I tried Carnival and I liked it. Went back on Celebrity and was disappointed. Need an

[luvs2fly]

I've sailed Oceania, Disney, Celebrity and Carnival. Last Memorial Day, my family and I went on a four day cruise on the Sensation. The company my husband works for was very short on pilots and he was rescheduled for more flying. Because his company scheduled him for so many hours, they had to pull his next trip! So, with extra time off my husband told me to book a family cruise. Disney, quoted me over $ 20,000 for a four day cruise I thought that was ridiculous' and the only other cruise that fit our time frame was Carnival!

 

We were shocked at how much fun our whole family had. The food was better then Celebrity's and Disney's. The service was better then Celebrity's and the price was amazing. I couldn't believe how much fun we had, even though it rained most of the day when we were in Nassau. We still had a blast. My husband and I were on the Summit in February. We booked an aqua class room as usual. We love Persian gardens, the steam rooms are so relaxing. We booked all of our excursions through them and they were all wonderful! Their coffee was wonderful this time, it was off on our last cruise with them. I fully planed on doing a full photo review of my cruise, but I didn't! Because the cruise was not good. We spent over $6000.00 more on this cruise then we did on our sensation cruise. Celebrity just didn't compare! Carnival wins, my daughter and I love folding towels now!

 

My husband and I were done with cruising! We decided that our next vacation would be on land. We booked airfare, rental cars and two hotel rooms in Poipu Kauai. Then we got the email, the one tempting us with ridiculously low interline rates. My husband said there is no way that the price is real! We were able to cancel everything for Kauai, we are now booked on the breeze. We just couldn't resist a deal after paying taxes, college tuition, dorm room, books, meal plan and our oldest son totaled the new car his grandparents bought for him. He was hit by an uninsured unlicensed driver. So we kicked in extra money to ensure he got a safe and reliable vehicle. The big brat threw a fit and demanded I return his new car because it didn't have a built in navigation system and seat heat. We live in the south, and our insurance company raised our rates a $1000.00 every six months. He is not coming on the cruise!

 

My husband and I will be traveling with our 7, 9,10 year old children! We are leaving the brat at home to take care of the house and dog! We booked two cove balconies that are right next to each other. I have just a few questions.

 

1.) Can the balcony dividers be opened to connect the balconies?

 

2.) What is there internet like? My husband has some work stuff on a sea day and I would love to spy on my brat and check on my dog. We were just planing on bringing our iPads. Should we bring a lap top as well?

 

3.) Do they offer bottled wine packages? They offered one on the sensation and we really liked it. We usually drink a bottle at dinner. We are not going to do the cheers package. We are traveling with our kids and we need to be responsible! To much alcohol and I'll want to sleep till noon! My children wouldn't be happy!

 

4.) Our 10 year old gets a little distracted and he sometimes wanders off. He is a very good kid, but he has so much energy. Any advice on ways to keep tabs on him? I definitely plan on watching my children and making sure that they are aware that other people are on vacation and that their good time doesn't interfere or disturb others. They are seasoned travelers and they always whisper in the hallways, well almost alway's.

 

If any one has any other helpful advice, it would really be appreciated.

 

 

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[S.S.Oceanlover]

I've sailed Oceania, Disney, Celebrity and Carnival. Last Memorial Day, my family and I went on a four day cruise on the Sensation. The company my husband works for was very short on pilots and he was rescheduled for more flying. Because his company scheduled him for so many hours, they had to pull his next trip! So, with extra time off my husband told me to book a family cruise. Disney, quoted me over $ 20,000 for a four day cruise I thought that was ridiculous' and the only other cruise that fit our time frame was Carnival!

