Comments on a Carnival Cruise from A Princess Perspective

A few years ago, after 20+ Princess cruises, I sort of reluctantly did a 4 day Caribbean cruise to the Caribbean out of Tampa with some family members. I booked last minute ..... OV cabin for a really cheap fare, and the other pluses were that for a change I would be sailing out of Tampa (I reside in the Tampa area), and that meant no flight to the embarkation port and no pre-cruise hotel cost.

While I missed some of my Princess Elite perks, it was only a 4 days cruise, and it was a better experience that I expected it to be. The ship, the Carnival Paradise, was obviously older, and not as spiffy as what I have come to expect on Princess ships, and the decor was outdated and to me, rather ugly. My OV cabin was, while dark and furnished rather sparsely, but at the same time felt like it had more open space than the average balcony cabin on Princess, and the bathroom was surprisingly spacious and attractive, and looked updated. The steward, though rarely seen, did an OK job.

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the meals I chose in the dining room. The service was decent, Nothing about any of the food really stuck in my mind as being outstanding. But I wasn't served anything that totally turned me off either.

We didn't go to any of the shows or entertainment venues. We were on the cruise for a little escape from the daily humdrum, and some family time.

Would I do it again??? ....... Hard to say because while it met what we were looking for, there wasn't anything special enough to make me want to get on a Carnival ship again. However, for a really cheap fare for a quick getaway, I might think about it.

I just know that when I boarded my next Princess cruise, my feeling was "Ahhh! It's so nice to be back home". I could appreciate even more all the things I love about being a Princess cruiser.

robthens

2 Reviews

Member Since 2005

633 Forum Posts

Overall Member Rating

Princess is still my favorite

Sail Date: April 2017

Destination: Western Caribbean

Embarkation: Galveston

I'll start by saying we are elite status with Princess. We kept an open mind on this 5 day Carnival cruise.

ROOM

Balcony room was as expected. Bathroom small but shower larger than Princess. Never had to worry about water on the floor. Towel were nice but bed linens were very worn. The first night I discovered "stains" on the sheets. So gross, I slept on the couch. Steward changed sheets the next day. Our steward met our needs. Our friends had a suite on the same floor. Their room had not been cleaned throughly. Dirty glasses in the fridge & trash in the closet.

SHIP

Ship decor is hard to explain. Gaudy is the first thing that comes to mind. The decorators must have never heard that sometimes "less is more".

DRESS

Dress is extremely casual ! On "dress up night", my DH wore tux. We saw only 2 other men wearing them. We did see a few men in suits. Ladies were nicely dressed.

DINING

We had fixed late seating & sat with friends at a booth. Service was awful the first night but definitely improved on the 2nd night. Was shocked that we used the same silverware for all courses except dessert. No tablecloths were used. We did have cloth napkins. LOL

We enjoyed the menu options and food was tasty. (Desserts not so much)

During the latter part of service, the maitre 'd begins his talk which goes on & on. Then one of the crew begins singing (sometimes 2 long songs). Next, the assistant waiters jump up on the serving tables & "dance". Napkins are expected to twirl the whole time. Of course dinner service stops during this "entertainment". We saw numerous people leave during the production. Then the maitre'd talks again.

We ate breakfast at the buffet once (that was enough), main dining & room service were fine. Options were very limited.

Lunch option were plentiful. Burger bar had long lines but worth the wait. Deli sandwich bar was awful. Desserts had no flavor. Ice cream was a big hit.

BAR SERVICE

It does not exist. You go up to a bar & order. Drinks were good. Would have drank more but bar staff was always backed up. Guess there were a lot of people that didn't mind standing in line because there were a lot of "drunks"

Embarkation & Disembarkation ---- Muster drill

My advice is to go & leave at your convince. We let the crew take our luggage getting on & off. It didn't seem that any guidelines were followed

Best thing I can say about muster drill is that you don't have to take your life jacket. Other than that, 3,000+ passengers & an unorganized crew makes for an hour of my life I can never get back.

SHOWS

Missed the first night because it conflicted with our dinner time. Two other night their were production show. Bring your ear plugs (loud). We were entertained but below substandard to ones we have seen on other ship. Choreography was the issue not the singers & dancers.

Magician was really entertaining.

