Loyal Royals considering Carnival

[maureencruiser]

Hello, my fellow Royal fans. I recently returned from a solo trip on the Carnival Sunshine and wanted to share my experience to help some of you who may be considering a cruise on Carnival. I am almost done with my review and the link can be found here.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2049021

[cruisingsince94]

Been there, done that, not for us. If you want to save a few bucks Carnival is a good choice.

[LBumb]

thanks for review

[vacation_junkie]

We have sailed a few lines. Carnival is our favourite line. And it's not because the price is cheaper either.

 

We have always enjoyed every Carnival Cruise we've taken.

 

It's been hit and miss on Disney. Our last DCL cruise was our worst based on service , food ...etc.. We have written DCL off.

 

 

We were tossed up between the Breeze again , Sunshine and Allure. The Allure had a Canadian residents sale where the price would be foolish to pass up.

 

Our up coming Allure cruise is $950 LESS then the Carnival cruise we had been looking at for same date. Similar room Category.

 

 

$2980 Canadian for Balcony room for the 3 of us on the Allure vs $3760 U.S. For Balcony on Sunshine.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Edited June 16, 2014 by vacation_junkie

[MrCruzeaddict]

Our last few have been on RCCL and Celebrity. We're booked on the Carnival Dream out of NOLA for Halloween. Haven't cruised Carnival in a long time. We have a SPA OV on deck 12. We usually travel with a group, so It will be fun. We'll see how it goes on Carnival.

 

Joe

[TheGaDawgFan]

I'm enjoying your review! I've been debating a last minute cruise on Carnival because Royal doesn't have many options when I can go.

[JaniceW]

I have sailed on RCCL, Norwegian, Carnival, Holland American, Princess and Celebrity. Carnival is definitely a bit more informal than some of the other lines but if the price is right and the itinerary is what I am looking for, I never have a problem sailing with Carnival. I think Carnival gets a bad rap but I honestly cannot understand why. The rooms on Carnival's ships tend to be a bit larger than those of some other cruise lines. The food, while not gourmet, is fine. In fact, the food on my last Carnival cruise was superior to the food on my last RCCL sailing. Entertainment on Carnival is usually good if you like big-show Las Vegas type entertainment. As for the staff, no problems there either.

[LHARTWICK]

I have sailed on RCCL, Norwegian, Carnival, Holland American, Princess and Celebrity. Carnival is definitely a bit more informal than some of the other lines but if the price is right and the itinerary is what I am looking for, I never have a problem sailing with Carnival. I think Carnival gets a bad rap but I honestly cannot understand why. The rooms on Carnival's ships tend to be a bit larger than those of some other cruise lines. The food, while not gourmet, is fine. In fact, the food on my last Carnival cruise was superior to the food on my last RCCL sailing. Entertainment on Carnival is usually good if you like big-show Las Vegas type entertainment. As for the staff, no problems there either.

 

Same for us, except for NCL. We aren't loyal to any one line. We find that there are pros/cons to every ship/line, and we choose to have a good time regardless. We love the new Deluxe OV cabins on CCL's new ships! We would even choose these over a balcony because of the extra bathroom and extra space. We've had great cruises as well as not so great cruises on RCCL, CCL & PCL. For us it really is a comparison of ship to ship - not cruise line to cruise line. Each ship has a different crew, décor, layout, etc. IMHO, if you only sail one line, you're missing out on what other lines offer. I would get bored with the same line over and over. If we could combine our favorite features of CCL and PCL, it would be the perfect line for us. We can find negatives on any cruise, but we choose to look at the positives. After all, I'm on a cruise and NOT at work! :)

[seastars]

I am very much loyal to Royal, but because of the budget that my boyfriend and I are on currently (I'm putting myself through nursing school, yikes!) I was thinking of possibly booking through Carnival. We are younger, I'm 26 and he's 30, so we still kind of appreciate the party atmosphere. Royal has always seemed 'classier' to me. I've only gone on one other cruise line, NCL. I'm happy to read your review, as this is something I've been mulling over lately. The only thing holding me back is all of the negative things I've heard... some more positive reviews would be great!

