Did You, Are You Change Cruise Lines?

[JamesEM]

This year DW and myself are not doing our usual B-2-B on Holland because of the cut backs and smoking policy, instead we are sailing on the RCCL's Allure in Oct. and Carnival's Dream in Dec.

[Caribbeanqueen03]

I took one cruise on RC and hated it. Dining room staff rushed us through dinner even though almost no one came to dinner. Room steward didn't make our bed, pulled up bedspread and folded down and stacked our pillows. Beds were awful, was like I was sleeping in a canoe, forget about getting frisky, you had to pull yourself up out of a hole. Food was bland. For now on, Carnival only unless they don't go where we want. BTW, I will be on my 6th Carnival cruise this December.

 

 

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[ltcal94]

We are starting to switch from Carnival to Princess, but it has nothing to do with the smoking policy. I like the product that Carnival has , but for me it comes down to cruise fare and value I get. Because of the categorization differences between Princess and Carnival, Princess has actually been a better value for me.

 

I typically like higher decks and forward. My ideal balcony cabin would be on Lido or Panorama, which on Carnival are typically the highest cost balcony categories. On Princess, a similar location is actually one of their cheapest balcony categories (BF) . The most expensive category is BA and they are located on middle decks at the middle of the ship.

 

There are other differences as well and my wife and I are trying to adapt to them. Examples include:

Age:

We are in our forties, but on Princess the average age for a cruise passenger is a bit higher (50-60s). We still want to dance the night away to Pitbull at the club not do the Viennese Waltz.

 

Kids:

On our first Princess cruise , there were less than 75 passengers under the age of 18 . On our last Carnival cruise there were over 800. On Princess the whole ship can feel like Serenity deck and much less chair hogging.

 

Food:

Princess will make special meals at no additional charge. My wife commented in passing to the head waiter about something she had tried on our first Princess cruise. This started a fun conversation about different ingredients etc. The next day they presented my wife with a special menu which incorporated the ingredients they discussed. it was absolutely amazing.

 

However, I love Guy's Burger Joint, The Blue Iguana and The Red Frog Bar. :D

 

Comedy Shows:

I prefer Carnival. On Princess the comedy is clean and the comedians are top notch, but I am more accustomed to the comedy club atmosphere .

 

Customer Service:

I am Platinum on Carnival and Ruby on Princess, however I feel like I am treated more like a "Platinum/Elite Guest" on Princess than I do on Carnival.

 

Ships:

Princess ships are very elegant

 

I still look for cruises on Carnival as my wife and I like to take about 3 Caribbean cruises a year:

7-8 Day March -April

4-5 Day Aug-Sept

7-10 Day November

 

However, for the dates and cabin category , it seems like Princess has the most competitive fares for us and until that changes that is where we will book.

[tinyrose]

We are starting to switch from Carnival to Princess, but it has nothing to do with the smoking policy. I like the product that Carnival has , but for me it comes down to cruise fare and value I get. Because of the categorization differences between Princess and Carnival, Princess has actually been a better value for me.

 

I typically like higher decks and forward. My ideal balcony cabin would be on Lido or Panorama, which on Carnival are typically the highest cost balcony categories. On Princess, a similar location is actually one of their cheapest balcony categories (BF) . The most expensive category is BA and they are located on middle decks at the middle of the ship.

 

There are other differences as well and my wife and I are trying to adapt to them. Examples include:

Age:

We are in our forties, but on Princess the average age for a cruise passenger is a bit higher (50-60s). We still want to dance the night away to Pitbull at the club not do the Viennese Waltz.

 

Kids:

On our first Princess cruise , there were less than 75 passengers under the age of 18 . On our last Carnival cruise there were over 800. On Princess the whole ship can feel like Serenity deck and much less chair hogging.

 

Food:

Princess will make special meals at no additional charge. My wife commented in passing to the head waiter about something she had tried on our first Princess cruise. This started a fun conversation about different ingredients etc. The next day they presented my wife with a special menu which incorporated the ingredients they discussed. it was absolutely amazing.

 

However, I love Guy's Burger Joint, The Blue Iguana and The Red Frog Bar. :D

 

Comedy Shows:

I prefer Carnival. On Princess the comedy is clean and the comedians are top notch, but I am more accustomed to the comedy club atmosphere .

 

Customer Service:

I am Platinum on Carnival and Ruby on Princess, however I feel like I am treated more like a "Platinum/Elite Guest" on Princess than I do on Carnival.

 

Ships:

Princess ships are very elegant

 

I still look for cruises on Carnival as my wife and I like to take about 3 Caribbean cruises a year:

7-8 Day March -April

4-5 Day Aug-Sept

7-10 Day November

 

However, for the dates and cabin category , it seems like Princess has the most competitive fares for us and until that changes that is where we will book.

 

Thanks for the Carnival/Princess comparison, especially your balcony pricing comments. Just wish there were more Florida and Gulf departure ports.

[Sundown331]

As a smoker I've just decided to go with an interior cabin over a balcony. I figure that now I'd just be using my room to sleep, change and use the facilities.

