Our 1st time on Princess

[happy flamingo]

DH and I are thinking about going on the Crown Princess in the spring of 2009 with a great group of friends. We've been on 4 Carnival cruises and loved everyone (just returned from the Liberty last week - having cruise withdrawal:( ) but wanted to try something different this time. Obviously Princess is more expensive so I wanted to get some idea of what to expect. I would appreciate thoughts on the food, beverages, entertainment, and the ship. We want to get a balcony (aft if possible). What's the best deck for a cabin. Does anyone prefer the "free style" dining or the assisnged table/time. thanks so much for any help:)

[dforeigner]

The anytime dining offers great flexibility. Just bare in mind that if you go at a peak time, there may be a 15-30 minute wait. Just like at some of your local restaurants. I cannot compare Carnival to Princess. The reason, is that I have not sailed with Carnival. I do not that the decor is more subdue. Not as flashy, Vegas style, in your face, as with Carnival. The ambiance is also more relaxed. Hopefully others may chime in and give you additional information.

[ellbon]

I have done 14 cruises on Princess. The food could of been hotter in April. My service in general was good. I found I do ont like aft cabins when i visited them. I like the port side cabins to see the island at all times. The big shows should be redone - more than a year old. other entertainers i enjoyed. They have adult pools that are fresh water. adult seating area at pool too.

 

I do traditional dining but I do eat in the upscale places and tried the chef's table in April.

[Colo Cruiser]

DH and I are thinking about going on the Crown Princess in the spring of 2009 with a great group of friends. We've been on 4 Carnival cruises and loved everyone (just returned from the Liberty last week - having cruise withdrawal:( ) but wanted to try something different this time. Obviously Princess is more expensive so I wanted to get some idea of what to expect. I would appreciate thoughts on the food, beverages, entertainment, and the ship. We want to get a balcony (aft if possible). What's the best deck for a cabin. Does anyone prefer the "free style" dining or the assisnged table/time. thanks so much for any help:)

 

 

C-753 would be a great choice IMO. :D

[mizLORInj]

Have sailed Carnival and Princess. Princess is more upscale. Less chrome--more wood finishes. Finer touches here and there in decorating.

I like both and wouldn't hesitate to sail on a newer Carnival ship w/ a good itinerary. Given both lines with a similar itinerary though, I'd probably choose Princess.

We used traditional dining on all ships though there were nights we skipped it and went to the buffet or had pizza. Food was usually good on both lines. You can preview what's for dinner by checking by the restaurant during the day; they post the dinner menu on Princess.

 

Adults only pools on larger Princess ships are nice.

I liked the theater shows on Carnival better than Princess.

 

Always got a balcony cabin on both lines, usually forward on the ship. No complaints.

[happy flamingo]

Thanks everyone for your responses:) . After reading them, I have a couple more questions - what's the chef table and which would be the best deck to stay on. C753 looked good - sandwiched between 2 decks of cabins is exactly what we want! We may not get an aft balcony but we will have a balcony or else DH won't want to go.

Oops, a third questions - can you alternate between the "free style" dinner seating and the dining room?

Thanks again!

[katisdale]

No you cannot alternate between traditional and personal choice dining rooms. You can of course choose one or both alternative (for a fee) dining rooms and the horizon/caribe buffet. I have not done the chef's table but it is an extra cost dining experience that includes watching your food being prepared in the kitchen with the chef. The caribe deck balconies are deeper (not wider) than those on the higher decks and are 1/2 covered 1/2 open.

[EmpressofPurple]

check out my detailed Princess descriptions on the "Why Princess" thread

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=771371

[royalcruz]

can you alternate between the "free style" dinner seating and the dining room?

 

You can of course select traditional dining and go to the buffet or specialty restaurants a few times instead. But if you select the "anytime" dining option you can eat in the dining room any time, or buffet, or specialty restaurants. You can even make a standing reservation in the dining room.

[cyberfilly]

DH and I are thinking about going on the Crown Princess in the spring of 2009 with a great group of friends. We've been on 4 Carnival cruises and loved everyone (just returned from the Liberty last week - having cruise withdrawal:( ) but wanted to try something different this time. Obviously Princess is more expensive so I wanted to get some idea of what to expect. I would appreciate thoughts on the food, beverages, entertainment, and the ship. We want to get a balcony (aft if possible). What's the best deck for a cabin. Does anyone prefer the "free style" dining or the assisnged table/time. thanks so much for any help:)

 

Did you take any children with you on any of the Carnival cruises? We're trying to decide between Princess and Carnival for our next cruise with our kids. Just wondering what the Carnival atmosphere is like for 10-14 year olds. I started looking at the Carnival thread board and after reading about a man who thought nothing of wearing his speedo to the dining area and "drunken teens" I'm not sure Carnival is for us, although Carnival's pool slides REALLY appeal to our kids and the excellent food and bed reviews REALLY appeal to mom and dad!

