Anyone done Carnival, how is it?

[RedIguana]

On 3/7/2023 at 5:11 PM, Vacationdreamer<>< said:

Just got off Carnival Elation yesterday. 

If you enjoyed your Elation trip you won't have an issue with any RCI ship, other than the high beverage package cost. One thing the Carnival group has over RCG is the beverage packages cost less (although wine selection for Cabs not as good on CCL and HAL, it looks fine on Princess). RCI loyalty with vouchers makes up for that as you get more cruises under your belt with them.

Edited March 10, 2023 by RedIguana
cost less

[time4u2go]

1 hour ago, resetjet said:

Itinerary has alot to do with it.  Take a spring break cruise or a short weekend cruise on either line and expect chaos. We did an 8 day panama canal in feb on carnival,  and its sure wasnt a party ship. At 55 we were at the younger end.  Almost no kids.  Same ship,  4 night weekend and party central i am sure.  Royal is more expensive especially when considering drink packages so that help keeping out the riff raff.

Lol Royal has plenty of riff-raff!

[davekathy]

3 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

Lol Royal has plenty of riff-raff!

Yes I am. 😁

[Vacationdreamer<><]

2 hours ago, RedIguana said:

high beverage package

We aren’t drinkers, so I think Refresher will be fine for us. 
 

Elation was just my husband and I for our first ever parent only trip. 
 

Voyager will be with five of the kids. 
I’m disappointed to learn no freestyle machines on VOTS and that the ice show is the Occult, and that RCCL doesn’t partner with my one preferred Coz excursion. I did NOT do my homework. 
 

but we will make the most of it. 
All days on the sea are better than doing school work!!!!😃😃😃

[RedIguana]

11 minutes ago, Vacationdreamer&lt;&gt;&lt; said:

 

Voyager will be with five of the kids.

You and your husband are much braver than I🤪.

[Vacationdreamer<><]

1 minute ago, RedIguana said:

braver

Not sure about that, but we have found cruising to provide a great vacation across the family. So much to enjoy. 
 

I only wish we’d realized earlier how well it suited our crew. 

[maryann2]

3 hours ago, Ret MP said:

That is true, the itinerary and length of a cruise have a lot to do with the demographics of a cruise.  No doubt!  

 

"Royal is more expensive especially when considering drink packages so that help keeping out the riff raff".

 

A price I'm willing to pay.  

Not really.

One of my worse cruises was Independence OTS TA to Southampton.

Royal had promoted this in the UK with included drink package.

Lots of drunken noisy behaviour including people openly having sex in the hot tubs. 

I had done the TA on Independence before and it was fine.  My point is the demographics can change.

[Ret MP]

44 minutes ago, maryann2 said:

Not really.

One of my worse cruises was Independence OTS TA to Southampton.

Royal had promoted this in the UK with included drink package.

Lots of drunken noisy behaviour including people openly having sex in the hot tubs. 

I had done the TA on Independence before and it was fine.  My point is the demographics can change.

Yes, I'm sure we can all point to one or two cruised on RCCL or any other cruise line that didn't go as we would like.  My comment is in general.  I find that generally speaking, RCCL is a little less of a free for all than the other line.  And again, that's my opinion.  

[goldfish65]

2 hours ago, maryann2 said:

Not really.

One of my worse cruises was Independence OTS TA to Southampton.

Royal had promoted this in the UK with included drink package.

Lots of drunken noisy behaviour including people openly having sex in the hot tubs. 

I had done the TA on Independence before and it was fine.  My point is the demographics can change.

Ewww. I wonder if it was a demographic group you can identify.

 

Trying Carnival 8 day Panama Canal from Tampa next year. I think I can adapt; it will be worth it to see the canal and I was invited by friends. We have an aft balcony and the fare was reasonable. I'll miss having tablecloths in the main dining room.

 

One thing I like to do, search YouTube for videos of cruises that were the same itinerary and time of year as the cruise I am considering. For example, there is a Carnival cruise that ports in Charleston; looked at a video and saw a very crowded ship with men in wife-beaters and ladies(?) twerking.

