Is Carnival really that bad?

We are happy and thrilled to be sailing the Glory again in a few short weeks...I believe the cruise is what YOU make it...our first ship was the GLORY and sold us on cruising way back when...glad to be back on her soon. Cruising to me is not having to worry about where we are going to eat, where to park the car, what hotel to stay at...etc..I do expect basic things on board like my room cleaned and fresh towels and maybe ice. I can always find something to eat I'm not picky ....most of the choices on board are actually MINE...so I'd say I'm pretty much responsible for having a good time :D

I've always loved all of my NCL cruises, so I'm surprised to read that some will never use them.

 

I've not tried Carnival yet, but we are considering it on the Miracle this Fall to Mexican Riviera

Back in the day when we started cruising CCL (1998) Carnival was head and shoulders above NCL.

Since then CCL has gone backwards and NCL has been moving ahead.

Both still goid products .

Once Kevin Sheehan started as CEO they started making great strides improving their product.

Bill

However, his yuck attitude towards Carnival's service and as a cruise line in general came through. In general was saying why would anyone ever want to cruise with Carnival.

Well, seriously, if you are employed by a company, you are not likely to bad-mouth your current employer to a customer, whether or not you, personally, prefer one over another. Not if you want to stay employed.

Back in the day when we started cruising CCL (1998) Carnival was head and shoulders above NCL.

 

 

 

Since then CCL has gone backwards and NCL has been moving ahead.

 

 

 

Both still goid products .

 

 

 

Once Kevin Sheehan started as CEO they started making great strides improving their product.

 

 

 

Bill

Let's just hope it stays on that path with Kevin Sheehan no longer in command

Let's just hope it stays on that path with Kevin Sheehan no longer in command

I agree. FDR has already raised the drink and soda prices as well as the DSC.

My initial reaction is that it won!t but time will tell.

Bill

its what you make of it...so many posters are "entitled" and expect a cruise to be like being in their home and have everything the same....geez......I love carnival, use your mind and don't be swayed by what others say! (including me!)

We are taking our FIRST Carnival cruise in oct on the Glory. We were super excited to try a new line as we have only been on NCL. But seems all i read on the FB page and other review sites is negative feedback!! Is carnival really become that bad? It cost us alot in airfare to make these trips from Colorado and im kinda worried now...[emoji27]

I haven't read all the comments but, this is just my feeling.

We had sailed on Carnival a few times. We then decided to go on NCL...actually forced as it was a family cruise to Alaska and we weren't paying for it. We went and hated it. Loved Alaska but, hated NCL. I came back and cancelled my cruise on the Getaway that I booked prior to taking the cruise on NCL. I then turned around and booked Carnival immediately. I went on the NCL Jewel and I will not make that mistake again. That should tell you something. Is Carnival for everyone...no...but it is right for us.:D

Another thing I like about Carnival's rooms, they are a "tad" larger than the other ships. I have checked out the other ships sizes also.

I haven't read all the comments but, this is just my feeling.

 

We had sailed on Carnival a few times. We then decided to go on NCL...actually forced as it was a family cruise to Alaska and we weren't paying for it. We went and hated it. Loved Alaska but, hated NCL. I came back and cancelled my cruise on the Getaway that I booked prior to taking the cruise on NCL. I then turned around and booked Carnival immediately. I went on the NCL Jewel and I will not make that mistake again. That should tell you something. Is Carnival for everyone...no...but it is right for us.:D

Carnival does me just fine too. Five cruises and all amazing. Great line with awesome service, food and cabins. Been on many different sizes of their ships, and they are all awesome. Splendor - Freedom - Legend - Miracle - Paradise.

There is no one perfect cruise line. Each line has their own advantages and disadvantages. And each line caters to a different audience. I personally love the Carnival vacation experience. You may love it or it may not be your cup of tea. My suggestion is to try it out and decide for yourself.

We're booked on our first Royal Caribbean cruise soon, after mostly sailing all Carnival. We may very well find out that we don't like RCI and come back to Carnival for the next one. But, we won't know unless we try it!

Carnival is a great line. Some people can't be pleased....ever. We are cruising with the again in April.

Jay Sam mentioned, or it could have been someone else that you did the Splendor as one of your ships. We are to do the Splendor for the first time in April.

