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Forgive Me Royal Carbbean - I Cheated On You

lovelife

By lovelife,
in Royal Caribbean International

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lovelife

lovelife

Posted
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with Carnival. :( I promise it will never happen agan.

 

Ship of Doom & Gloom

 

This was our 23rd cruise - 15 on Royal Caribbean. Our very first cruise was on Carnival 20 years ago and we remember it being fun. Since we just moved within an hour and a half of Baltimore and Turks & Caicos was on my bucket list, we thought we would give Carnival another try. This sailing was not easy on the pocketbook as I had heard about Carnival so I had high expectations in return for my hard earned money.

 

I have never stepped foot on a ship and had such thoughts as I did on this one. We walked into a dark, morose lobby with candelabra that reminded me of Dracula's castle. I thought why did I book this cruise? (DH admitted later he thought the same thing.)

 

 

Lobby

8061043150_a5835bf8ab_b.jpg

DSC_0175 by KakalinaP, on Flickr

 

But determined to keep an open mind and enjoy myself, I thought okay, it can't all look this bad. I was mistaken. Almost all areas had the same depressing atmosphere. It was all so overly decorated and one would be hard pressed to find a space not covered in baroque decor. I had read on these boards that the ship was a little dark. Oh boy, what an understatement. I was prepared for the adult only artwork so no surprise there but it was just too overwhelming. I talked to other passengers who shared my sentiment about the dreariness of this ship.

 

Casino

8061040079_e92ae60496_b.jpg

DSC_0060 by KakalinaP, on Flickr

 

Lounge

8061070777_99db8a8e6a_b.jpg

DSC_0083 by KakalinaP, on Flickr

 

The mattress was hard and the cabin was HOT. After two maintenance visits the AC was never repaired.

 

The food and service were so hit and miss I would rate the overall dining experience a 6 out of 10.

 

The one time we ventured up to Carnival's signature slide there was a huge line of mostly drunks.

 

I can't say enough about Half Moon Cay -- simply heavenly. The sand was like baby powder and I could have stayed in that water for days. This is the best cruise line private island beach I have visited. Too bad I can only go back if I take another Carnival cruise because that ain't happenin'.

 

I try to make the most of things when they are not as expected, but this ship is just too dark and depressing to be called a "fun ship."

 

Will I cruise Carnival again? Nope.

 

Please Royal Caribbean, open your arms - I'm coming home.............

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JYL

JYL

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I can't say enough about Half Moon Cay -- simply heavenly. The sand was like baby powder and I could have stayed in that water for days. This is the best cruise line private island beach I have visited. Too bad I can only go back if I take another Carnival cruise because that ain't happenin'.

 

You can go to Half Moon Cay on a Holland America cruise, they are the same company. Holland cruises are pretty nice, maybe not as much fun as Royal.

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Cruising89143

Cruising89143

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I have cruised on both the Carnival Pride and Legend. The decor is very different and dark. The rose colored glass at the top of the atrium does not help and adds to the darkness. This class ship was my favorite Carnival class due to the layout and fact that it didn't feel crowded compared to other Carnival ships but yes they are not going to win a beauty contest.

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Langley Cruisers

Langley Cruisers

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Well, I'm glad we all have a choice on which line we wish to cruise. Said to DH last night, there are members here with dozens of cruises listed, all on Carnival. They love it. And that's fine. A loyal Carnival cruiser might have written this review in reverse, right? :);)

 

Like I said, we are blessed to have a choice in this world.

.

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DonnaK

DonnaK

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We felt the same after our one-and-only Carnival cruise (ours was on Miracle when she was less than one year old).

 

Photos don't lie, and yours provide a perfect example of how ugly, dreary and dark Carnival ships are.

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kymbakitty

kymbakitty

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Only went on one Carnival cruise and it was one of our best cruises ever. I think we had low expectations,, but it was fabulous.

 

It was a 17 day Panama Canal cruise on the new "Spirit" back in 2001. It was very expensive....close to $9k. But we had an awesome suite on the back of the ship with wrap around balcony. Nice living room, separate bedroom, and a nice small dressing room that connected the two rooms.

 

Food was awesome, and the alternate dining option (Joe's Stone Crab under the big red thing) changed our mind about alternate dining forever....went 3 or 4 times.

 

Exercise facility was really nice too.

 

We haven't been on another Carnival cruise because there is no way it can be as good. Just assume keep that memory safe and sound.

 

:-)

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lovelife

lovelife

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Well, I'm glad we all have a choice on which line we wish to cruise. Said to DH last night, there are members here with dozens of cruises listed, all on Carnival. They love it. And that's fine. A loyal Carnival cruiser might have written this review in reverse, right? :);)

 

Like I said, we are blessed to have a choice in this world.

