Time to leave Carnival

[LWiening]

Our group went on our cruise in February and has begun to be a tradition. But with Carnival having the same old ports. Seems like the food is the same and the entertainment really has not change much. We decided it was time to leave Carnival and go on to another Cruise line for next year.

 

I think what was the biggest factor was changing how many cruises to get to be VIP and then for once you are there faster to fun that people pay as finally determined that Carnival has taken away allot of what we wanted.

 

No bands on the Lido deck was another factor and the same pool games being played.

 

Who knows we may return sometime but its time to say Goodbye.

[Disconnections]

We, too, have switched cruise lines. I wish you the best of luck with finding a cruise line that meets your needs and expectations.

[mferris77]

It's ok to 'play the field' so to speak. I felt like you did after only 3 cruises. It became kind of predictable, the jokes at the newlywed game or welcome aboard show were the same, etc.

 

We then decided to do something different and did a cruise on Oasis of the Seas. While it was a very nice ship with a lot more options and nicer public spaces, we felt like there was something missing in the atmosphere. Like we were at a resort and not on a cruise. I feel like there was a kind of camaraderie on the Carnival cruises that wasn't there on Oasis. Maybe it's because it was such a large ship, I don't know.

 

We've booked on CCL again to go the Southern route, which is new to us. But even then I think that no matter what cruise line you go with, you're going to eventually visit all the ports. And then you'll eventually get used to the entertainment on the ships, so you're left really only cruising for the purpose of being at sea in (hopefully) good weather. And I'd still be ok with that. Nothing like dozing off in a lounge chair off on the side of the ship with nothing but the sound of the waves splashing by.

[OCruisers]

You'll never know if another cruise line is a better fit until you try it for yourself. :)

LuLu

~~~

[Jimmy Geegitz]

And your so close to Platinum.

Edited March 28, 2014 by Jimmy Geegitz

[winddawn]

Our group went on our cruise in February and has begun to be a tradition. But with Carnival having the same old ports. Seems like the food is the same and the entertainment really has not change much. We decided it was time to leave Carnival and go on to another Cruise line for next year.

 

I think what was the biggest factor was changing how many cruises to get to be VIP and then for once you are there faster to fun that people pay as finally determined that Carnival has taken away allot of what we wanted.

 

No bands on the Lido deck was another factor and the same pool games being played.

 

Who knows we may return sometime but its time to say Goodbye.

I think it is good to play the field so to speak when you are fairly new to cruising to determine which line best suits your tastes and likes.

 

Carnival does have some new itineraries coming out for the next 2 years. You can look through this list to see if any might interest you.

 

https://www.goccl.com/~/media/goccl/content/pdf/FleetExpansion_2015-2016_PDF.pdf

 

I've tried several of the major lines and each one had its strengths and weaknesses. I don't think any of them were bad, but rather just a matter of matching your interests and atmosphere preference to the cruise line. Carnival has offered the best value overall in the past, but who knows what the future holds for Carnival pricing. I agree with the OP that eliminating the calypso band from the Lido was a big mistake. I don't think Carnival's entertainment as it stands now will support the higher prices that Carnival seems to be pushing out. We'll see though.

 

I hope you'll come back and share your experiences with us after you've tested the waters so to speak. We all work too hard for our vacation time to not spend it doing something that brings us joy.

[zumbaguy]

Nothing wrong with that. As the saying goes, "variety is the spice of life".

[AmberTeka]

My moment of knowing I had to leave Carnival came with the free cabin "promotion". and No stirring the Pot. Everyone has hopefully moved on.

 

I did see where Carnival's bookings were high..but profits were down. The article pretended to be mystified as to how Duh. that could happen. When you give free cabins to people who don't book another cruise or spend money on the ship....your profits suffer. One would think the experts..(the beards) would have foreseen that one.

 

So I booked on Celebrity. it goes to new ports to me...( St. Tropez, St Barts and Labadee.) I think they play Trivia that starts and ends with the same rules. I hear the food is outstanding. People seem to really like it. Some of the tours seem very inexpensive. The one in St. Tropez.....Ouch.

 

I am nervous. It is the unknown. We have sailed on Carnival or other lines owned by Carnival so much that I worry that we will be out of place.

We get extra OBC or a free drink card ( alcohol, coffee, and/or sodas) or paid gratuities. I get until April to decide on which one. The price was right. The ship is five stars. the Infinity.

Some times I am really excited. sometimes I worry.......what have I done? But my Husband is excited about going back to Haiti. even a small area. We were there in the seventies. I bought a painting and hope to buy another. We both hope some good change has come there.

 

Next year..........all of us who are jumping ship should return next Spring and report on how the "new" lines turned out. Hopefully the reports are all positive.

Probably we will return to Carnival. but we might wait for a few years. I still want to do one of the Big RCI ships. Do one of the big NCL ships. Sail on the Princess 10 day to the Dutch Antilles again.

Edited March 28, 2014 by AmberTeka

[tonit964]

We would never stay with just one cruise line.

 

Explore a little and I'm sure you will find things you like and don't like about each one but it's nice to experience a new ship and ports.

 

Enjoy your future cruises! :)

[OCruisers]

And your so close to Platinum.

 

But that's no reason not to give another cruise line a try.

We never let the fact that we're Elite on Princess keep us from cruising on Carnival and other cruise lines from time to time.

It's fun to "Sleep Around"! :D

LuLu

~~~

[cdamion]

Nothing wrong with that. As the saying goes, "variety is the spice of life".

