Carnival cruiser just off my first Princess cruise

[NCteacherlovescruising]

I posted this on the Princess page earlier today and thought I should post it here as well. I hate to say I was a bit disappointed, but I was. All of our previous cruises were on Carnival and with all the Carnival bashing I've heard my expectations were high. While the service and entertainment were better on Princess, I think Carnival's food was much better. I am a big salad eater so I was very frustrated to find they didn't offer any of the salad dressings (Lite Italian, French, Russian or Honey Mustard) I like on their buffet. Usually my lunch consists of a big plate of salad with a little protein. There was very little on their dinner menu that looked appealing and even less that tasted good. I did like the filet the night it was offered. The steakhouse was wonderful and we would do it again, but not any better than Carnival. However, if we ever cruise Princess again, I don't know that I would waste my time going to their dining room. The American Dinner buffet last night was very good. I wish they would offer "American" food every night on one of their buffets. We also enjoyed the buffet at Princess Cay. For the most part, we looked forward to ports so we could get something good to eat. I do give Princess kudos for having a wait staff bring us drinks in the buffet! It was so nice to sit down and start eating while they got them for us. I wish Carnival offered this service as well.

 

 

 

Another problem was our beds. The mattresses were hard as a rock. After the first night our steward brought us a pillow top which helped, but was still wasn't very comfortable. Unfortunately, he removed it our last night so we had another sleepless night and back pain this morning.

 

 

 

Now that I've mentioned the cons, there were also many pros. I thoroughly enjoyed the shows, which were much better than the ones we've been to on Carnival. The comedian was fabulous, I just wish he would have performed more than one night. It was refreshing to see a comedy show without all the vulgarity. We also enjoyed the house band, Fresh Power. We attended both wine tastings, which was a nice treat.

 

 

 

The Sanctuary had pros and cons. The seats were incredibly comfortable and it provided an extremely peaceful day. My disappointment was in the service provided there. We expected to be waited on, but there was never anyone around. When we wanted something to drink we had to fetch it ourselves or at least hunt down someone to get it for us. I never had to get my own drinks while tanning on Carnival. Speaking of tanning, I specified day one that we wanted seats in the sun. That's exactly what we got on the first day, however on our return trip we were shaded more than half the day so I was outside the sanctuary on the uncomfortable chairs looking at the seat I had paid for. There were open seats in the sun but we were told they couldn't switch ours. Even with that, I may be willing to do it again next cruise at least one day because it was so relaxing.

 

 

 

I can't forget to mention the cold towels upon returning to the ship. What a nice touch! Also, it was nice having our rooms ready as soon as we boarded and actually being able to use the elevators at that time. It seems like Carnival's elevators were closed most of the first day because of luggage. I also like having the muster drill seated in a lounge instead of standing in the heat.

 

 

 

Obviously I liked some things better on Princess, but Carnival has them beat in other areas. Would I cruise Princess again? Absolutely! I would bring my own salad dressing packets and plan to dine outside of the dining room. Is it worth more money than a Carnival cruise? I'm not sure about that. I guess it depends on if you care more about good food and more comfortable beds or better service and entertainment.

 

 

 

Next up is the Oasis of the Seas.

[Rudyard]

I can't forget to mention the cold towels upon returning to the ship. What a nice touch!

 

We loved that on NCL as well. It was a nice touch after a long hot day :)

[fuzzmane]

Thank you for the honest comments. We sail almost always Carnival. Can't wait to see what you have to say about the OASIS. I sail the OASIS in November. So any info would be awesome. Thanks again.

[Cruzinbabe06]

Thank you for your balanced review.

 

We also would like to try Princess in the future.

 

How was the sail away deck party? Any line dances, cupid shuffle, wobble, etc.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Cruisegirl6]

I sailed the Allure the sister ship to the Oasis last July she was my 53rd cruise and MY VERY BEST AND MOST FAVORITE CRUISE/SHIP! We had the Oasis booked for May but when Carnival offered us the Premier cruise offer we cancelled the Oasis (knowing what we will give up) but the deal we were offered for the Premier cruise on our upcoming Valor cruise was one not to miss, extra night, southern caribbean, we can drive to pt. canaveral instead of needing to fly....as a result, we booked a 8 night trip to July to Aruba to make up what we will miss lol and would consider another premier cruise offer should carnival offer it to us this year.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

Thank you for your balanced review.

