Is Carnival really a low income cruise line?

[Gtownmom]

Can't wait for my magic cruise!! Only 333 more days.... Carnival gives me the best value for my dollar, and makes me smile. What more should I look for? Nada.

[kayhold]

From a cruise lobbyist group:

Cruisers average age is 50 with a household income of $99,000. 65% are college graduates and 24% are post-graduates. 83% are married, 58% work full-time, and 93% are white/Caucasian.

If the average income of people on Carnival ships is below 99K, then by definition, CCL attracts below average income groups.

 

Perhaps I misunderstand what you're trying to say, but that means that of the people who actually cruise, they are on the lower end. That doesnt mean people on Carnival are below average income.

 

If my husband made $75k last year, we would be far from below average income but we'd be below average vs other cruisers.

 

I seriously doubt people who make $20k, married with 2 kids are cruising ANY line unless they are getting help with living expenses from other people. (living with parents, etc)

 

I am knocking this by any means - I am just saying that a family who lives on their own and makes below average income is very unlikely to afford many vacations.

[Jana60]

First off, Carnival and Celebrity are 2 totally different entities. Your friends know you a lot better than we do and if they suggested Celebrity for you, there is probably a reason and Carnival may not be your cup of tea.

In answer to your question - yes. I tell it like it is and if it offends folks, too bad. Carnival is the budget line of mass-market cruise lines. It is what it is and even the CEO admits it. CCL is about quantity more than quality. Yes, you can have a very good time on board, but to do so, you have to be very tolerant of large crowds and obnoxious party people. On Magic, the pool deck is very cramped and there is only one small pool. Good luck.

 

I have not cruised Celebrity, but I have cruised Princess, RCCL and Norwegian as well as Carnival and have seen large crowds and obnoxious people on every cruise. There are NO cruise ships with small crowds and there are obnoxious people everywhere you go in life.

[reginaphalange]

I would be carefull with your words. I'm sure somebody on here as family that uses food stamps and would take offense to that. HOWEVER I have been at Brookshires before and WITNESSED a spanish couple in front of me buying food with stamps AND then buying beer/cigarettes with cash. :eek::confused::rolleyes:

 

If any post in this thread is offensive, it is yours. What difference does it make that it was a "spanish couple"?

[JoeMissile]

Perhaps I misunderstand what you're trying to say, but that means that of the people who actually cruise, they are on the lower end. That doesnt mean people on Carnival are below average income.

 

If my husband made $75k last year, we would be far from below average income but we'd be below average vs other cruisers.

 

I seriously doubt people who make $20k, married with 2 kids are cruising ANY line unless they are getting help with living expenses from other people. (living with parents, etc)

 

I am knocking this by any means - I am just saying that a family who lives on their own and makes below average income is very unlikely to afford many vacations.

 

You are 100% right, I corrected my post to reflect that.

[SUSIEK]

Hello,

I must admit I used to have the NO-CARNIVAL attitude. We are Diamond on Royal Caribbean. Aso sailed many times on Princess and Celebrity. Every cruise was great. But, as I get older and wiser I realize just because something is more expensive it doesn't make it better. I also find that majority of the people that look down upon Carnival have never sailed on Carnival and more importantly on one of her new ships.

Carnival is a great value for your money - in my opinion.

[TriciaEMTB]

I am probably considered low income. I recently got a raise to $10/hr and I help support my mom. I booked a cruise last year because the price was good, I had never done it, needed a vacation and the OT abound.

 

Now I have another cruise booked, and cruising has become my fun time. Instead of working my normal hours, I pick up overtime. Instead of going out to theme parks, having dinner out, going to movies, going downtown etc, I pay off my cruise. So yes, I'm probably low income and sail carnival.

 

I even shop at Walmart from 11-4am sometimes because I'm an EMT and sometimes my shifts run late and its the only grocery store that's open when I get off.

 

However I don't consider myself low class. I'm nice, polite, I don't get plastered drunk (i actually don't even drink) I don't get loud and cause a scene and I don't wear dirty ratty clothes. I was actually worried my bermudas with a fringe at the hem looked "ratty" and didn't wear them.

 

Thing is? I noticed a lot of people like me on my cruise. They worked hard for it, they were having fun but no one was making a scene or getting fall on their butt drunk. I didn't even notice a drunk on my entire cruise(I'm sure they were there but none causes a ruckus). I'm sure they were there. I saw lots of people of every race, but never heard a racial slurr or saw tension. Never heard a "git-r-done" or met anyone wandering in a bathrobe.

