New To Carnival

[SC2020]

It obviously won't happen for a little bit, but thinking about taking a cruise once it's safe to do so. I've been on two before (Disney and Norwegian), but never on Carnival. Was wondering, what could I generally expect on a Carnival cruise? I've heard horror stories but I also know a lot of people who love them. Just wanted to get some additional opinions from those who have been on Carnival and enjoy it. Looking at the website, in an ideal world, it would be a 5 night Bahamas from Charleston or 6 night Caribbean from Port Canaveral. Thanks!!!

[TNcruising02]

Once things get back to normal, if you are able to cruise while kids are in school it should be a lot calmer.  I've been on about 9 Carnival cruises and, thankfully, have never witnessed a fight or people behaving obnoxiously.  I try to always cruise while kids are in school, but have cruised in the summer.

I've cruised on Disney and Norwegian.  I would say the biggest difference to me is that Carnival is more relaxing, but with a fun vide.  The crew is very energetic and tries to make sure everyone has a lot of fun.  They have frequent comedy shows, which my husband and I really enjoy.  The theater shows are average.  Disney's and Norwegian's theater shows are better.  The game shows are all equal.  Same for the deck parties.

Carnival has self-service laundry, like Disney.  Soda is not included, like Norwegian.  Bottled water is very inexpensive and you can pre-order it.  The buffet is open for dinner, like Norwegian.  The Carnival ships I have been on had additional free food such as Guy's Burgers, Blue Iguana (taco salads, burritos, tacos), a deli.  Sometimes also BBQ.  So, the free food options for lunch are good.

Carnival also has a program called Faster to the Fun.  The benefits include boarding earlier than the general passengers, being able to access your cabin as soon as you board, and an express line for guest services.  This usually sells out.  Anyway, we've always had a lot of fun cruising with Carnival.  I think when you choose to cruise could make a difference in the atmosphere of the cruise.

Edited July 18, 2020 by TNcruising02

[Bgcruising]

I have over 400 days on Carnival and 200 plus on Royal. Theres been better cruises but never a bad one for me. It'll be what you make out of it, have fun and go for it!

[linz98144]

I've cruised Disney and NLC and strongly prefer Carnival, especial the children's programs. You'll enjoy it, pick the longer cruise 😉 

 

[SC2020]

5 night Bahamas on the Sunshine and 6 night Eastern Caribbean on the Breeze look the best to me. This would be an adults only trip so we would have some flexibility with scheduling. But we would definitely try to avoid Easter Break and the summer months. I think the Sunshine was in May before schools usually get out and Breeze was in late April after the Easter crowd. 

 

Of course this is assuming things are "normal" in 2021. As much as we want to go ASAP, we're gonna wait until it's safe and that there's protocols in place to keep everyone healthy

[SC2020]

5 minutes ago, ronbe65 said:

If you want to be among those who love Carnival from the first sight please note:

1. No cruises shorter than 7 days. 

2. Carnival includes a few classes of ships that deliver significantly different product. Choose a better one. "Carnival" does not exist. Focus on Conquest class, Spirit class or Dream class.

3. The whole impression will be largely affected by the itinerary. If you take a Caribbean cruise, make sure the itinerary includes Half Moon Cay for a 7 day cruise, or otherwise the cruise is 8 days or more.

4. Departure ports are Miami or Fort Lauderdale.

 

Please carefully follow this simple guidelines if you don't want to join those writing "horror stories".

 

Happy cruising!

 

I was interested in a 5 night Bahamas (Nassau, HMC) on the Sunshine from Charleston, and a 6 night Eastern Caribbean (Grand Turk, HMC, Princess Cay) on the Breeze from Port Canaveral

[TNcruising02]

The Breeze is a nice size ship.  It's in the dream class, which is my personal favorite.  It's not too big or too small. Port Canaveral is a nice port to sail from.  Other than the distance from the airport, we've always found cruising from that port to be extremely easy and the passengers to be a bit more toned down than cruising from some of the other ports.