 

We were shocked at how much fun our whole family had. The food was better then Celebrity's and Disney's. The service was better then Celebrity's and the price was amazing. I couldn't believe how much fun we had, even though it rained most of the day when we were in Nassau. We still had a blast. My husband and I were on the Summit in February. We booked an aqua class room as usual. We love Persian gardens, the steam rooms are so relaxing. We booked all of our excursions through them and they were all wonderful! Their coffee was wonderful this time, it was off on our last cruise with them. I fully planed on doing a full photo review of my cruise, but I didn't! Because the cruise was not good. We spent over $6000.00 more on this cruise then we did on our sensation cruise. Celebrity just didn't compare! Carnival wins, my daughter and I love folding towels now!

 

My husband and I were done with cruising! We decided that our next vacation would be on land. We booked airfare, rental cars and two hotel rooms in Poipu Kauai. Then we got the email, the one tempting us with ridiculously low interline rates. My husband said there is no way that the price is real! We were able to cancel everything for Kauai, we are now booked on the breeze. We just couldn't resist a deal after paying taxes, college tuition, dorm room, books, meal plan and our oldest son totaled the new car his grandparents bought for him. He was hit by an uninsured unlicensed driver. So we kicked in extra money to ensure he got a safe and reliable vehicle. The big brat threw a fit and demanded I return his new car because it didn't have a built in navigation system and seat heat. We live in the south, and our insurance company raised our rates a $1000.00 every six months. He is not coming on the cruise!

 

My husband and I will be traveling with our 7, 9,10 year old children! We are leaving the brat at home to take care of the house and dog! We booked two cove balconies that are right next to each other. I have just a few questions.

 

1.) Can the balcony dividers be opened to connect the balconies?

 

2.) What is there internet like? My husband has some work stuff on a sea day and I would love to spy on my brat and check on my dog. We were just planing on bringing our iPads. Should we bring a lap top as well?

 

3.) Do they offer bottled wine packages? They offered one on the sensation and we really liked it. We usually drink a bottle at dinner. We are not going to do the cheers package. We are traveling with our kids and we need to be responsible! To much alcohol and I'll want to sleep till noon! My children wouldn't be happy!

 

4.) Our 10 year old gets a little distracted and he sometimes wanders off. He is a very good kid, but he has so much energy. Any advice on ways to keep tabs on him? I definitely plan on watching my children and making sure that they are aware that other people are on vacation and that their good time doesn't interfere or disturb others. They are seasoned travelers and they always whisper in the hallways, well almost alway's.

 

If any one has any other helpful advice, it would really be appreciated.

 

 

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$20,000 for 4 days? Was that for a family of 10 and the best suite on the ship?

 

I knew DCL was expensive but $5000 a day. :eek:

 

Bill

[grumpyjr88]

OMG, the "Brat"! That is hilarious...well, not for you or him, obviously.

 

All the Carnival ships have the wine package (I think). It's 3 bottles for cruises 5 days or less 5 bottles for cruises 5 days or more. We've gotten it the last two cruises and love it.

 

Did your 10 yr old try out Camp Carnival? Most kids love it, some don't but I think they are in the minority. The kids are supervised and you can enjoy yourself for a bit without having to worry about keeping an eye on his whereabouts and he can use up all that energy with like-minded kids. :)

[Willman]

 

My husband and I were on the Summit in February. We booked an aqua class room as usual. We love Persian gardens, the steam rooms are so relaxing. We booked all of our excursions through them and they were all wonderful! Their coffee was wonderful this time, it was off on our last cruise with them. I fully planed on doing a full photo review of my cruise, but I didn't! Because the cruise was not good. We spent over $6000.00 more on this cruise then we did on our sensation cruise. Celebrity just didn't compare! Carnival wins, my daughter and I love folding towels now!

 

You spent $6000 more for seven night for two in an Aqua Class cabin on the Summit than for a family cruise on the Sensation? The total cruise cost on the Summit is normally around $2600-$3000 total for two!

 

You say what you loved about it then say the "cruise was not good" Something does not add up.

[BlancaNoir]

"So, with extra time off my husband told me to book a family cruise. Disney, quoted me over $ 20,000 for a four day cruise I thought that was ridiculous' and the only other cruise that fit our time frame was Carnival! We were shocked at how much fun our whole family had. The food was better then Celebrity's and Disney's. The service was better then Celebrity's and the price was amazing."

