What keeps you sailing with Carnival?

[cocacola86]

Just wondering what everybody's thoughts on Carnival and what makes you so loyal to them, is it the price, destinations, ships, what is your favourite ship and your least favourite ship and would you ever switch to another cruiseline?

[simplelife]

Carnival still offers the best value for the vacation dollar. Very few other lines offer shorter cruises to anywhere other than the Bahamas. Due to our academic schedules, we can cruise only at "high dollar" times so the shorter cruises are affordable for us. I always check other lines, bur usually Carnival has the best deal.

[Rottweiler Puppy]

Just wondering what everybody's thoughts on Carnival and what makes you so loyal to them, is it the price, destinations, ships, what is your favourite ship and your least favourite ship and would you ever switch to another cruiseline?

 

I am not loyal to any line but I do more Carnivals as they have a decent selection of itineraries. While not always the cheapest they more often than not, are. In such cases is when I can convince family from out of State to join me on a cruise since they have airfare to deal with.

 

Favorite ship on Carnival? The Breeze. Favorite Carnival cruise? Imagination.

 

Least favorite? Haven't sailed it yet but will say that nothing about the Sunshine makes me want to ever book it. I bet its still a good cruise though.

[Lurkyloo]

My first 4 cruises were Carnival and I enjoyed each one thoroughly! After that, I kind of joined up with others who were cruising and ended up on Royal Caribbean, and Princess. Royal Caribbean was great, and loved the cruise but Carnival was still number 1 in my book. Princess - well the ships were lovely, the staff were great, and we had a great time... But, while I don't cruise for the food, I wasn't impressed with the food on Princess - it was just so so on both cruises. I also didn't like the way they did some things - seemed disorganized. I guess I just love Carnival and when I am the one making the arrangements, it will be Carnival when the destination and timing allows.

 

So looking forward to the cruise to Hawaii on my fave Cruise line! :D

[KatPem]

Cost/Value and Itineraries. I have enjoyed every cruise we have been on, haven't tried another and as long as I get the best deal for my money on Carnival, I don't know that I ever will.

[SadieN]

They're the only ones that stayed in California year round.

[legion3]

Cost and the inclusiveness (at least until Vista)

 

Price is #1

 

The lack of economic classes- What I mean is we really loved the Suite and perks on NCL. I would hate to go on, say the MSC Divina and not be in the YC or another NCL cruise and not be in the haven. Or Aqua on X or whatever higher priced, extra perks class of travel available. Those cruises have spoiled me and I would not want to sail without those added perks. And I know they exist!

 

On Carnival I know that a suite is really just a bigger room but that the perks are not the "Wow I wish I had those perks" type of perks. Although I am paying extra for a Spa 9 cabin so some exclusivity can be found.

 

I am not envious or wishing I had gone "first class" (so to speak) on other lines, with Carnival we are all in the same boat, so to speak.

 

Basically Carnival is classless! ;) In a good way.

 

And until Vista was all inclusive but now even CCL is trying to pretend to have exclusive area's (Havana/Family Harbor)

 

If vista, with it's lack of quad cabins, is where CCL is going I might as well look to other cruise lines in the future.

[NoDayButToday]

For us it's the price and the atmosphere. We price out other lines and always feel like we get more for our vacation dollar on the Carnival itineraries.

 

My husband also is one of those people who does not want to have to get dressed up for dinner if he isn't in the mood. Carnival allows him to wear jeans and a tshirt to dinner most nights - and most other guests are wearing the same. It isn't like that on the other lines, from what we have seen in the dress code descriptions.

[disfan13]

For us it's the price and the atmosphere. We price out other lines and always feel like we get more for our vacation dollar on the Carnival itineraries.

 

My husband also is one of those people who does not want to have to get dressed up for dinner if he isn't in the mood. Carnival allows him to wear jeans and a tshirt to dinner most nights - and most other guests are wearing the same. It isn't like that on the other lines, from what we have seen in the dress code descriptions.