[SC2020]

17 minutes ago, TNcruising02 said:

The Breeze is a nice size ship.  It's in the dream class, which is my personal favorite.  It's not too big or too small. Port Canaveral is a nice port to sail from.  Other than the distance from the airport, we've always found cruising from that port to be extremely easy and the passengers to be a bit more toned down than cruising from some of the other ports.

 

Yeah I sailed on the Disney Wonder from Port Canaveral years ago and it was easy, both for embarkation and debarkation. It's not as close as Charleston but still an easy drive down I-95

[TNcruising02]

1 minute ago, SC2020 said:

 

Yeah I sailed on the Disney Wonder from Port Canaveral years ago and it was easy, both for embarkation and debarkation. It's not as close as Charleston but still an easy drive down I-95

I sailed on Disney Fantasy out of Port Canaveral in 2013.  It was my first cruise, which started my addiction. 

[SC2020]

1 hour ago, SC2020 said:

 

I was interested in a 5 night Bahamas (Nassau, HMC) on the Sunshine from Charleston, and a 6 night Eastern Caribbean (Grand Turk, HMC, Princess Cay) on the Breeze from Port Canaveral

Correction: Amber Cove and not Princess Cay

[skrufy]

2 hours ago, ronbe65 said:

If you want to be among those who love Carnival from the first sight please note:

1. No cruises shorter than 7 days. 

2. Carnival includes a few classes of ships that deliver significantly different product. Choose a better one. "Carnival" does not exist. Focus on Conquest class, Spirit class or Dream class.

3. The whole impression will be largely affected by the itinerary. If you take a Caribbean cruise, make sure the itinerary includes Half Moon Cay for a 7 day cruise, or otherwise the cruise is 8 days or more.

4. Departure ports are Miami or Fort Lauderdale.

 

Please carefully follow this simple guidelines if you don't want to join those writing "horror stories".

 

Happy cruising!

Skip the Bahamas, take the 6 day Breeze. We have 14 cruises on Carnival and have never encountered a bad one. Don’t believe all the horror stories you read. Most of the dislike for Carnival comes from the short cruises with the young crowds that party.

Edited July 19, 2020 by skrufy
Addition

[xDisconnections]

3 hours ago, linz98144 said:

I've cruised Disney and NLC and strongly prefer Carnival, especial the children's programs. 

 

That’s interesting. My assumption would have been the opposite with the kids’ program.

[drsel]

Carnival is the ultimate party ship, with non stop fun, activities and entertainment for all ages and for the entire family.
you will simply love it

[Bgcruising]

Port Canaveral is a great port to sail from. They do it right down there!

[Silent Penguin]

8 hours ago, xDisconnections said:

That’s interesting. My assumption would have been the opposite with the kids’ program.

 

12 hours ago, linz98144 said:

I've cruised Disney and NLC and strongly prefer Carnival, especial the children's programs. You'll enjoy it, pick the longer cruise 😉 

 

 Our 3 kids -grown now- were not as wowed by Carnival's youth programs as by DCL's but they still had no problem having a great time.  It's like the dining experience,  if you are not hard to please, you can enjoy a good meal just about anywhere. 

[drsel]

Disneys programs for kids are much better, but the price is exorbitant

[TNcruising02]

44 minutes ago, drsel said:

Disneys programs for kids are much better, but the price is exorbitant

I haven't been on a better cruise line for kids than Disney.  They are definitely amazing for kids.   I think older teens and up would probably prefer other lines, but for young kids Disney is the prime rib of cruise lines.  No doubt about it.  My kids are all grown so we will never sail on Disney again, but my brother and his family continue to sail on the line because his wife is a huge Disney fan and they don't mind spending the money.  Personally, I prefer watching Carnival's comedy shows to Disney's theater shows. 

Edited July 19, 2020 by TNcruising02

[xDisconnections]

57 minutes ago, drsel said:

Disneys programs for kids are much better, but the price is exorbitant

Meh. If I was traveling with kids, I’d probably eat the cost and sail Disney. It’s most likely worth it.