SHORE EXCURSIONS. --- All on our own ---- we have been to these ports before

Cozumel - $17 taxi ride for 4 people to Mr Sanchos Beach (free private beach)

We did the pay as you go option. Also got the fish spa pedicures.

It was a "muy bien".

Progresso - we love this town. We went straight to the beach for massages. $15 for an hour. We leave the women a $10 tip. Then a nice lunch at one of the local places. A stop at the pharmacia (one block from the beach). Finally, a little shopping in the tourist area. Less

Published 04/28/17

Thanks, Loonbeam for a great post and comparison. Carnival still has a stigma they don't deserve in my opinion. I've only been on 1 Carnival cruise but it was fine. It was in 2003 on the Glory when she was new, I had a great time. The food in the dining room, buffet area was way better than I expected. I wasn't real crazy about the layout of the ship trying to get from point A to B, but this comes from years of Princess or Royal Caribbean.

I sail with Princess, trying to do certain itineraries, I did sail with RCI for the Med & TA in 2015 because I wanted to see Venice without having to fly there or go through Rome. If I saw something on Carnival I might go again, but I do like the perks on Princess and RCI.

Cruising is personal and never tell anyone don't try a cruise line based on me, go and form your own opinion. I realize there are people who insist their choice is the best and only choice, but I can't go down that road.

Someone just mentioned Muster Drill and I didn't. I thought Carnival did a FAR better job here than Princess usually does. The announcements were taken far more seriously especially the ones about fire and how special needs are handled, and they made sure everyone on the way out knew where their lifeboats were (it's worth noting that several stations did have to stand outside, but they didn't make people go out until last minute and the entire process was over in 30-40 mins with the outside groups being dismissed first (and dismissing the groups in stages helped a lot with the usual post muster elevator rush..). I actually thought from a safety standpoint one of the best we have ever been through.

Someone just mentioned Muster Drill and I didn't. I thought Carnival did a FAR better job here than Princess usually does. The announcements were taken far more seriously especially the ones about fire and how special needs are handled, and they made sure everyone on the way out knew where their lifeboats were (it's worth noting that several stations did have to stand outside, but they didn't make people go out until last minute and the entire process was over in 30-40 mins with the outside groups being dismissed first (and dismissing the groups in stages helped a lot with the usual post muster elevator rush..). I actually thought from a safety standpoint one of the best we have ever been through.

Unfortunately I have to completely disagree, our experience aboard the Miracle was completely different. We all stood outside for over 30 minutes while they waited for stragglers to show up. You could barely hear the announcements and because lining up is first come you can't see anything from the back rows that they are demonstrating. Most of the passengers were frustrated and hot and just wanted to leave.

Give me my Princess muster station in a lounge all day any day compared to that nightmare. Also, you mention about safety, remember that the vast majority of muster calls are done without the need to abandon ship. If I have to wait at a muster station in an emergency I don't want to spend hours standing on deck when I can be comfortably seated in a lounge protected from the elements.

As I posted in my review of the Carnival Valor, the only good thing about Carnival muster drill is you don't have to bring your life jacket. Totally unorganized. All the passengers out on deck. Standing & waiting for "no shows". Drunk people !!! Instruction that cannot be understood & the "best/lol" is everyone tries to leave at the same time.

Never again on carnival.

Thank you for posting your detailed review.

Someone just mentioned Muster Drill and I didn't. I thought Carnival did a FAR better job here than Princess usually does. The announcements were taken far more seriously especially the ones about fire and how special needs are handled, and they made sure everyone on the way out knew where their lifeboats were (it's worth noting that several stations did have to stand outside, but they didn't make people go out until last minute and the entire process was over in 30-40 mins with the outside groups being dismissed first (and dismissing the groups in stages helped a lot with the usual post muster elevator rush..). I actually thought from a safety standpoint one of the best we have ever been through.

Worst part of my cruise on Carnival.

o Had to stand outside for over 30 minutes in 40 degree weather (most people did not bring sweaters or jackets to the drill) with a wind blowing.

o Knowing where lifeboats are does no good if the situation prevents you from getting to that lifeboat. Much prefer Princess method of being inside in an actual emergency with crew leading you to available lifecraft if needed.

Only worse experience was on RCCL where we had to stand outside with the exhaust from the refueling barge aimed directly at us the entire time.

Another vote for the brunch. So decadent.

Okay, full disclosure, we were one of the groups in a lounge...

