sjn911 Posted March 14, 2014 #26 Share Posted March 14, 2014 (edited) What they offer at their price point. As a solo with good shopping,,I do look to do other lines and there is always a wild hare..but Holland America and Princess..both under the Carnival Umbrella..are both just a fancier different, usually more expensive product..like them both..have had short cruises on both and want week or more on both of them. My last Carnival cruise was much worse food and service wise than my first one..I have had 2 Carnival cruises..it has taken a while but i will try them again after reading enough good things here. They are rethinking the scale back of menu and all they have on 4 ships they are testing now..Inspiration, Imagination, Glory and Liberty. Most cruise lines have cut back and frequent cruisers notice. The food was just much less quality and much less well served on my Easter 2012 cruise..my last Carnival cruise. There will probably be a few more heavy drinkers on Carnival than other lines but all cruises have some of that..not usually a majority. I found very friendly regular people from all walks of life on both Carnival and Costa by the way. I prefer smoking policies on other balcony cabins and therefore would not pay for a balcony on this cruise because as things tighten..smokers will go where they can on a balcony..this is currently ok on Holland too. But both Holland and Carnival have mostly roomy inside and really roomy Ocean view cabins. Carnival's basic outside is 220 sq feet!!! That really is great. I have also enjoyed the spas on the simplest of Carnival ships..they have good deals at end of cruise..good deals for ship cost points. They also have simple options for upscale dining to include the Chef's table people rave about ..a special dining experience paired with wines and chef service and food prep explanations..and partial galley tour. And many ships have the Steak House..truly worth the 30/35 bucks extra, free 24 hour roomservice, new specialty free buritto place and specialty mongolian, BBQ, and carving stations on Lido a majority of people love to replace some dining room meals there especially when touring. And free 24 hr ice tea, lemonade, and soft serve ice cream stations that are plentiful and in order. Nice too, to be able to take 12 cans of pop per person and 1 bottle of wine per person (limit 2 bottles per room if at least 2 people) with no corkage fee if you use in the room. Kareokee (sp) and trivia are fun if you like these kind of things. Pools are rather crowded but finding a quieter deck and place in the shade is my goal and I always have with my inside room. The entertainment is not cerebral..but i loved a showing of Australia on a big inside screen in one lounge on a Fantasy class ship..the oldest and smallest variety...always get a current passenger review barometer on your current ship choice..you can tell hyperbole from fact over the course of lots of reviews. Carnival can be very fun and relaxing..it is not fancy in the least...and you have to seek out your solitude and down time unlike some ships...but you can find it at usually the most affordable price... I also love that they have a free full "tea" on ship days...that is a special.."fancy" thing on a buget cruise. Sarah Edited March 14, 2014 by sjn911 corrections...spelling..ships with dining change etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abisha Posted March 14, 2014 #27 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Here's why I love Carnival: The fun overall "vibe" and "atmosphere" of being on a Carnival ship Wonderful Crew/great service from stewards and dining staff The larger staterooms (even the standard rooms) The comfortable beds The robes in the closet (so I don't have to pack my own) Afternoon tea Food (also love the warm chocolate melting cake and steakhouse) Self Service Laundry (important to us) Round the clock self serve drink dispensers Round the clock self serve ice cream machines Easy Access to bufffet and the above items near pool area Free 24 hr room service Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbqman Posted March 14, 2014 #28 Share Posted March 14, 2014 'Cuz I can still smoke on my balcony and I am only 20 miles from the port. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asalligo Posted March 14, 2014 #29 Share Posted March 14, 2014 I am not sure I love Carnival, I just know I love cruising. I would like to try another line, but my schedule is limited. There is a lot I like about Carnival, but I suspect a more reserved cruise is my cup of tea. At the same time I am a little worried that I will be bored on another line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GottaLuvCruising Posted March 14, 2014 #30 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Fun, relaxed, casual. But I'm just disgusted with some of the cutback (entertainment particularly) that I'm sailing Princess again next month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keith75 Posted March 15, 2014 #31 Share Posted March 15, 2014 (edited) A Carnival cruise from Miami is a sight to see.........:cool: Edited March 15, 2014 by keith75 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Publius1787 Posted March 15, 2014 #32 Share Posted March 15, 2014 For us Carnival is just a relaxing line to cruise with. We have always been treated great by the staff and love the atmosphere. The price is a factor but it's more than being about money, there is a reason they are called Fun Ships. We can well afford "elite" line, but don't really want to deal with the elitist attitudes, we want to relax and have fun on vacation. We always cruise off season, we don't have kids and would rather not deal with a ship full of them during Spring or Summer. I have always received great customer service and assistance with any questions I've had. We've done 8 cruises in the last 6 years and have another B2B booked for next winter. We will be going on a Princess cruise to Alaska, mainly because we want to do a land/sea tour, but to me that's not really leaving the Carnival family. We'll still get our stockholder OBC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Banditswife Posted March 15, 2014 #33 Share Posted March 15, 2014 like others have said: we enjoy the variety of people onboard. A diversified group of cruisers makes for an interesting vacation. I also agree that most Carnival cruisers are down to earth, not so uppity. We love the fun atmosphere. I did 1 RCCL & was bored to death. On Carnival you can be as involved in the action as you wish to be. Or you can just relax & do nothing. The crew members are wonderful, the beds are clean & comfy, cabins are big enough for us, food is fine, entertainment is fine. And we think you get the most bang for the buck as others have said. 6Carnival cruises & looking forward to # 7 in 3 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingoftheicedragons Posted March 15, 2014 #34 Share Posted March 15, 2014 Carnival is the line that we started with, and we most likely started with them because of the price (I can't say that for sure anymore as I truly don't remember). We continue to sail with Carnival because of the price, the places they go, and we have yet to have a bad experience (minor problems, yes; disappointments, yes; things not going exactly as planned, yes; but no bad experiences). We do have an upcoming cruise on NCL because they had a better itinerary for a Canadian cruise than Carnival had. And while my wife feels bad and feels guilty for "cheating" on Carnival, I think we may start doing this more often as we have now gone or will be going to most of the places that Carnival goes to on a regular basis. While there are places that I would like to go back to, I think we'll soon have to make the choice between going back to places we've been or switching lines to go to other places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LCTXcruiser Posted March 15, 2014 #35 Share Posted March 15, 2014 Super Kid Friendly! We take our child each and every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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