First Carnival Cruise, my impressions in comparison to others

Hey, Just got back from our first Carnival Cruise, the Paradise out of Tampa.

I'll type up just a quick opinion of the cruise and line compared to others we have sailed (Celebrity and RCCL).

Just as a side note, we have always cruised just as a couple, this cruise included our 2 Year Old DD.

EMBARKATION: Our last few cruises on Celebrity we were lucky enough to book concierge class. Included in that class was the perk of shorter boarding lines and a quicker embarkation. I have to say, even without that special class, or FTTF (which I tried to book too late) our Embarkation was a breeze, even wit a 2 year old in tow. From the minute we got in the terminal, till the time we were on the ship, I'd say was 15 to 20 minutes tops.

FOOD: Honestly, I'm pretty happy with simple food, that being said, even an uneducated palate like my own could notice the difference in food quality and menus. I certainly have zero complains about Carnivals food, but that being said, I did find the menu options in the main dining room much more appealing on the other lines, I also found the food much more appealing at the buffet and even the pizza and burgers. Again, I'd gladly take another Carnival cruise tomorrow and enjoy the food, I'd just say it's a half step down from those other lines.

Camp Carnival: Although I have nothing to compare it to on the other lines, I do know Carnival is the only place my daughter could go at 2 without us being around. She enjoyed it immensely and would wake up in the morning and after naps asking if she could "go to the clubhouse". The staff there were truly amazing and it really made the cruise for us. I'll also lump in the Dr. Suess stuff here as well, my daughter loves characters and got to meet "thing 1 and thing 2", "sam I am" and "the cat in the hat" and loved every minute of it.

Entertainment: The entertainment you would encounter walking around the ship (bands, djs, etc...) seemed really good. It also seemed to be focused in only two ares (the lido deck and the bar just outside the casino). Part of this may have been the smaller ship size, I just recall on some earlier cruises walking around and coming across a piano player, or a solo performer, or a small quintet. We went to two shows in the theater, and to be honest, they were really good, and then not really good. The same performers who put on a great show on night two (rock theme) seem to have struck out on night three (British theme). Overall I'd say this was a step down from my previous cruises, again though, nothing that would make me stay away.

Cabins: The Paradise has very few balcony cabins, so we booked an outside room. I was really nervous about the size with two of us plus the crib and the toddler. To my surprise, it was plenty roomy and not an issue at all. Everything that was needed was there, it's a bit of an older ship, so no real modern upgrades, but that's ok, it worked great and we were very comfortable. I'd rate it on par with previous cruises, and considering we were in concierge class on previous cruises I'd actually say Carnival gets the win here.

Service: Celebrity is known for it's over the to service, and it's a bit of a noticeable difference, but that's not a complaint or a knock at all. Sometimes the "over the topness" actually gets to be too much. Never on this cruise did I encounter any staff member who was anything but very friendly and hospitable. For the price difference, I can certainly do without the extra politeness.

There were a few other noticeable differences...and I now this can change drastically from ship to ship. There was not a lot of space in the pool (and there was only one plus a small kids pool). Half the pool space was taken up as a landing spot for the water slide. Of course, mentioning that, the water slide is a plus (even though we didn't partake). Will say, hot tub wise, Carnival, even on a small ship, had many more than any previous cruise we have taken (I think there were 6 hot tubs on board).

I have to say, my biggest complaint overall, was coming back from port to only find the burger place, the pizza place and the deli open for food options. At 3 pm on a port day there should be many food options available. I had to wait 25 minutes to get a sandwich and that was by far the shortest waiting option.

So, sorry for being so wordy, I'm generally very concise but just got on a roll, I will certainly have carnival in my searches for future cruises, and might even give them priority because of the fabulous kids club, but if Celebrity or RCCL is a much better deal, I certainly wouldn't rule them out either.

Good info, thanks. I'm pretty new to cruising but have done 3 carnival cruises and one MSC.

I keep debating trying MSC or another line but carnival sure seems like the best price and I'm pretty budget conscience.