 

 

 

We also would like to try Princess in the future.

 

 

 

How was the sail away deck party? Any line dances, cupid shuffle, wobble, etc.

 

 

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

Yes, they had line dancing. There weren't as many participants as I've seen on my Carnival cruises though.

[Tapi]

Thanks for your observations! We also took our first Princess cruise a few months ago (review with pics below in my signature). My opinion is considerably different than yours though. It was, without a doubt, an absolutely wonderful experience and, in so many ways, superior to most cruise lines we've ever tried. And one of the things that made it superior was exactly because of the cuisine. Ingredients were fresh, the quality superior, the dining room ambiance and service more polished and upscale. It was nice to explore new things instead of eating the same entrees over and over.

 

Although we enjoy Carnival and we think that they offer a solid product for what they charge, IMHO there's no fair comparison between them and Princess. The only thing where I do consider Carnival to be superior is in the stateroom's pillows (just because Princess' were awful).

 

The thing that was ironic was that our sailing on the Golden Princess was considerably cheaper than a comparable itinerary on Carnival.

Edited April 12, 2015 by Tapi

[kelkel2]

Honestly, we have done both lines and although I did enjoy Princess I can't imagine myself paying more for it than Carnival. The product to me is just not that much different. balcony rooms are smaller and lacking a couch.

I did enjoy the dining room on Princess better than Carnival, but the buffet on Carnival, especially for breakfast is much better. The lunch options especially on the 2.0 ships are much better as well.

We would cruise Princess if we got another deal like we got on that cruise, but we wouldn't pay top dollar!

Ultimately we really enjoy the Carnival product and while my husband is in his early 30's and me in my late 20's we just feel like we fit in with Carnival. Maybe one day that will change, but not right now :)

[ready2cruzagain]

Thanks for your observations! We also took our first Princess cruise a few months ago (review with pics below in my signature). My opinion is considerably different than yours though. It was, without a doubt, an absolutely wonderful experience and, in so many ways, superior to most cruise lines we've ever tried. And one of the things that made it superior was exactly because of the cuisine. Ingredients were fresh, the quality superior, the dining room ambiance and service more polished and upscale. It was nice to explore new things instead of eating the same entrees over and over.

 

Although we enjoy Carnival and we think that they offer a solid product for what they charge, IMHO there's no fair comparison between them and Princess. The only thing where I do consider Carnival to be superior is in the stateroom's pillows (just because Princess' were awful).

 

The thing that was ironic was that our sailing on the Golden Princess was considerably cheaper than a comparable itinerary on Carnival.

 

I agree with Tapi 100%! In our experience Princess's food was way superior to Carnivals.

 

We are Platinum on both Carnival and Princess and we are sailing Carnival again but that has to do with the Carnival Journeys. We are paying a high costs for these 2 cruises but wanted to try the itinerary. I am sure that our next cruise after the 21 day Glory cruise will be back to Princess.

 

OP...I definitely agree that Princess wins hands down for entertainment!

Edited April 12, 2015 by ready2cruzagain

[Rosethorn40]

Sadly, you didn't have the best Princess ship to base your comparison on. The Caribbean has been used for a number of 4 and 5 day cruises over the last year, and it has taken it's toll.

 

As far as the Sanctuary is concerned, did you have cruise duration passes or a few daily passes? If you had a daily pass was your lounger in the same location both days? The amount of sun any lounger gets depends on the ship location. The nice thing about the Sanctuary is you may come and go as you please and your lounger is always waiting for you. Service has gone down hill in the Sanctuary. Back in 2009, the first time we used it (On the Emerald Princess, a fab ship) we were waited on hand & foot, and tipped accordingly. We took a 5-day cruise on the Caribbean last August, and the service had noticeably fallen.

 

I agree with you 100% about the beds. If it wasn't for the ship rocking me to sleep or taking naps in the Sanctuary I would never get a minute of sleep.

 

To really get a good idea of a Princess cruise try a longer itinerary. Those usually have the usual Princess cruiser.

