So what am I really going to like about Princess?

[Jimmy Geegitz]

We think the buffet on Princess blows Carnival away. Pizza also blows Carnival away. Shows are better. Drinks are cheaper plus they have a REAL happy hour. Carnivals steakhouse is wayyyy better than Princess tho. We are getting older and are starting to prefer Princess more relaxed cruising and like that it's classier and people tend to dress nicer. We also love the live music around the ship more.

 

 

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[skynight]

Thank you, everyone, for your replies. I feel better about Princess now. I was a little worried that I would be lost at sea on a Princess ship, but it sounds like I will be with fun-loving people. It does sound like I need to expand my musical tastes to include the 1960's era.

You will not hear hip hop from live groups, but will hear all other types of music from classical, pop and rock, not just old stuff. Certain lounges, like Crooner's, do focus on crooner music. Late night the nightclub is open with a DJ and plays all kinds of music.

Do I really need to try Sabatini's or The Crown Grill? If the food in the MDR is going to be such an upgrade from Carnival, I almost feel like dining in a restaurant with a surcharge isn't necessary.

If you enjoy steak and chops do try the Crown Grill. This menu really isn't available in the MDR's. Make reservations once on board, after reviewing the cruise schedule in the Princess Patter. If you order the pork chop suggest you ask them to butterfly it. Make up your own mind if you enjoy the Crown Grill.

Do Princess ships have good libraries or are they an after-thought like on Carnival?

There are some selections, but not large. Visit on the first day. If you are a big reader, bring your own. The library is honor system. Return book after read and before disembarking.

 

See above

[Carl Nival]

Thank you again, everyone. I'm going to be on the Star Princess. I like Bingo and Art Auctions. I also like lectures about health. Will those be available on Sea Days?

[Coffeeluvr05]

I've taken the plunge and stepped out of my Carnival Comfort Zone.

 

I have been on five Carnival cruises. I enjoy the cuisine, cocktails, shows, and non-stop entertainment.

 

So on my Princess cruise, what am I going to notice that's different? What's going to be similar? The food, shows, activities? All of the above?

 

Thank you in advance for your insight.

 

I can't say what anyone else would like since everyone's preferences are quite different. I've not been on carnival, but had only been on Royal Caribbean prior. I loved our recent first Princess cruise because it never felt crowded. I enjoy entertainment but I require a certain amount of quiet time to recharge and I felt that there many places beyond staying in our suite to do that. I also thought the service and the food were very good. I come from a family of foodies and a grandfather for a chef so I've had very good food in my life. The dining room food was wonderful! In our opinion the buffet was to be avoided. I do not like buffets but my husband loves them. Even he tried to like it but couldn't. We are now looking to book our next princess cruise!

[donswife]

Thank you again, everyone. I'm going to be on the Star Princess. I like Bingo and Art Auctions. I also like lectures about health. Will those be available on Sea Days?

 

Most of the health lectures I have seen have mostly been more like infomercials. What itinerary are you doing? We did Alaska with Princess last summer, and I enjoyed the variety of local guests they brought on board for presentations.

[Lucky TGO]

Don't expect the raunchy comedians. Expect older passengers. Expect people who are more into relaxing. Don't expect cursing or vomiting. Don't expect a lot of tattoos. Don't expect gaudy color schemes.

I'm hitting the like button on this answer.

Tony

[ccruisequeen]

Princess also offers a sit down lunch if you get there before 1:30 pm.

I have a Banana split, which is a dirty banana without the booze

 

 

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[Katwoman007]

Great thread! I was laughing and told my husband some of the replies. He said, oh, so it is like Jersey shores over on Carnival? hahaha He is now worried we booked an old person cruise. I was trying to explain, this is supposed to be a relaxing vacation to make up for the 14 years we have not had one. hahahaha

[cibaygirls]

I can't imagine there actually being a "traditional sail-away drink". People drink different things. The "traditional" drink could be anything from a Strawberry Daiquiri to Gin and Tonic to Bourbon to Budweiser to Diet Coke. People drink different things.

 

 

I have sailed a twice on Carnival many years ago, and since have sailed on Princess over 15 times... I do recall Carnival really hyping their drink of the day, and they would walk around with them pre-prepared in a souvenir cup. While Princess has a drink of the day, it does not seem they push it as much. I do recall on my recent several sail always, the wait staff were walking around with trays of a mango madness type cocktail. So I guess that could be the equivalent of a "traditional sail-away drink."

 

Thrak, I had to raise an eyebrow at your "less people sailing on Princess with tattoos" sentiment as both my DH and I each have several and feel quite at home on the Princess line (and I have NEVER vomited on a cruise and don't curse) but I think I get where you were trying to go with it.

Edited May 18, 2017 by cibaygirls

[Tatka]

I like just about everything on Princess more than Carnival's.

Ships (decor and design ), ambiance, pax, food , smaller scale entertainment.

Cabins feel smaller, but I like a separate dressing area.

