Tell me I won't be disappointed.....

[RAVI360]

Here is the problem, it seems that you are already looking for reasons to not enjoy yourself. Go on the cruise, have a good time and don't worry about the little things.

 

AMEN

[roddy good boy]

I must admit, I enjoyed RCL. The balcony was larger and it was quiet and pleasant for napping and reading (which are my favorate things to do on sea days). The promanade deck was nice. The two shows that I attended were pretty decent. Quite frankly, I thought that the room service breakfast was kind of sparse. They just gave you a tiny amount of food (although it did arrive quickly and was hot).

 

My husband and kids (ages 16 and 19) like Carnival better. My husband likes the entertainment in the evenings on Carnival, particularly the karioke. My daughter (the 16 year old) found it difficult to find kids to hang out with ( because coming out of Puerto Rico most of kids were spanish speaking and already with family and friends). Every one was nice. The ship was clean and the service was exceptional.

 

We went on the Carnival Conquest twice in the last few years. I thought the food was great. The service was great and the ship was clean and well maintained. My kids always had plenty to do. I switched to RCL because I wanted my kids to experience the rock climbing, rollerskating, etc... Guess what? Neither of them was interested in doing any of that. My son did hang out a bit on the b-ball court, but he did that on Carnival, as well. Who am I kidding, He is a college student on a free cruise, so in reality he liked both lines about the same. He had a blast on both!!!

 

One major difference between Carnival and RC... the food on RC was terrible. Carnival has it beat hands down. ( I have also sailed on Celebrity who beats both lines when it comes to food. On Celebrity it is a dining experience every night. You don't need speciality restarants because the regular dining room has similar food options).

 

***Final note...I liked both Carnival and RCL. I think that I prefer RCL because I am now in my late, late 40's. RCL was peaceful, pleasant and a little more upscale. However, I have really enjoyed Carnival in the past, which is a good thing because the rest of the family has informed me that it is Carnival all the way from now on!!! :p ;) :D

[CARIBBEANBLUESKY]

 

***Final note...I liked both Carnival and RCL. I think that I prefer RCL because I am now in my late, late 40's. RCL was peaceful, pleasant and a little more upscale. However, I have really enjoyed Carnival in the past, which is a good thing because the rest of the family has informed me that it is Carnival all the way from now on!!! :p ;) :D

 

 

It never ceases to amuse/amaze me when people describe Royal as "upscale." There is absolutely, positively nothing upscale about Royal Caribbean. Is Royal fabulous? For sure. Tons of fun? Absolutely. Upscale? Not by any stretch of the imagination. But I guess it comes down to what one is used to. I am not bashing Royal Caribbean. I LOVE Royal. But it is not upscale in any way, IMHO.

[roddy good boy]

It never ceases to amuse/amaze me when people describe Royal as "upscale." There is absolutely, positively nothing upscale about Royal Caribbean. Is Royal fabulous? For sure. Tons of fun? Absolutely. Upscale? Not by any stretch of the imagination. But I guess it comes down to what one is used to. I am not bashing Royal Caribbean. I LOVE Royal. But it is not upscale in any way, IMHO.

 

I said "a little more upscale than Carnival." It is in my opinion. The staff in windjammers waits on you on RCL, not so on Carnival. In my opinion the staff, in general, is more attentive. Check in and check out flows much smoother on RCL. We were on the ship in 10 minutes on RCL. If you read these boards you see that it often takes a hour or more on Carnival. On Carnival, we were inundated with photographers taking unsolicited and unwanted pictures at every meal and at every disembarkment. On RCL, the photographer would come by our table, every few days, and ask us whether we wanted our picture taken. I did not experience a hard sell from the photographers on RCL when we arrived at various ports. On Carnival, the photo hounds acted as if it where necessary to have your picture taken in order to leave the ship!!!

 

It is the little things that makes RCL a bit more upscale to me. And...at the risk of getting into some elitist argument/discussion with you, I am used to high end restaurants and hotels. I frequently travel to major metropolitan areas ( including NYC, DC, Chicago, Atlanta and major cities in Europe) on business and have stayed in the best. I just returned from the Ritz in Puerto Rico, prior to our RCL cruise. No, I have not sailed on Seaborn or some of the other smaller vessals but I have sailed on Celebrity a few times and have enjoyed the upscale cuisine on their ships!!!! I am not bashing Carnival. The small differences that I mentioned between the two lines are not enough to spoil or effect my vacation. I like Carnival and plan to sail on the fleet again soon.

