"Oh I would never sail with Carnival"

[In Retirement]

Hello:

People tend to prefer what they know and then there is the "us" and the "them." Obviously, if you are comparing cruise lines you have to have experienced the ones you are comparing and then make them equivalent as to region, ports, seasons, lengths, and types of cabins.

 

It often takes a substantial negative experience to draw such a comparison. We have never sailed on an "all suites" ship and really do not prefer such experience if one is drawn to them based on an evaluation of self-importance. For us, we deal with ports and schedule and then select. It means something that Carnival doesn't sail in Europe anymore and that it, as of two years ago, served dishes that looked good on the plate but were not palatable!

 

We did have one of those definitive negative experiences on the brand-new Magic that provided service out of Galveston its maiden year for New Year's day. I knew our aft balcony was right above an entertainment venue, but the ship was new, new, new and the other three adjacent cabins were booked. My experience with guest relations was that I was lied to multiple times -- they must be taught that this works (the benefit of large open balconies is that you can talk to your neighbors who are also on winter Caribbean vacations and very willing to share their identical problems and the same process that used lying). I am both a Carnival and a Royal Caribbean stockholder and in my retirement we sail at least annually. I have learned that even brand new ships are essentially metal boxes and are designed by idiots who place speakers into the ceiling which is the floor of four balcony cabins. Beware for all ships! My thought about the Celebrity kitchen is that it is a step above the Royal Caribbean kitchen and budget (RC offers priced entries in the regular dinning room) but I have found Princess and Holland America in general quite acceptable.

 

Remember, when it comes to food, where the ship obtains its supplies and the season of the year makes a difference? Last July I took our family on a RT Seattle Alaska Cruise on the Star Princess and the quality of produce was amazing -- sort of makes you want to live near that Washington State agricultural zone with wonderful berries etc. in the summer?

DJ:)

[gimletgal]

I believe we briefly spoke with you at the Martini bar and do recall you telling us you would never sail on carnival. I see from your signature you have never been on a carnival ship, why do you feel this way if you have no first hand experience of that line?

 

What I originally said pretty much explains how I feel:

 

" I, for one, would never sail on Carnival. They just don't appeal to me. That's not to say they are a bad cruise line - just not my type."

 

If I go to a store and something does not appeal to me, I do not purchase it.

Same goes for booking cruises. I do my research, and if I don't like what I see, I take a pass. I don't sail Cunard either- just no appeal for me.

[matondo]

IMHO Carnival is a great value. I took my first cruise last November. Had a great time and the value was amazing. If the price were the same between Carnival and HAL or Disney (the other two lines I have been on) Carnival would be my last choice.

 

I still check out the Carnival website to see if there is a cruise out there at a price I just can't pass up.

[dgparent]

This thread lost all credibility to me when woodley said he saw gimletgal in a bar, that would never happen LOL

[miched]

LOL! If/when I wear MY cabin card on a lanyard, it's only so I know where it is. In fact, one cruise, I got a different color card from my husband and didn't even realize that it meant something. (shows you how much status means to me!):o

 

My DW wears her's on a lanyard so that she won't accidentally walk away from the casino without it. I however am forever running back to a slot machine because I left my card in the machine.

 

I can understand that, but those on Carnival and Princess that wear their card on the landyard also have all their cruise pins attached, plus some wear a vest full of patches or laminate stamps pinnned on showing their cruise history.

 

 

🌅🚢🇺🇸

[gimletgal]

This thread lost all credibility to me when woodley said he saw gimletgal in a bar, that would never happen LOL

 

Thanks for the laugh, my friend!!!!!!!!!! :D

[Cruising89143]

What I originally said pretty much explains how I feel:

 

" I, for one, would never sail on Carnival. They just don't appeal to me. That's not to say they are a bad cruise line - just not my type."

 

If I go to a store and something does not appeal to me, I do not purchase it.

Same goes for booking cruises. I do my research, and if I don't like what I see, I take a pass. I don't sail Cunard either- just no appeal for me.

 

Makes sense to me. I for one don't purchase things that don't interest me.

[Bruin Steve]

I will risk political I correctness...and being called a snob...

...but I will call it as I see it.

 

I have cruised 36 times...on 7 different cruise lines...

 

Including four cruises on Carnival... One 3-nighter, two 7s and an 8-nighter--which I took back-to-back with a Royal Caribbean cruise--which really made comparisons easy and blatant.

 

So, I won't say I'd NEVER take a Carnival cruise...after all, I've taken four of them...BUT, of the seven cruise lines I've cruised with, Carnival is CLEARLY at the bottom of the barrel...

 

Now, everyone has different criteria, different standards, etc. What is important to me might not be important to the next guy. For example, not being a gambler, the casino layout is not a consideration to me...as it is the OP,..except, I would prefer the casino be out of the way of my path of travel...

 

Most important on my list is spaciousness...the space-per-passenger ratios...and this is where carnival fails miserably. Carnival jams way too many passengers on its ships--including the highest numbers and highest occupancy percentages on 3rd and 4th berths filled. The overcrowding impacts many different aspects of the cruise. The tables in Carnival dining rooms are crowded way too close together. The main showrooms are undersized and poorly configured...the crowding requires passengers to show up way too early to get seats. Likewise, lounges and pool decks suffer from the overcrowding.

