Is Carnival really that bad?

[ATHENA3]

Carnival is not that bad and far from being a great cruise line only budget friendly.

And people that say, they never sailed on Carnival….Heald’s famous words

[A2Mich]

Thanks everyone. I feel much better now! Rookie mistake.... lol just off topic real quick those of you from CO how soon do you book airfare? I assume you out of DIA so prices are decent.

 

I'm booking this weekend for mid-April. Have been watching airfares bounce up and down, mostly trending upward, so going to book his weekend. Since we live in Fort Collins, we don't really have much of a choice of where to fly out of, as other than the Springs, flights from any other airport are likely going to connect in Denver anyway. Too expensive to fly out of Cheyenne (which all connect in Denver), Allegiant no longer flies out of Loveland, wouldn't make sense to drive past DIA to get to COS, and Grand Junction flights are going to connect in Denver. Any other airports are not worth the drive.

[spankym13]

A2 yea we are out of grand junction so flight are a little high. I read somewere 3 months out gets the best price. So i was curious if it was true.

[A2Mich]

A2 yea we are out of grand junction so flight are a little high. I read somewere 3 months out gets the best price. So i was curious if it was true.

 

I don't know for sure. I've also heard 3 weeks to 45 days out or so. I don't know what logic determines their pricing - obviously supply and demand, but have no idea what the trigger dates are to reduce prices or raise prices vs. number of available seats, etc.

 

You might be better off driving to Salt Lake City vs taking a connecting flight out of GJT depending on the cost difference and number of people in your group. The only time I have ever flown into GJT was on a connecting flight out of Stapleton (if that tells you how long ago that was!), and even then, most feeder flights out of Grand Junction were to SLC or DEN.

[EdmundXXIII]

Glory is a great ship, and Carnival is a wonderful line.

[CJHAN]

We are taking our FIRST Carnival cruise in oct on the Glory. We were super excited to try a new line as we have only been on NCL. But seems all i read on the FB page and other review sites is negative feedback!! Is carnival really become that bad? It cost us alot in airfare to make these trips from Colorado and im kinda worried now...[emoji27]

 

No its not that bad,infact is awesome, but by comming to a carnival thread where people clearly like and love carnival (otherwise why would we be here) the answers you seek might have been better found elsewhere.

[astropilot]

We are taking our FIRST Carnival cruise in oct on the Glory. We were super excited to try a new line as we have only been on NCL. But seems all i read on the FB page and other review sites is negative feedback!! Is carnival really become that bad? It cost us alot in airfare to make these trips from Colorado and im kinda worried now...[emoji27]

 

No!! it's not that bad. Diana and I will be making our 18th voyage on Carnival in April. Believe me, if it was "that bad" I would have stopped cruising with them long ago.

 

I think a lot of people on this board like to complain, just to get something started, or to fan the flames of a hot topic. Will you like everything about Carnival -- I doubt it. But I would wager that you have far more positive than negative feelings about it when your cruise is finished.

 

You didn't say which other cruise lines you've sailed with before, but each is different. Not better or worse, just different. But in the end they all deliver what they claim. 1) a cruise at sea, 2) accommodations aboard a ship, 3) food and drink, 4) entertainment, and 5) ports of call to explore and enjoy.

 

If it was "that bad" CCL would have been out of the business long ago.

 

Enjoy you cruise.

[kublaieod]

I know I am a broken record here but it is human nature to be more set on putting in a negative review than a positive one.

 

Not to mention many times when I hear people that hated the cruise it had nothing to do with the cruise itself (missed a port, too windy, getting seasick).

 

Obviously with everything Sh@! happens and there are a lot of legitimate things that happen on cruises that make for an unpleasant vacation because again Sh@! happens. I would say as most do that barring unforeseen circumstances that cruises are what you make them.

 

I have only had 3 cruises and I have enjoyed all three, and after talking at length to many other cruisers on board the sentiment is shared for many.

