Are you considering other cruise lines

[realmccoy]

We decided to give NCL a try in 2012 when we sailed Hawaii and we loved the cruise line. I plan to continue to cruise with Carnival, but I am no longer cruising just their line. I have a cruise to Alaska with Carnival this month, then in January 2014 will cruise with NCL again.

[lrowe70]

We are not loyal to any specific line and look at schedules first and foremost when choosing a cruise.

We've done Carnival a few times because it is the only line (besides Disney which we have no interest in) that has programs for our young child.

 

In a few years, I imagine we will be on other lines and will probably not return to Carnival. In fact we are waiting for our child to turn 10 so we can take him on a small, luxury cruise which is what we most prefer. Our first cruise was a 14 day in the Adriatic with 120 passengers. That is exactly what is perfect for us, and we can't wait to return. Nothing against Carnival, it just isn't 100% what we look for in a vacation. However as the saying goes: even the worst day of cruising is better than the best day not on vacation. :D

[askimdog]

If I could find a cruise as cheap as Carnival I would give it a shot in a heart beat. So far, Carnival has always been the cheapest from the Ports we can sail out of. Almighty dollar speaks.

[blondietink]

We will continue to sail with Carnival until/if other cruise lines are similar in price and size of cabin for our family of 4. Honestly I think we have been spoiled on Carnival with the 220 sq. ft. oceanview cabins that fit our family nicely. I look at the square footage on some other lines and can't imagine trying to squeeze our family into those tiny rooms. Disney and Royal Caribbean come close to Carnival's size, but I could take 2 (or more) Carnival cruises for the same price as one on another lines. Would rather cruise more days personally.

[Luke gs Daddy]

If I could find a cruise as cheap as Carnival I would give it a shot in a heart beat. So far, Carnival has always been the cheapest from the Ports we can sail out of. Almighty dollar speaks.

 

 

Same here, we sail Carnival only because of the price. If others were a little more reasonable we would sail them more.

We do not have high expectations when we sail Carnival so there is not a huge let down!

Go expecting nothing then when there is something good it makes it more enjoyable.

[Lola1210]

I am not as happy as I was with Carnival. I decided to book a cruise with Celbrity and started doing all inclusive vacations. I'm not saying that I will never go back to Carnival, but I am exploring other options and places.

[ABCGreys]

I selected "already made the switch" as our next cruise is on NCL. That decision was based primary on itinerary but DH was also wanting to try another line. He was disappointed in the food on our 7/8/13 Elation cruise (had a couple of not so great meals in the MDR). So, we're branching out and trying something different.

[AmberTeka]

Are you dissatisfied enough with past experiences, cutbacks, etc to consider switching to another cruise line? We are.

 

We are VIP on Carnival. We have 3 on NCL under our belt...3 on HAL and 4 on Princess. 1 on Celebrity.

 

We always come back to Carnival.....the ships are super clean. The price is great. Service is always good. Food....not bad. Lots of Trivia..games....nice casinos..shows are fun.....passengers...not afraid to show they are having a heck of a good time..

 

We are Seniors. Will we go on HAL again? Yes. Most likely in March. Will we go on Princess again? if alive and well..yes. NCL..don't know. Maybe if they put a nice ship in at P.C or Tampa..........will we back to Carnival......You bet. We enjoy them all.

[AmberTeka]

Same here, we sail Carnival only because of the price. If others were a little more reasonable we would sail them more.

We do not have high expectations when we sail Carnival so there is not a huge let down!

Go expecting nothing then when there is something good it makes it more enjoyable.

 

I am just back from Disney World. three days. Anyone comparing a vacation on Land to the price of a vacation on a cruise ship...any cruise ship other than the top Elites....

 

is nuts.

It is the room cost..then the cost of meals..three times a day..then the costs of tickets...and then cost of gas and then the cost of...................stunning.

 

I will double enjoy our Carnival cruise in November....by not being handed a bill..every time I eat a hamburger. or see a show. or go to Tea.

[AmberTeka]

We are not loyal to any specific line and look at schedules first and foremost when choosing a cruise.

We've done Carnival a few times because it is the only line (besides Disney which we have no interest in) that has programs for our young child.

