Celebrity cruiser considering another cruise line...worried

[fleckle]

Hi all,

 

My husband and I have cruised twice now with Celebrity...once on the Solstice and once on the Eclipse. We did Aqua Class both times and absolutely LOVED it! We are looking at either a Norway Fjiords cruise on the Celebrity Infinity or a Baltic cruise on the Carnival Legend. Both are in in August. I love the itinerary and the price is very good on the Baltic cruise but it is with Carnival. I am afraid if we opt for the Carnival cruise we will be highly disappointed. :eek: I would love some opinions from those that have cruised both lines.

 

Thanks in advance!

IMHO you will only be disappointed if you go on Carnival expecting it to be Celebrity and keep comparing it to Celebrity.

 

If you go with realistic expectations and accept it for what it is, you should be fine.

We have cruised on the Carnival Spirit, enjoyed it, and would do it again.

The ship was clean and comfortable, the food and service were good.

We took a longer cruise while school was in session, so it did not have the party boat crowd or vibe at all.

 

We did not care for the decor or some of the activities, but so what.

We did not choose it for the decor or the activities. It took us where we wanted to go in comfort, at the time we wanted to go, for a very reasonable price.

 

The Baltic cruises are very port intensive, so to us a Baltic cruise is primarily for the itinerary, not the shipboard activities.

[hughdm]

4 Carnival, 4 Princess, Going on our second Celebrity in a month or so. While we really LOVE Celebrity, Carnival is fun if you go in with the right frame of mind. It will be a little more raucous, but sometimes we LIKE that in a cruise. we are 60ish, for a frame of reference...

[sloopsailor]

Totally untrue!!

We were on Carnival for our Mediterranean cruise and it was wonderful! IMHO their food and service in the dining room far surpassed Celebrity.

 

Sorry, but I wholeheartedly disagree! We have taken several cruises with Celebrity. We have taken two Carnival cruises over the past two summers with my daughter and our three grandkids. We found the food on Carnival to be pretty good, and we never had a bad meal. However, it certainly wasn't better than Celebrity. Service levels all over the ship was also good, but not the same attentive levels we have always had on Celebrity. And this makes sense since Celebrity's passenger to crew ratio is about 2 to 1, while Carnival is closer to 3 to 1. Passenger space ratios are also better on Celebrity, which are in the low 40s compared to Carnivals mid 30s, so less crowding on Celebrity.

 

When considering food and service, I would have to say Carnival does a pretty good job - but other lines, including Celebrity, do better.

 

But don't ask me about the decor or the level of "enthusiasm" of many of the passengers on our Carnival cruises - you won't like what I have to say. ;)

[GeorgiaPeach51]

We started out sailing Carnival, and liked it because it was all we knew. We then sailed Princess. Same thing. Then Holland America. Same thing. Always had fun. Lots to do. Food was surprisingly good. Didn't care for a lot of the activities and the smoking was horrendous.

 

Fast forward a few decades and we have now tried Celebrity. We have sailed two and have two booked on Celebrity. We strayed off the path and attempted to go down memory lane last year by booking the Conquest (our favorite Carnival ship) as it came out of dry dock. The amenities were certainly spruced up...a bar called Alchemy that is much like the Martini bar on Celebrity but without the ice top bar....Guy Fieri's to die for hamburgers...several nice things.

 

We found the food quality to be lower than before; very loose in the "dress code" area, bathroom in the cabin was rough looking, and the ever present smoke issues. it just wasn't as great. We had a good time, as someone else said, it's a vacation, relax, set your expectations to low and enjoy being pleasantly surprised when you can.

 

The difference to me is that we started with Carnival and then went up to Celebrity and you are doing the reverse. I think it's a tougher sell when you've experienced and loved Celebrity. You'll definitely feel and see the differences but if you go and just roll with it you can have fun just about anywhere. I agree with those who said, figure out what you value....

