Can a Princess Loyalist be happy on Carnival?

[Coral]

After years of cruising on Princess, and also RCI, HAL, Celebrity and being away from Carnival for over 15 years, I met someone online that worked for Carnival.

 

Toto - what ever happened to her? Didn't she quit Carnival shortly after that?

 

( not to imply you meeting and sailing with her had anything to do with her change of careers )

[Toto2Kansas]

Toto - what ever happened to her? Didn't she quit Carnival shortly after that?

 

( not to imply you meeting and sailing with her had anything to do with her change of careers )

 

LOL nope, didn't have a thing to do with me on this end. :)

I think it was about a year later as we met up again in Florida before a cruise on Princess the following year just before she was ready to leave Carnival. She was such a nice person, we really thought the world of her.

[mek]

I sail frequently on Princess and Carnival, and while Princess is my favorite line, I throughly enjoy my Carnival cruises. They have very good food, although not as much seafood as Princess, and I love the cabins - very spacious with large bathrooms. I personally think you are brave cruising on any line over spring break! LOL! On another note, I find it interesting that the responses on this thread were so positive and polite concerning Carnival. If you went over to RCCL and asked the same question, they would bash and trash Carnival like crazy and I have never understood exactly why that mentality is prevalent over there. IMHO, while they have spectacular ships, the food is a big disappointment, (especially on my last RCCL cruise), and basically all of the mass lines draw from the same demographic pool.

 

PS, I really like the Spirit Class ships and dislike the Destiny Class.

[daveco58]

You can see from my avatar, I prefer Princess. But my first cruise was Carnival, and I have sailed them many times since, as well as most of the other lines.

There is nothing wrong with Carnival - it is just different. Personally I love the whimsical interiors - it is just a different attitude than the more "elegant" look most lines go for. The food is good to real good. The staterooms are larger. The staff is usually pretty good.

And I would take a bunch of teenagers on Carnival, before I would subject them to a Princess crowd.

Just suck it up, do it for the kids. LOL. As a previous poster pointed out, happy kids do more to make a vacation good than anything Princess has over Carnival.

[CrusinAgain]

I do think that those with families will think different than those who do not have kids. If your kids are not happy, you won't be so finding a ship that will keep the kids fed and active into fun activities makes the parents have a good trip. Carnival fit the bill with our kids. Now that they are adults, Princess has the activities they like since they don't need the slide or icecreme a dozen times a day. They do enjoy the game-style activities and catching up on movies as well as hot tubs and the fresh water pool that Princess offers. They are also done with the singing and dancing servers.

 

I'm sure its a difficult decision for you but that worked for us. Just stay away from NCL as they have done major cutbacks that not even adults like after getting use to a Princess or Carnival cruise.

 

Also last Spring break, my daughter and I sailed on the Diamond Princess. She had just turned 21 and I treated her to a break from college. We had a blast as it was mostly college age kids and they really turned the activities into fun. They treated others with respect and we never had a problem from them. I would go during Spring break again if the majority were college kids.

[WISH84]

As you can see by my signature, all of our first cruise experiences (except for my very first one aboard RCI Sovereign of the Seas) has been Carnival. Our March Spring Break aboard the Conquest had it's good and bad points:

 

The Good: Great ship, great crew, great ports, great food and we enjoyed ourselves very much.

 

The Bad: Unavailable lounge chairs, EVER. Drunk college kids (two incidents on that cruise and one required a stop off the Mexico coastline so a Mexican Navy Cruiser could meet the ship to take a very alcohol induced coma young man off the ship (He had been drinking in Cozumel the entire day) and getting off the ship. The worst. Did I mention the drunk young adults?

 

Would I go again? Probably. The ship, the staff and everything else mentioned above sold us on that ship. However I really doubt that I would book a Spring Break trip again. However if taking the kids, I'm sure they would enjoy all of it.

[CruiseFever]

Sorry, I don't mean to sound like a cruise snob here, but I'm in a tough spot.

 

I've been a loyal Princess (and also enjoy RCI) cruiser and am very comfortable with Princess. To me, it's just the right mix of polish, class and service without the "Bushwood Country Club" snobatorium mentality at a fair price. I've been on the Crown, Caribbean and Coral within the last 18 months.

