What can I expect from Princess that is different from Carnival

[becki219]

CCL has the chocolate melting cake dessert available every evening in the dining room. One of the best chocolate desserts at sea.

 

 

 

Princess only has it available in the specialty steak restaurant.

 

 

 

Yes!! The best dessert at sea! We will board the Ruby in April. I hope I can convince someone to make me a melting chocolate cake. 🤞🏼

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[flamomo]

Hopefully OP will not misinterpret the term "sophisticated", that several other posters have used to describe Princess cruisers, as being equated to snobbishness. While one occasionally encounters a few fellow passengers who seem a bit snobby, most seem to be just regular people. I would rather describe Princess as being more classy, but not stuffy.

I do think many passengers can be considered sophisticated in the sense that they have a lot of travel experiences.The demographics skew toward more mature age groups, a lot being retirees who have the time and means to travel often and for longer periods each time, and as a result have seen a lot of the world.

 

JMO, of course

[Micahs Grandad]

does Barnival have straw and butter rationing yet like on Princess?

 

Just off the Grand and never had to ask for straws. Butter there was more than enough on the DR table

[Tatka]

Princess is boring compared to Carnival.

 

Funship 2.0 on Carnival gives a better variety of day time options on the lido deck on Carnival.

 

Carnival offers their flat iron steak on their every night menu; Princess does not offer an any kind of steak on their every night menu - they offer a hamburger. They do have a variety of beef entrees (as does Carnival) though they tend to be slow roasted with some kind of gravy/sauce with the occasional steak or sauce-less beef dish.

 

Carnival offers the sea day brunch (which we love); Princess offers the separate breakfast and lunch menus in the MDR (some days had great choices, others not so much).

 

 

 

For Princess, they offer a great specialty coffee card (much better than pay as you go on Carnival); and the coffee place (international café) offers basic food options. There are more pools on Princess and less lido deck activity so you're more likely to be able to find a place to just sit and relax.

 

 

 

We got an awesome deal on a Window Suite on Princess and we're cruising again in November/December 2018 in the same Window Suite. The Club class dining on Princess was amazing service wise and offered some great additional choices.

 

 

 

Can you really eat iron steak? We really tried... and couldn’t :(

[Tatka]

A lot of loyal Princess cruisers talk Princess up as being more than it really is. Granted, it is one of the nicer overall cruising experiences among contemporary mainstream lines(IE. Carnival, NCL, RCCL), however Princess ought naught be confused with being on par with premium lines such as HAL or Celebrity, or even anything near semi-luxury lines like Azamara, Oceania et. al.

 

The reality is that all of the mainstream lines bring something to the table. Some lines do things better than others and so on. Despite their differences, they offer more that is alike than not. Where they differ the strongest is the type of demographic that they target. Princess tends to cater more towards those that are retired(or near either side of being retired by a decade or so). There aren't as many young kids/young adults aboard as one might find on other mainstream lines. Often, the majority on Princess are empty nester couples or families w/ adult-aged children aboard.

 

What Carnival offers that Princess does not, is more variety in casual dining options. What Princess offers is a more refined attempt at upscale dining, however it's still only banquet quality food. Yeah, there aren't any dancing waiters to interrupt one's meal - where some may see it as 'fun' and others as 'sillyness'. (Presentation aside) The food served in the MDRs is pretty similar in quality. Sometimes decent dishes, at times some so-so dishes, and occasionally some that are bland and uninspiring -- but rarely bad or inedible. Generally the service is pretty good in the MDR on Princess, however this has declined in recent years, as the staff has been stretched thinner and thinner.

 

The International Cafe is overhyped in my opinion. Yes the offerings of grill-pressed Panini-style sandwiches, pasta/deli salads and baked goods/sweets are appealing, but when the only other casual (included in the fare) dining options aboard most ships in the fleet are frozen patty burgers(served with iceberg lettuce, tomato and onion), basic hotdogs or hit-or-miss Lido deck pizza, it's no wonder the IC is a hit with so many.

 

For those that might enjoy many different options for cook-to-order stations, Princess is lacking in this dept.

 

The Princess' buffet does make up for this being open all day and with a little more variety than Carnival's spread(sans all of the other cooked-to-order stations available for lunch). While the Horizon Court does offer ethnic-themed evenings (a la 'German night', 'Mexican night', 'Italian night' etc.), it's the same spread for breakfast in the buffet everyday on Princess.

 

I could go on here with other comparison(s), but what I'd really like to state is this. Princess used have a lot of nice touches that made cruising with them a little more special than it has become of late. A lot of (death by a 1000 cuts)cutbacks have cheapened the experience a little. Perhaps that is endemic across the entire mainstream cruising industry -- as the bean counters have found themselves with balancing pricing challenges that allow them to stay competitive in the mainstream cruising marketplace.

