New to Princess with questions

[traveling psych nurse]

How are the mattresses on Princess?

I think they are hard my husband thinks they are just fine. We are going for 28 days in the spring. I am taking an eggcrate.

[KKB]

Princess isn't know to be a party ship compared to Carnival or RCL. Most of the people will be sound asleep by midnight and even earlier as the cruise progresses. A very sedate crowd most of the time. It has been expressed as a cruise ship for the newlywed and the nearly dead. ;)

 

4 Princess cruises...sedate NEVER was a word we would use to describe it! Even our December cruise which had a DEFINITIVELY older crowd (we felt pretty young in our early 40s), activities were plenty busy all evening, and the casino and Skywalkers were busy until 1-2AM.

 

We felt Mariner of the Seas was more sedate...one difference there was that the club was like a Vegas club full of 20 somethings.:( Skywalkers is always a nice mix.

 

I wonder...is sedate a word people who have actually BEEN on Princess cruises use to describe it?

[Julia’s Journey’s]

I'm in my mid 40's and have been travelling on Princess about 10 years and mostly out of season. We are normally the 'younger' ones but have never not had things to do at night, I do go to the casino if it's not too smoky.

We enjoy the ships and the fresh water pools are the big draw from us even if we don't use them I know I can:D

[Mom33]

4 Princess cruises...sedate NEVER was a word we would use to describe it! Even our December cruise which had a DEFINITIVELY older crowd (we felt pretty young in our early 40s), activities were plenty busy all evening, and the casino and Skywalkers were busy until 1-2AM.

 

We felt Mariner of the Seas was more sedate...one difference there was that the club was like a Vegas club full of 20 somethings.:( Skywalkers is always a nice mix.

 

I wonder...is sedate a word people who have actually BEEN on Princess cruises use to describe it?

 

I would never consider Princess as sedate. Not after ballon wars in the Princess theater.:D

 

We have been on the Emerald 3 times and have enjoyed the cruises completely.:)

[PeteC22]

I would never consider Princess as sedate. Not after ballon wars in the Princess theater.:D

 

We have been on the Emerald 3 times and have enjoyed the cruises completely.:)

 

Yes, sedate fits Princess pretty good COMPARED to RCCL, NCL or Carnival but if you compare it to HAL then it's a real party boat. The people on Princess see themselves as party animals while most time it's like a ghost town late at night. Why do you think they close the buffet at 11PM? Also the first seating is the first to fill up since most of the people can't stay awake past 10.

[dixiana]

would like opinions on the best choice of decks and location for a balcony room.:)

[caribill]

would like opinions on the best choice of decks and location for a balcony room.:)

 

You did not say which ship. Most of the Grand Class and larger ships have the largest balconies on the Caribe deck.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

We are not gamblers, or dancers so we found the entertainment at night lacking.

 

I think with the switch to the shorter shows hopefully Princess now has entertainment every night now instead of repeats.

 

I do like MUTS at night. Being a night owl some nights I get bored.

 

Bill

[DiTomCruisers]

would like opinions on the best choice of decks and location for a balcony room.:)

 

Caribe deck balcony cabins have a long deck, 1/2 covered =, 1/2 open.

Last cruise we had an end deck on the Emerald deck which was enormous.

We also had a deck on the Riviera deck a couple of years ago, which we loved and booked again for our December cruise.

Regardless of what deck/cabin you choose, you're sure to have a good time...

[agc291]

im in my late 20's and LOVE princess cruises. always have a great time, love the entertainment and pax. never have an issue having fun and most nights were out past 2-3am just having fun

dont partake in the casino because its not my thing, but i do drop in a time or two for a smoke.

 

i love princess and have sailed carnival but they both offer equally awesome experiences, mind you i went into my first carnival cruise with high expectations and was dissappointed but the more carnival cruises i took the easier it was to adjust between carnival and princess

 

you will love the emerald she is the sister to the ruby and I love the ruby! hope you will too

 

 

This is good to know. We are in our early/mid twenties and are bored with Carnival. Our first couple of cruises were good but there was a huge difference in service/food/etc on our cruise last week.

