Is Carnival really that bad?

[Michigan Cruisers]

Remember that the negative people tend to be more vocal. This site should be cruise complainers instead of critic. The cruise is what you make it. We have cruised on many lines and carnival is just a good if not better than the others.

 

 

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[declansdad]

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]

 

 

We've cruised Carnival twice and have the Glory booked for Christmas; we also cruised the NCL Dawn this past July. Between the two I would take Carnival hands down.

[LucyR.]

I. find RCL a very boring ship for single solo me. The shopping is lousy, the food is not great. I felt lonely on the ship. I didn't like the entertainment either. Yes, I am negative towards RCL.

 

Some people are excited that RCL will be coming to Los Angeles Port soon. But they are going to have to lower their rates if they want to get the Carnival loyal cruisers to cruise with them.

 

Yes, Carnival rules on the west coast Los Angeles, Long Beach port. Loyal fans cruise on Carnival over and over. We don't have to fly to get to the ship. Most of us are from California and Arizona and other states near-by.

 

I would like to remind you none lovers of Carnival that you are on the Carnival section of cruise critic. Most of us are here to discuss Carnival.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Perfect!! What are your thoughts on NCL? We were next to them (the new ship), in port, last year and it looks like a really classy ship. Some very nice outdoors venues. It doesn't matter to the wife who we sail on because it's about the destinations for us. But for me, Carnival just has the wrong vibe. I don't live it day to day and don't want to vacation that way either.

 

We really like NCL a lot. As you can see in my signature we are platinum with CCL but it became stale. Used to get on the ship and there was no juice.

 

I like getting on a new ship and exploring.

 

We like the freestyle concept with shorts every night, eat when you want, which we can do on CCL as well but the big difference to us is the entertainment.

 

Since we don't drink much or gamble there is not much else for us to do at night on CCL other than the comedy clubs which are great.

 

Food is comparable. I like that during some days out at the pool they have a big bbq going. The one day they made paella which was very good.

 

Like both crews.

 

We will still probably hop on CCL again but for right now we don't have anything planned.

 

Seeya onboard in 42 days.:)

 

Bill

[MrMileStoner]

Carnival Corp has many brands under the umbrella - NCL, not so much.

 

Princess is a Carnival Corp brand.

[momof4boys]

Have loved EVERY cruise we have taken on Carnival!!! Can't wait for my next one.

[Hendricks Clan]

Carnival Corp has many brands under the umbrella - NCL, not so much.

 

Princess is a Carnival Corp brand.

 

True, but Oceania and Regent are considered by far the best lines in the category in which those two lines are placed in. On the other hand its very debatable where NCL falls when compared to Carnival and RCI. NCL, has however picked up serval awards from global travel ranking organizations such as "Best and Leading Caribbean Cruise Line," "Best European Itineraries," "Best Mega ship Cruise Line," and "Best New ship," just to name a few. For every award NCL has, another company gives RCI the title in the same category, but the constant is that you never see any of those same awards being given to Carnival. Not to mention NCL, has a partnership with Asia's Star Cruises. I think all 3 brands under the Norwegian Cruise Lines Holding umbrella are well equipped to compete with Carnival Corp and Royal's lines.

Edited March 7, 2015 by Hendricks Clan

[Hendricks Clan]

You should give Princess a try sometime. I think you'd be surprised. They are supposed to do Alaska like no other. (in a good way)

 

Princess is on my bucket list for sure!

[declansdad]

and I would choose NCL over Carnival 10 out of 10 times. Everyone has positives and negatives from each particular line. For me NCL is my line of choice, others its Carnival, RCI, etc...

I for one find NCL's entertainment to be years ahead of Carnival's. Carnival however has more variety in Caribbean sailings, yet NCL offers unparalleled Alaska, Hawaii, and Bermuda sailings compared to the other mainstream lines. To each his own!

 

 

The good entertainers must have been on vacation while we were on the Dawn.

Edited March 8, 2015 by declansdad

[Lard Greystoke]

Sailed on Carnival Glory about 7-8 years ago. Kind of grungy, a definite comedown after Royal the year before.

