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miajo
Guest
I thought I would just pose this question to the masses...I am planning my first cruise for Mar '05 or Jun '05. So, what made you choose Princess over Carnival?
Thanks!!!
Thanks!!!
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Capt Data
Guest
At the time my TA did not handle Carnival Cruises. I was told that it was one of the cheaper lines and party hardy type cruise. They did not control the amount of kids on board. They also did not have the options that were available on Princess (which at that time was an indepent company).
I wanted a more refined cruise to the Panama. I'm disabled so kids running all over the place was not my cup of tea. I like kids but I perfer when they have fun it is not at my expense.
I will now try any cruise line as I have learned to try different lines. I've been on Princess and Royal Caribbean. I will be tryingHolland America next. Then I'm going to Hawaii next but not sure when or which cruise line.
I wanted a more refined cruise to the Panama. I'm disabled so kids running all over the place was not my cup of tea. I like kids but I perfer when they have fun it is not at my expense.
I will now try any cruise line as I have learned to try different lines. I've been on Princess and Royal Caribbean. I will be tryingHolland America next. Then I'm going to Hawaii next but not sure when or which cruise line.
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sodostan
Guest
Our first cruise together was on Carnival. We feel there is no such thing as a bad cruise, just that some cruises are better than others! We have cruised Holland America as well as one other rather obscure cruise line. We have cruised with Princess several times and have two more Princess cruises coming up within the year.
We like that Princess has all ages fairly well-represented. We like that the atmosphere is refined, but not stuffy. We like the food. It just suits us better than any of the others. I highly recommend it!
We like that Princess has all ages fairly well-represented. We like that the atmosphere is refined, but not stuffy. We like the food. It just suits us better than any of the others. I highly recommend it!
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Cruise cutie
Guest
same as for us 10 years ago..I'm now 44 and did not want a "PARTY " Boat..and that's what Carnival was...the decor on Princess is muted soft,and not bonkers.versus..."Here I am LOUD"On Carnival..sigh..check out the decor on Carnival.the Miracle photo Montage in the gallery..OMG...I'll be honest..bright screaming decor makes me prone to Migraines..FORGET Carnival..
..and there are fresh water pools 24/7 on Princess...you can swim, hot tub or just soak tootsie's on deck after dancing!!.....there are salt water open till early evening then drained pools on Carnival..our kids are grown..we go on Couples cruises the first 2 weeks of February to escape our harsh Vermont winters and LIMIT kids....also we like Formal Wear dinners..we do the tux for Hubby and me in gowns and go dancing and to the casinos..there is much more casual wear on Carnival..I am Italian and love good food..Princess has all Italian chef staff...I get incredible return passenger perks on Princess..these are just a few of the reasons we have not Budged from them...=shrug..it's all in what you want..the amount of passengers versus size of ship works good..tons of areas to relax,unwind and have a good time..we are booked on the RCCl Mariner @ddicts MOS@IC cruise Oct.2005..I will be a little anxious to have 2000 more people basically on pretty much ths same size ship as Princess..Good luck with your research..we have found dollar for dollar we get what we pay for and what we want on Princess. we =love Princess Cruise Lines....have fun cruising!!....Joanne
..and there are fresh water pools 24/7 on Princess...you can swim, hot tub or just soak tootsie's on deck after dancing!!.....there are salt water open till early evening then drained pools on Carnival..our kids are grown..we go on Couples cruises the first 2 weeks of February to escape our harsh Vermont winters and LIMIT kids....also we like Formal Wear dinners..we do the tux for Hubby and me in gowns and go dancing and to the casinos..there is much more casual wear on Carnival..I am Italian and love good food..Princess has all Italian chef staff...I get incredible return passenger perks on Princess..these are just a few of the reasons we have not Budged from them...=shrug..it's all in what you want..the amount of passengers versus size of ship works good..tons of areas to relax,unwind and have a good time..we are booked on the RCCl Mariner @ddicts MOS@IC cruise Oct.2005..I will be a little anxious to have 2000 more people basically on pretty much ths same size ship as Princess..Good luck with your research..we have found dollar for dollar we get what we pay for and what we want on Princess. we =love Princess Cruise Lines....have fun cruising!!....Joanne
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kruznut
Guest
:wave I love the soft elegant decor of Princess ships as i'm not a bold glizzy colors person. I don't think that i could have a bad cruise on any cruise line, but Princess just suits me better than the other lines. We just love Princess. :cheers Happy cruising ! =bigwave =bigwave =bigwave =bigwave
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pormond
Guest
We considered HAL - Princess and RCCL. We choose Princess over the other lines for our first cruise for these main reasons;
1) That atmosphere/environment on Princess seems to better suit our lifestyle. It isn't subdued - and it's not go - go - go all the time.
