I tried Carnival. . Some things to not take for granted on your next X Cruise!

[Viva_la_Vida]

My husband and I loved our experiences on Celebrity ships. This February, my husband wasn't able to get away, so I treated my sister to a cruise for her 21st birthday :D Since timing and pricing were most important, we opted for a quick five night and chose Carnival because we could drive to the port. I was a bit hesitant about trying Carnival but was prepared to encounter all the stereotypes people made about drunk people, kids, and a generally non-elegant atmosphere compared to Celebrity. I was pleasantly surprised on a lot of fronts, but missed Celebrity a lot on others.

 

My point in writing this is to keep you appreciating some of the things you might end up taking for granted on Celebrity, but to also say keep an open mind and expectations realistic.

 

Things X does better:

 

1. Management of kids. Celebrity cruises, even during summer and spring break, were never crowded with kids. And when we did see them, they were accompanied by a parent or with the organized kids activities. Not so on Carnival. While the kids were 99% well behaved, there were lots of groups of roaming, unaccompanied minors. They loved riding the elevators and politely asking what floors people needed. It was odd but not annoying. We did have one kid almost knock us over running. This was a February cruise. I wonder what chaos it would have been on a summer or spring break sailing?

 

2. Adult only pool. While we used the free adult only area "Serenity", I missed having the large dedicated pool and space that the Summit and Reflection offered.

 

3. Quality & Variety of Food. The food on Carnival was good, but not great. The one exception was the warm chocolate melting cake. It beat Celebrity's Chocolate Lava Cake and any other dessert I've had on Celebrity. I really missed the indian buffet offerings and the way Celebrity does pizza.

 

4. Ambiance: I'm more partial to sleek, elegant spaces that I've seen on Celebrity. Granted, I was on an older carnival boat.

 

5. Beverage package: I didn't purchase the Cheers package, but according to reviews from people I met on the boat, I'm glad I didn't. I love that Celebrity includes specialty coffees and water with their packages. Carnival didn't and neither (I'm just learning) does NCL.

 

6. Non-Smoking Policy: Bravo, Celebrity! The casino on The Fascination was disgusting with smoke. It definitely deterred me from playing!

 

7. Muster Drill: It was miserable on Carnival. It was cold, windy, and rainy, and yet they still made us stand outside for at least a half hour AFTER waiting inside for at least that long.

 

8. Wine: I missed having a dedicated dining room sommelier! There wasn't one, at least that I saw at all on Carnival.

 

9. Formal: My sister and I love dressing up and Carnival was just a less formal experience. We dressed up every night anyway, but definitely got a few strange looks when we dressed up and it wasn't formal night. And I'm not talking cocktail dresses either, just nicer what we southern belles would call our "church" dresses :p with nice flats. The typical casual night wear was flip flops, shorts, and polos. Now if this had been my husband on the cruise, he would have considered this a plus about carnival ;)

 

Thinks that I really liked about Carnival:

 

1. Service. They tied if not beat Celebrity on this front. With the exception of maybe a couple of less than friendly bartenders on the Reflection, I've never had anything but very positive experiences with Celebrity. Carnival just took it up a notch. Everyone made a serious effort to learn your name, not just the cabin stewards. A waiter who brought us cocktails twice in the Serenity area remembered us when we ordered in the comedy club. The staff was just above and beyond friendly and helpful. And it may be cheesy, but we loved the towel animals!

 

2. Comedy. There were a lot more shows and a PG and Adult versions that were both hilarious.

 

3. Social Media Package. For something like $25 for the whole week, I could be connected to limited sites and apps - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snap Chat, and What's App. The latter allowed me to text my non-facebooking loved ones on shore for free! (i.e. my parents). My husband loved the updates. And it also was great for keeping in touch with my sister when we separated on the ship. An aside for Celebrity: This would pay for itself in advertising. Think about it - all week, you have people showing off the amazing time they're having aboard your boat! Why not provide this at an affordable cost so almost everyone would purchase it?

 

4. Bottled water packages. I admit it, I'm a total snob when it comes to water. I hate tap water on boats. I had cases of water delivered to my room upon embarkation for I think $2.99 a 12 pack. It was a great deal.

