Carnival Vs. Princess?

[Saffir]

My first cruise was on the Crown Princess last April, and I had an amazing time! A few disappointments here and there, but nothing egregious. I'm planning April 2016's cruise, and I've narrowed my choices down between two -- one on Carnival, and one on Princess.

 

Princess: Caribbean Princess, 7-day W. Caribbean itinerary out of Houston, $1159 for OV (minus gov't fees). Estimated plane ticket: $290 for an estimated total of $1449.

 

Carnival: Carnival Elation, 11-day Caribbean/Bahamas itinerary out of New Orleans, $1098 for OV (minus gov't fees). Estimated planet ticket: $540 for an estimated total of $1598.

 

So, the price difference is only ~$150, for an extra four days. :D

 

However, I'm not sure about the difference between Carnival and Princess. Princess had a great atmosphere to me -- laidback, not really a party place, a good mixture of ages (though I was one of the youngest by far, which I didn't mind), outstanding service. Food and entertainment were great (with one food exception, but that was just one meal). Also not a lot of kids, which is important to me.

 

I know Carnival has more of a reputation for being a "party" ship, but is it a super-noticeable difference? Are there a lot more kids onboard Carnival? Other potential differences I haven't listed?

[Keith1010]

Based on all you have said skip Carnival and go with Princess.

 

Keith

[Velvetwater]

You will probably get a lot of replies from people with 7 day carnival cruise experience and some will say yes they are party maniaships. However as someone who has done 2 different long Carnival cruises I would disagree completely. I have always got the feeling there is a different atmosphere on longer Carnival cruises where the passengers will often be more experienced cruisers and slightly older.

 

While Carnival is lively its more a happy vibe in my experience. People are friendly and are up for what comes their way, the service is good and the food is comparable to anywhere else. I do feel the entertainment is its weak point but it wins points with Trivia/Comedy etc.

 

As for kids theres probably a few more on Carnival but if you sail when the kids are out of school there will be a larger proportion of kids on board both cruises...especially with the Princess being 7 days. As for both lines being comparable we recently sailed Celebrity (often compared as RCL's Princess competitor) and while it was more sedate and elegant in its finish the difference was not noticeable enough to me.

 

Elation is older than the Princess and smaller but I think the Elation got a refit last year? I would happily sail on either TBH but there may be more on board things on Princess.

 

Also, the 4 extra days AND sailing out of the beautiful New Orleans (Desperate to go) makes it a no brainer regardless of the line in my opinion.

 

Coming from a late twenties cruiser I would say 11 day all the way :)

Edited September 14, 2015 by Velvetwater

[Keith1010]

In life you often get what you pay for.

 

I will tell you that you will find Carnival out of New Orleans to still be a party ship even though it is an eleven day cruise.

 

If you liked Princess stay with it.

 

Keith

[OCruisers]

Comparing Princess to Carnival is like the comparing "apples to oranges" thing. While we enjoy Princess much more, we still cruise on other cruise lines (including Carnival) from time to time.

 

You're young so you might like Carnival and have many opportunities to cruise ahead of you. It's just for one cruise ... not a lifetime commitment. :)

 

Whichever you pick, have a wonderful cruise. :D

 

LuLu

[SuiteTraveler]

Carribbean Princess:

Built: 2004

Refurbished: 2011

Passengers: 3080 passengers

You've been one Grand Class Princess ship already, so you know what to expect.

 

 

Carnival Elation:

Built: 1998

Refurbished 2011

Passengers 2628

I believe that this ship does not have many cabins with balconies - perhaps 100 at most as it was built just before the shift to having lots of balcony cabins on almost all ships. You can expect the interior decor to be over the top and somewhat gaudy in a Las Vegas sort of way.

Food will be good, nothing really superb unless you book the chef's dinner - that tends to be amazing, but certainly, not bad for hotel banquet type food.

 

Of the two, I'd choose Caribbean Princess over Carnival Elation due to the fact it is a much newer ship. If you were to go on Carnival, I would recommend you trying Carnival Magic out of Galveston, TX or Carnival Breeze as these are their two newest ships. Carnival Liberty is also a very popular Carnival Ship and worth considering.

