Carnival vs. Princess - our comparison

[barneco]

Princess vs. Carnival comparison (this is a bit long)

 

We are long time Carnival cruisers (29 so far, with 3 additional ones booked). This is my comparison. I did a comparison one on Carnival vs. NCL previously.

 

We (my wife and I - ages 67 and 64) sailed on the Grand Princess 10 day cruise to Alaska from San Francisco (July 10 - 20).

 

Embarkation

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We are Platinum on Carnival, so we knew things would be different as a first-time Princess cruiser. Embarkation went very smoothly. We arrived at about 11:45 and walked right up to check in. We ended up in Group 3 and were on the ship around 12:30. Was interesting that they did not take our Cruise Card picture until we were getting on the ship and use a hand-held device. Not better or worse, just different. Carnival takes your picture when you get your card, so there is no slow-down to get on the ship. Our cabin was ready when we boarded.

 

Cabin

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We had an inside cabin. We have only had one inside cabin on a Carnival cruise and they seemed about the same. Overall storage space seemed about the same, both had lots of storage space. Princess seems to have a lot more hangars (we usually bring extra wire hangers on Carnival, but this time we actuall had too many wooden hangars).

 

Cabin A/C worked great. Of course, my wife said I always made it too cold!

 

Buffet

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We have eaten most of our shipboard lunches at the buffet (Horizon Court) or the grill and most all of our Breakfasts there at the Buffet. Variety seems okay. We cannot always find something we like, but that is on us and not Princess. Grill is very good with choices we like (Hamburgers, Hot Dogs and Grilled Chicken).

 

It seems to me that the people flow is not optimal. There are only two entrances to the Buffet and they do not connect at all. You are funneled into one of the entrances which seems to easily create bottlenecks and long lines just to get into the buffet. I think Carnival with their many entrances allows for more optimal people flow.

 

New to us is Princess's policy of having the waiters take your drink order (iced tea, water, coffee, juice, etc.) and bring it to you. Not necessarily better or worse than Carnival to us, just different. Seems to go in line with Princess's overall desire to have great service. Similarly, if you order an omelet, the intention is that a waiter will bring it to you. What I did not like about that is that if you got bacon/sausage/potatoes or any other hot item, they would get cold while you waited for your omelet to be delivered. Not a fan of this mechanism, but I think goes along with the Princess philosophy of service.

 

One additional comment. It seems like there are not enough tables to eat at. However, it is possible that because it is somewhat chilly outside, people are not using the tables that are outside.

 

Dining Room

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Princess is definitely a more dress-up ship than Carnival. On our first formal night, the majority of the men were in Tuxes or Suits (I was in the minority). Luckily, no one complained to the Maitre' D about us :)

 

We did fixed time dining and were very happy with it. We are just not ATD kind of people. We like having the same table and waiters, though I know you can do that with ATD. Service was very good. Wait staff used a two person team and was pretty attentive. There were many good choices, though I did have trouble some times finding something I liked, but that was my problem.

 

To me, Carnival is definitely ahead on the desserts, but again that is just my opinion.

 

Steak House

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Went to the Steak House one time. We were very impressed. It costs $29 per person and no place on bill for extra tipping (which I assumed meant that they did not want you to tip extra). Carnival costs $35 per person (at least that was the cost the last time we went). Unlike Carnival, we were told that we could order as much as we wanted (no limits). Good variety of choices and taste was equal to Carnival. Given a choice, I would choose the Princess Steak House (your mileage may vary).

 

Entertainment

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Have been to a number of shows of varying types. A couple of Production shows that to us were just okay. On our ship, they have 4 lead singers and one show, they had 6 lead singers. Just seemed like too many, but again that is just us. Really do like the live band. Also, one of the shows we saw with the Production group was in a large lounge, but the stage was pretty full with all of the performers. We have seen one comedian who was very good, a couple of solo singers who were also good and a good comedy magician who has done two shows.

 

I am not a fan of the new Carnival shows (the ones with the LED screens), but again that is just me. I would rate Princess better, just my opinion.

 

Have seen a few more shows and have not been impressed other than the Lionel Ritchie experience with Derrick C - was a great show.

 

Casino

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Casino seems much smaller than any Carnival casino I can remember. We only play craps, so I cannot compare number of slot machines. They only seem to have one row of tables (2 sides) where Carnival has at least two rows or more. Was disappointed that Craps table is only open at night (8 or 8:30) and never during the day on sea days. Was pretty surprised/shocked to find that out. However, based upon the number of tables (which means fewer dealers), they are just not staffed for it. On Carnival, with more tables (which means more dealers), they always seemed to be able to accomodate us when we wanted to play. The Princess casino staff is very good and friendly, just as the Carnival staff is.

 

One other difference is that Princess does not charge the 3% fee to use your Sail and Sign card to get chips at the tables. It surprises me that since Princess and Carnival are owned by the same corporation that they have a different policy on this.

