Best Carnival Ships

[malibupineapple]

I'm looking to book a Carnival cruise, and I have no idea where to start! I have only sailed with Royal, but they don't have a sailing I'm interested in for a particular date (November 29th). I've been wanting to try out Carnival anyway, so this is a great opportunity.

 

What, in your opinion, are the best ships?

 

This may be a loaded question, so let me give you some stats.. My husband and I are 23 and 24, no kids. We like large, new ships that have a lot of beautiful touches and a lot of things to keep us occupied. We aren't huge partiers, but we do enjoy having drinks while on cruises. Oh, and we live in Georgia, so we prefer a departure port in Florida.

 

I would enjoy and appreciate any advice you can give! Thanks.

[ncovert]

I'm looking to book a Carnival cruise, and I have no idea where to start! I have only sailed with Royal, but they don't have a sailing I'm interested in for a particular date (November 29th). I've been wanting to try out Carnival anyway, so this is a great opportunity.

 

What, in your opinion, are the best ships?

 

This may be a loaded question, so let me give you some stats.. My husband and I are 23 and 24, no kids. We like large, new ships that have a lot of beautiful touches and a lot of things to keep us occupied. We aren't huge partiers, but we do enjoy having drinks while on cruises. Oh, and we live in Georgia, so we prefer a departure port in Florida.

 

I would enjoy and appreciate any advice you can give! Thanks.

 

From what you said, I would choose the Breeze.

[golfadj]

Not much to go on but either Dream or Conquest class as they are newest ships in their fleet.

[Canclan]

We sailed on the Sunshine a year ago. It's awesome if you have kids! We're sailing on the Miracle in December and are quite bummed it hasn't received the 2.0 upgrades.

[outdoors27]

Breeze Liberty or Freedom loved them all

Edited September 29, 2014 by outdoors27

[k2excursion]

If good evening shows are important to you, then you should avoid Breeze, Conquest, Glory, & any other ship that has the lousy Playlist Productions shows. Liberty & Dream are probably the 2 best ships for the full experience. If you don't care at all about evening shows, then the Breeze would be your best choice.

[SNJCruisers]

You have until 9:00 PM tonight to book the 6 day 11/30 sailing of the Breeze for 602 or 722 out the door for the two of you. The 602 price is for an inside cabin and the 722 is for an ocean view. The inside is 30 bucks per person per day plus taxes and the OV is 40 bucks per day. Carnival chooses your cabin for you. They are an inside or OV guarantee. You'll find out your cabin assignment a few weeks before you sail. With the money you save you can get the Cheers program for 42.50 per day plus 15% if you like to drink.

 

The Breeze is the newest ship in the fleet and it has all of the 2.0 upgrades with the exception of the Alchemy Bar and the EA Sports Bar. Both of these came out after steel was cut for the construction. Good luck with your choice. You could choose the 7 day Glory on the 29th, but I would jump at the opportunity to sail the Breeze at that great rate.

[Cruzinbabe06]

I would definitely choose the Breeze.

Edited September 30, 2014 by Cruzinbabe06

[laxmom34]

The sunshine has had a lot of bad press but we had a wonderful time 2 weeks ago. I would recommend it in a heartbeat, 2.0 upgrades and lots to do. Loved the Western itinerary too.

 

 

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[near the beach]

Thought that the Breeze and Sunshine were great ships. Don’t care for any of the Conquest class ship. Enjoyed the Mircale. The Sensation is our favorite Fantasy class ship.

[mitsguy2001]

One thing to keep in mind is that the Sunshine is an older, smaller ship (Carnival Destiny, from 1996) that was very heavily upgraded to fit all of the Carnival 2.0 amenities and more cabins into a small space. I have never been on it, so I can't judge, but I suspect it might have more of a crowded feel than the ships that you may like. But others who have been on it can probably be more helpful than me.

 

Several people have mentioned the Breeze. I have not been on that ship, but I have been on both of its sister ships (Dream, and Magic), and liked them both very much. The Breeze adds a few amenities that the Dream and Magic do not have, so you may like it. When I was on the Dream, it sailed from Port Canaveral, but it now sails from New Orleans. The Magic sails from Galveston, Texas. So if you want a Florida departure, neither the Dream nor Magic are options. The Breeze is an option (it sails from Miami), but it does 6 and 8 day cruises, rather than 7 day cruises (you didn't mention what cruise length you are looking for).

 

It's hard to say which ship is "best". Is there a particular amenity that you are looking for? If so, let us know, and we will steer you toward a ship that has it. Keep in mind that the ships are not necessarily "cumulative": for example, the Liberty (a Conquest ship that sails from Miami, and another ship that I enjoyed a lot, so it's another good option for you) can have certain amenities that the Magic and Dream or even Breeze do not have. So just looking for the newest or largest ship won't necessarily be the answer.

[mitsguy2001]

Thought that the Breeze and Sunshine were great ships. Don’t care for any of the Conquest class ship. Enjoyed the Mircale. The Sensation is our favorite Fantasy class ship.

 

Just out of curiosity, what did you not like about the Conquest class ships? To me, the biggest upgrade that the Dream class ships have that the Conquest class ships lack is Carnival Waterworks. Is that why you liked the Breeze?

[near the beach]

For us the layout of the Conquest class ships was not that good. They seemed more crowded than any other class ship we have been on. They don’t have the water works like the Dream class ships. Even the water works on the Fantasy class ships is better than on the Conquest class.

As for the Breeze. For being a larger ship we never felt like it was crowded. It was easy to find a space in the hot tubs on the outside decks. We did enjoy the water works and rope course. Had a great time in the thrill theater.

The service and food was very good on all of our Carnival cruises.

[Socref124]

Based on what you said, I would look into the Breeze. The Glory, Freedom, Victory, Liberty and Conquest are also in the large category. Haven't been on the Sunshine yet, but was on the Destiny three times, but she is another large ship. If you want something smaller, the Legend out of Tampa is a nice ship.I hope this helps a little.

[Crusin Karen]

Jamman54 just finished a FABULOUS review of the Liberty which leaves from PC. "Our Lovely Liberty cruise (with pics) 8/9/14." If you are interested in the Liberty, you might want to check out this review. TONS of GREAT pictures including food porn! :D