From HAL to Carnival

[Saphire]

Have any of you 'downsized' to a cruise on Carnival after experiecing HAL? I would like to hear your experiences.. Thanks!

[hammybee]

I sail with most mass market cruise lines. I do not consider Carnival to be a "downsize". In fact, HAL prices are sometimes less than a Carnival cruise for comparable cabins.

It's a different experience. Only you can decide if it's the right experience, for you. The newer ships are substantially larger than HAL and carry a lot more passengers. They also have the economies of scale working for them, because costs can be amoritized, over more passengers.

I like the evening entertainment better on Carnival.

So many remember the original Carniva, fun ship thing and expect the ships to be filled with kids/ young adults partying till the wee hours and too many hairy chest contests.

When I was in my 40's I found myself amongst the youngest passengers. It all depends on season and intinerary.

And if for no other reason, consider Carnival cause where else might you have a chance to win a ship on a stick.;)

[Charliesmom]

If you like public "togetherness", Carnival is a great line. We have been on the Carnival Victory which was not so great and on the Carnival Miracle, which had its good points and its bad points.

Carnival has great gyms. Their production shows are really professionally done. They involve the whole ship in the various games that go on. When you win at trivia, you are part of a team (I think it is determined by the floor you eat on - at least that's what used to happen).
There is always something happening - lots of announcements, lots of games, lots of fun - and most of it is LOUD.

They have a great sandwich bar on the Lido (on the Miracle), but you won't get English muffins in the morning. In fact, I couldn't get a hot piece of toast. Other food in the Lido was mediocre.

Their room stewards work in teams and on a set schedule. If you need something in-between, you may or may not get it.

I had terrific food at dinner on the Miracle. I have food allergies and they handled them superbly - better than HAL. However, I had to make all of my food choices for the week on the first night of the cruise. They assigned a chef to me and introduced him toward the end of the cruise. We had excellent wait staff on the Miracle.

Conversely, on the Victory, the food was so bad my husband lost 3 pounds (he LOVES to eat). Service in the dining room was so-so. Maintenance and cleanliness on the ship was bad. There were stains all over the carpet, plywood repairs to broken parts. Maybe they had a wild party. However, the Victory had great pizza and French Fries.

Both ships had good hamburgers on the Lido deck.

There's a lot of tumult. If you enjoy being at a party, you'll love Carnival.

Roberta

[suse]

:)Carnival is fun. My better half will never go with them again but I have no problem. Very loud, crazy, chaotic, but I don't mind that stuff. It cracks me up really. Hey, enjoy, life is short. Just don't eat animals, become vegan, it's healthier, I'm working on it. Don't smoke. Bad for you. Hey, my friend Joe, Vietnam Vet I tell you about, lifelong smoker, just quit recently. He's a total wreck but I keep telling him he's beautiful now. Keep the faith.

[luckycruzer]

since Fall '06, and by years end it will be 26 cruzes. I start the new year with 1, and in May, a repo on Noordam..I'm always game for anything..noisy or quiet. This one fits in with my plans for Spain. I'm excited to try HAL, as I have been on many lines the last 40 yrs.

[Xoe]

We had booked Zaandam's Hawaii cruise for spring 2008, and switched to Carnival Spirit because it was 12 days instead of 16. We boarded Spirit in HI and cruised the islands, then sailed back to Vancouver, whereas Zaandam's was R/T Vancouver, resulting in 10 sea days. We caught a WestJet sale for our YVR-HNL air and our trip's cost was cut in half. Another advantage was that we had a 3-day pre-cruise visit with family members living in Honolulu, whereas on Zaandam we would have had only one day in Honolulu.

We had a good time (we always do!) but do not expect to sail on Carnival again. Too big, too many people, too many announcements -- "too too too" in too many ways. Seemed sort of raucous and loud overall.

It was a good bargain and the timing and itinerary were exactly right for us, so, no regrets. As always, we go first for ITINERARY -- where/when we want to go are of paramount importance. Then come considerations of which line, which ship, which stateroom, comparative costs.

Since that Carnival cruise in April 2008 we've enjoyed 2 more HAL cruises, and are booked for another in September, and I have enjoyed two marvelous Windstar cruises; Windstar is my personal favorite line.

Carnival's entertainment was good but not great. We think NCL's shows are the best we've seen; Princess shows are also good. HAL's are good but not great.