I have read a lot of "negative's" about the Splendor, but I am NOT telling my friend who is going with me. I am planning on it being just a good ship, as any other Carnival ships I have found. (Another friend and I went on a small Carnival ship last fall. I had read "negative" about it too, and it was one of the best cruises we had. :)) I always try to write a review, and I'm planning on doing the same for the Splendor. I say a cruise is what you want to make of it. Some people just want to be "nit picky, and negative." I look for the POSITIVES!:)

Jay Sam mentioned, or it could have been someone else that you did the Splendor as one of your ships. We are to do the Splendor for the first time in April.

 

I have read a lot of "negative's" about the Splendor, but I am NOT telling my friend who is going with me. I am planning on it being just a good ship, as any other Carnival ships I have found. (Another friend and I went on a small Carnival ship last fall. I had read "negative" about it too, and it was one of the best cruises we had. :)) I always try to write a review, and I'm planning on doing the same for the Splendor. I say a cruise is what you want to make of it. Some people just want to be "nit picky, and negative." I look for the POSITIVES!:)

Did you adopt this philosophy after you took the NCL cruise on the Star?

Bill

We're booked on our first Royal Caribbean cruise soon, after mostly sailing all Carnival. We may very well find out that we don't like RCI and come back to Carnival for the next one. But, we won't know unless we try it!

I think you will find out that the two cruise lines have a lot in common. We cruised on Carnival 4 times before trying RC. We like it so much we keep going back for more.

Have you seen all the great features available on the ship you booked? Take a look at this link

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/class/ship/home.do?shipClassCode=FR&shipCode=FR&br=R

You made a great choice! Happy cruising!

Leave in 43 days for another cruise. Of Course it's Princess. Next year have a Facebook group on a Carnival trip but then back away cause I really don't enjoy their nonsense, bad food, kids everywheres......

Jay Sam mentioned, or it could have been someone else that you did the Splendor as one of your ships. We are to do the Splendor for the first time in April.

 

I have read a lot of "negative's" about the Splendor, but I am NOT telling my friend who is going with me. I am planning on it being just a good ship, as any other Carnival ships I have found. (Another friend and I went on a small Carnival ship last fall. I had read "negative" about it too, and it was one of the best cruises we had. :)) I always try to write a review, and I'm planning on doing the same for the Splendor. I say a cruise is what you want to make of it. Some people just want to be "nit picky, and negative." I look for the POSITIVES!:)

Hello, Jay Sam here. I indeed took Splendor on a reposition cruise from San Juan to Miami last Nov, and had an amazing time. The ship is excellent. I have no idea why the ship sometimes gets a bad rap. I was on board for 8 days and was quite happy with the ship. Not too big, not too small. Perfect size for me.

Have taken 11 cruises, all on different ships. That cruise is right up there in the top 3. In some ways my number 1. The ship has a lot of areas to explore but is not overwhelming in size, being easy to navigate. Splendor is very stable too.

I too, took a smaller Carnival ship, actually about a month after I got back from that cruise. That was Carnival Paradise, 4 nights, from Tampa to Cozumel. I heard a lot of negative things about Fantasy class, which made me want to try out Paradise even more. I wanted to try Fantasy class anyway, but the negative things I was hearing increased my desire. When I saw this great rate, I was booked quickly. Paradise was great. Didn't seem as small when I was on board as from the outside, when I have watched her depart from port of Tampa. A lot to do on board even with the ship being smaller than the average main line ship.

You can read my review of Splendor at:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=270943

Also for some great information about a lot of ships, reviews and interviews with folks from the various lines, check out cruiseradio.net. Doug Parker is the host and does a great job. After the 1st time I listened to a broadcast, I was hooked, and that was about 2 years ago.

After you are in the site, click on "listen to cruise radio". That will take you to the most recent episode, including the new Carnival announce re: Carnival Journeys program. Great episode and if you like you can listen, just click on the arrow inside the blue box below. You can also listen to the older episodes by clicking on the episode numbers below. Very nice site.

All in all, each of us have our faves, and our not so faves for any number of reasons. Most folks like NCL's Epic. I am not a big fan of that ship, for my own reasons. Is it a bad ship? No, nice in many ways. Just not one of my faves. Any of the Carnival ships I have cruised would win in a competition. I still had a great time on Epic though. I like Splendor better though.

