Did I make right choice Gem VS Sunshine?

I chose the Gem

Gem pluses

1 free drinks package

2 no air or hotel

3 lunch on sea days

4 LIVE music in Shows

5 great diabetic ice cream & flavored water

6 more crew lesspassengers

7 less crowded

Sunshine plus

diamond

I think so. My favorite cruise ever was on the Gem. Great ship!

Love the Gem...our favorite ship. Crew is great, shows are wonderful (except they need to be changed...we have seen them multiple times), food good. Love the Great Outdoors and Spinnakers lounge. Attentive casino staff. Good choice

Safe sailing

Time will tell

Have to agree with Spidybabe (Hi Tina) the Gem is our favorite ship as well and living 15 minutes from the port just makes it so easy. Love the crew and the layout of the ship. Enjoy your cruise.

the carnival sunshine is not a new ship. that ship is about 20 years old now, used to be called the carnival destiny

the carnival sunshine is not a new ship. that ship is about 20 years old now, used to be called the carnival destiny

They have apparently rehab'd it quite substantially prior to the re-naming but regardless of what they've done to the "physical plant", the NCL product overall is still much better IMO. The entertainment and dining options are waaaay superior and free UBP is an excellent perk worth hundreds of $$$ on either line. The Gem is a good decision.

They have apparently rehab'd it quite substantially prior to the re-naming but regardless of what they've done to the "physical plant", the NCL product overall is still much better IMO. The entertainment and dining options are waaaay superior and free UBP is an excellent perk worth hundreds of $$$ on either line. The Gem is a good decision.

Yes, NCL is much better but for our cruise next year the Gem came in at $800 more than CCL and in my estimation NCL is not $800 better. We loved the Gem and would sail on her again in a heart beat if the fare were close, but I fear it will be a long time before that happens.

I chose the Gem

 

Gem pluses

1 free drinks package

2 no air or hotel

3 lunch on sea days

4 LIVE music in Shows

5 great diabetic ice cream & flavored water

6 more crew lesspassengers

7 less crowded

 

Sunshine plus

 

diamond

If price were comparable (figuring cruise and air for the Sunshine vs. cruise for the Gem), I would go with the Gem. We have sailed the Pearl twice and the Sunshine a few months ago and I would choose the Gem first, if pricing were comparable.

IF there were a big price difference, I would go with price, but I could have a good time on a barge for the right price :)

the carnival sunshine is not a new ship. that ship is about 20 years old now, used to be called the carnival destiny

True but it's a totally different ship on the inside I sailed her as both and enjoy both cruises equally..

I chose the Gem

 

Gem pluses

1 free drinks package

2 no air or hotel

3 lunch on sea days

4 LIVE music in Shows

5 great diabetic ice cream & flavored water

6 more crew lesspassengers

7 less crowded

 

Sunshine plus

 

diamond

Nope, but nobody's perfect. ;)

Yes, NCL is much better but for our cruise next year the Gem came in at $800 more than CCL and in my estimation NCL is not $800 better. We loved the Gem and would sail on her again in a heart beat if the fare were close, but I fear it will be a long time before that happens.

That is a lot and we are very budget conscious too especially given that both vacation funds and time off from work are limited. But in terms of value, after our last Carnival cruise we decided that their product wasn't worth anything to us. I no longer even price them when researching cruises. I understand those that say they can settle, if the price is right - I'm like that with many things in life. Just not my precious once-a-year vacation. :D

That is a lot and we are very budget conscious too especially given that both vacation funds and time off from work are limited. But in terms of value, after our last Carnival cruise we decided that their product wasn't worth anything to us. I no longer even price them when researching cruises. I understand those that say they can settle, if the price is right - I'm like that with many things in life. Just not my precious once-a-year vacation. :D

While I may be lucky enough to be able to take more than one vacation a year, those of us who prefer Carnival over NCL are hardly settling for anything. Carnival beats NCL hands down, especially after all of the changes FDR has been making so you can come down off of that pedestal you are trying to put yourself on.

That is a lot and we are very budget conscious too especially given that both vacation funds and time off from work are limited. But in terms of value, after our last Carnival cruise we decided that their product wasn't worth anything to us. I no longer even price them when researching cruises. I understand those that say they can settle, if the price is right - I'm like that with many things in life. Just not my precious once-a-year vacation. :D

I wouldn't price them either if I thought that I was settling.

I was on the Sunshine in January. It was not my cup of tea to say the least. Granted, everyone is different, but IMO you've made a good choice!

Yes, NCL is much better but for our cruise next year the Gem came in at $800 more than CCL and in my estimation NCL is not $800 better. We loved the Gem and would sail on her again in a heart beat if the fare were close, but I fear it will be a long time before that happens.

