What do you say to people who think Carnival cruise=cesspool?

[elliair]

My MIL, who has been on one RC cruise and is generally well-informed and not crazy, saw a photo from our latest Carnival cruise and said, "Carnival, that's the ship where people always get norovirus. They had an outbreak on your cruise two weeks after you got back." DH politely said that all cruiselines occasionally have norovirus. She insisted, "Not Royal Caribbean!" I gently suggested she google that. I googled it myself and it turns out that the only reported norovirus outbreaks in the month after our cruise were on Celebrity and RC. :D

 

Friends at church, when trying to describe a really bad situation that you can't get out of, said, "It's like taking a Carnival cruise!" :rolleyes: Everyone laughed and shuddered except us. We decided not to mention that we were about to leave on our fifth Carnival cruise.

 

My parents are platinum on Princess. They'd like to cruise with us in a couple years. Princess sounds nice when we're retired. They said, "Let's compromise and go on Royal Caribbean." I wouldn't mind trying a new cruiseline, but I would prefer not to completely rule out the most affordable choice for a family of five during school vacations.

 

What do you say in each of these situations?

 

Consider the source. Most people who bad mouth Carnival are those who have never been on a Carnival ship. They only say what they hear on the news. I will say there are two Carnival ships I would never step foot on - only because there's no balconies on those two ships. My experience on one of them, the Inspiration was awful. I won't go into the details again, but as far as the other Carnival ships, I'd cruise on them again.

[Podna's]

What do I say? Absolutely nothing. I quit worrying about 99.9% of what others think about things, a long time ago. We enjoy it, which is all that matters.

 

 

Same here. As long as Carnival continues to provide me with the vacations like the ones they've given me in the past I'm a happy camper and will continue to sail with them.

What I get a kick out of is the ones who bash Carnival but have never sailed with them. I just shake my head.

[Budget Queen]

My husband and I will try other cruiselines when we only have to pay for two people and can take long cruises at random times of the year. My parents got an amazing deal on their last Princess cruise. For now, with a five-person family, including a teen who can't miss school, a budget cruiseline makes us very happy. I like what we get for what we pay.

 

Do what YOU want to do. :) I don't compromise how I want to spend my money and never would use my valuable time with a cruise that I have not chosen that is right for me.

 

You list YOUR priorities, stick with them.

[lady_cruiser]

My MIL, who has been on one RC cruise and is generally well-informed and not crazy, saw a photo from our latest Carnival cruise and said, "Carnival, that's the ship where people always get norovirus. They had an outbreak on your cruise two weeks after you got back." DH politely said that all cruiselines occasionally have norovirus. She insisted, "Not Royal Caribbean!" I gently suggested she google that. I googled it myself and it turns out that the only reported norovirus outbreaks in the month after our cruise were on Celebrity and RC. :D

 

Friends at church, when trying to describe a really bad situation that you can't get out of, said, "It's like taking a Carnival cruise!" :rolleyes: Everyone laughed and shuddered except us. We decided not to mention that we were about to leave on our fifth Carnival cruise.

 

My parents are platinum on Princess. They'd like to cruise with us in a couple years. Princess sounds nice when we're retired. They said, "Let's compromise and go on Royal Caribbean." I wouldn't mind trying a new cruiseline, but I would prefer not to completely rule out the most affordable choice for a family of five during school vacations.

 

What do you say in each of these situations?

 

Next time the people in your church makes that commit ask them if they think you have good taste. They will say "yes" even if it is just to be polite then tell them "exactly, this is why we cruise Carnival"

 

As for your mother-in-law thinking Royal Caribbean is immune to the Norovirus. Guess what? She's wrong! We're Diamond Plus on Royal Caribbean and there are at least 3 cruises that I remember that either had an outbreak the week before we boarded or the week after we disembark. So yes, tell her that Royal Caribbean does have outbreaks of Norovirus, just like any other cruise line.

Edited May 4, 2015 by lady_cruiser

[cruizinator]

[quote name=cruisinpips;

I hear the same things and sadly' date=' most of the stuck up snobs who talk bad about Carnival, have never even been on one of their ships, so I mostly choose to ignore their ignorance in the matter....[/quote]

 

So true...I know two travel agents that hate Carnival..even though they've never been on Carnival. They advise their customers to "try a more civilized cruise line". One that doesn't have a "ghetto" reputation.

