"Oh I would never sail with Carnival"

I heard that so often over the last 5 days on the Connie. People, I just want to let you know that having now experienced a celebrity ship I can honestly say it is no better or worse than all the mass market cruise lines! They all have good points and bad.

The good in my opinion were:-

smooth embarkation and debarkation.

Loved bistro on 5

Loved the coffee shop

Loved the spa cafe and the thallasso pool area

great choice of different seating areas

Good buffet choices and quality of food

Staff were attentive and friendly

Liked the tranquility of deck 4

Liked having the drink package

Martini bar and wine bar

The poor was:-

Layout of the casino way too crowded

Loud music near martini bar almost trying to enforce a party atmosphere

Cold food in main dining room

Room service waited over 1 hour 15mins to get a chicken sandwich

Ocean Liners food ok but not worth 45.00 up charge, 25.00 would have been reasonable.

Spa overpriced and not at all restful

Persian gardens was like a dark cave not at all what I expected or have experienced on other cruises.

I was also amazed at how many people thought because they had cruised a number of times on celebrity they could comment on how much better it was than the other lines but after a short conversation it became clear they had never actually cruised on the line they were making derogatory comments about.

I also witnessed a woman who went for breakfast in the main dining room then had the waiter get everything she wanted to eat from the spa cafe for her. He said it would take some time but he did it for her, then she took only a few bites and left the food. Why not just eat in the spa cafe? Or did she just like to have someone run around after her because she knew he would?

The same woman then proceeded to tell me about the muesli she was eating describing it to me as cold oatmeal. When I told her I knew what muesli was she looked shocked - she had assumed it was only served on Celebrity ships as she had never experienced it any where else. I have been eating muesli for about 45 years and I would not have described it the way she did.

Overall apart from the snobbery that was evident by some passengers actions and comments we had a great cruise as usual. Would I sail again with celebrity....already booked to South America!

I've sailed Carnival several times and I've never had a bad experience. I love Celebrity but when I travel with a group - I'll go along with what the majority can afford. The food on X is only slightly better in mho and the service on Carnival is every bit as good as X. The experience of Carnival is different - more lively, louder and a bit more of a party feel however the drunkest people I've ever seen were on X - so go figure. When I want fun, fun, fun - Carnival is great and when I want relaxing, refined and romantic then Celebrity it is.

The 'biggie' for many re Celebrity is the more restrictive smoking policy. I have never used Carnival, only having experienced NCL and HAL in the past. We switched to Celebrity primarily re their more restrictive smoking policy and would sail NCL, HAL again but for this aspect as would be the case with Carnival.

I have never had a bad cruise and that includes Carnival ,Celebrity and RC.

I have also never heard people slagging other cruise lines when on board and that includes a recent Connie cruise.

OP, where were you hanging out on Connie when you heard all these disparaging comments about Carnival ?:confused:

Most times you have to go to CC or CNN to hear people slam Carnival. :D

Off topic but the cruise that least met my expectations (while still being OK) was my recent March cruise on the Constellation .

The cruise that most exceeded my expectations was on Carnivals Fascination. In fairness my expectations were lower.

We heard people in the bars, dining room and the pool areas different people at different times. They were also very fond of starting conversations with " Have you sailed celebrity before? We are elite."

Most of the passengers were very "normal" and not snobby at all, just families out to have a good vacation, but when you hear these comments more than once a day you have to wonder why people have to be so blinkered.

It did not spoil our cruise but I just wanted people to be reassured all the mass market cruise lines are more similar than different and each has pro's and con's.

I've sailed Carnival several times and I've never had a bad experience. I love Celebrity but when I travel with a group - I'll go along with what the majority can afford. The food on X is only slightly better in mho and the service on Carnival is every bit as good as X. The experience of Carnival is different - more lively, louder and a bit more of a party feel however the drunkest people I've ever seen were on X - so go figure. When I want fun, fun, fun - Carnival is great and when I want relaxing, refined and romantic then Celebrity it is.

