Missing Carnival...Here's why!

[cruisinthemed]

We just got of the Sapphire Princess & once again, didn't leave impressed!

 

There are no TV channels, like ABC, NBC...The TV channels they have, run on a loop. We were watching the same episodes of the Love Boat this last weekend as we saw in Oct.

 

I ordered wine glasses from room service, and one was filthy with lipstick all over it!

 

No room service, not even coffee this morning...since is was disembarkation day:(

 

Miss the piano bar & comedy club:(

 

We have one more booked for Feb. and then it will be back to the Funships for us! We were on a 100% fare that goes toward a 7 day special, so went ahead and booked as soon as the credits appeared this morning. We had to book with an outside TA, since Princess site was 400.00 more per person for the same category. No matching of other sites with Princess.

 

I did my share of gambling in the casino & was told I didn't play enough. I would have qualified had I done the same play on Carnival. I usually always get a gift basket & sometimes cash also.

 

Miss feeling special...At least on Carnival they call me by name;

 

We had to ask for robes for our balcony & couldn't be delivered until the 2nd day. They were so small & thin, they were useless!

 

I am craving warm chocolate melting cake!

 

Carnival gives you a drink for being repeat guests...Princess doesn't.

 

Thanks for letting me vent! I wish our next cruise was going to be on a Funship, but we will be back:)

[Butterbean1000]

It's nice to see a positive post comparing Carnival to other lines. According to some of the parts here, the only thing worse than Carnival would be steerage on the Titanic.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[MISSSNOOPYGIRL]

I too thought the grass was greener when we sailed NCL once- it was just so boring. No excitement or craziness. Everyone in bed by 10PM

[Tapi]

It's great to read good and bad stuff. We are excited about our upcoming cruise on the Royal Princess, but I know that a quick way to be disappointed with it will be to go thinking that everything will be better than on Carnival. I'm sure that some things will be better, but some will not.

[Phlybice]

We felt that way on our second cruise, venturing out to another line. We did nothing but compare everything we did to the first one. To make matters worse, the ship we sailed on was in port 2 of the three stops we were at. We would have given anything to get on that Carnival ship.

 

Of course, this was 25 years ago. Now, we would just go with the better line.

[Big_G]

We are excited about our upcoming cruise on the Royal Princess, but I know that a quick way to be disappointed with it will be to go thinking that everything will be better than on Carnival.

 

...or the same as...

[Webb of Joy]

We just got of the Sapphire Princess & once again, didn't leave impressed!

 

There are no TV channels, like ABC, NBC...The TV channels they have, run on a loop. We were watching the same episodes of the Love Boat this last weekend as we saw in Oct.

 

I ordered wine glasses from room service, and one was filthy with lipstick all over it!

 

No room service, not even coffee this morning...since is was disembarkation day:(

 

Miss the piano bar & comedy club:(

 

We have one more booked for Feb. and then it will be back to the Funships for us! We were on a 100% fare that goes toward a 7 day special, so went ahead and booked as soon as the credits appeared this morning. We had to book with an outside TA, since Princess site was 400.00 more per person for the same category. No matching of other sites with Princess.

 

I did my share of gambling in the casino & was told I didn't play enough. I would have qualified had I done the same play on Carnival. I usually always get a gift basket & sometimes cash also.

 

Miss feeling special...At least on Carnival they call me by name;

 

We had to ask for robes for our balcony & couldn't be delivered until the 2nd day. They were so small & thin, they were useless!

 

I am craving warm chocolate melting cake!

 

Carnival gives you a drink for being repeat guests...Princess doesn't.

 

Thanks for letting me vent! I wish our next cruise was going to be on a Funship, but we will be back:)

 

Nice post. It's a shame that because its a positive comment about Carnival it will not get anywhere near the number of reads and replies here as a negative one does, says a lot. Good read though. Thank you

[DarthGrady]

I can understand that OP, there are some things I miss about CCL when cruising other lines. The warm chocolate melting cake (when it's made right anyway) and the piano bar being at the top of the list.

Edited January 13, 2014 by DarthGrady

[flahagan]

We've cruised most of the major lines multiple times (HAL, RCL, Celebrity, Princess) and did the Hawaii cruise on Carnival Miracle this past September. We've already booked the Legend for the August Panama Canal cruise and are really looking forward to it. Loved the cabin, the room, the service, the entertainment. What's not to like?!!!

[crazyboutdisney]

We have only cruised once (Liberty) and have another booked for Feb 16th on the Sunshine. We really enjoyed our first cruise and probably wont try another line simply because the price with Carnival is so good. We did research RCL before booking on the Sunshine and just couldnt do it. We live on a very tight budget and Carnival fits that. I really think that any vacation is what you make of it. If you read the negative and go with that in mind....you probably will have a bad time.

Love reading your positive feedback for Carnival...always good to read positive :)

[jeja911]

Honestly, we felt the same way. Took our first Carnival cruise in May 2012. Decided we wanted to try another to see the difference. So we booked Royal in Dec 2013. Still had a nice cruise but constantly compared everything to Carnival. We just were not as impressed as we thought we would be. Now we are not opposed to still trying other lines but we were so impressed with the service and atmosphere that we had with our first cruise that it's hard not to compare them. But as with any vacation, it is what you make of it. And it's hard not to be happy just being on any boat. ;)

 

~Jess~

[golfadj]

Interesting post.

 

We have done over 20 Carnival cruises and feeling bored with entertainment.

 

Doing our first Princess in a few months and wonder how we will like it. The people on the roll call are die hard Princess fans and do talk it up a lot.

[DebJ14]

I'm Diamond on Carnival, but often sail other lines. One of the main reasons for that is that we like to book suites and the other lines offer great suite perks. On Carnival all of our perks come from being Platinum/Diamond.

 

We just took a Princess Cruise a month ago and found the ship to be very nice and quiet. The service was great. The thing we loved the most about Princess was the lack of annoying announcements about Art Auctions, sales at the Gift shop and Bingo. We also loved that they had Fox News and we weren't stuck with just CNN.

 

We loved the suite perks on Princess, especially breakfast with Mimosas, Cappucino, Espresso, Cafe Americano etc. in Sabatini's every morning. Only those in suites can get room service on debarkation morning. We could have had Eggs Benedict or any type of eggs cooked to order. Thanks to a fog delay we instead got to enjoy another wonderful breakfast in Sabatini's.

I will say however, that the entertainment in the main showroom was lacking on Princess, especially compared to RCCL. But, at least the volume in the theater was not deafening like it is on Carnival. They did have the best piano bar artist we have ever seen.

Every line has a different personality. We've been on HAL, NCL, Celebrity, RCCL, Princess and Carnival as well as several lines that are no longer in business. A bad day at sea is better than a good day at the office, regardless of cruise line.

[golfb4cruzing]

Are you sure you were on Princess? I'll take Princess any time over Carnival. Price is the only reason for Carnival. If you are worried about a syrupy cake or some bathrobe someone else had on, then I'm confused. The free drinks are only good in certain spots. When we were on the Ruby they had a rockin piano player and the crowd covered all up and down the stairs even. Some folks can't take an upgrade.

[Thebosn1]

Miss feeling special...At least on Carnival they call me by name;

 

We had to ask for robes for our balcony & couldn't be delivered until the 2nd day. They were so small & thin, they were useless!

 

I am craving warm chocolate melting cake!

 

Carnival gives you a drink for being repeat guests...Princess doesn't.

 

Thanks for letting me vent! I wish our next cruise was going to be on a Funship, but we will be back:)

 

THANK YOU for the positive post! Not too many of those on here!:)

[Sailor_Sally]

I have cruised CCL, NCL ,RCL , Costa & Celebrity all a few times .They are all pretty similar with small differences . I enjoy Carnival but am bored with their itineraries and find that since they still allow balcony smoking the smokers have all signed on to Carnival ships . When I read posts from people that have only sailed one line and think everything will be better if they just cruise a different line I have to laugh .All the cruise lines are having cut backs or changes .It is not just Carnival.

[cruisinthemed]

Are you sure you were on Princess? I'll take Princess any time over Carnival. Price is the only reason for Carnival. If you are worried about a syrupy cake or some bathrobe someone else had on, then I'm confused. The free drinks are only good in certain spots. When we were on the Ruby they had a rockin piano player and the crowd covered all up and down the stairs even. Some folks can't take an upgrade.

