Jamaica, there will be lots of 20ish folks intent on all day and evening partying. I don't think you'll find a lot of younguns on a cruise out of San Juan. We had a great time on our southern Caribbean cruise out of SJ and met quite a few younger (to us) couples - yes on Carnival.

 

You will find that, for the most part, the service is the key difference. Personally, we prefer Carnival for a number of reasons: price is first, cabin size is almost tied for first place, third is food - it's actually better quality on Carnival than what we had on RC - the Brilliance food was extremely mediocre and last, every other cruiseline nickels and dimes you - sorry, but if I'm cruising for 2 weeks, I do not wish to pay to have my undies laundered - and pay $2 each! Give me access to the washers and dryers. Carnival, to my knowledge, is the only line that does. I am not moving, just going on vacation - so I'd prefer to take minimal stuff that has to be lugged to and from the airport and packed and unpacked.

 

BTW, we were on the Carnival Victory - Sept 2011. Enjoy your cruise - it's a great itinerary - make sure you see the Paseo del Morro (Morro Castle) - you'll need most of a day.

 

 

 

 

My wife has talked me into a 2nd cruise...our first cruise was with Norwegian last year.

 

The cruises that go where we want to go in a 7 night cruise depart out of San Juan. I would like this as it'd give me an opportunity to explore Old San Juan for a day or so before departing.

 

There are two ships that have pretty similar prices and ports that we're interested in....the Caribbean Princess & the Carnival Victory. I need to make a choice between the two, but I'm just not sure which is the better line for us.

 

We're a couple with no kids. I'm 33 and she's 27. We aren't "hard partiers" or anything....but we won't be in bed by 9 every night either.

 

I've heard that Carnival is the party line....and perhaps a lot of that is due to their advertising....but I don't know. If it's a line that's going to be prone to having lots of college aged kids being ridiculously loud all the time, then I'll stay away. I'm hoping that leaving from San Juan kind of quells that.

 

As for Princess, I know about nothing about this line. Is it that much nicer than Carnival?? What's the vibe?? Is the entertainment generally as good??

 

I appreciate any and all help. Seriously....it's greatly appreciated.

[LarryL]

sorry, but if I'm cruising for 2 weeks, I do not wish to pay to have my undies laundered - and pay $2 each! Give me access to the washers and dryers. Carnival, to my knowledge, is the only line that does. I am not moving, just going on vacation - so I'd prefer to take minimal stuff that has to be lugged to and from the airport and packed and unpacked.

 

Just FYI, Princess does have self-service laundry. I agree with RCL not having it but they do have specials that make the experience a little more tolerable.

 

Like other's the choice will be based on what the OP values. All cruise lines must be doing something right (OK maybe not Costa) or they wouldn't succeed. I have not discounted cruising Carnival, but am in no hurry to change at this point. The good deals keep coming and we keep cruising.:p:p

[suzski]

I'm in my 40's and have sailed both Princess and Carnival....and have sailed out of San Juan. Like other posters have said, Princess is a more luxurious, upscale line. Carnival is known for the gaudy decoration - you either love it or hate it.

 

With that said, the last cruise I took out of San Juan was VERY port-intensive, i.e., EVERY day was a port day. Therefore I could have been riding pretty much any ship and it wouldn't have mattered as long as it had a bed, a restaurant, and a restroom. Both ships you're interested in only have one at-sea day, so you're looking at a lot of time exploring ashore. The itinerary, however, is very different so it makes a difference if you really want to visit an island that one ship is going to that is not on the other itinerary. If this isn't an issue, then I think I would probably go with the lower price point for this cruise, simply because you will not be spending much time on the ship and your money will be much better spent on excursions ashore.

 

Hope this helps! Enjoy your cruise! The Southern Caribbean is amazingly beautiful.

[paul929207]

Princess is much more liberal about allowing you to carry on beverages.

 

They allow unlimited soda, water and juice. Carnival allows up to 12 twenty ounce bottles or cans per passenger.

 

Princess does not enforce any limit on wine and spirits. Canival allows one bottle of wine per adult.

[janetz]

We have sailed the Caribbean Princess twice. It is a beautiful ship. The crew is so friendly and the service is excellent. We enjoyed all the ship had to offer.The shows were good and we always had alot of fun. There is a wonderful adults area in the back of the ship overlooking the wake. Here is a picture...:D

 

 

[psbtrvlr]

I would choose Carnival over Princess. We have had customer service issues with Princess, and none with Carnival. Also, Carnival is not a party line. My DH wishes it was. :D

Our last cruise on Carnival was the most geriatric cruise that we have been with the exception of the one Holland America. Still, there was a lot going on all over the ship, and everyone had not gone to bed by 10pm like they do on Princess and Holland.

We are in our 50s.

[janetz]

We found night spots on our CB cruise rocking at night, with plenty of people out and about.

Our Carnival cruise on the Legend was a snooze, that's for sure. :D

[jasminelee]

It also depends on when they plan to cruise-as I understand it, Princess is pulling out of San Juan as a homeport after April this year.

 

That said, DH and I just booked this trip for Dec 9. on Carnival. Can't wait! Since booking, I have spent way too much time on this board doing my "research" for the shore excursions. I love CC!! Got great planning trips for Alaska last year.

 

Suzski -did you happen to post a review of this trip we can read?

[suzski]

Suzski -did you happen to post a review of this trip we can read?