That said, it did seem to me that they made a conscious effort to minimize time spent standing outside. As I noted though, it seemed like the staff/management on this particular ship really did pay attention to such things, I am sure there are crews that do not.

My one issue with the lounge based drills is too many people don't seem to take them seriously at all.

Worst part of my cruise on Carnival.

o Had to stand outside for over 30 minutes in 40 degree weather (most people did not bring sweaters or jackets to the drill) with a wind blowing.

o Knowing where lifeboats are does no good if the situation prevents you from getting to that lifeboat. Much prefer Princess method of being inside in an actual emergency with crew leading you to available lifecraft if needed.

 

Only worse experience was on RCCL where we had to stand outside with the exhaust from the refueling barge aimed directly at us the entire time.

My one issue with the lounge based drills is too many people don't seem to take them seriously at all.

My experience on one cruise line with outside muster is that you are lined up in rows five deep and only those in the front row and very tall people in other rows can see the demo.

There may be complete silence from the passengers, but very little knowledge is being transferred.

Interesting comments on both RCCL and CCL. We have been on both cruiselines. On RCCL (last time 2013) we had to wear our lifejackets to the drill and stand on the outside deck in large groups according to your designation. Luckily it was warm out most times. They lined us up in rows and if you were in the back rows or behind a tall person all you could do was hear what was being said. They had several accidents on the stairwells with pax wearing life jackets. IMO not a great way to do it.

We have been on CCL 4x so far with the last time being last May. We were told to go to an inside meeting area according to our group designation without our life jackets where they went through the usual talk. Last time we were in the casino. I wish Princess would get over taking the life jackets.

We did our first cruise on the Elation (we will call it the tub) in 2005 and was so impressed that we vowed to never set foot on a CCL ship again. It was then we discovered the Love Boat.

So CCL had my email address and was constantly sending me email that went immediately into the circular file. I received an offer to go out of Galveston (we can drive to the port in 4 hours) in 2012 and for some unknown reason I opened the offer. It was for the Magic which was their second newest ship at the time and quite a bit different than their other ships particularly the tub. I decided to give CCL another try and did really like it but certainly not as well as the Love Boat.

The MDR on the ship is two decks with a stairway going up to the second deck like RCCL does. It makes for a more open feeling. CCL does not use a table cloth except on elegant night (their take of formal night) where pax are asked to wear nicer clothes - for men pants and collared shirt. They do not have a formal night. Last two cruises we have had TD so assigned tables. Last cruise we had a table for 2 which was nice. The bigger tables are rectangular and not circular like Princess which makes for conversation only with those next to you. The food is good but that is very subjective and up to the user. They did do the "performance" on elegant nights which was comical at best and an annoyance at least. One comment about the "dress code" is that on CCL there are no rules but only suggestions. I have seen shorts many times in the MDR at dinner with tshirts and baseball type hats on men. I have even seen shorts on adults during elegant night. Even on our first cruise on the tub when they did still had "formal night" jeans and tshirts were all too common.

Cabins: We have had balcony cabins except for our first experience on the tub. The rooms seem bigger but I have never measured them. The clothes closet is located just inside the door along the wall opposite the bathroom. Our cabins have had refrigerators. The beds were good comparable to the older Princess beds before the upgrade. The TV is mounted on the wall opposite the bed and there is a small love seat, desk and chair. Cabins are only cleaned once a day. The steward asked us whether we wanted it in the morning or evening. The balcony was about the same size as on Princess.

We have never been to the theater as they have a comedy club on the aft Promenade deck which we enjoy. It is open most nights with an early show and a late night show that sometimes can be X rated. The piano bar is next door with bar seating around the piano plus the usual chairs and tables. It is more festive than Crooners and certainly less formal.

The pool on the Magic is really small with most of the open lido deck taken up by rows of loungers. We never use the pools as we have one at home so I can't say more about them. They do have a "water park" on the deck above with two long straws or tubes that start on the deck above it along with other water toys. The kids love it as do some of the adult pax. I did both staws on our first Magic cruise when we were in port and everyone was off the ship.

The buffet is like the Regal/Royal in its layout only better IMO. Access is very easy and includes many different types of food with each in their own area of the buffet. They have a mongolian grill in this area as well as a deli, dessert area, salad area etc. They have a separate pizzeria on the aft behind the buffet that is open 24x7 and a Indian themed food during lunch and dinner. There is a Guy's hamburger joint and Mexican counter beside the pool area that has tacos (finger food). The quality and layout of the buffet area is far better than the Princess HC including the newer Royal/Regal HC.

