Carnival & Princess - My comparison

[rgmacm]

Contrary to what this title MAY imply, this is not a ‘battle’. Many may know this, but for those who don’t, these two lines are owned by the same parent company….They still run as two different cruise lines with their own individual ‘perks’, offerings, policies, etc….but they ARE the same company. 

That being said, on our recent cruise, we noted the differences in the two. Our final opinion is that each has it’s own ‘niche’. We like each one for different purposes or reasons. We will probably continue to sail with both when our needs fit what they have to offer. I also want to take a Royal Caribbean cruise someday soon, as I like to sample ALL that is available….

I’m Not a ‘One Cruise Line” kind of person. 

The trick for EVERY cruise line passenger is to find the cruise line that best fits THEIR needs and what THEY’RE looking for…..and that MAY be a different line for each vacation. 

 

I’m hoping this post will help those trying to make that decision. I’ve gone to great lengths to not ‘editorialize’ or give my opinion ….and I’ve tried to make this as comprehensive as I can…though I’m certain there will be something I forget…or overlook.

At the end of this, I’ve put in a few paragraphs of ‘editorialized’ writing. If you don’t want to read opinions, you might want to stop reading at the ‘line’…. Haha! :)

Again…we like both lines and will continue to sail with both as the situation requires…

That being said…..Here Goes!!

 

Websites: Both are equally easy to understand and navigate. Both cruise lines will assign a Vacation Planner to call you if you register on their website. This can be good or bad depending on how you look at it…but just be aware that if you give them a phone number, they will call you.

 

Booking: Carnival will give price adjustments if the price of your EXACT fare, EXACT cabin category...EXACT everything goes down before final payment. Princess does not offer this price adjustment.

 

Vacation Guarantee: If you’re Unhappy: Carnival has a 110% guarantee. If a passenger is unhappy with their cruise experience within 24 hrs of sailing, they can notify Customer Service and Carnival will fly them back to the point they began with Carnival (Either home or embarkation port) at the first possible opportunity (I assume the first port of call) at Carnival’s expense and reimburse them 110% of what they paid for the cruise. Princess does not offer this as far as I can tell.

 

 

Embarkation: Princess will deliver your luggage to the stateroom on the first day. Carnival will place it in the hallway outside the stateroom door.

 

Muster/Safety Drill: Carnival calls it “Safety Drill” and on the ships we have been on, this takes place outside. Princess calls it “Muster Drill” and on the ships we have been on, this takes place inside. Princess checks every passenger in as they arrive at their muster station by scanning their Cruise card and holds another drill for those who are MIA. Carnival doesn’t scan or check people in to make sure they are present so of course, there is no ‘second drill’ for those who skip or miss it.

 

Tips: Carnival tips are $12/day per person. Princess tips are 12.95/day per person ($13.95 in suites and above). These are automatically charged to your on board account on both lines.

 

Cabins: Carnival has the largest staterooms (square footage) in the industry. Both lines have refrigerators (stocked with items you can purchase) and safes in the rooms. Carnival provides shampoo/conditioner and body wash in the showers. Princess provides shampoo/conditioner, body wash and WONDEFUL body lotion from their Lotus Spa. They also will provide fresh fruit in the cabin if you request from your cabin steward. There is an ‘order’ form for you to request what you want. Bathrobes are provided in all rooms with Carnival. Princess provides these in the suites and above but they are available on request in the ‘lower category rooms’.

 

Towel Animals: Carnival does them; Princess does not. The explanation by Princess is that their cabin stewards have more important things to do than fold little doggies out of towels.  Both lines do the bed turn down service and Princess was still putting chocolates on the pillows as of 18 mos ago.

