Which cruise?

[DancerOT]

My family is trying to decide between Celebrity Summit and Carnival Freedom for a Mediterranean cruise next summer. Any thoughts on itineraries and/or ships would be very helpful. There is about an $800 difference between the two, hence why we are considering the less expensive Freedom. The itineraries are:

 

Carnival Freedom

DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPART

Sat Aug 2 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy 7:00pm

Sun Aug 3 Naples, Italy 7:00am -- 6:00pm

Mon Aug 4 At Sea

Tue Aug 5 Dubrovnik, Croatia 7:00am-- 7:00pm

Wed Aug 6 Venice, Italy 2:00pm (arrive)

Thu Aug 7 Venice, Italy 5:00pm(depart)

Fri Aug 8 At Sea

Sat Aug 9 Messina, Sicily, Italy 7:00am--5:00pm

Sun Aug 10 At Sea

Mon Aug 11 Barcelona, Spain 7:00am--5:00pm

Tue Aug 12 Cannes, France 9:00am--8:00pm

Wed Aug 13 Florence / Pisa (Livorno), Italy 7:00am--7:00pm

Thu Aug 14 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

 

Celebrity Summit

Sun Aug 3 Venice, Italy Embark

Mon Aug 4 Venice, Italy 4:00pm (depart)

Tue Aug 5 Dubrovnik, Croatia 9:00am--5:00pm

Wed Aug 6 At Sea

Thu Aug 7 Athens (Piraeus), Greece 7:00am--7:00pm

Fri Aug 8 Santorini, Greece 7:00am--7:00pm

Sat Aug 9 At Sea

Sun Aug 10 Naples / Capri (Sorrento), Italy 7:00am--7:00pm

Mon Aug 11 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy 7:00am--7:00pm

Tue Aug 12 Florence / Pisa (Livorno), Italy 7:00am--7:00pm

Wed Aug 13 Nice (Villefranche), France 7:00am--8:00pm

Thu Aug 14 At Sea

Fri Aug 15 Barcelona, Spain 5:00am

 

Any ideas or thoughts would be most appreciative!

[RdubYa]

Wow, it's apples and oranges in terms of differences between the two lines. Do you have any prior experience with either? I'm a die-hard Celebrity fan, but maybe with children Carnival would be better. Personally, I tried Carnival once and never again. Just not the demographic I belong to. I'm sure others may have better perspectives about family crusing. I did the exact itinerary you show for the Summit on the Millenium in 2003 and it was wonderful.

[DancerOT]

I know it is apples and oranges....but the price difference is making us think. We have cruised many times with Celebrity. My parents have never been on Carnival, I have...once with my high school for a show choir competition. There will be no kids traveling on this cruise - the youngest will be 21. But, I know there has been a lot of change with Carnival in the last 10 years, so I was trying to give them the benefit of the doubt.

[DrKoob]

What it all comes down is to is what kind of cruiser are you and what kind of cruising experience do you want.

 

Do you like to party 24/7 or on a cruise do you eat dinner, see a show and go to bed so you can be up early to explore?

Is your idea of fun inebriation or participation in all things cruise-like?

When you cruise, which is bigger, your bar tab or your shore excursion tab?

Do you like to party on a cruise or do you enjoy a more traditional cruise experience?

Would you rather eat at the buffet with just your family in whatever clothes you wore during the day or do you love getting dressed up in fancy dress and eating with all your new friends who are also dressed to the nines?

Do you want to sail with a crew who complains about how little they are paid to guilt you into tipping them at a higher rate or do you want to be taken care of by a crew who loves their job and the people they serve and would never mention a tip in a million years.

 

If you chose the first choice on any line take Carnival. If the second, think X. We have sailed both. Because we are the second type of cruiser we hated the Carnival cruise (we still refer to it as the "cruise from hell") and have loved our six X cruises.

 

We would (and do) pay more to cruise X. It is the way we like to cruise. We would always pay more for the experience we want and what good is saving $500 or $1000 if you have a lousy time because it is not the experience you are looking for.

