Negative things I've heard about Carnival

[allergic]

:o I am sorry to upset anyone who might be a loyal Carnival fan. I have been told by some people I know to avoid Carnival for "something better," like RC. I have been looking at cruises and have basically avoided looking at anything Carnival, and I am now rethinking my choice after reading through the boards. Seems like many of you LOVE Carnival. They are very reasonable, that's for sure- and I just wanted to ask your opinions.

 

My aunts said avoid Carnival because of the (and I cringe even mentioning this) food bourne illness issues from the past. I've heard that the food is horrible compared to the other lines, and here I read it is wonderful. I've heard that the ships are "cheap" and "garrish" and there is a reason why they cost less- you get what you pay for...?

 

This will be like a honeymoon for me and my wonderful husband, and I want him to have a blast (so he will want to cruise over and over again!!!) LOL- no, also just because I want us to have a grand time together. We are in our early 30s, no kids yet.

 

Inform me please!

 

I will answer you but not online - would you consider writing me?

*****

[OceanMist]

This guy repeated his post TWICE last night on the RCI threads about how he does not want to sail on Carnival because they continually make public announcements to remind folks to tip :(

 

I hate when Carnival is blamed for stuff far in their past.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=590304

Hi Firefly, someone mentioned in that thread that the loudspeaker tipping reminders are not done anymore -- I take it you'd agree.

 

Therefore, since I almost always believe what people say on forums like these (CC) when it sounds like they are speaking from experience, I've started reading this forum, and started comparing the Voyager vs Conquest. (my 2 options from Galveston for 7-night)

 

Is the Conquest a big enough ship so that there won't be a lot of people throwing up at any one time on the deck if the ocean isn't smooth? My only cruise was a short (3 night?) Carnival from Port Canaveral, and there were literally 10-12 people throwing up on the deck at one point.

[DJ LAROSE]

Carnival is the "shirt" without the r. I've DJed twice on a Carnival cruise and both times, nothing but a blast with beautiful people. I'm DJing an 80's party this September and I know for a fact that this is going to be a blast just like the other parties. Your dollar goes further on a Carnival cruise. Carnival is #1 for a reason. 5 stars for Carnival. That's the way I see it. Happy Cruising!!!!!

[crystalblue0610]

Is the Conquest a big enough ship so that there won't be a lot of people throwing up at any one time on the deck if the ocean isn't smooth? My only cruise was a short (3 night?) Carnival from Port Canaveral, and there were literally 10-12 people throwing up on the deck at one point.

 

You won't find anyone sick on deck. I didn't....I saw so many people with those patches on, I had no clue what they were...I thought they were bigger.

 

Anyway I think most people who do get sick get sick at night because that's when the ship is moving into high gear and still no one sick on board:)

[pjtulsa]

Whoo hoooo ... sweet upgrade!!!

 

My other negative is that I get to being embarrassed even here on CC to admit to going on Ecstasy. I get folks saying to me real life, "well I would not bother with less than 7 days" and "well you know its a older ship" and I start off with feeling like its shamefull almost to admit to having cruises also booked on Ecstasy. Iv started to refer to it as my "stupid Ecstasy" booking that the prices keep going up up up. 4 increases so far. Those cruises must be getting a lot more popular out of Galveston with so fewer ships now. Its about a 5 hour drive each way, so its fine to me to just go for 5 days. Iv only been on Ecstasy once before and that was before my CC days and I missed a lot of things so wanted to go again.

 

Does anyone else get that impression folks act like you are a low life for doing the cheaper older ships cruises?

 

The TA I used for RCI booking asked me to use a PVP for my Carnival cruises finally, she started off by telling me how much she disliked Carnival. Said the walls are too thin and how she thinks RCI is so much better. When I wanted to move the Conquest date, she cancelled it altogether and asked me to use a PVP for Carnvial, she didnt want those bookings. She REALLY dislikes Carnival a lot.

 

 

I have not been on RCL but have sailed NCL 2x and just got off a Disney 10 Med cruise in June. The food, dinning room service and room steward were very dissapointing. The only good thing about the Disney cruise was the ports and the folks I meet on a thread.

 

I always felt that Canival was the lesser of the cruise lines but I now look forward to them!!! The food is good, the service is always excellent and the best part is I dont break the bank and can cruise a few times a year.

Maybe someday if RCL prices come down I will get to see what all the hype is about.....

 

Good Luck to all on your future cruises, my next one is Oct. 13 Mex. Riveria on the Spirit.....

