The looks of carnival ships.

[HiCSailor]

Prettiest ships are definitely Royal, Princess and MSC cruises look sleek, modern and beautiful, very inviting.

 

Carnival, however has the ugliest ships inside and out. The main atrium on all carnival ships are dark and none of them remind me of being in the caribbean, they just remind me of a vegas casino all over.

I thought the Vegas look was Carnival's schtick. [emoji323]

 

I hadn't looked at MSC, but they not only look great, they sound amazing...

 

(This never fails to bring a smile, and longing to go to sea, to me)

[DarthGrady]

Also, what is it with the Princess Ships?

 

Half of them look like shopping trolleys (or carts if you're American) with that big handle on the back. Uhhhh-gly.

 

 

That is the Skywalker Disco, and it was actually a fairly big deal when that class first came out. There was a moving sidewalk (conveyor belt) that took guests up there, and like the VCL it offered some great views. That class was, for a brief time, the largest afloat.

[SLYScorpions]

My favourite looking ships (although I've not been on one yet) are the Radiance class ships from RCCL. So sleek, like a super yacht, with all that glass. So elegant.

 

 

Not sure what RCCL are doing removing the Viking Crown Lounge, it was a signature feature and a great venue. Really disappointed at that, and along with removing the two-storey nightclubs they're really starting to annoy me.

 

The worst looking legacy big-cruise-line ships have got to be Carnival Fantasy Class. They look like car ferries that got lost.

 

 

But worst looking new ship has to go to Norwegian Epic - or Frankenship as we call it, with its enormous forehead.

 

 

 

I agree Radiance of the Seas is a beautiful ship and on the Alaska cruise you can really see beautiful scenery from wherever you are on the ship. Even from the spa having a pedicure I watched the Hubbard Glacier! This was our first cruise and I cannot say enough about how beautiful Radiance is!

 

Frankenship...that is hilarious!

[impatientlywaiting]

[quote name=But worst looking new ship has to go to Norwegian Epic - or Frankenship as we call it, with its enormous forehead.

 

 

We were anchored by this ship in Grand Cayman a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't believe how ugly it was. What were they thinking when they built it? :confused:

[joepeka]

That is the Skywalker Disco, and it was actually a fairly big deal when that class first came out. There was a moving sidewalk (conveyor belt) that took guests up there, and like the VCL it offered some great views. That class was, for a brief time, the largest afloat.

 

Didn't Princess eliminate that spoiler thing (the Skywalker Disco) on their ships a while back??

[buckirj1]

Disney has the most attractive ships, for sure. Most Carnival public areas are nobody's idea of attractive, but I quite like the looks of the Sunshine. The best looking ship I've ever sailed was the NCL Spirit, but I'm a big NCL fan anyway. The QM2 looked pretty in pictures, but not so much when you got up close.

[KMagz]

MOST RCCL Ships have great design in my opinion. But Oasis-class appears so top-heavy it always reminds of a heavy-set woman struggling to walk in high heels! :)

Edited April 6, 2015 by KMagz

[Aquahound]

Didn't Princess eliminate that spoiler thing (the Skywalker Disco) on their ships a while back??

 

As far as I know, they only did that to 1 ship. I recently cruised Caribbean Princess and that ship still has it.

 

But aside from that ugly lounge, the bow on those ships is ugly too. It looks like the ship is saying "duuuuuuuhhh."

[DarthGrady]

Didn't Princess eliminate that spoiler thing (the Skywalker Disco) on their ships a while back??

 

I know they definitely removed the original one from Grand Princess. I'm not sure if the other two had it taken off.

 

 

That class had a revision half way through, the disco was lowered and placed directly behind the funnel.

 

Edited April 6, 2015 by DarthGrady

[Dave85]

I know they definitely removed the original one from Grand Princess. I'm not sure if the other two had it taken off.

 

 

 

We were next to Caribbean Princess in Nassau back in November and that shopping cart still had her handle!

Edited April 6, 2015 by Dave85

[hogwildcruzers]

Love the looks of the smaller HAL ships..... Dream class is the best of Carnival......Princess ships look good, beautiful inside......Voyager class looks great.....this is just my opinion.

[F27TW]

Also, what is it with the Princess Ships?

 

Half of them look like shopping trolleys (or carts if you're American) with that big handle on the back. Uhhhh-gly.

 

 

You NAILED it with that pic .. seriously, who would ever have approved that desgign .. that's BEYOND ugly.