[smrn]

If Carnival is your least favorite line, and the other lines are so...much better, why are you on the Carnival board?

:confused:

[Pegs222]

If Carnival is your least favorite line, and the other lines are so...much better, why are you on the Carnival board?

:confused:

 

Now I would say that is the best question of the day :)

[smrn]

Now I would say that is the best question of the day :)

 

 

Thanks Pegs! I gotta million of 'em. (learned 'em on Hee Haw!)

 

:rolleyes:

[cruisecavy]

As for ordering a hot breakfast from room service, is it so hard to go to the buffet and get it yourself? :confused: Every cruise line targets a certain customer, like it or not that's what they do. If you don't want to go on Carnival and are getting tired of RC, might I suggest Cunard.?I've never heard a single complaint from anyone who has ever cruised with them.

I wonder why....:rolleyes:

[tishie58]

Just returned from the Valor but it was our first cruise so I have nothing to compare it with but I will tell you we called friends and family to discuss with them our complaints and we were told unanimously the same problems do not exist on other lines....I loved the ship...did not like the demographics..Never experienced any of that on any land vacation. Will not do carnival next time. That being said...we had a good time....but we make the best of any situation.

[Sandi149]

Just returned from the Valor but it was our first cruise so I have nothing to compare it with but I will tell you we called friends and family to discuss with them our complaints and we were told unanimously the same problems do not exist on other lines....I loved the ship...did not like the demographics..Never experienced any of that on any land vacation. Will not do carnival next time. That being said...we had a good time....but we make the best of any situation.

 

What was wrong with the demographics? Sorry you had a bad cruise but things can happen on any line.

 

I sailed on Carnival twice and loved everything about it both times. :D

[Wennfred]

 

Please tell me that there things on this ship that will tell me I didn't make a mistake!!:(

 

Thanks!!!

 

Sounds already that you are set up to be disappointed, If you go onboard looking to compare cruiselines forget it. The Valor is an awesome ship, beautiful and with a great crew.

 

Cabin Safes and Blow Dryers: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=415027

Valor's Self Service Laundry: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=321777

Valor's Chocolate Buffet: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=321739

Valor's ShowGirls: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=335424

Valor's Fish & Chips: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=361778

Valor's Lobster Night: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=527026

Live from the Valor Thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=317552

Live from the Holiday Inn Miami: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=316151

Valor's Pizza and Burgers: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=342832

Valor's Webcam: http://www.mediacons.it/infoCarnival...alor&channel=1

Valor's Hair Salon: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=321974

Valor's Capers at a Glance: http://members.cox.net/wennfred4/Caper.html

 

Valor's Camp Carnival:

Ages 2-5 years http://members.cox.net/wennfred3/2-5.html

Ages 6-8 years http://members.cox.net/wennfred2/6-8.html

Ages 9-11 years http://members.cox.net/wennfred3/9-11.html

Ages 12-14 http://members.cox.net/wennfred4/12-14.html

Under 2 years old http://members.cox.net/wennfred2/Under2.html

 

Fred

[Wennfred]

I loved the ship...did not like the demographics..Never experienced any of that on any land vacation. .

 

I too would like to know what you mean about the demographics?

 

What was it? Age, Sex, Gender, Race, Ethnicity, Language?

 

 

 

Fred

[Wennfred]

It never ceases to amuse/amaze me when people describe Royal as "upscale." .

 

Its called Brain Wash :D Most people listen to their friends whom never cruised on Carnival.

 

Sail RCCL because they have smaller cabins and you will pay more so it has to be better then Carnival LOL. :rolleyes:

 

 

 

 

 

Fred

[smrn]

WennFred,

Where do you get all the great ship info? Where can I find it for the Inspiration?

Thanks!

[Wennfred]

WennFred,

Where do you get all the great ship info? Where can I find it for the Inspiration?

Thanks!

 

Hi, most of all of that Valor Info I got from being on the ship, but if you mean other info? there are websites that have more info from dining times to Handicap friendly cabins etc.

 

 

We are not allowed to post the names of websites on here.

