Coming from NCL to Carnival...tell me why I will love it!

[jollycruise]

Ok we have taken two NCL cruises and have another NCL cruise booked for November. My DH was admitted to the hospital several months ago and due to the hospital bills we decided to cancel our 9 day southern caribbean with NCL and shop around for a different cruise on either NCL or Carnival. NCL only has one we might want to do, but looking at the Carnival website there are several one's we like. So tell me why we would love Carnival. I am super excited to try a new line but I want to know why you love sailing carnival. We are in our 30's, laid back, like casual dining, doing things on our own and don't like schedules while on vacation. :D

[DarthGrady]

Ok we have taken two NCL cruises and have another NCL cruise booked for November. My DH was admitted to the hospital several months ago and due to the hospital bills we decided to cancel our 9 day southern caribbean with NCL and shop around for a different cruise on either NCL or Carnival. NCL only has one we might want to do, but looking at the Carnival website there are several one's we like. So tell me why we would love Carnival. I am super excited to try a new line but I want to know why you love sailing carnival. We are in our 30's, laid back, like casual dining, doing things on our own and don't like schedules while on vacation. :D

 

I enjoy CCL because they are almost always the best value, and I am very used to their product. Also, their Platinum perks for folks who have 10+ cruises with them are very nice. They also have more ships home ported at Tampa, Port Canaveral and Jacksonville which are all closer to my home than Miami or Lauderdale.

 

I think almost all CCL ships have anytime dining now as an option, so that should be familiar.

 

Other than that I would think most other things would be fairly similar. I have not done NCL yet, but I have been on RCI twice. The major lines seem to all function basically the same. The only major differences I saw between CCL and RCI was the ship layout and design. The food, service, rooms, and entertainment were all pretty comparable.

 

I'm sure some others who have done CCL and NCL will chime in soon.

[cupcake26]

Some will say different, but my parents went on a NCL cruise and they said the food was much better on carnival and there were a lot more activities to keep you going/people to talk to.

 

My dad is a stay on the boat guy, and he loves just chatting with the staff and meeting new people, he said on NCL he didn't get the same welcoming from staff that he does on CCL.

 

You'll love it for the value, I think you really get beyond your "moneys worth" as far as atmosphere, quality of food, entertainment and treatment when it comes to CCL.

[cruisemagnet]

Ok we have taken two NCL cruises and have another NCL cruise booked for November. My DH was admitted to the hospital several months ago and due to the hospital bills we decided to cancel our 9 day southern caribbean with NCL and shop around for a different cruise on either NCL or Carnival. NCL only has one we might want to do, but looking at the Carnival website there are several one's we like. So tell me why we would love Carnival. I am super excited to try a new line but I want to know why you love sailing carnival. We are in our 30's, laid back, like casual dining, doing things on our own and don't like schedules while on vacation. :D

 

Dear jollycruise- I think you will actually like Carnival more than you realize. NCL, RCCL, & Carnival are more alike than different. I love to cruise, and most of them have been with Carnival. But I have also sailed Disney, NCL, and Chandris Fantasy Cruises (way back when). My most recent NCL cruise was 2 years ago on the Pride of America out of Hawaii. While I like NCL, I find that their cabins are a little too small to my liking. Carnival has larger cabins, and the food is very good. On my Hawaii cruise with NCL there were quite a number of occasions when I had to say to myself "what were they thinking when they created this dish". Granted, Carnival is not Le Cordon Bleu, but I feel their food is a step above NCL's. Given that fact, I think you should give Carnival a try. As with any cruise, I always believe in going in with an open mind. Although most of my cruises have been with Carnival, I am also hoping to sail Princess and RCCL soon.

 

Whatever you decide, just remember to have a good time. It's your money and your time, so make the best of it! Don't let another persons negative attitude influence your enjoyment of life.

[Lib0007]

I just went on the 9 day southern NCL cruise and while I had a fabulous cruise, there were certain things that I missed about Carnival. First of all, the cabins are larger on Carnival. Then the waterslide . . . or the lack of one on NCL. The food - NCL has good food but Carnival has WAAAY more options on the menu and you don't get stuck having to eat at a pay restaurant because you are tired of the same menu each night with only a couple of specials. Nightlife . . NCL's was missing on our cruise - if you are into that, Carnival folks know how to party.

 

The only thing that was really the other way around was NCL hands down has better shows (dancing/singing) . . although Carnival's are enjoyable too. You'll love Carnival!!

[dommer573]

I think most people become attached to the first line they go with. Having said that, I think you'll like Carnival very much if you give it a fair chance.

[shellgoodman]

We have been on 12 cruises (all different lines) and last year we went on NCL for the first time to Alaska. We had some serious doubt as to whether we'd like NCL with freestyle dining.

 

The ship was gorgeous and the crew were always friendly. The food was superb in the 12 restaurants on board and mediocre in the dining room. We went to the Italian, Mexican, Sushi & Chinese, steakhouse, etc. For 4 of us it was only $200 extra for the entire week. Service was fantastic too. We ended up loving freestyle and made reservations or showed up to the restaurants when we wanted to. On formal nights, one MDR was formal and the other one was more laid back. Of course, you could go to any of the other restaurants on board those nights too. Personally, I am not a big fan of formal nights after running around all day. Basically, not only do I have myself to get ready but both my girls which by the time I'm done, I'm in a sweat. We used to do the tux and dress when we were first married but now with the kids, it is just more work for me.