[AquarianCruiser]

2 hours ago, maryann2 said:

Not really.

One of my worse cruises was Independence OTS TA to Southampton.

Royal had promoted this in the UK with included drink package.

Lots of drunken noisy behaviour including people openly having sex in the hot tubs. 

I had done the TA on Independence before and it was fine.  My point is the demographics can change.

That is my understanding as well and I couldn’t agree more.  

[AquarianCruiser]

9 minutes ago, goldfish65 said:

Ewww. I wonder if it was a demographic group you can identify.

 

Trying Carnival 8 day Panama Canal from Tampa next year. I think I can adapt; it will be worth it to see the canal and I was invited by friends. We have an aft balcony and the fare was reasonable. I'll miss having tablecloths in the main dining room.

 

One thing I like to do, search YouTube for videos of cruises that were the same itinerary and time of year as the cruise I am considering. For example, there is a Carnival cruise that ports in Charleston; looked at a video and saw a very crowded ship with men in wife-beaters and ladies(?) twerking.

That’s considered “FUN” to too many who cruise on Carnival but that kind of “FUN” does not appeal to me.  That ship has sailed.  🛳️ 

[DallasGuy75219]

After Royal's recent/ongoing cuts (MDR and stateroom service), their onboard product is approaching that of Carnival as Royal cheapens its product to seemingly match Carnival's.  So I'd say they're becoming more similar. 

[DallasGuy75219]

8 hours ago, RedIguana said:

If you enjoyed your Elation trip you won't have an issue with any RCI ship, other than the high beverage package cost.

And except for the breadth of complimentary food options.  Even Carnival's oldest ships (e.g. Elation) blow RC out of the water on anything older than Oasis class in terms of the variety of complimentary food options.

[Ret MP]

47 minutes ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

And except for the breadth of complimentary food options.  Even Carnival's oldest ships (e.g. Elation) blow RC out of the water on anything older than Oasis class in terms of the variety of complimentary food options.

Well, this question is from pure curiosity as I really don't know the answer to the question.  Although, I think I have some idea:

 

What included food/free food can you get on a Rustbucket cruise ship that you can't get on a RCCL ship for free?  I'm not talking about the quality of food, just the availability of included/free food.  I can't think of anything that is included on a Rustbucket ship that isn't included on a RCCL Ship.  But, I could be wrong.  No agenda, just honestly curious.  

[DyanaT]

Having done both many times… they are similar. That same “demographic” that is on Carnival is also here on Royal Caribbean. 🤪 if the itinerary was better, I’d cruise Carnival again for sure!

[Joebucks]

On 3/6/2023 at 12:58 PM, firefly333 said:

Maybe you just need a ta with rcl group prices. Just your opinion prices are cheaper. As I said I'm only looking at Galveston and 7 days or more. Even a inside costs me more on carnival than a inside balcony on rcl. Each to his own. Each is entitled to their opinions. 

 

I dont know how to get refundable group rates for less on carnival. Nothing against carnival it just makes no sense to book and pay more.  .. I wouldnt be diamond on carnival if I didnt used to cruise more with them, but they sure raised prices. Yes I know so has rcl. My wallet decides. 

 

I'm older, the one thing I didnt like on carnival was the volumn of the pool music. I did vista since covid and b2b breeze so 3 since covid. 

 

I don't think pricing is entitled to an opinion. Value may be, but not pricing.

 

Their point was that Carnival was cheaper without the discounts. Upon a quick glance, Galveston is not any cheaper on RCL by default, but your discounts may make it that way.

[time4u2go]

13 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

And except for the breadth of complimentary food options.  Even Carnival's oldest ships (e.g. Elation) blow RC out of the water on anything older than Oasis class in terms of the variety of complimentary food options.

I definitely agree with that!

