Is Carnival the best cruise line for me?

[ibcnusoon]

Maybe Carnival can adopt this slogan. (just kidding)

 

Bill

 

oh my, I nearly spit my coffee out! Thanks for the morning laugh.

[ibcnusoon]

OP, based on what you said is important to you, I'm not sure that the Carnival of 2013 is the best fit. Although my husband and I are quite a bit older, what we are looking for as far as cruise ambience and experience is similar to your tastes. We've found that although we enjoyed our Carnival cruises, it's not a good fit for us when it's just the two of us (sometimes we travel with extended family, and I think the experience when we're travelling with a large group is different).

We've found the dinner experience on Carnival to be more casual than we like. I'm really not talking about Elegant Nights, but the MDR in general. I prefer to not see super casual clothing in the dining room at dinner...that's just me...I know many on here will disagree.:rolleyes: For reference, our "uniforms" on most nights are Docker type pants and a golf or Tommy Bahama shirt for my husband, and capris or pants and a cute top for me. We were frequently the most dressed up people in our section of the dining room.

We're not buffet people, and prefer the dining room for breakfast and lunch whenever possible. Some Carnival ships have converted to a comedy brunch on sea days. You should check to see if your ship has changed over, or if they still offer the traditional meals.

The other thing you mentioned is entertainment, both in the evenings and daytime activities. We struggled to find activities and entertainment that interested us. We prefer shows or live music in lounges for our evening entertainment, and things like trivia, wine tasting, and educational offerings during the day.

There were lots of pool games and contests on the daily schedule, but not a ton of options for people who didn't want to spend an entire day around the pool. We found the evening entertainment schedule was heavy on comedians and passenger created entertainment such as karaoke, but light on the professional entertainment. On our last Carnival cruise as a couple in 2011, we ended up on our balcony most days and in the casino almost every night because there weren't other entertainment options that appealed to us. In fairness, we haven't been on Carnival since they made the piano bars non-smoking, so that would open up an entertainment option for us that we used to avoid.

I think the other things you're looking for would easily be met. I've found Carnival's cabins to be quite spacious with good storage, and I've seen passengers of all ages having fun on Carnival. I don't think Carnival has a typical age demographic...their ships really sail with a wide mix, especially on a 7-night or longer cruise. I think the demographic on shorter cruises tends to be much younger.

 

If you're interested, I think something that Carnival excels at are "special events" such as the Chef's Table and the "Behind the Fun" tour. We've done both, and thought they were excellent.

 

Hope this helps! Whatever you decide, have a great time!:D

 

I agree with you 100%, thanks for posting this, especially the remark about people not dressing up for dinner, the daytime pool activities, and the lack of entertainment at night. Those are 3 areas that Carnival is lacking versus other cruise lines.

 

I was shocked one time when I went to the MDR for dinner on Elegant night and saw a man sitting at the table in JEANS, I mean, come on!!

[Tapi]

I was shocked one time when I went to the MDR for dinner on Elegant night and saw a man sitting at the table in JEANS, I mean, come on!!

 

I guess that's better than shorts, t-shirts, and bandannas on our "Elegant" night on the Fascination.

[Cruise4Music]

I guess that's better than shorts, t-shirts, and bandannas on our "Elegant" night on the Fascination.

 

And this is a big deal to you??????????

 

On a four or five night cruise.

 

Shorter cruise=less formal.

[ib4cruzn]

Your best bet is NCL. Possibly Celebrity if you want to spend a few dollars more.

 

They offer a more "traditional" Cruise.

[gospelle]

As a bit of background, I'm a 28 year old grad student...

 

 

You could have stopped right there. Yes, Carnival is your line.

[firefly333]

 

I was shocked one time when I went to the MDR for dinner on Elegant night and saw a man sitting at the table in JEANS, I mean, come on!!

 

My friends husband forgot to pack his dress pants.

 

Im forgetfull too. It could easily happen to me. (even though Im female, I mean to forget to pack my dress)

[Krunu15]

OP, based on what you said is important to you, I'm not sure that the Carnival of 2013 is the best fit. Although my husband and I are quite a bit older, what we are looking for as far as cruise ambience and experience is similar to your tastes. We've found that although we enjoyed our Carnival cruises, it's not a good fit for us when it's just the two of us (sometimes we travel with extended family, and I think the experience when we're travelling with a large group is different).

We've found the dinner experience on Carnival to be more casual than we like. I'm really not talking about Elegant Nights, but the MDR in general. I prefer to not see super casual clothing in the dining room at dinner...that's just me...I know many on here will disagree.:rolleyes: For reference, our "uniforms" on most nights are Docker type pants and a golf or Tommy Bahama shirt for my husband, and capris or pants and a cute top for me. We were frequently the most dressed up people in our section of the dining room.

We're not buffet people, and prefer the dining room for breakfast and lunch whenever possible. Some Carnival ships have converted to a comedy brunch on sea days. You should check to see if your ship has changed over, or if they still offer the traditional meals.