 

Sailed Triumph a couple of weeks ago, again after Royal a year ago, Carnival exceeded expectations. Stacks up much better this time. Of course only a couple of trips, small sample size, but they did okay on this 10-day.

[Velvetwater]

Husband and I are not really Carnival's main target market ( Couple in their twenties, British, like very culture based breaks) yet we really liked Carnival when they were out first cruise back in 2013.

 

We are not loyal by any means but always recommend Carnival to others as for the most part the price is unbeatable. All elements are seemingly basic in comparison to some other lines but a cruise break is an indulgent one anyway.

 

The only thing I would say is that 80% of the main stage entertainment is awful but the comedy is great so we go to that.

[nissach]

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. It's important to have realistic expectations. Is Carnival super fancy with haute cuisine and other passengers who are all "old money"? No. Is the food pretty good, the service friendly and are there lots of fun activities available? Yes.

 

My cute MIL always likens it to shopping. If you go to Target expecting the level of service and merchandise you get at Nordstrom, then you are going to be disappointed. But if you go shop at Target because they have cute stuff at a decent price, you'll be fine. It's the same here.

 

Very accurate analogy!

[lisajm]

Very accurate analogy!

 

Thank goodness your MIL did not say Walmart!!!!!!

 

You could also compare it as an Embassy Suites to the Plaza;)

[beshears]

No Bill, I adopted this philisphy a long time ago, not after we were on the NCL. I always try to find the BEST in every cruise I take. As I said, the NCL was the worst from the very beginning.

[keith75]

It's impossible to have a bad cruise.

[derek005]

Keith, I agree.

[frito58]

We just got back from the Liberty someone from our FB group ask us to grade the cruise several of us gave the cruise an A , we had great time with family and friends , made some new friends . Had loads of fun. Great week to get away for a LOT of us , we all came from horrible weather conditions so 80 degrees and sun was a wonderful week just what the doctor ordered. On the hand we gave Carnival a C New menu was Horrible very few liked it . Entertainment was lacking the entire cruise . I mean it seemed they forced you into the casino for something to do. We missed Roatan go figure like 50% of all cruises . Crappy port , poor design. It just seems the cut backs are getting more and more and more , So it is what it is . We had fun most of us booked on the cheap on the Halloween deal came away happy. Crew was wonderful . Would I book Carnival again ,I am Platinum , maybe if the deal is right . next 2 are on RCI . Deal was great . Platinum there and they give me discounts .

[nissach]

It's impossible to have a bad cruise.

 

I also agree!! It is all in the attitude.

[srlafleur]

I also agree!! It is all in the attitude.

 

Agreed...and in the expectations. You watch old episodes of Love Boat, or any movie with a cruise ship, your expectations are going to be pretty high.

The first time I cruised was a weekender on Carnival Mardi Gras nearly 30 years ago, in what was probably the lowest of the low inside cabin. To be quite honest, I don't see all that many differences that are important to me since then, though I'm sure there are many. Of course, now my cruises are longer and generally more exotic, and I only book balconies, but what I enjoyed then doesn't seem to have changed all that much. Perhaps if my first had been more upscale over all, my feelings and expectations would be quite different.

 

As far as CCL vs NCL or RCI or even X, HAL, and Princess (all of which I've since sailed), I've seen greater differences between itineraries and ships than I have between lines. Are there differences? Sure, of course. If you demand fixed dining times, NCL isn't for you. And, to me, that seems to be the only big difference. If you have achieved high status on a line, the differences might seem bigger, depending on what perks you take advantage of. (I haven't).

As far as one line "nickle and diming" you vs. another, you pay for all the same things on all of the mainstream lines. Drinks? Check. Specialty dining? Check. Photos, bingo, excursions? Check, check and check. And they have as long as I've been cruising. Yeah, they now have specialty coffee bars, ice cream shops, and a few ships now charge for certain shows, but they all do, or would if those things were available on all ships.

 

All of the above IMHO...

It could be argued til the cows come home.

Enough of my 2 cents.