Introverts + Carnival = ?Mistake?

[ATL2LAS]

I think that despite being introverts, you and your family will enjoy yourselves. The Fantasy Class ships are large enough to have some intimate areas that you can escape to and large enough that you won't feel closed in. With Carnival having your time dining in the mix, you can get that table for two if you want. The great thing about cruising is that you can choose to join in or do your own thing. This is not summer camp where everyone has to. This is your vacation, relax, explore and reconnect.

[asmith19]

May I asked why you chose Carnival? We've done 25+ cruises with all the major line and have things we like about each. Carnival is know for a somewhat "partytime" atmosphere. It's kind of the equivalent of saying "Hey, we are young, wild and crazy and love to party until midnight with the loudest crowd around - will we have fun?" - and then booking Holland America.

 

Budget was the factor...we live in Charleston and Carnival is the only cruise line that departs from here. While we have good jobs, the economy has had its impact and I jumped at an inexpensive vacation.:o

 

Thanks for your response.

[asmith19]

My husband are EXTEMELY anti-social and took the kids on a Carnival cruise about 9 years ago. I couldn't get off that boat fast enough. If I could have, I would have swam ashore.

 

The lounge chairs TOUCHING each other, the loud constant "blah blah rah rah" nonsence over the PA system; I really don't want to see or hear about the hairiest chest contest or the best belly flop, thank you. We could not escape until we discovered the deck for 'optional clothing'.

 

We spent ALL of our time, fully clothed, on the optional clothing deck where there were maybe 4 other FULLY CLOTHED people (our kids were in camp). It didn't have the best view and was a little noisy with the smoke stacks, but I was AWAY from the hoards of people who insisted on invading my space.

 

Fast forward to today and we went on a Silversea cruise at the end of September...felt like we were the only ones of the ship, NEVER had to share a table when eating and plenty of spaces to be without ANYONE encrouching on my space. LOVED IT!

 

Hope you manage ok...do you have a balcony at least?

 

Yep, that's my fear!

 

And, no, no balcony...I went for a cheap vacation.:o

[asmith19]

I am a Myers-Briggs INTJ in fact as far to the right as the classification goes . Ihave been on 60+(4 this year) cruises and am looking forward to the next one. Meet new people if you want to ...or don't if you do not.

Please go and have fun maybe, we will pass in the night.

 

I'm an INTJ also! That gives me some hope, especially after the prior post!

 

Thanks to EVERYONE for their responses!

[mistergq]

Cruises are what you make of it. If you want to socialize, you can. You want to stay to yourself, you can. I have cruised two carnival cruises and I have not found those cruising on Carnival any more friendlier than other cruise lines. Some people want to talk, others want to be left alone.

 

Don't worry about this. If you go into the cruise with expectation that everything will be okay, you will have a good time.

[Colorado Kat]

There are lots of things to entertain yourself with, even if you are introverted. I love to people-watch. Quite entertaining. Go to the Karaoke and sit back a bit. Fun. I love the piano bar. There are seats at the piano, but also seats at tables and benches a bit farther away.

 

I love to stroll the decks in the evening. The waves are mesmerizing.

 

The shows can be quite entertaining. Sit in the back, and you can leave if not to your liking.

[Goldmoon]

My husband and I are both distinctly introverted. We've booked a 5-night cruise on the Carnival Fantasy, and the more I read the more worried I become.

 

So much of what I read says the key to enjoying a cruise is "meeting new people." While introverts can very much enjoy meeting new people, it tires us and requires a good bit of recovery time. It's just the way we are built.

 

I'm scared that we'll end up watching movies in our cabin and ordering room service the whole trip. Can some cruise-experienced introverts reassure us that we won't be miserable, please??

 

I have been on the Fantasy when it was going out of New Orleans. I really liked the ship. I believe it had a serenity area which is quite nice and much quieter than the other areas of the ship, hot tubs, bar etc for adults only. Although there is a crowd at the shows and comedian shows, no one expects you to interact there unless you want to.. (someone might smile or say hi), otherwise you are left quite alone to enjoy the show.. but do not sit near the front at the comedian shows. They have a "tea" which is crowded sometimes and sometimes has no one there and quite enjoyable with piano music and beautiful service/deserts/teas. They have music areas that are quiet/loud/and inbetween, there will be one that should fit you ok. They have several bars that for some reason have very few people in there... and some that are very crowded. The casino is always crowded, but no one bothers you there either. The lido deck for breakfast or lunch you can sit alone as you wish.

The dining room, depending on what dining option you chose will be the different one. If you did anytime dining you can request a table for 2 every time you dine. YOu can also call and see if it is too late to change you seating assignment or try to change it when you get on board. You can also ask the maitr'd for a table for 2. There are many things on board for 2 people to do without being a "partier", there is putt putt, among many things offered, a library, art shows, kareoke you can watch and not have to participate in... the upper deck filled with chairs to watch the stars, and deck chairs out to watch .. so many things to do... have fun and dont worry

[ehfl]

What specifically would you like to do? If you don't want to be in your cabin, and you don't want to be around people, can you give us a hint about what it is you are interested in doing on vacation? You don't have to talk to others if you don't want, but if the presence of others is going to make you stay in the cabin, I'm not sure what your expectation is.

