Princess vs Carnival

[JeffT237]

I've read many threads over the years that are very critical of Carnival cruise passengers, or at least the perception of those who cruise Carnival.  We've taken several cruises on Carnival, RCI and our last recent 2 cruises were with Princess.  We are not loyal to any brand at this point, maybe some day we will be.  What exactly is it about Carnival passengers that elicits so much criticism?  I hear things like "unrefined" "uncivilized" "Walmart of the Seas" "trailer park trash" or "I've seen some Carnival passengers in port. I'm glad I'm not on their cruise".  What exactly is it? People post and make these general statements but what is it you mean?  

 

If what you see on YouTube or other social media is your barometer to judge an entire group of people, brand or industry I'd say you probably need to expand your horizon just a bit.  You can find anything you want on YouTube and it's easy to assign that to the behavior of just about anything, I've found most of the time it's the exception, not the rule.  

 

I'm not calling out anyone poster in particular, as these opinions have always existed and exist on other boards.  Our first cruise on Princess was in May on the Crown, it's been documented many times on CC the Crown issues, which led to some of the most rude and abusive behavior towards the crew and other passengers I have ever seen on a cruise.  I'm glad I didn't let our first bad Princess experience as well as some of the rude Princess passengers ruin our experience at the time as well as leaving me biased against the brand.  We just returned from the Discovery and had an awesome time on a great ship and met many friendly Princess passengers, and in conversation some have even sailed Carnival.  Imagine that?

 

Edited October 31, 2022 by JeffT237

[Kay S]

6 hours ago, rbtan said:

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!

Maybe you should edit a little bit more next time.  Calling people "trailer trash" based on their choice of cruise line is not only unkind, it's also way beyond rude and doesn't even make sense.

[rbtan]

5 hours ago, Kay S said:

Maybe you should edit a little bit more next time.  Calling people "trailer trash" based on their choice of cruise line is not only unkind, it's also way beyond rude and doesn't even make sense.

Short cruises attract a type of pax that I've seen. It's the reason we do longer cruises. The worst we ever saw was on the Regal(our first P cruise) It was a 14 day B 2 B. It was what one would call a superbowl cruise. The first 7 days was absolutely horrid. This is where I got the "TT" phrase.Never before or since saw pax act that way. It was the year the Panthers made the bowl. We've been on other cruise lines during the bowl & on Princess it was just crazy. I have to go by what I've seen with Carnival pax when in Costa Maya. Those were short cruises on that line & it was atrocious behavior at the port side bar. Sorry, but it just made us Americans look like a bunch of Yahoos.

[odyssyus]

1 hour ago, rbtan said:

Short cruises attract a type of pax that I've seen. It's the reason we do longer cruises. The worst we ever saw was on the Regal(our first P cruise) It was a 14 day B 2 B. It was what one would call a superbowl cruise. The first 7 days was absolutely horrid. This is where I got the "TT" phrase.Never before or since saw pax act that way. It was the year the Panthers made the bowl. We've been on other cruise lines during the bowl & on Princess it was just crazy. I have to go by what I've seen with Carnival pax when in Costa Maya. Those were short cruises on that line & it was atrocious behavior at the port side bar. Sorry, but it just made us Americans look like a bunch of Yahoos.

Not sure if a veiled insult to those from the South (why does who played in the Superbowl  matter?), but let me just say for all my Southern brothers and sisters... bless your heart.

 

 

[Bollycats]

13 hours ago, OnePsychLynne said:

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 🤣

Aw, he's so cute! I love the white on his paws!

[deliver42]

The last Carnival cruise I was on was the ream. I've been on the regal and Ruby Princess, and will never go back to Carnival. Their ships, in my opinion, just don't match up.

[MissP22]

13 hours ago, Kay S said:

Maybe you should edit a little bit more next time.  Calling people "trailer trash" based on their choice of cruise line is not only unkind, it's also way beyond rude and doesn't even make sense.

It might be a little crude, but it certainly describes what you can expect on a typical Carnival cruise ship. 

[Kay S]

On 11/1/2022 at 11:10 AM, MissP22 said:

It might be a little crude, but it certainly describes what you can expect on a typical Carnival cruise ship. 

I have never seen a fist fight on a Carnival Cruise, and I've been on more than a few.  I'm curious why you say "typical"?  Have you seen bad behavior often on Carnival?   I mean have you seen it with your own eyes and not on YouTube?  Does geography factor in?  I don't live on the east coast and have access to a bunch of cruise ships like in Florida. We do our Carnival trips out of Long Beach on the west coast.  I wonder if access to lots of Carnival ships factors into the negative opinion.  I'm just musing, but I do wonder why you think the bad behavior is "typical" on any given Carnival ship.

[MissP22]

14 hours ago, Kay S said:

I have never seen a fist fight on a Carnival Cruise, and I've been on more than a few.  I'm curious why you say "typical"?  Have you seen bad behavior often on Carnival?   I mean have you seen it with your own eyes and not on YouTube?  Does geography factor in?  I don't live on the east coast and have access to a bunch of cruise ships like in Florida. We do our Carnival trips out of Long Beach on the west coast.  I wonder if access to lots of Carnival ships factors into the negative opinion.  I'm just musing, but I do wonder why you think the bad behavior is "typical" on any given Carnival ship.

