Same ships as carnival?

[crazidude1400]

has anyone noticed that some of this companies ships are EXACTLY IDENTICAL to carnival?

 

just thought it would be interesting to point out

[ILov2cruise]

Costa is owned by Carnival Corp.

[eroller]

Costa is owned by Carnival Corp.

 

 

Yes, and so is Cunard, P&O, Seabourn, Windstar, Holland America, Ocean Village, AIDA, Princess, etc. etc. That doesn't mean they have to share the exact same ships.

 

Costa has basically become the European version of Carnival Cruise Lines. Crews are essentially interchangeable between Costa and Carnival, and all the new Costa ships are either the Carnival Spirit or Carnival Destiny Class. Even Carnival's controversial interior designer Joe Farcus is responsible for the interiors of Costa's new ships. That might explain all the neon, crazy furniture, and tons of shiny surfaces everywhere you look. It's called "entertainment architecture". Just picture a Las Vegas theme hotel transferred to the high seas.

 

Frankly I think Costa has been tarnished. It's become a Disney version of what people *think* Italian should be, but in fact it's far from Italian. Very few of the crew onboard are even Italian besides the senior Officers (just like on Carnival). If you are going to sail Costa, stick with the COSTA ROMANTICA, COSTA CLASSICA, or COSTA VICTORIA. All these ships were built and designed before Carnival got their hands on the line.

 

If you are really looking for an Italian experience (and not an American watered down version), then try MSC Cruises. They are excellent with beautiful ships, a real Italian atmosphere onboard, and many Italian crew members.

 

Ernie

[rocktheboat]

I love the Spirit and Destiny class ships, alot more deck space, bigger cabins, bigger bathrooms. I also loved the interior of the Costa Med.

 

Carnival And Costa ships are alot nicer than RCCL which has the smallest staterooms I have ever seen.

 

You never find the crew to be all from the country of the ship.

[eroller]

I love the Spirit and Destiny class ships, alot more deck space, bigger cabins, bigger bathrooms. I also loved the interior of the Costa Med.

 

Carnival And Costa ships are alot nicer than RCCL which has the smallest staterooms I have ever seen.

 

You never find the crew to be all from the country of the ship.

 

 

If you like Carnival ships then it's only natural you are going to like Costa's new ships. As mentioned earlier, they are pretty much identical with minor differences.

 

I also like the Spirit Class, but I disagree about the Destiny Class. The Destiny Class suffers from many deficiencies IMO. Poor deck space, small pools, disjointed layout, many bottlenecks, overcrowded feeling, poor soundproofing on cabin doors, no wrap-around outdoor promenade deck, etc. etc. For a modern ship, I think the Destiny Class is a poor design from a passenger perspective. Of course Costa and Carnival love this class since it really packs in the passengers which equals more revenue.

 

In regards to cabin size on Royal Caribbean ... I'm not sure what ship you were on and how long ago? Without a doubt Royal Caribbean offers the most innovative ships afloat. Carnival and Costa just can't compete with the Voyager Class. There is nothing like it at sea. I do think Carnival has better food and service. I can't speak for Costa since I haven't sailed on them in many years ... but from much of what I read it's not very good.

 

FYI an average balcony cabin on MARINER OF THE SEAS is 184 sq ft + a 46 sq foot balcony. The average size cabin on Carnival is 185 sq ft. I really don't think the 1 sq foot makes much of a difference. Of course if you have only sailed on RCI's older ships, such as MAJESTY OF THE SEAS and her sisters, there is no denying the cabins are tiny.

 

Ernie

[rocktheboat]

I don t think Voyager Class ships are anything special. Cabins are still the smallest(184 sq ft is still smaller than most lines), rock climbing wall does nothing for me and either does the skating rink.

 

Service on Costa was wonderful, food now thats another story.

 

I agree food and service on Carnival were very good. Celebrity food was just

a drop better.

[eroller]

I don t think Voyager Class ships are anything special. Cabins are still the smallest(184 sq ft is still smaller than most lines), rock climbing wall does nothing for me and either does the skating rink.

 

 

 

I think the Voyager Class is VERY special. Even if you don't rock climb or ice skate you can't help but be in awe of this technological masterpiece. Certainly no expense was spared and it shows. The attention to detail in the design is just incredible. The only ship that comes close is QM2, and I'm not certain I was as initially impressed by her as VOYAGER.

 

As for the cabin size ... 184 sq feet is definitely a good size. It's larger than the average sized cabins on NCL, Princess, and Celebrity .... and only 1 sq foot smaller than Carnival. It's quite respectable, and the new FREEDOM OF THE SEAS will have even larger cabins ... the largest standard cabins afloat of any mass-market line I believe.

 

Ernie

[rocktheboat]

Still can t sell me on RCCL. Twice was more than enough.

[eroller]

Still can t sell me on RCCL. Twice was more than enough.

 

 

I totally understand. No argument there as it's a no brainer to stick with what you like. I just wanted to inform that RCI cabins are no longer tiny like they used to be. They have come a long way.

 

Ernie