Something different from HAL

[WhansaMi]

I would love to see a post from someone who has traveled HAL and Carnival and see the comparisons and contrasts. I have never sailed Carnival and those who have who i know have been very critical of Carnival

 

We've done two HAL cruises and four CCL cruises. I'll be glad to try to do an area by area comparison for you, from my perspective:

 

Food: always subjective, but I've have to give CCL a very slight edge on this one. We ate in the MDR and the premium restaurants almost exclusively, although we did grab snacks from the grills from time to time. The selection and quality of the food in the MDR was just slightly better, to me, on CCL.

 

Ship decor: I prefer the decor on HAL. I like that people were often in the library/Explorations areas.

 

Daytime activities: I am not a drinker, nor am I a "hang out by the pool" kind of person. I am likely to be found in a quiet lounge, drinking coffee and reading a book. I could do this on both ships; there are always quiet spaces to be found. Contrary to popular belief, Carnival ships are not "party 24/7", at least, not everywhere in the ship. AAMOF, since I don't hang out around the hot tub, nor do I spend time in the bars, I have to say that I've never, ever seen anyone behaving in a drunken or disorderly fashion on either line.

 

That having been said, I do think there is a wider variety of activity offerings on the CCL ships. They have the trivia and bingo games, and the occasional lecture, too, but in addition you'll find more "classes" -- dancing, folding towel animals, all kinds of things. The one thing that HAL had that CCL didn't (and I really enjoyed) was afternoon tea.

 

Service/staff: We've had great room stewards on every cruise we've been on. Stellar service. DH has found bartenders he's liked on several cruises. The only CD that ever made an impression on me was Kirk Benning on the Pride, and that was a positive experience. DH loved the party planner on the Rotterdam. The hotel director on the Prinsendam was wonderful. The travel consultant on the Prinsendam was the worst employee on a ship I've ever seen, and two of the Explorations/Internet staff on the Prinsendam were, well, not up to par.

 

My least preferred dinner wait staff was on the Prinsendam. They were fine,they just weren't very friendly. All of our other wait staff have been great.

 

(BTW, the Prinsendam is probably my favorite ship, so it pains me to write those negatives.)

 

Night time activities: Again, I'm not a partier, so my perspective is probably skewed. But, our HAL ships reminded me of small towns where the streets are deserted by 10 pm. This didn't disturb me at all, as I don't really go for bars/singing/dancing at night, but, for those who do, it could be a problem.

 

Hands down, Carnival had better night time shows/entertainment than HAL.... but, then again, IMO, so does my local high school. Honestly, the one thing I REALLY find frustrating on HAL is the lack of understanding that, while people in their 70's may make up the largest subgroup, a lot of us are younger than that. Shoot, even if you are looking at targeting the "older demographic", people who listened to the Rolling Stones in their teens and 20's are now in their 60's. Can't we have ONE venue for rock and roll? Some shows with contemporary dance? Did we REALLY have to book the accordian playing polka musicians?

 

So, while Carnival's nightly entertainment is hit and miss, HAL's is, IMO, abysmal.

 

Fellow passengers: HAL has a older demographic, of course. I prefer that to lots of young kids, at least now that my kids are grown. So, while I kind of feel like I am "in-between" the two age groups that most frequently travel each line (young couples with young families, and grandparently/great grandparents), if I have to choose, I'd rather be with the older crowd than having lots of kids.

 

I think the itinerary really drives Carnival populations more than HAL. There were LOTS of families on the Alaska cruise. Very, very few singles. Very few young people. Most of the people on our Panama/Costa Rica/Belize cruise were in their 30's and 40's; more of an eco-travel kind of group -- lots of people wanting to trek through the rainforest and go ziplining. Our Conquest cruise (out of New Orleans, to Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel) was heavier on young single adults, but still had lots of families with kids into their teens. The Pride, to the Bahamas, had a similar demographic. More sun-worshippers.

 

We are taking the Pride again in April. Carnival has added a couple of Bermuda runs. We are kind of hoping we see an older crowd than the cruise to the Bahamas. We'll see.

 

I can't think of other attributes to compare. Got any specific questions?

