Which cruise line for Europe? Carnival or ?????

[jimbo5544]

3 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

Yes that would add a lot to me experience.  Frankly, I'd even enjoy that in the caribbean but I understand why it's not something you find on resort lines or those itineraries.  For a Euro cruise that's port intensive I think the ships themselves would be less important and I'd focus on experience.  Probably somewhere HAL/Princess are stronger.  And Celebrity.  Premium lines will bring the more Premium experience.  I sort of view Carnival as a bit of an oddity for Euro trips; like when I see Costa doing a season out of Florida.  Not a knock against either, but I think the overall experience is better served on other lines. 

Carnival doing Europe is def not a common thing, but a little more frequent than in the past.  Whether that. mAkes it an oddity I have no idea.  I think the reason that cruisers do sail them in different and unique cruises is their desire for the familiarity of the cruise experience (our personal reason).  That said, can I understand where some might find thees things a plus? Sure.  Which is better is up to each of us to decide.  A Princess, HAl or Celebrity cruise will not be the same cost as a Carnival cruise.

 

The Costa comment is an interesting one, from two perspectives.  Do you feel the same with MSC?  Also, Carnival taking two Costa ships and rebranding them as the Carnival Costa experience will be interesting to see how American cruisers adapt to that.  Interesting discussion

[bmc alabama]

On 7/30/2022 at 2:22 PM, luv2trvlnow said:

Yes I looked at that cruise from Princess.  The cost for the 2 of us would be $9200 for a balcony.  The cost for the Pride is $4600.  So twice the cost.  We can use that $4600 for private excursions by locals who will know their port very well.  Also we are mostly interested in Greece, Italy, and Kusadasi for Ephesus.  We preferred these ports.  

 

I did read on the thread about the Pride being a disappointment, that you stated when you take your first trip across the pond it will not be on Carnival.  So currently you have no European experience to base your opinion on.  I don't either. But I will read everyone's thoughts and then make my decision.

So, quick note here.  Princess by default prices out to the "Princess Plus" package, which includes drink package, wifi, and gratuities.  It is a $50 per person/per day fee.  You can price this without that and your cruise will be $2,100 less.  And it is 2 days longer.  Just sayin...

[LMaxwell]

4 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

The Costa comment is an interesting one, from two perspectives.  Do you feel the same with MSC?  Also, Carnival taking two Costa ships and rebranding them as the Carnival Costa experience will be interesting to see how American cruisers adapt to that.  Interesting discussion

The comment was meant more as a "This is not their regular thing" though I acknowledge Carnival shows up in Europe more frequently than Costa does in the U.S.  

 

I think enrichment speakers and local area experts definitely add to the overall experience of exploring new places; like I said I understand why its not done in the Caribbean, I'd be a handful of few that would attend. 

 

As far as the Carnival-Costa Experience; the ships are largely identical in layout and overall design - some themes are different of course, but this is a way for Carnival to rapidly increase capacity on U.S. sailings with up to date ships. They may see future demand in the U.S. greater than where those ships would serve Costa; but perhaps not enough to make cosmetic changes or incorporate them in the Carnival U.S. fleet long term.  That's a lot of words to say I expect it to be 99% Carnival experience with different funnel - I expect little to none of the "Italian-ness" of Costa to make its way to the U.S. on these ships.  Time will tell.  I could be wrong.  

[kwokpot]

13 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

The comment was meant more as a "This is not their regular thing" though I acknowledge Carnival shows up in Europe more frequently than Costa does in the U.S.  

 

I think enrichment speakers and local area experts definitely add to the overall experience of exploring new places; like I said I understand why its not done in the Caribbean, I'd be a handful of few that would attend. 

 

As far as the Carnival-Costa Experience; the ships are largely identical in layout and overall design - some themes are different of course, but this is a way for Carnival to rapidly increase capacity on U.S. sailings with up to date ships. They may see future demand in the U.S. greater than where those ships would serve Costa; but perhaps not enough to make cosmetic changes or incorporate them in the Carnival U.S. fleet long term.  That's a lot of words to say I expect it to be 99% Carnival experience with different funnel - I expect little to none of the "Italian-ness" of Costa to make its way to the U.S. on these ships.  Time will tell.  I could be wrong.  