Carnival holds a “towel folding” class on one of the sea days. It’s VERY WELL ATTENDED

 

Television: Who goes on a cruise to watch TV, right??? But, both cruise lines have news channels such as MSNBC, CNN and/or FOX depending on location, satellite, etc… Carnival has ABC, CBS, NBC. Princess replays the movie from the theater the day before…and the poolside screen 2 nights ago repeatedly on the TV on day 3. They also have a channel that plays continuous episodes of Love Boat (The Pacific Princess featured in that series was a Princess ship) Both cruise lines have ‘ship only’ programming of various activities or informative talks about ports, debarkation, activities, etc…

 

Dining: Both lines offer Traditional Dining or “Dine at your own time”. Carnival calls it 'Your Time Dining'; Princess calls it 'Anytime Dining'. It’s all the same thing. Princess menus seem to have more of a ‘European’ influence to them. Carnival Menus are transitioning to the American Table so menus are more influenced by American cuisine.  Carnival has the bisques and fruit soups at evening meals. Princess does not offer these. Both lines have the crème brule!!! :D

  

Pastries: Carnival has the Pastry Extravaganza; Princess has Chocolate Journeys. The offerings at the Princess pastry buffet are more ‘elegant’. Carnival offers things that are more “home-made/home-cooking’ type desserts. They’re all good!! ;)

 

Special Diets: Both lines will accommodate special diets. Those requiring them must notify Princess 35 days prior to the cruise (65 days on some itineraries). Those with special diets on Carnival are instructed to wait until they board and talk to either the matre di or their waiter on the first night in the dining room.

 

Room Service: Both lines provide room service free of charge, but tips (extra) for the person who delivers the meal is customary. They both have a limited room service menu though Carnival has recently began experimenting with offering a few items on that menu for a charge; Princess charges for pizzas delivered through room service (Pizza at the Pizzeria is free) Their room service menus have more “hot item’ selections than Carnivals.

 

INCLUDED/FREE Food Options: This varies by ship….as in, not all options are available on all ships. That being said, here’s a general list of the ‘possibilities’ (that I can remember...):

Carnival: Dining Rooms, Buffet, Pizza, Guys Burgers (with a toppings bar) Blue iguana (Make your own tacos or burritos with toppings bar) ice cream, Deli (hot or cold sandwiches), Room service, Comfort Kitchen (home-cookin’)

 

Princess: Dining Rooms, Buffet, Pizza, International Café (Deli…hot or cold, soups, salads, pastries) Grill with burgers, hotdogs and chicken sandwiches) ice cream, Room Service, specialty themed evening buffets (international cuisine)

 

Beverage Cards/Programs: Carnival has an unlimited soda program and unlimited alcohol program; Princess has unlimited soda program, unlimited all beverage program which includes sodas and alcohol AND a coffee punch card for specialty coffees. This (coffee punch card) can be kept and brought on future cruises if you don’t use all the punches.

Both cruise lines now restrict bottled water from being brought on board. They sell packs of 12 bottles of water. Carnival's price for 12 is $3. Princess' price for 12 is $6.90.

 

Entertainment: Both lines have evening shows; Both lines have movies on the screen over the pool. Both lines offer popcorn and pizza during the poolside movies. Princess shows those same movies in the theater the following day for those who prefer the theater experience. This worked best when we were trying to watch “Gravity” with all the blacked out scenes. It was too hard to see it on the screen outside…so much so that we left halfway through the movie - and went to see it in the theater the next afternoon….

 

Both lines have the ice sculpture. Carnival holds a ‘Hairy chest contest’ poolside. Princess prides itself in the fact that they DON’T have this. ;) Princess has (as of 18 months ago) a choir that rehearses a few times on sea days, then gives a little ‘performance’ of pop songs on the last sea day.

Both lines have ‘lectures’ or seminars on sea days (through honestly, they’re really just sales pitches…but interesting none-the-less….) There are ‘get-togethers’ for various groups on both lines. Princess had a Bible study on sea days on our last cruise as well as a non-denominational church service and a Catholic Mass on Sunday (if Sunday is a sea day).

 

Dress Code/Attire: The dress code in the dining rooms on Carnival is more relaxed…they refer to it as ‘smart casual’ and it includes jeans – only restricts shorts, cutoffs, t-shirts, and bathing suits, of course… So the passengers on Carnival dress more casual (we did too on our recent Carnival cruise) On Princess cruises, the dress code is a little nicer….. and passengers comply for the most part. Jeans are not acceptable in the dining room on Princess and depending on the matre-di, MAY be turned away… You’ll see more pant suits, dress slacks, casual dresses…and some very nice (though varied) attire on elegant nights. Obviously, dining in the main dining rooms is a choice…..There are many other choices if you don't want to dress up. 

