Impartial advice on carnival

[starboardstar]

We are a family of four brits 2 adults late 30s and two kids 13 & 10.

We love cruising and have a few under our belts but have always been reluctant to try carnival. The only reason i can guess at is that we were once told on a rccl cruise that its is called carnival because its like a permanent carnival very loud and very in your face. Long and frequent announcements and a bit like butlins at sea (that probably won't mean anything to non uk folk but butlins is a long established uk holiday camp type resort) We enjoy a good time but we also like a bit of refinement. Our first choice would be princess but we cannot get a good price in the uk for princess and us agents cannot book us on princess. Basically we are down to two choices rccl mariner of the seas or carnival glory even tho we'd dearly love to go on carribean princess. Please be honest we are not snobs but it would be a nightmare to be stuck on a ship full of loud and brash people.

[travellady]

I've cruised Princess, Holland America, RCCL, Disney, and Carnival. As far as the people were concerned, I noticed very little difference between people's behaviors on each of these cruiselines. The Holland America cruise did skew towards older people (I'd say the range was 40's to 70's) and was more laid back, whereas the Disney cruise was younger families with lots of kids and kid focused activities (my 11 year old son felt it was too kiddish in fact and prefered the other cruiselines).

 

Princess, RCCL, and Carnival were more alike people-wise. Probably more younger folks (late teens to mid-20's) onboard Carnival and RCCL but not by a lot. I never ran into loud unruly behaviors on any of these and had good conversations with most people I met.

 

I'd say number of announcements and activities on Carnival aligned most with RCCL. I found that to be fun, energetic, but not over the top. And believe me, my husband and I are not party people, most of the time anyway, and didn't find the activities to be intrusive and always found a place to get away from it all when we felt like sitting quiet and reading a book.

 

But, I will say Carnival was my least favorite in terms of condition of the ship and decor. It was the Inspiration, Fantasy class, and was garish in decor and seemed run down despite just having come from a rehab. So, I decided to give Carnival another try and have booked the Valor, 2nd newest ship in the fleet (when Liberty starts sailing this summer) to have a true comparison point between Carnival and other cruiselines.

 

I suggest everyone who does and can take more than one cruise, to sail each line at least once. Only you can make the decision as to what you like best. And there really isn't any such thing as a bad cruise, is there? Some are better than others but I'd rather be cruising on any ship than doing most anything else.

[AllenF]

I think your perception that all the passengers on carnival ships are loud and brash is incorrect. Will there be some yes of course. I myself dont drink but I love the atmosphere on carnival ships, people who are out going and FUN not snobish. On our last cruise on Carnival we were seated with 3 other couples all english who loved carnival. So until you try it and get your on perspective you will not know for sure if it fits into your style or not. All I know is with all the Fun we have I am really Knackerd at the end of the day ;) . (Knackerd A word we picked up from are british friends)

[Cruising89143]

I would suggest that you visit some different cruise sites around the web and take a look at reviews that have been posted about both ships. There are plenty of sites available to gather this info.

 

If this question is posted on the Carnival board then expect glowing remarks about Carnival and the same with posting on the RCI board. That is why I suggest that you seek out some recent reviews of both ships and then make your decision upon that.

[Jenna1983]

Going to a lot of the reviews and sites I was worried going into my first cruise on Carnival (first cruise at all). I was worried for rude people, long lines @ ports, and loud people. However, I found all to be untrue except for some rude family I kept running into on the ship. The only time I ever encountered someone loud was the night we were stuck 9 extra hours in Progreso, they went to bed at 1 AM. Their alarm went off at 415. They made noise then, otherwise, I never even heard noise on our floor that made me think, "Wow, this is ridiculous." I think it probably depends on the time that you go, whether or not there's a lot of "young" people. I went second week of May and there were very few teens, young kids, and a few college kids.

[MrPete]

The only reason i can guess at is that we were once told on a rccl cruise that its is called carnival because its like a permanent carnival very loud and very in your face.

