If not Carnival then who?

[sunonfire]

We were on the Celebrity Constellation in November. The food was fair. The steakhouse wasn’t good. Our friends complained they were issued $300 onboard credit for their next cruise with Celebrity. In February and April we were on the Pride. The food and service was much better than Celebrity.The crew on the Pride were much more friendly and helpful than the crew on the Constellation. We had sailed on Constellation a few years ago and that was our best cruise up to that point in time.

[kwokpot]

5 minutes ago, sunonfire said:

We were on the Celebrity Constellation in November. The food was fair. The steakhouse wasn’t good. Our friends complained they were issued $300 onboard credit for their next cruise with Celebrity. In February and April we were on the Pride. The food and service was much better than Celebrity.The crew on the Pride were much more friendly and helpful than the crew on the Constellation. We had sailed on Constellation a few years ago and that was our best cruise up to that point in time.

You're entitled to your opinion but no way the food on the Pride was better than the Constellation. I was on the Pride for 31 days in May/June and the food in the buffet was terrible and many of the entrees in the mdr we're inedible. The so called lasagna looked like meatloaf with a dried later of cheese on top. 

[sunonfire]

7 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

You're entitled to your opinion but no way the food on the Pride was better than the Constellation. I was on the Pride for 31 days in May/June and the food in the buffet was terrible and many of the entrees in the mdr we're inedible. The so called lasagna looked like meatloaf with a dried later of cheese on top. 

I believe the Pride was in Europe for your trip. We sailed from Tampa. From what I have read on here the food on the Pride in Europe was not good. It could possibly be where they are getting their supplies. Even in the US there are different qualities and taste of meat. It took a while to get used to the beef in Florida.

[jimbo5544]

58 minutes ago, BasicSailor said:

I think you have to consider what's still in working order.

Ahhhhh is that a bash, or humor?

 

[Guest BasicSailor]

1 hour ago, jimbo5544 said:

Ahhhhh is that a bash, or humor?

 

Sorry, I didn't add the funny face thingy 😁

[staceyglow]

DH and I (in good health in our early 60s)are platinum Carnival people, but we recently went on a Princess cruise to Alaska. We had always thought "It doesn't matter if the cruisers skew older; we'll have our own fun!".

However, I tend to be impatient with folks who don't move fast enough and impede my progress. Shore excursions were excruciating. People taking forever to get on and off the bus. I get that they are older and mobility impaired. But to take forever to decide whether or not they were even going to get off the bus at a particular stop, and then slowly gathering all their stuff, etc., drove me insane! 

 

Just something to keep in mind when considering a cruise line that caters to older folk. 

Edited September 18, 2022 by staceyglow

[groundloop]

43 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

DH and I (in good health in our early 60s)are platinum Carnival people, but we recently went on a Princess cruise to Alaska. We had always thought "It doesn't matter if the cruisers skew older; we'll have our own fun!".

However, I tend to be impatient with folks who don't move fast enough and impede my progress. Shore excursions were excruciating. People taking forever to get on and off the bus. I get that they are older and mobility impaired. But to take forever to decide whether or not they were even going to get off the bus at a particular stop, and then slowly gathering all their stuff, etc., drove me insane! 

 

Just something to keep in mind when considering a cruise line that caters to older folk. 

 

 

We're on Miracle right now heading for Hawaii and I feel a bit like that.  There's a lot more wheel chairs and scooters than I've ever seen on a ship before, and yes, I get a little impatient when I want to get from point A to point B.  I have to keep reminding myself to be thankful I'm still able to walk and am in reasonably good health.  I guess the upside is that there aren't many ill behaved kids onboard right now.

[Illbcruzn4life]

7 hours ago, vwrestler171 said:

Some friends tried celebrity this year and loved it, so we will likely start looking there.  Another friend likes NCL, so we will look there as well.

I am glad I have this board to peruse since I don't have that many friends!😛

[Illbcruzn4life]

52 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

DH and I (in good health in our early 60s)are platinum Carnival people, but we recently went on a Princess cruise to Alaska. We had always thought "It doesn't matter if the cruisers skew older; we'll have our own fun!".

However, I tend to be impatient with folks who don't move fast enough and impede my progress. Shore excursions were excruciating. People taking forever to get on and off the bus. I get that they are older and mobility impaired. But to take forever to decide whether or not they were even going to get off the bus at a particular stop, and then slowly gathering all their stuff, etc., drove me insane! 

 

Just something to keep in mind when considering a cruise line that caters to older folk. 

hey, I resemble that!!