 

Shore Excursion Price Guarantee: If you book an excursion through Carnival, then find the EXACT SAME excursion cheaper through an outside source, you can fill out a form online for 110% of the price difference from Carnival. If they determine it to be EXACTLY the same excursion, they will respond with a credit to your acct. On our last Carnival cruise, we actually got $11 in OBC!!! It’s not a lot…but there was a $5 price difference X 2 excursions… $10 + 10%... Every little bit helps!

 

Cabin Steward/Wait staff: All good on both lines. As mentioned above, tips are slightly different…and Carnival is now only offering twice daily cabin service (and some ships are trying to take that down to once daily…subject of much discussion here on Cruise Critic….haha) As far as I know, that has not started on Princess…though I could be mistaken…???

 

Children’s Programs: My children are grown…sorry I can’t help anyone on this comparison except to say that when we walked by the programs on both cruise lines, the kids seemed happy! :) 

 

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EDITORIAL:This is the part when I say what our personal opinion was….If the reader doesn’t like to read others’ opinions, this would be an excellent place to STOP reading. Haha!!!

 

Carnival definitely has it’s place among cruise lines. Their prices are the best in the industry. They have the largest cabins by square footage (not by a HUGE amount…but their cabins are larger). There is plenty of food and it’s a fairly good quality. There’s entertainment and it’s a fairly good quality. We will continue to cruise with Carnival when traveling with friends/family who need an economical cruise – or when we need a ‘shorter’ cruise from our home port (Princess and RC only do 7+ day cruises out of our home port)

 

However…..Princess will probably be our cruise line of choice when it’s just my husband and I and the decision/choice is TOTALLY ours…... Though I LOVE the MANY dining options (free) on Carnival…not to mention the fruit soups/bisques, the menus and food as a whole on Princess is just more to our liking overall. We ENJOY getting dressed up for dinner!!!   We like the elegant dining experience that Princess offers. We just like the 'experience' of Princess better than the 'experience' of Carnival....

 

That's certainly not meant to insult anyone's favorite cruise line....these last paragraphs are just my personal opinion…. :) As I said, we like them both and will continue to sail with them both…and plan to add Royal Caribbean to our list in the near future. Then…I’ll compare all three of them. 

Edited February 13, 2016 by rgmacm

[CeeCee59]

Thanks for the fair comparison. So far we have only done pacific coastal cruises as our home port is Vancouver and we live in far NW British Columbia so the Alaskan cruises would, for us, be just like touring in our own backyard. Do you have any comments about the general ages of cruisers on both lines? I have only tried Princess and NCL and for me, Princess is the better fit.

[Rosethorn40]

I don't know how many Princess cruises vs. how many Carnival cruises you have been on, and while I agree with many of your statements, there were a few that my experience was different.

 

In 13 Princess cruises my luggage was placed inside my stateroom once. Usually it's in the hallway.

 

I have had no problem with Princess giving me a lower price on my cabin type if it goes down before final payment due date.

 

I like both products, hence I don't prefer one line over the other. On Princess I adore the Sanctuary (Adult only, for a fee) and prefer it to the Serenity (No fee adult area) on Carnival. Princess has more pools to lay by on a sunny sea day, Carnival has better drinks (IMO).

 

I personally find that Carnival offers an excellent value for the price paid, but Princess usually gives me what I value most (Peace, quiet, relaxation).

[momonthego17]

Thank you for putting the time and effort writing this report. I appreciate the compare and contrast aspect and it was interesting finding out which cruise line "floats your boat[emoji3]"

Have a happy Valentine's Day!

[mcgratru]

Great comparison review...thank you!

 

We agree that both have their "niche". We cruise Carnival with the teens but Princess when it is just the two of us..

 

A few things...

 

1. Princess has always given me a price reduction, or obc after final payment. You just have to call. No form and less confusing variety of offers and sales.

 

2. Love the "soda and more" drink package on Princess...unlimited soda, juice, hot chocolare and mocktails...miss this on Carnival.

 

3. Love comedy club on Carnival and hate the move to "passengers as entertainers" on Princess. Some nights there is nothing to do unless you want to watch fellow passengers perform.