[janisutx]

It is true most of Carnival's ships are bigger than Hal's but it didn't bother me. I love spending time on our balcony. The best cruise food I've had was on the Carnival Splendor and the quality was sustained for 49 days. The cabin attendants were great about our sleeping late. The service was excellent.

My first Carnival cruise was on the Liberty for 28 days (Med. & TA) and I had the same concerns you have. We had a great time in spite of a few more anouncements. I loved the Carnival Spirit cruise to Alaska too. The spirit class ships are similar to the HAL vista class.

Just pick one of Carnival's newer ships and at least a 7 day cruise and you might be surprised how little difference there is.

[Nasmas]

I personally have never been on Carnival but two of our friends that cruise with us on HAL, recently took their children on a cruise with Carnival because that's what the kids wanted (young adults). My friend said it was ok, but its not what we're accustomed to. She advised we stick with HAL. So, I'd think it just depends on what you're looking for. I've not found them to be that much cheaper either.

[Frick_&_Frack]

We've been on both and, depending on season/itinerary, have had wonderful times on each. If you are expecting suite amenities on Carnival, you will not get them like HAL. But, overall, Carnival is a good choice for us since DH does not fly and HAL does not go out of NYC (except a few to Bermuda and he won't do that run).

My parents, exclusively HAL cruisers, moved to Carnival when HAL left NYC and within 6 months already have 24 days on the Carnival Miracle. While they miss HAL, they do like Carnival enough to continue on with them.

It's just a different experience....if you go with an open mind, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Happy Cruising!

[norcal2]

Hard to find a bad cruise no matter what major line is discussed. I've been on Norwegian, Carnival and now HAL and each has it's high points. One thing of note I have noticed is that any cruise has get-away areas and crowded areas so I take advantage of that if I want a quieter experience or fun. Let the mood dictate.

It is funny to see any line compared to another only because I love them all. The one thing of note with HAL is they have great service. The great thing about Norwegian for me was the food. and entertainment The great thing about Carnival was the clubs and entertainment. The identical and most important asset each matched was - they were all cruises! ;-)

I think if you go from small ship to large ship or large ship to small ship there is an adjustment period. I like the larger ships and it took a little time to also enjoy the smaller environment. Now I feel both are great.

I select the line by itinerary but if there were many sea days and I was in a mood to veg and just enjoy good service, HAL would probably win. On a destination cruise the best line is any one you pick to get you to your wonderful vacation spot.

[mafig]

We were on Eurodam last December, NCL in March and Carnival in May.

Carnival's food was the best! We had a fabulous waiter on Carnival. He made excellent recommendations and kept bringing us lobster tails till we begged him to stop. On Eurodam the waiter gave me a hard time when I ordered two orders of lobster. He had to tell me "well, you get two in an order. "I know that," I replied. I felt like I had to beg for my food - lol.

However, it was a noisy group on Carnival (not on NCL, though). DH had to stick his head out the door once at 3 AM to tell the group to take their party elsewhere. They were apologetic and all, it seemed like they were just clueless and thought that if they were up, everyone else probably was too.

We didn't feel that Carnival was scrimping in any way. At least not on our cruise. We'd have no hesitation going with them again.

[Halfmoonfan]

I agree with others that Carnival is not a downsize vacation from HAL in comparing a 7 day cruise (maybe you meant downsizing to a 3 or 4 day cruise which Carnival runs?)

We sailed on the Miracle out of NYC last year after 7 cruises on HAL. The ships are more a like than different. The Miracle is the exact ship as a HAL Vista class. The rooms are the same size, the balcony cabins are flip flopped inside as to if the bed or sofa is closest to the balcony. I found the bedding and linens to be the same.

You will see the art actions, shops and casino are run by the same third parties on both lines. Both have the same “gold by the inch” nonsense and flyers in your mail every day for sales, spa specials and internet packages.

Of course there are some differences. Carnival is still old school in terms of dining with just two set times for diner, none of the four set times or anytime dining like HAL. We found the supper club on Carnival to be on par with HAL with Carnival having the slight edge because of the live entertainment and dancing in the supper club (but I heard that may be on the way out). Carnival does seem to have more singing waiters in the main dining room than the one night master chef dinner on HAL, so edge to HAL if that is not your thing.