I'm following John Heald's FB posts on his personal holiday on the P&O Iona trip to the Norwegian Fjords and it's interesting to see how a Carnival Spokesperson is speaking about a corporate sibling.  In many instances he basically apologizes for his glowing admiration for the beauty and sophistication of the ship, stating that P&O caters to a totally different demographic. 100% the truth, but it seems (to me) awkward for him to be doing the same kinds of videos while on holiday selling the virtues of a P&O cruiseship. 

Edited August 8, 2022 by kwokpot

[LMaxwell]

8 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

I'm following John Heald's FB posts on his personal holiday on the P&O Iona trip to the Norwegian Fjords and it's interesting to see how a Carnival Spokesperson is speaking about a corporate sibling.  In many instances he basically apologizes for his glowing admiration for the beauty and sophistication of the ship, stating that P&O caters to a totally different demographic. 100% the truth, but it seems (to me) awkward for him to be doing the same kinds of videos while on holiday selling the virtues of a P&O cruiseship. 

 

He shouldn't be apologetic or "aw shucks" about it. He should be enlightening his fans to other ways, perspectives, concepts, and ideas. Nothing too radical going on honestly; he should be highlighting the differences in mass market sister lines and encouraging fans of his that take him seriously/trust his word to branch out in the Carnival brand. 

 

All bucks flow to Mickey Arison. 

[Velvetwater]

We never attend port talks on any cruise as they always have a sell hidden somewhere or a bias towards what their tours offer.....this includes X.

 

We always do our own port research now before boarding.

 

Our 13 day Carnival Panama canal did have enrichment talks....but that was a very unusual and special cruise so they say.

Edited August 9, 2022 by Velvetwater

[cruizergal70]

15 hours ago, Velvetwater said:

 

 

Our 13 day Carnival Panama canal did have enrichment talks....but that was a very unusual and special cruise so they say.

It was a Journey cruise.  Those come with special benefits like on board naturalists.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

On 8/8/2022 at 7:06 AM, LMaxwell said:

Does Carnival have enrichment lectures/speakers/tour guides on their Euro cruises?  

Not that I remember.

[topaz123]

The NCL website has Europe with Buy an Air Ticket, Get one Free on sailings.

[CruizinSusan70]

39 minutes ago, topaz123 said:

The NCL website has Europe with Buy an Air Ticket, Get one Free on sailings.

Which if you read threads on the NCL boards can sometimes be a nightmare.  Multiple legs, 10+ hour connections and sometimes more of a hassle than it's worth.

[topaz123]

4 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Which if you read threads on the NCL boards can sometimes be a nightmare.  Multiple legs, 10+ hour connections and sometimes more of a hassle than it's worth.

Operative word....FREE !!!

[BlerkOne]

5 hours ago, topaz123 said:

The NCL website has Europe with Buy an Air Ticket, Get one Free on sailings.

The WC Fields special. Nothing is free on NCL. When I looked at booking flights on NCL I didn't have any say in the matter so I booked with FF miles. Then NCL canceled the cruise just to spite me.

[LNielsen]

On 7/30/2022 at 9:37 PM, BlerkOne said:

I wouldn't consider a 7 day cruise in Europe and never looked at one. Even 9 day cruises might only have one sea day. 

 

I had a port hole cabin on my first Carnival Med cruise - 9 day, I think, and survived. But had friends with a balcony and it was grand. 

 

The Med may not have the blue water of the Caribbean, but sailing into or out of Venice, is breathtaking, and could easily be worth the price of admission. 

Venice no longer allows ships to sail in unless they are very small (200 passenger-ish).   Most cruise lines have dropped Venice altogether as it’s a logistical nightmare to get their guests into the city, and each visitor must now pay and fee to enter.  Most cruise lines have replaced Venice as a port with Ravenna or Trieste.  
 

We’re glad that we were able to experience the sail in, plus a few nights in Venice after our cruise when we did.   
 

 

[BlerkOne]

9 minutes ago, LNielsen said:

Venice no longer allows ships to sail in unless they are very small (200 passenger-ish).  
 

I see Holland America still has some cruises with Venice this year. Looks like this is the last year.

 

Sailing in or out of Venice and for that matter Venice, is magical. Overnighting is a bonus. We've done it a few times. Even on Carnival.

 

We did have a cruise on HAL booked that overnighted in Venice and Istanbul, but covid shot that one down.

 

The Princess solution seems to be to start a land cruise in Venice and then get you to a real cruise out of some other port.

