Carnival cruisers who have sailed Princess

[emdia43]

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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You are sailing in spring break, so it ought to be lively....

[serene56]

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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There will be an older crowd on the 10 days vs a 7 days. If looking to sail with very few kids the 10 days is what to look into It should be a relaxing cruise

[Micahs Grandad]

We were Diamond on Carnival when we started with Princess a few years ago.

 

Now most of our cruises are on Princess.

 

Buffet on Princess head and shoulders better than Carnival both in terms of quality and presentation. Princess somehow has it so you do not get the lines you get on Carnival.

 

Like how crew will promptly get you drinks and refills on Princess. Refill of drinks on Carnival very spotty.

 

DR quality about the same but better service on Princess.

 

Production shows far superior than playlist. Do miss comedy club on Carnival but have seen some excellent comedians on Princess.

 

we reached the point we wanted to see the world and cannot really do that on Carnival.

 

Will still do some cruises on Carnival but now about 75% of our cruises are on Princess including 3 of our next 4.

[meatloafsfan]

We did the 10 day partial Panama Canal cruise on Princess. The food was good (didn't eat at the buffet), the beds are fantastic, and love the International Cafe and the coffee card.

 

Downside is that 75% of their activities are selling, I now want to strangle the creator of Effy jewelry, and overall, I found the cruise very quiet (and it was over US thanksgiving).

 

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[sanmarcosman]

We didn't care for the passenger mix on Princess out of Long Beach on the Crown Princess two years ago. There were way too many recent arrivals to the middle-middle class exhibiting delusions of grandeur for our taste. You know the type and yet there were still those who would force their way into an elevator before checking to see if anyone was exiting the car, etc.

[dmdiver]

I guess it all depends on what you want - we sailed Regal Princess November 2016. I don't know if I will ever get my hubby on another Princess ship. He felt it was boring from decor to activities. I think that particular ship is beautiful - it is elegant and very subdued compared to Carnival's ships.

 

I thought the food was good in the dining room and the buffet. I had difficulty remembering where the different things were in the buffet, as it is spread out. However, this layout was great for not having the long lines that we have had on Carnival. I had mixed feelings about buffet drink service. Sometimes we would be halfway through our meal before we had any drinks. Other times they got them to us right away. After a few days, I finally saw where the drink station was so I could get my own drink.

 

The thick padding on the lounge chairs for movies at night is a big win.

 

We were unable to enjoy the adult only area due to a very large group that pretty much took over that whole area. But it looked really nice.

 

We wanted to use the indoor shooting range, but it was never open & no one seemed to know when it would be open. Batting cage was enjoyed.

 

Room steward was great but I was not impressed with the rest of the staff. We had difficulty getting bar service at the pool and in the dining room.

 

Fellow cruisers were fine with the exception of one guy that was super drunk, spilled my hubby's drink, in a tank top & ball cap. I had to laugh because this is what everyone says they always see on Carnival. Oh, and the old lady who proceeded to drag her chair in front of us at the rail while we were watching a juggling show. Seriously, she almost put her chair on my foot. Never said excuse me, nothing. Just plain rude.

 

We had a standard balcony cabin, but it had no sofa. This was disappointing, as I am accustomed to the sofas in all balconies on Carnival & Royal. I do like the closet/dressing area on Regal Princess, as it gives more room to get to your clothing without standing in front of the door.

 

I did enjoy the game shows in their live studio. As far as night life, we are not dancing, clubbing people, so I can't fill you in on those.

[mikel24m]

I guess it all depends on what you want - we sailed Regal Princess November 2016. I don't know if I will ever get my hubby on another Princess ship. He felt it was boring from decor to activities. I think that particular ship is beautiful - it is elegant and very subdued compared to Carnival's ships.

 

I thought the food was good in the dining room and the buffet. I had difficulty remembering where the different things were in the buffet, as it is spread out. However, this layout was great for not having the long lines that we have had on Carnival. I had mixed feelings about buffet drink service. Sometimes we would be halfway through our meal before we had any drinks. Other times they got them to us right away. After a few days, I finally saw where the drink station was so I could get my own drink.

 

The thick padding on the lounge chairs for movies at night is a big win.

 

We were unable to enjoy the adult only area due to a very large group that pretty much took over that whole area. But it looked really nice.

 

We wanted to use the indoor shooting range, but it was never open & no one seemed to know when it would be open. Batting cage was enjoyed.

 

Room steward was great but I was not impressed with the rest of the staff. We had difficulty getting bar service at the pool and in the dining room.

 

Fellow cruisers were fine with the exception of one guy that was super drunk, spilled my hubby's drink, in a tank top & ball cap. I had to laugh because this is what everyone says they always see on Carnival. Oh, and the old lady who proceeded to drag her chair in front of us at the rail while we were watching a juggling show. Seriously, she almost put her chair on my foot. Never said excuse me, nothing. Just plain rude.

 

We had a standard balcony cabin, but it had no sofa. This was disappointing, as I am accustomed to the sofas in all balconies on Carnival & Royal. I do like the closet/dressing area on Regal Princess, as it gives more room to get to your clothing without standing in front of the door.

 

I did enjoy the game shows in their live studio. As far as night life, we are not dancing, clubbing people, so I can't fill you in on those.

We absolutely love the international cafe that princess has along with a great coffee card program. The buffet was really great as well and they have drink service. We don't dress up for dinner anymore that's how we do vacation.

