Do you cruise with other cruise lines besides Carnival?

[kristine25]

We are considering Carnival for our 3rd cruise, having done Disney (only because we got an unbeatable last minute deal a few years ago) and Norwegian. After lots and lots of researching, Carnival, going to the same destinations, averages about $1600 less expensive than Norweigian, Holland America, Royal Carribean, etc. etc. for a 7 days cruise. Where do you find the differences? Is it the food? Entertainment? Cleanliness? Service? I am generally a lower budget gal and love a bargin. I just want a clean, safe cruise, with decent food. I don't need first class. Just curious how/why Carnival is able to offer such lower prices. THANKS! BTW..we are looking at the Liberty's 7 days cruise to the Carribean visiting Belize, Roatan, Grand Caymen, and Cozumel.

[4realrod]

Not sure about the deal that you received. My DW and I have cruised on Princess and HAL along with Carnival. The pricing we have found tends to be pretty close to the same. We prefer Princess however we love the Spirit Class Ships on Carnival. HAL is a little to quite for our tastes and we would never do a Disney cruise. I think you will find Carnival enjoyable.

[yarlenna]

Like you, I have had many cruises on many lines. My all time favorite is Regent. The one I use most is RCI. I have enjoyed 10 Carnival cruises - and I do mean ENJOYED! If you in the market for a new line, Carnival may fill the bill.

[Chmie]

We've booked our 3rd cruise with Carnival.

Haven't cruise with any other line but may in the future.

Time/ports of call/cost and departure port factor which line/ship we go on. :)

[spotte]

I have sailed 6 different lines. I had always said it would be a cold day in h##l before I would sail Carnival. A few years ago, because of a lot of circumstances, I booked a Carnival cruise. (figured anything had to be better than staying at home). While all cruise lines are different and even itineraries within the same cruise line have differences, we found that we like Carnival very much. I prefer a quieter experience and have found that as long as you do a 7 day or more itinerary, you will not experience a lot of differences. Our cabin stewards have always been great and the food very good for the most part. I would say that their menu is more basic than some other lines, but has a good variety and I prefer basic foods as compared to lots of fancy sauces, etc. I think you should give it a try and see for yourself if you like it.

[Bimmie Girl]

Our first 2 cruises were with Royal C. and loved them. The first time we tried Carnival was because we were taking family and it was alot less money. It took us about 1 hour to get over the tacking decor of Carnival compared to RC, but after that, we have never gone back. We love to book suites, spa rooms, wrap balconies, all of which we can afford on Carnival but can't on some of the other cruise lines. Getting ready to sail Carnival for the 5th time. The price is always $1000 or more less. We enjoy the food, chef's table, steak house, great wine all of which Carnival offers. food in the MDR is good, but if you want fine cuisine then the alternative dining is great!!! I feel we get more (alot more) with Carnival than the other lines. It is clean, and their crew is amazing. I noticed on the last day of our 2 Royal C. cruises the crew was tired and less friendly. I thought is was like that on cruise lines, but not Carnival. We have even had crew members search us out on the last day to say good bye. Carnival makes us feel special, like we are rich, when we are not. I plan on trying Princess for our Alaska cruise, but Carnival owns them. LOL I am open to try Any other cruise line, but when searching for a cruise and comparing prices, Carnival keeps winning out for us.

Edited November 6, 2013 by Bimmie Girl

[Publius1787]

My wife just made Platinum on Carnival, and has 2 other RCL cruises. I have 7 Carnival and one Princess cruise from the early 80's. Overall we love what Carnival provides us, we probably will use Princess for an future Alaskan Land/Cruise tour, but otherwise we will stick with Carnival. I should make Platinum myself in early 2015, and my wife has said her goal is Diamond someday!

[kcwingwalker]

I'm open to almost all cruise lines, just depends on prices, itinerary, etc.

Have been looking at Disney and have it on my bucket list. Also have Cunard, but think that will have wait a long time!

[mcoakle]

My wife and I are going on our third Carnival cruise in a couple of weeks. We have been on a few more RCCL and one Celebrity. We probably enjoyed the Celebrity the most. It has a different atmosphere than the other two. That being said, they are all loads of fun. Each has their pluses and minuses. We typically look for the best deal on a cruise that goes places we have never been when booking and wouldn't put one that much ahead of the others to spend a whole lot more money on it.

[cruisinatdawn]

Our first cruise was on Princess, the room was small, but entertainment, food and service were great, although if traveling with kids there may not be much for them to do. I think I only saw one family with kids all week. Our last 3 cruises have been on Carnival, we were traveling with teenagers and young adults. Cost is the major factor that brings us back to Carnival. I have enjoyed every cruise we have taken, the only thing about Carnival that I find disappointing is their shows, the comedians are usually good, but I've seen better song and dance shows at the high school in town. I've been looking into booking another cruise (without our kids) and I'm leaning toward Carnival again, mainly because of the price.

