Debunking Carnival Myths

[sojodave]

Just went on my first cruise on the Carnival Elation. I did way too much research on Cruisecritic and other cruise sites. I read a lot of opinions and I was surprised how many negative Carnival myths I have read in forums.

 

FOOD MYTH: The food was excellent in Tiffanys and in the dining room. The waiter staff was excellent. I usually ordered two starters and I ordered two main course, but there was no way I could eat two main courses. The chocolate melting cake is "walk on broken glass" awesome.

 

ROOM MYTH: I had read a lot of nightmare stories about having four people in a stateroom and I read even more stories about the Riviera Deck. We actually had enough room for the four of us and the Riviera deck was very convenient because our room was just a few doors down from the main elevator.

 

TEEN CLUB MYTH: My 14 year old daughter was pretty hesitant about gong to Club 02. The first night, she said she was going to try it for 5 minutes. She left at 10:30 and didn't get back to our room until 1:00. She met friends and hung out with a group every night. The club had fun activities, but the best thing about the club was getting to meet people her age.

 

DEBARKATION MYTH: I must admit, our debarkation was rough. We didn't get off the ship until 10:45 and we didn't get to our car until 11:30. No one got to leave the ship until 8:40 because they could not get all the foreign passengers cleared through customs. They need to make sure that any foreign passengers check into customs so the rest of the boat can debark.

 

We had a great cruise and I wouldn't hesitate to cruise with Carnival again. What other Carnival Myths need to be debunked?

[DarthGrady]

Myth: Carnival is a party barge, tailored for lower class Wal-Mart dwellers, drunks and weirdos.

 

Truth: Carnival appeals to folks of all walk of life, that much is true. You may be at a dinner table with a doctor, a cop, a banker, an electrician, a plumber or any number of folks that just appreciate Carnival's relaxed, easy going and fun atmosphere. There is something for everyone! Folks who just want to drink and party can do that. The folks that want to relax, tan, work out, gamble or do whatever will be able to do that as well!

[firefly333]

DEBARKATION MYTH: I must admit, our debarkation was rough. We didn't get off the ship until 10:45 and we didn't get to our car until 11:30. No one got to leave the ship until 8:40 because they could not get all the foreign passengers cleared through customs. They need to make sure that any foreign passengers check into customs so the rest of the boat can debark.

 

I dont get this one. We debarked with the foreigners, and they in turn held up the line if you were unlucky to have them in your line. This was in Galveston. Your port seems to debark them first?

[Wolfie48]

Just went on my first cruise on the Carnival Elation. I did way too much research on Cruisecritic and other cruise sites. I read a lot of opinions and I was surprised how many negative Carnival myths I have read in forums.

 

FOOD MYTH: The food was excellent in Tiffanys and in the dining room. The waiter staff was excellent. I usually ordered two starters and I ordered two main course, but there was no way I could eat two main courses. The chocolate melting cake is "walk on broken glass" awesome.

 

ROOM MYTH: I had read a lot of nightmare stories about having four people in a stateroom and I read even more stories about the Riviera Deck. We actually had enough room for the four of us and the Riviera deck was very convenient because our room was just a few doors down from the main elevator.

 

TEEN CLUB MYTH: My 14 year old daughter was pretty hesitant about gong to Club 02. The first night, she said she was going to try it for 5 minutes. She left at 10:30 and didn't get back to our room until 1:00. She met friends and hung out with a group every night. The club had fun activities, but the best thing about the club was getting to meet people her age.

 

DEBARKATION MYTH: I must admit, our debarkation was rough. We didn't get off the ship until 10:45 and we didn't get to our car until 11:30. No one got to leave the ship until 8:40 because they could not get all the foreign passengers cleared through customs. They need to make sure that any foreign passengers check into customs so the rest of the boat can debark.

 

We had a great cruise and I wouldn't hesitate to cruise with Carnival again. What other Carnival Myths need to be debunked?

