How does Celebrity compare to Carnival?

[Octavias]

There is a round trip cruise out of Seattle to Hawaii on Carnival that I’m interested in but I know very little about the cruise line.  I’ve studied Celebrity, as we have an Alaskan cruise coming up with them.  How do they compare?  The ship is the carnival spirit which seems to be an older ship although it says it was redone in 2018.  I will post this on the Carnival section as well.  

[prmssk]

That itinerary likely will be a lower key crowd so probably not a lot different than Celebrity. (Carnival’s more traditional shorter sailings attract more of a party, drinking crowd.)

 

The fast casual food options (things like Guy’s Burger, Blue Iguana, etc.) on Carnival are far superior to Celebrity.  And my husband also loves the melting chocolate cake in the MDR. Carnival’s buffet has a lot less variety and the quality of food in general is not great but we still find things to eat. 
 

Crew seem to be spread a bit more thin in our experience. They only service staterooms once a day and the servers we had in the MDR covered a lot of tables. 
 

I usually enjoy the drinks in the Alchemy Bar but you won’t find a great wine selection. 
 

Carnival is significantly cheaper so if you go into looking at the value for what you get, you will have a great time and find things to enjoy. We were pleasantly surprised by a strings duo that played in lounges on the Ecstasy last year who were amazing. 

Carnival is not usually our choice because we prefer a quieter atmosphere but when the price or itinerary is right, we do book Carnival. A Carnival ship got me to Chichén Itzá last year for very little money. 

[landlockedinco]

We have been on 5 Celebrity sailings which were all great.  Recently we tried Carnival: a four nighter on the Miracle and a 7 night Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Glory.  We enjoyed both very much to our surprise. Good food, entertainment, lots of fun, fellow cruisers very friendly on Carnival.  Our next cruise will be on the Celebrity Apex, can't wait to try the Edge class.  I'd be happy to sail again on Carnival, too.

[HWC_Mom]

We've done a couple of Carnival cruises, because of the cheap fares and itineraries.  We've also done a few Celebrity.  Last Carnival the last evening there was a fight in the main dining room that was exciting.  The crowd on Carnival we kinda feel is more prone to screaming matches.  

 

The crew has always felt more professional on Celebrity.  We enjoyed the food in the MDR on Carnival, speciality restaurants we didn't find worth it at all but Guys burgers made up for it.  

 

Overall I'd say Carnival is fine.  It's like going to a chain restaurant, it'll be fine but nothing spectacular but if you like the itinerary why not go for it 

[med2cruise]

I have been on Carnival and Celebrity.  Celebrity is a little more calmer, Carnival really is a fun ship!  I was on Carnival in November and doing Celebrity this November.   We usually can only go the week of Thanksgiving and this year friends wanted to go on Celebrity.  It really is what you make of it.  I am happy cruising on either one, just enjoy the ports, friends & drinks.

[love to cruz]

If drinking is your thing, Carnival is great. Far too prone for people to be rowdy for us.

[bigAWL]

Just now, love to cruz said:

If drinking is your thing, Carnival is great. Far too prone for people to be rowdy for us.

Have you been on multiple Carnival sailings?  Were they all like this, or some less rowdy?

[PH2]

We will be going on our first Celebrity cruise in September and our only other cruise experience was on Carnival, earlier this year. From all of the "Walmart at Sea" comments I read going into it, I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, it was a big time party atmosphere (it wasn't spring break but we left on Super Bowl Sunday so that was part of it) and the crowds trended younger, but we stayed in the Havana Cabana section which had its own pool and bar area, so any pool overcrowding or rowdiness we were able to miss.

 

I thought the food was good - better than I expected - and as someone above posted, the fast food (burgers, seafood station, pizza) was really good. We paid for the bonzai teppanyaki meal and it was worth it. Not much in the way of shows - we saw one the night before the cruise ended - but the comedians were decent and we enjoyed bingo a couple of times.

