WHY (in your opinion) does Carnival seem to have a low rank among many 'cruise snobs'

OR, is it just my imagination ? I realize everybody's welcome to their own opinions, but I've sailed most of the CCL ships (some twice) and done 4 RCL cruises. While I've never done a 'high end' luxury cruise line, Regent, Silver Sea, etc..) I have noticed here mostly, and heard other cruisers on a CCL ship's elevator make nothing but, if outright rude, and snide comments, about this or that CCL ship, the 'type' of passengers Carnival seems 'too attract' and for the life of me I wonder,' WHY are you here..? IF WE lowly mortals are not worthy of your presence ?? WHY aren't you off sailing on the cruiseship ,Mount so-and so? Not all of my cruises have been perfect, but after reading some of the terrible reviews of the high end cruises, I wonder could ANY of these so-called experienced people be pleased ? Just curious why uour thoughts are. Thanks, in advance..

Mac

mainly b/c they used to known for their short (booze) cruises. 3 and 4 day cruises, just one island. I've been on 6 CCL cruises, 2 P. and a few others. I've seen more fall down drunks on the snooty P cruises than on CCL.

Don't know, but cruising on Carnival Pride now and really enjoying my cruise.

Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk

I believe many people who look down their noses at Carnival have never tried it. The guest mix reminds me of the people I see at the grocery store in the small town where I live. It's an incredible mixture from all walks of life, all colors, all ages, all needing to eat.

Paying more doesn't always mean getting more but it may keep some people in their comfort zone.

I think a good number of people just like to feel superior.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

People just seem to want to jump on the bandwagon bashing by calling Carnival the "Walmart of the seas" to make themselves feel superior.

I agree that most who have done it have most likely never sailed Carnival

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Some people equate informal with low class.

They also take a short booze cruise and assume all the longer cruises are similar. We don't worry about that at all.

We have plenty of money and plenty of education and really enjoy the informal aspects of Carnival. We've enjoyed Royal Caribbean and been on NCL(don't like it ) and have not tried other lines yet but we don't think that paying tons for the privilege of dressing up is worth while.

We don't listen to what other people may say!

I think they equate everything to the almighty dollar and if it's not expensive then it can't be any good. I've cruised several lines and I don't find any difference really.

I have only sailed Royal Caribbean so far, and it was my only cruise. I can say that it had a certain feel to it of being higher class (Of which I'm uncomfortable around). When we booked this current cruise we are doing, I went straight to Carnival because it appeared to be more geared towards families with younger children. I have heard from others Carnival is more of a "party ship". I don't know. RC had good children swim areas on the ship, but I don't remember seeing many children. We even walked to the kids club area and it was always empty. I'm hoping with Carnival there are more kids and my kids will make friends!

It seems more people equate NCL with the "booze cruise" nowadays with their free drink package on short itineraries!

Another reason people may look down on Carnival is that their ships are simply way out of the league of the latest Royal ships. Which gives an overall impression of lesser quality. The actual experience, on the other hand, is very similar and yet we enjoyed the Carnival staff and service more than the Royal staff on our cruises last year. But the ships.... man... Royal's ships are just a step above and Carnival doesn't seem to be doing much about it to compete.

And don't underestimate the "name" and branding. "Royal" sounds fancy... Carnival sounds like a joke - and the "fun ships" branding of Carnival, and the fact their ships are much uglier, etc... It's all perspective and Royal does a better job branding themselves as a higher quality line.

Two words: Kathie Lee :)

The funny thing is, as of lately, there has been ALOT of RCCL passengers trying out Carnival, only to say they are SO alike, OR they like Carnival better.

Carnival USED to have a party reputation, but now, not so much. When I tell people I am cruising on Carnival, and they roll their eyes, I get BEYOND annoyed. And I defend the cruise line.

To each their own. I really don't care what others think.

We just tried Royal last summer (Oasis), and again, I found them to be more similar than different, but we all agreed, at the end of the cruise, that we missed Carnival, so we are on the Magic in June.:D:cool:

I have only sailed Royal Caribbean so far, and it was my only cruise. I can say that it had a certain feel to it of being higher class (Of which I'm uncomfortable around). When we booked this current cruise we are doing, I went straight to Carnival because it appeared to be more geared towards families with younger children. I have heard from others Carnival is more of a "party ship". I don't know. RC had good children swim areas on the ship, but I don't remember seeing many children. We even walked to the kids club area and it was always empty. I'm hoping with Carnival there are more kids and my kids will make friends!

