Cruise Spotlight
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Carnival Splendor vs Princess Cruises Majestic Princess
The Carnival Splendor was built in 2008. It was renovated in 2024. It's 9 years older than the Majestic Princess, which was built in 2017 and renovated in 2025. Majestic Princess was originally designed for the Chinese market. Because of this intent, the ship was unique to the Princess fleet with some additional features and unique restaurants, but during a 2025 drydock, most of the unique restaurants were replaced with Princess' standard offerings. It also has a great indoor pool for cooler weather cruising. Majestic Princess is also one of 3 ships that feature Princess' Watercolor Fantasy Show, an outdoor dancing fountain show.
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 Splendor is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 952 feet long and 116 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.6 football fields, as wide as 2.2 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 13-story building. Compared to the Princess Cruises Majestic Princess, the Splendor is 21% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Carnival Splendor holds 15% fewer passengers than the Majestic 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 Splendor has less space per person compared to the Majestic Princess.
| Carnival Splendor | Princess Cruises Majestic Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Conquest | Royal |
| Gross Tonnage | 113,300 | 143,700 |
| Length | 952 | 1,083 |
| Beam/Width | 116 | 126 |
| Passenger Decks | 13 | 19 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,012 | 3,560 |
| Crew | 1,150 | 1,346 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 3.2 | 2.6 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 38 | 40 |
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 Splendor has twelve different dining options like Masala Tiger, Seafood Shack, and Mongolian Wok. Of those options, twelve are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other five options have an additional fee.
The Majestic Princess has the same number of dining venues. Some of its popular venues are O'Malleys Irish Pub, Chef's Table Lumiere, and Main Dining Room. eight of these restaurants are complementary and the other nine have an additional fee.
The Carnival Splendor has about the same number of dining options as the Princess Cruises Majestic Princess.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Splendor might be a better choice then the Majestic Princess. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Carnival Splendor | Princess Cruises Majestic Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 12 | 12 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 12 | 8 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 5 | 9 |
| % of Included Options | 58% | 25% |
| See the options | See the options |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Splendor serves the Pepsi family of products. That means Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Starry, Mug Root Beer, and Mountain Dew, although the selection can vary by ship. The Majestic Princess serves Coca Cola branded products. That includes drinks like 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 Splendor and the Majestic 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 Splendor has a total of 2 pools and 4 hot tubs.
The Princess Cruises Majestic Princess has the same number of pools as the Splendor and the same number of hot tubs.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and two of the hot tubs are adults only on Splendor.| Carnival Splendor | Princess Cruises Majestic Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 2 | 2 |
| Pools - General Access | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 0 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 4 | 4 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 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 Splendor. Only 69% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Majestic Princess, 78% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Carnival Splendor | Princess Cruises Majestic Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Animated fountain | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✗ |
| Art Auctions | ✗ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✗ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sports Court | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✗ |
| 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 Splendor | Princess Cruises Majestic Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $16.00 | $17.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% | 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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