I might be a little biased but my opinions are only based upon the reports I read and hear (YouTube and news channels) about Carnival ships. i.e.- brawls breaking out, drunken people partying, people falling overboard, etc.

If it were only one or two occurrences over the years, I might tend to believe that Carnival couldn't be all that trashy but their reputation hasn't changed from many years ago.

If Princess and the other mass market cruise lines had similar travelers why don't I see and hear similar stories about them? I tend to believe it's the types of people that choose Carnival in the first place. 

I guess I'm just judging the book by it's cover. 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

On 11/1/2022 at 3:18 AM, rbtan said:

Short cruises attract a type of pax that I've seen. It's the reason we do longer cruises. The worst we ever saw was on the Regal(our first P cruise) It was a 14 day B 2 B. It was what one would call a superbowl cruise. The first 7 days was absolutely horrid. This is where I got the "TT" phrase.Never before or since saw pax act that way. It was the year the Panthers made the bowl. We've been on other cruise lines during the bowl & on Princess it was just crazy. I have to go by what I've seen with Carnival pax when in Costa Maya. Those were short cruises on that line & it was atrocious behavior at the port side bar. Sorry, but it just made us Americans look like a bunch of Yahoos.

I’ve been on many short cruises. Short cruises also attract the type of pax that have to work and are unable to take off several work days days in a row.  
 

I have friends that love the Carnival Panorama and they would be probably be bored on Princess.  They have sailed on that ship several times and I have never heard them mention any problems.  I hear the food is great.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

1 hour ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

I’ve been on many short cruises. Short cruises also attract the type of pax that have to work and are unable to take off several work days days in a row.  

 

You think people who take 7 day cruises don't work? People who take 15 day or even 19 day don't work?

 

When people are referring to "short cruises", I think they are referring to the 3 and 4 day itineraries.

 

The 3 and 4 day cruises can be very inexpensive. I think that is where the issues start.

 

1 hour ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

I have friends that love the Carnival Panorama and they would be probably be bored on Princess.  They have sailed on that ship several times and I have never heard them mention any problems.  I hear the food is great.

 

That is a lot of hearing and not actual experience.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

1 minute ago, scottca075 said:

 

You think people who take 7 day cruises don't work? People who take 15 day or even 19 day don't work?

 

When people are referring to "short cruises", I think they are referring to the 3 and 4 day itineraries.

 

The 3 and 4 day cruises can be very inexpensive. I think that is where the issues start.

 

 

That is a lot of hearing and not actual experience.

OK. It’s time to move on and pick on someone else. At this point I feel like you’re stalking me.

[odyssyus]

1 hour ago, scottca075 said:

 

You think people who take 7 day cruises don't work? People who take 15 day or even 19 day don't work?

 

When people are referring to "short cruises", I think they are referring to the 3 and 4 day itineraries.

 

The 3 and 4 day cruises can be very inexpensive. I think that is where the issues start.

 

 

That is a lot of hearing and not actual experience.

Classist much?

 

I've been on Carnival, Celebrity, Viking, MSC.. .short cruises, long cruises.  **** and people that can't  hold their liquor run the whole economic range.  Of course those on Carnival might over do it.  It is the "Fun" ship after all.  This will be my first  Princess cruise, and while I expect it will be more quiet, its not due to anyone's economic position.

 

Fun ship vs. Walking dead ship?

Edited November 3, 2022 by odyssyus

[odyssyus]

,

Edited November 3, 2022 by odyssyus

[ScottsSweetie]

Some interesting responses here. I will never understand why people have such strong opinions on cruise lines they have never sailed. In my humble opinion, if you don't have personal experience with Carnival you should not be responding to this type of question.

 

I am the opposite of the OP. I have 24 cruises on Carnival, and several others on other lines. I've sailed from 3 to 8 day cruises out of 9 different ports. I have yet to see a fight. I will be going on my first Princess cruise Thanksgiving week. I've heard a lot of things about Princess, both good and bad, over my cruising years. I will reserve judgement until experiencing it for myself.

 

Editing to add: I've just read the thread concerning the white and gold party, wherein people are noting that a 10:30 start time is just too late for them. I guess that leaves more room for us young people (although at 60 I've not referred to myself as young in quite a while). This would be an example of a MAJOR difference in Princess & Carnival.

 

Edited November 3, 2022 by ScottsSweetie

[JeffT237]

1 hour ago, ScottsSweetie said:

Some interesting responses here. I will never understand why people have such strong opinions on cruise lines they have never sailed

I've never understood this either.  Advising through ones real experiences as to the difference in brands is helpful to this community.  Or any other review site.  I visited the Princess board often before our first Princess cruise in May for information.  Discussing the differences in ship decor, food, amenities, service, entertainment and itineraries etc is great and helpful.  But making generalizations about people or your perceptions of people I think is a bit uncalled for.  It probably says more about you than the people you judge.  I know I'm not solving this issue, just adding my opinion to the discussion.  

