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Carnival Festivale vs Princess Cruises Island Princess
The Carnival Festivale is a fairly new ship, being built in 2027. The Festivale is named after the original ship that sailed with Carnival from 1977 - 1996. It has two unique zones not found on its sister ships. Unlike the first Excel Class ships, Festivale does NOT have a BOLT roller coaster, instead it has a waterpark called "Sunsation Point." The ship will sail from Port Canaveral starting in May 2027. It's 24 years newer than the Island Princess, which was built in 2003 and renovated in 2024.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
Ship Size
The Festivale is considered a large size ship. Coming in at 1,130 feet long and 137 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3.1 football fields, as wide as 2.6 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 17-story building. Compared to the Princess Cruises Island Princess, the Festivale is 97% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
The Carnival Festivale holds more than double the amount of people as the Island Princess based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Festivale has less space per person compared to the Island Princess.
The Festivale uses a zone layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Carnival Festivale | Princess Cruises Island Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Excel | Coral |
| Gross Tonnage | 182,800 | 92,822 |
| Length | 1,130 | 964 |
| Beam/Width | 137 | 106 |
| Passenger Decks | 17 | 16 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 5,400 | 2,200 |
| Crew | 1,700 | 900 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.6 | 2.4 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 35 | 42 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Festivale has twenty-three different dining options like Street Eats, Blue Iguana Cantina, and JavaBlue Cafe. Of those options, nineteen are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other nine options have an additional fee.
The Island Princess has fourteen fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are World Fresh Marketplace, Main Dining Room, and Sabatini's. Ten of these restaurants are complementary and the other three have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Festivale might be a better choice. It has more than double the amount of dining options than the Island Princess.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
| Carnival Festivale | Princess Cruises Island Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 23 | 9 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 19 | 10 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 9 | 3 |
| % of Included Options | 61% | 67% |
| See the options | See the options |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship.
There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. You can check out recent the bar menus for the Festivale and the Island Princess below.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Carnival Festivale has a total of 6 pools and 6 hot tubs. 2 of the pools are exclusive access, which means there's either an extra charge to access them or you need to book a certain class of cabin to have access to them.
Princess Cruises Island Princess has fewer pools than the Festivale and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Island Princess. If you like ships without extra charges or exclusive areas, this might be a better choice since everyone will have access to these areas.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and three of the hot tubs are adults only on Festivale.| Carnival Festivale | Princess Cruises Island Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 6 | 3 |
| Pools - General Access | 3 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | 2 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 6 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 3 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 3 | |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 0 |
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. On the Festivale, 65% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Island Princess, only 62% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Carnival Festivale | Princess Cruises Island Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adults-only area (additional fee) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✗ |
| Art Auctions | ✗ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✗ |
| Brewery Tour | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cooking Class | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✗ |
| Outdoor gym | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ropes course | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✗ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sports Court | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✗ |
| Waterpark | ✓ | ✗ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Carnival is considered a mainstream cruise line. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.
Princess Cruises, on the other hand, is a premium cruise line. Premium cruise lines typically offer upscale food, accommodations, and service. These typically cost about $150 - $400 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. To get a good idea of how the pricing compares, visit the cruise line's website to price out the separate cruises or consult a travel professional.
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.
| Carnival Festivale | Princess Cruises Island Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $16.00 | $17.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 20% | 18% |
| Soda Price | $3.00 | $2.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.75 See drink menus | $6.25 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $83 - $88 Learn more | $77 -$100 |
| Internet Plan | $18.70 to $23.80 per device per day | $24.99 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | ||
Princess Cruises offers two packages to bundle onboard expenses. The Princess Plus package includes daily gratuities, the basic beverage package, 2 fitness classes, 2 casual dining meals, and internet for $60 per day per guest. The Princess Premier package upgrades to the premiere beverage package, wifi for up to 4 devices per guest, two specialty dining meals, unlimited casual dining meals, unlimited fitness classes, and a photo package for $80 per guest per day.
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