I Tried Carnival, But I'm Back For Good!!!

[broncoboxer]

I can identify with the original poster.

 

My wife and I first cruised on Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas back in February of 2005. It was a 7-day Western Caribbean trip. We had a blast! Loved the experience and couldn’t wait to book a second cruise.

 

After reading the Carnival boards, I was convinced that we’d have as great a time on one of their ships. After all, a cruise is what you make of it. I got it. Since neither my wife or myself are all that picky, I convinced her to let me book a Carnival cruise.

 

So I booked a 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise on Carnival’s Victory. The ship was about three years older than Navigator and wasn’t as big, obviously. At the time, the Voyager class ships were just about the biggest things on the sea (except for the Queen Mary 2). Still, I’d heard that smaller ships had much to offer as well. And since I was able to book a balcony room on the Victory for less money than what I had booked an interior room for on the Navigator, I was quite happy and looking forward to having a great time.

 

Well, we had a good time, not a great one. Here are some reasons why:

 

1. The excitement level was far lower on the Carnival ship than on the RCI ship. When we first stepped onto RCI’s Navigator, the band was playing, passengers were dancing, servers were practically throwing tropical drinks at us—the party was on! There was no doubt our vacation had begun.

 

When we first stepped onto Carnival’s Victory, the atmosphere was subdued. No band. No music. The passengers didn’t dance, they marched onto the ship and loped to the nearest food station. I had to hunt down a drink. My wife and I wondered, where’s the excitement?

 

2. The food, as a whole, was not as good as the food on the Navigator. Now, the dining room food on Victory was every bit as good as the dining room food on Navigator. But the buffet food was mediocre at best. We found ourselves avoiding the buffet altogether and settling for sandwiches from their sandwich shop (which were excellent—my wife still craves them) or pizza (which was okay).

 

At this point, I must mention the pizza guy, or as we like to call him: the Pizza N a z i. Never having been on a Carnival ship, we were curious about the pizza and wondered if they’d bake pizzas to order with your choice of toppings. When my wife politely asked the pizza guy if they would, he barked a “No,” pointed to the pizza slices in the glass display and said, “This is it.”

 

Since we only enjoyed the sandwiches and the pizza outside of the dining room, we braved many more encounters with this guy: the only flat-out rude employee I’d ever met on a cruise ship. He never smiled. Rarely spoke. And rarely even looked in our direction. At any point we expected him to shout, “No slice for you!”

 

By the end of the cruise we were laughing about it and even took a picture of him.

 

Let me make a note here. The rest of the Carnival staff were excellent; equally on par with the great folk at RCI. And the coffee shop, the one you paid extra for, was fantastic. The young lady there made the best café mocha we’d ever had.

 

3. The activities were more fun on the Navigator. When we first booked our Navigator cruise, friends and co-workers asked why we hadn’t booked with Carnival. After all, we were young professionals. Didn’t the Carnival “Fun Ships” better fit our style? Well, I wondered that myself. That’s one reason why I booked our 2nd cruise on Carnival.

 

But we had more fun on the Navigator. The activities on Navigator were well attended. The Cruise Director and his team did a remarkable job of involving and engaging passengers. The activities were not well attended on the Victory. I literally watched as 5 people—that’s right—five people showed up for the sexy legs contest. I gotta hand it to the videographers though. They made those five people look like fifty with their extreme close-ups. My wife and I laughed when watching the cruise in review video at the end.

 

Plus, there was simply more to do on Navigator. For instance, Navigator had in-line skating, a rock climbing wall, miniature golf, basketball, ping-pong tables, an ice skating rink, and my personal favorite: shuffleboard! Incredibly, Victory had none of these.

 

We even took scuba diving lessons onboard the Navigator! How crazy is that? We couldn’t have even begun to take scuba lessons on the Victory since their pools were so small—more like kiddie pools.

 

Bottom line: we had more fun on the Navigator. Though we saved money on the Carnival cruise and had a bigger stateroom to boot, we simply enjoyed the RCI cruise more.

 

And that’s why we’ll be sailing with RCI again. This time on the Freedom of the Seas.

 

We can’t wait.

[caviargal]

I agree that the "old" Carnival ships leave alot to be desired as far as decor goes :eek: They remind me of being at an amusement park. But, I think you'd be in for a pleasant surprise if you stepped aboard one of their new ships....very different for sure. They still do have "themes" which the other mainstream cruiselines do not have.

