Princess vs. Carnival comparison

[HawksFan74]

Just off the Ruby Princess 7-Day cruise to Mexico. This was our first on Princess after two previously on Carnival. Our next cruise will probably be back on Carnival, and here's why:

 

We are a family of 3 and really prefer the king/queen plus sofa bed room configuration. On Carnival, this setup is available with a regular balcony or even an ocean view. On Princess, the cheapest room with a sofa bed is a mini suite. Because of this, we booked a mini and spent about $1,000 more on this cruise than either of our previous 2 on Carnival.

 

At the time I booked, figured it might be worth the extra cost because Princess would be a big step up from Carnival, but after the cruise, my wife and I agree that it really wasn't. Most things were more similar than different. I haven't really organized all my thoughts too well, so feel free to ask questions if I miss something. Here are some things that come to mind:

 

Food – We ate dinner in the MDR most nights, and other meals were mostly at the buffet. Comparing the two lines, we didn't see much difference. A lot of things were very good, some OK, and others not good at all. This has been the case on all 3 of our cruises. Princess did not have Prime Rib in the MDR on any night, and as I recall, was available once or twice per cruise on Carnival. I also found it disappointing that the pizza bar closed at 10:00 pm every night. For chocolate lovers, Princess has a tasty desert called the Love Boat Dream, but I really missed the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake!

 

Drinks – Probably the thing I liked most about Princess was that I was able to get the drink package without buying one for my wife. She just doesn't drink enough to make it worthwhile. Pay-as-you-go prices and drink offerings seemed to be roughly the same.

 

Entertainment – We haven't attended many production shows on any of our cruises, so can't really comment on those. Wife and I really enjoy the Punchliner Comedy Club though, which is nonexistent on Princess. There was a comedian onboard the first few nights, but we weren't able to catch his shows due to scheduling conflicts with the kids club.

 

Kids Club – Seemed to be pretty much the same. Our daughter loved it and was there just about every time they were open. Same with Camp Carnival last year. I will say that with her being 5, Princess Pelicans (3-7) was probably a better fit for her this year, where on Carnival, she would have been placed with the 2-5 year olds, and probably would have asked why she was with all the “babies.”

 

Service – We always had excellent service on Carnival and found the level of service on Princess to be equivalent.

 

In conclusion, we had a great time on Ruby Princess, just as we did previously on Carnival. Would cruise Princess again if the price were close to the same, but as mentioned earlier, with the room setup and having to get a mini suite, Princess will probably always be a lot more expensive for us than Carnival, and we just didn't find that much added value. Our next cruise will probably Jan 2018. I'm looking at Splendor out of L.A. or maybe Breeze out of Galveston.

Edited February 2, 2017 by HawksFan74

[mickiemac]

Our first cruise was on the Ruby Princess and we absolutely loved it. The ship was brand new and we were first timers, so our excitement was through the roof! Our next cruise was on Carnival and we were really expecting to see a little decline in service and ships. Boy were we wrong! Both cruise lines are wonderful and our level of enjoyment was equal on both. I would cruise either and base my choice on dates and itinerary.

[Micahs Grandad]

We are Diamond on Carnival and have now done 3 cruises on Princess

 

DR about the same but Princess service was more upscale than CCL.

 

Buffet on Princess far superior to Carnival. Many more choices on Princess and food was served hotter. Breakfast had huge platter of smoked salmon and very crusty rolls.

 

A nice feature on Princess is you bring food to table on buffet and crew will bring drinks.

 

No 24 hr pizza on carnival but princess has awesome international cafe open 24/7.

 

Carnival entertainment is better especially comedy club.

Edited February 2, 2017 by Micah's Grandad

[SadieN]

We were on the January 7-17, 2017 Ruby cruise. This Ruby cruise was our least favorite Princess cruise. Worst offender was the three day rotation in the buffet. Not an ABC rotation but an AAABBBCCC rotation. Same buffet food for lunch and dinner three days in a row. Buffet desserts rarely changed. But props to Princess for the buffet cheese display.

 

Our cruise didn't have the free Pub Lunch, think it was brought back for yours.

 

Los Angeles is our home port. Prefer Carnival's vibrancy but will sail Princess because they offer itins Carnival doesn't.

Edited February 2, 2017 by SadieN

[HawksFan74]

A nice feature on Princess is you bring food to table on buffet and crew will bring drinks.

I forgot to mention this, but yes, it was a nice touch.

[stevenr597]

We are Platinum or Carnival as well as Princess. Our feelings:

 

1) Overall the feeling on Princess is more upscale in regards to service. Some individuals have called Princess the new X (Celebrity) Lines.