 

The NCL kids club was ok and I think that Carnival is better. The party atmosphere is better on Carnival but of course, a cruise to Alaska is more laid back and different. We couldn't sit around the pool and were disappointed that they didn't "close a roof" (ok I'm from Dallas!) to swim.

 

When I look at the square footage between Carnival and NCL, it appears that NCL's room was a little bit bigger. We had a family suite (gloried Balcony and not sure why they call it a suite) and now we are booked for an extended balcony on the Legend.

 

It will be interesting to see if we will love the "old style" of cruising when we go on the Legend next month. Tried to find an NCL to the Caribbean this summer and there wasn't one. This will be our fifth Carnival and it will certainly be interesting for us to compare again. I know that we will have a blast. Our family is so busy all the time that we need downtime to reconnect and laugh!

[jollycruise]

Thanks for the responses so far! It really does seem like it will be a good fit for us. We love cruising and never let the little things get to us. I do have a question on the dining. We are used to anytime dining where we can either make reservations at a specialty restaurant or eat in the main dining rooms whenever we like. We don't dress formally except I will wear one sexy dress for a romantic dnner on each cruise. How has your dining experience been on CCL? My one reason for cruising is some alone time with my DH. I don't like the idea of sitting at a large table with strangers. We've been married for almost 18 years, but I still love one on one romantic dinners with a little footsie under the table ;).

[scchasgal]

Thanks for the responses so far! It really does seem like it will be a good fit for us. We love cruising and never let the little things get to us. I do have a question on the dining. We are used to anytime dining where we can either make reservations at a specialty restaurant or eat in the main dining rooms whenever we like. We don't dress formally except I will wear one sexy dress for a romantic dnner on each cruise. How has your dining experience been on CCL? My one reason for cruising is some alone time with my DH. I don't like the idea of sitting at a large table with strangers. We've been married for almost 18 years, but I still love one on one romantic dinners with a little footsie under the table ;).

 

We have about a 50/50 split between NCL and Carnival. Since you like to eat when you want I suggest booking on a Carnival with your time dining. You need to sign up for it when you book your cruise and then you show up to a specific main dining room between 545 pm and 930 pm. Some ships also have a specialty restaurant but not like the choice of NCL - just a steakhouse.

Most of the tables for your time dining are tables for two.

[jollycruise]

We have about a 50/50 split between NCL and Carnival. Since you like to eat when you want I suggest booking on a Carnival with your time dining. You need to sign up for it when you book your cruise and then you show up to a specific main dining room between 545 pm and 930 pm. Some ships also have a specialty restaurant but not like the choice of NCL - just a steakhouse.

Most of the tables for your time dining are tables for two.

 

Great, thanks for the info! Sounds perfect :D

[sunshine002]

Thanks for the responses so far! It really does seem like it will be a good fit for us. We love cruising and never let the little things get to us. I do have a question on the dining. We are used to anytime dining where we can either make reservations at a specialty restaurant or eat in the main dining rooms whenever we like. We don't dress formally except I will wear one sexy dress for a romantic dnner on each cruise. How has your dining experience been on CCL? My one reason for cruising is some alone time with my DH. I don't like the idea of sitting at a large table with strangers. We've been married for almost 18 years, but I still love one on one romantic dinners with a little footsie under the table ;).

 

If you don;t like to dress up for dinner CCL is perfect for you, casual is the word. For fine dining a number of the ships (you can check before hand) that have a steak house that has wonderful food. You can make a reservation and see a sample menu at the carnival site. If you want a table for 2 request it, and if you don't get it by all means see the maître d' about having it changed. I enjoy the food (too much) lots of choices.

 

I as others have mentioned the cabin size is never small and the beds are amazing as good as any in a 5 star hotel. I have not been NCL but have done 9 cruises on carnival and cruised with Celebrity and RCI.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[steveaaaaa]

Ok we have taken two NCL cruises and have another NCL cruise booked for November. My DH was admitted to the hospital several months ago and due to the hospital bills we decided to cancel our 9 day southern caribbean with NCL and shop around for a different cruise on either NCL or Carnival. NCL only has one we might want to do, but looking at the Carnival website there are several one's we like. So tell me why we would love Carnival. I am super excited to try a new line but I want to know why you love sailing carnival. We are in our 30's, laid back, like casual dining, doing things on our own and don't like schedules while on vacation. :D

 

 

They are the Walmart:) of the sea's cruiseline.They offer a decent product at a decent price for the masses.My cruise last year was on the NCL for the 2nd time and it was a great time.But.....CCL has the best prices!!

 

Steve

[Warm Breezes]

We preferred Carnival's food over NCL. We will be trying anytime dining on our next cruise, we loved the freestyle on NCL so we hope it will compare. The layout of the inside room for 4 was better on Carnival. We preferred the shows on NCL and service was good on both.