Jump to content

Princess cruiser to try Carnival.......lots of questions


plunker
 Share

Recommended Posts

We have 5 cruises all with Princess. We would like to try a 5 day cruise in Feb on 19 and Princess doesnt have any. The ships we are looking at are the Triumph, elation, ecstasy, sensation, or the paradise. Do Carnival ships have a movie screen where they show movies during the day and night? That is one of our favorite things to do on Princess ships. My son has a severe peanut allergy and the main reason we cruise princess is they are so good with his allergy. They give him the menu the night before so he can pick out what he wants and they make it separate from the other food so there is no contamination. Would carnival do something like this? Do they have a good kids club for our daughter who is 11? Is there a soda package you can buy? Princess has the soda and more package where you can get soda, shakes, malts and smoothies. I am sure I will think of more as time goes by. Thanks for any help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Out of the ships you listed I've only been on the Triumph and it did have an outdoor movie screen. Watching movies under the stars is one of my favorite things to do too.

 

Your son's peanut allergy just make sure you contact them ahead of time, the department you need to (I forget what it is called) and I'm sure they will do the same thing. I've heard other people say they do for their dietary needs.

 

Kids club. I don't have any kids but I've read on here that Carnival's kids club is second only to Disney cruise lines so I think she'll enjoy herself.

 

Yes there is a soda package.. unsure if it includes the shakes and stuff from the coffee bar.

 

I think you guys will like Carnival. Just go with an open mind.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have you considered checking the Carniaval website? There’s really no comparison between the two. The Carniavl ships your looking at are old and dated. If you’ve cruised Regal and Ruby prepare to be disappointed. Not trying to sound negative just my honest opinion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We ended up in a similar situation this year for our anniversary. Last minute decision to Cruise and Carnival became the best option so we sail on the Breeze on the 25th. (Our third Cruise)

 

Our first Cruise was on the Caribbean Princess and then the Carnival Dream

 

Princess is actually owned by Carnival, so you'll find there are alot of similarities.

 

Most of the difference were in the "crowd", with Carnival being more the younger, party crowd.

 

That being said we enjoyed both.

 

They have the movie screen over the pool, and then movies play in the room on your TV.

 

 

The Bubbles package is the soda package but only coverages soda and juices. No shakes.

However we would get a root beer and then go to the self serve ice cream and make our own root beer floats!

 

Not sure about the kids club, as it's are grown, but whenever we passed there sounded like a lot of excitement going on, so I'd say they enjoyed it.

 

Finely really to the maitre d and the waters in the main dining room beforehand and I'm sure they'll accommodate you. Also might help to talk to the customer service desk (I forget the technical name at the moment) about the allergy and they might be able to give you some additional help.

 

Have fun!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It looks like most of your questions have been answered with the exception of the kids club. In my opinion, the Carnival clubs are better than on Princess. They have been bigger with a better selection of activities, and a little more lively than Princess. 11 is a hard age since they are at the top of the club for the little kids. It helps if they have family or friends in the club with them, but if not, going early in the cruise can help make new friends more easily.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are seniors who cruise regularly on Carnival. It is not always a younger crowd BUT short cruises are more likely to bring out the younger partiers than the longer ones!!

Out of the ships you have mentioned we have only been on the Triumph(6day non weekend cruise). We had fun but we thought it was the most disorganized ship we have experienced so far, They do a good job with allergy issues and I have heard good things about the kids club.

Funny but we are trying Princess but a longer cruise not a short one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have 5 cruises all with Princess. We would like to try a 5 day cruise in Feb on 19 and Princess doesnt have any. The ships we are looking at are the Triumph, elation, ecstasy, sensation, or the paradise. Do Carnival ships have a movie screen where they show movies during the day and night? That is one of our favorite things to do on Princess ships. My son has a severe peanut allergy and the main reason we cruise princess is they are so good with his allergy. They give him the menu the night before so he can pick out what he wants and they make it separate from the other food so there is no contamination. Would carnival do something like this? Do they have a good kids club for our daughter who is 11? Is there a soda package you can buy? Princess has the soda and more package where you can get soda, shakes, malts and smoothies. I am sure I will think of more as time goes by. Thanks for any help.

