Carnival cruisers who have sailed Princess

DW and I have booked our first Princess cruise. We’ve sailed Carnival exclusively since 2008.

For those who have sailed Princess after multiple Carnival sailings, what did you like or dislike about Princess?

And what does/did Princess do better or different than Carnival?

TYIA for your quality replies. The Princess cruise is just us, no kids.

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We tried Princess 1 time .. to much dress up , and the ship was dead 9-10 PM , I walked the ship taking pictures 1 night dozens of pictures ,not a soul in 1 of them ... It's a funeral home after 10 PM

What ship you sailing? We are carnival junkies. Took our first princess on Caribbean princess. Totally wowed from the moment we walked on. Worried because of reviews of dead nightlife. Bland food. Caribbean cruises are not the same as overseas ones We are heading on #6 on the crown in a few weeks

Hi,

My wife and I (both in our 40's) sailed on Regal Princess Nov 2016. Most of our sailings have been on on CCL. We also sailed NCL and RCL. Princess was a great cruise. The food and entertainment are the same. The Lido Marketplace (buffet) all the tables have silverware and staff are walking around with the normal complimentary drinks. It was a very relaxing 7 days. I would go back. It is a mature crowd. This is not saying people are old. Just not a jumping environment. I saw plenty of guests with beverage package. People had fun but were respectful. No a lot of singing in the MDR. Not a lot of music around the ship at night like CCL. So if you want a more quiet experience Princess is a good choice. I hope this helps. Ask any questions and I will try to answer

What ship you sailing? We are carnival junkies. Took our first princess on Caribbean princess. Totally wowed from the moment we walked on. Worried because of reviews of dead nightlife. Bland food. Caribbean cruises are not the same as overseas ones We are heading on #6 on the crown in a few weeks

Crown, Southern Carib, 10 days, Mar 7 2019.

Chose this because Carnival only does 8 days to Carib. Since we’re flying in from CA, I wanted to maximize my vacation time/trip.

Would love your feedback and thoughts, please.

DW and I will be 49/50, respectively, on this cruise. Seeking to ensure we’re with similar age/activity level people.

We like Carnival, mostly. Seeking less bawdiness and an ability to score deck chairs and relax a bit. Fear a dead-zone type experience though.

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Princess will certainly be quieter as others have said. Personally I found the food choices on Princess better. Met some really good crew members too. Most recently sailed on the Regal Princess a few months after she came out. Wasn't my favorite ship, then again I think kinks were still being worked out. Personal favorite ship is the Golden Princess. Date will make a difference in the amount of kids that will be on board as well as duration of the sailing i.e 7 days, 14 days etc.

Overall, love both lines for different reasons, would definitely recommend Princess.

We are Platinum cruisers on Carnival, but selected a Princess cruise for our 10th wedding anniversary a few years back. Let me just summarize the experience by saying that my wife hugged me, with tears of joy in her eyes, when we boarded the ship.

We selected a Pacific Coast sailing aboard the Golden Princess and it truly was a wonderful choice for a special occasion. The ship was beautiful and elegant. Everything, from cuisine to service, was a few notches better than what Carnival offers. And if you’re someone who appreciates the small details, you’ll like what Princess has to offer.

Overall, it was a great experience. More upscale than what Carnival offers without being overly pretentious. Just the right amount, at least for us. If you go on Princess expecting the very casual, down to earth, and more energetic experience found on Carnival, you may be a bit disappointed. However, if you go expecting a more upscale and refined experience, and if you have an affinity for finer things, then Princess may be a good choice for you.

I do have a full review with photos in my signature, from the perspective of a first time Princess cruiser. Feel free to click on the link.

