Carnival is so bad and it is just for first time cruisers

Canadian_J summed up what I thought when I read the post.

I like saving money, lol, but we are lucky we could spend more if I needed to when picking a cruise line. I wouldn't sail Carnival if it was nothing more than for first timers. (Assume that means for those who don't know better?) Yet this is my 6th cruise coming up and can't wait to sail the Breeze, after sailing the Dream last year, have sailed the Ecstasy years ago, and a very long time ago Holiday. I have also sailed Royal Caribbean. I look just as forward to a Carnival cruise as RC. Probably would like HAL too though I actually like larger ships.

Well, I found a good Carnival deal and shared it to a friend. But that was her reply: Carnival is so bad and it is just for first time cruisers. She booked a HAL cruise and said it is well worth it for extra $300, because Carnival (we are talking about Dream) does not have (free) sushi.

 

I know they changed sushi bar to taste bar. But does Carnival Dream still have sishi somewhere? And does HAL have free sushi on all its ships?

1) Does your friend eat more than $300 of raw fish per week?

2) Is your friend aware that HAL is owned by Carnival?

She did book ms Eurodam. She also said ms Eurodam is 5-star and Carnival Dream is a motel.:mad:

I wonder if she falls down a lot because she trips over a lot of things with her nose sticking that far up in the air. Glad she sails on HAL. Makes no chance of her spoiling other peoples Carnival cruises.

Only $300.00 ? That's a good deal. HAL has the superior product. Carnival is geared for the first time cruiser and to the party crowd. After more than 20 cruises with carnival we have decided to try princess. Carnival has just gone too far down hill. Especially in the areas of entertainment and food. Also too many woohoo people. We no longer are content to just pay a low price and settle for the deterioration of the experience. If we have to pay more for what we want, so be it. Life is short and getting shorter.

Glad it only took you 20 cruises to figure out you didn't like the experience.

Unfortunately, both Carnival and HAL are stuck with a sterotype .... :o

Holland America: Floating Nursing Homes

Carnival Cruise Line: Drunken Party Ships

As most of us know, neither is actually true. ;)

LuLu

Does your friend have any fun on vacation? Sounds like she looks for problems.

CCL and HAL are two very different experiences for two very different target customers.

 

The extremely limited offering of Sushi on CCL menus, in my opinion, correlates to its target customer.

 

A wider offering of sushi on HAL's menu would correlate to its target customer. Based on my understanding, the Tamarind Restaurant (offering a wide variety of sushi) is only on HAL's ms Eurodam and ms Nieuw Amsterdam.

 

Everyone is entitled to (and I respect) their opinion but in the limited recounting of the comment "...so bad, for first time cruisers, no sushi" I would echo others who have replied that these are very narrow-minded reasons to dismiss CCL for the broader experience and value it offers.

So Carnival cruisers aren't the sushi-eating type, but the octogenarians on HAL are sushi lovers? I don't really see what cruising style has to do with taste in food. Or are you opining that Carnival = cheap = too cheap to like sushi?

Some people are just anti-Carnival no matter what. Let them go to another cruise line.

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I don't really see what cruising style has to do with taste in food.

Carnival has Guy Burgers and Blue Iguana Cantina. Holland America has Tamarind and Le Cirque at The Pinnacle Grill. Two VERY different tastes in food for two very different cruising styles.

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Well, HAL is nice. My first cruise was on HAL, San Diego to Hawaii. Then I booked a Panama Canal cruise for the following year. In between I began sailing Carnival. Loved it. Do LOVE it. I am now Platinum...soon to be Diamond. Carnival has something for everyone. They really are the FUN ships.

Only $300.00 ? That's a good deal. HAL has the superior product. Carnival is geared for the first time cruiser and to the party crowd. After more than 20 cruises with carnival we have decided to try princess. Carnival has just gone too far down hill. Especially in the areas of entertainment and food. Also too many woohoo people. We no longer are content to just pay a low price and settle for the deterioration of the experience. If we have to pay more for what we want, so be it. Life is short and getting shorter.

So, you were either first time cruisers or parties for 20 cruises? I think Carnival does family cruising quite well. They have a better children's menu selection than other lines we have sailed and IMO the best family comedy and other activities.

