Please don’t hate on my questions as they are based on reviews I’ve read regarding Carnival

[njkate]

I’m looking to book a Northern Europe 9 or 10 day cruise next summer and the line I usually sail on NCL, the pricing is outrageous to the tune of 17k for 4 in one cabin ugh,

I stumbled across a cruise on Carnival, 2 cabins and even buying the drink packages about 5k less.

What is the dynamic on European cruises compared to Carnivals Caribbean cruises?

Carnival Pride yeah or nay? It is port intensive so most of the time we would be in port. Kids club for 8 year old yeah or nay?

Thanks for all input 

[mz-s]

A couple threads of the Pride at least this season make me think NCL would be worth the extra...

 

This year Carnival seems to have cut to the bone to try to be profitable, well they're still not profitable and people are having horrible experiences in Europe on Pride. Standing for hours in a hot shed waiting for embarkation, no hot water to take a shower, hours-long waits for a tender boat at tender ports, rusty holes in the deck by the pool, crew grabbing children, more and more.

 

Maybe next year will be better.

[cruizergal70]

If you cruise for the ports,  you'll be fine. If you're looking for a super fancy on ship experience,  you may be disappointed. 

[Bostwick girl]

First to qualify myself, I’ve never done a European cruise, but am Diamond on Carnival. The review that mz-s is talking about was sailing from Dover, I believe and from what others commenting on the review have said, that particular day was the exception to cruising from Dover. As to the condition of the Pride, she’s dry docking in April 2023 so I would book after that. Carnival always has lots of kids activities so I wouldn’t worry about that.  Our son is going on Pride in October but is sailing from Italy. Hope you will take the time to read the reviews, in particular the one by Eli-6 on July 22 Just got on pride and not impressed. There’s over 6 pages of comments so lots of opinions and insights. It all comes down to how much you’re willing to pay. If you’re worried about the clientele, you will see a much different dynamic than on short Caribbean cruises. In my opinion, the $12,000 difference is a deal breaker, you could do several more cruises for that much money!

Whatever your choice, hope you have a wonderful time!

 

Edited July 30, 2022 by Bostwick girl
Additional info.

[tallnthensome]

1 hour ago, njkate said:

I’m looking to book a Northern Europe 9 or 10 day cruise next summer and the line I usually sail on NCL, the pricing is outrageous to the tune of 17k for 4 in one cabin ugh,

I stumbled across a cruise on Carnival, 2 cabins and even buying the drink packages about 5k less.

What is the dynamic on European cruises compared to Carnivals Caribbean cruises?

Carnival Pride yeah or nay? It is port intensive so most of the time we would be in port. Kids club for 8 year old yeah or nay?

Thanks for all input 

I too prefer NCL and was in the same boat. I wanted another European cruise but this time with my two daughters. I booked the Carnival Pride 12 day next year to Iceland, Scotland, and Ireland for four in an extended balcony for $3500. A similar 11 day on NCL was $10,000. NCL has lost their minds with their rip off cruise pricing currently and looking forward. That's a huge price difference that will leave room for air and tours. Carnival wasn't my first choice as I've also done Princess and Holland to Europe but there was no way I was passing up $3500 .

[BlerkOne]

The current problems at Dover are unrelated to Carnival or any cruise line. The same with tender waits. These are not normal times with a pandemic, and much of Europe is, or is about to go on vacation, to boot.

 

I might be more concerned about the climate (heat) issues on land.

[kctwinmommy]

We did a N. European one on RCL 5 years ago and loved it! As you said, it's more for the ports anyway. We did 4 stops, each one being long days in each port. It was a really good cruise, loved our stops, and had no real major complaints about the cruise. Some differences from Carnival, but we're not super loyal. We only cruise Carnival mostly because we're used to them and they often have good prices for a cruise for us.

[jetsfan58]

We always travel knowing there is always certain risks. I will always take my chances State side. 

