First time with Princess - What to expect

[Bosyn]

Howdy all,

 

My family and I booked a Princess Cruise on the Royal for the 4 day 11/26 cruise. I've only cruised with Carnival so far so I'm not sure what to expect different from Princess. Any help ya'll can give would be greatly appreciated.

[skynight]

Howdy all,

 

My family and I booked a Princess Cruise on the Royal for the 4 day 11/26 cruise. I've only cruised with Carnival so far so I'm not sure what to expect different from Princess. Any help ya'll can give would be greatly appreciated.

A 4 day cruise starting Thanksgiving weekend will be lively for sure with lots of families on board. The All Inclusive Beverage Package, which includes all alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages prices under $10, which is 95% of all beverages will be $56.35/day/pp or $225.40 for the entire cruise. Look it up under Princess Cellars on the internet. It can be pre-purchased or purchased on board.

There is lots of free dining:

MDR's

Alfredo's waiter served pizza, calzones, salads, antipasto, desserts & more, open from 11am to 11pm. Walk in, no reservations.

International Cafe open 24/7

Horizon Ct./Horizon Bistro buffet open from 5am to 11pm, never closes during that time.

Prego Pizza & Trident Grill by the Lido Pool

Room Service

 

You can also dine at one of the surcharge dining restaurants, Crown Grill, Sabatini's. Crab Shack, plus some other options. Check this out on line. reservations are needed.

 

You will not find all the crazy pool games on Princess, but there may be some. There will be live music of various types in various lounges as well as the central Piazza (atrium) area. Lots of dancing in the Piazza. There will probably be one production show plus a guest entertainer, and most likely a deck party. Of course there is the casino, and probably a few daytime bingo sessions. There are always trivia games. There could be karaoke one or two nights.

 

On a 4 night voyage you can only get a taste of what Princess is like, and the demographic for a 4 night, Thanksgiving cruise will not be representative of the longer cruises.

[tonyweir]

Howdy all,

 

My family and I booked a Princess Cruise on the Royal for the 4 day 11/26 cruise. I've only cruised with Carnival so far so I'm not sure what to expect different from Princess. Any help ya'll can give would be greatly appreciated.

 

Princess is more out of your face, so to speak, than Carnival. They publish the

Patter each night and you figure out what you want to do. They don't constantly announce things over the ship PA. No watersides on Princess.

 

Depending on location, there will be fun things to do outside, and in. If you like Starbucks like coffee (frap, latte, etc), get the coffee card. It's well worth it. A card is$30 and you get 15 punches. One drink is one punch. You can share the card with others. It brings the cost to about $2 each including tip which is a deal!

 

You will see a somewhat older crowd on Princess. It's not a bad thing. Everyone just seems to do their own thing. Princess has soft serve ice cream, but you have to go to the counter and ask for it. It saves the mess you see on some Carnival ships where the kids have spilled ice cream all over. Conversely, on Princess, you have to look for a pitcher and a cup for water while Carnival has self-serve lemonade and water available all the time.

 

Carnival cabins are a bit bigger. Food is about the same. No towel animals but you get chocolate on your pillow.

[janetz]

The ship is beautiful and the food is excellent. Even at the buffet. Enjoy. :D

[OCruisers]

On Princess you'll enjoying being able to go to your cabin when you board the ship.

Also, they assume we can read the Patter so there are not all of the constant announcements.

Be sure to go to the IC (International Café) which is open 24 hours a day at no additional cost for yummy snacks.

[skynight]

oh yes, no first to the fun on Princess. All have access.

[easyboy]

posts from previous thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2226187&highlight=princess+vs+carnival

enjoy your cruise!

[WupperAV]

1st night all you can eat seafood buffet. Everyone wears a different colored uniform so you can id stewards, bartenders. Ships are clean and when we were on the Diamond they were constantly touching up paint and varnish. Food is good too!

[mdmc]

I thought they did away with the seafood buffet on the first night. Clarification?

[riclop]

It's much better than Carnival and especially on the Royal.