[m steve]

I think the demographics for the 14 day trans-Atlantic cruise from Europe to US is quite different from the usual 7 day cruisers on Carnival.

Also when we traveled on Carnival Legend the last time, we went to the ? library to find some additional reading and there wasn't anything except a few used paperbacks left by past passengers. When I commented on that on the the Carnival thread I was viciously attacked because I chose to read rather than do the pool activites Carnival is (in)famous for.

[lettienets]

............ The one thing that HAL had that CCL didn't (and I really enjoyed) was afternoon tea.

 

......?

Any Carnival ship I have been on had afternoon tea on sea days, not as elaborate as Hal Indonesian and Royal Dutch Teas but very nice nonetheless at tables with white table cloths and waiters dressed up. Venues vary from dining room to bar or lounge areas. Pretty sandwiches and scones and jams, sweets and variety of tea. They are always very busy. Even in the Caribbean, when it is hot and people are in shorts if they want to be, the tea is very formal and lovely.

 

The oldest crowd I met on Carnival was this past April on Elation, the 13 day Panama Canal trip, majority over 60 +

 

Depending on what factors you are after on a cruise, like quiet, no kids, crowds etc certain times of year and length of cruise matter. On Carnival, that means don't go on short 3,5,7 day or holiday (Easter, Thanksgiving, school breaks etc) or Christmas itineraries. You can have 1000 kids on a big ship. But long trips like Hawaii, Panama, Europe and other Caribbean dates are great.

No library anywhere at sea like Hal's so don't expect that on the lines like Carnival, RCI etc

[WhansaMi]

Any Carnival ship I have been on had afternoon tea on sea days, not as elaborate as Hal Indonesian and Royal Dutch Teas but very nice nonetheless at tables with white table cloths and waiters dressed up. Venues vary from dining room to bar or lounge areas. Pretty sandwiches and scones and jams, sweets and variety of tea. They are always very busy. Even in the Caribbean, when it is hot and people are in shorts if they want to be, the tea is very formal and lovely.

 

The oldest crowd I met on Carnival was this past April on Elation, the 13 day Panama Canal trip, majority over 60 +

 

Depending on what factors you are after on a cruise, like quiet, no kids, crowds etc certain times of year and length of cruise matter. On Carnival, that means don't go on short 3,5,7 day or holiday (Easter, Thanksgiving, school breaks etc) or Christmas itineraries. You can have 1000 kids on a big ship. But long trips like Hawaii, Panama, Europe and other Caribbean dates are great.

No library anywhere at sea like Hal's so don't expect that on the lines like Carnival, RCI etc

 

Thanks for the tip about tea. I guess I missed that. I'll look for it in April.

 

Regarding the timing: I'm a teacher, so, by necessity, I cruise during times when kids are out of school. I'm sure you are right, though. One day I will be able to cruise Carnival during the school year, and I'll see a different demographic.

 

Again, thanks for the hint about tea time.

[WhansaMi]

I think the demographics for the 14 day trans-Atlantic cruise from Europe to US is quite different from the usual 7 day cruisers on Carnival.

Also when we traveled on Carnival Legend the last time, we went to the ? library to find some additional reading and there wasn't anything except a few used paperbacks left by past passengers. When I commented on that on the the Carnival thread I was viciously attacked because I chose to read rather than do the pool activites Carnival is (in)famous for.

 

This post surprised me, because I have found there to be a fair amount of discussion on the Carnival boards about books to bring along, Kindle recommendations, and such (as there have been on this board).

 

I found your initial reference to this, in that very long thread on Legend questions, and read the next four or five pages, and didn't see anyone commenting on it one way or another. How many posters viciously attacked you? Was it further down the thread than I read?

 

I guess I'm asking this, because it sounds, from the above post, that the mere mention of being reading on a cruise is anathema to the typical Carnival cruiser, and I have not found that to be the case. Sure, occasionally there will be a poster who says "Who goes on a cruise to read??? I could do that at home!", but I've found that on several boards. Some people's definition of a "vacation" is "doing everything differently than what I do at home", so, while that isn't my own definition, I'm not surprised to see that sentiment from time to time.

[m steve]

I'm not sure what thread you were referring to. I don't often post on Carnival.