[njkate]

1 hour ago, tallnthensome said:

I too prefer NCL and was in the same boat. I wanted another European cruise but this time with my two daughters. I booked the Carnival Pride 12 day next year to Iceland, Scotland, and Ireland for four in an extended balcony for $3500. A similar 11 day on NCL was $10,000. NCL has lost their minds with their rip off cruise pricing currently and looking forward. That's a huge price difference that will leave room for air and tours. Carnival wasn't my first choice as I've also done Princess and Holland to Europe but there was no way I was passing up $3500 .

I about fell out of my chair on the pricing and it was 4 in one cabin. I just did 7 days in Alaska with 4 in a cabin much longer than that I’d lose it lol. Even with $160O in fcc at NCL the cost is prohibitive and I’ll use them on a cheap Caribbean cruise

[tallnthensome]

47 minutes ago, njkate said:

I about fell out of my chair on the pricing and it was 4 in one cabin. I just did 7 days in Alaska with 4 in a cabin much longer than that I’d lose it lol. Even with $160O in fcc at NCL the cost is prohibitive and I’ll use them on a cheap Caribbean cruise

Funny, I leave for Alaska next Monday for an 8 day ... same routine .  My girls are 12 and 14 but don't take up much space.

[MommytoAsquared]

I was on a Carnival Pride cruise to Norway a few months ago.  The biggest difference for me was the average age of the passengers seemed much older (think Holland America).  I was also a little bit sad that almost all passengers were American, like me.  Not that being American is bad - I was just hoping for a more multi cultural experience.

 

But as the previous poster said, if you are causing for the itinerary, you will enjoy yourself.  We were one the ship for the ports and had an amazing time.

Edited July 30, 2022 by MommytoAsquared
Wrong ship name

[Colorado Cruzer]

With a trip like that, I would wait a few years if going on Carnival.  I would think by 2024 they would have the service related issues sorted and hopefully have better quality food.  If not, I would pay the extra to go on NCL.

[ddavis5us]

Carnival Diamond but never done Europe or sailed NCL.  Have done RCL, HAL and Celebrity.  My wife and I love the Pride.  Smaller but has some of the upgrades.  Our kids are years out the club stage, but they used to LOVE Carnival.  Much preferred it over any other, incl RCL. My understanding is that a lot of Service issues are related to not being able to get staffing. I've heard that it is improving.

 

Should be a good trip, whatever you chose!  Hard to have  a bad one.

[aztekpm]

Supplying ships, stores, etc. has affected everyone, including, NCL, RCL, etc. The forums are full of stories of things not in stock or running out quickly during cruises, etc.

 

It appears all cruise lines are suffering from some short staffing, supplies, etc.  If you're expecting a 5 star sailing, it's not that, but, then neither is NCL. If you go with a mindset that everything may not be perfect, be it, NCL or Carnival, you'll have a good time.

 

Me, I've sailed both and prefer Carnival (which is just my personal opinion) and I'm in the 'boat' of saving the $$ and doing Carnival.

 

ETA: I've sailed the Pride and liked the layout, serenity, etc. It doesn't feel crowded. Does it need a drydock, yes, perfect it is not, yet nothing so bad that it affected the enjoyment of our cruise.

Edited July 30, 2022 by aztekpm

[EllieinNJ]

We also usually sail NCL but their prices now are really prohibitive.  We are booked next year on a b2b Pride sailing in May/June and are looking forward to it.  We just did our first Carnival cruise on the Legend out of Baltimore in April and was surprisingly very pleased with it.

[rlkubi]

We were on a b2b on the Pride in June/July for 21 days and had an awesome time and no issues.   The issues in Dover aren't Carnival's fault.   I Have come done several European cruises with Carnival and all were great! 

[njkate]

14 hours ago, EllieinNJ said:

We also usually sail NCL but their prices now are really prohibitive.  We are booked next year on a b2b Pride sailing in May/June and are looking forward to it.  We just did our first Carnival cruise on the Legend out of Baltimore in April and was surprisingly very pleased with it.

