Choosing a ship

[JamesBL]

I’m planning on taking a cruise to the Mexican Riviera this December. I have been researching cruise lines, and more particularly the ships they offer to this destination. Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Carnival were the three I concentrated on. I have traveled on Royal Caribbean before, but I discarded the line for this trip. Royal Caribbean only offers smaller and older ships during this time period. After a little more research I narrowed it down to either the Diamond Princess, or Carnival’s Pride. Both ships seem to have different benefits. The Princess is a little larger, nicer, and seems a little nicer. The major benefit of the Pride is that they cater to younger travelers. I’m in my early twenties and will be traveling with my girlfriend. I want to have a good time, but I don’t want to have to travel on a second rate ship.

 

So, I guess I’m looking for some help answering questions and choosing a ship. Is the entertainment and atmosphere on Carnival as “fun” as advertised? Are either company known for accommodating disabilities or providing accessible ships and excursions? Are Princess ships much classier? If any one has been on either ship or has input on the cruise lines, I would greatly appreciate a response.

[glennjudy1]

My wife and I were on the Diamond Princess sister ship, the Sapphire Princess last year. My wife is a paraplegic so obviously wheelchair accesibility is very important to us. However, we are also relatively young (she's 33 and I'm 35) so we wanted a fun atmosphere as well.

 

To sum it up, we have never been on a Carnival cruise but we really enjoyed our Princess cruise. The ship was beautiful, very accessible, and a joy to be on. I don't think you would regret it if the Diamond Princess ends up being your choice. We had a balcony cabin which was very spacious and the decks are laid out in a helpful manner. The atmosphere was not exactly a "party" atmosphere but there were always things going on and we never had nothing to do.

 

We just did the Mexican Riviera last month on the Norwegian Star. I know you didn't ask about this ship but I thought I would thow in my 2 cents. We had a very enjoyable time but I would not recommend this ship. The ships layout was a little more difficult to navigate, especially because some floors do not go straight through a deck. There were times when we had to catch an elevator just to go up one level, then over, then down an elevator.

 

Hope this helps some.

[DEL67]

We have not been on the Pride, but we have been on many Carnival ships including the Spirit, which I believe is the Pride's sister ship.

 

We have found both lines to be accomodating to wheelchair passengers.

 

Except for its oldest ships, Carnival's fleet is quite accessible. They have even retrofitted some of their older ships with automatic cabin doors. Our cabin on the Spirit had a well fitted bathroom with a roll-in shower that did not leak as much as most do. On the downside, Carnival's handicap cabins are adequate, but usually are not as large as RCCLs. They also tend to be at the front or back of the ship which is fine for wheelchair passengers, but difficult for "slow walkers." In addition, most Princess shipd have pool and tender lifts. To my knowledge, Carnival does not.

 

The decor on Princess ships tends to be more subdued than Carnival's. We like both.

 

It depends on the time of year, but having been on both Carnival and Princess, I believe that you will find that Carnival has a livelier atmosphere. We think that Carnival's revue shows and bar entertainment are better. During the day both will offer activities like trivia, pool games and the Marriage Game, but Carnival's trivia will be aimed at a younger crowd (music, TV, etc.) and Carnival will also offer activities like knobby knees contests.

 

Neither cruise line will offer much in the way of accessible excursions, if any at all. However, if you can transfer to a car or van, cabs are plentiful at each port and can take you where you want to go. Based on other posts, I believe that some Mexican Riviera ports have accessible transportation (Puerta Vallarta?), but we took cabs so I can not provide detail.

 

I hope this helps.

[sanspike]

The only problem I had with the Carnival Ship is if you want to you the pool. The last time I checked they STILL do not off a lift in and out of the pool.

 

Sanspike