About to sail Carnival for the first time - what am I in for?

[Steve_MI]

We’ve only ever cruised with Celebrity before and are heading out on Carnival Celebration with friends. We really love Celebrity and don’t know what to expect. Any thoughts, tips, or pointers?

[LoungingMcCoy]

I have only ever sailed on Carnival so I can't compare to any other lines.

 

What I like about Carnival is how chill the people are and we're all just there to have a good time.  (The cool kids still say "chill", right?)  I've never had an issue getting a partner, or partners, for activities like giant Jenga, giant Yahtzee, dance classes, etc.  My wife doesn't want to participate in these activities but she likes to watch.

 

We're not anti-social but we're also not looking for new friends.  Every cruise we've been on we've made buddies that we hang out with and it's really fun.

 

 

[pe4all]

Go with an open mind.  You may like some things, and you may dislike some things.  I am sure not every Celebrity cruise has been perfect.  I can say the crew on every CCL cruise I have been on have been fantastic. 

[LatinaInTexas]

My first 2 cruises were RC and while I enjoyed them I wasn't blown away with cruising.

My 3rd cruise was with Carnival and I was blown away with cruising this time, fell in love with cruising. The energy, the vibe, friendly fellow passengers, just lots of non stop fun.

Personally I have never seen Walmart type bad, crazy, or party animal behavior but I book accordingly to hopefully prevent that lol.

Sure there's things that aren't always perfect but nothing that has changed my mind to continue sailing them. I have and do want to still sail other lines because I'm curious like that but it's no reflection on me not loving Carnival.

 

 

 

[EngIceDave]

5 hours ago, Steve_MI said:

We’ve only ever cruised with Celebrity before and are heading out on Carnival Celebration with friends. We really love Celebrity and don’t know what to expect. Any thoughts, tips, or pointers?

I haven't sailed Celebrity, but have with Royal and Norwegian, as well as Carnival.

So, base my response on that.

 

Visually, Carnival is LOUDER and its not as loud as it used to be. It's visually loud. Bright, many colors, swirls and swoops.

 

Others are more square in design and understated or more muted in color. 

Carnival does feel a little more "forced fun" than casual find it on your own fun. You can tune all that out if you want.

I think that's really the bigger difference, Carnival feels as if they have to make sure you're busy and having fun.

The other lines, IMO, didn't seem as pushy about it. Again, you can tune it out, but it's there.

[firefly333]

5 hours ago, Steve_MI said:

We’ve only ever cruised with Celebrity before and are heading out on Carnival Celebration with friends. We really love Celebrity and don’t know what to expect. Any thoughts, tips, or pointers?

Perks matter less on carnival. Laundry is a big perk for carnival or priority boarding, so others will board and debark before you. Other than that no biggie.

 

Less is included but the pay restaurants are less expensive. Drinks you either need to buy the pkg or pay for each drink. No option for them to be included unlike celebrity. 

 

More fast food during lunch and it's good and free. I eat guys burgers but not the ones on rcl. Stir fry is free for lunch on carnival though the line is slow as each one is cooked by itself. 

[CathyK2]

6 hours ago, Steve_MI said:

We’ve only ever cruised with Celebrity before and are heading out on Carnival Celebration with friends. We really love Celebrity and don’t know what to expect. Any thoughts, tips, or pointers?

We have been on all of the main stream cruise lines and even some that aren't mainstream.  Each cruise line seems to have its own personality and it's the differences that keep us hopping from line to line vs many that are doing a good job racking up their points with a particular cruise line.  We love Celebrity although even within that, we have found big differences from ship to ship.  Carnival is nicknamed the "fun ship" and you will find many more activies ...some a bit crazier than you experienced on Celebrity.  We will be heading out on the Celebration next weekend, so can't vouch for the ship, but definitely looking forward to it.  I do have to say that the food is much higher quality on Celebrtiy, but often the entertainment on Carnival has Celebrity beat.  They will all have things you like or dislike in comparision, but go in expecting to have fun and you will.  Bon Voyage!!!

 

[evandbob]

Lower your expectations. Perhaps the Carnival steakhouse is comparable to one of Celebrity's specialty restaurants. The Celebrity MDR IMO, is way nicer than Carnival's.

 

Carnival casinos are usually smoke filled, not like Celebrity's smoke free gaming areas.

 

Your Carnival stateroom may have a few extra square feet than Celebrity's, might depend on the ship.  

 

Enjoy!

[pzsdd6]

Run Forest Run!!!

[havanadaydreaming]

For us, CCL has more to do on a daily basis.  

 

We have sailed carnival, msc, ncl.  Ships and cabins very comparable.  Ncl wins food and shows.  Carnival wins dive in movies, fun squad activities. Msc sloooooow mdr but great pizzas at buffet. 

