Carnival cruises?

So, I feel like Carnival has a "party boat" image. However, we have someone that can possibly get us a great deal on a 7 day eastern Caribbean cruise. It's either on the Dream or Magic. I forget which one. I'm looking to get away and relax. We are leaving our kids behind, and doing this for our 10 year anniversary. So, what is your opinion on carnival? If you got a really good deal, would you even hesitate to go? Why? Why not?

Thank you so much!!

We have been on RCL twice, Allure and Enchantment, and loved both!

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So, I feel like Carnival has a "party boat" image. However, we have someone that can possibly get us a great deal on a 7 day eastern Caribbean cruise. It's either on the Dream or Magic. I forget which one. I'm looking to get away and relax. We are leaving our kids behind, and doing this for our 10 year anniversary. So, what is your opinion on carnival? If you got a really good deal, would you even hesitate to go? Why? Why not?

Thank you so much!!

 

 

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Although we prefer Royal I feel like Carnival does get a bad rap. If you are looking at a 7 day on the Dream or Magic I am sure you will have a good time.

We have sailed Carnival enough to be Platinum.....we always did a 7 day and we always had a great time.

Happy Anniversary and enjoy your cruise!!!

For a really good deal I would jump at it. Try to book a week when school is in session.

Although we prefer Royal I feel like Carnival does get a bad rap. If you are looking at a 7 day on the Dream or Magic I am sure you will have a good time.

 

 

 

We have sailed Carnival enough to be Platinum.....we always did a 7 day and we always had a great time.

 

 

 

Happy Anniversary and enjoy your cruise!!!

Thank you so much!! It's Nice to hear first hand experiences about Carnival!

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For a really good deal I would jump at it. Try to book a week when school is in session.

Awesome. That's good advice, thank you!

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It's a 7 day cruise... you'll be fine. The 3 & 4 day cruises have the party /booze atmosphere. That goes for Royal, NCL and carnival. I've cruised all three and the same applies to any short Caribbean / Bahamas cruise. I would say for you to try Holland America if you want to avoid the younger crowd / drinking folks.

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It's a 7 day cruise... you'll be fine. The 3 & 4 day cruises have the party /booze atmosphere. That goes for Royal, NCL and carnival. I've cruised all three and the same applies to any short Caribbean / Bahamas cruise. I would say for you to try Holland America if you want to avoid the younger crowd / drinking folks.

 

 

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Thank you! It does make sense, a 7 day may not be as "rowdy".

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I realize I have only sailed on Carnival and have nothing else to compare them to, but I would like to think if they were as awful as people say they are, I would not keep coming back. I've done 5 Carnival cruises, and have had a great time on all of them. It's always just been my husband and I. There are times we relax and times we want to have fun and participate in activities. You can do either or boat. They offer something for everyone.

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We started out cruising with Carnival. We enjoyed all our cruises!! Try their Warm Chocolate Melting Cake!! We've since cruised HAL, MSC, Royal, Costa, NCL and Celebrity. I've enjoyed every minute of them all. And a really great deal would make me even happier!!

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So, I feel like Carnival has a "party boat" image. However, we have someone that can possibly get us a great deal on a 7 day eastern Caribbean cruise. It's either on the Dream or Magic. I forget which one. I'm looking to get away and relax. We are leaving our kids behind, and doing this for our 10 year anniversary. So, what is your opinion on carnival? If you got a really good deal, would you even hesitate to go? Why? Why not?

Thank you so much!!

We have been on RCL twice, Allure and Enchantment, and loved both!

 

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Haven't been on CCL for a while but as you can see I'm VIP with CCL, if that is still what they call it.

I also never had a bad cruise with CCL and even cruised in Europe with CCL twice.

I do now prefer Celebrity, but I have no negative things to say about Carnival.

As long as you're not on a short 3-5 day cruise you should have an enjoyable time. :)

So, I feel like Carnival has a "party boat" image. However, we have someone that can possibly get us a great deal on a 7 day eastern Caribbean cruise. It's either on the Dream or Magic. I forget which one. I'm looking to get away and relax. We are leaving our kids behind, and doing this for our 10 year anniversary. So, what is your opinion on carnival? If you got a really good deal, would you even hesitate to go? Why? Why not?

Thank you so much!!

We have been on RCL twice, Allure and Enchantment, and loved both!

 

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We've cruised on the Dream and it was in July for a 7 day and it was amazing. We did have a Sap Cabin so could get away peacefully if needed. I would definitely go and you will have a great time!

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I've cruised Carnival, Royal & Norwegian. Seven cruises total. Out of those 7, 5 were Carnival. I would not hesitate at all. I'm all about a good deal and thankfully I can alway find one on Carnival. Even tho I have done 4,5 & longer cruises I've never experienced a booze cruise atmosphere or people passed out drunk, even though I've heard horror stories I never worry about it since the ship is big enough to find a peaceful spot elsewhere. We just got off the Dream 2 weeks ago and it was a great cruise. Ship was great & the crew were some of the best we've ever had. If you get the chance to go I hope you have the best time! Happy Anniversary!! =)

I've been on four Carnival cruises and they were all a lot of fun. If I got a great deal, I would not hesitate to take it. I've also cruised once each on Disney, NCL, and RCL. We just finished a Carnival cruise last February and are going on RCL in June and NCL in September. I like something about all the cruise lines. They each have their pros and cons.

