What keeps you coming back?

[A&Jfamily]

Not to hijack the thread but I wondered what it is about NCL Style that you dont care for as opposed to Carnival? I have a "free" NCL cruise that I am taking on the Getaway in July, and I had never considered straying from Carnival at this point and I wonder what I am in for (but hard to decline a almost free cruise and why not try it! )

 

Oh I'm sure if it was free (as long as it was a balcony for this snob :o) I would go NCL. But the freestyle dining doesn't appeal - we prefer a fixed seating for family dinner. The kids love to get to know the wait staff and particularly when they were younger, it was awesome to have milk on the table and a fruit plate ready for snacking when we arrived.

 

Just in reading these boards it seems NCL is considerably rated lower on the food front. I have always found Carnval food acceptable at worst and quite amazing for chefs table and steak house. We don't cruise so much that I tire of the Carnival menu in fact I look forward to certain treats like pumpkin soup which sadly appears gone from the new American Table menu. Not sure I am thrilled with that change but until I sail a ship with it I can only judge on what I see.

 

I am a firm believer that attitude has a lot to do with it, so I'm sure if I went NCL I would enjoy myself. Just not really interested in trying it if you know what I mean.

[cruising maniac]

Love freestyle cruising- lots of choices on your schedule.

[lizziez00]

We do YTD on Carnival and if we find a wait staff that we enjoy, we just ask for them every night, then the Freestyle type sounds like it will not really be a big deal for us...:) and I agree...it's in the attitude. And yep, I did have to "upgrade" my free to a Balcony!! I too am a balcony snob :)

 

Looks like you guys are on the Sunshine the week before us!

Edited January 27, 2015 by lizziez00

[l2c4fun]

When we were new to cruising we booked on the Carnival Triumph out of Galveston because we could drive to the port and it was cheaper than the other ships. So it was price based.

 

We decided we liked cruising because of the value for our money. We have continued cruising and continue to choose Carnival because we enjoy it enough that we don't feel we need to spend more money to try another cruise line.

[ccartman2]

Mainly price. When we started, the military discount was great. It's still good, but I got a better deal without it this time. I like they honor past service, even though I didn't retire. Foods good and we always have fun and are able to relax.

[Pixelate]

Mainly price. When we started, the military discount was great. It's still good, but I got a better deal without it this time. I like they honor past service, even though I didn't retire. Foods good and we always have fun and are able to relax.

 

Princess has one of the best military benefits, in my opinion. It can be combined with nearly every single fare, including cruises that had a 100% fare reimbursement and is available on every single cruise. They also keep your DD214 on file with the onboard credit automatically applied so you don't have to provide proof each time or provide any effort. Combine that with the shareholder benefit and you can have $500 onboard credit before applying anything else you are eligible for.

Edited January 27, 2015 by Pixelate

[ccartman2]

Princess has one of the best military benefits, in my opinion. It can be combined with nearly every single fare, including cruises that had a 100% fare reimbursement and is available on every single cruise. They also keep your DD214 on file with the onboard credit automatically applied so you don't have to provide proof each time or provide any effort. Combine that with the shareholder benefit and you can have $500 onboard credit before applying anything else you are eligible for.

 

 

Sounds awesome. I will check that out. Thanks for the tip.

[thethirdhalf]

A few things keep me coming back.

 

1) Early saver. I book as soon as I know I can go and generally pay in full within 60 days of booking. I have enjoyed the price drops and when one is going solo, those drops tend to go a long way.

 

2) The staff. From the cleaners to the servers, everyone I have met on board has been more than complementary with their time.

 

3) Rates. Because I do book a long way out, the rates are still something that even if the price didn't drop, I'd be more than happy paying. No matter how hard I try with other lines, I haven't been able to come close.

 

4) Departure point. While I live in Jacksonville, I tend not to drive south of Canaveral or venture towards Tampa. The ironic thing is I haven't cruised out of Jacksonville (though I live about a 15-20 minute drive from the port).

 

Just a few things for me that keep me coming back to Carnival.

[goduckies05]

Good value for my.money.

 

Sent from my SM-G900P using Forums mobile app

[sanmarcosman]

We're gluttons for punishment :) j/k, it's the value received each and every cruise that does it for us.

[k2excursion]

It used to be the full experience: good food, lots of food, good entertainment, visiting nice tropical places (whether someplace new or for the 10th time), not having to pack & unpack constantly while traveling to places, great waterslide(s) on the ship, and all for a good price. Carnival's cuts in entertainment has somewhat soured the potential experiences on most of their ships, which has made me cut back on cruises & look more towards land-based entertainment/amusement trips, which tend to come out cheaper, since I do travel cheap (motels or camping) by land. So as it is, I have no cruises booked, with Carnival or any other.

 

What brought me back to my last cruise was the amazing itinerary, and the great price on that cruise. That could bring me back again. Another thing that could bring me back would be a great price on a ship that still provides good entertainment out of a port that's not too far away (Dream or Triumph).

Edited January 27, 2015 by k2excursion

[elainmir]

1. Price

2. Ports

3. The Ships

4. I don't have to worry about cooking, cleaning or driving us around on vacation!:D THAT is truly a vacation!

5. Spending time with my family where we all get to experience a new island and all it has to offer...my children were deeply impacted by the children begging in Roatan...they were far more appreciative after that cruise ( not that they were ungrateful, just had never seen children live like that)

[Out to sea!]

Low prices for enjoyable cruises.

[Out to sea!]

Princess has one of the best military benefits, in my opinion. It can be combined with nearly every single fare, including cruises that had a 100% fare reimbursement and is available on every single cruise. They also keep your DD214 on file with the onboard credit automatically applied so you don't have to provide proof each time or provide any effort. Combine that with the shareholder benefit and you can have $500 onboard credit before applying anything else you are eligible for.

