Thinking of changing from Carnival

[ej1970]

Hi myself and my husband have done 10 cruises a mixture of both Mediterranean and Caribbean and on Royal but primarily Carnival. This July we took Carnival Horizon from Miami. We enjoyed the cruise but think we have out grown Carnival I just found the crowd a bit too boisterous this year and wanted something a bit more low key. We are from Ireland so we are a bit more reserved than our American Cousins 😁 so I have been looking at Caribbean Princess for next July. It is our 50th birthdays so we want something nice. We enjoy live music good food trivia and the piano bar and of course the casino. How different is Princess to Carnival? I want a bit more low key but enough to keep up entertained. 

[Mike45LC]

I stopped cruising on Carnival long before my 50th!  Carnival is far better suited for the younger crowd -- I'd say from 20s to 30s! I'm surprised you continued to enjoy it into your 40s; it must be the Irish blood!

 

If you switch to Princess, RCI or Celebrity, you will find a more mature crowd of passengers, classier but not putting on airs.  Better food, more elegant ships, somewhat classier entertainment.  I recommend that you step up and try Princess.  Even if you don't find it better for your own personal style, it will still be a great cruise!!

 

[Lucky TGO]

7 minutes ago, Mike45LC said:

I stopped cruising on Carnival long before my 50th!  Carnival is far better suited for the younger crowd -- I'd say from 20s to 30s! I'm surprised you continued to enjoy it into your 40s; it must be the Irish blood!

 

If you switch to Princess, RCI or Celebrity, you will find a more mature crowd of passengers, classier but not putting on airs.  Better food, more elegant ships, somewhat classier entertainment.  I recommend that you step up and try Princess.  Even if you don't find it better for your own personal style, it will still be a great cruise!!

 

Mike, I totally agree with you. 

Tony

 

[K.T.B.]

12 minutes ago, Mike45LC said:

I stopped cruising on Carnival long before my 50th!  Carnival is far better suited for the younger crowd -- I'd say from 20s to 30s! I'm surprised you continued to enjoy it into your 40s; it must be the Irish blood!

 

If you switch to Princess, RCI or Celebrity, you will find a more mature crowd of passengers, classier but not putting on airs.  Better food, more elegant ships, somewhat classier entertainment.  I recommend that you step up and try Princess.  Even if you don't find it better for your own personal style, it will still be a great cruise!!

 

 

This^^

 

I switched to Celebrity awhile back and, unfortunately, went back to Carnival for 2 cruises...  Never again.

 

Make the switch.  You'll love it.  Trust me.  I'm really excited to see what Princess has to offer and I thoroughly enjoyed my 3 with Celebrity.  No more Carnival for me and my wife!

[denmarks]

You will love Princess. I sailed on Carnival twice and hated it.

 

I usually travel with my sister and her husband and we are all 70 and above.

[Tapi]

17 minutes ago, ej1970 said:

 I have been looking at Caribbean Princess for next July. It is our 50th birthdays so we want something nice

We think that Princess provides the right upgrade in quality, atmosphere and sophistication over Carnival without being overly stuffy or pretentious. We chose the Golden Princess (Caribbean’s sister ship) for an anniversary and had an absolutely wonderful time. The ship was beautiful, the ambiance around the ship was low key and sophisticated, the crowd was more sedate and traveled, and we still managed to find plenty to do onboard to keep us entertained (we were in our late 30’s / early 40’s at the time if that matters). 

 

Fellow passengers were definitely having fun, and we met many who made our cruise even more enjoyable. Like on Carnival, some choose to be more casual than others, specially at the MDR at night, but it’s more of a dressy shorts and polo shirt kind of casual rather than t shirts and flip flops kinda casual. 

 

Based on what you write and on our experience, I think that Princess will provide what you’re looking for. Have a great time! 

[skynight]

1 hour ago, ej1970 said:

Hi myself and my husband have done 10 cruises a mixture of both Mediterranean and Caribbean and on Royal but primarily Carnival. This July we took Carnival Horizon from Miami. We enjoyed the cruise but think we have out grown Carnival I just found the crowd a bit too boisterous this year and wanted something a bit more low key. We are from Ireland so we are a bit more reserved than our American Cousins 😁 so I have been looking at Caribbean Princess for next July. It is our 50th birthdays so we want something nice. We enjoy live music good food trivia and the piano bar and of course the casino. How different is Princess to Carnival? I want a bit more low key but enough to keep up entertained. 

Just off the Caribbean Princess. During a 7 day July cruise expect a passenger crowd that is younger right around your age. Also expect lots of families with youth as this is the summer school vacation period. To limit the amount of youth select a cruise in May or earlier.

The Caribbean has a nice selection of DR foods. The poolside pizza and grill selections are also very nice. The International Cafe offers nice sandwiches and some other fare. The buffet is open from 6am until 11pm. They have a nice made to order omelette station in the Planks & Steamers area each morning and some themed lunch selections. There is always a nice selection of salads and other items in the buffet area. I would hesitate to call the buffet's main course selections as top of the line, but they are tasty.

