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


SmoothFlying
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Interesting comments here. We will be on Magic in November with a group of 12. Our first Carnival cruise in 15 years and our 65th cruise overall on 17 different lines. We've done everything from interiors to suites, depending upon where we wanted to go, what was available and how much $$ we had to play with. We did several CCL cruises over a 2 year period. On each cruise we encountered some serious issues with people and alcohol and yup, we walked over the guy in the cabin next to us passed out every night on our last one. That was it, couldn't get my husband anywhere CCL. I have found with each passing year people are ruder. But then I see the same thing off a ship also. We have become a society that has become quite self-absorbed, sad. I will also say, I have seen and also experienced a surprising amount of anamosity toward people based on cabin preferences. We had a couple get up and leave a table a couple of weeks ago when they saw our cabin card, they didn't want to socialize with us "snobs" in a suite. So it plays both ways people. I myself am curious to see the changes on CCL. I'm going into it open minded so will see how it goes. Personally I believe every line has a personality of their own and each ship is a little quirky. Like cars, Chevy, Cadillac, GMC, same parent but very different personalities. Be honest about what you want, what you can afford and you'll be fine. Promise to come back and give you my honest thoughts. Happy Sailing everyone.

Edited by nhsails
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Here's my thought: I travel on carnival rccl princess and ncl. Only on Carnival have I seen people wearing their bathrobes in the mdr at night. Only on Carnival have I seen children sitting with their parents on the lido deck buffet taking the yokes out of hard boiled eggs and rolling them across the table and when they would fall on the floor the kids would squish them. Only on Carnival have I seen women and men wear wife beaters to the mdr for dinner. So for me I see more people who dont know how to act in public than I do on any other lines.

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Never been on Disney but I was saying Disney is the only line that I can see myself paying extra for since they are actually offering something different.

I preferred Royal to Disney, there was more to do. I didn't care for the evening flea market royal set up in the promenade. The Disney kids clubs were better, food was bad on both but at least the rccl dining was flexible.
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On my one and only RCL cruise the cruise director referred to Carnival as the Walmart cruise line. It was our first cruise and we really didn't get the joke. But went on Carnival our 2nd cruise and have never been back on Royal. We are now platinum on Carnival. We do like Princess too. Totally different atmosphere than Carnival but now we sail both depending on what we are up for.

 

 

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It's very similar to people's preferences with cars. Some wouldn't be caught dead in a Ford, Chevy, or any other American car. They insist on paying triple the price for a high end luxury brand vehicle when there's some really really nice Fords and Chevy's with all the bells and whistles the other brands have but without the price tag. And it's the same with department stores and clothes. They've got to have that high end name brand stuff when there's comparable things at a fraction of the price elsewhere. Btw, I'm not a spendthrift and I do have some nice high end name brand things. But I always watch for sales and I'm balanced in this area. Some are not lol. [emoji4]

 

Many of these cruisers that put down Carnival have never set foot on a Carnival ship and never will. They are convinced that the higher end luxury ships are much better because of the higher cost and it's being a luxury brand. This is not always true.

 

We've cruised on Princess, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Carnival. We only do 7 day or longer cruises so maybe that makes a difference in your experience. I had heard the others were a cut above Carnival but I found that to be untrue. They were far more alike than I expected. We decided to just stick with Carnival and save the extra cash for drinks, the spa, and excursions. [emoji484][emoji6]

 

 

Agree. Carnival and Royal are pretty much the same to us. But Carnival is a better value. That is why we have sailed mostly with Carnival. Princess however is a step above but more of a subdued atmosphere. Which we like now that we are getting older. The food on Princess blows both Royal and Carnival away. I think the food on Carnival is superior to Royal also. Guys Burger is fantastic and free where as Royal has Johnny Rockets as a pay venue and isn't that great. Plus Carnivals other food options are better also.

 

 

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Here’s my twopenneth worth. I’ve been on 6 CC, 6 RCL, 5 NCL and 1 P. Had a great time on just about each and every one. All ships have their own personalities, and that’s how it should be.

CC was our 1st cruise line and a lot of that was down to affordability (Cheapness). Nothing wrong with that, we were with the family and that’s how times were. However by our last CC cruise (Glory) we’d had enough. Our 1st cruise after CC was RCL and we thought the food and entertainment at that time were not up to CC, However we enjoyed our cruise experience more.

