Loyal NCL cruiser thinking of Carnival Splendor next summer, but nervous!

[tee3240]

Hello,

 

My husband and I have only cruised with NCL but friends of ours with kids the same ages as ours, have booked a cruise on the Splendor, 8 days next summer out of NY. We really love NCL and are hesitant to book Carnival, mostly because we don't know anything about the line and the ship. I do NOT want to deal with drunk kids everywhere! Can anyone give me some insight about Carnival and this ship in particular? And any cabin suggestions would also be appreciated. We are looking at a balcony on deck 9. Thank you!:)

[cathyz]

Hello,

 

My husband and I have only cruised with NCL but friends of ours with kids the same ages as ours, have booked a cruise on the Splendor, 8 days next summer out of NY. We really love NCL and are hesitant to book Carnival, mostly because we don't know anything about the line and the ship. I do NOT want to deal with drunk kids everywhere! Can anyone give me some insight about Carnival and this ship in particular? And any cabin suggestions would also be appreciated. We are looking at a balcony on deck 9. Thank you!:)

We have cruised on the Splendor twice and will be again a last time in Sept before she leaves the west coast. She's a bright shiny new ship (very pink), but not our favorite 'floor plan', there are some serious traffic pattern problems, but they can be avoided. Cruising in the summer will always have a bunch of kids, but they won't be drunk, they'll be under 21. We typically cruise when kids are in school and there are maybe 100-200 kids on the ship, but in the summer there can be 1000 kids on very popular weeks. A question, how can you be looking at a cabin on deck 9 if you've already booked? Didn't you already book your cabin? I'm sure you'll have a good cruise anyway, the kids can certainly be avoided.

[firefly333]

You will be surprised to know that most people on Carnival threads think NCL is the bottom cruiseline and Carnival is better. Seriously ...

 

Splendor is a ship designed for Costa from what I understand, so its in a class by itself .. but its not too different than Conquest class really. It does have a pay spa option like Dream class .. if you are a spa person, you might want to check how much more expensive a spa balcony is? Its included if you book a spa cabin, but extra otherwise.

 

From everything I know, NCL has a lot more pay options, but the regular food isnt a good. Who knows as food is subjective .. but I like the beds on Carnival and never had food I was unhappy with. You can get anytime dining or traditional.

[cruisinJenF]

Hello,

 

My husband and I have only cruised with NCL but friends of ours with kids the same ages as ours, have booked a cruise on the Splendor, 8 days next summer out of NY. We really love NCL and are hesitant to book Carnival, mostly because we don't know anything about the line and the ship. I do NOT want to deal with drunk kids everywhere! Can anyone give me some insight about Carnival and this ship in particular? And any cabin suggestions would also be appreciated. We are looking at a balcony on deck 9. Thank you!:)

 

I would look at deck 10 or 11 and book a spa balcony. You will LOVE the spa- its amazing! You will get the spa perks plus there is no smoking in spa cabins- this includes the balcony. I think it would be a quieter location for you since there would not likely be any kids in the cabins around you. Since you have to be 18 to use the spa it doesn't make sense for someone with kids to book a spa cabin. But- I guess that is still a possibility. At least if you are worried about kids you cold escape to the spa to avoid them.

 

Go into it with an open mind- it seems you already have some stereotype about Carnival with the "drunk kids" bit. There are not drunk kids on the ship- and you might be surprised and enjoy yourself :)

[MissKIA]

I've been on two Carnival cruises and never saw one drunk kid running around, never mind hundreds. :D In fact I don't even remember seeing any drunk adults running around. That seems to be a stereotype that Carnival just can't seem to shake for whatever reason. I doubt many people who have actually sailed on Carnival would agree with that aspect of Carnival's reputation. Besides, you are talking about an 8 day cruise out of New York, not a 3 day cruise out of Miami. Probably a HUGE difference in clientele there. I say go for it. You never know until you try it, you just might love it!

[ward6226]

Our first cruise was NCL and we really enjoyed it. When we tried to book another, the NCL agent literally talked us out of booking. We booked Carnival and have never had a bad cruise with them. I don't even consider other lines.

Shalom

[vaguy22]

rooms tend to be larger per class on Carnival than NCL Research this. Beware of tacky interiors on Splendor.

[glorialagos]

There is a very similar thread going but forget the subject now. You might want to search for it.

 

We are a family with teens and have done 3 Carnival and 3 NCL cruises in the last 3 years. I prefer NCL. The teens prefer Carnival. Those who have never seen drunk teens are probably not traveling with teens! They are definitely there - on both lines. A lot of that depends on the ports and if the teens are older - 18 and above will be able to drink in the ports. Since they can't legally drink at home, they get pretty excited to legally order a Bahama Mama at the pool (or 2 or 3. . . ).