[LNielsen]

1 hour ago, BlerkOne said:

I see Holland America still has some cruises with Venice this year. Looks like this is the last year.

 

Sailing in or out of Venice and for that matter Venice, is magical. Overnighting is a bonus. We've done it a few times. Even on Carnival.

 

We did have a cruise on HAL booked that overnighted in Venice and Istanbul, but covid shot that one down.

 

The Princess solution seems to be to start a land cruise in Venice and then get you to a real cruise out of some other port.

They may advertise Venice, I can assure you they will switch it to a different port before sailing UNLESS they can dock across the lagoon in Marghera.  That port facility is having a passenger terminal being built, there is a temporary area used for cruise ships at this point.  
 

Our Oceania cruise for 2023 had Venice listed as as a port, they’ve switched us to Trieste and added an extra port in Croatia. They  did give us a decent shipboard credit for the inconvenience. 

 

The cruise ship ban is already in effect as of August 2021

Edited August 11, 2022 by LNielsen
Typo

[BlerkOne]

3 hours ago, LNielsen said:

They may advertise Venice, I can assure you they will switch it to a different port before sailing UNLESS they can dock across the lagoon in Marghera.  That port facility is having a passenger terminal being built, there is a temporary area used for cruise ships at this point.  
 

Our Oceania cruise for 2023 had Venice listed as as a port, they’ve switched us to Trieste and added an extra port in Croatia. They  did give us a decent shipboard credit for the inconvenience. 

 

The cruise ship ban is already in effect as of August 2021

We'll see...  After Carnival swamped a marina, I doubt they will be going back.

 

 

[BlerkOne]

3 hours ago, LNielsen said:

They may advertise Venice, I can assure you they will switch it to a different port before sailing UNLESS they can dock across the lagoon in Marghera.  That port facility is having a passenger terminal being built, there is a temporary area used for cruise ships at this point.  
 

Our Oceania cruise for 2023 had Venice listed as as a port, they’ve switched us to Trieste and added an extra port in Croatia. They  did give us a decent shipboard credit for the inconvenience. 

 

The cruise ship ban is already in effect as of August 2021

I guess what they are doing are still checking in cruise passengers in Venice, and then busing them to wherever the ship is. Shady.

[CruizinSusan70]

9 hours ago, topaz123 said:

Operative word....FREE !!!

No thanks.  I'll gladly pay to choose the flights and connections I want, even if it's BOGO.  The BOGO is not worth putting up with multiple connections and extreme waiting times in airports. 

[LibertyBella]

Enjoy your Carnival cruise!  We have been sailing with them for decades, including a few party cruises, and we always have a fun time.  I actually like that Carnival offers many short cruises, and I have done several  of them in combination with land tours. A few times when younger,  I even called Carnival last minute and said--what is your cheapest cruise available leaving in a few weeks--put me on it! (Of course, flight schedules were a lot more dependable.)

 

I did my first Med cruise back in 1973--the line no longer exists.  I have also been on a few "rust buckets"  during my life.  Luckily I have sailed in and out of Venice a few times--most recently 2019. 

 

I have been on many different cruise lines--it just depends on what my budget is that year or what I want to see or do.  I, too, choose itinerary first when in Europe (yes, we get off and tour all day at every port--a bit exhausting but we like to see it all), and I do sometimes prefer the diversity of Celebrity, HAL,  and Princess ports, but I would not hesitate to book any other line, and I have sailed many of them.  Last month we just cruised New England with Cunard--it was so wonderful to dress for dinner and celebrate cruising again. Some in my family only go on NCL because it is casual--others with children like all the RC activities.  The elderly prefer Viking and river cruises.  We  will join them all and just go along and go with the flow.

 

I was very tempted by the Carnival British isles tour this year, but I am passing on international cruising until 2023.

 

It is almost fruitless to go back and forth and try to say one cruise line is "better" than another, when it all comes down to personal preference, or itinerary or budget, or loyalty, or even convenience. 

 

I always say, cruising on any line is better than not cruising at all!

 

 

[WKUTopperFan]

Thanks for getting this thread going. Having read it on Monday made me realize I need to do another European cruise.  I had zero issues with my previous Mediterranean cruise on Carnival (On a brand "new" Sunshine in August of 2013 before it sailed to the States for permanent deployment).  

