Hope I dont cross any lines.

[katlady12]

My wife and I just got back from a 4 day Bahama Cruise on the Carnival Sensation. It was our very first cruise, and we had a blast! There was not one part of the whole thing that we didnt love. That being said, putting aside the problems that Carnival has had on some of their ships lately, how does Carnival ships rate compared to the other cruise lines? Just kind of wondering what some of the other lines have to offer.....

[sail7seas]

My wife and I just got back from a 4 day Bahama Cruise on the Carnival Sensation. It was our very first cruise, and we had a blast! There was not one part of the whole thing that we didnt love. That being said, putting aside the problems that Carnival has had on some of their ships lately, how does Carnival ships rate compared to the other cruise lines? Just kind of wondering what some of the other lines have to offer.....

 

 

There is no simple answer to get in one thread here.

You really should visit the various cruise line forums here on CC and read.

See what the people on those forums are saying about those ships they are sailing on that cruise line.

 

Then Go to another forum for a cruise line you think might interest you and read some more.

 

That is the best way for you to garner the information you want.

You have to do the research. :)

 

I see you are relative new here so I'll explain how to find the other forums in the event you don't know.

 

*Go to the bottom of the page you are reading

*See the drop down menu

*Click and scroll through all the possible forums

*Select a cruise line about which you'd like to read

*Click it

 

Repeat for as many other forums as you wish to read.

Have fun. It's great reading the various forums and forming opinions of what you like and what you don't.

 

 

[kitty9]

Each cruise line tends to have its own niche, but most lines are more equal than different. Carnival Sensation is one of their older ships and you'll find a lot more amenities and activities on newer ships. Some people feel that certain lines, such as Celebrity, Princess and HAL, have better food and service than lines like Carnival, RCI and NCL. You'll find that many cruise lines tend to attract certain demographics, such as Carnival, RCI, NCL tend to attract younger passengers and lots of kids. Princess, HAL, and Celebrity tend to attract a slightly more upscale and older cruiser, with fewer families especially when school is in session.

[Nonstop Cruiser]

We started on a shorter cruise as well, just to see if we liked it. Well, over 30 cruises later, I guess you can say we love it! I've been on most of the cruise lines and have a favorite. But if the price is right, we go on any ship. Each ship offers a different experience. Disney is great for kids, but has a wonderful adults only area as well. The Oasis and Allure (RCCL) are enormous, but you don't feel crowded at all. I feel more laid back when I am on a Carnival ship, but the Carnival crowd seems to know how to party. I find that Hollard America tends to have an older crowd. Celebrity and Princess have a more elegant feel to me. These are my feelings. Part of the fun of cruising is trying the different ships and ports. One thing I recommend is as you cruise, make sure you join the rewards programs the each cruise line offers. As you build up points, you start to get some perks - priority boarding, gifts, discounts, on board tours and lots more. I still feel for the money, you can't beat a cruise vacation.

[chipq]

Welcome to cruising,

 

So much of one's perspective is based on their individual tastes. If a passenger prefers the quality of the dining on board well, they likely prefer many other lines over the Mass market of Carnival, Royal and Norwegian. I am not a foodie so I think the food on these three is generally pretty good.

 

If a passenger prefers a more upbeat, party till early morning crowd, well then HAL, Princess and Celebrity will fall short for them.

 

Over time, try a couple other cruises and then as you become more experienced, identify the elements of a cruise that carry the most importance to you and you will be able to begin to narrow down you choices to those cruises that can meet YOUR idea of a perfect cruise vacation.

 

http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

[Hlitner]

There are a lot of different aspects that affect cruising and cruise ships and the ship/cruise line is just one issue. For example, you took a 3 day cruise which is as short as it gets. People on 3 and 4 day cruises try to crowd a week of activities into less then 3 days and that kind of cruise is a bit intense and can be lots of fun. Now compare that to a 60 day cruise where the average age of the passengers can be in the 70s. Or how about a 14 day cruise to the Caribbean? Most of us started with short cruises (ours was 4 days) and as we age we tend to go to longer and longer cruises (last year we cruised 101 days of which the longest cruise was 62 days). One off the wonderful things about cruising is that there is something for just about every age and interest...so as you grow and age and your taste changes....there will be something out there to make you a happy cruiser.

 

Hank

[Patswife2]

There are a lot of different aspects that affect cruising and cruise ships and the ship/cruise line is just one issue. For example, you took a 3 day cruise which is as short as it gets. People on 3 and 4 day cruises try to crowd a week of activities into less then 3 days and that kind of cruise is a bit intense and can be lots of fun. Now compare that to a 60 day cruise where the average age of the passengers can be in the 70s. Or how about a 14 day cruise to the Caribbean? Most of us started with short cruises (ours was 4 days) and as we age we tend to go to longer and longer cruises (last year we cruised 101 days of which the longest cruise was 62 days). One off the wonderful things about cruising is that there is something for just about every age and interest...so as you grow and age and your taste changes....there will be something out there to make you a happy cruiser.

 

Hank

 

Very well put, Hank.

 

Leslie

[GORDONCHICK]

Just so you know, the shorter cruises have a much different feel to them - some of it with people trying to cram so much into a short time. But also, the shorter ones typically feel more like a big party than the longer ones. The longer, the more relaxing they are.

