Carribbean Princess vs Carnival Destiny

[KAWS]

We're needing some help and opinions. We've sailed on the Miracle and the Crown and while both were very different, we enjoyed both.

 

So now we booked the Caribbean Princess but then saw the itinerary on the Carnival Destiny. There is a price difference in the two but I really don't want that to be the sole deciding factor so I won't mention what that difference is here.

 

What I want to know is if anyone has sailed both of these ships and can tell me their experiences. I'm reluctant to switch to the Destiny because of some negative things I've read about it, but I do like the itinerary a little more and I've heard that the Destiny has improved of late. So, if there's nothing SUBSTANTIALLLY different from the two (other than one is Carnival and one is Princess and taking those differences into consideration...) then we are thinking of making the switch. Can anyone help us out here?

[serene56]

Kim: wow- I got a shudder reading your post.

:eek: is what my reaction was..

 

have you looked into the Crown out of San Juan or how about the Adventure of the Seas for a more comparrison.

 

I have sailed 10 times.. most on Carnival- once on ROyal and once on the Caribbean Princess.

Our last carnival cruise was the Destiny last Sept when the Destiny was having all those problems so my review is quite tainted.

 

(first you are not comparing apples to apples.

Destiny leaves from san juan- (more expensive air fare)

Destiny will only have one port day. very heavily port intensive.

Depending on when you cruise and how well it sells-- destiny offers locals a 7 day cruise for port and government taxes only. Destiny allows rollaways so you can have 5 people sleeping in cabins on either side of you.

 

The caribbean Princess wowed me from the moment I boarded until the moment I got off. (carnival liberty is booked for 3 weeks and it might be my last carnival cruise- I'd rather pay the extra bucks and get the better product. Crown Princess is booked for 2009.

 

 

The Destiny will be a completly diffewrent experience from your Miracle cruise. The ships are as different as night and day.

[KAWS]

Kim: wow- I got a shudder reading your post.

:eek: is what my reaction was..

 

have you looked into the Crown out of San Juan or how about the Adventure of the Seas for a more comparrison.

 

 

The caribbean Princess wowed me from the moment I boarded until the moment I got off. (carnival liberty is booked for 3 weeks and it might be my last carnival cruise- I'd rather pay the extra bucks and get the better product. Crown Princess is booked for 2009.

 

 

The Destiny will be a completly diffewrent experience from your Miracle cruise. The ships are as different as night and day.

 

The Caribbean will be leaving from San Juan in 2009, so we're going to have to pay $$$ for airfare regardless.

 

Your statements after that mean a lot to me though. I pretty much know what the Caribbean Princess will look like since we took the Crown and I understand it's similar. But to know that Destiny and Mirace are worlds apart is important. I know the Destiny is older but thought it had been refurbished AND kept up so that's why I was wondering. I know that we loved the Miracle and if I had to compare the Miracle cruise to the Crown cruise, I honestly think the Miracle would win out overall.

 

BTW I'll be interested to see your impressions of the Liberty. We're set to sail on that one in March 08.

 

Thanks for replying.

[Janan]

My experience on the Destiny was totally different...I too was on the Crown both Southern Carribean cruises. I enjoyed both cruises...The Destiny I give the nod to as far as service....differences in the dining room (service), in the menu....I didn't find the ship in ill repair...but maybe thats because I don't cruise to see differences, I cruise to enjoy myself...and I call'em like I see'em! I enjoyed myself on both cruises the Destiny a bit more than the Crown....might I give the nod to Princess in the future Yes....but the fact remains I am cruising Carnival next year. If the Destiny is so bad,"I must be a glutton for Punishment"

 

Whatever you decide have a wonderful cruise and please treat this post as just one persons opinion because thats all it is.

 

Andy

[serene56]

 

BTW I'll be interested to see your impressions of the Liberty. We're set to sail on that one in March 08.

 

Thanks for replying.

 

 

We already did the Liberty, February 2006.

 

Son is gettin gmarried onboard August 26. Price was 388pp so we could NOT pass it up with that kind of deal.

 

 

The Liberty is set up like the destiny-- only stretched out some.

On this class of ship there are dead ends.. Unlike the spirit class. (miracle)

everyhting on the Miracle is wide opened and easy to get to.

 

dining rooms on the Liberty/ Destiny-- only certain elevators will get you to either of the dining rooms.. ex- the aft elevator is what you need to take to get to that dining room (5:45 or 8pm dining)

the promanade deck is the only deck that will get your forward to aft with no dead ends.

 

when booking this class of ship you want to be careful and not book under the galley. (could get quite loud in the wee hours of the am.)

[Kurbanfan]

I agree with Serene. Although we have never sailed the Destiny we chose the Crown over her for the San Juan departure. I have read more bad reviews then good on the Destiny. I am not willing to pay money and take the chance. Good luck!

[KAWS]

On the Liberty we're booked on a full aft on the Empress deck so that's not going to be a problem.

 

Sounds to me a lot like the set up on the Crown Princess. There were dead ends there too and it took me days to get the lay of the land. Finally we figured out that we could get where we wanted (pretty much) by using the mid elevators and the promenade deck that was the only deck that went from forward to aft (indoors).

 

GREAT deal that you got for the Liberty. I would have a tough time passing that one up too. Couldn't pass it up anyway with your son getting married on it though, now could you? Won't be long till your sailing. My friend went on Liberty last year and totally loved it. Maybe I can get her to go on the Destiny in 2008 so I can know what that's like in plenty of time for me to switch if I want. haha ;)

[serene56]

is the Crown broken up too?? I didnt experience that on the Caribbean Princess. (we got C753 on the crown--same as the CB-

 

if you like that aft on the Liberty you would love that aft on the CB.

 

-- i know a lot of my issues that we had last sept are pretty much cleaned up.

 

like the air conditioning problem that was an ongoing thing last summer. Seems they could never get it right-- and certain decks were affected depending on what week. When we sailed it was the Lido deck and boy could you feel the heat as soon as you got off the elevator. Eating in the buffet area was pure torture.

But the dining room was even worse. We gave it a few days as it only MUST get better but it didnt. Never got dessert-- barely got done our entree and its 8:15. We did this up til Wednesday. then got food at the buffet to take it back to our cabin. (which we did have airconditioning)

 

The people that shared the hall way with us== rude/inconsiderate.

whole families dominated almost all cabins. and since the rooms are small the people congregated in the halls.. sitting with their legs outstretched and would not move so you can walk down the hall. This was EVERY night and not just one or two people-- but the whole area of the hall way. Then those with boom boxes blaring out of their cabins with their doors opens..

 

and on and on and on.

 

I could NOT wait to get off that ship. Ports were fabulous..and I had a chance to see Aruba until 10pm at night...so amazing that we are going on our first land vacation there for a week next Sept-- I cant wait.