Elitism by other cruise lines about Carnival?

[GwenyP]

Ok so I’ve been on nine Carnival with our tenth booked for December.   We are also going on Celebrity next June.  I’ve joined a couple of Celebrity message groups to learn more about the ships, etc. but the elitism by Celebrity cruisers is unreal.   It’s like they can’t wait to find a reason to be able to say Carnival sucks or they would never set foot on a Carnival ship based on a few TikTok videos they’ve seen.  Has anyone else noticed this about Celebrity or other cruise lines?   IMO Celebrity is barely a step above any mass market line.   They have better service and frou frou restaurants, sure, but IMO that doesn’t mean Carnival is trash.  Makes me wonder if the people I meet on board will be just as snobbish or if these are just keyboard warriors.  

[BlerkOne]

I have met some people on Celebrity cruises who whisper the same thing. 

[GwenyP]

5 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

I have met some people on Celebrity cruises who whisper the same thing. 

Did you say anything in response?

[BlerkOne]

27 minutes ago, GwenyP said:

Did you say anything in response?

I told them no need to whisper, I agreed.

[klfrodo]

Welcome to CruiseCritic. I've been on this board since the AOL Chatroom days and your complaint has been going on since that time.

I started on Carnival and have now branched out. Carnival is not my cruise line of choice, however, when I have friends who invite my wife and I to cruise with them, we will book the cruise.

I wouldn't call it "elitism" though. Isn't that disparaging in and of itself when others express a point of view that may be different than yours?

Every cruise line has a target demographic just like every other named brand of market does.

Edited July 20, 2023 by klfrodo

[Drew B 58]

Celebrity is the only other line I’ve ever sailed besides Carnival.  The ONLY time I’ve experienced bad passenger behavior that negatively affected my experience was on Celebrity.  
 

There was a mechanical issue with the propulsion system that caused us to miss two ports (out of seven).  The lost ports didn’t ruin my cruise, but the other passengers’ behavior threatened to!  They lost their d@mned minds!  They were holding “demonstrations” all around the ship to complain about the compensation offered.  This went on for DAYS!  I wasn’t able to enjoy any meals in the dining rooms thereafter without having to listen to at least one of my tablemates b*tch about the issue.  It was a bit of a nightmare…

 

They ended up giving everyone a 50% off future cruise voucher, so I booked with Celebrity again the following year to take advantage of the deal.  That was in 2007, and I haven’t sailed with them again since.
 

There were definitely a lot of good things about Celebrity and I would say it is better than Carnival in some areas.  However, passenger behavior was NOT one of them!!! 

[FastShip24]

Carnival is fine but you get what you pay for.  I will sail on all mainstream lines as they are more similar than different.  

[Honolulu Blue]

7 hours ago, GwenyP said:

Ok so I’ve been on nine Carnival with our tenth booked for December.   We are also going on Celebrity next June.  I’ve joined a couple of Celebrity message groups to learn more about the ships, etc. but the elitism by Celebrity cruisers is unreal.   It’s like they can’t wait to find a reason to be able to say Carnival sucks or they would never set foot on a Carnival ship based on a few TikTok videos they’ve seen.  Has anyone else noticed this about Celebrity or other cruise lines?   IMO Celebrity is barely a step above any mass market line.   They have better service and frou frou restaurants, sure, but IMO that doesn’t mean Carnival is trash.  Makes me wonder if the people I meet on board will be just as snobbish or if these are just keyboard warriors.  

The people that I've met and interacted with on my Celebrity cruises haven't been snobbish at all, IMHO.  And the people on the Celebrity board here aren't too bad.  

 

Elsewhere I've seen some posts about those who were one-and-done on Carnival and those who say they will never sail the whale tail for whatever reason(s).  I don't pay much attention to them and move on to people who have something substantial to say.

[mz-s]

Some people have a desire to feel superior. It's a character flaw of theirs that they shouldn't be proud of.

[Saint Greg]

The one celebrity review I saw it was shocking how small their MDR lobsters were. 

[sparks1093]

8 hours ago, klfrodo said:

Welcome to CruiseCritic. I've been on this board since the AOL Chatroom days and your complaint has been going on since that time.

I started on Carnival and have now branched out. Carnival is not my cruise line of choice, however, when I have friends who invite my wife and I to cruise with them, we will book the cruise.

I wouldn't call it "elitism" though. Isn't that disparaging in and of itself when others express a point of view that may be different than yours?

Every cruise line has a target demographic just like every other named brand of market does.

If it's just a different point of view, sure, the term can be off point. But if someone feels superior to someone else just because of the choices they make then "elitism" does apply. This isn't a matter of "this cruise line is better than that cruise line" or even "my cruise line is better than your cruise line". This is "I am better than you because I cruise on this line and you cruise on that line". Same thing would apply with what neighborhood one lives in, what car one drives, what clothes one wears, etc. etc. etc. I also have a Celebrity cruise booked and while I'm not overly concerned with it I can say that if I sense too much of it then it will likely turn me off of the cruise line, even if everything else is perfect. (Although it wouldn't necessarily keep me from cruising with them again.) (ETA after reading some definitions, "snobbism" might be the more accurate descriptor."

Edited July 20, 2023 by sparks1093

[broadwaybaby123]

As someone who has cruised BOTH lines (Celebrity about 8 times, Carnival 3 times), I can say for sure I've seen it go BOTH ways: I've seen Carnival cruisers snub Celebrity and I've seen Celebrity/Royal cruisers snub Carnival.