[katlady12]

Thanks everyone! That was my feeling too. Beings we were only going to be on for 4 days, were trying to get everything in, and not miss anything. Hopefully the next one can be longer.

[maryred]

Another thing you can do to see if another cruise line appeals to you is to visit their websites. Go to their FAQs or "need to know before boarding" page(s) and see what their dress code is. Here's a sampling:

Cunard's "EVENING DRESS CODES

1. Formal

Dinner jacket, tuxedo or dark suit with tie for gentlemen. A range of gentlemen's formal wear is available to hire on board ship.

Evening or cocktail dress for ladies

2. Informal

Jacket required, tie optional for gentlemen

Cocktail dress, stylish separates or equivalent for ladies.

Please note that after 6pm, shorts and blue or worn denim (for men and women); sandals and sleeveless tops (for men) are not considered appropriate within the ship. On formal nights, any guests wishing to dress more casually are welcome to dine in the Kings Court or Lido main buffet restaurant and relax in the Winter Garden or Garden Lounge bar, but should not use other areas within the ship, including our Alternative Dining Restaurants, out of respect for their fellow guests."

VS

Holland America's

"Evening dress falls into two distinct categories: Formal or Smart Casual. Smart Casual can be defined as slacks and collared shirts for men and casual dresses, slacks and informal evening wear for women. T-shirts, swimsuits, tank tops and shorts are not allowed in the restaurants or public areas during the evening hours. On festive Formal evenings, ladies may wear a suit, cocktail dress, gown or fancy blouse/top with slacks and gentlemen wear a jacket and tie, dark suit or tuxedo. There are approximately two formal nights per week.

In order to complement your fellow guests, Holland America Line asks that you observe the suggested dress code throughout the entire evening."

VS.

Royal's

"There are three distinct types of evenings onboard: casual, smart casual and formal. Suggested guidelines for these nights are:

Casual: Sport shirts and slacks for men, sundresses or pants for women

Smart Casual: Jackets and ties for men, dresses or pantsuits for women

Formal: Suits and ties or tuxedos for men, cocktail dresses for women"

 

From the dress codes you generally can gauge the atmosphere that will be relative to that cruise line.

[marco]

Over the years, we've found more similarities than differences between the various lines and we've been on just about all of them repeatedly. Over all.... on any line, the shorter the cruise, the younger the overall demographics. Sailing Cunard, the overall ambiance is much more formal on a TA than it is on a cruise and the biggest difference (IMO) with Carnival is a much more Las Vegas Decor on their ships compared to others. We find differences minimal and enjoy them all. We pretty much base our decision now on date/itinerary/price/departure port.

[printingchick]

My wife and I just got back from a 4 day Bahama Cruise on the Carnival Sensation. It was our very first cruise, and we had a blast! There was not one part of the whole thing that we didnt love. That being said, putting aside the problems that Carnival has had on some of their ships lately, how does Carnival ships rate compared to the other cruise lines? Just kind of wondering what some of the other lines have to offer.....

 

I've only cruised Carnival and Royal, although came extremely close to booking a Celebrity cruise recently (ended up booking RCL Jewel, but did a LOT of research about Celebrity during the decision-making process).

 

Like you, my first cruise (my first SIX cruises) were on Carnival and I LOVED it! Became addicted immediately.

 

Then I took a Royal Caribbean cruise and - much to my surprise - discovered I preferred it. This is my take. Obviously your opinion might not be the same.

 

RCL and CCL are very similar. They both market to a younger crowd looking for a high-energy experience.

 

In my experience, while both market to families with children (at least on some of their ships), when it comes to adults, CCL tends to market more toward a "party" crowd where RCL tends to market toward an "active" crowd. (Remember the "Get Out There" slogan?) The activities on RCL tend to be more participatory (rather than spectator) and more sports-like. (Crew versus passenger volleyball and/or dodge ball competitions, for example.)

 

RCL's service has always struck me as more PERSONAL in general. The cruise director gets to KNOW the passengers, rather than just trying to ENTERTAIN the passengers.

 

On my first RCL cruise, the captain (Captain Tommy) was incredibly personable. He posed for photos with passengers at the Farewell Show. He even participated in the crew versus passenger dodge ball game! The captains on Carnival were always so REMOVED from the passengers.

 

RCL does a much better job of maintaining its older ships. And this isn't meant to apply to the recent mechanical issues. Cosmetically, their older ships look NEWER than CCL's older vessels. On Carnival ships, I experienced areas in need of painting, torn up carpeting on the mini-golf "greens," and garishly out of date decor.

 

Mary mentioned the dinner dress code in her reply and, while she's right according to the website posting, I've not experienced suggestion of "smart casual" in the MDR on a RCL ship for years. It's typically formal (which is usually not THAT formal - I can't remember seeing a tuxedo in YEARS) or casual. Sometimes there are THEME nights, like 70's clothing the night of the 70s party or "Caribbean Night" when people break out their tackiest tropical shirts.

 

Finally, at least at the time I switched, RCL had a FAR better loyalty program than Carnival. (I don't know what Carnival does now, so that may not still be the case.) After 6 cruises on Carnival, I didn't get any more perks than I did after ONE cruise. Not that I cruise for loyalty perks, but it made me feel kind of unappreciated when I learned from friends what they were getting from RCL.