For Those Who Regularly Cruise Carnival

[sgttami]

Anthem is supposed to be spectacular. What is it about the large ships you don't like?

 

I've actually considered going with a very small cruise ship to give it a try (without the kids) - something like Seabourn. So I can get why you may prefer the smaller ships. Curious what you don't like about the larger RCI ships, in comparison.

 

They're simply TOO BIG (lol) for my taste these days. I don't care about water parks, slides, rock-climbing walls and bumper cars which seem to be advertised as attractions for the ship. I will admit that I am curious to check it out as I was a loyal Royal fan for years. I'm sure my granddaughter's (age 3 and 7) would disagree!

 

I was on several of the Voyager class and even they were huge at the time. The Radiance class (2000 passenger) is my preference. So pretty, lots of glass (perfect for Alaska) and never felt crowded.

 

Food, service, entertainment vary from cruise to cruise, not necessarily the cruise line. I've had great and not so good on different trips on all lines.

 

Splendor and Sunshine come somewhere in between and I will say that I thought the people I met (when I went solo) on Carnival were a lot friendlier than RCL. That's a plus for me.

[oxymoron11]

The casino perks on Carnival are excellent. Every time I think of booking on another line, here comes a Carnival offer for a free cruise or great deal on a cruise. We aren't high rollers but play enough to be appreciated.

 

We like to keep it casual and we often don't use the MDR (but we always leave the tip). Love to eat at Guy's, Cantina, Chopsticks, Steakhouse etc. We often make a late lunch our big meal of the day then graze at the buffet for dinner where I always find something I like, even if it is just a baked potato and salad. The buffet desserts have improved in the last year.

 

We have always received good service although they seem to be spreading their bar waiters too thin. I've never had a cabin steward service only once a day, always twice at their insistence.

 

I like the 8 day itineraries and Port Canaveral departures. Most shows are entertaining and most of the bands we have heard are outstanding.

 

Platinum loyalty perks are nice for us, but we enjoyed Carnival as blue, red and gold also.

 

I don't care too much for Fantasy class ships but I enjoy all the others. Sunshine is a favorite during off season but never during summer or spring break.

 

The sea and ports are the same on any ship. My rock wall climbing days are over so value wins and Carnival has exceeded my expectations many times.

[JerseyshoreBruce]

We have had nothing but fun on Carnival....since our first cruise in 2005 through now we have never had bad service. Lots to do....never bored and good food.....the price cant be beat also....the rooms are large too....so we figure why change and maybe end up disappointed

[lasvegascruising]

My last cruise(January of this year) on Norwegian Jade was great especially the price but I am back to Carnival for my next cruise(January 2017). One big thing I didn't like about the Jade, the whole cabin. Very small compared to all five different Carnival ships I have been on. I am looking forward to my Breeze balcony cabin. I know I will like the bathroom set up too. The Jade's bathroom was just too small overall(nice shower but the toilet closet was tiny. I don't know how tall people can even sit on the toilet and not have their legs hit the wall). I think Royal and Carnival have nice cabins and about the same size in my opinion(referring to balcony cabins).

[blondietink]

We are a family of 4 adults and love the 220 sq.ft. ocean view cabins or the 185 sq. ft. balcony cabins. Plenty of room for all of us. with storage. Both my adult aged sons are disabled and Carnival treats them like kings! we find the food is good, the entertainment is good enough for us and the price is right when paying for 4. We can always find something fun to do whatever time of day.

[Sugaree5335]

For us, it's the close proximity of the ports and the low cost.

 

That's us too.

[MasterMason]

For me, it's simple:

 

Royal = Champagne crowd

NCL = Wine crowd

 

Carnival = Mixed drinks/Beer crowd!

Carnival has my kind of crowd, and atmosphere!

[crabbdock]

I have only been on 3 cruises so far, all on Carnival, but I have done LOTS of research on all cruise lines. For me, Price is always best on CCL. I have thought about trying other lines, but found reasons not to book them.

