Princess vs Carnival

[luci]

Looking into our 1st Princess cruise next year. Possibly the Mexican Riveria on the Dawn out of San Francisco, the Regal out of San Diego or the Sapphire out of Los Angeles. Having been only on Carnival ships, can we expect a big difference between the two? One petty item,Carnival offers free 24 hr pizza and free 24 hr yogert and ice cream. Does Princess? I know its petty but we look foward to the treat every time we cruise.:)

[CruiseFever]

Looking into our 1st Princess cruise next year. Possibly the Mexican Riveria on the Dawn out of San Francisco, the Regal out of San Diego or the Sapphire out of Los Angeles. Having been only on Carnival ships, can we expect a big difference between the two? One petty item,Carnival offers free 24 hr pizza and free 24 hr yogert and ice cream. Does Princess? I know its petty but we look foward to the treat every time we cruise.:)

 

Nope, no 24 hour Pizza OR Ice Cream but really good and prompt room service if that helps.

 

Probably not huh?

 

The Pizza that Princess offers has been reported as being very good though, you'll just have a hard time finding it sometimes.

 

There was a thread on here earlier asking about the differences between Carnival and Princess and there are some.

 

The short answer (IMHO) is if you liked Carnival you'll like Princess

 

...maybe better but probably not worse at least on the first try. After a series of Princess cruises sometimes former Carnival guests report that Princess' decor has become boring to them and that they miss the variety each individually different Carnival ship offers.

 

Here's some more differences:

 

• Princess Grand Class ships have Skywalkers- a nightclub that blows away anything Carnival ever thought of having
  
• Princess does a better job of breaking up huge, open deck space into smaller more intimate areas
  
• Carnival has FunVision, an in-cabin interactive system that lets you view your shipboard charge account, buy shore excursions and watch pay-per-view movies
  
• Princess has better, sometimes excellent food but lacks consistency
  
• You can buy cartons of cigarettes on Princess and they hold them until the end of the cruise, on Carnival you can have them when you buy them
  
• You can buy bottles of booze on Carnival and they hold them until the end of the cruise, on Princess you can order bottles from room service and have them right now
  
• Carnival has an incorrect reputation for being a big drunken party all the time (not any more), Princess has an incorrect reputation for catering to boring old people.
  
• Carnival has a better kids program- Princess' is good but inconsistent from ship to ship
  
• Pricing is competitive, comparing numbers to numbers Carnival will come out less expensive but Princess is a better value
  
• Princess ships all seem to have a similar layout and decor, each Carnival ship has a different theme
  
• Princess rules embarkation, Carnival is trying but still not there
  
• Carnival has the reputation for the best shows, I rate both lines the same
  
• Princess sails to more places
  
• Carnival management is totally accessible, good luck emailing somebody important at Princess
  
• Princess employs more muted tones and promotes a subdued but semi-elegant ambiance, Carnival is very glitzy, Vegas style with lots of neon
  

Here's a link to another thread that goes into much more detail on this topic that you might find of interest

 

Also here's a link to a new thread from a member who is live on the Dawn right now if you'd like to ask some specific questions....hurry, that opportunity does not come along often

[Toto2Kansas]

For your first Princess cruise, I don't think I could recommend the Regal, especially if you are used to Carnival ships. The Regal is more the old type vessel with a more subtle appeal.

But the Sapphire would be more what you are used to. The Dawn is a great ship, one of the Sun Class but smaller than the Sapphire. So much depends on what you are looking for.

I think you would probably be more fascinated with the Sapphire than the other two options.

Hope you enjoy your first Princess cruise.

[crisp1]

[*]Pricing is competitive, comparing numbers to numbers Carnival will come out less expensive but Princess is a better value

 

Just wondering, how so?

[bjboothman]

Just wondering, how so?

 

Chris, thanks for the great writeup - as a formerly Princess-only cruiser, I'm trying my first Carnival this fall.

 

Crisp's question above is exactly the same one I had when I read your comments. My upcoming Carnival cruise is a good price, but would I be getting more for my money with Princess? Such as? I'm a little confused.

[spongerob]

The three ships you have listed are quite different in character. Regal Princess is an older vessel built for a premium line (Sitmar). Today it has taken the place of Royal Princess and offers more of a "good old days of cruising" experience. That ship will therefore draw a different clientele. Dawn Princess is larger and newer, but still retains much of the elegance that many of us associate with cruising. Diamond Princess is the largest and newest ship of the three.

 

The other comparison is the length of cruise you plan to take. Longer cruises tend to be a more laid back. When you have just 7 days to do it all, the pace is frenetic and sometimes you don't take time to stop and smell the roses. A longer cruise gives you more time to do nothing, if that is your preference. You don't feel the pressure to try to pack as much into every day as you possibly can. It's easier to get to know others on board. If you haven't cruised on anything but 7 day cruises or less, it's hard to explain the difference. Having those extra days to unwind is a real treat.

 

If it's all about pizza and ice cream, choose Diamond Princess. If it's something more you are looking for, try one of the other two ships.

[luci]

LifeIs and Toto2,

Thanks for the quick responce to my question and the informitive answers.

It gives us alot to ponder Too bad about the freebees though:( (pizza&ice cream) Thanks again and happy cruising!

 

Luci

[cruisnfool]

My opinion to people should try as many differant lines as possible to make up your own mind.

Peoples opinions vary greatly and you don't want to miss an opportunity because of someone elses opinion.

The statements about the differences of the ships are correct and many people pick ships based on their size, age, etc.

I belive you will like your Princess experience.

[deadbug]

we just returned from our 1st Princess cruise (STAR) after 6 Carnival cruises. Other posters have described well some of the differences, so I will speak in generalities.

Our last few Carnival cruises have been on the quiet side regarding night life; the Star a few weeks ago had people partying in skywalkers lounge until the early morning hrs.

The food was similar, but I give Carnival the edge. Good on both lines.

All of the service I received was at the same level on both lines.

I hated the interior layout of Princess (very confusing), but the deck level and the pools absolutely rock!!!

OVERALL---I found minimal differences between the two lines; I paid about 200.00 more on Princess than I would have on comparable Carnival.

 

We may try another different line for our next cruise....but the main thing we will look at is ITINERARY and PRICE.

[luci]

Once again thank you ALL for all the info. I guess it just does boil down to ITINERARY AND PRICE. Heck, just cruising and having a good time is all that matters.

 

Luci

[bleuseas]

Once again thank you ALL for all the info. I guess it just does boil down to ITINERARY AND PRICE. Heck, just cruising and having a good time is all that matters.

 

...Amen:)

[raydon]

We like the anytime dining on Princess. Really gives you a lot of freedom on your vacation!