 

While NCL does have more pay dining options, we have never used one and we prefer NCL food to Carnival - especially Blue Lagoon. But Carnival has great lemonade and warm chocolate melting cake. I also think due to those using the pay options on NCL, the other places and buffets are not so crowded. The buffet on our last Carnival cruise was terribly disappointing - very long lines, very slow moving.

 

Truthfully, there are many more similarities than differences. If you love NCL, you will love Carnival. I disagree that most Carnival cruisers believe NCL is a step down. I have never heard that before but maybe it's true. I was unaware of that. I really think they are equal and only a bit different.

 

You will love an 8 day out of New York, especially with friends. Cruising with friends always makes the vacation more enjoyable. Have fun and come back and report.

[glorialagos]

Oh, and forgot to mention- not sure if you are a "happy, happy, washy, washy" fan but I am. I really miss being greeted by a smiley, goofy person every time I walk into the dining room. There are no "happy, happy, washy, washies" on Carnival.:(

[tee3240]

We have cruised on the Splendor twice and will be again a last time in Sept before she leaves the west coast. She's a bright shiny new ship (very pink), but not our favorite 'floor plan', there are some serious traffic pattern problems, but they can be avoided. Cruising in the summer will always have a bunch of kids, but they won't be drunk, they'll be under 21. We typically cruise when kids are in school and there are maybe 100-200 kids on the ship, but in the summer there can be 1000 kids on very popular weeks. A question, how can you be looking at a cabin on deck 9 if you've already booked? Didn't you already book your cabin? I'm sure you'll have a good cruise anyway, the kids can certainly be avoided.

 

Thank you for your comments. We haven't booked yet, but our friends have booked cabins on deck 9. Is there a deck you would recommend? What did you mean about the floor plan? I did read about all the pink, that's my favorite color, LOL! I know what you mean about the kids in the summer, we just got off the Norwegian Gem and out of the 3k people on board, 1k were kids under 18. I am not anti-kid as I have 2 of my own (8 and 11). Thanks again! :)

[tee3240]

You will be surprised to know that most people on Carnival threads think NCL is the bottom cruiseline and Carnival is better. Seriously ...

 

Splendor is a ship designed for Costa from what I understand, so its in a class by itself .. but its not too different than Conquest class really. It does have a pay spa option like Dream class .. if you are a spa person, you might want to check how much more expensive a spa balcony is? Its included if you book a spa cabin, but extra otherwise.

 

From everything I know, NCL has a lot more pay options, but the regular food isnt a good. Who knows as food is subjective .. but I like the beds on Carnival and never had food I was unhappy with. You can get anytime dining or traditional.

 

Thank you for your comments. I did read a bit about the spa, that may be an option. NCL does have a lot of extra options for food which we did take advantage of, but we also enjoyed the food in the buffet and MD. How does the dining work? Can you do traditional some nights and anytime other nights?

[tee3240]

I would look at deck 10 or 11 and book a spa balcony. You will LOVE the spa- its amazing! You will get the spa perks plus there is no smoking in spa cabins- this includes the balcony. I think it would be a quieter location for you since there would not likely be any kids in the cabins around you. Since you have to be 18 to use the spa it doesn't make sense for someone with kids to book a spa cabin. But- I guess that is still a possibility. At least if you are worried about kids you cold escape to the spa to avoid them.

 

Go into it with an open mind- it seems you already have some stereotype about Carnival with the "drunk kids" bit. There are not drunk kids on the ship- and you might be surprised and enjoy yourself :)

 

Hi, you are right, I definitely have preconceived notions regarding Carnival which most likely are NOT true. Did not mean to sound "anti-kid", I have 2 of my own that would be coming with us. :)

[tee3240]

I've been on two Carnival cruises and never saw one drunk kid running around, never mind hundreds. :D In fact I don't even remember seeing any drunk adults running around. That seems to be a stereotype that Carnival just can't seem to shake for whatever reason. I doubt many people who have actually sailed on Carnival would agree with that aspect of Carnival's reputation. Besides, you are talking about an 8 day cruise out of New York, not a 3 day cruise out of Miami. Probably a HUGE difference in clientele there. I say go for it. You never know until you try it, you just might love it!

Thanks, I think you are right, we should just go for it! :)

[tee3240]

Our first cruise was NCL and we really enjoyed it. When we tried to book another, the NCL agent literally talked us out of booking. We booked Carnival and have never had a bad cruise with them. I don't even consider other lines.

Shalom

Wow, interesting! Thank you for your comments!

