Booked our first Carnival cruise... getting the feeling we've made a mistake!

[CanWeGoYet?]

My mom (in her 50s) and myself (20s) have been on 4 Royal Caribbean cruises and have loved them all. We've sailed on the Enchantment, Explorer, Jewel, and Oasis. What's important to us: service, mild-mannered guests, quiet cabin at night, and entertainment. We've yet to be disappointed on RCCL in any of these areas.

 

We wanted to try something different, so we've booked The Dream for April 13th. I'm getting the sinking feeling we've made a mistake...

 

Things I've read that are making me nervous include:

 

- Noisy Cabins (I am a VERY light sleeper. We've booked on Deck 7 which is supposed to be the "quietest". Rude guests who slam doors and talk loudly have never been a problem on RCCL).

- No calypso music around the pool? I thought this was "standard" for all cruises in the Caribbean. I love nothing more than sitting around the pool listening to the band.

- Quality Entertainment. Not being people to spend our nights at the disco, we enjoy a good show. Recent reports have really pointed out the lackluster entertainment on Carnival lately.

- Chair hogs. We have NEVER had an issue with chair hogs on RCCL. Even on the Oasis, with 6000 passengers, did we have an issue with this.

 

As someone who has greatly enjoyed RCCL, should I be bracing myself for disappointment on this ship??

 

I have to wonder if this is a troll post - as wonderful as RCCL may be I am pretty sure they have had maybe a couple instances of chair hogging or rowdy behavior. The worst instances of frat boy type stuff I've seen on you tube have been from RCCL passengers filming themselves.

 

If you have never had any problem whatsoever on this line & have all these fears about Carnival - why risk it? Stick with success. If this is a sincere question instead of trolling I think your preconceived notions of carnival will taint your cruise.

[terri910]

Point is, which is the more accurate, I go with.........."yes, you're going to hate everything" I agree that the carnival ships are ugy, food is just passable and the statement about the over-weight vegas showgirls is true! The shows on carnival leave a lot to be desired, and can only be enjoyed if you're big on seeing scantily clothed has-beens.

And did you know this before you cruised Carnival, or did you wait to decide for yourself? If you waited to form your own opinion, why not assume others are entitled to do the same? And, are any of those things subjective? What is "accurate" for you may not be "accurate" for someone else. Accurate would be saying how YOU felt, not how someone else will feel.

 

The OP has spent good money on a vacation. I think it takes a special kind of "ugy" help contribute to one second of worry about it.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

My mom (in her 50s) and myself (20s) have been on 4 Royal Caribbean cruises and have loved them all. We've sailed on the Enchantment, Explorer, Jewel, and Oasis. What's important to us: service, mild-mannered guests, quiet cabin at night, and entertainment. We've yet to be disappointed on RCCL in any of these areas.

 

We wanted to try something different, so we've booked The Dream for April 13th. I'm getting the sinking feeling we've made a mistake...

 

Things I've read that are making me nervous include:

 

- Noisy Cabins (I am a VERY light sleeper. We've booked on Deck 7 which is supposed to be the "quietest". Rude guests who slam doors and talk loudly have never been a problem on RCCL).

- No calypso music around the pool? I thought this was "standard" for all cruises in the Caribbean. I love nothing more than sitting around the pool listening to the band.

- Quality Entertainment. Not being people to spend our nights at the disco, we enjoy a good show. Recent reports have really pointed out the lackluster entertainment on Carnival lately.

- Chair hogs. We have NEVER had an issue with chair hogs on RCCL. Even on the Oasis, with 6000 passengers, did we have an issue with this.

 

As someone who has greatly enjoyed RCCL, should I be bracing myself for disappointment on this ship??

 

Isn't April 13 spring break? We are on the NCL Dawn on the 14th and you will be in Costa Maya with us.

 

That being said NCL has the drink program but canceled it for our week because it's spring break they said.

 

You'll have a different crowd on spring break and yes CCL only has 3-4 shows per 7 day cruise now unless you want to count shows put on by the pax.

 

And CCL has done away with the pool bands and replaced them with a DJ.

 

To put it in perspective you probably paid a lot less than an RCI cruise.

 

Bill

[CanWeGoYet?]

I'm trying to understand the comments about the dancers being "overweight" or has beens. I've seen the shows on every cruise I've ever taken, most of which have been on carnival. I can only recall seeing one dancer who looked noticeably heavy - this is after 8 cruises on carnival mind you.

