Considering a move to Carnival

[Fawn]

If it is any consolation to you, we have never liked many of the shows that we have seen on the cruise ships. To us, they seem mostly to be college shows with a higher grade of costumes. We find this especially so on Princess. We often skip them entirely. The entertainers are another thing. We have found the comedians in general to be poor. The singers and musicians really vary. I think it is hit and miss between ships in the same cruise line and ships of different cruise lines. The very best entertainment that we have had has been on NCL. We like the fact that Carnival has more band time at the pool. Princess has cut back, HAL's was pathetic.

 

See, this is where we've been spoiled on Disney. Their main shows are incredible...great comedians/bands, etc elsewhere. Problem is they don't change it up, and there's only 2 ships...so same thing again and again and again.

 

I do agree about different ships on same cruise lines being totally different. I'm coming to the conclusion it matters less what cruiseline you go on as what ship you go on!

[rsinj]

After going back and talking to my girls, the one thing they had to say about the RCCL cruise was they were bored. Other than going to hear some "lame" music at night, there was nothing to do. They didn't like the shows...but then neither did I, really. For me, looking back, it was the food/service that was the biggest issue. I've gone on the RCCL boards, and have to say that maybe we just got a really bad cruise for some reason...maybe just an older clientele so there weren't as many activities??

 

We had the exact opposite experience.

 

We had to drag our daughter away from the kids club and the activities on-board. Getting her off the ice was an hour long ordeal. She was always begging to go back to the kids club. It worked out great for my wife and myself.

 

As a family, I found RCL had the most for us. My wife/daughter enjoyed the ice skating and the shows (though we all know Disney is a class by itself). We all played mini golf together. My daughter and I did the rock wall together. I personally felt bored on DCL towards the end of the cruise - our 4 day was a good length, 7 days was too much.

 

As far as food - on RCL ours was better than the others. On lobster night, our server kept bringing them - even after we were stuffed. Whole lobsters, not just the mini tails like they give you now.

 

I will also admit, as I'm sure others have, Carnival, without comparison has the best pizza. Also, you aren't going to get Carnival's famous warm chocolate melting cake on any of the other cruise lines. NCL tries, but is no match.

 

Howard

[skylock]

To the OP. If you did not enjoy RCCL, do not spend another second thinking about Carnival. You will not enjoy it.

 

Disclaimer: I am perfectly happy with Carnival but I am easy to please, have no high expectations, and mainly use the ship as transportation to the places I want to go.

 

Carnival feeds me well, takes care of my room and entertains me at a very reasonable price. That is all I expect.

[LHP]

I'd like some advice here from Carnival cruisers. I've done Disney for years with my daughters, and we love it. But we're thinking of trying something new...mostly because my girls are getting older, and we just need a change!

 

This is a cruise for myself and two daughters, 19 and 20 next year. The lines we are looking into are Princess, Celebrity and Carnival. We have done RCCL and didn't like it at all, so that's out.

 

Thanks for any opinions or advice on which ships you can offer us!!

 

If you did not like RCCL....you probably won't like Carnival. They both offer a similar product.

 

We have never sailed RCCL...so these are the differences I have heard from folks who have sailed both Carnival and RCCL and likes BOTH...

 

The small differences that MIGHT make a difference to you is that:

 

the Carnival staterooms are a bit larger.

Carnival does a better job at karaoke.

Food is a personal choice. That is a toss up.

RCCL ships are prettier than Carnival's.

 

If you do decide to try Carnival, I would suggest a Spirit class ship, 7 days, while school is in session (but colleges are out). January 5 - 15th and May 1st - 20th are good times. College is usually still out for their breaks....but elementary and secondary schools are still in session.

[NolaZach]

After reading this thread its obvious that some opinions are based more on the particular ships and not the line.

 

I know someone who recently sailed the Carnival Holliday and had a bad time and will never sail Carnival again.

To me that isn't fair. I mean you sail the oldest ship and base your idea on that?

Others sail the largest most tumped up XXXXXXX of the Seas and base all their opinios on that.

 

I am very new to cruising and want to see every line and many ships. My idea of paradise is laying back on a chair in the sun with the ocean breeze all around. I am as happy in Biloxi as I am in Miami. (okay maybe that is a strech)

 

Anyway a cruise is what you make it. The other things are just extras, like the shows and food. Some people love the melting cake, I didn't. I also hated the Pizza, though I liked most of the food.

 

But one persons opinion of a line is going to be based more on the ships they were on and not the line itself. ( not sure about DCL)

 

I went on an old ship that many don't like and had a blast. I already booked the same ship again. Though I am lazy and just plan to sail out of NO and that's my main reason behind booking CCL. If it was NCL or RCCL in Nola, I would take them.