 

Unfortunately, no....I wish I had but it would have been too much about the shore excursions (which were booked privately) and not really about the ship (Carnival Destiny) as we did not have a single at-sea day. As most reviewers are really interested in reading about the ship, I didn't really feel it was right to put up a review about the amazing excursions I took and not really write about the ship (which I saw so very little of).

 

However, I am going on the Victory at the beginning of March and will not be as excursion intensive so I will definitely be posting a review of the ship and my overall trip (have booked excursions with Calabaza in Barbados and Cosol Tours in St. Lucia) when I get back.

[jasminelee]

Unfortunately, no....I wish I had but it would have been too much about the shore excursions (which were booked privately) and not really about the ship (Carnival Destiny) as we did not have a single at-sea day. As most reviewers are really interested in reading about the ship, I didn't really feel it was right to put up a review about the amazing excursions I took and not really write about the ship (which I saw so very little of).

 

However, I am going on the Victory at the beginning of March and will not be as excursion intensive so I will definitely be posting a review of the ship and my overall trip (have booked excursions with Calabaza in Barbados and Cosol Tours in St. Lucia) when I get back.

 

LOL actually I could care less about the ship - more interested in the tours - I think I have figured out the most popular tours on the different islands-just need to narrow it down.

I'll watch for your review in March

thanks

[suzski]

LOL actually I could care less about the ship - more interested in the tours - I think I have figured out the most popular tours on the different islands-just need to narrow it down.

I'll watch for your review in March

thanks

 

LOL....I'm the same way....the ship is my 'ride' to the next exciting destination. Are there any specific tour operators you're interested in? Last time we were in Barbados we went to the Boatyard and we did a day sail in St. Thomas. We went diving in St. Lucia and went to the beach in St. Kitts and had the best freshly caught and grilled lobster ever!

[jasminelee]

LOL....I'm the same way....the ship is my 'ride' to the next exciting destination. Are there any specific tour operators you're interested in? Last time we were in Barbados we went to the Boatyard and we did a day sail in St. Thomas. We went diving in St. Lucia and went to the beach in St. Kitts and had the best freshly caught and grilled lobster ever!

 

Exactly! Don't really care about stuffing ourselves all the time either, just because it's "free". Unless we are cruising with friends, we just eat at the buffets. of course, DH has to have his ice cream every nite.

Thanks for your help- not sure yet which operators I prefer yet-jsut some that have very good reviews-like Thenford Grey in St Kitts and Spencer Ambrose in St. Lucia. I do know we want to go to St. John's for our St Thomas trip.That's all I can think of at the moment.

thanks so much for your help!

[crzycick]

I'm 26 but never in my life have I been a partier. I don't go to bars, I rarely drink, I guess you could call me boring. When I was 19 and engaged I was researching cruise lines. I fell in love with Princess, on paper it seemed great. It was kind of meant for an older crowd but I have always had an older soul. I thought Carnival looked tacky and ugly and I didn't like the idea of constant parties--I had those stereotypical Carnival thoughts in my head.

 

Fast forward to when I was 23 and got to go on my first actual cruise (aside from the Big Red Boat for 3 days when I was 11). My husband is in the military and the only reason we could afford a trip was from the deployment money. We chose Carnival because of price, we were pretty broke! I have to say that I was very happily surprised. Yes they love brass but when you're actually there you don't notice it as much and it's much prettier than the pictures. I'm not saying I'd go and decorate my house to match but some parts were very pretty and others were at least not ugly.

 

As for parties, of course there were some but you know where they are and can plan around it. I like to go to the shows and the comedy shows. I don't like to dance so I don't go to the disco, but if you like to, it's there.

 

I'm not about paying twice as much for the same or similar experience. Especially since others said you'll hardly be on ship, why pay more for it? I feel that by cruising Carnival we are getting a STEAL of a deal, and honestly, we really are! I heard how much alcohol they have to sell just to break even for expenses. I don't drink so I spend maybe $50 on board (aside from tips). I'm cruising for less than they're spending on me. Where else can you get a room, 24/7 food, transportation, and entertainment for $50 a night?

 

A lot of the cruise lines have a lot of pay per options. That's great if you want to do that but I don't want to spend money on an all inclusive cruise but then shell out money for the good food or the good entertainment. Most things on Carnival are included. They do have ONE steakhouse you can pay for (vs some ships have 6-10 restaurants you pay out of pocket for) but I've never had the desire to spend the money there when there is so much food elsewhere included. If there is an activity I want to do I don't have to pay more for it. If we had a lot more money I would probably try one of those lines so I could compare for myself but right now I'd rather save that money to do something cool in port (private, not through the cruise line).

 

 

For us, it often comes down to: take a cheap cruise or we can't cruise at all. I chose to cruise inexpensively! My first Carnival cruise was in November 2008. We were so hooked that we booked another for August 2009. In May 2011 I was able to tag along with some family for a short Carnival cruise and in March we're splurging for a belated 5th wedding anniversary cruise. For our budget, it's a major splurge, but for $900, it's a hell of a deal! I would cruise more if we could afford it and I'd do it on Carnival so I could cruise more often!

[Mrs. Wilburforce]

I'd say Princess except for one issue. The beds are like sleeping on a slab of cement. If you can handle that, you'll love it. It was a deal breaker for me.

My next cruise will either be a TA on the QM2 or I might try a longer sailing on Carnival. Everyone seems to love the beds on Carnival.

A good nights sleep is high on my priority list :)