Yes I would agree, I saw more drunks on celebrity than on carnival especially in the 50-70 age range passengers. I suppose younger adults are able to hold their liquor or are better at hiding it. We all know as you get older the metabolism slows as does the ability to drink alcohol in such quantities.

I would not agree that celebrity was refined it had the same ambiance as all the other mass market cruises.

Our cruise "careers" started with Carnival, and I do still have wonderful memories of those cruises. Their service was always stellar, and I remember their food always being very good. In fact, to this day, I still feel the best desserts on any cruise line were the ones we had on Carnival. (On that note: why, oh why, can't I just have a slice of chocolate cake with white icing... or vanilla cake with chocolate icing? Why does it always have to be something flourless, or with fruit layers or gobs and gobs of whipped cream, or something that took the master-chef five hours to prepare that tastes like cardboard? Am I the only one that thinks the King is naked? :))

We stopped cruising on Carnival because we fell head-over-heels in love with what Royal Caribbean and Celebrity had to offer. We quickly transitioned to Royal. Now we see ourselved transitioning more to Celebrity. After a while, those loyalty levels are just too hard to walk away from.

Plus, to be honest, Carnival seemed to be catering to a crowd that just wasn't us anymore. (like letting people into the main dining room with tuxedo printed T-shirts on on formal night... and this was back when formal night was important) But recently, I've been hearing and reading that Carnival has turned their act around, and that they would probably be appealing to us again.

Would I consider a Carnival cruise these days... probably! (to be fair though, we really should give Princess and NCL a few looks, too)

Just off the Connie yesterday after doing a B2B. I don't recall the "I am Elite" phrase being used, but then I guess it just depends on whose company you keep. I, for one, would never sail on Carnival. They just don't appeal to me. That's not to say they are a bad cruise line - just not my type. I have heard people say that but just assumed they had similar feelings to mine. There was no Carnival bashing - at least, none that I heard.

The Captain, the crew and the passengers (for the most part) were outstanding on the Connie. Other than no limes - something we had a lot of fun with - the cruises were pretty close to perfect.

Have cruised twice with Celebrity with last month being the latest and I have found nothing but friendly fellow guests on board. Never once has anyone asked me if I had cruised other lines or made any negative comments about another cruise line. I think most could care less. Interesting. :confused:

Yes I would agree, I saw more drunks on celebrity than on carnival especially in the 50-70 age range passengers. I suppose younger adults are able to hold their liquor or are better at hiding it. We all know as you get older the metabolism slows as does the ability to drink alcohol in such quantities.

Is that ever the truth! I am only 56, but I drink one glass of wine and I am asleep. Feel the free beverage package is a waste for me.:rolleyes: Is there anything that I can do to increase my metabolism and tolerance for alcohol? :eek:

Just off the Connie yesterday after doing a B2B. I don't recall the "I am Elite" phrase being used, but then I guess it just depends on whose company you keep. I, for one, would never sail on Carnival. They just don't appeal to me. That's not to say they are a bad cruise line - just not my type. I have heard people say that but just assumed they had similar feelings to mine. There was no Carnival bashing - at least, none that I heard.

 

The Captain, the crew and the passengers (for the most part) were outstanding on the Connie. Other than no limes - something we had a lot of fun with - the cruises were pretty close to perfect.

Beth, you should try Carnival. :) The appeal is from what you have heard, not from what you have experienced. Carnival is really no different than today's Celebrity. Especially if Carnival is stepping things up a bit, as reported.

All of our Carnival cruises have been good and we saw no difference in party atmosphere (we are not big partiers and do not stay out late) from Celebrity or RCCL. We've done 2 family cruises on the Carnival Glory and Victory, and one in 2010 out of Charleston, SC (Glory) where we drove my parents for their last cruise.:( They were big HAL fans, but took several cruises with us on other lines, as well as HAL. On that 2010 cruise, we all thought that the food was wonderful, and was equal to HAL's!

