Princess vs carnival

Dhill · #1 (**permalink**) May 11th, 2011, 06:50 AM

I was looking at cruise deals earlier tody and was wondering is there really that much diffrence between sailing on a Carnival ship and a Princess ship? There sure is a big diffrence in price.We have only been on one cruise (14 day Hawaiin on the Sapphire Princess) we really have nothing to compare it to. I was looking at pictures of some of Carnivals ships they look really nice and the staterooms also look really nice. Can there be that much diffrence in the food or are you paying more for a diffrent atomsphere? There really cant be that much diffrence in the amout of service you reiecive can there? Just wondering.

green_rd · #2 (**permalink**) May 11th, 2011, 08:20 AM

We typically have sailed Carnival (4 times) but sailed on Ruby Princess last summer. I do feel the service we received on Princess was better than on Carnival. The ship also seemed to have roomier public areas. (Of course maybe it was the glow of being in the Mediterranean.) Our cabin was a little more snug than the typical Carnival cabin. The Princess had a nice dressing area that a Carnival stateroom lacks.

Another "little extra" that Princess provided on our cruise was cool washcloths as you returned from excursions. This was a really nice touch when in port on a day pushing 100 degrees. Missed this on our last Carnival cruise.

Princess also operates a number of smaller ships which have higher per passenger fixed costs.

I'd like to think I'm a low-maintenance kind of a guy. I enjoyed the extra service Princess provided but don't require it.

Donna · #3 (**permalink**) May 11th, 2011, 09:14 AM

Princess feels much more layed back and reserved versus Carnival. I loved the food on Princess and the service was a notch up. The pools on Princess are fresh water not salt water which is really nice.

LisaK · #4 (**permalink**) May 11th, 2011, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donna

Princess feels much more layed back and reserved versus Carnival. I loved the food on Princess and the service was a notch up. The pools on Princess are fresh water not salt water which is really nice.

I totally agree with Donna, it is so hard to compare, but to put it into terms that might help in my opinion Carnival is like a Sheraton/Holiday Inn hotel whereas Princess is more like a Hyatt/Marriott- a step up

Donna · #5 (**permalink**) May 11th, 2011, 01:03 PM

Lisa,
Nice way to put it....They both just have a totally different atmosphere, equially good, just different. Just depends on what you are looking for in a cruise.

Dhill · #6 (**permalink**) May 11th, 2011, 08:09 PM

Do you think Carnival ships are more crowed? We really enjoyed our cruise on Princess.Next one will Also be on Princess 10 day Mexican cruise out of San Fransico.This may seem like a siily Question and I realize that its a matter of personal prefrence but do you think its worth the extra money to sail on Princess compared to Carnial?The price diffrence is pretty big. We like to pick our cruises by the itenerary and not cruise line.

Donna · #7 (**permalink**) May 11th, 2011, 08:12 PM

ARe the two cruises the exact same itinary. I've noticed at times Carnival will have an extra "sea" day where another ship will have a port. Sometimes it may not make a difference, but you need to compare apples to apples. I truly love Princess for their exceptional service and the little extras that add up over Carnival, but I would certainly not rule out Carnival..

Dhill · #8 (**permalink**) May 11th, 2011, 08:23 PM

Oh someday when we find the right trip we will try Carnival its just that we like the 10 day out of San Fran to Mexico. Probaly try a few other cruise line also. Wonder why theres not alot of cruises out of San Fran?

green_rd · #9 (**permalink**) May 14th, 2011, 10:13 AM

Both have piano bars - on Carnival it's a sing-along bar, on Princess you sit and enjoy a cocktail and enjoy quiet conversation.

Truck Cruiser · #10 (**permalink**) May 15th, 2011, 04:55 AM

Having sailed on 4 Carnival cruises and 2 Princess cruises I can honestly say that we prefer Carnival. The food on Carnival is much better and so was the Entertainment. The Princess ships aren't as gaudy and colorful as Carnival but we feel that the cabins on Carnival are more spacious.

The crowd on Princess tends to be older then the crowd on Carnival and therefore the nightlife on Carnival is more festive. Dollar for Dollar we will take Carnival, however Carnival only does 8 day maximum cruises where Princess does longer cruises with better itineraries.

Happy Sailing
Tim