 

I'm not sure what itinerary we'd do Carnival again, but it exceeded our expectations for newbies. I'll be curious to see how Celebrity stacks up.

[love to cruz]

Just now, bigAWL said:

Have you been on multiple Carnival sailings?  Were they all like this, or some less rowdy?

I would say all our sailings on Carnival were like this. (We have taken 9 Carnival cruises.) Honestly never more than 7 days, which may make a difference. We now prefer Princess, then Celebrity.

[bigAWL]

19 minutes ago, love to cruz said:

I would say all our sailings on Carnival were like this. (We have taken 9 Carnival cruises.) Honestly never more than 7 days, which may make a difference. We now prefer Princess, then Celebrity.

Now I'm curious... if you took 9 Carnival cruises, and found them all to be too rowdy, what kept you coming back?  Was there something great about them?  I've never done Carnival.

[love to cruz]

29 minutes ago, bigAWL said:

Now I'm curious... if you took 9 Carnival cruises, and found them all to be too rowdy, what kept you coming back?  Was there something great about them?  I've never done Carnival.

Yes. The food is very good in the dining room, the production shows were excellent & Carnival's price was the cheapest. We are very blessed that we can now afford to sail on Princess & Celebrity & pay more.

[BentPicketRanchGirl]

To me, that is like comparing a Motel 6 to a Marriott. They both have beds so you can sleep. They have bathrooms and you can usually get breakfast at both. So needs are met. The difference is how refined they are. Young 20-30 somethings that want to party hard will love Carnival as long as they are not serious foodies. It was the first cruise I ever took and it hooked me on cruising. People that aren't as much into the hairy chest, hairy legs, and wet t-shirt type contests may not enjoy it as much. Both cruise lines have their fans. That is what is neat about cruising. There's pretty much something for everyone. Demographics vary a lot. I prefer a more refined experience so I go on Celebrity. Out of over 75 cruises, I have gone 3 times on Carnival, the last being last fall. Sometimes it is hard to pass up super cheap prices. Just manage your expectations. However, if it is one of those once in a lifetime cruises, I would pass on Carnival, regardless the cost.

[CaribbeanBound]

Been on both. Like both. Prefer Celebrity. 

 

Totally agree, "the fast casual food options (things like Guy’s Burger, Blue Iguana, etc.) on Carnival are far superior to Celebrity".  Wife not a fan of Carnival.  She finds the ships way too noisy, with "constant blaring announcements" and "entertainment that has no place to set up so they end up blocking the hallways".  We feel the MDR food and service is better.  Celebrity seems to have a few "nice touches".

[NutsAboutGolf]

Your Carnival on board experience will greatly vary by ship because when older Carnival ships are redone they simply don't have the space to add latest and greatest.  Mainly dining venues, their newest ships made three specialty restaurants free.  The restaurants are BBQ (free for lunch), Italian and Asian/Mexican, free and you don't need reservations

 

On Carnival you're going to have a lot of kids and a younger crowd.

 

On Carnival you have a lot more choices when it comes to nightly entertainment, will probably have a main show, 3 or 4 comedian shows, an ongoing piano singalong bar and karaoke all in the same night 

[med2cruise]

The experience is what you make of it.  Yes, they are rowdier and lots of partying BUT it is what you make of it.  I am around the partiers; I am not a partier.  I like going to the pool, dinner, shows, comedy shows and a drink or 2 at the bars.  I am not up all night partying, I am not drunk walking around the ship, nor am I fighting with anyone.  I am enjoying my vacation time and making the best of what I want for it, which is the majority of cruises.  There tend to be more kids of all ages running around on Carnival.  Carnival is usually a good price point for a decent vacation.  I live across from the Tampa port (I literally walk my bags to the ship) and my options are Carnival, Norwegian, Royal and now Celebrity.  I have branched out and have gone to Port Canaveral and next one is Ft Lauderdale to cruise.  While Celebrity is by favorite, Carnival is my go to, Royal is next and I tried MSC last year and loved it!

