We've cruised on Carnival a few times and are thinking about trying Princess. Specifically, the Ruby Princess. What do you think the benefits are or what are your favorite things. Are there any costs you didn't expect (besides drinks, spa, and things like that) Thanks!
Remember Princess and Carnival Cruise Lines market themselves in different ways.
Princess shows their logo and then mentions "Escape Completely", while Carnival boasts about being the "Fun Ship". Well both cruise lines are fun but Carnival looks to be more about the KIDS and Princess has all the venues and activities, with supervision for the kids, but looking closely at the Princess brochures and other marketing materials, one sees more of the conservative types with older people in the mid twenties to the mid sixties and beyond.
At this time, I've already sailed twice with Carnival and twice with Princess but I'm in my mid sixties and have decided to stay with Princess even though I did have a positive exeperience with Carnival...I believe Princess appeals in a different way to an older segment of society...things can be formal and dressed up on certain nights or days or one can be dressed less formal while the attention to service and other details remains, in my opinion, to be excellent. To be sure, you'll talk to people that have had negative experiences on either cruise line but a cruise is a lot about deciding that one is going to have nothing but a great time with all the food, the people one meets, the entertainment, the tours, etc, etc, and pick your battles wisely, as in don't nit pick on trivialities.
Nov 10, 2010, I'll be on the Princess Cruise ship, The Golden Princess, for a two week, round trip sailing, from L.A. to Hawaii and I'm going to enjoy every second of it. For me, it's all about being on a ship at sea, enjoying any of the many activities that one gets to choose from and reducing any physical or mental stress that I might deal with at home.
Good Luck.
it is so hard to compare, because different things appeal to different people. A couple of things that i LOVE about Princess - service and food is top notch, Horizon Court Buffet is open 24 hrs, pools are fresh not saltwater, the overall atmosphere is laid-back, casual/nice, not glitzy or flashy. Movies Under the Stars is a really neat feature also. Lots of activities on board, day and night, and the passenger mix is a nice mix of people of all ages, you tend not to see as may toddlers and really young kids on Princess as you would on Carnival. Hope this helps some
Princess has great service and great food. I love their pools and it's nice to know there are four of them. More than Royal has on their larger ships. I love the ambience on the ships. The Crown Princess was beautiful and absolutely blew away the Solstice. Princess' pizza is the best on the sea and I could not walk past the bakery without having a fresh chocolate chip cookie. As a matter of fact I stopped so many times for a cookie the gentleman behind the counter asked for my room number. For the rest of the cruise I woke up with cookies in the morning and went to sleep with a plate of cookies on my pillow. The movies under the stars is a blast especially for Monday night football. Princess provides a great overall experience.
Princess is our choice due to the wonderful itineraries the line offers. We've cruised 21 times (with two future cruises booked). Only on Princess have we been able to sail all around South America, New Zealand and Australia, and Tahiti to Bora Bora. We also love Princess' anytinme dining policy. Addiionally, we have found that Princess does everything right!!! Also, while our cruises have been more exotic than most, there seem to be less kids on Princess. When I asked a dancer what the differences were between Princess and let's say Carnival, she replied that on Carnival, you will see dancers wearing G Strings and alot of flashy Rhinestones and glitter, while on Princess. the costumes are a little more conservative and far more tasteful. I think that comment summarizes the entire line.
Last edited by milesarcher33; October 22nd, 2010 at 02:12 PM.
Reason: spelling
What we like is the service, the perks and overal satisfaction we recieve with Princess. Princess had a policy of never saying no. That is what got us hooked with them years ago. Times have changed over the years. There is a different type of cruiser we see today. Princess seems to be able to accomodate them as well as the seasoned cruiser. They still have the ambiance of old cruising. Smart casual and Formal dress and for the most part those who cruise on Princess participate as one would be expected.
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We have sailed 3x on Carnival, and it was a great time, and it was also our first cruise. Then we gave Princess a try and never looked back. We like the service the crew and staff are very good at there jobs, and they always seem be enjoying themselves as they service you. The food is the best (we think). The overall service is A+ in our book.
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