 

The money I save on the cabin will allow me to purchase the cheers package which could save me $400-$500 a week.

 

I guess I can thank CCL for saving me money.

[dabear99211]

Hi all,

I'm sorry to barge into your board but hope you don't mind. :o

 

I asked a question on the HAL forum and it was suggested I ask it here and NCL forums, as well.

 

I know we've all had threads about smoking and many are tired of them but I have a question we had not had asked or answered, so far as I know, until I asked it today?

 

Did You/Are You Switching Cruise Lines?

 

 

"Don't shoot me but I'm really interested and, therefore, asking.....

 

Have you or are you planning to switch to HAL because you can no longer smoke on your favorite cruise line's verandah?

 

Have you or are you planning to switch cruise lines because you do not like that HAL continues to permit smoking on verandahs?

 

Do you have friends or family who are doing one or the other?"

Thanks."

 

 

Of course, the question here is If you book verandah cabins and you are a smoker, will you begin to sail HAL as one of the few remaining cruise lines that permits smoking on verandahs?

 

 

Why would I ? Carnival is the best for me. For others it is another Line. There is enough of Carnival bashing without more posts like this trying to start another problem.

[golfb4cruzing]

Itcal94

Did you try Skywalkers? Lighted dance floor, seems to be a little crazier. We fit your Princess model and are still able to cut loose if the need arises.

[ltcal94]

Itcal94

Did you try Skywalkers? Lighted dance floor, seems to be a little crazier. We fit your Princess model and are still able to cut loose if the need arises.

 

 

Yes we did. On our most recent out of FLL on the Caribbean Princess the first night it felt like we were in one of the hottest clubs in Miami. However, it really depends on the mix of people and the cruise length. With Princess attracting a more mature crowd, the likelihood of keeping the party going into the wee hours is somewhat limited. If there are still a half dozen people at Skywalkers at 1AM,its pretty good. Conversely, on our most recent Carnival cruise We started to see the first glimpse of light on the horizon about a half hour after we got back to our room.:eek:

[treasure4two]

I have probably cruised most of Carnival's ports, but that being said, I have switched to HAL because of their ports and because I do not have to decide between prices and restrictions on each like on Carnival-on HAL, one price, it goes down, I call, get the reduction immediately(no forms). No problems from HAL. Also, HAL made a mistake on their website and instead of my pricing being $30 above the category below mine, it was $30 below the category below mine, so it was a $60 pp mistake and HAL honored it with no arguing or need of a supervisor. Individual choices and preferences but you asked and that is mine.

[gr1634]

Well Carnival you have finally reached the point where we will go elsewhere. Not just the smoking change but all the other cuts you have slipped in over the past few years. I need not list them here - you and a large number of other folks know what we are talking about. We did a Princess cruise this past April and frankly Princess has a much better product (and they actually provide a nice area for smokers on the outside decks). Their ships are far more elegant as well. We have been very "loyal" over the years - you haven't.

GR

[elliair]

We boycotted Carnival because of the smoking on balconies. I believe it was on the Miracle to Alaska that we decided we couldn't hack it any more. Now that Carnival is banning smoking on balconies, we booked a 4 day cruise on the Imagination. There's no balconies on the Imagination so smoking won't be a problem for us. Looking to book on the Legend for Alaska next May. So, our boycott has been lifted on Carnival, but we'll still use Princess as well.

[PA Dutchman]

My list has been getting longer of why to change cruise lines, not just the smoking policy, after 41 cruises, CCl entertainment went someplace, don't know were but it used to be don't miss a show and the show room was packed , now maybe 50% a show, other lines have flat out better entertainment. Food is not close anymore, 3 food areas on CCL other lines have up 28 areas to check into, only a few cost you $30 to $15. Not the same MDR every night or only the steakhouse. Statement from Carnival "people don't cruise Carnival for perks", so that tells me they really don't care about loyalty anyway, so no body will miss us. After your first Diamond cruise you get tea with the Capt. and wash/fold every day, don't even use that, from then on Everything goes back to Platinum perks. If you look around prices are not that different and you do get a lot more.

[sunshine again]

I'm just as curious and want to hear from all the posters that said they cancelled their Carnival cruise and booked with NCL ... Now what are you going to do?

 

BTW, does anyone know if NCL offered the same "you can cancel with a full refund if you're not happy with their smoking rules"?

 

 

I cancelled my cruise yesterday for the Miracle Jan 17 2015 I enjoy the balcony reading having a smoke and relaxing. They have now forced me to go to another cruise line that will allow me to smoke on the balcony which I will do.

Will NOT cruise Carnival again over this and this is the only cruise line I have cruised with. SHAME

[Family Travel Story]

Is smoking banned from just balcony or all areas including the casino?

 

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[gregg204]

I cancelled my cruise yesterday for the Miracle Jan 17 2015 I enjoy the balcony reading having a smoke and relaxing. They have now forced me to go to another cruise line that will allow me to smoke on the balcony which I will do.

