Carnival Cruises..... are there perks?

[mamasann]

We always cruise Royal. but was looking at Carnival and saw they have grande suites and there are perks included.  But I can't find what those perks are?  Does anybody know?  And if they are, how do they stack up to Royal's?   Royal is a good bit more $$ for the suite, but we know what perks are offered and love them. That's why we're in a suite on the  Allure in February.   I always had the impression Carnival was like the  Walmart of the cruise industry, but the whole suites & perks thing got my attention.  Any input folks?

[neverbeenhere]

Call Carnival for the most accurate new listing of limited suite perks available. Then decide to stay with Royal.

[Host Kat]

2 hours ago, mamasann said:

We always cruise Royal. but was looking at Carnival and saw they have grande suites and there are perks included.  But I can't find what those perks are?  Does anybody know?  And if they are, how do they stack up to Royal's?   Royal is a good bit more $$ for the suite, but we know what perks are offered and love them. That's why we're in a suite on the  Allure in February.   I always had the impression Carnival was like the  Walmart of the cruise industry, but the whole suites & perks thing got my attention.  Any input folks?

 

@mamasann

 

Howdy! 

 

Thank you for your new thread on the Ask a Cruise Question forum. 👍  It is the forum for general questions regarding cruising. However, your thread is off-topic there since your topic concerns a specific cruise line. 

 

To help you out, I have moved your thread to the Carnival Cruise Lines forum where it will be on topic. The majority of your fellow Cruise Critic members that have sailed Carnival frequent this forum and provide feedback here. Some have replied to your previous thread Carnival Cruises - perks for Suites? posted in 2020.

 

I sincerely hope this will be helpful and glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic! 

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat 

 

Edited April 14, 2021 by Host Kat
Typo due to fat fingers & skinny laptop keys!

[asalligo]

Nothing Awesome really except for Priority check in. Priority check-in, embarkation & debarkation. Priority dinner reservations & main dining room time assignment. Two complimentary large bottles of water. Pillow-top mattresses. Bathrobes.

[asalligo]

Oh and you get pretty much all this by buying faster to the fun for much cheaper than a suite. 

 

[skridge]

2 hours ago, mamasann said:

We always cruise Royal. but was looking at Carnival and saw they have grande suites and there are perks included.  But I can't find what those perks are?  Does anybody know?  And if they are, how do they stack up to Royal's?   Royal is a good bit more $$ for the suite, but we know what perks are offered and love them. That's why we're in a suite on the  Allure in February.   I always had the impression Carnival was like the  Walmart of the cruise industry, but the whole suites & perks thing got my attention.  Any input folks?

Sunrises and Sunsets. 7 days of not having to cook or clean anything.  

[kdr69]

35 minutes ago, Host Kat said:

Some have replied to your previous thread Carnival Cruises - perks for Suites? posted in 2020.

Not much has changed im guessing?

[Jasonsterling]

49 minutes ago, asalligo said:

Nothing Awesome really except for Priority check in. Priority check-in, embarkation & debarkation. Priority dinner reservations & main dining room time assignment. Two complimentary large bottles of water. Pillow-top mattresses. Bathrobes.

This and if it's a "Grand Suite" on the Vista Class ships then you also get access to the Havana Pool/Outdoor Bar area IF you are over the age of 12. There's also some complimentary laundry service. Keep in mind this info is from back when they were actually sailing, lol and subject to change probably at any time. 

 

EDIT: I'll add that I didn't really think the price difference between the Ocean Suite and the Grand Suite was really worth it, even with the Havana Pool area access. Basically you're buying more room and a bigger balcony, both of which can be nice but not much else. 

Edited April 14, 2021 by Jasonsterling

[NightOne]

3 hours ago, mamasann said:

We always cruise Royal. but was looking at Carnival and saw they have grande suites and there are perks included.  But I can't find what those perks are?  Does anybody know?  And if they are, how do they stack up to Royal's?   Royal is a good bit more $$ for the suite, but we know what perks are offered and love them. That's why we're in a suite on the  Allure in February.   I always had the impression Carnival was like the  Walmart of the cruise industry, but the whole suites & perks thing got my attention.  Any input folks?

