The Good, The Bad, The Ugly...

[norcal2]

Why do I never hear anything about NCL? I see NCL in people's signatures but no one ever compares them to Carnival like they do with RCCL and Celebrity.

 

Having NCL being the line I've cruised beside Carnival I thought NCL to be not nearly as nice as CCL but slightly more expensive. I hate the 'anytime dining' and that you can only get a decent meal at one of the pay restaurants. Carnival's food is great for us, yeah sometimes a dish may not be piping hot but I'm not a complainer and when serving over 1,000 people I don't expect it to be like an expensive sit down restaurant. I guess everyone has their own preference on vacations but I find Carnival to be the perfect mix of 'pampered' and fun. Hell we're only 23, we don't need our butts kissed ;)

 

It is not in my signature but NCL is one of my favorite lines. There are so many good things about it that as a foodie it is hard to list them all off but let me try:

 

1. The hidden Tapas room on the Lido deck on the Sun

2. The way they will sometimes allow you to have a dessert from MDR during dinner hours ) Ok I admit it I took advantage and ate more Creme Brulee than should be allowed by law!

3. The amazing Creme Brulee.

4. Excellent service

5. Freestyle dining

6. Insert a dozen other good things here)

 

I could go on and on but most people on a specific board tend to keep other ships good stuff to themselves and I have already given away too much! LOL

 

The answer: Cruising likes and dislikes are a very personal thing. Fair to say as a foodie that I may not have the same taste buds as someone else so I default to any ship on the sea is the best cruise I have ever been on. Food is not the only thing I cruise for. I never regret the price I pay for NCL, Carnival or any other line.

[Cruzaholic41]

Tell me about Carnival! I want to hear the great stuff, and the not so great stuff! I am a "Royal" girl and have never tried another brand, but I am looking to cruise in June 2012 with my hubby and my son. We will be ages 41, 40, and 8 by then. I want to hear everything! Tell me about the food, the rooms, the entertainment, the kids program...anything you can think of! And don't forget to tell me what ship you were on!!

 

I have been on numerous Carnival ships, and have been on the RCI ships in your signature. Compared to the older, smaller RCI ships you have sailed, you will see some things better and some things worse on most Carnival ships. I think the food is slightly (but not a whole lot) better. Also, you will find better entertainment by way of shows and live performers like the piano player. Most CCL's rooms are also larger than those older RCI ships, just not as nicely decorated.

 

The negatives: You said you want to hear everything, so I'll be brutally honest. It isn't always true, but I've been on enough cruises to know what's the usual. The crowd on CCL tends to be a little more, well, colorful. The smoking and drinking is definitely more widespread. I'm not saying that's good or bad, but it's just how it is. That's about the nicest I can say it, so I'll leave it at that.

 

As far as favorite CCL ships, mine is the Spirit Class.

[hoop4321]

we have cruised with RCCL, disney and carnival. The lines are more alike than not. On CCL you can expect great service, great kids club (though my kid is now in the teen clubs), and great food. The steak house is wonderful....we love how the chef sends nibbles during the courses. Gives us a wonderful idea of what we would like to order the next time :D

 

The nicest ship is disney, with rccl coming in second. The cabins are all pretty much the same....although the dreadful brownish orange cabins on carnival are not a treat for the eyes....at least rccl has the teal/blue accents. The mall concept that everyone at the rccl boards fawns over are highly over rated for me. I can shop at a mall at home. I love walking around from one place to another and looking over my shoulder and seeing the ocean out the windows.....the mall experience of rccl does not have this, although the smaller ships may. Rccl does have the rock walls that have been closed more than open on our two cruises with them, we have not skated but have enjoyed the skate show. Everyone has mini golf. Rccl has bigger pools. The flow riders are cool, but the slide is fun and less intimidating....can't wait to try the aqua duck on the new disney ships! DS liked disney and carnival's kids clubs, found rccl's to be boring.

We liked disney's food best, then carnival, and rccl to be dead last.