Was this in the summer months?

Was it a Caribbean cruise?

When and where you cruise has a lot to do with the amount of kids one will find.

Bill

Sent from my SM-G935V using Forums mobile app

We could not tell the difference between people with money and people without a lot of money (although a lot is relative) when on RCCL, NCL and Carnival (dont judge a book by the cover thing). We have run into some pretty rude people and a lack of manners on all the ships we have sailed as money cant buy you a new personality apparently.

It is the same argument people have with AI's and which ones are "better" or more elite, who cares, seriously. Some people need to pass judgement and make others feel bad or beneath them to pump up their own egos (hmmmm, sound familiar). We spend our hard earned money the way we feel is best for us and really dont listen or engage with those that choose to introduce negativity or judgements in every waking conversation. Do not have time to waste on those type and actually feel bad for them as more than likely they are just miserable people period. The best thing you can do in a case like this is just chuckle and walk away, this minimizes their words and opinion.

I believe many people who look down their noses at Carnival have never tried it. The guest mix reminds me of the people I see at the grocery store in the small town where I live. It's an incredible mixture from all walks of life, all colors, all ages, all needing to eat.

 

Paying more doesn't always mean getting more but it may keep some people in their comfort zone.

I agree with you, especially the last line. When we were researching our Hawaii cruise, 15 days. We saw a 14 day P cruise for a lot more.

Actually I find that the amount of money one has, has no bearing whatsoever on their class. Plenty of rich people are sphincters, and plenty of dirt poor people are the absolute classiest people I've met.

 

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Perhaps its the number of folks who come here looking on how to cheat Cheers! (you know since Carnival brought it upon themselves), or those who want to endlessly debate on how "their" flip flops are dressier than those "YMCA" ones and they should (or have been) allowed into the MDR or specialty restaurants with them, even though they are prohibited.

Maybe it's the attitude of the chair hog or the high and mighty F2F individual who thinks they have a right to complain more than anyone else, since they spent $59.95 for a perk.

Maybe it's because of the lazy "the ship will wait for me" individuals who don't think ship schedules mean a darn thing (or that they're more important).

The list goes on.

But, my wife and I love cruising Carnival. We just don't let those things get in our way when on vacation. On these boards though....that's a different matter.

A couple of years ago I was on NCL Epic on a Mediterranean cruise (Italy, France & Spain). We flew from Atlanta to Rome to take this cruise. As you could imagine, we were expecting something much more than what we had experienced on several of our Carnival cruises. I can honestly say that there were certain things that I enjoyed more than Carnival and it was a different experience because there were so many other international travelers from literally all over the world. However, the overall experience was much the same. Long lines to get to buffet, crowded pools. The one thing I could say is that it was definitely more costly to enjoy the activities. We had to pay for bowling, we also paid for one of the broadway type shows. They did not have as many activities as Carnival throughout the day. While in port, similar to Carnival it got boring on the first day, so we made sure we did excursions in all of the other ports. We had an amazing time, in Florence, Cannes, Nice, Monaco, Palma Mallorca and Barcelona. The excursions were exciting as we love museums, castles, forts and learning about different cultures. The ship had 19 restaurants, only 9 were free. So no main dining room as on Carnival, you pick where you want to eat each evening (either pay or free). I found our room much smaller than Carnival if that could even be possible. In addition, the bathroom set up leaves no room for privacy as the show is enclosed in glass outside of the main toilet closet. So if you have anyone other than your spouse, it is a little awkward. It was 3 of us in the room (husband and 12 year old son). Very weird. We managed. Overall, I wouldn't say better or not better, but I just enjoy Carnival more. I seem to never run out of things to do. I can occasionally separate from my family and we each do things we like and then come back together again. Not sure I would do NCL again, but will definitely do Carnival as I have been back 3 times since NCL. We also met an older gentlemen who told me he had been on over 80 cruises and been on every cruiseline including what I recall him saying a 7 star cruiseship. He said he and his wife who is an ex professional opera singer, just love cruising. They cruise several times of years and want different experiences. Sometimes he just wants to cruise with other rich folks and enjoy the black tie elegant dinners with food you can't pronounce. But whenever he just wants to have fun, he returns to Carnival at least once a year. So there you have it.