MSC was my first cruise so I don't think I took full advantage of what it has to offer but carnival just felt right in terms of things to do. Lots of good trivia, decent shows, and last year we really got into the comedy shows they offer.

However the shows are mostly repeats besides the ones that are passenger based which feel a little rigged tbh. So next year I do think we may branch out and try a new line.

How was the price of the carnival cruise compared to rccl? I've always seen rccl as the most expensive.

Nice comparison, thanks for sharing. I will try another line one of these days. Maybe an Alaska cruise where we won't have airfare.

Hey, Just got back from our first Carnival Cruise, the Paradise out of Tampa.

 

I'll type up just a quick opinion of the cruise and line compared to others we have sailed (Celebrity and RCCL).

 

Just as a side note, we have always cruised just as a couple, this cruise included our 2 Year Old DD.

 

EMBARKATION: Our last few cruises on Celebrity we were lucky enough to book concierge class. Included in that class was the perk of shorter boarding lines and a quicker embarkation. I have to say, even without that special class, or FTTF (which I tried to book too late) our Embarkation was a breeze, even wit a 2 year old in tow. From the minute we got in the terminal, till the time we were on the ship, I'd say was 15 to 20 minutes tops.

 

FOOD: Honestly, I'm pretty happy with simple food, that being said, even an uneducated palate like my own could notice the difference in food quality and menus. I certainly have zero complains about Carnivals food, but that being said, I did find the menu options in the main dining room much more appealing on the other lines, I also found the food much more appealing at the buffet and even the pizza and burgers. Again, I'd gladly take another Carnival cruise tomorrow and enjoy the food, I'd just say it's a half step down from those other lines.

 

Camp Carnival: Although I have nothing to compare it to on the other lines, I do know Carnival is the only place my daughter could go at 2 without us being around. She enjoyed it immensely and would wake up in the morning and after naps asking if she could "go to the clubhouse". The staff there were truly amazing and it really made the cruise for us. I'll also lump in the Dr. Suess stuff here as well, my daughter loves characters and got to meet "thing 1 and thing 2", "sam I am" and "the cat in the hat" and loved every minute of it.

 

Entertainment: The entertainment you would encounter walking around the ship (bands, djs, etc...) seemed really good. It also seemed to be focused in only two ares (the lido deck and the bar just outside the casino). Part of this may have been the smaller ship size, I just recall on some earlier cruises walking around and coming across a piano player, or a solo performer, or a small quintet. We went to two shows in the theater, and to be honest, they were really good, and then not really good. The same performers who put on a great show on night two (rock theme) seem to have struck out on night three (British theme). Overall I'd say this was a step down from my previous cruises, again though, nothing that would make me stay away.

 

Cabins: The Paradise has very few balcony cabins, so we booked an outside room. I was really nervous about the size with two of us plus the crib and the toddler. To my surprise, it was plenty roomy and not an issue at all. Everything that was needed was there, it's a bit of an older ship, so no real modern upgrades, but that's ok, it worked great and we were very comfortable. I'd rate it on par with previous cruises, and considering we were in concierge class on previous cruises I'd actually say Carnival gets the win here.

 

Service: Celebrity is known for it's over the to service, and it's a bit of a noticeable difference, but that's not a complaint or a knock at all. Sometimes the "over the topness" actually gets to be too much. Never on this cruise did I encounter any staff member who was anything but very friendly and hospitable. For the price difference, I can certainly do without the extra politeness.

 

There were a few other noticeable differences...and I now this can change drastically from ship to ship. There was not a lot of space in the pool (and there was only one plus a small kids pool). Half the pool space was taken up as a landing spot for the water slide. Of course, mentioning that, the water slide is a plus (even though we didn't partake). Will say, hot tub wise, Carnival, even on a small ship, had many more than any previous cruise we have taken (I think there were 6 hot tubs on board).

 

I have to say, my biggest complaint overall, was coming back from port to only find the burger place, the pizza place and the deli open for food options. At 3 pm on a port day there should be many food options available. I had to wait 25 minutes to get a sandwich and that was by far the shortest waiting option.