 

In reference to dress code, NCL is just as casual. And they have no "formal or elegant"nights. :)

[disfan13]

Carnival isn't our favorite, but we never had a bad cruise. I think the food is better in the MDR on Carnival. Crew had always been great. The convenience for us since we aren't flying to cruise at this point. Our favorite line is NCL. The prices are comparable most of the time. We enjoy the specialty restaurants. And if you are fortunate to get a suite, it's wonderful.

Heading on the pride tomorrow for our 2nd time on her. I do want to try Princess and X soon..

[ready2cruzagain]

We jumped ship and our last 4 cruises have been with Princess.

 

Now that Carnival has came out with the Journeys cruises we have two of them booked. So the longer cruises with the blast from the past brought us back.

[cruise_girl2002]

price, service, waterslides (:D), food, entertainment, the ships, I find the rooms and storage space on carnival are better

[Tapi]

Main draw is price and convenience.

[Kristi Williamson]

We aren't necessarily "loyal" to Carnival, but we do cruise them more than the other lines we enjoy primarily because of price. Why pay 1000 more for the same itinerary?

 

What we enjoy about Carnival is the laid back vibe, the slightly larger cabins and a few little things that may or may not impact anyone else. We adore Sea Day Brunch!! We like their bedding. We've always had the best of luck with room stewards on Carnival. It's been hit or miss with us on RCCL and NCL.

 

We'd sail RCCL and NCL in a heart beat, but Carnival is never out of the running, either.

[tgmtgm]

Just wondering what everybody's thoughts on Carnival and what makes you so loyal to them, is it the price, destinations, ships, what is your favourite ship and your least favourite ship and would you ever switch to another cruiseline?

 

Honestly, if it weren't for the Pack & Play and free casino offers, I'd be elsewhere. My next cruise is on the Legend to Alaska courtesy of a P&P, then it's back to Celebrity and the Equinox for an 11 night cruise in November. I've enjoyed all my Carnival cruises, but my tastes and expectations have changed over the years.

 

Tony

[v3cruiser]

We like the value carnival has. Although shows are pretty week compared to other lines, there is still so much to do on the ship to make it a great time. I am hoping they continue to offer journey cruises in 2017!

[sjn911]

I have had a varied enough set of 6 cruises over 30 plus years to make me a non loyal and one varied kind of cruiser and traveler. I have too much fun with all the differences. My last two cruises and soon I pray they will not be so far apart have been Carnival. You will find more upper middle and more middle budget people; Both on Carnival...both because of value. You will find clean ships and a real stab at giving a great varied experience for adults and kids separately and then together as families. I am a solo and at this point am more comfortable on a line that has singles and solos as much as families and people. On Carnival, they are often more geared to keeping it a "every man's experience" with some fancy things to jack it up a notch..a little better cabin etc, steakhouse, Chef's Table... but it is the most like "camp for adults and families"...a we are all together on this ship and like it this way feeling.

 

I love fancy and refined but still friendly. I also love the people in my life that never got out of our ranch area and the simple cake and coffee I can have popping in...the always super casual crowd; Carnival while going with trends..tries to offer the more relaxed..we are all together here feeling...with a couple traditional dress nights on a 7 day cruise...but it is relaxed dressy.

 

The guy that saves his pennies..works hard and has some luck in this economy...can still take a little cruise on Carnival and have a nice experience...this is so important..to have nice trips to stay sane if at all possible...Carnival delivers with many short, and one week and a handful of longer varied itineraries one can afford...and you are never alone on Carnival....Sarah

Edited April 18, 2015 by sjn911

[kelkel2]

We do like the price of Carnival, I can not deny that. But honestly we have considered NCL and Royal. NCL specifically is not out of our price range. But Carnival is what we are comfortable with. We like the atmosphere on Carnival and the activities.

I really wasn't sure if I would like how NCL does their activities and dining. Mainly I know I like Carnival and I am comfortable with their product. I would hate to spend my vacation money and wish I had spent it in another way, so I keep coming back to Carnival because we have never had a bad time!

[deborahjo]

For us it is the pricing. They have always had the cruises we wanted at the right price.