 

The walkways on the main entertainment decks on Carnival are too narrow and don't allow sufficient room for the crowds at peak hours.

 

When we did the RCCL/Carnival back-to-back, we noted that our waiters on Carnival served 1.5 times the number of passengers each than did waiters on. RCCL...this severely impacts service. The Carnival buffets were greatly understaffed. Tables were not timely cleared and cleaned...and hard to find at peak hours (again, the crowding).

 

For production shows in the main showroom, Carnival had fewer actual singers, more canned vocals...

 

Food is fairly subjective...everyone has different tastes...and I can say that I've had some very god meals on Carnival...but I've also seen figures on how much each cruise line spends per passenger ...and Carnival clearly cuts corners there...

 

Celebrity is WAY ahead of the curve in a number of areas, most of all space-per-passenger ratios...and this reverberates through all of the other issues.

 

So...while I won't say "never", I also won't try to suggest that Carnival is "equal to" Celebrity...or that "all cruise lines are the same".

All cruise lines do many of the same things...they just do many of them differently...and some do them way better than some of the others.

[AmberTeka]

I have never had a bad cruise and that includes Carnival ,Celebrity and RC.

I have also never heard people slagging other cruise lines when on board and that includes a recent Connie cruise.

OP, where were you hanging out on Connie when you heard all these disparaging comments about Carnival ?:confused:

Most times you have to go to CC or CNN to hear people slam Carnival. :D

 

Off topic but the cruise that least met my expectations (while still being OK) was my recent March cruise on the Constellation .

The cruise that most exceeded my expectations was on Carnivals Fascination. In fairness my expectations were lower.

 

You totally stunned me with your comment on the Fascination. I had exactly the same experience. My husband and I had spent all week telling each other that is was a small, old, ship and the price for an OV was very low, and we needed to be careful about what we said, and make sure we didn't offend anyone because it was the first old, small, ship we had sailed on. What had we gotten ourselves into?

 

And. It was one of my favorite cruises. It was crowded with College And High School graduates ( early in June) and they were...............totally the nicest kids in the world. They came in all races, genders, and they gave me hope for the future. I have never had doors opened for me so much in my life. Two of them played Trivia with us. We won Ships on a stick and gave it to them. Then both of them managed to get their parents to us so we could all meet.

Passengers..........laid back. No one complained about anything that I heard. The shows were pretty good, I thought, I won enough to play on their money a bit in the casino. We did really well at Trivia. The food...not that bad. The Buffet....grilled ham and cheese sandwiches the best ever. Ditto the salad bar.

 

I am Southern. Alabama. Most of the people on that cruise were Southern ...from Georgia. South Carolina. Tennessee. Alabama. N. Florida.......The South is slower. I loved it.

And the Ports.....Loved Key West. Loved it. Nassau. We went to Paradise Island. Did not like that too much, but glad we went. lost our money quick.

We expected nothing. And Got a lot. And I bet you are a person who enjoys a laid back atmosphere.

Edited April 26, 2014 by AmberTeka

[richstowe]

You totally stunned me with your comment on the Fascination. I had exactly the same experience.

 

I am Southern. Alabama. Most of the people on that cruise were Southern ...from Georgia. South Carolina. Tennessee. Alabama. N. Florida.......The South is slower. I loved it.

And the Ports.....Loved Key West. Loved it. Nassau. We went to Paradise Island. Did not like that too much, but glad we went. lost our money quick.

We expected nothing. And Got a lot. And I bet you are a person who enjoys a laid back atmosphere.

Perhaps the fact that the Fascination sails from Jacksonville with locals added to the fun. Everyone was very nice.

The first reason we had so much fun was it was our first, and so far only, cruise with our kids (18 and 20 at the time).

Watching the enjoyment they got out of their first cruise was truly special. It's wonderful to share the joy of discovery with those you love. :)

Yes the Fascination was the oldest smallest ship we have been on but rediscovering the fun of cruising made it wonderful.

[woodley]

Makes sense to me. I for one don't purchase things that don't interest me.

 

I agree I don't purchase things that don't interest me either but I also don't go around telling people about all the things I would never buy.

.

[richstowe]

I agree I don't purchase things that don't interest me either but I also don't go around telling people about all the things I would never buy.

.

Then how are they going to know how superior you are ? :confused:

[Cruising89143]

I agree I don't purchase things that don't interest me either but I also don't go around telling people about all the things I would never buy.

.

 

So I assume that Carnival never came up in the conversation with the above poster?

Edited April 26, 2014 by cruisingator2

[OCruisers]

While we are not as fond of Carnival as were are some other cruise lines, Charleston is an extremely convenient port for us and only Carnival goes out of there so we do cruise on Carnival from time to time.

LuLu

[Kellie Poodle]

LOL! If/when I wear MY cabin card on a lanyard, it's only so I know where it is. In fact, one cruise, I got a different color card from my husband and didn't even realize that it meant something. (shows you how much status means to me!):o

 

I wear my card on a lanyard because if I don't I lose the darned thing every time.

