10 ways Carnival is better than Cunard and such.

[Thoth]

One downside of enforced dress codes...lost luggage.    I came very close to being denied entry to the dining room. In New York, Cunard had a contract with a hotel. In order to prevent luggage from collecting in the lobby, porters must retrieve bags.  The Cunard representatives instructed me to ...sit down and wait and they will assure luggage arrives at pier.  At the pier, I told the Cunard staff that I had no luggage and was assured that bags will be sent to stateroom.  No bags ever showed up !  I did have a small carry on .  I arrived at the elegant Britannia restaurant and was told "you can't eat dressed like that" . It was not my fault that all my elegant dinner clothing  was in a lost bag.  Fortunately for me the front desk loaned me some cloths !  Of course nothing matched or fit perfectly, but I was most grateful for the staff's assistance. The ship also laundered my one change of street cloths from the carry on. I paid for a bow tie.   I certainly cannot blame the ship's crew...they were great, but their land-side customer service was poor. The Cunard NYC staff failed me. After I returned the California staff was no help in locating my bags. They did offer incentives for future travel, but only after several nagging attempts.   I called New York and found my bags a month later. 

My points are ...1) dress codes are nice, but flexibility is better. 2) customer service is equated to selling cruises, not post- cruise. 

Edited December 25, 2019 by Thoth

[Tapi]

On 12/21/2019 at 4:41 PM, twodaywonder said:

I have come across a lot of snooty ones on a cruise also. Always the nose is up...

Snooty comes in all shapes and forms. We have friends who refuse to travel internationally except to go on Caribbean cruises, and they have to be only on Disney. They are financially well off and educated, and they spend a hefty amount of money to sail on Disney (at least once or twice a year). I’ve tried to convince them to try other cruise lines or to travel to other parts of the world, but they refuse, thinking that anything that’s not a Disney Cruise is beneath them.

 

Its not that they prefer Disney, it’s that they believe that everything else is not good enough. 😂

Edited December 25, 2019 by Tapi

[vjmatty]

I've sailed Carnival, Cunard and many other cruise lines and agree it isn't fair to rate what are intended to be different experiences.

 

I had the good fortune to sail the final transatlantic crossing of the QE2 before she was retired, and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. Cunard is more than formal dress and ballroom dancing. No other line has the history and tradition of Cunard, and you can't help but be fascinated with all of the stories over the past 150 or so years since Samuel Cunard sailed the first steamer across the Atlantic. For transatlantic sailings with lots of sea days, if you can't find something to do, you aren't looking very hard.  Cunard would be my first choice for transatlantics, European cruises and possibly Alaska if I find a need to go here again now that Cunard has added Alaskan itineraries. 

 

That being said, I wouldn't sail Cunard in the Caribbean or South Pacific......I don't want to worry about what time it is when I board the ship in my shorts or coverup and bathing suit after being on the beach all day. I'd like to sit in my lounger past 6pm if the sun is still shining. I prefer to wear a sundress to dinner so I can be comfortable walking the decks in the evening.....though I usually need a shawl or knit jacket for the indoor winter that is cruise ship air conditioning.   I don't want to be fussed with the time it takes to get ready for dinner on formal nights if I'm in a tropical area.  For these experiences I'd happily chose the mainstream lines like Carnival and RC. 

 

It is the difference between going to the opera or catching a movie....if you like both, you are prepared with what is appropriate for each.

 

Most often lately I find we both prefer a moderation  between the two and sail Princess most frequently. As a result we've achieved the highest status on Princess, which makes it even more likely that we will sail with them to keep those amenities.  However, I was happy with my first Celebrity experience this year and will happily sail X again if the fare is reasonable.

[rtw68]

On 12/20/2019 at 7:29 PM, SMSACE6 said:

I have never sailed on Cunard, but do not rule it out completely.  However I doubt that I ever will cruise on them, due to price and itineraries, as well as departure ports.  But I don't rule it out.  Before I would sail Cunard, I would likely venture back to 'Celebrity first because they do offer those ports and itineraries that interest me.  

 

As far as snooty passengers go, I have cruised mostly on Carnival, and have met a few snoots on there as well LOL, sailed once on Celebrity, and met just a few snooty people, most were just like us, and it was a good cruise.  sailed once on Norwegian long long time ago, and cant remember meeting anyone snooty or otherwise.  

 

I think that everyone has a type of cruise they are looking for, and with a little internet research they can find what kind they look for, we all have different tastes with everything, so it is a good thing that there are multiple cruise lines out there to suit every kind of preference.  That said, you cant please all the people , all of the time.

 

At this point in my life, where I cant cruise or travel at all, I would be happy to experience any of the the cruise lines, and hope to do so again some day.