[Mysticks1]

I'm open to almost all cruise lines, just depends on prices, itinerary, etc.

Have been looking at Disney and have it on my bucket list. Also have Cunard, but think that will have wait a long time!

 

I have sailed on several different lines (see my signature). Other than the Celebrity cruise and our cabin on NCL (suite) they were all very similar to me. We also mostly book according to the itinerary. We figure out where we want to go then look at all of the lines comparing prices, etc. We cruise mostly for the ports and to relax we don't use a lot of the entertainment things on the cruises.

[GottaLuvCruising]

We have also sailed on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Disney, Norwegian & Princess and have enjoyed them all. We've cruised Carnival the most because of its relaxed atmosphere, but expect to do more on other lines going forward. Recent Carnival cruises have had disappointing entertainment and food downgrades.

[dshefter]

Carnival has definitely improved from the 1980s. Did my second Carnival cruise last December on the Dream, but first since 1986 and we were pleasantly surprised with the food, service, ship...Did find that people ignore dress codes in the MDR, which is something you won't see on Princess.

 

Princess, to me, has the best food. Well, at least the Coral Princess was fantastic.

 

We also really enjoyed the NCL Pearl. Nicest ship I've been on.

 

Never can go wrong with service/food on RCI.

 

Best thing to do is choose a destination and then find the right ship/price for your budget.

 

Cruising, for the most part, is one of the best bargains around.

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Yikes. I did my first DCL this year and only a 3 day, but it literally brought me out of my "I don't think I want to ever cruise again" funk after the Carnival Dream (the cruises were 5 weeks a part.) Talk about a major contrast.

 

There is a photo on these threads circulating of a waiter double 'birding' in a photo. That basically summed up pretty close to the service we had on our last CCL. I think the CCL Dream may just have some of the worst service. Not sure if it is a 2013 thing or a Dream thing. My Conquest last year was very slow but at least not rude. Going back further, my 2011 Triumph was SPECTACULAR service. (You ask for hot tea the first night, a cup is always waiting for you every night after that. On the Dream, I went to ask for hot tea and had a finger put in my face and was shushed by my waiter.) Our first two cruises with CCL were perfectly stellar in 07 and 11, they were as good as any RCCL we had been on. But last year and especially this year, we had seen so many cutbacks er sorry 'improvements' (along with some serious sales desperation) that it helped us decide that we wouldn't plan any more carnivals for the foreseeable future. Not NEVER never, but its the very lowest on the priority (and I'm closer to Never than my honey but he even agreed after at least one more DCL, may Oasis or Allure but no CCL.)

 

Have you noticed that the majority of CCL cheerleaders point to one 'winner winner chicken dinner' for them as to why they like CCL:

 

-The Price

 

In order to make up for CCL's incredibly declining customer service, cut backs, less live music, more expensive drinks, less servers, etc., they always say "at least it was cheap!" I'm not really sure I've ever said that about anything that was REALLy, REALLY good. (With the exception of a few dresses on clearance maybe.) You will also hear the other classic cliches: "Any cruise is better than doing laundry or going to work or making dinner." I personally disagree with that as I like my house and my dogs and don't like to pay for mediocrity, but they evidently do. You will also hear: "You have to have the right expectations." This to me means they already know they need to lower their expectations to account for CCL. This is coming from their own cheerleaders.

 

So let me say, I have ALWAYS enjoyed the islands and ports. If all you want to do is go to a great island destination, than it may not matter what cruise line you go on. If, however, you are looking at the entire cruise picture as your experience, well then statement above (regarding expectations) is going to prove true. Expect to have in-your-face constant photographers heckling you to 'come let me take your picture!' while you are running to dinner. Expect constant bingo sales whenever you go to see a show. Can't sing karaoke without a bunch of waiters asking you constantly 'what can i get you.' Expect sea days to consist of hairy chest contests, bean bag tosses, karaoke, trivia, some trivia, and did I mention trivia? Expect line dances at all the deck parties and drinks in the hands of the majority of them. Expect drunkies at karaoke and guests impersonating Britney spears (that's me! I've done it twice. Its harder than it looks!) Expect some hilarious comedy in a lounge with standing room only and not having shows every night.

 

If this all sounds ok to you, than you will probably like your CCL enough. If you try at all to compare it to your DCL, than yikes, its going to fall flat. Its like going to a local 6 Flags. Hey, it's fun and cheaper and easy to get to. But WDW? now THAT is a vacation that you get super duper excited for. That's about the difference with CCL and DCL. I haven't done NCL (my friends are doing POA in Jan but that may not represent the NCL standard anyway) so I can't comment on that.