I've been on several cruises on CCL, NCL, RCCL, HAL and one each on X and Princess. To be quite honest, most of them seemed very similar to me.

BUT, most of them have not been during school vacations, or have been a bit longer (9-12 days), somewhat more "exotic" itineraries than the standard Caribbean itinerary. Regardless of cruise line, this changes the demographic and, therefore, the whole "feel" of the ship.

If people on a Celebrity ship have only ever cruised CCL on, say, a 3 or 4 day itinerary to Nassau, well, sure, I can understand the negative comparison. THAT is at its very essence a party-barge cruise. (Although that very itinerary is what got us hooked on cruising years ago).

If you had plunked them down on a Mediterranean 12-day, on a newer ship (which we did last October), and didn't tell them they were on CCL, they would probably be hard-pressed to figure out which line they were on.

When making comments about Carnival, one needs to take into account all the enhancements/cutbacks (depends on how big a cheerleader you are) Carnival has done to their product.

Today's Carnival is no where near the same experience as it used to be. While I used to have no qualms about booking a Carnival cruise, today they are not even on my list of cruise lines I would consider.

I've been on several cruises on CCL, NCL, RCCL, HAL and one each on X and Princess. To be quite honest, most of them seemed very similar to me.

BUT, most of them have not been during school vacations, or have been a bit longer (9-12 days), somewhat more "exotic" itineraries than the standard Caribbean itinerary. Regardless of cruise line, this changes the demographic and, therefore, the whole "feel" of the ship.

If people on a Celebrity ship have only ever cruised CCL on, say, a 3 or 4 day itinerary to Nassau, well, sure, I can understand the negative comparison. THAT is at its very essence a party-barge cruise. (Although that very itinerary is what got us hooked on cruising years ago).

If you had plunked them down on a Mediterranean 12-day, on a newer ship (which we did last October), and didn't tell them they were on CCL, they would probably be hard-pressed to figure out which line they were on.

I agree a short 3/4 day is totally different experience to a longer cruise. Like you we got hooked on cruising on one of them and have since enjoyed many more 19 days being the longest we have taken. For us the short cruises are a mini break destination unimportant, close to home port for convenience and we bargain hunt at the last minute. For our main vacation destination is the number one priority, ship 2nd and price 3rd.

Just off the Connie yesterday after doing a B2B. I don't recall the "I am Elite" phrase being used, but then I guess it just depends on whose company you keep. I, for one, would never sail on Carnival. They just don't appeal to me. That's not to say they are a bad cruise line - just not my type. I have heard people say that but just assumed they had similar feelings to mine. There was no Carnival bashing - at least, none that I heard.

 

The Captain, the crew and the passengers (for the most part) were outstanding on the Connie. Other than no limes - something we had a lot of fun with - the cruises were pretty close to perfect.

I believe we briefly spoke with you at the Martini bar and do recall you telling us you would never sail on carnival. I see from your signature you have never been on a carnival ship, why do you feel this way if you have no first hand experience of that line?

Is that ever the truth! I am only 56, but I drink one glass of wine and I am asleep. Feel the free beverage package is a waste for me.:rolleyes: Is there anything that I can do to increase my metabolism and tolerance for alcohol? :eek:

 

 

 

Beth, you should try Carnival. :) The appeal is from what you have heard, not from what you have experienced. Carnival is really no different than today's Celebrity. Especially if Carnival is stepping things up a bit, as reported.

 

All of our Carnival cruises have been good and we saw no difference in party atmosphere (we are not big partiers and do not stay out late) from Celebrity or RCCL. We've done 2 family cruises on the Carnival Glory and Victory, and one in 2010 out of Charleston, SC (Glory) where we drove my parents for their last cruise.:( They were big HAL fans, but took several cruises with us on other lines, as well as HAL. On that 2010 cruise, we all thought that the food was wonderful, and was equal to HAL's!