 

Enjoy your cruise and it will be a time to remember for years to come!! :D

[mum2bradley]

We just booked our 6th Carnival cruise and have never had a bad one, not even really anything to complain about. We have had one major issue and the resolved it brilliantly.

 

They are fantastic for families. We now travel at peak time and I could never justify paying twice to cruise. It is not a money issue either as we vac AI at Sandals.

 

My DS will be 17 on our next cruise. I do think after that we will try a Princess cruise.

[Thecat3902]

Repeating everyone here but we love carnival. I cruise other lines as well and all our cruises have been good. We are pretty happy go lucky on vacation and don't really find much to complain about.

[Thecat3902]

We are repeating a lot of what everyone else is saying but we love carnival. I have cruised on msc, costa, rccl, ncl, and about to embark on a disney cruise for the first time this fall. My first experience was on the tropicale about 16 years ago and have loved cruising since. No matter what cruise line or itinerary we book we always find that our cruises have been fun and enjoyable. But as others have said your on vacation and supposed to be having fun. Some people get so would up on some of the smallest details and let it ruin their fun. We just sailed msc last year and people trash them like crazy but overall we had a good time and looked for the positives, which we found plenty. It's always best to try something for yourself. If you know that little things don't bother you then you'll love your experience with carnival. I think people who complain about carnivals service are most likely people who never worked in the service industry and would be the people who complain in a local restaurant.

Fyi I have sailed several carnival boats but if you have kids pick one of the newer boats. My kids loved the breeze. The amenities for kids old and young are great and you'll all be sure to have a good time.

[antique sailor]

AHOY SHIPMATES,

 

"ON ANY GIVEN DAY'' or cruise it can be BAD or GREAT. As you can see from my "resume" I've done some cruising and had some wonderful times(B2B) on CARNIVAL and a Pretty disappointing 52 day cruise on Holland America a few years ago.

 

Now I limit my cruising to long cruises on HAL (I prefer the older smaller ships) and the shorter 5 day (B2B) on CARNIVAL from jacksonville ( I live 15 min from port)

 

They are totally different personalities but VERY friendly with equal quality food .

 

MHO Sea ya at sea

[RiotAct]

I think a lot of people get disappointed because they go in thinking they are going to get the quality of something like the movie Titanic, all for less than $70 per person, per day.

 

well.... without the watery ending ;)

[BallFour4]

If all you have read are negative reviews then you are not looking. The Glory is one of Carnivals finest ships, and it's itineraries are some of the best in their fleet. We've been to Canada and the Caribbean aboard her in the past two years.

 

Look how horrible these photos make the ship and ports appear:

 

 

 

Try to get your money back today. Seriously, you posted all your Carnival cruises have been fun...

 

.

Edited February 25, 2015 by BallFour4

[farmer6]

We are taking our FIRST Carnival cruise in oct on the Glory. We were super excited to try a new line as we have only been on NCL. But seems all i read on the FB page and other review sites is negative feedback!! Is carnival really become that bad? It cost us alot in airfare to make these trips from Colorado and im kinda worried now...[emoji27]

 

I snoop on Cruise Critic and Trip Advisor a lot!! I am a wife and a mother of 6. My husband and I have been on 4 cruises, all with Carnival. We are taking our children with us this spring on a cruise out of San Juan, 7 days, port heavy. We have been on this cruise 2 times together as a couple and wanted to share it with our children so decided to do it again 1 more time. We are a little more familiar with the islands and know what we would like to do so we feel more comfortable with our family in tow.

I would NEVER have booked a 7 day cruise for 8 people with Carnival if I was not absolutely sure that Carnival would take care of us. This is a huge vacation for us and a lot of money out the door.

Now, I am not going to throw negative reviewers under the bus, but when I read negative reviews of ships or excursions I have to wonder what their expectations were going into it all. I also wonder what their personal maintenance levels are. What I mean by that is, are these negative reviewers "high maintenance" people? Are they expecting Carnival to hand them the best vacation of their lives. I don't think Carnival should have that much power over a vacation.

