I have been thinking....

...and I think I need some help. I have done extensive reading on both the Princess board and the Carnival one. We have cruised Carnival a great deal (mainly because the price has been right, and there have been a wide variety of 7 day or shorter cruises to chose from when we travel, namely pre-Christmas and spring break) and Princess twice. Me, DH and DS (13) all prefer Princess; DS (19) likes the bikinis on Carnival better.:')

What I am struggling with is a way to put into words to my friends who are looking at cruise lines, the difference between the lines. And yes, to some degree, taken as a whole, being on the ship in the ocean moving port to port in an inside or a balcony, cruising is a very similar experience on the mainstream lines. But there seems to me to be a subtle difference on Princess in the general dress and demeanor of passengers which I have referred to as "class" - or in many situations the lack of class. And by lack of class, what I refer to is men wearing sweaty baseball caps or tank tops in the MDR; people who push their way onto elevators, failing to yield to exiting passengers; ever constantly posted threads about whether I can wear jeans in the MDR with a "dress" t-shirt on elegant evenings; the people who have the unlimited alcoholic beverages and feel the need to drink each and every one of them "because they paid for them" or the equally offensive series of threads about how they can share the unlimited alcoholic beverages.

Am I alone in sensing this difference? I am not saying their aren't people lacking class on Princess - I just haven't noticed them or seen them in the quantity I do on Carnival. I was absolutely berated on another thread on the Carnival boards for having this opinion.

How do you describe Princess to your friends? How do you compare it to Carnival? And please, I am not looking for people to bash Carnival - we have had excellent vacations with them and continue to do so - Sunshine is our favorite ship to date. But I have also seen inappropriate behavior and it only seems to be getting worse not only on the ship but in the attitude on the Carnival board....I am asking a sincere question. So, what do you think?

I guess I'll start.

Without using the word "classy,"

To a friend who asks,

I say Princess is geared towards a slightly mature crowd, has a few more exotic ports of call and a loyalty program that has legitimate perks. I call it "Casual Elegance" and still holds on to many of cruise's traditions. Younger folks may have to search a little harder for the party, but its there. The negatives are that many of the late night venues close earlier. Some folks can be a bit snooty. And some older folks are crabby.

Carnival seems to engage their guests a bit more. Have more entertainment options. There is quite the lean towards casual. But the party (if you're into that) isn't hard to find. The negatives are the younger folks can be a handful. And some older folks are crabby. (Sorry had to put that it).

That said, have you ever noticed that some frequent cruisers complain so much that you wonder why they are cruising. They've cruised so much that it seems like they're just going through the motions. Sorry, tangent.

Carnival for me is like the Las Vegas of cruising. I like that sometimes lol!

That said, have you ever noticed that some frequent cruisers complain so much that you wonder why they are cruising. They've cruised so much that it seems like they're just going through the motions. Sorry, tangent.

It does make you wonder.:confused::D

...and I think I need some help. I have done extensive reading on both the Princess board and the Carnival one. We have cruised Carnival a great deal (mainly because the price has been right, and there have been a wide variety of 7 day or shorter cruises to chose from when we travel, namely pre-Christmas and spring break) and Princess twice. Me, DH and DS (13) all prefer Princess; DS (19) likes the bikinis on Carnival better.:')

 

What I am struggling with is a way to put into words to my friends who are looking at cruise lines, the difference between the lines. And yes, to some degree, taken as a whole, being on the ship in the ocean moving port to port in an inside or a balcony, cruising is a very similar experience on the mainstream lines. But there seems to me to be a subtle difference on Princess in the general dress and demeanor of passengers which I have referred to as "class" - or in many situations the lack of class. And by lack of class, what I refer to is men wearing sweaty baseball caps or tank tops in the MDR; people who push their way onto elevators, failing to yield to exiting passengers; ever constantly posted threads about whether I can wear jeans in the MDR with a "dress" t-shirt on elegant evenings; the people who have the unlimited alcoholic beverages and feel the need to drink each and every one of them "because they paid for them" or the equally offensive series of threads about how they can share the unlimited alcoholic beverages.