 

Thank you for your insights, of course you know the people who propagate such myths will continue to do so. Many without actually taking a Carnival cruise. Happy cruising! :)

[Wolfie48]

I dont get this one. We debarked with the foreigners, and they in turn held up the line if you were unlucky to have them in your line. This was in Galveston. Your port seems to debark them first?

 

On our last cruise the held us because some German pax had not checked in with customs. The finally had a German crew member make announcements in German and about 15 min. later they began debarkation.

[travelntreats]

I dont get this one. We debarked with the foreigners, and they in turn held up the line if you were unlucky to have them in your line. This was in Galveston. Your port seems to debark them first?

What don't you get ???? If non US citizens do not follow the proper procedures for debarkation, they will hold the entire ship up from clearing customs and NO ONE get's off till that is complete. I have had to put up with this issue on many cruises because those non US citizens did not follow the requirements.

[Essiesmom]

You can see from my sig. how many lines I have cruised. My sister has cruised with me on Princess, Celebrity and Cunard. We loved them all. I am looking forward to introducing her to Carnival on our transAtlantic Dream. EM

[jetskier]

Myth: Carnival is a party barge, tailored for lower class Wal-Mart dwellers, drunks and weirdos.

 

Truth: Carnival appeals to folks of all walk of life, that much is true. You may be at a dinner table with a doctor, a cop, a banker, an electrician, a plumber or any number of folks that just appreciate Carnival's relaxed, easy going and fun atmosphere. There is something for everyone! Folks who just want to drink and party can do that. The folks that want to relax, tan, work out, gamble or do whatever will be able to do that as well!

 

And remember Carnival is an equalizer. The same guy who is in a cheap inside cabin might be dining with the person who spent plenty of dollars on a suite.

 

NCL is doing their S&S cards which shows those guests in balconies and higher. To me, that is rubbing peoples nose in the fact they did not spend more money on their cabins.

 

Dave

[mjlfg]

Frankly Soho Dave...you bring me some relief. I am in the middle of planning my family's 1st cruise. 2x DD age 13 and 17 (almost 18)...I too am OVER studying/researching on CC.com trying to decide if CCL is better for the 10 Yr olds vs where do the 17's fit in? I cannot get a gut feeling as to if my kids have a better time on CL or RC or PCL. I am pouring through reviews and it seems that CCL deck activities (trivia, games, dodgeball etc..) are hit and miss from ship to ship or is it from cruise to cruise depending on the staff? Can't really tell. But I was relieved to find you say that your 14 yo DD had a great time on Carnival. Thankyou for sharing your experience and giving me some relief. But...I'm still planning and trying to find our ship! Thanks. Peggy

[Fat Boy]

Myth: Carnival is a party barge, tailored for lower class Wal-Mart dwellers, drunks and weirdos.

 

Maybe not tailored to us, but they let us on all the same! :D

[CanWeGoYet?]

Myth: Carnival is a party barge, tailored for lower class Wal-Mart dwellers, drunks and weirdos.

 

Truth: Carnival appeals to folks of all walk of life, that much is true. You may be at a dinner table with a doctor, a cop, a banker, an electrician, a plumber or any number of folks that just appreciate Carnival's relaxed, easy going and fun atmosphere. There is something for everyone! Folks who just want to drink and party can do that. The folks that want to relax, tan, work out, gamble or do whatever will be able to do that as well!

 

Thank you. This is what I have been trying to get across in a thread on the another board comparing to carnival to another main stream cruise line. I think some people just relish the thought that carnival is a hillbilly magnet and the dress code specifies 10 tooth maximum. And that their disdain for Carnival confers an upper crust status.

[hawaiikat]

The kids she meet mainly used O2 as a meeting place and then did other things on the ship.. She had a great time!

[dobiemom]

I have to admit, I was hesitant to sail on Carnival. I love HAL and I tried Princess with a GF a couple years ago. My sister sailed once on Carnival a long time ago and hated it. But I had been wanting to take my MIL on a cruise and it finally came all together; short cruise, right time, right price, but it was on the Carnival Elation. Well, I figured that this opportunity might not ever happen again and so we went.

