Princess cruiser considering Carnival. Some questions

Sailed only on Princess and always get great specials. Last one was onboard credit, room upgrade and best of all, gratuities paid.

We do not want to travel far due to health issues, therefore are considering 6-7 day Charleston cruise.

I can't find any specials. How much are gratuities? Is it true that ocean view rooms are on bottom decks?

What about onboard credits? Anyone that can give feedback it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Right now...The Ecstasy is the only Carnival ship sailing out of Charleston. It's a older ship...but the good news is that there are few balcony cabins, which means the OV cabins will be on higher floors on this class of ship than the newer ships.

Gratuities are $12.50 pp per day and are automatically charged to your S&S card unless you decide to pay prior to your cruise embarkation.

On board credits vary. Carnival has some offers from $50-200 based on type of cabin. But I have also found you can get additional OBC if you do some research through travel agents (there are numerous travel agencies who specialize in cruises). For example...I am cruising next week during Thanksgiving. Carnival offered a $50 OBC....However by booking through a travel agency they offered me an additional $75 bar credit and another $200 OBC. And the cruise rate (before credits) was the exact amount Carnival's site quoted. So obviously these agencies have some incentive cash they are offering.

Never hurts to do a little research and shopping around.... Good deals can be found

What ship are you considering??

You can see the where cabins are located on the deck plans which are shown on the Carnival web site.

I have not seen paid grats as a special on the Carnival web site, It is possible that some other web sites may offer them.

On board credits are offered for some cruises but they come and go and there's no schedule for when they may appear.

Carnival doesn’t have booking specials like Princess does. At best you can hope for is a two category upgrade (ie 8A to 8C; balconies, different location) or some OBC.

Random thoughts in no particular order

Depending on the itin and time of year our Carnival cruises have felt like we were on Princess.

-The cabins will be larger than the regular OV/IS on Princess. Though only about a dozen or so hangers.

-You’ll need a card with a magnetic strip to access your safe (we use our AAA card).

-ask for an ice bucket and robe

-the bathroom set up is truly horrible on this class. Very small shelf and almost no room around the sink for your stuff. The other ship classes have a much better set up, similar to Princess’s.

-The shower will be bigger than Princess’s. Also has the fabric curtain and lousy shampoo and body soap.

-need to ask for an underpowered hair dryer.

-two electrical plugs- US 110v and a British 220v (though it could be a Eurooutlet).

.

Easy deck plan to navigate. All the public areas are on 9&10, Promenade, Lido and above. The Serenity deck is the free adult area located on 9aft. We like to sit on the little decks just aft of the pizza and bar in the aft of the buffet.

Debarkation ‘all off’ is around 10am. Called off by Self Assist or Assist by Deck level. You do not prearrange this ahead of time.

Food is extremely subjective. That being said the vegetarian options, including the Indian, are very good as is the fish. The Port Of Call dishes are also good.

Up in the buffet The Deli is good and I think the pizza is better than Princess’s. Anything carved is good. Find all cruise line soups to be too salty and the desserts pretty to look at. ;). There are hot chocolate machines next to the coffee pots in the buffet.

If you drink The Alchemy Bar bartenders will mix something to your liking. Do not remember if Ecstasy has this. We’ve been able to get non-alcoholic drinks here.

One major difference, for us, is how trivia is played. Seems more cutthroat on Princess.

Research the port. IIRC Charleston has some peculiarities.

You can ask about senior, resident, military, teacher, cop, firefighter etc. discounts. If you own Carnival stock you can get a credit. Carnival isn't Princess but overall its budget friendly.

Carnival is sort of like the Walmart of the cruise industry -- "low prices everyday." So they really have very few specials. Sometimes you can get OBC from a TA, if your TA is feeling generous.

Choose carefully the dates that you sail. If school is out/holiday or it is spring break (March, early April), there will be lots of children.

We also love Princess and sail with her, but we tried Carnival a couple of years ago (last week of April is our time), and found that we like the Carnival product too. Carnival is cheaper than Princess; it was the only cruise that we received money back form our on board credit.

We have not been to Charleston and have not sailed the ship mentioned, so I cannot comment on that specifically.

If interested, try their waterworks. Princess does not have these. My husband tried their waterslide on the last day of the first cruise, and that is one of Carnival's selling points for us. He is a big kid in mid 60's.

Next year we have a cruise with Carnival booked and one with Princess. Life is good.

Thank you everyone that replied. Good information. I didn't realize I'd have to ask for a hairblower. Hopefully they don't run out of them! I'm spoiled with the incentives on Princess. On our last cruise we had so much OBC that we never had to pay for drinks or speciality coffee. Plus our gratuities were paid for.

