Jump to content

Will I enjoy Carnival


Recommended Posts

I prefer rcl, I prefer carnival prices. I have 1 carnival and 3 rcl booked, and now will wait for some last minute deals, if not 4 will do me.

 

What i dont like about carnival is i keep running into so many casino cruises, ultra premier, gotta do so many of this one to qualify for the next tier. I find there are so many platinum and diamonds it no longer means anything. 

 

What i like about carnival is the food, i am so looking forward to bbq and guys and taco salads at the contina. I ruin my appetite for dinner lol. I love the lunch choices and guys is open until 6 pm. 

 

I like the shows on rcl better.

 

I like the softer beds and larger cabins on carnival. I'm paying almost $1400 for a ov on jewel OTS and the ov is smaller than the inside. The ov says 155 sf, inside 180, but I took the ov, but think it's expensive. Port holes,especially 1As on carnival dont cost extra for me as a solo cruiser.

 

I like both for different reasons. Carnival is almost always cheaper for a good value.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It may be hard to answer this before they start back because all cruise lines will make a lot of changes.  It may not be nearly the same when we cruise over the next year or so.  These changes will certainly make a difference in cruising in one way or another.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have sailed 7 different cruise lines including each of the big 3 - we consistently sail Carnival for the following:

- Cruise Directors

- Fun Squad

- Punchliner Comedy Club

- Variety of trivia

- Variety of food options included in base fare (Guys, Pizza Pirate, Blue Iguana, Pig and Anchor, Fresh Creations, Cucina for lunch)

- Alchemy Bar

- Self Serve Laundry

- Value for the experience 

- Dive-in movies

- Hasboro

- The fact that they truly are the Fun Ships

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've sailed on Disney, Norwegian, Royal, and Carnival.  My husband and I prefer Carnival because it meets our needs.  We love watching the comedy shows and Carnival does it best.  We also like the casual food options like Guy's Burgers, Blue Iguana, and the deli.  The movies on the pool deck are fun.  Self-service laundry enabled us to pack less.  The vibe is fun and there is a lot of energy. Price isn't a consideration for us.  We just want to have a fun and relaxing time.  Nothing high maintenance.

I think everyone is different in what they are looking for in a cruise.  There are fancier ships with better theater shows.  It really depends on the group cruising.  I recently took my grandson on Harmony of the Seas and he loved it.  The ship is amazing, but I really enjoy the comedy shows and relaxing on Carnival.

Edited by TNcruising02
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We've sailed with NCL, CCL and Royal and have found that they are very close to each other in what they provide (in the things that matter to us). Once we've decided where we want to cruise we start sorting the available cruises by price and normally go with the lowest one. CCL gives us a good value for our vacation dollar. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

One thing you should take into account is that what ever cruiseline you are looking at, for me its the amount of days of a cruise, it will makes it or break it and then the size of the ship comes next, for example, a 3 or 4 day cruise is pretty much a party cruise, people getting off work and get onboard and go crazy, lots of drinking...it’s not the type of cruise you want to take your family on for the first time, this type of cruise will turn off first time cruise families.


Now let’s move on to more days like a 10 day cruise, these are pretty much retired folks because most families are limited to a 7 day cruise vacation and then it’s back to work. On 10 - 14 day cruise, the food is soft (Dentures) and the entertainment is none existent, most folks are in bed after dinner. This was my experience in the past.

 

Size of the ship matters, if you like crowds especially screaming kids, then the biggest newest with all of the fun things to do is where it’s at. The smaller ships without the fun things to do, you might see 12 kids onboard tops and its not crowded at all, actually more peaceful with more empty elevators to ride on.

 

So it doesn’t matter which cruiseline, what matters is what fits for you, the right amount of days and the right size ship. when you find this out from your past cruises you will know and have a nice time...For me, 7 days on a smaller ship is what I like now.

 

I like both RCL & Carnival, what brings me back to carnival? we are Platinum cruisers with carnival and I know how carnival works and that works for me.

 

Fred

Edited by Wennfred
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, drvmywifecrzy said:

After two years away I am returning to sail Carnival.  For those that have sailed multi cruise lines what draws you back to Carnival?

 

It's tough for me to answer the question in your title without knowing you, so I won't and I'll answer this one instead.  Why do I go back to Carnival?

 

  • It's fun
  • The other passengers can be fun and interesting
  • The crew helps to keep a fun atmosphere without being obnoxious about it (mostly)
  • The food is generally good
  • It's not very formal
  • The prices can be good
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although I have close to 40 cruises, I have only cruised on Carnival and RCI. I don’t think you can go wrong cruising with either of these companies. I have significantly more cruises on Carnival, but lately we (including my wife) have been cruising more on RCI and prefer RCI for a few reasons. First, RCI ships are significantly nicer than Carnival ships in my opinion. Second, there is a lot more to do on RCI ships. I have been to most ports in the Caribbean multiple times, so the ships are becoming more important to me when cruising. There are just a lot more things that I like to do that are available on RCI ships. And finally, the overall service on RCI ships is better these days. I think this is one area Carnival has gone downhill a bit and is directly related to staffing changes they have made that impact both cabin service and MDR service. 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, Bowman1 said:

We have sailed 7 different cruise lines including each of the big 3 - we consistently sail Carnival for the following:

- Cruise Directors

- Fun Squad

- Punchliner Comedy Club

- Variety of trivia

- Variety of food options included in base fare (Guys, Pizza Pirate, Blue Iguana, Pig and Anchor, Fresh Creations, Cucina for lunch)

- Alchemy Bar

- Self Serve Laundry

- Value for the experience 

- Dive-in movies

- Hasboro

- The fact that they truly are the Fun Ships

THIS^^^^^^

You nailed it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like you've been on 8 Carnival cruises so you should have a general idea of what to expect and if you will enjoy Carnival or not. Not much has changed but some cost cutting measures have been implemented and we do not know what the experience will be like when it returns.

 

What is drawing you away from and NCL and back to Carnival? Perhaps that will assist us in providing some feedback. My personal preferences don't necessarily make me a good fit for this cruise line as I prefer an elevated and more immersive experience.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, xDisconnections said:

Looks like you've been on 8 Carnival cruises so you should have a general idea of what to expect and if you will enjoy Carnival or not. Not much has changed but some cost cutting measures have been implemented and we do not know what the experience will be like when it returns.

 

What is drawing you away from and NCL and back to Carnival? Perhaps that will assist us in providing some feedback. My personal preferences don't necessarily make me a good fit for this cruise line as I prefer an elevated and more immersive experience.

 

Holy cow, did not realize it was 8.  Been on NCL kick for a while now.  Ready to have some fun on Carnival

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, cruizergal70 said:

How is the fin artificial when all offered activities are voluntary?

Voluntary or not, they’re “included” in your onboard experience and “fun” is advertised in many slogans and marketing campaigns.

 

Choose Fun.

The Fun Ships.

Fun For All. All For Fun.

Edited by xDisconnections
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, xDisconnections said:

Voluntary or not, they’re “included” in your onboard experience and “fun” is advertised in many slogans and marketing campaigns.

 

Choose Fun.

The Fun Ships.

Fun For All. All For Fun.

That doesn't make it artificial.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...