 

Wow. Unbelievable!

[luvs2fly]

$20,000 for 4 days? Was that for a family of 10 and the best suite on the ship?

 

 

 

I knew DCL was expensive but $5000 a day. :eek:

 

 

 

Bill

 

 

It was for my family of six and my cousins family of four. It was some kind of family room and adjoining room. I was booking last min. They must have been full. I could never justify spending that on a four day kids cruise!

 

 

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[mferris77]

Sheesh. Seems like Crystal or Seabourn might be more your style. :)

[Big_G]

 

Carnival wins, my daughter and I love folding towels now!

 

 

They made you do laundry? :D

[Willman]

Why was the Summit cruise "not good"? How did its price for two exceed a family Sensation cruise by $6000?

[luvs2fly]

Sheesh. Seems like Crystal or Seabourn might be more your style. :)

 

 

It's not! My husband and I are pretty laid back. Only cruised Oceania because my parents took us on a family cruise and paid. My oldest son, the one I referred to as brat calls me Scrooge, because I can be a little frugal at times. We really enjoyed our cruise on carnival and are looking forward to our upcoming one. If you have any good advice about the breeze I'd love to hear it.

 

 

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[luvs2fly]

Why was the Summit cruise "not good"? How did its price for two exceed a family Sensation cruise by $6000?

 

 

On board shopping, shore excursions, beverage packages, speciality dining package,couple of spa treatments and we lost at their casino. Also Carnival gives awesome interline rates. Celebrity doesn't.

 

 

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[Rock_ON!!]

I have been on both RCC and CCL cruises. I look at it this way, I am not there for my dinning pleasure. I am just happy not to have to cook or clean up after each meal. The entertainment is for your choosing, I can leave a show and find something else to do on a ship. The ship is just a means to get me to the various locations, so why not pay less on Carnival? There was not much of a difference between the 2 lines I was on, so I'd be foolish to pay more. Plus, I know get some great rates being a return customer.

[Willman]

On board shopping, shore excursions, beverage packages, speciality dining package,couple of spa treatments and we lost at their casino. Also Carnival gives awesome interline rates. Celebrity doesn't.

 

 

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Thanks for the explanation. However, in terms of costs, that is not really a valid way to compare two cruises.

 

My last Summit cruise we spent next to nothing - the beverage package was free! I would like to try Carnival but that free beverage package is hard to resist. Plus the cruise was excellent.

 

I can see how if you were with kids you would enjoy the Sensation more.

[kristie64063]

The big brat threw a fit and demanded I return his new car because it didn't have a built in navigation system and seat heat.

 

 

I'm sorry ... I can't get past this line. This was a joke, right?? He didn't really demand this did he? And if he did, you told him to buy his own car and get a job right??

 

Laughing and hoping this was just a joke!! :o

[luvs2fly]

I'm sorry ... I can't get past this line. This was a joke, right?? He didn't really demand this did he? And if he did, you told him to buy his own car and get a job right??

 

Laughing and hoping this was just a joke!! :o

 

 

I wish it were! If the car sale wasn't final, that car would have been returned in a heart beat. He has a job and he doesn't have any bills, yet he has no money! It's not funny, it's sad! That is why he isn't coming on the family vacation.

 

 

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[Willman]

On board shopping, shore excursions, beverage packages, speciality dining package,couple of spa treatments and we lost at their casino. Also Carnival gives awesome interline rates. Celebrity doesn't.

 

 

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Wow! You must have spent $4000 - $5000 extra on top of the $3000 base price of the cruise. They must LOVE you!

 

Also, Aqua class rooms have their own separate upscale restaurant (Blu). This is the reason most book these rooms. You purchased the specialty dining package also?

 

Was this "not good" cruise because of bad luck in the casino?

[Barbee524]

I have been on the Summit twice. Depending on where you are cruising to the price can vary. Our cruse to Bermuda was bout twice as much as the one we just took our of San Juan. However, overall Carnival has better prices.

