Need your advice

[Lisa&Neb]

BEFORE I GET FLAMED!!!

 

I have been a loyal NCL guy. my wife and I have only been on NCL cruises since we started cruiseing together.

 

With all that being said I need to ask the question. My wife and I are looking at doing a southern cruise in march of 2010. We are teachers so we only have 7 days. NCL does not offer a 7 day southern cruise. We are trying to decided between Princess and Carnival. WE love NCL crusing and freestyle.

 

Given the price difference and the differences in everything... which one would oyu suggest. it is about 300pp cheaper to go on CCL then PCL.

 

Again... please no flaming... I wanted to go NCL... but there is nothing being offered!!!

[terrymtex01]

I see no reason for you to be flamed. You are asking a legit question.. You might be better off asking it in a CCL or PCL forum, however since you did ask, I will give you my opinion.

 

Between the two there is no doubt in my mind that even though we have never cruised on PCL, that is who we would choose. Yes, CCL might be cheaper, but I swore I would never step foot on a CCL ship again. (Famous last words, right?). Just for me the crowd that was on CCL was not our cup of tea. Too much drinking and too loud. The CCL ship we were on was a very nice ship and they did offer a lot of fun activities. Food, well, I have to say was very good on CCL as well.

 

I hope no matter what you decide you have a great well deserved vacation.

[2Cruise4Ever]

I know exactly how you feel. We are loyal NCL fans, too. But, when DH and I want to get away for a weekend, the Carnival CTN out of Norfolk has been our choice (less expensive than going on the Sky due to air fare). That said, we have also cruised PCL. True, the crowds on CCL were a bit younger. BUT, more and more families and older folks are trying CCL, too. Keep in mind that they don't have Anytime Dining (or Freestyle) which is a drawback (for us anyway). And, they don't have the suite perks like NCL (if you've had the chance to sample them). BUT, $330 per person can go a long way on a cruise. If it were us, we'd choose CCL based on price alone.

[uppitycats]

I'd choose Princess. I have been on all three lines, and Carnival is way at the bottom of my list. While I won't say "never" -- it would have to be a real enticing itinerary or fare to get me to consider Carnival again. I think of Carnival as sort of "Las Vegas on the sea" -- glitzy, flashy, loud, cheap (both in decor and in clientele that seem to choose the line). While the crew was very good and pleasant, and the cabins just fine, the rest of it was way over-the-top for us.

 

The Princess cruises we have been on have certainly been more "upscale" than we experienced on NCL, but certainly pleasant, understated, and we especially enjoy the Princess afternoon tea.

 

But of course, any cruise is better than no cruise! You'll have a good time however you choose!

[Lisa&Neb]

The reason I asked for no flaming was that I know this is the NCL board... I realize I sould maybe ask in the PCL or CCL board, but we are NCL peoeple, and I want to know what other NCL people think, not what PCL people or CCL people think.

 

I am saying I love NCL, and with loving NCL, but not being able to go on NCL... what should my choice be.

 

As for what we look for... not big on drinking... not that we are against it. but we will drink on shore, or get a bottle in our room. We like stuff like the casino, the art auctions to kill time and hang out together. Shows are good, pools with some quite time and space. Food, we do not need fancy, but like quality... meat and potatoes or chicken are good... we do not need fancy food, we like good food.

 

Seeing as the curise has one 1 sea day our list of important things are...

 

1. Shows

2. Food - quality not fancy

3. Eat when you want

4. casino - varity and non smoking

[gooch47]

 

1. Shows

2. Food - quality not fancy

3. Eat when you want

4. casino - varity and non smoking

 

Been on all three (NCL, Princess and Carnival). We favor Princess because of the itineraries and all the perks we get from being their Elite level.

 

We're older and swore we'd never go on CCL again after our last one. Same reasons as others above: too loud and too many intoxicated people.

 

Entertainment on Princess is usually quite good. A few stinkers, of course, but their Vegas style shows are usually excellent.

 

Food is good to excellent. We get a little tired of it because we cruise with them so much and their menus don't change between ships all that much. You can bring 2 bottles of wine aboard at each stop with no fees. There is a corking fee if you take it to a restaurant, but we usually drink it in our cabin.

 

They have "Anytime Dining" which equates to the Freestyle Dining. Not as many specialty restaurants, though.

 

Casinos are usually small but adequate with a lot of choices. On some (maybe most) cruises they have no-smoking nights, but the casino is generally a smoking area.

