Hal vs Carnival

[brainyblonde]

OK, there is no comparison! DH treated eleven family members to a Carnival cruise for his 70th B-Day. We were six adults, five grandchildren 10-15. We have 137 days on Hal, so you know our comfort zone. However, 11 times the cost of any cruise gets one's attention.

 

From the first few moments aboard, throughout the entire week, the differences are monumental. The decor was Las Vegas gaudy, the Lido has plastic cups and plates, alcoholic drinks are hawked even at breakfast, the menu was long on cheap food, sparse on quality.

 

We had four balconies, which were our salvation.... a quiet retreat. The worst day at the pool was the "Hairy Chest Contest." Yes, they actually have participants. The library had fake book fronts, one small case of lending library which was always locked.

 

The shampoo was runny, no body lotion, cheap hand soap. The public bathrooms has handblowers. The live entrertainment was only at the bars late at night, sailway parties were a DJ. No maps of the ports, no daily newspaper, plastic hangars in the closets. You name an amenity on HAL, it either did not exist, or was downgraded to tacky.

 

Having said all that, we had a wonderful time! Our grandkids loved everything, our adult sons and wives bonded, and we felt so smug about our family. Therefore, DH and I kept our mouths shut and enjoyed the ride. We have a wonderful photo of all eleven on the incredibly overdone staircase.

 

So many families looked like they were having such a good time, I

"get it" with Carnival. It is easier to go "up" on one's cruise experience to go "down." Just don't have a steady diet of HAL and then spend a week on Carnival.

 

Brainyblonde

[CtheW0rld]

sounds like you had a good time. carnival is what it is. hal probably would no longer be in existence without them.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We have don the same thing. Carnival is good for that ,...

[Mar56]

. The worst day at the pool was the "Hairy Chest Contest." Yes, they had participants

 

Brainyblonde

 

This made me laugh. Our first cruise was on HAL this past February. There was a hairy chest contest on the last sea day at the Aft pool and yes, there were participants. Lol.

 

Glad that you enjoyed your cruise with your family. We are sailingg on Carnival in Jan 2013 for the same reason - much loved SIL and BIL couldnt/wouldnt pay HAL prices and we wanted to have some special time with them sooo... I know it wont be the same as HAL but we are looking forward to it none the less.

[uppitycats]

My husband describes Carnival as "Las Vegas on the cheap". All the things you mentioned so turned us off from Carnival that they'd have to come up with a really unique itinerary before we'd consider them again. We even prefer the laid-back casual atmosphere of NCL over Carnival.

 

I'm glad you managed to have a good time despite all that.

[sassyredhat]

We have cruised all but Celebrity, and although HAL is an excellent fit for us, we have sailed a few CCL.

I have found, that if you go knowing what the differences are, you won't be disappointed.

We are leaving on one of those infamous 4 dayers on a small fantasy class ship. CCL has good crew, good sized cabins, nice beds. They also have more rowdy 20-30 yr. olds.

IMO it can also vary betweens ships in the same line. But~~our hearts belong to HAL, and we can't wait for an itin. to open. I can't fly, so choices are limited.

 

Would I take a 15 dayer on CCL ? Probably not. On HAL, definitely !!

 

Pat

[CtheW0rld]

We have cruised all but Celebrity, and although HAL is an excellent fit for us, we have sailed a few CCL.

 

I have found, that if you go knowing what the differences are, you won't be disappointed.

 

We are leaving on one of those infamous 4 dayers on a small fantasy class ship. CCL has good crew, good sized cabins, nice beds. They also have more rowdy 20-30 yr. olds.

 

IMO it can also vary betweens ships in the same line. But~~our hearts belong to HAL, and we can't wait for an itin. to open. I can't fly, so choices are limited.

 

Would I take a 15 dayer on CCL ? Probably not. On HAL, definitely !!

 

 

 

Pat

 

 

just like hal, the longer the cruise the older the demographic. i took a 28 day on carnival and the mood was completely different.

[eandj]

We find some cruiselines are for us when we cruise as a couple.

 

We prefer Royal C when we travel with multi generational groups. But Carnival would work for that purpose too. It is the family time we look forward to in those trips. And the younger generation finds the entertainmnet onboard and whole atmosphere on RCL more to their liking than Celebrity or HAL.

 

I'm glad after getting over the "differences" of HAL and CCL, OP was able to still have a great time. It is SOO about attitude and expectations, isn't it? Not sure why folks trash different lines here. We love the variety and choice.