[winddawn]

I posted this on the Princess page earlier today and thought I should post it here as well. I hate to say I was a bit disappointed, but I was. All of our previous cruises were on Carnival and with all the Carnival bashing I've heard my expectations were high. While the service and entertainment were better on Princess, I think Carnival's food was much better. I am a big salad eater so I was very frustrated to find they didn't offer any of the salad dressings (Lite Italian, French, Russian or Honey Mustard) I like on their buffet. Usually my lunch consists of a big plate of salad with a little protein. There was very little on their dinner menu that looked appealing and even less that tasted good. I did like the filet the night it was offered. The steakhouse was wonderful and we would do it again, but not any better than Carnival. However, if we ever cruise Princess again, I don't know that I would waste my time going to their dining room. The American Dinner buffet last night was very good. I wish they would offer "American" food every night on one of their buffets. We also enjoyed the buffet at Princess Cay. For the most part, we looked forward to ports so we could get something good to eat. I do give Princess kudos for having a wait staff bring us drinks in the buffet! It was so nice to sit down and start eating while they got them for us. I wish Carnival offered this service as well.

 

 

 

Another problem was our beds. The mattresses were hard as a rock. After the first night our steward brought us a pillow top which helped, but was still wasn't very comfortable. Unfortunately, he removed it our last night so we had another sleepless night and back pain this morning.

 

 

 

Now that I've mentioned the cons, there were also many pros. I thoroughly enjoyed the shows, which were much better than the ones we've been to on Carnival. The comedian was fabulous, I just wish he would have performed more than one night. It was refreshing to see a comedy show without all the vulgarity. We also enjoyed the house band, Fresh Power. We attended both wine tastings, which was a nice treat.

 

 

 

The Sanctuary had pros and cons. The seats were incredibly comfortable and it provided an extremely peaceful day. My disappointment was in the service provided there. We expected to be waited on, but there was never anyone around. When we wanted something to drink we had to fetch it ourselves or at least hunt down someone to get it for us. I never had to get my own drinks while tanning on Carnival. Speaking of tanning, I specified day one that we wanted seats in the sun. That's exactly what we got on the first day, however on our return trip we were shaded more than half the day so I was outside the sanctuary on the uncomfortable chairs looking at the seat I had paid for. There were open seats in the sun but we were told they couldn't switch ours. Even with that, I may be willing to do it again next cruise at least one day because it was so relaxing.

 

 

 

I can't forget to mention the cold towels upon returning to the ship. What a nice touch! Also, it was nice having our rooms ready as soon as we boarded and actually being able to use the elevators at that time. It seems like Carnival's elevators were closed most of the first day because of luggage. I also like having the muster drill seated in a lounge instead of standing in the heat.

 

 

 

Obviously I liked some things better on Princess, but Carnival has them beat in other areas. Would I cruise Princess again? Absolutely! I would bring my own salad dressing packets and plan to dine outside of the dining room. Is it worth more money than a Carnival cruise? I'm not sure about that. I guess it depends on if you care more about good food and more comfortable beds or better service and entertainment.

 

 

 

Next up is the Oasis of the Seas.

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us. I usually cruise Carnival too, but tried Holland America this month. I got spoiled with several things that Carnival does not have.

 

I got hot food from room service, and even got dining room food delivered to my cabin. I ate my surf and turf on my balcony--what a treat! There was live steel drum music on Lido and lots of fresh flowers around the ship. I couldn't help but think about John Heald stating on his social media page that a single steel drum performer just isn't adequate. I couldn't disagree more after enjoying that very thing on HAL. I even got fresh flowers on my room service tray every morning for breakfast. There were hot appetizers and peanuts at the bar in the afternoon during happy hour, and several other nice touches that Carnival does not have. I also liked that HAL's beverage package includes bottled water and coffee shop coffees which meant my daily cappuccino was included.

 

I also noticed though that HAL's Lido buffet had a skimpy salad bar too. Carnival's salad bar is much better.

 

I always enjoy my cruise no matter what line I'm on, but it was surely an enjoyable experience to have those things that Carnival does not offer.

Edited April 12, 2015 by winddawn

[Cruisegirl6]

I have to agree with Tapi in everything that he/she said!

 

For me, I have to definitely put Princess way up above Carnival basically because their entertainment shows, service overall, food in MDR as well as the buffets are more superior than Carnival. I also find their pricing to be comparable with Carnival, Princess offers tons of special deals throughout the year and they are wonderful to Florida residents also. The Princess ships are simply elegant.