 

We are looking to do the Caribbean Princess to Aruba in the spring. We are sort of night owls so hopefully there is stuff to do. We do enjoy the disco on Carnival late at night so we will have to check out the dance club.

[PeteC22]

This is good to know. We are in our early/mid twenties and are bored with Carnival. Our first couple of cruises were good but there was a huge difference in service/food/etc on our cruise last week.

 

We are looking to do the Caribbean Princess to Aruba in the spring. We are sort of night owls so hopefully there is stuff to do. We do enjoy the disco on Carnival late at night so we will have to check out the dance club.

 

Princess does have late night disco it is in no way similar to what you experienced on Carnival. You'll probably find that the crowd is much older than your age group depending on the time of year that you cruise although in April there should be more younger couples.

[sallybrown2012]

Is the demographic any different on summer Med cruises? We are sailing on the Royal Princess next summer with our two teenage daughters.

[Gunner22aa]

The wife and I fit this demographic and have found Princess a perfect fit for us. We experimented with different cruise lines in the past but settled here simply because we like it the best. We tend to take longer cruises to more exotic places these days and have found ourselves to be amongst the younger crowd on the ship. The average age on our last Asia cruise was announced at 66.5. I was happy to be one of the "teen agers". That being said don't expect the ship to be dead. Far from it. I was suprized at the stamina some of the folks on the ship had. I actually met a couple in their late 70's heading to bed as I was off for my early morning stroll around the decks. Still decked out in their best formal atire. Although I love my grand babies emmencly I do not enjoy 400 wild children loose on the ship left quite often to their own devices. The longer cruises with more distant ports of departure and cruising during non school break times tend to limit this small but sometimes annoying event. There were exactly three children on the Asia trip on the Diamond, as well behaved as any I have ever met and pampered to death by the staff.

 

I'm sure you will find Princess to your likeing and have no shortage of things to do while onboard.

[serene56]

We are carnival junkies-- price dictates my vacation dollar.

 

But we ventured out 2-3 years ago and wanted to try Princess.

 

I booked then started researching and got quite scared about what i was reading-- bored people-- food mediocre. ship closes down at 10pm.

 

We boarded and were totally wow'ed from the moment we checked in.

Complete difference then carnival check in.

 

We got a cabin on the aft- since we were aft snobs at the time, (C753)

one neighbor-- felt very private. had our own hall.

 

But the balcony cabins feel a bit smaller then the carnival balcony. (regular balconies do not have a sofa you need a mini suite for that.)

 

ok so we booked the mini for our next cruise--- E731

very windy-- longer balcony. (for the money we will stay in the regular balcony. Sofa was not worth the added price difference.

 

Princess safety briefing is awesome compared to carnival-- very comfy. Its done in an air conditioned lounge where you can be seated (go early or squeeze in)

 

After ate dinner in the dining room one night on our three princess voyages. We LOVED the buffet area so much better. Nothing at all like Carnival buffet-- at times you feel you are butting in line but you are not.

For dinner tables were set with cloths, there are bar waiters getting you drinks. Soda card is more affordable on Princess and more readily available.

Once carnival they do one nightly show twice in one night-- on princess that show is done on two different nights-- so you do not have to pick and chose and lose out on something-- do one thing one night and the other the next night.

 

The cafe is fabulous. I am not a coffee snob at all. but the coffee on Princess I can not drink-- so I pay a buck to get a fresh brewed coffee each morning- (I did not need to buy a coffee card)

[caribill]

Once carnival they do one nightly show twice in one night-- on princess that show is done on two different nights-- so you do not have to pick and chose and lose out on something-- do one thing one night and the other the next night.

 

 

Princess has changed that this year.

 

They have shortened the shows and now present them only on one evening but do it three times.