Excel Class Only?

[CM Cruise]

I have been on Mardi Gras 4 times and Celebration once. I’m curious if anyone else considers these as the only ships to sail on.  I absolutely love them, never eat in the MDR.  My pattern is something like Steakhouse, Rudi’s, Cucina, Chibang, Guy’s P&A, Bonsai. My kids are equally as happy with the water park and Bolt, shows ect.  Bottom line we are chill with the crowds and have a great time.

 

Question - For the east coast US what is the next best ship we would also enjoy?  The ports are getting repetitive.  
 

[ProgRockCruiser]

Well, you can get most of the restaurants, or variations of the theme, on (all?) Dream and Vista class ships - Rudi's is the one you won't find.  (I think the Dream class ships don't always have a consistent Bonsai Sushi/Teppan place, IIRC, but you can get sushi at times.)

 

You won't find Bolt on any other ships, but there is the SkyRide on the Vista class.

[Drazil65]

We love the excel class after sailing on MG, we are leaving in less than 4 weeks for another sailing on her.  We have always appreciated and tend to gravitate towards the larger and newer ships but have pretty much sailed all the classes for CCL over the last 20 yrs.  We do still cruise in some of the other classes (we were on Sunshine in August and she is a fav of ours as well).  We have stopped cruising out of Jax because all they were running is the fantasy class and we are not interested in that class of ship as a choice for us.  

 

That being said, when it comes down to it, it is easy for us to cruise living on the east coast (easy drive to many ports) so we have choices, but we do tend to always look at the excel and vista class first in most cases when choosing a new cruise.  

[MamatoJack]

We are going on Mardi Gras in 4-ish weeks for the first time and can't wait! We have gone on Liberty which was what got us hooked, and Magic, which we really enjoyed. I don't think you'd enjoy anything smaller than Dream class, you may want to try that or Vista class since they do have some more interesting itineraries for you. No Bolt but they do have ropes courses and Vista class has Sky Ride. We enjoy the MDR, I don't pay extra for meals, but am looking forward to trying the included options on MG. My son liked the waterslides on Magic, and the outdoor sports area with mini-golf and foosball tables and things like that. 

[five.]

Different strokes for different folks. I have no desire to even try the Excel class ships. Thalassotherapy pool and deck 5 with the hot tubs on dream class is my favorite ship and Vista class havana is doable. But the lack of the thalassotherapy pool and havana means we'll probably never try Excel unless there is some wedding or other thing that draws us to one.

 

I do occasionally price out the Excel Corner Aft Suite with Private Hot Tub or Loft 19 access, but it's as much as NCL Haven most of the times I've checked. Maybe one day we'll give it a shot, but now we don't have much desire to spend that much money when we can find peace and tranquility we seek elsewhere.

[jsglow]

I'm going to suggest you give either Vista or Horizon a try. They are in Carnival's 2nd newest ship class with a ton of features and do some highly interesting 6 and especially 8 night itineraries. They fill a slightly different role for the company compared to the Excels which are purposefully intended and designed to compete in that '7 night vacation' role for the occasional cruiser. It's precisely for that reason that the port offerings for those ships are 'limited'. No one should expect that to change very for many years with the occasional 6/8 tossed in.

Edited November 17, 2023 by jsglow

[hard_eight]

The problem is they all still go to the same ports. Think we're going to try Horizon next and do the south route. Real tired of the western Caribbean

 

2 hours ago, Drazil65 said:

 We have stopped cruising out of Jax because all they were running is the fantasy class and we are not interested in that class of ship as a choice for us.  

 Our stupid city won't make a crappy fishing village move so we can have a port on the other side of the bridge. 

[jsglow]

9 minutes ago, hard_eight said:

The problem is they all still go to the same ports. Think we're going to try Horizon next and do the south route. Real tired of the western Caribbean

 

The nice thing is that Carnival has different ships for different purposes. We're more 'world traveler/exotic port' people and have spent more time on Pride than any other ship with destinations ranging from the Panama Canal to Iceland to Greece and Turkey. And beyond Carnival, CCL has other lines that even expand on that, perhaps most notably HAL and Princess.

