Carnival Spirit or Pacific Pearl?

[MaudeLou]

Hi Cruisers,

 

I need your advise on which ship to choose.

 

The Pacific Pearl sails 21 July 2014 & the Carnival Spirit sails 1 August 2014. Both sail from Sydney and go to same ports - Santo, Wala, Vila, Mystery Island & Isle of Pines.

 

The cost of a balcony cabin on the Spirit is cheaper than an oceanview cabin on the Pearl and the Spirit seems to have more favourable reviews than the Pearl .... I am confused :confused:

 

I would greatly your thoughts.

 

Thanks.

[Aus Traveller]

With a balcony cabin cheaper on the Spirit, I would go for that cruise. :)

[bazzaw]

With a balcony cabin cheaper on the Spirit, I would go for that cruise. :)

 

Hmmm -- but perhaps only if you are very fond of children??

 

Barry

[MaudeLou]

Barry, I was hoping that as it was not in school hols that there would not be too many children ??

[jessica3152]

1 August is outside of school holidays.

 

I'd take Spirit. She is newer, bigger, has more modern features and, as you can see, you can access a balcony cabin for a price much less than P&O.

[The_Big_M]

I'd go for Spirit as well. You're getting more for less! :-)

 

Prices go up and down all the time just due to demand. The priority is to fill the ship rather than keep the principle that we'll always be priced above X, and keep prices higher. If you get such a deal that suits you, go for it.

[Jamocall]

Hi Cruisers,

 

I need your advise on which ship to choose.

 

The Pacific Pearl sails 21 July 2014 & the Carnival Spirit sails 1 August 2014. Both sail from Sydney and go to same ports - Santo, Wala, Vila, Mystery Island & Isle of Pines.

 

The cost of a balcony cabin on the Spirit is cheaper than an oceanview cabin on the Pearl and the Spirit seems to have more favourable reviews than the Pearl .... I am confused :confused:

 

I would greatly your thoughts.

 

Thanks.

 

We brought the Spirit to Sydney last year (unfortunately only the Honolulu to Sydney leg) and had an absolute ball. Apparently there were was a large number of children on board. We didn't see them hardly at all. After speaking o some of their parents we were assured the kids were having fun, but we hardly came in contact with them. The Spirit is a real EXPERIENCE. I can't recommend it highly enough. Go for it, I know you won't regret it.

[Royalty X]

We brought the Spirit to Sydney last year (unfortunately only the Honolulu to Sydney leg) and had an absolute ball. Apparently there were was a large number of children on board. We didn't see them hardly at all. After speaking o some of their parents we were assured the kids were having fun, but we hardly came in contact with them. The Spirit is a real EXPERIENCE. I can't recommend it highly enough. Go for it, I know you won't regret it.

We were on that cruise as well, but it sounds like we had completely different experiences. We had a much better time on our Pacific Pearl cruise to be honest. We found the Spirit's entertainment lacklustre at best. There were very few kids on board due to it being a longer cruise (a lot of the older crowd on board). First cruise out after her arrival in Australia apparently had 1100 kids on board. P&O cap the number of children they have on board so you'd never experience something like that. Yes, the Spirit is newer, but we enjoyed the Pearl a lot more.

[jensue1]

Just got off the spirit this past Sunday. This was our 7th cruise and we absolutely loved it! We haven't sailed on P & O before but have sailed on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity before. We found the food to be up there with the best we have experienced on a ship, the service to be out standing, plenty to do and loved the adults only serenity area. yes there were children. Aparantly 400 on our cruise and yes we did see them but they honestly didn't cause any problem at all. I can't tell you which to choose as I haven't sailed on P & O before but I can tell you I would sail on carnival spirit again in a heart beat, I was worried after reading some very negative comments on the boards prior to sailing but loved it. If you have any questions I would be happy to answer if I can.

[jensue1]

Opps I meant we got off Carnival Spirit this past Saturday.

[Wyuna1]

Hmmm -- but perhaps only if you are very fond of children??

 

Barry

 

Have sailed on both lines and have just returned from 10 days on Spirit with 920+ children( no of which were my own).

Found that the children were far better behave and controlled on Spirit than either Pearl or Jewel.

Kids clubs have 20 permanent counsellors ( their name not mine) plus others seconded from entertainment staff as needed.

A little running in passageways etc but this was quickly handled by security.

Some parents behaviour was worse one exchange overheard was" go and annoy someone else can't you see your mother and I are having a drink"

Do not be detered by the number of children.

[Jamocall]

Have sailed on both lines and have just returned from 10 days on Spirit with 920+ children( no of which were my own).

Found that the children were far better behave and controlled on Spirit than either Pearl or Jewel.

Kids clubs have 20 permanent counsellors ( their name not mine) plus others seconded from entertainment staff as needed.

A little running in passageways etc but this was quickly handled by security.

Some parents behaviour was worse one exchange overheard was" go and annoy someone else can't you see your mother and I are having a drink"

Do not be detered by the number of children.

 

So glad you posted this. There were a large no of kids on the Spirit from Honolulu and the only time we saw them they were either involved in some activity or falling asleep over their meals. The Spirit is an opportunity you shouldn't miss, believe me!!

[MaudeLou]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I know there are pros and cons for every ship as it all boils down to a matter of personal preferences.

 

I think our choice will be Carnival Spirit. Just have to decide when it is the best time to book to get the best price. The Carnival website has been down for the past 24 hours, not good for business :(

 

Can anyone advise me if it is better to book with direct with Carnival or with one of the many cruise agents?

 

Thanks,

[The_Big_M]

The Carnival website has been down for the past 24 hours, not good for business :(

 

 

It's working for me.

 

Can anyone advise me if it is better to book with direct with Carnival or with one of the many cruise agents?

 

Just shop around to see if you see better deals with TAs. I haven't seen any substantially better deals with them, but you can save a few dollars with them. The downside is potentially extra fees if you need to cancel, delays in getting things down, and another layer between you and your booking.

 

So if a simple booking and you're certain you'll go, you can probably do a little better with a TA.

[MaudeLou]

Thanks everyone for your help .... all organised ... booked on Carnival Spirit :)

[BuzzBuzzen]

that was fast , you were keen to go :)

[MaudeLou]

Yep, keen to get it locked in while the special was on :)

[gypsies101]

You have made the best choice, I have cruised on both ships and the Spirit can handle the rough stuff a little better. Both ships are great in there own special way. Enjoy your trip...

[karmac]

Found that the children were far better behave and controlled on Spirit than either Pearl or Jewel.

 

I haven't cruised on Spirit but have cruised on Jewel & Pearl, both in school holidays. We rarely saw many kids (except when we went to their "end of cruise concert") and when we did see them they were all pretty well controlled.