2) While there is no 24 hour pizza, there usually is a 24 hours bistro where one can get excellent deserts and small sandwiches

3) Main dining room has real service with real tableclothes. Not the "American Experience"

4) Food in the main dining room is generally better.

5) More choices on the buffet on Princess

6) On Princess the ships are generally not as crowded.

7) Entertainment is much superior on Princess, especially the Broadway type shows.

 

With that being said, Princess, generally, is more expensive. But then again, you get what you pay for.

[SadieN]

We are Platinum or Carnival as well as Princess. Our feelings:

 

 

 

1) Overall the feeling on Princess is more upscale in regards to service. Some individuals have called Princess the new X (Celebrity) Lines.

 

2) While there is no 24 hour pizza, there usually is a 24 hours bistro where one can get excellent deserts and small sandwiches

 

3) Main dining room has real service with real tableclothes. Not the "American Experience"

 

4) Food in the main dining room is generally better.

 

5) More choices on the buffet on Princess

 

6) On Princess the ships are generally not as crowded.

 

7) Entertainment is much superior on Princess, especially the Broadway type shows.

 

 

 

With that being said, Princess, generally, is more expensive. But then again, you get what you pay for.

 

 

 

The International Cafe is open 24hr but the desserts were the same as the Horizon court. As were the salads. They did have a different pot pie daily.

 

Princess relies in lots of butter and cream for their MDR food. Everything tastes better with butter.

 

FWIW the Ruby seems to be having some growing pains. Has many of the new things Princess is introducing. IMO it's because she's near HQ.

Edited February 2, 2017 by SadieN

[Micahs Grandad]

Princess still has the production shows that CCL has dropped.

 

Also a lot of their entertainment in main showroom is more sophisticated such as classical music.

 

Carnival has lectures on the history of the sea on sea days which we found very interesting

[ddgg]

I am elite o Princess and almost platinum on Carnival. I have been sailing on Carnival because it is cheaper for a solo.

 

In addition to what's already been mentioned, I like the fact that Princess has fresh water pools and there is a mini fridge in EVERY cabin.

[riclop]

Carnival is more kids friendly.

[Micahs Grandad]

I am elite o Princess and almost platinum on Carnival. I have been sailing on Carnival because it is cheaper for a solo.

 

In addition to what's already been mentioned, I like the fact that Princess has fresh water pools and there is a mini fridge in EVERY cabin.

 

On the newer Carnival ships all cabins have the fridge.

 

One of the many reasons we stopped sailing on older ships.

[easyboy]

Just off the Ruby Princess 7-Day cruise to Mexico. This was our first on Princess after two previously on Carnival. Our next cruise will probably be back on Carnival, and here's why:

 

In conclusion, we had a great time on Ruby Princess, just as we did previously on Carnival. Would cruise Princess again if the price were close to the same, but as mentioned earlier, with the room setup and having to get a mini suite, Princess will probably always be a lot more expensive for us than Carnival, and we just didn't find that much added value. Our next cruise will probably Jan 2018. I'm looking at Splendor out of L.A. or maybe Breeze out of Galveston.

Thank you for your objective review.

[Doriima]

 

We are a family of 3 and really prefer the king/queen plus sofa bed room configuration. On Carnival, this setup is available with a regular balcony or even an ocean view. On Princess, the cheapest room with a sofa bed is a mini suite.

 

That's odd, anyone know if that's the same across all Princess ships? I was sure there were balcony rooms with sofas for the 3rd bed.

[SadieN]

That's odd, anyone know if that's the same across all Princess ships? I was sure there were balcony rooms with sofas for the 3rd bed.

 

 

Not on Princess. .....and many Princess triples cannot have the lowers together.

[A&Jfamily]

Carnival is more kids friendly.

 

I disagree with this. Just as with the dining room, entertainment etc that has been pointed out above, there are pros and cons for each line. My youngest (now almost 13) prefers Princess to Carnival because their youth program is more active and less arts and crafty. My oldest son, now 18, prefers the bikini crowd on Carnival - go figure!;)

 

I completely agree with OP and think it is a nice job. Princess just has a little more upscale feel to it.

[Aquahound]

That's odd, anyone know if that's the same across all Princess ships? I was sure there were balcony rooms with sofas for the 3rd bed.

 

I've cruised 3 Princess ships including their newest (Regal). Yes, that is the case. In order to get a sofa in the room, you need to upgrade. Standard balcony rooms do not have a sofa.

 

On Princess, a huge chunk of the room is taken by a walk in closet. It makes the actual living area very small. It's my biggest complaint about Princess.