 

Will NOT cruise Carnival again over this and this is the only cruise line I have cruised with. SHAME

 

 

Better get you as many HAL cruises in as you can before they put this policy in affect also. Then you can change to land vacations.

Edited July 27, 2014 by gregg204

[PlayTheAces]

I'm not particularly loyal to any of the cruise lines though our last three cruises have been on Carnival with a fourth through the Canal coming up next month.

 

While I don't care that much about getting involved in the endlessly fascinating great smoking debates, I do enjoy lighting up a cigar somewhere in the evenings.

 

Carnival is sadly lacking in smoking venues. Now that they're banning smoking on balconies, I'll find another line that provides some sort of accommodation for cigar smokers. A lot of the NCL ships have nice cigar lounges, so that's likely where my next booking will be. Carnival used to have decent cigar bars but they banned cigars in them when the non-smokers complained about cigar smokers actually smoking cigars in them. How utterly rude of the cigar smokers.

 

While I fully understand Carnival trying to rid the balconies of smoke, I don't understand why their solutions to the smoking issue has always been to take away the places one can smoke rather than attempting to provide a decent area people could smoke without bothering others. Telling smokers to go stand on an open deck to puff isn't going to cut it if they want smokers to continue to patronize them.

 

Unless something changes, Carnival will be seeing the last of me next month. I suspect there may be one or two others that feel like I do.

[hartsnvt]

Nope, not unless a HAL ship homes in Port Canaveral. I live 25 mins from there. RCCL's cabins are smaller and they have same policy regarding smoking. NCL is my favorite line but I don't like to drive to Miami.

[ltcal94]

I'm not particularly loyal to any of the cruise lines though our last three cruises have been on Carnival with a fourth through the Canal coming up next month.

 

While I don't care that much about getting involved in the endlessly fascinating great smoking debates, I do enjoy lighting up a cigar somewhere in the evenings.

 

Carnival is sadly lacking in smoking venues. Now that they're banning smoking on balconies, I'll find another line that provides some sort of accommodation for cigar smokers. A lot of the NCL ships have nice cigar lounges, so that's likely where my next booking will be. Carnival used to have decent cigar bars but they banned cigars in them when the non-smokers complained about cigar smokers actually smoking cigars in them. How utterly rude of the cigar smokers.

 

While I fully understand Carnival trying to rid the balconies of smoke, I don't understand why their solutions to the smoking issue has always been to take away the places one can smoke rather than attempting to provide a decent area people could smoke without bothering others. Telling smokers to go stand on an open deck to puff isn't going to cut it if they want smokers to continue to patronize them.

 

Unless something changes, Carnival will be seeing the last of me next month. I suspect there may be one or two others that feel like I do.

 

I also enjoy a fine cigar . On the Princess ships I have been on , each had a very nice cigar bar that was very elegant and with a full bar.

[PlayTheAces]

I also enjoy a fine cigar . On the Princess ships I have been on , each had a very nice cigar bar that was very elegant and with a full bar.

 

That's good info to have. I may take a look at Princess. Gracias.

[Disconnections]

Better get you as many HAL cruises in as you can before they put this policy in affect also. Then you can change to land vacations.

 

...or Costa.

[patti226]

I won't cruise HAL because I am too young for that crowd. That being said I don't see the point in ever booking anything other then an interior cabin from now on. I have no reason to splurge for a balcony now

 

 

This is what I am doing from now on just going to book a inside and smoke all my cig. out by the pool. As a matter of fact I just booked 2 inside cabins last week.

[connergirls]

Yes. Our 9th and final Carnival cruise will be in August and we've already booked HAL for 2015. We vacation 3 times a year, usually a combination of AI/land vacations & cruising. Lots of great deals and beautiful destinations out there :)

[elliair]

While I fully understand Carnival trying to rid the balconies of smoke, I don't understand why their solutions to the smoking issue has always been to take away the places one can smoke rather than attempting to provide a decent area people could smoke without bothering others. Telling smokers to go stand on an open deck to puff isn't going to cut it if they want smokers to continue to patronize them.

 

Unless something changes, Carnival will be seeing the last of me next month. I suspect there may be one or two others that feel like I do.

 

Princess provides a few places where people who smoke can and do smoke. There's one area on the Lido deck of the Star Princess where smoking is allowed. We don't get a table near the door where the smoke comes into the dining area. We don't say anything about it, we just don't sit near the doors.

 

Nothing is going to change and I bet all cruise lines will be going the no smoking on balconies way. It's just a matter of time.

[pauleydm]

We both smoke, but since we are used to smoking in public areas, Carnival's policy change does not affect us and we will continue to book with them. My only hope is that Carnival will redesign the public smoking areas to be larger and more comfortable:)

[cruzn buckeye]

Nope, not unless a HAL ship homes in Port Canaveral. I live 25 mins from there. RCCL's cabins are smaller and they have same policy regarding smoking. NCL is my favorite line but I don't like to drive to Miami.

NCL is also adopting this policy.