New to Princess

[Bonella]

We just booked our first Princess cruise for Feb. 16. 2020 on the Regal Princess. We have only previously cruised on Carnival with a large group of friends, but this one is just for the two of us to celebrate my birthday. We have been looking at Princess for a long time and we're very excited! However, I've had a couple people tell me we're going to be bored because there isn't as much to do on Princess. For those who have had experiences on both lines, is this true? We're not super party people, but we like to have fun.

[paul929207]

We took 2 Carnival cruises years ago and said that was enough. 

 

We have now been on 51 Princess cruises. So Princess is clearly the line for us. 

 

We found Carnival very crowded. Lots of drunks. Always pushing additional spending. 

[hbrote]

We are  platinum on Carnival and have cruised with Princess since 2016.  We love the cruise line plain and simple.  No music blaring on the Lido deck, no crowds shoving everyone and I have not seen an over indulgent drinker.  There is entertainment in the theater in the evening, most bars have music also and Crooners usually has a piano player in the evening that is very entertaining.   The pay restaurants are better than Carnival and the cost is less.  You will  find the ships decorated very different and more relaxing.  We are going on the Regal Princess in January for a week and again in April  for 26 days.   Princess is great and if you are flying try Princess Air.   Enjoy your cruise

[rpage935]

Princess was the first cruise we took and we were hooked.  We took a MSC cruise once and it was a mistake.  Right back to Princess.  The food is the best.  We really like that atmosphere.  No way to get bored.

 

Check out some YouTube about the Regal.  We have sailed the Regal and will be sailing again in a couple of months.  We really fell in love with the Regal.  The entertainment is top notch.  The sail away party was a blast.

 

One thing to beware of on the Regal are the mini-suites right below the Skywalk.  Don't book those.  You can see the balcony and almost into the room.  We have a mini-suite on the next cruise on the Regal but it is far enough forward that we are safe.

 

We really like the deluxe balcony rooms on Lido.  Those are great also.

 

Check out the Enclave in the spa.  Buy the pass as soon as you board.  It is a great place to unwind.

[OCruisers]

Look forward to having a great time on Regal Princess!

There will be plenty to keep you entertained!

We've cruised on almost all of the mass market cruise lines and have found Princess to be the best fit for us.

Like you, we still like to have FUN on cruises.  

 

[katiegirl1264]

My friend went on Star and really liked it. But glad to hear good feedback on Regal too.

[neverbeenhere]

Either create or wait for and join a rollcall for your cruise. You can use the rollcall to find like minded passengers that are traveling on the cruise. 

[Bonella]

Thanks everyone. I really feel we made a good choice and we're very much looking forward to our cruise!

[vampiress]

i went on carnival and really did not like it.  something about their deck plans was super annoying if you are trying to go the full length of the ship.  the decorations were garish.  we called it the boob cruise because every floor was decorated with some golden bust of a half naked lady.  i also found the crowds overly drunk.  i almost left dinner one night because of some lout at the next table being loudly drunken and rude to his tablemates, but they finally asked him to leave and he didn't return the rest of the cruise.

and i they didn't have lunch in the main dining room on embarkation.  I did like the taco bar at lunch time, i ate so many tacos that cruise.

 

i think i had an expectation of cruising that wasn't what carnival caters to, at least sailing on the short california coastal cruises.  my parents love carnival.  i would give them a shot again now i know what to expect.  i did find their main dinging dinners were not to my taste, i sent something back almost every night.  the wait staff were amazing and would whisk me a new plate.  part of this is i try to be adventurous while cruising and try food i wouldn't normally try at restaurants, and i picked poorly.

 

we are around 40 and enjoy princess, i find there is stuff to do, but i seek out the crafts with Cd and the movies, and the rest oft he time i am knitting or reading for relaxation.  i don't need to be entertained 100% of the time. 

 

[Wishing on a star]

I think it is probably a great choice for this kind of cruise for just the two of you!

 

What age range are you, and what kind of fun is 'fun' for you.

What thinks about cruising on a big cruise ship appeal, and you look forward too?

 

I think you might feel that some things on Princess are not as 'exciting'...   Drinking and nightlife are usually light to moderate at best...  But, overall,  I don't think you will be bored !

 

There are different bars and activities and the shows...  the acts in the other venues.

From what I can gather, recently, they have had a good house band, the Beatlemaniacs, etc.

Of course, this kind of thing is subject to change.

 

Somebody mentioned the Lido Deck....  While it will not be blaring active music...  There is the MUTS screen, Activities, Occasionally, perhaps, some of the band playing.  

 

If you want any quiet relaxing time, you will want to think about other areas, like the Adult Only retreat pool area, The AFT Terrace pool area, or reserve loungers in the Sanctuary.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 4, 2018 by Wishing on a star

[Holomoku]

Ahoy There,

We have done Celebrity, RC and HA but always come back to Princess.  I have always complained that there are not enough hours in the day to do everything that Princess offers.  If you want boredom take HA and for multi use venues go on Celebrity where the venue does not fit the crowd and it always seemed rushed to get the activity done with.  We will keep trying other lines just to see what is out there, but Princess for us.  Bring a highlighter to mark up your Princess Patter for the events you want the next day!  Then also ask your steward to bring two Patters to your mailbox each evening so you and your mate can at times go different directions.