[Coolcruise02]

Sorry, but I wholeheartedly disagree! We have taken several cruises with Celebrity. We have taken two Carnival cruises over the past two summers with my daughter and our three grandkids. We found the food on Carnival to be pretty good, and we never had a bad meal. However, it certainly wasn't better than Celebrity. Service levels all over the ship was also good, but not the same attentive levels we have always had on Celebrity. And this makes sense since Celebrity's passenger to crew ratio is about 2 to 1, while Carnival is closer to 3 to 1. Passenger space ratios are also better on Celebrity, which are in the low 40s compared to Carnivals mid 30s, so less crowding on Celebrity.

 

When considering food and service, I would have to say Carnival does a pretty good job - but other lines, including Celebrity, do better.

 

But don't ask me about the decor or the level of "enthusiasm" of many of the passengers on our Carnival cruises - you won't like what I have to say. ;)

 

All I can say is on our last X cruise, on the last meeting of our CC roll call the major discussion was the POOR food quality! And I won't ask about your Carnival passangers and I won't tell you about the group of drunk X cruisers in the hot tub in cut off jean shorts and wife beater t-shirts! ;)

[Coolcruise02]

....... bathroom in the cabin was rough looking

 

And when I sailed on Celebrity my bathroom shower had mold in it. It did not ruin my cruise, but I did "expect" more from a cruise line that people on this board claim is so much better than other lines. From MY experience it is no better. JMHO

 

So, to your statement of "going back on a Carnival cruise after X", I had no problem. :)

[gek]

If I had a choice between Carnival and Celebrity with similar itineraries then I would always lean towards Celebrity. However on a European cruise I would have no hesitation in choosing Carnival if they offered a cheaper deal.

 

Carnival ships are ugly, but their passengers aren't always the crass party-crowd that some people think they are. This is particularly true in Europe, more so if you sail outside of holiday season with fewer kids on board.

 

The smoking policy is an issue that puts me off Carnival somewhat but it's only a major problem when you visit the casino.

 

Carnival offers excellent value for money. Yes, the experience is less stylish but overall you are still getting a quality product - provided the ship doesn't break down.

[sloopsailor]

....provided the ship doesn't break down.

 

And needs to be towed to port at taxpayer's expense. So far, their broken down ships have cost the taxpayers $780,000 for the US Coast Guard to tow Triumph, and $3,400,000 for the Coast Guard and Navy to tow Carnival Splendor after it's 2010 breakdown in the Pacific. Expenses Carnival is refusing to pay :(

 

The US Coast Guard should invoke the Maritime Law of Salvage and claim ownership of the ship and sell it back to Carnival to pay back the towing expense we taxpayer's are paying. And Carnival also registers their ships out of country to minimize the US taxes they pay, screwing us twice!

[SNJCruisers]

I have only cruised on X once, almost 20 years ago on the Horizon. One of the criteria I use when choosing which line and which cruise to take is value. Because of the 123 Go Promotion, we have our next two cruises booked on X, on the Summit and on the Silhouette. Value is the main reason that I have been loyal to Carnival over the years because I feel that you get your monies worth with them.

 

If you're comparing balcony cabins between the two sailings, without factoring in taxes, the Infinity is 190/day based on 10 nights @ 1899, while the Legend is 95/day based on 12 nights @ 1149. Oceanview comparisons are 140 versus 88. If you factored in the free drinks package on the OV Infinity versus adding in the extra 50/day for Carnival's drink package, they would be dead even and then the choice is easy. But, the 123 promo is over at this point.

 

As is with life, everything is always a shade of gray and nothing is always black and white. There is a big difference in the clientele on a 7 day or less Carnival ship in the Caribbean versus a 12 day cruise in Europe. Most cruises over a week in length tend to be occupied by an older clientele and those that choose to vacation in the Baltics are there to primarily sightsee as opposed to pound beers and frolic in the hot tubs.

 

The ships themselves are about the same age, size and both were refurbished in 2011. Besides price, the night time entertainment choices of a piano bar and comedy club would skew me towards Carnival. But since you like Blu and you're comfortable with the Celebrity product........