 

Princess @ Sea App

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The free app is pretty decent for messaging and keeping track of events. You could also see the charges to your account (very nice feature. Carnival (on the Breeze which is the only ship that had it when we sailed) did not have events or charges. One issue with the app on the Grand Princess was that there seemed to be dead zones. Also, there did not appear anyway to be notified when you got a message since the "app" works from a browser and is not a true phone app. Cannot remember how Carnival works, but I think you would get notified when you received a message.

 

Debarkation

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Debarkation was pretty simple. We did Airport transfers, so we were assigned a time to meet and a location. We had to vacate our room by 8:00 and were to meet at 8:45. We found a public area to wait and then went to our designated meeting place. We waited about 15 minutes and then they called us to leave. Getting off the ship was simple and easy.

 

Summary

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We enjoyed our cruise on Princess. Mostly good with a couple of items that had room for improvement. We pretty much have decided that Princess is not really for us as we prefer Carnival or NCL. I hope this is helpful.

[Micahs Grandad]

We are Diamond on CCL and have done two 15 day cruises now on Princess with several upcoming.

 

Think Princess is much better food wise on lido than Carnival with better flow and less lines. We were on two of their newer ships so that might have made a difference.

 

Much better variety for breakfast than Carnival. We liked having them bring our drinks and omelets. Service much better on Princess.

 

Thought Carnival steakhouse was better than Princess by a bit.

 

Dinner about the same but did like that they made cherries jubilee and another dessert in DR.

 

Liked production shows better on Princess but missed comedy club on Carnival. Wish Princess had piano bar.

 

Did love Int Cafe on Princess where you could get many excellent food items and desserts and coffee in main lobby 24/7.

 

Room stewards about the same.

 

Overall paid more for Princess and thought we got our moneys worth.

 

Kind of like cruising 15 years ago.

[Yehootu]

We leave tomm on the Miracle. Last 5 cruises with Princess. Good to know comparisons.

[sparks1093]

Appreciate the thoughts since a Princess cruise is on our bucket list.

[Clarea]

Appreciate the comparison.:)

[jimbo5544]

Thanks for your comparison, very interesting.

[Micahs Grandad]

We feel both offer a very nice vacation so at the moment thinking we will do CCL for around the Caribbean and Princess to see the world.

[louanne93]

Just curious...

Why do you like Carnival better?

 

We have been on a few Carnival, a few RCCL, and one Princess (the Grand). We enjoy Carnival the best as well. All lines were great, we just enjoy all the people and liveliness on Carnival (and we have been on all the OLD ships!). Probably would not go on Princess again as things seemed to end after 8. Gonna try and hit one more RCCL so we can hit Diamond!!

[JimAOk1945]

Thanks for your comments. We have been on Carnival, Princess, RCCL, and going on Holland America for the first time in a few days. So far, we have seen a lot of similarities, as well as differences. We usually cruise in a full suite, so for that reason, we prefer RCCL.

 

We have never had a bad experience on any cruise, although some have been far better than others. Cruising is a wonderful way to travel. It's great to have choices!

Edited July 22, 2016 by JimAOk1945

[OCruisers]

Charleston is a very convenient port for us so we do sometimes cruise on Carnival.

 

Many things are subjective -- food, décor, entertainment, service, etc.

All of these things suit us MUCH better on Princess. :)

[pusywillow]

The buffet on the Regal and Royal Princess has a much better layout than any of their other ships. They also have a gelato shop that makes delicious sundaes. Alfredo's pizza restaurant which is included in your price has great food other than gourmet pizza.

 

Princess has a much quieter and classy atmosphere which I enjoy but I know many here love the loudness and blasting music on Carnival which they call "fun" atmosphere.

 

My land based casino has stopped their affiliation with Carnival and has switched to NCL. I'll see how they are.

 

To each his own. Variety is the spice of life.

[ScottsSweetie]

Love to see comparisons between lines.

 

We have cruised Carnival, Royal & Norwegian.

 

We have not sailed to Alaska yet, but we intend to sail on Princess when we do. It seems that for Alaska, the logical choice would be HAL or Princess and I'm not sure I'm old enough for HAL. :p

[Keith1010]

Thanks for taking the time to share this comparison.

 

Keith

[Rosefloater]

Think Princess is much better food wise on lido than Carnival with better flow and less lines. We were on two of their newer ships so that might have made a difference.

 

Much better variety for breakfast than Carnival. We liked having them bring our drinks and omelets. Service much better on Princess.

 

Liked production shows better on Princess but missed comedy club on Carnival. Wish Princess had piano bar.

 

 

 

We've been on 4 Princess ships and the buffet is the same. Much better than Carnival's. More variety and it is open after a day in port.

