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Carnival Miracle vs Princess Cruises Crown Princess
The Carnival Miracle was built in 2004. It was renovated in 2025. It's 2 years older than the Crown Princess, which was built in 2006 and renovated in 2025.
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 Miracle is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 963 feet long and 106 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.7 football fields, as wide as 2 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 12-story building. Compared to the Princess Cruises Crown Princess, the Miracle is 22% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Carnival Miracle holds 31% fewer passengers than the Crown Princess based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you compare the total tonnage of the ship to the number of passengers, or what we call the "Space Ratio," the Miracle has more space per person compared to the Crown Princess. This means that you might have a bit more space to yourself on the ship, although there still could be some crowded areas like buffets, pools, etc.
| Carnival Miracle | Princess Cruises Crown Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Spirit | Crown |
| Gross Tonnage | 88,500 | 113,561 |
| Length | 963 | 952 |
| Beam/Width | 106 | 159 |
| Passenger Decks | 12 | 19 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,124 | 3,080 |
| Crew | 910 | 1,200 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.3 | 2.6 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 42 | 37 |
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 Miracle has ten different dining options like Pizza Pirate, The Chef's Table, and Blue Iguana Cantina. Of those options, eleven are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other four options have an additional fee.
The Crown Princess has four more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Crown Grill, World Fresh Marketplace, and O'Malleys Irish Pub. Eleven of these restaurants are complementary and the other six have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Crown Princess might be a better choice. It has 40% more dining options than the Miracle.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
| Carnival Miracle | Princess Cruises Crown Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 10 | 14 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 11 | 11 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 4 | 6 |
| % of Included Options | 60% | 57% |
| 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 Miracle and the Crown 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 Miracle has a total of 3 pools and 3 hot tubs.
Princess Cruises Crown Princess has more pools than the Miracle and more hot tubs.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and one of the hot tubs are adults only on Miracle.| Carnival Miracle | Princess Cruises Crown Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 2 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 0 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 3 | 6 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 2 | 4 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 1 | 2 |
| 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. You might up paying more while on board the Miracle. Only 71% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Crown Princess, 82% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Carnival Miracle | Princess Cruises Crown Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Afternoon Tea | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✗ |
| Art Auctions | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✓ |
| Putting green | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sports Court | ✗ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✗ |
| 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 Miracle | Princess Cruises Crown Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $17.00 | $17.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 20% | 20% |
| Soda Price | $3.25 | $3.00 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.25 See drink menus | $8.00 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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