I love Carnival! Enough said.

Carnival Elation 2010

Disney World 2011

Carnival Fascination 2011

Carnival Ecstasy 2013

Disney World 3013

Carnival Dream 2014

Carnival Liberty 2015

Disney World 2015

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Haha! For the $300 extra she could have booked with Carnival again and booked another cabin for her own private sushi chef! I wonder if there is a limitation on how much raw fish you can bring aboard?

She did book ms Eurodam. She also said ms Eurodam is 5-star and Carnival Dream is a motel.:mad:

It really depends on what you're looking for. I did a 10 day HAL and LOVED it! Got add things like my laundry done free and a concierge lounge and it was my first time cruising with them, didn't have to cruise 100 days for perks. yes it was an older demographic and a slower pace but I actually enjoyed that. I never saw a screaming, crying child once even though there were plenty children on board, mostly with their doting grandparents. i guess grannies give in more easier so no reason for the kids to pout. Yes the night clubs cleared out by 11 but I liked that too, I had the piano bar all to myself and one other person and it was smoke free, LOL. The did other things that carnival don't do, like we had an luau and they cooked a whole pig ON DECK... that thing was AWESOME. They had cotton candy in their free Italian restaurant, they had a movie theater that showed movies at various times through out the day with popcorn, just a bunch of little things but after awhile they all add up. I've been wanting to do another one with them, but the prices have been a bit out of range these past couple of years. Eventually though I will do one again. If someone asked me to choose between a free HAL and a free Carnival, I would take the free HAL. But I cruise Carnival just about every year because they are affordable, I have nothing against them and help friends book trips with them all of the time. Besides, I will NEVER forget the things Carnival did for New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. As long as they exist and I have money to do so they will get me as a passenger.

Both HAL and Carnival have generalized reputations - deserved or otherwise. HAL is old and tired. Carnival is loud and obnoxious. Neither is either 100 per cent accurate or totally off. I enjoy HAL - and not because of sushi. I don't expect to sail Carnival. But that's just me.

CCL and HAL are two very different experiences for two very different target customers.

 

The extremely limited offering of Sushi on CCL menus, in my opinion, correlates to its target customer.

 

A wider offering of sushi on HAL's menu would correlate to its target customer. Based on my understanding, the Tamarind Restaurant (offering a wide variety of sushi) is only on HAL's ms Eurodam and ms Nieuw Amsterdam.

 

Everyone is entitled to (and I respect) their opinion but in the limited recounting of the comment "...so bad, for first time cruisers, no sushi" I would echo others who have replied that these are very narrow-minded reasons to dismiss CCL for the broader experience and value it offers.

I didn't know old people ate sushi?

HA was out first cruise ever. Nice ship but had nothing to do. We have our third carnival cruise booked for January. Can't wait!

Well, I found a good Carnival deal and shared it to a friend. But that was her reply: Carnival is so bad and it is just for first time cruisers. She booked a HAL cruise and said it is well worth it for extra $300, because Carnival (we are talking about Dream) does not have (free) sushi.

 

I know they changed sushi bar to taste bar. But does Carnival Dream still have sishi somewhere? And does HAL have free sushi on all its ships?

Interesting. I had sushi as an appetizer on the Pride earlier this month. It was good, and I enjoyed not being surrounded by geriatrics :p

We had a great time on our Carnival cruises, and I am far from a first time cruiser :rolleyes:

I have never cruised CCL, but I wouldn't mind cruising with them at all.

I had mentioned CCL to my dh, and he said no way, he didn't want to cruise with them. Because of the one ship that lost power and they were stuck out to sea!!!

He is such a goofball!

Then this past summer on NCL to Alaska we were visiting with this one gal on deck. Chatting about our different cruises. She had been on several, and she said the all-time best food she has ever had was on CCL. I'm not sure what all cruise lines she had been on.

So my dh is now thinking CCL would be aok too cruise on!

Well we are going on the Sensation this Sunday for a short cruise. I have never been a short cruise, and have seen feedback both good/bad about this ship. I am not a "nit/picker" so well see.

I have always like Carnival and have cruised it many times. I did the HA for my first cruise, and it was a good one too.

I always seem to go back to Carnival.