How are the mattresses?

Are mattresses comfortable? (I know that's subjective.) Hard? Soft? We'll be in a GS suite on Fantasy if that makes any difference. I'm wondering if I should plan to take a foam topper since my back aches if I sleep on too hard a mattress.

I've had everything from brand new firm to saggy. Never know what you'll get.

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We love the beds and the bedding. We think the beds are mostly on the firmer side.

I personally have never gotten a bad one and always sleep great. DH has an iffy back and he always seems to sleep fine as well, never complained once. The best that I can describe my average experience is a bit soft but not too soft at least for me.

I personally have never gotten a bad one and always sleep great. DH has an iffy back and he always seems to sleep fine as well, never complained once. The best that I can describe my average experience is a bit soft but not too soft at least for me.

That sounds great. It's reassuring for my back! Thanks.

Different ship, but we were just on sunshine. I have a back injury from a 30+ year old motorcycle accident and I find some hotel beds just don't work well for me. We have a Tempurpedic at home which is the best I have found for us. I had no issues at all with the bed on the cruise. It was actually very good from our viewpoint.

I have a bad back but sleep WONDERFULLY on cruises.

On another note, do you honestly carry a mattress topper with you when you travel? I just can't imagine someone carrying one of those big things around with them wherever they go.

Having been on more than a dozen Carnival cruises, I can say that the beds are definitely "hit or miss".

5 or more years ago, Carnival bedding was a big thing and we slept like babies.

Since then we've seen issues reported with the bed quality. We've had two or three cruises where we'd have done better off sleeping on a chair in the MDR!!!

I approach each cruise with a positive attitude wishing that the bed in our cabin is one of the "good ones". They might be the same brand and style, but believe me, they are ALL not of the same quality.

Never had a problem with carnival mattress- hotel ones those I can say hurt like hell. Way to hard

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I love the bedding. I sleep so well.

We were in a GS on the Fantasy in 2015 and the bed was firm but not too bad. My back and hip did ok. I will say that the bed was too hard on the Pride and our cabin steward put an extra comforter on top (under the bottom sheet) after we spoke to her. That seemed to do the trick for us. :)

Are mattresses comfortable? (I know that's subjective.) Hard? Soft? We'll be in a GS suite on Fantasy if that makes any difference. I'm wondering if I should plan to take a foam topper since my back aches if I sleep on too hard a mattress.

I find the beds on the ships very hard. I ask our cabin steward to take the comforter off the bed, put it under the fitted sheet, and make the bed with a blanket. It's much more comfortable for me.

I swear I read somewhere that you can request a topper, so you don't have to transport one.

Oh I found an old thread! http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1686898

I asked DH about this bcs he has sailed more Carnival than I have, about 10 years. He simply said that if a bed is too hard then it's almost an immediate problem but he doesn't remember ever having that problem. But obviously some people have, but yes you can request a topper I believe on every ship that we've been, bcs I remember hearing people talk about doing that. Ofc you can also request extra pillows as DH always does :-)

Are mattresses comfortable? (I know that's subjective.) Hard? Soft? We'll be in a GS suite on Fantasy if that makes any difference. I'm wondering if I should plan to take a foam topper since my back aches if I sleep on too hard a mattress.

I've sailed Carnival for many years. Carnival used to have great mattresses (along with great linens), but no longer. Part of Carnival's cost-cutting has been their mattresses.

Expect that you'll only tolerate Carnival's mattresses for the duration of your cruise, and you'll be really happy to get home to your own bed.

For some people, this will be a non-issue. But for those with health issues, this could be a really big deal.

It's up to you to determine where you fall in that range.

On my recent past Carnival cruises, it has been like sleeping on a flat board platform with a thin layer of compressed material. In my opinion, there has been nothing about it that could be described as comfortable.

We have had everything from supremely soft and supportive to total rock. Unfortunately, total rock seems to becoming more typical. I agree with winddawn that the mattresses used to be wonderful, but no more.

I always find the cabin steward first thing, and ask for both a topper and a spare comforter underneath, and can usually deal with the rock mattress if I have both.

Good luck!

Wendy

I have a back back too, L5 S1 surgery a few years ago. I've never had a problem with a Carnival bed's firmness, it's just the size that bugs me. I would describe them as moderately firm and tiny. My bed experience in eight cruises has been very consistent.

Between the alcohol, the activities, ship or shore, the motion of the ocean, sleeping is very easy on cruise. We both sleep like babies. We had a 9am room service and the door knocking woke us up

One big positive about Carnival ships -- Very Good Mattresses! (y)

I'll be sailing on Carnival #27 soon (started in 2001) and I've never had a bad mattress. I haven't seen any decline in quality over the past few years.

Yes, maybe I've been lucky and haven't had one that was due to be replaced the next week. Or one that was just replaced.

But I typically have inside cabins and in those nice dark cabins, and after a full day of activities and eating and drinking, I sleep extremely well. Yes, I have a bad back, too.

Are mattresses comfortable? (I know that's subjective.) Hard? Soft? We'll be in a GS suite on Fantasy if that makes any difference. I'm wondering if I should plan to take a foam topper since my back aches if I sleep on too hard a mattress.

You never know which one YOU will get.

I've had everything from brand new firm to saggy. Never know what you'll get.

 

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Sounds like some of my blind dates.

Have been on several 2 week long cruises and have never had an issue with the bed. The mattresses and the linens are very nice.

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Due to back and hip injuries from horseback riding, I prefer a firm, supportive mattress. I don't know how anyone with a bad back can stand a soft mattress! I've found Carnival mattresses to be a little soft for my preference, but not so much that they disturb my sleep. Just enough that I usually end up booking a massage towards the end of the cruise.

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Excellent, I've never had a problem and I'm lying on one right now and it is so comfortable.