 

I talk to the dancers, many of those I've met are in their 20s or some in their teens still - 18 or 19. Geez I think most of us can wish we were looking that fat or washed up. :rolleyes:

[cruiserguy11]

My mom (in her 50s) and myself (20s) have been on 4 Royal Caribbean cruises and have loved them all. We've sailed on the Enchantment, Explorer, Jewel, and Oasis. What's important to us: service, mild-mannered guests, quiet cabin at night, and entertainment. We've yet to be disappointed on RCCL in any of these areas.

 

We wanted to try something different, so we've booked The Dream for April 13th. I'm getting the sinking feeling we've made a mistake...

 

Things I've read that are making me nervous include:

 

- Noisy Cabins (I am a VERY light sleeper. We've booked on Deck 7 which is supposed to be the "quietest". Rude guests who slam doors and talk loudly have never been a problem on RCCL).

- No calypso music around the pool? I thought this was "standard" for all cruises in the Caribbean. I love nothing more than sitting around the pool listening to the band.

- Quality Entertainment. Not being people to spend our nights at the disco, we enjoy a good show. Recent reports have really pointed out the lackluster entertainment on Carnival lately.

- Chair hogs. We have NEVER had an issue with chair hogs on RCCL. Even on the Oasis, with 6000 passengers, did we have an issue with this.

 

As someone who has greatly enjoyed RCCL, should I be bracing myself for disappointment on this ship??

 

What's the worst that can happen? Not as good as your others, right. So what? You're still on a CRUISE. Enjoy it and if you don't like Carnival, get your mom to buy you a cruise on another line. She does buy your cruises, right?

[Pearlbodeen]

Our first four cruises were on Carnival and we loved those cruises, but decided to try other cruise lines to see what the big differences were. We kept hearing how bad Carnival was compared to RCCL & Princess. So we cruised twice on RCCL, and on Norwegian, MSC, and Princess. Of those cruises we were happiest with our Royal Caribbean cruises but still preferred Carnival so we cruised the Valor last year & are booked on back-to-back cruises on the Legend in 3 weeks. Don't care if we ever cruise anything but Carnival...love the atmosphere. Not like the stuffiness I felt on Princess! RCCL is my second favorite, but on our 11 night southern cruise on Jewel of the Seas at 11:30 PM, we couldn't find any live music anywhere on the ship. We are both 60 and aren't party people but we love Carnival & I think you will too!

[PaulMedik]

My mom (in her 50s) and myself (20s) have been on 4 Royal Caribbean cruises and have loved them all. We've sailed on the Enchantment, Explorer, Jewel, and Oasis. What's important to us: service, mild-mannered guests, quiet cabin at night, and entertainment. We've yet to be disappointed on RCCL in any of these areas.

 

We wanted to try something different, so we've booked The Dream for April 13th. I'm getting the sinking feeling we've made a mistake...

 

Things I've read that are making me nervous include:

 

- Noisy Cabins (I am a VERY light sleeper. We've booked on Deck 7 which is supposed to be the "quietest". Rude guests who slam doors and talk loudly have never been a problem on RCCL).

- No calypso music around the pool? I thought this was "standard" for all cruises in the Caribbean. I love nothing more than sitting around the pool listening to the band.

- Quality Entertainment. Not being people to spend our nights at the disco, we enjoy a good show. Recent reports have really pointed out the lackluster entertainment on Carnival lately.

- Chair hogs. We have NEVER had an issue with chair hogs on RCCL. Even on the Oasis, with 6000 passengers, did we have an issue with this.

 

As someone who has greatly enjoyed RCCL, should I be bracing myself for disappointment on this ship??

 

 

bellamour,

 

As others have stated, you are going to have the experience you expect to have if you are looking for specific negatives.

 

I've never noticed noisy poeple in the halls nor have I been bothered or noticed doors slamming. I have no doubt it happens and most likely it has happened around me on occasion and I simply didn't take note of it.

 

I can listen to whatever music I like whenever I like and the 'live' aspect of it while up on deck is irrelevant; I'm there for the 'at sea' perspective instead of the live band party atmosphere. When Carnival had live Calypso bands I glanced at them, but never really missed them.

 

Most of the reviews that I have read concerning the entertainment has been a lack of frequent changing of shows vs low show quality; in other words repeat cruisers like variety as opposed to the same shows. Being that it's your first Carnival cruise, you won't have an issue with having seen them before. At any given time there's some form of entertainment and in the evening hours there are multiple options to choose from.