 

Interesting take. As a many time Carnival cruiser, that never even dawned on me. Nor have I experienced that kind of environment.

 

Rest assured, as someone who has been to the UK almost 20 times, you will anjoy a Carnival cruise.

[cruising3times]

We have been on nine carnival cruises, our first one was in 1987 and we did not come back until 2000 and now we can't stay away. Carnival was a different cruise line in 1987, more like what you are talking about. When we finally tried them in 2000 it was like night and day, we have been on the Paradise, Legend, Inspiration, Imagination (2), Fascination, Miracle and Pride and we have loved every vacation. Our kids are now 22 and 17 and have been on 5 of these cruises with us, we all had a great time. We can't wait to go again.

[popcorngal]

I agree with cruising3times. The Carnival of today is nothing like the Carnival of 15-20 years ago. I'll admit, I was hesitant the first time after hearing they were all "party boats". And it definitely depends on what time of year, what ship and the length of cruise you are looking at. You will definitely find more party animals on the shorter cruises, especially around spring break time. But this is true, no matter what line you choose. We go in January on 7-8 days cruises and have encountered very few unruly kids and adults.

 

Generally people who cruise on Carnival are there because they enjoy the fun atmoshere and appreciate the great value they offer. As you can tell, we have cruised different lines and still enjoy the fun on Carnival. Even my MIL preferred them to all other lines! Long story short, you can find loud and brash people no matter where you go. Carnival certainly doesn't have a corner on that market!

[DreadPirateRobert]

First of all , Welcome to the CC boards!

I don't think there is enough of a difference between the two to really worry. Have you spent much time around Americans? I could see where people might say "we" are loud and brash to begin with.

Honestly, I've sailed Carnival several times and RCCL once. I've not seen the stumbling, obnoxious drunks that everyone likes to talk about. I've just seen people who like to have fun on their vacation and "let their hair down" a little. It is vacation after all.

Anyway, good luck on your decision. I hope you have a wonderful ewxperience no matter who choose to sail with.

[hdawson]

I agree with travellady. If possible try different lines to learn which fits your taste and comfort level best.

 

I've posted my impressions of both lines on the RC board.

[Casshew]

Try Carnival with an open mind and a positive attitude, if you don't have a perfect experience it is not the end of the world, next time round you can try RCCL or save some more pennies for Princess.

[Twaincruisers]

My wife and I have not been on a Carnival cruise for a few years, but we enjoyed every cruise we had with them. They are fun ships at good value. We anticipate an Alaska cruise on the Spirit sometime and we have not cruised with them recently only because we are able to get to more new Caribbean islands on other lines. Our last Carnival cruise was on the Holiday out of San Juan and it included church groups and many large family reunions. Our most recent cruise was on the Celebrity Millennium (no plans to cruise with them again) and we frequently encountered drunks throughout the cruise. Anything can happen on any cruise so Carnival can be a great ride!

[TexasAlexus]

I agree %100 with TRAVELADY's post. I think she summed it up perfectly. We just sailed last week on the Carnival Elation. We have sailed 3 times on Royal Caribbean, 3 times on Carnival, and one time each on Princess, Disney, and Norwegian. Each cruise line has their strengths and weaknesses, but overall the experience is extremely similar from line to line. What I love about Carnival is the relaxed atmosphere and the really fun people. Some of the nicest passengers I have ever sailed with have been on Carnival, and some of the rudest, "in your face", were on our Norwegian sailing in Hawaii last year. But, I am certainly not going to let one experience with a cruise line lead me to believe that all Norwegian passengers are rude. The people of Hawaii, by the way, were very warm and welcoming. In my humble opinion, Royal Caribbean has the best overall balance of service and ammenities to offer and is therefore my favorite cruise line, but I consider myself an "equal opportunity cruiser" and will sail whatever cruiseline is sailing where I want to sail at the time of year that I can sail.