New to Carnival

[HoganUK]

Hi Guys,

 

Would just like to ask your opinion on what i can expect from a Carnival Cruise! Myself (31) and partnetr (25) are booked on the Carnival Sunshine 9 day sailing BCN-VCE in the summer.

 

I have sailed on 3 NCL ships (Jade/Epic and an overnight trip on the new breakaway).

 

Can i expect similarities on Carnival from the type of freestyle cruising on NCL?

 

Cheers :o

[dburdan]

Hi Guys,

 

Would just like to ask your opinion on what i can expect from a Carnival Cruise! Myself (31) and partnetr (25) are booked on the Carnival Sunshine 9 day sailing BCN-VCE in the summer.

 

I have sailed on 3 NCL ships (Jade/Epic and an overnight trip on the new breakaway).

 

Can i expect similarities on Carnival from the type of freestyle cruising on NCL?

 

Cheers :o

 

I personally do not like the Freestyle Cruising that NCL offers which is why I stay with Carnival. In my opinion, NCL makes the MDR service and food so bad that it forces you to got to the Upcharge restaurants.

 

On Carnival you will find excellent service in the MDR and everywhere else on the ship and the food is very good. I think CCL has better Intineraries and ships. NCL wins the entertainment competition hands down. CCL seems to think Karaoke is good entertainment.

[CarnivalBreeze319]

Expect a much more "relaxed" atmosphere. Expect to eat great food, much of which is included in your fare (unlike other lines). And get ready to have FUN! The only thing you may be disappointed in is the entertainment. Have a great cruise and welcome to the family!

[Cruizinman]

About the same,except Carnivals entertainment is a complete flip and there will be more drunks on the party ships.

[Sixtytwo]

Expect a great cruise! We enjoyed our Med cruise on NCL and can say that the dining experience was great except for the Japanese steak house which we did not much care for. You should disregard the image that Carnival is the drunken party ships cruise line. Yes, they are more relaxed than some other lines, but far from the description above!

 

Have a great cruise and be sure to check back and tell us how it was.

 

Cheers mate!

[CarnivalBreeze319]

About the same,except Carnivals entertainment is a complete flip and there will be more drunks on the party ships.

 

There are not more drunks. Why do you still post here on Cruise Critic. All you do is purposely "stir up the pot."

[mississauga]

The cruise lines are more similar than they are different. Carnival has the choice of Your Time Dining or assigned. Even ships within each cruise line gives you a slightly different experience each time.

 

I'm sure you will enjoy your Carnival cruise as much as your NCL experiences.

 

Have a great cruise.:D and welcome to Carnival.

[HoganUK]

Thank you for your responses so far guys!

 

I think the passenger type in general are more laid back on a med cruise, i think the drinking culture is much different on a cruise that has hardly as "at sea" days.

 

As long as the standard is more towards NCL rather than Thomson Cruises i will be a happy passenger.

[Buffalofirsttimer4]

Hi Guys,

 

Would just like to ask your opinion on what i can expect from a Carnival Cruise! Myself (31) and partnetr (25) are booked on the Carnival Sunshine 9 day sailing BCN-VCE in the summer.

 

I have sailed on 3 NCL ships (Jade/Epic and an overnight trip on the new breakaway).

 

Can i expect similarities on Carnival from the type of freestyle cruising on NCL?

 

Cheers :o

 

Having cruised NCL for our very first cruise and then Carnival on our last cruise, I will speak on what I observed.

 

NCL Freestyle is no different than Carnivals Anytime Dining- food is food and this is subjective by the person consuming it. You can almost all ways find something you will like-there are plenty of options available.

 

We enjoyed the shows on NCL but I didn't really get a chance to view the ones on Carnival (just wasn't that kind of cruise). I do plan on attending them on our next cruise though.

 

Carnival's lido deck has a fun atmosphere-something always seems to be going on (unless you're in port)- Hairy Chest contest, mixology contest, ice craving, deck parties during sail aways, we had at least one night deck party-Mexican themed- that was a lot of fun .

 

On NCL I spent almost all my time at the kids pool, so I cannot compare the lido deck activities but I didn't run into anyone who was complaining, if that helps.

 

Cruising on any line is what you make it. I have found going with an open mind and a little patience (lines can form) goes a long way. I have sailed three different lines and still not found a favorite, cause I am still trying them all out. :D

 

Enjoy your cruise, a bad day on vacation always beats a good day at work- at least that's my motto!

 

Happy Sailing!!!

[Warm Breezes]

Hi Guys,

 

Would just like to ask your opinion on what i can expect from a Carnival Cruise! Myself (31) and partnetr (25) are booked on the Carnival Sunshine 9 day sailing BCN-VCE in the summer.

 

I have sailed on 3 NCL ships (Jade/Epic and an overnight trip on the new breakaway).

 

Can i expect similarities on Carnival from the type of freestyle cruising on NCL?

 

Cheers :o

 

My Subjective Opinion:

 

MDR food and service similar.

Buffet better on NCL.

Desserts better on CCL.

More choices for Fee restaurants on NCL but quality similar.

I haven't found anything on a CCL ship that compares to O'Sheehans/Blue Lagoon but I have not sailed on a ship with 2.0 and I do like their deli and fish & chips.

Entertainment better on NCL.

Wait times similar on both with Anytime vs Freestyle. Longest time I've had on both was 15-20 minutes on Elegant/Dress Up or Not nights.

I found NCL slightly more casual than CCL in terms of dress code.

[Warm Breezes]

About the same,except Carnivals entertainment is a complete flip and there will be more drunks on the party ships.

 

I haven't seen any difference in the demographics between the 2 cruise lines on the ships I have sailed:rolleyes:. Both were filled with families having fun....same as we were.