[Theosprey247]

Expect FUN.

[Momto3girlsintheCarolinas]

I echo "Go with an open mind."   RCI is our favorite but to be fair, we've done the most of those.  NCL is the best for shows.  RCI is the best for food.  I do find the "target market" to be different on each line and each ship.  For example. you'll find more kids on ships with all the bells and whistles.   If sailing alone, hubby and I go with a smaller ship with less "stuff" - but if sailing with kids, we go for a bigger ship with more stuff.  

 

I do find Carnival's décor and clientele to be a bit more low brow.  NCL has a more elegant feel.  RCI is more in the middle.  Although it is changing, Carnival's target market has always been "cheap and fun."   For us, a Carnival trip is usually "on the cheap" and so we spend less all around.  For a big celebration where we go all out (like a wedding anniversary or college graduation), we are more likely to splurge on NCL or RCI.

 

My $.02.

[ontheweb]

Go expecting to have a good time and a great cruise, and you will. Go with an attitude that you have heard so many bad things about Carnival that it will be a terrible cruise, and that is what will happen.

[Joebucks]

Stay away from this thread, and any other opinions. Experience it and decide for yourself. 

[BlerkOne]

Don't go on one cruise line always comparing them to a different one. Don't expect everything to be the same. Each cruise line has its own identity.

 

Carnival Celebration is huge and you can't possibly see or do everything in a week. There will be a variety of entertainment options competing for your time. Try to familiarize yourself with the deck plan so you have some idea where things are, particularly any of interest. Once on the ship, you can get pocket sized deck plan maps that are also helpful.

 

Both cruise lines are increasingly dependent on their "apps". You can still get paper menus in Carnival eating venues but they won't hand them to you be default. Just ask. Carnival doesn't put daily activity papers in the cabins these days, but they are available on the app, or you can pick up printed copies at a few locations on the ship.

 

The casino on Celebrity is huge with a large part dedicated to non-smoking. I think they do a fine job of keeping smoke out of the non-smoking part.

 

 

[cruisinqt]

We’ve been cruising for over 20 years with various lines like Princess, Royal, Hal, Norwegian, and Carnival. I’ve never done Celebrity but I’ve compared Carnival to many other lines and they along with Royal tend to be my favorite. Ignore the “Walmart of the sea” stuff you hear. It’s not true. If you’ll look at their signatures you’ll notice that the people saying that stuff have never even cruised with Carnival before. CC is full of cruise snobs loyal to one or two cruise lines who like to put down all other cruise lines then praise theirs. 
 

My biggest complaint about the higher end cruise lines is the much higher median age of the cruisers which makes a big difference in what activities are offered. On Hal and Princess there was ballroom dance classes, daily lectures, and dinner time was a very formal affair every night. I enjoyed them a lot but it was a much more laidback relaxed pace. I know that’s not a bad thing but it’s just not what I’m looking for. I may be in my 50’s but I’m still very active and like to keep busy. 
 

With Carnival the daily activities are a bit more playful and fun. They have Deal or No Deal and pick contestants from the audience to win prizes. Then there’s a live Family Feud show that uses passengers as contestants too which is always hilarious. The Celebration has a huge big top circus with tents and acrobats that’s being touted as one of the best shows Carnival has so definitely don’t miss that. But overall Carnival has a younger crowd with activities more geared towards things that interest younger people. Definitely do the comedy shows too. They bring in professional comedians that are really funny. They even have late night adult comedy after 11 which is a favorite of mine. You should also try out the spa if you’re a spa person. You can buy a “thermal suites” pass online ahead of time. For about $149-$159 you can get a week long unlimited pass to use the thermal suites. This includes use of the hot bubbly therapy pool (like a huge oversized hot tub), the steam rooms, the saunas, the waterfall showers to rinse off in, and the heated marble loungers. Some of my best naps ever were in those heated marble loungers after a long soak in the therapy pool. Oh and the spa is 18 and over only so it’s very peaceful and relaxing there. I’d also highly recommend Emeril’s Bistro (by Emeril Lagasse). The food is top notch and those beignets are to die for. Also try out Rudi’s Seafood Grill by Rudi Sodamin. Guy Fieri has a great burger place and bbq joint that shouldn’t be missed either. While at the bbq place check out the microbrewery. The beer sampler is awesome and a great way to figure out which beer is your favorite. My husband always does the brewery tour, it’s not my kind of thing but he loves it.

