Carnival vs other Cruise Lines

[riclop]

I have sailed with Carnival many times and have been very happy for the most part. I have been told by many people that Carnival is not as good as other cruise lines. Does anyone have experience with Carnival and others and can offer me some specific comparisons? What do other cruise lines offer that I am missing with Carnival? TIA :)

Carnival is the Walmart of cruising.

[BTromboneFrack]

Carnival is the Walmart of cruising.

 

Maybe, but sometimes Walmart has exactly what you are looking for at a great price - AND what you get turns out to be pretty good. Been on Disney and been on Carnival. Loved them both.

[CaFireCaptain]

Have done 10 Carnival and 2 Royal Caribbean, my big difference that I'm going to miss on our next Freedom trip is the concierge. Free drinks and snacks every night in the private lounge and direct escort to and on the tenders bypassing all lines via the private elevator.

 

 

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[Aquahound]

My last 6 cruises have been on 6 different lines. I'm one who sees the lines for their differences and you'll never see me type the old cliché "the lines more similar than different." Plus, I hold no loyalty to any one line.

 

Celebrity - I think Celebrity is best if you're looking for a modern, chic cruise line with luxury touches, but are unwilling to pay for the luxury brands. The Solstice Class ships are beautiful. The feeling and atmosphere around the martini bar in the evenings is similar to hanging out at a Miami South Beach club. Plus, I think Celebrity has the best food of all the major cruise lines.

 

Royal Caribbean - Without a doubt the best entertainment and most amazing ships....speaking of just their newer ships, of course. But what really makes RCI great is their variety. They have 8 different ship classes that are in no way similar to one another (except Voyager and Freedom Classes), and are totally different cruise experiences. You can cruise for years on RCI and not get that feeling of sameness you do on the other lines. Also, I think RCI has the best loyalty program, especially at the higher levels.

 

Princess - While I agree Princess is an upgraded experience over Carnival, I'm not as big a fan as some others on this thread. I say this because I'm hard pressed to think of anything that really makes Princess stand out over the other lines. I guess I'll just say that all around, it's a nice experience.

 

Holland America - HAL is best for a traditional experience on a ship that has a more classic design. I think HAL is best for the older generations who aren't looking for Broadway productions, pool games or upbeat parties.

 

NCL - NCL is best for casual cruisers. You get what you pay for on NCL. The basic experience can be mediocre but if you're willing to pay a little more and stay in the Haven and/or eat at all the specialty restaurants, it can be a good experience. Plus, NCL has stepped up their game by designing a totally different ship class (Breakaway and newer).

 

OP - You already know Carnival, so I'll leave them alone for now. :)

[meatloafsfan]

I've sailed on 4 lines and there is a core similarity to each - you're on a ship, there's a cabin, food, and entertainment. It's how each line executes those that is different.

 

To me, here are my quick recaps of good/bad for each line:

 

Carnival:

 

Good: Fun ships, lots of sedate activities (trivia, Hasbro related games, comedy club, dive in movies, etc.), reasonable prices, casino perks, good food options, comfortable beds.

 

Improvements for me: Soda package isn't a good deal, no non-alcoholic drink package, coffee shop is just a kiosk/bar, lack of accessible cabins for 3 people.

 

Royal:

 

Good: Freestyle coke machines, Promenade area, adult solarium pool area (including pool with steps), non-alcoholic drink package, café promenade for coffee shop, interior accessible cabins for 3 are readily available and are often an inexpensive option.

 

Improvements for me: beds and bedding are thin, hard and uncomfortable, Windjammer buffet is terrible and alternate free food areas are boring after a couple of days, MDR is good for staples but doesn't do the more unusual foods well.

 

Celebrity:

 

Good: Café Al Bacio is the bomb! It's the Cadillac of cruise ship coffee shops; room service has a good variety of hot dishes and the full dinner MDR menu is available via room service if you don't want to head to the MDR, beds and bedding are comfortable, lots of live music and solarium pool is good. On M class ships, accessible cabins for 3 are plentiful with a comfortable 3rd bed.

 

Improvements for me: ships seem very alcohol drink focused, daytime activities are low key, evening activities funnel people into the main show without a lot of alternate activities, ships are pretty dead by 11 and S class ships 3rd beds in accessible cabins are a fold out chair which is no more than 10 inches from the ground (terrible and won't sail an S class ship again).

