First Carnival Cruise

[CruisingNole]

I've been on RCL several times (Oasis class mostly) and NCL once (Sun, a bit disappointing).

 

Any recommendations for a CCL ship out of Port Canaveral or Tampa in 2019? I'd like to do a quick 3 day to give CCL trial but I imagine those itineraries are typical booze cruises with the expected clientele. I'd like to avoid that.

 

Any good 5+ day sailings to consider? Or would a 3 day give me a fair representation of CCL?

 

Thanks for your help.

[Djptcp]

After 46 cruises with 33 on Carnival, it is my opinion that there is definitely a difference in the atmosphere between 3-5 day cruises and 7+ day cruises on Carnival. There is more of a party atmosphere on the shorter cruises. Although I would say that on our May 4-day overnight Cuba cruise the passengers seemed less like partying and more interested in discussions about what we saw in Cuba - it was refreshing. We cruise often out of Tampa because we live 45 minutes from the Port of Tampa and we are retired, so it's convenient and we can go anytime. The Paradise has 4-5 day cruises and the Miracle has 7+ day cruises and we have done both. We love the Miracle and would highly recommend it, but the cruises are longer than what you are looking for. However, if you are not looking for booze cruises, I would avoid anything shorter than 7 day cruises. DH and I do not drink much, so on the shorter Paradise cruises we just avoid venues like the bars. I spend most of my time in the casinos when they are open and DH attends the shows and also is in the casinos. I would suspect that all of the cruise lines' shorter cruises have party atmospheres, too, not just Carnival. I can't speak to Port Canaveral because we haven't sailed out of there in a few years and we only cruise out of Tampa unless we take 10-day cruises on Holland America out of Fort Lauderdale.

[grandmarnnurse]

I suggest the Breeze out of Port Canaveral in 2019. I am booked on it for March 2019 as it has great reviews. And I never book a cruise under 7 days to avoid the “booze cruise” atmosphere.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[SkyMaster]

I've found that the five day "Paradise" cruise out of Tampa will give you a good idea of what many Carnival cruises are like. Of course, "Paradise" is an older, smaller ship, but with an excellent staff, and good service, food, and entertainment. You'll always find a few party animals aboard any cruise, but I doubt that they'll ruin your cruise.

 

 

"SKY"

[maryred]

I've found that most cruises that are only 3 or 4 days tend to be booze cruises regardless of which cruise line offers them. To get a better idea, take a longer cruise, a 5 day will be a median between the short party cruise and the family vacation cruise of week or longer.

The trips out of Tampa are generally on older Carnival ships. These are fine as long as not looking for the latest/greatest on board physical activities. I find, having less passengers on board is more conducive to finding a relaxing spot and just vegging out.

There is a greater variety of ship classes that sail out of Canaveral, but the bigger ships mostly do the 6 or 8 day cruises. As long as able to, I would try a 6 day on a newer ship over a 5 day on an older ship.

Carnival's newest class of ships (Vista) would be the closest in size and activities to a Voyager class ship on Royal. Of the 3 ships the Horizon will be sailing from Miami in 2019 on 6 and 8 day cruises. The same year the Vista will be sailing from Galveston and the Panorama debuts in Dec for the west coast.

The end of September, I will be boarding the Paradise in Tampa, a scant 2 weeks & 2 days after debarking the AdotS in Bayonne. If you can wait till around October I can give you a better idea of how different and how much the same the 2 cruises are.

[asalligo]

Paradise is one of my favorites after seven carnival ships. I do not like the Breeze, too large for my tastes and I do not think Carnival has yet learned to handle crowds that large. The only real downside to the Paradise was the lack of balconies, but they just fixed that.

[A&Jfamily]

I've found that the five day "Paradise" cruise out of Tampa will give you a good idea of what many Carnival cruises are like. Of course, "Paradise" is an older, smaller ship, but with an excellent staff, and good service, food, and entertainment. You'll always find a few party animals aboard any cruise, but I doubt that they'll ruin your cruise.

 

 

"SKY"

 

Yikes...I totally disagree with this. If you are used to larger ships with bells and whistles, then the smallest and oldest ship in the fleet is not going to be representative. There isn't even a steakhouse on the Paradise. We spent a week on the Fascination doing the southern and while we had a wonderful time, she really isn't representative of what Carnival offers on the larger ships.

 

I agree that 5+ days is the minimum I would consider to reduce the chance of the party atmosphere; also - if you can go Monday- Saturday, it might lessen it as opposed to a Friday-Wed cruise where people can make a long weekend of it.

 

But that said, one of our most relaxing cruises was a 4 day Victory. We really needed the getaway and had an extended L balcony for the first time and loved it. Even with security sitting outside our neighbors room the next morning after a fight/marriage proposal/celebration, and with other neighbors trying to bring their stools in the hall and hold a party at 11 pm, we had a great time. We simply called security to shut down the hall party and move it to an appropriate venue.

 

As others have said, where you cruise is also a factor. A cruise to Canada is somewhat more sedate than one out of FL to the Bahamas.

 

I think it would be easier if you searched and told us what ships and cruises you are considering and then we can advise.

[cruzeluver]

Three night Carnival cruises are predominately on Fantasy class ships, the oldest, least feature-filled and least impressive-looking ships in the fleet. A huge come-down from Oasis-class ships.