2) The average age group is a good match for us
3) Great teens/kids program
4) The itineraries and the size of the ships
5) The consistenly faboulous reviews
I read as many reviews as I could, and asked alot of questions on these boards. Orignally we were going to go with HAL. After researching we decided Princess was a better match for our family. My husband and I will eventually do a HAL cruise. Good luck and be sure to ask lots of questions.
1) That atmosphere/environment on Princess seems to better suit our lifestyle. It isn't subdued - and it's not go - go - go all the time.
2) The average age group is a good match for us
3) Great teens/kids program
4) The itineraries and the size of the ships
5) The consistenly faboulous reviews
I read as many reviews as I could, and asked alot of questions on these boards. Orignally we were going to go with HAL. After researching we decided Princess was a better match for our family. My husband and I will eventually do a HAL cruise. Good luck and be sure to ask lots of questions.
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Howie
Guest
We have cruised both Princess and Carnival and had a great time on both. We do find Princess a little more relaxing and a little more elegant than Carnival but we have no problems with cruising on Carnival.
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p.g.
Guest
We too have cruised Carnival while in our twenties( twice) and then switched to Princess.
We like the food better on Princess, we like the pools and pool areas better on Princess( the oungers are padded not just netting) ,and one of the most important differences( to us) is the staff attitudes. On Carnival we found that many of the staff we encountered day to day( not the cabin steward ) just had a sour look on their faces, like they didn't like their job, and resented the passengers. We don't recall any of them ever smiling at us and just saying hi if we passed in a public area. Sure the bartenders could be your best friend, but it always felt like unless they benefited directly from your patronage then they just weren't interested in you.
We saw cleaners who, when we would say good morning to them , they would look at us like we had two heads.,most of the staff just seemed sullen.
On Princess we are almost always greeted( a smile ,a hello) , and it is the little things that count.
Would I cruise Carnival again, maybe, they do have large cabins, and I have heard that the food has improved( although we LOVED Princesses Anytime dining program) .
I would choose a new ship, and I would avoid school breaks, and I would NEVER take one of their 3 or 4 day cruises.
We like the food better on Princess, we like the pools and pool areas better on Princess( the oungers are padded not just netting) ,and one of the most important differences( to us) is the staff attitudes. On Carnival we found that many of the staff we encountered day to day( not the cabin steward ) just had a sour look on their faces, like they didn't like their job, and resented the passengers. We don't recall any of them ever smiling at us and just saying hi if we passed in a public area. Sure the bartenders could be your best friend, but it always felt like unless they benefited directly from your patronage then they just weren't interested in you.
We saw cleaners who, when we would say good morning to them , they would look at us like we had two heads.,most of the staff just seemed sullen.
On Princess we are almost always greeted( a smile ,a hello) , and it is the little things that count.
Would I cruise Carnival again, maybe, they do have large cabins, and I have heard that the food has improved( although we LOVED Princesses Anytime dining program) .
I would choose a new ship, and I would avoid school breaks, and I would NEVER take one of their 3 or 4 day cruises.
