An Unhappy Carnival on Celebrity?

[Lois R]

Yeah, "Sans-Quasar" as in "Without Quasar" :)

 

Sorry....I mis-read your post:eek:...guess I had a Sr moment:confused:...after all

I am in my 50s:D.... I know what "sans" means......

[cruisetrail]

One of the reasons I began to look at CC was all those reviews people are good enough to write. I read the reviews regardless of whether it’s a ‘good’ or a ‘bad’ review. Frankly I find reviews where the reviewer had some issues to be of much more use than the ones list everything as perfect , wonderful, amazing etc. For me they are more realistic than the ones written by people who obviously drank the cruise lines' ‘Kool-Aid’. But I find those ones useful too.

 

As much as I find reviews mostly useful, I find the comments about them to be highly amusing and entertaining - especially the ones that are critical of the reviewer. These people seem to feel that no one should ever be critical of a cruise line or the cruising ’experience’. People - the reviewers are writing about their experiences, from their point of view – they aren’t writing the next Pulitzer Prize winning journalistic article. They are not submitting them to get a job at the Washington Post!

 

So reviewers keep writing your reviews! Ignore the naysayers! But naysayers keep being your critical, self-righteous selves – I haven’t seen a good train wreck for a while and your posts are the next best thing!

:D

 

I agree with you.

This thread is based on perverted reading of a CC member's review that actually has many valid points.

The reviewer is talking about more expensive cabins that have no value (true), poor cabin location (true), average food in the buffet (true), too small pool area (true), age demographic the Reflection is designed for (true), "rocking and rolling" that is possible in any case, especially in case of the Reflection (added semi deck on the top, raised pool deck).

However, the aftercomments are focused on the "entertainment" only - something that is very subjective. I would not pay attention to that part at all.

[richstowe]

I agree with you.

This thread is based on perverted reading of a CC member's review that actually has many valid points.

The reviewer is talking about more expensive cabins that have no value (true), poor cabin location (true), average food in the buffet (true), too small pool area (true), age demographic the Reflection is designed for (true), "rocking and rolling" that is possible in any case, especially in case of the Reflection (added semi deck on the top, raised pool deck).

However, the after comments are focused on the "entertainment" only - something that is very subjective. I would not pay attention to that part at all.

Agree with both of you and wish to add one more point.

I actually enjoyed the writing style of Soontobrfree. It was breezy,informative and entertaining which is more then I can say about most reviews.

A couple of the comments which have been used as "proof" that he is (oh the horror of it), a Carnival cruiser, I found amusing and self-depreciating.

These are "but I'm used to belly flop contests, xgames, beauty contests, etc." and

"However, if you are looking for fun and excitement, outdoor activities, things like dodge ball tourneys, etc. this is definitely not the ship for you."

 

I took these comments as light-hearted words from somebody with a sense of humor. BTW, I haven't heard of on-board dodge ball games.:D

 

Sounds like a guy who would be fun to cruise with.

[DiamondSuiteCruiser]

Everyone has different taste! I have done a few Carnival cruises, and frankly I could care less about them but to each his own! They do not treat you near as good as RCCL and Celebrity, their perks are lacking. But again, everyone likes are different.

[DiamondSuiteCruiser]

From a very disgruntled CC reviewer of Celebrity Reflection who may have been seeking the elusive Celebrity Conga Line & Lido Limbo:

"If you are looking for fun and excitement, outdoor activities, things like dodge ball tourneys, etc. this is definitely not the ship for you. I was bored out of my skull by the end of the trip.

 

...There were also very few outdoor activities for the guests -- I know of two volleyball games and one celebrity Olympics but I'm used to belly flop contests, xgames, beauty contests, etc.

 

...There are no water slides, water parks, climbing walls, etc. that you probably have experienced with other liners."

I'm always bemused by complainers who grumble about an unhappy purchase when their true displeasure should be with themselves not the product because they did not investigate the purchase beforehand. There's a reason for photography and font in adverts; both are capable of displaying details upon which an educated decision can be made.

 

Did the disgruntled down marketer not notice a lack of pictures on Celebrity's web site highlighting the solarium's phantom hairy back contest?

 

Next!

 

The full displeasure review: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=114112

 

__________________

I've sailed and swayed many a day

and wailed for more to come my way.

 

http://www.PaulRussell.net

 

 

 

.

 

Are we trying to advertize Paul Russell? PaulRussell.net???