 

Disney:

 

Good: Good shows and activities, Disney characters and touches every where, movie theatre on board, good buffet, okay selection of alternate foods (pool stands, room service), all accessible cabins sleep 3.

 

Improvements for me: I don't like the queen beds - it doesn't work for my family to have 1 queen and a pull out couch, MDR food is okay but generally a bit bland and they don't execute some of their dishes well. Oh, and price - generally twice as expensive (sometimes even more than twice as expensive).

[drsel]

Excellent analysis by both Aquahound and Meatloaf!

[kdawg954]

Will give my comparisons on Royal, Celebrity and Carnival (hoping to do NCL relatively soon) in regards to the caribbean.

 

Royal - The idea is for you to LOVE the ship and spend your money on the ship. Outclasses the other 2 in that aspect and gives families the most to do onboard, while staying in a competitive range (unlike Disney which doubles and triples the price). However, IMO, the megaships saw a severe decrease in food quality in "free" venues in comparison to the other 2. Allure, for example, was the worst food I ever had on any cruise ship. Edible certainly but was disappointing. Paid venues were much better.

 

Celebrity - Outclasses everybody in this group when it comes to food in the "free" venues. I mean it ain't even close. The activities are definitely focused around an older demographic. I felt like nightclubs stayed live til about midnight but the music is more oldies. Very little new school music outside of the typical line dance stuff. Ghost ship after midnight as folks make sure to get up early on port mornings. Also midday sea day activities are lacking. Booking perks also blow away the competiton often offering free gratuities and drink packages. Not great for kids. Also felt that although service is always great on cruiselines . . . Celebrity is a step above the other 2.

 

Carnival - The best of the 3 in terms of port variety. Carnival is solid everywhere, just not spectacular in any phase. The ships are good enough, the activities are good enough, the food is good enough, the service is solid, standard rooms are some of the biggest out there . . . And prices tend to be the best at sea, although Carnival tends to have the least amount of booking perks so factor that in. Where Carnival does its best work is in having people create their own fun, whether thats on the pool deck or 2 am in the night club. It really is the FUN ship from that aspect.

 

For me, as DW and I have gotten into our mid 30's, with no kids, we have started to trend towards Celebrity because of the booking perks, food and usually there are "enough" people in our age group, plus older folks can be a lot of fun. The days of staying up to 3 am have passed us by, so heading to the room just after midnight isn't the dealbreaker it used to be.

 

That being said the most important thing for me is price and ports. I live in South Florida so Port Everglades or Miami are my choices and don't have much interest in driving away from those ports while also having to pay to park for a week.

 

Next cruise for me will be in May 2018, and it will be NCL Getaway or Carnival Glory for me . . . NCL's booking perks are better but Carnival has all 4 ports that I have never been to while NCL only 3 ports, with one being Nassau (meh). Price is about $400 less on Carnival, NCL has a drink package (plus gratuity). OBC similar. Carnival would be the pick normally, but never being on NCL is making me hesitant as I do want to give it a shot.

[jsglow]

Someone above mentioned that Carnival is more geared toward 'vacation' while lines such as Princess and Celebrity are more geared for 'travel'. I absolutely believe this to be true. Let me cite two quick examples.

 

1) Carnival has just over 400 7 day cruise departures scheduled for the Caribbean in the next 12 months while Princess has something like 38. This means that one can wait for a good airfare into any one of several ports, jump on your ship, and go and enjoy yourself for a week which is the length of time many folks take for a standard vacation. (And we won't even mention or count the continuous 3-4-5 day options.)

 

2) Carnival has moved away from exotic ports choosing to provide their guests with a pretty standard itinerary mostly into ports they own/control. As an example, their own piers/ports in Cozumel, Roatan, Grand Turk, among others. Again, this says 'vacation' not 'exploration'.

 

That's all well and good. Just know that up front and choose what interests you (or is feasible) for a particular experience.

[kwokpot]

Someone above mentioned that Carnival is more geared toward 'vacation' while lines such as Princess and Celebrity are more geared for 'travel'. I absolutely believe this to be true. Let me cite two quick examples.

 

1) Carnival has just over 400 7 day cruise departures scheduled for the Caribbean in the next 12 months while Princess has something like 38. This means that one can wait for a good airfare into any one of several ports, jump on your ship, and go and enjoy yourself for a week which is the length of time many folks take for a standard vacation. (And we won't even mention or count the continuous 3-4-5 day options.)