The Elton John show on HAL remains the best show I ever saw at sea. Carnival seems to have more live entertainment and the night life is better. Thought the formal teas on HAL were great. The wooden deck chairs and the promenade deck on HAL seemed nicer than anything Carnival had.

Just my two cents but I did not see a lot of day light between the two lines for a 7 or 8 day cruise.

[sassyredhat]

We've sailed both. While HAL remains our line of choice, we use CCL for golf cruises.

It's just a different experience, and each ship seems to be a different experience.

I think the one ship we have NOT liked is CCL's Splendor. It's not a "bad" ship, but we are small ship cruisers, and decided to gamble on a big ship. Not a good choice for us.

HAL has more elegance, but we wil continue to sail both lines. Our big problem is tha DH refuses to fly anywhere.

Our plan is to choose the itin. then find the best ship to fit us.

Pat

[DaveOKC]

We did our first Carnival cruise on the Freedom in Feb - a family reunion. It was a fine ship, but the service and food was not as good as on HAL. Also, just too many people for us. It was not a bad cruise, its just that HAL has spoiled us.

Back to HAL for Sept to AK.

DaveOKC

[cferro514]

DH had to stick his head out the door once at 3 AM to tell the group to take their party elsewhere.

Carnival is a ship, where some people like to party.

[rkacruiser]

I was aboard Carnival Freedom in March for my first Carnival cruise. I immediately followed up with a cruise on the Noordam. Both cruises were very enjoyable and I left Freedom very positively impressed. Both had positives; both had negatives. I truly felt that in terms of quality and value for the money, they were nearly equal.

If you try a Carnival vessel with a Supper Club, I would recommend the dining experience. The Sun King Supper Club on Freedom provided an experience that exceeded any dining experience that I have had in the Pinnacle Grills.

[TCF]

I think comparing the two is like comparing an apple and an orange! They are two completely different experiences and personally we like them both.

We don't much like the size of the Carnival ships in terms of the numbers of passengers they can carry... so we make sure we get a Cat 11 or 12 suite so we have a roomy cabin and deck of our own to retreat to when the crowds get to be too much.

They both have a lot to offer...HAL has superior itineraries for example.....but we find the entertainment and activities on Carnival to be far superior.

I wouldn't look upon it as a downgrade,but rather a different experience.

[iancal]

Yes, we selected a Carnival cruise-an 8 day cruise on the Spirit in Feb from San Diego. The HAL Oosterdam quote was the same but we wanted to give Carnival a try. Our previous cruise to that was on the Westerdam. Both cruises were balcony cabins. Both ships were in very good condition and well kept. No issue there. Same for the cabins...they were about the same. Cabin service, ie steward, was better on Carnival but I suspect we had a dud on the Westerdam..never saw him and when we called for ice there was NEVER an answer. Entertainment was about the same, although Carnival had much better entertainment around the pool deck..and more often. Dining room service was the same on both ships though I think HAL has slightly better food. Service in other areas about the same with the exception of poolside-service was non existant on HAL compared to Carnival and all other lines we have sailed on. DW was very aprehensive about going Carnival but was very pleased with the cruise and with the demographics. Never saw any of rowdies, drunks, tshirt in the dining room etc that you hear about and that concerned us. We are in are mid 50's and will cruise with Carnival again-as we will with HAL, assuming the itinerary and value are there. We are not married to any one cruise line.

[winddawn]

Have any of you 'downsized' to a cruise on Carnival after experiecing HAL? I would like to hear your experiences.. Thanks!
I'm doing the opposite this year--booking HAL instead of Carnival. As you can see from my signature, I've been on enough Carnival cruises to be Platinum. This year I booked my first HAL cruise for Christmas. HAL's balcony cabins are cheaper for Christmas with a better Caribbean itinerary for Christmas! For $1000, I get to do Southern Caribbean this year in a balcony cabin for 7 days! Carnival was asking more than that for Eastern Caribbean in a balcony cabin. I'm looking forward to trying HAL and I still get my CCL shareholder shipboard credit. I love Carnival. They have great staff. Never had a bad Carnival cruise. You can do lots or nothing on Carnival. There's solitude or crowds--whatever you prefer. The food is great. Love their supper clubs. They have great aft wrap balcony cabins at great prices. Great entertainment. What is not to love?