A Little Worried, my Mom says....

......that my wife and I will be very sorry to have booked a Carnival Cruise. She said that Carnival will be filled with loud drunks, the food will suck and why didn't I take her advice and book with Celebrity.

Is there that big of a difference between Carnival and Celebrity?

Our hope is for a decent room, decent food, nice staff and enjoy our ports of Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau. The major reason for booking with Carnival is it fit our holiday schedule the best.

Enjoy the opportunity to prove her wrong. Take lots of food porn pictures! Food is subjective, but overall Carnival has some amazing dishes.

If all you ever do is hang out by the bar, yes you'll see some drunks. But I love Carnival in that there are so many places that are family friendly.

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I can not speak on the difference between Carnival and Celebrity, but I can give my opinion of Carnival.

I have been on 4, 5 and 7 night cruises with Carnival since 2004 and have never seen it "full" of drunks, and I have enjoyed the food, but I am not a foodie.

I find Carnival to be the best value for the dollar and the staff outstanding. Carnival is not perfect, but then, I expect there will be issues of some sort either small or large that happens whenever I vacation.

Go into the cruise without any expectations other than to have a fun, relaxing time.

I have not been on Celebrity but I cruise multiple lines and enjoy them all. I have three cruises booked right now with 3 different lines. They are all more the same then different and one of the things I like about Carnival is how the people are more fun, not drunk crazy, just crazy fun, enjoying themselves lol ......It's always good to try different lines and figure out for yourself

You will have a great time. Enjoy. It's your trip and your time. Spend it as you will. Ignore everyone else.

Comparing Carnival and Celebrity is like comparing Embassy Suites to the Four Seasons. Carnival delivers a good product. Celebrity delivers an excellent product. I will be on Carnival in January and Celebrity in April. The price is totally different. I cruise Carnival for value and Celebrity for a more upscale experience. I have been on many Carnival cruises (Platinum) and disagree that all it is is a drunk fest. Different demographic but a different price point. Try Carnival and have fun. :):)

There is a huge difference...THE PRICE! That said, we love Carnival and have not been disappointed with their product. Have fun, and smooth sailing!

......that my wife and I will be very sorry to have booked a Carnival Cruise. She said that Carnival will be filled with loud drunks, the food will suck and why didn't I take her advice and book with Celebrity.

 

Is there that big of a difference between Carnival and Celebrity?

 

 

 

Our hope is for a decent room, decent food, nice staff and enjoy our ports of Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau. The major reason for booking with Carnival is it fit our holiday schedule the best.

My parents cruise exclusively on Celebrity now, but I did venture over there once, and while it was fine, it just was not my sort of cruise. I personally prefer Carnival over Celebrity, but price has a lot to do with that lol, but not entirely why I prefer Carnival.

I had the opportunity to bring my Mom on a Carnival cruise 6 years ago, and she loved it! She is like me though, goes in with an open mind, and knows what to expect pretty much.

One thing I can tell you is that Carnival cruise staff has consistently been the best in all my cruises. They are the warmest, sincerest and most caring people I have ever encountered while travelling. The food is not terrible, there is enough to choose from and the dining room food is very good. celebrity might be a bit better, but Carnival food is not that bad IMO. Don't know what kind of entertainment you like, and it can differ from ship to ship, but carnival does have some fun things to do both day and evening.

Go and have fun, do things YOUR way, not your mom's way. I wish you a happy and fun cruise. I bet you will love Half Moon Cay. I will get there some day, but it sounds like paradise to me.:)

editing to say...in 7 carnival cruises since 2000, I have not seen loud obnoxious drunks, but I have seen lots of people having fun, but still not falling down. yes have seen a few people who had had too much to drink, but not totally inebriated, or obscene etc. I am a quite a reserved type of person, and I have found no extreme rowdiness etc but I also have only done one cruise during spring break, and have avoided that time of year ever since, just because I felt "old" among so many young people lol.

Thanks everyone, this makes me feel better, I was fearing the worst!

My parents are retired and I'm amazed how much time they are away on cruises, usually 8 or 9 each year. I've lost track how many countries they've visited.

