whats the difference

[beanozak]

We have sailed with at lot of different cruise lines, now we are thinking of trying Carnival. Why is Carnival different, apart from it is cheaper why????

[mondello]

What is the difference between McDonalds, Wendys, and Burger King? I eat good burgers from all 3 chains. The big, mass-market lines are serving the same product their way. Yes, there are differences; however, I think they're more alike than not.

[WetToes]

I agree with mondello.

[sandygal]

There are differences, it's according to what is important to you. We started our cruising years ago with Holland America, LOVED IT! But because of itineraries , we have sailed 5 times on the 8 day itinerary Carnival Miracle (and Valor once) over the last 6 or 7 years (with a cruise on Celebrity and Princess thrown in there along the way). We have always enjoyed the Miracle, but it depends on what you want form a vacation. We like to read and eat! So the activities are unimportant to us, in fact we avoid the areas where they take place. We like a comfortable bed, and we love the down comforter with the duvet cover, it feels cozy and clean. The balcony cabin is spacious and reasonably priced.

 

As for the food, we have different expectations than we had years ago. We had not had much experience with fine dining, so we were really happy to have so many new things to try, and the upscale feel to the dining room felt special night after night, even on Carnival. Now our expectations are lower on a cruise ship, or even at most restaurants , but we always find things we enjoy. I'm happy with crusty bread, butter, nice cheese and a glass of red wine! And maybe a salad and a bit of salami and olives! Which is why we often eat at the buffet now at nights! But that's just me.

 

Recently we took an eleven day cruise on the Holland America's Zuiderdam. We were very excited because it has been 10 years since we had cruised on HAL. While we had a lovely cruise, the experience for us was overall not hugely different than Carnival, as they have made a lot of cutbacks, too. Yes, they did have freshly squeezed orange juice for breakfast (LOVE), they did have unlimited beach towels by the pool, the loungers had cushions and were better quality, and the music wasn't so annoying (not as loud, more mellow) around the adult pool . There were fresh cloth hand towels in the public bathrooms, and some other "upscale" touches, too. But was our cruise experience better? Not really, we read and ate and enjoyed the ports just the same as on Carnival. Would we pay more for HAL? Maybe if money wasn't an issue, but few of us are in that position.

 

Our next cruise in on the 8 day Carnival Splendor out of New York, because of the Monday departure and the 8 day itinerary that replaces the Miracle. We are really looking forward to this cruise, and cruising Holland America last doesn't dampen our excitement for Carnival!

[beachbum53]

We have sailed with at lot of different cruise lines, now we are thinking of trying Carnival. Why is Carnival different, apart from it is cheaper why????

 

 

Well, I guess it depends on if you're cruising primarily for the on board amenities and the ambiance, or if the cruise ship is mostly a means of getting you from one port to another. For example, Royal Caribbean and Carnival will both get you from Miami to St. Thomas, but on Royal Caribbean you'll have certain amenities that Carnival doesn't have. But of course you pay for those amenities in the form of a higher cruise cost. There have been some cutbacks on Carnival in an attempt to keep prices low. Depending on who you talk to, those cutbacks are either a reason to choose a different cruise line, or go with Carnival and save some money. Probably the one area where cutbacks are the most noticeable, and most frequently discussed on here, is in entertainment. There are no poolside calypso bands (:(), and the stage shows tend to be a bit lacking sometimes. If you can overlook the cutbacks, you can still have an enjoyable (but less expensive) cruise on Carnival.

[serene56]

We have sailed Royal, Princess and Carnival.

 

Carnival more then the rest.

Price dictates where we go.

 

We were totally WOW'd on Princess as it was a different experience but we also paid a lot extra for that experience.

We switched the next cruise from Ruby Princess to Carnival Glory going to the same ports for a 1200. savings. (I could cruise another week for that amount.

 

I agree- the ships get you to where you are going-- why pay extra for it

[rjrpar]

First, Carnival is not the only cruise line cutting back. They all are in an attempt to keep prices low and fill their cabins. Regarding differences between the major lines - there are differences but they are somewhat minor and very subjective. We usually cruise RCCL but have had some great cruises on Carnival for 10 - 15% less.

[GTO-Girl]

We are going on the Facination in a couple of weeks for the third time, but we know going in what to expect (not so many "bells & whistles"). It is an older ship, but it is well maintained and the staff is great.

 

We were just on the Dream in October and were very "under-whelmed" at some of the cutbacks. If you are a new cruiser you might not notice, but for those of us who have been sailing awhile, it was just kind of sad to see the reduced number of crew trying to keep up with all the work. Things were just not getting done because the workforce has been so reduced.