Edited November 17, 2023 by jsglow

[pirate4me2]

I like the variety that the Excel class ships offer, but my favorite ships to sail are still Vista class in the Havana area. Sooooo relaxing!

[BTromboneFrack]

They are certainly great ships.  We've been on the Celebration for two cruises and the Mardi Gras for four.  I think the entertainment is the best Carnival has to offer.  However, I really enjoy the other ships too.  I guess, for me, it's more about being on the ocean than anything else.  

[Knights on the Beach]

We love Mardi Gras - we've been on it 4 times and will be on Celebration for the first time in a couple weeks. But we had a great cruise on Freedom last year with our kids and grandkids and really enjoyed that one too. I think it may have been because it reminded us of all the ships we'd been on years ago when our sons were younger and we cruised with big family groups. We have a B2B booked on Vista in April and we're looking forward to trying out that class ship as well.

[Drazil65]

Love MG, going on again in 3 weeks, looking to book Celebration soon as well.  Love the bigger, newer ships and all they have to offer.  

[stobe1]

We are more of a Conquest and Dream class fans. They tend to be just the right size for us.

 

Been on Mardi Gras and Celebration. They are too much for our liking. Admittedly, we will give Jubilee a try this coming spring break. But we prefer Conquest and Dream class with our favorite of each being Valor (love all the patriotic theme and busts of Presidents everywhere) and Magic. We kind of wish they would let Valor "stretch her legs" a bit and do a few longer itineraries out of New Orleans from time to time.

Edited November 24, 2023 by stobe1

[jsglow]

33 minutes ago, stobe1 said:

We are more of a Conquest and Dream class fans. They tend to be just the right size for us.

 

Been on Mardi Gras and Celebration. They are too much for our liking. Admittedly, we will give Jubilee a try this coming spring break. But we prefer Conquest and Dream class with our favorite of each being Valor (love all the patriotic theme and busts of Presidents everywhere) and Magic. We kind of wish they would let Valor "stretch her legs" a bit and do a few longer itineraries out of New Orleans from time to time.

I like Valor a great deal. What I would like to see is her used for are some Caribbean Journeys cruises.

[soremekun]

When I sail Carnival, the Excel class is the only class I'll book.

[TravelBluebird]

I love the Mardi Gras (2x), boarding Celebration Sunday, and booked Jubilee in March! So I obviously LOVE Excel class!

I also love Venezia, and Vista class too, plus smaller ships like Spirit. Just depends what the price/itinerary/aim of my trip is.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

It's tough to beat the non-smoking casino, and Rudi's, and Emeril's, and Big Chicken, and Loft 19, and..and...

 

We pretty much go back/forth between the Steakhouse and Rudi's each evening.

 

I do wish that the Alchemy bar was not in a narrow thoroughfare. 

 

Back on the Liberty next, and we'll miss all of the above - save the Steakhouse. That said, I do miss the variety of chef's compliments each evening - even though I do enjoy the little burger (and the one Cheryl gives me too) 😁

 

Tom

[Joebucks]

After so many years of Carnival, I'd have to admit that the experience wasn't as fresh as it was in the beginning. When I sailed the Celebration, it felt like Carnival was given new life. It exceeded my expectation. It contained the classic pieces I've enjoyed in the past, but more, as to add some fresh experiences.

 

I love the central station (even for its capacity faults) and its additional entertainment options. New food venues are great (Shaq's and Street Eats are some favorites!) The Serenity is big and beautiful. That is where I spend most of time in Sea Days. It's not all perfect, but if all other variables are constant, I'd have to pick Excel class. 

[vwrestler171]

The XL class is the class that I prefer NOT to sail on again.  I just was not a fan and prefer the Vista class.

[FLcruzer123]

Not a fan of Excel class, too big.  We like Vista and Conquest size.

Edited December 2, 2023 by FLcruzer123

[notscb]

We really enjoyed the Dream and would do any of her sister ships. If you're looking for similarly sized ships to the Mardi Gras and Celebration, you might want to look at other lines offering larger ships (i.e. Royal's Freedom class).