[AquarianCruiser]

22 minutes ago, DyanaT said:

Having done both many times… they are similar. That same “demographic” that is on Carnival is also here on Royal Caribbean. 🤪 if the itinerary was better, I’d cruise Carnival again for sure!

I have little tolerance/ patience with inconsiderate slobs.  That is why I have graduated from Carnival to Celebrity. The class of people who cruise with Celebrity are generally far more mature and refined.  

Edited March 11, 2023 by AquarianCruiser

[DyanaT]

5 minutes ago, AquarianCruiser said:

I have little tolerance/ patience with inconsiderate slobs.  That is why I have graduated from Carnival to Celebrity. The class of people who cruise with Celebrity are generally far more mature and refined.  

Great. But the original post didn’t ask about Celebrity. I’m on Allure right now… and there’s more slobs than you can imagine. It’s disgusting. Out of Texas, RC is typically cheaper than Carnival with all their promotions. Booked Alaska with RC for near future (also cheaper than Carnival or Norwegian at the time)… and now I’m second-guessing myself. Anyway, the “slobs” are everywhere.

[CruisingWalter]

We had a great time on the Mardi Gras. Shaq's Chicken is honestly addictive, so freakin' good and BlueIguana is far superior to El Loco Fresh and don't even get me started about the pizza. The pizza on Mardi Gras was miles ahead of Sorrentos. We sailed with 5900 and the ship never really felt that crowded though there were a few bottlenecks. The Oasis class ships definitely spread people around even better.

 

The Carnival App works so much better than Royal's for dining. No need to line up at the MDR or any restaurant. Simply check the app that you're ready to go to dinner and the app will notify you when your table is ready. Then you have 10 minutes to get to the restaurant. So easy, we loved it. 

 

With the addition of the Costa ships, Carnival has been adding some really interesting itineraries such as the Australia to Seattle repositioning and some new Pan-Asian itineraries. They're definitely leaning a bit more into longer and more unique itineraries. We've sailed 8 cruise lines, variety is fun!

[RedIguana]

13 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

And except for the breadth of complimentary food options.  Even Carnival's oldest ships (e.g. Elation) blow RC out of the water on anything older than Oasis class in terms of the variety of complimentary food options.

The last 2 cruises for me before the shutdown were on the Majesty in Oct 2019 and the Elation in Jan 2020. The wrong ship got scrapped (Yes I know different lines, and  they have scrapped 5-6 of the fantasy class). When the best complimentary food on your ship is your burger joint, something ain't right. The Blue Iguana did not even have a beef choice on that cruise. And no Escargot. If I ever come across an itinerary and price I like for a carnival sailing, I would sail them again. But I would also know it won't be for the food and lower my expectations accordingly, or plan on specialty. I've been on HAL since the restart, food was pretty decent, and have a Princess booked for Alaska in a few months. So its not like I am anti-carnival corporation (and even have the requisite 100 shares of stock). So unless the Elation has undergone a culinary revolution since the restart, I still stand by my statement that if they enjoyed their Elation Cruise they will have no issues with any RCL cruise, assuming conditions haven't changed much on RCL since the 3 I did last year on them. 

Edited March 11, 2023 by RedIguana

[AquarianCruiser]

3 hours ago, DyanaT said:

Great. But the original post didn’t ask about Celebrity. I’m on Allure right now… and there’s more slobs than you can imagine. It’s disgusting. Out of Texas, RC is typically cheaper than Carnival with all their promotions. Booked Alaska with RC for near future (also cheaper than Carnival or Norwegian at the time)… and now I’m second-guessing myself. Anyway, the “slobs” are everywhere.

That’s just not true.  The “slobs” are most certainly not everywhere.  Please do not mislead people by categorically stating such a thing and erroneously generalizing that “slobs are everywhere” and the original post did in fact mention Celebrity.  

[billslowsky]

On 3/9/2023 at 4:24 PM, Giantfan13 said:

 

I am certainly not putting anyone down who likes to sail on Carnival, but for us, they simply have no control over what the passengers want to do and it would be a cold day in hell if they told any passenger that they cannot do something. I'm sure RCCL has its share of the same thing, but Carnival is what it advertises a Party type cruise with, I hate to say this, with a bit of a lower-class clientele, more families, and kids.