[patty1955]

One our last cruise, we decided to take a nap as soon as we got settled in our room. We have a 3 hour time difference between Miami and CA so we got up too early. Just as we got to sleep we were awakened by hooting and hollering, cheers and yelling. We rushed to the balcony to see what on earth was going on, just in time to see a Carnival ship cruise past. I'm sure a lot of people were having a really good time, but we were very grateful to be on Celebrity.

[richstowe]

One our last cruise, we decided to take a nap as soon as we got settled in our room. We have a 3 hour time difference between Miami and CA so we got up too early. Just as we got to sleep we were awakened by hooting and hollering, cheers and yelling. We rushed to the balcony to see what on earth was going on, just in time to see a Carnival ship cruise past. I'm sure a lot of people were having a really good time, but we were very grateful to be on Celebrity.

Hmm..

Yes the ships seem close when they pass but they are still pretty far apart with safety being an issue.

When you hear loud hooting and hollering, cheers and yelling, they are mostly from the ship you are on.

[Bundles917]

Are we trying to advertize Paul Russell? PaulRussell.net???

 

No more than you're dangling your Elite and Diamond status before all... ;)

[riclop]

From a very disgruntled CC reviewer of Celebrity Reflection who may have been seeking the elusive Celebrity Conga Line & Lido Limbo:

"If you are looking for fun and excitement, outdoor activities, things like dodge ball tourneys, etc. this is definitely not the ship for you. I was bored out of my skull by the end of the trip.

 

...There were also very few outdoor activities for the guests -- I know of two volleyball games and one celebrity Olympics but I'm used to belly flop contests, xgames, beauty contests, etc.

 

...There are no water slides, water parks, climbing walls, etc. that you probably have experienced with other liners."

I'm always bemused by complainers who grumble about an unhappy purchase when their true displeasure should be with themselves not the product because they did not investigate the purchase beforehand. There's a reason for photography and font in adverts; both are capable of displaying details upon which an educated decision can be made.

 

Did the disgruntled down marketer not notice a lack of pictures on Celebrity's web site highlighting the solarium's phantom hairy back contest?

 

Next!

 

The full displeasure review: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=114112

 

 

 

 

 

.

You are correct celebrity ships are very boring we went once on the equinox and that was it we will never go on celebrity again.

[iv18-Diane]

tlund, careful about saying there were scooters, walkers and the such on this board! X cruisers think those folk only sail HAL!

 

But I do agree with you. Each cruiseline offers something to set itself apart for the others, Carnival is the "fun" ships, Celebrity, "luxury" - which can be translated into crazy and cheap vs slow and pricier. Each has its place, it is up to the individual cruiser to know what they want out of a vacation and plan accordingly.

 

LOL, Demographics on cruiselines change from week to week.I have been on 2 HAL cruises during Spring break where the average age was 40, and I was on one in the month of November, where I could have been in the kids club, lol Avg age was 75 on that cruise.

For the most part the Celebrity cruises I've been on have an average age of 45.

I think the Equinox being a 10 night cruise may have to do with the older demographic. I was actually on a Carnival Cruise in NOV 2002 that was so dead at night that I could have rode a bycycle thru the Promenade deck. The funny part is that people appeared on the last 2 days of the cruise.

Diane in Music City

[dwhe]

I agree with you.

This thread is based on perverted reading of a CC member's review that actually has many valid points.

The reviewer is talking about more expensive cabins that have no value (true), poor cabin location (true), average food in the buffet (true), too small pool area (true), age demographic the Reflection is designed for (true), "rocking and rolling" that is possible in any case, especially in case of the Reflection (added semi deck on the top, raised pool deck).

However, the aftercomments are focused on the "entertainment" only - something that is very subjective. I would not pay attention to that part at all.

 

Yea but you seem to have a deep hatred for the Reflection for some reason judging by some of your previous posts, even though you have never been on her.

 

I was on Carnival Breeze last year, never got a hint of belly flops, hairy backs or knobbly knees contests, mind you that was in Europe, perhaps we're a bit more sophisticated here, anyone for Butlins? :D

[Beachdude]

I was on Carnival Breeze last year, never got a hint of belly flops, hairy backs or knobbly knees contests, mind you that was in Europe, perhaps we're a bit more sophisticated here, anyone for Butlins? :D

 

Actually yes, Carribean Carnival Cruises and Europe Carnival Cruises have two distinctly different types of passengers. There is a very noticable difference between the West Coast Cruises and East Coast Cruises as well. Carnival uses the Carribean Cruises to attract new cruisers with more competitive pricing. Good marketing plan on their part, but the crowds can be very different as a result.

