grandmato4 Posted January 14, 2008 #26 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. We also enjoy Carnival in the Carribean, but by the description you've given of what you are looking for I think you will be happy with a Princess cruise to Alaska. Their pools are great and we found the staff very courteous on our Princess cruise last August. Traditionally, all Alaska cruises are an older crowd but you will find all ages represented. Cruises to Alaska are very much about the itinerary and the scenary that is constantly in view. We found the food to be very good in the dining room and it was always presented decently. The buffet was always good, as there is lots to choose from, but usually very busy, so a bit of patience could be required when eating there in filling your plates and/or in finding a table. And don't forget to go to tea at least once. I dragged a reluctant DH to tea the first day and everyday after that he was dragging me as he loved the finger sandwiches, scones, and pastries. If you're going to make an exception to staying up late one night I'd suggest that you make it the night of the Champaign Waterfall- its fun to witness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GottaLuvCruising Posted January 14, 2008 #27 Share Posted January 14, 2008 We have very much enjoyed our Carnival cruises - particularly the upbeat atmosphere. We strongly prefer Carnival over NCL and, like you, are not party animals. We absolutely loved our one Princess experience and would definitely go back. We very much enjoyed personal choice dining. We thought the buffet food on Princess was far better than any casual dining options ever on any of our other 25 cruises. Entertainment on Princess was very good to excellent. The ship (Caribbean) was gorgeous and our stateroom was wonderful. We were, however, a little disappointed with the dining room menus, but everything else was so nice that this was just not a concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurbanfan Posted January 14, 2008 #28 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Did not expect the negative responses about Princess. We sailed to Alaska in August, 2005 and had wonderful service and great food. We very much enjoyed the night life and shows. Have they changed that much in since then? Maybe I need to reconsider sailing with them again. Wow I did not expect the negative responces either. I thought Princess was one of the superior lines. I guess cruising is very subjective. I do appreciate all the comment and I think they will help me decide on the right cruise for us. I have been on 10 Carnival cruises and also cruised RCCL. I was really hesitant to cruise Princess because I heard the same thing. Older crowd, bad entertainment blah blah blah. We decided to give it a try. We cruised on the Crown Princess in the Southern Caribbean this past Dec. and had a blast. One of the best cruises we have ever taken. The age of the people were no different then the Carnival cruises I have taken. The entertainment was great. It was not dead at 10:00 p.m. on the ship like you hear...We joked about how we compared Carnival to Old Navy and Princess to the Gap lol! Princess was a one step above on everything then Carnival. Big cushions on their lounge chairs, bigger balconies, better breakfast buffet, better room service menu, adults only area, youth security, and best of all anytime dining. Not to mention one of the most beautiful ships I have ever been on. Their beer was even cheaper lol. This does not mean Carnival is not a great product or that we will never sail them again....it just proved to us that there is a variety of great cruiselines out there to try....regardless of the cheerleader comments you hear on these boards..... Next up for us is NCL.......and maybe a short Carnival in between:D But I will definitely go back to Princess..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpg1747 Posted January 14, 2008 #29 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Princess, like Carnival, and any other cruise line, is what you make of it. It all depends on what you want and don't want, and what your attitude is. Go with an open mind and a good attitude and you'll have a good time. Go expecting to be unhappy and you most likely will be. There are certain cruise lines that don't appeal to me. I don't go on them. I like both Carnival and Princess, both for their similarities and their differences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dj127 Posted January 14, 2008 #30 Share Posted January 14, 2008 I am a loyal Princess cruiser. I have only been on 1 Carnival and have another Carnival booked for Europe. We never encountered any problems on Princess and was on the Sun Princess in Alaska. Not much of the young crowd but we were there in September. They don't have the hairy man contest or things like that. We met up with some very nice people - 30's, 40's. and 50's. We ended up hanging out together and had a wonderful time. The food was good, rooms were kept clean and if we ever needed anything special, our requests were handled. DJ127 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdr69 Posted January 14, 2008 #31 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Our first cruise was to alaska on the Serenade of the Seas. I highly recommend not only RCI but this ship as well it was an experience that turned us into lifelong cruisers. The captain of the Serenade is known for how close he can get to the glaciers with the ship making for unbelievable views. We sailed the Dawn Princess to Mexico and were not overly thrilled with the service although it was an older and smaller ship. It is one that does the Alaska Itinerary as well though so I mention it because I feel regardless of the itinerary the service should be the same onboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzincon Posted January 14, 2008 Author #32 Share Posted January 14, 2008 It looks like we are going to do it. Hopefully booking in the next day or two. Thanks for all the replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurbanfan Posted January 14, 2008 #33 Share Posted January 14, 2008 It looks like we are going to do it. Hopefully booking in the next day or two. Thanks for all the replies. I don't think you will disapointed! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeanarch Posted January 14, 2008 #34 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Yes, by all means do it. We have never had a cruise we did not like. We chose Princess for Alaska because of the pre & post land excursions. We also booked excursions off the ship because of the information on these boards. The entertainment on the Sapphire was equal to a large Carnival ship and better than the Dawn on the Mexican Riviera. The food is always large crowd food but as it is said always acceptable..Some better than others. Alaska is totally awesome so go and enjoy..We are 11 days out for our next cruise and we plan to just CHILL..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RNCindy Posted January 14, 2008 #35 Share Posted January 14, 2008 I think that Carnival and Princess are very similar but it depends on where and when you cruise as to what age and type of people are on the ship. We usually go spring break (our daughter is a teacher) and Princess was not quite as "crazy" as Carnival can be but we still had a great time. The Movie Under the Stars was nice and the food was good. We ate at Sabatini's one night and it was excellent. We had more dining options on Princess (anytime or scheduled) so that was nice. The fold out bed in our mini-suite was not the best - too short for my 5'8" daughter - but she survived. We have a Carnival booked for March but would go on Princess again in a minute. The only cruiseline I DO NOT recommend is Norwegian - rude staff, bland food, poor bedding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisejunkie15 Posted January 14, 2008 #36 Share Posted January 14, 2008 wow, great advice from both ends! me and my Fiancee were asking ourselves the same question last week! we have only sailed Carnival, but for our Honeymoon we wanted something different, so Princess won. We will be sailing Princess as well. I know I will have fun, because I am a firm believer that cruising is what you make of it. :) I have one question though, are you allowed to bring a cooler with water and soda on Princess like you are in Carnival? how about wine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clutterlady Posted January 14, 2008 #37 Share Posted January 14, 2008 wow, great advice from both ends! me and my Fiancee were asking ourselves the same question last week! we have only sailed Carnival, but for our Honeymoon we wanted something different, so Princess won. We will be sailing Princess as well. I know I will have fun, because I am a firm believer that cruising is what you make of it. :) I have one question though, are you allowed to bring a cooler with water and soda on Princess like you are in Carnival? how about wine? Yep, you can bring water, soda, wine..........no problem! You will love Princess, the food, entertainment total ambiance can't be beat! Enjoy:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisejunkie15 Posted January 14, 2008 #38 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Thanks!! cant wait!!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntMimi Posted January 14, 2008 #39 Share Posted January 14, 2008 We have been on 6 Carnival cuises, 5 Princess, 1 NCL, and Princess is by far the best. It is a little more classy. But it all depends on what you like. We are going on Carnival in April for a little get-a-way, but for long cruises we like Princess. We have booked 2 Princess cuises for this year. NCL did have good food but would not go again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adaleyldaley Posted January 14, 2008 #40 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Carnival Corporation will not care which one you get on, as long as they own it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcs819 Posted January 15, 2008 #41 Share Posted January 15, 2008 i don't know why people complain about the anytime dining on princess. anytime dining is OPTIONAL people. not really. When we made our cruise reservation, we asked for a table for two in the dining room for traditional dining. We were given the "seating is just a request, talk to the maitre d when you get on board..." No problem, we've done that on every other cruise. Except, when we go to the maitre d, TABLES FOR TWO DIDN'T EXIST IN TRADITIONAL DINING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Doesn't make it very optional.... If we had been told that tables for two didn't exist in traditional dining, we would NOT have booked the cruise. Our first Princess cruise we went with another couple. Even though we were assured our reservations were linked, when it came time to board the ship, our sign and sail