Carnival or Princess

[nreeder]

From our signature below, you will know we love Princess, but have a recent 3 day Carnival cruise this year (which Princess doesn't usually do those).

 

Things we noticed (and some things my sister and brother in law noticed:

 

1. Things to do on board during sea days. Carnival specializes in the belly flop contest and other pool games etc. While Princess has some pool games, there's computers at sea, ceramics, cooking, photography classes as well (and yes those cost extra). My brother in law was bored on a 7 day Carnival Mexico cruise (days at sea), while had a blast on our last May 15 day Hawaii cruise on Island Princess which had 10 sea days.

 

2. Dinning room. Princess has anytime dinning as well as traditional (you choose). There's usually alternative dinning rooms too, i.e. Sabatini's and Sterling Steakhouse (only on a few Carnival ships do they have the alternative dining options other than the Lido buffet). On Carnival Paradise (about 10 years old now, but comtemporary with Sun Princess), the dinning room was mostly tables of 8 or 10, stainless steel utinsels, and OK plates and glasses. On Princess you will have nice china, silver utinsels, and nice crystal. You'll probably have waiters who have fewer people to serve. The plates will come elegantly presented on the dish, not just glopped on in a pile like Carnival.

 

3. Entertainment was a tie, both very good.

 

4. As others have stated, Princess goes more places. However, Carnival has far more short cruise options (3 day, 4 day and 5 day etc). Princess is usually 7 days or longer.

 

5. Carnival ships and Princess ships are quite different in layout.

 

On the ships like Paradise (one of 8 or so clones of same design) you do have two dinning rooms, but you have far more people per same tonnage. You will find whole decks of mini-suites on Princess, far fewer mini's and suites on Carnival. Princess cabins are trimed in teak, with far softer and more elegant furnishings and less "formica". You will find small refrigerators in most all Princess ships (except for the Tahitian/Pacific princess which were originally designed by Renaissance). Princess will chop up the public areas into lots of smaller spaces so you don't bump into the same 2,000 passengers all in one place.

 

Finally, thank God there's choices for all of us out there. We've also been on HAL and thought it good though we like Princess better. We've seen some great offers lately from HAL, Princess, Carnival, and MSC as well as some other smaller lines, so there's a wide variety of choices and styles. If you don't like to ever dress up, then NCL is for you. Want to dress up most of the time, Cunard or Seabourn is for you. So we're just glad to have all of those choices for the future.

 

Happy cruising.

 

Norm

[sea_breaze]

On our 2 Carnival cruises we did not see the rowdy party types that have been described. Maybe it was the time of the year we cruised but I don't think so. There was definitely more going on later into the evening then on our Princess cruises but it wasn't rowdy, just people having fun.We have met some terrific people on those two cruises.

 

The reasons I would pick Princess over Carnival start with the decor of the ships. Spent alot of time on our last Carnival cruise(Victory) looking around saying "what were they thinking". Add in the fresh water pools, lower drink prices, being able to get bottled beer by the pools, and the embarkation process and I would gladly spend the extra money to sail with Princess over Carnival.

 

Carnival did seem to have larger cabins and believe it or not we thought the food was better on Carnival.

 

We did give Carnival a second chance but doubt we will be back. Just can't get past those 2-3 hour emabrkations and the busy/loud decor of the ships.

[JLC@SD]

Why would anyone choose Princess over Carnival.

 

Because......I think that those red whale tail funnels look goofy.....:D

[IflyWithDi]

Most likely I will get Bashed for this But just got back from Cb yesterday And judging from the most part of the people I met on the Ship this will be expected.The things I liked most on the ship was the MUTS,Fresh water pools and the fact that there were a lot of them,And the very large balcony

on the Caribe Deck.Not inpressed with food at all anywhere on ship,and lord help you if you want anything after 12:00 Am better call room service and I

bet they don't get your order right out of 3 times mine never was and each time it was repeated back to me and all were done in the early afternoon when we got back from shore.Stayed out a little late one night and tried to

find something to eat like I would after leaving the BAR in the states and was really surpised to find only food service After 12:00 am is room service

and we aren't reqular partiers but on Vacation do like to go to a bar of see a show a time a or 2 and stay out a little later than usal.When we went to the Horizon Or Caribe Dining rooms it was always very hard to find a table or something we wanted to eat.The island dining room was nice and thak goodness they had things that are always on the menu like New York Strip

because wasn't very much impressed whith the other choices but the lobster tails were perty good.Never seen any very loud or drunk rude people on a Carinval ship as most people tell you will but Had about 4 tables of them in the Island Dining room right next to ours couldn't even talk to people at our table for them .Can say that Head Waiter was nice enough move our entire table.All In All service on both lines Equal.

