Do You Ever Grow Up From The Fun Ship?

[askimdog]

I am 48 years old and have been on 3 cruises, 2 with Carnival. I don't "party", I even try to avoid the crowded loud Lido deck when I can, and am in bed by 9. I like my Carnival cruises, but would likely enjoy a different quieter ship more. I am more of a sit and hear a lecture/talk than watch a hairy-chest or dance party kinda guy. But, like many, I answer to the all mighty dollar. Cruise every two years with one of the others, or cruise once a year with Carnival in an inside cabin......Carnival here I come :)

 

If money wasn't an issue, well, then everything would be different.

[misstopgun]

I think the people who say they are never bored with Carnival just dont cruise as much as I do. Im cruising 6 to 8 times a year, though I quit counting, just a estimate.

 

If you cruise 6 times a year with Carnival .. you are bound to get to know the menu, the games etc just a little too well.

I tend to agree Firefly. Even cruising 2-3 times a year. It is in my comfort zone for now though so will continue to sail Carnival.

 

The good thing is, I don't wear myself out anymore trying to fit it all in. I have already done, seen it all. Now my vacations are more calm and relaxing instead of exhausting.

 

As far as the drunks and party people, the only time I saw that was a three day cruise with my sister. I hated that cruise, hated the service, (or lack of) and standards were not what I had come to expect with Carnival over the years. (packaged butter in the dining room on formal night and dirty restrooms everywhere) The following four were just great. I just won't take a quick cruise again. Problem solved.

[Frank12]

I think the people who say they are never bored with Carnival just dont cruise as much as I do. Im cruising 6 to 8 times a year, though I quit counting, just a estimate.

 

If you cruise 6 times a year with Carnival .. you are bound to get to know the menu, the games etc just a little too well.

 

Shoot, I only go twice a year and I know the games, menu, CD jokes, etc. :)

[lidodeckbound]

What I have noticed on Carnival the last 20 years is a LOT less drunks and a LOT more families. When the Holiday was new 30 years ago, it was like Hedonism II at sea. Today - a Carnival cruise is much closer to Disney World.

Some where between those two extremes would be great! LOL.

[divngmedic]

Some where between those two extremes would be great! LOL.

On my Conquest cruise I encountered a drunk family.

[Disneycruisers]

Love it. Every time someone hints that Carnival may not be "classy" enough, the comment strikes a nerve with someone...:rolleyes:

 

Lets be realistic, Carnival is a great product, but it's a budget product. It's far from classy.

 

To the OP, yes it's normal to want to branch out to other cruise lines and try something different, regardless of age. A lot of people develop a more discerning taste at a younger age. It's great to try different ships, destinations, cuisine, and forms of entertainment. Not everybody finds hairy chest contests a prime source of entertainment.

 

P.S. I'm also in my 30's.

 

Carnival also has its share of arrogant cruisers.

[A&Jfamily]

My kids r about to be 8 and 14. I am sure when we are no longer traveling with them we will branch to Princess....perhaps sooner for an Alaska?

 

But when you are getting two rooms, have great camp/clubs for the kids, you can't beat the bang for the buck!

 

We are leaving in 3 weeks for cruise #7 and looking forward to another great Carnival vacation!

[WeBeCruisin']

I am older than dirt and had never cruised on Carnival until I was 65 years old. My ex (aka The Psycho) refused to even consider Carnival because she was convinced that all the Carnival passengers were rednecks and drunks.

 

So, once she was out of the picture, and after having done 12 cruises on NCL, SeaDream, RCCL and Celebrity, my 13th was with a group of friends on Carnival in late 2006. I am leaving for Fort Lauderdale in about 4 hours to take my 13th Carnival cruise in 5-1/2 years. I'm not at all bored yet and don't think I will ever be. But, I'm also the kind of person who can find something interesting in just about any situation I'm in. I really can't remember ever saying I was "bored" about something.

 

I'm trying NCL again in November, but primarily because their price was cheaper than Carnival would charge for a similar cruise at the same time of year. I usually cruise with a fairly large group of friends who prefer Carnival because there are so many options to have fun and Carnival keeps things going later at night, which I like.

 

And I've seen drunks on every cruise line I've been on, so that's not limited to Carnival.

[livestocruisetoo]

Carnival currently addresses our vacation needs and when that changes, we will change.

 

 

That about sums it up.

[Relayer]

Gotta tell you we just have never had a bad CCL experience. Bored? Quiet? What beautiful words. I am sure there is tons of partying on the CCL we just have never seen it to the extreme. On the eight day plus itineraries it can be very "dead" on board after 9:00 or so.