 

2) Carnival has moved away from exotic ports choosing to provide their guests with a pretty standard itinerary mostly into ports they own/control. As an example, their own piers/ports in Cozumel, Roatan, Grand Turk, among others. Again, this says 'vacation' not 'exploration'.

 

That's all well and good. Just know that up front and choose what interests you (or is feasible) for a particular experience.

Agree. There's more to the world than just the Caribbean! Carnival DOES NOT sail to Europe (EXCEPT when a new ship launches), ANYWHERE in Asia, the Middle East, South America, Africa.

[jsglow]

Agree. There's more to the world than just the Caribbean! Carnival DOES NOT sail to Europe (EXCEPT when a new ship launches), ANYWHERE in Asia, the Middle East, South America, Africa.

 

But if you think about it, that's not really their market or their clientele.

[gammite]

I

 

Now, do some of those people lack class? ABSOLUTELY! If you don't shower before dinner that is gross - you have been in the hot sun and been sweating by the pool - don't come into dinner smelling like BO and sunscreen. Don't expose your armpit hair to food. Don't act like the world revolves around you and push your way or cut lines to get to the front. Don't drink 15 alcoholic beverages "because you paid for them" when it is going to make you drunk so you are swaying and slurring your way around the ship.

 

 

You could not be anymore right and clear than you have been in all of your posts in this thread.

 

Anyone nitpicking with you is just looking for a fight.

[kwokpot]

If you think that a generalization that Carnival runs shorter cruises of 7 days or less and that Princess is geared to 7 days or 10 days and longer is wrong, then so be it. The Op can certainly do her own research. Now that said,....

 

Did you even READ the definition I provided for class??? The OP clearly did and thanked me for my comments.

 

Did you by any chance look at my signature and observe that I have taken plenty of cruises 5 days are less....with Carnival???

 

Your reaction is exactly the type I cannot stand. Where did I ever say I had an issue with people who don't look like me? And what the heck does that mean anyway? I'm not cruising the lions, tigers and bears. I am cruising with humans - as far as I am concerned all people "look like me" because we are all people.

 

Now, do some of those people lack class? ABSOLUTELY! If you don't shower before dinner that is gross - you have been in the hot sun and been sweating by the pool - don't come into dinner smelling like BO and sunscreen. Don't expose your armpit hair to food. Don't act like the world revolves around you and push your way or cut lines to get to the front. Don't drink 15 alcoholic beverages "because you paid for them" when it is going to make you drunk so you are swaying and slurring your way around the ship.

 

READ my post! Money does not equate to class - behavior, demeanor and dress do. You can be poor as a church mouse and have enormous class....but you can also be poor and lack class. Regardless, the reality is the shorter cruises draw a higher percentage of people that lack class - people are more likely to behave like lions, tigers and bears than humans.

 

 

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The policy that I feel is most repugnant is Carnival allowing people to enter the buffet WITHOUT SHOES AND COVERUPS! I think it's pretty unsanitary to allow people without shoes and just in a bathing suit to self-service at the buffet.

 

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[thaif00dfan]

I have only cruised twice, so not sure how helpful I can be.

 

1. Carnival Glory--New York to Canada.

Family group of 10, ages toddler to grandparents.

Fantastic experience.

Great service by cabin stewards and in dining room.

Sparkling clean everywhere.

Fun karaoke!

Huge range of activities, so many choices for all ages.

 

2. Celebrity--Miami to Caribbean.

Just me and my husband

Extremely disappointing

The Purell dispensers outside most elevators were empty--really a bad thing for safety/health. I reported this 3 times to the same crew member. No dispense was refilled. I started carrying my own Purell everywhere.

The ports of call not great, especially Roatan.

Friendly passengers.

The quiet atrium pool area (don't remember the name) that had the healthy food choices and special waterpools was nice.

 

Overall, I would never choose Celebrity again. The Carnival crew seemed to take a lot of pride in the ship and much attention to whatever you need. Always smiling, always courteous.

[SNJCruisers]

We haven't tried the other lines, but I am interested in the new builds for Norwegian and MSC. good luck with your decision and happy cruising.