 

Boy, was I pleasantly surprised! The food was excellent as was the service throughout the ship. We had a fabulous time! I think Carnival's reputation as a drunken party ship is from a long time ago.

 

I still love HAL (you know how it is with your first love ;)) but I'm going on my second Carnival cruise next year on the Spirit to Alaska--in an aft-wrap suite! :D

[PA Dutchman]

I have found its more fun to cruise with the Wal=Marts then the upper crust status me first.

[whitehme]

There are mostly subtle differences between cruise lines from our experiences and research. "Subtle" depends on how important the difference is to you.

 

For us we find that Carnival food is mostly good except their desserts where they generally were subpar to what we found on Celebrity. Celebrity used to be far better on food, but on our last few cruises they have fallen to a level where we only think their fruit soups, desserts, and ship-made ice cream stand out.

 

On the other hand we found the people demographics on Carnival to be very good. Carnival for us has tended to be the most diverse and not "booze barge" oriented at all. Lots of normal people.

 

Mike

[bobsfamily]

Just went on my first cruise on the Carnival Elation. I did way too much research on Cruisecritic and other cruise sites. I read a lot of opinions and I was surprised how many negative Carnival myths I have read in forums.

 

FOOD MYTH: The food was excellent in Tiffanys and in the dining room. The waiter staff was excellent. I usually ordered two starters and I ordered two main course, but there was no way I could eat two main courses. The chocolate melting cake is "walk on broken glass" awesome. Never heard that comment before... especially about a dessert.

 

ROOM MYTH: I had read a lot of nightmare stories about having four people in a stateroom and I read even more stories about the Riviera Deck. We actually had enough room for the four of us and the Riviera deck was very convenient because our room was just a few doors down from the main elevator. That is always subject to each person's level of tolerance. I try to get a cabin near the elevator regardless of the deck.

 

TEEN CLUB MYTH: My 14 year old daughter was pretty hesitant about gong to Club 02. The first night, she said she was going to try it for 5 minutes. She left at 10:30 and didn't get back to our room until 1:00. She met friends and hung out with a group every night. The club had fun activities, but the best thing about the club was getting to meet people her age. Your teen needs to go the first night for the first meeting... they "meet" and after that the club is usually just a place to meet and then roam the ship.

 

DEBARKATION MYTH: I must admit, our debarkation was rough. We didn't get off the ship until 10:45 and we didn't get to our car until 11:30. No one got to leave the ship until 8:40 because they could not get all the foreign passengers cleared through customs. They need to make sure that any foreign passengers check into customs so the rest of the boat can debark. Foreigners can stop the process completely... Our cruise in Jan. we were delayed as a body was being removed. Sad but you should have seen the angry people trying to shove off the ship.

 

We had a great cruise and I wouldn't hesitate to cruise with Carnival again. What other Carnival Myths need to be debunked?

Glad you had a great time!

[jetskier]

Frankly Soho Dave...you bring me some relief. I am in the middle of planning my family's 1st cruise. 2x DD age 13 and 17 (almost 18)...I too am OVER studying/researching on CC.com trying to decide if CCL is better for the 10 Yr olds vs where do the 17's fit in? I cannot get a gut feeling as to if my kids have a better time on CL or RC or PCL. I am pouring through reviews and it seems that CCL deck activities (trivia, games, dodgeball etc..) are hit and miss from ship to ship or is it from cruise to cruise depending on the staff? Can't really tell. But I was relieved to find you say that your 14 yo DD had a great time on Carnival. Thankyou for sharing your experience and giving me some relief. But...I'm still planning and trying to find our ship! Thanks. Peggy

 

Hi Peggy,

The 17 yr old will have Club 02 to go to. Make sure they go the first night. Where the limbo comes in at is those who are 18-20. They really dont have a structured program for that group. Carnival is aware of the issue but has not put something in place yet.

