I'm an idiot!!! I gave Carnival another chance.

[nonna5]

I have been on both lines and both ships you are comparing. I disagree with you completely. Each ship and line has their good and bad. I do believe a vacation is what you make of it also. I have never had a bad cruise in over 50 cruises on any line. As a matter of fact one thing Carnival does do better is seating solo cruisers at dinner with other solo cruisers.

 

I will continue to cruise all the cruise lines. Whichever cruise line can give me the cruise I want with the price I want to pay is the one I will cruise with. I am not loyal to any one cruise line.

 

Like your opinion this is just my opinion.

[time4u2go]

I guess that makes us a family of idiots. :( We like CCL.

[Cruzaholic41]

OMG!!! Did I make a BIG mistake. Having cruised on the Oasis last year, we decided to try the new Carnival ship, the Magic since we live 60 miles from her home port. Somebody please slap me upside the head.

 

SMACK!! Yes, you deserve that. Once on Dream was enough for me. I do not hate Carnival, but I can't stand Dream Class. That ship class is the poster child for Carnival's quantity not quality approach to cruising.

[Langley Cruisers]

Aww come on, you guys .... some of the posts are getting mean and feelings are being hurt. No one is an idiot. Each line has something to offer. Let's remain friendly and civil to one another and realize that ONE LINE does not suit everyone. It's like one car, one brand of beer, one delicious meal does not suit everyone. It's no different with cruising.

[albether7]

The atmosphere on Carnival ships seems to be like the atmosphere on the Carnival boards on here :eek: ooops, did I say that?

 

 

WOW...nothing like taking the high road.:rolleyes:

Hmmm......Something here sounds alot like "the pot calling the kettle black":rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

 

 

Al

[yj2cute]

Hmmmm, well, different strokes for different folks I guess. I've tried RCL, CCL and NCL and feel that CCL meets our needs the best.

 

I also feel that a cruise is what you want it to be. I would never allow someones children ruin a vacation or a bad meal. We try to pick our battles; overall Carnival comes up the winner with us! :)

 

While I may not allow someone's children to RUIN my vacation, they can certainly put a damper on it. If there are in a space where I am and completely destroy the tranquility, the only thing I can do is leave. But that does dampen my experience because I had to leave somewhere I WANTED to be. We shouldn't have to battle at all while on vacation.

[PhoenixDawgCruising]

I too was an IDIOT, in 2009...NEVER AGAIN, even if their bloody ship is only 25 minutes from my front door, it just isn't worth it!:eek::mad:

[Erik101]

I guess that makes us a family of idiots. :( We like CCL.

 

Um, you and your family are not idiots! Please keep in mind that the posts you are reading are a matter of opinion. If you read other cruise line reviews, whether it's Carnival, Norwegian or Celebrity, you'll find loyal cruisers on their lines who at one point have tried the RCI lines and swear they'll never go back to them. But it's okay because these cruisers are entitled to choice...just like you and I!

 

The bottom line is this: Did you and your family have fun regardless of the cruise line you booked? If the answer is yes, then I'd say you're a family of smarties! :)

[TahoeBob]

OMG!!! Did I make a BIG mistake. Having cruised on the Oasis last year, we decided to try the new Carnival ship, the Magic since we live 60 miles from her home port. Somebody please slap me upside the head.

 

Of course, there is no comparison. That being said, the Magic lacks in many, many areas. I had a better cruise experience on the Carnival Conquest in 2009 and I disliked that cruise too. The Magic was not a well run ship. The food, the service, the shows, the pools, the hot tubs were all lacking in one way or another. Kids ran amuck all week, completely taking over all pools & hot tubs. No adult pool, adult area was a joke, so were most of the shows. Seems like Carnival just wants to get you on board and hold you captive for the week.

 

Don't even get me started on the horrible buffet or so/so MDR food.:eek:

 

If Royal Caribbean had a Red Frog Pub and serves its own brand of good beer I'd be in heaven. I'll give Carnival credit for that. but that's all.

 

You'd have to tie me up and take me kicking & screaming back on ANY Carnival ship. I'm not going, EVER.