Surcharge restaurants are The Crown Grill, $29/pp,  Sabatini's Trattoria, $25/pp, Planks & Steamers, $12/pp

Trivia - twice a day every day, port and sea plus some special trivia sessions. Also some special trivia in the evening.

Crooners is the piano lounge. There was music all evening including the piano entertainer, violin duo, guitar players/singers. The party band had sets each evening in various venues. There was also live music in the Wheelhouse Bar and Explorer's Lounge. We had a few Big Band sets for dancing. Skywalker's was open starting at 10pm with a DJ.

The Casino is open any time you are at sea, willing to accept your money with table games and lots of slots. 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

I had 7 cruises on Carnival before I switched to Princess.  I finally reached Elite status and the benefits are wonderful.  I have also cruised on HAL, Celebrity, RCI, NCL but I always go back to Princess and feel that it is a perfect fit for me.   My next cruise is on the royal princess. What size ship are you interested in?   Enjoy!

[Cruisin sun and fun]

I'm following this, I too am looking to try something different. DW and I are in our early 50's and have sailed on Carnival five times and enjoyed every single one.  We are not big drinkers but really enjoy all that goes on from games to comedy and shows. I always thought we'd stay with Carnival until it didn't appeal to us anymore but we recently decided to try a new cruise line each year just for the experience.  Booking the Sky Princess Eastern Caribbean next March.

[firefighter4u]

My first three cruises were with Princess (2 on Caribbean Princess, the other on Emerald - love those ships!).  We then did two with Carnival due to schedules and itineraries.  While I had no problems with Carnival per se, I will tell you that we just booked Regal Princess for April and can't wait to get back!  Welcome to Princess, you will not be disappointed.

[ej1970]

Thank you all for your responses 👍 i certainly feel better about trying Princess now ....just have to wait 11 months 😓😓 

[c-boy]

11 months ! where  ya headin'  or as Captain of the row Boat would say  what course have ya laid in...... scalawag !

[2ferfun]

Simply put...the craic is way better on Princess!! Trust me, you will not regret it!

[Steelers36]

I believe I would say "No Thanks" if I won a Carnival Cruise.

[jennybenny]

In our youth we sailed and enjoyed Carnival.  In my 40's now and love Princess.  We've been cruising mostly Princess for the last 15 years (?).  It's been a while.  

Princess is more laid back than Carnival.  What I did enjoy about Carnival was the Piano bar, and Princess' Crooners is not the same.  Usually it's not adults in the disco, but kids or empty on Princess.  We still have a great time.  In the summer you will still find some younger people and families on Princess.   We tend to cruise during holidays (Spring Break, Christmas and Thanksgiving) so I think the kids are in higher numbers than "normal" Princess cruises, but it's never been a problem for us (I should add that we have 2 kids who mostly cruise with us, but DH and I try to do a couples vacation every once in a while, we've gotten away on 3 cruises without kids, usually in March-April).  

I think you should give Princess a try and see if you enjoy it as much as we do, 

[Coral]

I am around your age and stopped Carnival at 28. Probably stopped RCCL around 31. 

 

I think it is important to try multiple lines to find the right fit and then after awhile - try another line. I would recommend also looking at Celebrity. You never know who will have a better deal.

[Cruzinbabe06]

Love Carnival and will only sail their newer ships from now on.

 

With that being said, we tried Princess and it was a breath of fresh air.

 

Our first was on the Regal.  The Regal was outstanding to us, because we love the buffet area on our cruises and the Regal buffet blew us away!  Plus, the large flat screen on the wall and hubby had all the movies he could watch for free.  Service was above and beyond, almost shocking.  

 

We weren't use to 2 or 3 people running up to us at the same time, getting our beverages.

 

We then sailed on the Caribbean Princess.  What a bad move!  We went backwards.  It was not on the same scale as the Regal, and I should have known better when I booked it.  

 

We did not like that ship at all!  From that blue flooring on my balcony to the small buffet area.   I remember telling my husband this the first time I want to get off a cruise early.  

 

Since its your first Princess Cruise, you won't know the difference.  Service was excellent and you'll have a wonderful experience!

 

I just learned the hard way, only booking newer ships from now on.

 

We're in our 50s, normally do 2 or 3 cruises a year and still like to party.  So we said we'll  at least schedule  in one CCL, RCCL MSC OR NCL cruise.  But Princess is at the top.  Newer ships only!

 

It's good to try other lines, more people should.

 

Enjoy!