 

U and I have very similar taste it seems re: ship design ...and I LOL @ "Frankenship" .... I hope I can steal that from you? ;)

 

I had never noticed, the Radiance class does look like a sleek yacht ... really pretty lines.

 

And am I alone in that I like being proud of the ship I'm on when I am in port with other ones lined up? I know that sounds funny .. but do you know what I mean ? I like being on the pretty one!

[PositiveLad]

Haha feel free to steal Frankenship!

 

I always take pride in being on the prettiest ship in port

[A2Mich]

You NAILED it with that pic .. seriously, who would ever have approved that desgign .. that's BEYOND ugly.

 

 

 

U and I have very similar taste it seems re: ship design ...and I LOL @ "Frankenship" .... I hope I can steal that from you? ;)

 

 

 

I had never noticed, the Radiance class does look like a sleek yacht ... really pretty lines.

 

 

 

And am I alone in that I like being proud of the ship I'm on when I am in port with other ones lined up? I know that sounds funny .. but do you know what I mean ? I like being on the pretty one!

 

 

Not at all. I remember when I was on my first cruise as a kid on the Carnivale--the brand new Song of America was docked ahead of us and one of the smaller NCL ships ahead of it. My parents and several other pax were drooling over the new RCCL ship and said something along the lines of "well let's get back on board the rusty barge." Sort of had a similar feeling in 98 in Nassau when I was on the Fantasy and docked next to one of RCI's Vision class ships with all of it's pretty green glass and beautiful blue C&A sign and the gorgeous VCL wishing we were onboard it instead of the Fantasy. The Fantasy was in good shape and clean, but was definitely butt ugly and looked more like a RO-RO car transport than a cruise ship compared to the relative sleekness of the RCI ship. Now the Ocean Princess (Sun Class) was indeed a pretty ship, with the exception of the stern, but otherwise was very pretty and I really liked the framework around the funnel and thought she was classy looking.

 

As for the Carnival Legend, as it was purposely built as a Panamax ship, I think it's design was more function over form and ended up as a not terrible looking ship, but more like an evolution of the boxy Fantasy class ships only full of balconies.

 

RCI and Celebrity have some absolutely beautiful ships, except for the Oasis class, which isn't really terrible looking, though does look out of proportion. Freedom class and Radiance class are currently the nicest looking ships they have.

 

I'm not even going to give my opinion of the outward appearance of the NCL ships. Not impressed.

 

Costa--see my Carnival opinions.

 

MSC--while I have never seen any of their ships in person yet, from the photos I've seen, their ships appear to be beautiful, but the photos may be deceiving as far as proportions are concerned.

[skyeman27]

I have never cruised on a ugly ship, the Carnival funnel is the most recognizable feature of any cruise ship. Cudos to the designer...

[A2Mich]

I have never cruised on a ugly ship, the Carnival funnel is the most recognizable feature of any cruise ship. Cudos to the designer...

 

 

I do agree that the Carnival funnel is instantly recognizable and is great for brand recognition. If my memory serves me correctly, I believe the whale tale funnel was designed as more functional than aesthetically pleasing, as it has a similar design to the funnels of the SS France/SS Norway with the wings to help disperse smoke and soot away from the decks below.

[SMSACE6]

I have sailed on some Carnival ships, and agree with OP. The Fantasy class ships are the ugliest things on water. They were built about the same time as the Sovereign class, and there is no comparison. The rest of the fleet isn't that bad, but they all look the same. I'm booked on the New Vista, but that is because they have a new class on it, and I wanted to try it. The price was right also.

 

I think that they are mostly some of the prettiest ships at sea. I hear all the time how ugly the NCL Epic is to others, but it has never been ugly to me and I was for a while planning a cruise on the ship. But, getting back to Carnival, I see nothing unattractive about the ships either from the outside, or inside on the ones I have been on. But I accept that we all have different opinions and that old expression of beauty being in the eye of the beholder.

[Ocean Boy]

You NAILED it with that pic .. seriously, who would ever have approved that desgign .. that's BEYOND ugly.

 

U and I have very similar taste it seems re: ship design ...and I LOL @ "Frankenship" .... I hope I can steal that from you? ;)

 

I had never noticed, the Radiance class does look like a sleek yacht ... really pretty lines.

 

And am I alone in that I like being proud of the ship I'm on when I am in port with other ones lined up? I know that sounds funny .. but do you know what I mean ? I like being on the pretty one!

 

You are not alone at all. I will not book a ship that I think looks ugly. I don't care what it has inside. If it is ugly on the outside I won't be booking. And some of the ridiculous painty jobs that some of these ships have is a big turn off to me also.