 

I'm sorry Royal Caribbean, I should have known better. Please forgive me.

Sorry but this one of the worst reviews I have ever read, not because you did not like carnival. All it was is a anti Carnival rant. Try giving facts next time, it will help.

[av8tr21]

WOW...nothing like taking the high road.:rolleyes:

Hmmm......Something here sounds alot like "the pot calling the kettle black":rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

 

 

Al

 

Just my opinion. Thanks for taking the time to let me know yours, I appreciate it :rolleyes:

[dixieva]

I'm taking my 4th Carnival cruise this fall. Most of my cruises are on RCI. I like both lines. The food on Carnival has been better than on any of the RCI ships I have been on. They have great pizza and great fish and chips every day.

 

The crew has always been wonderful on Carnival-no complaints there.

 

I plan on taking many more cruises on RCI, Carnival and any other cruise line that's going where I want to go.

[yj2cute]

Sorry but this one of the worst reviews I have ever read, not because you did not like carnival. All it was is a anti Carnival rant. Try giving facts next time, it will help.

 

I think it was meant to be a rant, not a review.

[dplusd]

OMG!!! Did I make a BIG mistake. Having cruised on the Oasis last year, we decided to try the new Carnival ship, the Magic since we live 60 miles from her home port. Somebody please slap me upside the head.

 

Of course, there is no comparison. That being said, the Magic lacks in many, many areas. I had a better cruise experience on the Carnival Conquest in 2009 and I disliked that cruise too. The Magic was not a well run ship. The food, the service, the shows, the pools, the hot tubs were all lacking in one way or another. Kids ran amuck all week, completely taking over all pools & hot tubs. No adult pool, adult area was a joke, so were most of the shows. Seems like Carnival just wants to get you on board and hold you captive for the week.

 

Don't even get me started on the horrible buffet or so/so MDR food.:eek:

 

If Royal Caribbean had a Red Frog Pub and serves its own brand of good beer I'd be in heaven. I'll give Carnival credit for that. but that's all.

 

You'd have to tie me up and take me kicking & screaming back on ANY Carnival ship. I'm not going, EVER.

 

I'm sorry Royal Caribbean, I should have known better. Please forgive me.

 

We just returned from our first Carnival cruise on the Triumph. We booked it at the last minute as a "bonus" cruise because we could drive to port and found a $339.00pp balcony guarantee. How bad could it be?

 

Well, it wasn't too bad...afterall we were on a cruise! Here is an abbreviated review for those RCL cruisers considering Carnival.

 

Ship layout and design: It's dark and tacky and the layout is not good.

 

Cabins: A little smaller than the Category D we book on Voyager class ships, but very plain decor and hated the floresent lighting in the cabin. Storage was good and bathroom comparable to RCL, except for the ugly pink vanity.

 

Food: We thought the food was excellent, actually better than RCL. MDR was very good. The buffet was better because of Chopstix (fresh stir fry), the Deli (fresh deli sandwiches like corned beef or a ruben) and the Pizza and Grill for fresh burgers and hot dogs in the aft section of the Lido. Great options for lunch!

 

Music: OMG...it is so loud everywhere. Even in the casino they have a live band playing. We struggled to find a quiet place to have a drink before dinner.

 

Pool deck: Pools are so plain and just plain ugly. They have a big screen TV, like Princess MUTS, and that was OK...but it usually is just playing Carnival commercials.

 

Fellow Cruisers: Not sure what to say here, but this is the probably the biggest reason we will never sail Carnival again. Enough said...

 

Embarkation and Debarkation: Excellent and without a doubt the best I have experienced.

 

It was a very inexpensive cruise and one I still enjoyed on many levels. I mean, I just love sitting on my balcony watching the sea go by and that's the same on any ship. But, I will not book Carnival for one of my few, planned cruise vacations again.

[BecciBoo]

O.K. that does it. Magic is off the list~have debated and debated and looked at the web site, but since you are telling me this I have made up my mind. After the debacle on Ecstacy, that's enough for me.