The room was small and I think had to have the smallest showers ever made.Ship staff very freindly but when encountered By them Got The Welcome To WALMART feeling.Been on 8 Carnival Curises and not really impressed by decor any better on one than the other .I think the set up on the carinval ships is better everthing more centarlly located and eaiser to find things because not as broke up.But I could be more used to this set up.

I did met some really nice people on this cruise and a lot of very rude ones to but I work in down town Atlanta and run into the same time every day as I think this is anywhere you go.And for one line or the other I tinnk when comparing most anything most people will find things they like more or less better about both.Hope I don't get bashed to bad but this is just my opion.And would use either line again depending on Price and Intenery.

[IflyWithDi]

Because......I think that those red whale tail funnels look goofy.....:D

I guess you think all that stove pipe looks good sticking out of the top of the princess ships LOL

[S.S.Oceanlover]

its the welcomed feeling i get from the crew,and the atmosphere of the boat,plus the destinations we go to are unforgettable:))):rolleyes: ;)

 

doesn't Carnival go to the same destinations?

 

Bill

[Toto2Kansas]

Most likely I will get Bashed for this But just got back from Cb yesterday And judging from the most part of the people I met on the Ship this will be expected.The things I liked most on the ship was the MUTS,Fresh water pools and the fact that there were a lot of them,And the very large balcony

on the Caribe Deck.Not inpressed with food at all anywhere on ship,and lord help you if you want anything after 12:00 Am better call room service and I

bet they don't get your order right out of 3 times mine never was and each time it was repeated back to me and all were done in the early afternoon when we got back from shore.Stayed out a little late one night and tried to

find something to eat like I would after leaving the BAR in the states and was really surpised to find only food service After 12:00 am is room service

and we aren't reqular partiers but on Vacation do like to go to a bar of see a show a time a or 2 and stay out a little later than usal.When we went to the Horizon Or Caribe Dining rooms it was always very hard to find a table or something we wanted to eat.The island dining room was nice and thak goodness they had things that are always on the menu like New York Strip

because wasn't very much impressed whith the other choices but the lobster tails were perty good.Never seen any very loud or drunk rude people on a Carinval ship as most people tell you will but Had about 4 tables of them in the Island Dining room right next to ours couldn't even talk to people at our table for them .Can say that Head Waiter was nice enough move our entire table.All In All service on both lines Equal.

The room was small and I think had to have the smallest showers ever made.Ship staff very freindly but when encountered By them Got The Welcome To WALMART feeling.Been on 8 Carnival Curises and not really impressed by decor any better on one than the other .I think the set up on the carinval ships is better everthing more centarlly located and eaiser to find things because not as broke up.But I could be more used to this set up.

I did met some really nice people on this cruise and a lot of very rude ones to but I work in down town Atlanta and run into the same time every day as I think this is anywhere you go.And for one line or the other I tinnk when comparing most anything most people will find things they like more or less better about both.Hope I don't get bashed to bad but this is just my opion.And would use either line again depending on Price and Intenery.

 

Opps! You didn't check your Princess Patter very well. The Caribe Cafe has food service after the buffets close at night. So there is somewhere to go if you are hungry after midnight and not just room service. Sorry you missed it.

[SeaYa52]

We love to cruise and do so amap.....getting more frequent lately (yea). We've enjoyed a number of cruise lines and manage to have a fantastic time on every cruise. Best bargin for the itinerary, and cabin type, when we want to cruise, is a big factor in our decision. Carnival's price on the Pride a few years ago - when it was out of PC gave us our first balcony...and once you have a balcony it's hard to go back to an inside or window (IMHO). I love experiencing all the different ships and lines. Our last cruise was in July - a 12 nighter on the Tahitian Princess. (a wee little ship) and everything was so fantastic - I give heads up to Princess...next we;ll switch to the big girl - the Caribbean Princess - and because of a great price - we'll try a mini.

We have three children (now adults) who have only cruised with us on Carnival - as teens - and loved those family cruises - threr was always so much for them to do with others their age....but now that they're older - and in relationships - they would like to try the other lines.

[KansasScrapper]

In May we did try Carnival. For a couple reasons: Price, the Itinerary, we needed to get away and PRICE. We got a military discount (Carnival is the only one to offer it). We got an inside for under $500 for the two of us. Heck the air cost more than the cruise did. That being said we will NEVER cruise Carnival again. For the most part the ports were nice (Nassua, St Thomas, San Juan & Grand Turk). Grand Turk was pretty much JUST a beach day as they are still working on it. We were on the Elation. The ship over all was very pretty and you could not see her age what so ever. Now that is where is stops. The food sucked, there was I think 2 shows the whole week and everything was closed at 10pm. The hot tubs were still on but they had the nets on them. So if you were not into the clubs (which opened at 11pm) then there was nothing to do. We do like the shows and entertainment. Oh let me say one good thing was they did do photos on different background every night. For me I LOVED it and I paid for it dearly. We usually spend around $1,000-1,200 per cruise and on this one we only spent $600 and I would say $400 of it was photos. We have also benn on RC and would do them again. Princess is our first choice though. We really like the 24 hour buffet.