[Florings]

Carnival has lectures on the history of the sea on sea days which we found very interesting

 

I've never heard of this but would definitely enjoy it. I'm not a bingo, trivia, Lido deck game person, so I generally just read and relax in Serenity or other quiet areas of the deck. I would enjoy some options such as this.

[Jersey42]

That's odd, anyone know if that's the same across all Princess ships? I was sure there were balcony rooms with sofas for the 3rd bed.

On the newest Princess ships (Royal and Regal) the deluxe balconies have a sofa bed. These cabins are usually priced only a little higher than regular balcony cabins. Sometimes they are even cheaper, if the deluxe is in a "less desirable" location. On all of the other ships, you need a more expensive mini-suite to get a sofa-bed. The Royal and Regal also have mini-suites too.

 

By the way, mini-suites on Princess are not real suites. The main differences are: slightly larger, the sofa, and a bathtub.

[JaniceB]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. I haven't tried Princess yet, but plan to one day.

[HawksFan74]

On the newest Princess ships (Royal and Regal) the deluxe balconies have a sofa bed. These cabins are usually priced only a little higher than regular balcony cabins. Sometimes they are even cheaper, if the deluxe is in a "less desirable" location.

That's good to hear. Too bad the west coast never gets any of the newest ships.

[meatloafsfan]

Thank you for your review.

 

What keeps us away from Princess is the 3rd bed situation as well. We need an accessible cabin that sleeps 3 and it seems that we have to go to a mini suite and there's only a couple of them. Getting 2 cabins on Princess is cost prohibitive (at least compared to what we pay for 2 cabins on Carnival or 1 cabin on other lines like Disney, Celebrity, or Royal).

[Micahs Grandad]

Princess still has the production shows that CCL has dropped.

 

Also a lot of their entertainment in main showroom is more sophisticated such as classical music.

 

Carnival has lectures on the history of the sea on sea days which we found very interesting

 

oops Princess is the cruise line with the lectures at sea

[dmdiver]

The lack of a sofa in a standard balcony cabin on Princess was surprising to me. However, I really liked the walk-in closet/dressing area.

 

I found the staff on our Princess cruise to be very standoffish, with the exception of our room steward. He was very personable & of course, kept our cabin in great shape. Getting drink service by the pool was not nearly as easy on Princess as it always has been on Carnival & Royal Caribbean.

 

Both Princess & Royal have beautiful ships with beautiful adult pool areas. I really enjoyed the game shows on Princess, but other than that, there wasn't a whole lot to do. Hubby went to the batting cage once. We attempted to go to the target shooting simulator, but it wasn't open & no one seemed to know when it would be. No hours were posted at the door. I enjoy the shows on all lines, but especially like Carnival's comedy clubs.

 

I find the dining room food to be about equal. Princess' buffet was pretty good. Drink service is a great idea unless you don't get your drinks until you've almost finished your meal. That was a bit frustrating on a few occasions. Other times, they were served very quickly. I suppose it depends on how busy they are.

[Tapi]

My opinion is that Princess is for cruisers who care about the small details. At first glance, there may not be many differences between them and Carnival, but once you start looking closely, then you notice small details that can make a big difference for those who appreciate them .

 

We've only taken one Princess cruise (photo review in my signature) and I agree that I would prefer another cruise line when traveling with children. But for a couple looking for a bit more upscale experience , Princess is a phenomenal option. We sailed without our kids. Our oceanview room was small (less than 160sq ft) but it was beautifully appointed and more than adequate for 2 people. No sofa but the layout created a separate changing area in front of the bathroom which was appreciated more than the sofa.

 

Throughout the ship, we enjoyed the more luxurious and subdued atmosphere and tasteful decoration, with piped in classical music throughout, the freshness of ingredients at all the dining establishments, the quality of linens in our stateroom, the selections at the 24 hour International Cafe, the professionalism and quality of the various entertainers onboard, the fresh water pools, the temperature controlled pool in a private setting for adults, and a more polished level of service (some may consider polished as being less friendly).

 

Fellow cruisers seemed more traveled as well (we shared a table with a couple from Australia on a 25 day honeymoon which also included another cruise on P&O in the South Pacific as well as a a few days in Hawaii, a retired globetrotting couple from Canada, and 2 friends who were already on their 3rd cruise for the year and getting ready to fly to Venice a few weeks later for another ship's inaugural sailing).

 

Overall we considered Princess a definite upgrade over Carnival and other cruise lines that we've sailed on, but that doesn't mean that they would be my choice for a family friendly vacation traveling with my small children. But for my wife and I, celebrating our wedding anniversary, Princess was a fantastic choice.

 

 

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