 

Good luck with your decision.

[Coolcruise02]

And needs to be towed to port at taxpayer's expense. So far, their broken down ships have cost the taxpayers $780,000 for the US Coast Guard to tow Triumph, and $3,400,000 for the Coast Guard and Navy to tow Carnival Splendor after it's 2010 breakdown in the Pacific. (

 

The US Coast Guard did NOT tow any ships! The ships were escorted by, received aid and security assistance from the US Coast Guard. Don't get all your info from Mr. Rockefeller. ;)

[rjrpar]

Totally untrue!!

We were on Carnival for our Mediterranean cruise and it was wonderful! IMHO their food and service in the dining room far surpassed Celebrity. On longer cruises, not in the Caribbean, you will find a more subdued, older crowd. You will have a great time.

 

We are on the August Baltic cruise on the Legend. Did a Med cruise 2years ago on Carnival and it was great. In Europe, it's more about the ports and tours, less about the ship. We have always found a little variety is a good thing. Found Carnival to be very similar to RCCL.

[Cruising89143]

And needs to be towed to port at taxpayer's expense. So far, their broken down ships have cost the taxpayers $780,000 for the US Coast Guard to tow Triumph, and $3,400,000 for the Coast Guard and Navy to tow Carnival Splendor after it's 2010 breakdown in the Pacific. Expenses Carnival is refusing to pay :(

 

The US Coast Guard should invoke the Maritime Law of Salvage and claim ownership of the ship and sell it back to Carnival to pay back the towing expense we taxpayer's are paying. And Carnival also registers their ships out of country to minimize the US taxes they pay, screwing us twice!

 

Actually Carnival has announced that they will reimburse the U.S for both the Splendour and Triumph costs. I have my own comments about this sudden change of direction but will keep it to myself.

http://www.seatrade-insider.com/news/news-headlines/carnival-to-reimburse-us-for-triumph-splendor-costs.html

 

Also, all major cruise line have their ships registered in countries other than the U.S including Celebrity. As much as I am not a fan of Carnival, it's not fair to point them out on this when all cruise lines are doing it.

[sloopsailor]

Actually Carnival has announced that they will reimburse the U.S for both the Splendour and Triumph costs. I have my own comments about this sudden change of direction but will keep it to myself.

http://www.seatrade-insider.com/news/news-headlines/carnival-to-reimburse-us-for-triumph-splendor-costs.html

 

Also, all major cruise line have their ships registered in countries other than the U.S including Celebrity. As much as I am not a fan of Carnival, it's not fair to point them out on this when all cruise lines are doing it.

 

I also read the sudden about face. Apparently, they felt the heat of the bad publicity they were receiving and decided to try to save face by reimbursing the costs. I find it amusing that, according to the CC news article, Carnival claims that they made the decision voluntarily to provide reimbursement to the federal government, spinning this as if they did this as a grand gesture instead of having been pushed kicking and screaming into it.

 

And I realize that most cruise lines do the same tax dodge by registering their ships in other countries. I wasn't singling Carnival out for this practice, only pointing out that they were already getting tax breaks for that practice, thereby adding to the insult by not originally being willing to pay for rescue service they asked for and received.

 

I'm pleased to see them doing the right thing - even though they were motivated into doing so because of bad publicity.

[sloopsailor]

The US Coast Guard did NOT tow any ships! The ships were escorted by, received aid and security assistance from the US Coast Guard. Don't get all your info from Mr. Rockefeller. ;)

 

I didn't get all of my information from Mr. Rockefeller. I have read several articles on this story. The assistance they did receive from the US government was not free, but was paid for by the taxpayers. I just paid my taxes yesterday by cutting a large check (for me), so reading about how a major corporation was avoiding paying for a service they asked for and received, putting the bill on the shoulders of people like me, didn't sit well. I am glad they will pay at least some, and hopefully all, of the costs. I would rather that money go to paying for needed services such as school programs or health care for the poor, than to provide free service to a huge profit making corporation, thereby lining the pockets of it's shareholders with even more cash at our expense.