There are plus and minuses for every line. I wish i could pick and choose and make my own line:D:D

 

If i were to rate the three lines disney and carnival would be tied for 1st and rccl would be 3rd. (I gave the disney experience as well so you could see a different opinion than carnival is the walmart of the seas.) When you think of all the lines under carnival's parent company, you have to reason that they are doing something right. It has never been a money issue with us, but saving money is a plus:D

 

Also, there seems to be less bickering on the ccl boards. It is still here, but the go for the jugular seems to be missing here for the most part....though i have not been back there in a while so things may have changed.....what ever you decide, i hope you have a fantastic vacation.

[blindrid]

We've cruised on Princess, Orient Lines, Louis Lines, and Grand Circle,

 

Hey 1965, I just attempted to contact you regarding Louis cruise lines - I'm going on them in October.

 

Thanks, Randy

[cruisinvic2]

For me and my family I love Carnival cruises. We are middle income simple people and have no desire to be around a bunch of snotty rich people that think kids should not be seen or heard and spending $500 on a purse is a necessity!!.Yes there are kids running around having fun - its a fun ship for everybody. People drink, get loud, smoke, dance and just let loose. Its a vacation its fun. Is the food gourment masterpieces no but so what Im not cooking, cleaning and it taste good. There is food everywhere for all types. It actually is enough to keep my 15 year old middle linebacker filled lol. Is the entertainment top notch Vegas shows- no but its better than TV at home.Its an afordable vacation that you can have fun on. My kids have fun, me and DH have fun. There is a pool, a casino, and the people watching is awesome!!! You will deffinatly meet some characters. Someone compared it to the wallmart of cruises- so what. I go to walmart -why spend twice as much for the same thing?A vacation is what you make it to be. have fun, party, be ridiculous.

[Wiggles#1]

My family and I have cruised 6 times with Carnival and we have LOVED every time. While I dont have any other lines to compare, the Carnival staff does everything to make the cruise the best one ever. I love the dining room food. Always very good. But the food on the buffet's usually leaves something to be desired. Room service menu is good. I am so looking forward to our Carnival cruise in July.

[TwoWeebles]

It is not in my signature but NCL is one of my favorite lines. There are so many good things about it that as a foodie it is hard to list them all off but let me try:

 

1. The hidden Tapas room on the Lido deck on the Sun

2. The way they will sometimes allow you to have a dessert from MDR during dinner hours ) Ok I admit it I took advantage and ate more Creme Brulee than should be allowed by law!

3. The amazing Creme Brulee.

4. Excellent service

5. Freestyle dining

6. Insert a dozen other good things here)

 

I could go on and on but most people on a specific board tend to keep other ships good stuff to themselves and I have already given away too much! LOL

 

The answer: Cruising likes and dislikes are a very personal thing. Fair to say as a foodie that I may not have the same taste buds as someone else so I default to any ship on the sea is the best cruise I have ever been on. Food is not the only thing I cruise for. I never regret the price I pay for NCL, Carnival or any other line.

 

Thanks for also talking about NCL. I posted this same topic on their boards, but have a lot less responses so far.

 

The thing I am having trouble with is that I kinda want to venture out to other lines and see what is out there. How do we know if we never try the other lines? But my hubby is more of the mindset that we have a good product with Royal so why would we change? I say if we can get a better itinerary, or a better price for the same, why not?

[TwoWeebles]

I have been on numerous Carnival ships, and have been on the RCI ships in your signature. Compared to the older, smaller RCI ships you have sailed, you will see some things better and some things worse on most Carnival ships. I think the food is slightly (but not a whole lot) better. Also, you will find better entertainment by way of shows and live performers like the piano player. Most CCL's rooms are also larger than those older RCI ships, just not as nicely decorated.

 

The negatives: You said you want to hear everything, so I'll be brutally honest. It isn't always true, but I've been on enough cruises to know what's the usual. The crowd on CCL tends to be a little more, well, colorful. The smoking and drinking is definitely more widespread. I'm not saying that's good or bad, but it's just how it is. That's about the nicest I can say it, so I'll leave it at that.

 

As far as favorite CCL ships, mine is the Spirit Class.

 

We actually want to try a larger ship this next time. On RCI we were looking at the Freedom or Explorer.