[Silent Penguin]

14 hours ago, SC2020 said:

... I've been on two before (Disney and Norwegian), but never on Carnival. Was wondering, what could I generally expect on a Carnival cruise? I've heard horror stories but I also know a lot of people who love them. Just wanted to get some additional opinions from those who have been on Carnival and enjoy it. 

We don't have as many Carnival cruises under our belts as some others, but we did sail with DCL several times before switching to Carnival, so I've been where you are now.  I might have even come to this board to ask the same questions - I don't remember.  I think most people wouldn't be  here if they didn't like cruising with Carnival, so I'm sure you will get plenty of reassuring feedback.  It would be helpful if we knew what kind of cruiser you are and why you are making the switch.   Maybe I missed it, but are you traveling alone? With a partner?  With little kids or teenagers? Do you like the night life?  Do the "horror" stories have to do with how people behave?  The service? The food? The lack of anything to do that doesn't involve eating or drinking? The youth programs?   

 

We made the switch for one reason, we couldn't afford to cruise with DCL after a certain point in our lives.  If money wan't the ultimate issue, even without our children to consider, we probably would not have felt the need to leave DCL and try Carnival.  But, as it was,  my husband and I wanted to go on a cruise - two of our three children were adults by then so none of them were going-and we needed to do it on the cheap.  Like you, we too had reservations about trying Carnival.   We thought it might be too much of a party ship (Non-stop frat party at-sea)  and we're not partying type of people. We like activities, socializing and entertainment but not pool-side stuff, bars, karaoke, or dance parties. We had also "heard"  the food and the customer service were not that great.   Ultimately,  our hunger to cruise won out, I booked a 7-day Bahama cruise out of a port an hour's drive from home,  prepared for the worst and hoping for the best. 

 

As it turned out,  we had a good time.  It wasn't DCL cruise but it definitely was a great value for the money.  CCL checked all the boxes for what was most important to us,  providing a comfortable and relaxing cruising experience, offering good food options, and extending attentive customer service and, to a lesser degree, personal attention.   The ship -while we didn't like the decor of this particular ship- was very, very clean.  Our balcony room (and especially the bed) was comfortable and a decent size.  There were good food options on the ship, and we had excellent service in main dining room.  Lines and crowds  occurred, of course, but there was no mayhem.  The crew managed embarking and debarking (ports of call, etc) pretty well.  There did seem to be a lot of activity options in the Fun Times for at-sea days, not much that interested those of us who didn't want to attend a shopping seminar, bingo game, karaoke session, alcohol-tasking (sales event).  At night, honestly, we made our own fun.  Not there weren't entertainment option, other than a comedy show -which was very good- they just weren't our kind of thing.  Having made friends with two other couples I met in the Library playing Scrabble,  we arranged for game nights of our own to have drinks and play ping pong or board games.  

 

By the time I post this, you will probably have gotten plenty of helpful feedback and it will probably include the fact that while you can expect to enjoy any Carnival ship, the different ships do -or at least they did for us- impact your experience.  Horror stories are not the norm,  for the price,  the food is good and often beyond, the customer service is good and sometimes even great, and entertainment and activity-wise,  there is something for everyone on Carnival.  I forgot to mention,  we also give high marks to the workout facilities.

 

[PhillyFan33579]

14 hours ago, linz98144 said:

I've cruised Disney and NLC and strongly prefer Carnival, especial the children's programs. You'll enjoy it, pick the longer cruise 😉 

 

Interesting comment. My kids are adults so I have no first hand experience, but I have never heard anyone say Carnival’s kids programs are better than Disney’s. 

[PhillyFan33579]

14 hours ago, ronbe65 said:

If you want to be among those who love Carnival from the first sight please note:

1. No cruises shorter than 7 days. 

2. Carnival includes a few classes of ships that deliver significantly different product. Choose a better one. "Carnival" does not exist. Focus on Conquest class, Spirit class or Dream class.

3. The whole impression will be largely affected by the itinerary. If you take a Caribbean cruise, make sure the itinerary includes Half Moon Cay for a 7 day cruise, or otherwise the cruise is 8 days or more.