 

In a few years, I imagine we will be on other lines and will probably not return to Carnival. In fact we are waiting for our child to turn 10 so we can take him on a small, luxury cruise which is what we most prefer. Our first cruise was a 14 day in the Adriatic with 120 passengers. That is exactly what is perfect for us, and we can't wait to return. Nothing against Carnival, it just isn't 100% what we look for in a vacation. However as the saying goes: even the worst day of cruising is better than the best day not on vacation. :D

 

MOST folks cannot afford that type of expense. You should not let anyone hold back...go for it..I say. Don't let the door hit your fanny on the way out either......

 

and I look at what I pay for a cruise....fare...the room...the travel arrangements...the Sail and sign costs..drinks, shore excursions, photos, bingo, casino. steakhourse........

ARE WE ON DIFFERENT SHIPS??????

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

MOST folks cannot afford that type of expense. You should not let anyone hold back...go for it..I say. Don't let the door hit your fanny on the way out either......

 

and I look at what I pay for a cruise....fare...the room...the travel arrangements...the Sail and sign costs..drinks, shore excursions, photos, bingo, casino. steakhourse........

ARE WE ON DIFFERENT SHIPS??????

 

Wait, are you saying that expensive drinks, outrageous and high pressure "let me take your photo!", ridiculous and in your face whether you want it or not (main theaters while you wait for show to start, can't leave or u lose your seat), same with squeezing people into a smokey casino, are you saying these are plusses or minuses? We are definitely on the same ship... But those are all big fat minusses for me. I've since learned how other cruise lines do it and I've been enlightened I guess... I'm glad you enjoy it if you do but its not for me anymore...

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Forums mobile app

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

MOST folks cannot afford that type of expense. You should not let anyone hold back...go for it..I say. Don't let the door hit your fanny on the way out either......

 

and I look at what I pay for a cruise....fare...the room...the travel arrangements...the Sail and sign costs..drinks, shore excursions, photos, bingo, casino. steakhourse........

ARE WE ON DIFFERENT SHIPS??????

 

Thats weird! My other post mysteriously shower up after a glitch! I didnt mean to post twice to be honest, the other one had disappeared...sorry...

 

Are all those items plusses for you? Because none of them are what your money is getting you. Expensive drinks, shore excursions, over priced photos, upsell bingo, more to spend in casino, and pay extra for the steakhouse too.. Why would you say that "you know what your money is getting you" because you pay extra for all of those anyway? I'm confounded. You just pay less to get on board and then pay more for those. Other lines you pay a lil more but get a lot more included and since it balances out, at least you get better entertainment and food offerings?. And anyway for me, the casinos and bingo are a major drawback. Same ship, different customers...

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Forums mobile app

[Blk_Amish]

MOST folks cannot afford that type of expense. You should not let anyone hold back...go for it..I say. Don't let the door hit your fanny on the way out either......

 

and I look at what I pay for a cruise....fare...the room...the travel arrangements...the Sail and sign costs..drinks, shore excursions, photos, bingo, casino. steakhourse........

ARE WE ON DIFFERENT SHIPS??????

 

Yes, we get what we pay for and we pay and get a bit more hassle on Carnival. There were times when I felt am I on a cruise ship or a port in Jamaica with some of the hassle. A string of vendors verses a string of photographers. Once I was halfway asleep on deck when someone woke me up to offer me the drink of the day. However I go to both places and love the time because I know it's a part of the package. Would I go ALL the time, NO, NO, NO! I love the fun factor of Carnival as I do the laid back vibe in Jamaica. This year I sailed Carnival and spent 2 weeks in Jamaica, life is good:D. I might be done with both for awhile.

[KPfromCT]

I guess I am what you would call a Carnival "cheerleader":o I absoutely LOVE Carnival. With that being said, I have only cruised with them 4 times. I would love to try the Allure or Oasis, just for the experience, but what you get for the price you pay on Carnival, I am happy. I am not hard to please. I don't have to cook, clean, make beds, etc for a week, I am good!!!!:D:D:D

[sonicbuffalo]

After 4 Carnival cruises, we opted to take an 11 day Southern/Eastern Caribbean cruise out of Miami this October on NCL. It's a smaller ship than the Carnival Dream or Breeze, but the NCL Sun should be a fun cruise to great ports. We sail mainly for the ports first and then the ship, and money factor too. The money wasn't that different from the 11 day cruise vs. the 8 day cruises we took on Carnival's Breeze and Miracle cruises. Carnival has definitely gone downhill, but we might sail them again one day. Next year, we have the Allure of the Seas booked, and for the first time, we didn't consider the itinerary or the price....we just wanted to sail the Allure. Good luck to all of the Carnival die hards.