Carnival lets me bring my diet Sunkist onboard with me, and that's very important to me.

Camp Ocean takes children as young as 2, other lines I looked at start at 3. My next cruise is with my daughter and young granddaughters, so this was very important to us so we can have some adult time.

Carnival has the largest budget cabins which is important when you will have 4 in a cabin.

I don't care about the huge ships with all their many things to do. I prefer the smaller ships where I can find a quiet place to watch and listen to the ocean.

I Love Carnival but still hope to try another line someday, but so far Carnival is the only one to give me everything I want. I imagine I will book another line when I'm ready to sail Europe, mostly because the other lines have lots more choices there.

[Cinders411]

My first cruise was on the Carnival Sensation and I booked because of the price. I continued to cruise on Carnival for the next four cruises. We then decided to try something different & started cruising with RC. We are returning to Carnival this fall because we wanted to try the Vista & to cruise out of New York. Carnival remains a good value for the money but, we find quality entertainment is where they lack, at least to us.

Edited August 11, 2016 by Cinders411

[smyliecruising]

They are so reasonably priced. They have good food in the dining room and great food in the steakhouse, Guys, and pizza pirate. I always feel like most of the staff sincerely want me to have a really good vacation. The ships are fun and I like the crazy decor but some don't. I love the designs and find them so interesting architecturally and walk around the ships looking at art and the different rooms which are artistic themselves. Just so much fun for an unbeatable price.

[buddylover]

While CCL is no longer as cheap in comparison as it used to be, we do keep coming back to CCL too. As a matter of fact, our most expensive cruise to date is coming up on CCL Vista....paid more for this 8 day cruise than for our 12 day Med cruise on Breeze when she was launched.....so price is NOT such a difference any more.

 

However, there is no comparison to cabin size and food as compared to the other lines. In our opinion, no other cruise line's food comes close to CCCL.....however, to be fair, the food choice and quality has diminished some due to all the cutbacks on CCL....but the same applies to all the other lines too.

[BNBR]

They're simply TOO BIG (lol) for my taste these days. I don't care about water parks, slides, rock-climbing walls and bumper cars which seem to be advertised as attractions for the ship. I will admit that I am curious to check it out as I was a loyal Royal fan for years. I'm sure my granddaughter's (age 3 and 7) would disagree!

 

I was on several of the Voyager class and even they were huge at the time. The Radiance class (2000 passenger) is my preference. So pretty, lots of glass (perfect for Alaska) and never felt crowded.

 

Food, service, entertainment vary from cruise to cruise, not necessarily the cruise line. I've had great and not so good on different trips on all lines.

 

Splendor and Sunshine come somewhere in between and I will say that I thought the people I met (when I went solo) on Carnival were a lot friendlier than RCL. That's a plus for me.

 

It seems counter intuitive, but if you prefer the more toned down atmosphere, you really should consider an Oasis class cruise. It's huge, but the neighborhoods add so much to the experience. You can relax on the boardwalk, listen to live classical music and enjoy wine in central park, stroll the promenade, visit some of the great venues (which are all very central), etc. What's really amazing about the Oasis ships is that they feel virtually empty, even with 6,000 people on board. Have to see it to believe it. It's interesting because it doesn't feel as big as it is and so many great relaxing areas.

[SMSACE6]

Please tell me why you would choose or not choose Carnival Ships over other lines. Is it the cabins, the food, the entertainment, the itineraries, or just the overall treatment on Carnival. I'm curious because I've never traveled on Carnival but they seem to have pretty good itineraries.

 

I have chosen Carnival 7 times, with an eight cruise coming up. I choose based on price and itinerary, port of departure. This keeps me coming back so far, but it is the friendly crew who most impress me. But bottom line is price for product received. All said, next year, I got a better deal on another line, so will be straying. Will see where things go after that.