 

I have never seen anyone examine the card for loyalty status level. They would be staring right at my bosom if they were. ;)

[Kellie Poodle]

A few years ago friends of ours were booked to do a Carnival cruise from San Diego to and around Hawaii and back. We were interested in the itinerary so I looked into the cruise.

I was comparing it to a Celebrity Century sailing a few days later.

In order to get an unobstructed balcony cabin on the Carnival ship, I would have had to pay a higher price than for a balcony cabin on Century. That really surprised me.

I lurked on the Carnival and the Century roll calls and found that there was a large group of people on the Carnival board who knew each other from different cruises who had booked the Carnival cruise as a group and most of the chatter was about alcohol and parties which are not really our speed.

I was much more interested in the tone of the Century roll call and, in fact, we are still close with people we met on that board and on the ship.

Having loyalty program perks on Celebrity also made it less expensive for us to book on Century.

Our friends who took the Carnival cruise (they book inside cabins) said they had a good time,but complained about sea days not having anything to suit their interest.

We are all in our late 60's early 70's.

We sail with Royal and Celebrity (and recently Azamara) because we get the best value from them. Just the price of a cocktail before dinner, internet minutes, laundry, etc. that we get as loyalty perks makes a difference to our budget.

I would not say I would "never" sail Carnival, I just don't see any reason to.

I will say that I'll never sail with NCL as my first Freestyle cruise was my last.:)

[marco]

And back to the OP: Last year we took a Carnival cruise. Yes, we were apprehensive. We were delightfully surprised......it was great! Cabin, staff, dining, food...all were good. My only complaint, if you want to call it that, was that I thought the overall decor of public rooms was a little to "Las Vegas" for my taste. Other then that......we really enjoyed it!

[cruisemom42]

[quote name='miched']I can understand that, but those on Carnival and Princess that wear their card on the landyard also have all their cruise pins attached, plus some wear a vest full of patches or laminate stamps pinnned on showing their cruise history.


🌅🚢🇺🇸[/QUOTE]

Really? I have over a dozen cruises on Princess and have never once seen anyone walking around with a lanyard, pins, and a vest of patches or stamps! :confused:

Is it possible some people are overly sensitive about this? Why do folks always jump to a negative conclusion about why someone is wearing their pass on a lanyard, when so many times I have heard it recommended as a way of keeping track of your card when you don't want to carry a bag... It would look pretty weird (and be uncomfortable) to wear it UNDER your clothes...!

[gsu_paintballer]

We cruise CCL for one reason - price. If we find a better deal on a different line, we're taking it. That's how we wound up on this X cruise we have booked in December. It was $10 cheaper overall, and went to better ports, but was a day shorter. We were willing to trade a day for some new ports.

We do, however, have a short four-dayer booked on CCL in May that no one else could beat price-wise.

Has CCL had some cutbacks? ABSOLUTELY. But I don't expect to receive a premium product for a value price.

What really drives me up the wall is the attitude from people who have never cruised CCL (or some who have never cruised at all) that mock the idea of cruising on CCL as if it's beneath them.

You vacation your way, and I'll vacation mine.

[quote name='miched']I can understand that, but those on Carnival and Princess that wear their card on the landyard also have all their cruise pins attached, plus some wear a vest full of patches or laminate stamps pinnned on showing their cruise history.


🌅🚢🇺🇸[/QUOTE]

I guess I'm the new-age version of this, since they're in my signature.

[C Cruise Dude]

[quote name='Jane2357'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=Blue]I've sailed Carnival several times and I've never had a bad experience. I love Celebrity but when I travel with a group - I'll go along with what the majority can afford. The food on X is only slightly better in mho and the service on Carnival is every bit as good as X. The experience of Carnival is different - more lively, louder and a bit more of a party feel however the drunkest people I've ever seen were on X - so go figure. When I want fun, fun, fun - Carnival is great and when I want relaxing, refined and romantic then Celebrity it is.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/quote]

[COLOR=Blue][SIZE=5][B]Like!:D:D:cool:[/B][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Lastdance]

If I ever get the sense that something is not working out, I get involved. Never have I just sat there for ever waiting for food on a cruise. I think if someone expects their cruise to be flawless, they are setting themselves up for a rude awakening. Why would you wait and wait, yet not say or do anything if your food was not coming or if you watched your waiter wait on everyone but you? I am sure that I most likely couldn't please you either, no matter how efficient I was.
I also couldn't tell you how many drunks there are on Celebrity because I avoid those people like the plague! To me, alcohol is a carcinogen that I only use once in a while. Yes, I do care about my health, yet I don't care if the drink package is your choice and free. That is your prerogative. I don't bad mouth the cruise lines or compare them online. To me, that is done privately, after I cruise. I also don't care if the desserts are one way or another; instead I try bites of several. Cruising is no different then life; the jerks are there, along with great people. You have to just look hard and get involved! Try looking for the good more than the bad. Like anything else, it takes practice...;)