[gooch47]

Forgot to mention that they do have formal nights on Princess. We don't take formal clothes any more, we just eat at the buffet on those nights. If you really want to start a fight, go over to the Princess Board and start a thread on whether or not the dress code is or should be enforced for formal nights! :eek:

[98Charlie]

Personal opinion on your list:

 

1. Shows Pretty much the same

2. Food - quality not fancyConsistantly Carnival. But, best lamb ever on a cruise ship was on Princess.

3. Eat when you wantPrincess has Anytime Dining which is comparable to FreeStyle

4. casino - varity and non smokingI believe that NCL is the only one that has non-smoking nights in the casino

We've also sailed all 3 along with RCI and Celebrity. For the longest time we bought in to the "Carnival is for party animals only" bit.

 

We finally decided to see for ourselves. The price was right (military discount helped) and in November 2006 we booked a balcony for about the price of an OV on a similar cruise with another line. We figured that with the balcony we could always retreat to the cabin and enjoy the cruise regardless of what happened on the rest of the ship.

 

We had a blast and have been on 5 more Carnival cruises since then with another coming next year. Maybe we're just lucky but we've had great tablemates, no problems with an over-the-top party atmosphere, excellent staff and more.

 

In comparing the 2 cruises you're looking at I would be looking more toward the cost ($600 savings) and itinerary IMHO. If there is a compelling reason that the itinerary on Princess is more desirable I'd go for it. But, $600 can go a long way toward cruise expenses.

 

Charlie

[DMH15]

Like Terry, did not enjoy Carnival. It is at the bottom of my list. Would I cruise them again? If I won a free cruise I would. It's fine for some folks, but not me (or my mom, BIL, SIL).

[zqvol]

BEFORE I GET FLAMED!!!

 

I have been a loyal NCL guy. my wife and I have only been on NCL cruises since we started cruiseing together.

 

With all that being said I need to ask the question. My wife and I are looking at doing a southern cruise in march of 2010. We are teachers so we only have 7 days. NCL does not offer a 7 day southern cruise. We are trying to decided between Princess and Carnival. WE love NCL crusing and freestyle.

 

Given the price difference and the differences in everything... which one would oyu suggest. it is about 300pp cheaper to go on CCL then PCL.

 

Again... please no flaming... I wanted to go NCL... but there is nothing being offered!!!

 

I suspect that you are looking at the Miracle out of FLL. This ship has already implemented anytime dining so you will have that option. IMO Princess and Carnival are very similar but the food on Carnival is better, and there are more activities.

 

Since Carnival has anytime dining, which seems important, I would go that way.

 

The reason I asked for no flaming was that I know this is the NCL board... I realize I sould maybe ask in the PCL or CCL board, but we are NCL peoeple, and I want to know what other NCL people think, not what PCL people or CCL people think.

 

I am saying I love NCL, and with loving NCL, but not being able to go on NCL... what should my choice be.

 

As for what we look for... not big on drinking... not that we are against it. but we will drink on shore, or get a bottle in our room. We like stuff like the casino, the art auctions to kill time and hang out together. Shows are good, pools with some quite time and space. Food, we do not need fancy, but like quality... meat and potatoes or chicken are good... we do not need fancy food, we like good food.

 

Seeing as the curise has one 1 sea day our list of important things are...

 

1. Shows

2. Food - quality not fancy

3. Eat when you want

4. casino - varity and non smoking

 

Carnivals shows are really good, there is a nice variety and both adult and family orientated shows.

 

Carnival food quality is very good.

 

With anytime dining you can eat when you want on Carnival between 5:45 and 9:30. Also Carnival has done away with formal night, instead calling them cruise elegant so there is no need to dress up if you don't want to, though a tie is recommended for men (no jacket needed), whihc lets you eat in the dining room every night.

 

Carnival casino has a large variety of table games and slot machines, but it can be smoky.

 

I have cruised Carnival, NCL, RCCL and one of the upscale lines, and I find that Carnival, NCL, and RCCL are more alike than they are different.

[rrobynec]

So it should be kept in mind ANY cruise line will have a good share of college students, and some college students take their spring breaks to the brink of poor behavior......:eek:

Since Princess is more expensive, there may be less college students, since they are likely to look for the most bang for the buck.

[judyf]

I must have also been lucky as I have been on 3 Carnival Ships and had a great experience on them all.

 

I cruise with my Mother once a year during Easter break, she is 70 and she prefers the Carnival and she doesn't drink at all. She likes that there's more offered to do as for activities. The shows have always been great and ever had an issues with the food. Now that they are offering anytime dining I will book with them again.

 

I have never sailed on a bad ship or line and hope that keeps up. As you can see by my signature I like to try different lines and different ships. This wat I can get my own opinions and not that of others.

 

I would agree with other posters go with itinerary and price $600 is a BIG difference that would almost pay for the tours.

 

I understand yur reson for asking this question on the NCL board as you want to hear from those that love the same thing you do.