[WhansaMi]

I'm not sure what thread you were referring to. I don't often post on Carnival.

 

Yes, this is the only place I can find you posting about the library on the Legend:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=10288374&highlight=books+library#post10288374

 

Yours is #128. The thread is 51 pages long, so I didn't read it all, but I skimmed through the next four or five pages, and didn't see any flaming of you.

 

Is it further along in the thread?

[bepsf]

Hands down, Carnival had better night time shows/entertainment than HAL.... but, then again, IMO, so does my local high school. Honestly, the one thing I REALLY find frustrating on HAL is the lack of understanding that, while people in their 70's may make up the largest subgroup, a lot of us are younger than that. Shoot, even if you are looking at targeting the "older demographic", people who listened to the Rolling Stones in their teens and 20's are now in their 60's. Can't we have ONE venue for rock and roll? Some shows with contemporary dance? Did we REALLY have to book the accordian playing polka musicians?

 

So, while Carnival's nightly entertainment is hit and miss, HAL's is, IMO, abysmal.

 

Indeed

I completely agree with you that, with minor exeptions of certain piano players and singers in the Ocean Bar (who never last long before moving on to other lines) HAL's entertainment is THE Worst on the high seas.

If my parents are the target market - Mid-Late 60's - They weren't listening to Lawrence Welk with Grandmother...

...they were listening to Sonny & Cher, Dionne Warwick, Peter Nero, Ella Fitzgerald, Jose Feliciano & Burt Bacharach.

Our most enjoyable recent entertainment aboard HAL was in the Ocean Bar of Ryndam a couple years back - George Evans was performing songs from the Great American Songbook...

...He's since moved to Queen Mary 2.

[iancal]

We sailed once on Carnival-an eight day Mexican Riviera. It was a great cruise. The food compared very favourably to Princess and to HAL, as did the dining room service and the stateroom service. I much preferred Princess/HAL buffet to Carnival's though. Entertainment was standard cruise line smaltz. We did not see any racaus behavior, no drunks running around (as some would have you believe) and certainly things were similar to other lines poolside. THe atmosphere was similar to other cruise lines-both on deck and in the MDR. Now, we were on an eight day trip that left mid week so perhaps this had an impact. Our preference is HAL, Celebrity, and Princess (though now leaning to Celebrity) but we would not hesitate to take another Carnival cruise. We do not cruise during school vacation periods so this may also have an impact. Have a great cruise.

[lettienets]

Thanks for the tip about tea. I guess I missed that. I'll look for it in April.

........me.

Since you travel in school break, go early to tea as it will be packed and some people like to intoduce their kids to the custom of afternoon tea (they will not be rowdy) Carnival gets a bad rap.

Just stay away from Carnival if you can from school holidays and 3,5,7 dayers if you don't want kids or partiers (lively younger people, not perceived drunks)

[Roz]

I am booked on the same 12-day Med cruise as Lettienets. This will be my 4th cruise on Carnival, and I've sailed on HAL 8 times with a 9th one coming up in January.

 

A longer Carnival cruise will compare favorably with HAL, at least that's what I found on my 12-day Carnival cruise to Hawaii. Because of the length of the cruise, the higher fares, and the need to fly to and from Europe, you're not going to find the same crowd that tends to do the 3-4 day party cruises.

 

You can't beat Carnival's fares, and I've found the dining room food to be equal to or close to HAL's.

 

Besides the ports, I'm looking forward to sailing on a brand new ship.

 

Roz

[m steve]

I think they removed most of the nasty comments about reading on a cruise.

[mconthehighseas]

I've only done one Carnival cruise, and I would like to think that my experience is not the norm, but will post it just in case. It was a 4 day cruise on an older ship, and the service was below par. The front desk people were not gracious, the Cruise Director was lazy (didn't think a sailaway party was necessary) and we were charged for a bag of ice that was delivered to our cabin. Our cabin steward was very kind, but I got the feeling that she wasn't allowed to go out of her way to make the passengers comfortable.

 

On the other hand, our dining room staff was GREAT, and so was the food! I used to tell people that the best food I ever had at sea was on Carnival! And while they are now charging extra for lobsters and steaks, they have a chocolate dessert that is divine. I had it almost every night.