 

I suggest going into one's 1st Princess cruise with an open mind, as a cruise is what one makes it. By limiting assumptions and/or ignoring those that state "There is no comparison between Princess and Carnival" or "Princess is miles ahead of Carnival" one might not be potentially setting themselves up for unrealistic expectations.

 

Enjoy what's different about Princess. You may find yourself missing the Deli, self-serve hot chocolate or (included in the fare) sanctuary sailing on a Princess ship, but you might find the easier time finding a deck chair, or the daily Piazza activities, or the subdued decor to lend to a more relaxing time in slighly classier environs.

 

 

 

Check my history... Am I loyal to any line?

Even though I only have 6 Princess cruises due to logistics .. this is our #1 line out of 8.

 

And I do put it over HAL. HAL is very inconsistent. Unfortunately. Especially in service department. Princess as any quality company is consistent.

[Tatka]

CCL has the chocolate melting cake dessert available every evening in the dining room. One of the best chocolate desserts at sea.

 

 

 

Princess only has it available in the specialty steak restaurant.

 

 

 

Princess has amazing desserts in buffets and International cafe (we usually don’t last to try desserts in MDR so cannot judge)

[OCruisers]

On Princess you can almost always go directly to your cabin once you board the ship.:)

Nice not to have constant announcements about what's going on. :)

[Rootie8715]

I have been a long time Princess cruiser, and a Princess snob even though I am only in my 40’s. In September I took my first Carnival cruise with low to no expectations and was totally surprised by the quality. I thought the eateries on Carnival, outside the main dining room, were superior on Carnival. The activities on Carnival were better for my child. On Carnival I hated the obscene noise level, which I often find offensive on Princess too. I do like having twice daily cabin service, but not a deal breaker. Also found the Carnival stateroom more comfortable. Carnival was more garish, while Princess is a bit more upscale. I truly enjoy them both and, now that I am a reformed snob, will readily travel either as deals present themselves.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[shepp]

A lot of loyal Princess cruisers talk Princess up as being more than it really is. Granted, it is one of the nicer overall cruising experiences among contemporary mainstream lines(IE. Carnival, NCL, RCCL), however Princess ought naught be confused with being on par with premium lines such as HAL or Celebrity, or even anything near semi-luxury lines like Azamara, Oceania et. al.

 

Well, with all due respect...

 

You have, according to your cruise history, sailed once with HAL and never with X, so on what do you base your comparison? Neither have you been on a Royal class ship. (BTW, Fodor's classes Princess as one of the top three "premium" lines, FWIW.)

 

I'm not a Princess cheerleader. I'd sail Celebrity again if they sailed out of San Francisco or there were a compelling reason (besides the beauty of their newer ships) and I'll be on HAL again for four weeks come fall. But I've heard the same "It ain't what it used to be" complaints from regulars on both lines, and there are people who've sailed all three who prefer Princess. I remember a couple years ago the CEO of X declared that he was positioning it as a higher-class line by, among other things, raising the fares. And their ads are very stylish, I'll grant them that.

Edited February 15, 2018 by shepp

[meatloafsfan]

Can you really eat iron steak? We really tried... and couldn’t :(

 

It's flat iron steak which refers to the cut. And yes, we've found the steaks on Carnival to be good - they use a nice marinade, and good seasonings.

 

[Tatka]

It's flat iron steak which refers to the cut. And yes, we've found the steaks on Carnival to be good - they use a nice marinade, and good seasonings.

 

On our very last cruise with Carnival this was the only option, and it was really bad.

[voljeep]

if marinade and seasoning are needed - not a quality cut of meat...

 

a little salt and pepper max

 

 

 

then dipped in catsup, of course...:evilsmile:

[Hlitner]

One difference is that Carnival will put more butter on your dinner table :).

 

Hank

[paradiselivin1]

CCL has the chocolate melting cake dessert available every evening in the dining room. One of the best chocolate desserts at sea.

 

Princess only has it available in the specialty steak restaurant.

 

I miss that and hate to have to go to CG to get one but do every time..:p

[paradiselivin1]

Older people. Less young and college kids.

[riclop]

A much better cruise .

[Funkat]

A lot of loyal Princess cruisers talk Princess up as being more than it really is. Granted, it is one of the nicer overall cruising experiences among contemporary mainstream lines(IE. Carnival, NCL, RCCL), however Princess ought naught be confused with being on par with premium lines such as HAL or Celebrity, or even anything near semi-luxury lines like Azamara, Oceania et. al.