I don't drink or tolerate drunks very well, and I love Carnival. I've considered cruising other lines, and I will some day, but I'm enjoying Carnival's product so much that I see no reason to switch.

......that my wife and I will be very sorry to have booked a Carnival Cruise. She said that Carnival will be filled with loud drunks, the food will suck and why didn't I take her advice and book with Celebrity.

 

 

 

Is there that big of a difference between Carnival and Celebrity?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our hope is for a decent room, decent food, nice staff and enjoy our ports of Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau. The major reason for booking with Carnival is it fit our holiday schedule the best.

How many times has your mom cruised with Carnival?

Bill

How many times has your mom cruised with Carnival?

 

Bill

Twice!

We went to Half Moon Cay on our cruise last April! You will LOVE it. That port alone is enough reason to chose Carnival. It is like paradise! We have only been on 3 cruises and they have all been with Carnival so I can't compare food, etc... but we loved every one. My husband is still facebook friends with a couple of staff from the dining room. The staff seem to take such pride in making your vacation extra special. So many little details that make it all so nice. I thought the food was great. There were so many options and everything was good.

Thanks everyone, this makes me feel better, I was fearing the worst!

 

 

 

 

 

My parents are retired and I'm amazed how much time they are away on cruises, usually 8 or 9 each year. I've lost track how many countries they've visited.

If you absolutely need to rely on CC opinions for decision making on "which cruise line," a better tactic would be to take an hour or so and read the CC threads associated with specific cruise lines. You will quickly find common issues/behaviors that typify each line.

While one or two lines will have a lot of booze questions (including quite a few about how to smuggle it on the ship) and complaints about nickle/diming charges for everything, another line or two may speak often of the thankfully restrictive smoking policy and consistently excellent food with mostly inclusive amenities.

Reading enough cruise-line-specific threads will definitely give you an idea of which cruise lines will meet your preferences and expectations.

One caveat: don't expect a "luxury" version of performance and quality for an "economy" price. But then, one piece of advice: if you are a savvy researcher and shopper, look at "premium" lines if you want the most bang-for-your-buck.

While Carnival is not my favorite cruise line anymore I will say I have not had a "bad" Carnival cruise.

If you like music from the 40's then you would love Celebrity. That was the one thing I hated about Celebrity...nothing for a younger crowd as far as music.

Food on Celebrity was better IMHO though. Food is subjective.

Go and enjoy! IT IS A CRUISE!!!!

While Carnival is not my favorite cruise line anymore I will say I have not had a "bad" Carnival cruise.

 

If you like music from the 40's then you would love Celebrity. That was the one thing I hated about Celebrity...nothing for a younger crowd as far as music.

 

Food on Celebrity was better IMHO though. Food is subjective.

 

Go and enjoy! IT IS A CRUISE!!!!

Thanks!!!

They had music in the 40's??? LOL!!!

MY wife and I are 70's & 80's music lovers!

As to food, we've stayed in Cuba for a week and got bye on the food their, I would expect the food on the cruise to be better!

As a long time cruiser,85 overall with 41 on Carnival, we have never had a bad cruise. We are both retired and have never found a lot of difference between the lines. We do prefer Carnival because in my opinion they have the most courteous and helpful employees. I am sure there are some disagreements among some that had too much to drink. I have NEVER personally seen a fight. Having been on RCCL, Celebrity, Princess, Norwegian and several others, I feel certain there are a few instances, just as there would be at any happenings with 3-4 thousand people in attendance.Any major cruise line will provide a great experience, just go with an OPEN mind and not relying on someone elses opinion. Hope you have a great cruise.

......that my wife and I will be very sorry to have booked a Carnival Cruise. She said that Carnival will be filled with loud drunks, the food will suck and why didn't I take her advice and book with Celebrity.

 

Is there that big of a difference between Carnival and Celebrity?

 

 

 

Our hope is for a decent room, decent food, nice staff and enjoy our ports of Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau. The major reason for booking with Carnival is it fit our holiday schedule the best.

You will have a great time, I have been on 13 Carnival Cruises, with 2 more booked.

......that my wife and I will be very sorry to have booked a Carnival Cruise. She said that Carnival will be filled with loud drunks, the food will suck and why didn't I take her advice and book with Celebrity.