 

I went with a group, and I am glad I did. And since you are going with family, you should be fine. If you are like me, you will make fun of the decor, try to overlook some of the problems with the staff, enjoy the food, and most of all be glad to have time away with people you love. Because in the end, it's not so much where or how you go, it's who you travel with.

[WhansaMi]

I've only done one Carnival cruise, and I would like to think that my experience is not the norm, but will post it just in case. It was a 4 day cruise on an older ship, and the service was below par. .

 

I think you have a greater likelihood of experiencing the issues you did on shorter cruises.

 

Carnival (as well as some other cruise lines) often delegate their older ships to shorter cruises, understanding that these cruises are often taken by college students -- sorta like a "spring break" kind of thing. There is a lot more wear and tear on the ships by this crowd, so using an older ship makes sense. These cruises are often very, very inexpensive and so, unfortunately, people who don't know a lot about cruising stumble into this situation, based on the price and a desire to see what the "cruise experience" is like.

 

DH and I almost took a "cruise to nowhere" last year. We couldn't get away from work for more than a day or two at that time of year, and since we love to cruise, we thought we'd do this quick little jaunt. After reading a number of posts about CTNs, we decided it wasn't really for us. Apparently, the pervailing attitude among the passengers is "we have a short time here, and we are going to party every second of it". Not exactly what we wanted to do to de-stress.

 

:-)

 

That's why I think forums like this are so important. You can get information about the character of a ship, or an itinerary. Of course, it all has to be taken with a grain of salt: a few vocal people can make it seem like a particular line or ship is "A, B, or C", but, if you read enough, I think you can filter through and get a lot of good information.

 

To the OP: I am jealous. I looked at the cruise today, and... I wish we could go with you. :-)

[mconthehighseas]

WhansaMi, I know what you are talking about, but the problem was NOT with the passengers. I was prepared to deal with crazy passengers, but the craziest thing we ran into was a group of women playing the Menopause game by the aft pool. (Yes, there really is such a board game.) They were having a good time, but certainly nothing that would make the crew run in the other direction.

 

Every cruise is different, so I realize that this may have been the exception rather than the rule. But the OP did ask for advice, so I provided what I could, the good along with the bad.

[sassyredhat]

I would love to see a post from someone who has traveled HAL and Carnival and see the comparisons and contrasts. I have never sailed Carnival and those who have who i know have been very critical of Carnival

 

We have sailed both lines, and while HAL is our line of choice, CCL also delivers a good product.

 

Personally, we don't care for mega ships. Our experience with CCL Splendor cured us of that.

 

However, the cabins are similar in size ( balcony) , both beds are great, but HAL has better (for me) bath products.

 

Service was excellent on both lines, in dining and cabin. Food was good on both lines, with HAL getting a bit better mark.

 

We like the quiet, elegant, subdued--and fewer children--experience that HAL offers. If we found a great itin, we would sail CCL, but we're not going to sail any of the megas. :)

 

Pat

[GORDONCHICK]

One thing to keep in mind is that the MDR is a different experience, especially if you have traditional dining. The waiters sing and dance, and the maitre d' may as well. This caught my DH way off guard, but I knew about it in advance from the Carnival board (great place to hang out and learn). I thought it was great fun, and since we travel with our DS, who was 5 at the time, the distractions helped the time in the dining room not seem so long for him.

 

There are more announcements and things like the hairy chest contests, but you don't have to go. The sales people are a little more pushy, but I've found a simple no thank you works just fine.

 

I enjoyed our time on Carnival. The larger the ship, the more options there are. Carnival has a good product as others have said.

[dk3cruisers]

We've sailed Disney, Royal, and Carnival. They were all great, but IMHO, the food on Carnival was the best. We liked the atmosphere on Carnival immensely, very fun, but always plenty of places to spread out and relax too. We took an 8-night cruise over Thanksgiving. Our ranking for shows is: Disney, Carnival, Royal.

 

We are sailing HAL for the first time in less than two weeks. Can't wait! Have fun on your NEW SHIP cruise!

 

Oh, and our kids loved Carnival's kids program much better than Royal's, but I can't remember if you said that you were sailing with kids.