 

I have been on Fantasy (1992), Inspiration (1997) and Glory (2005).

 

I personally did not find them - or the overall experience - to be very different at all.

 

Glory was impossibly crowded with lines everywhere. The pool area was a joke. I did not care for food or service in the dining room. I did enjoy the supper club 3 of 7 nights. The obnoxious announcements and dancing in the dining room I found tacky.

 

My balcony aft cabin was fine with a comfortable mattress, much like the new RCI bedding. There was a lot of vibration in this location but at least it was somewhat quiet.

 

As for passengers, I was really amazed at the attire permitted in the dining room at dinner, despite what was "not permitted". t shirts, ball caps, cut off shorts. However, I have seen the same on recent RCI cruises, just in lesser numbers.

 

Glory was a loud ship in every way: decor, music, passenger mix. It was smoky and unpleasant.

 

I am not a RCI cheerleader but, if I had to choose between the two, I would most definitely avoid Carnival, new ships or old.

[mohavemommy]

I have too sailed Carnival... 3 times to be exact. Once on an older ship and on two different ones that are less than 5 years old. I have since sailed with RCI.

 

We still get mailings from Carnival and my daughter asked me just a couple of weeks ago if I thought we would ever sail with Carnival again. My reply to her was that Carnival cruises are fine, but RCI cruises are SO MUCH BETTER! I might go on a Carnival cruise again if I wanted a specific itinerary that RCI didn't sail to... such as the Lower Mexican Riviera (Acapulco, Ixtapa, etc...) without having to do a 14 day Panama Canal cruise.

 

Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Princess, Celebrity and others exist because of the variety people want. People will usually have their favorite based upon personal likes. Yes, they are all cruise lines, but those differences can make a difference to some people. It is the same with a hamburger... you can get it from Burger King, McD's, Sonic, In-and-Out or wherever... but the bottom line is it is still a hamburger... just made a little different so people can have a choice. :p

[RammerJammer]

Bottom line: we had more fun on the Navigator. Though we saved money on the Carnival cruise and had a bigger stateroom to boot, we simply enjoyed the RCI cruise more.

 

And that’s why we’ll be sailing with RCI again. This time on the Freedom of the Seas

 

This is the essence of what I've been driving at. If you've experienced both and want to share your opinions -- well, that is what this board is all about.

You weren't judgmental towards those who choose one over the other. Just shared your experience and let the devil sort out the details

I doff my hat to you, sir.:cool:

 

 

 

It is the same with a hamburger... you can get it from Burger King, McD's, Sonic, In-and-Out or wherever... but the bottom line is it is still a hamburger... just made a little different so people can have a choice.

 

That just might be the most apt metaphor I've ever seen on here. I'm impressed.:cool:

 

And thus endeth my participation in this broohaha

[cruisebabe43]

After reading so many reviews on this board and ONLY cruising RCI, a very good friend asked us to join him and others on a group cruise. It was to be on the Carnival Glory. My husband and I were actually nervous because of all of the negative things we had heard about Carnival. One of the couples in the group was getting married at Megan's Bay though and we just felt like we should be there so we relented and booked the cruise. We had a wonderful time and the ship was beautiful. The service was great and the food was actually better than our previous trips on the RCI Explorer of the Seas. We were a little ashamed of ourselves for acting so cruise snobby before we had even tried the other line. We will cruise Carnival again and will also keep cruising RCI. Both lines are great AND cruising is still the best way to travel and see places you have never seen before. Just my 2 cents. :)

Keep Cruising!

Denise

 

By the way, if you have never seen Megan's Bay, it is a must see. It was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen and I live in South Florida so I have been to plenty of beaches. This one tops all!

[yj2cute]

After reading so many reviews on this board and ONLY cruising RCI, a very good friend asked us to join him and others on a group cruise. It was to be on the Carnival Glory. My husband and I were actually nervous because of all of the negative things we had heard about Carnival. One of the couples in the group was getting married at Megan's Bay though and we just felt like we should be there so we relented and booked the cruise. We had a wonderful time and the ship was beautiful. The service was great and the food was actually better than our previous trips on the RCI Explorer of the Seas. We were a little ashamed of ourselves for acting so cruise snobby before we had even tried the other line. We will cruise Carnival again and will also keep cruising RCI. Both lines are great AND cruising is still the best way to travel and see places you have never seen before. Just my 2 cents. :)

Keep Cruising!