[Rowtyd]

I agree, Caribe Deck cabins have those huge balconies. Check them out on webshots.

[serene56]

Did you take any children with you on any of the Carnival cruises? We're trying to decide between Princess and Carnival for our next cruise with our kids. Just wondering what the Carnival atmosphere is like for 10-14 year olds. I started looking at the Carnival thread board and after reading about a man who thought nothing of wearing his speedo to the dining area and "drunken teens" I'm not sure Carnival is for us, although Carnival's pool slides REALLY appeal to our kids and the excellent food and bed reviews REALLY appeal to mom and dad!

 

 

some threads on the carnival board are done "in bad taste" read about the adult funnel deck too ..lol

 

camps on carnival are broken down in age groups where your 10 - 14 will be in different groups 9- 11 12-14 the younger group has more activities then the older group as 12-14 think they are too cool for programing and dont attend as much.

 

But after sailing with Princess for the first time last year--- with over 800 kids onboard and rarely seeing any of them (except the one night they were all sitting out watching the movies on the screen.

We are Princess converts.

 

we have sailed many times on Carnival-- Loving everything they offer. Have not encountered men in speedo-- although have heard about it-- (its a european thing and could encounter that on any cruise ship) or drunken teens.

Princess has wow'd us from the moment we boarded til the second we got off. I'd gladly pay the extra amount of money for a cruise for that kind of vacation.

 

We have a group heading out on the Crown for valentines day week-- if you are interested-- the prices are below in my sig

[happy flamingo]

Hi Cyberfilly - we've not taken kids with us on any of our 4 carnival cruises - ours is grown - but I've never seen anyone in a speedo in any dining area or pool area or any drunken teens (or adults). I'm sure there's always someone on any cruise but I've never seen them. Of course, we won't go during spring break which may make a difference. And we've made some good friends and had some great tablemates in the dining room. We've always had a great time on Carnival but are trying something different with Princess. Carnival's food is great - and the supper clubs are fabulous. The cabins are comfortable and roomy. We're really looking forward to the Princess cruise (I think it will be a bit more luxury and formal maybe) but are also planning to go on Carnival again also. Which Carnival ship/itinerary were you thinking of? We just got off the Carnival Liberty last Sunday - had a great time but now I'm having terrible cruise withdrawal:( .

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Did you take any children with you on any of the Carnival cruises? We're trying to decide between Princess and Carnival for our next cruise with our kids. Just wondering what the Carnival atmosphere is like for 10-14 year olds. I started looking at the Carnival thread board and after reading about a man who thought nothing of wearing his speedo to the dining area and "drunken teens" I'm not sure Carnival is for us, although Carnival's pool slides REALLY appeal to our kids and the excellent food and bed reviews REALLY appeal to mom and dad!

 

My kids preferred the camp on Princess, they are 10 and 13 years old.

They also enjoyed the pools better as they are fresh water compared to sea water on Carnival so that made up big time for not having the slide which they rarely use.

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Hi Cyberfilly - we've not taken kids with us on any of our 4 carnival cruises - ours is grown - but I've never seen anyone in a speedo in any dining area or pool area or any drunken teens (or adults). I'm sure there's always someone on any cruise but I've never seen them. Of course, we won't go during spring break which may make a difference. And we've made some good friends and had some great tablemates in the dining room. We've always had a great time on Carnival but are trying something different with Princess. Carnival's food is great - and the supper clubs are fabulous. The cabins are comfortable and roomy. We're really looking forward to the Princess cruise (I think it will be a bit more luxury and formal maybe) but are also planning to go on Carnival again also. Which Carnival ship/itinerary were you thinking of? We just got off the Carnival Liberty last Sunday - had a great time but now I'm having terrible cruise withdrawal:( .

 

We cruised Carnival Glory during spring break a coupl eof years back, there was a group of adults from CA that were drunk, loud and roudy at the pool everyday making it unpleasant for everyone else.

That was my last Carnival cruise but I would sail them again just NOT during spring break:eek:

I did think the shows were better and they had nice additional food choices at the buffet for lunch:D

[hubofhockey]

Carnival is a family oriented cruiseline. But it is also the largest and mass marketed and the passenger base is pretty diverse. The kids club, Camp Carnival, is very popular and serves more children at sea than any other line. It's the reason we have used Carnival. I'm a bit "Carnivaled out". I've been on the Liberty the past two Aprils (I was on same cruise as OP) and need a change. We'll be on the Crown Princess next April. The Liberty is a very Vegas style ship. There are a lot of lights that change colors and not a lot of wood. We were on a RCCL ship three years ago and it was a more elegant ship. The price difference between Carnival and Princess isn't that big anymore. I think I'll be paying $200 more for a balcony cabin and the cruise is one less day.