 

Now I find myself trying to put together a last minute Spring Break cruise for a (about to be) newly formed family of 8. My GF and I have 6 kids between us. Princess has nothing (actually, I am disappointed with their offerings this year), and all RCI has is 2 inside quad cabins on one of their older ships (Majesty). 120 SqFt / very tight at 4 per cabin, and we can't spread to a third cabin as there are only 2 adults.

 

Of course, Carnival has lots of options. The thought of being on a Carnival cruise at Spring Break doesn't appeal to me. Now, this is for the kids (17, 16, 14, 14, 12, 11), and this may be the last opportunity the 8 of us can vacation together (maybe Spring Break next year), so that weighs in.

 

So for those of you who have experienced Carnival, should I try it, or wait until I can get a decent itinerary and cabins on Princess / RCI / Clebrity / NCL or alike?

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

 

 

Griff

 

Oh sure you can have a good time. The trick is not to set the bar too high.

 

Our first cruise was on Carnival, The Fascination out of Miami. It only took about a half a day until the whole family agreed that cruising was the best and this was the best vacation ever. Think about that; the excitement of the first cruise.

 

I know now that any Princess ship in the water beats the Fascination in all ways that can be objectively measured. That's just the way it is; everybody knows that.

 

But I didn't on that first cruise and I feel a lot like that on any cruise. The basic elements of a cruise that you find fabulous on Princess are there on your Carnival ship too. If you don't allow yourself to pick at every little flaw in the performance, you enjoy the symphony much more.

 

Such is life going from Princess to Carnival. We had nice cruises on Carnival but going back after nice cruises on Princess was nothing less than culture shock. If you've done this, you know what I mean.

 

It took us a day to make the adjustment and get used to the things, big or little, that stood out as different. I'd make a list but the point of it all is that if you go in the right frame of mind, it will help a lot. A good attitude (as I suspect you have or you wouldn't have asked this) goes a long way.

 

If you have a friend who may have purchased one of the ship's videos of their cruise, that would be a good way to get an idea of what you are going to experience. They really capture the whole thing well.

[Hchy Girl]

We went without our children for a weeks break and thoroughly enjoyed it. Have been RCI also. There were 650 children onboard but we hardly noticed them despite there being a slide with a pool on the deck where we were sunbathing - just stayed towards the back of the ship and it was fine. I suspect if you are talking spring break the "children" would be older and depending on how much alchol they consume would depend on how "loud" the cruise became. I think those who have sailed spring break will be better able to advise.

[DanJ]

Pizza available round-the-clock (Princess doesn't offer that). That single fact alone makes it an unbeatable cruise for the age group that you're taking. Or... at least my teenage nieces think so... ;-)

 

Have fun whatever you decide to do.

Mary Ellen

 

While the actual pizza station is closed on Princess, I have always seen pizza, as well as burgers and fries available in the buffet late at night (midnight-2am, when I'm usually looking for some grazing to do before bed). Now I admit it's probably not available 24 hours a day, but not many people are out scrounging for pizza at 7am either.

 

That was one thing I did miss about Princess when I was on Carnival. After a night of music and gambling and 2 or 3 o'clock rolls around, it's either pizza or room service. Granted, they may have changed in the several years since then though.

[ggprincess2004]

The more I read, the more convinced I am that I would enjoy a cruise on Carnival almost as much as I enjoy cruises on Princess. The only thing I cannot get past is the decor in the public areas. I really appreciate the soothing colors that Princess uses. I am not sure Carnival is for me, ONLY because I don't do neon well. If I could get past that, I would not hestitate to book a Carnival cruise!

[mek]

The decor is the one thing that drives me nuts. Some of the public rooms are so over the top and then others are lovely. I have no problems with the cabins where the colors are much softer. Generally after the first day I tend to get used to the whimsical atmosphere and forget about it. After all, the view from the open deck or your balcony is the same if your on Carnival or Crystal.

[scamper]

It seems to me as though Carnival is your best option. You definitely want to rule out RCI in this case. Well, in all cases, but that's just my opinion. Carnival has a lot going for it and you'll definitely have a good time, the kids will love it, and I think you'll be happy you went.

 

BTW, did you look at Disney? I'm sure they're full at this point, but it doesn't hurt to try. I have heard of certain auto club travel agencies performing miracles with them.