 

Is there that big of a difference between Carnival and Celebrity?

 

 

 

Our hope is for a decent room, decent food, nice staff and enjoy our ports of Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau. The major reason for booking with Carnival is it fit our holiday schedule the best.

99% of the things people worry about never come to pass. The only Carnival cruise I have been on where there are drunks, is on the 3 day Carnival out of Long Beach. Tell her her worries are frivolous.

Been on 6 cruises (so far) on Carnival. Haven't been on one yet that was full of drunks. Once was during spring break and the worst we saw were some college kids in togas in the hallway near our cabins. The only sound we heard was some embarrassed giggling from a couple of the girls. Go and have a wonderful time!

One thing I can tell you is that Carnival cruise staff has consistently been the best in all my cruises. They are the warmest, sincerest and most caring people I have ever encountered while travelling.

 

The food is not terrible, there is enough to choose from and the dining room food is very good. celebrity might be a bit better, but Carnival food is not that bad IMO. Don't know what kind of entertainment you like, and it can differ from ship to ship, but carnival does have some fun things to do both day and evening.

editing to say...in 7 carnival cruises since 2000, I have not seen loud obnoxious drunks, but I have seen lots of people having fun, but still not falling down. yes have seen a few people who had had too much to drink, but not totally inebriated, or obscene etc. I am a quite a reserved type of person, and I have found no extreme rowdiness etc but I also have only done one cruise during spring break, and have avoided that time of year ever since, just because I felt "old" among so many young people lol.

we've sailed 4 different cruise lines and although we haven't been on Celebrity we understand that the crowd at Celeb is older and more laid back than Carnival. Imagine an older, quieter Royal Caribbean.

Ditto about the crew - the crew we had both times was every bit as good as on the Queen Mary2

On neither of our carnival cruises did we see sloppy drunks

The menu is widely varied and I have a hard time imagining anyone going away from the dining room hungry by choice :D

You may be interested to read my detailed comparison of both lines:

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2250659

Just make sure you go in with the right expectations.....You are cruising on one of Carnival's oldest ships, doing a shorter cruise, and YES, they are prone to be more of a party atmosphere.:rolleyes:

However, with that being said, a lot of us are not ready for Celebrity. I am 45. Not 60. Not ready to hang with the oldies. Just not my cup of tea....

Your cruise will be what you make of it....

IMO Celebrity is for the OLDER crowd. Not us.:D:D

Interesting that many of the responders here start by saying: " While I haven't sailed on Celebrity" and then justify that Carnival must be better because of value or pricing.

Toss all their comments out, they become a meaningless comparision, since all they are doing is comparing Carnival to what they can afford or are willing to pay. And then they say, lower your expectations for Carnival, but insist it must be better than the line they haven't set foot on.

Celebrity is infinitely better than Carnival in service, food, entertainment decor, ports and itineraries, and fares can sometimes be comparable to Carnival. Cabins are about the same size, though Celebrity's are better appointed.

I'm sailing solo on Celebrity Summit for the 2nd time to Tortola, St Kitts, Martinique, St Lucia and St Thomas for less than I could on a Carnival ship out of San Juan.

When I'm ready to go to Australia or the Galapagos or return to the Med, I would choose Celebrity over Carnival, it's a no brainer.

Carnival is like your comfortable Chevy and Celebrity is like an Audi or Lexus. Look for sales on Celebrity and bargains on Carnival.

......that my wife and I will be very sorry to have booked a Carnival Cruise. She said that Carnival will be filled with loud drunks, the food will suck and why didn't I take her advice and book with Celebrity.

 

Is there that big of a difference between Carnival and Celebrity?

 

Our hope is for a decent room, decent food, nice staff and enjoy our ports of Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau. The major reason for booking with Carnival is it fit our holiday schedule the best.

Like your mother, we much prefer Celerity over Carnival (certainly, the food is way better) ... BUT you might be "bored silly" on Celebrity.

Has your mother actually ever cruised on Carnival?

Half Moon Cay is a wonderful port stop!

Look forward to having a GREAT cruise! :D