 

Am I alone in sensing this difference? I am not saying their aren't people lacking class on Princess - I just haven't noticed them or seen them in the quantity I do on Carnival. I was absolutely berated on another thread on the Carnival boards for having this opinion.

 

How do you describe Princess to your friends? How do you compare it to Carnival? And please, I am not looking for people to bash Carnival - we have had excellent vacations with them and continue to do so - Sunshine is our favorite ship to date. But I have also seen inappropriate behavior and it only seems to be getting worse not only on the ship but in the attitude on the Carnival board....I am asking a sincere question. So, what do you think?

Going on a Princess cruise is like attending your 50th year high school class reunion.

Going on a Carnival cruise is like attending your grandson's first fraternity toga party.

I say Princess is more sophisticated and more upscale than Carnival.

I think Princess gives you a little bit of everything!

Going on a Princess cruise is like attending your 50th year high school class reunion.

Going on a Carnival cruise is like attending your grandson's first fraternity toga party.

:D Too Funny!!!

My sister had taken one and only one cruise years ago with a large group of family members on her husband's side. Grandma paid for it so there was no choice of which cruise line or ship. It was a carnival Caribbean cruise and let's just say that my introverted, socially conservative, quiet sister did not enjoy herself. The experience was so bad for her that when I suggested last fall we take a sisters cruise to Mexico on the Grand Princess this past February, she was adamant I could not say anything to convince her to set foot on a cruise ship again.

Well we ended up going but it took a whole lot of conversation to convince her that Princess would be very different.

Princess as a general rule has no nude swimmers or hot tubers nor people routinely getting so drunk they publically vomit or create disturbances (look at the stats for number of people overboard for Carnival vs any other line.....shocking.)

Princess has both formal and less formal dining options and great (well okay let's say really good) food available all the time. You can dress up or not as you please. Most people dress nicely after 5 when inside meaning no swim wear, baseball hats.......

It would be rare to see a man in a sleeveless tank top in the MDR. I once saw a gentleman in one at the bar on formal night and DH & I struck up a conversation with him. He was nice.

I read off some of the enrichment lectures I'd had on previous cruises and she liked them. We talked about the crafts, the potential for some type of musical instrument lesson, the string quartet that plays in the atrium, the food demonstrations, champagne tower & ballon drop in the atrium. I told her we might get to see an ice carving (we did), a mariachi band would surely be on board and our stateroom TV would have a channel that played non stop Love Boat reruns.

We talked about playing the different kinds of trivia, laying around reading and that most people on board in my experience have been genuinely nice, kind and happy. I told her that I've never experienced annoying loud boom box music anywhere on the ship. And I told her that I thought watching movies outside was really fun.

I also told her I've always enjoyed the comedians and theater shows.

We went and had a great time. Everything I had told her ended up being true.

Princess is better all around. Better decor, better food, more refind crowd.

If money is important I'd sail in insides on Princess rather than in balcony room on Carnival.

We actually stopped cruising with Carnival because of lack of ambiance and quality of crowd.

Lines like Princess are understated and focus on couples enjoying each others company.

Carnival is fun and energetic with a family, casual atmosphere.

Of course, I have the opposite issue of explaining why Celebrity isnt my number 1 choice so I use the code word of "boring" to explain why it's not my first choice to spend a week with people walking into walls because their noses are so high up in the air. I sail them because my parents enjoy certain aspects (such as their music). I fully expect that there will be aspects of Princess that aren't my cup of tea but my parents will be extremely happy about.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

Going on a Princess cruise is like attending your 50th year high school class reunion.

 

Going on a Carnival cruise is like attending your grandson's first fraternity toga party.

Lol. Well since I have attended neither I'm not sure that description is going to cut it for my group!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I guess I'll start.

 

Without using the word "classy,"

 

To a friend who asks,

I say Princess is geared towards a slightly mature crowd, has a few more exotic ports of call and a loyalty program that has legitimate perks. I call it "Casual Elegance" and still holds on to many of cruise's traditions. Younger folks may have to search a little harder for the party, but its there. The negatives are that many of the late night venues close earlier. Some folks can be a bit snooty. And some older folks are crabby.

