What to expect after Carnival???

[mrdood]

Been on many Carnival cruises, will be on our first Princess cruise for the Crown relocation, for those that have made the transition, what can I expect to be different. We have a balcony cabin on the Riviera deck.

 

Thanks!

[Julia’s Journey’s]

We find Princess more subdued than Carnival but love it, DH and I are both in our early 40's and after our last Carnival we decided to stick with Princess and DCL.

We love the freshwater pools, the anytime dining and the quieter more relaxed atmosphere:D :D

[Laurab23]

After many Carnival cruises we tried Princess and love it.The fresh water pools,MUTS,the friendly staff,and on the Crown the International Cafe.

 

Laura

[swiss]

Nightlife is not as lively on the Princess. Food and service is about equal. You will love the layout of the ship better than any of Carnival's ships especially the pool decks. We cruise Carnival for family vacations because they are so much fun. We cruise Princess for romantic vacations.

[Toto2Kansas]

One thing you might find different is the cabin layout. I know on Carnival the balcony cabins we had seemed much larger. Might have been the square footage or possibly how the room was arranged. No sitting areas in a Princess balcony cabin to speak of, one comfortable chair and a desk chair is about it.

Not many towel animals or singing and dancing waiters on Princess either.

Nice buffets on Princess we feel compared to Carnival with a lot better choices.

Fresh water pools unlike the salt water pools Carnival has.

 

You will find many differences I think, some you will love, some you might not like as much. But the overall experience I hope will be pleasent for you.

[Lidolounger]

We have taken 7 cruises with Carnival of various durations from 7 -12 nights. We took our first Princess cruise last year and decided that for us, we'll choose Princess in the future. Would we go back on a Carnival cruise? - You bet, but probably only if it was a great price and/or on a Spirit class ship.

 

If you're worried about it being stuffy - Princess isn't. It's many small things that when put together, made the overall experience much nicer in our opinion. For Example:

 

When embarking there is someone right there telling you what elevator to take and what floor to get off at. Once the elevator opens another Princess crew member is there to direct you to your cabin.

 

The room steward introduced himself to us and with a clipboard in hand, confirmed our requests and inquired if we needed anything else - all within the first 30 minutes we were onboard.

 

The pools are beautiful - overall decor of the ship was very nice and many large areas are broken up for a more intimate feel. The ship never felt crowded.

 

There's a swim against the currents pool in the spa area - really nice and adults only as is the aft pool.

 

They use live plants throughout the ship - feels more tropical

 

At buffets - someone is there to hand you a plate. Hand sanitizer is available at the buffets and restaurants and encouraged.

 

Food - while we always enjoyed Carnival's food - we felt Princess was much better - but they do tend to lean to more seafood based menues.

 

Dining room service was much more efficient - did miss some of the Carnival "Fun" dancing etc in the dining room though.

 

I was worried about formal attire - I found it very simialr to what people wore for formal night on Carnival.

 

Freshwater in the pools - while I didn't mind the saltwater on Carnival - freshwater was nicer. If you like the pool area Princess wins this hands down.

 

On the Golden there was a seperate area with just hot tubs and deck games - really nice and quiet.

 

Any specific questions you have - just ask!

[Umbarger]

I have been on 4 Carnival and 4 Princess.

 

The things I like about Carnival...

The great atrium's

Larger cabins

hot chocolate, cappuccino, espresso, lemonade, fruit punch, good coffee and 24 ice cream all included.

 

The things I dislike about Carnival....

Too many kids

ships are untidy

Immature adult behavior

 

The things I like about Princess....

ships looks and feel cleaner

less kids

mature adult behavior

 

The things I dislike about Princess........

Unimpressive atrium

smaller cabins

All the additional charges. Hot chocolate, cappuccino, espresso, lemonade, good coffee and anytime ice cream are all additional. You can buy a coffee card and a ice cream card which will cost around $100 for two people.

 

Mr Dood - can't wait to read your review when you get back and tell us what you think.

[City_Woman]

After 6 Carnival Cruises we had our first Princess cruise in December.

 

While we are not sure we stay with Princess from now on (the itineraries to the Caribbean just aren't what we're looking for); we are very happy with the differences.

 

First, no singing and dancing in the dining room.

Second, we can have dinners for 2 every night with flexible dining.

Finally, no more neon.

 

We are actually looking at Celebrity for our 9th cruise, or moving our vacation of choices to Sandals resorts.

 

Judy

[margord]

One thing you might find different is the cabin layout. I know on Carnival the balcony cabins we had seemed much larger. Might have been the square footage or possibly how the room was arranged. No sitting areas in a Princess balcony cabin to speak of, one comfortable chair and a desk chair is about it.

Not many towel animals or singing and dancing waiters on Princess either.

Nice buffets on Princess we feel compared to Carnival with a lot better choices.

Fresh water pools unlike the salt water pools Carnival has.

 

You will find many differences I think, some you will love, some you might not like as much. But the overall experience I hope will be pleasent for you.