 

I have to disagree with kelkel2 but its really what we are used to eating...food on Princess to me was way above in quality/selection/variety, Carnival offers more of the fast food type foods, burgers, sandwiches, fries, tacos and burritos, nachos, pizza, meatloaf, fried chicken etc....I don't eat these types of foods really maybe once in a blue moon for a snack and Princess offers me better quality items to choose from so it really depends on what we are used to eating here at home which allows us to judge which cruise line we think is better. Nobody is right or wrong here, now if I ate fast food type foods I would definitely say Carnival is better when it comes to the food.

 

Rosethorn40 is correct that Princess ship is not one that I probably choose, I would definitely choose the Regal or the Royal Princess.

[legion3]

Would love to try princess but can never find any good deals on them. we are restricted as to what weeks we can sail and never will Princess, HAL or RCCL be the better cost over Carnival, especially if we book a year out. NCL is often competitive. Why we are doing the Escape next year.

 

We also have two little ones and have heard differing opinions of the kids clubs on Princess and Hal.

 

Would love do the Pacific Coastal with Princess, if I could get a good price on both them and airfare to LA.

[legion3]

 

its really what we are used to eating...food on Princess to me was way above in quality/selection/variety, Carnival offers more of the fast food type foods, burgers, sandwiches, fries, tacos and burritos, nachos, pizza, meatloaf, fried chicken etc....I don't eat these types of foods really maybe once in a blue moon for a snack and Princess offers me better quality items to choose from so it really depends on what we are used to eating here at home which allows us to judge which cruise line we think is better. Nobody is right or wrong here, now if I ate fast food type foods I would definitely say Carnival is better when it comes to the food

 

.

 

 

:rolleyes:

 

as Spalding said,

 

"hoi polloi" ;)

[legion3]

to be fair he actually made a funny "Ahoy Polloi" take on the phrase. :D

[Amyracecar]

Cruise ships are a matter of personal taste. We went to the Far East on the Diamond Princess and whilst we had a great time we found the overall experience a bit bland compated to Carnival and some others i've been on. Entertainment was a bit scarce on some evenings and the food was repetitive. This might be unique to Diamond though due to the part-Japanese aimed experience. Carnival is often the complete opposite with anything-but bland decor on some ships, to the point where it can hurt the eyes. I do like some of the prettier themes though, and if you could mix Princess elegance with Carnival's style it'd be the ship of my dreams. We love trivia etc so Carnival definitely wins for activities too.

[Cruzinbabe06]

Yes, they had line dancing. There weren't as many participants as I've seen on my Carnival cruises though.

 

Thank you,

[rabbit72]

We have sailed both Princess & Carnival....our first choice was Princess. We went on Carnival because it was given to me thru my work. We did 3 cruises (3&4 day) on Carnival thru work and were going on 7 day sailing on Princess. We LOVED Princess compared to Carnival. But we decided that we should try Carnival on a longer sailing...we figured the 3-4 day ships were probably not their nicest. We haven't gone back to Princess since. We would go back to Princess if we got a decent price....I love them both.

[SadieN]

We sail almost exclusively West Coast. As a family we've sailed everything that Carnival has sailed here since 2006 and recently have sailed four of Princess' ships. 2 to 15 day cruises on Carnival, 3 to 10 day cruises on Princess.

 

Cabins--

Carnival's seem to be a bit larger. Princess's all have a table but sometimes that table doesn't have a logical home. Not all Carnival cabins have a table.

Carnival's showers are larger and have a removable shower head. The vanities in most Fantasy class bathrooms are a joke. The vanity area in all the Princess ships have been nice, especially the shelf below the sink.

Carnival's mattresses have been fine to great, lowers, uppers and sofas. Princess' have been poor to fine. I had an issue with an upper-- it was ticked using plastic (like those used to price tags) had to beg for a topper. Stewart complained that it would be difficult to make the bunk. Sis had the worst experience with the foldout couch in a minisuite. Mattress thin as paper and the slats were extremely loose. Advised the Steward, they were never tightened. Sis had to beg for a topper on that thing. After that the bed was never made up properly at night. Each night she had to play 'find the rest of the bed'. Won't get into the lumpy comforter I had on the Crown Princess.