 

Just a bunch of people having a good time. It was awesome.

 

I have a coworker who actually posts to CC who tried his hardest to convince me to switch to Royal Caribbean and told me I'd have a horrible time on Carnival, the food sucked, everyone would be staggering around drunk, service is terrible etc etc.

 

Turns out he had never sailed CCL. He was just repeating stuff he heard on the RC boards.

 

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[WalkThaFreekinPlank]

Is there something in the air or water down in Texas this week? OP and fellow Texan JP have stirred up 2 of the more lively threads. OP, I am always careful with my words. I typed out a very coherent response to your original post right after you posted and I didn't submit it. My post was getting long-winded and I thought the heck with it. Why waste time trying to convince someone of anything? Your mind should have been made up when you spent so much booking your cruise.

 

No harm, it's all good. We are VERY happy with our decision, just curious. AND to address your "judgement" on JPTexan, I don't know him from hill of beans. I noticed in his SIG he booked the same cruise at the same time and thought that was neat.

 

Why bash him or any Texan for discussions over non-important or important topics. This is a discussion forum and I have read many other topics I don't agree with but I keep to myself. I certainly would not attempt to bash someone. :)

[kayhold]

I would be carefull with your words. I'm sure somebody on here as family that uses food stamps and would take offense to that. HOWEVER I have been at Brookshires before and WITNESSED a spanish couple in front of me buying food with stamps AND then buying beer/cigarettes with cash. :eek::confused::rolleyes:

 

What does their race have to do with it? You could have made this exact same point without bringing their ethnicity into it.

 

Also, I use my mothers food stamp card to buy her things a few times a week, because she can't shop for herself.

If you saw me buying beer with cash for myself, and food with food stamps for my mother, you'd be ASSUMING I was doing something YOU find wrong, so do us both a favor and keep your judgement to yourself.

[reginaphalange]

I am probably considered low income. I recently got a raise to $10/hr and I help support my mom. I booked a cruise last year because the price was good, I had never done it, needed a vacation and the OT abound.

 

Now I have another cruise booked, and cruising has become my fun time. Instead of working my normal hours, I pick up overtime. Instead of going out to theme parks, having dinner out, going to movies, going downtown etc, I pay off my cruise. So yes, I'm probably low income and sail carnival.

 

I even shop at Walmart from 11-4am sometimes because I'm an EMT and sometimes my shifts run late and its the only grocery store that's open when I get off.

 

However I don't consider myself low class. I'm nice, polite, I don't get plastered drunk (i actually don't even drink) I don't get loud and cause a scene and I don't wear dirty ratty clothes. I was actually worried my bermudas with a fringe at the hem looked "ratty" and didn't wear them.

 

Thing is? I noticed a lot of people like me on my cruise. They worked hard for it, they were having fun but no one was making a scene or getting fall on their butt drunk. I didn't even notice a drunk on my entire cruise(I'm sure they were there but none causes a ruckus). I'm sure they were there. I saw lots of people of every race, but never heard a racial slurr or saw tension. Never heard a "git-r-done" or met anyone wandering in a bathrobe.

 

Just a bunch of people having a good time. It was awesome.

 

I have a coworker who actually posts to CC who tried his hardest to convince me to switch to Royal Caribbean and told me I'd have a horrible time on Carnival, the food sucked, everyone would be staggering around drunk, service is terrible etc etc.

 

Turns out he had never sailed CCL. He was just repeating stuff he heard on the RC boards.

 

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

 

Very well said, Tricia!!! :)

[WalkThaFreekinPlank]

Perhaps I misunderstand what you're trying to say, but that means that of the people who actually cruise, they are on the lower end. That doesnt mean people on Carnival are below average income.

 

If my husband made $75k last year, we would be far from below average income but we'd be below average vs other cruisers.

 

I seriously doubt people who make $20k, married with 2 kids are cruising ANY line unless they are getting help with living expenses from other people. (living with parents, etc)

 

I am knocking this by any means - I am just saying that a family who lives on their own and makes below average income is very unlikely to afford many vacations.

 

+1, thats what I was thinking when I read that. 1 person can make $50k a year but have ZERO debt = more cash on hand than someone making $99k a year but maxed out on debt with no $$ available to spend. SO I am confused on that still....