 

Carnival also keeps your DD214 on file.

[abcsteward]

My first cruise was on Commodore... And I LOVED everything about it... The Food was excellent, the Service beyond Excellent... Geesh... Why did they go under???

 

Carnival has been my choice since then as the husband and I like to gamble and we get plenty of great perks from the casino... Plus we save enough on our fares to have plenty of spending money too... ;)

[Pixelate]

Carnival also keeps your DD214 on file.

 

I wouldn't know because I haven't served, unlike yourself. Keeping the DD214 on file isn't a subject that I've ever come across on the Carnival boards, yet see very frequently on the boards of competing cruise lines. Though, I don't believe I said in my original post that Carnival doesn't store it.

Edited January 27, 2015 by Pixelate

[samoan_bulldozer]

Last couple cruises have been free. Waiting to see when my luck runs out

[cruise_girl2002]

service, food, value for the money, entertainment

[Tortoiselvr]

Value for the money, it is a cheap way to get away. It's cheaper for me to get on a ship than for me to go away for a weekend (hotel, meals, etc). I live in Houston, so I can leave out of Galveston and safe airfare.

[MarcelLucSell]

Our first cruise was in 97 on the Destiny.

Loved it - No complaints.

 

Saw she got retooled so we booked the SunShine in 13.

Loved it - No complaints.

 

We are booked next month on the SunShine.

 

My gut is most people who complain are looking for things to gripe about.

 

A cruise is as fun as you make it.

[frito58]

I have to laugh , it appears if Carnival cruises weren't cheap not so sure anyone would come back . Price seems to be the number one factor . I will say when Book an RCI cruise I do like a good deal but book for the ship as I love the Voyager Class ships and the southern Caribbean Itinerary Plus they also give me better discounts for being a returning guest and we are Platinum on both. . I mean we like Carnival and have a cruise on the Liberty , our favorite ship in 30 days . But booked it on that Halloween sale where they were basically giving them away and couldn't pass up a great deal. 7 day cruise for under $700 and then got upgraded to lido balcony and all in for under $900 for both of us . Cant beat that would sail Carnival any day of the week for that price.

Edited January 27, 2015 by frito58

[MamaTortuga]

I have to laugh , it appears if Carnival cruises weren't cheap not so sure anyone would come back . Price seems to be the number one factor . I will say when Book an RCI cruise I do like a good deal but book for the ship as I love the Voyager Class ships and the southern Caribbean Itinerary Plus they also give me better discounts for being a returning guest and we are Platinum on both. . I mean we like Carnival and have a cruise on the Liberty , our favorite ship in 30 days . But booked it on that Halloween sale where they were basically giving them away and couldn't pass up a great deal. 7 day cruise for under $700 and then got upgraded to lido balcony and all in for under $900 for both of us . Cant beat that would sail Carnival any day of the week for that price.

 

Well that would definitely keep me coming back! It does seem that the general consensus is that it's affordable and you get a lot for your money, which I love. Ive looked into some other lines but nothing really appealed to me like carnival. Partially cause I don't have a whole lot of options unless I fly somewhere and sail from there. Did that before and I probably could have saved so much if I just sailed from galveston instead of going out to Tampa.

[cruizinisthebest]

I have to laugh , it appears if Carnival cruises weren't cheap not so sure anyone would come back . Price seems to be the number one factor . I will say when Book an RCI cruise I do like a good deal but book for the ship as I love the Voyager Class ships and the southern Caribbean Itinerary Plus they also give me better discounts for being a returning guest and we are Platinum on both. . I mean we like Carnival and have a cruise on the Liberty , our favorite ship in 30 days . But booked it on that Halloween sale where they were basically giving them away and couldn't pass up a great deal. 7 day cruise for under $700 and then got upgraded to lido balcony and all in for under $900 for both of us . Cant beat that would sail Carnival any day of the week for that price.

 

What's so funny? I personally don't find cruising "cheap." There are alot of things we have done for a family vacation cheaper than going on a cruise. Carnival is generally the most affordable option but not always. We're booked on our first Royal cruise for Spring Break next year, because the price was too good to pass up. Similar dates and itineraries were all more expensive on Carnival and Norwegian.

[Pixelate]

I have to laugh , it appears if Carnival cruises weren't cheap not so sure anyone would come back . Price seems to be the number one factor . I will say when Book an RCI cruise I do like a good deal but book for the ship as I love the Voyager Class ships and the southern Caribbean Itinerary Plus they also give me better discounts for being a returning guest and we are Platinum on both. . I mean we like Carnival and have a cruise on the Liberty , our favorite ship in 30 days . But booked it on that Halloween sale where they were basically giving them away and couldn't pass up a great deal. 7 day cruise for under $700 and then got upgraded to lido balcony and all in for under $900 for both of us . Cant beat that would sail Carnival any day of the week for that price.

 

Platinum on both? How can you reasonably compare, based on name only? One requires 75 days; the other 15. You should compare RCI Platinum to Carnival Gold and RCI Diamond to Carnival Platinum.

[Pixelate]

What's so funny? I personally don't find cruising "cheap." There are alot of things we have done for a family vacation cheaper than going on a cruise. Carnival is generally the most affordable option but not always. We're booked on our first Royal cruise for Spring Break next year, because the price was too good to pass up. Similar dates and itineraries were all more expensive on Carnival and Norwegian.

 

You don't find cruising cheap? What about all of those free cruises? What about those four night cruises for under $100? What about seven night cruises for $159? Cruising is cheap, especially when they have a surplus of inventory they are scrambling to fill and this is not limited to Carnival.