 

All I know is that to me, spending $1500 on the CCL Dream was a serious waste of cash I wish I'd have to put towards my Disney cruise. Also, I might have whined less if the Dream went to Roatan. CUZ ITS GREAT. And as far as food goes, we always enjoyed our CCL food. But the shrimp cocktail is four TINY ones and is gone in less than a minute and you sit there and stare at the plate for 15 min. The portions have scaled back tremendously, which is fine because we are always stuffed and want to try several things. But the waiting in between the next plate went on for AGES and we just stared and looked at each other. To me, CCL is more like banquet food (pastas, lasagna, some meatloaf stuff and some chicken and seafood) with a few thai and indian options. The breakfast buffet is not NEARLY as good as DCL's Cabanas, and the eggs were...scary...so we had to wait the double line for the omelet station so that we could get fresh scrambled non-mystery eggs. The cheese options and their desserts are ALWAYS good. I think their desserts for the most part may be better than DCLs (souffles notwithstanding.) It all depends on your service. If you get a great waiter like our late dining friend did, you might have food that hasn't been sitting around for ages. The buffets and food stations have odd hours and I found myself wandering around looking for food that was open, which is odd on a cruise. (To be fair, DCL has the pizza and food stations close at midnight so only room service after that. But CCL is wierd. at 11, I wanted pizza, but it didn't open until like midnight. The sandwich deli was open, so I grabbed some meat but by the time pizza was opened, I went to bed. I guess that is the point...) but sometimes you would have to find the one line all the way at the back of the ship that was open at like 2:30pm in the afternoon because all the buffets had closed. Also, DCL is one of the only cruse lines I know that let you bring any alcohol in any quantity with you or from the islands back to your room, no questions asked. That represents substantial savings. CCL expects to get you on board 'cheaper' and then get as much revenue ON the cruise as they can. DCL just takes all your money up front! Haha. Funny but true. Also, CCL is OLD technology. The Dream is the newest ship I'd be on, and it still had karaoke CD books (although SuperStar karaoke with the band is a blast!) whereas Disney has interactive technology and shows and fireworks and different dining rooms and entertainment around every corner. Basically CCL expects you to drink for entertainment or go to the casino (or watch the others that do!) With a few comedy and magic shows sprinkled in there... and VERY VERY BUSY DECORATED SHIPS! (Think Vegas hotel at the end of the strip?)

Edited November 6, 2013 by TwinPrincessMermaids

[Phlybice]

We are considering Carnival for our 3rd cruise, having done Disney (only because we got an unbeatable last minute deal a few years ago) and Norwegian. After lots and lots of researching, Carnival, going to the same destinations, averages about $1600 less expensive than Norweigian, Holland America, Royal Carribean, etc. etc. for a 7 days cruise. Where do you find the differences? Is it the food? Entertainment? Cleanliness? Service? I am generally a lower budget gal and love a bargin. I just want a clean, safe cruise, with decent food. I don't need first class. Just curious how/why Carnival is able to offer such lower prices. THANKS! BTW..we are looking at the Liberty's 7 days cruise to the Carribean visiting Belize, Roatan, Grand Caymen, and Cozumel.

 

Try imagining different grades of hotels, where the biggest differences are in the aesthetics. To some it doesn't matter; to others it matters a lot.

 

The for dining, compare a Outback to a nicer restaurant in town.

 

Entertainment? Think something off Broadway to a local talent show, or school event.

 

In all instances, you'll probably be entertained or nutritionally satisfied, but what matters most to you?

 

The ship itself is a matter of taste. When you sail something like Disney or Royal, the Carnival ships seem plastic, but will still "get you there".

 

Based on your requirements, Carnival seems to fit your needs.

[LWiening]

The other cruiselines may offer more on the boats. If We had little kids I would take them one time on a Disney.

 

We were on 1 NCL but I felt like we were on the Titanic. Everyone was in bed by 8.

 

Love Carnival..The price, the rooms, staff and definitely something always to do on the ship.

 

We do want to try the new RCL ship but I am going to wait til the price goes down. My husband & I are both self employed. Did the time share for 4 years but we had to go back to Carnival. Now when we go we go with 4 or more couples. We have everyone hooked on cruising..

[firstcruiseever]

We did Carnival and are doing another one in 10 days WOOT. But we will be doing a Disney Cruise with our tax return this year :D YAY. I am looking forward more to the Disney than this Carnival. I guess because we are kids at heart and I love everything that Disney has to offer.