[Velvetwater]

Theres no doubt about it that Cunard have the prettiest ships with the classic design. HAL and Disney have tried to emulate this tradition but HAL ships just look a little less refined and Disney's have too much yellow going on a mickey mouse head stamped to the funnels....other than that they have some good looks.

 

 

 

I may be one of the few but I love the AIDA design (its not just the sol its all) as its just so out there. I have a model of one of them! I like the designs of the sides of some of NCL's for the same reason.

 

 

 

As a proud boat perv I genuinely find most ships beautiful and I quite like the whale tail branding as it works for Carnival just as the above works for the other lines.

 

They can be bright pink with 3 metre long strobe lights on and a tail made of christmas trees and I probably still sail on them all for the right price or for free.. Love big luxury boats.

Edited April 6, 2015 by Velvetwater

[Linerguy]

The FANTASY class might look like milk cartons on their side but, fact is, they are the most successful class of sister ships in history. They've paid for themselves many times over, and people still sail on them.

[F27TW]

You are not alone at all. I will not book a ship that I think looks ugly. I don't care what it has inside. If it is ugly on the outside I won't be booking. And some of the ridiculous painty jobs that some of these ships have is a big turn off to me also.

 

 

 

 

Well good .. I'm glad it didn't make me sound shallow! LOL

Edited April 6, 2015 by F27TW

[A2Mich]

The FANTASY class might look like milk cartons on their side but, fact is, they are the most successful class of sister ships in history. They've paid for themselves many times over, and people still sail on them.

 

 

While they may be ugly IMHO, Carnival did right by building 8 of them, which probably helped cut their per copy cost a bit, and they have been great workhorses, and by all accounts, seem to all have been fairly reliable over the years, meaning the Fantasy class ships haven't been all over the news with mechanical breakdowns over the years as much as other classes of ships have. Carnival made and still making, a lot of money because of these ships. I do think that their biggest downfalls, are lack of balconies, and their relatively small size by today's standards. They were designed at an unfortunate time, when balconies were not yet an expected amenity, outside of possibly in suites, and we're rather large ships for the time when they were designed. That being said, Carnival likely had an ultimate plan to build x number of ships, but soon after the Fantasy and Ecstasy were built, cruise ships were being designed to be larger, and with hundreds of balconies.

 

The really sad part is that of the mainstream cruise lines based out of the U.S., the Fantasy class are pretty much the smallest class of ship sailing, and with about the least number of balconies. The unavailability of balconies does have one advantage though--it allows them to consistently fill the ships with lower per pax prices to get people on board. On the other side, with so many ships having balconies now, and with so may cruisers demanding balconies, I think Carnival may have a difficult time selling off/disposing of the ships when it finally does happen, combined with being some of the oldest class of ships still in full use, the modernization costs may be extremely high to continue to comply with ever more stringent safety standards. I do hope that they will be able to find buyers for all 8 Fantasy class ships, but I have a feeling that some may see the beaches in India when their time is ultimately up.

[Velvetwater]

 

I think Carnival may have a difficult time selling off/disposing of the ships when it finally does happen, combined with being some of the oldest class of ships still in full use, the modernization costs may be extremely high to continue to comply with ever more stringent safety standards. I do hope that they will be able to find buyers for all 8 Fantasy class ships, but I have a feeling that some may see the beaches in India when their time is ultimately up.

 

I get the feeling that small lines where they rely less on balconies already may buy a few (Cruise and Maritime, Bahamas and Thomson etc) as their ships are as old as hell...Cruise and Maritime actually has the Holiday (I think) as their newest addition to the fleet this year renamed the Malgellan. So once the ships built in the 80s go...these lines might buy up the 90s ships as it would be the most cost effective even if they had to do work on them.

 

Here she is:

 

Edited April 6, 2015 by Velvetwater

[mzloolue]

We were docked by that new RC ship Gargantuan of the Seas or whatever it is.

 

It is the ugliest ship that I have ever seen.

The massiveness of the thing is frightening.

 

And they were playing a video of a sunset on that giant tv on the back of the big tunnel. I want to see real sunsets, thank you very much.

 

The Disney ships have the best looking paint jobs.

[nybumpkin]

I do hope that they will be able to find buyers for all 8 Fantasy class ships, but I have a feeling that some may see the beaches in India when their time is ultimately up.

I think we have some time before we see a Fantasy-class ship on the beach in Alang. They're all in good shape and SOLAS-compliant. They'll have buyers out there.