Holomoku

[1emerald1]

Years ago, before 9/11 when visitors could board, my neighbor who was VP of Sales for Carnival got passes for my mother and myself to tour a ship that was in port in San Pedro.  The ship was so garish, neon lights everywhere, not to mention the passengers on board that I said to my mom if I won a cruise on that ship I'd turn it down.  It was such a cry from my experiences on Sitmar and Princess.

[Bonella]

2 hours ago, Wishing on a star said:

I think it is probably a great choice for this kind of cruise for just the two of you!

 

What age range are you, and what kind of fun is 'fun' for you.

What thinks about cruising on a big cruise ship appeal, and you look forward too?

 

I think you might feel that some things on Princess are not as 'exciting'...   Drinking and nightlife are usually light to moderate at best...  But, overall,  I don't think you will be bored !

 

There are different bars and activities and the shows...  the acts in the other venues.

From what I can gather, recently, they have had a good house band, the Beatlemaniacs, etc.

Of course, this kind of thing is subject to change.

 

Somebody mentioned the Lido Deck....  While it will not be blaring active music...  There is the MUTS screen, Activities, Occasionally, perhaps, some of the band playing.  

 

If you want any quiet relaxing time, you will want to think about other areas, like the Adult Only retreat pool area, The AFT Terrace pool area, or reserve loungers in the Sanctuary.

 

 

 

 

 

This actually sounds perfect for us. Moderate and light drinking and nightlife sound great. From the responses I've received, I know we made a good choice. The crowds and behaviors of some of the Carnival passengers were a huge deciding factor in exploring other cruise lines. We were honestly looking for something more upscale without being stuffy. Does that make sense?

[jagsfan]

1 hour ago, 1emerald1 said:

Years ago, before 9/11 when visitors could board, my neighbor who was VP of Sales for Carnival got passes for my mother and myself to tour a ship that was in port in San Pedro.  The ship was so garish, neon lights everywhere, not to mention the passengers on board that I said to my mom if I won a cruise on that ship I'd turn it down.  It was such a cry from my experiences on Sitmar and Princess.

That was when Joe Farcus designed the interiors. They were gaudy and garish, but they made people notice Carnival. I hope that was the reasoning, that they had to stand  out from the other cruise lines. They started on a shoestring and were laughed at by the rest of the industry. 

Now that they’re top dog, I think they’ve toned things way down. 

[Holomoku]

50 minutes ago, Bonella said:

This actually sounds perfect for us. Moderate and light drinking and nightlife sound great. From the responses I've received, I know we made a good choice. The crowds and behaviors of some of the Carnival passengers were a huge deciding factor in exploring other cruise lines. We were honestly looking for something more upscale without being stuffy. Does that make sense?

Ahoy,

Yep, perfect sense to us.  Formal night we do dress but that is because here in the islands formal dress is a nice aloha shirt and slacks.  Remember formal is only for the dining rooms, not the other eating venues.  It is fun for us.  The stuffy dressing all day is why we have not done a Cunard cruise.  We are way more laid back as are most of the folks on Princess.

Holomoku

[satxdiver]

You will not find silly pool games, constant announcements to get your money, endless trivia games with the winner getting the ship on a stick, heavy drinking, mediocre theater presentations and kids running everywhere.  Princess is a cut above with a more adult presentation.  They do have games like trivia every day, few kids aboard, light drinking, way better theater performances and a more laid back atmosphere.  Night brings live entertainment with multiple live bands playing music from rock to jazz to easy listening and a pianist every night.  There will be music presentations in the piazza nightly and something during the day on sea days.  Last cruise we had a duo who really made their fiddles sing that played almost every night.  

 

One nice touch is that the tables in the MDR have table cloths for all meals and cabins are serviced twice a day.  We have two CCL cruises and 5 PCL cruises on the books right now.   We have been on the Magic, Breeze and now will be on Vista limiting our CCL cruises to the newest ships. 

[KevintheIrishDJ]

Don't forget to buy 100 shares of Carnival stock to get a tax free OBC every time you cruise.  

[voljeep]

4 minutes ago, KevintheIrishDJ said:

Don't forget to buy 100 shares of Carnival stock to get a tax free OBC every time you cruise.  

and you may be able to buy and hold those in a retirement account depending on your circumstances

[hbrote]

15 hours ago, Bonella said:

 We were honestly looking for something more upscale without being stuffy. Does that make sense?

 

You have found that with  Princess...... You will Love  your cruise

[claudiniusmaximus]

I’ve had similar discussions with friends who have a completely different idea of how best to enjoy their holiday than we do and it always reminds of an old episode of Moonlighting (the 80s/90s tv show) where David and Maddie spend the whole show arguing about how to have fun. 