[Hlitner]

I would express sympathy (or pity) to any "grown ups" who go on spring break cruises. I guess its a rite of passage for many parents, but its one of those rites we prefer to not repeat. As to Carnival, among are many cruises (more than 60) we have cruised with Carnival 3 times and enjoyed them all. Most "Carnival bashers" have never even cruised on the line, which has really improved over the past 10 years with gorgeous ships (a bit glitzy), nice cabins, decent entertainment, and pretty good food.

 

Hank

[Bobug]

Griff--I had much the same worries as you--and ended up on the Carnival Spirit over Spring Break for 8 days to the Mexican Riviera two years ago. I had many concerns, spent a lot of time checking out ship pictures so I knew what to expect as far as differences, steeled my resolve to lower my expectations.....and had one of the best cruises ever.

 

Yes, much of the decor was 'plastic', particularly in the buffet area. And some of the fellow passengers were..well Jeff Foxworthy would have found a lot of source material. But our own tablemates were charming, the food was OK, and the staff was superb.

 

The fellow passengers were a wide mix, many families, very few obnoxious adults or kids. One child playing some sort of elevator 'game' that managed to be sufficiently embarrased when asked "Where is your Mother??"--no loud drunk adults (well except perhaps mid-day at the pool games contests), no college or teen 'gangs' noticed at all, 2-3 quiet drunk adults that seemed to be permanently attached to one table by the pool. Even the quad cabin of four teens next door to us was only heard when they went in or out of their room. On the other hand we met some truly wonderful people from these boards that were on the Roll Call and met some friendly and personable people who made the time in the lounges and atrium bars a pleasurable time. I did not see, or hear, one complaining passenger the entire cruise. Yes, really, even at the Shore Excursion and Purser's desks. I was very pleasantly surprised at this--no chair hog hysterics, no threats of mutiny, nobody stomping around going "HMMMPHHHF--I will be writing to Princess about this abominable situation!!"

 

And did I mention the staff? Not one cranky crew member at the Purser's desk, a room steward who changed a flickering light bulb before we asked, attentive and professional wait staff that remembered our preferences, and took the time to actually talk to us, and smiling, approachable staff everywhere you went.

 

We do not have children, but one of the Roll Call members had a 12 YO girl that just loved the kids/teen club. I checked it out, and the size, decor and amenities were better than what I had seen on the Grand, Golden and Star Princess. I cannot say much more than that, other than to say that in general, Carnival gets the highest marks for this area from reviewers. I did see the kids groups in supervised situations on the ship from time to time--eating in the buffet, doing crafts/decorations for that evening's dance party, on a scavenger hunt, etc.--and they all seemed to be happy, engaged and well-supervised.

 

I did miss the lovely decor of Princess ships. I did wish that Carnival had something other than the cheesy plastic hangars on a theft-proof hotel style hook. The buffet decor was only a step up from a fast-food chain. I am not impressed by the dancing and singing waiters, but one of our best pictures turned out to be my DH waltzing with our head waitress during one of those productions. I could take or leave the towel animals, but the DH had no prior knowledge of them and began to look forward to them every night.

 

I know it is a personal preference and oftentimes just luck of the draw as to your passenger mix, but I really do think how you approach a cruise on a different line, and adjust your expectations accordingly, results in a much better experience. Since then we have taken one Princess cruise and booked another. I still prefer Princess over Carnival, but I no longer rule out Carnival entirely.

 

Given your large contingent of teens and pre-teens, I would say do your research and then go and have a wonderful time.

 

I am feeling much better now that I have read your response. We have been on 9 cruises with 7 of them being on Princess & the other 2 RCI. We are looking at booking a Carnival back to back next Jan. & I have been worried for some of the same reasons mentioned in this post but I too have been reading & hearing alot of good things about Carnival lately....even through our travel agent who knows first hand how much we love Princess...she has never given us any bad advice so far. The ship is the Valor...it is 4 years old & with us going in late Jan. for the first 7days & Feb 1st on the second half those dates should be okay as far as the ages of the passengers...plus the price is great!!! Thanks again for your input.

[Casey12]

We went back to Carnival after sailing on several lines and we wished we hadn't. The decor is just plain terrible.

[singwithjoy]

Went on a 4 day cruise on Carnival Inspiration. Food was good. Entertainment was good. But we did not like the party and you must have something to drink atmosphere. They really push the liquor. More younger people are on Carnival. So we did not like the party till dawn idea.

Interior cabin was much smaller and more cramped than on Caribbean Princess. Over all we much prefer Princess for food, service, onboard activites.