Stewards on Carnival were always being observed. On many cruises we saw the supervisors. Never seen one in Princess. Never mad enough to complain about a steward on Carnival.

 

Food- Princess has a larger selection at the buffet, especially for dinner. Like the station set up. On many of the ships they will cook up chicken, fish or a thin steak.

Also like the hamburger area stays open til 11 and can become a BBQ station. Also liked the International Cafe.

We prefer Carnival's steakhouse, 24 hr ice cream and hot chocolate machines. Have to pay for HC on Princess.

The MDR food on Princess is a bit too fussy for us, lots of cream sauces on things. Last few Princess cruises we've eaten almost exclusively in the Buffet. On Carnival it's been about 50% of the time. Carnival serves butter with the lobster, Princess served a solid butter concoction.

 

Fellow Passengers- Carnival gets a wide range of passengers, Princess not so much. We had a wild 3day cruise in November on Princess. (Large group that was asked not to return to Carnival). While waiting in the transit room (B2B) a fellow pax said,"I wished they'd've gotten their own ship and gone overboard!" (Called him out on that in my 'quiet' voice.) This pax was at the extreme but typical Princess pax we've encountered.

 

B2B- on Carnival you have to check in all over again. Princess gives you your next cruise card onboard and rolls over your shipboard account.

 

We like to people watch, sitting on the couches on the interior promenade. Princess has about 10 2 person couches, Carnival has lots.

Princess has the same names for the it's venues. The buffet is always Horizon Court, steakhouse is the Crown Grill.

 

Loyalty programs are completely different. As Platinum on Carnival I get free laundry. On Princess I get 150 internet minutes. On Carnival you get your level in the cruise you achieved it. Princess you go up the next cruise.

 

We prefer Carnival but will sail on Princess, especially for the different itins they do out of Los Angeles.

Edited April 12, 2015 by SadieN

[Rosethorn40]

Would love to try princess but can never find any good deals on them. we are restricted as to what weeks we can sail and never will Princess, HAL or RCCL be the better cost over Carnival, especially if we book a year out. NCL is often competitive. Why we are doing the Escape next year.

 

We also have two little ones and have heard differing opinions of the kids clubs on Princess and Hal.

 

Would love do the Pacific Coastal with Princess, if I could get a good price on both them and airfare to LA.

 

You will probably be hard pressed to ever find a 7-day Pacific Coastal on Princess that is a good deal. I have looked at them for years and they tend to sell out rather quickly as they only do about 2 a year (Their Wine Coastal for this fall is completely sold out-6 months in advance). You may have better luck with a California Coastal, but normally prices don't come down until about 8-10 weeks before the sail date.

 

We gave up several years ago finding a good deal on a Pacific Coastal on Princess and did it on NCL. It was a nice trip. A tip about airfare to the West Coast in doing a coastal (Vancouver to LA). Check airfares to Seattle instead of Vancouver for fly in. They can be substantially cheaper, and then take the 4-hour Amtrak train ride to Vancouver. I saved a lot of money doing it that way, and the train ride was fun and comfortable.

Edited April 12, 2015 by Rosethorn40

[SadieN]

Good deals can be found for the Pacific Coastals last minute. We booked 3/4 for the 3/21 cruise. Under $1000 for an Obstructed OV. There's a great thread on the Princess board that shows the obstruction of each cabin.

 

Our biggest complaint with Princess is how ATD is run. You can make reservations (tolerate that). The biggest issue is that they don't check to see if you're ATD or Traditional who changed their mind for the evening. One cruise it was a complete disaster.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

Sadly, you didn't have the best Princess ship to base your comparison on. The Caribbean has been used for a number of 4 and 5 day cruises over the last year, and it has taken it's toll.

 

As far as the Sanctuary is concerned, did you have cruise duration passes or a few daily passes? If you had a daily pass was your lounger in the same location both days? The amount of sun any lounger gets depends on the ship location. The nice thing about the Sanctuary is you may come and go as you please and your lounger is always waiting for you. Service has gone down hill in the Sanctuary. Back in 2009, the first time we used it (On the Emerald Princess, a fab ship) we were waited on hand & foot, and tipped accordingly. We took a 5-day cruise on the Caribbean last August, and the service had noticeably fallen.