[LMaxwell]

Because of the ways the stars align this year I may end up with more vacation time to take than my wife has allotted. As much as I'd like to do a 4 day on a Royal ship, it might be a great time to try out Carnival because they have so many 0 single supplement deals. I was reading alkong with your review; Carnival forum is firing on all 8 cylinders with reviews lately. Fun, informative, lots of pictures, etc.

[LHARTWICK]

I am very much loyal to Royal, but because of the budget that my boyfriend and I are on currently (I'm putting myself through nursing school, yikes!) I was thinking of possibly booking through Carnival. We are younger, I'm 26 and he's 30, so we still kind of appreciate the party atmosphere. Royal has always seemed 'classier' to me. I've only gone on one other cruise line, NCL. I'm happy to read your review, as this is something I've been mulling over lately. The only thing holding me back is all of the negative things I've heard... some more positive reviews would be great!

 

I suggest you try Carnival and try one of their newer ships. We love the Dream and the Magic! We've never tried NCL because of the negatives we've heard, but we do plan to try them someday just so we can see for ourselves. Again, you'll find pros/cons with any line. No one line is perfect. We've had several CCL cruises that were far better than some of our RCCL cruises.

[cruiselvr04]

Try it you might like it. We have tried it three times and we keep saying never again. We have done one seven day and 2 short cruises. If you just have to cruise and only can do a short cruise they are better then staying home, maybe. We just are not going to try it again. Obviously a lot of people like it just not us. We like real entertainment, do not gamble and do not like burgers and fries while cruising. We may try Princess again or HAL someday.

[maureencruiser]

I suggest you try Carnival and try one of their newer ships. We love the Dream and the Magic!

 

I agree. I would not hesitate to sail Carnival again. :D

[OKC Cruisers]

Variety is the spice of life. If you limit yourself to one cruise line without trying another, you may miss out on a great cruise. While most of our cruises are with Royal, it was a Carnival cruise that was our first and what led us down the path to cruise addiction. Our Carnival Magic cruise from Galveston to Key West and the Bahamas was one of our favorite cruises of all time.

 

The way we look at it, we will sail with the line that offers us the best VALUE for our money...not necessarily the cheapest. Plus, we look at what itineraries we want to do. Your cruise vacation is what you make it...enjoy it!

[framboesa]

I loved carnival Breeze...lots of fun, loved the food and the ship is beautiful! I still prefer Royal caribbean, but I like to try different things by myself:cool:

[rjrpar]

We are Diamond on RCCL and have been on 3 Carnival cruises, two to Europe. Our opinion is Carnival is usually a great value and provide a very similar experience as RCCL. People criticize their food and service, but it's about the same as most other cruise lines, including RCCL. Actually, earlier this year we were on Celebrity and was disappointed that their food was on a par with both Carnival and RCCL.

[Robert & Debra]

We have sailed Royal 4 times and we were going to book another one for next year but the prices were crazy so I switched my focus to Carnival and plan on booking Dream. It will be our 4th cruise on Carnival as well. We are not loyal to any line and have sailed on 5 different ones. We look at price and itinerary when deciding our vacation.

[darlacat]

....that the biggest difference between Carnival and RCI is the price and not much more.

 

I've done Carnival and will be doing RCI over the next year and I'm sure I'll enjoy both equally, (going to new places, seeing new stuff, being in the sun is always fun, right?)

 

My research is telling me that I'll lose bathrobes and self serve laundry but will gain a marginal upgrade in entertainment/shows. I do admit that the shows on the Carnival Liberty were the very essence of cheezy.

 

I will lose an elegant steakhouse experience in favour of a "family style" pasta restaurant. And I'll lose Guy's burgers and gain burgers I have to pay extra for.

 

My only hope is that I lose a great bunch of gluttons hanging around the buffet with their plates stacked to the ceiling. I'm a pretty big eater and carry around far too much extra weight - but the eaters I saw on Carnival were like no eaters I've ever seen in my life. And I hope I never see it again - almost put me off of cruising.

 

I can't wait to try RCI and I'm sure it will be great. And cheers to the original poster with the review - she's awesome!

[Motorman23]

Hello, my fellow Royal fans. I recently returned from a solo trip on the Carnival Sunshine and wanted to share my experience to help some of you who may be considering a cruise on Carnival. I am almost done with my review and the link can be found here.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2049021

 

Great review and I love your family picture its the best. You must be a fun person to hang out with.