 

Though it just seems that people choose their lines based on experiences aboard a single ship. I would think every line has their clunkers and their flagships.

[firefly333]

Though I am lazy and just plan to sail out of NO and that's my main reason behind booking CCL. If it was NCL or RCCL in Nola, I would take them.

 

Doesnt NCL still cruise out of New Orleans?? I thought it did. ... or am I miss-reading this?

[killian25]

I have sailed RCL twice and CCL we just got off of today was the 1st on the Legend...

 

We prefer RCL better, but I think it may be hard to compare right now due to the economy. Reason why I say this is because there were definitely less staff then say 2 yrs ago.

 

To be honest its all about preference in ports and were you sail out of....

I thought the Service was MUCH better on RCL then on CCL. But I like that CCL was more casual then RCL for dinner...

 

I also liked that CCL was much cheaper for this particular cruise...

[LHP]

Doesnt NCL still cruise out of New Orleans?? I thought it did. ... or am I miss-reading this?

 

NCL only sails a limited schedule out of New Orleans every year.

 

November to April (I think)...or something like that.

 

Carnival is the only cruise line that came back to New Orleans after Katrina 24/7.

[2PinaColadas]

Fawn-- We have sailed on 4 "Spring Break" cruises. The 19, 20 year old crowd has always been a fun bunch. There are those who party too much (just like the older age groups), but many that had fun without making complete idiots of themselves. I think your daughters would enjoy a cruise on CCL-- we love Carnival !!

[summer08bride]

my husband and I have sailed Carnival twice (both times mid-May) and really enjoyed it. The first time was after our college graduation, so we were close in age to your daughters.

 

We really enjoyed the food on Carnival (and this time tried the supper club) but then again I hate seafood and stuck to the steaks, pasta, short ribs, chicken, etc. As far as entertainment, there were tons of activities but we pretty much skipped them all except for the adult comedy shows, which we went to every night they were offered. (We're not big club people, and while the piano bar was hopping it was one of the few smoking areas and the smoke was too much for me to take). We spent most of our nights hanging out in the casino or the comedy shows, and we had the late seating for dinner (8:15pm). We usually went to bed around 2am each night :D

 

during the day we'd watch whatever was going on in the pool area if we were already there, and we played mini golf (free) a few times. i also appreciated the onboard "library" and read 4 books during our cruise (i like to lay out and read)

 

sure, other ships might be fancier but we liked the ports, the younger/ more fun older crowd, the food, and the PRICE and for now see no reason to pay more to switch lines.

 

i'd give it a shot - dont really have much to compare it to but we enjoyed it

[luvavacation]

To the OP, Fawn - I have sailed, with my daughters, both Carnival and DCL and Royal Caribbean.

 

My daughters first sailed DCL when they were 11 and 6, they are now 19 and 14. Our last DCL was summer 2008, and we are booked for a November Magic cruise. Yes, it is expensive, but if you ask my girls which cruise line they would like to go on, they will always say "Disney!".

 

My daughters have never been ones that like the kids' clubs. They will go if there is an activity they want to try (like making Flubber) but that is it. What we all love about Disney is that instead of doing kids activities, we find lots to do as family activities. This is missing from our other cruises.

 

My daughters sound similar to yours, in that they do not care for the wild teenager aspect. Mine actually like hanging out with their parents (and we like hanging out with them!), and we have so many great memories on DCL, from building vegetable racers to frog races to ping-pong competitions. We do love the style of show DCL puts on, and even the adult comedy shows, while more risque, would not find me too embarrassed to bring my 19 year old with me. On Carnival, the adult shows could get a bit too risque even for me, a former wild child! Our memories of other cruises tend to be more of laying by the pool, listening to our kids telling us they want to do something. We really do enjoy family activities, and wish other lines offered more of them. Watching the hairy chest contest at the pool, while fun, only takes up a short time.

 

What Carnival does offer is a slide for all ages! Unfortunately, that salt water splash as you come down is a bother for my contacts, but it is nice to have fun on the slide. We did that alot on Carnival!

 

Now this next part may get me in trouble with some Carnival lovers, but not once did my daughters feel uncomfortable with any of the DCL crew. On our last Carnival (9 months ago, hey I like to cruise!), my eldest felt like some of the crew on deck was making her uncomfortable with their attention. I do allow my daughters to walk the ships together, but when they ask me to go with them because they are uncomfortable, that bothers me a bit. However, my daughters (especially my eldest) are much more conservative than I was at that age, so perhaps other teens just don't care?

 

I do not like the shows on Carnival, dancers not in sync, too suggestive in their dances for family shows, bad choreography, etc. On DCL, with only having two ships, I guess they can be more picky on who they have on the entertainment staff. Plus, I like Broadway style shows, not Vegas style. Just my preference, yours may be different.