 

Since you mentioned smoking...do tell...what is the smoking policy on CCL? Or NCL if anyone knows. I am a non-smoker, so being in the thick of it really bothers me. If they have certain smoking sections, that would not bother me at because I could just steer clear of them.

[TwoWeebles]

For me and my family I love Carnival cruises. We are middle income simple people and have no desire to be around a bunch of snotty rich people that think kids should not be seen or heard and spending $500 on a purse is a necessity!!.Yes there are kids running around having fun - its a fun ship for everybody. People drink, get loud, smoke, dance and just let loose. Its a vacation its fun. Is the food gourment masterpieces no but so what Im not cooking, cleaning and it taste good. There is food everywhere for all types. It actually is enough to keep my 15 year old middle linebacker filled lol. Is the entertainment top notch Vegas shows- no but its better than TV at home.Its an afordable vacation that you can have fun on. My kids have fun, me and DH have fun. There is a pool, a casino, and the people watching is awesome!!! You will deffinatly meet some characters. Someone compared it to the wallmart of cruises- so what. I go to walmart -why spend twice as much for the same thing?A vacation is what you make it to be. have fun, party, be ridiculous.

 

Well said. Thanks. (P.S. I shop at Aldi for groceries. Why pay over $3 for a gallon of milk that I can get for $1.45 at Aldi. LOL)

[sandij]

We have cruised on several different lines and always come back to Carnival, it's the value and the good times we always have. The food is pretty much the same on all the ships, you'll find good and bad but you'll get plenty to eat. On Carnival there is a party atmoshere that you can enjoy by joining in or just watching. We never took our kids when they were younger but I have seen a lot of children on the ships and they do an amazing job of keeping them busy and out of the way, yes I am a grandma but I want quiet sometimes. The cabins are nice, clean and there is always the little extra freebies in the bathrooms, just samples but fun to get. Most of the Carnival ships have a laundramat type rooms on each deck which really comes in handy if you need to wash a few things and you don't have to pack as much.

These rooms will also have a iron and ironing board. I don't like how they've become so suspicious of people's luggage, I mean if they were just looking for weapons and dangerous items I could understand but they seem to have centered on alcohol, but they're more lenient than some of the other lines. In the end a cruise is what you make of it, have fun, relax and yes even eat too much, you'll be back at work before you know it.

[westview1]

I don't find it odd. Not to get testy but accordingly, should only cheerleaders lurk around in here?

 

Bon Voyage is you can pre-order a lot of things i.e. anniversary packages and other stuff online. You can also order bottles of liquor (by phone only) and they will be delivered to your cabin.

 

Regarding a prior post regarding NCL, I happen to prefer NCL over CCL so one can see how subjective the cruise experience can be.

 

I'm not saying only cheerleaders should be here, but, for someone who had a strong opinion about Carnival it seemed strange that they would be in the Carnival area.

 

Just for record I don't consider myseld a Carnival cheerleader. I'm a cruising cheerleader. I have been on NCL, Celebrity, Princess, RCL and Carnival. They all have their good and bad points I can't say I love or hate any one cruise line more than the other.

[westview1]

Gee thanks for "biting" !

 

Just because CCL does not currently fit my needs does not mean that I cannot perhaps find something new about a ship or an interesting topic to look into as well as share a personal experience or OPINION. ;) I have friends that Love CCL but are not CC members (but I certainly don't knock them for not choosing to use the wealth of knowledge here they could obtain REGARDLESS OF THEIR CRUISELINE PREFERENCE). But often I can find something relevant to their upcoming cruises that they may have asked about. Just because I do not prefer the CCL product does not mean I cannot read the threads or add posts on the CCL board does it ? :rolleyes: Who knows.... I may try CCL again, but if I do not stay in the loop of the changes that may occur, how would I know ?

 

I didn't realize that you had been on Carnival prior. I have been on other cruise lines as well (NCL,Celebrity, Princess and RCL) and I can't say I like one over the other. It's all good.

