Celebrity Vs. Carnival

[pbrady]

I'm hoping we just had a bad experience on Carnival but things happened both times we tried. I wouldn't have tried the second time but the group we had and schedule - we had no real choice. I saw (to mention a couple things) a fist fight to draw blood in the hall, kids (like 10 or 12 yo) playing slots with their parents in the casino, an actual food fight across a table in the MDR, 2 guys halled off by security for drugs getting back on the ship in Cozumel, and way too many drunks for our taste ... You just wouldn't see any of this on Celebrity. That said, I do know people that love Carnival & love to party - then Carnival is for them. Isn't their motto something like Carnival - the Party Ship, or Fun Ship?

I do say the service & food on Celebrity was better, but the 'dos & donts' are much fewer on Carnival - dress code, smoking, bringing alcohol on board...

[kcruzgrl]

I don't think there is any comparison unless you totally want to party the whole time, then do Carnival. Otherwise, to sum it up, Carnival-tacky and neon, Celebrity-classy and beautiful. But both serve their purpose in the industry.

[Bridge Maven]

Aside from age of passengers and number of children, I don't think the demographics of Carnival and Celebrity are really that different, even though they may have been at one point in time.

 

Both cruise lines have a very diversified passenger base and attract people from all walks of life.

 

I have met a number of people with multiple advanced degrees on Carnival and some with just a high school degree on Celebrity. I have met some very classy people on Carnival and some who were obnoxiously loud and drunk on Celebrity.

 

A number of years ago our cruise critic roll call for a cruise on Century had an ongoing discussion about ways to smuggle liquor on the ship. My initial reaction was this was going to be very different than our other Celebrity cruises but fortunately these posters were not representative of the typical passenger on that ship.

[bighairtexan]

I have to agree w/ Bridge Maven and most of the other posters. I think many people who hate Carnival haven't cruised w/ them in a while (MANY not ALL... don't get any knickers in a twist). I prefer Celebrity but I think Carnival's MDR food is better and service is friendlier. Celebrity service is perhaps more professional and more willing to go out of their way to satisfy requests. I prefer some of the casual dining venues on Carnival (their Deli for instance) and the main buffet on the Solstice class is really varied and uncrowded. Beds.... slight nod to Carnival. Ambiance... HUGE nod to Celebrity. We've dined on Carnival with a couple who were both physicians, and others who were auto mechanics and day care workers (and yes a good auto mechanic is harder to find than a good doc sometimes). Same thing on Celebrity, though more retired passengers on Celebrity than on Carnival.

Carnival has younger median passengers and lots more families. Celebrity is a more sophisticated and has an older median passenger age.

 

And may I say I was shocked and relieved to see how little "Carnival bashing" went on with this thread. Celebrity and Princess are my favorites, but I've done 20 Carnival cruises and still consider them when it's time to book a cruise.

[amsp]

my personal nod goes to celebrity. that being said, i like the towel animals on carnival. stupid, little thing, but i really get a kick out of coming back from dinner to see who is keeping my teddy bear company (he's been traveling with me since 1986).

 

both have great food, really. celebrity has more of a french/continental influence, carnival more accessible. the molten lava cake is to die for on carnival, but for breakfast, almond and chocolate croissants from cova on celebrity.

 

if you are an avid non-smoker - hands down celebrity!!

[parrothead74]

I would suggest a 7 night Solstice class cruise to get the most out of Celebrity and to sail with more younger cruisers.

IMO, comparing Solstice class to Carnival Liberty:

Carnival has better dining room food.

Buffets are both very good.

Celebrity has continental specialty dining and both offer steak houses.

The sun lounges on Celebrity are much more comfortable and there is plenty of room to lounge in the shade if desired.

Celebrity has a more upscale feel and finer service.

Celebrity is more relaxing and quiet.

Carnival has more vibrant late night life.

Carnival is too smokey.

Carnival has too many announcements throughout the day.

Celebrity passengers dress up more.

Celebrity passengers are less rowdy, although with these new Celebrity drink packages that might change.:D

 

That's a guaranteed change here Sharon!

[luvbluseas]

Looking a possibly doing an X cruise next, after doing two Carnival cruises. For anyone who has sailed both, please give me the pros vs. cons of the different lines. Thank you!