 

5. Entertainment: In general, it was a bit better and more lively. I loved the piano bar with the live pianist. He was fantastic. Jordan Peterson was excellent on the Summit too and should have his own dedicated bar like the guy on The Fascination! Play to your strengths! As mentioned before, we loved the comedy. We LOVED The trivia that was offered multiple times per day.

 

6. Sea Day Brunch: I *think* Celebrity offers this, or at least did on our Reflection sailing one day, but we missed it. Carnival offers it every sea day and it's awesome! Perfect for those late mornings :-)

 

I would definitely sail Carnival again and I hope to be back on Celebrity soon! We're trying our first NCL cruise this summer. We loved the Summit, but want a different experience to Bermuda this time. As for my sister? She's now a cruise addict too! :) Happy sailing, everyone!

[chemmo]

Great to read your comments. We once did a Carnival Cruise when our son was young....I know you shouldn't judge from just one cruise but we just found everywhere LOUD!

 

We then RC cruised for a while before settling with X. When asked by friends why we like Celebrity we often find it hard to qualify....it just seems to have the right 'ambience' lots to do but not in your face...classy but not aloof, quiet but never boring...

[KirkNC]

Thanks for your report.

[portofrome]

Thanks for posting your comments.

[Jane2357]

Thank you for your review - I've cruised Carnival in the past and agree with what you have said. Sadly some people (many who have never sailed Carnival) like to bash it. It is a budget cruise but can be tons of fun - but it isn't the same experience as X.

 

The Warm Chocolate Melting Cake is unforgettable and I've always had nothing but excellent service - the staff on Carnival is amazing! I love the Goodbye song the last night of dinner, I always get a tear in my eyes.

 

We haven't sailed on Carnival in years but for a girlfriends cruise or a large group - I'd happily go! It really is a FUN cruise.

[MustBCruzn]

When asked by friends why we like Celebrity we often find it hard to qualify....it just seems to have the right 'ambience' lots to do but not in your face...classy but not aloof, quiet but never boring...

 

Yes! Friends and family have asked me the same thing, but I found it hard to put that "Ahhhh" feeling into words. You did it perfectly!

[meatloafsfan]

Thanks for your comments.

 

As an FYI, Carnival has now revised their Cheers package to include specialty coffees, bottled water and other bottled beverages (rockstar, honest tea, vitamin water) as well as milkshakes.

 

Some classes of ships have an adult only pool in their serenity area on Carnival but not all.

 

I agree on the casino thing -I too prefer the casino non smoking as Celebrity has done.

[jbuch02]

Great post ....... it's good to see these comparisons.

 

Last August, we did a grandkids cruise on Carnival Breeze and a few months before that, a test run to see if Carnival would work for a future grand kids cruise on Sunshine. Both out of Port Canaveral. We also sailed Disney Magic and NCL to find a kid appropriate cruise. No question, Disney was tops but it's also 3X more expensive than Carnival or NCL.

 

Was very impressed with Carnival and yes, their newer ships (Fascination - a Fantasy Class vessel - is one of their oldest) in the Dream and Sunshine Class are somewhat more toned down and, to me, more visually appealing than the older Carnival ships.

 

If you go to the Carnival boards, there are a lot of gripes about pool size. They are small compared to Celebrity's but our little ones sure didn't care and we're not ones to hang around the pools so, not a biggy for us.

 

Carnival launched a fleet wide update to their ships about 4-5 years ago called Funship 2.0. One of the major facets of the upgrade was to offer more dining choices. Their newest ship, Vista, has something like 27 different eating/dining venues so, this is a thing for Carnival and Carnival seems to be doing this better industry wide than others. This includes Celebrity who I think has stepped in it by eliminating (two already and the rest in the works) the Ocean Liner themed specialty restaurants on the M class ships doing this in favor of "Olive Garden." That's just me though as I'm a traditionalist, love elegant dining and that just doesn't seem to be in demand these days. So, I go with the flow.

 

Your point about service and friendliness of staff is accurate. Carnival is a bit more friendly and relaxed all around. You'll note that Europeans, especially Eastern Europeans, dominate the restaurant management staff on Celebrity. There is a reason for that. Europeans know how to deliver elegant dining and a lot of these people are very good at it because they make a career of it. That's not the case with Carnival who tend to have a much more diverse dinning room staff that are a bit more friendly and personally engaging. Moreover, Carnival embarked upon, as a corporate strategy, "Fun Ships." Just as Celebrity has a certain Savoir-Faire to the character of its vessels, Carnival is fun. Definitely felt that difference in a positive way aboard Carnival Breeze and Sunshine.