Tell me about it!! NCL pricing right now is insane. I can book Carnival, basically same ports, buy drink pkg for 3 and book two balcony cabins for thousands less then stuffing 3 adults and one child into a club balcony on NCL

[jsglow]

I've sailed many times on Carnival including 14 days on Pride. I've never had a bad day aboard and she is one of my favorite ships in the fleet.  I have absolutely zero interest in an Oasis Class vessel or the services and pampering associated with the Haven. I say this ONLY to suggest to you the kind of cruiser I am, not to begrudge other's preferences. I acknowledge that Carnival has had staffing issues this summer (I've not personally seen it as we don't typically sail in peak family season) and I further acknowledge that they probably made a strategic mistake by packing the ships when they didn't have the necessary personnel.  Add to that problems related to staffing and supply chain issues generally.

 

All that said, we've got 31 days onboard Pride in Europe scheduled in the next 12-13 months.  See you on the Lido! 

[vacruizer]

Personal opinion here only…. Others will tell you none of this matters.
 

I’ve sailed the Pride three times and it’s one of my favorite ships.  But….I personally am not booking any more Carnival sailings for now after a recent Sunshine sailing, albeit a short one, that made me actually question safety.   I’ve also sailed NCL and like the experience, but they’ve lost their minds with pricing. 
 

The older Carnival ships have really been let go unfortunately. We experienced broken elevators to our floor (in an accessible cabin so stairs not an option), sewage in the hallway that maintenance tried to fix and couldn’t, sewage backing up through the shower drain in our bathroom, broken furniture all over the ship, rust, broken railings, broken windows, holes in the deck…it’s was shocking after 20 Carnival trips and knowing the ship I was on had just been in dry dock a couple months earlier. What were we not seeing behind the scenes that wasn’t maintained if this is what the customers saw?  I sadly wasn’t surprised when news of the Freedom fire and Magic fumes issue (with payoff offers to not sue) hit not long after we sailed. 
 

Food and service were not good and the crew was working crazy long days due to the staffing issues. They were trying…and were tired, worn out, and many stated they would not renew contracts. MDR food was the worst in 24 cruises. Music  was one terrible band and one even worse solo guitarist with very few daytime activities anymore, either. 
 

You’ll have a totally different crowd in Europe of course, but we also noticed a lack of security at the deck parties, nightclub, etc… had something gone south….and it did outside our cabin the last night…. there was not enough security to handle it. 
 

My next cruise is likely MSC or Celebrity. Both are far cheaper than Carnival right now, too.  All lines have staff and supply chain issues right now, but I was shocked by the badly deteriorated ship.  Security was I’ll equipped to handle the incident outside our cabin at 3am and either would not or could not remove the persons involved. The screaming and threats went on for over an hour with security present and we drove 7 hours home the next day on no sleep. 
 

Just my two cents as a once loyal Carnival cruiser who loved the experience.  I’ll give them a couple years to work the kinks out and likely only consider newer ships with them now, though. 
 

 

[tallnthensome]

34 minutes ago, vacruizer said:

My next cruise is likely MSC or Celebrity. Both are far cheaper than Carnival right now, too.  All lines have staff and supply chain issues right now, but I was shocked by the badly deteriorated ship.  

 

 

Which cruises and where to are those to specifically that are cheaper than Carnival right now because I also have cruises booked on all three lines? I'm curious where you found Celebrity cheaper than Carnival because that's hard to believe. 

Edited July 31, 2022 by tallnthensome

[jsglow]

I find your commentary interesting @vacruizer.  We've been on 8 cruises since the restart (counting all the B2Bs individually) on 5 different ships.  Our experience hasn't been anything like that whatsoever. Probably the worst things we experienced was the classic 'too loud in the hallway' coming back at 2a that woke me up (just folks w/one too many not being intentionally rude) and the smoking neighbors next door that I personally dealt with without involving ship personnel. Seriously, that's it.

