Caribbean Princess or Valor ????

[DHB]

I have had two great and one bad experience with Carnival and asking who has tried Princess as compared to Carnival? Trying to make a decision for a Oct. cruise and I need some advice from the board!

[GoinCruisin]

I have not cruised either! LOL! So I'll be alot of help! But you might want to try posting what you like, what your idea of a cruise is, your ages, etc.... different strokes for different folks ya know? Also, check out the Cruise Critic group cruise (Valor Vampires) for 10/30/05, going to be a GREAT time!!!!!!! Good luck!

[CruiseMark]

I think the main differences are:

 

Decor: Understated but very nice on the Caribbean Princess, very, ummmm, noticable theming on the Valor. Check out the pictures of each. Which one you like will depend on your tastes.

 

Movies Under The Stars on the Caribbean Princess.

 

Princess Cays, their own private island.

 

With the Valor you'd get the "Exotic" Western Caribbean Itinerary, versus the pretty standard one on Princess.

 

I've found that Carnival usually has longer port times at some ports (ie: Cozumel) than the CP.

 

I think you'll find the prices on Carnival are less than Princess as well, especially for balcony cabins.

 

That's my take. Just depends on your preferences.

[katondeck]

Depends on my mood

 

If I want to do a bunch of things and active excursions - it is Carnival.

 

If I want to relax and be in a little more elegant surrounding - it is Princess.

[deerby27]

Did the CP last October and had a ball. If you love seafood, this is the ship for you. I am a Carnival fan, but Princess is very good also. Good luck.

[jemingway]

I have been on both and found them to be virtually equal, as to quality and enjoyment. Although there are differences, you would think they are from the same cruise line. We loved them both.;)

[CruiseFever]

Some easy to identify differences include

 

• Princess Grand Class ships have Skywalkers- a nightclub that blows away anything Carnival ever thought of having
  
• Valor had wireless internet all over the ship, Princess has it just in the atrium
  
• Caribbean Princess has Movies Under The Stars
  
• Princess does a better job of breaking up huge, open deck space into smaller more intimate areas
  
• Carnival has FunVision, an in-cabin interactive system that lets you view your shipboard charge account, buy shore excursions and watch pay-per-view movies
  
• Princess has better, sometimes excellent food but lacks consistency
  
• You can buy cartons of cigarettes on Princess and they hold them until the end of the cruise, on Carnival you can have them when you buy them
  
• You can buy bottles of booze on Carnival and they hold them until the end of the cruise, on Princess you can order bottles from room service and have them right now
  
• Carnival has an incorrect reputation for being a big drunken party all the time (not any more), Princess has an incorrect reputation for catering to boring old people (that's Holland America*)
  
• Carnival has a better kids program- Princess' is good but inconsistent from ship to ship
  
• Pricing is competitive, comparing numbers to numbers Carnival will come out less expensive but Princess is a better value
  
• Princess ships all seem to have a similar layout and decor, each Carnival ship has a different theme
  
• Princess rules embarkation, Carnival is trying but still not there
  
• Carnival has the reputation for the best shows, I rate both lines the same
  
• Princess sails to more places
  
• Carnival management is totally accessible, good luck emailing somebody important at Princess
  
• Princess employs more muted tones and promotes a subdued but semi-elegant ambiance, Carnival is very glitzy, Vegas style with lots of neon
  

*not really ;)

 

Here's some reviews from our sailings on the Caribbean Princess if you're interested as well as photos and video of the area

[jemingway]

Chris, haven't seen you in ages. Glad to see you are still around and recovered from your host gig.;)

[IKE]

I will be cruising 2/26 on the Caribbean Princess and the Carnival Liberty(Sistership to Valor) in Dec.Liberty will be a brand new ship. I will let you know later in the year how I found them different. I enjoy Carnival and Princess. There are differences and that is what I like. Its nice to try different Ships and Cruiselines. I agree with everything people on this tread have pointed out.....

Whatever Ship you pick, you will have a wonderful cruise! Have fun!

[CruiseFever]

Chris, haven't seen you in ages. Glad to see you are still around and recovered from your host gig.;)

 

thanks, that was pretty scary alright :eek: