All Carnival loyalists - if you tried another line?

[DrLookGood]

I've tried Celebrity and Royal Caribbean.

 

We absolutely love Celebrity, but it is usually much more expensive than Carnival. However, if you can afford it, you will enjoy it. Everything Carnival does, Celebrity does better. Even the kids club. According to my kids the kids club at Carnival by far is the worst out of Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. At both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity kids clubs the kids were not always indoors. They managed safely have kids participate in activities outdoors, even in the pool and even for smaller kids.

 

I only cruised on Royal Caribbean once. It was on Allure, so I feel it is not going to be a fair comparison. But I felt that Allure was by far better than any experience I had at Carnival. But I still enjoyed Celebrity better out of all three.

 

I have to be honest (and please don't flame me), after our last Carnival cruise (2011-2012 New Year cruise) my family decided not to return to Carnival, because we found it was not worth the money, vacation time, etc anymore. Before that we used to accept that by paying less we get less, but for us that cruise reached a critical threshold. If we cannot afford other cruise lines, we would much rather not cruise...

 

That's is until we received a free cruise offer this winter. We thought about it and then decided to try Carnival again (our last cruise on Carnival was 2 years ago). Which is why I am on this board again :).

 

Anyway, I hope I am helpful.

[SadieN]

When carnival didnt improve loyalty program and instead made it worse any loyalty left.

 

Will be doing our first Princess cruise next month and after that plan to go back to RCCL for our first one there in about 7 years.

 

Look around and if you see a good price and itinerary on another line go for it.

 

Seems like all the cruiselines lowered their loyalty programs.

 

On our latest Princess cruise the average age was 78 (confirmed). Most things were the same. Liked the buffet a bit better on Princess. Prefer the energy level on Carnival.

 

Like the wider hallways on the Carnival ships- It was a travesty watching a gal having to turn her walker sideways to get past the stewart's cart in the hallway.

[ILUVCRUIZN]

We have sailed with Princess, Carnival and we just sailed with Royal on Adventure of the Seas in February. Out last 4 cruises have been with Carnival so we thought it would be great to do a little comparison. It was fun to go back to Royal and since it had been some years since we have cruised with them we did realize that right now Carnival just suits us best out of the 3 lines that we have cruised. I think that it is great to go and try the other lines and test the waters. We would still sail with Princess and Royal if the prices were right but right now it is Carnival for us.

[caddyrag]

OK - I'm a loyal Carnival cruiser - all we've ever done. But, if you decided you wanted to try something different which line would you choose and why?

 

I'm trying to work around schedules for 4 kids and just about to go crazy. I'm thinking I may book a cruise for next February on the Carnival Sunshine (first time on her) for all of my family except my college age daughter and then she and I might take a 4 or 5 day cruise during her spring break next year and we might try a different line.

 

Money will be an issue so keep that in mind. What should we do and which line should we try?

We've been on RCL, NCL, Holland, Princess and of course Carnival. All are a little higher than Carnival, and for reasons you can tell once you sail them. I sail Carnival because the port is down the street, it's not that expensive to go on a b2b and enjoy time off. Kid's on Allure of the Seas (RCL) will LOVE IT.

[mrpayroll]

We watch RCL for good prices and go when we find good deals. Recently were on Allure in OV for 565.00 p/p plus tax and going on Freedom of Seas in Sept in promenade room for 369.00 p/p plus tax. :)

[fergusonvt]

Im going on my first Carnival Cruise in around 60 days! But I have enjoyed NCL for many years. I don't know how it compares yet, but NCL is always reasonably priced and the crew is amazing.

 

 

 

 

I think you will find them very similar. We loved our CCL cruise. Have a great time.

[fergusonvt]

All lines I have been on have been PDG. Food has been hit and miss. Shows have been hit and miss.

 

Size of room and quality of food on my last RCCL has turned me away from them.

 

I have sailed in either Balconies or Suites.

 

Not much of perks on CCL so I am trying NCL next year out of Tampa after my next CCL balcony cruise this summer out of Port Canaveral. I have exhausted the routes from Port Canaveral.

 

The NCL will be in a suite with good perks. I will see if it will be worth jumping to NCL and the "Suite Life". If so, since I am less than 2 hours from Port Canaveral, I will think hard on booking another NCL when the Spirit moves there.

 

Variety is the spice of life!!!!!!

 

 

So the Spirit is going to sail out of PC on a regular basis? When does that begin, do you know? We took our first cruise on the Sun out of PC and found it an easy port to get to (of course that was when we had a non-stop to Orlando out of Burlington, VT on jetBlue). We love the Sun although she is one of NCL's oldest ships. We are in a forward suite out of Tampa next Feb. The NCL suite like if sweet.

[LynnTH]

We love Carnival. But also love RCCL and NCL. We usually shop around for the dates we can go and see what ships and itinieries are sailing and price, then go from there.

 

Usually, we go over Spring Break but kids are in different schools this year and have different spring breaks. So, this time we are going the 1st week of June when both kids are out of school. That week was less expensive than the other summer weeks.

 

Last year we went on RCCL Allure. Got a great price for $2400 for the 4 of us. This time it was about the ship and not the ports as we had been to those ports a few times. Liked the ship - had lots to do for the kids. But honestly, DS15 is happy with a Basketball Court. The first 2 cruises with the kids were on Carnival and when booking this cruise - they both wanted to go back on Carnival. They liked the Allure but thought it was too big and not as easy to get around. We love the Lido Deck rooms on Carnival - so convenient. And easier to keep track of where the kids are and them checking in with us.

 

I do want to try one of NCL's new ships though. So, if we can get a good deal on one of those - would like to try that.

[llenne]

We are getting ready to sail next week with Carnival. We find Carnival to be economical although we have sailed Disney as well. Each cruiseline has it's pros and cons. We really love Disney's Cast a way Cay and the cabin set-up but Again for economical reasons Carnival is our next choice. Not really loyal to any company, if the price is right, we are good to go.

[JohnBoy in NC]

After doing 4 Carnival's in a row..I was glad we sailed Princess (which I really liked). I like Carnival - and will sail again if right itinerary, ship and cost, but will be trying Royal again and one day Celebrity and NCL newer ships. I just found it a refreshing experience with a new line, ship, entertainment, menus etc....sorta like your first cruise.

 

I for one am very happy there are 6 or so mainstream lines to choose from. :)

John in NC

[gracie65]

I really like Princess check out the 5 night sailings in The Caribbean Princess. I think it would be a good happy median for you and your daughter.

 

 

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[Cruzface]

Love NCL, not a big fan of RCCL. Never had a bad cruise though, so go and enjoy whichever fits your needs and wants. You will find the three big lines very similar in most categories.

[cdamion]

Answering further. First, I have not had a bad cruise ever. Short of something catastrophic happening, it would be difficult for me to have a bad cruise.

 

Each line I have been on is better for something else for me:

 

Carnival: most down to earth, consistently friendly (if not professional) crews - my favorite crews by far. Food (used to be?) the best at sea - haven't been on carnival for 2 years.

 

Royal: very nice contemporary ships, huge "wow" factor - feel more connected to the sea with all the glass and observation lounges.

 

Princess: best crowd flow on ships - best if it is an adults only cruise. Not as good as RCI or Carnival for kids. Attractive, immaculately clean ships, no wow factor. Crew is most professional, but not as genuinely friendly as Carnival.

 

NCL: I'll let you know in a year.

[OCruisers]

We are not Carnival loyalist but sometimes cruise on Carnival as well as other lines.

To us NCL and RCCL are closest to what you are use to on Carnival.

Princess is our favorite and the best fit for us. When school is not in session, Princess has a wonderful kid's program. :)

LuLu

~~~

[teacher34]

We have sailed on a total of 4 cruise lines, but the majority have been on Carnival. Recently we sailed on Freedom of the Seas with RCCL. Some friends of ours convinced us to try it, however we felt that we got a lot less for our money. For the same price that we get a balcony on Carnival, we were only able to get an inside promenade on Royal Caribean. The room was extremely small and looked as if it hadn't been updated in a while. There were marks on the wal where tape had been and had been pulled off. Part of the carpet was up. Also, we didn't feel that the food choices were as good. We missed the deli by the pool on Carnival. Also, we missed all the outdoors food venues. On RCI, people had raved about the Promenade Cafe for sandwiches, but we went there 2 times and each time there was a selection of only 3 premade sandwiches and they all seemed a bit stale.

RCI does have an ice cream machine, but it is only open for about 4 hours a day, which seems weird to me. We did find the staff equally friendly and the passengers were extremely nice. Actually the majority of them were 60 or above, which fits our age frame, so that was nice.

All in all, we felt that Carnival pamperes us more, whereas RCI nickels and dimes you to death. You have to pay extra for the hamburger place and many other food venues. We even felt that the food choices in the main dining room were nor as varied or as numerous as Carnival.

Needless to say, we are coming back to Carnival! We definately feel it is the best bang for our buck!

[kybluecruiser]

My ncl cruise i regret. I didnt like Norwegian at all. In fact people talk about carnival being the party boat. Well they dont hold a candle to the drunkeness and rudeness i saw on the Norwegian pearl. I didnt like the ship. Though the new breakaway and getaway look nice, Royal on the other hand was ok. Nothing special also nothing to complain about. Royal for me just lacked the i am on a cruise feeling. Hard to explain. I like carnival for its laid back atmosphere. Royal cruise was a little boring, just my humble opinion. So i stick to what i like. And that is carnival cruise lines.

[jenng1976]

[quote name='TheCalicoCat']We liked HAL (to Alaska) for us it was the best itinerary.
We also liked RCCL - something different out of our home port & it was a longer cruise that went to Tortola.[/QUOTE]


I agree ... HAL to Alaska was amazing!! One of my favourite cruises (tho it helped it was our honeymoon!) :)


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[TennesseeTater]

I've done several cruise lines, but mostly with Carnival. My wife and I are pretty laid back people. I will say that Carnival has been my favorite cruise line. Better than Celebrity and Disney. I am one of those people that think that cruise lines are more similar than they are different. I'm pretty sure I would have a great time on any cruise line, but Carnival is just familiar to us and that's what we like.

[mzloolue]

If you looked at my cruise history you might think that I am loyal to Carnival.

But I am really not even thought I have a whole bunch of Carnival cruises.

Carnival cruised from Mobile which was a major reason.
And Carnival cruised from New Orleans and came back to New Orleans after Katrina before the other lines did.
I was about to do one on Norwegian recently, but then had to change plans and go on another week, but hey, I am not giving up.

But when I check out cruises I look every one that sails from New Orleans.
Or anywhere else I can drive to...which currently is nowhere.

[mousey]

[quote name='boopsahoy']Im going on my first Carnival Cruise in around 60 days! But I have enjoyed NCL for many years. I don't know how it compares yet, but NCL is always reasonably priced and the crew is amazing.[/QUOTE]

I totally agree. However, the MDRs on NCL are all ATD so if you're okay with that I think it would be a good choice, especially price wise. My DS (18 now) cruised lots of times when he was younger on NCL and loved it. I'm not sure if the have the kind of water slides that Carnival does though...it's been a while since we've cruised NCL and I don't remember. I just remember the DS at the age of your other two kids loved NCL. I would say though, that Carnival is his favorite.

[candycaramel]

Hubby likes personalized service. He wants the crew to know him and make him feel special so we have to stay with the smaller ships (2000-3000 guests). At some point when I no longer have teenager kids I will try out the luxury lines such as crystal or Oceania or seabourn or azamara. In the past couple of years we've sailed on Carnival, Norwegian NCL and Celebrity. I'm not really considering RCCL cause their ships are so huge.

It could have been the size of the ship that affected my perception of the cruise but hubby and I went on the NCL EPIC during a holiday week and hated it. It was so crowded and seemed impersonal although the female maitre d got us a table by the window every night.

On a previous cruise on Carnival (2011) during Thanksgiving week the ship was also crowded but hubby and I sailed with the kids and had a great times.

Hubby and I sailed on Celebrity last new years eve week alone and we enjoyed the Celebrity Summit very much.

We are taking the family this New Years week and I've chosen Carnival Valor because there are many things for the kids to do , I like the itinerary and the ship is not too huge.

[HeatherC430]

[quote name='AmberTeka']We have sailed Carnival a lot. this cruise on Saturday puts us over 100 days. We also sailed HAL..Princess..NCL..and Celebrity ......

I saw a cruise. Celebrity. Going to 3 ports I have never seen. St. Croix. St. Bart's. and Labadee Haiti..............would like buy another painting to go by the one I bought in 1974.---forty years ago. Feel like it helps a little. I love the painting I have. It is signed, but I have never had it appraised.

price for an ocean view......same as on Carnival Breeze. Both 8 day cruises.+ 1-2-3- promotion..........you choose one...............Free Gratuities, Free Drink Card ( alcohol, coffee, wine, soft drinks) or $200 OBC.

I was very surprised at the cost. Not that much different. We have not sailed on Celebrity in 8 years........so everything is new to us.
I am a little nervous......Carnival is so known to us...........I am looking forward to it. Everyone raves about how good the food is on Celebrity. Is it? Production Shows....all new to me. New Casino. Is it "looser" than Carnival?

I think trying a new line............is turning out to be a good thing.
I learned Prices...........depends on when you book. The odd ship, coming or going from a new port, with a few cruises scheduled .in a stand by port...........are really good deals.
[/quote]

I'm platinum on Carnival, and last month took my first Cruise on Celebrity (link to my photo review with thorough comparison in my signature). With the 123 promo they were running at the time (free classic beverage package) and visiting two ports that Carnival doesn't go to (St. Croix & Grenada), that was enough to make us give another line a try. We're really glad we did. We loved it! Now, I have another one booked for next month to Bermuda on Celebrity, as well as next year's cruise! I'm sure we'll do another Carnival cruise at some point in the future (with the right itinerary & ship), but our favorite has since swayed to Celebrity.

I eye'd that particular St. Bart's itinerary as well...but the timing of that cruise didn't work out well for me. I wish Celebrity offered that more frequently! Don't be nervous! We had the same fears, and we were really glad we gave Celebrity a try! For us, it was a much more relaxing, laid back "adult" type of vacation which we really enjoyed. :)

[Captain Carnival]

[B][SIZE="3"][COLOR="Navy"]There are other lines? :D[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

[GeorgiaMomof4]

[quote name='ShotoJuku'][B][SIZE="3"][COLOR="Navy"]There are other lines? :D[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B][/QUOTE]



Love it!

[GeorgiaMomof4]

Thanks everyone for your experiences - I'm enjoying reading them all and getting all the different opinions on the other lines.

Going to start looking for next spring at something for my daughter and myself and I'm definitely going to "broaden my horizons".

Keep them coming - enjoying