Carnival or Celebrity?

[Morris4me]

I currently have a deposit on the Carnival Miracle which cruises to Southern Carribbean (St. Maarten, St. Kitts & St. Lucia) with 4 days at sea. Celebrity offers a similar itinerary on their new "Equinox" Soltice-class ship which emerges in late 2009 which we are interested in as well.

 

We are in our late 40's and will be celebrating our 25th anniversary on the cruise. We like to have a fun time, enjoy meeting new people and listening to good rock n roll music, watching a good comedian. We love a challenging game of cards or mini golf (as long as I win!) and have a love of nature. BUT, we also enjoy great food, a good bottle of wine (mostly me) and like to listen to some jazz music while relaxing. I would say we're well-rounded.

 

The itinerary on the Celebrity cruise sound so enticing, though (and 10 days vs 8 would be heaven!) and includes the same ports as Miracle but also adds Barbados & St. Thomas. I've done a little research and I'm concerned that the Celebrity line may be a little stuffy and formal for us. My husband is also a picky eater (meat, seafood & potatoes kind of guy) and I'm wondering how he will like the food.

 

I just wonder if Celebrity is right for us. We have cruised Carnival, Royal Carribbean & Holland America (Alaska) before and had a great time, although the Alaska cruise was a little on the quiet side for us - there was no one in the bars at night! Which cruise should we choose? Do you think we would enjoy Celebrity?

[bakechef]

I am probably of no help here, but here it goes. The miracle has many fans, a favorite among Carnival cruisers.

 

Going with Celebrity will put you on a new ship and give you more days. I believe from reading that Celebrity will adhere to the formal dress codes more than Carnival, so you would be well advised to bring along the formal wear for formal evenings, or choose a casual venue for the night. The added ports are good ones as well.

 

tough decision, good luck

 

MAC

[Jenbo57]

Thank goodness you didn't post this over on the Celebrity boards...boy, would you hear a thing or two about how horrible Carnival is! ;) (And lots of negative, stereotypical comments about the folks who cruise Carnival.)

 

My husband and I cruised for the first time in 2006, on Celebrity. I chose them basically because I wanted to sail on a Friday, and their itinerary worked for us! We had a great time -- the service was excellent and the food was good, but it was the itinerary itself (Alaska) that had the real "wow" factor for us! Truthfully, I'd have to go back through my pictures to be able to remember much about the ship itself. In terms of the general atmosphere, I've heard it's pretty similar to HAL (at least that's what family members who've sailed both have told me).

 

Last year we sailed with Carnival for the first time, and the minute we boarded the ship I thought, "oh my god"! Completely different experience -- not better, just different. The ship was beautiful, the decor, while a little bit wild, was pretty cool, and the service and food were very good. The whole atmosphere was "fun", and we had a lot of it. We met some wonderful people and had a really great time, so much so that we sailed Carnival again in May. Another really great itinerary, beautiful ship, great crew/staff, and some fabulous people we met through our Cruise Critic roll call! But, we're back on Celebrity next summer -- heading back up to Alaska -- and I know we'll enjoy that as well.

 

Most people would tell you that the food is better on Celebrity; I don't know that I'd say that, but then, I'm really not much of a foodie. Celebrity prides itself on its service, and does a good job. However, Carnival was not lacking there, either. The dining room experience is much different on Celebrity; more formal, no singing waiters! :D Similar activities on both: casino, bingo, trivia contests, etc. The Celebrity purists get all up in arms over the fact that most Carnival cruises have a hairy chest contest (oh, the horror!), but I remember a belly flop contest on Celebrity. My attitude about that kind of thing is, if you don't want to participate, then don't... but there are those people who get a kick out of that sort of activity.

 

I think, if a person goes on a cruise with the attitude that they're going to have a good time, they will, irregardless of what line they choose. You sound like fun people...you'll enjoy yourself no matter what you decide!

[gin_runner]

this is apples and oranges. Celebrity is a premium class line. Very very good line. great ships. Great food and service. Carnival is the budget line in the industry. Your cruises cost a lot less but you get less.

 

It depends on what you're looking for - the cheapest cruise possible or a special experience. Can't answer that for you. Everyone has different motivations and means.

 

Do your research. lots and lots of professional and reader reviews on individual ships on multiple websites.

[Sandi149]

I have never been on Celebrity so I can't even comment on them, but I have been on the Miracle and since you mentioned that you have a deposit I can comment on the Miracle.

