Princess/Carnival

[gr1634]

Morning All,

Been on 7 cruises now - all Carnival. Don't beat me too bad :). Was doing some "cruising" on the net this week end and see that the Grand has started its 7 day trips from Galveston. Been thinking of trying another line for comparison. Anyone out there been on Conquest and Grand that can give us a clue on major differences? How do room sizes compare (balcony)? What is this dinner reservation thing? From what I've read it appears you can call in and make a reservation what ever time you need? Appreciate any comments.

GR

[chelledun]

Morning All,

Been on 7 cruises now - all Carnival. Don't beat me too bad :). Was doing some "cruising" on the net this week end and see that the Grand has started its 7 day trips from Galveston. Been thinking of trying another line for comparison. Anyone out there been on Conquest and Grand that can give us a clue on major differences? How do room sizes compare (balcony)? What is this dinner reservation thing? From what I've read it appears you can call in and make a reservation what ever time you need? Appreciate any comments.

GR

 

I can't answer your specific questions, but we are very happy Carnival cruisers trying Princess for the first time. We're hoping we will have just as much fun. It's nice to try some new things sometimes, although I will be very sad not to go to the past guest party.

[bigsky]

Also been on many Carnival cruises. We just returned from the Caribbean Princess. Some things will be subjective. I think Carnival has the best food and entertainment. Princess has the smallest balcony cabins.

Yet, the C. Princess and The Mariner (Royal) were my two fav. ships.

Anytime dining is just that. YOu can go between certain hours to eat dinner. You can also request a certain table and time. (to me this defeats the whole purpose)

Next time we'll do reg. dining and have the option to go to anytime as well...can do both. But can't sign up for anytime then go to reg.

 

To me Princess is just a classier line.

I can't say the service is better hands down on any of the lines we've been on...Carnival, Royal, Princess, Disney. I think they all try to do a great job.

I would definately try a different line. You won't know if you like it until you try it. :D

[katier825]

Not all balconies on Princess are smaller! The Caribe deck has balconies that are approx. 9x9. They are partially covered, partially open. Some people don't like that, but it suits us better. Depending on time of day/ships position, you can get a choice of sun or shade.

 

Haven't been on the Conquest, but was on the Glory 2x. Also been on Grand, Golden 2x, Star, Caribbean, Coral Princess. Favorite ships overall are the Golden/Grand (pre MUTS - not sure if they've been retrofitted yet).

 

I found the overall food choices/quality better on Princess. Also, I thought the entertainment was better on Princess. The layout of the venues is better on Princess (too close together on the Glory). The things I liked about the Glory were the deli, ice cream stations, rockers by the pools, getting account info via TV. I thought the service on Glory was ok, but has consistently been very good on Princess. I thought the rooms were similar size on each. The biggest letdown for me on Glory was the decor. It may sound silly to some, but the ship was ugly, dark and gloomy. I prefer light and bright. I didn't mind it as much the 2nd time, but my expectations were much lower.

 

Each line has things that appeal to different people. Every cruise is different because of the passengers. You will get a variety of opinions, keep in mind that thousands cruise weekly, yet only a few write reviews. Take what you read with a grain of salt.

 

Happy planning!

[shepp]

Anytime dining is just that. YOu can go between certain hours to eat dinner. You can also request a certain table and time. (to me this defeats the whole purpose)

Next time we'll do reg. dining and have the option to go to anytime as well...can do both. But can't sign up for anytime then go to reg.

 

OK, now I'm confused. I'm still deciding whether to trade my confirmed late for anytime, and everything I've read here as well as heard from Princess suggests you can't do both (or at least shouldn't). From what I've heard, you can give up a traditional seating assignment for fulltime anytime dining, even after you're onboard, but traditional diners shouldn't/can't use the anytime dining room (which seems logical in view of waitlists for traditional assignments). So it's an either/or, not a both/and.

 

Or am I wrong?

[kftw]

OK, now I'm confused. I'm still deciding whether to trade my confirmed late for anytime, and everything I've read here as well as heard from Princess suggests you can't do both (or at least shouldn't). From what I've heard, you can give up a traditional seating assignment for fulltime anytime dining, even after you're onboard, but traditional diners shouldn't/can't use the anytime dining room (which seems logical in view of waitlists for traditional assignments). So it's an either/or, not a both/and.

 

Or am I wrong?

 

From everything I have read, you are correct. It's one or the other, not both.

[rjack22]

Dining. Yes, you can do one or the other....not both. If you are assigned to Traditional dining and wish to change to Anytime you can do so. But then you are stuck with Anytime for the remainder of your cruise. You cannot go back to Traditional. And those signed up for Anytime cannot usually switch to Traditional as there is usually a waiting list for Traditional.

 

If you are assigned Traditional and for some reason don't want to eat there one night, your options are the buffet or the Caribe Cafe on Lido or one of the specialty restaurants (they charge).

 

Now Anytime diners can either just show up and be seated or have a short wait (like restaurants on land) or you can make a reservation for a specific time which makes it more like traditional.

 

I hope that explains it.