 

Carnival seems to engage their guests a bit more. Have more entertainment options. There is quite the lean towards casual. But the party (if you're into that) isn't hard to find. The negatives are the younger folks can be a handful. And some older folks are crabby. (Sorry had to put that it).

 

That said, have you ever noticed that some frequent cruisers complain so much that you wonder why they are cruising. They've cruised so much that it seems like they're just going through the motions. Sorry, tangent.

Yes! On all counts. People seem to get offended by the use of the word "class" - to me it means basic manners, dress and decorum. You provided an excellent description that is quite diplomatic.

And yes to the frequent cruisers! And I can add to that people that chime in on a thread just to add something negative that is not helpful or truly responsive to the question! I am of the opinion that my vacation wherever it is, is better than my office!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I guess I'll start.

 

Without using the word "classy,"

 

To a friend who asks,

I say Princess is geared towards a slightly mature crowd, has a few more exotic ports of call and a loyalty program that has legitimate perks. I call it "Casual Elegance" and still holds on to many of cruise's traditions. Younger folks may have to search a little harder for the party, but its there. The negatives are that many of the late night venues close earlier. Some folks can be a bit snooty. And some older folks are crabby.

 

Carnival seems to engage their guests a bit more. Have more entertainment options. There is quite the lean towards casual. But the party (if you're into that) isn't hard to find. The negatives are the younger folks can be a handful. And some older folks are crabby. (Sorry had to put that it).

 

That said, have you ever noticed that some frequent cruisers complain so much that you wonder why they are cruising. They've cruised so much that it seems like they're just going through the motions. Sorry, tangent.

Yes! On all counts. People seem to get offended by the use of the word "class" - to me it means basic manners, dress and decorum. You provided an excellent description that is quite diplomatic.

And yes to the frequent cruisers! And I can add to that people that chime in on a thread just to add something negative that is not helpful or truly responsive to the question! I am of the opinion that my vacation wherever it is, is better than my office!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

DS (19) likes the bikinis on Carnival better.:')

Just like to suggest he would like the bikinis on MSC even better...EM

And yes to the frequent cruisers! And I can add to that people that chime in on a thread just to add something negative that is not helpful or truly responsive to the question! I am of the opinion that my vacation wherever it is, is better than my office! Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Lol totally agree on the add something negative..... I hate whenever I see those negative comments or I see on here that someone writes back to someones legitimate question a version of "that's been talked about on here before" ----and then doesn't bother to insert a link to the said threads lol

When I see those responses I'm always in my mind like:

a) the search tool on this website is not very good for key words

b) information changes so often, so good on ya for asking and hoping for good answers, isn't this what this site is for?

c)My mom always taught me "if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all" (of course in reason, it being an old fashioned statement)

I like the analogy that Carnival is good for people who like Las Vegas.

The difference for me is the clientele and the atmosphere they create. For example, the last time we were on Carnival, there was a young girl returning from a Mexican port yelling at the top of her lungs in the hallway for about 15 mins., "I'm f**king drunk and I'm not even 21! Whoohoo! I am so f**king drunk!" Security was called and they put half the blame on those that called to report this girl's conduct. :confused:

With Princess, the worst we've experienced is kids out of control, running up and down the hallways or riding the elevators playing tag, and this has happened mostly on spring break cruises. For the vast majority of the time, you get a mature (not old, but able to behave themselves) crowd in an intimate, elegant atmosphere. And that's why we continue to return to Princess.

Lines like Princess are understated and focus on couples enjoying each others company.

Carnival is fun and energetic with a family, casual atmosphere.

 

Of course, I have the opposite issue of explaining why Celebrity isnt my number 1 choice so I use the code word of "boring" to explain why it's not my first choice to spend a week with people walking into walls because their noses are so high up in the air. I sail them because my parents enjoy certain aspects (such as their music). I fully expect that there will be aspects of Princess that aren't my cup of tea but my parents will be extremely happy about.

 

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

Princess and Celebrity are our #1 lines. We cruised with them since our early 30th with 10 yo and later teen and never felt bored. Nice entertainment enough to satisfy us.

We are not late disco dancers though.

On Carnival Liberty out of Florida our 14 yo who is not an angel by any means was not happy with crazy amount of kids and behavior of some adults.