 

 

Speaking of "snoots," I was very shocked when we branched out and sailed on RCCL's Freedom of the seas (have been on 9 Carnival cruises) and saw some couples wearing name tags with their "Diamond" status on them, really??  It was obvious that they deserved "better treatment" given their status and interaction with the ship staff and other pax.  Had a good cruise, but we definitely enjoy our Carnival cruises to a higher degree (and we are a couple in our 50's).

[Thoth]

12 hours ago, ronbe65 said:

Hi Thoth,

Which of four different Carnivals are you comparing with the ocean liner? 🙂

Even the best Carnival differ greatly from the Cunard product and the QM2 in particular. I like them both and cruise on them both for different reasons.

 

It does not matter how much credit incompetent travel magazines/books  give to the imaginary Carnival.

Berlitz Book (some pics in the video taken before  the water slides replacement):

 

Carnival has a few really nice ships that I love no matter what magazines say.

 

Happy cruising!

 

I've sailed on Carnival's  ...Inspiration, Legend , Destiny , Holiday, Triumph, Splendor, Fantasy, Dream, Vista, Conquest, and Glory.   Thanks for the video. I was on the Glory back in September. I like Berlitz book, but they don't explain WHY the rate ships the way they do.  Glory gets a 1316 out of 2000. QM2 = 1675 out of 2000. 

Edited December 26, 2019 by Thoth

[Thoth]

12 hours ago, ronbe65 said:

No surprise. If a famous "cruise bible" cannot put their facts together, what do you expect from the "advisers" that are stuck to their "preferred cruise line" and have no idea of what is happening next door... 🙂

NCL? "Oh, my god, I don't need climbing walls and water slides.." 🙄

What about beautiful open promenades, quiet relaxing sun deck, first class spa,  specialty dining options, professionally done entertainment? 

Of course all that may be nonexistent  for those who choose the Breakaway for things like alcohol package, frat parties, poolside games, silly comedy shows, etc.

 

Happy cruising!

Oh wow !  Remind not to go on a cruise with THOSE people !!  Funny thing is most who have never been on Carnival and swear not to, think Carnival is like that. Miami crowds have a certain edge I suppose but Fort Lauderdale and New Orleans ( my favorite ports) seems to attract an older/ gentile cruiser. 

[Thoth]

On 12/19/2019 at 5:54 PM, coevan said:

 

 

Touche, we are sailing a river cruise in Europe this summer, no slides, no casinos, and thank goodness, no singing waiters.

Enjoy !  I've done two European river cruises.  The ports are fabulous and tours are included. The ship's food features local dishes such as schnitzel  .  Entertainment included some Opera singers and a local pop band, but usually consisted of a guy on piano singing Tom Jones songs or sometimes just a jukebox. While I count river cruises in my tally of cruises, they are really a different experience, being all about the port cities and the ship mainly being a bed and food. 

Edited December 26, 2019 by Thoth

[grandmarnnurse]

5 hours ago, Thoth said:

Oh wow !  Remind not to go on a cruise with THOSE people !!  Funny thing is most who have never been on Carnival and swear not to, think Carnival is like that. Miami crowds have a certain edge I suppose but Fort Lauderdale and New Orleans ( my favorite ports) seems to attract an older/ gentile cruiser. 

I have cruised Carnival, RCCL, and NCL, so I think I can be a pretty good judge of those three lines. I have never sailed Cunard. In my mind, when I think of Cunard, I see an older, more reserved crowd, so that keeps me from trying them. Although my husband and I ARE older (70 & 66), we definitely are not ready for that type of cruise (in the same way he jokes that he’s not old enough to drive a Buick yet! Lol!) We were WOWED by the beautiful ships of RCCL, and NCL. But they both had some negatives for us—for what we want on a cruise. We found the price point of Carnival better, for our retirement budget, but that was not the major selling point to Carnival. We found Carnival to be just more fun, in general! There was definitely less nickel and dimeing (the worst on RCCL). The complimentary food was plentiful (we rarely o specialties, but when we do, they are more reasonably priced on Carnival). Carnival had a variety of music playing EVERYWHERE, and at all times of day and night. Their comedy shows were much more plentiful, (several showings nearly every night), and although their theater shows were not Broadway caliber as RCCL and NCL were, no reservations were ever needed. It made for a more carefree, flexible, relaxing vacation. So, yes, I have set foot on those other lines, and I feel I can give an honest opinion on them both. As for NCL giving all those free perks, well, somebody has to pay for them. When they started, they were a good deal. I got a reasonably priced cruise with a perk. But now the price on the cruise has crept up to pay for these perks, so it’s not really free at all (kind of like the progressive Democrat agenda. There is no free lunch, Karen. Somebody has to pay for it) So there is my two cents. For me, I will be happily sailing my Carnival ships. I’ve got three coming up very soon! Happy sailing everyone! 😎🛳🌴🏖🍷🍹🍸