difference between carnival and princess

[CruizinSusan70]

8 hours ago, JeffT237 said:

I have sailed Carnival, Royal and most recently our first Princess cruise.  IMO they are very similar as far as experience and service.  The differences I see are in technology, ship design and build, decor etc.  Guests do tend to be older and there is a less party atmosphere on Princess than the other 2.  For the OP not knowing if you are cruising with kids, as a couple, age, budget or personal interests it's hard to recommend one over the other.  We sailed several Carnival cruises with our kids when they were young and enjoyed them all.  As we now cruise just as a couple we have moved on from Carnival as we feel it no longer suits us.  

 

As for types of passengers across all 3 brands we've come across we have met and witnessed many friendly passengers as well as witnessing many rude and drunk passengers on all 3 lines as well.  There always seems to be a perception or judgement of each cruise line's type of passengers and it's usually favorable to the commenters favorite cruise line and unfavorable to the competitions.  Our last cruise was on Princess and we witnessed more rude and abusive passenger behavior towards the crew and fellow passengers than we had on all of our other cruises combined.  This was due more to the Crown issues than alcohol, but definitely some were alcohol related.  With the drink packages this will often be an issue in the cruise industry. This won't stop us from cruising on Princess, we set sail in a few weeks on the Discovery.

Sail on one of the Excel Class ships from Carnival when the kids are in school.  They really upped their game and it's nothing like the rest of the fleet.  Spent two weeks on the Discovery in April and had a great time, just like our four weeks spent this year on the Mardi Gras.

[CruizinSusan70]

2 hours ago, sloopsailor said:

 

To those who insist on having laundry facilities available, I ask:

 

Do you clean your own cabin and make your own bed on a cruise? Do you cook your own meals and wash your own cutlery and plates after a meal on a cruise? No! So why do your own laundry???? 

 

I would wager that the majority of passengers never used the onboard laundry facilities. I know in all my years of cruising, my wife and I never even once considered using them when they were available, even when our kids were with us. We are of the belief that we are on vacation to get away from doing mundane household chores, so we don't do them. We want to focus on having fun, not doing house work. We do enough chores at home when we aren't trying to enjoy a vacation. 

 

 

 

Have never done laundry on 45 cruises.  The longest we have done is 14 days, but if we ever did 20+ days, I believe that some laundry would need to be done.

[CruizinSusan70]

1 hour ago, CineGraphic said:

 

You're right. Once was enough.

17 years ago on the Glory.  Much has changed since then.

[CineGraphic]

2 minutes ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

17 years ago on the Glory.  Much has changed since then.

 

I've seen what the ships look like on Youtube, and it's not for us.

[CruizinSusan70]

5 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

 

I've seen what the ships look like on Youtube, and it's not for us.

Then I guess you will not be sailing on the Sun Princess.

[CineGraphic]

2 minutes ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Then I guess you will not be sailing on the Sun Princess.

 

Our sailing on the Enchanted may very well be our last with Princess.

We've already cancelled our Quebec to FLL on the Caribbean and booked with Virgin instead.

[NownZen]

1 hour ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Have never done laundry on 45 cruises.  The longest we have done is 14 days, but if we ever did 20+ days, I believe that some laundry would need to be done.

My wife will not let me wear a shirt that long.  I tell her that with social distancing the socks, shirt and underwear would be good for several more days (credit to whoever first said this). We do laundry every night so then it does not matter how long the cruise or trip is. We are old people but a few years back we did a six week trip with just a backpack (senior citizen size, not the 18 year old large strong person size).

We will not do a cruise under 14 days as we are just getting settled in at that point.

[mammajamma2013]

On 9/29/2022 at 4:34 PM, sloopsailor said:

 

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. 

We saw our only fight on Princess. While we've only sailed Carnival once, there were no fights.

[mammajamma2013]

On 9/30/2022 at 2:23 AM, caribill said:

Princess has laundry rooms that passengers can use with washers and dryers (fees) and ironing boards with irons (free to use).

 

Carnival does not.