 

So, sorry for being so wordy, I'm generally very concise but just got on a roll, I will certainly have carnival in my searches for future cruises, and might even give them priority because of the fabulous kids club, but if Celebrity or RCCL is a much better deal, I certainly wouldn't rule them out either.

I love Carnival, RCI and especially Celebrity. You do have to take into mind that Celebrity is a four star line, more of an equal comparison would be Celebrity and Princess. The Paradise was my first cruise ship and I enjoyed her but the Dream Class ships are my preference with Carnival followed by the Conquest Class (the Paradise no comparison to either). Good review.

I've never been on RCCL, but I have been on both Celebrity and Carnival, and while I prefer Carnival, my impressions are that the MDR food on Celebrity was leaps and bounds better than Carnival and the theater entertainment on Celebrity was amazing....and that's where Celebrity's edge ends. The buffet on Celebrity was horrible. The food choices outside of the MDR are far better on Carnival and outside of the theater the entertainment on Carnival is much better.

On Celebrity we were on a port intensive cruise and only had one sea day (thankfully) because I got bored. I'm an extrovert and always meet new people and love getting to know others and can usually occupy myself just making friends, but I seriously got bored on Celebrity. On our cruise there were no lounges with music or really anything at all to do outside of Bingo, casino (we don't gamble) and shows in the theater. We did find one fun activity with the Iron Chef competition that I took part in, but other than that nothing....in the evenings....nothing.

THANKS for your comparison, we have only traveled on 2 difference lines, Carnival and RCCL, to us the main difference was the food, I find myself liking Carnival better, definitely the MDR food, I guess in the Allure serving 3000+ each sitting, the logistics of keeping the food hot, fresh is a challenge, our main complaint, MDR food often came lukewarm at best and the Windjammer, bla, not enough seats ever, entertainment was leaps and bounds better on the Allure, wow!

Will this keep us from sailing with RCCL again, nope, not in the least! Been pondering Norwegian and or Celebrity next, who knows but we are far from loyalists. Carnival offers better bang for the buck then RCCL, RCCL was quite a bit more then Carnival and continues to be so and we found the two lines to more alike then different but very willing to try other lines, it is reviews like yours that helps us......

For our first cruise, we had our three children, so reviews of Camp Carnival as the best children's program was the only reason we chose them. Like you, our otherwise clingy daughter just loved loved loved it and just wanted to go back at every opportunity. My sister works for NCL and has tried to get us on one of those ships since forever. We may try a different line sometime now that the kids are mostly grown and don't go with us everytime, but we have been pretty happy with Carnival.

Hey, Just got back from our first Carnival Cruise, the Paradise out of Tampa.

 

I'll type up just a quick opinion of the cruise and line compared to others we have sailed (Celebrity and RCCL).

 

Just as a side note, we have always cruised just as a couple, this cruise included our 2 Year Old DD.

 

EMBARKATION: Our last few cruises on Celebrity we were lucky enough to book concierge class. Included in that class was the perk of shorter boarding lines and a quicker embarkation. I have to say, even without that special class, or FTTF (which I tried to book too late) our Embarkation was a breeze, even wit a 2 year old in tow. From the minute we got in the terminal, till the time we were on the ship, I'd say was 15 to 20 minutes tops.

 

FOOD: Honestly, I'm pretty happy with simple food, that being said, even an uneducated palate like my own could notice the difference in food quality and menus. I certainly have zero complains about Carnivals food, but that being said, I did find the menu options in the main dining room much more appealing on the other lines, I also found the food much more appealing at the buffet and even the pizza and burgers. Again, I'd gladly take another Carnival cruise tomorrow and enjoy the food, I'd just say it's a half step down from those other lines.

 

Camp Carnival: Although I have nothing to compare it to on the other lines, I do know Carnival is the only place my daughter could go at 2 without us being around. She enjoyed it immensely and would wake up in the morning and after naps asking if she could "go to the clubhouse". The staff there were truly amazing and it really made the cruise for us. I'll also lump in the Dr. Suess stuff here as well, my daughter loves characters and got to meet "thing 1 and thing 2", "sam I am" and "the cat in the hat" and loved every minute of it.

