cruzincon Posted January 14, 2008 #1 Share Posted January 14, 2008 My DH and I are in our mid 30's and have sailed Carnival 5 times and loved every one (all to Mexico). We went on 1 Norweigen cruise to Mexico and didn't care for it I think mostly due to the food choices. We are considering booking Princess Star to Alaska in May. Do you think Princess is a line we will enjoy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newmexicoNita Posted January 14, 2008 #2 Share Posted January 14, 2008 that is a hard question to answer. We are about to take our first Princess cruise. We have been on all mass marketed lines except Princess and our preferance is NCL. You see food is very subjective and everyone has his/her own ideas. I don't know what NCL ship you cruised but we like the NCL dining choices. From what I have heard from friends and clients Princess will have a slightly older crowd, certainly older than Carnival. Some love the food, others say it sucks. I would suggest you give them a try.That is the only way you will find out what is best for you. I do want to add a couple more things: cruising Alaska is very different than cruising Mexico. There are 2 lines that do Alaska the best: HAL and Princess followed by NCL by the way. The reason these lines do such a good job, they have been doing Alaska for years and they have so many ships in Alaska. If beaches, sunshine and party Night life is what you enjoy I would not recommend even considering Alaska. Nita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzincon Posted January 14, 2008 Author #3 Share Posted January 14, 2008 We are not the party type people. We are generally in bed at 10:00 regardless of weather we are on a cruise or not. We are not looking to be pampered either. What we are looking for are decent pool amenities and courteous staff. We also like to have decent food not 5* but different and presented decently. The more I read about Princess I think it is at least worth a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruisin' Chick Posted January 14, 2008 #4 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Another reason that Princess and HAL are known for their Alaskan cruises is that one of the most popular facets of the Alaskan cruises is the glacier cruising. Princess and Hal (and now Celebrity, from what I heard) has a naturalist onboard to narrate what you're seeing during the glacier cruising. When that happens (usually around 6am or so, or at least it was on our cruise), everyone is up and on their balcony or up on deck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camperhawk Posted January 14, 2008 #5 Share Posted January 14, 2008 We are not the party type people. We are generally in bed at 10:00 regardless of weather we are on a cruise or not. We are not looking to be pampered either. What we are looking for are decent pool amenities and courteous staff. We also like to have decent food not 5* but different and presented decently. The more I read about Princess I think it is at least worth a try. I think you should give Princess a try, I have sailed Royal caribbean for my first, Norwegian, then tried Princess. My last 3 have been with Princess. The pools are freshwater, adult pools are truly adult pools. I have always been impressed with all of the staff on my Princess cruises, from my steward to the dining room staff to Martini bar staff(lol). The Piano bar area is always a nice group of people to have a drink and head off to bed after seeing all the shows. Entertainment is always good or better as far as I am concerned compared to other lines. Everything is subjective obviously, but unless your the subject giving the opinion, you won't ever know! Go for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City_Woman Posted January 14, 2008 #6 Share Posted January 14, 2008 We did 6 Carnival cruises (which we loved) before deciding to try Princess. Now, we are staying with Princess. We're middle-aged+ and also in bed early. We like the quieter ship (no singing in the dining room), good service, good food, great atmosphere. If the price is right, you may want to give it a try. Judy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newmexicoNita Posted January 14, 2008 #7 Share Posted January 14, 2008 sounds like Princess will work just fine for you. Nita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzincon Posted January 14, 2008 Author #8 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Yep. I think Princess is worth a try. I think we will be booking in the next day or two. Thanks for all the replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrusinAgain Posted January 14, 2008 #9 Share Posted January 14, 2008 We are not the party type people. We are generally in bed at 10:00 regardless of weather we are on a cruise or not. We are not looking to be pampered either. What we are looking for are decent pool amenities and courteous staff. We also like to have decent food not 5* but different and presented decently. The more I read about Princess I think it is at least worth a try. If you like Carnival you will like Princess. They are more alike than different. Princess does have freshwater pools while Carnival is saltwater, however, I would not expect much