We like to bring a bottle each of wine onboard and assume it's ok with Carnival as it is with Princess. Haven't read anything about that either. But, we especially LOVE the coffee cards on Princess. We like our afternoon capacinos and REAL morning coffee.

I do have a travel agent and have used her a few times. She told me once that unless her agency is offering a special than there's nothing she can personally offer. She did send us a voucher for a free bottle of wine once. I like her very much as far as her knowledge and speed to which she gets back to me if there's a price change I notice, etc. Will continue to be loyal to her at this point. She's the one that advised about only taking a balcony on this ship. That's why I'm questioning on here.

The convenience of sailing out of Charleston is why we will most likely try it. I appreciate all of your answers.

You can ask about senior, resident, military, teacher, cop, firefighter etc. discounts. If you own Carnival stock you can get a credit. Carnival isn't Princess but overall its budget friendly.

Princess offers $50 for Veterans but on Carnival you have to be retired. Too bad.

Thank you everyone that replied. Good information. I didn't realize I'd have to ask for a hairblower. Hopefully they don't run out of them! I'm spoiled with the incentives on Princess. On our last cruise we had so much OBC that we never had to pay for drinks or speciality coffee. Plus our gratuities were paid for.

 

We like to bring a bottle each of wine onboard and assume it's ok with Carnival as it is with Princess. Haven't read anything about that either. But, we especially LOVE the coffee cards on Princess. We like our afternoon capacinos and REAL morning coffee.

 

I do have a travel agent and have used her a few times. She told me once that unless her agency is offering a special than there's nothing she can personally offer. She did send us a voucher for a free bottle of wine once. I like her very much as far as her knowledge and speed to which she gets back to me if there's a price change I notice, etc. Will continue to be loyal to her at this point. She's the one that advised about only taking a balcony on this ship. That's why I'm questioning on here.

 

The convenience of sailing out of Charleston is why we will most likely try it. I appreciate all of your answers.

We took our first Princess cruise last month and will be taking our second Carnival cruise February 2018. Princess allowed unlimited amounts of wine, but the first bottle per passenger 21+ didn't have the $15 corkage fee. Carnival only allows 1 bottle per 21+ passenger total - no corkage fee if consumed in cabin. I think you can also bring one bottle back at ports, not sure about corkage fee.

Also, Carnival only allows soft drink and juice in cans/cartons - no bottles (except above wine). Water can be pre-purchased for delivery if you don't want the ship's tap water, but you cannot bring bottled water yourself.

I realized that perks can be deceiving, you are really paying for them in the cost of your cruise most times.

I've never had to ask for a hair dryer - is that just this particular ship?

The Fantasy class ships are where you need to ask for a hair dryer. The newer ships have hair dryers in the desk drawers but I have a travel hair dryer I always bring whether the ship has them or not. It folds in half and doesn't take up much space and has as much power as a full sized one.

Princess is much better.

I've never had to ask for a hair dryer - is that just this particular ship?

I think the older Fantasy-class ships don't have hair-dryers already in the rooms.

Even if they did, the ones provided on board are very "weak" hair-dryers, for power-consumption (or heat) reasons.

I don't use a hair-dryer, but I think you CAN bring one aboard.

Fantasy class ships don't have mini fridges either. Not a big deal for me though.

I don't know what your TA means about only booking balcony on this ship. On the Fantasy class ships that I've been on there were plenty of OV.

Princess offers $50 for Veterans but on Carnival you have to be retired. Too bad.

That's not accurate. Princess does have nice obc for veterans, especially on longer cruises. But Carnival has discounted military fares from time to time, especially around Veterans Day and other "patriotic" holidays. To qualify for military you just need a DD214. We've benefited from Military fares a number of times and husband did not retire (spend 20 years) in the service. Also, at certain times of the year you can share the military rate with 2 other cabins. We've done this as well.

~Denise

If you get the drink package, specialty coffees are included. If you don't, you will get a punch card with your first coffee. I think it's six coffees and the seventh is free.

Enjoy your cruise!

That's not accurate. Princess does have nice obc for veterans, especially on longer cruises. But Carnival has discounted military fares from time to time, especially around Veterans Day and other "patriotic" holidays. To qualify for military you just need a DD214. We've benefited from Military fares a number of times and husband did not retire (spend 20 years) in the service. Also, at certain times of the year you can share the military rate with 2 other cabins. We've done this as well.

 

~Denise

Although this is true, we have only had two occasions in 15 sailings that the military rate actually proved to be less than the past guest rate... which is frustrating. It would be nice if the military program was just a discount over and above whatever our lowest quoted price was. Even if it was only 2%, that would still be a savings.

