Jump to content

Are you considering other cruise lines


are you considering switching cruise lines  

406 members have voted

  1. 1. are you considering switching cruise lines

    • yes, are considering other lines
      175
    • have already made the switch
      118
    • no, would never change
      78
    • switched and came back to Carnival
      35


Recommended Posts

I have tried other mass market cruise lines & did not see that big a difference in the experience. I will probably continue to cruise with Carnival. With that said, I am looking to book a cruise with either Regent or Oceania. My main reason for considering a change is that I want to see different ports. I would also like the opportunity to have more overnight port visits.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have only cruised Carnival and had a great time on our cruises. I would like to try some other lines but because of our work schedules it's easiest to just use the nearest ports - Galveston and New Orleans. I almost booked RCL but for the 3 of us it would have been almost $1000 more. I didn't want to gamble that that cruise would be worth that much more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll admit that I'm jumping ship (no pun intended). I am trying out other lines, and I'm starting with NCL. I've got a Bermuda cruise booked on the NCL Breakaway in July.

 

Carnival's cutbacks have been noticeable in just the three cruises I've taken with them. In fact, there's been noticeable changes in just the time between my second cruise and my last cruise. Breakfast in the MD? Gone. Live band on the lido? Gone. Actual backdrops and great dancing/singing in the live shows? Gone and greatly reduced, respectively (the talent in the shows on the Breeze was terrible compared to the shows on the Splendor during my last cruise). Timely service in the MD and food that's actually hot? Gone, especially with the bar service. And with all the recent issues, I wonder if they've been cutting costs in the maintenance department as well as the other areas.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are you dissatisfied enough with past experiences, cutbacks, etc to consider switching to another cruise line? We are.

 

The horrendous customer service coming out of Miami is what did it for me. Carnival does not care about their best repeat customers at all. My next 2 cruises will be on Royal and NCL.

 

I do have the Blogger's Cruise booked, but I am not enthusiastic about it at all like I once was.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This will be our 5th Cruise with Carnival. :) We have not cruised since they started some of the cutbacks. I will let this upcoming cruise let me decide if

I will look at other cruise Lines. But, we have not had a bad cruise with carnival yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have no choice but to book with another cruise line for my next cruise as we want to do a med cruise next year.

 

Looking at NCL and MSC.

 

 

I guess you cut out a lot of European customers when you cut out European cruises. When we fly over the pond I would consider a cheap cruise round the Carribean though as part of the trip.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We've cruised on 4...soon to be 5 different lines. We enjoyed things about each experience, and there were things about each we found weren't to our tastes.

 

Not only do I enjoy cruising on a wide variety of cruiselines I also enjoy trying different types of cruising (i.e, river, barge, Maine Windjammers etc)

 

When Carnival Corporation figures out how to combine all of it's. various lines brand loyalty program under one umbrella, it will encourage and reward loyalty

 

That's a great point! We're Diamond on Royal Caribbean, and having reciprocal benefits to be Elite on Celebrity played a big role in us choosing Celebrity over HAL or Princess for the West Coast and Alaska cruises we have booked. I have a hard time saying no to free laundry, internet, and drinks!:o

The other thing that weighs heavily in our decision is suite perks. We have found we really enjoy some of the extras that come with booking a suite on other cruise lines. For us, it's not just about the square footage.:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Understand. We have not had a bad past experience in 24 Carnival cruises. Cutbacks are not enough for us to leave.

 

I have never had a bad cruise EVER...some better thna others.

CCL cutbacks upset me, but they aren't actually WHY I left. Although I noticed the cutbacks, I still had good cruises....what happend was that I ventured out due to a good deal and discovered that I liked another line better...a LOT better.

There are other things about CCL that bother me beside cutbacks as well. Let's just say I have been REALLY turned off.

Once I experienced that 'betterness', (what was better for US) on other lines, the CCL cutbacks then seemed a lot worse.

Since leaving CCL, the cutbacks have continued, so I am happy that I did try other lines.

 

I would sail CCL again...but I would go into it with very low expectations. This makes me sad...CCL was a line I used to defend. I once carried those pom-poms.:p

They have cured me from EVER carrying pom-poms for any line.

 

Right now I love NCL and they blow me away with every cruise...but I have a fear. They have gone public and I really worry about this affecting their product in the long run. having to answer to shareholders will make a difference and I don't anticipate it being good.

 

You just never know when a product is going to go downhill....In my eyes Carnival did. In a BIG way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But not because we are unhappy with Carnival. On the contrary, we have always had a great time when we have sailed with Carnival-though we've only done three cruises. Great service, happy with our room, good food, nice people, etc, etc.

 

But we are always on the lookout for something different, and RCCL's Allure looks amazing. The size of the ship is actually one thing we can't wait to see.

 

But we are also checking out Disney, Celebrity and Cunard-why not try new things?

 

 

This. We are not loyal to any one cruise line as you can tell by my signature...Even tho it does hurt us with loyalty points, we love experiencing all of the different products offered......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are you dissatisfied enough with past experiences, cutbacks, etc to consider switching to another cruise line? We are.

 

All of the lines have been cutting back. There was a revolt on the Royal boards a while back because of their cutbacks. We always look at Carnival, Royal, Princess and NCL when we are ready to cruise. Carnival usually has the best deals but not always. I can't see paying more for the same basic product since these lines seem to be more alike than different. But that's just me and my opinion and from what I have read on all of cc's boards over the years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our next cruise will not be with Carnival.

 

We were on the Conquest in January and while we did enjoy the cruise, there were a few things we didn't like. We didn't care for the "new" shows, we prefer the old format. We thought the food wasn't as good as it used to be and we aren't picky eaters but got tired of seeing some of the same things on the buffet. And we felt there was a lack of good entertainment around the ship and in the lounges. So, we will be branching out a little for our next cruise which probably won't be at least until January 2015 (we're planning a different, land based vacation for January 2014) and we are considering Celebrity, Holland America, Norwegian, Princess, etc.

 

I'm not saying we will never cruise with Carnival again, but just want to try a few other lines too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just remembered that, two weeks ago, I contacted Princess

about Past Guest numbers for me and my wife -got them too!

 

Now why did I do that, I wonder?

 

Time soon come to try Princess(again) or NCL.

In fact now I'm kinda sorry I booked Glory in Sept.

because maybe I should have tried NCL out of Manhattan instead.

 

Oh well, there will be another time. ;)

 

.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are you dissatisfied enough with past experiences, cutbacks, etc to consider switching to another cruise line? We are.

 

I search all cruise lines and select cruises based on cost and itinerary. I am married to no cruise line but Carnival has been the best at filling my needs for the most part.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would like to further branch out and try RC again-especially one of the mega-ships! I did NCL for the first time last Dec and really liked it-booked on Epic for this Dec. We did Princess to Alaska last summer and had a fantastic time. Carnival meets my needs for now, based on price and their kids club. I did like the Breeze when I sailed her last month, but I was not impressed with the food or entertainment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes. I am not disappointed in Carnival, but I just want to see places that they dont go to. Seems like CCL doesn't think outside to box when it comes to itineraries.

 

But what happens is when you DO step outside CCL (for any reason) and see what else is out there...well, let's just say it's possible you will then see CCL in a new light.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are you dissatisfied enough with past experiences, cutbacks, etc to consider switching to another cruise line? We are.

 

Im not a loyalist to any cruiseline. I just go where the best deal is. Right now its Carnival, december its MSC, later who knows. It definitely keeps things fresh and different. But basically no line has my "loyalty" and I keep an open mind and have never been disappointed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...