 

I have never sailed on Princess, someday we will, the itinerary and price have never come together for me. Plus I look at departure port also, as air can add a lot to a cruise as does parking now a day :)

[mpk218]

Try and get those 2 extra days off and do the 9 day Southern with NCL ,its great...If you are asking which line is more like NCL , the answer is Princess . I also agree with Terry and DMH15 ...

I sailed Canival and did not like it, I even said never agian. Then after a few years was talked into trying them again . Now I can say without a doubt , Not even if it were free . ;)

[dodge9]

I am not sure why so much negativity toward Carnival... have they cruised them lately on their new ships? I love Carnival and NCL with NCL having the edge. The newer ships on Carnival are not so "electrically" decorated and are very elegant. Carnival BY FAR has the best shows of ANY line. The food I think is good on all the lines I have been on (Carnival, NCL, Holland, Royal Caribbean, Princess)... but I think the biggest variety was on Carnival and the least variety on Princess. Carnival has a lot of activity to a variety of age groups. I don't see it as a young person's cruise line anymore, was in the 80's or any line you travel on during Spring break... they have the most strict age policy for drinking... 21 PERIOD whereas Princess, RCCL and NCL say you can drink beer and wine at 18. You must be 21 to sail and if under 21 you must be in a room with a 25 year old. I just don't understand how they still have this young party and puke stigma still... at least I have not seen it on the Carnival cruises I have been on. I would ONLY cruise their NEWER ships though... with the Spirit class being one of my favorites (Spirit, Pride, Legend and Miracle). I personally would go with the money savings on this one, I don't think you are going to lose quality and you are going to be able to do more with your savings. Good Luck and have a GREAT cruise!

[uppitycats]

I am not sure why so much negativity toward Carnival... have they cruised them lately on their new ships? I love Carnival and NCL with NCL having the edge. The newer ships on Carnival are not so "electrically" decorated and are very elegant. Carnival BY FAR has the best shows of ANY line. The food I think is good on all the lines I have been on (Carnival, NCL, Holland, Royal Caribbean, Princess)... but I think the biggest variety was on Carnival and the least variety on Princess. Carnival has a lot of activity to a variety of age groups. I don't see it as a young person's cruise line anymore, was in the 80's or any line you travel on during Spring break... they have the most strict age policy for drinking... 21 PERIOD whereas Princess, RCCL and NCL say you can drink beer and wine at 18. You must be 21 to sail and if under 21 you must be in a room with a 25 year old. I just don't understand how they still have this young party and puke stigma still... at least I have not seen it on the Carnival cruises I have been on. I would ONLY cruise their NEWER ships though... with the Spirit class being one of my favorites (Spirit, Pride, Legend and Miracle). I personally would go with the money savings on this one, I don't think you are going to lose quality and you are going to be able to do more with your savings. Good Luck and have a GREAT cruise!

 

The last Carnival cruise I was on was on the Spirit. We didn't so much have a problem with young people...more the decor of the ship, the constant messaged blaring over the public address system, the pushing to gamble, play bingo, buy stuff, the raucous music, and passengers partying all hours of the night...and indeed they were well into partying. I'll continue to avoid Carnival if at all possible.

[mag]

Lots of different opinions. I personally have loved all my cruises and have been on NCL, CCL and PCL. I like NCL cause it goes out of Boston (no airfare for me) and though freestyle is not my thing, it is perfect for Bermuda cause you are there for 3 days and can come and go as you please. My opinion is CCL has the best food and entertainment. As mentioned above, CCL does now offer anytime dining. It is funny though, the only time I have ever experienced loud and drunk unruly passengers (both young and older) was on Princess. Because the lines are more alike than different, my DH and I usually choose based on itinerary and price. You will have fun whatever line you choose!

[judyf]

The last Carnival cruise I was on was on the Spirit. We didn't so much have a problem with young people...more the decor of the ship, the constant messaged blaring over the public address system, the pushing to gamble, play bingo, buy stuff, the raucous music, and passengers partying all hours of the night...and indeed they were well into partying. I'll continue to avoid Carnival if at all possible.

 

LOL this has happened to me on NCL, it all depends on the time of year, These things happen on all lines. just read some of the reviews from different times of the year for all lines.

 

Had a real boring older crowd on the longer Legend CCL cruise we took and that was during spring break, but meaning it was a Panama Canel and a longer cruise it was nothing like a party ship to the point of boring at night.

 

Now on the Dawn in May 2005 not even spring break but over the Memorial weekend out of NYC WOW, that was a party ship. If someone cruised on that for the first time they would be saying that NCL was a party ship and would never sail agian and How bad the NYC people were, that was the reviews from that sailing.

 

It just all depends, bad manner people go on all lines, a recent NCL Pearl to Alaska reviews had really bad reviews due to a group of people. I think it was an early May sailing, I know it was before ours, as I was reading all the reviews.