I think it is helpful to remember that Carnival has a different target audience than Princess. In many ways, it really isn't comparing apples to apples. I am not saying that there aren't those individuals who can sail both lines and enjoy both- but you should probably go into it with the mindset that it is designed to be a different experience. Carnival is a family friendly "fun" ship. They have sea days full of poolside activities, party music, trivia games offered multiple times each day. I am not suggesting that they don't have quiet and more reserved areas of the ship- the Serenity areas are enjoyed by many. The ships that offer Cloud 9 Spa facilities have wonderful quiet zones that allow for relaxation away from the crowds. Just remember, they will draw a different crowd. Often you will find loud, outgoing folks who really know how to let their hair down. Shorter trips often get "tagged" booze cruises, although we live 20 minutes from the Port of Jax and have been on several and not felt that way at all...

Sailing out of Charleston your port options are limited- you will visit my least favorite part of the Caribbean, unless you move up to the 8 day sailing. But I would also take any day at sea over a day at home. Being on that class of ship also limits your amenities; but on the upside you also limit your crowd! Our first cruise was on a Fantasy class ship and was 7-days. Since then we have decided that we really prefer a larger class for that many days.

All things considered- only you know what things are important to you and your family when traveling. Whether or not you will enjoy Carnival will depend upon those things alone.

Carnival is definitely a different vibe, a bit livelier. I personally prefer Carnival & Royal Caribbean to Princess. I found the crew to be a bit standoffish on Regal Princess, with the exception of our room steward & the breakfast waitstaff in the buffet. We had difficulty getting bar service by the pool and in the dining room on Princess. Of the 3 lines I've sailed, Princess had the prettiest ship, followed by Royal, then Carnival. Decor isn't an issue for me, but it is for some. Food is fine on all lines. While I thoroughly enjoy the Serenity area on Carnival, I wish all cruise lines had an adult area like the Solarium on Royal Caribbean. So far my personal preference on Carnival is either the Conquest or Dream class ships. However, any cruise is a good cruise, right?

As an avid Princess client who sometimes take Carnival, I'll share some thoughts......

On Carnival cruises of 7 days or less you'll see a much more diverse demographic than on Princess, both in age and race / nationality.

While Princess generally attracts mostly those of European and Asian descent, Carnival has done a better job reaching out to the Latino and African-Americans - which creates a better reflection of our society as a whole.

I find the food is generally good on both lines, although Carnival seems place focus on the buffet and it's much better in our opinion. (Perhaps they realize more of their passengers enjoy this more casual option) along with Guy's Burgers and the Cantina options.

The dining rooms are a bit more elegant on Princess and the feel is a little more formal compared with Carnival being friendlier and less reserved

The main reason we go on Carnival cruises is because they're a lot more fun in warm weather areas. We like the younger, less reserved crowd, along with more current music played by bands and DJ's, silly pool games and some very interesting people watching.

If you board with an open mind and prepared to enjoy a slightly different (But fun) experience, I think you'll have a great time...........

Princess offers $50 for Veterans but on Carnival you have to be retired. Too bad.

As an avid Princess client who sometimes take Carnival, I'll share some thoughts......

 

On Carnival cruises of 7 days or less you'll see a much more diverse demographic than on Princess, both in age and race / nationality.

 

While Princess generally attracts mostly those of European and Asian descent, Carnival has done a better job reaching out to the Latino and African-Americans - which creates a better reflection of our society as a whole.

 

I find the food is generally good on both lines, although Carnival seems place focus on the buffet and it's much better in our opinion. (Perhaps they realize more of their passengers enjoy this more casual option) along with Guy's Burgers and the Cantina options.

 

The dining rooms are a bit more elegant on Princess and the feel is a little more formal compared with Carnival being friendlier and less reserved

 

The main reason we go on Carnival cruises is because they're a lot more fun in warm weather areas. We like the younger, less reserved crowd, along with more current music played by bands and DJ's, silly pool games and some very interesting people watching.

 

If you board with an open mind and prepared to enjoy a slightly different (But fun) experience, I think you'll have a great time...........

Pretty much agree with the above.

While we much prefer Princess, Charleston is quite convenient for us and works for an extra 7 day in the Spring.

Just do keep and open mind and enjoy Carnival for what it is. :)

Princess offers $50 for Veterans but on Carnival you have to be retired. Too bad.

Not true. Carnival offers a military rate with submission of a DD214. You only have to submit it once and it stays on your account as a viable choice. However- we’ve only found the military rate to be cheaper than the past guest rate twice in 15 bookings.

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