cards showed different dining times/locations. Our only option to eat together was anytime dining. Thought we conquered it by reserving the same table for 4 for the whole cruise. Imagine our surprise on formal night when we got to our table and there was another couple sitting in our seats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flvol77 Posted January 15, 2008 #42 Share Posted January 15, 2008 is this jason? Yep it sure is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzincon Posted January 15, 2008 Author #43 Share Posted January 15, 2008 We did it. We are booked on the Princess Star and very excited. I can't wait to go now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yakdaddy42 Posted January 15, 2008 #44 Share Posted January 15, 2008 i heard that to get on a princess cruise you had to be.... newly wed or nearly dead Im jokeing have a great cruise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sea_u_onboard Posted January 15, 2008 #45 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I say go for it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dclark Posted January 15, 2008 #46 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I'd take Princess anytime dining over CCL assigned dining with the "dancing" waiters. Sorry, although it is cute the first couple of times you cruise, after 5 cruises it gets pretty old:rolleyes: Princess has better food. I say this because they offer pricier things that CCL won't, like alaskan king crab legs, prine rib in the buffet area (twice on my last cruise), more souffles, more shelfish dishes. The ships have heated fresh water pools, nice extras like padded lounge chairs, champagne waterfall, better quality ammenities, better service. They also have cheap drink prices. Here's an example- you can get a large strawberry virgin margarita for $2.75. The smuggled in tequila I have in my room mixes well with it!Oh, they have security assigned to youths to keep them from running amuck. Things that they I miss that CCL has- late night comedians, actually, a late night! After 11:00pm, it feels like the whole ship is asleep! Food things that I miss are the supper club, deli and 24hr pizza. My family (I have two teen daughters) prefer Princess as they felt it was more relaxing and the passengers were not as unruly as on past CCL cruises. Still, I have a soft spot in my heart and will be with CCL this summer. Oh, and I love the beds on CCL as well! I hope that on my next CCL cruise, the whiskey sours still taste strong like jet fuel; on my Princess cruises, the captain's party/returnerparty drinks were as weak as Popeye in need of a spinach fix! Think of Princess being a decent ribeye steak and CCL as a really good sirloin steak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newt98 Posted January 15, 2008 #47 Share Posted January 15, 2008 hey jason, this is mike from idaho. you gave me your pvp for carnival, he's awesome. he called me after our three day cruise to mexico just to make sure we had a good trip. would you have still given him to me knowing i'm a gators fan?:eek: thanks jason!;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newt98 Posted January 15, 2008 #48 Share Posted January 15, 2008 not really. When we made our cruise reservation, we asked for a table for two in the dining room for traditional dining. We were given the "seating is just a request, talk to the maitre d when you get on board..." No problem, we've done that on every other cruise. Except, when we go to the maitre d, TABLES FOR TWO DIDN'T EXIST IN TRADITIONAL DINING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Doesn't make it very optional.... If we had been told that tables for two didn't exist in traditional dining, we would NOT have booked the cruise.Our first Princess cruise we went with another couple. Even though we were assured our reservations were linked, when it came time to board the ship, our sign and sail cards showed different dining times/locations. Our only option to eat together was anytime dining. Thought we conquered it by reserving the same table for 4 for the whole cruise. Imagine our surprise on formal night when we got to our table and there was another couple sitting in our seats. i've never tried, but are you guaranteed a table for two on carnival? my first cruise was princess, and i thought i would like the anytime dining, so that's what i chose to do. and i didn't mind it. but then we recently went on carnival and we loved the assigned seating. i didn't think i would like it, but you get to know the waiters, and luckily we got two great ones, and it's nice to just walk right in and sit down without waiting for your table. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clutterlady Posted January 15, 2008 #49 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Just my opinion, but I think tables for 2 on any cruise line is a bit of a joke! They are so close together, that it's almost like sitting at a large table! Felt like you could never have a private conversation without someone listening!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurbanfan Posted January 15, 2008 #50 Share Posted January 15, 2008 i heard that to get on a princess cruise you had to be....newly wed or nearly dead Im jokeing have a great cruise That's what I thought too until I cruised on the Crown in Dec. Now I know it's just a myth;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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