 

Entertainment: The entertainment you would encounter walking around the ship (bands, djs, etc...) seemed really good. It also seemed to be focused in only two ares (the lido deck and the bar just outside the casino). Part of this may have been the smaller ship size, I just recall on some earlier cruises walking around and coming across a piano player, or a solo performer, or a small quintet. We went to two shows in the theater, and to be honest, they were really good, and then not really good. The same performers who put on a great show on night two (rock theme) seem to have struck out on night three (British theme). Overall I'd say this was a step down from my previous cruises, again though, nothing that would make me stay away.

 

Cabins: The Paradise has very few balcony cabins, so we booked an outside room. I was really nervous about the size with two of us plus the crib and the toddler. To my surprise, it was plenty roomy and not an issue at all. Everything that was needed was there, it's a bit of an older ship, so no real modern upgrades, but that's ok, it worked great and we were very comfortable. I'd rate it on par with previous cruises, and considering we were in concierge class on previous cruises I'd actually say Carnival gets the win here.

 

Service: Celebrity is known for it's over the to service, and it's a bit of a noticeable difference, but that's not a complaint or a knock at all. Sometimes the "over the topness" actually gets to be too much. Never on this cruise did I encounter any staff member who was anything but very friendly and hospitable. For the price difference, I can certainly do without the extra politeness.

 

There were a few other noticeable differences...and I now this can change drastically from ship to ship. There was not a lot of space in the pool (and there was only one plus a small kids pool). Half the pool space was taken up as a landing spot for the water slide. Of course, mentioning that, the water slide is a plus (even though we didn't partake). Will say, hot tub wise, Carnival, even on a small ship, had many more than any previous cruise we have taken (I think there were 6 hot tubs on board).

 

I have to say, my biggest complaint overall, was coming back from port to only find the burger place, the pizza place and the deli open for food options. At 3 pm on a port day there should be many food options available. I had to wait 25 minutes to get a sandwich and that was by far the shortest waiting option.

 

So, sorry for being so wordy, I'm generally very concise but just got on a roll, I will certainly have carnival in my searches for future cruises, and might even give them priority because of the fabulous kids club, but if Celebrity or RCCL is a much better deal, I certainly wouldn't rule them out either.

If you liked the Paradise, then you should definately look at some of Carnival's newer/redone ships like Breeze, Magic and Sunshine. They have tons more to offer, with still the great program for the kdis.

Thanks for the review. I love to read these & get everyone's perspective. :) We had a great cruise on Paradise and I'm glad you enjoyed it as well.

I have to say, my biggest complaint overall, was coming back from port to only find the burger place, the pizza place and the deli open for food options. At 3 pm on a port day there should be many food options available. I had to wait 25 minutes to get a sandwich and that was by far the shortest waiting option.

Nice comparison. That was a big complaint for me on one of my first cruises, we came back to the ship ready to have lunch and they were literally taking the trays of food as we were trying to get food from them and they didn't care. I agree that on port days the buffet times should be a little longer.

THANKS for your comparison, we have only traveled on 2 difference lines, Carnival and RCCL, to us the main difference was the food, I find myself liking Carnival better, definitely the MDR food, I guess in the Allure serving 3000+ each sitting, the logistics of keeping the food hot, fresh is a challenge, our main complaint, MDR food often came lukewarm at best and the Windjammer, bla, not enough seats ever, entertainment was leaps and bounds better on the Allure, wow!

 

Will this keep us from sailing with RCCL again, nope, not in the least! Been pondering Norwegian and or Celebrity next, who knows but we are far from loyalists. Carnival offers better bang for the buck then RCCL, RCCL was quite a bit more then Carnival and continues to be so and we found the two lines to more alike then different but very willing to try other lines, it is reviews like yours that helps us......