 

 

Fred

[Yellow_Jacket]

Always remember, Carnival is the FUN SHIP. If you can't have fun on a Carnival cruise, you aren't breathing.

[BlueJacketsFan1]

The best advance is you should simply cancel your cruise if you are that worried about it. Why did you book with Carnival if you are so happy with RCCL and the way they do things. Is it the same old story. I got such a good deal I couldn't say no.

[farler05]

I must admit, I enjoyed RCL. The balcony was larger and it was quiet and pleasant for napping and reading (which are my favorate things to do on sea days). The promanade deck was nice. The two shows that I attended were pretty decent. Quite frankly, I thought that the room service breakfast was kind of sparse. They just gave you a tiny amount of food (although it did arrive quickly and was hot).

 

My husband and kids (ages 16 and 19) like Carnival better. My husband likes the entertainment in the evenings on Carnival, particularly the karioke. My daughter (the 16 year old) found it difficult to find kids to hang out with ( because coming out of Puerto Rico most of kids were spanish speaking and already with family and friends). Every one was nice. The ship was clean and the service was exceptional.

 

We went on the Carnival Conquest twice in the last few years. I thought the food was great. The service was great and the ship was clean and well maintained. My kids always had plenty to do. I switched to RCL because I wanted my kids to experience the rock climbing, rollerskating, etc... Guess what? Neither of them was interested in doing any of that. My son did hang out a bit on the b-ball court, but he did that on Carnival, as well. Who am I kidding, He is a college student on a free cruise, so in reality he liked both lines about the same. He had a blast on both!!!

 

One major difference between Carnival and RC... the food on RC was terrible. Carnival has it beat hands down. ( I have also sailed on Celebrity who beats both lines when it comes to food. On Celebrity it is a dining experience every night. You don't need speciality restarants because the regular dining room has similar food options).

 

***Final note...I liked both Carnival and RCL. I think that I prefer RCL because I am now in my late, late 40's. RCL was peaceful, pleasant and a little more upscale. However, I have really enjoyed Carnival in the past, which is a good thing because the rest of the family has informed me that it is Carnival all the way from now on!!! :p ;) :D

This member just gave a very honest, well-thought out comparison. It amazes me that so many people jump down their throat because it wasn't a 100% positive review of Carnival. Get real folks! There can be issues!! Rather than recognizing the positives, you get your panties in a bunch over their criticism. Grow up.

[VIPBY40]

I liked Princess.....I liked NCL....I loved and prefer Carnival.....its pretty much to each his own....BUT there are bad days and good days on every line no matter how you try to decipher which way to go....especially on your first!!!!!! My first was Princess....met alot of people who proclaimed money and those who did in a not so a convincing way.....the ones who werent convincing......:eek:.....I had the most fun with and lemme tell ya.....net worth is neither here nor there....some try to flaunt it when they dont got it and some got it and simply want to have fun.....I like fun....Carnival! The BIGGEST LOUDEST COMPLAINERS....on ANY ship are those that dont got it...and want it for free.....and well yes those are the ones that get coupons for their next cruise....

 

In an arguments sake it really doesnt matter how much you pay...its all about your own self....if you are "richie rich" why are you bothering on a "budget cruise".....if you are accostomed to a wait staff of 3 to one....not any one I mentioned above will be able to do it for you, and want all the ammendities in the world because "you paid for it" your not going to get it on any of these lines.....Celebrity Ive heard is very accomodating...as well as Crystal....Hal...well (bash) older people tend to go with the flow....with all that being said....you really do get what you pay for......I would so not get my monies worth on Crystal....simply because well I am simple.....Princess....too many people wanting too much bang for their buck....(entitlement)....NCL.....I got what I paid for.....Carnival...a mix of all the best....great and bad in between....but after all is said and done....a great holiday! Cant wait for the next one.....Im planning....Costa Rica really threw me for a loop this year! Im missing a cruise in 2007 darn it.....

[Sandi149]

This member just gave a very honest, well-thought out comparison. It amazes me that so many people jump down their throat because it wasn't a 100% positive review of Carnival. Get real folks! There can be issues!! Rather than recognizing the positives, you get your panties in a bunch over their criticism. Grow up.

 

Go on any of the cruiseline's boards on this site and you will see the same exact thing when someone gives a negative review. It's not just on the Carnival board.