[rgmacm]

Thanks for the info about a price adjustment on Princess. On our most recent Princess cruise, we purchased 14 weeks before the cruise so there WAS NO price adjustment to be had. :):) I searched on their website earlier this week for info about it as we're looking at Alaska. I know we need to book early for best cabin selection and hubby was worried about the price going down and we being stuck paying the higher price. I'll certainly pass this bit of info on to him...perhaps NOW, he'll let me book it!!!! haha!!!

 

Yes....I meant to say something about Serenity vs. Sanctuary - Serenity on Carnival being free and Sanctuary on Princess being $20/half day (unless the price has gone up in the last 18 mos. - but I totally forgot about it when I actually started writing. This last cruise (Carnival) the sea days were sooooo windy that we couldn't really enjoy Serenity. We went up there one day, spent about 15 min. and came away. It was AWFUL!! - windy, cold....just no fun! :( but yes, LOVE the adult decks/pools. :)

 

I'm surprised to hear that they didn't put your luggage in the stateroom on your Princess cruises. I don't think we've ever had it outside the room...... ???? Different ships...different staff.... who knows.....

Edited February 13, 2016 by rgmacm

[janetz]

Very good comparison. :)I do have to say that Princess allows TA's to reduce fares and also they do give a reduction before final payment and upgrade or OBC after final. That has been our experience.

We did have towel animals on our Royal cruise. ;)

Edited February 13, 2016 by janetz

[elliair]

I don't know how many Princess cruises vs. how many Carnival cruises you have been on, and while I agree with many of your statements, there were a few that my experience was different.

 

In 13 Princess cruises my luggage was placed inside my stateroom once. Usually it's in the hallway.

 

I have had no problem with Princess giving me a lower price on my cabin type if it goes down before final payment due date.

 

I like both products, hence I don't prefer one line over the other. On Princess I adore the Sanctuary (Adult only, for a fee) and prefer it to the Serenity (No fee adult area) on Carnival. Princess has more pools to lay by on a sunny sea day, Carnival has better drinks (IMO).

 

I personally find that Carnival offers an excellent value for the price paid, but Princess usually gives me what I value most (Peace, quiet, relaxation).

 

I agree with all that you have said. I'd like to add:

 

If you book using your Discover card through Discover travel, sometimes you can get 10% cash back for the price of the cruise on Princess. I haven't seen Carnival offer this. Also, we have received price reductions on Princess prior to final payment. One has to stay on top of it.

 

Also, Princess has a happy hour between 3 and 4 pm, and another one I think at 11:00 pm. Buy 1 drink and get the second drink for $1. Carnival does not offer a happy hour. Lots of folks buy beer (unopened) and take it back to their cabin to drink later. Nice savings.

 

Platinum members I believe have better perks on Carnival. Platinum members on Princess get 250 free internet minutes on 10-day cruises or more. Less on 7-day cruises, Carnival doesn't offer it. Free laundry on Carnival, no free laundry on Princess unless you are elite or in a suite. No FTTF offered on Princess. Debarkation and embarkation perks are better on Carnival than Princess. Only on embarkation do you go ahead of those that are not platinum and above on Princess.

Edited February 13, 2016 by elliair

[OCruisers]

Thanks for your comparison. It's always good to get the thoughts of others. :)

[Swissmiss6253]

Excellent comparison. Really useful for those of us starting out.

[Rosethorn40]

Thanks for the info about a price adjustment on Princess. On our most recent Princess cruise, we purchased 14 weeks before the cruise so there WAS NO price adjustment to be had. :):) I searched on their website earlier this week for info about it as we're looking at Alaska. I know we need to book early for best cabin selection and hubby was worried about the price going down and we being stuck paying the higher price. I'll certainly pass this bit of info on to him...perhaps NOW, he'll let me book it!!!! haha!!!

 

Yes....I meant to say something about Serenity vs. Sanctuary - Serenity on Carnival being free and Sanctuary on Princess being $20/half day (unless the price has gone up in the last 18 mos. - but I totally forgot about it when I actually started writing. This last cruise (Carnival) the sea days were sooooo windy that we couldn't really enjoy Serenity. We went up there one day, spent about 15 min. and came away. It was AWFUL!! - windy, cold....just no fun! :( but yes, LOVE the adult decks/pools. :)

 

I'm surprised to hear that they didn't put your luggage in the stateroom on your Princess cruises. I don't think we've ever had it outside the room...... ???? Different ships...different staff.... who knows.....