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Whoo hoooo ... sweet upgrade!!!

 

My other negative is that I get to being embarrassed even here on CC to admit to going on Ecstasy. I get folks saying to me real life, "well I would not bother with less than 7 days" and "well you know its a older ship" and I start off with feeling like its shamefull almost to admit to having cruises also booked on Ecstasy. Iv started to refer to it as my "stupid Ecstasy" booking that the prices keep going up up up. 4 increases so far. Those cruises must be getting a lot more popular out of Galveston with so fewer ships now. Its about a 5 hour drive each way, so its fine to me to just go for 5 days. Iv only been on Ecstasy once before and that was before my CC days and I missed a lot of things so wanted to go again.

 

Does anyone else get that impression folks act like you are a low life for doing the cheaper older ships cruises?

 

The TA I used for RCI booking asked me to use a PVP for my Carnival cruises finally, she started off by telling me how much she disliked Carnival. Said the walls are too thin and how she thinks RCI is so much better. When I wanted to move the Conquest date, she cancelled it altogether and asked me to use a PVP for Carnvial, she didnt want those bookings. She REALLY dislikes Carnival a lot.

 

It's your time and money. Do with it what you want. I do shorter cruises sometimes. I just combine them with a few days in the port city.

 

As for your travel agent, you should take all your bookings somewhere else. I thought they were in business to service the client?

 

Bill

[CruisinChaos]

My last two cruises have been with Carnival on the Conquest and Valor.

I have no problems with either the service or activities with Carnival and would cruise with them again on a Spirt class ship, but I will never cruise

a Conquest class ship again. I just do not like the design of the ship (personal preference).

I really enjoy having a drink in a lounge/bar on the top of the ship at night and the Conquest/Valor were the first ships I had been on (or looked at) that did not have this option, all the bars/lounges are buried in the middle levels of the ship.

The Valor also seemed very smokey (I am a non-smoker) in all areas. It is

not the smokers fault, the design of the ship funnels all people through smoking areas. The main promenade goes right by the casino (smoking), to get to the internet cafe, you have to go through the cigar bar, all the lounges are in the same area of the ship. For some reason the Conquest

didn't seem as bad - it may have had less people on board.

Another irritant was that there were kids running around uncontrolled everywhere, including the adult only whirlpools at the back.

I understand that this is not the fault of Carnival, but of the parents, but

it would be nice if they monitored the adult whirlpools at the back more closely.

The food was fine. Carnival Shore excursions were great and the staff was freindly. Of the two ships, the Conquest was superior. The Valor was not quite as clean as the Conquest and I either got food poision or noro-virus on it. The Valor infirmary was well run, and they do bump passengers ahead of sick crewmembers, but I hope I never have to use one again:o (there was no charge).

I am looking forward to trying Royal Caribbean and comparing them to Carnival, Princess and NCL.

[flc]

This year when school was out I saild on the Rhapsody of the Seas with my Kids. 2 College age & two teens. RCI is very nice,,,,, BUT,,,,,, I too had a BLAST on the two Carnival cruises. As what has been said..... A Cruise is what "YOU" personally make of it. How ever I had a conversation while on the Rhapsody that I just could not understand. I talked with a passenger that was a TA and she was going out of her way to BAD MOUTH Carnival. I couldn't keep my mouth shut had had to speak up. I asked her how many Carnival ships she had been on & she said she had not sailed on "ANY" Carnival ships. I then asked her how she..... as a Travel Agent" being in the Travel industry... can Bad Mouth a product she has no experience with. She said this is what she has been told..... Carnival is just a Bad Cruise Line. I asked her "WHO" was telling her that. She would NOT say. She was pushing RCI very strongly. I told her that maybe she should think outside of the BOX and give Carnival a try. Because it is simply just UN-fair to bad mouth a Product she has absoultly no experience with. I said this all in front of the passengers on the Rhapsody. I kinda felt like a Rabbit in a Wolf's den. But I couldn't take the Bashing this TA was giving Carnival.

 

Truth is....... Carnival has things RCI does not have. And RCI has things that Carnival does not have. Carnival is by in large much cheaper than RCI. On carnival you can almost get a Balcony cabin at a RCI Interior cabin price. Cabins on RCI are smaller than whats on Carnival.

 

There is nothing wrong with a Carnival Cruise..... & there is nothing wrong with a RCI cruise. I would choose my vacation based on where I wanted to go & Price.