 

To be honest we are in our fifties and we don't need a rock climbing wall or an ice skating rink or anything like that. Just put us on a ship sailing somewhere, and that is not a priority a lot of the time, and set sail. It is so relaxing for us.

[SadieN]

This, though Princess is here as well. We like the prices and the loyalty perks, such as they are, so we just keep on with them. We're trying other lines, but Carnival prices out of the West Coast are far better than other lines.

 

 

They also pulled out. For a while Carnival was the only game in town.

 

We've sailed on Princess and HAL. Enjoyed HAL and tolerate Princess. Sailed RCI so long ago it was a different cruise line.

 

Princess does have different itins out here - California Coastal and longer MR Sea of Cortez that Carnival doesn't have. Though Carnival will be sailing a one-off 13 day Sea of Cortez cruise Jan 2016. We've enjoyed these on Princess.

Edited April 18, 2015 by SadieN

[LMHC]

So for us value and price are the main reasons. These two things allow us to take longer cruises, more frequent cruises and get a balcony cabin. We also enjoy the varied destinations. The ships have lots to do and large cabins. The service is usually top notch and food is just as good as other lines. Our favorite ship so far is the Liberty after 6 Carnival cruises. We have yet to have a bad cruise on Carnival, maybe a few bumps in the seas, but nothing to ruin our cruise.

[tea4ular]

Just wondering what everybody's thoughts on Carnival and what makes you so loyal to them, is it the price, destinations, ships, what is your favourite ship and your least favourite ship and would you ever switch to another cruiseline?

 

I am not particularly "loyal" to one cruise line - I have sailed on all of the majors (except Princess) - each one has their pluses and minuses. What ultimately brings me back to Carnival is the price. I have never had a "bad" experience with Carnival, and the itineraries work for me (although I would LOVE to see some new ones out of So Cal, the Mexican Riviera is feeling pretty stale to me right now). What ends up happening (for me) is I'll go searching for a cruise, compare and contrast cruise lines, ports, etc., and ultimately because I'm very satisfied with Carnival, the price becomes the deciding factor. Believe me it's not $100-$200 difference, it's several hundreds difference.

 

I would love to sail on Royal and Celebrity more - and I would love to try Princess, but their prices hold me back. :(

[pghsteelerfan]

For us, it's a couple of things. The prices are very reasonable compared to some of the other cruise lines and because of that, we have been able to splurge for balcony cabins. A big part of the draw for us is an experience that we really enjoy and have grown accustomed to. There seems to be something for almost everyone. We like to go and have fun but also need some time in the less crowded areas, so there are areas for both. We've spent time at the main Lido Pool where the action is but also enjoy the adult only pool at the pack of some of the ships. My DH LOVES comedy and having the Punchliner Comedy Club is a great addition since we're not really into the onboard shows. On our past few cruises, most of our fellow passengers were great. We may not have stayed in touch, but we met people that we really enjoyed talking to who were also very laid back, there to have fun, and were not complaining about every little thing and they were also part of the experience that made our cruises great.

[Harborfamily]

I have only tried HAL and NCL once each, and have had 4 Carnival sailings, with a 5th booked. I'm not opposed to continuing to try other lines if the price/ship/ports are more appealing than comparable Carnival sailings during the same time frame. But... what appeals to me most about Carnival: price, room size, activities/options on the ship, cleanliness of the ship, outstanding service. Also, what I really felt was missing from our last cruise (NCL) was the FUN factor - I/we have FUN FUN FUN on our Carnival cruises! Although I've only been on 6 cruises, I would not have predicted that I would go on any one ship more than once - I was convinced that there was just too much to experience out there in cruise-world, than to pay to have a do-over. However, my Carnival experience has been so great, that I've booked the Breeze for a 2nd sailing - different itinerary, and so have three of my friends that I'll be travelling with. That's got to say something about how much I/we have enjoyed our Carnival experience.

[Guest]

Because we only have seven more days until Platinum.After that we can explore other cruise lines.We enjoy Carnival a lot. I do however sometimes want better food, and personal service. Its worth it to me to pay a little more for that, on another carrier. Sometimes they are almost the same price anyway.