 

I like both lines for different reasons. Though food is not one of the reasons. I think that the food on most cruise lines is comparable to what you would get at a banquet unless you are willing to pay for a specialtiy restaurant.

 

As to service the service in my opinion has been excellent on every cruise line I have been on with the exception of NCL. Though this I think was a problem more with the specific ship than the entire cruise line.

 

In a nutshell Celebrity is a much more staid line. You will not find much going on after 10:00 at night. I find that Carnival is much more laid back and there is something going on until very late at night.

 

We usually cruise twice a year usually once on Celebrity and the second on a different line and for the past few years that line has been Carnival.

[Rogueperson]

If price is your priority, than Carnival will win almost every single time.

 

If you think about it, when you have this kind of price for an awesome vacation, you will attract a certain demographics of population. For this reason, I like Carnival. I feel like I'm cruising more with my contemporaries than any other cruise line.

 

That's not to say the other cruise lines are lacking or less magnificent. I loved the two Celebrity cruise I was on, but when i went, i felt like i didn't really fit in as well as I did on my Carnival. I didn't have less of a good time, but it was not the same. Of course, this didn't stop me from booking my 15 night honeymoon cruise on Celebrity.

 

I think each cruise attracts a certain demographics. If you fit squarely in that demographic, I think you will have a great time. If not, you may be bored, or worse, annoyed that you spent x amount of money for a vacation that didn't meet your standard.

 

Of course, the demographics change within the cruise line itself. Your cruise could vary depending on the time you cruise, how long you cruise, or where you cruise. Its different enough that every time I book a cruise, even after 11 cruises in my belt, I get stressed out that i'm making a mistake.

[luvs2fly]

Thanks for the explanation. However, in terms of costs, that is not really a valid way to compare two cruises.

 

My last Summit cruise we spent next to nothing - the beverage package was free! I would like to try Carnival but that free beverage package is hard to resist. Plus the cruise was excellent.

 

I can see how if you were with kids you would enjoy the Sensation more.

 

 

We could've done the cruise cheaper! But we can only get a sitter for our kids once a year, so we like to treat ourselves. We booked early and got a rate that I was ok with. Our room category sold out quickly for our cruise and we weren't lucky enough to get a beverage package. With my husbands weird schedule we use our one week together to relax and reconnect.

 

Our cruise wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. We were on the ship the previous year and loved it as well. They had a new captain this time and a bunch of new employees.

 

We tried to change a couple of our excursions more then 24 hours in advance. The Peruvian, I forget his name told us that he was unable to make changes. I asked for his supervisor and he then made all the changes for us. He told my husband to not book an excursion unless he was sure about it.

 

We had waiters in Qusine complain about other passengers in front of our table. Our room steward was the main source of difficulty. We were getting ready for dinner at Normandy when he asked us to leave so he could clean the cabin. He knew what time our dinner was because he had to deliver the card. He broke some makeup I left in the bathroom. I'm sure it was an accident but he never apologized. Like I said earlier just really petty stuff that built up over the week.

 

Any advice on breeze?

 

 

 

 

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[luvs2fly]

Wow! You must have spent $4000 - $5000 extra on top of the $3000 base price of the cruise. They must LOVE you!

 

Also, Aqua class rooms have their own separate upscale restaurant (Blu). This is the reason most book these rooms. You purchased the specialty dining package also?

 

Was this "not good" cruise because of bad luck in the casino?

 

 

We booked onboard and paid only $2000. for our fare. We liked the location of deck 11 and Persian gardens. That's the only reason we booked aqua again. Blu just isn't our thing. The loss at the casino wasn't fun either! But I'd never blame anything but luck for that one.

 

 

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[luvs2fly]

OMG, the "Brat"! That is hilarious...well, not for you or him, obviously.

 

All the Carnival ships have the wine package (I think). It's 3 bottles for cruises 5 days or less 5 bottles for cruises 5 days or more. We've gotten it the last two cruises and love it.