 

Toto,

 

You are on these boards a lot. I believe we have talked before. Let me ask your opinion. We have been on close to 30 cruises. Never been on Carnival. Have been on Celebrity, RCCL, Princess, NCL, Crystal and HAL. We have loved them all. In your opinion would we like Carnival?

 

Marilee

[Laurab23]

Very well put. That just about sums it up!

 

Laura

[mrdood]

Thanks all, this will be a very nice getaway with DW, so the more subdued atmosphere and romantic nature will be very welcome. We have no problem leading the party if needed though ;)

 

I was on the Carnival Liberty and we we enjoyed their version of MUTS, that was the first big screen for them. We are going to try anytime dining, I think I would be happy either way.

 

The room size will be interesting to judge, I did enjoy the sitting area with couch and table on the Liberty, but we are not difficult to please, we have had all room types.

 

I will definitely do a thorough review - hopefully the folks here on the Princess forum can adjust to my humor and sarcasm :p

 

I am just VERY excited about being on the Crown, we will have fun no matter what!!! I am looking forward to the differently layout and making new experiences. Will probably not do Princess with the kids, but it may become DW and I's fav!!!

 

Thanks again, I will check back if anyone has more to add, I have been lurking in your forum quite a bit as we put this one together.

[Toto2Kansas]

Toto,

 

You are on these boards a lot. I believe we have talked before. Let me ask your opinion. We have been on close to 30 cruises. Never been on Carnival. Have been on Celebrity, RCCL, Princess, NCL, Crystal and HAL. We have loved them all. In your opinion would we like Carnival?

 

Marilee

 

Marilee, Well, that is a tough question. Maybe if you booked one of their newer ships, but I would definitely stay away from the older ships in their fleet.

Most of our Carnival sailings were before the new ships came out, but a few years ago we were invited by Carnival to sail out of NYC on a press cruise on the Carnival Legend (we aren't TA's and aren't press though) it was just a special invite. Although we found the decor to be laughable (no other way to describe it) and we weren't used to the dancing on table waiters and such, it wasn't all that bad. Not what we are looking for in a cruise, but this was an attempt on Carival's part to get us to try it again. It didn't work. :(

To us, there was a huge difference in cruise lines between Carnival and Princess and although we do often sail on HAL or RCI, Carnival is not something we found interesting enough to return.

This is just our opinion, and I am sure there are others out there that feel totally different about it. It just was not our type of cruise whatsoever.

[flvol77]

I want to try Carnival someday, but a couple of things are holding us back

 

Anytime dining with the option of being able to sit at a table for two and we are platinum now with Princess. Also Carnival doesn't have a future booking program. With Princess we also end up with a min of $150 shipboard credit for a 7 day sailing which is a nice added benefit.

 

We actually have two cruises booked for Sept - One the Legend out of Tampa and the other the Caribbean Princess - I guess we will have to decide before July 17th, 2007 but as its looking now we will go on Princess.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Although we've had one wonderful Carnival experience on a Spirit Class ship and 3 or so bad ones on Fantasy Class ships, this is what you might expect with Princess:

 

1. You won't see people walking around carrying beer bottles.

2. You won't get the delicious food you're used to in the buffet.

3. You won't get the incredible pizza or the amazing grilled sandwiches in the buffet that you're used to.

4. You won't see bars packed to the gills and people yelling for more drinks.

5. You won't see neon, lots of brass or dark, heavy, ornate furnishings.

6. You won't see enthusiastic, upbeat crew members.

7. You will have an incredible, outstanding cabin steward that is friendly.

8. You won't have 3 different cabin stewards in a week.

9. You will have a wonderful, quiet, relaxing atmosphere.

 

Enjoy! Appreciate each cruise for what it is! :)

[monakayk]

 

Freshwater in the pools - while I didn't mind the saltwater on Carnival - freshwater was nicer. If you like the pool area Princess wins this hands down.

 

On the Golden there was a seperate area with just hot tubs and deck games - really nice and quiet.

 

Any specific questions you have - just ask!

 

Lidolounger,

 

Can you elaborate about the hot tub area? How many hot tubs and is it close to the gym/locker area where the showers are?

 

How are the showers in the ladies area?

 

Any saunas?

 

Thanks!

[monakayk]

 

The things I dislike about Princess........

Unimpressive atrium

smaller cabins

All the additional charges. Hot chocolate, cappuccino, espresso, lemonade, good coffee and anytime ice cream are all additional.

 

Lemonade is an extra charge?!!!

 

What type of drinks do they serve Free then?

 

Thanks!

[DrivesLikeMario]

For free with Princess: tea, water, coffee (not specialty coffee), milk, OJ (at times)

 

I know you're expecting the wonderful juice & fruit punch selection that is available 24/7 on Carnival, but Princess doesn't have that at all.

[Murphey]

After 6 Carnival Cruises we had our first Princess cruise in December.

 

 

First, no singing and dancing in the dining room.

Second, we can have dinners for 2 every night with flexible dining.

Finally, no more neon.

 

 

Judy

 

My niece just got back from a Carnival cruise (Spirit) and they had a table for 2 at dinner. Is this not the norm on Carnival???

[margord]

Marilee, Well, that is a tough question. Maybe if you booked one of their newer ships, but I would definitely stay away from the older ships in their fleet.