 

Happy sailing :)

[fllady61]

:o I am sorry to upset anyone who might be a loyal Carnival fan. I have been told by some people I know to avoid Carnival for "something better," like RC. I have been looking at cruises and have basically avoided looking at anything Carnival, and I am now rethinking my choice after reading through the boards. Seems like many of you LOVE Carnival. They are very reasonable, that's for sure- and I just wanted to ask your opinions.

 

My aunts said avoid Carnival because of the (and I cringe even mentioning this) food bourne illness issues from the past. I've heard that the food is horrible compared to the other lines, and here I read it is wonderful. I've heard that the ships are "cheap" and "garrish" and there is a reason why they cost less- you get what you pay for...?

 

This will be like a honeymoon for me and my wonderful husband, and I want him to have a blast (so he will want to cruise over and over again!!!) LOL- no, also just because I want us to have a grand time together. We are in our early 30s, no kids yet.

 

Inform me please!

 

 

Before choosing a cruise line, look at your local news. How many times is the NOROVIRUS reported on RCCL???? almost everyother month. How many times on Carnival? maybe twice since we have been cruising.

 

As for food bourne illness, never seen or heard it on any of my cruises with Carnival.

 

Also consider the price. In most cases, I have researched ALL cruise lines for the same week.

 

Carnival tended to be between 150 - 500$ cheaper than most lines. Of course as they say you get what you pay for, and on other lines, you are paying for a Rock Wall, a golf course, basket ball, a waiter kissing your butt and following you around. I am on vacation. I don't do rock walls, scared of heights, don't do golf, and don't do basket ball. I sure don't want a waiter kissing up to me and following my every move. If I want to have a quite lunch, I don't want a waiter standing over me.

 

I get personalized service on Carnival. I get called by name in a place I frequent.

 

Carnival has always been nice to us. We had some problems with the room, they were corrected within a matter of about 2 hours. It was in the shower. The head would not stay put.

 

The food is great, the staff is great, the ships are wonderful. But that is IMHO. But you do what you feel is best.

[fllady61]

If Carnival is so bad, then how come they have MORE SHIPS, and own 80% of all cruise lines???? Including HA, Princess, Windjammer, and a few others? I only get emails from Carnival affiliated cruises, and these are some I get them from. There are others, but I can not remember them.

 

Next time someone bad mouths Carnival in general, ask them about the other CARNIVAL owned lines.

 

Some people say Princess is a wonderful cruise line, they also say that about HA. But bad mouth Carnival. They are one in the same. Just a different name.

[WinnipegCruiser]

Your aunts are snobs. Some people wont shop at Walmart either.

 

I laugh out loud, and in the faces of people who try and explain to me that a company can become super succesful providing a terrible service. That somehow, year after year, a company can grow at an incredible rate providing a crappy product and almost poisoning thier customers.

 

Think about that for just a bit.

[farler05]

I have cruised on the Imagination & Fantasy & loved every minute of both cruises! We're cruising again on the Triumph in September.

 

I've heard many complaints about the food & I honestly don't get it. The dining room has great food & we ate ever dinner there. Is your meal as good as a 5 star restaurant where your meal is being prepared just for you? Well no, but who would be so unrealistic to expect that? The food is certainly better than most restaurants you'll dine in on a regular basis. The buffet food is buffet food. It's very good, but mass produced. I also want to add that I am a VERY VERY picky eater. I believe people work really hard to mess up perfectly good food. I was extremly happy with the food on my cruises, especially the dinners in the dining room.

 

As for the decor, it's honestly exactly what I expected. It's bright & shiny. Sure it's Las Vegasy. But honestly, do you expect a cruise ship to look like your living room?? Overall I thought the ships were spectacular.

 

Lets see, what else, just a party boat reputation...that is so laughable to me. I think Carnival has something for everyone. I never felt it was geared towards one audience - the party crowd or the family crowd or the married folks, etc. I felt like there was something for everyone & you have the option of taking part in what you enjoy & ignoring the rest.

 

I highly recommend Carnival. I think it's a great cruise line & great value. And to pass along a friend from a review...she is going on a girl's trip in January on RCL & is completely bummed about going on RCL. She's been on both lines. She said the food is much better on Carnival & she just enjoys the entire trip more.

 

Don't be afraid to book on Carnival, it is a great cruise line.

