Is a Carnival Cruise worth taking anymore?

[Carleeb12]

It seems like every post I read on the Carnival board expresses some level of dissatisfaction about the terrible food, the terrible service, the terrible entertainment, etc. So, is there still any point to taking a Carnival cruise anymore? How are they staying in business?

[easyboy]

I take negative comments/reviews with a grain of salt. Except for things that involve safety and security, I would rather have an actual experience on issues raised, as each one has its own standard for satisfaction or disappointment.

[Thebfamily]

It seems like every post I read on the Carnival board expresses some level of dissatisfaction about the terrible food, the terrible service, the terrible entertainment, etc. So, is there still any point to taking a Carnival cruise anymore? How are they staying in business?

 

Just over-viewing the board it would appear that a large portion of cruisers don't use these boards. I mean most ships have 1500-2000 reviews, less than a full ship and these ships have been at see (most of them) for 10+ years.

 

It would seem that the adage of "have a bad experience, I tell 7 people. Have a good experience I tell 1 or 2".

 

Staying in business- Easy, America has 350-370 million people, not including Canada or Mexico cruisers, each ship holds 3000ish. That's a lot of people to "try" before anything happens.

 

I think vacations and it would appear cruising is what your mindset is going into the vacation. A lot of people can't seem to get over older ships, "bad food" etc.

[jgh1204]

My wife and I cruised back in October. We had a Cove balcony on the Breeze. Total cost for the cruise was about $1500 for a 7 day cruise including taxes. That's 42 meals, 7 nights of hotel, we went to at least one show per night and had access to a lot of other amenities we did not use. Seems like a pretty good value to me.

 

The food was good and the entertainment was excellent. Certainly it was not las vegas level but we were not paying $100+ per show.

 

And most importantly, I met a bunch of nice people I now consider friends.

[RMcoolX]

Totally worth it. You'd still be very unlikely to be able to get a better bang-for-the-buck cruising experience.

[originalgeek]

We had a great time on our first carnival cruise. So much that I'm going again next week and have another one booked for April 2018. Those won't be our last.

 

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[xeroxme]

Carnival has more energy than most cruise ship brands which i like. If want bands, dancing etc and lively guests having fun then Carnival is a fun choice. If you want great shows that's likely not gonna happen. Definitely good comedy shows. As far as food goes I think it's on par with other main stream lines. Some areas better and some areas worse. I think it's still a value, but that value is perceived. If you have concerns maybe try celebrity or princess. Both more upscale than carnival but with less energy on board IMO. Whichever you choose I hope it meets your expectations. I personally like the higher energy on a Carnival ship.

 

 

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Edited November 26, 2016 by xeroxme

[ChrisOz]

People here and anywhere really love to complain.

 

It's a fact that the Carnival Chef's Table beats anything else hands down for dollar value / quantity and especially food quality.

 

Sure, there's a few odd bods here who will pick a fault with something. Thousands of passengers on a ship, many cruises per ship per year. It is inevitable.

 

The fact that so many are repeat cruisers far outweighs the "minority reports" you read here. At my own workplace I know many who have cruised. Not one of them has reported "never again". Yes, one got sick once. Another had a bad shore excursion. Etc. But just quietly, those same people are back cruising again!

 

Example: I have complained elsewhere about the really bad pizzas on Carnival. But to my knowledge I haven't balanced that with the incredible dollar value and quality of the Carnival cocktails. For a standard cocktail price you can get around four solid measures plus juice/soda/fruits BUT made to order. Over and over again to my very exacting criteria. As I tried to make the criteria really difficult (e.g. "no coconut flavours, no coffee flavours, must have berry fruits, must have a hint of spice and chilli kick with no lingering sweetness) the alchemists rose to the challenge (and were tipped accordingly). All at the Alchemy Bar!

 

(Aside: on shore in my home city I would pay much much more than $12 for that!)

 

There! A long overdue positive report! Note how myself and others rush to dish out a negative report!

Edited November 26, 2016 by ChrisOz

[Hoosierpop]

Yes, it is worth taking. Love the cruises. And a lot of other people must enjoy them also.

 

For some people, smiling leads to physical pain.

 

 

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[richh333]

Every 'product / service package sold has a 'value' which the producer / seller can 'guess at it. Sometimes a'home run,' other times a 'strikeout!'

 

 

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[Staceyface1]

Do it! You won't regret it, and more likely than not will book another.

 

 

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[Port of Tampa]

We have always had a great time on our Carnival cruises. I do tend to be a glass half full type so maybe that helps. I say give it a try.

 

Cheers and happy cruising.

[sparks1093]

I can only echo a lot of the above. Definitely read reviews with that grain of salt and read between the lines. If someone divulges that they routinely eat at Ruth Chris' or the like then yes, they will be highly dissatisfied with the fare on CCL. Personally I feel that we receive a good to great value for our money overall. Every meal won't be a hit, but that's more because of my personal tastes than that the kitchen staff messed it up. We had the veal on Fascination and it was at least as good, if not a bit better, than the veal that we had on NCL (that we had to pay extra for).

[Je Souhaite]

It seems like every post I read on the Carnival board expresses some level of dissatisfaction about the terrible food, the terrible service, the terrible entertainment, etc. So, is there still any point to taking a Carnival cruise anymore? How are they staying in business?

 

We were just talking about this over Thanksgiving dinner. When we first boarded Carnival ships in the 80's, it was like walking into a carnival, being pulled into so many directions with so many things going on, trying to decide which direction to go first. Even the staterooms were ready when you boarded.

 

Now, it's like you have to go searching for the activity, all while lugging your carryons. Seeing the main show lounge dark ANY night is a stab in the heart.