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Hi,

 

 

 

My wife and I (both in our 40's) sailed on Regal Princess Nov 2016. Most of our sailings have been on on CCL. We also sailed NCL and RCL. Princess was a great cruise. The food and entertainment are the same. The Lido Marketplace (buffet) all the tables have silverware and staff are walking around with the normal complimentary drinks. It was a very relaxing 7 days. I would go back. It is a mature crowd. This is not saying people are old. Just not a jumping environment. I saw plenty of guests with beverage package. People had fun but were respectful. No a lot of singing in the MDR. Not a lot of music around the ship at night like CCL. So if you want a more quiet experience Princess is a good choice. I hope this helps. Ask any questions and I will try to answer

Thanks. Great feedback.

We are seeking less kids (mostly done with that phase of life; mix of adult to teen child), an ability to relax some as in actually get a lounge chair near the pool, and to enjoy the pool deck without music blaring in our heads.

I prefer to listen to my music via headphones.

Last Carnival experience (Vista), it was impossible to get a lounger on Serenity deck. Chairhogs abound but many bodiless loungers often.

Seeking a little more respectful guest scenario.

We have enjoyed making many new friends on Carnival over the years. And we usually gravitate towards more professional type people.

But we still like to mix it up with late night comedy club and some casino (Carnival casinos wreak of smoke but I’m guessing same will be on Princess?)

Being in bed by 11/1130P works for us. We usually plan a port excursion so we have to be up early anyway.

Biggest fear is fellow pax are all 65+ and we’ll be the youngest on board with no common bonds between us and other pax.

We don’t buy beverage packages. We do however bring our own wine on board to enjoy. And Princess has a favorable wine policy which is appealing to us.

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Thought most of the food was better in the MDR on Princess. The median age was much older than carnival but people were more friendly. We were in our early 30s but made friends w a couple in there 40s and one in 60s or 70s. Still email them to this day. Also liked the nightclub better as we don't do hip hop music. It was in the very rear of ship up top and had a full wall of windows and awesome views. We were on Caribbean princess in an inside room. We lucked out getting a room that we wide instead of deep (if that makes sense) and it was much more spacious than carnival interiors. Plus no kids running wild.

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We are Platinum cruisers on Carnival, but selected a Princess cruise for our 10th wedding anniversary a few years back. Let me just summarize the experience by saying that my wife hugged me, with tears of joy in her eyes, when we boarded the ship.

 

We selected a Pacific Coast sailing aboard the Golden Princess and it truly was a wonderful choice for a special occasion. The ship was beautiful and elegant. Everything, from cuisine to service, was a few notches better than what Carnival offers. And if you’re someone who appreciates the small details, you’ll like what Princess has to offer.

 

Overall, it was a great experience. More upscale than what Carnival offers without being overly pretentious. Just the right amount, at least for us. If you go on Princess expecting the very casual, down to earth, and more energetic experience found on Carnival, you may be a bit disappointed. However, if you go expecting a more upscale and refined experience, and if you have an affinity for finer things, then Princess may be a good choice for you.

 

I do have a full review with photos in my signature, from the perspective of a first time Princess cruiser. Feel free to click on the link.

 

 

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Excellent feedback. Thank you. I look forward to reading your first-timer review.

Yes, we do appreciate better service and details. DW and I aren’t pretentious and we want to avoid a pretentious crowd (fully understood that there might be pretentious people on board).

We’re just fun people. We can be proper when needed but don’t want to be all buttoned up when on vacation.

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DW and I have booked our first Princess cruise. We’ve sailed Carnival exclusively since 2008.

 

For those who have sailed Princess after multiple Carnival sailings, what did you like or dislike about Princess?

 

And what does/did Princess do better or different than Carnival?

 

TYIA for your quality replies. The Princess cruise is just us, no kids.

 

 

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Princess is MUCH better than Carnival especially the Royal class. It's a more mature crowd and not as many kids running wild with no supervision from the great parents.

Thought most of the food was better in the MDR on Princess. Plus no kids running wild.

 

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Huge plus. We’ll be 49/50 on this cruise. Sounds like we’ll be in the middle of the age group then?

We know age isn’t the determining factor in cruise enjoyability. Just seeking to confirm what I’ve been reading: more sophisticated cruiser, less children aboard, more educated type crowd, not stuffy and over the top conformity, and fewer chairhogs with the hope I can actually get a lounger and relax while on board.