[Drew's Wife]

I don't think you will be dissapointed with Carnival. You really can't beat the price or the service. Of course most people on this board are a little biased :) ..we have honestly never had a bad cruise with Carnival yet. As far as most of the things that are discussed, chair hogs, drunks, etcs, I personally have never witnessed this on any of our cruises. Not sure if we have just been very fortunate or what, but that is the truth. The food has always been good, of course there are some things that I will not even try, such as Lobster...:eek: can't stand to look at the things...but most everything that I have ever ordered has been just fine. You might take a 3 or 4 day to see how you like Carnival. I know some people say these are just "Party" cruises, but this is all that we ever take, because DH can never get much time away from his music, so these are perfect short getaways for us. Have never seen anything that would be considered really bad behavior. Of course I can't tell you much about the nightlife on any of the ships as we have never been to any of the shows or do not participate in any activities. We like the older smaller ships, because they are not as crowded and are more intimate it seems. We always book a balcony suite and find that it is just like a little "honeymoon" all over again. Time to spend out on the balcony, room service. I don't think you can go wrong. Let us know what you decide. Hope it all works out and that you have a wonderful time.

[MomofBoyz]

I've done both RCCL and Carnival. There is just a different feel between the two. I enjoyed both. That being said, I'll say that carnival offers more of a party atmosphere and RCCL tries a little harder to be upscale. SOOOO much depends on the boat you chose, on either line.

 

I've sailed the longer cruises with Carnival and the cheapest, shortest ones, too. There is a marked difference in the clientel and decor, in my opinion, but I knew that. Short weekend trips during hurricane season will draw a different crowd than the week long, more luxury liners. Frankly, I knew that going in and had a great time going to the hairy chest contests on the cheapies and to the strings concert on the nicer ones.

 

As for cleanliness and all that, please. Both lines are fine. Food germs, bugs, etc....that is the same across all of them. Don't obsess and certainly don't think Carnival is nastier than the others.

 

So, not really helping probably, decide what you're looking for and then choose the line to match the personality of your trip.

 

Mom

[wizard-of-roz]

When I think of Carnival, I think of lights/decor/sounds/friendliness!

I wasn't crazy about our last cruise on the Elation.....that said; I loved the lighting/decor/the sounds of people having fun and most of all the friendliness of the crew. This was a smaller ship and older.....I'm picky about my food and cleanliness; Carnival's food was good and the ship was very clean (except for some issues, which were really related to the ships age!)

We're going on the Pride, in January and I'm truly looking forward to it!

We'll be doing two Princess cruises in between...so, without comparing....we'll enjoy what each one has to offer. Because, even though people say it's all the same line.....guess what....they are remarably different in every way!!!!!

Just like HAL is different than Princess and Carnival. They each offer a different kind of cruise experience and if you have the chance.....try them all........it's fun to taste the variety!!!!!!;)

[hubofhockey]

Your aunts are snobs. Some people wont shop at Walmart either.

 

I laugh out loud, and in the faces of people who try and explain to me that a company can become super succesful providing a terrible service. That somehow, year after year, a company can grow at an incredible rate providing a crappy product and almost poisoning thier customers.

 

Think about that for just a bit.

 

Many people avoid Wal-Mart for some very good reasons (how they treat their employees, etc). The main reason people shop there is to save a couple bucks and not quality. That's why I don't like the Carnival comparison. I think Carnival competes on quality and price. In that respect, it's more like Target than Wal-Mart.

[WinnipegCruiser]

IMO the whole Walmart treats employees bad is nothing more than Union sour grapes.

It is my experience that Walmart treats employees just as good or bad as every other huge corporation. Certainly there are examples of Bad apples, but everytime they open a store, the lines of people hoping to work there is longer and longer. As the countries unemployment rolls are the lowest in decades, many of those people must already have jobs, and are looking for better jobs.

However I guess that is off topic, except for the example you provide a great example of someone badmouthing a company much in the way this persons aunts were badmouthing Carnival.

 

"food bourne illness issues" = "very good reasons (how they treat their employees, etc)", at least in my opinion. Same with the "Quality" crack.

 

You certainly are entitled to not shop at Walmart, just as this woman's aunts seem to avoid Carnival. And I am free to think that you both are being mislead. There is no possible way that Walmart could become the giant multi- billion dollar Corporation, with employees in almost every country in the world, and be that abusive to that many people. Freedom works that way. Walmart is not some dollar store selling billions of dollars of low quality goods.

[MrPete]

 

Truth is....... Carnival has things RCI does not have. And RCI has things that Carnival does not have. Carnival is by in large much cheaper than RCI. On carnival you can almost get a Balcony cabin at a RCI Interior cabin price. Cabins on RCI are smaller than whats on Carnival.

