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To Carnival or not to Carnival...


madavid0
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Look at my cruise history in my signature. I have experience on many cruise lines; none, however, at the Seabourn, Silverseas level however.

 

My first Carnival cruise was a Spring Break-time cruise. My friends thought I had lost my mind booking such. It was a great cruise, either my #1 or #2 Carnival cruise favorite.

 

For me, Carnival Cruise Lines offers a different, while similar in many ways, cruise product than the cruise line I most sail. I enjoy the difference. Carnival's music and entertainment is excellent. Their steakhouses match and may exceed high-end land-based such restaurants.

 

Currently, sailing from Nassau, Carnival Pride: a very good cruise on her. Currently thinking: when may I be able to return to Baltimore for another cruise on her?

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No problem with the food or the accomodations. The Steak House was superb and our suite was very nice, service was good too. What shocked me was the ugly crowd. I could not eat in the buffet area, people were disgusting. And don't let me start about what we could see in the pools. Anyway, I got some good advice and will follow it.

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I recently watched a Carnival cruise tour on YouTube. While you couldn't call it a dump, it definitely had a blue collar feel to it. The last thing I would want to do to myself is infect my first cruise experience with low expectations...and crowded low quality buffets, screaming kids, rock-hard beds, etc.

 

 

 

Are Carnival beds as bad as they seem -- do any of the mainstream cruise lines offer quality sleeping arrangements?

 

 

 

Should I go for a luxury cruise right off the bat?

 

 

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic and cruising! Carnival was our first one and had a great time, even though in retrospect it may have been our "worst one" (no cruise has ever been a bad cruise for us). I think Carnival is a great "starter" one. Taken friends and their first one was Carnival. I would say itinerary and price are much more important than line. And my wife and I agree the food on Carnival is the best of the 3 lines we've tried. I think going when kids are in school, not near holidays, etc. helps. And the ships are big enough you see and meet all types of people. My wife and daughter have enjoyed the library every time!

 

 

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Welcome to Cruise Critic and cruising! Carnival was our first one and had a great time, even though in retrospect it may have been our "worst one" (no cruise has ever been a bad cruise for us). I think Carnival is a great "starter" one. Taken friends and their first one was Carnival. I would say itinerary and price are much more important than line. And my wife and I agree the food on Carnival is the best of the 3 lines we've tried. I think going when kids are in school, not near holidays, etc. helps. And the ships are big enough you see and meet all types of people. My wife and daughter have enjoyed the library every time!

 

 

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And beds were decent, that probably matters more on the quality of the ship, which varies even within the lines greatly.

 

 

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Carnival has ALWAYS been good to us! We've sailed with them 21 times and with Royal Caribbean twice. There are very minor differences between these 2 cruise lines with cost being the biggest. RCL is a bit more costly, but Carnival is well-worth my hard-earned money. If you are new to cruising, then I would suggest Carnival and see for yourself. If you like cruising, then try another line to compare. You won't be disappointed with Carnival. But you WILL be hooked on cruising!

 

 

 

AMEN

 

 

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Are Carnival beds as bad as they seem -- do any of the mainstream cruise lines offer quality sleeping arrangements?

 

Should I go for a luxury cruise right off the bat?

Carnival beds are the most comfortable things I've ever slept on! I'd love to find that mattress for home. Other than that, Carnival Ships aren't bad. The food is good, and there's plenty to do. We however have seen less service on Carnival the last few cruises. Last time it almost seemed like none of the crew cared. We're using Royal Caribbean now. Our next cruise is on Oasis of the Seas. We've been on Freedom of the Seas and it's definately a step up from Carnival.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I really loved my Carnival cruises. I have been on the Spirit to Alaska. The Victory for the New England/Canada cruise and the Fantasy for the 5 day Progresso/Cozumel cruise. I never had a problem with any of them being a '' booze '' cruise or having problems with crowds getting out of control or kids running wild. On the Fantasy it was actually very nice to have only about 2-3 other people in the hot tub at one time. There was a diverse age group and all income types who were very nice on all these ships. Carnival gets a bad rap from the 3 day cruises I suppose. But if you choose your cruise like I did when the kids would be in school it is a wonderful cruise to take. Don't be afraid to try them for a longer cruise.

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Hmm. Blue collar cruisers infecting your cruise experience. I truly hope you don’t drown when it rains with your nose stuck up that high. I’m a lowly blue collar worker, and work hard to save up for vacations. I’ve been on Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean, and may book NCL for another one after our April RCI. Please don’t sail on Royal Caribbean, I wouldn’t want to infect your family experience with my lowly presence.