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toronto21
Guest
well Princess was a great cruise compared to carnival!, We have sailed many lines i would rate Princess at the same level as RCCL. Carnival was just to tacky and overdone plas the food had a lower selection at the buffet and dinning was like a kids parade on carnival. But I will say if you like clean lines and the best service Celebrity is the only way to go, As I like Princess There is something that sets Celebrity apart from them put it this way
Carnival is like the golden nugget meets six flags in las vegas
RCCL is like well a nuatical shearton or seasdie green glass cool colors etc ?
shearaton hotel feel
Princess is like a golden girls slash fort lauderdale resort soft pastels palms.....more bland but nice like a hilton / sheraton hotles
Celebrity is like a nieman marcus feel............Much like a floating Westin resort or a four seasons in NYC or a "W" hotel in some ways ................
Holland America is like a floating seniors home or an old tacky home in some wierd agitha christe book
I would say sail eitehr Princess, Rccl, Or Celebrity all are good but stick to the new rccl ships and same goes for princess ....for example my mother sailed the dawn princess 2 weeks before shje went on the celebrity constellation she was not impressed with the dawn when it came to food service ..shows.....etc.........as per celebrity..but she loved her golden princess cruise almost as much as her celebrity?...
Carnival is like the golden nugget meets six flags in las vegas
RCCL is like well a nuatical shearton or seasdie green glass cool colors etc ?
shearaton hotel feel
Princess is like a golden girls slash fort lauderdale resort soft pastels palms.....more bland but nice like a hilton / sheraton hotles
Celebrity is like a nieman marcus feel............Much like a floating Westin resort or a four seasons in NYC or a "W" hotel in some ways ................
Holland America is like a floating seniors home or an old tacky home in some wierd agitha christe book
I would say sail eitehr Princess, Rccl, Or Celebrity all are good but stick to the new rccl ships and same goes for princess ....for example my mother sailed the dawn princess 2 weeks before shje went on the celebrity constellation she was not impressed with the dawn when it came to food service ..shows.....etc.........as per celebrity..but she loved her golden princess cruise almost as much as her celebrity?...
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kruznut
Guest
:wave As has been stated again and again, It all comes down to a matter of ones own personal likes and dislikes. I do not find Princess to be bland at all. I love soft elegant decor. I think that Rccl, Celebrity, Carnival have a good solid product, but Princess just suits our particular taste best. :cheers Happy cruising everyone ! =bigwave =bigwave
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randy
Guest
We've been on Princess, NCL, RCI, Celebrity, Carnival, Siosa (Italian) and Stena. Heard lots of good things about Princess, so when we got the chance, and a good price showed up, we tried it. It was okay, but unless there was a terrific deal out there, we will stick with Celebrity or RCI. We found nothing particularly wrong with Princess, just nothing that stands out from the crowd. As noted in a post or two above, it all comes down to what "rocks your boat!"
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Einstein
Guest
Fresh Water Hot Tubs and Pools open 24 Hours is ouir MAIN reason. We also like their mixing of food / entertainment / staff which appeals to Our Likes. Add on top of that the perks we get for Multiple Cruises and its tough NOT to sail with them. We do have a couple others booked with diiferent cruiselines (RCCL & HAL) because of different reasons but when ALL things are Equal we go with Princess. :dance
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cruise_chick
Guest
Hi,
We picked Princess because it was much more grand and the cabins was the slitest bit better. Thats all I have to say.Einstein wrote:
> Fresh Water Hot Tubs and Pools open 24 Hours is ouir MAIN
> reason. We also like their mixing of food / entertainment /
> staff which appeals to Our Likes. Add on top of that the perks
> we get for Multiple Cruises and its tough NOT to sail with
> them. We do have a couple others booked with diiferent
> cruiselines (RCCL & HAL) because of different reasons but when
> ALL things are Equal we go with Princess. :dance
>
> .
>
>
We picked Princess because it was much more grand and the cabins was the slitest bit better. Thats all I have to say.
Einstein wrote:> Fresh Water Hot Tubs and Pools open 24 Hours is ouir MAIN
> reason. We also like their mixing of food / entertainment /
> staff which appeals to Our Likes. Add on top of that the perks
> we get for Multiple Cruises and its tough NOT to sail with
> them. We do have a couple others booked with diiferent
> cruiselines (RCCL & HAL) because of different reasons but when
> ALL things are Equal we go with Princess. :dance
>
> .
>
>
