How does Carnival stack up?

[MGilly]

I don't want to complicate things for you, but it seems like the differences are not just between cruise lines, but things also differ from ship to ship. Remember, too, that Carnival owns Princess as well as several other lines, so company policies will probably start blending together in the very near future.

 

We just got off the Carnival Destiny on Sunday, and I spoke with someone today (in person) who got off the Carnival Glory last week. They had wonderful food and great service, and their ship was in great running order. Our ship had several mechanical difficulties (elevators worked sporadically, the air conditioning went out on half of the ship midway through the cruise, and we had no water pressure until we called maintenance to fix our shower on the second day of the cruise), and the food was only mediocre. We only saw our cabin steward once or twice, and we had to go to the pursor's desk to get the Capers when he didn't deliver them toward the end of the cruise. Our waitor in the dining room never quite understood that coffee is supposed to be served HOT, and we always spent more than two hours at dinner, because the service was so slow. We didn't want to rush dinner, but we DID want to enjoy some of the after dinner activities!

 

We've sailed on three other Carnival ships, and we've also sailed on four Royal Caribbean ships. I know that Carnival ships are known as the "fun ships," but there seem to be more activities available on Royal Caribbean ships. The service seems better, and after this last cruise, I definitely have to give the "better food" vote to Royal Caribbean. Carnival does have the better price, and we have never had a "bad cruise," but that's because we firmly believe in self-fulfilling propheses when it comes to vacations. If you plan to have a bad time, you will. If you plan to have a good time (no matter what), you will. We always plan to have a good time, and when something not-so-great happens, we consider it a "story" to laugh about. This last cruise provided us with several stories, but it also gave us some wonderful memories. Will we sail on Carnival again? Probably. Will we sail on the Destiny again? Probably not. Will we sail on Royal Caribbean for our next cruise? We sure plan to!

[FamilyDoc]

We have cruised with our 2 kids since they were 5 and 7. We have sailed Disney a few times, Carnival and Holland. My kids like Carnival and Holland best. The Carnival counselors have always been very good. The kids like Holland because there were only about 20 kids on the whole ship and so they all played together and got to know each other well.

 

I love cruising any way you offer it but Carnival is our favorite. The food is plentiful and there was always plenty for the kids to pick from. The waiters treat the kids like royalty.

 

Either way you go, have fun. :)

[cruise101]

We sailed on the Carnival Conquest out of Galveston on Dec 25th. While we had sailed RCCL, NCL & Celebrity, I had not sailed Carnival before and was somewhat apprehensive, primarily from the stories one often hears.

 

Let me assure you it was indeed a wonderful experience. The entertainment was really GREAT. The cruise director was fabulous - we kept wondering where he got all his energy from. He was up singing and dancing in the bars till the early hours each day.

 

The rooms (we had booked 2 inside cabins) were fair sized and we had no issues with the upkeep and maintenance of the rooms.

 

Being Xmas time, the vessel was full - 3600 guests (including 1200 children). However, there were no line-ups to be seens anywhere. There always seemed to be plenty of place and things to do for everyone.

 

The staff were always curteous and always willing to assist.

 

As for food, we found the food in the buffet area certainly exceeded our expectations. While the food in the DR was of an acceptable standard, personally, I prefered the DR fare on the other lines (especially Celebrity).

 

Having said that, I want to emphasise that all in all it was a great experience. Will I sail Carnival again. Yes - definitely so.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[zqvol]

Hi Laurin. Erase your fears about Carnival. My goodness, their ships sail at full capacity, they have the largest cabins in the industry, the food is excellent, in my opinion, and I'm a retired F&B director for hotels, as well as caterer, so I'm a bit picky. I've found nothing in the dining room that wasn't palate-pleasing, and the staff and crew are super-friendly and helpful. The production shows are very well done with talented performers.

 

I am constantly amazed that folks put Carnival down and have never cruised with the line. Carnival must be doing something right, to be the leading cruise company, (and being able to purchase all those other lines). In case you aren't aware - Carnival Corporation owns Princess, Costa, Holland America, Cunard, Windstar, and Seabourn.

 

I have sailed on NCL and Princess, but those cruises were years ago. Great cruises, but I enjoy Carnival so much, I'm not even curious about the other lines any longer. The price is always right and the ports-of-call are good.:)

Don't pay attention to the fact that Carnival ships sail at capacity. Can you say low cost! Remember that Carnival is a low cost alternative to cruisng. Go in anticipating a discount experience and you will be fine.