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We have enjoyed making many new friends on Carnival over the years. And we usually gravitate towards more professional type people.

 

...Biggest fear is fellow pax are all 65+ and we’ll be the youngest on board with no common bonds between us and other pax.

We were in our late 30’s/early 40’s when we took our first Princess cruise. Although we felt that passengers were indeed a bit older than on Carnival, it wasn’t enough to make us feel out of place.

The people we met on that cruise were some of the most fascinating cruise mates we’ve ever had. And what made them fascinating was because of how different we all were. For example, one night we shared a table with a young couple from Australia on a month long honeymoon that included another cruise, and a trip to Hawaii; a retired, globe trotting couple from Canada; and two single friends who take multiple cruises a year and who were on their way to Venice after our cruise to sail on another Princess ship for its inaugural sailing. Very interesting people, but still very down to earth and unpretentious.

Sharing stories with these fellow cruisers was absolutely fantastic and a highlight of that cruise. Meeting a great number of multi-national or diverse fellow cruisers is not something that we have frequently encountered on our Carnival cruises.

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I have done CCL, NCL, and Princess. We love all of them! Princess was better food imho, however, I love food so will not complain. I do feel it is a little more low key than a Carnival cruise, but we were not bored in any way. First time on Princess, it was just me and my husband. We were in our early 40's then. We loved it and really did not notice that we were younger or older than anyone else. The next time, we took our newly married son and wife. They were in their mid-20's. They loved it! We could find chairs, relax on deck, and spent many nights sitting by the pizza place playing Words with Friends.

We generally cruise for the destination, so after 3 carnival, HAL, NCL, RCI, we went last march to ABC on Caribbean Princess. We have been cruising in our mid 40s and now mid 50s but young at heart.

We paid for their Serenity area for a half day, which was divine, food good, and only 1 thing we didn’t like much was that the nightclub shut down wayyyy to early for us.

The only other thing that was not good for me was crazy. I went to the spa to pay get some time on the heated loungers, and the staff said this was the best of any line she had worked on. It was a joke, every other ship has these chairs facing big windows looking out to sea....this one faced a wall :eek:

I walked away shaking my head!

The aft adult pool was always crowded but we didn’t hang out at any other pool.

This was during spring break, but few young people on an 8 day. Was it over all

a bit pretentious yes, but worth the destination and price :cool:

I liked the fact it was more upscale than Carnival (even though they are owned by the same company).

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Both lines have their good and bad. We cruise Carnival for its vibrancy and Princess for its itins. Diamond on Carnival and Platinum on Princess.

Some odd food observations- no free Hot Chocolate on Princess but there is usually a huge wheel of cheese on the dinner buffet. Some Princess ships allow assigned diners into the ATD MDR.

Arrive at least 30 minutes early for the early showroom show. The second showing is usually almost empty.

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For the most part, I felt they were about the same. Princess might be a slight bit more elegant. The one thing Princess does that I wish Carnival would do is at night time, they put a 2 inch pad on the recliners by the MUTS screen making them more comfortable to sit on for several hours.

Sailed Princess 3 or 4 times, carnival 18. IMO Princess is a cut above Carnival with food and especially entertainment. If similar cruises were offered at the same price I'd choose Princess...Normally Carnival is a better value for your vacation dollar.

We have done a tom of Carnival and several Princess. We don't feel they are alll that different. Princess is a little nicer in regard to the ships interior. The Joe Farcas bright colors vs. more muted wood tone etc. Food id so subjective but we found menus on both we loved and ones we had a little trouble with the choices. We almost call this a wash. The entertainment on both could use some touch up.We always hear about Carnival the party ship. JUst off a B2B on NCL and the second week had more drunks that we recall ever on any ship. The funniest story we were ever witness to was on a Princess cruise. At the end of the casino the two pathways merged into one. A old guy on his scooter came from the left and another on the right. Both seemed to be DWI candidates. They collided at the intersection and started hollering at each other. One backed up and hit forward and rammed the other, still hollering. The second one backed up and rammed the first one, still hollering. Some passengers broke them up and sent them on their was. Guess you can have a party atmosphere on any line at any age. We would, and will, do both lines again.