When they built the Magic CCL decided to not make it as gaudy as the ships built before it thankfully. It is a bit more muted but nowhere as nice as a Princess ship.

They have a BBQ outside on the promenade deck where they actually do BBQ meat in a large electric BBQ pit on sea days. One place we like to hang out is the Red Dog Pub on the same deck that has the pub look to it and features their Red Dog beer. Evenings they have a guitar player. It has a patio outside on the Promenade deck with tables for the beer drinkers (or others). The Promenade deck has several hot tubs that extend out over the sides of the ship.

CCL has continual trivia games with the winner getting a plastic gold ship on a stick. It literally is a small plastic ship painted gold on a small stick. They end one and start the next one. At night they use the area for a live band that generally plays rock and roll.

The casino is usually crowded when it is open. CCL seems to have a large number of gamblers aboard. They encourage gambling by giving heavy gamblers (who lose a lot) free cruises.

One thing about CCL is the rugrats. We went on one Magic cruise a few years ago the first week of December and theire were over 250 aboard according to the CD. Last time we went the first week of May and was told they had over 500 aboard. Don't these kids ever go to school?

We have not really seen that many obviously inebriated pax but have seen some maybe because we have only been on 7 day cruises not during the summer months. Since we can drive to the port in 4 short hours on Interstate highways (speed limit in TX is 75 which translates to 85!) we now go once a year on the Breeze, a newer ship than the Magic, which replaced the Magic in 2016.

FYI the Ship on a Stick is now a trophy style with a plastic base and plastic ship on a V shaped stand. Still kitschy tho.

Well stated comparison over-all.....I might like to add: If you are considering a Carnival cruise, the cruise duration, home port and age of ship can have a dramatic impact on your enjoyment of your Carnival experience.

We are Platinum on both Princess and Carnival...we like aspects of both. The shorter (3-4) day Carnival cruises tend to draw the party crowds....younger, more drinking, tends to be louder. Princess just doesn't have those. Certain ports (in our opinion) draw different clientele of passengers as well. The Carnival JOURNEY'S CRUISES are wonderful. Longer cruise length, throwback activities and special events...check them out.

We love the comedy club on Carnival.

I prefer the shows on Princess. I like the International Café on Princess. Princess has itineraries that Carnival just does not offer. I also believe the food (we are NOT foodies) is a tad better on Carnival.

We pick by where we want to go first. Then look at duration (retired and like at least 14 days or more..b2b works too). Then the ship.

Try Carnival.....We enjoy them too.

The Carnival JOURNEY'S CRUISES are wonderful. Longer cruise length, throwback activities and special events...check them out.

We love the comedy club on Carnival.

I agree that the best experience on Carnival is on a Journey's Cruise as it is much closer to the Princess experience than a regular Carnival cruise.

I was not that impressed by the comedy club on our Journey's Cruise. Most of the comedians on our cruise were OK, but not great. And the "adult" shows were basically regular routines with expletive's thrown in. Example: Instead of saying "and then I fell off the bed" the adult show would say "and then I fell off the f****** bed." That really does not make a joke any better.

I would guess they have a harder time staffing comics to do the longer cruises (plus they need more sets with more nights)

I agree that the best experience on Carnival is on a Journey's Cruise as it is much closer to the Princess experience than a regular Carnival cruise.

 

I was not that impressed by the comedy club on our Journey's Cruise. Most of the comedians on our cruise were OK, but not great. And the "adult" shows were basically regular routines with expletive's thrown in. Example: Instead of saying "and then I fell off the bed" the adult show would say "and then I fell off the f****** bed." That really does not make a joke any better.

Our last Carnival cruise was on the Dream (never again). We found the decor (especially the atrium) to be beyond tacky (Las Vegas meets Wal-Mart!). The shows were rather crude. Cabin was fine and steward was very good. Dining room was OK, food was acceptable and service good. Worst was the buffet...I was painfully reminded of my crowded high school cafeteria! Really the worst at sea!

Nope...believe me, after 27 cruises, we have outgrown Carnival, unless it is a grandkids get-together!