[tee3240]

rooms tend to be larger per class on Carnival than NCL Research this. Beware of tacky interiors on Splendor.

Yes, I have read the rooms are larger. But since we have only stayed in suites, I probably won't be able to compare. Our favorite suite was the 5,000 sq foot Garden Villa. Incredible!! :)

[firefly333]

Thank you for your comments. I did read a bit about the spa, that may be an option. NCL does have a lot of extra options for food which we did take advantage of, but we also enjoyed the food in the buffet and MD. How does the dining work? Can you do traditional some nights and anytime other nights?

 

You can only pick one option for dinner, traditional or anytime, but not both. They dont have that many seats to let you trade around.

 

If you dont eat in the MDR you can always eat up on Lido. the deli is good and some of the other things, even the buffet isnt bad to me.

[Georgiagolfer]

Don't set yourself up for failure by saying you're nervous about changing lines and assuming the worse. Look for ward to the cruise, enjoy, then write a review about the good, bad, and indifferent.

[tee3240]

There is a very similar thread going but forget the subject now. You might want to search for it.

 

We are a family with teens and have done 3 Carnival and 3 NCL cruises in the last 3 years. I prefer NCL. The teens prefer Carnival. Those who have never seen drunk teens are probably not traveling with teens! They are definitely there - on both lines. A lot of that depends on the ports and if the teens are older - 18 and above will be able to drink in the ports. Since they can't legally drink at home, they get pretty excited to legally order a Bahama Mama at the pool (or 2 or 3. . . ).

 

While NCL does have more pay dining options, we have never used one and we prefer NCL food to Carnival - especially Blue Lagoon. But Carnival has great lemonade and warm chocolate melting cake. I also think due to those using the pay options on NCL, the other places and buffets are not so crowded. The buffet on our last Carnival cruise was terribly disappointing - very long lines, very slow moving.

 

Truthfully, there are many more similarities than differences. If you love NCL, you will love Carnival. I disagree that most Carnival cruisers believe NCL is a step down. I have never heard that before but maybe it's true. I was unaware of that. I really think they are equal and only a bit different.

 

You will love an 8 day out of New York, especially with friends. Cruising with friends always makes the vacation more enjoyable. Have fun and come back and report.

Thanks very much for your comments! I also have never heard that NCL was at the bottom, if anything I heard Carnival was. Curious; what exactly did you prefer with NCL? We have done All the pay options on NCL, but also enjoy the MDR and buffet, especially with the kids. More variety for them. I dislike crowds and slow lines (who doesn't??) :eek:

We just returned from a 7 day out of NY on the Gem with family, I liked the itinerary.

[tee3240]

Don't set yourself up for failure by saying you're nervous about changing lines and assuming the worse. Look for ward to the cruise, enjoy, then write a review about the good, bad, and indifferent.

Hi Mike,

I know what you are saying, keep an open mind, got it! :)

[hannahsmomtoo]

Hello,

 

My husband and I have only cruised with NCL but friends of ours with kids the same ages as ours, have booked a cruise on the Splendor, 8 days next summer out of NY. We really love NCL and are hesitant to book Carnival, mostly because we don't know anything about the line and the ship. I do NOT want to deal with drunk kids everywhere! Can anyone give me some insight about Carnival and this ship in particular? And any cabin suggestions would also be appreciated. We are looking at a balcony on deck 9. Thank you!:)

 

We have a balcony on deck 9 coming up .. so I can let you know !!!:D

[fergusonvt]

Take the plunge, I did! I love NCL (obviously since I have another one booked) but DH's family mostly cruise on Carnival so that is where we are for our next cruise. I'm hoping I like it because it opens up lots more choices for ports.

 

Sent from my LePanII using Tapatalk 2

[tee3240]

Oh, and forgot to mention- not sure if you are a "happy, happy, washy, washy" fan but I am. I really miss being greeted by a smiley, goofy person every time I walk into the dining room. There are no "happy, happy, washy, washies" on Carnival.:(

LOVE happy, happy, washy, washy, smiley, smiley, although I know some people find it annoying. Do Carnival ships have the self serve hand sanitizers?

[tee3240]

We have a balcony on deck 9 coming up .. so I can let you know !!!:D

That would be great, thank you! :)

[Georgiagolfer]

LOVE happy, happy, washy, washy, smiley, smiley, although I know some people find it annoying. Do Carnival ships have the self serve hand sanitizers?

 

Yes they do. What is this other thing/person you are referring to? happy happy, washy washy?:confused:

[hannahsmomtoo]

That would be great, thank you! :)

 

no problem.. ( and I was born in MA by the way... in Arizona now )

 

I plan on doing a review when we get back.. and I am a picture nut so :D