Avid HAL cruiser looking to try Carnival

[NCTribeFan]

4 hours ago, Homosassa said:

If you enjoy the HAL buffet lunch at Half Moon Cay, be aware that the Carnival buffet offering is more limited.  

 

There is also a difference in the number of passengers ashore in Half Moon Cay between HAL calls and Carnival calls. There are less people on a HAL day.

 

I was at HMC on HAL's Eurodam on 11/17.  The buffet was NOT good.  Now, bear in mind that we were under 50% capacity and it was the first US sailing, so that may have had an impact.  I was quite disappointed.  The pineapple was delicious, though.  Had I known the buffet was going to be that disappointing, I would've tendered back to the ship since there are many good lunch options on HAL.  I personally prefer the Dive-In burgers to Guy's.

 

That was just my 4th HAL sailing.  I leave in 9 days for my 5th, which will make me 3*.  I've booked a B2B to Alaska for June.  I have 30 Carnival cruises so far with 1 at the end of January and a B2B2B on Pride for next October (Med/Med/TA).  Pride is much more like HAL's ships.  That may be one thing I like about HAL.  Spirit-class is my favorite with Carnival.  I have sailed Sunshine a couple of times and liked her more than I expected.  And I love Charleston.  It's >5 hours for me, but I've sailed from there many times.  Bear in mind that the space ratio on HAL's ships is much better.  The space ratio on Sunshine is quite poor, so it feels much more crowded.

 

Yes, there's an older demographic on HAL.  Less FUN FUN FUN being shoved down your throat.  I haven't had any problem finding something to do in the evening on HAL.  Their BB King's All Stars have been absolutely the best live bands I've heard on 40+ cruises.

 

I happen to be someone who likes to rest and relax when I cruise (I read 5 novels on that 8 day sailing), not spend all hours of the every day running from one activity to the next.  But that's me.  But that's the main reason I've been moving away from Carnival.  That and the fact that after only 1 cruise on HAL, I started getting nice casino offers.  And I'm very much NOT a high roller.

 

Variety is good.  I added MSC to my cruising (3x in 2019) and have 2 FCCs I need to use.  The lines are all more alike than they are different, but those small differences keep it fresh.

 

 

[djefferis]

Good read - we will be doing our first cruise out of Charleston in early 2022 (and my first Carnival ever - wife has 5 - but none in last 12 or so years) after doing about 3 or 4 together on each RCL/X/Princess and a single cruise Holland and NCL.

 

 I think a lot of the differences come down to length/destination - obviously the 4 and 5 days out of Charleston offer shorter and easier to schedule vacations for families and young/working adults vs the longer voyages that attract more retired people and those who can afford to vacation for longer than a week at a time - and the price points present an affordable option to people who can drive to the port and avoid airfare cost. 

 

Those factors are going to draw a slightly different crowd - a less experienced cruiser and more of the “party” atmosphere you might expect on Carnival. At the same time - I kind of LIKE that this presents more options to experienced cruisers. Yes - casinos and bars will be packed - but pulling more people into these areas means less in other public spaces and more spots to relax and enjoy the ship. specialty dining reservations may not be as difficult as people are inclined to take the “free” buffet or MDR and not pay additional for specialty.
 

I’ve done both buffet and MDR many times and overall - all major lines feel the same. Food is good to great - service always professional and sometimes the best entertainment offered on the ship - but I’ve never found X/Holland/Princess any better in the food quality. Of course opt for a specialty and the quality in general takes a medium to large step up - again depending on venue/ship. Some specialty steak places have felt like going to an Outback at home - others like a true high end experience.

 

Best way to find out if it’s for you- try it once. We understand a short Caribbean is not going to feel like a 10 day wine country coastal - and that’s actually part of the appeal. No ship shutting down at 9p and only a few brave soles and crew going to a 11p show - with these cruises it’s more like a 72 hour party.

[kwokpot]

On 12/1/2021 at 12:11 PM, wgeddings said:

Saw the Sunrise in a port last week while we were (on the Horizon).  I mentioned to a fellow cruiser I thought it was a sister ship of the Sunshine and he had cruised on both recently and said they were almost nothing alike now.  He had a low opinion of the Sunrise but thought the Sunshine was very nice and good.  I am curious now as to how much they are really different now because from all he said, Sunshine got all the renovations but Sunrise did not.  Been on Sunshine but not on Sunrise. 

 

I have been on both and yes there are distinct differences between the refits of both ships. The biggest difference is the removal of the aft pool on the Sunshine to create JiJi's and Havana Bar area and then amping up the Serenity area with the waterfall and pool none of which was done on the Sunrise.    

Edited December 5, 2021 by kwokpot

[jsglow]

22 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

I have been on both and yes there are distinct differences between the refits of both ships. The biggest difference is the removal of the aft pool on the Sunshine to create JiJi's and Havana Bar area and then amping up the Serenity area with the waterfall and pool none of which was done on the Sunrise.    

They ARE completely different now. I have sailed on and very much like both. I guess if I had to pick one it would be Sunshine. The Serenity is my favorite in the fleet and the aft Havana is great. As mentioned elsewhere, the redesign of the Comedy venue was poor. That said, Sunrise is a fine ship and we like her a great deal.

[kwokpot]

6 hours ago, jsglow said:

They ARE completely different now. I have sailed on and very much like both. I guess if I had to pick one it would be Sunshine. The Serenity is my favorite in the fleet and the aft Havana is great. As mentioned elsewhere, the redesign of the Comedy venue was poor. That said, Sunrise is a fine ship and we like her a great deal.

One of minor but may be important to some is what was done to the Cloud 9 Spa locker rooms.  On the Sunshine the locker room design aligns with the Vista class and include a small sauna that's complementary for all users (The Cloud 9 Spa Locker rooms on ALL Carnival ships, including the Mardi Gras, are accessible to everyone and doesn't require a Thermal Suite Pass to use them). What was done for the Sunrise and I suspect the Radiance was a different design aesthetic that resembles the Mardi Gras locker room and DOESN'T include a single sex sauna. Instead the Sunrise (and the Mardi Gras) have a co-ed sauna that's located outside the Men's and Women's locker room.

[VermeulT]

18 hours ago, djefferis said:

Those factors are going to draw a slightly different crowd - a less experienced cruiser and more of the “party” atmosphere you might expect on Carnival. At the same time - I kind of LIKE that this presents more options to experienced cruisers. Yes - casinos and bars will be packed - but pulling more people into these areas means less in other public spaces and more spots to relax and enjoy the ship. specialty dining reservations may not be as difficult as people are inclined to take the “free” buffet or MDR and not pay additional for specialty.

 

I’ve done both buffet and MDR many times and overall - all major lines feel the same. Food is good to great - service always professional and sometimes the best entertainment offered on the ship - but I’ve never found X/Holland/Princess any better in the food quality. Of course opt for a specialty and the quality in general takes a medium to large step up - again depending on venue/ship. Some specialty steak places have felt like going to an Outback at home - others like a true high end experience.

 

Best way to find out if it’s for you- try it once. We understand a short Caribbean is not going to feel like a 10 day wine country coastal - and that’s actually part of the appeal. No ship shutting down at 9p and only a few brave soles and crew going to a 11p show - with these cruises it’s more like a 72 hour party.

 I totally agree especially to the points I bolded.  We shall see. Fall 2022!!