 

Did your 10 yr old try out Camp Carnival? Most kids love it, some don't but I think they are in the minority. The kids are supervised and you can enjoy yourself for a bit without having to worry about keeping an eye on his whereabouts and he can use up all that energy with like-minded kids. :)

 

 

Thanks, for the tips. He was to busy playing with his cousins to try out camp carnival. We'll have to try it this time. I'm glad to hear that they have wine packages! My brat has apologized, his college is only a couple of hours away and we need more time apart. I'm not going to miss him right now. But I will miss my dog!

 

 

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[Mysticks1]

I wish it were! If the car sale wasn't final, that car would have been returned in a heart beat. He has a job and he doesn't have any bills, yet he has no money! It's not funny, it's sad! That is why he isn't coming on the family vacation.

 

 

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That is extremely sad. He should be glad he doesn't have me for a Mom, I would sell that car in a heartbeat and get him a POS with different colored fenders and no air conditioning.

 

I guess it is good that there are different cruise lines for different people. I really liked our cruise on the Solstice (Aquaclass cabin) and will always pick Celebrity over Carnival. I am looking more for relaxation than for "Fun" though and my daughter is 20 now so no more "kids" cruises. We are cruising on the Dream this Sunday because we needed something from New Orleans as she has to drive back to school the afternoon we return for summer classes on Monday. I booked a Spa cabin for this one and intend to spend a lot of time there. If you liked the Spa on Celebrity you should look at the Spa Cabins on the Breeze.

 

[Rosethorn40]

You poor thing, you keep asking about the Breeze, and everyone is hung up on how much you paid on another cruise, your wandering 10-year old, and the "Grown up" son that quite frankly would be paying for his own insurance if living in my house.

So on to the Breeze; Eat early at Guy's Burger Joint, everyone raves about the burgers. Get a spa pass to the Cloud Nine Spa for the thermal suite. Enjoy yourself.

[luvs2fly]

That is extremely sad. He should be glad he doesn't have me for a Mom, I would sell that car in a heartbeat and get him a POS with different colored fenders and no air conditioning.

 

 

 

I guess it is good that there are different cruise lines for different people. I really liked our cruise on the Solstice (Aquaclass cabin) and will always pick Celebrity over Carnival. I am looking more for relaxation than for "Fun" though and my daughter is 20 now so no more "kids" cruises. We are cruising on the Dream this Sunday because we needed something from New Orleans as she has to drive back to school the afternoon we return for summer classes on Monday. I booked a Spa cabin for this one and intend to spend a lot of time there. If you liked the Spa on Celebrity you should look at the Spa Cabins on the Breeze.

 

 

 

 

 

Have fun on your cruise. We haven't tried their larger ships. They look nice, my husband and I will probably try another line or a land vacation when we can sucker someone into watching the kids for us. I was just really shocked at how good the service was on carnival and how they even surpassed other lines in different areas.

 

 

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[Sarah@Sea]

Two years ago we booked a last minute cruise on Celebrity Eclipse, it turned out to be a foodie themed cruise. It had fun aspects, we like the crepe place a lot, we like taking the sushi making class (fee), and the french restaurant was delicious.

 

The MDR, the waiter brought me the completely wrong meal, never had that happen on any other cruise. Pasta verse Pork that I ordered. The italian restaurant was complete disappointment I really should have demanded money back, slow service, food was not tasty, about 3-4 different servers so had no idea who to flag down when needed refill. Qzine, food was good, but the iPad thing is overrated we showed her want we wanted on the screen and she WROTE it down on her order pad? The Ipads aren't connected to the kitchen for orders?

 

I also didn't like the adult pool was covered, no retractable roof either, so no sun tanning. And the main pool...I went out there the last sea day and was impressed by the staff monitoring people, like no drinks in pool and they ended the congo line led by a main wearing a knitted hat shaped like a penis. Yes...on celebrity, so please spare the comments about the "class" of people on Carnival. There are good and bad passengers on every ship.

 

IMO, food and service have always stood out as the best on Carnival.