I find myself in much the same situation, where NCL is several hundred dollars more than an equivalent cruise on CCL. For this year, I'd much prefer the Gem over the Splendor for a lot of reasons, but the Gem simply costs too much. I don't want to sail the Splendor, so I've pretty much decided to skip Canada/NE this year. For next year, if all systems are go, the Sunshine will probably win out over the Gem due to costs and the fact that CCL has fixed all the issues that make me not want to sail the Splendor.

Cruising is getting to be the kind of vacation where all things need to fall into place, or I'd rather skip a year or so until everything falls as I wish.

While I may be lucky enough to be able to take more than one vacation a year, those of us who prefer Carnival over NCL are hardly settling for anything. Carnival beats NCL hands down, especially after all of the changes FDR has been making so you can come down off of that pedestal you are trying to put yourself on.

Not a pedestal - a preference. I'm fine with you liking which ever cruise line you prefer - really. And obviously you don't see it as settling if you prefer it. My comments were related to the fact that even for a great deal less money, we don't find value in Carnival. Like the PP above said, if it's not quite what we want we'd rather skip it until things do "fall into place".

Not a pedestal - a preference. I'm fine with you liking which ever cruise line you prefer - really. And obviously you don't see it as settling if you prefer it. My comments were related to the fact that even for a great deal less money, we don't find value in Carnival. Like the PP above said, if it's not quite what we want we'd rather skip it until things do "fall into place".

Fair enough. If you or others would rather not sail than sail Carnival, that is your choice. When you attempt to put others down because you state "as a fact" that others who sail Carnival are "settling" (meaning for something less than desired), you are attempting to make yourself look superior by not "settling". There are many reasons I prefer Carnival over NCL, cost is but one of them. IMO, I find many of the things Carnival does on board superior to NCL which is why Carnival is my preferred cruise line. To be honest, I feel I am "settling" by taking my Alaska cruise this summer on NCL and the only reason I am is because Carnival could not match the itinerary.

That is a lot and we are very budget conscious too especially given that both vacation funds and time off from work are limited. But in terms of value, after our last Carnival cruise we decided that their product wasn't worth anything to us. I no longer even price them when researching cruises. I understand those that say they can settle, if the price is right - I'm like that with many things in life. Just not my precious once-a-year vacation. :D

Fair enough. If you or others would rather not sail than sail Carnival, that is your choice. When you attempt to put others down because you state "as a fact" that others who sail Carnival are "settling" (meaning for something less than desired), you are attempting to make yourself look superior by not "settling". There are many reasons I prefer Carnival over NCL, cost is but one of them. IMO, I find many of the things Carnival does on board superior to NCL which is why Carnival is my preferred cruise line. To be honest, I feel I am "settling" by taking my Alaska cruise this summer on NCL and the only reason I am is because Carnival could not match the itinerary.

Out to sea!, I think you have misunderstood what ronandanette was trying to say. I believe they were referring to those who have said they would prefer to cruise with another line but settled for Carnival due to the cheaper price. They did not mention those that prefer Carnival like yourself.

Out to sea!, I think you have misunderstood what ronandanette was trying to say. I believe they were referring to those who have said they would prefer to cruise with another line but settled for Carnival due to the cheaper price. They did not mention those that prefer Carnival like yourself.

Thank you. Apparently I was having a little trouble communicating clearly.

How did you get free drinks?

Out to sea!, I think you have misunderstood what ronandanette was trying to say. I believe they were referring to those who have said they would prefer to cruise with another line but settled for Carnival due to the cheaper price. They did not mention those that prefer Carnival like yourself.

Thank you. Apparently I was having a little trouble communicating clearly.

Personally, I have never met someone who claimed this but I assume y'all have. Either way, thanks for clearing up the miscommunication.

I took advantage of a Single sale I upgraded to a Mini suite with the UBP I paid an extra 97.20 but saved 500

I live in NYC so when you add air and hotel for what I paid i would get only an inside on the glory for 7 days

And if you post this on the CCL board, you will get a totally different view. We just sailed the Sunshine, loved it - Well over 30 people in our group when all was said and done, 14-76 yrs old, all different economic and social backgrounds - ALL had a blast. NCL is charging more,and giving "free" booze. We went to live music every night on the Sunshine, great bands and solo acts. There is never a time when all things are equal in cruising - you will pay more for one over the other, and then think - was it worth it?

We thought carnival was cheaper too until we figured the cost of drinks into the equation compared ti the drink pkg ncl offers. We figured if myself and dh have 3 drinks each a day on the carnival our price is the same as ncl with the udp. Actually carnival would be more if we had 4 drinks. Plus i found ta's offer more incentives on ncl like obc compared to carnival