 

Exactly. I am not loyal to one specific cruise line. Each I have been on is the best at something. The Carnival crew is the friendliest I have encountered.

[Seago2]

I took a break from CC and missed the "free cabin" and "free cruise" brouhaha. This is the tenth time I've seen it mentioned and I still don't have a clue. What happened? Did I miss a free cruise somewhere :rolleyes:?

[winddawn]

My moment of knowing I had to leave Carnival came with the free cabin "promotion". and No stirring the Pot. Everyone has hopefully moved on.

 

I did see where Carnival's bookings were high..but profits were down. The article pretended to be mystified as to how Duh. that could happen. When you give free cabins to people who don't book another cruise or spend money on the ship....your profits suffer. One would think the experts..(the beards) would have foreseen that one.

 

So I booked on Celebrity. it goes to new ports to me...( St. Tropez, St Barts and Labadee.) I think they play Trivia that starts and ends with the same rules. I hear the food is outstanding. People seem to really like it. Some of the tours seem very inexpensive. The one in St. Tropez.....Ouch.

 

I am nervous. It is the unknown. We have sailed on Carnival or other lines owned by Carnival so much that I worry that we will be out of place.

We get extra OBC or a free drink card ( alcohol, coffee, and/or sodas) or paid gratuities. I get until April to decide on which one. The price was right. The ship is five stars. the Infinity.

Some times I am really excited. sometimes I worry.......what have I done? But my Husband is excited about going back to Haiti. even a small area. We were there in the seventies. I bought a painting and hope to buy another. We both hope some good change has come there.

 

Next year..........all of us who are jumping ship should return next Spring and report on how the "new" lines turned out. Hopefully the reports are all positive.

Probably we will return to Carnival. but we might wait for a few years. I still want to do one of the Big RCI ships. Do one of the big NCL ships. Sail on the Princess 10 day to the Dutch Antilles again.

I would love to hear what you think about Celebrity after your cruise. I've been thinking about trying them mostly because of their more restrictive smoking policy.

[put me on a ship]

We've stayed with Carnival in the past, mostly because of pricing, and year round Caribbean sailings out of Florida. Other lines are becoming competitive with Carnival price wise, and offering more choices for late April, early May time frame out of Florida. We're kind of tired of the "same old" Carnival seems to offer, and we are starting to try other lines. NCL offers some great itineraries, as does Celebrity, in the winter months, and NCL will soon have 2 new ships that home port in Miami year round. So, yep, we are branching out....and yes, some of the things Carnival has done recently doesn't sit well with us (free cruise promotion, platinum status for one cruise, and no, don't want to stir the pot but these things all come into play).

 

Will we still sail with Carnival...well, we are, the end of April, but we are going to have fun trying some other lines, too!!

Edited March 28, 2014 by put me on a ship

[john91498]

I find it funny that people need to say "Goodbye" as they try other lines...lol...

[SkyMaster]

I too, applaud you for trying other lines. Even though we're "Diamond" on Carnival, we too, do almost all the other lines from time to time, and always enjoy our cruises, no matter which line we're on. One of my favorites is "Celebrity", and I encourage you to give it a go. Yes, it's a bit more formal than Carnival, but it's a great line, and we've always had a wonderful time aboard our Celebrity cruise. RCI is O.K. as well, with lots of activities, but IMO, not worth the added cost.(In most cases.) NCL used to be one of my favorites, but since they did away with traditional dining, I haven't enjoyed their cruises as much. In any case, don't be afraid to give any, and all the other lines a shot. You just might find one that's a perfect fit for your wants, needs, and expectations. :cool:

 

"SKY"

[KPfromCT]

My moment of knowing I had to leave Carnival came with the free cabin "promotion". and No stirring the Pot. Everyone has hopefully moved on.

 

I did see where Carnival's bookings were high..but profits were down. The article pretended to be mystified as to how Duh. that could happen. When you give free cabins to people who don't book another cruise or spend money on the ship....your profits suffer. One would think the experts..(the beards) would have foreseen that one.

 

So I booked on Celebrity. it goes to new ports to me...( St. Tropez, St Barts and Labadee.) I think they play Trivia that starts and ends with the same rules. I hear the food is outstanding. People seem to really like it. Some of the tours seem very inexpensive. The one in St. Tropez.....Ouch.

 

I am nervous. It is the unknown. We have sailed on Carnival or other lines owned by Carnival so much that I worry that we will be out of place.

