Newby Questions

[smyemar]

Hi all! The husband and I are considering our first princess cruise as we fell in love with the itinerary. WE have cruised previously on Disney(twice) and since our daughter has gotten older on Carnival (7 times). My questions are since Princess and Carnival are owned by same company do we get any Perks? Does Princess have the all inclusive option that Carnival now offers as the Cheers Program? Is the entertainment plentiful on Princess cruises? WE love the comedy and piano bars on Carnival and rarely are in bed before one o'clock. Thank you for any insight you can give.

 

Marnie

[paul929207]

Each cruise line has their own loyalty program, so your time on Carnival does not count on Princess.

No liquor package on Princess

Yes, lots of entertainment.

[1025cruise]

You might get past passenger pricing, but that is the only perk. Princess does not offer anything like the Cheers Program (which is limited to 15 drinks), there is entertainment, some similar some different. There will be comedians, but there is no comedy club per se on Princess.

[Vanilla]

Marnie

Your question is now on page two - but I didn't see it until now - I think you will find that Princess - while a lovely classy cruiseline is NOTHING compared to Disney. Disney is for kids and as adults we get caught up in the kid theme and love seeing the characters as much as the kids do. Disney decor is what we have grown up with in storybooks and its a fairytale from the moment you get on board. The entertainment Disney offers is fun and full of life because they are energetic for the kids/kids at heart. I am not a fan of Carnival, mainly due to the decor they have - I find all that bold metallic theme they have to be tacky - but I enjoy the entertainment. On Carnival - its called a party ship because the party continues and continues. Carnival attracks the party crowd and has entertainment for that group. One of the games they have, adult themed ;), starts at MN. Princess, is more for relaxing and its color theme is soft and classy. I feel, its geared to an older/mature customer. We are coming up on our 7th Princess cruise - so I like Princess - but the entertainment/dance venues are not exciting. The ship is asleep after MN - yes they do have a dancing venue that is still open with a DJ present - but he plays sleepy tunes and there are only a handful of people there.

I certainly feel you are making a great decision to cruise with Princess - its a fabulous cruise - but be prepared to relax and escape completely.

 

When cruiselines market their product - I have found they have listed them pretty close to what they are:

Disney - "for the young and young at heart"

Carnival - 'the party ship'

Royal Caribbean - 'GET OUT THERE' adventure

Princess - "escape completely"

[texankhj]

Marnie

Your question is now on page two - but I didn't see it until now - I think you will find that Princess - while a lovely classy cruiseline is NOTHING compared to Disney. Disney is for kids and as adults we get caught up in the kid theme and love seeing the characters as much as the kids do. Disney decor is what we have grown up with in storybooks and its a fairytale from the moment you get on board. The entertainment Disney offers is fun and full of life because they are energetic for the kids/kids at heart. I am not a fan of Carnival, mainly due to the decor they have - I find all that bold metallic theme they have to be tacky - but I enjoy the entertainment. On Carnival - its called a party ship because the party continues and continues. Carnival attracks the party crowd and has entertainment for that group. One of the games they have, adult themed ;), starts at MN. Princess, is more for relaxing and its color theme is soft and classy. I feel, its geared to an older/mature customer. We are coming up on our 7th Princess cruise - so I like Princess - but the entertainment/dance venues are not exciting. The ship is asleep after MN - yes they do have a dancing venue that is still open with a DJ present - but he plays sleepy tunes and there are only a handful of people there.

I certainly feel you are making a great decision to cruise with Princess - its a fabulous cruise - but be prepared to relax and escape completely.

 

When cruiselines market their product - I have found they have listed them pretty close to what they are:

Disney - "for the young and young at heart"

Carnival - 'the party ship'

Royal Caribbean - 'GET OUT THERE' adventure

Princess - "escape completely"

 

I agree to the relaxing getaway. My DH and I are not loyal to any cruise line. We have never met a ship we didn't like. The good thing about Princess is you can get food 24-7 buffet does not close. No other cruise ship has this that I have been on. After 9pm no food, not even a snack. So I think this is a plus. Happy Princess is back in Galveston. We would never have left them. They left us. Thank you Princess for returning to Texas:)

[caribill]

The good thing about Princess is you can get food 24-7 buffet does not close. No other cruise ship has this that I have been on.

 

And neither does Princess now. Last year they started closing the buffet area at 11 PM or Mid-Night.

 

However, the International Cafe (on the ships that have them) remains open 24 hours now.

[nhcruiser]

We too very much enjoyed the Piano Bar on Carnival with it's sing along style!

Un-less you are into really old show tunes you will not find a similar experience on Princess. The piano performer does a few hours after dinner in the martini lounge. This is an open lounge off of the atrium so people passing by can linger & listen.

Several other lounges have various performers (duo's, combo's or bands) that usually keep things going until after midnight. Last call in the bars is around 1AM but the disco and casino crowds go on much longer.

[Cruisin' Chick]

After being at California Adventure (the sister park to Disneyland) much of the day yesterday, I am so glad I don't cruise on Disney. But then just not a Disney fan and wouldn't be able to stand seven days of that.

[Pam in CA]

We too very much enjoyed the Piano Bar on Carnival with it's sing along style!

Un-less you are into really old show tunes you will not find a similar experience on Princess. The piano performer does a few hours after dinner in the martini lounge.

Not quite true on some Princess ships. You are correct in that there really isn't a "sing-along" bar but several ships have an Adagio Lounge at the top of the ship that has a pianist or guitarist every evening, including pre-dinner. In line with a Princess cruise, it's classy and somewhat subdued. Love the Adagio Lounge.

[cruise42112]

My husband and I went on Princess for the first time for our honeymoon last April. We, like you, are never in bed early - we found that the Skywalkers Club was a lot of fun and often didn't get busy until later in the night.

[vancouvergirl2010]

Hi all! The husband and I are considering our first princess cruise as we fell in love with the itinerary. WE have cruised previously on Disney(twice) and since our daughter has gotten older on Carnival (7 times). My questions are since Princess and Carnival are owned by same company do we get any Perks? Does Princess have the all inclusive option that Carnival now offers as the Cheers Program? Is the entertainment plentiful on Princess cruises? WE love the comedy and piano bars on Carnival and rarely are in bed before one o'clock. Thank you for any insight you can give.

 

Marnie

 

In my experience, Princess ships are quiet after 11pm.