[crusinpsychRN]

It used to be because they had the best entertainment. Remember the large dance troop with women in Vegas style outfits covering the stage.

 

Prices are usually lower but I did get a balcony on HAL for a 7 day cruise cheaper than Carnival and could still smoke on balcony.

 

Food used to be the best. I now tell the wait staff the first day I've had issues with food temps and that usually helps me to get hot food. I was on one ship many times and the food just wasn't good. I was reading reviews here saying how a particular dish was so good. I had it and it was terrible. No one at my table liked the lasagna. Went again and decided it must be me so I tried the lasagna again and it was delicious. I thought something's up here. Sure enough there was a new chef. Made all the difference.

 

Being Platinum I do get the extra perks which I enjoy.

[ImaginationCruiseBride]

Please tell me why you would choose or not choose Carnival Ships over other lines. Is it the cabins, the food, the entertainment, the itineraries, or just the overall treatment on Carnival. I'm curious because I've never traveled on Carnival but they seem to have pretty good itineraries.

 

 

We sail for itinerary first and price next. If everything is comparable we go with Carnival because we have a great PVP who makes it so easy to sail with Carnival.

[vickersja]

While we are not regular cruisers I can tell you why we selected Carnival - Value

 

We took our very first family cruise vacation last year on the Elation out of NOLA. Family of 4 cruised for $1,100.

 

Kids absolutely loved Camp Carnival and the food was great. Everyone was so friendly.

 

Was also happy to see folks from all walks of life there. Carnival used to have a reputation for a party ship but we saw more families there than anything.

 

We also priced Disney....... Yeah......

 

Anyway we go on our second family cruise in October on the Triumph in October.

 

 

 

 

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Edited August 12, 2016 by vickersja

[TEXASMUNK]

the good:

1. Price

2. crew

3.STEAKHOUSE

the bad:

Fincantiri built ships all have the same flaw... going from forward to aft, you have to go up and down to get where you are going.

[Justwant2cruise]

Carnival offers what we want out of a cruise, a fun upbeat vacation , I have sailed on Princess and Carnival , and felt our style meets carnival more then Princess. Carnival has more energy while Princess is more laid back. I loved sailing on Princess , and most likely will sail with them again , for now the only other line we plan to cruise on besides Carnival is Disney

[kyrisong1]

Please tell me why you would choose or not choose Carnival Ships over other lines. Is it the cabins, the food, the entertainment, the itineraries, or just the overall treatment on Carnival. I'm curious because I've never traveled on Carnival but they seem to have pretty good itineraries.

 

It's pretty much all of the above except maybe the entertainment, which is fine but some of the Production shows on X and Princess are much better. That said we go with Carnival 90% of the time because they have great cabins, such friendly staff, good food (for the most part, we avoid the buffet) and great itineraries. The pricing is also very good.

We've strayed a few times but always come home to CCL!

 

We avoid the older ships simply because they are too small and accomedations are not nearly as nice

Edited August 12, 2016 by kyrisong1

[meatloafsfan]

the good:

1. Price

2. crew

3.STEAKHOUSE

the bad:

Fincantiri built ships all have the same flaw... going from forward to aft, you have to go up and down to get where you are going.

 

Try the Spirit Class - they don't have that. You can go straight through on each public floor.

[ray98]

Carnival simply offers the best 'bang for the buck' for me. The differences with the other lines aren't enough to justify any increased cost.

[A&Jfamily]

Well, since you are asking opinions, I will be happy to throw in mine. We cruise with our kids (one balcony, one inside cabin), and as a general rule, Carnival is the best bang for your buck cost wise, particularly in the prime times that we cruise. We have some ships that we prefer over others (Sunshine is our favorite, and we are set to try the Magic in December). Cheaper costs allow us to travel more frequently, and that is our goal.