I am Elite on Princess and Platinum on Carnival , and have mostly sailed the shorter cruises and a few 7 days cruises since that is what is mostly offered out of southern California.

I agree with the majority of what OP said in his comparision review.

Carnival--

younger crowd, more night life for people still up past 11 pm . 24 hours pizza, ice cream. On Princess there is nothing to eat besides the international cafe late at night. Horizon court is more organized than princess as Horizon court has more "mini" stations" so people dont get "Bunched up" as much. For elites, you get a "free gift" ranging from useful ( tervis cups, packing cubes) to not useful( baseball caps, writing journal). towel animals for kids. Dining staff sings to you. Staff more casual -- still great service. LOVE the seafood brunch! Past cruisers get 1 bottle free water, platinum still get a free drink ( and the free water). Still can get free pack of "Carnival" playing cards at the front desks if they have them available.

Princess-- platinum get 150 minutes of free wifi (this is a Major plus . .much preferred than getting carnival's free gift). no towels animals, no singing dining staff. Princess staff more formal -- great service. A little bit more "old fogie" feeling -- (hubby and I are in our late 50s) . . .everything seems to go dead past 11 pm. I like that as Elite status, I have a choice of 2 coffee card or alcohol in in my cabin -- I choose the coffee cards since I dont really drink.. Princess have fridges in each cabin.

Major "Dislikes on Princess:

1. Buffet not as organized and too crowded because they dont have mini stations (eg sandwich area, salad area, pizza area, main entree area)

2. No food available past 11 pm to nosh on unless you go to the international cafe (hubby mentioned he would have enjoyed some food after the evening movie). On carnival there is a late night buffet from 1- 12 midnight every night, and then pizza 24 hours and ice cream elf serve 24 hours.

3. their casino, library, guest services are on the lower decks with the guest cabins on the higher decks -- I would prefer the "activities" to be more Mid level decks so that guests can access from above and from below.

Major "Dislikes" on Carnival:

1. No free wifi for Elite guests,

2. ship can look a little "garish /neon light- y"

3. Some ships have strange deck layouts where you cant walk all the way from front to back of ship.

Also I like the "outside the cabin" door mailboxes (which I think are on Princess ships), rather than your cabin steward having to slip something underneath the door or having to use his key to put on the cabin desk.

 

Carnival--

younger crowd' date=' more night life for people still up past 11 pm . 24 hours pizza, ice cream. On Princess there is nothing to eat besides the international cafe late at night. <--- Room service is also available. ....... ! Past cruisers get 1 bottle free water, platinum still get a free drink ( and the free water). <-----Free drink coupon we received was only valid after 5 PM on the final evening of the cruise. Still can get free pack of "Carnival" playing cards at the front desks if they have them available.

 

 

Major "Dislikes" on Carnival:

 

3. Some ships have strange deck layouts where you cant walk all the way from front to back of ship. <--- No different than on Princess ships where you can't walk all the way on deck 6 from front to back.

 

See comments in red

We have done one Carnival cruise on the Breeze. The ship was fine, as was the food. There was definitely a more energized feel to Carnival but we decided we wouldn't sail on Carnival again unless our kids and grandkids are with us, just not a fan of hairy-chested men contests, although we were on a Caribbean cruise, so that might have affected the amount of drinking we experienced.

By the way, I wish Princess would do the brunch!

Wow I loved your review and comparison. Love the brunch idea. I've kind of given up breakfast in MDR on Princess, but that option would get me back. I also prefer MDR breakfast on Royal Caribbean where you can either order off a menu or get your own hot and cold items from a very nice buffet setup.

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I have sailed on carnival many times and even more on princess.

I love the fact they get actual u.s. TV on carnival, rooms are larger.

I would have said that princess has the best food but not anymore. I would have said that princess had great entertainment but not anymore.

The main reason I cruise so much on other lines is the fact that princess lies to me. Treats me like I don't matter at all and was even told to go on other cruise lines, which I now do. I will say that princess has the most uncomfortable beds.

Princess ships have great pools. Prefer the cabins on Carnival. Carnival has alot of American homeports for no flying.

Thanks for the comparison review.

Order the love boat dream. It's not warm but it is like a giant heart shaped chocolate truffle.]

 

In my opinion, nothing compares to Carnival's chocolate melting cake. Some of the Norman Love desserts are very good, but not as good as the CMC.