 

We cruise to unwind and enjoy being off the net, no phones and lots of down time to get to know each other again. CCL has delivered outstanding trips each and every time at a great value.

 

We plan on branching out at some point but just can't come up with a good reason to spend a whole lot more.

[sail2sea]

You don't have to grow out of Carnival completely. But by all means try different lines.

 

I have a few very good friends and we love cruising together. We usually choose a short inexpensive cruise with Carnival or Royal or Norwegian, but we choose it for different reasons.

 

One couple choose Carnival for a good party. They can afford lines 10 times more expensive. When they cruise by themselves they go for long and exotic itineraries on upscale lines. They see a short cruise with friends as a party, a cheap getaway, which they can't find on lines such as Crystal or Oceania. Among mass market lines, they like Royal the best because of its fancy ships.

 

Another couple is the opposite. They choose short Carnival cruises solely for the affordability. They are not party people and are growing tired of the party craze. They see more mature lines like Hal and Princess in their future. In the meantime they plan to continue with Carnival because of the attractive prices, but will only do longer cruises from now on.

 

As for us, we cruise Carnival because we are platinum and like the perks. But I have to admit I am bored with Carnival's ships and we will also move on to those fancy Royal and Norwegian ships. Still I plan to come back to Carnival occasionally when the ship is new and the price is right.

 

So you see, we all enjoy other lines for different reasons, but also will continue with Carnival for different reasons.

[FightOnRon]

One thing I notcied differntly , and to state the obvious,,way more familys and 20 somethings on CCL then HAL. A few more college age drunks (we went during a spring break I think) but for me and my wife personally,,everything we find that we like to do on HAL ships we could do just as well on CCL ships. The drunks hung out at the pools, the kids were in the pools all day,,places we don't hang out. So why not sail for cheaper when you get basically everything you want anyway.

 

There are 2 things I miss on the CCL ships design compared to HAL , one is the promanade outside deck. I miss the deck that runs all the way around the ship. Every HAL ship has one and they can by up to 1/2 mile or more to do a round trip,,great for power walkers. And the teak chairs on those decks. Since we don't do pools , we could always find a nice teak lounger on the deck, in the shade, to watch the ocean go by. The other is the Crows Nest bar.. A bar on about the 9th or 10th deck , above the bridge, that has a 180 degree view of where you're going. Great place to be when leaving a port.

 

What I like way more on CCL is all the different extra dining venues,,like the Mongolian grills and the rotiseries. And you can get an entire pizza for yourself if you want. My wife thinks the shows are better on CCL,,more tacky fun then the shows on HAL which sometimes try to be a bit to highbrow/serious.

 

I also like CCLs prices.

[cruise_girl2002]

not for me. honestly on all my carnival cruises i have never seen out of control drunks. the only time i did see out of control drunks and fights was on rcl. but try another line, something maybe more to your liking. as for me, i like the neon fun ship type. its me!

[floatingaway2525]

I think it's all about what you value while at sea...I have sailed quite a bit on other lines, and none came close to the over-all fun on Carnival so that's where I stay now...while I am not at Fire's 7-8 times a year <yet lol> I cruise 3-4 times a year God-willing and nowhere close to bored:confused: how could you be bored at sea I dunno, really...

The youngies here crack me up!!:D Tapi, the OP said classier people, not classier line:p I can vouch that in any given group of 2-3000 you will find all kinds of people, on any line:eek:

I say go for it, check them all out, and do what you enjoy the most, life is way shorter than you appreciate now:)

And for the poster who misses the promenade decks, me tooooo!!! Try the Dream class, you must!! A most amazing promenade which is where I spent many happy hours!!

[larkz]

I got over the party til you puke thing at the age of fifteen -- not kidding -- and never spent much time in a Carnival bar other than to pick up a diet cola. So I can't comment on Carnival's hard-partying atmosphere other than to say that if you don't want to be around it, the ships are big and there is plenty of peace and quiet to be found throughout. Now on the other hand, if you don't have the willpower to stay away from places where hard-partying is underway, I'm not sure whether any cruise line will work -- even those with average ages falling somewhere between embalming and burial.

 

I'd easily try any other cruise line if the price and itinerary were right. I'd like to try cruising around the Fjords and Scandinavia if the flights were reasonable. As for the Caribbean, Carnival keeps winning in the bang-for-buck category.

[ATL2LAS]

I have been sailing on Carnival since 2001 and have done other lines. I just have a preference for Carnival at this time. I have had non-stop action and relaxing sailings. It depends on when you go. Cruise for what you get out of it. Branch out to other lines or try a land base vacation.

