"Carnivaled out"...who to try next?

[Jenbo57]

We've been back a week from our third Carnival cruise. Previously I had really, really loved our Carnival cruises; this one -- meh. Beautiful, newer ship (Splendor), an itinerary we'd done before and really liked, but lots that we weren't expecting: so-so food, too many (800) kids, lackluster entertainment staff.

 

We're on Norwegian in Hawai'i in May; going to get back to the Caribbean late next year. Princess? RCL? Back to Celebrity? (We did HAL in June; not a fan!)

 

Any other former Carnival fans out there cruising with someone new?

[kdinkus1]

Our son loves RCL (traveled twice with them) and so do our friends from church. They have been on over 25 cruises (mostly with RCL) and continue to beg me to try it too. We have cruised with Princess (once) and didn't much care for it but to each his own. So... why not book on each? What do you have to lose (a cruise is great no matter what to me!)?

[GTO-Girl]

We've been back a week from our third Carnival cruise. Previously I had really, really loved our Carnival cruises; this one -- meh. Beautiful, newer ship (Splendor), an itinerary we'd done before and really liked, but lots that we weren't expecting: so-so food, too many (800) kids, lackluster entertainment staff.

 

We're on Norwegian in Hawai'i in May; going to get back to the Caribbean late next year. Princess? RCL? Back to Celebrity? (We did HAL in June; not a fan!)

 

Any other former Carnival fans out there cruising with someone new?

 

This is just my own experience so please no bashing from others. As you can see from my signature we have done mostly Carnival cruises. I like them and will have no problem going with them again.

 

We went on the Mariner of the Seas awhile back and we are booked on RCI Freedom of the Seas this coming May and we cannot wait. If you like Carnival I think you will love RCI. There's plenty to do and it has the same "fun" feeling, but with a little bit different twist.

 

We are in our mid 50's and just got off our first Princess cruise. It was a beautiful ship and the service was top notch but we will not be trying them again. We are not young, but we are not DEAD......we were B-O-R-E-D to death!!!!

 

Hope this helps somewhat...

[LiseD]

I posted a similar type question although I stated that Carnival was a bit "too fun" for us...we are in our 40's with teens but just felt a little like we were on spring break. We also didn't feel the food/service was as good as on past Carnival trips.....anyway...I had many great responses and here is the running total on my question of suggestions for other lines:

 

Princess -17 votes

Celebrity -16 votes

HAL- 13 votes

Disney- 5 votes

Royal Car. -2 votes

Cunard-1 vote

NCL-1 vote

Crystal-1 vote

[jmf123]

 

We went on the Mariner of the Seas awhile back and we are booked on RCI Freedom of the Seas this coming May and we cannot wait. If you like Carnival I think you will love RCI. There's plenty to do and it has the same "fun" feeling, but with a little bit different twist.

 

I was going to suggest Royal Caribbean...and I think you will enjoy the Freedom of the Seas video that someone just posted on an RC forum thread titled 'Awesome FOS video'. Or check it out here:

[rjm1cc]

I would suggest HAL but as you stated you are not a fan. You will get better answers if list the things you like or dislike, otherwise you will just get our favorts. HAL solves the kids problem but I guess you did not like their food.

[yogi2929]

We've been back a week from our third Carnival cruise. Previously I had really, really loved our Carnival cruises; this one -- meh. Beautiful, newer ship (Splendor), an itinerary we'd done before and really liked, but lots that we weren't expecting: so-so food, too many (800) kids, lackluster entertainment staff.

 

We're on Norwegian in Hawai'i in May; going to get back to the Caribbean late next year. Princess? RCL? Back to Celebrity? (We did HAL in June; not a fan!)

 

Any other former Carnival fans out there cruising with someone new?

 

Just to let you know Royal probably has just as many kids the third week in December as Carnival did.

[momofmeg]

I posted a similar type question although I stated that Carnival was a bit "too fun" for us...we are in our 40's with teens but just felt a little like we were on spring break. We also didn't feel the food/service was as good as on past Carnival trips.....anyway...I had many great responses and here is the running total on my question of suggestions for other lines:

 

Princess -17 votes

Celebrity -16 votes

HAL- 13 votes

Disney- 5 votes

Royal Car. -2 votes

Cunard-1 vote

NCL-1 vote

Crystal-1 vote

 

Actually theirs is a little different. They did not say Carnival was too "fun". They disliked the so-so food on their last cruise and the 800 kids on board.

 

So-so food? well Carnival is considered to have some of the best for the budget lines, so unless the OP goes with Celebrity or HAL, they will still probably find the so-so food. Some even say that about those 2 lines, but I have found their food better. I also found Princess's food a little better, but not a lot better than Carnival. RCI and NCL is not as good.

 

Too many kids? Stay away from Carnival ,RCI, NCL, and Disney.

[momofmeg]

Just to let you know Royal probably has just as many kids the third week in December as Carnival did.

 

LOL! Even HAL will that week!

[GTO-Girl]

I was going to suggest Royal Caribbean...and I think you will enjoy the Freedom of the Seas video that someone just posted on an RC forum thread titled 'Awesome FOS video'. Or check it out here:

 

This video is great!!! I booked marked in My Favorites so I can watch it whenever I want.