[DanJ]

Carnival is almost like 2 cruise lines sometimes. The older Fantasy-class ships doing short cruises are a different breed than a longer cruise on the newer ships. The oldest crowd we have seen was on a Carnival cruise that was 10 days long, and this includes our one HAL cruise.

[Charliesmom]

I haven't read through the thread, but here is my answer.

 

Yes, you CAN be happy on a Carnival cruise if you enjoy lots of hoopla and like to join in the fun. The fun can be fabulous if you are a joiner. It can be awful if you like a modicum of peace and quiet.

 

Their newer ships are very nice. We were on the Miracle and thought it extremely well designed. The food in the dining room had a limited, but quite good menu and the attention to my food allergies was superb and executed flawlessly. The food in the lido was mediocre, except for the deli sandwiches which were fabulous. The hamburgers on the pool deck were great. They were well done, but had enough fat in them to make them taste delicious.

 

Carnival gyms are great and the entertainment, while loud, is well executed.

 

That's my two cents.

 

Roberta

[Griff4AU]

Thanks for all the responses. The decision I was left with was:

 

RCL's Majesty - 4 days Bahama's cruise.

 

Carnival's Imagination - 5 days E Caribbean.

 

Both refurbed last year. 3 cabins for the 8 of us (3, 3 & 2). The Carnival is one more day, but both will price out the same.

 

Financially, Carnival makes sense: one more day at sea, larger cabins (with rollaways for the 3rd person), Grand Turk (vs. Key West on the Majesty) plus an at-sea day.

 

I just don't know if I'm willing to try Carnival for the first time at Spring Break. I've run out of time! Time to make the call....

[CrusinAgain]

Thanks for all the responses. The decision I was left with was:

 

RCL's Majesty - 4 days Bahama's cruise.

 

Carnival's Imagination - 5 days E Caribbean.

 

Both refurbed last year. 3 cabins for the 8 of us (3, 3 & 2). The Carnival is one more day, but both will price out the same.

 

Financially, Carnival makes sense: one more day at sea, larger cabins (with rollaways for the 3rd person), Grand Turk (vs. Key West on the Majesty) plus an at-sea day.

 

I just don't know if I'm willing to try Carnival for the first time at Spring Break. I've run out of time! Time to make the call....

 

We were looking at the same two ships for an add on to our cruise and the more we looked at the Majesty we could not picture even 2 of us in that small cabin. Looking at pics is all it took to make our decision of the Imagination. We just haven't decided which cruise to add it on to. You can bet though any of these short cruises will have alot of younger ones and a more partying crowd than a 7 day cruise would. Wish you the best and your kids should have a blast!

[Griff4AU]

We were looking at the same two ships for an add on to our cruise and the more we looked at the Majesty we could not picture even 2 of us in that small cabin. Looking at pics is all it took to make our decision of the Imagination. We just haven't decided which cruise to add it on to. You can bet though any of these short cruises will have alot of younger ones and a more partying crowd than a 7 day cruise would. Wish you the best and your kids should have a blast!

 

Yep, I think that's gonna do it for me also. I really want to try RCCL, but 119 SqFt cabins, inside and out, for 2 sets of 3 kids on the Majesty ? No way. My Carnival rep sent me detailed pics of the Imagination (pics I haven't seen anywhere else) and it looks great. Really. Plus he gave me a bigger discount for being a Princess cruiser. 5 days with a better itinerary and much better cabins for less money than RCL. I guess I'll give them a try.

[ckornuta]

We also are Princess fans but gave Carnival a chance for different itinaries. I had read alot of bad comments about Carnival on these boards.

Well our 2 Carnival cruises were a pleasant surprize,

Iwould not hesitate to sail Carnival again.

Here are a few of the things that surprized me.

All ages of people

Good food and service

Not all wild

Things I liked that Princess does not have

Towel animals

Free juices,lemonade,ice cream allday long

able to see your shipboard account on the TV

Princess is still our favorite cruiseline but I thik you will find them very similar.

[Ceresgal]

I have sailed on two Carnival Cruises (Spirit and Ecstasy). They both were great. Of course, I would like to go on all the Cruise Lines to check them out. I have loved every cruise I have been on -- NO matter which Cruise Line it was.

I never compare Cruise Lines - I go to enjoy myself and have a great time.