Edited August 21, 2019 by Cruzinbabe06

[Essiesmom]

I didn't start sailing Carnival until I was over 50.  The same year I took my first Princess cruise.  The next year we were on Celebrity, then two years later back on Princess - for the itinerary.  We are mid-70's and leave next week on MSC, two Carnival and a Cunard cruise booked for next year.  We find the longer cruises on Carnival to be heavy on our age group, particularly their Journeys cruises.  8 days or more, and anyone you see that has hair that isn't gray or white is coloring it.  EM

[tobyt]

I would say to look at what you like to do to make the decisions, do you zipline need the gym or lots of pools, it makes a huge difference. All the major lines including Princess have things they have down to a tee, top notch and some that are less pleasing. We love Princess but always like to switch in other cruise lines, new entertainment and menus and variety in the experience. We did the same summer time cruise last year and it was great a younger mix more family groups than normally on Princess but a really fun trip! I would not count any line as out of the mix...price, ports, extra perks and when the last time onboard as I like newer entertainment if possible!

I should add Royal was my least favorite Princess Cruise...I missed the walking area, entertainment was a bit pedestrian and boring crew and events, it may have been that cruise but it was a disappointment.

Edited August 21, 2019 by tobyt
Adding a line

[infoteknerd]

21 hours ago, Coral said:

I am around your age and stopped Carnival at 28. Probably stopped RCCL around 31. 

 

I think it is important to try multiple lines to find the right fit and then after awhile - try another line. I would recommend also looking at Celebrity. You never know who will have a better deal.

I stopped sailing Carnival at 28 too, right after a physical side-by-side comparison of the ships, and the fact that the price was not that much more for the same itinerary.

[Fire6]

I'll weigh in as a dissenter (and brace myself for the feedback).    I have done four Carnival cruises (twice Pacific Mexico and twice Western Caribbean.  Two each with children and two each as a couple).    My wife and I are pretty laid back.   I sometimes thought that Carnival was a bit too much in decor and in some of the activities (hairy chest contest, etc.), and as the guy who sits back and prefers to watch other people party, I thought it was sometimes too much.

 

My wife and I (both 51) just did a Princess 7 day Alaska cruise.   I felt like we were about 10-15 years too young to be on that ship.   Carnival reminds you (sometimes too often) that you are on vacation.   On Princess, I felt like I was hanging out in the lobby of a hotel (or maybe a retirement home) that just happened to be floating by some nice scenery.

 

I also found the food and entertainment on Princess to be lacking, which is surprising since it is a Carnival brand and I'd assume they pull from the same employee/talent pool.   The main dining room dinners were comparable on both lines.  I don't think the food is anything amazing and sitting for 1.5 hours to get a 4 course meal isn't my cup of tea.   We only did a couple MDR dinners on this cruise and I was content to hit the buffet on the Lido deck for most of our meals.  Carnival wins by a landslide on the quality of the Lido deck food (Guy's and Blue Iquana) although the pizza on Princess was very good.   I also missed the deli options on Carnival (sandwiches made to order).   Star Princess had nothing to compare.

 

Entertainment on Princess was as good as Carnival, but a bit different.   The production shows were not quite as good (maybe due to the fact that it was a smaller stage/venue than our Carnival cruises) but the smaller shows and venues were very good (magician and violin/piano duo).   The magician was actually the best entertainer I've ever seen on a cruise ship.   We went to all three of his shows.

 

Princess gives a good product, but I think we'll stick with Carnival for a few more years.   

 

It is also possible that because it was an Alaska voyage that it draws a different crowd.  Maybe the Carnival cruises to Alaska are equally relaxed.   I don't plan to ever do another Alaska cruise, so I guess I'll never know.

 

Just my thoughts.   Princess is a great product and you have to have a certain mindset to find anything wrong with any of these cruises.   They are amazing vacations for a great value.

[Coral]

43 minutes ago, Fire6 said:

 

 

It is also possible that because it was an Alaska voyage that it draws a different crowd.  Maybe the Carnival cruises to Alaska are equally relaxed.   I don't plan to ever do another Alaska cruise, so I guess I'll never know.

 

Alaska does draw a different crowd. Even on Carnival ships, everyone tends to be older. Also, in Alaska - the scenery is the entertainment :)

[riffatsea]

I am reading this thread and laughing a bit to myself about some of the responses!

We must be slow learners. We are in our 70s and have enjoyed many many Carnival cruises and are Platinum on that line.

We've done Royal and NCL too but we much preferred Carnival until last year when they changed the tv channels and DH couldn't find a business news report!

We did Princess last year through the Panama Canal and on the Coral and in my review I said we really missed Carnival's comedy club and we also felt the buffet on the Coral had fewer choices than the food stations on the LIdo on Carnival.

With that said we LOVED the suite perks on Princess! I know that folks here complain about them but for us they seemed just great!

We have 2 Princess cruises booked at the moment soooo just know that we seniors can still enjoy the livelier atmosphere on Carnival and also appreciate what Princess has to offer!!

[Ombud]

We sailed on Carnival until the teenage boys came to me and said "can't we find something with better entertainment?"  That something was Princess. We have been happy here ever since.  Guess we could've tried another line but why change when you're satisfied?

[LSGDRG]

I liked the food on my Carnival cruises.  I thought on average the food was better than Princess.  I would still choose Carnival if sailing with my adult children or grandchildren.  I think Princess offers more amenities/benefits to suite passengers than Carnival.