 

I was on Princess;( I am not new to cruising. I have about 40 cruises in my history. Many others than the ones listed. I have sailed Carnival, NCL, RCCL & recently Princess. I wouldn't choose to sail on Princess again, if it wasn't for the deal we got on the last one. I have never seen a piano bar on the two ships I've been on. I don't find it to be an upgrade to sail Princess. Makes me wonder how they can afford to give 100% cruise fare for a second cruise. Only reason why we're going again. We have a good time, we just spend more time in our cabin & on our balcony. It's nice that there are choices, since you prefer another line:)

[cruisinthemed]

I have cruised CCL, NCL ,RCL , Costa & Celebrity all a few times .They are all pretty similar with small differences . I enjoy Carnival but am bored with their itineraries and find that since they still allow balcony smoking the smokers have all signed on to Carnival ships . When I read posts from people that have only sailed one line and think everything will be better if they just cruise a different line I have to laugh .All the cruise lines are having cut backs or changes .It is not just Carnival.

 

I must say, that I do enjoy the balcony atmosphere (smoke-free) on Princess. We don't often get a balcony on Carnival because of the smoke. We did however, have an aft wrap last Nov. and loved it...never had any smoke around us. This is a personal preference and not meant to start a smoking debate;)

[livintheshiplife]

We would love to have you back to the Carnival Family!

[going2cruz]

I was on Princess;( I am not new to cruising. I have about 40 cruises in my history. Many others than the ones listed. I have sailed Carnival, NCL, RCCL & recently Princess. I wouldn't choose to sail on Princess again, if it wasn't for the deal we got on the last one. I have never seen a piano bar on the two ships I've been on. I don't find it to be an upgrade to sail Princess. Makes me wonder how they can afford to give 100% cruise fare for a second cruise. Only reason why we're going again. We have a good time, we just spend more time in our cabin & on our balcony. It's nice that there are choices, since you prefer another line:)

 

 

I just discovered Carnivals is not that inexpensive......we just booked Celebrity 5 nights open bar gratuities paid & 100 OBC for $439...... the bar tab alone will save DW $700 so that and gratuities will be over 1k compared CCL......and Celebrity has no loud scream tvs on Ledo Deck.....:cool:

Edited January 14, 2014 by going2cruz

[lindnet]

I have to agree with the OP. I sailed on Princess last month after a few on Carnival, and I can't wait to go back to a Carnival ship. The Princess ship was very low-key and the food just wasn't as good. I was sailing with friends, so it was fun to spend time with all of them, but I'd choose a Carnival ship next time.

 

The Thirsty Frog beer is really good, the robes are much nicer, and the entertainment/activities are more fun.

 

Just my opinion, of course. :)

[Rgrgirl0307]

I've sailed RCL twice and Carnival four times, with our fifth sailing coming up in March; I've enjoyed them both! I feel that both lines have a lot to offer and if just depends on What you are looking for. I love that Carnival is more laid back and has a more relaxed atmosphere, in my opinion! Heck, I love cruising and have has wonderful carnival experiences, also warm chocolate melting came is my kryptonite! Thanks for the positive post!

[cruisinthemed]

We would love to have you back to the Carnival Family!

 

I never left...just was checking out the other options:) I have 24 cruises with Carnival and never had any intentions of leaving. We just got such good prices on the Princess cruises, we had to check it out. West Coast sailings are often quite expensive. Princess arrives for a few months and is giving cruises away! Hard to pass up;) We weren't thrilled the 1st time and had a balcony for less than the price of an inside on Carnival...think it's because they were having a hard time filling the ship. This last one, all our cruise fare went to the next 7 day sailing (Feb). But, after that...We'll be back;)

[tlw440]

Interesting post.

 

We have done over 20 Carnival cruises and feeling bored with entertainment.

 

Doing our first Princess in a few months and wonder how we will like it. The people on the roll call are die hard Princess fans and do talk it up a lot.

 

We have done 14 Carnival cruises, we are trying RCCL in May. We have wanted to try other cruise lines but never had, we decided to go for it.

[cmitch9999]

with 42 cruises we have tried most of the mainline cruise lines.. 3x on Princess.

I had heard such good things about Princess I was waiting to be dazzled by their cruises.. NOPE

the ships are nice, wood, classy and pretty decor

layout of inside cabins are much better with a separate hallway for closet and bathroom

food and dining room service good

naturalist on Alaskan cruise was awesome

 

 

entertainment

DULL

lack of decent comedians, no music geared to those under 75, shows meh

customer service lacking especially at guest services-- all 3 cruises encountered an indifferent attitude without any feeling of concern. I wrote a letter about a disturbing incident with their head waiter and I did get a verbal apology saying they would handle it internally. Each time I just couldn't figure out why they had people in these key positions with no customer service skills

 

certainly more fun than the 2 Holland American..but just by a nudge

I say 3 strikes they are out

 

my 2 cents