 

Go with what works for you these things can and WILL happen on all lines, maybe not Holland ;):rolleyes::D

[julieanne]

I am an equal opportunity cruiser and while my cruise line of choice is usually Celebrity, I gave Carnival another chance after a 5 year break in 2007. They have excellent people running things there and tend to listen to complaints. The improved food and service and both were excellent in November of 2007. We'll be sailing on the Legend in 6 months. I have also veered away from Sailing Princess for 6 years. I do look at their itineraries, but I always choose to do the cheaper cruise as I know that they will be comparable. Carnival tends to draw a more vibrant, younger crowd, but that doesn't bother us (we are late 40's). I would say food, etc is comparable between the two. NCL, on the other hand (wait, wait), well, I was very disappointed in the food. Some was good, some not so great and yes, I did book another cruise with them :D. However, it was a wonderful cruise! I think it is nice to try other lines and go with an open mind. If you like more than one, it can open up many itineraries and prices! That way, you can do more cruising! ;)

[IWORK2CRUISE]

We have yet to try Princess.

That being said we know that spring break is a tricky time to travel and were surprised at the amount of college spring breakers that we encountered on an NCL ship in March a few years ago.

Having read many other posts it seems to me that Princess may be a better option than Carnival for 2 adults at spring break.

[krazy4kruisin]

IMHO, Princess is a more upscale cruise line, however depending on the ship that you are considering through Carnival, a newer ship is always nice. We have cruised on new ship on both cruise lines, 2 in the summer and 1 during spring break (CCL Spring break). We went to the Panamal Canal on Carnival. The price was much more affordable and that was the only way that we were able to go. If money was no object, Princess would be our choice. I am taking my first NCL cruise in a week!

 

Majesty of the Sea

Carribean Princess

Caribbean Princess

Carnival Liberty

Majesty of the Sea

[terrymtex01]

I do hope things I said about Carnival were not taken the wrong way. It was not to say Carnival was a horrible cruiseline, but rather just not a good fit for us. I two cousins, both of whom are even older than me (they are in their fifties) and both can afford to travel on any cruiseline they want to and they always choose Carnival. I do have to agree that I think their ships are beautiful, the food was some of the best we have had on a ship and they do have great entertainment. I would even say they have had the best entertainment we have ever seen on a cruise ship. My cousins who like Carnival so much have even told us we should try one of their newer ships, that they think we would like it. It is just so far, NCL has been the better fit for us. 8-)

[gooch47]

Terry and Doug have it right. Different people have different expectations. We are not party animals at all and having people talking loudly in the hallways and slamming doors into the wee hours just doesn't fit our style of life. And it wasn't young kids doing this. It was the 30-somethings more or less. Watching two men carry a drunken lady back to the ship just isn't pretty.

 

So it is entirely possible that Carnival will be fine for the OP, Princess may be fine for the OP, or neither or both will.

[lhall85917]

We've been on all 3 lines and see more similarities than differences between them. The biggest difference we have seen is on the ships - our experience has been that we enjoy the bigger, newer ships more than the older ships. If you are looking at Carnival Miracle we didn't find it to be a pary ship; however, we felt that the decor was pretty ugly and we had poor service (of course that changes from cruise to cruise and person to person). It is highly loved by many people - we just didn't care for it.

Given a choice between Carnival and Princess we would go for Princess. We were able to do anytime dining with them and it worked out just as well for us as it does on NCL. As someone else mentioned, the 9 day NCL itinerary is wonderful, but I know as teachers you don't have much choice - you only have limited options that fit into spring break schedule. We were able to fit the 9 day in last year, but this year it didn't work out.

[Lisa&Neb]

we would love the 9 day NCL.... but we are teachers and only get the week off.... so no choice there... we wouold have to take UNPAID days off.. and that is not an option!!!

[CanadianTwosome]

BEFORE I GET FLAMED!!!

 

I have been a loyal NCL guy. my wife and I have only been on NCL cruises since we started cruiseing together.

 

With all that being said I need to ask the question. My wife and I are looking at doing a southern cruise in march of 2010. We are teachers so we only have 7 days. NCL does not offer a 7 day southern cruise. We are trying to decided between Princess and Carnival. WE love NCL crusing and freestyle.

 

Given the price difference and the differences in everything... which one would oyu suggest. it is about 300pp cheaper to go on CCL then PCL.

 

Again... please no flaming... I wanted to go NCL... but there is nothing being offered!!!

 

I think both these lines have (as people have noted) implemented some sort of anytime dining, so that solves your 'eat anytime' needs. Other than that, however, I think everything else is about personal taste - food, shows, etc. What one person loves another will hate, so I would go with the most appealing itinerary and best price.

 

I'm sorry, but I simply have to also mention that I think it's you that's done the flaming. Presuming that anyone would flame you for posting such a completely inoffensive question is really insulting, in my opinion.