 

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[OCruisers]

We are mostly Princess cruisers who still sometimes cruise on Carnival because of the convenience of the Charleston location for us.

There is nothing we like better about Carnival other than the being able to cruise out of Charleston.

[golfb4cruzing]

We were only Carnival up to 2012, flooded suite, and decided there had to be something better. We tried Princess and think that they are what cruising should be. No they get touchy on some nights for dinner attire but those 2/7 days eat at a restaurant or they have a great buffet. A cruise is what you make of it. Make your own fun, be the life of the party. Dance like no one is watching. The ship is still busy at midnight. Here's a secret: Older folks understand pace. We've seen folks dance ALL night. If you want wild and crazy, stay Carnival. If you like a little more subdued or upscale, Princess. Only 103 days left till our next Princess cruise.It's an entirely different vibe and we don't see Carnival in our future unless we cruise with others and majority rules. But then I still might not.

[GlamorousGirl]

I absolutely prefer Princess. For one thing, ship maintenance is a big deal to us. The less visible wear and tear on a ship the better - and our experience on Princess in this regard has been positive while our experience on Carnival in this regard has been negative. Another advantage, at least to us, on Princess was the quieter, more subdued crowd. Of course, this is a personal preference thing and if you prefer a rowdy, party atmosphere you may prefer Carnival. The drink package also ended up costing us less money, and we were able to book a photo package - ALL photos and digital files from the entire cruise for $100 (must be ordered one month out) on Princess. We got far fewer photos on Carnival for the same price.

[Ofmyheart]

Need to remember, Carnival,RCL & Norwegian are all considered mainsteam or contemporary cruises lines while Princess, Holland, Disney, Celebrity are considered premier. Then of course there are the Deluxe & Luxury lines. JUst think about the cruise line classifications when considering the amenities.

[fla gang]

Sailed on the Caribbean Princess several years ago after being a Carnival junkie. I was very impressed with everything Princess did. If you are looking for those loud pool deck parties, you won't find that on Princess. If you are looking for very good dining room servers and good food Princess has that also. Cruise lines and ships are very subjective by all but in my one experience of Princess I enjoyed it. My favorite are the Royal Caribbean Oasis class ships. I have had good and bad service in the main dining room on them also but overall I enjoy them the most!

[CA_Cruzing]

Really great feedback and input here. Thank you all very much.

 

I’ll add a twist to this thread. We are also looking at Celebrity as an option.

 

Celebrity is running around $600 less for a nearly identical cruise (10 day S Carib) in March 2019.

 

So, any thoughts on Celebrity compared to Princess?

 

I’ve spoken with a few friends who share similar comments on Carnival vs Princess. Basically a quieter cruise experience minus the party atmosphere of Carnival. Both received comments of cruising drunks but that’s how life goes. Some people just must have liquor to have a good time.

 

My real concerns at this stage are crushing with similar aged adults (late 40’s to 50). I’m sure on both Princess and Celebrity 10 day cruises, both itins will skew older than younger but both lines will have a mix of 50’s to 75+ due to cruise length but because it’s S Carib there’s likely a chance of a younger demographic (both cruises with few children aboard).

 

Thoughts/experiences to share?

 

 

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[meatloafsfan]

Really great feedback and input here. Thank you all very much.

 

I’ll add a twist to this thread. We are also looking at Celebrity as an option.

 

Celebrity is running around $600 less for a nearly identical cruise (10 day S Carib) in March 2019.

 

So, any thoughts on Celebrity compared to Princess?

 

I’ve spoken with a few friends who share similar comments on Carnival vs Princess. Basically a quieter cruise experience minus the party atmosphere of Carnival. Both received comments of cruising drunks but that’s how life goes. Some people just must have liquor to have a good time.

 

My real concerns at this stage are crushing with similar aged adults (late 40’s to 50). I’m sure on both Princess and Celebrity 10 day cruises, both itins will skew older than younger but both lines will have a mix of 50’s to 75+ due to cruise length but because it’s S Carib there’s likely a chance of a younger demographic (both cruises with few children aboard).

 

Thoughts/experiences to share?

 

 

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Celebrity and Princess are similar in the overall feel of the cruise (more subdued). I find the Celebrity ships a little more interesting in décor (on Celebrity, each area is distinctly decorated, Princess is a sea of beige). I like the Lido decks on Celebrity more than Princess (all pools are on 1 deck, great adult only area, buffet at the back - and then a smaller deck above with "extras" some ships its the lawn, some ships something different - on Princess, it felt very chopped up and some of their pools were actually difficult to find). Princess has better movies, live music is about the same. Celebrity's drink package or non-alcoholic packages are a better value than Princess. MDR food is better on Princess; Celebrity's Café Al Bacio has the best cruise ship desserts hands down though.

 

For me I think if you enjoy one, and have an open mind, you'll probably enjoy the other.

 

For $600 less, I would pick Celebrity and add in a couple of great excursions.

[nhsails]

Celebrity has better ships, food, drink packages.think more "country club" feel our #1 choice in Carib

[BlerkOne]

Celebrity has non-smoking casinos and you can now wear upscale jeans in the MDR! No more "formal" formal nights.

[TubT]

I mentioned the cruises we have been on up above, but I forgot to mention Celebrity. We went on one cruise, on the Mercury. We found the food nothing to write home about, and it was the only ship where I repeatedly saw supervisors publicly chewing out their workers. We found it uncomfortable enough that we have never gone back.