[Kay S]

33 minutes ago, JeffT237 said:

.  But making generalizations about people or your perceptions of people I think is a bit uncalled for.  It probably says more about you than the people you judge.  I know I'm not solving this issue, just adding my opinion to the discussion.  

I guess there is some psychological reason why people feel the need to denigrate others based on their choices.  (I'm no psychologist.)  I guess it makes them feel better about themselves.  I wonder if we went to the Cunard board we would hear about how the "trailer trash" on Princess doesn't dress for formal night (based on YouTube videos.)  Maybe I should go check.

 

There's a tinge of financial snobbery is this, too, IMO.  The Target shoppers looking down on the WalMart shoppers without looking up to see who is looking down on them.

[Kay S]

8 hours ago, MissP22 said:

 

I guess I'm just judging the book by it's cover. 

I would encourage you to go on a Carnival cruise to find out for yourself.  BTW, several well-known YouTubers regularly cruise Carnival and do videos of their experiences.  The big name that comes to mind in La Lido Loca.  You might want to check them out, you know, expand your YouTube library.🙂

[ScottsSweetie]

38 minutes ago, Kay S said:

 . . .

 

There's a tinge of financial snobbery is this, too, IMO.  The Target shoppers looking down on the WalMart shoppers without looking up to see who is looking down on them.

Perfectly stated. 

[MISTER 67]

Princess is our choice hands down, we have taken 1 Carnival and it was horrible, ugly ship that offended the senses. Food was bad, entertainment not bad and service was good.

Edited November 3, 2022 by MISTER 67

[LibertyBella]

Okay, I've been cruising almost five decades, have done Carnival many times, Princess and Celebrity as well, also adore Cunard when I want to dress up A LOT,  appreciate Holland America, husband loves Royal Caribbean and all the activities, extended family swear by NCL casual vibes. (I've done them all as well as cruise lines that no longer exist.)

 

We cruised on Cunard this Summer, Celebrity before the pandemic,  will be on Viking this Spring, RC early next Summer, Princess mid-Summer.  I am loyal to many brands!

 

We love cruising!!  Yes, I have been on many short (three-to-five night) Carnival cruises--New England, California, Florida, all without problems, as well as many of a week or longer.  Carnival is a budget cruise line and tries to market itself to everybody, and encourages all to have fun. It is great for singles, couples and families, and  most of the time the prices are extremely reasonable. 

 

The problem is NOT the cruise line, it is the behavior of travelers who:  may never have cruised before, drink too much on vacation, drop inhibitions while on vacation,  take the concept of fun to an extreme, or are going a bit wild after a two year lockdown. 

 

Would I cruise Carnival again? Most definitely, as we even have a Carnival credit card (ha ha).  I try to match my cruise to my interest and desire AT THE TIME--do I want a cruise just to escape and have a fun getaway--do I want a cruise where I can have a nonstop sightseeing itinerary? --do I want a cruise where I can dress up and dine elegantly? --do I want a cruise where the ship is almost as important as the ports?  ETC.  

 

I would never judge anyone by which cruise line they select-- I only judge those who say they don't like cruising (especially if they never tried it)!

 

[MissP22]

11 hours ago, Kay S said:

I would encourage you to go on a Carnival cruise to find out for yourself.  BTW, several well-known YouTubers regularly cruise Carnival and do videos of their experiences.  The big name that comes to mind in La Lido Loca.  You might want to check them out, you know, expand your YouTube library.🙂

Thanks but were perfectly content to stay with princess no matter what Tony thinks of the cruise line. 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

23 hours ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

OK. It’s time to move on and pick on someone else. At this point I feel like you’re stalking me.

 

Sorry, but you entered two topics I was already in and contributing my actual experiences, not what someone I know thinks and certainly not speculating on what they'd find IF they went on another line.

 

My initial response was directly related to what the OP asked and I think it was fair and balanced. My subsequent responses were to respond to non-sequiturs, not related to or helping the OP make a decision.

 

That Carnival and Princess (and Princess and HAL; Princess and Seabourn; Princess and Cunard) draw different demographics in general is fairly well known. CCL, of which I am a happy and proud shareholder, markets their brands to different demographics. I've been on all the lines above and you see the differences most markedly. I will probably sail on all the above brands, except HAL again (unless it is an amazing itinerary) and will continue to report on my personal experiences.

[Mary loves to travel]

On 10/31/2022 at 4:19 PM, JeffT237 said:

If what you see on YouTube or other social media is your barometer to judge an entire group of people,

 

He judged the people who engage in the brawls that make it to Youtube, not every Carnival passenger.       What he wrote, in reference to those brawls, was "The trailer trash jamborees do tend to be on the 5 day or less booze cruises"       The insult was to those engaging in the brawls, not every Carnival cruiser.

[MissP22]

Does anyone need this on a cruise?