Princess vs Carnival

[ToyFoxFan]

We are mid 60's and have been on 3 Princess cruises. All were wonderful but a little stuffy at times. They are also much more expensive. We are planning 40 yr anniversary trip at least 8-10 days. What are your thoughts and have you been on both for comparison.

[Lady Arwen]

We’ve sailed on both lines and, to be honest, you get what you pay for.  I don’t find Princess at all “stuffy”, but apparently you’d like a more Carnival atmosphere.  You won’t find that on Princess.  Good fun? Yes.  Rowdy fun?  No.  Relaxing pool area with decent music?  Yes.  Hairy chest, stuff fruit in your swimsuit contests, conga lines,  extremely inebriated guests in the pool and hot tubs?  No.  Good food in the MDR served on linen tablecloths?  Yes.  Good service?  Yes.  Elegant decor?  Yes.  On Carnival ships, this would be a definite No.

Our last Carnival cruise was in 2010, when we decided to give them another try.  The first day, we realized that this just was not for us, anymore.  We’ve been offered numerous free cruises through their Player’s Club and never accepted their offer.  Even free is too much.  I cannot even imagine spending our 40th anniversary on a Carnival ship.

 

I want to make it very clear this is our own personal opinion and many people will disagree, and that’s perfectly fine.  Choice is what makes life interesting.  I’m sure a few CC members will chime in with their experiences with both lines.

 

Whichever line you choose, have a wonderful time and have a Happy Anniversary!

[riffatsea]

We are seniors and are platinum on both Carnival and Princess

The longer cruises on Carnival have more adults and no rowdiness!

We really like the comedy club on Carnival

We Sail more often now on Princess because we book suites and enjoy the suite perks that Princess offers

Iam sure you will enjoy a 10 day cruise on Carnival

 

[mtnesterz]

We have been on both, but Carnival was a one-and-done for us.

Forty years? Congratulations! Screaming kids, water slides, high energy and loud color schemes on Carnival is too draining to be around at our age. We did our 40th on Princess. Go down a cabin grade to even the price difference. Stuffy? The odd individual, but not the line or majority of passengers.

[dreaminofcruisin]

2 hours ago, ToyFoxFan said:

We are mid 60's and have been on 3 Princess cruises. All were wonderful but a little stuffy at times. They are also much more expensive. We are planning 40 yr anniversary trip at least 8-10 days. What are your thoughts and have you been on both for comparison.

 

You might find this thread helpful:

 

 

[Bollycats]

I cruise both lines, but my preferred is Princess. I am in my 50's and not a wild partier. I feel Princess is classy and refined. My last 3 cruises have been on Carnival for various reasons. Before the cruise I always tell myself to lower my expectations because it's not Princess. Then I go on the cruise and have a great time. On Carnival I feel like I'm in my 20's again and do things I don't normally do on Princess. One thing I love is when a crowd is gathered in the atrium and everyone is belting out 80's songs. (or some other genre) So after my last Carnival cruise I said to myself, "I don't have to lower my expectations. Carnival isn't inferior to Princess, it's just different". And I enjoy both types of cruises.

[NavyCruiser]

We're mid-50's, but after numerous Carnival cruises when our kids were younger enjoying their kids club on Carnival, we're now going the opposite direction & now enjoying more upscale lines such as Viking, Celebrity, & Holland Amer... etc. 

Now just with us 2, we're splurging a little more with the All-included/Have-it-all perks...

[bjkTX]

My bride and I just took a Princess British Isles cruise to celebrate our 50th anniversary.  We have 17 cruises on Princess and 3 or 4 each on Carnival and Royal Caribbean.  We have always preferred Princess - not only because of the perks, but we prefer the ships.  Our first Carnival cruise was ok, but the ship was neon and had a very plastic looking decor - and we realized we probably wouldn't cruise with them again.  But friends convinced us to join them a couple of times after that and the ships were beautiful, the food was good, and except for missing the perks - we were happy.  But things we have learned.  On Princess the longer, most expensive cruises are going to be full of people who can afford them - and those people tend to be more reserved and go to bed early 🙂  We did a 2 week Alaska cruise on one of the old small Princess ships and by the time dinner was over they had already rolled up the carpets.  On the Carnival cruises we always watch the time of year - and for us the cruises we wanted always seemed to depart during Spring Break or hurricane season.  NEVER book a cruise during Spring Break 🙂  Unlike Princess I would think a longer, more expensive Carnival cruise would be a good middle point.  

[Griff4AU]

I generally shy away from these threads as the response often depends on which forum it's posted in. Usually it's the Princess vs RCL and/or X that has the more entertaining responses.

This thread seem pretty fair and unbiased. I will offer that the longer CCL voyages did not seem to have the extreme party lifestyle that the shorter voyages do. 

If Princess feels to stuffy to the OP, I would try one of the nicer NCL or RCL boats over CCL - but that's just one guy's opinion. And X / HAL - no way (based on your OP). 

[Kay S]

Carnival does tend to get a bad rap.  In my experience, there are two Carnivals: the short trips and the longer ones.  It's those 3-day booze cruises that get the most attention.  I have seen my fair share of those sailing out of Long Beach.  That's where you would more likely see the fabled fist fights and vomit in the elevator.  The longer cruises (7-10 days) tend to be more civilized.  There will be fewer families with kids and more old folks like me.  I actually prefer the food on Carnival over Princess.  The decor will be more colorful, but decor isn't my number one concern.

 

Princess is not really "stuffy."  The decor is more Versailles than Vegas, but the etiquette police are not following you around issuing sneers.  If it's just the two of you looking for romance, Princess is probably the better bet.  (I would choose HAL, but that's not the question you asked.) 🙂

[OnePsychLynne]

On 10/28/2022 at 12:08 PM, Bollycats said:

So after my last Carnival cruise I said to myself, "I don't have to lower my expectations. Carnival isn't inferior to Princess, it's just different". And I enjoy both types of cruises.

First of all, I LOVE your profile picture. Second... this is probably one of the very best things I've read on this site. I love your attitude!!! 💕

[dave_k58]

On 10/28/2022 at 2:15 PM, Kay S said:

Carnival does tend to get a bad rap.  In my experience, there are two Carnivals: the short trips and the longer ones.  It's those 3-day booze cruises that get the most attention.  I have seen my fair share of those sailing out of Long Beach.  That's where you would more likely see the fabled fist fights and vomit in the elevator.  The longer cruises (7-10 days) tend to be more civilized.  There will be fewer families with kids and more old folks like me.  I actually prefer the food on Carnival over Princess.  The decor will be more colorful, but decor isn't my number one concern.

 

Princess is not really "stuffy."  The decor is more Versailles than Vegas, but the etiquette police are not following you around issuing sneers.  If it's just the two of you looking for romance, Princess is probably the better bet.  (I would choose HAL, but that's not the question you asked.) 🙂

I also prefer the food on Carnival - the steakhouse and Italian are about the same.  Carnival has more "included options" than any other cruise line.  That being said, if its just wife and me its Princess.  IF we take grandkids its Carnival.  I have never seen any fighting or stumbling falling down drunks on the Carnival cruises we've been on. I will say that the passengers on Princess are a bit more "refined" than on Carnival. 

 

[Yehootu]

7 hours ago, dave_k58 said:

I also prefer the food on Carnival - the steakhouse and Italian are about the same.  Carnival has more "included options" than any other cruise line.  That being said, if its just wife and me its Princess.  IF we take grandkids its Carnival.  I have never seen any fighting or stumbling falling down drunks on the Carnival cruises we've been on. I will say that the passengers on Princess are a bit more "refined" than on Carnival. 

 

Damn, never thought I'd agree with anyone from Texas, but you've got the exact frame of mind when we're about our travels on both lines.

 

[eclue]

We just returned from a 5 night Carnival cruise out of Galveston - We have done 41 Princess cruises . Never again will we get on a Carnival ship in Galveston......we did this only because we had a comp casino offer and we do love the slots....there was so much marijuana smoke odor everywhere - I think we were probably high with them....the noise level is terrible, the heavy drinking , just not our cup of tea. I am so happy that Princess is returning to Galveston this year- we are already booked on 3 cruises with them. I will say the food on the Carnival ship was very good and they do have a smoke free casino annex which was a good place to be. 

 

[Bollycats]

15 hours ago, OnePsychLynne said:

First of all, I LOVE your profile picture. Second... this is probably one of the very best things I've read on this site. I love your attitude!!! 💕

Thank you so much, you made my day! My picture is of my cat Emmett. He is 18 and a half years old and still acts like a kitten running around the house. He doesn't like when I go on cruises.

[Kay S]

3 hours ago, Bollycats said:

Thank you so much, you made my day! My picture is of my cat Emmett. He is 18 and a half years old and still acts like a kitten running around the house. He doesn't like when I go on cruises.

Emmett is a cutie.  We had a cat who made it to 21.  He used to get in the suitcase when we tried to pack for a cruise.

[Kay S]

6 hours ago, eclue said:

We just returned from a 5 night Carnival cruise out of Galveston -.....there was so much marijuana smoke odor everywhere - I think we were probably high with them....

 

Those short ones are iffy.  I'm surprised by the marijuana smoke.  I thought the Texas ports were strict about that (ships, planes, trains.)

[KeepCalmBearOn]

As I said in another topic (similar theme), I think it can be ship and itinerary specific. Our last Carnival had dreadful food, especially the buffet. I thought it was Hometown Buffet quality. The restaurants I see on the newer Carnival ships look intriguing, but I'd compare the newer Carnival ships to NCL and RCL, not Princess.