 

Nevertheless, we remain Celebrity loyalists for the same reason others have expressed and I'll add, feels like home to us. But we are branching out because along with new experiences, competition is good.

[pete_coach]

Thanks very much for the comparison.

Carnival was a line we looked at but the reputation of "total party boat" kind of turned us off.

We have only cruised with Celebrity and the type of comparison you provided will help us decide on our next cruise. Price is important and Celebrity is getting pricey and really not proportionally better so, other cruise lines will be considered.

[BDRebel]

I've done several Carnival cruises. I believe that the staff on Carnival, as well as the facilities, are superb. Unfortunately, a good number of the passengers seem to be of the whiney, self absorbed type. I can put up with it for a short period, but after a couple of days it begins to affect my vacation.

From what I have heard, Celebrity has a different passenger base, so I am patiently waiting for August to sail the Solstice for the first time!

[Grillfish]

OP: Thanks for sharing. We will be on our first X cruise in May, but have cruised mostly on Carnival (NCL, Disney, RC, Princes as well). Oh and that melting cake... it's to die for. Either way, any boat we are on, even if it was the old Carnival Tropicale where I had soot all over my face from laying out getting some sun, we try to always have a fun time/

Edited April 6, 2016 by Grillfish

[Clarea]

Appreciate thw feedback.

[petesfamily]

 

5. Entertainment: In general, it was a bit better and more lively. I loved the piano bar with the live pianist. He was fantastic. Jordan Peterson was excellent on the Summit too and should have his own dedicated bar like the guy on The Fascination! Play to your strengths! As mentioned before, we loved the comedy. We LOVED The trivia that was offered multiple times per day.

 

 

SO glad you enjoyed our son, Jordan Peterson. He is loving performing on the Eclipse! I agree, he SHOULD have his own bar!!! He is really working on becoming a guest entertainer, and the prospects are looking pretty good!

[ProfessorEFFE]

Thank you for the comparison. I have to agree with your perspective on Carnival. It's a great bang for the buck. I have been lucky and only had 2 "so-so" cruises. One on the Carnival Triumph and one on the Celebrity Century. That being said, I still prefer Celebrity.

[K.T.B.]

I agree with mostly everything the OP said. (I disagree about the food, I've found it to be fairly equal overall. Carnival does some things better and Celebrity does other things better.) The one thing I definitely wish Celebrity had that Carnival has is an Adult-Only area. Carnival has what they call a "Serenity Adult-Only Retreat". 21 and older only, non-smoking, and usually very quiet. It's a nice slice of heaven on an otherwise noisy ship.

[Jeremiah1212]

You make some very valid points. It's been a long time since we sailed Carnival or Celebrity but are very much looking forward to Celebrity again next winter.

 

I remember the Carnival Glory feeling like 1980 Las Vegas (oddly enough, I like 'old' Las Vegas way more than the current scene). It was fun and we had a good time, but there were also tons of kids on board. I can't pinpoint it, but there was generally a lot of commotion on the ship. Remember that store Shoe Carnival in the 80's? The flashing lights, the guy screaming into the microphone, the machine with dollar bills flying everywhere, screaming kids, disgruntled parents...We always laughed that Shoe Carnival and Carnival Cruises must have been owned by the same company. Granted a lot changed in the industry since 2007 or 2008 when we took that cruise. Not that we didn't like it, but we knew we wanted something different so we booked Solstice for our second cruise ever. The difference was night and day back then.

 

Carnival definitely does some things right. Their internet plan is a great. If other lines gave a reasonable price to access a basic rundown of social media and I think it would be a win win. The line gets free social media exposure and $25 is way easier to swallow than $100+ for wifi access that may not be all that great.

 

I wouldn't be opposed to trying Carnival again on one of the newer ships, but on the cruises we would be interested in would cost significantly more than Celebrity. An 8 day on Vista next winter without a drink package was going to cost us nearly $850 more than the Reflection with $0 OBC compared to $600 on Celebrity. With that kind of price difference it's not going to happen!