 

I think you’ll be very surprised with what Carnival has to offer. It’s not elegant and regal like the higher end lines. But it’s not a Walmart of the seas filled with rowdy drunks either. It’s a ship with a younger crowd with more lively activities planned. But there’s also higher end specialty restaurants, a great spa and the adults only serenity area with its fresh made to order salads that appeals to the more sophisticated crowds. 
 

 

[BlerkOne]

14 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

 

The casino on Celebrity is huge with a large part dedicated to non-smoking. I think they do a fine job of keeping smoke out of the non-smoking part.

 

 

I knew I would mess that up - the casino on CELEBRATION...

[RoperDK]

You are getting good input on this thread, OP.  The Celebration is Carnival's newest ship and should be a great way to try Carnival. Carnival really does offer a "Fun Ship" experience.  People seem to be more outgoing and willing to strike up a conversation with you.  The crew is more likely to interact and chat with you.  Everyone seems to relax and engage in the fun.  The food isn't the same quality in the dining room and buffet as Celebrity.  However, there are a lot of quick type eateries especially at lunch that offer a ton of variety.  They are short staffed and services suffer.  The staff is overworked and it shows sometimes.           

[cruisinqt]

1 hour ago, BlerkOne said:

I knew I would mess that up - the casino on CELEBRATION...

Oh yes the Excel class (Mardi Gras, Celebration, Jubilee) have the biggest casinos I’ve ever been in on a cruise ship. On the Mardi Gras I actually got lost in the casino which was a first for me. 

[jimbob22]

I haven't done celebration, but did the similar Mardi Gras. These are their new 'excel class'.  These ships are gorgeous, well laid out, not tacky like the prior generations of ships.  There will be a lot of entertainment going on (some in the main theater, much in the 'center stage', middle area), as well as live music scattered around in different bars.

 

For center stage shows, we liked sitting in the 'stadium seat' type section between floors 7 and 8, getting there maybe 20-30 minutes early typically enabled us to get seats there.

 

Food:

breakfast buffet is pretty much the same American staples every day.  I recommend trying the juevos rancheros with arepa at Blue Iguana.  There is no better Mexican joint at sea.

 

Carnival is the best at the quick-serve/fast casual type foods: Guy's burger, Shaq's big chicken, Blue Iguana, Street eats. None of these are open for dinner though.

 

Dinner is where their budget cutbacks may be most obvious to you, especially compared to Celebrity.  Portion sizes have been cut back quite a bit in the MDR.  Note that Chibang is all small-plates, so if you have a decent appetite I'd get like 3 apps and an entree at a minimum, and getting two entrees in there is not outlandish at all.  Many (but not all) meals in the mdr were similar, so I found it mildly irritating not knowing if an entree would be miniscule or normal sized. We did not go to the pay-extra restaurants, but the excel class ships could be a good place to do that if one is so inclined.

Edited January 2, 2023 by jimbob22

[vahey6266]

We have done cruises on most lines for the last 25 years.  We had always stayed away from Carnival due to hearing the rumors that it was a "party cruse line" and we had our son with us most often.  We finally did a Carnival cruise about 4 years ago and loved it!  Hope you have a blast!!

[RockinRobin]

We've sailed Celebrity and keep coming back to Carnival for price and fun.  We loved Celebrity, but found that the staff was a bit standoffish as if they were told not to interact with the passengers much.  I love speaking with the crew and where they are from.  It adds something special to cruising for me.  You will not find table cloths or white glove service or sommeliers on Carnival. You will find good music and entertainment and good pools and bar service and many free dining options.  Go with an open mind, you'll have fun! 

[RCmommy]

Not long ago the world was at a standstill and we never knew when we could travel again, let alone cruise again.  I would be happy with any cruise,  on any line.  Attitude can affect expectations and experience.  Expect some things to be different, and different doesn't have to be negative. 

 

"Life is short but the world is wide" - does it really matter what cruise line takes you there?  😁

[Steve_MI]

Lots of great feedback - thank you CCers!  
 

We certainly prefer the premium experience when we vacation, and I think that’s what attracted us to Celebrity. Like others, we’ve heard the negative opinions of Carnival and we’ve seen the videos of fights, foolish behavior, etc. and just sort shuddered. 
 

I’ll take the advice to have an open mind (admittedly a challenge) and try it out. I will say I just hate the whole drinks-not-included thing though and having to shell out almost $1k for a drink package. 

[SERK]

I believe Lee Mason will be your cruise director on Celebration.  We had him on our pre covid journey cruise and he was a lot of fun.  In general, CCL cruise directors are more energetic and humorous.  As far as the type of people on the ship depends on location and length of cruise.  Celebration on a 7 day cruise should have a lot of good people on board.  4-5 day cruise out of New Orleans for example, expect to see more rowdy drunks.  They don't call it a booze cruise for nothing.