 

Some people will say they step over pennies to pick up nickles, I pick up every penny I come across.

[gogetter]

Since cruising Carnival since 1996, i have noticed a decline in customer service AND the people that cruise. My wife and i were just talking bout this, this morning. we have seen changes and they are not for the better. Sure we have changed.

 

For your first cruise and for you not to be able to compare.....it will be fine.....can't really go by too much opinions of others.

 

Have fun and do what you want.

[bdtmoult]

I've been on RCI, Disney, Carival and Celebrity. I love them all for different reasons. I will admit that Celebrity was my least favortie because the crowd was much older (could have been the time of year) and my husband had a miserable time cause most everyone was in bed by 10 pm it seemed. I am one of those that just never has a bad time since I'm not working! :D

[Cruzaholic41]

I have not cruised Celebrity, but I have cruised Princess, RCCL and Norwegian as well as Carnival and have seen large crowds and obnoxious people on every cruise. There are NO cruise ships with small crowds and there are obnoxious people everywhere you go in life.

 

While that may be true, I have cruised enough on all those lines to know it typically is worse on Carnival.

 

The quote of the day on this thread referred to low class pertaining more to actions than income. I agree 100%.

[WalkThaFreekinPlank]

If any post in this thread is offensive, it is yours. What difference does it make that it was a "spanish couple"?

 

Because they were Spanish maybe????? :rolleyes:

 

BTW my wife is Mexican and I love her to death, thank you very much. :cool:

[kayhold]

Also keep in mind - if you go into this thinking its going to suck , it will.

 

If given a free meal at either, I would go to Outback any day of the week compared to Ruth Chris' because I just don't want to dress up to go eat a steak. I don't care if RC is better, its not my atmosphere. I don't go into Outback thinking its going to suck because its not RC's, I go in there knowing I'm about to eat something I enjoy.

[WalkThaFreekinPlank]

What does their race have to do with it? You could have made this exact same point without bringing their ethnicity into it.

 

Also, I use my mothers food stamp card to buy her things a few times a week, because she can't shop for herself.

If you saw me buying beer with cash for myself, and food with food stamps for my mother, you'd be ASSUMING I was doing something YOU find wrong, so do us both a favor and keep your judgement to yourself.

 

First off there is NO WAY I would ever allow my parents to be on food stamps. They brought me into this world, raised me, put me thru college and have always been there. I would mortgage and pawn everything I had to make sure they NEVER got put into that situtation. But thats maybe because I was raised in the south and thats the way we do it.

[H82seaUgo]

Because they were Spanish maybe????? :rolleyes:

 

BTW my wife is Mexican and I love her to death, thank you very much. :cool:

 

never understand why some people get hung up on adjectives. if you said "good looking" instead of "spanish", i wonder who would object.

[victory2020]

I do see more tatoos & buckets of beer on Carnival than any other cruiseline........

[kayhold]

Because they were Spanish maybe????? :rolleyes:

 

BTW my wife is Mexican and I love her to death, thank you very much. :cool:

 

But there was no reason to bring it up and to bring it up reads as "Spanish people mistreat foodstamps" whether you realize it or meant to sound that way.

 

It brought nothing to the conversation except to single out a particular race.

[WalkThaFreekinPlank]

BUT ANYWAYS, back to the topic.

 

I appreciate all the positive feedback and we do feel better now about taking this cruise. Comfort is a big thing when on vacation. :D

[H82seaUgo]

But there was no reason to bring it up and to bring it up reads as "Spanish people mistreat foodstamps" whether you realize it or meant to sound that way.

 

sorry, but that just tells US how YOU think.

[WalkThaFreekinPlank]

But there was no reason to bring it up and to bring it up reads as "Spanish people mistreat foodstamps" whether you realize it or meant to sound that way.

 

I could see it might have came off that way. No harm intended. ;)

[kayhold]

sorry, but that just tells US how YOU think.

 

Please tell me what the mention of their race brought to the conversation that was helpful.

 

People who abuse government aid come in all colors and flavors, and there was no need to mention it.

[reginaphalange]

Because they were Spanish maybe????? :rolleyes:

 

BTW my wife is Mexican and I love her to death, thank you very much. :cool:

 

Had they been caucasian, would you have said "caucasian couple"?

 

Having a wife from Mexican descent doesn't excuse stereotyping.