4. Departure ports are Miami or Fort Lauderdale.

 

Please carefully follow this simple guidelines if you don't want to join those writing "horror stories".

 

Happy cruising!

I understand your comment about 7 day cruises, but the biggest party cruise we experienced on Carnival was a 7 day cruise on Breeze last Summer. I have never witnessed so many loud, drunk people on a cruise, and I have done several 3 day cruises. Personally I thought it was a fun cruise with a lot of people having a good time, but I know a lot of people on the cruise were not happy with the party atmosphere on the ship literally from start to finish. 

[Silent Penguin]

44 minutes ago, TNcruising02 said:

I haven't been on a better cruise line for kids than Disney.  They are definitely amazing for kids.   I think older teens and up would probably prefer other lines, but for young kids Disney is the prime rib of cruise lines.  No doubt about it.  My kids are all grown so we will never sail on Disney again, but my brother and his family continue to sail on the line because his wife is a huge Disney fan and they don't mind spending the money.  Personally, I prefer watching Carnival's comedy shows to Disney's theater shows. 

Hi, I completely agree about the comedy on Carnival .   The comedy shows on Carnival are not-to-miss event for dh and me, even if we have to stand in the back the whole time.  I appreciate that they do a PG show as well as an R show, too.  

 

Here's our experience with older teens and cruising.  They had a blast on DCL.  But, they also had a great time on Carnival.  DCL wins though.  Here's why.  One one DCL cruise, the youth made a movie.  I don't think that's a thing on any other cruiseline.  Here's another.  On our last Disney cruise, our older two teens  attended a meet-and-greet with the ship's officers. The Hotel Director asked each kid how he could make their experience more "magical".   My son requested "cheese fries" be offered at dinner.  The director had never heard of them so my son told him what Philadelphia style cheese fries were.  There were three other teens (my son and two of his friends) who agreed cheese fries at dinner were magical.  So, a couple nights went by but there are no cheese fries at dinner.  The last night of the cruise, which was a fixed menu, we figured, oh, well, too bad, no cheese fries.  But...during the appetizer course,  to our surprise,  a parade of  waiters, followed by the Director, came to our table with baskets of real Philadelphia-style cheese fries! Everyone around our table was goggle-eyed.  There were WAY too many fries for us, so the kids shared them with the other families around us.  The Hotel Director apologized for not presenting them sooner in the cruise but it took some time to research cheese fries the way the boys described them.  Don't know if tht's actually true. Unforgettable.  That's DCL.

[Essiesmom]

I count 58 cruises, 19 of which were on Carnival.  A few have been 4 days, more 5's plus 7s, 8s, 14, 16.  Only one 3 day cruise, and it was the 'partiest'.  But it wasn't drunken groups.  It was June, and full of large family groups with matching tshirts, forcing their way through the crowds like a school of fish, unaware or mindful of those they were pushing out of their ways.  EM

[SC2020]

We seriously considered DCL. However, it came down to price. Two 6 night cruises on Carnival is basically the same cost as one 7 night cruise on Disney. It'll be two adults and while I've heard Disney does a good job with adult areas, it came down to cost at the end of the day. I know you usually get what you pay for but it was still a little too steep. Plus, there's no drink package. We did a drink package on NCL, and it was so nice not to have to worry about a bar tab for the week. 

 

Pretty much set on the Breeze. Bigger ship, a better itinerary and Port Canaveral is still pretty easy to get to. Last time we got one of those hotel packages where you get a shuttle to and from the hotel and it worked out perfectly. Probably will get a balcony as well on the ship. (Again, back to my above point, an INSIDE on Disney cost more than a balcony on Carnival). 

 

And I read more reviews, and while you will always have people upset, from what I can tell the "horror stories" about too many obnoxious people, bad service, etc. was on the older ships. So that makes me feel better about going on the Breeze. We certainly will, um, indulge in some drinks while on board so as long as people aren't obnoxiously drunk, that won't bother us. The Breeze overall had some high reviews

Edited July 19, 2020 by SC2020

[TNcruising02]

The Breeze out of Port Canaveral is a great choice.