 

What I do like about the Carnival shows is that the shows are different ship to ship (or at least the dancers and singers are, which changes the shows). On DCL, I have seen the shows a few times, many of the performers are the same ones we saw years ago, and while they continue to impress us, I would like to see more variety. Yet, I realize there are many that have never sailed DCL, and I wouldn't want to take away the experience of seeing some of those shows for the first time.

 

Food wise, hey I am not cooking, I like the food on every ship! Ok, I have had moldy food on Carnival, which is inexcusable, no matter how cheap the cruise, but our waiters on that cruise, and room steward, heck most workers on that cruise, were absolutely terrible and almost turned us completely off Carnival. DH won't even sail them anymore due to that awful experience, but me and my girls, we still do, we like the ports and when we sail Carnival, we go for the ports. DCL, we go for the ship experience, and Castaway Cay. LOVE Castaway Cay!

 

I guess what it really comes down to is that Carnival and Royal Caribbean (and the other lines) have many ships, and they have casinos (helping the bottom line), whereas DCL does not. DCL can be very selective in who they hire and what they do, but you will pay for that. Carnival is not a bad cruise to take with your daughters, just know what awaits you and plan ahead. I am booked on a Carnival cruise with my daughters this summer, in fact, and with two sea days, we girls will be catching up on our reading! This summer's Carnival cruise is our "getaway mom-and-daughters" cruise, whereas our November DCL cruise is our "holiday with family" cruise. Sure, DCL will be an arm and a leg, but we booked it on board during a previous cruise (saved 10 percent and 200.00 credit) and we also booked it when it was first opened. My very frugal DH feels that the DCL cruise is worth the price, so as long as he is comfortable with the cost, we will continue sailing on DCL. We won't sail it as often as other lines, as DCL is our "event" cruise line, not our "quick getaway" line, but no matter what line I am sailing, as long as it is me and my girls, I am going to enjoy it!

 

You will too!

[Fawn]

My daughters first sailed DCL when they were 11 and 6, they are now 19 and 14. Our last DCL was summer 2008, and we are booked for a November Magic cruise. Yes, it is expensive, but if you ask my girls which cruise line they would like to go on, they will always say "Disney!".

 

Now this next part may get me in trouble with some Carnival lovers, but not once did my daughters feel uncomfortable with any of the DCL crew. On our last Carnival (9 months ago, hey I like to cruise!), my eldest felt like some of the crew on deck was making her uncomfortable with their attention. I do allow my daughters to walk the ships together, but when they ask me to go with them because they are uncomfortable, that bothers me a bit. However, my daughters (especially my eldest) are much more conservative than I was at that age, so perhaps other teens just don't care?

 

DCL, we go for the ship experience, and Castaway Cay. LOVE Castaway Cay!

 

Our families sound very similar in taste. We do love DCL, and we are doing a January cruise on them in 2010! My girls always say the same thing when I ask...DISNEY MAGIC! But like you said, the shows don't change, and that is becoming an issue after 15 Magical cruises!

 

We had a terrible problem with the crew on RCCL. One of the dinner servers actually followed my then 16 year old around port, got to her in a store when we were only 10 feet away and asked her to meet him later. When she told him she was only 16, he said he didn't care, he wouldn't tell anyone!!! He had to have been at least 25, I'd say! Needless to say we complained, and he was never seen again for the rest of our cruise. NEVER had that kind of problem on DCL.

 

I have decided a few things from these boards. We are going to try Carnival, and I think somewhere along the line we'll be trying RCCL again. If, as people say, they are somewhat similar, I think Carnival is a better choice just for price alone. But we'll just have to try them all and see!! :)

[mumofsons]

We have sailed DCL, RCCL and Carnival. We loved DCL but for the price of one balcony cabin for a week, we can cruise a week on Carnival and still spend another week at the Orlando parks if we want. Yes Disney has great customer service and we really enjoyed rotating the places to eat at dinner. The shows were - well fantastic - they after all Disney! We did not enjoy our RCCL experience, the ship was nice, but we felt the service was really lacking. The shows were quite good and we had my 70 year old mother with us and she enjoyed all the shows too. The ice show was great and we also had the Platters on board and Beatlemania - all were exceptional. We moved to Carnival and have enjoyed all three that we have taken with two more already booked. My sons don't like the kids clubs and never have - they started cruising when they were 8 and 10. Now at 14 and 16 they hang with us.

I think the service on Carnival is very good and we have only come across one problem which was with a purser.

The food on all three were good as far as we are concerned but we are not gourmets.

I think that no matter what you are going to get one sided opinions on all three lines. Sorry I can't comment on NCL - my mother says that she doesn't care for it due to the anytime dining.

My thought - go for what you are most comfortable with and what you can afford. You could always try Disney next summer aren't they going back to Europe? Wow now that would be pricey!