 

Thanks!!!

[GottaLuvCruising]

Princess gets my vote with some reservation...

 

We love the food, service, decor and entertainment on Princess. After a dozen terrific Carnival cruises, we have found that we prefer Princess. We strongly prefer Princess over NCL and slightly prefer it over RCI and Celebrity.

 

But I HATE Princess' uncovered balconies with their lack of privacy and shade. We sailed the Ruby Princess in a mini-suite with completely covered balcony and it was an enormous improvement over our balcony experiences. So if you are booking an inside or oceanview, no reservations! If you are booking a balcony, read carefully and check out pictures so you will know what you are getting.

[momofmeg]

We had a balcony on the Caribbean Princess, on the Aloha deck, and it was covered. I understand though, that there are balconies and mini suites both that have uncovered balconies. I would ask on the Princess board. I am sure someone there would know which balconies and minisuites are uncovered.

 

I do know the balconies on the Caribbean deck are twice the size, and only half of it is uncovered. many like to book these specifically so they can sunbathe, but still have shade when they want.

[NEW 2 CRUISIN]

We've been back a week from our third Carnival cruise. Previously I had really, really loved our Carnival cruises; this one -- meh. Beautiful, newer ship (Splendor), an itinerary we'd done before and really liked, but lots that we weren't expecting: so-so food, too many (800) kids, lackluster entertainment staff.

 

We're on Norwegian in Hawai'i in May; going to get back to the Caribbean late next year. Princess? RCL? Back to Celebrity? (We did HAL in June; not a fan!)

 

Any other former Carnival fans out there cruising with someone new?

 

We've been on NCL, RCI, Princess, and Disney and have our first Carnival Cruise scheduled for this Spring.

 

We've loved EVERY cruise we've taken so far, so cannot pick a true "favorite", though we have returned to NCL more because of the relaxed dress code and freestyle dining.

 

I'll throw in the suggestion of selecting your preferred ITINERARY and cruise dates first - that will help narrow down your choices considerably. The biggest benefit of doing it this way is that you'll be able to choose from specific SHIPS...not just cruiselines...and that is a whole different thing!

 

GOOD LUCK! :)

[GottaLuvCruising]

We had a balcony on the Caribbean Princess, on the Aloha deck, and it was covered. I understand though, that there are balconies and mini suites both that have uncovered balconies. I would ask on the Princess board. I am sure someone there would know which balconies and minisuites are uncovered.

 

I do know the balconies on the Caribbean deck are twice the size, and only half of it is uncovered. many like to book these specifically so they can sunbathe, but still have shade when they want.

 

I should have explained that the lack of privacy is my own and others. We did have a Caribe Deck balcony on one Princess cruise, but it being so open meant we were subjected to noise and smoke from nearby balconies. Almost as bad as that was the fact that our balcony looked down onto a couple decks of other balconies. It just isn't a good fit for us, but I do appreciate that it doesn't bother others.

 

Our covered, private mini-suite on the Emerald deck, looking down only onto water was a huge improvement.

[Traveler353]

I would like to do a Med cruise - but, not with a line that caters to Americans. Maybe Costa. Any other suggestions?

[jmf123]

I would like to do a Med cruise - but, not with a line that caters to Americans. Maybe Costa. Any other suggestions?

 

P & O Cruises sails out of Southampton much of the year, caters to the British, and offers Mediterranean cruises. You may want to check out Cruise Reviews here on CC to get an overview.

[Dr. Jack Daniels]

We found ourselves in the same predicament after 8 Carnival cruises. Never had a bad one but just started to feel stale. Knew all the ports, jokes, games, routines, etc....

 

After considerable research we decided to try NCL (booked on the Pearl). Royal was just too pricey for me. Especially since we travel during Presidents' Week. NCL's prices were better than Carnival's and the itinerary offered a couple of ports we have never visited.

 

Also, I love the idea of Freestyle cruising. We had open dining on our last Carnival cruise and loved it. No more rushing back from a shore excursion and having to get ready for a 6:00 dinner. I know NCL charges for some of the specialty restaurants so I have budgeted that cost in.

 

Plan on writing a review when I return.

[momofmeg]

We found ourselves in the same predicament after 8 Carnival cruises. Never had a bad one but just started to feel stale. Knew all the ports, jokes, games, routines, etc....

 

After considerable research we decided to try NCL (booked on the Pearl). Royal was just too pricey for me. Especially since we travel during Presidents' Week. NCL's prices were better than Carnival's and the itinerary offered a couple of ports we have never visited.

 

Also, I love the idea of Freestyle cruising. We had open dining on our last Carnival cruise and loved it. No more rushing back from a shore excursion and having to get ready for a 6:00 dinner. I know NCL charges for some of the specialty restaurants so I have budgeted that cost in.

 

Plan on writing a review when I return.

 

The Pearl is a nice ship and Cagneys is well worth the fee. There is also Mombos, and La Cucina, Mexican, and Italian. They are not as good, but they are also much less and definitely worth their lesser fee of $10.

