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now onto the main item of business, i’ve been asked which cruise line i prefer between princess and carnival. let me preface all this, by saying i am not a cruising pro. we have been on two cruises through princess cruise lines and now one cruise on carnival – only three in all. so this is all just my opinion and observation. really any cruise is a fabulous cruise in my book. i could just tell you my favorite and call it a day, but i figured a better comparative analysis might help people in making their own selection. really, i think it’s all just in what you are after and your wants & needs. so here it goes:

overall cleanliness of ship: it was a tie. both lines have very well maintained ships from top to bottom. the only difference i noticed is there did seem to be more maintenance work going on during our cruise on carnival. painting, replacing fixtures in elevators, etc. it didn’t hinder or interrupt our experience at all, it just was an observation.

friendliness/competency of crew: princess won here. carnival didn’t seem as organized or as on top of everything as princess. there was more confusion, more lost paperwork, etc. the staff was very friendly and really the customer service was very good, it just was not up to par with princess. close but not quite. on princess it was phenomenal red carpet treatment the entire time both times.

food: princess. understand though that this was based solely on my addiction to caesar salad, fettuccine alfredo, desserts and breads. other than those four items the food was excellent on both lines. on carnival fettuccine alfredo was never even an option and their caesar salad should have been called anchovy salad. in carnival’s defense they did have ridiculously yummy burrito bar and omelette bar – but then again they were stingy on their chips and salsa and there were not as many dessert options at dinner? (it’s all in the little things for me!)

drinks: another tie. carnival had canned diet coke, not fountain. princess has fountains at each of their bars. princess would have gotten my vote solely based on that tidbit except carnival did redeem themselves with unlimited and totally yummy hot chocolate that i probably got at least three times a day. i am actually researching their automatic hot chocolate maker – wouldn’t mind one for my own kitchen. it was fabulous. i have no idea about the quality of any of the beers or alcoholic drinks?

on board activities: tied. i preferred the outdoor movie screen on princess (they provided blankets, a better quality screen, and popcorn) but carnival did have the miniature golf & a water slide. in regards to the nightly shows/entertainment – it appeared that carnival had slightly more vegas style entertainment that was less family friendly for the most part. the comedians were a little dicier and the costuming & dancing in the nightly entertainment was not my favorite. so you can decide for yourself.

pools and surrounding areas: great on both.

child care: this is where carnival blows princess out of the water. on princess they won’t take your child at all unless they are 3 years of age and older in their child center. on carnival you can put your child in their activities center from the age of 2, and for infants and toddlers you have a few different options where you can pay an additional fee and have them babysat as well. whereas princess doesn’t off any option for children under the age of 2. period. we have actually never used either child center (titan was just 6 months old when he went with us on princess) but if i were to do a cruise again and had children under the age of 3, i would go with carnival regardless of the other things i prefer on princess. carnival also had things like the water slide and mini golf for older kids? carnival just seemed more family friendly. although if i didn’t have any children under 3 i would choose princess.

miscellaneous: the decor on carnival was horrific. my eyes literally hurt when we first boarded. i thought we were on one of their oldest ships, but no, our ship was actually their newest one. it was themed and all tied together but it was just way too much for me. i also did not like how on carnival you had to check out pool towels. on princess they just have them available to grab whenever you want and as many as you want. carnival did provide super comfy robes in the room and nightly towel animals that were kind of fun? still would rather have unlimited pool towels though without the hassle of checking them out. i also preferred the nightly news brochure that princess provides as compared to carnivals.

all in all, we prefer princess. carnival does a fantastic job and i thoroughly enjoyed our cruise with them, but princess for the most part just seems to take everything one extra step above and beyond. when we took titan on a cruise last summer i was amazed at how much attention he received, how helpful they were with the stroller, etc. so although you can’t put your child in the kid center they were still very kid friendly – you just had to keep your kid with you at all times. also carnival seemed to attract a more party hardy type of people and that’s not really my scene or my family’s. any way, we prefer princess but both do a wonderful job. really it just boils down to what scene you’re after and what cruise line is has sailing dates that meet your schedule.