And entertainment by the pool... hairy chest contests, eat till you barf contests....

Thank you! I'm a first time cruiser. The analogy to Las Vegas is greatly appreciated. In Vegas, I was in my room by 7pm. Not my cup of tea.

Thank you! I'm a first time cruiser. The analogy to Las Vegas is greatly appreciated. In Vegas, I was in my room by 7pm. Not my cup of tea.

I use that analogy for NCL as well lol :cool:

When I am asked which cruise line I like best I explain that to me each cruise line has a personality. Just as we have friends that have varying taste in dress and activities, the same holds for cruise lines. Sometimes I want to hang out with my friends who wear sweats, drink beer, and rent movies. Sometimes I want to spend time with those that always dress like they are going to work , drink champagne, and go to plays and operas.

So, when I am asked to recommend a cruise line I try to fit their personality to the line I am suggesting. Many of my friends, as well as myself would be happy on any line. Even the one line I was not happy with I would suggest to a very specific type of person.

If you cruise Carnival a lot hope that you are a stockholder. The OBC really adds up. And you get the same benefit on Princess.

Princess is like being in a country club. Carnival is like being in a tacky 70's Vegas wedding chapel. Carnival has gotten so ghetto lately we won't set foot onboard. The main motivation to sail Carnival is price, period.

i'll throw in my 2 cents in that i think Carnival varies wildly depending on the ship.

I've sailed on the Breeze and I think their nicer/newer ships compare more to NCL's product. I had low expectations from Carnival and they actually really impressed me.

The entertainment was fantastic - and not just the production show (which was average IMO), but the piano bars, bands, games ect - there always seemed to be something going on. the ship has a real hum of activity that made you excited to be a part of things.

As well, the food really surprised me. I loved the casual included options like the Guy Fieri burger and the Taco stand and to be honest, even the dining room was solid.

Overall I had a really good experience and would sail them again on the right ship (Breeze, Vista ect). That being said, I've toured their older ships like the Miracle and you couldn't pay me to sail on one. So, i really do think there's a massive difference in terms of the product they offer.

Alternatively, I find Princess to be a very consistent reliable experience.

I know exactly what I'm getting... it's not particularly "exciting" or new... but it's always good. I know there won't be much nightlife, so i expect to be in bed early and get lots of R&R... Princess is what I book when I want to read books and relax and maybe visit the spa and lay on my balcony. I wouldn't book them if I was in the mood for a lively cruise or itinerary.

In terms of the clientele, I don't often make "cruise friends"... I generally cruise with my partner and he works out of town, so vacation is our chance to reconnect, so i prefer to spend time just the two of us. That being said, i've met approachable people on both cruise lines, but Carnival was probably easier to meet people, as they're generally booked on the cruise for fun and are quite open to chatting and laughing with new people.

I am a seasoned cruiser on both Carnival and Princess. (18 Carnival, 25 Princess) Carnival seemed a good fit when I was in my 30's. Party until late, lot's of pool activities, good food, and fun in the dining room! What's not to like?

We are now in our 60's and 70's. Princess is our cruiseline of choice. We are now in a season of life where we like to spend more time in our cabin. (therefore a nice cabin is a must) We love to rise early, have a variety of activities, have quiet time in our cabin, as well as quiet time in a chair catching a few rays. We catch many indoor activities during the day. We do not need to be on the go every minute, and we do not care where the late night party is held.

That being said, we have grandkids that we take from time to time. Carnival is a great fit, as those cruises are about THEM. Loud, busy, towel animals, kids, kids, kids! Can't beat it for them.

Lastly, what I don't like about some Princess cruises is the complaining. I am going out on a limb here. Older passengers who feel the world revolves around them. They don't think they should wait. They don't like the food. They just plain take for granted the fact that they are amazingly lucky to be able to travel and even be able to afford a cruise. They have spent $50K-$100K in their lifetime on cruises. They seem negative. COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS, PLEASE. Not everyone, but I see this on some of the 10+ day cruises.

Carnival vs Princess...... two great lines for different sets of people. Apples and Oranges...all fruit! ;)

Janet