This is pretty close to our opinion on Allure vs several Carnival ships. Although, we really like the Windjammer food. Like the lunch options on the 2.0 ships more though. We like the pool sizes on Allure better but my kids like water slides in favor of the Flow Rider. Main entertainment, much better on Royal, smaller venues, better on Carnival, specifically family friendly comedy AND we don't like needing a ticket ahead of time for the show. That said, we have Royal booked in Nov and just got back from the Breeze in Jan. 😊 I like Princess food better but you have to make all your own fun on those ones.

Fun comparison, OP. Sounds like you have a great attitude. Glad you enjoyed your trip!

Thanks for the comparision. Since I'm always looking at other lines it's nice to know how they stack up to what I know.

Hey, Just got back from our first Carnival Cruise, the Paradise out of Tampa.

I was just on the Paradise a few months ago. Had a ball, and it was a steal for the 4 day trip.

Keep in mind, that the Paradise is one of Carnivals smallest and oldest ships. Therefore, it's not the best one to "compare" to a premier line like Celebrity ... or the larger RCCL ships.

The bigger, newer Carnival ships, like Magic, Conquest and Pride all have many more dining options, including for lunch on port days - some ships also have "Funship 2.0" additions, like waterworks, Guy's Burgers (BEST burger at sea or maybe on earth!) Blue Iguana Cantina, etc.

My next Carnival cruise is on the Pride in 8 days ... can't wait!

Cheers!

Jeff aka Recovery Dude

I love reading other opinions! My family (6 of us) went on 2 cruises last year: one was on Princess and one was on Carnival. I think we have 3 different opinions on which buffet was better, which pizza was better, which kids club, etc. There was no differing opinion which cruise was better: 7 days in Alaska beat out the 4 day Ensenada trip. Itinerary and convenient departure times and ports will decide for us. We are booked on Carnival 7 days to Mexico in October because we can drive to the departure port and it is during my kids' fall break :)

My opinion: pizza-Carnival, kids club-Carnival, breakfast Princess, traditional dining Carnival, decor-Princess, service quality-Princess, service friendliness-Carnival, elevators-Princess. I could go on and on about every detail and which I liked over the other but the bottom line is that I liked both cruise lines.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts about your Carnival cruise! I didn't find your post wordy at all, but instead quite enjoyable. Many of us have plenty to say about cruising because we enjoy it so much! I'm glad you had a good time. I'd love to see any photos you have to share, especially the Dr. Seuss ones. It sounds like your DD had a blast with that. What great memories you're bound to have from those experiences!

I share your perspective on many of the things you critiqued. I agree the food could be better, especially compared to what Carnival used to offer before the cost cutting that came out of the Great Recession period.

One other big plus for Carnival over some other lines IMO is the fact that you have so many choices for embarkation ports which can really bring the cost of a vacation down. If you choose to fly to your cruise port, you can shop airfare cost for various port cities along with cruise prices for the various ports. And for many, having more embarkation port choices gives the reasonable option of driving to the port although I've never done that in 20+ years of cruising.

I think Carnival staff are phenomenal! They really bend over backwards to provide a good cruise experience, especially at the price point that Carnival offers. I agree with you that the "over the top" politeness is not a necessity, but great service is always appreciated. After 29 Carnival cruises, I can say that Carnival staff rock! It seems like every time I've cruised the past couple years, a Carnival staff member approaches me onboard to tell me they remember me from a previous cruise. How amazing is that considering how many passengers they see every cruise!? And I have to say I appreciate the less stuffy atmosphere on Carnival. Some of the other lines can be pretty stuffy. Who needs that? Certainly not me when I'm on vacation! I guess some people enjoy that though. :)

I'd also like to see Carnival invest more in refurbishing their older ships. I love the older, smaller ships that Carnival has, but I've noticed they need some TLC. And people seem to love the 2.0 upgrades and seem to tend to gravitate to ships that offer those, so I can only imagine making those 2.0 upgrades on their older ships would improve bookings and demand. I have several friends that won't even consider Carnival's older ships because of that.

Thanks for your post!