 

Okay, sure.

[Gentryj]

On 3/6/2023 at 10:08 AM, alleghator said:

I've sailed on Carnival and RC and each has its perks. I don't really understand the disparaging "Wal-Mart" comments that are so frequently thrown at Carnival.

 

Some of the things Carnival does better than RC ... more variety and options for included food. Better organization and coordination of games and recreation events (trivia, other group contests). Some of the things RC does better than Carnival ... better signage, slightly more elegant decor.

 

Everything else we found to be roughly the same. I think the biggest differences in clientele are not going to be found between these two cruise lines overall, but between itineraries and what time of year you sail.

I totally agree.....  I've been on both RC and Carnival and I love both.  When I see some people complain about certain thing about certain cruise lines or specific cruise ships, I think to myself, "I wonder if I gave them $10K, would they be upset that I didn't give them $100K."  haha.....

 

With that being said, we LOVE to cruise.  We run a Construction company and we work long and hard hours and therefore we want to have something to look forward to.

 

I have booked the Carnival 25 Day "Journeys" Cruise (Singapore  ---  Ho Chi Minh City (Siagon)  ---  Vietnam, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia  ---   Manila, Philippines,  ---  Guam, Asia  ---  Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii  ---  Kahului, Maui, Hawaii  ---  Los Angeles      --------    What a Great Itinerary for a Retired Military Veteran.....   I'm having to go with my Son because my Wife said she couldn't be away from the "Fur Children" for that long.  Therefore, I'm going with my 31 year old son and we will have a very memorable time.....  One I'm sure he will hold on long after I am gone from this Earth....

 

This is the way I look at "Cruising"....   Like another person posted, "It's all how you make it",  I don't want to be around the crowds, due to my PTSD, so I stay away from the crazy areas.  You see comments in the news about incidents that happen on a cruise ship, but a lot of the times it is after a LOT of drinks and LATE at night.  We can't control that on ANY of the Cruise ships and companies.  This is just the way our world is now....  Then we will pay more for Balcony cabins (which gives us more room and less stress).   We will also pay extra for the Carnival "Havana Experience" cabins (which is like being on a totally different (less stressed, private, quiet, wonderful.....) area (within the ship)...

 

With all of the above, you need to do your research and understand that you get what you pay for.  We enjoy our Casino Deals from Carnival, the Cabin Categories they offer, the price for the Upgraded (in which we pay for) cabins and Areas (Havana, which we pay for), and the overall experience we get from cruising....  But, we LOVE Royal Caribbean as well and they have (most) all these options as well.  

 

Just don't get upset with a cruise line if you are paying bottom dollar for an Interior Room in the bowels of the ship, and then don't want to experience everything "or at least some" of the things that you could enjoy on the ship.

 

HAPPY Cruising.....

 

Jim

 

Edited March 11, 2023 by Gentryj

[Gentryj]

On 3/6/2023 at 11:13 AM, TravisP said:

My main issue with Carnival is the limit they have on drinks in a day. 

Well on our Last cruise with Carnival, I was on a Roll in the Casino, and I made the big mistake of having a few too many Long Island Ice Teas.  hahaha.....   I normally do very well playing Roulette and this mistake cost me some money.  Not too much because I don't bet really large amounts.  

But with that being said, I ended up ordering around 10 drinks (and I'm around a 220# guy) and that was way more than enough.  My friend, who was gambling with wasn't feeling very well either.  His wife had to aid him in his recovery and both of our wives go a good laugh out of it.  

 

Therefore, I am glad there is a limit (even though we didn't hit it) because it will help us out from being too stupid.  

 

You might want to just order stronger drinks and make sure to tip your server well and you will find out that most likely if you hit 15, you will be "under the table and inside the throne"......

 

Jim