Most of our Carnival sailings were before the new ships came out, but a few years ago we were invited by Carnival to sail out of NYC on a press cruise on the Carnival Legend (we aren't TA's and aren't press though) it was just a special invite. Although we found the decor to be laughable (no other way to describe it) and we weren't used to the dancing on table waiters and such, it wasn't all that bad. Not what we are looking for in a cruise, but this was an attempt on Carival's part to get us to try it again. It didn't work. :(

To us, there was a huge difference in cruise lines between Carnival and Princess and although we do often sail on HAL or RCI, Carnival is not something we found interesting enough to return.

This is just our opinion, and I am sure there are others out there that feel totally different about it. It just was not our type of cruise whatsoever.

 

 

Thanks so much. I kind of had that feeling you just confirmed it.

 

Marilee

[DrivesLikeMario]

I have to agree that the dining room "entertainment" with Carnival is tough to swallow. We learned how to deal with it when we were on the Spirit. We'd leave the dining room before they started their antics.

 

Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but the dining room is not for dancing, singing, yelling & gyrating in my book. I know some people love it. We hate it.

 

The waiters should be able to do what they're best at - wait tables - not be required to sing & dance and rush through the dinner service, stressed out the whole time to do it. Every night our waiter would roll his eyes when the Maitre d' announced the evening's "entertainment". The assistant even skipped it one night. I could tell they'd rather not be doing it.

 

Avoid the Fantasy Class ships if you care about ship decor. IMO, Carnival's new ships are definitely worth a try. Like all other lines, they do some things really well.

[flvol77]

I have to agree that the dining room "entertainment" with Carnival is tough to swallow. We learned how to deal with it when we were on the Spirit. We'd leave the dining room before they started their antics.

 

Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but the dining room is not for dancing, singing, yelling & gyrating in my book. I know some people love it. We hate it.

 

The waiters should be able to do what they're best at - wait tables - not be required to sing & dance and rush through the dinner service, stressed out the whole time to do it. Every night our waiter would roll his eyes when the Maitre d' announced the evening's "entertainment". The assistant even skipped it one night. I could tell they'd rather not be doing it.

 

Avoid the Fantasy Class ships if you care about ship decor. IMO, Carnival's new ships are definitely worth a try. Like all other lines, they do some things really well.

 

I didn't realize they danced every night - I could see maybe one or two nights but everynight? Is this correct - More of a reason to head back to Princess in Sept ...We may as well start working on elite status.

[DrivesLikeMario]

On our 8 night cruise, it was every night. In addition, a couple of times they'd have one waiter sing a special song accompanied by the pianist. The solo talent was good, but everyone had to stop eating, the waiters had to stop serving, and everything came to a grinding halt while the waiter sang or played the harp or whatever his talent was and then everyone would applaud.

 

Every night, the maitre d' would go over total scores for the red team, the blue team and the white team. Everyone would cheer & whoop for their team. Again, this is fine, but not what I consider a dining experience.

 

Way too much talking, singing, dancing, etc. and not enough quiet enjoyment of a good dinner IMO.

 

It's good to be aware of what to expect with Carnival. If you just take Carnival for what it is and expect this kind of stuff, then you can overlook it and appreciate what they do well.

[flvol77]

On our 8 night cruise, it was every night. In addition, a couple of times they'd have one waiter sing a special song accompanied by the pianist. The solo talent was good, but everyone had to stop eating, the waiters had to stop serving, and everything came to a grinding halt while the waiter sang or played the harp or whatever his talent was and then everyone would applaud.

 

Every night, the maitre d' would go over total scores for the red team, the blue team and the white team. Everyone would cheer & whoop for their team. Again, this is fine, but not what I consider a dining experience.

 

Way too much talking, singing, dancing, etc. and not enough quiet enjoyment of a good dinner IMO.

 

It's good to be aware of what to expect with Carnival. If you just take Carnival for what it is and expect this kind of stuff, then you can overlook it and appreciate what they do well.

 

Thanks - that is the info that I needed - while I could care less my parents are much more low key and enjoyed the Princess experience - they just started cruising because of my wife and I and I think wouldn't enjoy that at all for dinner.

 

Like I said I guess we will just work on becoming elite with Princess - one other question for you, I see you have been on Royal - do they sing and dance at dinner like Carnival? Thanks

[Umbarger]

Lemonade is an extra charge?!!!

 

What type of drinks do they serve Free then?

 

Thanks!

 

Water, Iced tea, tea and the horrible syrup coffee. They had milk there but I thought it was only for the coffee. OJ is only available at breakfast.

[KrysyGT]

Great thread! Just what I needed to read to help my fiancee and I decide if we wanted to switch to the Emerald Princess for our Honeymoon rather than Carnival Freedom. We absolutely love Carnival, as we are in our late 20's (we are not hard partiers, just like some fun here and there). But I think for our Honeymoon, might as well make it something really special and different and give the Emerald a shot.

 

I think the only thing holding us back at this point is we don't want to get bored on the 3 at sea days, and we cannot afford the aft balconies that we usually like!