Trying Princess for a second time!

[louanne93]

My husband and I are Carnival cruisers. We love the go, go, go FUN atmosphere. The first time we went on Princess we had a good time but the night life and activities seem to be lacking. We got a lot of sleep on this cruise as it seemed everyone went to bed by 8.

We booked a Thanksgiving cruise on Princess because it was over $500 cheaper for a better balcony cabin then on Carnival. I am trying to go in with a positive attitude but I am a bit nervous about the lack of night time activities. Wondering if I should have just paid the extra $500 and went with Carnival.

The first Princess cruise we took was a Pacific Coastal cruise. This one is a Mexican Riveria cruise. I heard the colder the cruise, the older the cruise (hence the lack of night time energy on the Pacific Coastal cruise). This one is a warmer destination so I am hoping there will be a younger (50's) crowd as we are going for my 50th birthday celebration!

[Micahs Grandad]

My husband and I are Carnival cruisers. We love the go, go, go FUN atmosphere. The first time we went on Princess we had a good time but the night life and activities seem to be lacking. We got a lot of sleep on this cruise as it seemed everyone went to bed by 8.

We booked a Thanksgiving cruise on Princess because it was over $500 cheaper for a better balcony cabin then on Carnival. I am trying to go in with a positive attitude but I am a bit nervous about the lack of night time activities. Wondering if I should have just paid the extra $500 and went with Carnival.

The first Princess cruise we took was a Pacific Coastal cruise. This one is a Mexican Riveria cruise. I heard the colder the cruise, the older the cruise (hence the lack of night time energy on the Pacific Coastal cruise). This one is a warmer destination so I am hoping there will be a younger (50's) crowd as we are going for my 50th birthday celebration!

 

We are Diamond on Carnival and have a bunch we have now done with Princess.

 

They typically have production shows or flyons at 8 and 10am so no idea why you think everyone is in bed at 8 pm.

 

Also they do have a couple of bands and DJ playing later on as well.

 

Will say the longer the cruise the older the crowd on both cruise lines

[beachgoddess]

We are Diamond on Carnival and have a bunch we have now done with Princess.

 

They typically have production shows or flyons at 8 and 10am so no idea why you think everyone is in bed at 8 pm.

 

Also they do have a couple of bands and DJ playing later on as well.

 

Will say the longer the cruise the older the crowd on both cruise lines

You said 8 & 10AM. That's why everyone is in bed at 8PM. [emoji16]

 

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[sanmarcosman]

 

They typically have production shows or flyons at 8 and 10am

That's early even for assisted living. :)

[Luke Dawg]

My husband and I are Carnival cruisers. We love the go, go, go FUN atmosphere. The first time we went on Princess we had a good time but the night life and activities seem to be lacking. We got a lot of sleep on this cruise as it seemed everyone went to bed by 8.

We booked a Thanksgiving cruise on Princess because it was over $500 cheaper for a better balcony cabin then on Carnival. I am trying to go in with a positive attitude but I am a bit nervous about the lack of night time activities. Wondering if I should have just paid the extra $500 and went with Carnival.

The first Princess cruise we took was a Pacific Coastal cruise. This one is a Mexican Riveria cruise. I heard the colder the cruise, the older the cruise (hence the lack of night time energy on the Pacific Coastal cruise). This one is a warmer destination so I am hoping there will be a younger (50's) crowd as we are going for my 50th birthday celebration!

 

 

Totally agree, going on our second Princess 11/24. Long time Carnival cruisers, done 4 Royal, 1 Princess, 1 NCL. My wife and I truly enjoyed the relaxed experience on Princess. Yes, they lack the night life and we will return to Carnival probably next year. We will continue to do all three for the foreseeable future

[Micahs Grandad]

You said 8 & 10AM. That's why everyone is in bed at 8PM. [emoji16]

 

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oops:) whats 12 hours amongst friends

[Tapi]

My belief is that Princess is not necessarily for older people, but for people that appreciate a bit more sophisticated ambiance and more attention to detail, regardless of age.

 

With that said, I only have one Princess cruise under my belt, but it was absolutely wonderful. Like you said, it didn’t provide the energy level that Carnival provides, but we were looking for a more sedate, upscale experience, with more attention to detail, quality, and a bit more brain stimulating entertainment. So Princess delivered what we were looking for.