[california mike]

Well in my view Carnival is fine but set up more for a younger adult crowd. More glitzy (dancing waiters -animal towels etc). If you like late night dancing or even gambling Carnival is better. Carnival is also better for young kids. Carnival has /had soft serve ice cream which is a plus. They had sushi every night too.

 

Princess is classier, attracts a more affluent crowd, but things get pretty quit after midnight most nights. We enjoyed entertainment and food on both.

 

I thought shows-food-service were similar.

 

If itenery was better I'd strongly consider Carnival again. That said we booked the Dawn this Feb.

[IflyWithDi]

Opps! You didn't check your Princess Patter very well. The Caribe Cafe has food service after the buffets close at night. So there is somewhere to go if you are hungry after midnight and not just room service. Sorry you missed it.

No I didn't see it in the patter but I did call room service and ask them where I could get food after 12:00 and they said room service was the only place I could go so maybe I was given bad inoformation from the Ship.

[TCF]

We did a Western Caribbean itinerary on the Triumph last May/June and had a wonderful time. The price was right, the suite was right, the crew was right, the itinerary was right, and, for the most part, the other passengers were right. Sure, no matter where you go you are going to find the statistically required proportion of rude jerks, idiots, and poorly raised children, :eek: but they are easily ignored.

Was Carnival perfect? Hell no! But what is perfect? The only thing we really didn't likeon Triumph was the large number of passengers...just too many people for us. But that was easily offset by the peace and tranquility of the suite!:D

Would we got back to Carnival? In a heart beat!:)

But this time we decided to try Princess. We have heard and read good things about the ships, the food, the itineraries are great, and while the cost is higher and the perks not quite as good, we think Princess is worth a try. So we will do a partial Panama next spring and see what it's like.

The only thing I know we don't like about Princess already is the fact that they don't have VIP embarkation and debarkation for mini-suite passengers!:(

Tom and Deb:)

[FuzzyMelton]

We have sailed Carnival 3 times (introduced friends to cruising with Carnival), and RCCL twice.

 

I can tell you it was very hard to give up a sure thing with Carnival. We have had a great time on every Carnival Cruise we have been on. We know what we are getting, and cruising in Jan makes it a bit less crowded with kids or partiers. We have not had troubles with the partiers, and the service has always been outstanding. True the ships are flashy and overdone (especially the Dining Room on the Miracle), but still clean, well kept, and very nice.

 

But, ever since I saw the Caribbean Princess in St. Marteen next to the Glory, I was sold. I wanted to try a Princess Cruise, so we threw caution to the wind and decided to "treat" ourselves for our 20th anniversary and my 40th birthday. After everything I have read, I am more than positive we will like (if not love) Princess (going on the Crown). To be honest I am not looking forward to the closet shower and smaller rooms I keep reading about on Princess. The rooms are much bigger on Carnival, and the bathroom is good size for a cruise ship. I am sure we will cruise Carnival again, with 4 kids it hurts the budget when the entire family goes along. Plus the military discount helps, and the kids program starts at 2 instead of 3 like most other lines. We are excited and I do admit that even through the boards it seems like a different group of people.

 

BUT, a cruise is what you make it. With the right frame of mind ANYONE can have a good time on any cruise line.

 

I will be hard pressed to go over to RCCL anytime soon. My least favorite cruises have been with that line.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

No I didn't see it in the patter but I did call room service and ask them where I could get food after 12:00 and they said room service was the only place I could go so maybe I was given bad inoformation from the Ship.

 

here's the hours for getting food:

 

Breakfast

Coral Dining Room 7:30am - 9:30am open seating

Cafe Caribe 4:00am - 6:00am Pastries and Beverages

Horizon Court 6:00am - 11:30am Breakfast Buffet

Lunch

Coral Dining Room 12 noon - 2:00pm open seating

Horizon Court 11:30am - 4:30pm Lunch Buffet

Sabitini's 11:30am - 2:00pm Sea Days Only!

Dinner

Island Dining Room 6:15pm first seating

Island Dining Room 8:30pm second seating

Palm Dining Room 5:30pm - 10:00pm Anytime Dining

Coral Dining Room 6:00pm - 10:00pm Anytime Dining

Cafe Caribe 5:30pm - 11:00pm Dinner Buffet

Sterling Steakhouse 6:00pm - midnight - Dinner

Sabatini's 6:00pm - midnight - Dinner

Snacks and other available Food

Horizon Court 4:30pm - 5:30pm Light Snacks

Cafe Caribe 11:00pm - 4:30am Bistro

Trident Grill 11:00am - 8:00pm Hamburgers, Etc.

