Carnival vs Princess

[I'm lovin' it!]

I'm planning my next winter cruise for a group of young/young at heart people, and wondering on how Princess stacks up versus Carnival, where we've been for the last four years. We love the entertainment shows on Carnival, as well as the formal dining room. The 24 hour pizza is a highlight (since we're up late), and nightclub life is important , too. Also, on our last Carnival cruise (on the Splendor), we found there were huge spa fees which we had not encountered before, even though we just enjoy the sauna/steam room, and didn't really need the rest (thalassotherapy?). How does Princess compare? Are there fees for a la carte meals with Princess?

[LindaKE]

Since you enjoyed Carnival in the past and are planning for "the young and young at heart", my vote would be for Carnival. We found Princess to be more refined and quiet. For us that is a big plus, but you might not agree.

[eandj]

IMO....Stick to Carnival if you like the nightlife, all night pizza, clubbing etc. Why are you thinking of switching? Princess does not cater to that clientele the way Carnival does. Not to say you won't find fun....just a little more refined as the other poster said. You might want to edge up to Royal Carib. before leaping to Princess.

[Clutterlady]

Have done 3 Princess cruises and only 1 Carnival cruise. Princess has pizza available until 11:00 pm. The International Cafe is open 24 hrs. with great food most is which is free. Lots of great entertainment and music venues. Skywalkers lounge starts the party at 10:00 pm till..??? Always had a fun time on Princess. It's worth giving it a try:)

[cruisinlawn]

you might want to stick with Carnival for a Winter cruise due to the likely make up of Princess pax. Nothing wrong with them, we enjoy ourself, but during the Winter it will more then likely be a more reserved group. If going Carib in the SUmmer, then I'd say give Princess a shot. We enjoy them both anytime, anywhere they sail. Enjoy.

[I'm lovin' it!]

Thanks for your answers! We appreciate it!

[serene56]

We are carnival junkies with 2 princess cruises under the belt-

Carnival is a lot cheaper then Princess but Princess has that wow factor that we never got from a carnival cruise. Truly wow'ed from the moment we boarded til we got off.

 

We loved the pizza on Princess over carnival-- but it is not available 24 hours. No free soft serve 24/7 either.

 

Princess room service menu includes hamburgers and hotdogs-- which is great when you come back from a port and dont feel like standing in line at the grill.

 

Carnival has free iced tea, lemonade and fruit punch-- Princess has Iced tea.

 

As for the international Cafe-- I was extremly disappointed when I read on here how most everything was free-- when we encountered the cafe-- most everything was charged-- except in the mornings for fresh donughts, crossaints, eclairs.