 

Had we been looking for Carnival’s laid back, high energy, and less cerebral entertainment, we would’ve been highly disappointed with Princess. But we went with the right expectations and loved it.

 

 

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[evandbob]

I've only sailed Princess in the Med and Alaska, so with all day long excursions in every port, late dining, and an hour or two of casino donations, we didn't miss much by being in bed by midnight or 1 am.

[jewel825]

My husband and I are Carnival cruisers. We love the go, go, go FUN atmosphere. The first time we went on Princess we had a good time but the night life and activities seem to be lacking. We got a lot of sleep on this cruise as it seemed everyone went to bed by 8.

We booked a Thanksgiving cruise on Princess because it was over $500 cheaper for a better balcony cabin then on Carnival. I am trying to go in with a positive attitude but I am a bit nervous about the lack of night time activities. Wondering if I should have just paid the extra $500 and went with Carnival.

The first Princess cruise we took was a Pacific Coastal cruise. This one is a Mexican Riveria cruise. I heard the colder the cruise, the older the cruise (hence the lack of night time energy on the Pacific Coastal cruise). This one is a warmer destination so I am hoping there will be a younger (50's) crowd as we are going for my 50th birthday celebration!

 

I've only been on one Princess cruise and it was a bit "snoozeville". We were on a family reunion trip with 3 generations so I figured we would have a lot of activities and stuff going on with everyone. The reality was every generation was in bed early. There was nothing to do! My kids were 10 and 13 at the time and there was nothing for them to do after dinner. Even the kids clubs really weren't happening. It was an Alaska cruise so maybe that had something to do with it.

[c-boy]

the colder, the older huh.. ya got me thinkin/reminiscing now.

[buddylover]

Been on 2 Princess cruises, one in Alaska and one Caribbean....both were fabulous. The Regal Princess was the BEST ship we have ever been on......it was gorgeous, the food was just incredible and the entertainment was leagues above any CCL cruise we have been on. To each his own, but I think you will have a great time and there is much to do if you are so inclined on Princess as well.

[shof515]

i am going on the Regal Princess next month, my first princess cruise

[xDisconnections]

Night life will still be lacking compared to Carnival.

[cabin4three]

We have been on about 8 - 10 Princess Cruises, the entertainment and liveliness of the other passengers varied enormously between cruise itineraries and sail date.

 

Two Princess cruises in Caribbean were full of entertainment (shows, music, DJ's) impromptu parties on deck and large groups from Puerto Rico who made the entire cruises feel like a party - no way was anyone asleep by 8pm :D There was singing dancing and a lot of laughter every night! Most onboard were under 50. This was before we had children! so the dancing in the corridors in the early hours wasn't a problem

 

Princess cruises in Med have been less party than the Caribbean, but still lots to do in evening, shows, bars, music, films, nightclub etc very mixed ages, we have been a few times with and without toddler. Some shorter (cheaper) cruise had a younger crowd and the entertainment did reflect it, especially in school holiday times,

 

Princess cruise to Norwegian Fjords and arctic circle was definitely an older crowd (though we had an 18 month old!) it was quieter around the ship. But that suited us (and our toddler) just fine.

[Tapi]

...impromptu parties on deck and large groups from Puerto Rico who made the entire cruises feel like a party - no way was anyone asleep by 8pm :D.

 

 

Those crazy Puertoricans definitely know how to party. (I know, because I’m one of them! [emoji23]).

 

 

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[zetaome]

I heard the colder the cruise, the older the cruise (hence the lack of night time energy on the Pacific Coastal cruise).

 

That's a great quote!! I'd never heard it before - but makes perfect sense!! One of my more recent Carnival Cruises was to Alaska, and the cruise director commented many times on how there was no one out and about after 9:00 pm!!!

 

I choose Princess more often than not, but my idea of a great night is curling up with their cozy blankets and watching the Movies Under the Stars!!

 

 

Happy Cruising!

[louanne93]

the colder, the older huh.. ya got me thinkin/reminiscing now.

 

I learned that from someone on the Pacific Coastal cruise out of San Francisco! Lol!

[louanne93]

This is how I feel!!

 

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[riclop]

Every cruise is different.