 

I agree with you 100% about the beds. If it wasn't for the ship rocking me to sleep or taking naps in the Sanctuary I would never get a minute of sleep.

 

To really get a good idea of a Princess cruise try a longer itinerary. Those usually have the usual Princess cruiser.

 

We took a Saturday-Saturday cruise, which is what we always take. We both have to go back to work tomorrow so we couldn't have taken a longer trip even if we wanted to. We may try longer cruises in another 20 years or so after we retire.

 

We only had passes for the Sanctuary for our two sea days. We always get off the ship while in ports so there was no need for them then. :) I didn't specifically ask for the same seats both days, I just asked for seats in the sun and he assigned us the same seats for both days.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

 

food on Princess to me was way above in quality/selection/variety, Carnival offers more of the fast food type foods, burgers, sandwiches, fries, tacos and burritos, nachos, pizza, meatloaf, fried chicken etc....I don't eat these types of foods really maybe once in a blue moon for a snack and Princess offers me better quality items to choose from so it really depends on what we are used to eating here at home which allows us to judge which cruise line we think is better. Nobody is right or wrong here, now if I ate fast food type foods I would definitely say Carnival is better when it comes to the food.

 

 

I don't eat the fast food type foods very often either. On the Carnival ships with Guys, I did enjoy a burger once or twice at lunch but that was it. I loved their deli and frequently ate a 1/2 a turkey panini with a salad, again for lunch. We eat dinner in the MDR or steakhouse almost every night on Carnival because I love their food in there. It was much more flavorful than the bland entrees I had on Princess. Also, the one night I got a baked potato on Princess it was hard. I always love Carnival's beef wellington and I couldn't even eat the one on Princess. However, the filet mignon on Princess was delicious. I think overall Princess has an older crowd (mostly seniors) and they tend to eat their food a little more bland, possibly due to dietary restrictions. I like a lot of seasoning and spicy foods and Carnival tends to provide that. As you said, I think it depends on what you typically eat at home.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

We have sailed both Princess & Carnival....our first choice was Princess. We went on Carnival because it was given to me thru my work. We did 3 cruises (3&4 day) on Carnival thru work and were going on 7 day sailing on Princess. We LOVED Princess compared to Carnival. But we decided that we should try Carnival on a longer sailing...we figured the 3-4 day ships were probably not their nicest. We haven't gone back to Princess since. We would go back to Princess if we got a decent price....I love them both.

 

We've never been on a 3-4 day sailing, but I imagine you are correct. We typically do a 7 night and the ship has a lot of families. I have yet to see a drunk throwing up on a Carnival ship, although I heard all the stories about it. However, as we were waiting to debark the Caribbean Princess yesterday I went to the bathroom just outside of the dining room we were waiting in and walked in on a lady doing just that on the floor! Not in the toilet she was sitting beside, but on the floor in the stall. (She didn't lock it so I didn't realize someone was in there) I left immediately and told the first employee I found and they quickly took care of it. Now I have no way of knowing if she was sick from drinking the night before or if she was just sick, but I found it quite odd that she was throwing up on the floor beside the toilet.

[rabbit72]

We've never been on a 3-4 day sailing, but I imagine you are correct. We typically do a 7 night and the ship has a lot of families. I have yet to see a drunk throwing up on a Carnival ship, although I heard all the stories about it. However, as we were waiting to debark the Caribbean Princess yesterday I went to the bathroom just outside of the dining room we were waiting in and walked in on a lady doing just that on the floor! Not in the toilet she was sitting beside, but on the floor in the stall. (She didn't lock it so I didn't realize someone was in there) I left immediately and told the first employee I found and they quickly took care of it. Now I have no way of knowing if she was sick from drinking the night before or if she was just sick, but I found it quite odd that she was throwing up on the floor beside the toilet.

 

I did two of the 3 day & one 4 day thru my company so again I can't complain...it was free and we had a great time. Unless the ship is sinking I'm going to have a good time on a cruise. I have done a 5 day on Carnival but after doing 7 days 5 is just not long enough so its been 7 day ever since and this time 8 day on the Breeze. You don't know if that woman was sick from drink or not but just the thought....