Worth switching from carnival to Princess?

[flamomo]

The cruise we're looking at does Tracy Arm, and we're ok with that. We've never been to Alaska, so I'm sure everything will look amazing to us. We have to leave out of Seattle too.

 

 

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I personally LOVE the scenic cruising in Tracy Arm fjord .... have done it twice, and took over 300 photos each time because there is so much beauty to see there. Keep looking up in the mountains, and you will see dozens of small glaciers and waterfalls.

I hope you do make the decision to book with Princess. You may find, as I have, that Princess is classy without being snobby.

[LC1968]

I booked my carnival cruise back in May of 2013, so prices on Carnival had come down quite a bit since then. And then Princess was having a sale. The confluence of those two things made he Princess cruise cheaper.

[silverbird]

I do not know about activities for children on Carnival but can vouch for the ones on Princess. They will come away from an Alaskan cruise on Princess just brimming with fun and facts. There is no extra fee for enrolling them into this, and I can guarantee they will have an adventure all their own. This will give the adults more time to enjoy themselves also.

 

Just my opinion. Whatever you decide, you will have an awesome trip!!

[deedeetoo]

That's an issue for us since my kids have different last names and my ex isn't in the picture to give permission for them.

 

I realize this isn't your question, but this comment caught my eye. If your kids have different last names than you, you will need some sort of proof that they are your kids. I know that many divorced parents get documentation from their ex before going on a cruise but I'm not sure this is required. You should check with whatever cruise line you choose to make sure all you have all the necessary documents.

[gsboyce]

I actually called homeland security at the port in Seattle. Thankfully they said that a birth certificate is sufficient.

 

 

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[gsboyce]

Thanks for all of your input! We're officially booked on the Grand Princess sailing on July 5th!

 

 

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[UpcountryTravelers]

...... Princess is classy without being snobby.

 

EXCELLENT! That nails it. With your permission, I'm going to use that one.

[Colo Cruiser]

I actually called homeland security at the port in Seattle. Thankfully they said that a birth certificate is sufficient.

 

 

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Better check with Princess as well. They have the final say.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

Personally, I took Celebrity to Alaska...

 

This is what we decided to do, Alaska is so pretty that I would rather be on a more relaxed ship than a fun ship (which I prefer in the Caribbean).

 

I don't see any reason to take Carnival to Alaska, it's overpriced compared to more premium lines, turning the value incentive up-side-down. The technical difficulties make it that much worse.

 

I would take Royal Caribbean or Celebrity if you want to see Icy Straight Point, and Princess or Holland America if you want to see Glacier Bay. For land cruise tours into Denali, Fairbanks, or the Yukon, PCL and HAL is the way to go!

[evandbob]

Absolutely switch! A ship with propulsion problems can develop worse or additional engine/steering symptoms. Why cruise with that possibility? I have sailed mostly Carnival, but the last few years I have cruised Disney, NCL, Princess and Celebrity. Now I realize what I was missing by sailing Carnival alone.

[rocker57]

I've only been on 2 cruises, Emerald Princess was my first cruise and loved it. We were on Carnival Miracle last year through the Panama Canal. Our cabin steward was fantastic and so was our wait staff (we had set times for dining) But other than that, I would personally not do Carnival again. I sat in a lounge one night with our friends, and in 20 minutes, not one person came up and asked me what I wanted to drink. You only got 1 drink at dinner, because the poor guy was so busy doing, I don't know how many tables he just never got back. I also did not like the decor of the Miracle. I just have booked another cruise with Princess, so my opinion is to jump ship! :D

[Cruisin' Lisa]

the May 18 Grand Princess Seattle R/T through Tracey Arm has very reasonable pricing right now -- for new bookings only. Take a look !

 

I am already booked on that particular sailing and unfortunately for me (but fortunately for new bookings) the prices are now lower than what we booked for.

 

NO, it doesn't go through Glacier Bay. But maybe with the lower pricing right now for May 18 -- and perhaps, lower cost for the other sailing dates as well - the lower pricing will help make a princess cruise more equal in price to the lower priced carnival cruise you are also considering.

[gsboyce]

We switched to the Grand Princess sailing July 6th! We paid a little more, but I think we're going to be much happier !

 

 

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[elliair]

We're on the Carnival Miracle to Alaska that's been affected by a technical issue resulting in them dropping Ketchikan. We can switch to Princess for about $900 more. Curious to see what everybody thinks. Would it be worth the extra expense?

 

 

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For us, it was Carnival's smoking policy on the balcony that made us switch. That's the only thing we were not happy about with Carnival. Smoking has been banned in so many public places, why is Carnival any different?

[diversmom]

Have sailed on both. Will say Carnivale rooms are a little bigger than Princess. The only Princess cruise we went on was roundtrip from San Francisco. The departure period was very crazy. Carnivale has much better system but I think S.F. is a big cause of the problem. The only real difference I see is the cost. You will have fun no matter what ship. Cruising is great.

Sherry

[DeeMr]

We sailed the Saphire Princess to Alaska. Just got off the Caribbean princess. Did an interio and really impressed. Lots of mirrors make it look and feel more spacious. The closet/changing area much larger than on Carnival. We loved the princess and would pay the difference.

[OCruisers]

So don't think you'll be sorry to change over to Princess for a cruise to Alaska. Princess has been cruising to Alaska for a VERY long time. ;)

LuLu

[gsboyce]

Thank you!

 

 

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