[SASA13]

Give CCL a try. You will find they are more similar than different. I am comparing to NCL which is the other line we cruise. Food is subjective, but IMHO I feel that CCL has better food in the MDR, and NCL has better food on the buffet. I feel that Carnival is more FUN than NCL, but NCL has better entertainment. CCL's steak house is better then NCL's steakhouse. We love to cruise, and we cruise NCL & CCL as they both "fit the bill" for us. Give CCL a try, you will be glad you did.

[sofietucker]

Good thread. After 18 cruises on HAL, Princess, RCCL and Celebrity (last 3 times), we are taking an Xmas cruise with extended family on Carnival. We too had said there'd be a snowball's chance of our ever cruising Carnival. But sometimes it really is all about the money. This cruise, our itinerary's identical to other lines and prices are literally HALF of those! Okay, so it's a holiday cruise and those are always higher, right? We checked out other various dates & itineraries just to see if this cruise was a fluke. Nope--we could book Carnival suites & still pay less than what we've paid on other lines, even with early saver/late booking/loyalty discounts. After 3 more sailing days, we upgrade to 4 star Mariners on HAL, and we have a prebooking paid on Celebrity. But if all goes well in Dec., this will be our new cruise line for the future (too bad no more Europe tho).

[Budget Queen]

Cruise prices are all over the place. Absolutely- you can pick up big price dumps on Carnival. I just picked up Carnival Dream 3 people for $1050. Sure it could go a little lower- it's worth the sure thing to be booked now.

 

I have been on 83 cruises, sailing on all the major lines. I don't care who I sail with, it's about price and itinerary. :)

 

Enjoy your trip.

[rebel7254]

But the shrimp cocktail is four TINY ones and is gone in less than a minute and you sit there and stare at the plate for 15 min.

 

Did you ever ask them to bring you more than one order?

[Sparky2]

We are considering Carnival for our 3rd cruise, having done Disney (only because we got an unbeatable last minute deal a few years ago) and Norwegian. After lots and lots of researching, Carnival, going to the same destinations, averages about $1600 less expensive than Norweigian, Holland America, Royal Carribean, etc. etc. for a 7 days cruise. Where do you find the differences? Is it the food? Entertainment? Cleanliness? Service? I am generally a lower budget gal and love a bargin. I just want a clean, safe cruise, with decent food. I don't need first class. Just curious how/why Carnival is able to offer such lower prices. THANKS! BTW..we are looking at the Liberty's 7 days cruise to the Carribean visiting Belize, Roatan, Grand Caymen, and Cozumel.

 

We did an 11-day NCL cruise back in 2005 that sailed Hawaii with a foreign port of Fanning Island (over 1000 miles south of Hawaii).

 

Other than that we've stuck to Carnival so far. We've never had a bad cruise and with their prices we can afford to do B2B cruises.

 

And now we're Platinum so have no desire to branch out. Maybe someday, but so far we're happy with Carnival.

Edited November 6, 2013 by Sparky2

[Blk_Amish]

Price is one of the factors I consider when booking any vacation, most on land. Carnival has a great kid's program so when my kids were younger we gave them a try (4x). Princess (2x) plus another planned, we sail for our anniversary because of the overall elegant look and feel. I don't think I would book an anniversary cruise on Carnival but my birthday bash. RCL (8x), I have done the mostly because I love the design, innovation, crew, and the Quest show. If RCL is within $250 per person of Carnival I will book RCL, without a second thought. I used to love cruising for the food and formality but across the decks, and improved cooking skills, I would no longer book a cruise with that as a priority, especially after my last cruise on the Magic. Nothing against good banquet food but that's what it was. I had a few meals that I loved, several that I refused to eat, and the rest were good to so-so. We now fly to ports and travel during peak time, so cruising for us is often more expensive than many other vacations such as resorts in the Caribbean, Mexico, and most recently Hawaii. Land vacations are a priory for us then we try and fit in a cruise as icing or sprinkles on the cake. I could never do the same vacation or cruise line again, and again, and again, without branching out.

 

Carnival disco, your best bet at consistently dropping it like it's hot. This might depend on the ship and sailing but we usually cruise when kids are out of school, so lively bunch.

 

Enjoy.

Edited November 6, 2013 by Blk_Amish

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

We did Carnival and are doing another one in 10 days WOOT. But we will be doing a Disney Cruise with our tax return this year :D YAY. I am looking forward more to the Disney than this Carnival. I guess because we are kids at heart and I love everything that Disney has to offer.

 

I hope you love it as much as we did!!

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Forums mobile app

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Did you ever ask them to bring you more than one order?

 

Of course. But then it might take another 15 min to get... That was our experience. The lights were flicking on and off for the next service before we had even had dessert... I assume having to order it twice was part of the reason... And sometimes they would double up but to be honest a lot of times we didn't know what they brought, since we hadn't ordered it so special requests were so-so...

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Forums mobile app