Denise

 

By the way, if you have never seen Megan's Bay, it is a must see. It was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen and I live in South Florida so I have been to plenty of beaches. This one tops all!

 

Cruisebabe,

Just curious. We've read on these boards many times to never plan an important event on a cruise port of call as we all know that we're not guaranteed to make any of the originally published ports. Why would your friend plan a wedding based on arriving at the nuptials via cruise ship? Sounds very risky to me.

[yarlenna]

Our first three cruises were on Carnival. The first two were acceptable but the last one (Carnival Legend) was a disaster. Lousy service, horrible decor, lack of on board activities, unhappy/unfriendly, lazy employees. We vowed never to sail on Carnival again and we never will. Seems to me the majority of Carnival loyalists are inexperienced cruisers who haven't tried the other cruise lines. Usually once they do they become aware of Carnival's many shortcomings.

I love Carnival but HAL is my favorite. IMHO, service has gone down on all lines hill since 9/11 because of all the economies they must use. I don't think that you can call me an inexperienced cruiser. (I have enjoyed more than 30 cruises.) My next cruise is an RCI one - even after the "ranch steak," but Carnival may be my next. Why? I have found to food to be much better than RCI.

Thinking about the lousy service and unhappy/unfriendly, lazy employees - I wonder how they can work they way they have to. I cannot call anybody lazy who has to work 60 hours or more in a week, with no day off. I can call them unhappy. I don't know who would love to work just to hear people just complain.

[cruisebabe43]

Cruisebabe,

Just curious. We've read on these boards many times to never plan an important event on a cruise port of call as we all know that we're not guaranteed to make any of the originally published ports. Why would your friend plan a wedding based on arriving at the nuptials via cruise ship? Sounds very risky to me.

 

Just romantics, I guess. They lucked out though. The time of year was early in the hurricane season and everything just went smoothly. But, you are correct in saying you can't predict mother nature so you sometimes have to just go with the flow. :)

[You Me & the Sea]

 

I hope maybe one day you'll try a ship like the PRIDE. It is beautiful. Staff was great :)

 

Or the Valor.

 

Before booking with any particular cruise line, I devoured every morsel of info that I could on several lines (Carnival, RCI, Princess, HAL) and each line had its fair share of positive and negative stories/reviews. Nevertheless, we took our chances and boarded the Valor with open minds. It was our first ever cruise and we loved it- from the room to the staff. We're booked on AOS in November will do the same upon boarding her.

[gr1634]

Well let's see - Preconceived notions......ok I got it. Stay on RCCL.

[caviargal]

Cruisebabe,

Just curious. We've read on these boards many times to never plan an important event on a cruise port of call as we all know that we're not guaranteed to make any of the originally published ports. Why would your friend plan a wedding based on arriving at the nuptials via cruise ship? Sounds very risky to me.

 

I am getting married in Key West while on an Celebrity cruise in November. Yes, I agree there is a certain level of risk but, IMO, it is minimal in my case. The weather patterns are stable in late November by a high percentage. I do not consider it "very risky" personally, but would not have made these plans (1) during hurricane season, or (2) in a foreign port where a lot of expense is tied up in legal fees and such.

 

I did not plan my wedding through the cruise line as I found their pricing to be exorbitant. The very worst that can happen is that we do not make to port and lose some money. The restaurant we are having our brunch in will refund our money if we cannot get in because of problems (ordering off the menu as we are a group of only 13), so it is really just the site fees and flowers that we will have to write off should the worst case happen.

 

I am not concerned and will roll with punches as they come.

[Cruising89143]

I am getting married in Key West while on an Celebrity cruise in November.

 

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding.:)

[madaamt]

I Have Sailed Rccl And Norwegian And Will Be Sainling Carnival For The First Time In November. Dh And I Sailed On The Voyager Of The Seas In 2000 And Then Again In 2005 What A Difference, The Service, The Food And Just The Whole Experience. We Are Ready And Willing To Try Another Cruise Line.