 

Breeze would be a good option based on your cruising experience. One of Carnival's newest and more impressive ships.

[stargate fan]

I've been on RCL several times (Oasis class mostly) and NCL once (Sun, a bit disappointing).

 

Any recommendations for a CCL ship out of Port Canaveral or Tampa in 2019? I'd like to do a quick 3 day to give CCL trial but I imagine those itineraries are typical booze cruises with the expected clientele. I'd like to avoid that.

 

Any good 5+ day sailings to consider? Or would a 3 day give me a fair representation of CCL?

 

Thanks for your help.

If you sailed seven day cruises on RCCL and NCL, then the only way to get a fair representation of Carnival is to book a seven day cruise. Anything less is not an equal comparison.

[ABQrobin]

Shortest cruise I would ever consider is 5 days, just too expensive airfare for only a short vacation.

 

We did a 5 day out of Galveston that was really good, not so many party drunks. It was on a Conquest class ship, too, instead of one of the older ships mostly used for short trips.

 

If you really want a comparison to RCCL and NCL, you need to do a 7-day trip on one of the newer ships - Dream, Magic, Breeze, Vista, Horizon.

[kona_wahine]

We did a back to back 8 day then 6 day. The difference in the people on the 6 day was amazing. So rude. Don’t think i’d Do under 7 day again.

[jdjaguar]

We have sailed both RCL and Carnival. Each line has advantages, and disadvantages.

 

But truth be told, Carnival costs less. Period.

 

For a proper comparison I would not book a 3 day cruise, as you mentioned that you cruised OASIS class ships on RCL, and the short Carnival cruises use the older smaller ships.

 

We have sailed on the Glory, Breeze, and are sailing on the Magic in 10 days. The Glory is getting a bit long in the tooth, so I would lean more towards the Breeze or Magic etc.

 

I'd book 7 day cruise to compare apples with apples.

 

Give it a shot!

[CruisingNole]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. After reading, it sounds like Breeze is probably my best option as I want to stick with either Port Canaveral or Tampa and it sounds like Breeze is the superior CCL ship at those ports. I also think this would be a good comparison to a 7-day RCL Oasis class ship.

 

I agree that it does seem like the only way to avoid the booze cruise atmosphere is to do a 7 day. Most recently I did a 3 day on NCL to Bahamas, a quick, cheap getaway but I of course had my expectations in check.

 

That being said, I think I need to go all-in and do a 7 day to give Carnival a fair shake.

 

Thanks again everyone.

[Organized Chaos]

I'm not much of a drinker anymore. I've done my fair share, and probably more so, but those days are long gone. Nowadays, I enjoy tipping back a few beers now & again, but can't stand the party atmosphere and don't like being around people who are drinking heavily. We've only taken two cruises so far. Our first, two years ago, was a 5-day. We just got back from a 7-day last week. Maybe that's not enough to get a good idea, but I didn't see any real difference as far as being a partying atmosphere. Both were about the same, the 5-day wasn't more wild than the 7-day. Trust me, I'd notice since I don't like being around it. I don't think we'll ever do anything less than a 5-day.

[stargate fan]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. After reading, it sounds like Breeze is probably my best option as I want to stick with either Port Canaveral or Tampa and it sounds like Breeze is the superior CCL ship at those ports. I also think this would be a good comparison to a 7-day RCL Oasis class ship.

 

I agree that it does seem like the only way to avoid the booze cruise atmosphere is to do a 7 day. Most recently I did a 3 day on NCL to Bahamas, a quick, cheap getaway but I of course had my expectations in check.

 

That being said, I think I need to go all-in and do a 7 day to give Carnival a fair shake.

 

Thanks again everyone.

Breeze is a beautiful ship. (She's my husband's favorite.)

Some things to know:

1) If you like Indian food, Tandoor is venue (included in fare) located all the way aft on Starboard side.

If you don't know if you like Indian food, now's the time to find out. YUMMY, especially since most ships' head chefs are from India or Pakistan! I choose Tandoor for lunch every day on ships that have it.

2) Soft serve ice cream is available 24 hours a day. Also yum.

 

3) If you can afford it, I highly recommend booking a Lido deck balcony starboard side if you dislike the possibility of cigarette smoke reaching your balcony.

(We choose starboard side because smoking is allowed on port side on deck 5. Yes, smoke does waft up. No, I'm not starting a smoking vs. non-smoking debate.)

 

Have a blast!!!

[Nevada Jen]

If you really only want to do a 3 or 4 days out of Port Canveral, we did a 4 day Liberty over New Years this year and were shocked to find it was not a crazy party atmosphere at all. I was more than a little worried about the "people of Walmart" image of Carnival I had in my mind but was actually incredibly impressed. If you really use all the bells and whistles on RCL ships then this ship would be a let down but we didn't miss having water slides or a million dining venues on such a short cruise.

[Joebucks]

I had a great time on the Fascination, but the boat itself is lacking a bit. I loved the Liberty.

[AD5ZA]

Everyone's tastes, likes and dislikes are different and just like beauty, it is in the eye of the beholder. You have to experience Carnival for yourself to determine if it is for you.

Only advice I have is, if you like big ships with lots of people, go on a bigger ship. If you like smaller ships with less distractions, go on a smaller ship.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[nwo4life]

We have done a lot of 5 and 7 night cruises. The 5 nighters have never had more of a party atmosphere.