DW and I have booked our first Princess cruise. We’ve sailed Carnival exclusively since 2008.

 

For those who have sailed Princess after multiple Carnival sailings, what did you like or dislike about Princess?

 

And what does/did Princess do better or different than Carnival?

 

TYIA for your quality replies. The Princess cruise is just us, no kids.

 

 

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We like everything about Princess better. This being said, we always book suites. Princess has much better suite amenities, plus you get double credit for the cruise. We made Platinum quickly on Princess. The ships are also nicer. The one exception is the steak house, Carnival's is better.

We're Diamond on Carnival, but Princess is our preferred cruise line. We love the quieter, more elegant atmosphere. The ships are beautiful with lots more lovely bars and lounges to share a quiet drink and actually be able to have a conversation. The suite perks are wonderful compared to Carnival. We also prefer the food on Princess as there is much more variety. Also, we have never had the problem of finding seats around the pools. The guests are much better mannered, so there is less cutting in line, and blocking the stairwells (in spite of being asked not to) on port days and at disembarkation.

We have also been able to find some great suite deals on Princess that ended up being much cheaper than Carnival suites. Also, love the aft facing Vista and PH suites on Princess with the large balconies.

We are Platinum cruisers on Carnival, but selected a Princess cruise for our 10th wedding anniversary a few years back. Let me just summarize the experience by saying that my wife hugged me, with tears of joy in her eyes, when we boarded the ship.

 

We selected a Pacific Coast sailing aboard the Golden Princess and it truly was a wonderful choice for a special occasion. The ship was beautiful and elegant. Everything, from cuisine to service, was a few notches better than what Carnival offers. And if you’re someone who appreciates the small details, you’ll like what Princess has to offer.

 

Overall, it was a great experience. More upscale than what Carnival offers without being overly pretentious. Just the right amount, at least for us. If you go on Princess expecting the very casual, down to earth, and more energetic experience found on Carnival, you may be a bit disappointed. However, if you go expecting a more upscale and refined experience, and if you have an affinity for finer things, then Princess may be a good choice for you.

 

I do have a full review with photos in my signature, from the perspective of a first time Princess cruiser. Feel free to click on the link.

 

 

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Very well said......:):)

We did our very first cruise in 2002 on Princess for our 10th anniversary. I was 33 and DH was 44. We did our 3rd Carnival Cruise in August of this year for our 25th anniversary. We are now 48 and 59.

I should say, we have been very, very responsible people all our lives. I was a straight A student, have taken care of everyone and climbed the ladder at work. We have had sick parents and lost my Mom to cancer in 2013. We've lost some really close friends to cancer as well. So we've developed quite the "grab life by the horns" attitude and now party more than we ever did back in 2002. That said, we thoroughly enjoyed Princess. Food was really good. We had a great time in the Piano Bar and met some really cool people that we stayed in touch with for a long time.

My thoughts are a cruise is what you make of it - you can find the party crowd or you can find a quiet retreat - you just have to know where to look!

I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

We're platinum on Princess, and this upcoming cruise on Carnival will be our 6th...although Carnival can't find any records of two of them. We prefer Princess, but it's possible to get a bum cruise on any ship. Carnival is the Chevrolet of cruising, but Princess isn't a Cadillac. More like a Buick.

You will probably find Princess to be much more staid, although I have seen plenty of partying going on. The food choices are classier, but that doesn't mean they taste any better.

We have cruised, in addition, on RCI and NCL and American Hawaii (no longer in existence). Out of all of them, Princess matches our lifestyle the best.

On our last Princess cruise, there were less than 10 kids on the whole ship. But we chose the date specifically for that reason.