[RArnold7769]

My family and I just returned from our NOS cruise with RC on 9.2 we have cruised several times before on CC and I must say the serve rec'd on NOS was completely outstanding. We had the best time ever. Not sure if it was the ships we chose with CC but RC NOS was by far the best we have experienced. I am willing to try another CC if the price is right but RC will always be at the top of my list and highly rec to all my family and friends. We had a fabulous time on both but the customer service on RC and the food on RC was much better.

[broncoboxer]

My family and I just returned from our NOS cruise with RC on 9.2 we have cruised several times before on CC and I must say the serve rec'd on NOS was completely outstanding. We had the best time ever. Not sure if it was the ships we chose with CC but RC NOS was by far the best we have experienced. I am willing to try another CC if the price is right but RC will always be at the top of my list and highly rec to all my family and friends. We had a fabulous time on both but the customer service on RC and the food on RC was much better.

 

See what I mean? Navigator is tip-top!

[yj2cute]

Caviargal,

I would say that since you're going in with eyes wide open and have analyzed your risks, maybe your situation isn't as "risky". However, many people are not and would be the first to complain and threaten to sue the cruise line for ruining their "once in a lifetime" wedding.

 

Congratulations on your wedding, or should I say my condolences. :P Just kidding. Have a great wedding cruise.

[caviargal]

Caviargal,

I would say that since you're going in with eyes wide open and have analyzed your risks, maybe your situation isn't as "risky". However, many people are not and would be the first to complain and threaten to sue the cruise line for ruining their "once in a lifetime" wedding.

 

Congratulations on your wedding, or should I say my condolences. :P Just kidding. Have a great wedding cruise.

 

cruisingator2 and yj2cute: thanks for the good wishes!

 

There are some folks that will complain, period. I have cruised long enough and often enough to have missed a lot of ports, mostly due to weather. While disappointing, it is one of the risks of travel by ship.

 

Since the cruise tickets clearly absolve the line from any responsibility re ports, I think a lawsuit would be impossible.

 

Those that do not want to take the risk need to make a different choice, IMO.

[shipshape sam]

Getting married and cruising - good luck and welcome back from Carnival. We have sailed twice and though not terrible, not going back!

 

We have friends and they look for price and latest argument was "Well if we take the kids." I said "your right, if I take my kids, I will sail on Carnival again." Then I said "Guess I will never sail with my kids again!"

 

She laughed and understood.

[dalwhitt]

To respond to all, yes, I did have a preconceived image in my head, but I went on board with an open mind. I was even excited to try Carnival thinking we would have the best time.

 

We did have a good time, but that was because I always have a good time with my hubby... He's a great travel partner:)

 

My biggest beef was not with the passengers, but with the staff. I just did not feel appreciated for being on board like I do on RCI. But I will say, I have not seen as many obnoxious people on RCI, although there are some, as on Carnival.

 

I tried the Sensation because I live in Orlando and Port Canaveral is the closest for a three day get away. Sensation was the cruise that fit our schedule. I will say that I paid for interior guarantee and we ended up with portholes, so that was nice.

 

The ship was just so darn ugly and hard to figure out. Purple and gold are so 80's! I really did not like the "Touch of Class" bar that had hands as the bar stools. I mean really, that is so outdated it should have been changed if they did a refurb. And the entertainment that went that bar was just as bad, so we could not stay in there...

 

 

When people ask me about cruising on Carnival I always tell them never to go on any ship older than Dynasty class ('96). You owe it to yourself to try one of the newer ships before you judge the entire cruise line. You may also get a better feel if you avoid Spring break and other peak vacation times.

 

I've sailed Carnival four times with two more booked in 2007; six with Royal Caribbean, one each with Princess, Disney and NCL. I like Royal Caribbean best but Carnival isn't too far behind. They are different types of cruises and if you open youself to the possibilities you will enjoy yourself.

[misty57]

We have cruised on both cruise lines, but prefer RC. If I am going to spend thousands on a trip I feel that I have a better chance of getting what I expect out of the experience on RC. If I were a 20 something person I would probably prefer Carnival, as it seems to cater to a younger crowd.. nothing wrong with that, and some may disagree with me. I don't think one line is better than another, just offers different things, and people tend to prefer one "flavor" over another. I've heard people rave about Disney cruises, but I wouldn't even think about taking a Disney cruise unless I were traveling with small children. On the other hand, I wouldn't consider one of the higher end luxury cruises, because we like to be a little more casual when we are on vacation.