 

This will be our first Princess cruise and I sure hope it's better than HAL. That you would consider HAL a premium line and Princess not on par with it is concerning. Our only cruise on HAL was to Alaska over 6 years ago and will probably be our last on HAL. The sub-par quality of food and service, lack of entertainment and general tired condition of the ship were not impressive at all. Our cruises on RCCL, NCL and Carnival were much more appealing to us,

[Funkat]

It's flat iron steak which refers to the cut. And yes, we've found the steaks on Carnival to be good - they use a nice marinade, and good seasonings.

 

 

I have to agree with you. I found the flat iron steak to be very tasty. Of course, it's not a filet or ribeye but I never found it tough. In fact, it was my "go to" when there wasn't any other entree that interested me.

[moki'smommy]

A much better cruise .

That's about how I was going to answer.

[Skai]

Well, with all due respect...

 

You have, according to your cruise history, sailed once with HAL and never with X, so on what do you base your comparison? Neither have you been on a Royal class ship. (BTW, Fodor's classes Princess as one of the top three "premium" lines, FWIW.)

 

I'm not a Princess cheerleader. I'd sail Celebrity again if they sailed out of San Francisco or there were a compelling reason (besides the beauty of their newer ships) and I'll be on HAL again for four weeks come fall. But I've heard the same "It ain't what it used to be" complaints from regulars on both lines, and there are people who've sailed all three who prefer Princess. I remember a couple years ago the CEO of X declared that he was positioning it as a higher-class line by, among other things, raising the fares. And their ads are very stylish, I'll grant them that.

 

RATINGS LINK HERE

 

No real pressing desire to sail a Royal Class ship. I'm sure I would be comparing it to the (R-class) Royal Princess, and I'm also pretty sure a 3500 pax ship couldn't compare.

 

I think in some ways HAL IS nicer than Princess -- especially when it comes to (same-class) cabin vs. (same-class) cabin. There's nothing luxurious about having a slimy shower curtain trying to cling to one's backside while showering in a broom-closet. Wall mounted 42" wide-screen TV w/ On-Demand technology - CHECK. Not needing to purchase a mini-suite to get a love-seat/couch in one's cabin CHECK. Comfortable bed CHECK (and yes I've tried the new Princess beds on the Ruby).....

 

I may find myself on a Royal class vessel at some point I imagine. However, I've found that some of my most enjoyable cruising experiences have been on smaller pax vessels.

 

I've yet to sail Celebrity, partly for some of the same reasons you've stated(a lack of West Coast presence). That stated, I do a lot of research(and I mean A LOT) about many different lines from the most obscure to those out of my price range. I've also gotten plenty of secondhand insight from others' experiences having been on and having read this board for almost a decade.

 

I've got stacks and stacks of luxury line brochures/mailers sitting around to keep me informed and inspired about the finer things at sea.

 

I stand by my statement. Princess at one time may have been a premium line. Methinks, lighted fountains that take up valuable deck space, skywalks and medallions that helps the upsell/nickle and diming factor is pushing Princess further towards the NCL, RCCL and Carnival model instead of the other direction. That's my take at least.

[Tatka]

This will be our first Princess cruise and I sure hope it's better than HAL. That you would consider HAL a premium line and Princess not on par with it is concerning. Our only cruise on HAL was to Alaska over 6 years ago and will probably be our last on HAL. The sub-par quality of food and service, lack of entertainment and general tired condition of the ship were not impressive at all. Our cruises on RCCL, NCL and Carnival were much more appealing to us,

We have 6 with Princess and 2 with HAL and find Princess overall a better product. I wish we went and hope we will sail on newer HAL ships to have better sample size for comparison. The only thing that HAL has better are cabins and pax to size ratio.

[happy cruzer]

HAL also has a better menu for room service including dinner delivered either from the MDR or a specialty restaurant.

 

Thanks for posting the flat iron steak picture. As with anything some love it and some don't but it is there every night and also specialty steaks for extra charge each night on Carnival.

 

Love knowing the differences in the lines; it helps set expectations.

[floridalover5623]

Don't expect to see this on Princess. LOL :D:D

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2018/02/16/23-passengers-booted-from-carnival-cruise-following-bloodbath-brawl.html

[moki'smommy]

I've never seen or read of drunks "falling" overboard on Princess and then needing to be rescued by another cruise line because Carnival got the lifeboat caught in the rigging and couldn't lower it.

[iluvcruzin]

My first thought when I saw the title was... "A clean cabin and ship". I've been on a few Carnival and I'm not going to down play it.. but the last cruise I sailed with them the cabin and the ship was dirty.