 

As such, I called my PVP to see what offers I had available on European itineraries in 2023. When confirmed I had a free Suite/Drinks Everywhere/$1500 Funplay and a couple Elite offers I told him let me look at the itineraries and I'd be back in touch by end of the month. I looked that evening and found a couple sails that intrigued me. Yesterday, I decided not to debate and overthink the logistics  and booked the Sept 10 sailing from Dover to Rome. I'm already excited. 

 

Now I'm going to learn about the Pride Im sure the suite will be clean and functional (able to shower and sleep)and that's all that matters on a European cruise to me. 

 

 

[luv2trvlnow]

4 hours ago, WKUTopperFan said:

Thanks for getting this thread going. Having read it on Monday made me realize I need to do another European cruise.  I had zero issues with my previous Mediterranean cruise on Carnival (On a brand "new" Sunshine in August of 2013 before it sailed to the States for permanent deployment).  

 

As such, I called my PVP to see what offers I had available on European itineraries in 2023. When confirmed I had a free Suite/Drinks Everywhere/$1500 Funplay and a couple Elite offers I told him let me look at the itineraries and I'd be back in touch by end of the month. I looked that evening and found a couple sails that intrigued me. Yesterday, I decided not to debate and overthink the logistics  and booked the Sept 10 sailing from Dover to Rome. I'm already excited. 

 

Now I'm going to learn about the Pride Im sure the suite will be clean and functional (able to shower and sleep)and that's all that matters on a European cruise to me. 

 

 

I am happy that my starting this thread made you check your offers.  That is a good offer.  Hope you have a wonderful cruise next year.  We are hoping ours goes well too. You will be visiting a few of the ports that we will also be visiting.  Enjoy!

[Oceansaway17]

On 8/10/2022 at 6:37 PM, LNielsen said:

Venice no longer allows ships to sail in unless they are very small (200 passenger-ish).   Most cruise lines have dropped Venice altogether as it’s a logistical nightmare to get their guests into .  
 

We’re glad that we were able to experience the sail in, plus a few nights in Venice after our cruise when we did.   
 

I am glad I saw and walked Venice back in the 1990's.  One of the cruises that I lost in 2020 was a smaller ship leaving from Venice (Vision of the Seas).  I was sad about this.

However, forward two years I think the city is right is limiting the size of ships.

And I also think the city has gotten much dirtier and bad smelling at times since I was last there.

I will keep my memories and never go back.

[LNielsen]

1 hour ago, Oceansaway17 said:

I am glad I saw and walked Venice back in the 1990's.  One of the cruises that I lost in 2020 was a smaller ship leaving from Venice (Vision of the Seas).  I was sad about this.

However, forward two years I think the city is right is limiting the size of ships.

And I also think the city has gotten much dirtier and bad smelling at times since I was last there.

I will keep my memories and never go back.

 

I’m glad we did, too. Even Oceania’s 694 passenger ships can’t get in any longer, we can’t afford anything smaller than that. We’d prefer to be doing our overnight in Venice in 2023 on one of Oceania’s 1,180 passenger ship but were happy with Trieste  and an extra stop in Croatia (that makes it four Croatian ports for us on this trip).   We’ve not been to Croatia or Trieste yet, and the shipboard credit they’ve offered for the change is nice. 

 

IF we do decide to go back, it will need to be a land trip.  

Edited August 12, 2022 by LNielsen

[Oceansaway17]

2 minutes ago, LNielsen said:

 

I’m glad we did, too. Even Oceania’s 694 passenger ships can’t get in any longer, we can’t afford anything smaller than that. We’d prefer to be doing our overnight in Venice in 2023 on one of Oceania’s 1,180 passenger ship but were happy with Trieste  and an extra stop in Croatia (that makes it four Croatian ports for us on this trip).   We’ve not been to Croatia or Trieste yet, and the shipboard credit they’ve offered for the change is nice. 

 

IF we do decide to go back, it will need to be a land trip.  

Well if 694 passengers is too many for them, then no hope for many other ships,

I did Venice as part of a tour and stayed in hotel for 2 nights.   Walked all around the city. So glad I did.

Venice will continue to have water issues and sewage too.   I have decided to cruise to La Spezia to see the Cinque Terre area.

toodles

[BlerkOne]

I think a better option for Venice these days would be a river cruise. A number of them leave from Venice or include Venice. Who needs water slides?