Celebrity versus Carnival

[jewells]

What can I expect sailing on the constellation
in Feb compared to our last cruise with carnival???

[FLOURTOWN]

NIGHT AND DAY!!!!!!!!!!

[Nitemare]

Steak vs. hamburger

[BarbGar]

"Ditto" from above -- but of course that depends on your age and how much "partying" or "craziness" you want.

From what I understand Celebrity is a bit older and Carnival is a bit "crazier".

However, our last cruise on the Galaxy had the best entertainment on all of our (only) 4 cruises.

But we are in our 50's -- our daughter in her 20's more appreciates Carnival.

[mmp13]

/we are in our 50's and sailed on carnival legend last year. We were on the Galaxy the year before. We were very pleasantly surprised on the legend. We had a wonderful cruise and would not hesitate to sail on the new carnival ships again if the price was right. I don't think I would do a short cruise on carnival since I think they would tend to be party cruises but we did an 8 day cruise and enjoyed every aspect of it.. food, entertainment, average age of passengers in the 40 to 50 year group but all ages represented. That being said we are back on Galaxy again this year because we like the ten day itinary and the service is a cut above. I think carnival is working very hard to class up their act!

Peg
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2004 Celebrity Galaxy 10/8/04
2003 Carnival Legend 10/4/03
2002 Celebrity Galaxy 9/20/02
1977 Southward/skyward
1976 Song of Norway
1975 Leonardo Davinci
1974 frederico C
1973 Doric
1972 Homeric
1971 Homeric
1970 queen anna maria

[newtocc]

Ok, I have to jump in here, first of all, you need a new avatar, it looks like a cancerous growth on your face, but I digress!

I've sailed both lines, Celebrity wins hands down with food, I think Carnival has better entertainment, Celebrity is much more laid back, Carnival, at least the cruises I've been on, are not the party ships they're made out to be, it depends on when you sail. Celebrity is still my favorite, but I'll be sailing the Miracle next month, I'll pretend to post a review when I get back, no one reads them anyway! Hope this helps!

This ship 10/91
That ship 11/95
Whatever ship 12/98
here a ship 13/99
there a ship 14/00
everywhere
a
ship ship 15/05

<font size="3" color=red>Over 1 year</font> into my LMBO cruise

[Joe1690]

The differences between Celebrity and Carnival are numerous having done 2 southern carribbean cruises within 2 months one on the Constellation and the other on the Carnival Destiny.

Food:

Food is much better on Celebrity, although the first few nights on carnival were okay. The buffets on Celebrity featured much higher quality of food whereas the Carnival buffets seemed like going to a college cafeteria. Also, all dishes and cups are plastic on Carnival while real dishes are utilized on Celebrity.

Entertainment:

Carnival had good entertainment although I preferred Celebrity's production shows. Much more refined and broadway like then Carnivals which seemed to be a combination of a las vegas show with audience participation. Music on both ships were good.

Cabins:

Cabins on celebrity are slightly smaller though they utilize the space better in my opinion. The celebrity cabins are much brighter in color while carnival has been using the same color scheme on their ships since the Holiday (Circa 1984). The toilet on the Carnival Destiny is placed on a weird angle and was a constant conversation topic because people like me who were 5.7 had their knees touching the glass shower. Also, the bathroom was dark in color.

Pools:

The pools on carnival are nice and there were more to choose from then celebrity. Also, Carnival has teak decking while celebrity either uses a coating on their decks or carpet depending on the ship.

Fitness Centers:

Carnival does not require you to sign up for treadmills while celebrity does. There was sufficient excercise equipment on both ships though I preffered the Constellation's gym and all celebrity's gyms to the Carnival Destiny's.

The crowd on Carnival was somewhat younger than Celebrity although I have traveled Celebrity either during the summer or New Year's which results in many more families than is traditional.

The staff on Celebrity is not as friendly as Carnival although they both seem to be professional and caring. The purser's desk on Carnival was head and shoulder's above that on Celebrity where many were condisending and rude although there were a few who were exceptional. ON the other hand, I complained to the purser's desk one night about how bad dinner was 7 of the 8 people at our table ate 1 bite of the food because it was so bad, and not only did I receive a bottle of champagne and a letter apologizing but the lady at the purser's desk would always be friendly towards me and call me by Mr. ______.

I prefer celebrity to carnival by far but if the price is right and Carnival is going someplace I want to go on one of their newer ship (Spirit,Conquest, or Destiny class) during off season I would go. After all, our sailing was sold out at 2600 on the Destiny while max occupancy with 3rd and 4th births is 3400. At 2600, the ship felt comfortable although deck chairs were sometimes hard to find but it was enjoyable. If there were an extra 800 people on the ship I would have gone nuts with so many lines. On Celebrity I have sailed 3 sailing all sold out and to max occupancy Millennium and Constellation 2400 passengers and Galaxy 2200 passengers and the ship felt exactly as the Destiny did at only double occupancy.

Drink prices on Carnival are much mroe reasonable then Celebrity. Drinks of the day were 2.95 w/o the souvenier glass or 5.95 with souvenier glass while celebrity's were in the realm of $4-5 each and martini's and mixed drinks were around $6 or 7.

Have a great cruise no matter which you choose, but if you are looking for a more refined cruise experience with more relaxation and fewer crowds celebrity is for you. If you want constant action, a more diverse crowd, and people who are willing to have fun no matter what, I would choose Carnival.

Sincerely,

JC

Celebrity Constellation December 27, 2003
Celebrity Galaxy June 30, 2003
NCL Dawn Dec 21, 2002
Celebrity Millenium 7/18/01
Grand Princess 2000
Royal Princess 1999

Other Cruises:
Carnival: Holiday, Jubilee (2 times), Celebration, Fantasy, Ectasy
Celebrity: Meridian
Dolphin Cruises: Island Breeze
Holland America: Westerdam
NCL: Dreamward (Pre-stretch), Norway, Southward, Norwegian Majesty(when owned by Majesty Cruise lines)
RCCL: Nordic Prince, Sovereign of the Seas
Several others can't remember
Carnival Destiny Spring Break Cruise 2/29/04
Cruise
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[cruisebunny32]

I have sailed Celebrity many times and just tried Carnival. The Carnival cruise was very nice (brand new ship) the food was good and it was much more casual than Celebrity. It was missing many little things that Celebrity brings to it's passengers IE: The service on Celebrity far outways the Carnival ship. The little extras at dinner like: silverware, the basket of bread on the table, soft butter, showing the choices for dessert. Then during the day: The cold towels at poolside, and when you get back from ports, the afternoon tea sandwiches and goodies, less announcements over the PA etc. Just the little things that mean a lot. THey both did an excellent job, but I am going back to Celebrity and will stay. I miss the little added pampering that you get! It just depends on what you want. As far as the age group: I saw just as many older crowds on Carnival. I believe it depends on when you sail and where you are going, like a 10 or 11 day will see less younger crowds, since we don't get that much vacation!

Either way, you won't go wrong, It is just a preference, and I prefer Celebrity!

Celebrity Constellation 3/05
Carnival Victory "Cruise to Nowhere" 10/04
Carnival Glory 2/04
Celebrity Millie 4/03
Celebrity Zenith 3/02
Celebrity Century 3/00, 3/01
Celebrity Zenith 6/99
Celebrity Galaxy 3/98
Celebrity Century, 1/97
NCL Dreamward 7/95