[Sigyn]

I was on vacation in Alaska once, when I was 31, and I took a day cruise to see the glaciers. It turned out to also be an excursion that was offered to Princess cruise passengers. I remember watching the bus unload and being shocked at how everyone was in their 60s and 70s. I decided I would never cruise with Princess until I was at least that age, since it was clearly an older crowd who opted for Princess, at least for Alaska. 

 

A friend of mine cruises quite a bit, having worked in the industry, and her favorite cruise lines are Celebrity, NCL and MSC. 

[TerryNJon]

18 hours ago, seaman11 said:

Must be location because you cant go more casual then carnival swim suit in mdr .  Lol 

Maybe casual wasn’t the right word. I kind of missed the loud deck parties and the Fun Squad. I felt the atmosphere of the ship was more sedate than Carnival.  Not necessarily bad, just different.  

[kwokpot]

12 minutes ago, TerryNJon said:

Maybe casual wasn’t the right word. I kind of missed the loud deck parties and the Fun Squad. I felt the atmosphere of the ship was more sedate than Carnival.  Not necessarily bad, just different.  

If that's what you're looking for in a cruise vacation tbh there's not really any other cruiseline that has a similar vibe/atmosphere to Carnival. Royal Caribbean is closer to NCL than Carnival. Certainly not Celebrity, Princess,MSC, or Hal. 

[motherchic]

Thankfully there are allot of options. I have a friend who loves Carnival, usually, especially when we first started cruising we sailed Royal. So we tried Carnival and it just wasn't for us. Would never sail another Carnival ship

We tried HAL once and it was way too sedate for us. Just like Goldilocks you finally find the right one. We now are loyal Celebrity cruisers.

Royal had good entertainment but more children   I like kids, had 4, but when we vacation we enjoy not having children running about.

Celebrity has great service, food is very good. We found our perfect fit

[ldubs]

10 hours ago, TerryNJon said:

Maybe casual wasn’t the right word. I kind of missed the loud deck parties and the Fun Squad. I felt the atmosphere of the ship was more sedate than Carnival.  Not necessarily bad, just different.  

 

Among the other mass market lines, I think Carnival is definitely going to be the most active/vibrant.  Beyond that,  I would put the RCI and Celebrity ahead of Carnival when it comes to dining and entertainment.  Celebrity has a casual atmosphere which I like, but is probably less "active" than Carnival or RCI.  But really,  with the exception of Carnival's nightlife, I don't think the differences are that huge.  Like others, I would recommend you try some others like RCI or Celebrity.   

 

Princess used to have some very good entertainment in lounge areas throughout the ship. It has been awhile since we have used Princess, so I can't comment on current practices.  

Edited September 19, 2022 by ldubs

[Toofarfromthesea]

On 9/17/2022 at 9:00 AM, groundloop said:

Since I've retired we've been doing a lot of cruising (might as well spend the IRA before the kids get it 😄 ), almost exclusively on Carnival. 

 

We did an Alaska cruise this summer on Holland America, and to me there were a few things that I like better about HA and there were a few things I liked better about Carnival.

 

I'm thinking it's time to look at other cruise lines to see what we think of them. We've always book at least a balcony cabin, I like Carnival's shows (except for the fact that there are only a limited number of different shows across the fleet and I seem to have seen them all at least a couple of times now), in general I don't have any complaints about the food on Carnival, and I prefer a somewhat more casual atmosphere.

 

For those of you that have cruised other lines as well as Carnival, what are your thoughts?

 

I've never cruised Carnival, but in the unlikely event I ever cruise again it will likely be in the MSC Yacht Club, on Celebrity, or on Holland America, in that order.

[Toofarfromthesea]

On 9/17/2022 at 11:30 AM, Silent Penguin said:

I don't think it matters which cruise line you try next.  You sound easy to please.  Have you thought about a river cruise?  I've never been on one, but our dear friends (both in early 60's) just got back from a European river cruise with Viking and had the time of their lives.  They posted pictures and videos  as they traveled,  and now dh and I are dying to go.  If we didn't have a cruise already booked for November....

 

That being said,  we're about to try our first Celebrity cruise after several Carnival cruises.  I've been frequenting the Celebrity boards on CC and the FB pages for several months.  It seems to me, a lot of Carnival and RC passengers wind up on Celebrity ships and love it.  I get the impression many make the switch for better food,  slightly more mature company and a more sedate shipboard experience.   I'm looking forward to better food, and I wouldn't object if  it was true that generally the people are better mannered, but I don't know if I'll like the vibe as much.  Even though I don't partake of the partying and drinking , I like the energetic and festive mood on Carnival.   And the people, there's nothing as interesting as the mix of people on a Carnival cruise. 