[Nic6318]

My first cruise was on the Crown Princess last April, and I had an amazing time! A few disappointments here and there, but nothing egregious. I'm planning April 2016's cruise, and I've narrowed my choices down between two -- one on Carnival, and one on Princess.

 

Princess: Caribbean Princess, 7-day W. Caribbean itinerary out of Houston, $1159 for OV (minus gov't fees). Estimated plane ticket: $290 for an estimated total of $1449.

 

Carnival: Carnival Elation, 11-day Caribbean/Bahamas itinerary out of New Orleans, $1098 for OV (minus gov't fees). Estimated planet ticket: $540 for an estimated total of $1598.

 

So, the price difference is only ~$150, for an extra four days. :D

 

However, I'm not sure about the difference between Carnival and Princess. Princess had a great atmosphere to me -- laidback, not really a party place, a good mixture of ages (though I was one of the youngest by far, which I didn't mind), outstanding service. Food and entertainment were great (with one food exception, but that was just one meal). Also not a lot of kids, which is important to me.

 

I know Carnival has more of a reputation for being a "party" ship, but is it a super-noticeable difference? Are there a lot more kids onboard Carnival? Other potential differences I haven't listed?

 

 

 

Hi Saffir

 

Unlike Keith, I would suggest you try Carnival.

 

One reason is that you will find out if you enjoy longer cruises.

 

Second you will be able to assess for yourself the value for money of Carnival vs. Princess. It could be any two cruise lines that you are comparing since as a customer your job is determining how best to spend your vacation dollars. You gain this experience by trying different products. If you try the Carnival product and find it is not for you then you won't do it again because of personal knowledge.

 

whatever you choose

have a great cruise

[Donder1]

Short and sweet: Princess!

[Aquahound]

Short and sweet: Princess!

 

Same here. Definitely Princess in this case. Nuff said. :)

[SadieN]

I've sailed the Crown, Elation and several of their sisters. If Itin is the only consideration I'd sail the Elation. The Elation is the youngest Fantasy class ship. Her decor is wilder than Princess's but not as outlandish as some if her older sisters.

 

The Elation is smaller, has no speciality dining restaurants. Her indoor promenade is better than the Crown's but the only outside walking areas are on 10/11/12.

 

We like Carnival's MDR and Princess's buffet. Carnival has 24 hour pizza and soft serve. The deli is very good. There are free Hot Chocolate machines in the buffet. The rotisserie, between the grill and Mongolian Wok has a different carved item (chicken or lamb) than the hot buffet. No seaside BBQ. There is also a deli for made to order sandwiches.

 

Cabins--

The Elation does not have balcony cabins. The OV/IS cabins are larger than Princess's. Her safe needs a magnetic stripe card to open and close. The showers are larger on Carnival. Both lines use horrible generic shampoo and shower gel dispensers.

The suites do have puny balconies. Only perk is priority embarkation.

 

Adult Area-- On the Elation Promenade aft is the adult Serenity deck. There is no charge to use this area.

 

The longer cruise will not have the same vibe as a typical cruise. When is it? If it's during the school year then the pax makeup will be comparable to Princess.

 

Elation does not have MUTS or a covered pool.

 

ETA--the Elation cruise is a special Journeys cruise. Lots of extras going on during these cruises. Check it out.

Beginning of April is towards the end of Spring break season.

 

****

My biggest complaint with Princess is that all the ships look alike. If I was in the Plaza I'd be hard pressed to figure out which ship I was on. On Carnival each ship is decorated (for better or worse) differently

Edited September 15, 2015 by SadieN

[Robinsoncruiseso]

My first cruise was on the Crown Princess last April, and I had an amazing time! A few disappointments here and there, but nothing egregious. I'm planning April 2016's cruise, and I've narrowed my choices down between two -- one on Carnival, and one on Princess.

 

Princess: Caribbean Princess, 7-day W. Caribbean itinerary out of Houston, $1159 for OV (minus gov't fees). Estimated plane ticket: $290 for an estimated total of $1449.