 

Princess is more refined and elegant.

[Meanee]

I went on Carnival Dream once. First and last Carnival cruise.

 

On Princess, unlike on Carnival, during breakfast, there's no dude who counts exactly 3 pieces of bacon, and looks like you are taking his kidney if you ask for more. It takes less than 45 minutes standing in line to get a pizza. On Carnival Dream, for some stupid reason, buffet closed when people came back from port and ship started sailing. Only available food source was the pizza bar, where entire cruise ship lined up. The "noodle bar" was constantly closed.

 

People were pretty rowdy. Unsupervised kid received a nice concussion in front of me (horseplaying at adult pool), and they kept paging parents for about an hour. On Princess, you are not treated like a potential criminal if you dare to ask for towels pool-side.

 

On Princess, I encountered just general "niceness" that was absent on Carnival. For example, Movies Under The Stars. We sat down to watch something. Crew showed up with blankets, individual popcorn. When I refused popcorn (never been a fan), they asked if I would like something else, and gladly brought me icecream. All these small, nice touches, make me appreciate Princess.

[Tatka]

Yes... nice touches is the word.

 

And all the dancing on Piazza....

[Coffeeluvr05]

Great thread! I was laughing and told my husband some of the replies. He said, oh, so it is like Jersey shores over on Carnival? hahaha He is now worried we booked an old person cruise. I was trying to explain, this is supposed to be a relaxing vacation to make up for the 14 years we have not had one. hahahaha

 

Not sure how old you and your husband are, but we just went on our first Princess cruise after a vacation dry spell like yours and we loved it! We are in our mid-forties. We aren't party people, but we do enjoy good music and good food and we certainly got that. We enjoyed how laid back it felt and it didn't feel crowded. That was my favorite part. We had only been on tropical itineraries and I am going to assume that those tend to be more of a party atmosphere on most cruises...? Anyway, I hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we did. We are planning on booking our next one soon!

[dverzic]

I once did a three day Carnival cruise out of Long Beach, and I will never do that again. There were actually gang bangers on our ship. Total low lifes! Major party atmosphere. Ive been on several Carnival cruises that were seven days which wasnt as bad. Lots of families. Hubby and I are going on Princess to Hawaii in November and Im looking forward to it being more relaxed and a much classier experience. We are in our fifties and enjoy being active, but dont want the Vegas atmosphere we get on Carnival.

 

 

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[Katwoman007]

Not sure how old you and your husband are, but we just went on our first Princess cruise after a vacation dry spell like yours and we loved it! We are in our mid-forties. We aren't party people, but we do enjoy good music and good food and we certainly got that. We enjoyed how laid back it felt and it didn't feel crowded. That was my favorite part. We had only been on tropical itineraries and I am going to assume that those tend to be more of a party atmosphere on most cruises...? Anyway, I hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we did. We are planning on booking our next one soon!

 

We are in our late 30's. :) We are not party people but do plan to drink, relax and relax some more. We have 3 kids (10,5,3) and this is our second get away from them (We did 2 nights in Vegas last year and it was our first away since we got married almost 14 years ago!!) and first real vacation, like ever together. We wanted to get away to Cancun, but the flights were not working out with the times the kids were out of school so the inlaws could watch them. The next best thing was finding our cruise (5 day to Cabo), perfectly timed with Thanksgiving break, so WE can have a break! haha I am also a going on 4 year cancer survivor and we are trying to finally make time for us. It has been a long going on 4 years. I am a little worried about food, since due to a surgery I had for my cancer, things are really hit or miss. I know my drinking limits, it is the hidden butter, creams and fats that I have to watch. Over all, I cannot wait and I really cannot wait to see the view from our Aft balcony! :D

[Coffeeluvr05]

We are in our late 30's. :) We are not party people but do plan to drink, relax and relax some more. We have 3 kids (10,5,3) and this is our second get away from them (We did 2 nights in Vegas last year and it was our first away since we got married almost 14 years ago!!) and first real vacation, like ever together. We wanted to get away to Cancun, but the flights were not working out with the times the kids were out of school so the inlaws could watch them. The next best thing was finding our cruise (5 day to Cabo), perfectly timed with Thanksgiving break, so WE can have a break! haha I am also a going on 4 year cancer survivor and we are trying to finally make time for us. It has been a long going on 4 years. I am a little worried about food, since due to a surgery I had for my cancer, things are really hit or miss. I know my drinking limits, it is the hidden butter, creams and fats that I have to watch. Over all, I cannot wait and I really cannot wait to see the view from our Aft balcony! :D

 

Sounds like this is a very much needed vacay! Yes, drink you will! We had the AIBP on our cruise (was a perk, we didn't pay for it) and I took complete advantage of it! Before dinner drinks, after dinner drinks, espresso drinks, you name it! Talk to the head waiter when you board about any food issues. I felt like they would have done whatever we needed. They just seemed very accommodating and were wonderful! Enjoy every minute!