[regjr13]

I agree. The price on Carnival can't be beat and as someone else said, you get what you pay for so, it further proves my point.

[regjr13]

We average 7 cruises a year on Carnival for years and the only time I got burned out was when we did 11 in 13 months.

 

Since folks don't seem to get bored going to the same condo year after year, I don't think there is any reason to get "bored" with Carnival.

 

Carnival currently addresses our vacation needs and when that changes, we will change.

 

LHP, I met you on one of my most enjoyable Carnival cruises and as someone else put it, your situation is different.

 

My starting this blog is to stimulate dialogue and get other peoples ideas and thoughts.

[Tapi]

Tapi, the OP said classier people, not classier line:p I can vouch that in any given group of 2-3000 you will find all kinds of people, on any line

 

I knew sooooomeone would point that out. :p I guess the point that I was trying to make is that "classier" people may gravitate towards a "classier" cruise line, but that doesn't mean that if someone chooses to cruise on Carnival, then they should be labeled as lacking "class". I do agree with you that you can find all kinds of people on any cruise line. :)

[halos]

I'm 32 years old and have been on Carnival multiple times, in fact, moreso then any othe cruise brand. Partially because they are by far, the cheapest line out there, but i see why and because i wanted to party party too. I'm just curious, do you ever get too old or grow up from the "fun ship" mentality? At my age, I'm already kinda tired of the overly drunks, party party type of atmosphere, only 3 classes of service offered, no new innovative ships, same boring orange rooms, etc., that Carnival is synonymous with. Personally, I'm ready for more luxury, upscale cruising, out of the box ships, classier people. I'm I an anomaly? Does this Carnival mantra get old?

 

I tried Celebrity and didn't find it as fun as Carnival...I think with our particular X cruise because it was a 14 day sailing, the demographic was largely old..I mean OLD...When there is no age diversity, things aren't good...and that can work both ways. All families on a ship is a disaster and all college kids can be a little insane too.

anyway...

Royal caribbean was about the same as CCL (just as fun) Then we tried NCL and I found fun and change...the change we needed. NCL was a bit different and it felt good.

 

I have said numerous times that I have felt a difference (decline) in CCL (which I still stand by) but I also think our taste has changed some as well. I still like Carnival, but they are no longer my favorite.

 

There is nothing wrong with needing a change.

Sometimes if you go with other lines for a while and come back to Carnival, it will be nice...almost like new again.

Variety is good. if you think you have outgrown Carnival...then try something else.

[scgamecock]

I'm 32 years old and have been on Carnival multiple times, in fact, moreso then any othe cruise brand. Partially because they are by far, the cheapest line out there, but i see why and because i wanted to party party too. I'm just curious, do you ever get too old or grow up from the "fun ship" mentality? At my age, I'm already kinda tired of the overly drunks, party party type of atmosphere, only 3 classes of service offered, no new innovative ships, same boring orange rooms, etc., that Carnival is synonymous with. Personally, I'm ready for more luxury, upscale cruising, out of the box ships, classier people. I'm I an anomaly? Does this Carnival mantra get old?

 

Unless my income miraculously improves... Never. I enjoy 2 or 3 Carnival cruises per year instead of one cruise per year on the more expensive cruise lines.

[gusandgidgetsmom]

I have been cruising since the 80's. Been on several lines, but have been on Carnival the most. We also take land vacations as well each year. Last year we took a 1 1/2 month land vacation then topped it off with a cruise to ALaska. I think anything you do repetitively can be boring. Try a new line. I have had some wonderful cruises on all lines, some so-so and some why did I do this cruises. The remark about classier people is a little strange to me. Class doesn't necessarily come with money so you will see classless people any where. I do not fit the demographics that some people say fit Carnival. I am a business owner--well educated and my husband makes more than a 6 figure income in retirement--but I have never thought anything about class on a Carnival ship nor on any ship. I have to admit that I will not do another short cruise-with any line as it is more of a party atmosphere and that is just not me.

Branch out and see if you like other cruise lines then figure out the one that makes the most sense for you. Have fun.

[Celandine]

I don't know...

 

my dad is in his early 50's and loves Carnival.

 

it is his favourite cruise line....

 

He's also been on RCI, Princess and HAL

 

He has never been a party party party type person, but he has said he liked all of his cruises, but Carnival is still his favourite.

 

 

Personally, Princess is my favourite cruise line... but I'm planning on trying them all one day... and love all my time on a ship.