Carnival Vista does.

[mammajamma2013]

17 hours ago, sloopsailor said:

 

To those who insist on having laundry facilities available, I ask:

 

Do you clean your own cabin and make your own bed on a cruise? Do you cook your own meals and wash your own cutlery and plates after a meal on a cruise? No! So why do your own laundry???? 

 

I would wager that the majority of passengers never used the onboard laundry facilities. I know in all my years of cruising, my wife and I never even once considered using them when they were available, even when our kids were with us. We are of the belief that we are on vacation to get away from doing mundane household chores, so we don't do them. We want to focus on having fun, not doing house work. We do enough chores at home when we aren't trying to enjoy a vacation. 

 

 

 

 

That''s you and your family, and good for you. No I don't wash the dishes, but I do tidy my room. I prefer self-serve laundry facilities so that I don''t have to pack as much and I frankly enjoy doing a load of laundry mid-cruise. We're doing a two week Norwegian cruise in about four months and I'm not looking forward to packing enough clothes to last the two weeks. I'd prefer doing one or two loads of laundry than lugging that much baggage.

[sloopsailor]

9 minutes ago, mammajamma2013 said:

That''s you and your family, and good for you. No I don't wash the dishes, but I do tidy my room. I prefer self-serve laundry facilities so that I don''t have to pack as much and I frankly enjoy doing a load of laundry mid-cruise. We're doing a two week Norwegian cruise in about four months and I'm not looking forward to packing enough clothes to last the two weeks. I'd prefer doing one or two loads of laundry than lugging that much baggage.

 

No one needs to pack enough clothes for two weeks.

 

We don't "lug" much baggage. We simply budget to send our clothes to the laundry service on board. Like budgeting to pay for the cruise itself, and travel to the cruise ship port, any specialty dining, shore excursions, souvenirs for family and friends, etc., we budget to have our laundry done. An extra $100 per two week cruise allows us to pack smart, and cruise worry free about dirty laundry or needing to bring two weeks worth of clothing. 

 

It's a choice. We value our "down" time much more than spending an additional $100 for laundry service. We've been on 21 day cruises and have never needed to do our own laundry, all with only two suitcases between my wife and I. It can be done if you want to. 

[justafem]

I've been on 5 princess cruises and 3 carnival cruises this year.  

 

Carnival is much cheaper and there's always another cheap cruise right around the corner, while princess takes planning, tricks and jumping right on that deal to get a better price.

 

Princess has the plus (and premium) program, carnival doesn't.  I would never consider getting the booze package on carnival or princess at $70 per person per day, while traveling with hubby, but we always get plus.

 

Food:

Princess seems to have better dining rooms, the food, atmosphere and service are exceptional.  Carnival seems to have lesser food quality, servers are more like cafeteria workers (very large areas) and dinner service seems to take a LONG time.  I was actually told on carnival to keep my fork for the next course, which isn't the thing on princess.

 

Carnival has better lunches, more variety, broken down into restaurant types.  Princess has the buffet.  

 

Carnival's menu is unchanging other than a couple items.  Princess's changes daily, with a small 'always available' section.

 

Everything in the dining room is available in the buffet on carnival, doesn't seem to be a difference in consistency between the venues.  Princess has a noticeable consistency differences IF they have the same items available.

 

Most of the items are free room service on princess, carnival now charges for almost everything. 

 

International cafe is a great bonus on princess, no such thing on carnival.

 

Dining closes at 9 on carnival, after that it's sandwiches (until 11) or pizza until 4.  Princess, buffet closes at 11, international sometimes open 24, sometimes until 1.  

 

Entertainment:

Princess comedians tell the same 'shower curtain' joke, every show, every comedian, every ship.  Carnival's comedians seem to be funnier, more current and more profane.  Shows are shorter on carnival. 

 

Production shows are about equal on both lines, but IMO, the stage changing heights, 3-D shows and guest interaction are much better on carnival.  

 

There are always guest speakers on princess, carnival is minimal or nonexistent. 