 

Chair hogs are not unique to Carnival. You will encounter them and perhaps be annoyed at their sharing your cruise with you, but as long as you don't try and feed them you'll be OK. They only come out early in the morning and are always back in hiding by late afternoon so if you avoid their marked territory during those hours you'll have no issues. I should also note that their territorial markings normally have no foul odors like other breeds of wild animals.

 

Buy a week long pass to the Spa on Dream; it's worth every penny and you'll forget about Psyco-Calypso-chairhogophobia. :)

 

Bon Voyage!

[WetToes]

Others have already posted what I was thinking - Going with a negative attitude. Check!

Troll post. Check!

Spring break. Check!

If you ARE genuine OP - I really don't think you should book this cruise. I don't think it's for you and Mom. jmo

[RuthlessBoss]

Others have already posted what I was thinking - Going with a negative attitude. Check!

Troll post. Check!

Spring break. Check!

If you ARE genuine OP - I really don't think you should book this cruise. I don't think it's for you and Mom. jmo

And cancel before penalty time or change the date to later.

[fragilek]

My mom (in her 50s) and myself (20s) have been on 4 Royal Caribbean cruises and have loved them all. We've sailed on the Enchantment, Explorer, Jewel, and Oasis. What's important to us: service, mild-mannered guests, quiet cabin at night, and entertainment. We've yet to be disappointed on RCCL in any of these areas.

 

We wanted to try something different, so we've booked The Dream for April 13th. I'm getting the sinking feeling we've made a mistake...

 

Things I've read that are making me nervous include:

 

- Noisy Cabins (I am a VERY light sleeper. We've booked on Deck 7 which is supposed to be the "quietest". Rude guests who slam doors and talk loudly have never been a problem on RCCL).

- No calypso music around the pool? I thought this was "standard" for all cruises in the Caribbean. I love nothing more than sitting around the pool listening to the band.

- Quality Entertainment. Not being people to spend our nights at the disco, we enjoy a good show. Recent reports have really pointed out the lackluster entertainment on Carnival lately.

- Chair hogs. We have NEVER had an issue with chair hogs on RCCL. Even on the Oasis, with 6000 passengers, did we have an issue with this.

 

As someone who has greatly enjoyed RCCL, should I be bracing myself for disappointment on this ship??

 

if you look back at my posts you will see I was thinking the same way as you a few weeks ago. We are just back and we really enjoyed ourselves. I am reviewing the legend at the moment if you read that thread, you will see some of your concerns addressed.

[theaterjunkie1976]

I've never been on Royal Caribbean, so I have nothing to compare. I, too, think its all in the attitude. If you go expecting negative, then you'll probably not have a good time. If you go with a positive attitude, you may have a better experience.

 

As far as the shows are concerned, no they aren't Broadway quality, but the ones I've seen are high energy and fun. I enjoyed them. I've never seen any of the performers that I would consider an "overweight has-been." Most of them have been extremely young, fit and attractive. If they were considered overweight and "has-beens" then there's no hope for the rest of us, lol.

[MissMeggieMurphy]

i would have thought that the research into a cruise would have been done pre-booking not post. if you have booked with carnival there must have been something that enticed you other than different, maybe the port or the itinerary or the price.

 

if you were so satisfied and happy with rccl i wonder why you would switch, they have plenty of ships and plenty of ports and you could probably find something that fit your pocketbook since you seem to have done it 4 times before.

 

having cruised almost every major cruise line i can tell you that comparison gets you nowhere and only causes extreme frustration. find a fit, stick with it. variety is only good when someone doesn't judge by comparison but lets something stand on its own, imho.

[bellamour]

Thanks all for the constructive comments! I am a real person with real concerns!

 

To address some of the questions:

 

We booked with Carnival because we liked the itinerary and the dates worked well with airfare and my vacation time at work.

 

The things that I've read about the Dream I saw AFTER booking the cruise... thus the reason for my posting.

 

Spring Break. Aren't the vast majority of schools done with Spring Break by April 13th? I found some websites that list a lot of schools, and no school listed has Spring Break through April 20th. Most schools are off in March.