activity by the pools in Alaska - it's cold! Generally, on all the Princess cruises we have been on there has been wonderful entertainment day and night as well as new release movies in the theater and on your TV. The staff on Princess has always been courteous and the room stewards have been quick to clean our rooms just as they were on Carnival. The main thing you will find different is that Princess showers are smaller than Carnival's and they do not have the upgraded beds like Carnival so most people ask for an eggcrate topper. It really depends on the time of year you cruise and where as to the age group on the cruise. There were lots of college age people on our March cruise to the Mexican Riviera but older folks on our April cruise to the Eastern Caribbean while younger on the Western Caribbean in October. I think you will love Princess but just don't expect on any ship to lay out by the pool going to Alaska in May. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Go-Bucks! Posted January 15, 2008 #10 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I thoroughly enjoyed my 3 Carnival cruises and I was between late 30's to 50 when I sailed on them. There were all age groups on Carnival, but there were more people in their 50-60's on my last cruise with Princess - but maybe it's because we went to Alaska. A few observations: 1) Carnival has bigger standard rooms. Our balcony room on Princess was much smaller than even an inside room on Carnival. I loved having a balcony, but it was small too (just 8' x 4'). The Princess bathrooms were also smaller - so small that one person could barely turn around. I booked a minisuite on the next Princess cruise with the hopes of a larger room and balcony. 2) I enjoyed the decor of the Princess ship much more than the neon glitz of Carnival. Less sensory overload, but not a reason why I wouldn't sail on Carnival again. 3) I had excellent food on both ships (but I'm not a food snob) and equally good service. 4) Entertainment was similar - production shows, comedians, jugglers, etc. I'm not crazy about any of it - would rather hear classical music or an opera. 5) Didn't use the Princess pool as we were going to Alaska and the ship I was on (Sun Princess) didn't have a magrodome. 6) I actually enjoyed the waiter's parade and showtime after dinner on Carnival. We all got clapping and had a really fun time. Definitely a more subdued dinnertime on Princess. I also missed the bands that would play at poolside, but maybe they have those on Princess' Caribbean cruises (?). 7) I like the Future Cruise Credit program that Princess has and that's why I'm taking another one of their cruises. On the next cruise, I'm going to buy 2 of them, although I'm planning to try a different cruiseline for my next cruise. But the credits are good for 4 yrs. and refundable if not used by then. You'll enjoy Princess - I agree with a previous poster that Carnival and Princess are more alike than different. Just a bit older and more sedate crowd on Princess, but we met many interesting people in all age brackets. My parents said that when they cruised on HAL's Prinsendam last year, the average age was about 90 and most were in wheelchairs and had oxygen. I didn't see that on Princess at all. :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willysgrandma Posted January 15, 2008 #11 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Princess is a few steps above Carnival so I think you would like it. Princess also has some of the best Alaskan itineraries of all the cruise lines, so I think you will be pleased by choosing them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzincon Posted January 15, 2008 Author #12 Share Posted January 15, 2008 We did it. We are booked on the Star for 5/11. Got a great deal and looking forward to trying out Princess. Thanks for all your opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nliedel Posted January 15, 2008 #13 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I have found that Carnival has better food, in my experience, but the differences are almost too silly to really comment on. I very much like Princess and found many of her activities to be on par with, or better than, Carnival. Of course no one can guarantee you will love anything, and much of a cruise is what you make of it. I did enjoy the anytime dining, which I was very shocked about, because I am an old fuddy duddy when it comes to cruises being like when I first started cruising. About the same time Captain Steubing was on the Love Boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGnut Posted January 17, 2008 #14 Share Posted January 17, 2008 We have been on both NCL and Princess (Princess several times - NCL once). We prefer Princess for the friendly staff. For our NCL cruise the staff varied from unattentive to rude and pushy. The Princess staff was friendly, attentive, helpful, and fun. A big enough difference that we will probably not try NCL again. Maybe we got a bad trip? The food on both was pretty comparable, but the ambiance and the helpful, friendly staff on Princess made the difference very noticable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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