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Should I Try Carnival?

Lovincruisin1321

By Lovincruisin1321,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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nbsjcruiser Great Review Rare

nbsjcruiser

Posted
Posted
I've never been on Carnival. Usually RCL.

 

Telll my why I would like Carnival as well as RCL. :o

 

If you look at my sig below you'll see we have cruised RCL many times and we just came off the Carnival Valor in March with 2 more Carnival cruises booked. So I think I can give you a well balanced idea of what to expect.

 

The two lines are more the same than many would like to admit. Service is equivalent, food is slightly better on RCL but food on Carnival is still great. The ships on RCL are more toned down and are slightly more attractive than Carnival but this is a personal opinion, many would say Carnival is nicer. Price on Carnival is better. I guess what I'm saying is that its 6 of one and a half a dozen of another. When you take price into account, its a no-brainer. Carnival is the winner in my books.

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cruisecruiserAS

cruisecruiserAS

Posted
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There's a certain atmosphere in carnival that you don't get on any of the other lines. I've sailed them all but found carnival to be the MOST fun.

 

It's a laid back, do whatever you what atmosphere and they have the BEST CASINOS! The food is also excellent, the service is excellent, the ships are clean. The beds are awesome, I got the best sleep at sea in the carnival beds and for some reason no matter where the ship goes, it's always smooth sailing.

 

I love the fact that I dont have to pay extra to have great food every night unlike other lines, also, there is always something to do on board the carnival ships.

 

And, on top of everything, you don't have to spend extra on the ship (Carnival doesn't nickel and dime you as RCCL does) I feel that RCCL has 2 billion $ in debt to pay off and they are robbing people blind with their prices ($1500 per person for a 7 night cruise is just insane, no matter how new/big the ship is.) And, why do people buy burgers @ Johnny Rockets when the burgers are free in the buffet?

 

Don't get me wrong, i like all the cruise lines but I've always gotten an amazing deal and an amazing time on Carnival.

 

Honestly, I came to realize that there isnt much different between NCL, Carnival, Princess and RCCL (excluding Oasis/Allure/Epic). The only major difference between RCCL ships and Carnival/NCL/Princess ships is the Boardwalk, other then that it basically the same thing. Yes, the ships have subtle differences in terms of layout and decor but in the end It's what you make of it.

 

It bothers me when people who ONLY cruise RCCL think of Carnival as low end when RCCL is as commercial as Carnival.

 

Anyway... just my opinion :D

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SMSACE6

SMSACE6

Posted
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Carnival delivers a very good product for a very reasonable price. I say try it at least once. Then if you decide it is not for you; you will at least not have spent a fortune on it and can chalk it up to experience. :) And I still believe that any cruise will have something or several things that you enjoy.

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elcuchio24

elcuchio24

Posted
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I find the food much better than RCL, NCL, HAL. I think service is on pace with Royal. The ships are not as impressive with activities as Royal, so if you're big into climbing walls or iceskating you might be disappointed (I always found that few people did those things anyways though). Ships are very clean, staff is very nice. Almost always cheaper than Royal.

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aqusis

aqusis

Posted
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I say go for it. We did our first 8 cruises on Royal Caribbean and decided to give carnival a try last November. We have just booked our 4th carnival cruise for January 2011, that's 4 cruises in 14 months. Our Legend Cruise last month was more than $1000 cheaper that the same cabin category would have been on Royal and the Legend's itinerary was fabulous! If I can go 2x as often I'll stick with Carnival all the way! Food, entertainment, service, etc. was comparable. Why spend 2x the money just because I prefer the more subdued decor of Royal Caribbean's ships?!

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jstcruizin

jstcruizin

Posted
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Carnival delivers a very good product for a very reasonable price. I say try it at least once. Then if you decide it is not for you; you will at least not have spent a fortune on it and can chalk it up to experience. :) And I still believe that any cruise will have something or several things that you enjoy.