[Robinsoncruiseso]

Princess has a more "eleg ant" look with a grand Piaza. Don't miss the pizza and calzones at Alfredo's. Cabins on the Royal may not be ready when you board. This is a good time to try lunch at Alfredo's so you don't have to watch your luggage. Also Horizon Court buffet is fantastic! Imagine a whole room dedicated to dessert. If you like to dance, take in Club 6. A modern disco.

[joeyancho]

Expect an all around better experience.

[ansoninc]

I find that the service is always excellent. Waiters, cabin stewards, table bussers ,etc.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited April 5, 2016 by ansoninc

[ar1950]

"First time with Princess - What to expect"

 

Expect a great cruise experience. Then that is more than likely what you will have. Enjoy your cruise! :D

[Skai]

You may notice that there is less of a percentage/ratio of public spaces/activities that are primarily dedicated to kids/young adults on Princess ships.

 

That's not to state that families(with young kids) can't enjoy themselves on Princess cruises, rather it's to state that (depending on the length of cruise/time of year), one may find that shipboard life is geared more for a mature demographic than what one may find on Carnival ships.

[dns65]

You may notice that there is less of a percentage/ratio of public spaces/activities that are primarily dedicated to kids/young adults on Princess ships.

 

That's not to state that families(with young kids) can't enjoy themselves on Princess cruises, rather it's to state that (depending on the length of cruise/time of year), one may find that shipboard life is geared more for a mature demographic than what one may find on Carnival ships.

 

Princess is best suited for the 60+ demographic. If you are younger this line is probably not for you. Pick one of the other lines that is not owned by Carnival if you want to try something different and more suited to those under 60. Evening entertainment on every Princess cruise will feature 50's and 60's nights so if you are a late Boomer, Gen X or Millennial, you will find that none of the entertainment is geared towards your demographic.

Edited April 5, 2016 by dns65

[Skai]

Princess is best suited for the 60+ demographic. If you are younger this line is probably not for you. Pick one of the other lines that is not owned by Carnival if you want to try something different

 

I would disagree and state that Princess is best suited for the 50+ demographic(primarily couples or families w/ older children).

 

That stated, when we we first started sailing Princess(as a married couple), we fell considerably short of that above stated demographic by a couple of decades...Yet we still found ourselves enjoying the experience.

 

We prefer the more mature crowd of fellow passengers on Princess ships...As while we like to let loose a little on occasion, we don't feel the need to be on a 'party ship'. We like the more refined atmosphere, and feel quite comfortable being the youngest seated at a shared table in the MDR and chuckling when the question of: "Is this your 1st cruise?" is asked...and the looks we get when we go down the list of the handful we've taken to-date.

 

We've yet to be returning from port sailing on Princess to find obnoxiously drunk passengers having to be helped down the dock by their friends/family to find their way back on to the ship(as we have seen a few times sailing on Carnival).

 

I think one thing that many are are reluctant to state(especially ones that are fiercely loyal to their chosen favorite line of choice), is that the mass-market lines share much more similarities than differences.

 

Some lines do some things better/worse than other lines, but overall, (among mass-market lines) the offerings are pretty on par with eachother. As for individual passenger satisfaction, some put higher weight on what's more important to them(ie. food, entertainment, decor etc.), so personal preferences often dictate one's overall enjoyment.

 

The main difference among the mainstream lines is what sort of passenger demographic they primarily cater to. Carnival advertises itself as the "fun ship" and as such, caters to that sort of crowd.

 

Many I'm sure have heard the disparaging term: "Wal-Mart of the Seas".

 

Princess tries to play it off as being 'affordable luxury'(oxymoron)...

 

If NCL would be 'Old Navy', then Princess would be like 'Kohl's' to Oceania's 'Nordstroms'

[easyboy]

I thought they did away with the seafood buffet on the first night. Clarification?

I miss the crab legs and lobster claws on first night

[ppeckham]

You will find good entertainment on board just as what Carnival had. I've noticed Princess has fewer late shows than Carnival. Often Carnival's featured comedians would perform an adults only show late in the night.

 

Princess has afternoon teas. Plus the library seems to be more accessible.

 

The food on Princess is good. But I have found that Carnival's has a little spicier variety.

 

You won't find the Hairiest Chest Contest on Princess but they do have the newlywed game.

