difference between carnival and princess

[seagoer1973]

Going to take our first princess cruise.

Are there any noticeable differences between cruise lines?   "Carnival vs Princess"

Edited September 29, 2022 by seagoer1973

[seagoer1973]

I know both owned by Carnival Corp.

[cruzin4us]

Simplicity speaking here:

 

Carnival tends to be more of a party ship and the age of the average passenger less than that of Princess.   Carnival seems to have more activities such as hairy leg contests, belly flop contests, etc.   Princess typically doesn't do this.

 

Princess tends to be a bit more subdued.   The average age of the passengers is a bit older than Carnival.

 

I've cruised both lines numerous times and now being older I guess, I prefer the more quiet atmosphere of Princess.   Both are fun to cruise on and I'd sail on Carnival if the price/itinerary was right.   But if all things were equal, I'd choose Princess.

[Asquare]

I have never been on a Carnival cruise but my friends have cruised many times as Carnival cruises out of Galveston.  They recently cruised on their first Princess cruise and said the biggest difference is how much quieter it is.  They were used to cruising with their extended families and found that Princess was geared much more to adults and found the entertainment to be a big step up from Carnival.  They are not foodies but said the buffet was better on Princess but didn’t notice that big a difference in MDR.  

[mjmalino]

I have cruised both, but admittedly only once on Carnival a few years ago. Our sons, who were teenagers at the time, asked to try Carnival. After, they said they wanted to go back to Princess.🤷‍♀️

[riffatsea]

We have sailed both lines numerous times

Carnival gets more families with young children

Princess is definitely quieter

We book suites now and Princess offers more perks for those bookings

The suite cabins are nicer than those on Carnival

We do miss the comedy club that Carnival ships have on board

Princess has more musical entertainment and fewer comedians which we prefer

[dreaminofcruisin]

I'm pretty much a Princess cruiser, but did take a Carnival cruise with family in March. I found there are things better on each line. I think the biggest 'pro' on Princess is a higher level of service. Servers come to your table in the buffet and offer you beverages (alcoholic or not). It just 'feels' like the crew is a higher level. I also found on Carnival, drinks were more specific to the bar. On Princess, any bar is able to make any drink, pretty much and they will even make things not on the menu. The Medallion app, though it has a lot of glitches still, does offer some nice options. There are MANY more TV / Movie options in your stateroom on Princess. I agree that Princess is quieter and less crowded / less lines to stand in. Princess doesn't require you to sign a piece of paper every time you get a beverage, especially with the drinks package. 

 

The 'cons' on Princess are that Carnival has a much better beer selection, balcony cabins all have a loveseat/couch, more fast food options other than the buffet (thinking of Blue Iguana and the sandwich place in the buffet). Also, I keep hoping Princess will upgrade their music selections to more options that are songs written in my lifetime (and I am in my 60s!).

 

I would go on Carnival again, but still perfer Princess if given the choice.

 

[malba2366]

Carnival is more fun for kids, but there are also enough people on the cruise who behave in a manner that I do not enjoy being around them.  Princess is a much more relaxed cruise, and while I enjoy it the kids find it a little boring.  With children Princess is great for Alaska and other places where the destination is a priority over the ship; other than that I prefer Disney and Royal Caribbean if it is a cruise where we are going mainly for the shipboard experience (ie. Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda).

[sonomaphil]

Carnival = Chevrolet

Princess = Buick

 

Same parent company (CCL and GM) but subtle differences in brands. 

[Yehootu]

Carnival is great if you sail while schools are in.

Food availability is a lot better on Princess,ie: hours of availability

Carnival breakfast buffet is a no go, but the Huevos Rancheros at Blue Iguana are a hit

Carnival rooms ( only have done balcony/suite ) have a small loveseat. No bitching about missing barrel chair.

Carnival has better comedians ( tell me one time a Princess comedian DIDN'T have a joke about shower curtain or no window in cabin as they are underwater. Rinse/Repeat/Rinse.........)

Princess a lot quieter.

Carnival more choices of specialty food venues.

Guys Burgers have at least 100% of daily sodium intake.

As far as I know, no big fights on Princess.

Enjoy Carnival, when with our kids and grandkids, Princess when we go alone to relax.

 

 

 

[firefighter4u]

Carnival - a little more "fun"

 

Princess - more civilized passengers

[CineGraphic]

The interior spaces look more like a hotel versus an amusement park.

No bright colors, or neon lights on Princess. Everything is warmer/calmer.

[Kay S]

I have loyalty on Carnival and Princess.  Princess is "classier."  Carnival, IMO, has better food.  I really miss the deli on Carnival when I'm on Princess. Room service breakfast on Carnival is better.  Guy's burgers are so superior to Princess's, it's not even a contest. I have also had better customer service with Carnival, on balance.  Both are good with kids, though Carnival caters to them more.

[cali-croozer]

Here's one thing: Carnival has recently cut back on late night buffet options, and room service items, after 10am, are no longer complimentary (they still offer coffee and continental breakfast room service in the morning free). There have been complaints that after dinner, the only option, besides paid room service sandwiches, is pizza, and the line is long because of that.  

[jasbo49]

8 hours ago, seagoer1973 said:

Going to take our first princess cruise.