The other thing you mentioned is entertainment, both in the evenings and daytime activities. We struggled to find activities and entertainment that interested us. We prefer shows or live music in lounges for our evening entertainment, and things like trivia, wine tasting, and educational offerings during the day.

There were lots of pool games and contests on the daily schedule, but not a ton of options for people who didn't want to spend an entire day around the pool. We found the evening entertainment schedule was heavy on comedians and passenger created entertainment such as karaoke, but light on the professional entertainment. On our last Carnival cruise as a couple in 2011, we ended up on our balcony most days and in the casino almost every night because there weren't other entertainment options that appealed to us. In fairness, we haven't been on Carnival since they made the piano bars non-smoking, so that would open up an entertainment option for us that we used to avoid.

I think the other things you're looking for would easily be met. I've found Carnival's cabins to be quite spacious with good storage, and I've seen passengers of all ages having fun on Carnival. I don't think Carnival has a typical age demographic...their ships really sail with a wide mix, especially on a 7-night or longer cruise. I think the demographic on shorter cruises tends to be much younger.

 

If you're interested, I think something that Carnival excels at are "special events" such as the Chef's Table and the "Behind the Fun" tour. We've done both, and thought they were excellent.

 

Hope this helps! Whatever you decide, have a great time!:D

 

Thanks for posting this! We do seem to have very similar tastes and I appreciate your opinion. I'm fairly certain we'll enjoy this cruise, but I wouldn't be surprised if we opted to look elsewhere for the next.

 

It seems quite a few have recommended NCL - which I'm not so interested in because of the freestyle cruising - or RCL - which I'm not so interested in because they seem like the "big ship" line. While I like varied activities I was thinking more along the lines of board games, educational offerings and wine tastings and less along the lines of ice skating and surfing.

 

I think if I were to switch after this cruise, based on the little that I know, I'd like to try something like Celebrity, Princess or HAL. Does anyone have good/bad experiences with those. I noticed that just one person recommended Celebrity, is there anything I don't know about why lines such as these would not be a good fit?

[Tapi]

or RCL - which I'm not so interested in because they seem like the "big ship" line.

 

Not all Royal Caribbean ships are "big". The ship that I recommended, Grandeur of the Seas, is actually smaller than the Carnival Pride.

 

Grandeur is 73,800 tons. Pride is 85,900 tons.

[Tapi]

I was thinking more along the lines of board games, educational offerings...

 

Then Carnival is definitely not the right cruise line for you. Carnival's idea of entertainment is more lighthearted and less cerebral. Think of hairy chest contests, bartending competitions, karaoke and TV trivia.

 

I'd like to try something like Celebrity, Princess or HAL. Is there anything I don't know about why lines such as these would not be a good fit?

 

 

Cruise lines like these attract a more sophisticated and traveled clientele, which is more interested in an upscale cruise experience (with a higher caliber of cuisine, service and entertainment), and less interested in budget prices.

 

Cruisers who meet the above description tend to be a bit older and more affluent, which may turn many younger adults off. But IMHO, there's no minimum age to appreciate finer things in life. One of these more "upscale" cruise lines may be a better fit for you.

[Cindy]

Thanks for posting this! We do seem to have very similar tastes and I appreciate your opinion. I'm fairly certain we'll enjoy this cruise, but I wouldn't be surprised if we opted to look elsewhere for the next.

 

It seems quite a few have recommended NCL - which I'm not so interested in because of the freestyle cruising - or RCL - which I'm not so interested in because they seem like the "big ship" line. While I like varied activities I was thinking more along the lines of board games, educational offerings and wine tastings and less along the lines of ice skating and surfing.

 

I think if I were to switch after this cruise, based on the little that I know, I'd like to try something like Celebrity, Princess or HAL. Does anyone have good/bad experiences with those. I noticed that just one person recommended Celebrity, is there anything I don't know about why lines such as these would not be a good fit?

 

You're welcome!

My advice would be to try several different lines -- you'll find one or more that are a good fit for your tastes and lifestyle. If you spend a lot of time on here, you'll encounter people who are more devoted to their cruiseline of choice than they are to their spouse:rolleyes:, but I'm not one of them. I've found it's fun to try different things, and it helps keep cruising fresh for us!

About the cruise lines...first, don't automatically rule out Royal Caribbean just because of the size of their ships. What I've found is that even though the biggest ships I've been on are RCCL Voyager class ships, they also seemed the least crowded. There are several reasons for that -- first and foremost they carry far fewer passengers than Carnival on a similarly sized ship, the ships are extremely well-designed to handle the passenger load, and I think of all the lines we've been on, Royal Caribbean is the best at effectively controlling crowds.

[Cindy]

Oops! I don't know why that posted, but I'll just continue on a separate post.