 

There is nothing wrong with a Carnival Cruise..... & there is nothing wrong with a RCI cruise. I would choose my vacation based on where I wanted to go & Price.

 

 

SPOT ON!!!!!

[Indy500Cruiser]

I have yet to find a cruise I didn't like. We've sailed Carnival a few times and (especially in recent years) the food and service has been very good. I would say that anyone who describes the food as "bad" is exaggerating or has much higher standards than mine. We've also cruised other lines and it really depends on what you are looking for. We've found that Carnival is great fun if you are traveling with kids or if you have a wide range of ages that you are trying to entertain. In my experience, a cruise is what you make of it and every line and ship has its strong points. You can't argue with the value you will realize with Carnival (assuming you can resist the drinks, casino and photo gallery).

[Pegs222]

This is not a bash, but why would you come to a Carnival board and talk about all the bad things you have "heard", when you can read the board here posted by hundreds if not thousands of happy cruisers? You are not going to be getting many complaints from this bunch of posters. 99.9% of us all love Carnival and that is why we sail it. I would never even consider sailing with another line, but that is just me.

 

And FYI, all lines have problems, nothing is perfect.

[ooulio]

I think everyone has their own opinions. We tried Royal Carribbean once and didn't like it at all. Food was bland and not so warm. Drunks were walking up and down the corridors. It was what everyone was telling me about Carnival was like. We did Disney . Had a huge room. I found it boring. It seemed like it was bedtime at 10pm. No casino. I did like the bath and a half. The ship was beautiful . Food was great. I have done the smaller ones on Carnival. It was one of the first ones we did on Carnival. We now do the newer ones only. I like the refrigerator. Ships are not gaudy on the newer ones. Liberty was very pretty. Food was great. Did the Glory twice. We did it the year it launched and following year again. Tried the Legend too. We now have the Freedom booked for next February. We love the supper clubs too. I would do one of the newer ones for Carnival and do the supper club too. The other ships on Carnival were smaller. They were ok. I just prefer the newer and bigger ones. Last year we did Legend and Elation. Elation was okay . We only picked it because we only had a few days for Thanksgivng Week. I missed the refrigerator though. I hear the Miracle is nice but still haven't got to try it . Freedom has great reviews too. Good Luck with whatever you do. I enjoy Carnival.

[krystalkruzer]

A lot of it comes from Carnival's old reputation as a floating "frat house".Long before today they have changed and shed the reputation even though some people do not realize it.They are usually the ones who have not been on Carnival since.

[Sailfish]

I can totally relate to the OP as I too avoided Carnival for many, many years, after having cruised their older ships.

 

I have found that while other cruise lines have cut back on many things like food quality, Carnival has been busy improving theirs. Carnival still attracts a lot of families with kids with a good cross section of society, so you see and get a little of everything - the good and the bad.

 

I find the decor to be a little out there, but I don't cruise for the decor. Important things for me are the ports of call and ship amenities. The newer ships have the most to offer. I personally like Royal Caribbean, but I find the itineraries Carnival offers more suited to what we like to do, so we often find ourselves on Carnival.

 

Royal Caribbean's newest ships have a lot to offer active passengers - that's one reason we cruise more with Royal Caribbean than Carnival, especially on less port intensive itineraries. But Carnival's food, in my opinion is slightly better. Like I said, I wouldn't hesitate to cruise with Carnival, but when we do so, it isn't around school holidays.

 

Suzi

[CARIBBEAN01]

WE just sailed on the Freedom after many Royal Caribbean cruises and we had a great time. I do think the Voyageur Class ships of RCCL beat Carnival visually I did find some of the colours a bit odd but it did not take away from the cruise at all. The casual dining was much better on this cruise way more choices and you could always find a place to sit. Dinner was the same they had more alternate choices then RCCL. We would sail either line again no problem...

[hubofhockey]

IMO the whole Walmart treats employees bad is nothing more than Union sour grapes.

It is my experience that Walmart treats employees just as good or bad as every other huge corporation.

 

Wal-Mart is sued more and loses more employee based suits than any other retailer on a per store basis and it's more than unions. It's sexual discrimination, non-payment of overtime, and other wonderful violations. Don't compare them to Carnival. Wal-Mart and its lawyers favorite pasttime is trying not to get classes certified for class action suits. They lose most of them. Forcing employees to work "off the clock" is pretty bad and I hope they get killed on that one.

 

I'll shop at Target, thank you. Carnival charges lower prices than the competition. It has nothing to do with taking advantage of its employees.