 

I have a 8 and 14 yr old daughters. The oldest is looking forward to being able to go to Club 02 which is for 15-17 yr olds. Circle C is for 12-14 age group.

 

Activities on ship does vary depending on the Cruise Director and the energy of the social hosts onboard.

Dave

[Jeafl]

I think some people just relish the thought that carnival is a hillbilly magnet and the dress code specifies 10 tooth maximum.

 

tink360 you owe me a keyboard because I just spit coffee all over it when I read this part of your post! LMAO!

[Traveler353]

Myth: It is illegal to bring booze on board

Fact: Not illegal just against Carnivals rules.;)

[bobsfamily]

I have a 8 and 14 yr old daughters. The oldest is looking forward to being able to go to Club 02 which is for 15-17 yr olds. Circle C is for 12-14 age group.

There is a very good chance she will not be allowed to go... that's why it is for 15-17yo.... Sometimes if they can show they are in High School (picture ID from school) AND have a sibling/friend that is going to be in Club O2 they will make an exception BUT they do not have to. I would count on the 14 yo going to Circle C. Remember when you ask for a "waiver" that niceness works much better. I have heard that the best bet is go the second night and explain that you "mature" 14 yo does not fit in with the other and would like to bump her up, but do realize that this happens every cruise and they have heard it ALL.

[Aplmac]

Frankly Soho Dave...you bring me some relief.

I am in the middle of planning my family's 1st cruise. 2x DD age 13 and 17 (almost 18)

...I too am OVER studying/researching on CC.com trying to decide if CCL is better for the 10 Yr olds vs where do the 17's fit in?

I cannot get a gut feeling as to if my kids have a better time on CL or RC or PCL.

I am poring through reviews and it seems that CCL deck activities (trivia, games, dodgeball etc..) are hit and miss from ship to ship

or is it from cruise to cruise depending on the staff? Can't really tell.

But I was relieved to find you say that your 14 yo DD had a great time on Carnival.

Thank you for sharing your experience and giving me some relief. But...I'm still planning and trying to find our ship! Thanks. Peggy

Pegs,

You'll have a great time on Carnival.

 

I never even knew of cruisecritic.com' existence on our First Cruise

so you are already waaay ahead, on that one ;)

.

[framerman]

The "booze barge" reputation needs to get lost. Never seen it and we always have a great time on Carnival

[firefly333]

What don't you get ???? If non US citizens do not follow the proper procedures for debarkation, they will hold the entire ship up from clearing customs and NO ONE get's off till that is complete. I have had to put up with this issue on many cruises because those non US citizens did not follow the requirements.

 

OK so what is the myth?? The OP is debunking myths, the debarkation myth.

 

A myth is something people believe but isnt true. You seem to always have something in your tone with me.... whats your problem?? Get over it. I asked a question because I still dont get why this is a myth.... which you didnt answer.

[bobsfamily]

The "booze barge" reputation needs to get lost. Never seen it and we always have a great time on Carnival

We ran into it a bit in March 2008 on a 3 day cruise on Sensation to Nassau. Had a GREAT time but don't remember much... lol It was Spring Break and a very short cruise. I'm not sure some of the young ones ever slept until the last night. Had a good many service men/women just back from the war zone and I bought a few drinks... bar tab was a bit BIG!!!

Have taken 2 cruises since on Carnival and did not see anything like it...

BTW will be in your neck of the woods this coming weekend - couple of days at Lake Lure.

[jetskier]

There is a very good chance she will not be allowed to go... that's why it is for 15-17yo.... Sometimes if they can show they are in High School (picture ID from school) AND have a sibling/friend that is going to be in Club O2 they will make an exception BUT they do not have to. I would count on the 14 yo going to Circle C. Remember when you ask for a "waiver" that niceness works much better. I have heard that the best bet is go the second night and explain that you "mature" 14 yo does not fit in with the other and would like to bump her up, but do realize that this happens every cruise and they have heard it ALL.

 

I forgot to mention that my 14 yr old is fixing to be 15 thusly the reason for looking forward to going to Club O2.:D

Dave