[jaguarstyper]

Cruise lines are different for a reason. For every person here who loathes the idea of a hairy chest competition or a lively band at the pool every day, there is another person who can't wait to bare his hairy chest and loves the pool band. I have been on Carnival and totally enjoyed it. Its very different and not as "elegant" as HAL, but not everyone wants elegance. Some people love to party all day and have a rowdy good time. There is nothing wrong with that. Compared to HAL, I hated NCL. But, I still had great time despite all the things I did not like about NCL.

 

I'm glad the lines are different and I see no point in comparing one to another. They are not the same and don't try to be. I see that as being all good.

[Roz]

And what did you pay for your family Carnival cruise vs. what you would have paid on HAL? I sail both lines for different reasons and board the ships with different expectations. Handblowers and plastic hangars aren't the end of the world for me, and I like Carnival's dining room food, along with their pizza, deli sandwiches, salad bar and tandoor station in the Lido.

 

I spent 12 days on the Carnival Spirit on a Cruise Critic group cruise to Hawaii, and it was one of the best cruises I've taken.

 

There's no requiremnt that one attend or participate in the Hairy Leg or Chest Contest, and it's all done in the spirit of FUN. Remember, they're the FUN ships.

 

Roz

[jaguarstyper]

There's no requiremnt that one attend or participate in the Hairy Leg or Chest Contest, and it's all done in the spirit of FUN. Remember, they're the FUN ships.

 

Roz

Yes! And FUN is strictly forbidden on HAL ships, lest you annoy someone who demands total peace and quiet. :p:p:p:p

[Hawaiidan]

Thats what they advertise....and charge a rock bottom price for a spring break college experience. Being a floating singles bar for some has alure for many. Now with the "all you can drink package...whoa !!

 

I can not immigine taking a Carnival ship and not expecting anything less

Than seeing lots of the budget families and economy minded lounge lizzards on the make. A very "interesting" group

[Roz]

My 4 Carnival cruises were not spring break cruises, nor were they floating singles bars. I think you have a completely wrong idea of the typical Carnival cruise.

 

Roz

[Robin7]

We have been on one 7-day Carnival cruise but have 66 days on HAL. While we were waiting to board the Valor, a lady we were chatting with asked us our cruising history. When we told her, she said, "Oh. You're going to HATE the food on this cruise. My mom goes on HAL, and she says the food is terrible on Carnival." LOL! Way to lower our expectations. But I found the food to be fine. I am a peasant, though, and easy to please. ;)

 

However, we no longer cruise for the food. Our last cruise was our first on RCI, and they all seem about the same to me. Nothing compares to our first HAL cruise in 1991 on the (former) Westerdam. It was like eating in the Pinnacle Grill every night! Now it is what is is, and I'm just happy not to cook or clean up!

 

We are taking our Senior son and nephew on a Spring Break Carnival cruise next year for their graduation presents. I never considered HAL because I knew the (by then) almost 18-year-old boys would prefer the activities on Carnival. I hope we're not disappointed! Sure the decorating is gaudy, the ship is HUGE, and there are lots and lots and lots of people, but we really enjoyed our only Carnival cruise.

 

We look more at itinerary/price these days. I still have an unused FCC on HAL though, so we're hoping to be able to use it!

 

Robin

[jaguarstyper]

My 4 Carnival cruises were not spring break cruises, nor were they floating singles bars. I think you have a completely wrong idea of the typical Carnival cruise.

 

Roz

I totally agree. Carnival is not my first choice, ever. But, there is nothing wrong with the product they provide or the people who cruise on their ships. I'd do it again if the opportunity ever presents itself.

[brainyblonde]

Thanks for all the comments! If you could have seen DH smiling for the cruising week because he made the trip possible for his children and grandchildren, you would know it was fantastic. I pointed out the differences from HAL to be of help to others.

 

Your posts have been so enjoyable to read!

 

Again, thank you,

 

Brainyblonde

[chipq]

Thank you Brainy for starting this thread. Many get it. Regardless of the cruise line the attitude of the cruiser going in will make or break the cruise. Our last three cruises have been on CCL because we have brought the kids and we have had great cruises but, we do stay away from any thing less than 7-days because even within a line, the demographic changes as the length of the cruise increases. There is nothing wrong with the short cruises if you are looking for more of a party atmosphere. I used to fit that group but now with kids try to avoid those groups.

 

Not so sure about the all you can drink packages being considered. I guess the good thing is that at $42 per day per each person in your cabin will possibly keep the crazy spring break partiers to the short trips.