 

Trivia seems to happen at least once per hour, all day, every day on carnival.  Princess has trivia 2-3 times a day. 

 

Rooms:

Carnival anything over an inside have a couch.  Princess, no couch unless mini-suite or above. 

 

Beds are about the same comfort on both lines

 

Princess has a vast library of on-demand and LARGE TVs.  Carnival has small TVs and a rotating schedule.  

 

Balconies seem larger on carnival. 

 

Other things.

I thoroughly enjoy the drink stations on carnival.  That's something I miss when on princess. 

Alcoholic beverages seem stronger on princess. 

Medallion is great (when it works).  I can order almost anything to any location and it's there (most of the time) before I could grab it myself.  Then again, I've ordered drinks to have it say it was delivered and I never received.  Later found it in my room or never found it. 

 

Embarkation and disembarkation is a cluster on carnival.  No idea what the issue is, but it's always disorganized.  

 

Carnivals staff seems to genuinely want to engage, crew are encouraged to chat.  Princess seems less chatty. 

 

Bar service on carnival seems slower.

 

Princess offers better benefits the higher you advance.  

 

Pax on carnival are friendly!  I rarely notice the 'better than you's'.  There's less bragging.  More 'hi ya's' and everyone is just happy to be on vacation.  

 

I'm sure there's more I'll think of after I hit submit, but these are what I've noticed. 

[Kay S]

18 hours ago, captain_pugwash said:

 

Justafeme, do you usually sail from the same or nearby ports?  I agree with you on some of your points, but my experience has been different for others.  I live on the West Coast, and for years, our Carnival choices consisted largely of the Inspiration and Imagination (both on the scrap heap now) with short cruises to Mexico and maybe another stop in the US (San Diego, Catalina Island).  These were the infamous "booze cruise" voyages that helped give Carnival its bad name.  I have done Mexican Riviera cruises on some larger ships (the Spirit was a favorite) and fair share of those shorter trips.  I never saw a fist fight, but I did see plenty of drunks.  On the analogous Princess shorties, drunks were never a problem.  I attribute much of that to the age demographic.  Carnival passengers tended to be young adults and Princess passengers were more "mature."  Whether this is a function of geography, I don't know.  Are East Coast departures any different?

 

PS  I still think Carnival has it all over Princess in the casual dining choices.

 

 

[CruizinSusan70]

6 hours ago, mammajamma2013 said:

Carnival Vista does.

Every ship in the Carnival fleet does with the exceptions of the Excel Class and I believe the Luminosa which just came over from Costa, which means there are more Carnival ships with facilities than Princess ships.

[justafem]

4 hours ago, Kay S said:

Justafeme, do you usually sail from the same or nearby ports?  I agree with you on some of your points, but my experience has been different for others.  I live on the West Coast, and for years, our Carnival choices consisted largely of the Inspiration and Imagination (both on the scrap heap now) with short cruises to Mexico and maybe another stop in the US (San Diego, Catalina Island).  These were the infamous "booze cruise" voyages that helped give Carnival its bad name.  I have done Mexican Riviera cruises on some larger ships (the Spirit was a favorite) and fair share of those shorter trips.  I never saw a fist fight, but I did see plenty of drunks.  On the analogous Princess shorties, drunks were never a problem.  I attribute much of that to the age demographic.  Carnival passengers tended to be young adults and Princess passengers were more "mature."  Whether this is a function of geography, I don't know.  Are East Coast departures any different?

 

PS  I still think Carnival has it all over Princess in the casual dining choices.

 

 

I did a 'booze cruise' in May (4 days), then did an Alaskan in June and again in Sept.  

 

Hubs and I have decided we like princess more, BUT at the price, we'll sail carnival.  

 

I've personally decided, when it's him and I, we'll go princess, when it's me, on my own, I'll go carnival.  Yeah, the price difference is that much.

Edited October 1, 2022 by justafem

[mammajamma2013]

19 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Every ship in the Carnival fleet does with the exceptions of the Excel Class and I believe the Luminosa which just came over from Costa, which means there are more Carnival ships with facilities than Princess ships.