[smc0320]

I too am curious of the responses you will see here. Did you go over Christmas or the week prior? ICurious because I've been told there aren't too many families traveling because of being in between those two holidays...and that is the only time period in which I've take my 3 cruises. But every cruise, this year was the Carnival Legend from 12/13-12/20, we've "heard" there were over 600 kids onboard....we never saw more than 20. Now, we did stay pretty much on the Adults-ONLY portion of the Lido Deck -- which was AWESOME!!! and we always do late dining -- but we never really saw that many kids. If I had to choose between KIDS and SCOOTER dodging, I'd pick kids though.

 

I don't think I would ever cruise over a holiday or during peak "family" vacation times because of the kid factor. Not that I mind kids, I mind their dysfunctional parents who let them go WILD all over the place because they are in vacation too but are too cheap to pay for the kids program. Oh, should I have said that? Do I need to get the popcorn started?

[Dr. Jack Daniels]

The Pearl is a nice ship and Cagneys is well worth the fee. There is also Mombos, and La Cucina, Mexican, and Italian. They are not as good, but they are also much less and definitely worth their lesser fee of $10.

 

Definitely going to Cagney's, Le Bistro and probably the Tex Mex restaurant.

 

I'm definitely partial to newer ships and the Pearl is one the NCL's newer ships. If I like it maybe I'll try the Epic next.

[Fredr]

I would like to do a Med cruise - but, not with a line that caters to Americans. Maybe Costa. Any other suggestions?

 

Hello,

 

Consider a cruise of the Med on Azamara. While Azamara is raising prices,you may be able to find a repositioning cruise that includes the Med at a reasonable price.

 

I suggest Azamara because the passengers on our Azamara Quest cruise were more interested in the travel aspects of the Far East cruise than the partying or socializing. You will note that their ships are highly rated in CC reviews. Worth a look.

[momofmeg]

Definitely going to Cagney's, Le Bistro and probably the Tex Mex restaurant.

 

I'm definitely partial to newer ships and the Pearl is one the NCL's newer ships. If I like it maybe I'll try the Epic next.

 

Le Bistro is also very good quality and well worth the $15 fee. I was amazed the fee was so little for the quality of food there. We also liked the food in the Summer Palace. I did like the Pearl, but I already know I am not a fan of big ships, so I am not interested in the Epic, but I would cruise the Pearl again.

[Jenbo57]

I too am curious of the responses you will see here. Did you go over Christmas or the week prior? ICurious because I've been told there aren't too many families traveling because of being in between those two holidays...and that is the only time period in which I've take my 3 cruises. But every cruise, this year was the Carnival Legend from 12/13-12/20, we've "heard" there were over 600 kids onboard....we never saw more than 20. Now, we did stay pretty much on the Adults-ONLY portion of the Lido Deck -- which was AWESOME!!! and we always do late dining -- but we never really saw that many kids. If I had to choose between KIDS and SCOOTER dodging, I'd pick kids though.

 

I don't think I would ever cruise over a holiday or during peak "family" vacation times because of the kid factor. Not that I mind kids, I mind their dysfunctional parents who let them go WILD all over the place because they are in vacation too but are too cheap to pay for the kids program. Oh, should I have said that? Do I need to get the popcorn started?

 

 

We went 12/13 - 12/20 -- 800 kids onboard! Too early for it to be Christmas vacation most places; what a lot of parents told me was that they'd taken their kids out of school early, or the kids were homeschooled so it didn't matter. In any event, much craziness, mainly from the 13 - 17 year old crowd!

 

We normally vacation in May and/or November; '09 was a little different for us, but we'll get back to that routine this year. Fewer kids to contend with whether it be a cruise or a land vacation!

[Jenbo57]

Thanks, everyone, for your comments and thoughts. I've realized that we're, first and foremost, itinerary cruisers, and Carnival's always had what we want, when we wanted it (and at a great price)! We'd like to do an 8 day Southern Caribbean out of Florida in November, and Carnival's the only line that has a sailing that meets that criteria! I think, though, that we'll do something else, just to give another line a try. We're on Norwegian in May; I think we'll look at Royal Caribbean for November.

 

I'm just thankful that we're able to take these great vacations! ;)

[Cruisin' Chick]

We've been back a week from our third Carnival cruise. Previously I had really, really loved our Carnival cruises; this one -- meh. Beautiful, newer ship (Splendor), an itinerary we'd done before and really liked, but lots that we weren't expecting: so-so food, too many (800) kids, lackluster entertainment staff.

 

We're on Norwegian in Hawai'i in May; going to get back to the Caribbean late next year. Princess? RCL? Back to Celebrity? (We did HAL in June; not a fan!)

 

Any other former Carnival fans out there cruising with someone new?

 

I went on six Carnival cruises (hubby seven) and then we got a discount on a Princess cruise through an employee. We loved it. Felt very comfortable with a different cruiseline and have done a couple more cruises with them, with the expectation of doing more.

 

One requirement for us, at least for a cruise of a week or more (and we intend to do longer ones), is a self-service laundry so we can pack less clothing (we don't want to use the ship's service as someone in our family is allergic to regular detergent).

 

Princess has a variety of activities during the day and different types of entertainment at night.