 

I choose not to participate in those discussions.

[StephPS79]

1 hour ago, sparks1093 said:

If it's just a different point of view, sure, the term can be off point. But if someone feels superior to someone else just because of the choices they make then "elitism" does apply. This isn't a matter of "this cruise line is better than that cruise line" or even "my cruise line is better than your cruise line". This is "I am better than you because I cruise on this line and you cruise on that line". Same thing would apply with what neighborhood one lives in, what car one drives, what clothes one wears, etc. etc. etc.

 

Pretty much exactly this.  I was going to say this isn't specific to cruising, but pretty much applies in general to everything lol.  This is just another way people keep status.  

 

Look at Apple.  It's "superior" because it costs more and people pay for it to keep that status.  In reality, if the product is actually superior is highly debated.

 

And calm down everyone, I'm actually on an iMac right now, I'm not against Apple products.

[ontheweb]

When posters on other boards (not limited to Celebrity) refer to Carnival as the Walmart of the Seas, that is snobbism.

 

We have been on 5 different cruise lines including Carnival (but not Celebrity), and every cruise has its good points and things that make it not perfect.

[hard_eight]

1 hour ago, StephPS79 said:

 

Pretty much exactly this.  I was going to say this isn't specific to cruising, but pretty much applies in general to everything lol.  This is just another way people keep status.  

 

Look at Apple.  It's "superior" because it costs more and people pay for it to keep that status.  In reality, if the product is actually superior is highly debated.

 

And calm down everyone, I'm actually on an iMac right now, I'm not against Apple products.

I hate apple, and now you.

 

🤣 I kid, I kid... 

 

I've seen it on the boards here, it's a real thing. Just go find the "Pride is crippled at sea" thread. 

[txcruiser1234]

People who define their identities through the products they buy will always disparage what they perceive to be lesser offerings. It's human nature.

[Indytraveler83]

Left on the Horizon out of Miami in 2021, and heard chants of "Walmart" coming from a Royal Caribbean ship we passed.  

 

My only thought was "glad I'm not onboard with those entitled jerks" 

[crzndeb]

1 hour ago, Indytraveler83 said:

Left on the Horizon out of Miami in 2021, and heard chants of "Walmart" coming from a Royal Caribbean ship we passed.  

 

My only thought was "glad I'm not onboard with those entitled jerks" 

And this can also work in reverse. Although I sail both Carnival and Royal, I have heard many on Carnival says they would never sail Royal, just because of a few jerks. Mob mentality takes over and a lot of people have never even sailed on the other cruise line they are putting down.

[hard_eight]

[sanger727]

I've been on a couple Celebrity cruises and can't say I've run into any more entitled people than you might find in any other location. There are always people who think they are better than others for whatever reason. 

 

There are alot of people on the celebrity forum that like to bash others for all kinds of reasons; but I don't think that translates to the environment on the ship. 

 

And for the record. Apple Iphones are better superior to other cell phone brands. Having tried both and prefering a better product doesn't make me elitist. 

[Indytraveler83]

11 minutes ago, crzndeb said:

And this can also work in reverse. Although I sail both Carnival and Royal, I have heard many on Carnival says they would never sail Royal, just because of a few jerks. Mob mentality takes over and a lot of people have never even sailed on the other cruise line they are putting down.

 

This is true.  I'm only specifically speaking about this certain sailing, not RCI in general.  

 

Personally I think that length of sailing, departure port and price has far more to do with the types of folks on a sailing much more than the cruise line.  

[hard_eight]

Just now, sanger727 said:

I've been on a couple Celebrity cruises and can't say I've run into any more entitled people than you might find in any other location. There are always people who think they are better than others for whatever reason. 

 

There are alot of people on the celebrity forum that like to bash others for all kinds of reasons; but I don't think that translates to the environment on the ship. 

 

And for the record. Apple Iphones are better superior to other cell phone brands. Having tried both and prefering a better product doesn't make me elitist. 

My Super-duper Samsung begs to differ.

[vacruisin]

As many people have pointed out, it's just the way some people are.  There are people who pay more for a product because to them paying more equals better quality.  Companies feast off of people's arrogance, ego, and ignorance; it is capitalism at its finest.  It is the American Way! lol  

 

Now, as a proud American I don't have a problem with it...just pointing it out.  I've seen people pay waaaay too much (IMO) for a certain champagne or pair of jeans just because it is expensive.  It inflates their egos that they can afford that product (even if they really CAN'T afford it).  People like that tend to have low self-esteem so if it makes them feel better, to each his/her own.

 

I've only been on 2 cruise lines...16 Carnival cruises and only 1 Royal Caribbean cruise.  There is a reason why I've only cruised Royal one time.  Compared to my Carnival cruises it was considerably more boring!  So, if people wanna pay more for that product, so be it.  I know what I prefer.  And no bragging here, but if I wanted to book Celebrity, Royal, MSC, Princess, Disney, Virgin, or any other cruise line I could afford to do it with no problem.  I just like what I like and that is Carnival.

 

Happy sailing all!!

 

Edited July 20, 2023 by vacruisin

[FastShip24]

6 hours ago, mz-s said:

Some people have a desire to feel superior. It's a character flaw of theirs that they shouldn't be proud of.

Like this comment 

[sparks1093]

16 minutes ago, hard_eight said:

Perfect case in point.