Thanks. I was responding to the "Carnival doesn't have pax laundry facilites" remark; the only Carnival ship I've been on is Vista. I've been on five Princess ships, which all had laundry facilities, so can't speak on Carnival having more. 

[CruizinSusan70]

1 minute ago, mammajamma2013 said:

Thanks. I was responding to the "Carnival doesn't have pax laundry facilites" remark; the only Carnival ship I've been on is Vista. I've been on five Princess ships, which all had laundry facilities, so can't speak on Carnival having more. 

The only reason Carnival has more is because Carnival has more ships.  I believe they are available in 100% of the Princess fleet, but the new Excel Class ships on Carnival only have ironing rooms and the Luminosa which just came into their fleet from Costa doesn't have one either.

[Guest ldtr]

On 10/1/2022 at 6:23 AM, justafem said:

I've been on 5 princess cruises and 3 carnival cruises this year.  

 

Carnival is much cheaper and there's always another cheap cruise right around the corner, while princess takes planning, tricks and jumping right on that deal to get a better price.

 

Princess has the plus (and premium) program, carnival doesn't.  I would never consider getting the booze package on carnival or princess at $70 per person per day, while traveling with hubby, but we always get plus.

 

Food:

Princess seems to have better dining rooms, the food, atmosphere and service are exceptional.  Carnival seems to have lesser food quality, servers are more like cafeteria workers (very large areas) and dinner service seems to take a LONG time.  I was actually told on carnival to keep my fork for the next course, which isn't the thing on princess.

 

Carnival has better lunches, more variety, broken down into restaurant types.  Princess has the buffet.  

 

Carnival's menu is unchanging other than a couple items.  Princess's changes daily, with a small 'always available' section.

 

Everything in the dining room is available in the buffet on carnival, doesn't seem to be a difference in consistency between the venues.  Princess has a noticeable consistency differences IF they have the same items available.

 

Most of the items are free room service on princess, carnival now charges for almost everything. 

 

International cafe is a great bonus on princess, no such thing on carnival.

 

Dining closes at 9 on carnival, after that it's sandwiches (until 11) or pizza until 4.  Princess, buffet closes at 11, international sometimes open 24, sometimes until 1.  

 

Entertainment:

Princess comedians tell the same 'shower curtain' joke, every show, every comedian, every ship.  Carnival's comedians seem to be funnier, more current and more profane.  Shows are shorter on carnival. 

 

Production shows are about equal on both lines, but IMO, the stage changing heights, 3-D shows and guest interaction are much better on carnival.  

 

There are always guest speakers on princess, carnival is minimal or nonexistent. 

 

Trivia seems to happen at least once per hour, all day, every day on carnival.  Princess has trivia 2-3 times a day. 

 

Rooms:

Carnival anything over an inside have a couch.  Princess, no couch unless mini-suite or above. 

 

Beds are about the same comfort on both lines

 

Princess has a vast library of on-demand and LARGE TVs.  Carnival has small TVs and a rotating schedule.  

 

Balconies seem larger on carnival. 

 

Other things.

I thoroughly enjoy the drink stations on carnival.  That's something I miss when on princess. 

Alcoholic beverages seem stronger on princess. 

Medallion is great (when it works).  I can order almost anything to any location and it's there (most of the time) before I could grab it myself.  Then again, I've ordered drinks to have it say it was delivered and I never received.  Later found it in my room or never found it. 

 

Embarkation and disembarkation is a cluster on carnival.  No idea what the issue is, but it's always disorganized.  

 

Carnivals staff seems to genuinely want to engage, crew are encouraged to chat.  Princess seems less chatty. 

 

Bar service on carnival seems slower.

 

Princess offers better benefits the higher you advance.  

 

Pax on carnival are friendly!  I rarely notice the 'better than you's'.  There's less bragging.  More 'hi ya's' and everyone is just happy to be on vacation.  

 

I'm sure there's more I'll think of after I hit submit, but these are what I've noticed. 