 

 

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I have only cruised once, it was a 4 day Carnival, the food was very good, the staff was excellent, the bed was a little hard for my liking. I had a great time. I have travelled for business for years, stayed in top of the line hotels in major cities, had hard beds and poor service and good beds and good service.

 

My goal was to see if I liked cruising. I do and am going to Alaska next year.

 

Children living their lives does not bother me, families don't bother me, if someone does something that is inappropriate to me, I speak up.

 

I can always go somewhere and be comfortable.

 

I will cruise carnival again. For me price does not always equate to a better experience, better service or better food.

 

Guys burgers are a very tasty burger.

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Carnival can be good. We've had 6 cruises on Carnival. However, we then went on Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas and the difference amazed me. I guess that any cruise is better than no cruise, but get the best that you can afford. Our next is on Oasis, can't wait!

 

Carnivals beds are very comfy though. :cool:

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I cruised on Carnival and absolutely loved it. My cruise was on their newest ship the Vista, last February. The beds were very comfortable and the food was great. I've heard some bad things about some Carnival ships (the older ones that need renovation) so do some research first before booking one. You can do this on cruise critic and on Facebook (search by ship name and join a group).

 

I researched best times to cruise to avoid kids and those times are right when kids go back to school (first weeks of Jan and Sept) and to avoid school holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, mid-to-late-March (spring break), and Presidents day (some schools have a winter break the week of President's day)

 

I have a blog post about what I learned about cruising on Carnival before (and after) my first cruise, that might be helpful: http://laurenofalltrades.blogspot.com/2017/10/carnival-cruise-tips.html

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I dunno. Carnival seems okay. But then again I’ve never cruised before, so I don’t know what the standard is. I suppose when it comes to cruises I have no standards, only because I’ve never experienced one. Meh. Maybe after a few cruises I’ll have a better handle on what is or isn’t “acceptable.” But for now I think that the affordability of Carnival is enough to keep my nose out of the air.

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I recently watched a Carnival cruise tour on YouTube. While you couldn't call it a dump, it definitely had a blue collar feel to it. The last thing I would want to do to myself is infect my first cruise experience with low expectations...and crowded low quality buffets, screaming kids, rock-hard beds, etc.

 

Are Carnival beds as bad as they seem -- do any of the mainstream cruise lines offer quality sleeping arrangements?

 

Should I go for a luxury cruise right off the bat?

 

In my experience with Carnival cruises, no they were not as bad as their reputation as a party ship. I admit that I was concerned before my first Carnival cruise, but after cruising on Carnival I realized that it wasn't anything like I had heard. I have had a lot of fun on those cruises and am excited about cruising on the Vista in January. As far as the beds, my husband and I never had a problem with any bed on any cruise.

 

You'll find active kids on any cruise, so timing is important if you want less of them. Try to schedule a week that kids are in school and you won't see many at all. The kids on Carnival aren't any better or worse behaved than other lines. Kids are kids and many of them like to run around, splash in the water, and have fun.

 

Maybe you should try RCL for your first cruise. It's a bit calmer of a crowd (in my opinion). I think RCL's buffet is much better than either Carnival's or NCL's. My first cruise was a Disney cruise. My second was Carnival and I have been on several Carnival cruises since then. I think Carnival is fine, but if you are concerned, then try a different line first. Every cruise line I have been on has had pros and cons and all of my cruises were a lot of fun. I was never disappointed by the ship, shows, or actions of other passengers.

 

If you go with Carnival first, I recommend a week when kids (including college students) are in school and not on break.

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I am not a huge Carnival fan, but we still take Carnival from time to time. Each cruise line have their differences. Talk to a good travel agent that represents most of the major lines about your likes and dislikes. Or better yet... try each of them!

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I have sailed 13 or 14 times ( only discovered cruising in 2007) and have sailed a mix of NCL RCCL and Carnival. All of my cruises have been 7 nighters and we are not drinkers/partiers and I only attend a loud gathering of people if I am in the mood for people watching.

I would describe myself as "reasonably easy to please" but I am a bit of a bedding snob. I choose mid to upper level Marriotts when I stay away from home. I like to be comfortable when I go to sleep and it's worth extra money to me. Carnival is the tops when it comes to quality of bedding and NCL was the worst.

I have children but I've cruised more often without them than with. Whether or not my own kids are sailing, I appreciate keeping our cruises to times that most schools are still in session, a luxury that we have because we home educate. Because of this, I don't think we have felt overwhelmed by the busyness and volume of a sailing brimming with children.

I won't sail NCL again, but you might be able to convince me to sail RCCL again under the right circumstances, but I would prefer to just stick with Carnival. I have been very happy with carnival thus far. When I have the funds to choose a higher priced line, I would rather use it for something else .

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