[Cruzaholic41]

Since you mentioned smoking...do tell...what is the smoking policy on CCL? Or NCL if anyone knows. I am a non-smoker, so being in the thick of it really bothers me. If they have certain smoking sections, that would not bother me at because I could just steer clear of them.

 

Smoking is permitted in more areas on CCL, including in staterooms.

[tuscandream]

I have been on Princess, Carnival and Royal. Here is my opinion. Royal ships I like better due to entertainment and activities the ships offer. I think the food is better on carnival. The food is good on Royal. The service is great on both. The price is better for carnival, I prefer the itinerary better on carnival instead of royal. I think no matter what cruiseline your on you will have fun. :D

[mystone99]

Since you mentioned smoking...do tell...what is the smoking policy on CCL? Or NCL if anyone knows. I am a non-smoker, so being in the thick of it really bothers me. If they have certain smoking sections, that would not bother me at because I could just steer clear of them.

 

We have only sailed on Carnival and have loved it, although the smoking sometimes bothers both DW and I. Smoking is allowed on balcony, on one side of the Lido deck, in the casino and some of the bars.

When we were on the Fascination you have to pass through the casino to get to the show theater, and the smoke was so bad we were holding our breath through the casino.

Our only other beef with Carnival is they make us leave the ship when the cruise is over.

[1965]

Hey 1965, I just attempted to contact you regarding Louis cruise lines - I'm going on them in October.

 

Thanks, Randy

 

Randy-We've been out of town for 2 days. I'm not sure how contacts are done, but feel free to ask anything re. Louis Lines. I'm not real computer, tech, etc., savvy.

[1965]

Well said. Thanks. (P.S. I shop at Aldi for groceries. Why pay over $3 for a gallon of milk that I can get for $1.45 at Aldi. LOL)

 

 

TwoWeebles-I'm with you on not paying more for the same thing. In fact I went to Aldi's this morning and paid 99 cents for a gal. of milk, and it tastes just as good as the $3.00 gallon. IMO it's the same for cruising. CC is a very good travel value. We have friends who won't even consider CC. Well, as we tell them, it's their loss, and one more comfortable, reasonably priced cabin for us to choose from.;);)

[Heirloom]

We are PARTIALLY in love with Carnival.

 

Provided we are on a Spirit Class ship, we find them to be perfect with regard to our vacation desires. In order of importance:

 

1) Their entire crew.

2) The impeccable design of ship, with customers in mind.Not "crowded".

3) The array of food selections, in both MDR and buffet.

4) The overall relaxed (vs. Upper Snooty) feeling amonst other passengers.

 

On other class ships, like Dream and Freedom, didn't get ecstatic...seemed too large, and not as customer oriented. Maybe understaffed. And most everywhere, felt "crowded". And for whatever reason, both seemed to have paper-thin cabin walls !

 

Overall.....regardless of which class of ship......don't think you can get any better value for your buck. These days bargains at retail go WAY beyond Walmart. And FYI, alot of Upper Snooties are wearing Wranglers since the recession began ! So maybe Carnival is more like J.C. Penny's !

[peanutzmom]

We love Carnival because it exceeds our expectations and still fits our budget. I've cruised on RCI previously and really didn't find anything different that I also didn't find on Carnival. Food was the same quality, service was the same quality, rooms were the same quality,the only thing different was the price. We spend the extra $$ that we don't have to pay for a fancier cruise on booking cooler shore excursions, because our main focus is on the destinations. We're a family of four that vacations on a budget, so I can't speak for those who prefer more refinement in their cruises, but for an all-around enjoyable family experience, I don't think Carnival can be beat.