 

One of my favorite cruises was the length of the Mississippi from MN to NOLA.  But mucho expensive - definitely a one shot deal.

[lenquixote66]

On 9/17/2022 at 12:00 PM, groundloop said:

Since I've retired we've been doing a lot of cruising (might as well spend the IRA before the kids get it 😄 ), almost exclusively on Carnival. 

 

We did an Alaska cruise this summer on Holland America, and to me there were a few things that I like better about HA and there were a few things I liked better about Carnival.

 

I'm thinking it's time to look at other cruise lines to see what we think of them. We've always book at least a balcony cabin, I like Carnival's shows (except for the fact that there are only a limited number of different shows across the fleet and I seem to have seen them all at least a couple of times now), in general I don't have any complaints about the food on Carnival, and I prefer a somewhat more casual atmosphere.

 

For those of you that have cruised other lines as well as Carnival, what are your thoughts?

We have cruised on Carnival,Celebrity,Cunard,HAL,NCI and RCI.

Our least favorite was Carnival.

[KmomChicago]

It’s always interesting that the other passengers are an important factor for many travelers and the irritation experienced in many cases. 
 

I don’t mean to invalidate that but if you want control of the other passengers booking the same passage for the same price, you need a private yacht.

 

My biggest fear regarding cruise passengers is one day I will come face to face with myself from another dimension. I sure don’t want to deal with that jerk!

[Toofarfromthesea]

9 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

It’s always interesting that the other passengers are an important factor for many travelers and the irritation experienced in many cases. 
 

I don’t mean to invalidate that but if you want control of the other passengers booking the same passage for the same price, you need a private yacht.

 

My biggest fear regarding cruise passengers is one day I will come face to face with myself from another dimension. I sure don’t want to deal with that jerk!

 

It's not about controlling anyone, it is about avoiding situations where you are forced to deal with things you don't want to deal with.  As in, if you don't want to be around predominantly Europeans rather than Americans, and are discomfited by the child rearing practices of certain European cultures, then MSC, my favorite, wouldn't be a good choice.

[KmomChicago]

20 minutes ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

It's not about controlling anyone, it is about avoiding situations where you are forced to deal with things you don't want to deal with.  As in, if you don't want to be around predominantly Europeans rather than Americans, and are discomfited by the child rearing practices of certain European cultures, then MSC, my favorite, wouldn't be a good choice.

gotcha but tell me about these child rearing practices please.

[9tee2Sea]

I am Platinum on NCL and Gold with Carnival.  Obviously I enjoy NCL much more.  A few years ago I went on MSC cruise line.  Very interesting compared to the other well known cruiselines.  MSC caters to a more European crowd.  There were not as many shipboard announcements.  Any announcements were made in a verity of languages ( English, Italian, French, Spanish).  The food choice was not as big as on the others  ( I think it was the first cruise I did not gain weight).  The drinks ( I did not have a drink package), seemed much cheaper than the others.    I would give them a try.  Just make sure you enjoy the itinerary, that way, you will sure to have a good time ( even if you not like MSC).  

[Toofarfromthesea]

On 9/22/2022 at 4:16 PM, KmomChicago said:

gotcha but tell me about these child rearing practices please.

They tend to give their kids less restraints than typical American parents give theirs, in my experience.  It's different.  Different isn't necessarily good or bad.  These differences don't keep MSC from being my favorite line, but some people would be put off.

Edited September 24, 2022 by Toofarfromthesea

[George C]

If entertainment is high on your list I would definitely look at rccl . By far the best entertainment the newer larger ships have the best entertainment. For more of a adult cruise with less children I would try celebrity.

[SbbquilterUT]

We enjoy RCCL when traveling with kids and grandson - very energetic vacation and family time.  When we travel alone we more enjoy Celebrity or a European river cruise.  And we have found that our enjoyment of a sailing also depends on the length of sail - I prefer more than 10 days so we truly relax and get to fully explore the ship and ports.

[MWarren3549]

On 9/17/2022 at 3:31 PM, vwrestler171 said:

Some friends tried celebrity this year and loved it, so we will likely start looking there.  Another friend likes NCL, so we will look there as well.

Ive sailed Carnival some and more with NCL.  Food on NCL is HORRIBLE.  Carnival has GREAT food.  I haven't seen a lot of shows on Carnival. I cruise Carnival for the piano bar.  NCL has AMAZING shows.  Just Broadway quality.  Carnival is more affordable for:  Cruise cost, excursions, and drink package.