September will be #30 for me, and it'll also be three straight times on the NCL Escape. A great ship with good entertainment including dueling piano bar Howl at the Moon, comedians 4 nights out of 7 and pseudo Broadway shows. Multiple specialty restaurants including 24 hour pub.

Will be on the MSC Seaside in January in a Yacht Club cabin, which is a ship within a ship concept similar to the Haven on NCL at a fraction of the cost.

 

 

 

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[SNJCruisers]

Carnival is the Walmart of cruising.

Never heard that before 🤔🤔🤔

 

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[shermak1]

You've gotten some good info here, but not a ton of Norwegian comparisons, so I'll add mine in case that's a line you're considering. This is, of course, just my observation and others may feel differently. Also, I've been on 4 Carnival and only 1 Norwegian, so keep that in mind as well.

 

Food: I think Carnival food and experience is better in the MDR, and the two are pretty equal when it comes to lido/buffet. Guys, Blue Iguana, etc may give Carnival a leg up there, too. Specialty dining I thought was better on Norwegian, and I loved their Irish pub.

 

Entertainment: Shows/productions better on NCL. But, comedy and piano bar? Better with Carnival. Piano bar was only 2-3 nights in NCL, and that's my favorite thing to do in the evenings.

 

Rooms: The Norwegian rooms felt smaller to me, even on one of the newest ships. I was cheap on my Norwegian cruise and got an interior room, and it was CRAMPED. I've never felt that way on Carnival (2 of my previous cruises were interior cabins). Several family members got balcony rooms though, which seemed like a great size.

 

Service/friendliness: I don't know if my sailing was a fluke, but our service on Norwegian was not great, anywhere. We never met our stateroom steward! It was like he was trying to avoid us. Even passing other stewards in the hall, I would smile and say hello, and get a grunt in return. Servers in the dining room and most bars were unsmiling, and seemed very over-worked. There were a couple of great bartenders that we found in the mojito bar, 5 O'clock Somewhere bar, etc. but it was rare.

 

Finally, you may also want to consider the size of the ship you'd be on. I was on the Norwegian Escape, which was huge and had all sorts of cool amenities like multiple water slides, ropes course, etc. But it felt like the pools were the same size, with twice as many people trying to cram in. You also had to have reservations for any theater shows, comedy shows, etc. that you might want to see, and those sold out FAST. I didn't like that you couldn't just drop in on a comedy show if you felt like it.

 

I guess it sounds like I didn't love my Norwegian cruise, but that's really not the case. I would book with them again, but would likely try one of the smaller ships.

[SNJCruisers]

Entertainment: Shows/productions better on NCL. But, comedy and piano bar? Better with Carnival. Piano bar was only 2-3 nights in NCL, and that's my favorite thing to do in the evenings.

 

Finally, you may also want to consider the size of the ship you'd be on. I was on the Norwegian Escape,...You also had to have reservations for any theater shows, comedy shows, etc. that you might want to see, and those sold out FAST. I didn't like that you couldn't just drop in on a comedy show if you felt like it.

Just wanted to dispute a few things based on my Platinum status on Carnival and having sailed on the Escape twice and for a third time in a few weeks.

1) Howl at the Moon is on the Escape for 4 evenings out of seven consisting of two dueling pianos and other musicians including a drummer and occasional guitarist. Carnivals piano bar is a one person operation 6 nights out of 7.

2) The theater shows on the Escape were pseudo Broadway shows, much better than anything that Playlist Productions has on Carnival.

3) The comedy shows on the Escape were three nights in headliners, each night consisting of 2 family and 1 adult show and another night in the main showroom. Reservations were needed, but is better than having to stand in line for a half an hour plus to possibly get into the comedy venue on a Carnival ship. Also, there is a stand by line on the Escape that lets you in 10 minutes prior to showtime to fill in the seats for those that do not show up for their reservations, so you can drop in at the last minute for a show.

[drsel]

We never had to wait more than 5 minutes for any comedy show on Carnival. We always got good seats

[Aquahound]

1) Howl at the Moon is on the Escape for 4 evenings out of seven consisting of two dueling pianos and other musicians including a drummer and occasional guitarist. Carnivals piano bar is a one person operation 6 nights out of 7.

 

In my opinion, Howl at the Moon on NCL cannot be compared to Carnival's piano bar, or any other cruise lines' piano bar. At Howl at the Moon (at least, this is the way it is on Escape), you sit on hard wood chairs that are lined up in rows facing the stage. It's set up to be more of a show than a piano lounge.