[jezzdogg]

I would go with Summit, come in a day or 2 early and really really enjoy Venice.........it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Also you are not back tracking on that cruise. Also from naples you can do the Amaflia coast/pompeii/or Capri

[Rev22:17]

DancerOT,

 

My family is trying to decide between Celebrity Summit and Carnival Freedom for a Mediterranean cruise next summer. Any thoughts on itineraries and/or ships would be very helpful. There is about an $800 difference between the two, hence why we are considering the less expensive Freedom. The itineraries are:

 

Carnival Freedom

DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPART

Sat Aug 2 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy 7:00pm

Sun Aug 3 Naples, Italy 7:00am -- 6:00pm

Mon Aug 4 At Sea

Tue Aug 5 Dubrovnik, Croatia 7:00am-- 7:00pm

Wed Aug 6 Venice, Italy 2:00pm (arrive)

Thu Aug 7 Venice, Italy 5:00pm(depart)

Fri Aug 8 At Sea

Sat Aug 9 Messina, Sicily, Italy 7:00am--5:00pm

Sun Aug 10 At Sea

Mon Aug 11 Barcelona, Spain 7:00am--5:00pm

Tue Aug 12 Cannes, France 9:00am--8:00pm

Wed Aug 13 Florence / Pisa (Livorno), Italy 7:00am--7:00pm

Thu Aug 14 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

 

Celebrity Summit

Sun Aug 3 Venice, Italy Embark

Mon Aug 4 Venice, Italy 4:00pm (depart)

Tue Aug 5 Dubrovnik, Croatia 9:00am--5:00pm

Wed Aug 6 At Sea

Thu Aug 7 Athens (Piraeus), Greece 7:00am--7:00pm

Fri Aug 8 Santorini, Greece 7:00am--7:00pm

Sat Aug 9 At Sea

Sun Aug 10 Naples / Capri (Sorrento), Italy 7:00am--7:00pm

Mon Aug 11 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy 7:00am--7:00pm

Tue Aug 12 Florence / Pisa (Livorno), Italy 7:00am--7:00pm

Wed Aug 13 Nice (Villefranche), France 7:00am--8:00pm

Thu Aug 14 At Sea

Fri Aug 15 Barcelona, Spain 5:00am

 

Any ideas or thoughts would be most appreciative!

 

I don't see anything in either itinerary that would recommend choosing either itinerary over the other. Both have fabulous ports of call, and several ports of call are on both.

 

As far as ships -- and cruise lines -- are concerned, the real question is what style you prefer. Carnival definitely throws a iwilder party, but Celebrity throws a much classier party. Also, Celebrity generally is dressier than most other lines with several "informal" evenings (sport coat or "blazer" required for gentlemen) in addition to the "formal" evenings and Carnival's definition of "formal," which admits sport coat and tie, really isn't. And as a "premium" cruise line, Celebrity has her standards of service than "mainstream" lines like Carnival.

 

But, again, all of this is a question of which you prefer.

 

Norm.

[Lsimon]

...When you cruise, which is bigger, your bar tab or your shore excursion tab?...

 

Oh No!!:eek:

All these past cruises I thought I was a Celebrity cruiser and didn't like Carnival as much. I guess I need to start spending more on excursions!

Although I think on our upcoming Med cruise next fall our excursions will cost more than our bar bill for the first time. Does that count?

 

Seriously it all comes down to preferences. We sailed Carnival 9 years ago and loved the cruise, but then discovered other lines we loved even more, and found we like Celebrity the best. I've heard from some people that Carnival has improved a lot in recent years, but we're not ready to try again.

 

My dear Mother, who passed away a couple years ago, was not at all the "Carnival type" most people stereotype. She cruised once or twice a year for years and liked Carnival as much or more than other lines. She didn't like Celebrity for some reason, never really got into the particulars with her.

 

I think the other messages in this thread give a pretty good idea of some of the main differences, and I'm also sure you'll get a different perspective if you ask the same question on the Carnival forum. The question is asked a lot so you might also use the search feature to look back for past comments on this question. I'd guess that if someone has cruised a lot they'll have their own opinions. And if they haven't they shouldn't worry too much as they'll likely enjoy either cruise!

[chessbriar]

Since you are looking at 2008, you might want to look at Galaxy as well. She has a similar itinerary to Freedom, not the same, but similar. She will be fresh of a refurbishment and the addition of a specialty restaurant. I hate to throw more choices at you, but since she will be going through drydock, she should be considered.

 

Personally, I'd take Summit. After doing a Carnival cruise, it's just not for me. The decor of the ship, the announcement(granted you will miss most as you'll be on shore), the food and service just didn't compare with X. After a long day on shore, food and service will mean the world to you.