I tell you to feel confident in your choice and do not allow the negative reviews to second guess your decisions.

Yes, we have only cruised with Carnival and honestly I cannot do comparisons. If I did cruise other lines maybe I would notice differences. We are using Carnival as our traveling hotel room and restaurant. It is our transportation to islands we really want to see and we do not hold Carnival hostage to our vacation. They have given us good meals, clean rooms, and offer entertainment to the best of their abilities.

We are in charge of our vacation, not Carnival.

[farmer6]

Honestly yes they are that bad !!! For two reasons, 1) It does not last long enough and 2) We always have to get off and go home...In between those two horrible experiences everyday is a day in paradise.. Don't say you have not been warned..

 

Have fun, enjoy and don't worry ! You're on vacation..:cool:

 

Amen, I love this!

 

I would also add, going on a cruise vacation is a privilege not a right! There are many different people who would take a cruise if they had the money and time.

[saharaga]

We were just on the Glory in October. It was one of our best cruises ever. It was not perfect by any means but we still had a great time.

 

Thanks for the input. I assumed it was just people that love to complain. But with so much of it i though id check. Any input on the Glory from recent travels? It really did have the best ports. And 1 more then ncl or royal because of halfmoon being in the mix.

[RobinKY]

I admit I was kinda of cruise snob when I took my first Carnival cruise (Sensation Dec 2014) as I just sailed on Royal Caribbean (RC) back in April 2014. I was thinking it was a poor man's RC. The Carnival Sensation was older and smaller than the previous cruise but the service, food and experience were just as good if not better than RC but at a cheaper price.

 

I will definitely consider Carnival again.

[Jay Sam]

I have been on 10 cruises on 5 different lines in the past 5 years. Carnival is just fine, and my favorite. Cruised on different classes of ships of Carnival inclduing; Splendor, Freedom, Legend, Miracle and Paradise. I enjoyed all of them, yes even Paradise which I heard mixed reviews on. No problems on that one either. That is in the smallest class grouping of their ships, but still fully enjoyed.

 

The staff is consistently friendly, prompt and quite accomodating. The cabins are generally larger than the other lines.

 

Their main dining room food offerings in quality are 2nd only to Celebrity in my opinion. Even the cruise books rate Carnival over Royal re: quality of the main dining room food. Royal is my 2nd favorite, but to be honest I would have to call it almost a tie between the two. I am more used to Carnival, so I guess that is the very slight tie breaker. Also price on Carnival would be another tie breaker.

 

I have been on 2 NCL cruises, including Epic. Not impressed. They would be my least favorite of all 5. Holland America is somewhere in the middle, along with Celebrity.

 

So enjoy your Carnival cruise. You will enjoy.

[RCmommy]

Leading up to our very first cruise on NCL I got worried because so many reviews of NCL were mediocre. Many were not fans of the freestyle idea and plenty of comments stated the food was not great. Many of our friends were not even familiar with NCL as a cruise line.

 

We went with the idea we would have a fantastic time and we did exactly that. We ended up loving the freestyle theme. The food was in fact 'meh' but that in no way ruined the cruise for me.

 

Would I sail NCL again? In a heartbeat. We are giving Carnival a shot next though. I have heard the "walmart of cruises" many times and decided we will make the decision for ourselves.

 

In the end I am grateful to be able to go anywhere and make memories with my family.

[Cruzlover7]

I snoop on Cruise Critic and Trip Advisor a lot!! I am a wife and a mother of 6. My husband and I have been on 4 cruises, all with Carnival. We are taking our children with us this spring on a cruise out of San Juan, 7 days, port heavy. We have been on this cruise 2 times together as a couple and wanted to share it with our children so decided to do it again 1 more time. We are a little more familiar with the islands and know what we would like to do so we feel more comfortable with our family in tow.

 

I would NEVER have booked a 7 day cruise for 8 people with Carnival if I was not absolutely sure that Carnival would take care of us. This is a huge vacation for us and a lot of money out the door.

