Is Carnival still the best value in cruising or are other cruise lines often less?

[evandbob]

It pays to shop around. Carnival USED to have consistently lower pricing, but that is not the case anymore. I've cruised NCL and Celebrity for less than a similar, same date Carnival cruise. Carnival has been raising it's price scale the last two years, and there are sales/specials on other lines that can make them equally attractive.

 

I'm amused by the Carnival folk who have never cruised another line, yet have strong opinions about what the other lines onboard experience is like. Some of the same folk then illogically criticize customers who have never cruised Carnival for having formed opinions about Carnival without ever stepping on board.

 

I cruised Carnival almost exclusively for low fares (esp. solo rates), but when Carnival began their price hikes, I shopped around and found I could book other lines at similar pricing. Once onboard the new lines, I discovered I liked lots of what they offered. I didn't realize what I was missing until I got on another lines ship!

[nhsails]

Very well put Evanbob. We sail many lines depending on where we want to go, when we want to go, our budget for the trip, what type of cruise we want. While we lean towards Celebrity/Azamara we do sail others frequently and will always take the best match for that specific cruise. Only exception, Carnival Magic this December. Haven't sailed Carnival for 19 years, this is a pure test to see if our experience will be different than back then. will keep you posted.

Dee

[Tatka]

I think it depends on what kind of people they are. Are they "low key and go with the flow" fun people who will do the pools and enjoy the watersides, DJ's, and everything else Carnival has to offer? Do they prefer a more "refined" (for lack of a better word) fancier experience like Celebrity?

Carnival is the only line I've ever cruised, but I've looked at Princess and Royal, and have always stuck with Carnival because they have so many options for entertainment and fun. I can enjoy the loungers on the Serenity Deck in peace and quiet or have a blast on the waterslide with other fun loving people. Variety is key on Carnival, and that makes it the best value for me.

Honestly I haven't noticed that entertainment options on Carnival are better than on other two you mentioned.

[bUU]

I think it depends on what kind of people they are. Are they "low key and go with the flow" fun people who will do the pools and enjoy the watersides, DJ's, and everything else Carnival has to offer? Do they prefer a more "refined" (for lack of a better word) fancier experience like Celebrity?

Carnival is the only line I've ever cruised, but I've looked at Princess and Royal, and have always stuck with Carnival because they have so many options for entertainment and fun. I can enjoy the loungers on the Serenity Deck in peace and quiet or have a blast on the waterslide with other fun loving people. Variety is key on Carnival, and that makes it the best value for me.

Honestly I haven't noticed that entertainment options on Carnival are better than on other two you mentioned.

I think Jen has a point though: It depends on the specific people. I don't have personal experience with Carnival, but I've been reading what others have been saying, and carefully considering their reviews. I've also been carefully reading through activity schedules. I'm not sure any of the cruise lines I had to choose from necessarily had substantially attractive entertainment options for us. We'll muddle through, entertainment-wise (because we're there for the ports!) But put aside us for a second: If your idea of great music is Country, which cruise line is going to serve that best? Will it be the same cruise line that that serves classical music aficionados best?

 

Incidentally, here's an excerpt from an interchange between my spouse and I about this, as I was researching entertainment options on various cruise lines this past week, effectively the morning schedule distilled down to how it appears to us in our minds:

- Upsell

- Upsell

- Cruise Director talk

- Upsell

- Upsell

- Arts & Crafts

- Upsell

- Upsell

- Upsell

- Upsell

- Upsell

- Upsell

- Host's Choice Trivia

- Mini Golf

- Upsell

- Digital Scavenger Hunt

- Cooking Demonstration

- Sports

- Upsell

- Upsell

- Upsell

- Sports

:)

[SNJCruisers]

Honestly I haven't noticed that entertainment options on Carnival are better than on other two you mentioned.

Carnival does comedy and piano bars better than Princess and RCI.

[SNJCruisers]

Carnival is the only line I've ever cruised, but I've looked at Princess and Royal, and have always stuck with Carnival because they have so many options for entertainment and fun. I can enjoy the loungers on the Serenity Deck in peace and quiet or have a blast on the waterslide with other fun loving people. Variety is key on Carnival, and that makes it the best value for me.

Jen...I understand where you're coming from, 16 out of my first 20 cruises were on Carnival, but only 2 out of my most recent 9 have been. You need to take the blinders off and expand your horizons. For instance, check out the NCL Escape. In September, I'll hit # 30, and the Escape will be the first ship that I would have cruised 3 times on. Included drinks package, Vibe adults area, Howl to the Moon dueling pianos, it's a fantastic ship, and currently it offers great value, IMHO.

[Tatka]

Carnival does comedy and piano bars better than Princess and RCI.

 

 

 

Haven't noticed this too. Sorry, I really wanted to understand why Carnival was called Fun Ships. On most nights piano bars were empty.

Best comedy (and Liars club) was on our cruise with Celebrity. Most music played in lounges - Princess and NCL. On Princess there was dancing on a Piazza every night, which also made for a great people watching. Princess invites local musical groups in some ports.