 

Don't care for the drink service at breakfast. I'm still waiting for my pineapple juice:mad::D

 

Princess does have a piano area. It is a section upstairs off the atrium. Every time we walked by, it looked like an old age home. Piano player playing 1940's Broadway show tunes and almost all the people in the chairs sleeping.

[Micahs Grandad]

We've been on 4 Princess ships and the buffet is the same. Much better than Carnival's. More variety and it is open after a day in port.

 

Don't care for the drink service at breakfast. I'm still waiting for my pineapple juice:mad::D

 

Princess does have a piano area. It is a section upstairs off the atrium. Every time we walked by, it looked like an old age home. Piano player playing 1940's Broadway show tunes and almost all the people in the chairs sleeping.

 

For some reason buffet does not have the lines we see on Carnival. Very easy to get your selections quickly. Also seems like many more choices to be had.

[GUT2407]

Thanks, very interesting.

[2Shoes2Go]

Thank you for sharing. We've talked of doing Princess. Will try next year.:)

[Florings]

Thanks for your comparison, very interesting. Princess is on our list of cruiselines to try.

[SkyMaster]

We're diamond on Carnival, and have taken several Princess cruises in the past. Just returned from a Royal Princess cruise, and agree with 98% of the above. To me, the buffet is the biggest area of difference. Princess has it all over Carnival in that area. Set up better, food is better, less lines, and I enjoy having the drinks brought to me, instead of waiting in line again, to get an iced tea. The only other significant difference is in entertainment. I thought the shows were marginally better on Princess, than the shows on Carnival. About the time Carnival started with the "Hasbro" thingy, they started their decline, IMO.

 

"SKY"

[Genessa]

enjoyed your comparison!

As you said, a lot of it is "your mileage may vary"

 

I'm an elite Princess cruiser and prefer the laid back pace of Princess, but have cruised twice on Carnival and going on a third soon. Also did a recent cruise on Norwegian.

 

I liked the taste of the food better on Carnival, find Princess somewhat bland, but I like the service much better on Princess and greatly prefer the lay out of the buffet on Princess to either Carnival or Norwegian. People do tend to jam up at the first section of Princess' buffet, but since I know I don't want anything from there, I skip it.

 

 

for me, the entertainment on both Carnival and Norwegian was better than Princess', and there was definitely a more fun, livelier, and correspondingly louder vibe on both Carnival and Norwegian than on Princess. So if I was going with a group, I'd say Carnival or Norwegian, but if it's a small group, gimme Princess.

[carterd2002]

Thanks for your in-depth comparison. We haven't cruised on Carnival yet but have two cruises planned for the future. Since we just got off our first Princess cruise on the Emerald two weeks ago many of your comments on Princess echoed my opinions :)

[Micahs Grandad]

We're diamond on Carnival, and have taken several Princess cruises in the past. Just returned from a Royal Princess cruise, and agree with 98% of the above. To me, the buffet is the biggest area of difference. Princess has it all over Carnival in that area. Set up better, food is better, less lines, and I enjoy having the drinks brought to me, instead of waiting in line again, to get an iced tea. The only other significant difference is in entertainment. I thought the shows were marginally better on Princess, than the shows on Carnival. About the time Carnival started with the "Hasbro" thingy, they started their decline, IMO.

 

"SKY"

 

Agreed

 

Always wondered why they dont get together and do best practices to make both lines better.

[evandbob]

Love to see comparisons between lines.

 

We have cruised Carnival, Royal & Norwegian.

 

We have not sailed to Alaska yet, but we intend to sail on Princess when we do. It seems that for Alaska, the logical choice would be HAL or Princess and I'm not sure I'm old enough for HAL. :p

 

 

We've sailed Princess twice, once in the Med and once for a cruise/tour in Alaska. Somehow we landed on the same ship, the Crown Princess for both.

 

We started in Fairbanks, down through Denali and Talkeetna, into Anchorage and Whittier for a 7 night southern with Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, Skagway, Juneau and finally Vancouver. Princess did everything right by us, almost seamless through the Lodges, meals and excursions. We would totally recommend Princess for an Alaskan vacation/cruise!

Edited July 23, 2016 by evandbob

[Micahs Grandad]

We've sailed Princess twice, once in the Med and once for a cruise/tour in Alaska. Somehow we landed on the same ship, the Crown Princess for both.

 

We started in Fairbanks, down through Denali and Talkeetna, into Anchorage and Whittier for a 7 night southern with Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, Skagway, Juneau and finally Vancouver. Princess did everything right by us, almost seamless through the Lodges, meals and excursions. We would totally recommend Princess for an Alaskan vacation/cruise!

 

We havent had the opportunity to do Alaska yet but many people have told us that Princess does Alaska the best.

[crooooze]

We've sailed 5 or 6 different cruiselines over the years and when people ask me which is better, I have trouble answering. It really depends on the ship and the itinerary.

 

We've had good food and bad... we've seen good shows and bad... we've seen good ship layouts and bad... with every cruiseline. Anyway, I digress...