[WupperAV]

I call Norwegian McD's of the Sea. Princess is a cut above TGI Fridays. Did not know they did away with 1st nite seafood.

[elliair]

Howdy all,

 

My family and I booked a Princess Cruise on the Royal for the 4 day 11/26 cruise. I've only cruised with Carnival so far so I'm not sure what to expect different from Princess. Any help ya'll can give would be greatly appreciated.

 

I haven't read any of the other responses so here is mine:

 

Do not get your expectations up too high. Our first Princess cruise was on the Diamond Princess. I was expecting lots of "class", good food, good entertainment, and just all around what it appears like in the brochures we looked through. It was everything but that! When we boarded and got settled in, we were shocked at how many wheelchairs, walkers and disabled people there were. They rolled the carpets up at 8:00 pm and the ship was practically deserted. DH and I thought we were on the geriatric cruise. We went out to the pool and hot tub area and that was a different story. It was an LGBT crowd that took over the pool, bars and hot tubs! Stuff was going on out there that made me cringe. Two different worlds on one ship. We endured it for 7 days and it took us a very long time to give Princess a second chance as we had sailed on Carnival mostly.

 

Don't get your expectations up too high. We haven't encountered another cruise like we did on the Diamond. Just go with the flow, roll with it, and ignore anything you think is out of whack. It's not like Carnival where there's more energy. Princess is pretty much laid back, not many brats running around, and get out of the way of motorized carts. They'll either honk at you or run you over - either way they do not care.

 

A seasoned cruiser on Princess....

 

Elliair

Edited April 5, 2016 by elliair

[Treven]

I call Norwegian McD's of the Sea. Princess is a cut above TGI Fridays. Did not know they did away with 1st nite seafood.

I think you're embarrassing the Golden Arches, NCL, in my opinion, isn't that good. Again just my opinion, compare NCL to the worst Mexican chain "restaurant", here in No. CA anyway, that would be Jim Boys Tacos. Yuck!!:(👄⛈

Edited April 5, 2016 by Treven

[WupperAV]

That was one snotty damned answer about wheelchairs running you over. My wife is in a wheelchair and people will crowd ahead of her on elevators and in lines and you are probably one of them so that's why they honk and heel you. I have not encountered any majority of wheelchair maniacs aboard ship. They are very polite and patient. So what if they are over 50 and don't stay drunk all the time. Beside, if you are going on a cruise to party all night, stay home, no one wants to see you drunk and falling down.

 

Thanks Treven, I lived in Tracy and know what you're saying! I think In N Out is better.

Edited April 5, 2016 by WupperAV

[elliair]

That was one snotty damned answer about wheelchairs running you over. My wife is in a wheelchair and people will crowd ahead of her on elevators and in lines and you are probably one of them so that's why they honk and heel you. I have not encountered any majority of wheelchair maniacs aboard ship. They are very polite and patient. So what if they are over 50 and don't stay drunk all the time. Beside, if you are going on a cruise to party all night, stay home, no one wants to see you drunk and falling down.

 

Thanks Treven, I lived in Tracy and know what you're saying! I think In N Out is better.

 

No apologies coming from me for the behavior of people in wheelchairs who have horns on their wheelchairs and use them. One guy in a motorized wheelchair who was extremely obese, wheeled that cart around like he was on a race track. Someone did say something to him and he ignored them. Isn't there some kind of etiquette that should be followed by these people? Again, no apologies coming from me.:rolleyes:

 

P.S. I never get on the elevators when I'm fully capable of walking up and down stairs. More people should try it instead of dodging wheelchairs.

 

Who said anything about drinking? Stretching it.....

Edited April 5, 2016 by elliair

[pattyfrann]

You will find good entertainment on board just as what Carnival had. I've noticed Princess has fewer late shows than Carnival. Often Carnival's featured comedians would perform an adults only show late in the night.

 

Princess has afternoon teas. Plus the library seems to be more accessible.

 

The food on Princess is good. But I have found that Carnival's has a little spicier variety.

 

You won't find the Hairiest Chest Contest on Princess but they do have the newlywed game.

 

Library on Royal. A very attractive place. Small with very few books. Bring your own reading material.