 

Burt

[Hlitner]

We thought the review (mentioned by the OP) was fine and pretty accurate. Those who have cruised with many lines (we have been on 14) understand that cruisers are well advised to choose their cruises based on their personal preference. Not all lines (and ships) are a good fit for a specific cruiser. The reviewer acknowledged that he/she made a bad choice based on their own preferences. They were critical about the extra money spent on Concierge Class (we agree with them) and were critical about the location of their cabin under a noisy public area (very true). They were also critical about the ship "rocking" but we suspect that any ship in those waters that particular week would have been "rocking" since much of the Caribbean near St Maarten was experiencing high winds and swells for most of that week.

 

For many of us who love X, the lack of many ondeck activities is a good thing. In fact, we would prefer even fewer ondeck activities and more quiet.

 

Hank

[gelo7]

Note --- CARNIVAL WILL ALWAYS HAVE FULL SHIPS ! That is why they are making money and are the largest in the world. ------- BTW WalMart is also the largest in the world .....

 

That is why they own so many of the cruise lines who DON'T (or didn't) have full ships. Enjoy it while you can.....

 

Could that be why RCCL owns Celebrity ?

Well put....

[someguyfl]

I was looking into the departures from Miami/Ft Lauderdale in the next 2 weeks for a last-minute getaway. While there are a few rooms left on a few Celebrity ships on SOME of the departures, they are very close to fully sold out, especially in suites/aqua/concierge classes.

 

Selling out a cruise ship is really not that hard, it's all about prices charged to sell it out. If they see that a particular sailing is not doing well, they will just drop the prices until it does get to 90% sold.

[vermonter16]

We specifically sought out a quieter, more "upscale" line after sailing on Carnival. In particular, we were looking for a line that didn't offer all of the things this reviewer was missing. Glad to know I made the right choice in picking Celebrity!

 

Same here! When DH and I first started cruising we went on Carnival and RCL and we were more than happy. Now, we are looking for a more toned down and relaxing cruise. We sailed on Celebrity for the first time in February and fell in love. It was wonderful and relaxing. There are different lines for different folks. Just gotta know what you're looking for.

[We're The Groupnors]

Same here! When DH and I first started cruising we went on Carnival and RCL and we were more than happy. Now, we are looking for a more toned down and relaxing cruise. We sailed on Celebrity for the first time in February and fell in love. It was wonderful and relaxing. There are different lines for different folks. Just gotta know what you're looking for.

 

So true! We went on NCL once (our first cruise), and had a terrible experience. Friends of ours with similar tastes recently took their two year old on an NCL cruise, and fell in love with the "Freestyle" experience. You just never can tell.

[Kathie44]

The first thing my TA, a relative, said to me when we were planning our first cruise was, "Well, you don't want Carnival". That was enough for me, lol. She set us up with 7 nights on Explorer of the Seas and we were totally hooked. We did 8 cruises in 6 yrs (4 RCCL and 4X) before DH passed away in Aug. '08.

I have been able to find other friends and relatives to cruise with me and this weekend I am sailing on my 15th cruise, 11th with X. I prefer X, but will sail again with RCCL if neccessary to get the itinerary. We will probably book RCCL for next Feb. Those are the only lines I would ever sail.

 

1/02 Explorer E. Carib. 1/03 Explorer W. Carib. 8/03 Summit Alaska cruise/tour

2/04 Aventure OS S. Carib. 2/05 Galaxy PC 6/06 Jewel OS Brit. Isles/Nor. Fjords

1/07 Mercury Mex. Riv. 1/08 Mercury Aust/NZ 1/09 Galaxy S. Carib.

6/09 Summit Classical Med. 1/11 Summit S. Carib. 6/11 Constellation Scand/Russia

2/12 Summit S. Carib. 8/12 Millenium Alaska Cruise/tour 2/13 Summit S. Carib.

 

You really need to do your homework and research before you cruise.

[Jane2357]

Take a look at my signature and you'll see that I have only ever cruised on 2 lines - Carnival and Celebrity so I feel that I can throw my 2 cents in here.