 

The food is good, there is a wide variety of it, and we don't cruise for shows/entertainment (I believe RCI and Disney are going to get the award on this point), but CCL does a nice job with the comedy and we enjoy that.

 

Primarily, we cruise to see different ports, and to relax. When we are not on shore during the day, we are either strolling the ship or relaxing on our balcony. My kids, (now 12 and 18) love the clubs, and the sports activities, and the freedom they can have to go about on their own. Evenings aren't much different in that we may catch a show, or go to the martini bar, but odds are, by 9-10 pm we are watching the stars on our balcony.

 

So, for us, it isn't about elegance, bells and whistles, or spectacular shows. Its really about one of the things that Carnival does best - cater to couples, friends and families that just want to relax and have simple quality time.

The other thing Carnival does well is "Fun" - if you want to party, dance the night away, play the games and do the hairy chest contest on the Lido deck you can be active and have a week long party too. Join or not join - its all up to you.

 

That said, our favorite line is Princess...at little more Target and less Walmart. Its a shade more elegant, the people a little more classy (less likely to see men arm pit hair through giant tank top sleeve in MDR) and less of a party atmosphere. But they cost more and just don't have the itineraries and the departure ports that CCL offers. So, we relax, go with the flow, pay less, travel more and just laugh off the people that "have their party on."

[NateUpNorth]

I've seen a few people comment that Carnival does less "nickel and diming" than other cruise lines. Could somebody expand on this? Thanks.

[katiel53]

We have sailed enough to be almost Diamond on Carnival, are Diamond Plus on RCCL, Elite on Celebrity (by going on enough cruises not from RCCL) some level or other on NCL and HAL.

 

I like the lines for different reasons. The food on Carnival in the MDR is ok, nothing special to me. The steak house on the other hand is far better than those on other lines and for less money too. I like the lunch options on Carnival with Guys etc.

 

RCCL has beautiful ships and I am looking forward to sailing on Allure to see the shows they have. Although Carnival has the best comedy, I think they lack other entertainment for the most part. Additionally, when there is good entertainment such as in or near the casino, on Carnival it's so smoky that just sitting there enjoying myself, my clothes and hair smell like smoke.

 

Celebrity is a more formal line with top notch food. Unlike Carnival where most people who do get dressed up for elegant night go back to the cabin to change into shorts etc after dinner, Celebrity guests stay dressed up for the night. I haven't ever seen drunk, arguing people on Celebrity as I have on Carnival.

 

NCL has the smallest cabins we have ever been in. The junior suites on Gem and Pearl are the size of regular balcony rooms on Carnival, RCCL or Celebrity. I also think their food is the worst we have ever had on a cruise unless we have gone to a specialty restaurant. Service was the worst of all on NCL as well. Entertainment, on the other hand, was good.

 

HAL is in a class of it's own. I think it's for the nearly dead. Aside from having the wrong food served to us almost nightly, the sidewalks were rolled up about 10PM. It's doubtful we will ever sail with them again.

 

Although we don't necessarily look for the lowest price for a cruise, it does get some consideration as we always stay in a balcony at least. Booking at the right time makes such a difference. For example we are going on Allure in January that we booked during the no tax sale, so we have a balcony on a fab ship for less than a balcony on Magic the same week.

 

Being retired gives many advantages with being flexible. My cruise after this one is on Carnival Magic going to Aruba. We booked the Magic several months ago for next summer and the price has already gone up $700 per cabin. I feel very blessed to be able to travel and get what we want at good rates.

[MissCruiseAddict]

As others have said.. cost. That is what keeps me with Carnival mainly. Why would I pay more for the same itineraries on another cruise line.

I've always had fun on all my Carnival cruises and there was always plenty to do.

 

I have cruised Princess, once. While I had a good time it was definitely not Carnival. The food was worse and it felt like the ship rolled up its sidewalks so to speak real early in the evening leaving you with just the option of going to bed or the casino.

 

Will I cruise other lines? Sure if the price is right.