[OCruisers]

Not all Princess cruises are the same ... lots depends on the pax base on the ship.

We've never been on one where a main bar (especially Crooner's) that is not active with live music until at least 11 PM.

There's a late night bar (called Skywalkers on many Princess ships) that is open with a DJ as long as enough people are there.

Then, there can be other fun things that just happen. We've been up until after 2:00 AM in the Cigar Bar many times ... guest entertainers who smoke cigars and such were there and continued to be entertaining. :D

[Rosefloater]

I've been on 10 Princess cruises, all from San Pedro. I like to compare Princess and Carnival this way: the fastest song sung at karaoke on a 4 day Princess cruise was 'My Way' by Frank Sinatra. And on the Golden Princess, the piano bar (which is just off the walkway near Guest Services) reminded me of an old age home with the piano player singing 1940's Broadway show tunes and the people in the seats either clapping in time or sleeping.

 

But the two best positives for Princess are the comedy shows and the casino.

 

I like that the R rated comedy shows comedians don't drop f-bombs just to get a laugh. The material is adult themed without all the f-bombs.

 

Also the casino is almost non-smoking. We were on the Ruby Princess in March and only about 25% of the slots were for smokers. The bar and the tables games were all non-smoking. And the casino workers were actually enforcing the rule.

 

If you like pineapple juice at breakfast, DO NOT get it on Princess. It is brown and has a tinny taste. I get it on every cruise hoping they will have changed it, but it is still the same.

 

Out of the two, we prefer Carnival. The crew is friendlier and seem to be happy whereas the Princess crew seem to be going thru the motions.

 

We now will only cruise Princess for the itinerary.

Edited September 6, 2018 by Rosefloater

[louanne93]

I've been on 10 Princess cruises, all from San Pedro. I like to compare Princess and Carnival this way: the fastest song sung at karaoke on a 4 day Princess cruise was 'My Way' by Frank Sinatra. And on the Golden Princess, the piano bar (which is just off the walkway near Guest Services) reminded me of an old age home with the piano player singing 1940's Broadway show tunes and the people in the seats either clapping in time or sleeping.

 

But the two best positives for Princess are the comedy shows and the casino.

 

I like that the R rated comedy shows comedians don't drop f-bombs just to get a laugh. The material is adult themed without all the f-bombs.

 

Also the casino is almost non-smoking. We were on the Ruby Princess in March and only about 25% of the slots were for smokers. The bar and the tables games were all non-smoking. And the casino workers were actually enforcing the rule.

 

If you like pineapple juice at breakfast, DO NOT get it on Princess. It is brown and has a tinny taste. I get it on every cruise hoping they will have changed it, but it is still the same.

 

Out of the two, we prefer Carnival. The crew is friendlier and seem to be happy whereas the Princess crew seem to be going thru the motions.

 

We now will only cruise Princess for the itinerary.

 

That's funny! I love pinapple juice. I will definetly NOT get it! Lol!

[luckyinpa]

i am going on the Regal Princess next month, my first princess cruise

 

that was my 1st princess too (last october) and going back next month to her. except for muster i though the ship was empty and everyone got off. but i dont mind no crowds. also theres a lot of indoor seating for bad weather days. we had 2 so the things to do inside were good with us

 

and the international cafe is somewhere u could eat and skip the buffet even. so yum. regal is a very classy ship and i really loved it. though i've heard older princess has much larger balconies but as i was coming from NCL.they were exactly the same or a bit better even :) so i was good.

[SkyMaster]

I'm Diamond on Carnival, and Platinum (I think) on Princess. I've always enjoyed the entertainment aboard Princess, and certainly don't ever find a lack of GREAT entertainment aboard. As noted, every cruise is a bit different, but I've never had a bad Princess cruise. I LOVE the buffet on Lido compared to Carnival.

 

 

 

"SKY"

[louanne93]

I'm Diamond on Carnival, and Platinum (I think) on Princess. I've always enjoyed the entertainment aboard Princess, and certainly don't ever find a lack of GREAT entertainment aboard. As noted, every cruise is a bit different, but I've never had a bad Princess cruise. I LOVE the buffet on Lido compared to Carnival.

 

 

 

"SKY"

 

This is great to hear! Thanks so much.