Are there any noticeable differences between cruise lines?   "Carnival vs Princess"

The civil, constructive way to put it is: I expect you'll be happy you tried Princess. 

 

Jim

[sabreline]

8 hours ago, seagoer1973 said:

Going to take our first princess cruise.

Are there any noticeable differences between cruise lines?   "Carnival vs Princess"

OMG!!!!! Like night and day! No drunken brawls at 5AM on Princess!

[windsor26]

6 minutes ago, sabreline said:

OMG!!!!! Like night and day! No drunken brawls at 5AM on Princess!

Misleading comment

  We were on a Carnival cruise Sydney to Hawaii then going on to Alaska

Normal fun and happy cruise (as we also find on Princess)

2 days out from Hawaii we were advised that the ship had a load of Australian preference beer on board which USA clients were not keen on so that night everyone could have free beer!!

It was true   the were tables lined with large glasses of beer and everyone could help themselves (in a side note we do not drink beer and the waiters kept us supplied with free wine instead)

There were no noisy sessions no fights and no drunkeness we saw at all all night - just happy cruisers

Edited September 29, 2022 by windsor26

[sabreline]

1 minute ago, windsor26 said:

Misleading comment

  We were on a Carnival cruise Sydney to Hawaii then going on to Alaska

Normal fun and happy cruise (as we also find on Princess)

2 days out from Hawaii we were advised that the ship had a load of Australian preference beer on board which USA clients were not keen on so that night everyone could have free beer!!

It was true   the were tables lined with large glasses of beer and everyone could help themselves (in a side note we do not drink beer and the waiters kept us supplied with free wine instead)

There were no noisy sessions no fights and no drunkeness we saw at all all night - just happy cruisers

I would imagine it was a MUCH older crowd on your trip. 

[windsor26]

13 minutes ago, sabreline said:

I would imagine it was a MUCH older crowd on your trip. 

No you are not correct - I will give you that due to the length of the cruise we did not have any stage or hen parties on board but otherwise the usual crowd we have encountered

[Kay S]

30 minutes ago, sabreline said:

OMG!!!!! Like night and day! No drunken brawls at 5AM on Princess!

The drunken brawls are not restricted to 5 am.  🙂  The drunks tend to happen on the 3-4 day party cruises not on longer ones.

[sloopsailor]

38 minutes ago, Kay S said:

The drunken brawls are not restricted to 5 am.  🙂  The drunks tend to happen on the 3-4 day party cruises not on longer ones.

 

The point is, that they happen much more often on Carnival than on Princess, no matter the time of day or the length of the cruise. I can't remember a single report of a fight on a Princess cruise, but have seen dozens of cell phone videos of fights on different Carnival cruises.

 

Just a different type of passengers on Carnival. 

[Thrak]

Don't believe I've ever heard the "f bomb" dropped on a Princess cruise. I'm told it's fairly common on Carnival. I've never seen a fist fight on Princess but have seen several videos of this "activity" on Carnival.

 

Full Disclosure: I've never sailed on Carnival.

[san diego sue]

I tried Carnival a few weeks ago. The Carnival Panorama out of Long Beach.

Expected nothing and got everything. Prior to the cruise had need to call Carnival , call was answered very quickly , problem I had solved in minutes.

Ship had some very modern conveniences that Princess doesn't have even on their new ship. Great elevator system.

Food venues are many. Some restaurants that are fee at night are free for lunch. The best hamburgers ever. Same with their deli, Omelet stations, Burrito bar etc. They still have fixed dining as well as anytime.On our 7 day cruise, there were four production shows that were incredible. Last Princess cruise in July , on 10 day cruise, one production show. Comedy club with two different comedians each night. We went to see four different performers. You could see both the comedy and production shows in same night.Everything timed for seeing the most entertainment.

Balcony cabin had a full size sofa. Regular balcony  had two lounge chairs and table,although not large, you could still stretch out (not like Discovery, Royal , Regal etc).

As far as passengers, found people were very polite, no drunken behavior, very friendly people.

We have been very loyal Princess cruisers and have been Elite for over 10 years. We will continue cruising Princess,  but it was nice experiencing something new. For us Princess  feels familiar and we are used to it. However, we have decided to also try  some other lines every once in a while to mix it up.

Edited September 29, 2022 by san diego sue

[MsSoCalCruiser]

29 minutes ago, Thrak said:

Don't believe I've ever heard the "f bomb" dropped on a Princess cruise. I'm told it's fairly common on Carnival. I've never seen a fist fight on Princess but have seen several videos of this "activity" on Carnival.

 

Full Disclosure: I've never sailed on Carnival.

One of the worst cruises I’ve ever been on was a 3 day Princess cruise filled with kickball players.  They took over the ship, were trashed the entire time, and you heard “f bombs” nonstop.  It was just awful.

[Kay S]

34 minutes ago, Thrak said:

I've never seen a fist fight on Princess but have seen several videos of this "activity" on Carnival.

Maybe that's because a video of a drunken brawl is more likely to turn up on YouTube than one of people sitting on deck chairs reading books.  🙂  "Babe, you gotta come see this video!  This lady on Princess is reading a book and she turned the page!"