For me it comes down to what type experience I want on a cruise. I cruised with Carnival for many years and put 16 cruises under my belt with them. At one time I would not even step out and try other lines. Things change. I got older and starting wanting things that Carnival did not offer. One was a good suite program. Carnival is dead last with thier suites program. They offer a nice sized room but that's it.

When I left Carnival they had no past guest program in place. I know that they have now added one but it still not up to the other lines.

I had no problems with food or entertainment on Carnival but I have read about the new entertainment cuts and those comments are from long time Carnival fans. In the end I don't plan to find out. Carnival is no longer on my list of options. I know that for many they love the product. At one time I did but again my needs changed. Every other cruise line that I have cruised IMHO is a better overall option for me with X being the top of my list at this time. I will also state that the onboard atmosphere between the two cruise lines is night and day different. :)

This cruise life is serious business. I never hear that much passion when discussion an AI hotel. :) To be snobs about cruising is laughable. You're Elite, I'm not...and...we're both on the same ship.

My first cruise was on Carnival to the Bahamas. It was just ok. I thought the ship was old and activites lacking. The food was good from what I recall. Throw in last year's debacles at sea and how they handled it, I had no incentive or desire to sail again. My second cruise was on X Summit S. Carib. I really enjoyed it. My third cruise was on Royal and that one is the most memorable for me. I have a fourth cruise booked again on X with the same itin. Personally I think Royal has more of what I look for in a cruise vacation. I think they've masterd the balance between fun and classy. The atmosphere is great, activites stellar, food was ok. It's contemporary and gives me the party vibe without being sloppy. X is a touch more reserved. I don't picture sailing Carnival in the immediate future. I would never bash them.

s that ever the truth! I am only 56, but I drink one glass of wine and I am asleep. Feel the free beverage package is a waste for me. Is there anything that I can do to increase my metabolism and tolerance for alcohol?

The only thing I do is to ensure I am eating frequently as otherwise that glass of wine goes straight to my head too. I have also learnt to take it slowly with glasses of water in between alcoholic drinks.

We have sailed a variety of cruise lines. And I would sail on each of them again. But if I were asked to rank them I would put Carnival at the bottom of my list - and it's for one reason only. The Miracle - ugliest MDR I have seen in my life, of course that is my opinion, YMMV. Also our wait staff was so overworked I felt sorry for them. Our head waiter had 6 or 7 tables. We saw him when he took our orders and we didn't see him again. The food was delivered by his assistants, really not a problem, but then we were not checked on about our meal, sometimes we would go all the way through dinner before we checked on to see if we needed anything.

Thanks for your opinion, observations, and experiences. Have experienced some of the same on the Constellation. Duirng the Mar 2013 cruise the electronic drum beater by the Martini Bar was loud distortion, and the Persain Gardens is a dungeon.

We have sailed many more times on Carnival than on X. My only dislike about Carnival is the smoking policy, but you can't please everyone with everything and the smokers need a cruise line.

I don't umderstand why many people need to be catered to and have seen it many times. They are oboxious, demanding, rude and I am sure live a unhappy live. I think their main goal is to make others as miserable as they are. They exist on all cruise lines, not unique to any cruise line.

I haven't come across too many that brag or boast about their status, normally when cruises come up during a conversation I like to play dumb and act as if it is my first cruise, that way I can get their BS, and maybe learn something. I have seen more on Princess and Carnival flaunting their status by wearing their cabin cards on a landyard to let everyone see what level they are.

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I have seen more on Princess and Carnival flaunting their status by wearing their cabin cards on a landyard to let everyone see what level they are.

 

LOL! If/when I wear MY cabin card on a lanyard, it's only so I know where it is. In fact, one cruise, I got a different color card from my husband and didn't even realize that it meant something. (shows you how much status means to me!):o

I have seen more on Princess and Carnival flaunting their status by wearing their cabin cards on a landyard to let everyone see what level they are.