Prego Pizzeria 11:00am - 8:00pm

Scoops Ice Cream 11:00am - 5:30pm & 7:30pm - 10:30pm

Coral Dining Room - Afternoon Tea 3:30pm - 4:30pm

 

Bill

[IflyWithDi]

By your list the only place to get food after 12:00 AM is the Cafe Caribe

But the times I went after 12:00 They were closed maybe the hours were changed since you got this list.

[GATOR MOM]

When the clerk on a Carnival ship told me to carry my own bags...that was it...I WILL NEVER SAIL CARNIVAL. The service on that line is terrible!!! The service in the dining room was so bad I had to complain & our waiter was changed...not much better though. To me...Carnival is the worse service at sea.:mad:

[S.S.Oceanlover]

When the clerk on a Carnival ship told me to carry my own bags...that was it...I WILL NEVER SAIL CARNIVAL. The service on that line is terrible!!! The service in the dining room was so bad I had to complain & our waiter was changed...not much better though. To me...Carnival is the worse service at sea.:mad:

 

The clerks who work on carnival are the worst. The dining room staff is so overworked. For some reason Carnival always seems to give the waiters and asst waiters too many tables per seating. They are running back and forth the whole dinner trying to accomodate everyone leaving too many lulls.

 

I don't blame the staff I blame the Corporation.

 

Bill

[Too blessed to be stressed]

I have only cruised carnival ecstasy once.

My likes:

Great pillows and beds.

great cabin stewart

loved the towel animals and class(I got the book)

sushi bar!

fun exploring ship

good shows

 

 

Dislikes:

Lobster:when I sent it back, it really offended the chef. He asked if I had ever had lobster before.

Coke card, hard to get a coke, took forever, just was not priority compared to alchohol, I figure because the tip was already included in the price of the card.

Had to go to alternative ports of call (was right after all those hurricanes in 2005)The ports were not camparable to the original ports. I wanted to see tropical ports with blue water.

 

Overall we still had a great time.

 

 

We are going on the Grand Princess this January because:

 

Likes:

Classes

Food (good reviews mostly)

MUTS

Itinerary

four ports instead of just 3 on most 7 day cruises

Being able to have a romantic meal just my husband and I.

 

Dislikes: Don't know yet.:confused:

[mek]

Since Carnival offers us a military discount, we cruise with them when we take the kids and want separate rooms. It usually saves us enough to pay for the air and the kids have a good time on their ships. The singing waiters and silly games in the dining room really grate on my nerves, everything else I can pretty much ignore. They have nice, spacious cabins, good entertainment, and fairly good food. I've done the Med 3 times and Carnival has a great itinerary that includes an overnight in Venice, so with the military discount, I might consider that particular cruise next year.

 

Princess is still my favorite line. Many things I love, but I would go on the grand class ships just to sit by the aft pool - it's by far the best pool experience of any ship on any line.

[Umbarger]

By your list the only place to get food after 12:00 AM is the Cafe Caribe

But the times I went after 12:00 They were closed maybe the hours were changed since you got this list.

 

Just returned from a B2B on the Crown. After the Pizza and grill closes(1am I think) there is nothing but room service! Cabe Caribe is NOT open. Went there several times after midnight and 1am..... nothing.

 

The only alternative is room service. We did order room service, however, it was always cold. Coffee was lukewarm at best. Hot sandwiches were cold and so were the french fries.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Just returned from a B2B on the Crown. After the Pizza and grill closes(1am I think) there is nothing but room service! Cabe Caribe is NOT open. Went there several times after midnight and 1am..... nothing.

 

The only alternative is room service. We did order room service, however, it was always cold. Coffee was lukewarm at best. Hot sandwiches were cold and so were the french fries.

 

I wonder why they don't do like the Caribbean Princess and have 24 hour food ?

 

Bill

[Clutterlady]

I thought the International Cafe was open 24 hrs??? Now I'm confused :confused:

[S.S.Oceanlover]

That's what it says on the Princess page but Umbarger says no.:confused: She was just on the crown for B2B cruises so she should know.

 

Bill

[pnjkeith]

I see on this post the general thought is Carnival is cheap, and the People on Carnival are low class.. Well I switched from Carnival on the next cruise because Princess was cheaper and offered on board credit. I just received an upgrade today. Hope I am not a low class cruiser! We have never had a bad cruise with Carnival and will keep cruising in the future with them. We thought it would be fun to try a so called Upgrade to Princess. We'll see what its all about soon. Carnival does own both. Surprised how many people on Princess boards have a "we are better than them attitude"!

[mek]

My son was on the Crown in June and confirmed that the Caribe Cafe is not open past 11 pm as it is on the CB.