I haven't cruised on Celebrity yet (soon!:D), so I'll leave that out of the mix. I would say HAL is probably the most traditional line we've been on -- they have fantastic itineraries, great food, and smaller ships. During the day they have things like cooking classes (for a fee), Microsoft workshops, lectures, trivia, etc. You'll see people playing cards, and their libraries have a jigsaw puzzle set up for passengers to work on throughout the cruise. The downside is that I thought the major entertainment in the evenings was weak, and things were definitely geared more towards early dinner -- we had late, so frequently we weren't able to make it to a show. The demographic was definitely older on our HAL cruise, but it was a longer (11 night) cruise taken in late November/early December, so I expected that. We would take another HAL cruise for the itinerary. They probably wouldn't be our first choice for a week-long Caribbean cruise, but I don't think that's their strength.

 

I found my Princess and Royal Caribbean cruises to be very similar in food quality and activities. Both offer plenty to do during the day, with a variety of active and more cerebral activities. I would give the nod to Princess for the quality of their shore excursions, but to me in the evenings there's no comparison...RCCL's entertainment is far superior. Between the two we also like Royal Caribbean's ships much better, which is why that's where we've been leaning on our recent cruises.

If you want traditional dining, RCCL, Celebrity, and HAL are still more geared towards that than the anytime options, even though they offer both. Princess allocates more dining room space to anytime dining than traditional dining and really seems to want to push passengers to that option.

 

We're really looking forward to trying Celebrity! They have some interesting offerings, like a Reidel glass seminar and tasting, and I'm excited about sailing in an Aqua Class cabin. We will have a specialty restaurant that is dedicated to our cabin type, and I've read rave reviews about it. At any rate, it's something different so it makes cruising seem new all over again!

[Cruizinman]

Oops! I don't know why that posted, but I'll just continue on a separate post.

 

I haven't cruised on Celebrity yet (soon!:D), so I'll leave that out of the mix. I would say HAL is probably the most traditional line we've been on -- they have fantastic itineraries, great food, and smaller ships. During the day they have things like cooking classes (for a fee), Microsoft workshops, lectures, trivia, etc. You'll see people playing cards, and their libraries have a jigsaw puzzle set up for passengers to work on throughout the cruise. The downside is that I thought the major entertainment in the evenings was weak, and things were definitely geared more towards early dinner -- we had late, so frequently we weren't able to make it to a show. The demographic was definitely older on our HAL cruise, but it was a longer (11 night) cruise taken in late November/early December, so I expected that. We would take another HAL cruise for the itinerary. They probably wouldn't be our first choice for a week-long Caribbean cruise, but I don't think that's their strength.

 

I found my Princess and Royal Caribbean cruises to be very similar in food quality and activities. Both offer plenty to do during the day, with a variety of active and more cerebral activities. I would give the nod to Princess for the quality of their shore excursions, but to me in the evenings there's no comparison...RCCL's entertainment is far superior. Between the two we also like Royal Caribbean's ships much better, which is why that's where we've been leaning on our recent cruises.

 

If you want traditional dining, RCCL, Celebrity, and HAL are still more geared towards that than the anytime options, even though they offer both. Princess allocates more dining room space to anytime dining than traditional dining and really seems to want to push passengers to that option.

 

We're really looking forward to trying Celebrity! They have some interesting offerings, like a Reidel glass seminar and tasting, and I'm excited about sailing in an Aqua Class cabin. We will have a specialty restaurant that is dedicated to our cabin type, and I've read rave reviews about it. At any rate, it's something different so it makes cruising seem new all over again!

 

 

Must be some kind of glitch in the CC boards, happens all the time , I can be typing a post all of a sudden it post before I'm finished :confused:

[wmowan8485]

Thanks for posting this! We do seem to have very similar tastes and I appreciate your opinion. I'm fairly certain we'll enjoy this cruise, but I wouldn't be surprised if we opted to look elsewhere for the next.

 

It seems quite a few have recommended NCL - which I'm not so interested in because of the freestyle cruising - or RCL - which I'm not so interested in because they seem like the "big ship" line. While I like varied activities I was thinking more along the lines of board games, educational offerings and wine tastings and less along the lines of ice skating and surfing.

 

I think if I were to switch after this cruise, based on the little that I know, I'd like to try something like Celebrity, Princess or HAL. Does anyone have good/bad experiences with those. I noticed that just one person recommended Celebrity, is there anything I don't know about why lines such as these would not be a good fit?

 

My very first cruise was a 7 day to Bermuda on Celebrity Zenith in 1998. While i fell in love with cruising because it was so relaxing, it was also a boring cruise. The passengers were much older and after 10pm ~crickets~. My next cruise was a short 4 day cruise on Carnival ecstasy. I had so much fun that I've been cruising carnival since. Not because of any sense of brand allegiance but because I found something that works for me and my budget.

 

On my last cruise in December (on the miracle) as we were pulling into the port in the Bahamas, we docked beside a celebrity ship (forget which one). I stood on my balcony and watched the passengers onboard the Celebrity ship and everyone had silver hair and were in the 60 and up age category. This is not a complaint as I'm a young 50 something but it brought back memories of my first cruise with Celebrity.

 

;)