We get extra OBC or a free drink card ( alcohol, coffee, and/or sodas) or paid gratuities. I get until April to decide on which one. The price was right. The ship is five stars. the Infinity.

Some times I am really excited. sometimes I worry.......what have I done? But my Husband is excited about going back to Haiti. even a small area. We were there in the seventies. I bought a painting and hope to buy another. We both hope some good change has come there.

 

Next year..........all of us who are jumping ship should return next Spring and report on how the "new" lines turned out. Hopefully the reports are all positive.

Probably we will return to Carnival. but we might wait for a few years. I still want to do one of the Big RCI ships. Do one of the big NCL ships. Sail on the Princess 10 day to the Dutch Antilles again.[/quote

 

The free cruise promotion was COMPLETELY random. I feel like you need to get past that.

I have read a few posts from you, aiming your anger at Carnival.

It was completely RANDOM!!!!

Lighten up a little bit

[Fitzget]

I've only sailed on Carnival and Royal Caribbean so far, but just like I'm not loyal to any one hotel brand, I'm not loyal to any one cruise line, either. I would like to try them all. Princess and Celebrity are high on my radar.

[sjcruiser]

Its OK to go an try, and even switch to other lines. You never know what you like until you try them. I first tried Royal after Carnival prices were higher than there going to almost the same ports leaving out of NYC/Bayonne. My next cruise was on Royal also, but then I came back to Carnival for a family cruise, which has been several Carnival cruises ago. Royal and NCL both send me good promos, and if I decide to take another cruise this year, it'll be on one of the two. Happy Sailing!!!

[LWiening]

Its like watching reruns on TV. That is what we felt as a group. I was so excited that we were going to become platinum but as usual Carnival changed everything,

 

Saying goodbye is a good way for the Beards who do read these boards know that they are loosing people who were loyal and switching to another brand. After eight times of the same show. Never really seeing the cruise director even though so many brag about them.

 

We did do NCL once but everyone was asleep it seemed by 8. At least they offered a free drink for a few hours where Carnival doesn't offer nothing.

 

Never got a call from the upgrade fairy. The food is the same. They no longer have their Chocolate buffet. Little things that brought us to Carnival as gone away.

 

Saying Good bye could mean just that. Its time to move on and find something that makes our vacation memorable then a rerun.

[overthehillcruiser]

We feel exactly like you do..

Our group went on our cruise in February and has begun to be a tradition. But with Carnival having the same old ports. Seems like the food is the same and the entertainment really has not change much. We decided it was time to leave Carnival and go on to another Cruise line for next year.

 

I think what was the biggest factor was changing how many cruises to get to be VIP and then for once you are there faster to fun that people pay as finally determined that Carnival has taken away allot of what we wanted.

 

No bands on the Lido deck was another factor and the same pool games being played.

 

Who knows we may return sometime but its time to say Goodbye.

[SkyMaster]

I

 

We did do NCL once but everyone was asleep it seemed by 8. At least they offered a free drink for a few hours where Carnival doesn't offer nothing.

 

Never got a call from the upgrade fairy. The food is the same. They no longer have their Chocolate buffet. Little things that brought us to Carnival as gone away.

 

 

My last two cruises, (within the last 2 months) were aboard "Paradise", and "Dream". Both ships had the Chocolate Buffet, and both were very good, and enjoyable. ;)

 

"SKY"

[rjrice1]

We are leaning towards Royal next Jan.

Just got off the Valor.. liked it; IMHO it seemed like the exact same shows as the last two previous ones. Even the break dancers were the same.

But got to admit Carnival is less $$$

It's okay to cross the boarder.

Cathy

[RuthlessBoss]

Our group went on our cruise in February and has begun to be a tradition. But with Carnival having the same old ports. Seems like the food is the same and the entertainment really has not change much. We decided it was time to leave Carnival and go on to another Cruise line for next year.

 

I think what was the biggest factor was changing how many cruises to get to be VIP and then for once you are there faster to fun that people pay as finally determined that Carnival has taken away allot of what we wanted.

 

No bands on the Lido deck was another factor and the same pool games being played.

 

Who knows we may return sometime but its time to say Goodbye.

 

So, good bye. People on other lines are probably tired of their same old ports, their same old food, same entertainment. All you are doing is switching places with others curious about Carnival and will come over here.

[PROCRUISE]

Our group went on our cruise in February and has begun to be a tradition. But with Carnival having the same old ports. Seems like the food is the same and the entertainment really has not change much. We decided it was time to leave Carnival and go on to another Cruise line for next year.

 

I think what was the biggest factor was changing how many cruises to get to be VIP and then for once you are there faster to fun that people pay as finally determined that Carnival has taken away allot of what we wanted.

 

No bands on the Lido deck was another factor and the same pool games being played.

 

Who knows we may return sometime but its time to say Goodbye.

 

It's actually a good idea to see what other cruise lines offer. We made the switch several years ago and have a new favorite cruise line. We'd still cruise with CCL again but know that it only offers the basics, which is fine for some.