 

http://inertiatours.com/spring_break_dates.php

http://www.studentcity.com/blog/when-is-my-spring-break/

http://www.ststravel.com/college_spring_break/dates.php

 

Price. This will be our second most expensive cruise (only surpassed by the Oasis). So as one comment pointed out, we will be spending "good money" on this vacation, so of course we want to enjoy it!

[PAPERBKWRITER]

You won't be disappointed. In many ways RCL and Carnival are alike. Some people expect a Crystal or Seaborn experience for a Carnival price. Like RCCL Carnival bends over backwards to please you.

[michelle1836]

Go and have an great time!!!! :)

[LHP]

My mom (in her 50s) and myself (20s) have been on 4 Royal Caribbean cruises and have loved them all. We've sailed on the Enchantment, Explorer, Jewel, and Oasis. What's important to us: service, mild-mannered guests, quiet cabin at night, and entertainment. We've yet to be disappointed on RCCL in any of these areas.

 

We wanted to try something different, so we've booked The Dream for April 13th. I'm getting the sinking feeling we've made a mistake...

 

Things I've read that are making me nervous include:

 

- Noisy Cabins (I am a VERY light sleeper. We've booked on Deck 7 which is supposed to be the "quietest". Rude guests who slam doors and talk loudly have never been a problem on RCCL).

- No calypso music around the pool? I thought this was "standard" for all cruises in the Caribbean. I love nothing more than sitting around the pool listening to the band.

- Quality Entertainment. Not being people to spend our nights at the disco, we enjoy a good show. Recent reports have really pointed out the lackluster entertainment on Carnival lately.

- Chair hogs. We have NEVER had an issue with chair hogs on RCCL. Even on the Oasis, with 6000 passengers, did we have an issue with this.

 

As someone who has greatly enjoyed RCCL, should I be bracing myself for disappointment on this ship??

 

Yes, you will experience all of this on Carnival....cancel your cruise...

 

If it isn't broken, don't fix it..... you are happy with RCCL, since RCCL never has any rude or noisy guests on it and never has any chair hogs... (since this is important to you) you need to stay with them.

[fragilek]

You won't be disappointed. In many ways RCL and Carnival are alike. Some people expect a Crystal or Seaborn experience for a Carnival price. Like RCCL Carnival bends over backwards to please you.

 

I don't understand the price comments, I got them when I asked similar questions as the op. For us when we booked, rccl and ncl would have been cheaper for our Nye cruise and ccl was just a total of $250 less (total for all 4 of us ) than Holland america. I have checked again for us to do a similar cruise for Nye 2013 and again ncl and rccl would work out a good bit less. We chose ccl because our travel agent had said she thought it was the best for our teen girls. then like the op we read stuff on here that made us also question or choice. I got the same rude comments about how we were just going to go looking for issues. We are not the type that would ever do that. Due to major health issues with our kids we KNOW what is important and have learned to make the best out of any situation, so I was quite offended by the acquisition made at me by others, on here.

And just to prove the point we all really enjoyed our time on the legend.

 

Sorry about the quote I wasn't aiming the above at you . I just trying out my new . kindle and I am not used to the buttons yet. I just meant to reply not quote

[yank268]

Bellamour,

 

I have only cruised on Carnival. Just last year 4 times. Carnival has its ups and downs. If you go with an open mind you will absolutely find more positives than negatives. Personally I do not like the shows so I find something else to do. You always have options on a CCL ship to do something else. If you do not like a meal you tell your waiter they will get you something else. I have never been on the Dream but have been on Magic and Breeze both sister ships of the Dream. I will tell you if you have a connecting door, you should switch rooms. Other than that you should be perfectly fine on deck 7. You will only notice the hogging of chairs very close to the pool go a few rows back you will be fine.

 

If you think positive the whole experience will be well worth it and you will have an absolute great time. Don't let others opinions sway you. You can have an awesome time if you want to.

 

Ruth

[GRAMMYTAN]

Pretty much agree with others that you need to go in with a positive attitude and expect some differences in Carnival and RCCL - some good - some bad, but it IS a vacay and you are at sea and spending time with Mom - time you will be so happy to have had one day (speaking from experience).

As to chair hogs - I never - ever found a chair around the pool on our one RCCL cruise so they are everywhere. However, CCL is no enforcing the no CHOG rule and removing personal items from held chairs after 30 - 40 minutes, so you shouldn't have a problem there.

I sailed the Dream on her 3rd sailing while still in Europe and she is a beautiful ship - go and enjoy!