 

Carnival Suites are bigger rooms. There are no Royal like perks on Carnival except for priority embarkation.

 

No lounge, no special seating, no hand holding, or anything like that ... you get a bigger room.

[firefly333]

4 hours ago, mamasann said:

We always cruise Royal. but was looking at Carnival and saw they have grande suites and there are perks included.  But I can't find what those perks are?  Does anybody know?  And if they are, how do they stack up to Royal's?   Royal is a good bit more $$ for the suite, but we know what perks are offered and love them. That's why we're in a suite on the  Allure in February.   I always had the impression Carnival was like the  Walmart of the cruise industry, but the whole suites & perks thing got my attention.  Any input folks?

Mardi gras suites include bubbles, the soda pkg, so they are trying it out. They also have several rates that include drinks or wifi. 

[john91498]

Stick with Royal...

[Seany527]

Carnival is good if you’re looking to get out on the water, for a lower price. 
 

Royals perks in their cheapest suites will be better than Carnival’s perks in their most expensive owners suite. 

 

Carnival is not a bad cruise line, but if you’re looking for something extra and over the top, you’re most likely not going to find it. 

[xDisconnections]

You get what you pay for. If you want perks, stick with Royal and enjoy.

 

The only perk is priority embarkation and disembarkation.

[SNJCruisers]

Your best bet would be to do research on the new Excel Suites on the Mardi Gras and Celebration.  They include admission to the Loft 19 area.   

Any other ship in the fleet suite wise would not compete to Royal as others have mentioned.

[NightOne]

15 hours ago, xDisconnections said:

You get what you pay for. If you want perks, stick with Royal and enjoy.

 

The only perk is priority embarkation and disembarkation.

 

Actually if you want your own special stuff go Haven on NCL or Yacht Club on MSC.

 

Royal is not special at all.

[cruisingguy007]

Great prices, great kids club, fun and generally non pretentious passengers, and lots of fun! I actually like Carnival precisely because they don't have a lot of the "ship within a ship" nonsense. The worst of it is the Havana areas on their ships that discriminate against families with younger kids. The only good news about that is that the Havana bar is the worst bar on the ship and I think this whole "ship within a ship" experiment won't last and Carnival will do away with it to increase distance/spacing on ships. There are plenty of other lines for those who want exclusivity on a mass market cruise (oxymoron) and only feel special when they have some gloating perks to tell everyone how special they are. 

[jerseyjjs]

22 hours ago, NightOne said:

 

Carnival Suites are bigger rooms. There are no Royal like perks on Carnival except for priority embarkation.

 

No lounge, no special seating, no hand holding, or anything like that ... you get a bigger room.

 

 

Guess you haven't seen the variety or square footage of ALL of RCCL's suites, which absolutely dwarf Carnival's cookie cutter Grand suites.

[SNJCruisers]

3 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 The worst of it is the Havana areas on their ships that discriminate against families with younger kids. The only good news about that is that the Havana bar is the worst bar on the ship and I think this whole "ship within a ship" experiment won't last and Carnival will do away with it to increase distance/spacing on ships. There are plenty of other lines for those who want exclusivity on a mass market cruise (oxymoron) and only feel special when they have some gloating perks to tell everyone how special they are. 

The best thing that Carnival has come up with in the past 10 years is the Havana area.  Stayed there twice and did not have to deal with adult soup like other pools on board or annoying children left to run around by their parents that take a vacation from their parenting responsibilities.  It is only located on the 3 Vista Class ships in the fleet at this time, so that leaves you with 21 ships to choose from to cruise on if you don't like the area.  The ship within a ship concept is expanding on the two Excellence Class ships (Mardi Gras & Celebration).  Besides the Havana area, which you'll be happy to know is smaller in area than the Vista Class version, there is the Loft 19 area, which is dedicated to those that are staying in a suite.