 

 

http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

[spacepotatoes]

We did our first Carnival cruise this January and our first HAL cruise last month. We came to the same conclusion that you did. There is no comparison! Having said that, we were still satisfied with our experience on Carnival. It's just that now we'll know what we're missing when we go back ;)

[I Luv Crusin]

We did our first Carnival cruise this January and our first HAL cruise last month. We came to the same conclusion that you did. There is no comparison! Having said that, we were still satisfied with our experience on Carnival. It's just that now we'll know what we're missing when we go back ;)

 

We've have mostly cruised Carnival but cruised HAL for the first time in 2006 and will again in two weeks. I'll be curious about the differences I see in them now. When we cruised on Veendam we really LIKED HAL. I didn't find that the food was that much better but service, decorations, and friendlier staff were!

[Hlitner]

Carnival is not our cruise line of choice, but we have had 3 delightful cruises on Carnival ships. It is what it is which is actually pretty good. In fact, some of the food we had on Carnival was even better then on HA and Carnival certainly had much better entertainment then we have had on our HA cruises. We must admit that its nice to sometimes go to a midnight adult comedy show as opposed to when we cruises on the Prinsendam and spent some evenings at 11 in the Crows Nest with the usual 6 awake passengers and and a few crew.

 

Hank

[Tampa Girl]

OP - which Carnival ship were you on?

[westview1]

OP you make some very good points. There are definitely differences between the 2 lines.

 

I have cruised mostly on Carnival and just came back from my first HAL cruise last week, my observations about the differences between HAL and Carnival are my opinion only.

 

Yes the Carnival ships are bright and colorful, but they are moving away from that type of decor. If you look for pictures of the Breeze you will find it is more subdued. The decor really doesn't bother me either way, I like to look at the interesting wall panels on the passenger decks on Carnival ships.

 

The food on HAL is better, but the food on Carnival isn't horrible either. They (Carnival) do have one selection of comfort food (fried chicken, meatloaf etc) at dinner each night but they also offer prime rib, lobster on elegant night. HAL: We like Canaletto but the MDR service was slow. I don't go to the buffet on Carnival, I don't like buffets in general, but on Carnival it can be pretty bad. The buffet on the Veendam was quite good, we ate breakfast there and really enjoyed our meals (again we ate at the buffet because the MDR was too slow).

 

The entertainment is better on HAL. It could be that I've seen every production show on Carnival, but I think HAL just has more quality entertainers than Carnival. Where Carnival has spent their money on the sets, HAL has spent it on the talent.

 

There were less kids and young adults on the Veendam than on any Carnival ship in the summer. But, I have sailed on Carnival in the off season and have been about 15 - 20 years below the median age, and I'm 47. If you don't want to be on a ship with the young whippersnappers, my advice would be to stay away from summer, spring break and the week between Christmas and New Years. Of course if you are including your grandchildren then it may not be an option for you.

 

All in all, I just like to cruise. I know the Carnival product and I'm comfortable with what it offers, but I am equally comfortable with the HAL experience. We stay away from the main pool entertainment like the Hairy Chest contest, we usually go find a quiet spot in the Serenity area or the upper decks and read.

[I Luv Crusin]

OP you make some very good points. There are definitely differences between the 2 lines.

 

All in all, I just like to cruise. I know the Carnival product and I'm comfortable with what it offers, but I am equally comfortable with the HAL experience. We stay away from the main pool entertainment like the Hairy Chest contest, we usually go find a quiet spot in the Serenity area or the upper decks and read.

 

Same here! :)

[brainyblonde]

We were on the Carnival Legend, Tampa Girl. It was the last week of summer for the local school children, so we had many families, as expected. No big issue there, we had five grandchildren 10-15 of our own.

 

I am happy to hear that Carnival is toning down their decor, just made me smile at all the gaudiness, silver urns used everywhere.

 

I guess I posted my impressions not as a cheerleader for HAL, but to highlight that HAL is a better product. Because they have the same coporate head, I am happy they make HAL a more upscale experience and differeniate the brands. As I posted earlier, it is easier to "go up" than to "go down" on the cruising experience.

 

To answer the question: Would we cruise Carnival again? Probably not, now trying to figure out how we can afford 11 passengers on another line!

 

Brainyblonde

[lettienets]

My 4 Carnival cruises were not spring break cruises, nor were they floating singles bars. I think you have a completely wrong idea of the typical Carnival cruise.

 

Roz

I agree. If you don't sail in school breaks, summer holiday, Christmas or thanksgiving you have an older crowd. The 3 and 4 day cruises are the rowdier ones. I have been on many long Carnival cruises where the guests are as old as Hal's, Europe, Panama Canal, transatlantics. I love both Hal and Carnival, different reasons, different experiences, all depends on itinerary. Carnival is fun, casual, relaxed and cheap. Hal to me is more formal, sophistocated and European esp Europe cruises and transatlantics, very lovely. Different things appeal on both. For the first time I am booked on NCL Jade for an Egypt/Holyland cruise and looking forward to a change.