[PROCRUISE]

Took my first cruise when I was 55yrs old, on Carnival. Loved it and did 11 more cruises with Carnival including the W. and E. Mediterranean. I actually still have all twelve Carnival pins that they gave out with each ships name on it. Of course, by then, I was in my early sixties so I tried X, HAL, Windstar and Viking Ocean. Loved the more relaxed and calm atmosphere and enjoyed the more mature fellow passengers. I guess for me, Carnival is fine, but now at age 76yrs, I don't need constant announcements telling me to "go have fun!" My fun is sometimes just sitting on the balcony with a glass of wine and enjoying the phenomenal ocean sights. I do agree however, as others have mentioned, Carnival usually wins when it comes to price especially since post pandemic prices on X. HAL has also kept their prices more reasonable too.

[miched]

Carnival is what it claims to be:  “The Fun Ship”.   Enjoyed all of our cruises on them.  We thought  the food, and service was good.    I don’t think that the employees have an attitude that we are a carnival therefore we don’t have to be as good as the other lines.   They work just as hard and always gave us great service.  They work for the gratuities.

 

I liked the entertainment better on Carnival.  The shows were better, more comedian shows and better bands in the lounges.

 

Celebrity is a little more laid back,  has a better beverage package, and better loyalty perks.  The officers are more friendly and have more of a presence on Celebrity.  I never thought that meant much but it is nice to see them around to be there for you if needed and just give a cheerful greeting if nothing else.  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[K&RCurt]

As others have said the atmosphere is definitely more casual and the demographic younger and somewhat less socially refined than you will find on Celebrity.  We have friends that absolutely love Carnival and have cruised with them a bit.  For reference we have sailed with Celebrity 3 times (one more booked), HAL 4 times, RC once and Carnival 7 times (one more booked.)

 

We enjoyed ourselves on every cruise. The only altercation we every experienced was a VERY drunk lady attempting to get back on the HAL Eurodam in St Thomas being very abusive to the staff who were only trying to assist her.  She and her husband / SO / whatever got to remain in St Thomas.  The more questionable pool "contests" on Carnival (Hairy chest, wet t-shirt, etc, etc) are no longer done and the pool events now are not as crass as the past.  We avoid the main pool and tend to spend sea day time in the Serenity adult only areas on Carnival.

 

Food is super subjective but in our opinion MDR food quality, in order is X, HAL (Very close), RC then Carnival.  Buffet HAL, RC, X, Carnival.  Specialty, X, HAL, RC, Carnival. Casual food, Celebrity then the other 3 with a sizable gap.

 

We found RC had the best shows and entertainment, Carnival shows were OK but the Punchliner Comedy Clubs are great and they had some good smaller groups spread out around the ship, X shows and other entertainment was consistently good, HAL was a mixed bag, some great entertainers and some ho-hum.

 

Overall I would not hesitate to book any of the 4 given the timing / itinerary / price met our wants / needs.

 

Edited June 9, 2023 by K&RCurt

[KKB]

OK...we have sailed Celebrity more than any other line in the last 10 years. 

We sailed Carnival Miracle to Hawaii (RT LA) in January--1st time on Carnival.

Everyone said we would hate it.

We loved it!

Great service, food, music, activities, comedians. (productions shows were "meh")

Bartender said the key to Carnival is to avoid 7 days or less in Caribbean or MX Riv.

Give it a try!

[NutsAboutGolf]

2 minutes ago, KKB said:

OK...we have sailed Celebrity more than any other line in the last 10 years. 

We sailed Carnival Miracle to Hawaii (RT LA) in January--1st time on Carnival.

Everyone said we would hate it.

We loved it!

Great service, food, music, activities, comedians. (productions shows were "meh")

Bartender said the key to Carnival is to avoid 7 days or less in Caribbean or MX Riv.

Give it a try!