Funny thing is this year the Carnival Hawaii cruises are more expensive that the Princess Hawaii cruises out of LA.

[dave_k58]

20 hours ago, mammajamma2013 said:

Thanks. I was responding to the "Carnival doesn't have pax laundry facilites" remark; the only Carnival ship I've been on is Vista. I've been on five Princess ships, which all had laundry facilities, so can't speak on Carnival having more. 

Most carnival ships have pax laundry.  and they also have specials like - "fill the bag" for $14

[Essiesmom]

As far as fights on Cunard, I remember years ago following a world cruise blog on QE2 where there were regular kerfluffles…in the laundry room.  Competition for washers and dryers can be fierce…. And on Cunard, they are free, including soap.  EM

[Coffeeluvr05]

On 9/29/2022 at 4:22 PM, san diego sue said:

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.

This is super comforting to read.  We have an upcoming sailing that we are taking our adult kids and grandchildren on the Panorama early next year and I have been a little nervous about it.  We want them to have fun, but I don't want my grandchildren to be around any badly behaved adults or fighting.  I'm so used to the Princess standard.

[JeffT237]

1 hour ago, Coffeeluvr05 said:

This is super comforting to read.  We have an upcoming sailing that we are taking our adult kids and grandchildren on the Panorama early next year and I have been a little nervous about it.  We want them to have fun, but I don't want my grandchildren to be around any badly behaved adults or fighting.  I'm so used to the Princess standard.

 

We had several cruises on Carnival when our kids were younger and enjoyed them all. Never witnessed any overly bad drunken experiences or fights.  Our children especially enjoyed all of the kids activities and always walked away with cruise friends.  Our last family cruise was on the Carnival Magic when it was new and we still all have great memories of that cruise.  Cruise Critic offers a lot of good and bad advice, it becomes very personal and biased towards individual cruise lines and cruisers favorites, often (not always) without ever stepping foot on another brand.  We've cruised now with Carnival, RCI and Princess and we've witnessed good and bad passengers and experiences on all 3.  We will continue to cruise on multiple brands as our next cruise is Princess followed by RCI.   I'm sure you'll have a wonderful cruise!

[mjmalino]

On 9/30/2022 at 5:51 PM, sloopsailor said:

 

To those who insist on having laundry facilities available, I ask:

 

Do you clean your own cabin and make your own bed on a cruise? Do you cook your own meals and wash your own cutlery and plates after a meal on a cruise? No! So why do your own laundry???? 

 

I would wager that the majority of passengers never used the onboard laundry facilities. I know in all my years of cruising, my wife and I never even once considered using them when they were available, even when our kids were with us. We are of the belief that we are on vacation to get away from doing mundane household chores, so we don't do them. We want to focus on having fun, not doing house work. We do enough chores at home when we aren't trying to enjoy a vacation. 

 

 

 

I have used the laundry rooms on all cruises longer than 7 days (and one or 2 that were 7 days). It helps with packing, and given my allergies, I can bring my unscented, dye free detergent and dryer sheets. On our next cruise in February, 14 night, we will have multiple climates, and between myself and my husband, 2 grown sons and 1 son's girlfriend, that's a lot of laundry to send out. I will do it probably twice, with the help of my sons

[marie94949]

We like Carnival better than Princess but have not taken Princess recently.  I found the cabins on Carnival larger but most importantly the mattresses were more supportive.  I got a good nights sleep..  I found the Princess mattresses just torture - too light and flimsy and sitting on a saggy metal grid  which is why we stopped booking Princess.  We also found the service more joyful on Carnival - especially the singing and dancing in the MDR.

 

I am praying for a firm supportive mattress and maybe even a real boxspring on our 13 day upcoming Majestic cruise.  Last Princess cruise (which was a while ago)  I got off in port, bought an air mattress and slept on the floor.

Edited October 3, 2022 by marie94949

[KKB]

On 9/29/2022 at 10:54 AM, dreaminofcruisin said:

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!).

Funny...we are in our 50s & always find music from 80s on Princess ships...