 

 

Simply said compare the Ritz-Carlton to the Days Inn. :D:D:D

 

I HIGHLY recommend booking Aqu Class if you can at all afford it. We booked it last summer, just to "give it a try", and as they say "we could never go back"! If for nothing else simply being able to dine in BLU. Book whichever dining time you like and after the first night they will tell you that you can dine at whatever time you like between when they open and close. It is toooo fabulous for words. We also took my mother-in-law and 2 grandchildren (10 & 12), my MIL usually does not appreciate good food, she had previously always said Carnival and thought the food was "lovely", and the children are pickey eaters, my DH and I love 5 star dining. My MIL was blown away and said she will never sail Carnival again! And our grandchildren did a great job of eating from the BLU menu instead of asking for "kids" food. Excellent, excellent service and food!

[ReelG8r]

We sailed on Carvnival and Celebrity within 40 days of each other last year. The little things Celebrity did were outstanding (champagne during embarkation, cold towels after the day off of the ship, evening cheese and crackers in the room). Also like the Premium drink package.

 

Carnival's MDR food was better than Celebrity. Going to Silk Harvest and Murano on Solstice was fantastic. Service for us was comparable. We don't require alot of attention, but on both ships, whenever we needed something for the room, the steward was usually around and we had it when we returned.

 

I think both were great and different. I look forward to trying other lines in the future, maybe one day I'll have a true favorite, but right now it's all about getting out of the office for some down time with my wife, family and friends.

[julia]

We sailed on Carvnival and Celebrity within 40 days of each other last year. The little things Celebrity did were outstanding (champagne during embarkation, cold towels after the day off of the ship, evening cheese and crackers in the room). Also like the Premium drink package.

 

Carnival's MDR food was better than Celebrity. Going to Silk Harvest and Murano on Solstice was fantastic. Service for us was comparable. We don't require alot of attention, but on both ships, whenever we needed something for the room, the steward was usually around and we had it when we returned.

 

I think both were great and different. I look forward to trying other lines in the future, maybe one day I'll have a true favorite, but right now it's all about getting out of the office for some down time with my wife, family and friends.

 

 

Agree with the above assessments!

 

We sailed on both lines within HOURS of one another (on a b2b). Yes, the atmosphere was very different. Both lines had their good points. We enjoyed the Solstice and would sail her again. Carnival's food (MDR, not buffet) was really REALLY good. One ship was elegant and one was butt ugly. Both had good service. Carnival has larger cabins. Celebrity has nice open spaces.

[bellebride116]

Thank you for this thread!!! I am in my mid 20s and my husband is in his early 30s. We have sailed Carnival in the past a few times, and while we liked it, there were a bunch of things on our last cruise with them that we didn't LOVE. We are excited to try Celebrity this summer. We want more relaxation, we aren't huge party people and want something a little more low key and more refined. We did like the food on Carnival and are hoping it's even better on Celebrity! The filet was our favorite the portion was TINY. We also hated the amount of announcements on Carnival and are hoping there are less on Celebrity. They woke us up sooo many times! And yeah, a hairy chest contest and stuff along those lines are just not our thing. We also aren't huge buffet people and ate in the dining room and ordered room service most of the time. I'm sure we can do the same on Celebrity. I hope we love it!

[cheezenip]

I just got off Celebrity's newest ship Eclipse which was my first Celebrity experience and here are a few quick observations:

 

(1) I agree with the posters that the criticisms of Carnival's food is no longer valid. The "variety" of food is greater on Celebrity but the "quality and execution" of the food in the main dining room is better on Carnival. One exception on the quality of food was the Aqua Spa Cafe on Celebrity's Eclipse which was truly outstanding and nothing on Carnival that I have experienced could compete.

 

(2) Overall service is superior on Celebrity than Carnival. It's more professional and refined.

 

(3) Evening entertainment on Carnival is vastly better than Celebrity.

 

(4) I prefer Carnival's cabins to Celebrity in terms of functionality; however, I love the shower on the Eclipse.

 

I'd gladly cruise either line understanding that both have their pros/cons.

 

(5) Celebrity's ship decor is more refined and elegant which is understandable since it is catering to an older crowd.

[cheezenip]

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[DarthGrady]

I like that Celebrity treats you more as a guest than a customer, if that makes sense.

 

Examples:

 

Champagne served as you board.

 

Your dinner reservations are delivered to your room on a card, instead of printed on your SeaPass (Sail and Sign).

 

You don't have to check out pool towels, they are on a rack and you simply take as needed.

 

The buffet was much nicer, more crew serving the food to you.

 

A nice covered stand at the gangway with water, juice and cold towels for guests returning from port.

 

No loud announcements in the cabin areas on the last morning.

 

Awesome breakfast in the main dining room.