Feel free to ask me any other questions you may have if you like.

I am jsamuel2@tampabay.rr.com

Leave in 43 days for another cruise. Of Course it's Princess. Next year have a Facebook group on a Carnival trip but then back away cause I really don't enjoy their nonsense, bad food, kids everywheres......

What a coincidence. We cruise on Princess in 43 days too.;)

Bill

We are taking our FIRST Carnival cruise in oct on the Glory. We were super excited to try a new line as we have only been on NCL. But seems all i read on the FB page and other review sites is negative feedback!! Is carnival really become that bad? It cost us alot in airfare to make these trips from Colorado and im kinda worried now...[emoji27]

No, Carnival is not bad, much less "that" bad. Go with an open mind and you will have a great time. Don't worry about what others say. There will always be some who think they are entitled or better than others and complainers are always more vocal than satisfied customers.

Carnival to me is way better than NCL too, and a few of the others too. I would call it a tie between Carnival and Royal Caribbean as my fave's. Annoys me when I talk to staff on NCL and they roll their eyes at the mention of Carnival. I am thinking, really you think NCL is better than Carnival. Oh brother. I will try NCL again given the opportunity and a good deal on Breakaway/Getaway or one of the newer builds, but Carnival for me is my choice. I took Epic on NCL and even that didn't persuade me to be an NCL fan.

and I would choose NCL over Carnival 10 out of 10 times. Everyone has positives and negatives from each particular line. For me NCL is my line of choice, others its Carnival, RCI, etc...

I for one find NCL's entertainment to be years ahead of Carnival's. Carnival however has more variety in Caribbean sailings, yet NCL offers unparalleled Alaska, Hawaii, and Bermuda sailings compared to the other mainstream lines. To each his own!

Carnival is the number one favorite in So. California because Carnival has never left our PORT. The other cruise lines come and go and they lower their rates because they have to compete with Carnival. They try to steal the Carnival clients but we who like Carnival will always cruise on Carnival.

I have cruised on 7 different cruise lines and I like them all but Carnival is more fun for single solo me. I love the music and the activities.

Carnival is the number one favorite in So. California because Carnival has never left our PORT. The other cruise lines come and go and they lower their rates because they have to compete with Carnival. They try to steal the Carnival clients but we who like Carnival will always cruise on Carnival.

 

I have cruised on 7 different cruise lines and I like them all but Carnival is more fun for single solo me. I love the music and the activities.

I dont think its fair to say the various other cruise left. Yes, they come and go and the reason for that is they have to deploy ships elsewhere that are more profitable. Carnival has been in a unique position in that their sheer fleet size allowed the to have ships based in areas year round that the other cruise lines couldnt match. The tables are starting to even out especially with RCI about to equal Carnival in size. Lets see what the future holds a couple of years down the road.

JUST arrived back to port on the Sunshine. Had I listened to all the naysayers, we would have missed out on a wonderful cruise with a fantastic staff, and not a single thing wrong with any meal we ate. Enjoyed the your time dining and only had to wait for a table 1 night out of the 7 we ate in the MDR (and it was on elegant night at the peak time). So to answer the question. NO it's not as bad as some people make it out to be. My DW and I discussed many times at dinner the things we read here on CC and kept saying "what the hell are people complaining about??".

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What a coincidence. We cruise on Princess in 43 days too.;)

 

Bill

Perfect!! What are your thoughts on NCL? We were next to them (the new ship), in port, last year and it looks like a really classy ship. Some very nice outdoors venues. It doesn't matter to the wife who we sail on because it's about the destinations for us. But for me, Carnival just has the wrong vibe. I don't live it day to day and don't want to vacation that way either.

and I would choose NCL over Carnival 10 out of 10 times. Everyone has positives and negatives from each particular line. For me NCL is my line of choice, others its Carnival, RCI, etc...

I for one find NCL's entertainment to be years ahead of Carnival's. Carnival however has more variety in Caribbean sailings, yet NCL offers unparalleled Alaska, Hawaii, and Bermuda sailings compared to the other mainstream lines. To each his own!

You should give Princess a try sometime. I think you'd be surprised. They are supposed to do Alaska like no other. (in a good way)