You have to try their newest ships, Mardi gras or Celebration just for the food.  The Italian restaurant and Asian/Mexican restaurant are free and do not require reservations like they do on other ships.  Also guys BBQ is free for both lunch and dinner.  There’s street food with 3 stations and big chicken

[med2cruise]

6 hours ago, K&RCurt said:

As others have said the atmosphere is definitely more casual and the demographic younger and somewhat less socially refined than you will find on Celebrity.  We have friends that absolutely love Carnival and have cruised with them a bit.  For reference we have sailed with Celebrity 3 times (one more booked), HAL 4 times, RC once and Carnival 7 times (one more booked.)

 

We enjoyed ourselves on every cruise. The only altercation we every experienced was a VERY drunk lady attempting to get back on the HAL Eurodam in St Thomas being very abusive to the staff who were only trying to assist her.  She and her husband / SO / whatever got to remain in St Thomas.  The more questionable pool "contests" on Carnival (Hairy chest, wet t-shirt, etc, etc) are no longer done and the pool events now are not as crass as the past.  We avoid the main pool and tend to spend sea day time in the Serenity adult only areas on Carnival.

 

Food is super subjective but in our opinion MDR food quality, in order is X, HAL (Very close), RC then Carnival.  Buffet HAL, RC, X, Carnival.  Specialty, X, HAL, RC, Carnival. Casual food, Celebrity then the other 3 with a sizable gap.

 

We found RC had the best shows and entertainment, Carnival shows were OK but the Punchliner Comedy Clubs are great and they had some good smaller groups spread out around the ship, X shows and other entertainment was consistently good, HAL was a mixed bag, some great entertainers and some ho-hum.

 

Overall I would not hesitate to book any of the 4 given the timing / itinerary / price met our wants / needs.

 

I totally agree with you!  The comedians on Carnival are very good and that is one thing that I am drawn too.  I like to go to one of the comedy shows every night.

[bigAWL]

18 hours ago, K&RCurt said:

Food is super subjective but in our opinion MDR food quality, in order is X, HAL (Very close), RC then Carnival.  Buffet HAL, RC, X, Carnival.  Specialty, X, HAL, RC, Carnival. Casual food, Celebrity then the other 3 with a sizable gap.

 

What do you include in the Casual Food category?  I haven't experienced any of the lines you are rating, but have read thread after thread here that seem to have a consensus that X burgers (in particular) are consistently inferior to the others.

 

I know my teens would love to hear about any good casual food recommendations on X.

[sparks1093]

Following along since we are booked for Summit in 2/25. We normally book with the "lowest bidder" and still do, but now that we buy the beverage package on every sailing we compare any cruises that include that in the fare. When we booked Summit (Southern Caribbean itinerary) we compared it to a Carnival Southern Caribbean itinerary and while the itineraries aren't exact, Carnival was the ABC islands, Celebrity is St Martin/Antigua/St Lucia/Barbados/Dominica, they both offered features we liked for an itinerary. Carnival came in at $2400 for a mid-ship balcony cabin. When you factor in the drink package, gratuities and wifi it comes in at around $3800. We booked a Prime Concierge class cabin on Summit for $3700 that includes the drink package, gratuities and wifi, plus a couple other amenities. We are looking forward to trying Celebrity.

[Cruise a holic]

Having sailed on 50 plus cruises in the past 20 years, I must say Carnival cannot compare to Celebrity.  Celebrity, IMO has better food, service and the crowd is less 24 hour party.  Yet you can still find plenty of activities.  I find Carnival is typically a very young crowd while celebrity is more diverse.  If you are having a bachelor party and want a wild celebration, Carnival your choice.  If you are looking for a more relaxed vacation Celebrity is for you.  

 

I also find that Royal newer ships are a great balance

[retired dude]

3 hours ago, bigAWL said:

What do you include in the Casual Food category?  I haven't experienced any of the lines you are rating, but have read thread after thread here that seem to have a consensus that X burgers (in particular) are consistently inferior to the others.

 

I know my teens would love to hear about any good casual food recommendations on X.

burgers on rccl and celebrity are inedible....but then who goes on a cruise to eat burgers??????