Carnival Pride vs Carnival Encounter

The Carnival Pride was built in 2002. It was renovated in 2023. The Carnival Encounter was built in 2002 and renovated in 2025. The Carnival Encounter is a rebranded ship, previously sailing as Star Princess with Princess Cruises and the Pacific Encounter for P&O Australia. It has been brought into the Carnival family and they added things like the HUB app and Camp Ocean, but it missing several key Carnival elements. For example, they charge for pizza outside of lunch hours and there is no complimentary soft serve ice cream or burgers.

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
• See Our Detailed Cruise Blog

Ship Size

The Pride 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 Carnival Encounter, the Pride is 19% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Carnival Pride holds 19% fewer passengers than the Encounter 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 Pride has more space per person compared to the Encounter. 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.

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 Pride has ten different dining options like Blue Iguana Cantina, Bonsai Sushi, and Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse. Of those options, ten are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other five options have an additional fee.

The Encounter has the same number of dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Dragon Lady, Angelo's, and Waterfront Restaurant. six of these restaurants are complementary and the other five have an additional fee.

The Carnival Pride has about the same number of dining options as the Carnival Encounter.

Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.

Restaurants on Carnival Pride & Encounter

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 Pride and the Encounter 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 Pride has a total of 3 pools and 2 hot tubs.

Carnival Encounter has more pools than the Pride and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Encounter. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.

Looking to get away from the kids onboard? Try relaxing in the Serenity Adult-only area, for guests 21 and older only. Only the Pride has an adult-only pool in its Serenity Area (it’s a full-depth pool). Only Pride specifies an open-air (non-enclosed) adult-only area. adult-only area is in the back, while location is unspecified.

Cruise Coloring and Activity Books for Kids
Get your kids ready for their cruise or keep them entertained while on board with our custom made coloring and activity books. These are the Carnival editions with featuring places Pizza Pirate and mini-golf.

Cruise Ship Coloring Book for Kids 3-5 - Carnival Edition

Let's Get Cruising Activity Book for Kids 6-8 - Carnival Edition

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 Pride, 71% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Encounter, only 60% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.

Cruise Costs

Carnival is 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.

Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year.

The cost will also vary depending on the type of cabin you book. You can see the differences between the Carnival cabins and how to choose the best one here:

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 understand what you might spend onboard a Carnival ship.

We sailed aboard the Carnival Pride

Follow along on our sailing on the Carnival Pride. We take you through every aspect of our sailing, from getting to the port to debarking the ship. See the schedule of events, menus, what excursions we did, and what we really thought about the ship.

Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 1 - Baltimore

Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 2 - Sea Day

Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 3 - Another Sea Day

Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 4 - Half Moon Cay

Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 5 - Nassau

Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 6 - Freeport

Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 7 - Final Sea Day

5 Hits & Misses of the Carnival Pride

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