Stumbled upon a great review but ....

[bluesea777]

.... Carnival is NOT for us.

 

After several NCL cruises I was thinking of trying out different cruise lines but have been too scared to do anything about it.

 

Today I happened to stumble on this review by a young lady who recently went on a Carnival cruise. She wrote very well and put out excellent photos. She had a great cruise, yes, good for her. But as for the ship itself and the food .... I must say that review was a bit of an eye-opener for me.

 

Think we'll stay with NCL. So sorry, Carnival.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1645886

 

P.S. that ocean view cabin does look quite nice and spacious. And the soap and amentities!

[sdmike]

What about the review turned you off?

[vols_159]

Ive been thinking the same thing but Fixed dinning times formal nights... tablemates no band on the pool deck just a dj...

[S&S Cruisers 1983]

We have been on a few NCL cruises and thought we would try a Carnival to see what it was like. What a disappointment! We have decided that we will never do Carnival again.

[mickeysgal]

I'm not sure why the food or pictures of the food turned you off to Carnival. The poster (who did a nice pictoral review by the way), admitted pretty early on that she was a picky eater so maybe she picked the more sedate, plainer entrees. I wouldn't be so quick to rule them out. ;)

[spunkyhungry]

I loved my Carnival cruise! You shouldn't discount it until you tried it. Out of Carnival, Norwegian, and Princess, I thought Carnival had the best entertainment, best drinks, and was most affordable. I enjoyed the food, too. I would totally do a Carnival cruise again. And what's wrong with the food in the review? If the pictures don't appeal to you it's probably because you'd order different things.

[chill6x6]

What about the review turned you off?

 

I mean, REALLY?

 

I'm going to go ahead and tell you this time last year, I thought the same thing.... about NCL! Now admittedly I realize that was pretty close minded thinking on my part. But I never would have known that without trying.

 

Both cruise lines put on a pretty good cruise! ;)

[philatiger]

I'm with you SDMike.... thought the review was good, I didn't see anything that would have turned me off. The cabin was a nice size and I liked the decor. Ship looked good too.

 

We tend to favor NCL only because we book suites and love the perks. If other lines made their perks just as good we would probably venture out more often.

[runner15km]

Both cruise lines were fine with us. The food, cabins, staff and entertainment are comparable.

[xenagurl]

She did a really good job with her review, however I've sailed Carnival before so I know it doesn't suit me, but I'm glad that it suits some people, it's definitely nice to have options. :)

[mizLORInj]

I prefer to check the cruiselines out for myself and have had fabulous cruises every time on every line. I would sail any of them again.

[Tatka]

Well, Carnival does offer larger cabins. I believe they are largest in mass-market. But that's it for the advantages of Carnival over other companies.

 

If you want to try Carnival pick their 90K tons ships Miracle (out of NYC), Spirit, Pride or Legend. They are their better ships.

 

From our 4 times on NCL and 2 times on Carnival, overall experience is much better on NCL.

[sdmike]

I didn't say I disagreed with the OP's conclusion, I was just wondering what part of what she saw turned her off. :)

 

We tried carnival last year and didn't like it. Granted it was an older ship, but the decor, food, entertainment, etc. just wasn't for us.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Ive been thinking the same thing but Fixed dinning times formal nights... tablemates no band on the pool deck just a dj...

 

 

Your Time Dining allows you to go anytime you want, it's been a few years since they've had formal night (now they're "elegant nights" and much more relaxed), you can request your table size and with YTD you don't have to sit with others unless you want to. I'll give you the no band on the the Lido, but I never cared about that anyway. :o

 

Like a PP, I've had a negative opinion of NCL until recently but now I'm really looking forward to my first NCL cruise next year. We've had really good experiences on Carnival, but after 7 Carnival cruises, I'm ready to try something new. :D

[Mr305]

I would not write off a cruise line unless it was a total disaster. It's nice to give them all a try and from what I've read over the years, it all depends what ship you choose to go on. I'll be on Carnival Destiny come August, looking forward to it. My neighbor went on Epic and had mixed reviews, it's all about expectations.

[sparks1093]

I don't believe that I've ever let a review of anything convince me that I shouldn't try what the review was about, presupposing that it's something I want to try anyway.

 

And Quilting Cruiser, once you've experienced true Freestyle Dining you will realize that Your Time Dining is only a shadow;).

[spacepotatoes]

And Quilting Cruiser, once you've experienced true Freestyle Dining you will realize that Your Time Dining is only a shadow;).

 

My thoughts exactly :)

 

We tried our first Carnival cruise in January. Some reviews made us hesitant but we wanted to see for ourselves. We had a good time and would do it again, though we still prefer NCL.

[mickeysgal]

And Quilting Cruiser, once you've experienced true Freestyle Dining you will realize that Your Time Dining is only a shadow;).

 

I'll still take it...anything to not be tied down to the rigidity of a set dining time. Yuck!

[Cruzface]

Don't let the reviewers choices prevent you from trying Carnival. We like Carnival more than Royal. Hopefully, we will like NCL more than both. Carnival is a great value and the food is much better and more varied than those pictures show.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

 

And Quilting Cruiser, once you've experienced true Freestyle Dining you will realize that Your Time Dining is only a shadow;).

 

And, I'm very much looking forward to it! :D

[Zeno]

The ship looked fine to me - I liked their cabin and the adults only lounging area on deck.

Of course I prefer Freestyle dining etc.

 

Their food choices looked a bit uninteresting but edible (except the chicken tenders - but that's just me - I don't like them).

 

I would consider a Carnival cruise - IF the price was right and the ports appealed to me.