 

I would feel the same way about this if it was Celebrity pulling this stunt. It isn't a criticism against Carnival alone. It's my criticism against rich corporations taking advantage of the average taxpayers.

[CRUISER144NJ]

We have sailed with Carnival on a Grand Med cruise. Absolutely fantastic! Very elegant, wonderful music and dancing on board. Great excursions! Don't compare a 4 or 5 night Caribbean spring break cruise to any other cruise...they are all alike...Carnival does a fantastic cruise in Europe...and for all it's worth, we have been on Celebrity twice and a third one in a few days..I hope we are not disappointed...as we have been before..only trying one more time...because of the itinerary. 3 strikes and you are out! 31 cruises to date....Carnival''s Baltic cruise looks great!

[SNJCruisers]

Oceanview comparisons are 140 versus 88. If you factored in the free drinks package on the OV Infinity versus adding in the extra 50/day for Carnival's drink package, they would be dead even and then the choice is easy. But, the 123 promo is over at this point.

With the booking extension of the 123 Go Promo till 4/30 for summer sailings and the choice of 2 of the three choices that go along with it on European sailings, such as the Classic drinks package and the 300 in OBC....the choice is now crystal clear. Pick Celebrity and choose an OV cabin

[stratixman]

I think it all comes down to itinerary,cost and expectations. If the itinerary I wanted to cruise was only available from Carnival during the time period I could cruise then I would give it serious consideration. If comparable itineraries existed on Carnival and Celebrity I would give Carnival serious thought if the perceived value proposition significantly exceeded what Celebrity was offering. Perceived value proposition in mind is not necessarily dependent on which is cheapest or which is more expensive. I simply try to weigh the both the substantive and subjective factors that together contribute to a satisfactory cruise experience. My initial preferences now would probably always favor Celebrity simply because I have never had a bad cruise with them and thus I think it is reasonable to high hold expectations for the quality of future sailings with them. With no intent to denigrate Carnival I do think Celebrity represents a bit more upscale product for which I am willing to pay extra. However, at the right price and under specific circumstances I would consider Carnival. I shop both Sam's Club and Costco but if weren't for the fact that Costco is 10 miles from home vs only 2 miles for Sam's Club I would undoubtedly shop Costco far more. My choice with choosing between Celebrity vs Carnival is made easier since I have to travel the same distance at the same expense to take either one.

[skandls]

I would book Aqua on the Infinity. Open seating (without long waits) is great for port intensive cruises.

[miched]

We have cruised Carnival many times before sailing on X and the Legend was one of the ships that we really liked. Carnival is Carnival and they promote themselves that way and do a great job of keeping people entertained and involved.

 

The first time on X was the Solstice in AQ. No comparison. Completely two different experiences. The AQ cost us about 50% more but we also got cabin perks that were not offered on a Carnival ship. We probalbly could have got a regular balcony for about the same as a comparable balcony on Carnival.

 

The main attraction to X is the no smoking policy. Then all of the other things are bonus.

 

Carnival had better entertainment and more variety.

 

Drinks are better on X and the drink package is much better than what Carnival offers

 

X is a lot quieter.

 

Pool lounge chairs nicer on X.

 

Found the food to be a toss up. I don't have to buy it, prepare it and clean up afterwards so there is nothing to complain about on either.

 

Blu is a nice feature but I also enjoy the MDR on both lines.

 

I wouldnt turn down a cruise on either. We were on the Dream in Nov amd it was fun. We had a Cloud 9 Spa cabin that is comparable to AQ but no Blu. Also been on the Triumph. We were laughing that we were on the last 3 Carnival ships that had problems and I would not hesitate to go on them again.

 

People watching is more fun on Carnival. :D

 

You get towel animals on Carnival. :rolleyes:

 

Staff is friendly on both but the CD on Carnival think everyone needs to participate in everything and will constantly make announcements to remind you about the event.