[Chunky2219]

Our first ever cruise, fifteen years ago with the kids as teenagers was with Carnival in the Carribean. Carnival Destiny IIRC, not one of the monster great ships they have now.

 

Time ineveitably leads to rose tinted glasses but eveything, especially the food and the service was absolutely outstanding. I've recomended Carnival several times since then to firends and then wondered if things have gone downhill over the years and I've sold them a dud.

 

The only thing we were mildly unhappy about was a blue ship with an X on the funnel that was following us around but always seemed to get a better berth and the pax seemed to look somewhat better off. I think it was Celebrity Mercury. It took us another 10 years before we got around to sailing X and have never regretted it. Except the food. Carnival MDR food was miles better.

 

 

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Edited April 6, 2016 by Chunky2219
typo

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Thanks for the interesting comparison. Not sure I could stand the kids, noise, smoke, and standing outside endlessly for muster (I remember when we had to do that on Celebrity and it wasn't fun). But if the price were right, I might give it a try.

 

What about the staterooms? How do they compare?

 

[beltane]

Hubs and I have had some wonderful cruises with Carnival. I actually enjoy the happy party atmosphere of Carnival ships, but Hubs doesn't enjoy it as much. We are at the point in our cruising where the ports really aren't the focus of our vacation any more. Relaxation is. We often cruise now and don't even leave the ship. We always have a balcony and make good use of it. Celebrity plays the music of our generation, which we enjoy very much. Plus, you just can't beat a Celebrity shower stall! :D I do think we have found our "cruise home" with Celebrity, but I always look at all the cruiselines when I plan our next vacation and am open to sailing with a competitor if the itinerary, price and perks are appealing.

[Viva_la_Vida]

Thanks for the interesting comparison. Not sure I could stand the kids, noise, smoke, and standing outside endlessly for muster (I remember when we had to do that on Celebrity and it wasn't fun). But if the price were right, I might give it a try.

 

What about the staterooms? How do they compare?

 

 

Ah I forgot to talk about staterooms! We had an Ocean View as part of a free upgrade promo, so oceanview for the price of an inside. It was plenty roomy, there was more storage than on X, and the window was large. It was not a port hole. We had a sweet sixteen balcony on the Summit so no comparison there, but it was smaller than our oceanview on Reflection (room 3111). There was no couch. I liked the decor on Reflection much better, it was brighter and more updated. Again, I think this would be different on a newer Carnival ship.

 

We did have an issue with the stateroom. It was sweltering when we first came in. It took a trip to guest services to get it resolved, but they did have the A/C repaired by the time we got back from dinner. They also called to follow up and make sure it was still working the next day.

 

The bathroom was fine, on par with M-Class as far as having a shower curtain instead of a glass enclosure. The toiletries were not as nice. They provide on-wall dispensers of shampoo and soap. The scent was pleasing, but they were cheap and thin and there was no conditioner. I'll definitely bring my own next time. Also I would bring something to hang on the shower to put things like razors and additional toiletries on. There was nowhere to put anything.

Edited April 6, 2016 by Viva_la_Vida

[Iamthesea]

Was this out of Charleston?

[DaisyFire]

Thanks Viva_la_Vida for your review and insights! I have some of the same preconceptions regarding Carnival and it was good to hear that some of these are unfounded. After reading your review, I am definitely more open to the possibility of cruising on Carnival if the price is right and the itinerary is attractive.

[heidikay]

I have cruised Carnival many times. It is a good value for my family of 5. Funny what some like others don't. I don't care for the sea day brunch on Carnival, they offer the same menu every sea day. I prefer a traditional lunch in the dining room with a new menu each day. I was on the Breeze and really enjoyed the Blue Iguana Cantina. It is not available on every ship yet. But the Mexican breakfasts there are a favorite.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Thanks for the comparison. We've done about 5 Carnival cruises (3 were free due to DH's work) and we've found it's just not for us. The ship, service and food were good but we just don't like the atmosphere. On our last one, there were too many out-of-control passengers that ruined the whole experience for everyone else.

[shipshape sam]

Thanks for posting both positive and negative attributes you experienced. We have sailed twice on Carnival many years ago and had both good and bad points. We could also say the same for Celebrity.