 

I just thought of something else, but I have no experience on this so I could be wrong. In booking a suite it's my understanding that besides priority embarking at the beginning of the cruise, Carnival offers nothing else to those in a suite (Besides a bigger cabin), while Princess does give their suite passengers more perks.

 

At least for your Carnival cruise sea days, when you hadn't paid for the use of the Serenity you could leave, no harm, no foul. Back in 2010 DH & I were on the Golden Princess to Hawaii, and had booked the Sanctuary. One sea day it was cloudy, cool & windy. One by one, others in the Sanctuary gave up and went inside, but not me! Wrapped in about 4 blankets and several towels I refused to give up because I had "Paid for that day" Poor DH, his teeth chattering, begged me to go inside, but I was stubborn and didn't want to leave. I only gave in when I realized the poor Sanctuary Stewards had to stay until I left.

[DebJ14]

I'm Diamond on Carnival and Platinum on Princess. For us one of the big reasons to book Princess are the suite perks. We get one free mini bar set up, breakfast every morning in Sabatini's, the ability to order off the dining room menu when it is open plus the normal priority embarkation and debarkation and priority tendering, made easier on Princess by the delivery of Priority tender tickets when you embark. While there is no room service for regular cabins on Princess the morning of debarkation, the suites can get a full hot breakfast delivered, which makes the debarkation process much more relaxed.

 

As a Platinum member on Princess we also get their Platinum insurance for the price of the standard insurance and the past guest rates have a nice discount, usually much more than the difference between newbie and past guest on Carnival.

 

As others have pointed out, Princess will lower fares or give you an upgrade with just a phone call and on most fares the deposit is fully refundable up until the day before final payment. We had 3 price reductions on our last Princess cruise totaling $1200, so we book early to get the cabin we want. They make it easy to change promos too so if you see a price drop and that promo has OBC you can get that too.

 

We also really liked the 150 free internet minutes we EACH received as Platinum members on Princess. I end up spending a bundle on the internet on Carnival. We had nearly an hour of internet time left over on Princess.

 

Both Carnival and Princess have restricted the past guest party to upper tiers. On our most recent Carnival cruise there were only 4 of us who were Diamond and 104 Platinums. On our most recent cruise on Princess, there were over 600 Platinum guests and 485 Elite Guests. It is easier to make Platinum on Princess than on Carnival. These parties on both lines serve a nice selection of cocktails.

 

The OP stated they both have shows. Well, for us there is no comparison. The entertainment we had on our Princess cruise in January 2016 was so far superior to our Carnival cruise in November 2015. There was a show every night on Princess in the main theater where Princess only had 2 shows + the welcome aboard show the entire week in the main theater.

 

For the OP - give RCCL a try. We like them too and are Diamond on RCCL. In fact our next cruise is on them.

Edited February 14, 2016 by DebJ14

[LADYBROOKS]

Nice, thanks for the comparison! I have cruised with several cruise lines with most being Carnival and looking forward to my first time with Princess.

[elliair]

Beverage Cards/Programs: Carnival has an unlimited soda program and unlimited alcohol program; Princess has unlimited soda program, unlimited all beverage program which includes sodas and alcohol AND a coffee punch card for specialty coffees. This (coffee punch card) can be kept and brought on future cruises if you don’t use all the punches.

Both cruise lines now restrict bottled water from being brought on board. They sell packs of 12 bottles of water. Carnival's price for 12 is $3. Princess' price for 12 is $6.90.

 

I would also add that Princess has 2 Happy Hours a day. Buy 1 drink and get the second drink for $1. This is well attended and people show up 30 minutes early just to get a seat. Many take advantage of buying 1 beer and getting the second beer for $1. They buy 6 at a time (unopened) and take it back to their cabin for later. Some do the same with wine. If we buy 4 glasses of wine, we buy 1 more glass and they give us a bottle to take back to our room.

 

Carnival does not have a happy hour. Both lines have wine packages. Carnival makes it easy for you to get your wine at any bar, whereas on Princess you can only get your wine at the MDR.

Edited June 9, 2016 by elliair

[JaniceB]

Thank you for the well thought out comparison. I haven't sailed Princess yet, but I did try Holland America (also owned by Carnival) and my husband has asked that we try them again.