[mermaid72]

My mom (in her 50s) and myself (20s) have been on 4 Royal Caribbean cruises and have loved them all. We've sailed on the Enchantment, Explorer, Jewel, and Oasis. What's important to us: service, mild-mannered guests, quiet cabin at night, and entertainment. We've yet to be disappointed on RCCL in any of these areas.

 

We wanted to try something different, so we've booked The Dream for April 13th. I'm getting the sinking feeling we've made a mistake...

 

Things I've read that are making me nervous include:

 

- Noisy Cabins (I am a VERY light sleeper. We've booked on Deck 7 which is supposed to be the "quietest". Rude guests who slam doors and talk loudly have never been a problem on RCCL).

- No calypso music around the pool? I thought this was "standard" for all cruises in the Caribbean. I love nothing more than sitting around the pool listening to the band.

- Quality Entertainment. Not being people to spend our nights at the disco, we enjoy a good show. Recent reports have really pointed out the lackluster entertainment on Carnival lately.

- Chair hogs. We have NEVER had an issue with chair hogs on RCCL. Even on the Oasis, with 6000 passengers, did we have an issue with this.

 

As someone who has greatly enjoyed RCCL, should I be bracing myself for disappointment on this ship??

Yep!

[tef43]

As someone who has greatly enjoyed RCCL, should I be bracing myself for disappointment on this ship??

Seems to me that you are creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you are convinced that it will be bad, it most likely will be.

 

But with that said, the worst day on Carnival far exceeds the best day ever on Royal Crappabean. Tried them once, never again.

[pepperpot]

Bellamour:

My daughter(in her20's) and I (over 50) have sailed on both Carnival and Royal Caribbean, and have spent many vacations at an allinclusive. Each choice has good and disappointing points, but they all were enjoyed. Our primary deciding factor is location, time, and then followed by price options.

 

Please go with an open mind, enjoy your experience and treat each day as an adventure. I try and follow that mantra in my daily life as well. For those who continue to bash certain features, you must follow the half empty glass experience rather than the glass is half full.

 

To make personal comments about others leaves one to wonder, are you body perfect?

[ilionite65]

And did you know this before you cruised Carnival, or did you wait to decide for yourself? If you waited to form your own opinion, why not assume others are entitled to do the same? And, are any of those things subjective? What is "accurate" for you may not be "accurate" for someone else. Accurate would be saying how YOU felt, not how someone else will feel.

 

The OP has spent good money on a vacation. I think it takes a special kind of "ugy" help contribute to one second of worry about it.

 

I knew this after I sailed carnival. Op asked if she/he made a mistake, I answered her. If she didn't want to hear the negatives, she wouldn't have asked the question. She has gotten an opinion from reading this board and seeing that the bad opinions are being validated will at least let her see what she is really getting into. As far as the subjective factor goes, if you negate all but the objective, this board would be very scant! Her question begs for subjective info, and I suggest that the generous amount of complaints on even the carnival board make many of those subjective comments accurate!

[pepperpot]

I knew this after I sailed carnival. Op asked if she/he made a mistake, I answered her. If she didn't want to hear the negatives, she wouldn't have asked the question. She has gotten an opinion from reading this board and seeing that the bad opinions are being validated will at least let her see what she is really getting into. As far as the subjective factor goes, if you negate all but the objective, this board would be very scant! Her question begs for subjective info, and I suggest that the generous amount of complaints on even the carnival board make many of those subjective comments accurate!

Since this is Carnival message board, why are the negative reviewers continuing to offer their opinion and why are you reading these posts? You didn't care for Carnival, so be it. Please sail on another line, I do not want my vacation tainted by complainers.

[texsun49]

I knew this after I sailed carnival. Op asked if she/he made a mistake, I answered her. If she didn't want to hear the negatives, she wouldn't have asked the question. She has gotten an opinion from reading this board and seeing that the bad opinions are being validated will at least let her see what she is really getting into. As far as the subjective factor goes, if you negate all but the objective, this board would be very scant! Her question begs for subjective info, and I suggest that the generous amount of complaints on even the carnival board make many of those subjective comments accurate!

 

It is curious as to why you would be on CCL board, you obviously didn't enjoy your cruise with them, and do not plan another. If however you want to share with this board specifics, such as the Ship and cruise you were on, then your objective report and subjective opinion would be a welcome addition and would be of possible help to someone with a legitimate question or concern. Otherwise you just really come across as someone with an axe to grind.