I think a good number of people just like to feel superior.

 

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Agreed. I think some people need to justify in their minds why they may pay more.

But, there are all types of people. There are CCL people who generalize luxury liner cruisers, as well.

Actually I find that the amount of money one has, has no bearing whatsoever on their class. Plenty of rich people are sphincters, and plenty of dirt poor people are the absolute classiest people I've met.

Exactly!

Their own marketing (below)? Ugly tracksuits and dancing in dad shorts. The whole 'fun for all' thing creates a non-judgemental appeal in my opinion... but anyone who is any kind of 'snob' much less a 'cruise snob' doesn't want something that's accessible, they want something that screams exclusivity.

I also don't believe it has to do with how much money someone has - it has to do with worrying too much about how much money other people think you have. You can have all the money in the world and not have one care about being 'judged' for being on a line/ship that you enjoy. Or spend way more than you afford to try to make an impression that no one else really cares about.

You don't find the cut off jean Harley Davidson wife beater guy on Holland, Princess, Celebrity most of the time.

Just some of the time?

I look at it this way - all cruise ships at some point, go to the same islands. Why overpay to get there? I have zero loyalty to anything but my wallet! Whoever gives a great itinerary at a good price is who I'm sailing with. Our first cruise was this past January on NCL Pearl (DEFINITELY THE BOOZE CRUISE!!!) And while we had fun, we saw more fall down drunken people than we really cared to. So, for August my hubby surprised me with a 5 day bahamas out of Charleston on Ecstasy for my 36th birthday. Again, not expensive, decent itinerary and it gives us something to compare to. Im an equal opportunity cruiser. Lol

Sent from my SM-N920T using Forums mobile app

I liken it to hotel choice too. I consider all of the mainstream lines like the Holiday Inn / Mariott chains. There are some more updated than others, some a little fancier, some you might prefer the decor, but, for the most part they're more similar than not. You're going to pay a fairly similar amount (within about $50 a night) to stay in many of the different brands they have, it's just which you prefer.

Now when you start talking the Ritz Carlton and the like, that's when you start looking at Crystal, Regent, etc. There are times I'm willing to pay more, ie. to stay on a beach, etc. but, often if there's a smaller mom & pop with a good reputation (Panama City, Treasure Island), I'll take them over the chains, usually due to price, location and lower volume of people.

I agree with others, that many that denigrate Carnival, haven't actually sailed with them, got a Loyal to Royal at work ... oye! Plus, as someone else pointed out, many believe dressing up (formal) = better experience. I'm sorry, but I dress up everyday for work and my vacation is just that. A get away from work and the dressing up. I'll put on a pair of dress capri's, a maxi skirt and a fancy top, but, that's as much as I'm willing to dress up. We wouldn't look into cruises for years because of the need to dress up. I'm willing to sail with most of the mainstream lines, it all depends on ports, ship and price (I don't like the mega ships).

OR, is it just my imagination ? I realize everybody's welcome to their own opinions, but I've sailed most of the CCL ships (some twice) and done 4 RCL cruises. While I've never done a 'high end' luxury cruise line, Regent, Silver Sea, etc..) I have noticed here mostly, and heard other cruisers on a CCL ship's elevator make nothing but, if outright rude, and snide comments, about this or that CCL ship, the 'type' of passengers Carnival seems 'too attract' and for the life of me I wonder,' WHY are you here..? IF WE lowly mortals are not worthy of your presence ?? WHY aren't you off sailing on the cruiseship ,Mount so-and so? Not all of my cruises have been perfect, but after reading some of the terrible reviews of the high end cruises, I wonder could ANY of these so-called experienced people be pleased ? Just curious why uour thoughts are. Thanks, in advance..

 

 

Mac

Why? Because they are snobs as you allude to (and for the Charleston folks I don't mean Slightly North of Broadway). Some people can't seem to comprehend that something (such as Carnival) can't be good or even great if it's not expensive. ;)