 

You have the opportunity to get bonus days on Carnival plus having the cruise reimbursed along with a free future cruise and I think that is a great perk and bonus. ;)

 

.

[boogs]

You have the opportunity to get bonus days on Carnival plus having the cruise reimbursed along with a free future cruise and I think that is a great perk and bonus. ;).

 

Love it! I wonder if they should add those benefits to their promotional documents? ;)

[ilovetexas]

I agree with what miched said above.

 

You can't compare a 4 day Fantasy class sailing in the Bahamas to a 14 day Baltic cruise on a Spirit class ship (which Legend is). I sailed a 7 day Legend in the Caribbean and loved it. The passengers were different than the shorter cruises, fewer 20-somethings and fewer kids. Also, Carnival's Spirit class ships have some of the highest, if not the highest, passenger-space ratios at sea. Certainly comparable to the two X ships I've been on.

 

I'm bored with all the Carnival bashing that goes on. It's a great vacation at an great price.

 

Their food is very good, their service is excellent, beds are the most comfortable I've slept in, etc. BTW, the stateroom storage on the Legend is heads and tails better than that on the S class X ships!! For a port intensive cruise, I wouldn't think twice about booking the Legend.

[Germancruiser]

Even I have not had the Carnival experience i suppose the noise level on both must be the same by now! X goes more and more in direction of the fun ships- with much more elegant surroundings - to judge by the pictures. According to some of the Carnivals Reviews ( and they loved it ) they much more " casual " - you can find flip flops and shorts for dinner in the dinning room. It would not bother me or ruin a vacation it just does not match the nice surroundings - even on Carnival´s ships LOL)

[Theologator]

Hi all,

 

My husband and I have cruised twice now with Celebrity...once on the Solstice and once on the Eclipse. We did Aqua Class both times and absolutely LOVED it! We are looking at either a Norway Fjiords cruise on the Celebrity Infinity or a Baltic cruise on the Carnival Legend. Both are in in August. I love the itinerary and the price is very good on the Baltic cruise but it is with Carnival. I am afraid if we opt for the Carnival cruise we will be highly disappointed. :eek: I would love some opinions from those that have cruised both lines.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

We sailed on the Legend a few years ago. It is a beautiful ship, the food was fantastic and we saw none of the cliched Carnival party ship stereotypes. It was a January cruise with an older clientele. The disco was dead at any hour (we were in our 40's.). The pools were calm, etc. I have no idea what a Baltic cruise would be like but you could scroll through last year's reviews.

 

Do some research on the ship. We are cruising on the Celebrity Reflection in January. Someone on our roll call told us it would be a definite step up in some respects, but they enjoyed the Legend very much, too.

 

If you want a higher end ship for the Baltic, check HAL. My folks had a fantastic cruise there with them.

[anandaindonesia]

It all depends on what you want from your cruise.

 

There are many cruise lines. Each has their unique offering. Some may like it, some not. However, they all have their captive cruisers (otherwise they will not be in the business anymore), so we can assume that there is no such thing as "100% bad cruise line".

 

If you are happy to stick to just one line, good for you as you'll get their "loyalti perks", sooner or later.

 

On the other hand, if you like variety in life, like I do, we will want to try different lines to have a richer experience. Of course, before booking, we need to know whether that particular line (or better, that particular ship) will suit us. We also have to be open minded, and be ready to accept what our chosen line (or ship) will offer.

We cannot keep comparing different lines (ships) and insisting everything to be of the same standard.

 

I realise that I cannot have that many cruises. So my strategy is to choose a suitable ship (possibly the best in that particular line) for a suitable itinerary, and enjoy accordingly.

 

Vive la difference!

[Coolcruise02]

i'm bored with all the carnival bashing that goes on. It's a great vacation at an great price.

 

Their food is very good, their service is excellent, beds are the most comfortable i've slept in, etc. Btw, the stateroom storage on the legend is heads and tails better than that on the s class x ships!! For a port intensive cruise, i wouldn't think twice about booking the legend.

 

agree!