 

I agree with the entertainment bit though. The shows on Escape blew away what I saw on Carnival. In fact, I'd rank Carnival only one step above HAL with the main shows.

[drsel]

""I'd rank Carnival only one step above HAL with the main shows"

You mean HAL has the worst shows? What about Costa and MSC shows?

[sparks1093]

In my opinion, Howl at the Moon on NCL cannot be compared to Carnival's piano bar, or any other cruise lines' piano bar. At Howl at the Moon (at least, this is the way it is on Escape), you sit on hard wood chairs that are lined up in rows facing the stage. It's set up to be more of a show than a piano lounge.

 

I agree with the entertainment bit though. The shows on Escape blew away what I saw on Carnival. In fact, I'd rank Carnival only one step above HAL with the main shows.

 

Hardwood chairs? No thanks:(.

[Micahs Grandad]

We never had to wait more than 5 minutes for any comedy show on Carnival. We always got good seats

 

Not our experience. All too often people get turned away due to lack of seating.

 

They should move the late night shows to main lounge so everyone who wants to see the show can get in.

 

They do not because they "want an intimate experience for the comedian with their crowd". Do not understand doing this while not allowing paying customers to get in.

[CruisinWithDLS]

I have been on Carnival several times and RC once. There were things I liked about both and things on each line that were better than the other. Overall, both were a good experience with no complaints that ruined either line for me. I am fairly easy to please but here are my observations:

 

Entertainment: Quality goes to RC as they seem to put together more variety and better quality. However, I feel the availability is better on Carnival. They seem to think through their scheduling more allowing you to make it to more shows/events.

 

Food: MDR is a toss up in my opinion with both being very good. Buffet: comparable in quality but better selection on RC. Availability of included food goes to Carnival. I felt RC buffet times were more limited and they close and lock the doors do you can't even enter for a beverage. Carnival also offers more variety of food that is included in cruise cost. (Guys, Blue Iguana, etc) Ice Cream hands down goes to Carnival...available 24/7 where RC had limited hours and limited locations. Pizza goes o Carnival....RC just gross. Room service goes to Carnival as well just b/c of availability and service. RC took 2 hours one evening!

 

Ship: of course varies based on ship you cruise. RC generally has larger and more pools. Cooler things like rock wall, wave rider, ice skating, etc. Their promenade is cool but I generally book interior and felt very "inside" on RC where Carnival seems to make the outside more visible from public areas besides the lido and upper outside decks. I felt more closed in by RC.

 

Service: toss up with both providing good to exceptional service.

 

Atmosphere: I am by no means into the party scene and actually don't even drink. However, I truly enjoy the upbeat, lively atmosphere on Carnival. It's definitely a fun ship and people watching is interesting. I found the crowd on RC to be much older and much more subdued. Which you like would vary by person.

 

Price: almost always goes to Carnival. However the RC cruise we took simply b/c the price was right. If the price were exactly the same,same itinerary, etc I think I would choose Carnival most every time. However, if I could score the same too good to pass up offer we got on RC (7 day interior for 2 for $867 total) I wouldn't hesitate to book with them again!

 

It boils down to you and what's important to you. Itinerary? Ship? Entertainment? Food? Atmosphere? But ultimately I don't think you can go wrong with either.

[drsel]

For me, fabulous entertainment and tons of activities are the most important

[FLSteve11]

In my opinion, Howl at the Moon on NCL cannot be compared to Carnival's piano bar, or any other cruise lines' piano bar. At Howl at the Moon (at least, this is the way it is on Escape), you sit on hard wood chairs that are lined up in rows facing the stage. It's set up to be more of a show than a piano lounge.

 

I agree with the entertainment bit though. The shows on Escape blew away what I saw on Carnival. In fact, I'd rank Carnival only one step above HAL with the main shows.

 

It was setup the same way on the Epic and Breakaway as it was on Escape. It is more like an interactive show, but I also found it more entertaining then a standard piano bar on other lines. There is a big party atmosphere to it (it's also generally rather packed, so that might be part of it). I think it's having the 2 pianos, plus sometimes a guitar/drummer thrown in that gives it more variety.

 

Agreed, I think NCL mega-ships probably have the second best main shows after RCL's mega-ships.