Carnival has the best comedy shows hands down. Most of the comedians don't repeat the same show the entire time, so there are plenty of opportunities to see different comedy shows throughout the cruise. On our last cruise, we saw four different shows in one night! I like the Faster to the Fun option. We always have carry-on only when we cruise on Carnival because they have self laundry machines. With the Faster to the Fun, we get to board the ship early and drop our luggage off at our room. We'll throw in a load of clothes mid cruise. It only takes an hour and eliminates the need to check baggage with the airlines. The Carnival cruises that I have been on were nothing like their reputation as a party ship. We never cruised at spring break time, so that probably helped.

Our first cruise was on Carnival out of Southern California. That experience caused us to give up on cruising altogether for several years until a couple we know invited us to join them on a Celebrity cruise. That experience was so much better that we now are fans of cruising and have cruised several lines since. But not Carnival again. It just is not our style at all.

For us, a good deal would be the cruise for free PLUS a $2,500 bonus in cash to spend on another cruise line to get us to like cruising again.. :)

Actually, nah, no deal would be good enough to do another Carnival cruise. :evilsmile:

You will barely notice the difference between Royal and Carnival. Some things you will probably even like better on Carnival. And some things you will think are better on Royal.

Obviously, I've only cruised Carnival; however, I will say that if you want a more "relaxed" atmosphere, you should choose a longer cruise (7+ days) while school is in session. On our last cruise, there were a total of 100 under 18 on board, so almost no kids at all! Obviously shorter (3-4 days) cruises out of Florida ports that cross over a weekend, holiday, or school break are more of a party atmosphere. Avoid those, and you will have a great time.

I've cruised on Carnival, HAL, and Princess, and liked them all. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. I think Carnival cruises are fun and a great value.

Roz

I've been on both Dream and Magic in the last year. I recommend Magic - better crew, better service, prettier ship, better entertainment. Dream seemed dark and dated to me and had a lot of broken glass decor and their spa looked dirty and worn out. Magic was light and bright and really extremely clean and pretty. If you go to the steakhouse ($) your first night onboard, you get either a free bottle of wine or you can choose a discount off any bottle of wine on the menu (I believe it was 30%, so we bought several bottles of wine to take back to our cabin for the cruise.) The Chef's table on Magic was also an excellent experience - you book that by sending an email to the Magic's steakhouse. Cucina del Capitano also includes free wine.

I've been on both Dream and Magic in the last year. I recommend Magic - better crew, better service, prettier ship, better entertainment. Dream seemed dark and dated to me and had a lot of broken glass decor and their spa looked dirty and worn out. Magic was light and bright and really extremely clean and pretty. If you go to the steakhouse ($) your first night onboard, you get either a free bottle of wine or you can choose a discount off any bottle of wine on the menu (I believe it was 30%, so we bought several bottles of wine to take back to our cabin for the cruise.) The Chef's table on Magic was also an excellent experience - you book that by sending an email to the Magic's steakhouse. Cucina del Capitano also includes free wine.

The Dream has or will have been through a dry dock, improving your complaints there.

You will be fine booking 7 days on CCL or any Mass Market cruise line . More especially so outside of school vacations.

Most all of those 3/4 day cruises attract people cramming 7 days of activities into 3/4 days.

All the Mass Market cruise lines experience that on shop cruises . They also use their older ships, without the bells & whistles on those cruises.

CCL gets the rap because the have the most 3/4 day sailings (the name "Carnival" may tend to falsely enhance that image)

We have been on 15 cruises, 9 of them with Carnival. We are not party people and yet we have had a great time on all of Carnival Cruises. Dream is one of my personal favorites so far in the Carnival line. IMHO if you are looking for a party you can probably find one somewhere. If you are looking to avoid the party atmosphere, like we do, you can easily do that as well.

Thank you so much for all the great advice and experiences! We are not picky people, so now I'm sure Carnival will be good for us. Let's just see what kind of deal we can get! ;-)

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So, I feel like Carnival has a "party boat" image. However, we have someone that can possibly get us a great deal on a 7 day eastern Caribbean cruise. It's either on the Dream or Magic. I forget which one. I'm looking to get away and relax. We are leaving our kids behind, and doing this for our 10 year anniversary. So, what is your opinion on carnival? If you got a really good deal, would you even hesitate to go? Why? Why not?

Thank you so much!!

We have been on RCL twice, Allure and Enchantment, and loved both!

I totally disagree with the people who say you'll barely see a difference. Dream is home ported here in NOLA and I've been aboard a couple times. That is one ugly ship....which is typical of most of Carnival's fleet. Dream is one of the last Joe Farcus designed interiors, who is known for gaudy designs. There's lots of brass and dark colors. You'll see a huge difference between your past experiences (Allure and Enchantment) and Dream. The Lido deck gets very crowded, even when the ship isn't full.

That said, if it's a good deal, go for it. It's a new experience and you might like it. :)

I have only sailed on Carnival and to me it doesn't seem to be party boat I am in my 30s so I wouldn't mind a party boat. I think most of the party boats are themed. I go and relax. I do try to go when there aren't a bunch of kids and the off season.