[gg418]

I am an introvert as is my husband but thank goodness for the group seating at dinner. At first, i was completely intimidated by sitting with unknowns but on both my previous cruises, the group seating made the cruise experience for me! My last cruise, my husband got ill the last nite, I went down to the dinner by myself and had the best time with my table mates!! Brought him back a nice doggie bag which he ate in the cabin. You might be surprised! My husband was shocked that I went by myself, so unlike me ;)

 

RCI Explorer of the Seas 9/2006

RCI Voyager of the Seas 11/2008

Louis Cruise Cristal: Splendours of Greece and Turkey 5/2011

[asmith19]

I am an introvert as is my husband but thank goodness for the group seating at dinner. At first, i was completely intimidated by sitting with unknowns but on both my previous cruises, the group seating made the cruise experience for me! My last cruise, my husband got ill the last nite, I went down to the dinner by myself and had the best time with my table mates!! Brought him back a nice doggie bag which he ate in the cabin. You might be surprised! My husband was shocked that I went by myself, so unlike me ;)

 

RCI Explorer of the Seas 9/2006

RCI Voyager of the Seas 11/2008

Louis Cruise Cristal: Splendours of Greece and Turkey 5/2011

 

Thanks!!

[DonMar]

While we are not introverts, we tend to "hide" on our cruises. We both work in fields that require us to deal with many, many people all day long. Cruising is our way of escaping - even on Carnival.

We do enjoy meeting the people in Roll Call and sharing the experience with them. We enjoy joining the excursions that are organized on the Roll Call (We had a dynamite group in the eastern Med last year!).

Yes, there are many people on a ship, but there are so many places that are quiet and have few people. We love our balcony to read and relax. There are places up on deck that are quiet and not crowded as well - you just have to look.

As for dining - we have had group seating and it was fine, but we usually ask for a table for 2. One of the best times for us is on formal night. While everyone is donning their fine attire, we are still in our bathing suits (and cover-ups) enjoying the buffet - almost to ourselves. It is one or two of the most relaxing and enjoyable evenings for us.

Remember - this is your cruise and you can participate in as much or as little as you want. There is always something to do - or not. Relax and enjoy.

[Karysa]

Most people have some type of "behavioral quirk or phobia" that they have to deal with. Mine is crowds. The first cruise that I went on was on the Voyager. I was "warned" about the crowds during the Marde gras parade along the promanade and staked out a place that wouldn't be too crowded. I stayed for as long as I could. It is good to step out of your comfort zone from time to time. there are many places to go on a ship to escape for a while. Keep a smile on your face and remember you are on the ship for the same reason as everyone else..to enjoy yourself, we just do this in different ways.

[Seabournboy]

I am no introvert but I do love my peace and quiet and a cruise is one way of achieving that. There is nothing wrong with some great R+R in your room and more so if you have a balcony where you can chill out. The room service breakfast is fantastic. Do a bit of both and you will have a blast. I have tried all spectrums of the cruise lines and Carnival is a lot of fun.

[mermaid72]

Carnival is noted for noise, & what many people consider fun. Loud music, contests for hairy chests, etc., long lines for meals, waiters that sing & dance at dinner, and many, many kids! Some of the entertainment is "adult", and they mean adult.

Consider another cruise line, maybe HAL for a quiet atmosphere, and not so loud people.

The passengers are older and enjoy a different sort of cruise.... restful!!

[asmith19]

We're back from our Carnival cruise, and I just wanted to post my impressions for future readers of the thread. The Lido deck was definitely the place where most of the "forced fun" happened, so we didn't spend much time there. We spent a lot of time on the sundeck behind the Waterworks, which was quiet because it was too cold for many people to want to use it. Plus, there were few kids on the trip due to school being in session, which cut down on the number of people/ families using that area. The Carnival channel on our cabin TV showed some of the events from the Universe Lounge, and in one instance I saw the Cruise Director, Risa Barnes, say that if you were selected to come on stage you couldn't refuse (*shudder*) which is exactly what we feared. We're glad we weren't there. But, that was just one time. We went to other shows/ events and had a nice time. We did Your Time Dining but never had to share a table...and we never asked for a table for two. We met several lovely couples who were friendly and who we saw daily, and all seemed to share our sense of "space" and privacy.

 

Thank you to everyone for your input before our cruise!

[Liz54]

I'm so glad to hear your report. I do have one question- Would you do another cruise???

[Marie51]

I tend to be an introvert' date=' but I do try to force myself to do things out of my comfort zone (like run for office in high school - ran unopposed so I ending up winning or doing standup comedy, where I met my future husband afterwards as he was in the audience). He had already been on a cruise and tends to be friendly, so that made it easier. As others have said, traditional dining at a big table can make it easier as there's enough people leading the conversation. Just be prepared to answer some basic questions that are pretty standard: Where are you from, What do you do for a living, Is this your first cruise? If anyone asks something more personal (like salary, religion, political stance), you don't have to answer. Just shrug and point to some of the food on the table and say "that looks delicious."

 

One thing to expect is that in the buffet, if you sit at a table with some chairs empty, don't be surprised if passengers come by and ask if they can sit with you. That's the cruising way. Also with breakfast and lunch in the main dining room, often seating is open, which means that when you show up at the door, you'll be taken to an available table and seated with other passengers.[/quote']

 

As for breakfast and lunch in the dining room with open seating, be aware that you can say that you would like to sit by yourselves and you will be seated alone. You do not have to be forced to sit with a table full of strangers if you don't care to. I've been doing this for 25 years and have never been refused a table by ourselves.

It's not that I'm unfriendly, but rather that at work I have to talk to strangers all day long and I don't care to do this on vacation too. It is not my idea of fun. I just want peace & quite. Cruising does not mean meeting new people; it means having fun in your own way.