[TwoWeebles]

I am so mad! My hubby and I have taken off the first week in April because our son is out of school on spring break. I know, I know...this isn't the best time to go on a cruise, but you have to work with the schedule you have. Anywho, I was just looking around at cruises and thought, "What better time to try a short, not too expensive cruise, with another line just to see what it's like?" Well, I found a few cruises on CCL that are in the running. BUT geez!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The airfare to get to Miami is RIDICULOUS! It ruined the whole dream for us!!!!! The airfare to get there costs more than the 4-5 day cruise itself! A drive to Miami is totally out of the question (it's 18 hours)

Needless to say, I am VERY DISAPPOINTED! :(

[1965]

I am so mad! My hubby and I have taken off the first week in April because our son is out of school on spring break. I know, I know...this isn't the best time to go on a cruise, but you have to work with the schedule you have. Anywho, I was just looking around at cruises and thought, "What better time to try a short, not too expensive cruise, with another line just to see what it's like?" Well, I found a few cruises on CCL that are in the running. BUT geez!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The airfare to get to Miami is RIDICULOUS! It ruined the whole dream for us!!!!! The airfare to get there costs more than the 4-5 day cruise itself! A drive to Miami is totally out of the question (it's 18 hours)

Needless to say, I am VERY DISAPPOINTED! :(

 

It is frustrating that so often airfare costs more than the cruise. How disappointing. Keep checking on air. I'm still learning how to do that, but posters here have mentioned Kayak as a good place to look for the best air deals. You may have already done that. Good luck. Sure hope it all works out for you and your family.:)

[Heirloom]

I am so mad! My hubby and I have taken off the first week in April because our son is out of school on spring break. I know, I know...this isn't the best time to go on a cruise, but you have to work with the schedule you have. Anywho, I was just looking around at cruises and thought, "What better time to try a short, not too expensive cruise, with another line just to see what it's like?" Well, I found a few cruises on CCL that are in the running. BUT geez!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The airfare to get to Miami is RIDICULOUS! It ruined the whole dream for us!!!!! The airfare to get there costs more than the 4-5 day cruise itself! A drive to Miami is totally out of the question (it's 18 hours)

Needless to say, I am VERY DISAPPOINTED! :(

 

Am familiar with Louisville.

 

What IS driveable/flyable from Louisville is Baltimore. April would be an ideal time of year, and Carnival Pride is one of the BEST ships in the fleet.

 

Check it out !

[1965]

Hey 1965, I just attempted to contact you regarding Louis cruise lines - I'm going on them in October.

 

Thanks, Randy

 

Randy-No idea if I'm doing this right. Do you have questions re. Louis lines? Cruised with them in spring of '08. Not much good I can say about them.:(

[momof4girls]

For me and my family I love Carnival cruises. We are middle income simple people and have no desire to be around a bunch of snotty rich people that think kids should not be seen or heard and spending $500 on a purse is a necessity!!.Yes there are kids running around having fun - its a fun ship for everybody. People drink, get loud, smoke, dance and just let loose. Its a vacation its fun. Is the food gourment masterpieces no but so what Im not cooking, cleaning and it taste good. There is food everywhere for all types. It actually is enough to keep my 15 year old middle linebacker filled lol. Is the entertainment top notch Vegas shows- no but its better than TV at home.Its an afordable vacation that you can have fun on. My kids have fun, me and DH have fun. There is a pool, a casino, and the people watching is awesome!!! You will deffinatly meet some characters. Someone compared it to the wallmart of cruises- so what. I go to walmart -why spend twice as much for the same thing?A vacation is what you make it to be. have fun, party, be ridiculous.

 

This pretty much sums it up for me. I've only been on one cruise, but it was easy to come to this opinion with just the one. Although I'd say it's more the Target of cruise lines, not the Walmart. ;) I shop at both, so I don't care either way. :cool:

 

If CCL was awful, I'd definitely look elsewhere. But for what you get for the value, you can't beat it. I'd rather cruise 1x a year on Carnival than once every few years on another line. JMHO

[TwoWeebles]

Am familiar with Louisville.

 

What IS driveable/flyable from Louisville is Baltimore. April would be an ideal time of year, and Carnival Pride is one of the BEST ships in the fleet.

 

Check it out !

 

Yes, I already have. We are actually from Baltimore, so it would be cool to be able to stop in and see family while getting on the cruise ship. However, we only have the week in April from the 2nd - 10th off school and work. The Pride is sailing, but is going to Nassau and Freeport. I don't have any experience with Freeport, but we have been to Nassau and disliked it very much. We would not even get off the ship if we went there. How is Freeport?