 

David like “fun” and takes her on a bar crawl and they do all sorts of crazy fun things whereas as Maddie likes “finer things” so she tries to treat him to an evening of more “refined” activities like a violin concerto or something like that. 

 

At one point he turns to her mockingly and says “are having *fine* yet”? 

 

So I now always say I don’t want to have “fun” on my holiday I want to have “fine”. I think of Princess more in line with having fine than having fun. Low key. A pianist, a guitarist or some mellow music, some nice food, maybe a show, sitting in comfy chairs watching the passengers go by, read a book, pop out to the promenade etc. Bliss. 

 

Im getting old 😂

[skynight]

21 hours ago, Bonella said:

We just booked our first Princess cruise for Feb. 16. 2020 on the Regal Princess. We have only previously cruised on Carnival with a large group of friends, but this one is just for the two of us to celebrate my birthday. We have been looking at Princess for a long time and we're very excited! However, I've had a couple people tell me we're going to be bored because there isn't as much to do on Princess. For those who have had experiences on both lines, is this true? We're not super party people, but we like to have fun.

Fun, it's up to you. If fun is lots of alcohol consumption you can do it, but you will be hard pressed to find others. There are nice ports, Princess Cays, a beach day, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Note Princess Cays is a tender port so get to the tender ticket location early. Your ship will be the only ship there.

On sea days there are activities throughout the day, trivia for sure, plus in the Caribbean there will probably be some pool side games by the main pool. Two pools, main pool and Retreat Pool, adults only. Every evening there are shows and entertainment in the Theater and Vista Lounge. There will also be events like game shows, karaoke, trivia, in Princess Live. We generally enjoy the comics, expect family material. 

In the evening there is live music in the Piazza, Crooners, Wheelhouse Bar. There will be some parties in the Piazza. Club 6 opens later in the evening with a DJ. There are also movies every evening by the pool. If you miss the movie and want to see it the movie will be on demand in your cabin.

The Regal has a very extensive buffet open around 6am until 11pm. Never closes during that time. Lots and lots of selections. Omelette station is the last line aft. Walk through it before you select. There is free coffee from grounds, tea and hot chocolate. 

Alfredo's open 11am to late evening every day. No charge. Waiter served pizza, calzone, salads and other items.

The International Cafe, open 24/7, is no charge and serves lots of nice items.

Enjoy wine? Try Vines.

 

Edited November 5, 2018 by skynight

[MrsKC08]

17 hours ago, Bonella said:

This actually sounds perfect for us. Moderate and light drinking and nightlife sound great. From the responses I've received, I know we made a good choice. The crowds and behaviors of some of the Carnival passengers were a huge deciding factor in exploring other cruise lines. We were honestly looking for something more upscale without being stuffy. Does that make sense?

Hi there. I think you will love Princess! My first cruise years ago was a short one on Carnival and it was ok to test the waters of cruising and to find out I loved it, but even then I wanted something different. After trying Carnival, my next cruise was on Princess (Emerald) and I fell in love. It became our favorite cruiseline. We loved the movies under the stars, the pizza, the atmosphere, the staff, the food, the entertainment and the layout and decor of the ship. We did a few on Princess and then tried Royal Caribbean, which is now our favorite line and the one we sail on most of the time. We decided to try Regal for our next cruise, and we sail out in 3 weeks! I'm truly looking forward to being on Princess again and on this new class of ship to see what they offer. You will love Princess, I'm sure!

[Mike45LC]

I don't know.  I haven't been on a Carnival Cruise in about 20 years, but then, I entered and won a Mr. Sexy Legs Contest.  I was quickly thrown out of the Mr. Hairy Chest Contest, when a Greek and a Middle-Easterner came up with their bear rug chests.  I've never seen these kinds of contests on Princess -- Golf Putting into a life preserver floating the pool just isn't the same.

 

But I keep coming back to Princess despite the lack of Sexy Leg Contests.  In addition to these Carnival-style contests that Princess does not have, Princess does not have the How Fast Can You Chug-a-Lug A Six Pack Contest, the "how far can you project your vomit contest" and some of the other Spring Break kind of contests that Carnival was famous for.

 

Princess is somewhat more mature.

 

[tawlaw1526]

On 11/4/2018 at 5:01 PM, Bonella said:

Thanks everyone. I really feel we made a good choice and we're very much looking forward to our cruise!

You made a great choice.   The Reagl is gorgeous.    

[Thrak]

I'd have trouble with a Sexy Legs contest. When I was younger I always wondered why old men had hairless, shiny white legs. It just seemed weird. Now I understand. The lack of this type of contest is one of the things we like about Princess. I've seen videos and read posts about some of the things that go on during Carnival cruises. Nope, nope, nope. Not for us. I honestly don't think I've ever heard the word F**K uttered on a Princess ship. Maybe I've just been lucky but I like it that way.