 

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My DW wears her's on a lanyard so that she won't accidentally walk away from the casino without it. I however am forever running back to a slot machine because I left my card in the machine.

I've loved all my Celebrity cruises. Have two more booked at the moment. Have loved other cruise lines as well. But when I took my first cruise on Constellation as a "trial" out of Miami (short Bahamas cruise) I wasn't so sure at first. There was a Roll Call meetup arranged by several folks for sailaway. We met at the Sunset bar. Well planned affair with name tags and flowers for the ladies.

There was one woman who must have been Elite (at the time) because she claimed to have been on "many Celebrity sailings". As normal, there were many ships in port in Miami. The Carnival Breeze was there (which I highly recommend by the way) and was leaving port before Constellation. As they pulled out, this woman was making bold statements about how she would never set foot on a Carnival ship and they only attracted certain types of passengers. Well, I didn't want to mention to her that my wife and I had sailed Carnival many times - and we were one of those people. ;) She had this very snobby attitude which I was afraid would be shared by many other Celebrity passengers and happily I found it was not that way at all. Have met all kinds of great people onboard my three Celebrity cruises.

The funny thing was the Carnival Breeze was having a very fun deck party as they pulled along side. Dancing, music, crowds going wild and having a blast. And here we were in a much more subdued state on Constellation. And all she could say was "Look at those people". I felt sorry for her.

My wife and I have been fortunate enough to cruise a total of 11 times over the years. We have a Disney grandchildren's cruise in a little over a month and a Celebrity 14 day for just the two of us booked in January, 2015. We have sailed on Celebrity, Premier (Disney Big Red Boat), Royal Caribbean, and Carnival. We have always enjoyed the overall experience on each line. We would not trade our cruise experiences on any of these lines for anything. I do believe that the corporate philosophy relating to the cruise experience is different between the Carnival brand ships and the Royal Caribbean brand ships, but that is not a bad thing in my opinion. Lots of choice for lots of folks makes for a healthy cruise industry as far as I am concerned.

Happy Cruising to All on All Lines Who take to the Seas, Lakes, or Rivers!

My 1st two cruises were on X and we were on the Summit two times just a few years ago. My spouse and I agree that X also cut back on their onboard extras that always put them above the other lines but now most mass lines are equal.

When making comments about Carnival, one needs to take into account all the enhancements/cutbacks (depends on how big a cheerleader you are) Carnival has done to their product.

 

Today's Carnival is no where near the same experience as it used to be. While I used to have no qualms about booking a Carnival cruise, today they are not even on my list of cruise lines I would consider.

I agree that Carnival has done a lot of cutbacks, which is one thing that made us look at other lines. But I have not totally ruled them out. I loved all of my Carnival cruises for the most part (it WAS vacation afterall). Before the last one they made some changes. They changed the loyalty program and people that used to be gold members got demoted to red. My DH was one of those. Therefore only I got invited to the past guest party (free drinks). They got rid of the farewell party (another free drink event). And the food in the MDR was not as good as it had been in the past. But they also added 2.0 to the ship and some new venues in the buffet. So it did not exactly even out, but it softened the blow.

Now I hear that they are experimenting with a new menu, which looks even more limited to me. If they go fleetwide with that, they will probably not be on my list at all. Right now they are not off the list, just not a priority. DH and I actually toyed with the idea of taking a short cheap cruise this fall and if we do, it will be on Carnival. But next year when we take our 10 year anniversary and my 40th B-day cruise, Carnival is not even in the equation (unless they offer me a free cruise). Right now it is looking like its going to be Royal, due to the ships and itineraries available.

For me, its not that Carnival is a party ship or a floating Walmart or whatever I hear. Its just that they have chipped away at the experience to the point that: 1. its not that great of a value and 2. It ticks me off. If they make it a better value to me, I might come back. Unless someone else offers me a better deal.