 

On top of that my experience with the crew has been absolutely extraordinary ranging from bartenders to stewards and waiters. I mean fully personal attention that went way above the call of duty.  Now admittedly that was well before the summer crunch that always stretches the crew.

 

And I'm searching my memory to see if I 'rose colored' anything. I don't think so.  Seriously, the worst was getting a little tired of the MDR offerings that repeated on our B2B2B.  Of course we knew that would be the case and would order differently on each leg.  I mean how many times do you really want brisket in 14 days?

Edited July 31, 2022 by jsglow

[vacruizer]

2 minutes ago, tallnthensome said:

Which cruises and where to are those specifically that are cheaper than Carnival right now because I also have cruises booked on all three? I'm curious where you found Celebrity cheaper than Carnival because that's hard to believe. 

I can sail on the Apex in December for around. $650pp or just over  $1,000pp with drink package, gratuity, and wifi included. Infinity sailings this fall are running as low as $395pp. And no single supplement right now if my husband can’t go and I decide to sail solo.    Carnival might be slightly cheaper on base rate for a 7 day, but add in drinks & tips and it’s pretty comparable or cheaper right now. I was surprised, too. 
 

[BlerkOne]

5 minutes ago, jsglow said:

I find your commentary interesting @vacruizer.  We've been on 8 cruises since the restart

 

On top of that my experience with the crew has been absolutely extraordinary ranging from bartenders to stewards and waiters. I mean fully personal attention that went way above the call of duty.  Now admittedly that was well before the summer crunch that always stretches the crew.

Only 7 cruises for me, with 3 more scheduled this year - 2 will involve flights to Europe. One of those was on the oldest ship in the fleet - Ecstasy - and I was pleasantly surprised by how friendly and attentive the staff was, even knowing their ship would be retired in a few months. No complaints about the food, either.

 

Some of the cruises were at or near capacity, although we usually don't cruise during the busy (and pricier) summer months.

[vacruizer]

9 minutes ago, jsglow said:

I find your commentary interesting @vacruizer.  We've been on 8 cruises since the restart (counting all the B2Bs individually) on 5 different ships.  Our experience hasn't been anything like that whatsoever. Probably the worst things we experienced was the classic 'too loud in the hallway' coming back at 2a that woke me up (just folks w/one too many not being intentionally rude) and the smoking neighbors next door that I personally dealt with without involving ship personnel. Seriously, that's it.

 

On top of that my experience with the crew has been absolutely extraordinary ranging from bartenders to stewards and waiters. I mean fully personal attention that went way above the call of duty.  Now admittedly that was well before the summer crunch that always stretches the crew.

I’m so glad to hear this.  I should clarify that the crew tried really hard and just couldn’t keep up. We waited 2 hours one night in the MDR and food was rock hard and cold. Couldn’t even flag our waiter down and manager just shrugged and said they were short staffed. 
 

The hallway incident was unfortunately more than just a random drunk and involved lots of screaming at security..who threatened to call the local authorities the next morning but couldn’t seem to remove the guy. There was discussion of a possible attempt to harm another passenger as well. It went on for over an hour. 

[jsglow]

2 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Only 7 cruises for me, with 3 more scheduled this year - 2 will involve flights to Europe. One of those was on the oldest ship in the fleet - Ecstasy - and I was pleasantly surprised by how friendly and attentive the staff was, even knowing their ship would be retired in a few months. No complaints about the food, either.

 

Some of the cruises were at or near capacity, although we usually don't cruise during the busy (and pricier) summer months.

I normally say 6 because I typically view the B2B2B as one, not 3.  We also have 3 more this year; Alaska (on Princess), Pride out of Rome, and a quickie out of New Orleans which is more an excuse to enjoy Bourbon/Frenchman for a couple nights before sailing.

 

Enjoy your trips!