 

Now, I am not going to throw negative reviewers under the bus, but when I read negative reviews of ships or excursions I have to wonder what their expectations were going into it all. I also wonder what their personal maintenance levels are. What I mean by that is, are these negative reviewers "high maintenance" people? Are they expecting Carnival to hand them the best vacation of their lives. I don't think Carnival should have that much power over a vacation.

 

I tell you to feel confident in your choice and do not allow the negative reviews to second guess your decisions.

 

Yes, we have only cruised with Carnival and honestly I cannot do comparisons. If I did cruise other lines maybe I would notice differences. We are using Carnival as our traveling hotel room and restaurant. It is our transportation to islands we really want to see and we do not hold Carnival hostage to our vacation. They have given us good meals, clean rooms, and offer entertainment to the best of their abilities.

 

We are in charge of our vacation, not Carnival.

 

 

Amen to that. I agree 100 %

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[elliair]

We are taking our FIRST Carnival cruise in oct on the Glory. We were super excited to try a new line as we have only been on NCL. But seems all i read on the FB page and other review sites is negative feedback!! Is carnival really become that bad? It cost us alot in airfare to make these trips from Colorado and im kinda worried now...[emoji27]

 

Stop putting yourself into other people's experiences that may or may not be true. It is true that Carnival IMHO has improved once they changed their smoking policy. That was the only fault I found in them. Don't cruise on any line when it's Spring Break unless you have children and don't mind children being out of control.

 

P.S. 99% of the stuff we worry about never happens.

Edited February 25, 2015 by elliair

[Beachdude]

I Yes, we have only cruised with Carnival and honestly I cannot do comparisons. If I did cruise other lines maybe I would notice differences. We are using Carnival as our traveling hotel room and restaurant. It is our transportation to islands we really want to see and we do not hold Carnival hostage to our vacation. They have given us good meals, clean rooms, and offer entertainment to the best of their abilities.

We are in charge of our vacation, not Carnival.

 

A bit of fresh air when someone admits that one can't compare what they haven't experienced. Bravo to farmer for being humble.

 

But using a cruise ship only as a cheap hotel is a sign of the times. Many of us remember when cruising was the experience, not a convenient place to sleep while traveling to the experience. I would have never guessed that pizza would be most cruisers favorite food. I remember looking forward to calamari or crab for lunch. That is how much the cruise experience has changed.

 

And I'm not complaining either, I did plenty of that on the forums as the cruise lines where making their cuts and switching their marketing to a different demographic customer. I have come to accept the changes and understand I have to change to enjoy my vacations.

 

So is Carnival that bad? Well for those of us who have done this for a while and liked that kind of cruising, yes Carnival is that bad. And so is RCCL, Princess, Holland America and maybe even Celebrity. OK, maybe slightly worse than Princess and Celebrity. But anything better requires a change in attitude and a larger budget.

 

Burt

[Out to sea!]

AHOY SHIPMATES,

 

"ON ANY GIVEN DAY'' or cruise it can be BAD or GREAT. As you can see from my "resume" I've done some cruising and had some wonderful times(B2B) on CARNIVAL and a Pretty disappointing 52 day cruise on Holland America a few years ago.

 

Now I limit my cruising to long cruises on HAL (I prefer the older smaller ships) and the shorter 5 day (B2B) on CARNIVAL from jacksonville ( I live 15 min from port)

 

They are totally different personalities but VERY friendly with equal quality food .

 

MHO Sea ya at sea

 

If you don't mind me asking, why the disappointment on the 52 day HAL cruise??

[dabear99211]

We are taking our FIRST Carnival cruise in oct on the Glory. We were super excited to try a new line as we have only been on NCL. But seems all i read on the FB page and other review sites is negative feedback!! Is carnival really become that bad? It cost us alot in airfare to make these trips from Colorado and im kinda worried now...[emoji27]

 

Carnival is horrible, that's why I have taken 48 of them with Carnival and 3 more booked, just terrible service, crew and food. 10 times on the Glory what a bad ship. You better stay home.