.

 

Of course. It is my opinion only.

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matj2000

matj2000

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Cheating on RCL with Carnival? That's like cheating on your spouse with a skanky common street walker...:eek:....should have picked a little more classy if you're going to stray........;)

 

Don't try to act like to much of a snob, it doesn't work.

It's like the Kmart people making fun of the Walmart people for being low class.

Or like the Chevy drivers laughing at the Ford drivers.

There really is not too much of a difference....

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FloridaMomma

FloridaMomma

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I haven't been on Carnival yet (we're going in June 2013), but probably half of my friends prefer Carnival over RCI. I'm looking forward to our sailing on Sensation, but those pictures look awful! It looks like the Haunted Mansion at Disney World!

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grand isle joe

grand isle joe

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Don't try to act like to much of a snob, it doesn't work.

 

It's like the Kmart people making fun of the Walmart people for being low class.

 

Or like the Chevy drivers laughing at the Ford drivers.

 

There really is not too much of a difference....

 

 

 

 

.....or people who live in the suburbs thinking they are cowboys.....

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DebJ14

DebJ14

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We felt the same after our one-and-only Carnival cruise (ours was on Miracle when she was less than one year old).

 

Photos don't lie, and yours provide a perfect example of how ugly, dreary and dark Carnival ships are.

 

Then you haven't been on the Carnival Magic. The decor in public areas is soft blues and tans and nothing like the old Carnival ships. Much lighter and easier on the eye.

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Coralc

Coralc

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Ship of Doom & Gloom

 

 

I have never stepped foot on a ship and had such thoughts as I did on this one. We walked into a dark, morose lobby with candelabra that reminded me of Dracula's castle. I thought why did I book this cruise? (DH admitted later he thought the same thing.)

 

 

Lobby

8061043150_a5835bf8ab_b.jpg

DSC_0175 by KakalinaP, on Flickr

 

 

That is too funny! I thought for sure you must be exaggerating...until I looked at the photo! It looks hideous! I made DH come in and see it on the computer.

 

Thanks for the warning with visuals. :)

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karinad

karinad

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We were just on our 2nd Carnival cruise in Sept. Our first was in 1989, it was horrible! We were scared to go again on Carnival for yrs. We found a good price on The Miracle from our homeport, so no flying. We loved it! The entertainment was good. The food was really good! The ship was clean, and the decor was different! We've cruised most with Princess, Celebrity, Disney, and RCCL. Every cruise had different things to offer and we learned to go with the flow and accept the bad along with the good.

 

We'll be going on the EOS this month. We were on her last yr. With just being on Carnival, we'll be able to really remember how each one was good or bad. There's no guarantee that this cruise will be the same as last yr. We have faith in RCCL that they're more consitant then the reviews I've read about Carnival. I wouldn't hesitate to go on either or all the lines we've been on. So sorry that you didn't have a positive experience! I know what a drag it is to look forward to going and things weren't as you hoped.

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ticktoneer

ticktoneer

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Oh no... I was pricing a Carnival cruise out of Baltimore next spring. Judging by those pics, I think my family would KILL me if I took them on a ship that looked like THAT! :(

Don't go Carnival - PLEASE ! Lol

 

I went on Carnival Destiny in September and all the twinkling lights, LED and mirrors made my head spin all week - ha ha ha. It was another of their vile ship interiors.

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ticktoneer

ticktoneer

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Don't try to act like to much of a snob, it doesn't work.

It's like the Kmart people making fun of the Walmart people for being low class.

Or like the Chevy drivers laughing at the Ford drivers.

There really is not too much of a difference....

Yawn yawn yawn !!!!!!!

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funfamilyof6

funfamilyof6

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I came across this thread and couldn't resist reading it because I had the same feeling 6 weeks ago on Carnival Liberty. Yours sounds worse because you had to contend with ugly decor which was not the issue in our case.

 

We find RCCL to be more upbeat and friendly, especially the crew, although our room steward on Carnival was very nice. The thing we disliked most about Carnival were the LINES. The layout in the food area was terrible and very crowded no matter where you went. It didn't help that there were many rude people constantly knocking into you. While waiting on a buffet line, my daughter got stepped on by somebody rushing by with high heels on, causing an injury to her toe. Currently, she has no toenail. Yes, this can happen anywhere on any ship, but it hasn't. The clod didn't even apologize.

 

I doubt we will be giving Carnival a second chance, and I don't think I am brave enough to give NCL a try. Back to RCCL, even if it's double the price. We will just have to cruise less. :(

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