 

I've never ever found Princess "stuffy".

 

I have found Carnival "too exuberant".

 

If you are sailing out of CA, I'd add X and RCL in the equation and NCL if you are taking grandkids.

[nini]

Our neighbors who are HAL fans, went on a Mexican Riviera cruise on the Carnival Panorama. It was a family get together and they said they really enjoyed themselves. Each "party" had their own private space with their cabin, which is a huge factor. They dined together and even had made reservations for the steakhouse and really enjoyed that as well.

In our opinion, X is snooty.

[MissP22]

The older you get, the less stuffy Princess becomes. 😁

[rbtan]

Personally, we'd never do a Carnival cruise. Type in cruise ship fights on youtube & sit back & see why! Still, when you come into a  port, take time to watch pax leave each ship. It can be very entertaining. We find Oceania is our favorite(but it IS pricey) The food is second to none, however, We ARE foodies in the food business. That being said, Princess offers great itineraries, which is why we cruise both. The price we pay varies from $2500-4500 PP per cruise(14 day) If you're unwilling to spend that kind of money after 40 years together, I don't know what to tell you.

Edited October 31, 2022 by rbtan
additions

[Kay S]

1 minute ago, rbtan said:

Personally, we'd never do a Carnival cruise. Type in cruise ship fights on youtube & sit back & see why!. The trailer trash jamborees do tend to be on the 5 day or less booze cruises. Still, when you come into a   port, take time to watch pax leave each ship. It can be very entertaining.

Oh dear, my friend, you may have insulted somebody.  YouTube is not representative of real life.  People are not going to post videos of passengers behaving nicely.  That would not get those clicks necessary to generate income on YouTube.  I have been on several Carnival cruises and never once saw a fist fight.  I would not consider myself "trailer trash" though I did once live in a mobile home when I was putting myself through graduate school.  I would also suggest that you are not in a position to judge a Carnival cruise since you have never been on one.  

[rbtan]

5 minutes ago, Kay S said:

Oh dear, my friend, you may have insulted somebody.  YouTube is not representative of real life.  People are not going to post videos of passengers behaving nicely.  That would not get those clicks necessary to generate income on YouTube.  I have been on several Carnival cruises and never once saw a fist fight.  I would not consider myself "trailer trash" though I did once live in a mobile home when I was putting myself through graduate school.  I would also suggest that you are not in a position to judge a Carnival cruise since you have never been on one.  

Those 4-5 day booze cruises are pretty nasty. I did edit the text a bit, but it still made it through. I've had plenty of friends who have & said never again. I feel that after 40 years together, the poster claims how expensive Princess is. It can be very comparable to Carnival in price. I feel that after 40 years a cruise with the bells & whistles is in order. We're in the same age range as the poster & feel that it's time to as Auntie Mame would say: Live a little!

[OnePsychLynne]

34 minutes ago, rbtan said:

Personally, we'd never do a Carnival cruise. Type in cruise ship fights on youtube & sit back & see why! Still, when you come into a  port, take time to watch pax leave each ship. It can be very entertaining. We find Oceania is our favorite(but it IS pricey) The food is second to none, however, We ARE foodies in the food business. That being said, Princess offers great itineraries, which is why we cruise both. The price we pay varies from $2500-4500 PP per cruise(14 day) If you're unwilling to spend that kind of money after 40 years together, I don't know what to tell you.

 

I

34 minutes ago, Kay S said:

Oh dear, my friend, you may have insulted somebody.  YouTube is not representative of real life.  People are not going to post videos of passengers behaving nicely.  That would not get those clicks necessary to generate income on YouTube.  I have been on several Carnival cruises and never once saw a fist fight.  I would not consider myself "trailer trash" though I did once live in a mobile home when I was putting myself through graduate school.  I would also suggest that you are not in a position to judge a Carnival cruise since you have never been on one.  

 

I'm with you.  I have my first Princess cruise (to the British Isles) in August 2023. I also have my first Celebrity cruise (Caribbean) in March. However, I will also be cruising with Carnival for the 20th and 21st times in January and February. I have NEVER seen a fight and I've taken plenty of 3 and 4 day cruises, even during Spring Break when my kids were younger. I just got off a Viking River Cruise and it was amazing. Totally unlike anything I've experienced so far. It does not, however, diminish the joy I get from cruising Carnival.

Trailer trash, really...smdh. Stupid is as stupid does. 

[OnePsychLynne]

On 10/30/2022 at 12:47 PM, Bollycats said:

Thank you so much, you made my day! My picture is of my cat Emmett. He is 18 and a half years old and still acts like a kitten running around the house. He doesn't like when I go on cruises.

OMG I have an Emmett too! He's a manx mix and will turn 10 in December. As you can see he insists on going along with me 🤣