[FastFreddie]

I see that the prejudices on a Celebrity board are as strong as any other. AFAIAC both offer a great product. I honestly haven't witnessed the brash drunkenness claimed in previous posts. The differences as I see them are:

 

1) Celebrity has the edge on food. Carnival has a little edge on the Buffet.

2) Carnival has the edge on the staterooms. Balconies to Celebrity

3) Ships decorations are a toss up Carnival is more glitzy.

4) Specialty resaturants are both amazing but the slight edge goes to Celebrity.

5) The beds on Carnival are the most comfortable I have slept on.

 

My first experience was on the Triumph last year. It was a great cruise! The food was ok but nothing to rave about. We had an inside cabin. Larger than the inside cabins on X. Second was on the Liberty last month. We had a Cat 11 (my guess is the equivalent of a Sky Suite) no butler. Much larger than a SS. Food was very close to X. Service very close. Most of the ship observed formal night!

 

What I like about X is the service is a bit of an edge above. It just seems more relaxed. What I like about Carnival is that it just is a good value. There seems to be a much wider demographic on Carnival as well, which I like.

 

So my point is the one variable you can't control is which people choose to be passengers on the cruise. They have a major influence on your cruise, as well as your attitude and the ships crew. I don't think you can make a bad choice choosing X or Carnival.

 

HTH

 

 

FF

 

.

[Tatka]

If it was for Caribbean cruise I wouldn't think twice. Definitely Celebrity, but for Mediterranean Sea ... it's not that important, because you won't have party there even on Carnival. Everybody is usually soooo tired from the day trips.

 

We went on Med Cruise on RCCL Splendour of the Seas and it was much much more quieter than on their regular cruise.

 

Plus if you can save $800, do it as tours in Europe are soooo expensive!

[Karynanne]

We're obviously a lot more biased towards Celebrity...but I'd be curious if you asked the same question on the Carnival boards, what their responses would be...

 

If your concern is regarding the ports...then they are fairly matched, but if your concerned about your cruising atmosphere onboard, then you are going to get different opinions from each board.

 

Personally, I look at the whole cruising experience...ports and ship, when making my decisions.

 

Karyn

[shoreless]

I've never sailed on Carnival, but friends who did the Carnival Med cruise last summer really loved it. They said it was not rowdy at all. I don't think people looking for a wild party take that itinerary, so, unlike a previous poster, I don't think you need to factor that into the eqation.:rolleyes:

[Susan-M]

I'd be curious if you asked the same question on the Carnival boards, what their responses would be...

 

 

This question is running on the Carnival and European boards .... and it appears that Celebrity is the front-runner so far.

[caviargal]

I am personally not a Carnival fan and yes have been on the newer ships. I do not care for the total lack of dress code enforcement, the garish decor, the loud announcements and music/dancing that accompany dinner, the design of the Conquest class ships (awful traffice flow and overcrowded everywhere).

 

I also did not care for the food or service. IMO, the food is heavy on the fats and salt and not up to X quality. It might matter less in the Med since I personally would opt to in port whenever possible.

[Tatka]

One thing that is definately great for Med cruise .. Carnival has heavenly beds!!! They are so relaxing.

[DancerOT]

Thank-you to everyone who has provided thoughts an opinions on which way to go. As you can tell from my signature, my family tends to cruise X. The one time we tried Princess, recently, we were not as happy (it was still a great cruise - afterall we were not at home) due to the service not being on par with X. And yes, I did post the question on the Carnival board to try and have a more balanced opinion. I have to say that one person who responded had written the most fantastic review from her cruise last summer. Not just about the ship, but also very informative about the ports. If anyone is thinking of going to the Med this summer, I highly recommend reading her review as it is very helpful in picking tour companies. As soon as my parents decide, I will let everyone know what the choice is. I figure that I dont have much say since I am only paying the 3rd person in the cabin rate. Itinerary wise, are there any ports on either itinerary that we just should not miss? Thanks in advance!

[Susan-M]

Itinerary wise, are there any ports on either itinerary that we just should not miss? Thanks in advance!

 

Good luck with your plans ... I'm sure you will have a fantastic time on whichever ship you choose:) Not sure if you've had a chance to read the replies on the Europe board, but a couple of the recommendations there mention the advantage of going to Athens and Santorini with Celebrity. They are both very interesting ports!