 

I totally blame Corporate because they are taking a great company and making some bad bottom line decisions that's going to affect it for a long time. But as some others on here have said, they may be going after the new cruisers and no longer care too much about us "old timers".....:rolleyes:

[eroller]

Price dictates where we go.

 

 

 

I agree- the ships get you to where you are going-- why pay extra for it

 

 

Here is a good example of a difference between Carnival and some other mass-market lines. Many people that cruise Carnival are strictly price driven. It's the cheapest, goes to the islands they want, and they are satisfied. They are willing to overlook some of the short falls (i.e. crowded ships, small pools, lackluster entertainment, reduced staffing, dated decor on some ships, excessive lines for some services, etc) because the cruise is cheap. When I go to Walmart my expectations are pretty low but it's the price leader so I guess low expectations are par for the course? Personally I'm a Target man myself (willing to pay slightly more for an elevated experience). The poster above mentioned the ship is essentially just a means of getting you to where you're going. If this is how you feel then by all means Carnival will likely satisfy you. In this case you might call the ship a glorified ferry.

 

People that book other lines like Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity, etc. are probably looking for something a bit nicer and an elevated experience compared to Carnival, and are willing to pay for it.

 

Another big difference for me personally is the hardware. Even Carnival's newest ships can't compete with Royal Caribbean's Voyager, Freedom, and Oasis Class. They are light years ahead of anything Carnival has in terms of amenities, entertainment venues, speciality dining, and activities. I would say service is pretty equal and while food is somewhat subjective, Carnival does pretty good in this area. Carnival used to have great entertainment (Vegas style elaborate productions, great live bands, two shows a night, etc) but they have really scaled that back, and gone the way of DJ's, very short and limited production shows with a reduced cast, and more audience participation type shows all which cost the company far less to produce. Meanwhile competitors like NCL and Royal Caribbean are ramping up the entertainment, offering full broadway productions, ice skating shows, high diving water shows, elaborate parades, dinner theaters, etc. Of course you will pay more to sail on Royal Caribbean's and NCL's newest ships, but you also get more especially if things like the hardware, entertainment, and speciality dining options are important to you.

 

In the end it's a personal matter and it comes down to your priorities and your budget. You can have an awesome time on Carnival just like you can on more expensive lines, but just keep your expectations in check. Personally I have pretty much graduated from Carnival to other lines, but I still cruise Carnival on occasion if the deal and timing are right. Most often though I'm willing to pay a little more to have an overall better experience.

 

Ernie

[itravelalot]

I agree with the others that state it is really ones own opinion of what is important. I was not happy when my husband booked us a Carnival Cruise 2 yrs ago, but I was impressed with the way they did some things differently than other lines.

 

We really enjoyed the specialty restaurants on the Legend and found the staff to be great.

 

Since then we have not been on another Carnival Cruise, but that is because we tend to travel based on itinerary as opposed to Cruise Line.

[musicgal]

We cruise Carnival more for the port convenience- drive down and park usually with the exception of the Spirit Alaska cruise last year, which we were invited to go on by in-laws. Of the three lines we've cruised, I think the biggest differences have been in the quality of the food... with Carnival being middle of the road- with differences apparent there as well between ships. Huge changes can occur from one staff change to another.

IMO, Spirit had the best dining room and steakhouse food so far. Ecstasy not so much. Conquest, meh... Louis Majesty had food that would have caused us to lose weight on a longer cruise... not kidding, it might have been called a gristle cruise menu. But people dressed very elegantly on that ship- a more international clientele- so that aspect of the cruise was different and pleasant from our perspective. That was our only cruise without a balcony, but the cabin was extremely functional as far as layout. Staff was snootier:)

If decor matters to you, then there will be big differences between the Farkus designed Carnival ships and other line's ships. Lots of glitz and bling on those ships with themes running through the hallways and changing in public areas... for example, the entire forward area of the Spirit was done in a jungle theme, and the theater was Egyptian. Mid-ship had nudes and Polynesian themes. Bright, some would say, gaudy colors that extend sometimes into the staterooms... but, it's also fun in a way to see what's around the next corner.

I found HAL to be more organized in their cruising approach... meticulous in their record keeping...etc. More polished in their guest relations and better in the food service category. That was years back though, so that all could have changed now since Carnival is Holland's parent-

All in all- I think there is much more of a chance of having major differences in cruise experience being linked to the management of ships within lines than not, unless you really step it up to a line like Oceana.