[Cinerama]

I know my drinking limits, it is the hidden butter, creams and fats that I have to watch. Over all, I cannot wait and I really cannot wait to see the view from our Aft balcony! :D

 

My wife is lactose intolerant. She just enters that information on the Cruise Personalizer. The head waiter should come over with the next days menu so he can go over what you can eat. Avoid eating at the buffet.

[Katwoman007]

My wife is lactose intolerant. She just enters that information on the Cruise Personalizer. The head waiter should come over with the next days menu so he can go over what you can eat. Avoid eating at the buffet.

 

I do plan on bringing lactaid and using it before any bite of anything. It really is hit or miss, but I do not want too many misses. I will look into that for sure! I know I cannot eat certain vegetables now, but I have been getting my tolerance up if they were to touch or be cooked with something I can eat. Before, I could not handle it. Slow and steady!! As for the buffet, I was thinking that could be a good idea if I was up for a salad, maybe?

 

By chance do you recall if they have the option for fatfree/low fat milk with any of the coffee drinks? I can totally hit up Starbucks if I have nonfat milk, but was not sure how cruise fun coffees go! :) Thanks!

[skynight]

 

By chance do you recall if they have the option for fatfree/low fat milk with any of the coffee drinks? I can totally hit up Starbucks if I have nonfat milk, but was not sure how cruise fun coffees go! :) Thanks!

They have skim milk in the buffet and the DR's. You can get "skinny" espresso drinks at the espresso bar.

[Katwoman007]

They have skim milk in the buffet and the DR's. You can get "skinny" espresso drinks at the espresso bar.

 

Much thanks!! I get Starbucks all confused with the non-fat, but it is the milk I need, not the million types of syrups or such. haha I am expecting to learn how to enjoy more coffee type drinks that do not include the word frappaccino during my mornings on the ship. ;)

[keithm]

Don't expect the raunchy comedians. Expect older passengers. Expect people who are more into relaxing. Don't expect cursing or vomiting. Don't expect a lot of tattoos. Don't expect gaudy color schemes.

Hate saying it, but the first week of our 2016 B2B trip on the Regal in 2016 was pretty disgusting. Lots of southern trailer trash(yeah, go ahead & flame me!)Turned out to be a lot of Carolina Panther fans on board. The second week they were all gone & the cruise was what I'd expect of Princess. We were on the Eclipse the year before during the super bowl & saw NONE of that behavior, so I attribute it to the fans. Never saw so much drunkenness on a ship in my life. No vomit, so I'll give it that. I just make sure we don't cruise at that time anymore. Overall I'd say the clientele is more laid back & much less "ghetto" as mentioned earlier.

[keithm]

Thank you, everyone, for your replies. I feel better about Princess now. I was a little worried that I would be lost at sea on a Princess ship, but it sounds like I will be with fun-loving people. It does sound like I need to expand my musical tastes to include the 1960's era.

 

Do I really need to try Sabatini's or The Crown Grill? If the food in the MDR is going to be such an upgrade from Carnival, I almost feel like dining in a restaurant with a surcharge isn't necessary.

 

 

Do Princess ships have good libraries or are they an after-thought like on Carnival?

The food on the Regal was very nice in the MDR(we do early seating)Ambience is nicer in CG/Sab. but their steaks are pretty lame. Sea food was outstanding there, however & very good overall in the MDR. The Regal has the only buffet that I thought was at times surprisingly better than the MDR. I heartily recommend checking the nightly menu. If it doesn't appeal try the buffet instead.

Edited May 18, 2017 by keithm
spelling

[joepeka]

Just a guess here: Perhaps it means fewer tattoos, less swearing, lack of puking in the elevator. Like I said, just a guess as I can't really speak for what the poster meant.

 

And I'm going to guess you also cannot speak from a lot of personal experience actually cruising on Carnival? :confused:

 

OP: Like you, we have a fair number of cruises with Carnival (as well as RCI and HAL) and are seriously contemplating our next booking with Princess. This board has been very helpful in that regard as well as recommendations from our TA (who I assume has no hidden agenda!) so I will be hoping to read your experiences here once you return and also hoping they are positive. :)

[keithm]

Yeah, right:confused:

Go to YOUTUBE & type in cruise ship fights. Thrak is right. Ghetto is ghetto. Stop being so "PC" & see it as it is.

[keithm]

Where do they serve afternoon tea? We too will be first time Princess passengers in August, and are very much looking forward to it. We have sailed with Seabourn, Seadream, Royal, Celebrity, and Carnival (once!).

Please keep up with the helpful tips- they are all most appreciated. Very excited for this trip to Scandinavia, and would love any info anyone has, esp in regards to those with experience with this itinerary. Thank you very much in advance!

Tea will be served in one of the dining rooms. Not as nice as Cunard, but far superior to Celebrity. On the Regal, they offered an extra cost tea service. It cost us about $20. The tea was nicer as were the "goodies". Not sure they'll have it on your ship. Worth the price I felt.