 

Carnival - I've cruised because this was what the others in my party could afford. This line does offer those activities that some on Celebrity would wish to avoid BUT you don't even have to know that said activities exist unless you wish to. Some of the BEST cruise times of my life have been on Carnival. I hate to say this because I love Celebrity for my taste but the BEST CREW is on Carnival - they are truely so happy to have you and they seem to really enjoy their jobs. Call me tacky - I could care less - I love the singing and dancing waiters and I often join right in. The other guests on Carnival are very diverse and some are just "out there", makes for interesting people watching.

 

I would choose Celebrity always because I like a more quiet and relaxing vacation. I don't party late and I like a more refined experience . While I enjoy the MDR on Celebrity - the food in the MDR on Carnival is just as good.

 

Both of these lines offer a good product - people just need to understand the expected experience and choose wisely or they might be disappointed.

[cruisetrail]

For many of us who love X, the lack of many ondeck activities is a good thing. In fact, we would prefer even fewer ondeck activities and more quiet.

 

 

The lack of activities is not a problem of Celebrity IMO.

They have more than enough (for me). I too prefer quiet pool decks.

The problem of Celebrity is the lack of choice.

There is only one open pool area.

Loud music is irritating.

When they start their activities they occupy the only pool.

I would prefer a separate open pool area for adults.

But it does not exist on S-Class ships :mad:.

[navyrotorhead]

 

Call me tacky - I could care less - I love the singing and dancing waiters and I often join right in. The other guests on Carnival are very diverse and some are just "out there", makes for interesting people watching.

 

 

...from some of the other people posting here! ;) :D :rolleyes:

 

What did you think of Constellation? She has had a rash lately, of bad reviews. (or bad reviewers?)

 

We had a GREAT time on the TA in December!

 

Good to see more of YOUR posts! Have FUN!!! :)

[Jane2357]

"What did you think of Constellation? She has had a rash lately, of bad reviews. (or bad reviewers?)"

 

I did write a short review but you know how those things can get sent to the back pages rather quickly if there is no drama. LOL. We had a nice time on Connie although it was very short. We never left the ship and enjoyed the peace and quiet while most were off in Nassau (was just there in October).

 

We found the ship and our cabin to be in great shape, some issues on the balcony but nothing serious. The crew was good and seemed happy to have us.

 

We are scheduled to be on Connie again for a Jan. 2 sailing right before our Feb. 8 - 14 nighter on Eclispe.

[SNJCruisers]

BTW, I haven't heard of on-board dodge ball games.:D

.

There were on board dodge ball games on our cruise this past August on the Explorer of the Seas. They also have rock climbing walls and 3 larger pools. The reason I bring this up is because the OP made 1 big mistake and because of it there has been some unnecessary bashing of Carnival in this thread. The OP called the reviewer "An Unhappy Carnival on Celebrity". I tend to believe that the reviewer was a disgruntled RCI fan, since Carnival has no rock climbing walls, on board dodge ball games and with the exception of their Spirit class ships, only 2 small pools. Since the reviewer also complained about the pools, I am inferring that he was accustomed to three larger pools on his previous RCI cruises.

 

As you can tell from my signature, I have only taken one "X" cruise in the past, over 20 years ago and I am looking forward to our Summit cruise in October. What I wasn't looking forward to was Carnival bashing on the Celebrity boards. I had enough of that when I was on the RCI boards before our Explorer cruise. I had assumed that the Celebrity crowd was a little above that...I guess I was wrong. :(

[gek]

Time to put my hand up and say I am a fan of both Celebrity and Carnival. I disagree that the people who choose Celebrity are significantly different to those who choose Carnival. Most people I think would enjoy either. There are those who wouldn't like some aspects of Celebrity and vice versa but overall both lines provide a quality product. Some cruisers would greatly prefer one over the other but I think they are the minority.

[CaroleSS]

SNJ,

The cheerleaders on any board will bash you if you say ANYTHING negative about their line. :( Take it for what it's worth and try to ignore them in favor of those who present a more moderate approach.

 

We cruise several lines.....the itinerary drives us. We aren't Elite(ist) with X and even if we were, we wouldn't tout it on the boards. Each line offers entertainment they feel is appropriate for their target audience. If you don't like the entertainment, don't participate. It reminds me of someone watching a TV show and all they can do is complain about whatever is going on.....guess what??? The TV has a channel changer.....move on to something else! :eek:

 

Pick your itinerary and work around the bell flops if that's not your bag.....even the smallest of ships have quiet areas.