[seannyice81]

I'm considering other cruise lines just for different experiences. I'm certain my December Valor cruise won't be my last with Carnival.

[Royalty X]

Sailing on the Carnival Spirit repositioning cruise last year was enough to put us off Carnival. We'll sail with RCI, Celebrity or P&O Australia from now on.

[kellylw]

We did the Allure last year and while the ship was beautiful I thought the service and the food were subpar. Everyone talked about how great those things were on RCI and they just weren't. And the cost was much higher. We now live in Texas and got a great deal on a carnival cruise that is driving distance. We're happy to go back to carnival, especially for the price. Next time we may try NCL, both because we can drive there and I've heard great things about their product.

[beach410]

Thoroughly enjoyed my last RCL cruise, can't wait to book another. I missed a few things, eggs benedict, free laundry (platinum perk), and the drink pushers, I had to get up from my lounge chair and go to the bar!:eek::eek: but the service in the dining room was by far the best, my sons soda glass was never empty and everything was very prompt. I enjoyed the different menu, the food for the most part was excellent (except the eggs benedict). The price keeps me with Carnival. The lack of basketball on the majority of their fantasy class led me to look elsewhere. I hope to enjoy another RCL cruise soon.

[ccruisequeen]

We switch depending on price and itinerary. I'd go on any ship out of Long Beach|Los Angeles, if we can get a decent cabin for the money

[graphicguy]

Not loyal to one cruise line to begin with. Having sailed quite a few lines, they all have their plusses and minuses. One is always going to do one or two things better than the others, and they're also going to do one or two things worse than the others.

 

I've had the extreme good fortune of sailing the biggest and best from NCL, CCL, RCCL. Really looking forward to the Breeze this month. You really can't go wrong on any of them, even though something here and there may irk you.

 

You'd have to try really, really hard to make any cruise a "bad" cruise....one that would make me swear off sailing that line, or that ship, again.

 

Cruising is changing, for certain. That's true of all the cruise lines. People are dressing differently. The cruise lines a diversifying the experience on their ships (just look at what you can actually do on a cruise ship that you couldn't do 10 years ago). The entertainment is getting more diversified and there's more of it.

 

On these ships, there's not one hour, any one day, that you can't go find something new and different to do.

 

I noticed on the Breeze, the food is about as diverse as any I've seen on any ship....Guy's Gourmet Burgers, Mongolian Wok, etc...in addition to the Garden Buffet and the MDRs.

 

I look for the itenerary, the time of year, the ship, then I make my plans. Oh yeah, I look at the fare, too.

 

Cruising is different, not necessarily worse.

[nomadron]

I like Carnival and have had no significant complaints in my cruises with them. However, I am looking at other cruise lines with different itineraries.

[Prof Peg]

We are getting ready to do our 10th cruise in October, so we don't speak with a lot of experience, but...

 

Carnival is cutting back on departure ports (like Boston) and it just seems that they are sailing to the same places over and over again. There's only a few more cruises before we run out of new places to go. We want to cruise with friends to the Southern Caribbean and hit up Aruba, Curacao, etc.

 

After that, I don't know. The cutbacks that they've done are pretty extensive, but at the same time from a business perspective they are necessary. They haven't detracted from our enjoyment of cruising and with champagne taste on a beer budget, we still feel like we're getting a deal for the moment.

 

As they say....IMHO :D

[Texas_Diver]

The poll choices aren't adequate in order to show the dissatisfaction you have. Several people, myself included, may be completely happy with Carnival but yet also shop around for different cruise lines.

 

So your poll proves nothing without having more options.

 

D.

[Midwestgal]

After our upcoming cruise we're going to try out RC Allure but it has nothing to do with not being happy with Carnival, we just want to check it out.