I think I can point out the reason why when reading these posts. The majority of favourable posts talk about cheapness, not value for money but cheapness. Now there are cheap people on all the lines I have cruised on, but there are more and they are more apparent on CC. I’ve never seen as many squabbles in a line for something that is free, I’ve never seen as much greed because “I’ve paid for it so I’m going to have it”, and I’ve never been to a restaurant on dry land where people think it is OK to wear bikinis, pyjamas or bath robes. And I’ve never seen as many people shouting at guest services because they (apparently) were never told that gratuities were not included in the cruise and needed to be paid as an extra.

As others have said there is a lot in common between the major mass market cruise lines but for me CC loses out because of the cheapness of some.

 

 

If that makes me a snob I'll stand that.

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One word, Diversity.

I was taken back when I sailed the Allure last year as it had to be 99.5% Caucasian. No flames please , it's just what noticed.

 

It is very sad that people look down upon Carnival because of the ethnic makeup of the passengers. Newsflash: idiots come in all shapes, sizes and colors. On NCL Epic and Getaway, we were very far from being the only black family...and NCL doesn't have the same "Walmart of the Seas" stigma (though it is still a budget cruise line). I guess we should think again before we book the Crystal cruise that we are looking into for next year. Don't want to be personally responsible for bringing their brand down by being on one of their ships, resulting in others branding Crystal the Kmart of the Seas because of our presence. lol

 

I love NCL but have booked a few upcoming cruises on Carnival because of the ports of call and departure ports and price. I usually cruise for the ports, not necessarily the ship (except for our upcoming Disney cruise where we only chose it to see what the Disney cruising experience is all about). After reading this thread, I am a bit leery about Carnival but we go into every vacation with an open mind and make the most of it.

 

We travel a lot and, to be honest, I used to refuse to even look into cruising because I thought cruises were "tacky". My parents convinced me and my children to join them on a Western Med cruise in 2015 and I was hooked. It was completely different than what I thought it would be. Definitely taught me a lesson. I agree with previous posters, that many of the people that speak poorly about Carnival probably have never sailed Carnival and are being judgmental without having had personal experiences, just like I was about cruising in general.

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So many words in this thread that won't change anyone's opinion of Carnival.

 

Love 'em or hate 'em, folks enjoy sailing with them. In the morning, in the evenIng, ain't we got fun!

 

 

I think this is right. Carnival prides itself on the fun ship thing. There are many people out there that are into cruises for "elegance" and not "fun".

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I think to get honest answers you would need to post in other cruise line forums instead of Carnivals simply because your asking Carnival fans .

I also think people don't speak the truth on the

"diversity " as they don't want to be labeled racist.

Just an FYI I wasn't pointing at any particular race with my comment.

I enjoy Carnival obviously as I've mostly cruised with them and have an upcoming cruise on Glory.

 

I do think the Allure was better than any Carnival ship I've been on based on service and amenities but don't know if it's like that on the entire fleet.

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Unfortunately, those that could an answer to the OP's question will either never see the question or are wise enough not to answer.

 

By the way, Carnival, RCCL and NCL are all basically in the same category of "starter" cruise lines.

Some cruisers will always be happy in that experience category while other will branch out.

 

It is those that have branched out and found something different that could answer the question, but will also know better then doing so.

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Here’s my twopenneth worth. I’ve been on 6 CC, 6 RCL, 5 NCL and 1 P. Had a great time on just about each and every one. All ships have their own personalities, and that’s how it should be.

CC was our 1st cruise line and a lot of that was down to affordability (Cheapness). Nothing wrong with that, we were with the family and that’s how times were. However by our last CC cruise (Glory) we’d had enough. Our 1st cruise after CC was RCL and we thought the food and entertainment at that time were not up to CC, However we enjoyed our cruise experience more.

I think I can point out the reason why when reading these posts. The majority of favourable posts talk about cheapness, not value for money but cheapness. Now there are cheap people on all the lines I have cruised on, but there are more and they are more apparent on CC. I’ve never seen as many squabbles in a line for something that is free, I’ve never seen as much greed because “I’ve paid for it so I’m going to have it”, and I’ve never been to a restaurant on dry land where people think it is OK to wear bikinis, pyjamas or bath robes. And I’ve never seen as many people shouting at guest services because they (apparently) were never told that gratuities were not included in the cruise and needed to be paid as an extra.