 

 

Good advice.... I always sail Carnival because its cheaper then Royal but last year tried Royal because they had a good Florida resident rate. I had a good time

and would sail other ships if the price was in my budget

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graphicguy "Live from...." Rare

graphicguy

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I've cruised RCCL and Carnival. Long and short of it, for the few minutes (seconds?) I was able to use the wave surf pool, that wasn't a draw. Don't care about wall climbing, so that wasn't a draw either.

 

The mall on the Liberty of the Seas I was on? Been to better malls at home, so wasn't so interested in that, either.

 

Still, I enjoyed my time on that cruise. I enjoyed my time on the CCL Conquest, too.

 

Both are lovely ships....one is just as nice as the other.

 

I've read some pretty crazy stuff about the NCL Epic, both very good, and very bad. So, I'll probably steer clear of it.

 

Wouldn't mind going on the Allure or the Magic, though. Either one of those will be my next cruise (after the Freedom).

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cruisecrazyk

cruisecrazyk

Posted
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Every time I call the PVP they are there to help you get the best price and want to make you happy. They have been very helpful to me in making some changes to bookings and answering my questions. I just came back from a small RCI ship in May and the food was not that great in my opinion after having Carnival's food and the rooms were SMALL on the EOS. The Carnival staff want to make you happy and I have always had fun on a Carnival ship. They do not have all the things the large RCI ships have but they give a good time for a great price. I decided to come back and cruise again this year with Carnival. Food is great and you are not nickeled and dimed to death. On RCI a glass of fresh sqeezed orange juice was $3.95! Really! I know it cost more but that much! I hope you try it and go with an open mind and I believe you will have a great time.

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Carnival Platinum Cruiser

Carnival Platinum Cruiser

Posted
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Food Mdr: CCL has the edge

 

Food Buffet: RCL by a good margin

 

Ships Wow factor: RCL by a good margin

 

Ships activities/entertainment: Even

 

Salesman pitch on PA: RCL little, CCL constantly

 

Price of cruise: CCL almost always cheaper

 

Ports of call: Even

 

Dining venue choices: RCL more options

 

Overall cruise value: CCL, but I do like RCL a notch better. If the price is close I go RCL but CCL is a good product.

 

 

 

I think you will find many things almost the same but like others said if you like outddor activities you will be disappointed in CCL as compared to RCL.

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pkrchkr

pkrchkr

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We have done both and I can say with out a doubt that we prefer Carnival over RCCL.We just came of the IOS and felt like we were nickled and dimed to death.Yes they got the wave runner and they got the ice rink so what!!! Carnival has a very laid back atmosphere where you never feel rushed and is just generally more family and fun relaxation styled then RCCL.I don't like paying for every little thing and I want to be with a group of people that are not snobby and think they are owed something. We went back to RCCL after 10 years and will not be going back...Salute' Carnival

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nytraveller53

nytraveller53

Posted
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Hi! Here are my observations from my recent Carnival Valor vs. Freedom of the Seas:

 

 

  • FOOD: I found the Carnival blew RCI out of the water
  • CABINS: Almost 1/3 bigger than RCI, great!
  • SHIP: If you don't care about flowrider, rock climb, and ice skating, they are very similar. I loved the Seaside Theater! Even though it was built in 2004, it looked brand new. Literally. It was SPOTLESS! They were cleaning constantly.
  • SERVICE: Identical to RCI
  • FARES: I saved $1500 on going on Carnival instead of RCI this time.

Carnival is the winner, IMHO ONLY!:D Enjoy

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zqvol

zqvol

Posted
Posted
I've never been on Carnival. Usually RCL.

 

Telll my why I would like Carnival as well as RCL. :o

 

Having been on both there is very little difference. Food is better on RCCL. Cabins bigger on Carnival. Generally the price is better on Carnival. If you don't care about the mall, the rock wall or ice skating then Carnival is great.

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bibbysnow

bibbysnow

Posted
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IMHO the food is a bit better on Carnival. There are more options to eat free (except for RCCL Oasis class). Pizzaria is open 24 hours a day.

 

The rooms are bigger.

 

The price is cheaper.

 

I do prefer the sliding glass door on the balconies of RCCL vs a regular door on Carnival.

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