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Ship comparison

Carnival Dream vs Discovery Princess

The verdict

Which should you choose?

Carnival Dream is a large Carnival Cruise Line ship carrying 3,646 passengers, in service since 2008. Discovery Princess is a large Princess Cruises ship carrying 3,668 passengers, in service since 2022.

Choose Carnival Dream if you want a more active cruise, a more family-friendly ship or more culture: it outscores Discovery Princess for active (8.0 vs 6.0), family friendly (9.0 vs 7.0) and cultural (8.0 vs 6.0) in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores.

Choose Discovery Princess if you want a more romantic trip, more adventure and nature or a newer ship: it outscores Carnival Dream for romantic (7.0 vs 2.0) and adventure & nature (5.0 vs 2.0) in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores and its maiden voyage was in 2022 (vs 2008).

Side by side

Specifications

marks the better figure where more, or less, is plainly better.

Carnival DreamDiscovery Princess
Cruise line Carnival Cruise Line Princess Cruises
Ship size Large Large
Maiden voyagenewer highlighted 2008 2022 (better)
Last refurbishedmore recent highlighted 2015
Gross tonnage 130,000 141,000
Passengers 3,646 3,668
Crew 1,367 1,346
Passengers per crew memberfewer is better 2.7 2.7
Space per passengergross tons per passenger; more is roomier 35.7 38.4 (better)
Cabins 1,834
Decks 15 18
Length 1,004 ft 1,083 ft
Beam 122 ft 155 ft
Speed 26 mph
Cruiseable ratingout of 10 8 / 10 9 / 10 (better)
Cruises on sale 10 17
Upcoming sailings 107 124
Cruise lengths 4–14 nights 4–14 nights
Fares fromlower highlighted $388 $374 (better)

Bliss scores

How they rate, out of 10

Cruiseable rates ships out of 10 on ten parts of a cruise holiday. Carnival Dream leads on 4 of the ten, Discovery Princess on 4, with 2 level.

  • Active Carnival Dream: 8.0 Discovery Princess: 6.0
  • Adventure & nature Carnival Dream: 2.0 Discovery Princess: 5.0
  • Cultural Carnival Dream: 8.0 Discovery Princess: 6.0
  • Dining Carnival Dream: 5.5 Discovery Princess: 7.0
  • Entertainment Carnival Dream: 7.7 Discovery Princess: 8.0
  • Family friendly Carnival Dream: 9.0 Discovery Princess: 7.0
  • Party Carnival Dream: 8.0 Discovery Princess: 8.0
  • Romantic Carnival Dream: 2.0 Discovery Princess: 7.0
  • Spa & fitness Carnival Dream: 8.0 Discovery Princess: 7.0
  • Staterooms Carnival Dream: 8.0 Discovery Princess: 8.0

Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Dream

Carnival Dream, the first of Carnival's Dream class ships (followed by Carnival Magic and Carnival Breeze), features two dual-level dining rooms, a gourmet steakhouse and the Lido Restaurant. It also features Ocean Plaza, which combines tasty treats with entertainment.

Highlights

  • Waterslides at Carnival WaterWorks
  • Carnival's house brew at RedFrog Rum Bar
  • Thalassotherapy pool at the Cloud 9 Spa

Sailing now

10 cruises on sale, from $388.

Questions

Carnival Dream or Discovery Princess?

Which is bigger, Carnival Dream or Discovery Princess?

Discovery Princess is bigger at 141,000 gross tons, against 130,000 gross tons for Carnival Dream. Carnival Dream carries 3,646 passengers and Discovery Princess carries 3,668.

Which ship is newer, Carnival Dream or Discovery Princess?

Discovery Princess is newer, with a maiden voyage in 2022 against 2008 for Carnival Dream.

Which has more space per passenger?

Discovery Princess, with 38.4 gross tons per passenger against 35.7 on Carnival Dream. The higher the figure, the more ship there is for each guest.

Which has more crew per passenger?

They are level, with one crew member for every 2.7 passengers.

Which is better for families?

Carnival Dream scores higher for family friendliness in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores: 9.0 out of 10, against 7.0 for Discovery Princess.

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