 

Celebrity is a premium line but this is what the Miracle has to offer.

 

My husband and I are also in our late 40's and we sailed the Miracle last year. The Miracle does have live music. They have many types. Every night before dinner we would sit in one of the lounges and listen to a wonderful jazz trio. They were quite good and had a lot of people listening to them each evening. I don't think that same trio is onboard now, but they will have another jazz trio. In another lounge called Frankie and Johnny's they had a great band that played songs from the 50s all the way up to the 90s. They were absolutely fabulous. Unfortunately, they aren't on the ship anymore but there is another band who is similiar and also got very good reviews and played the same type of songs. If you are into classical music, there is also a classical trio that plays in the afternoons and evenings in the atrium lobby lounge and they also play during the afternoon tea on sea days.

 

The Miracle also has an upscale supper club called Nick and Nora's. The cost is 30 p/p. It is a very romantic place and they had a singer and a keyboard player and people can dance. The food, service and ambiance in Nick and Nora's was outstanding. I would say it's a step up from the dining room.

 

There is also an adults only aft pool which we found very relaxing. The security asked a couple children to leave one day and after that I never saw any kids in there again.

 

If you want to know about the Miracle, here is a thread where you can read anything and everything you ever wanted to know.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=631682

 

It's a very long thread so be prepared for a lot of reading. :p

[momofmeg]

I prefer Celebrity to Carnival. However, I have cruised on the Miracle and I did like that ship. I belive you could enjoy both cruises.

[GORDONCHICK]

I've sailed on Carnival once and Celebrity twice. I think the food is better on Celebrity, but I also thought Carnival's was pretty good. I haven't read up on Equinox much, so I don't know if they have an evening buffet. The X ships I've been on didn't. And yes at this point, X is very formal on formal nights, but that's not to say you must wear a gown and tux (we've usually gone the suit/cocktail dress route). Now, it is more of a three-ringed circus in the dining room on Carnival, as the maitre d' and staff kind of put on little shows or routines - you won't find that on X. The most you'll find in the dining room going on is the singing "happy birthday" or something like that or the classical music and the baked Alaska parade.

 

As far as decor of the ships, Carnival is very flashy/splashy. Avant-garde art work with a bit of art deco thrown in. X is more of an understated elegance. Again, I thought both were fine.

 

The things I loved about X are the service is usually stellar, the shows are good to very good, very good food and many great choices, the almond croissants in Cova Cafe, Belgian waffles at the aft deck grill, no non-stop announcements all day long, and I really like the passenger mix.

 

For a 25th anniversary, try Celebrity. You might really like them too.

[Moeve]

Have done both and Carnival truely suprised us in the food department - it was good. The cabins are nice and comfortable. The only thing the didn't appeal to me were the Carribbean booze runners. Alkohol consumption is definately higher on the Carnival - which just sort of wasn't my cup of tea. I even though I am a bit younger than you I still prefer the bit more subdued atmosphere on the Celebrity. I personally like dressing up to the nines so again X suites me better.

 

You have to ask yourself - what kind of cruise are you looking for:-

Do you prefer a more subdued element - with elegant dininig or do you perfer the party scene, like it a bit louder......

 

The Equinox will be brand new and perhaps sport a couple of new features - is that what you are looking for?

 

Last but not least you will have to look at Itin and most importantly your pocket book.

[ce2000]

For a special occasion like a 25th wedding anniversary I would have to recommend Celebrity. There is nothing wrong with Carnival, in fact I would recommend Carnival for your 26th wedding anniversay. Carnival is a lot of fun, Celebrity just feels a little more special.

[momofmeg]

For a special occasion like a 25th wedding anniversary I would have to recommend Celebrity. There is nothing wrong with Carnival, in fact I would recommend Carnival for your 26th wedding anniversay. Carnival is a lot of fun, Celebrity just feels a little more special.

 

My thoughts myself. The 25th is special! make it special!

[CruzCouple]

We have sailed both a couple of times. I think you can boil it down to one question: What do you think about dancing waiters? If it sounds like fun and good for a few laughs at dinner, then choose Carnival. If you would rather have the waiter spend more time serving the table then choose Celebrity. I find that I am becoming more interested in the service than the party, but it won't stop us from taking more Carnival cruises because the party is fun once in a while too.