Hi just finishing my first carnival cruise after only celebrity before. Pros: serenity section, really good internet at a reasonable price, lunch choices, Italian restaurant for dinner, nice size for an interior room, dive in movies, price (very important as I went solo so had to pay double!).

Cons: mdr food (worst lobster I've ever had....abandoned after second night), no tpool, the serenity pool was never warm enough to go into despite 87 degree weather, missed celebrity's awesome coffee shop with a view and table service, number of hot tubs, loud announcements from cruise director throughout day.

I will definitely sail carnival again; there are enough good things and I don't really care about the mdr with the other choices.

Thanks for the review.

Thanks so much for the positive feedback on my opinions and ever more so for expressing your own opinions.

I'll see if I can get a few pics up too, although 99% of my photos are of my daughter rather than the ship :)

If this was on facebook i would have "liked" each and everyone of your posts.

So glad to see your message! I am so afraid to pull the trigger on a carnival cruise bc I have never been on the line before. Cruising also has changed so much in the last few years that in not sure what we want anymore. Our favorite was Disney with the kids then RCCL close to Celebrity did not like NCL. Dislike anytime dining very much! After that started doing all inclusive resorts but miss cruising and the entertainment factor and special service factor. I think we will prefer an older ship (bigger may not be better for us in this case) so many mixed reviews on carnival ships, felt as though your review was honest and really what I would expect and not some of the horror I have read.. So thank you!!

apples:oranges

Try a Dream class ship next

Thank you for your comparison!

apples:oranges

 

 

 

Try a Dream class ship next

 

 

 

Thank you for your comparison!

Is the Magic a dream class ship.? Not familiar with Carnival ships at all.

Some quick memories:

Carnival Legend, many years ago...food and service was awful. Glad to read the positive review. We are going on the Dream in September and are looking forward to it.

I think that there are pluses and minuses for all lines. Some memories:

MSC Divina - wonderful food, fabulous entertainment...However, my sister went recently on the same ship and said the food and many other things on her cruise were so bad that they actually were happy to get off the ship. (She isn't usually a "complainer")

Celebrity Equinox - Fabulous service and great food...Most of the entertainment not good at all.

RC Liberty of the Seas - Food good, entertainment excellent.

NCL Sky - One of the most fun cruises we've ever taken.

NCL Sun - food awful.

NCL Dawn - loved this cruise!

RC Majesty of the Seas - Entertainment good, food just OK.

Caribbean Princess,Celebrity Solstice....Happy with most things.

Bahamas Celebration - for the price, it was a good cruise. Can't compare to other ships though.

Overall I'd say the Celebrity and Princess are a bit upscale, NCL, RC and Carnival are more "lively".

We usually pick our cruises based on the ports/activities there. However, now that we've been to most Caribbean ports, the ships will be more of a consideration in the future. We are also looking into the Windstar/Windsurf cruise (windjammer type w/sails). I keep thinking about Alaska also, but this FL girl doesn't like weather under 80!

When reading reviews on CC I'm always amazed at how people go on the same cruise and return with such mixed opinions...Different strokes for different folk!

Our very first cruise was on Celebrity Constellation. It was too formal an atmosphere for us. Awesome wait staff in the MDR, but service was too much, at times. For example, if you opened a package of crackers: before you placed the wrapper on to a plate....staff person would retrieve it, in midair! You felt like asking the staff person, to "pull up a chair" at your table, since they intruded into any private dining experience.

On formal nights, men wore at least suits/ties, but many wore tuxedos. Again, emphasis on very formal.

Have taken several RCCL cruises, and one Carnival. Both of these cruise lines are much more relaxed, in overall atmosphere. More fun, IMO. Celebrity emphasized million dollar art auctions, through out the cruise.

So after our first Celebrity cruise, we never went back. We are "laid back", easy to please people. Celebrity is generally more expensive, but is deserving of its cost.

But we will take a band by the pool, over a harp player on Celebrity, any cruise day.

Is the Magic a dream class ship.? Not familiar with Carnival ships at all.

Yes

Thanks