NCL has it with the Haven and MSC has it with the Yacht Club and Celebrity has it with the Retreat.  It is very popular and is not going away anytime soon.   All of the new builds by the mass market lines have them to one degree or another.  If you don't care for it, like I said before you have 21 out of the current 25 ships in the Carnival fleet to choose from.

[cruisingguy007]

2 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

The best thing that Carnival has come up with in the past 10 years is the Havana area.  Stayed there twice and did not have to deal with adult soup like other pools on board or annoying children left to run around by their parents that take a vacation from their parenting responsibilities.  It is only located on the 3 Vista Class ships in the fleet at this time, so that leaves you with 21 ships to choose from to cruise on if you don't like the area.  The ship within a ship concept is expanding on the two Excellence Class ships (Mardi Gras & Celebration).  Besides the Havana area, which you'll be happy to know is smaller in area than the Vista Class version, there is the Loft 19 area, which is dedicated to those that are staying in a suite.

NCL has it with the Haven and MSC has it with the Yacht Club and Celebrity has it with the Retreat.  It is very popular and is not going away anytime soon.   All of the new builds by the mass market lines have them to one degree or another.  If you don't care for it, like I said before you have 21 out of the current 25 ships in the Carnival fleet to choose from.

 

I get it, aged based discrimination is cool as long as it's against the youth but when it's against older people it's not cool. Any way you slice it, it's discrimination. When did we, as a nation, become so anti family? It's very strange and unthinkable even a decade ago. I also don't see the point of having folks wanting an exclusive experience on a mass market line. It's an oxymoron, pay for Viking or some other luxury line instead. I don't think it will last, there are already plenty of options for those who want to pay for exclusivity and/or lower capacity cruising; why try and recreate a cheaper version? Doing one thing really well is better than trying to do two things half arsed.     

Edited April 15, 2021 by cruisingguy007

[cruisingguy007]

Not to mention that the Serenity area already exits for those who want to avoid those under 21. Havana makes two areas where kids/families aren't welcome. That's two large areas on the ship. Maybe carnival should start having alternating weekly cruises, one open where the ship is open to all paying passengers and one for adults only so they don't have to mix with the unwashed masses. Something is going to have to give if they keep restricting families to smaller and smaller areas on the ship and family harbor is hardly a benefit and anyone can book it.  

[SNJCruisers]

You have 21 ships in the fleet without Havana.  Get over it.  It's not going anywhere on the 3 Vista Class ships.

You're just upset because the one ship Carnival has on the west coast close to you has it.  Once again, we don't make the rules,  we just play the game.  If you don't like the Havana area, pick one of the 21 ships that does not have it.  That's 84% of the fleet to choose from.  So only 16% of the fleet is anti family in your opinion. 

[Seany527]

7 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

Great prices, great kids club, fun and generally non pretentious passengers, and lots of fun! I actually like Carnival precisely because they don't have a lot of the "ship within a ship" nonsense. The worst of it is the Havana areas on their ships that discriminate against families with younger kids. The only good news about that is that the Havana bar is the worst bar on the ship and I think this whole "ship within a ship" experiment won't last and Carnival will do away with it to increase distance/spacing on ships. There are plenty of other lines for those who want exclusivity on a mass market cruise (oxymoron) and only feel special when they have some gloating perks to tell everyone how special they are. 

Omg you are so salty. I love it. 

[SNJCruisers]

24 minutes ago, cruisingguy007 said:

Something is going to have to give if they keep restricting families to smaller and smaller areas on the ship and family harbor is hardly a benefit and anyone can book it.  

You make it seem like the Havana area takes up the entire ship.  Combining the square footage of the Havana area and the Serenity area is still substantially less than the square footage of the Family Harbour area and all of the family oriented swim and play areas on the Lido deck and above.

[SNJCruisers]

4 minutes ago, Seany527 said:

Omg you are so salty. I love it. 

Please go into details.  I'm banter with two of you as to why adult areas are here to stay.

[xDisconnections]

11 hours ago, NightOne said:

 

Actually if you want your own special stuff go Haven on NCL or Yacht Club on MSC.

 

Royal is not special at all.

Sure but OP specified cruising on Royal which is considerably better than Carnival.