As others have said there is a lot in common between the major mass market cruise lines but for me CC loses out because of the cheapness of some.

 

 

If that makes me a snob I'll stand that.

 

 

I agree with what you say. While never having been on a Carnival cruise they have a reputation, right or wrong, which just turns me off from trying them. Reputations and perceptions are very hard to change and take a long time to be forgotten.

 

We have sailed on a lot of HAL cruises and their reputation is old and slow. Can't argue with that but it's slowly migrating to a more mid aged demographic. Carnival is the fun ships. Ads and sales material reinforce that. While HAL put up relaxing and ambiance pics and words on theirs. One better or worse than the other? Nope, just different.

 

Every cruise line has their cheer leaders. In comparing cruises of similar length, ports and cabin HAL and RCCL are not much more than Carnival for me. So for those that love Carnival I'm happy for you and hope you have a great cruise.

 

I will say the Carnival boards are the most fun to read. ;)

 

Dan

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I don't think it is "cruise snobs", but if people have never cruised Carnival and come on this board and read daily numerous threads on Cheers and T-Rex costumes, it might definitely steer them to another cruise line.

 

 

And the negative posts by people who either haven't sailed on Carnival in years or have never sailed Carnival period but think they know everything about Carnival (from hearsay) doesn't help.

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And the negative posts by people who either haven't sailed on Carnival in years or have never sailed Carnival period but think they know everything about Carnival (from hearsay) doesn't help.

 

 

Gotta love those "Ive never sailed Carnival but" posts for sure :rolleyes: Ive only been on two Carnival cruises so maybe i just havent been around long enough to experience all the debauchery but I can tell you for sure that every single thing the anti Carnival Royal Caribbean fans are whining about, Ive experienced on Royal Caribbean too. People wearing robes to the MDR, drunks puking in the hallway, fights, yelling at Guest Services, you name it so that is why I wont hesitate to call someone out who thinks because they sail on RC them and their cruiseline is superior.

Edited by ryano
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Gotta love those "Ive never sailed Carnival but" posts for sure :rolleyes: Ive only been on two Carnival cruises so maybe i just havent been around long enough to experience all the debauchery but I can tell you for sure that every single thing the anti Carnival Royal Caribbean fans are whining about, Ive experienced on Royal Caribbean too. People wearing robes to the MDR, drunks puking in the hallway, fights, yelling at Guest Services, you name it so that is why I wont hesitate to call someone out who thinks because they sail on RC them and their cruiseline is superior.

 

I completely agree and I'd also throw NCL into that too.

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Gotta love those "Ive never sailed Carnival but" posts for sure :rolleyes: Ive only been on two Carnival cruises so maybe i just havent been around long enough to experience all the debauchery but I can tell you for sure that every single thing the anti Carnival Royal Caribbean fans are whining about, Ive experienced on Royal Caribbean too. People wearing robes to the MDR, drunks puking in the hallway, fights, yelling at Guest Services, you name it so that is why I wont hesitate to call someone out who thinks because they sail on RC them and their cruiseline is superior.

 

 

This isn't exactly an endorsement of Carnival.

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This isn't exactly an endorsement of Carnival.

 

 

And? it's not our job to endorse anyone. We're simply relaying our experiences, not attempting to endorse anyone. I have no desire to sell anyone on any cruise line (or anything else). Whether you or anyone else decides to follow in my footsteps is up to you and it doesn't matter to me which way you go.

 

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Carnival Corporation ships outsell Royal Caribbean or NCL every single day and hope that continues many years into the future.

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You have those that never sailed carnivals giving an opinion. You also have those that have ONLY sailed Carnival giving an opinion. In my mind, neither have a valid opinion comparatively speaking. You can't say if Carnival isn't the Wal Mart of cruising if you've never sailed anything else ......

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You have those that never sailed carnivals giving an opinion. You also have those that have ONLY sailed Carnival giving an opinion. In my mind, neither have a valid opinion comparatively speaking. You can't say if Carnival isn't the Wal Mart of cruising if you've never sailed anything else ......

 

 

People keep saying "Walmart of the Seas" as if it's a bad thing. Both CCL and Walmart are industry leaders. To me and my stock, that's a good thing.

 

BTW, for perspective, I have sailed CCL, RCCL, Princess, HAL, NCL, and the US Navy. Carnival still takes the win in my book and my wallet is happy for it. :D

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