[Drazil65]

We were just talking about this over Thanksgiving dinner. When we first boarded Carnival ships in the 80's, it was like walking into a carnival, being pulled into so many directions with so many things going on, trying to decide which direction to go first. Even the staterooms were ready when you boarded.

 

Now, it's like you have to go searching for the activity, all while lugging your carryons. Seeing the main show lounge dark ANY night is a stab in the heart.

 

Yes, back in the 80's when we pulled into a gas station someone came out to pump our gas for us, wash our windshield and give a free set of glasses!!!

 

I guess things change from over 30 years ago!!! :eek:

 

Put it in perspective, EVERYTHING changes in business, we used to get meals on airplanes flying domestic too but most people still fly without the meal. Carnival is a business (things will change and the change will be in their best interest like any other business) and if this is not your thing anymore (like anything else) then change the channel or make another decision about how to spend your vacation. Nothing worse then to go on vacation and hear people constantly complaining about how it used to be. There are other options, just saying!

Edited November 26, 2016 by Drazil65

[StolidCruiser]

Cruise Critic is the place to go to complain, not praise. Some don't understand that "critic" does not equal "negative".

 

You'll be able to spot the parroting moans of the mysteriously disgruntled and the Oscar-worthy dramatizations of inconveniences or out-of-anyone's-control situations to appreciate those honest reviews that are not wholly positive.

 

Just look up for a perfect example.

 

Carnival stays in business for good reason: for millions, they offer a product people want and enjoy.

 

Unfortunately, there are a small number of people who want to convince people otherwise. Identify and ignore them.

[Je Souhaite]

 

Yes, back in the 80's when we pulled into a gas station someone came out to pump our gas for us, wash our windshield and give a free set of glasses!!!

 

I guess things change from over 30 years ago!!! :eek:

 

Put it in perspective, EVERYTHING changes in business, we used to get meals on airplanes flying domestic too but most people still fly without the meal. Carnival is a business (things will change and the change will be in their best interest like any other business) and if this is not your thing anymore (like anything else) then change the channel or make another decision about how to spend your vacation. Nothing worse then to go on vacation and hear people constantly complaining about how it used to be. There are other options, just saying!

 

Actually, we still can't pump our own gas, yet still get our windshield cleaned. AND, it's still cheaper than the surrounding states.

 

I can also still sail on a mass cruise line where the rates are where they should be, instead of depressed to attract and fill a ship with the budget customer, and get a full service cruise.

[Pyrate13]

Originally Posted by Carleeb12 View Post

It seems like every post I read on the Carnival board expresses some level of dissatisfaction about the terrible food, the terrible service, the terrible entertainment, etc. So, is there still any point to taking a Carnival cruise anymore? How are they staying in business?

 

First off, it's not "every post", that's an over exaggeration. there are plenty of post praising the very same things.

 

Some people are unhappy no matter what line you talk about, just look on the other cruise line boards and you will find the same complaints there also. Also, there are those who come to this board regularly to knock Carnival so you'll see plenty of their posts as well which may make it appear there are more folks complaining than there actually are. A lot of repeat complaints from the same people.

 

To answer your question, yes, there is a point, it's a good cruise line for us. Enough so that we just booked another cruise with them yesterday, number 10 (out of 17 so we have been on other lines) on Carnival. Obviously plenty of others feel the same way and that's how they stay in business.

[westview1]

I have 25 cruises on Carnival, 33 overall. Each cruise/ship has had things that I wasn't happy about and things I enjoyed. But overall, I still enjoy cruising and will cruise again. I think some people choose to focus on the negative and that festers and makes the whole experience less enjoyable.

[bury me at sea]

I obviously still think it's a good value. Otherwise I wouldn't continue to cruise with them.

 

I am disappointed by some of the changes they have made. It doesn't seem to me that expressing disappointment in specific areas is the same thing as bashing in general.

 

Neither the hate everything or the jump to justify everything posts are of much significance.

 

There's a lot of actual information on these boards which can be very helpful in deciding which cruise lines might be a good fit.

[OldestSurfer]

I've only cruised Carnival and Norwegian. On land I'm an admitted 4+ star hotel fanatic and a bit of a foodie.

 

Carnival is just fine. Probably the best bang for the buck in the cruise industry. Unless you are a funsucker you'll have a great time on one of their cruises.

 

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[sparks1093]

Actually, we still can't pump our own gas, yet still get our windshield cleaned. AND, it's still cheaper than the surrounding states.

 

I can also still sail on a mass cruise line where the rates are where they should be, instead of depressed to attract and fill a ship with the budget customer, and get a full service cruise.

 

Just priced NCL vs CCL for 2/2018. CCL came in at $1100 less than NCL. NCL is not worth that much more than CCL to me. I receive the same service on both lines (actually the staff on CCL is much friendlier than the staff on NCL so I would say the service is a bit better as a result).

[Namelocg]

I leave on Carnival cruise #40 one week from today and #41 at the end of January. Not everything is perfect on every cruise but the good definitely out weighs the bad, especially at the price paid.

[KevInPitt]

I obviously still think it's a good value. Otherwise I wouldn't continue to cruise with them.

 

I am disappointed by some of the changes they have made. It doesn't seem to me that expressing disappointment in specific areas is the same thing as bashing in general.

 

Neither the hate everything or the jump to justify everything posts are of much significance.

 

There's a lot of actual information on these boards which can be very helpful in deciding which cruise lines might be a good fit.

 

Well said!

[cruzeluver]

Check the boards of other cruise lines and you can read about how bad the food, service and entertainment are on them as well.

 

Folks are far, far more likely to share their bad experiences than their good ones.

 

We are not cruise line loyalists at all, but still like Carnival fine.