Good luck after sailing Princess , you listed the 5 worst Carnival ships.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Triumph has outdoor movies. The Sensation did not but I sailed it long ago so may have added. Triumph is largest of those listed. Others are all very similar in size. All will have active kids clubs. The only way to get the shakes and smoothies is to be 21 and buy the cheers package which would be a waste of $. Carnival should offer a second upgraded drink package for kids & non drinkers like Royal does. You should have no problem with the peanut allergy but recommend you pick a dining time and not Your Time dining as to lock in a specific wait staff to get familiar with your son’s allergy. We have been lucky requesting the same waiter each night on Your Time Dining but there is no guarantee. There will be good and bad differences between Princess and Carnival, keep an open mind and have fun.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have unusual severe anaphylaxis food allergies and have only cruised Carnival. We have always had a great time, and I’ve never had a reaction. I speak to the Maitre ‘d the first thing after we board, and they have me choose my meals for that evening right then, and then bring me the menu for the next day each evening. We prefer set time dining so the servers get to know the issues and are a second defense against mistakes. Works great! I still carry my inhalers and epipen with me, but have never needed to use them on a cruise, thank God! It is the reason we choose cruise vacations.

The only ship I’ve cruised that you mentioned is Triumph, but it was a long time ago, so I’m sure my info is obsolete.

Have a great cruise!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have 5 cruises all with Princess. We would like to try a 5 day cruise in Feb on 19 and Princess doesnt have any. The ships we are looking at are the Triumph, elation, ecstasy, sensation, or the paradise. Do Carnival ships have a movie screen where they show movies during the day and night? That is one of our favorite things to do on Princess ships. My son has a severe peanut allergy and the main reason we cruise princess is they are so good with his allergy. They give him the menu the night before so he can pick out what he wants and they make it separate from the other food so there is no contamination. Would carnival do something like this? Do they have a good kids club for our daughter who is 11? Is there a soda package you can buy? Princess has the soda and more package where you can get soda, shakes, malts and smoothies. I am sure I will think of more as time goes by. Thanks for any help.

I'm not familiar with any of the ships you listed, but our first cruise was on Carnival (Glory) in 2012 and they had the Dive in Movies. I think movies were mostly shown at night. We found it to be our best movie experience on a ship (also tried RCI, NCL, and Princess).

Talk to the Special Needs department about your son's allergy. Depending on the severity, I would recommend not sharing tables with others to avoid possible issues if others were to order something with peanut.

I've read good things about the kids programs, and it is often mentioned to be there the first night when groups tend to form.

We did the soda and more on our Regal cruise and were disappointed in what we could get. Carnival offers soft drink only and like on Princess you would need to get it at the bar. You can also bring up to a 12pk of cans pp to make sure it is the brand you prefer.

 

Have you considered checking the Carniaval website? There’s really no comparison between the two. The Carniavl ships your looking at are old and dated. If you’ve cruised Regal and Ruby prepare to be disappointed. Not trying to sound negative just my honest opinion.

We cruised Regal and found the layout very awkward - looking forward to a more traditional layout on the Pride next month.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My DW and I have cruised both Carnival and Princess although they are both owned by Carnival corp. we think Carnival is better. We are middle aged 48-58 and thought Princess was life-less after 10pm. We think the food is better also along with the staff. So if we had to pick between a free cruise from Princess, or a 75% off cruise from Carnival we would pick Carnival, just saying.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Triumph is a bigger ship with more amenities, especially for your young one and it for sure has the princess equivalent of Movies under the stars. The other three ships are Fantasy Class ships, nothing wrong with them, but a much bigger step down from what you are used to on Princess.

 

We’ve only done one Princess Cruise, but more than a few on Carnival. For us the biggest pro for Carnival is the “Fun Vibe” that the crew brings to their service. On Princess we like that the pool decks weren’t clutter up with a bunch of slides and other 5minutes per cruise attractions.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are almost Elite with princess, and Gold with Carnival. We have sailed on both the Elation and the Paradise.

As mentioned above, those 2 ships are the older, smaller, Fantasy class. Our only experience with them has been up on verandah deck in what they call a 'suite". They are nice cabins with a tiny balcony, but they are not the same 'suite' as a Princess suite.

I actually really liked the décor on the Paradise.

IMO, the food on both lines is more similar than different.

Both lines address the food allergy issues, especially if notified before hand.

We didn't have grandchildren during our last CCL cruise, but the children I saw looked happy.

 

We used to love the short CCL cruises, but when PCL started offering them, we switched lines. We are very quiet type cruisers, who do like to spend time in the cabin.

 

Patti

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just a word about the kids club. Your daughter will be in the Sharks (9-11 year olds). This age group allows you can give her rights to sign herself in and out of the kids club without you. Being at the top of the kids club age it might be helpful to do this. If the ship you end up on has the Hub app, you can pay $5 per phone to have messaging while aboard. She could always message you that she signed out of kids club and you can tell her where to find you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...