 

Carnival: Carnival Elation, 11-day Caribbean/Bahamas itinerary out of New Orleans, $1098 for OV (minus gov't fees). Estimated planet ticket: $540 for an estimated total of $1598.

 

So, the price difference is only ~$150, for an extra four days. :D

 

However, I'm not sure about the difference between Carnival and Princess. Princess had a great atmosphere to me -- laidback, not really a party place, a good mixture of ages (though I was one of the youngest by far, which I didn't mind), outstanding service. Food and entertainment were great (with one food exception, but that was just one meal). Also not a lot of kids, which is important to me.

 

I know Carnival has more of a reputation for being a "party" ship, but is it a super-noticeable difference? Are there a lot more kids onboard Carnival? Other potential differences I haven't listed?

 

My vote would be Princess...but I would look for a better rate. Just did a quick look and found a balcony for less with oodles of obc. Can't mention travel agents names but please look around for a better rate. TA'S usually can discount on Princess. Just got off the Ruby Princess today. Almost stopped for a $1.50 hot dog and drink at a big box store for lunch...

[2Ccruisers]

I have never been on a Carnival ship (yet) but I have cruised the CB. I MUCH preferred her over the NCL Jewel that we cruised on later that same year. It's a large ship but easy to navigate and had MUTS. I didn't think I would be one to sit out and watch it but DH and I actually enjoyed the popcorn and blankets they provide and watched a movie one evening. One HUGE selling point for me is the Coffee Card on the CB. I love coffee! lol With it you get all the brewed coffee you want and (I think) 14 specialty coffees from the International Café, and there are also complimentary pastries at the IC- yummmmm. I am a runner and actually did a Charity 5K onboard that benefitted Breast Cancer research. I only have the 2 cruises to compare but even though the CB was larger I would see the cruise director and staff very frequently and there was always something going on whereas I actually got bored a little on the Jewel.

 

All that being said, we are taking 3 of our kids on a cruise in January and it will be a Carnival because I know they will enjoy that ship more. Happy cruising!

Edited September 15, 2015 by 2Ccruisers

[jasbo49]

This is actually a hard one for me to decide.

 

The Carnival ship goes out of New Orleans (a huge plus) and it's four more days ... so obviously the Elation.

 

But the Princess ship is much nicer, you can go to your cabin the moment you board, and if you want a balcony you can get one ... so go with the Crown.

 

And I go back and forth like that. I don't think the party reputation -- deserved or not -- has any bearing here, since it's an 11-day cruise.

 

I think in the end it would depend on whether you want a balcony. If so, the Princess ship is the obvious choice. If I didn't care about a balcony, I think I'd go with Carnival. If you try a different cruise line, you'll have more to base your next decision on.

 

Jim

Edited September 15, 2015 by jasbo49

[janetz]

Princess. :) I love the CB. it is a great ship and has a very attentive, friendly crew.

Edited September 15, 2015 by janetz

[sloopsailor]

I once did a five day on Carnival. From that experience, to me doubling that time on Carnival would be cruel and unusual punishment. No way would I double the amount of disappointment I had with Carnival. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." If Carnival was the only choice, I'd take a land vacation instead. Life is just too short to waste 11 days of it.

Edited September 15, 2015 by sloopsailor

[moonbmn53]

7 days vs 11 days at comparable price plus New Orleans = Carnival for me. Never found carnival to be too much a party ship despite the reputation. Of course I don't usually sail her in the summer. Might be different. I have had a great time on every carnival ship on which I have sailed.

[chipmaster]

My signature says it all ;)

[Cruzaholic41]

11 days on the Carnival Elation sounds really awful to me. I'm not a huge Princess fan, but there's no way I would pick the Elation over the Caribbean Princess.

[moniquet]

Princess didn't do it for me, food not as good as other lines, including Carnival. I did not find our Carnival cruise a party ship. They do have the annoying large screen around the large pool but so does Princess. Only sailed Princess once and will be the last. Really don't understand why some consider it a cut above.

 

Our favourite is Holland America but we loved our Carnival cruise.