 

My DW and I and family have been on 16 RCCL cruises and 3 CCL cruises and we have enjoyed every cruise we have been on. We have someone else taking care of us and we are happy happy happy. No concerns from this loyal royal at taking a CCL cruise anytime the price and itinerary are right.

 

Mike

[World Traveler 81]

The vast majority of our 27 cruises have been with Royal Caribbean. They have a solid onboard product and we pretty much know what to expect from cruise to cruise and have been rarely disappointed. With that said however, we've also ventured out to other cruise lines over the years including Celebrity and Norwegian and have had enjoyable cruises there as well. IMHO, if something that another cruise line is offering, whether it be a cool new ship, a better itinerary, etc. I say give it a try! I'm keeping an eye on the Carnival Breeze myself. They have an 8 day Southern Caribbean itinerary that looks amazing!!

[impatientlywaiting]

Been there, done that, not for us. If you want to save a few bucks Carnival is a good choice.

 

I haven't even been there (on Carnival) but won't even think of trying them. When you pull into port next to three Carnival ships and see generators strapped to the top decks near slide into the pool (I've attached a picture that shows the generator), that tells me they haven't fixed their generator problems and are relying on a generator to run their ships when their generators crap out again. Not for us thank you!

Edited June 17, 2014 by impatientlywaiting
Added some wording

[Gypsywych]

I haven't even been there (on Carnival) but won't even think of trying them. When you pull into port next to three Carnival ships and see generators strapped to the top decks near slide into the pool (I've attached a picture that shows the generator), that tells me they haven't fixed their generator problems and are relying on a generator to run their ships when their generators crap out again. Not for us thank you!

 

What that actually tells you is that Carnival put back up generators on all ships in response to the Triumph problem. They will be put into their proper "home" on each ship as they go through the rounds of dry dock and maintenance. It may not be pretty sitting out on an open deck, but at least Carnival took the problems seriously.

All of the major cruise lines run their ships 365 days a year. Components break, parts wear out, maintenance is a constant. If it moves, something can and will go wrong. ( The Oasis of the Seas is currently experiencing propulsion problems. ) Murphy and his laws can hit anywhere. That back up generator is just one more line of defense against it. ;)

[ttown]

We have been on the Carnival Sunshine twice in the past 7 months and just got back from the Navigator of the Seas a week ago. On our second Sunshine cruise we had one of the new Spa Balcony rooms which was outstanding - just 8 cabins from the adult pool. On balance we like the Voyager class layout better than any Carnival ship but Carnival has some features that are superior to RCL. For example, pool side food such as Guy's Burgers is far more convenient than having to go into the Windjammer for lunch. Main Dining Room food is pretty much a toss up. Neither line handles large tables ( we were 17 in December and 14 on the NOS, very well. NOS had better entertainment but Sunshine had better poolside bar service. Sorry to see the Sunshine leave New Orleans as it has by far the best adult area of any Carnival ship. Also sorry that RCL is leaving New Orleans as that is a fun port to sail from but at least they are now in Galveston year round. Bottom line, you can have a wonderful cruise with either line.:)

[fas64]

Hello, my fellow Royal fans. I recently returned from a solo trip on the Carnival Sunshine and wanted to share my experience to help some of you who may be considering a cruise on Carnival. I am almost done with my review and the link can be found here.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2049021

 

I am now diamond on Carnival but I have not sailed them since the change in their past guest programme. I am Diamond Plus with RCL which I enjoy I only wish that my past Carnival cruises where on RCL and I would only be 2 points away from pinnacle.

 

When Carnival changed the programme they had a chance to improve what they had and try to come somewhere near to what RCL had but they decided to go the other way and they lost me as a Carnival cruiser and I won't be back.

 

At one time I would not let anyone say a bad word about Carnival, But why should I care when them at the top DON'T CARE.

Edited June 17, 2014 by fas64

[chanat]

We have been on one Carnival and one Princess cruise and 12 or 13 RC cruises. Def. like RC much better. Would be willing to try NCL but get a lot of perks since we are Diamobd members on RC, so my husband doesn't want to try it. Tried Oasis last in Jan. And going again this Jan., while a little more expensive than the other RC ships we found it was worth it. But any cruise is better than no cruise! If you have a good attitude you can have a good time anywhere!