[Animal Rescue]

Hey, don't feel bad. Last year we tried the Carnival Miracle out of NY after having cruised Carnival many years ago and liked it. We tried Royal's Explorer as well and loved it.

 

I don't know what the Magic looked like but it had to have been better than the hideously ugly Miracle with very few activities, sub-par buffet and an adults arts and crafts session where there were red and blue construction paper and glue sticks. I kid you not. Guess they thought we were in third grade.

 

On the first night, we knew we made a terrible mistake and my husband said, "Book the Oasis". So I did. We go this summer and we know it'll be a HUGE step up.

[houstoncruisers2001]

I think it was meant to be a rant, not a review.

 

Don't worry I posted a review too.

[Cruzaholic41]

Sorry but this one of the worst reviews I have ever read, not because you did not like carnival. All it was is a anti Carnival rant. Try giving facts next time, it will help.

 

As usual, you just didn't get it. :rolleyes:

[jonbgd]

Don't worry I posted a review too.

Can you link it please

[dixieva]

I guess for some people the way a ship is decorated is important-it's not to us. I can deal with a pepto-bismal pink bathroom especially when the shower stall is larger than on RCI ships.

 

And we have never encountered "problem passengers" or rowdy children on any Carnival cruise. We do not cruise during spring break (on any cruise line!) and do not cruise during the summer months.

 

Just sayin'-I would never not try a cruise line based on someone else's opinion of that line. Some folks hate RCI, love Carnival and some the other way around. To each his own.

[houstoncruisers2001]

Can you link it please

 

It takes time to appear under cruise reviews. When it does, I'll link it.

[gapearl]

I say at least you had an open mind to try something different. As you can see from my signature, I'm a big fan of Carnival. I think what bugs me is when people bash Carnival having never set foot on a Carnival ship. I've been wanting to try Royal Caribbean for a long time, but their prices were always a lot more expensive for an itinerary I liked during the dates I needed in the past. I've been lurking here on the RC boards for a while and I can't wait to experience the Navigator for myself in a few months! I might be converted to Royal after this cruise, or I might say never again, or I might choose both. Nothing wrong with exploring and finding what's best for you and your vacation wants and needs. That's the good thing about having options. :)

[Esmerelda]

I have to ditto what the OP said. They couldn't pay me (or my family) to ever sail on Carnival again. Once we found RC, we've never looked back. Our first 3 cruises were on Carnival because at that time, we hadn't broadened our horizons. Carnival 'zero', RC was a 10 out of 10 (all of them!). :D

 

We aren't done with sailing different lines. We would also like to try Celebrity one day as well.

[CRUIS4ME]

OP - don't beat yourself up. Actually you did me a favor and reminded me of my stance - never again on Carnival. Thanks!

PS Not bashing the different ships, crews, etc...but the Corporation and systemic problems is why I say Carnival - never again.

[fungirl28]

I have been on one Carnival cruise and while I had a good time there were some things that stuck with me. The good: the price, the OV cabins were bigger, the MDR food was better. The So-so: the food in the buffet, the service from the room attendants(walked in twice without knocking), the layout ( had to walk through the buffet from the pools to get to the elevator(yuck). But what I remember most was that at the end of the cruise I found myself wishing I was on RCCL ship.

[Karen_N]

I have been on 4 Carnival cruises and just got off the Magic on Jan 8th. I loved the ship, had great service, and enjoyed the food. Even the Entertainment was on par with most RCL ships. Nothing compares with the Oasis and the Allure. The Carnival Cove balconies, not available on RCL, are the best design feature since the invention of sliced bread.

Just didn't like the havoc the fog played on both our embarkation and debarkation, but that is absolutely no ones fault but Mother Natures. She deserves a kick in the a@#.

 

I have been on 5 RC cruises, including the Allure and will be on the Oasis in March.

 

I think a cruise is what you make of it. I personally am not loyal to any line. Offer me a decent price, decent itinerary and I will likely jump on board, and have a great time. I have even sailed NCL, Princess, and Costa. Next year Celebrity Xpedition.