[misstiffany]

I have gotten a few strange stares, especially from family members, when I mention I'm going on Carnival again. On my last Memorial Day cruise on the Paradise, I came home with a rash on the right side of my torso...doctor got it cleared up with fungal treatment but since it's a skin thing, who knows what it was from - it was really hot, I'm sure my bare skin touched the back of a loungechair, I swam in Mexico, etc etc.... but regardless, my family (who weren't on the cruise) blame "cesspool" Carnival. :cool:

[Gardeneroflove]

My MIL, who has been on one RC cruise and is generally well-informed and not crazy, saw a photo from our latest Carnival cruise and said, "Carnival, that's the ship where people always get norovirus. They had an outbreak on your cruise two weeks after you got back." DH politely said that all cruiselines occasionally have norovirus. She insisted, "Not Royal Caribbean!" I gently suggested she google that. I googled it myself and it turns out that the only reported norovirus outbreaks in the month after our cruise were on Celebrity and RC. :D

 

Friends at church, when trying to describe a really bad situation that you can't get out of, said, "It's like taking a Carnival cruise!" :rolleyes: Everyone laughed and shuddered except us. We decided not to mention that we were about to leave on our fifth Carnival cruise.

 

My parents are platinum on Princess. They'd like to cruise with us in a couple years. Princess sounds nice when we're retired. They said, "Let's compromise and go on Royal Caribbean." I wouldn't mind trying a new cruiseline, but I would prefer not to completely rule out the most affordable choice for a family of five during school vacations.

 

What do you say in each of these situations?

 

1. I won't travel/cruise/vacation with extended family

2. We tried RCL, if I'm going to pay more, then I want disney, there was nothing worth the addtional price on RCL, granted it may have been our ship, but it was full of old people, smokers, and just overall we weren't impressed with the service/quality. Yes, it had some good points (escargot was the BEST, kids pool/slide, toy lending, decent open hours in nursary (only, not in kid's club)). The room was TINY compared to Disney, we didn't even pull the couch bed out all the way, there was no way to walk around the couch/bed. The couch was too small/short, for my 3 year old to lay on it as a couch (which would have been ideal, given the size of the room).

 

I do suggest trying other lines, I think it's good. BUT not it'll break your budget.

 

A carnival cruise is better than no cruise! If someone says something about carnival, ask which line they enjoy, if they say they've never cruised...there ya go.

[MrMileStoner]

So true...I know two travel agents that hate Carnival..even though they've never been on Carnival. They advise their customers to "try a more civilized cruise line". One that doesn't have a "ghetto" reputation.

 

I would advise their customers to find a more professional travel agent (alleged).

[Tripper10]

You could remind them that gossiping is a sin. And, of course, how you spend your money is none of their business.

 

Lol@ "gossiping is a sin". Best I have heard in a while, especially on these boards!

[Harrier1961]

I don't say anything.

I don't need to justify my vacation/choices to anybody; I'm an adult, not a teenager.

But that is just me.

Andy

:cool:

[K.T.B.]

My MIL, who has been on one RC cruise and is generally well-informed and not crazy, saw a photo from our latest Carnival cruise and said, "Carnival, that's the ship where people always get norovirus. They had an outbreak on your cruise two weeks after you got back." DH politely said that all cruiselines occasionally have norovirus. She insisted, "Not Royal Caribbean!" I gently suggested she google that. I googled it myself and it turns out that the only reported norovirus outbreaks in the month after our cruise were on Celebrity and RC. :D

 

Friends at church, when trying to describe a really bad situation that you can't get out of, said, "It's like taking a Carnival cruise!" :rolleyes: Everyone laughed and shuddered except us. We decided not to mention that we were about to leave on our fifth Carnival cruise.

 

My parents are platinum on Princess. They'd like to cruise with us in a couple years. Princess sounds nice when we're retired. They said, "Let's compromise and go on Royal Caribbean." I wouldn't mind trying a new cruiseline, but I would prefer not to completely rule out the most affordable choice for a family of five during school vacations.

 

What do you say in each of these situations?

 

I'd let your parents know that Carnival owns Princess....

 

Then see how they'd react. :D

[John Reid]

My MIL, who has been on one RC cruise and is generally well-informed and not crazy, saw a photo from our latest Carnival cruise and said, "Carnival, that's the ship where people always get norovirus. They had an outbreak on your cruise two weeks after you got back." DH politely said that all cruiselines occasionally have norovirus. She insisted, "Not Royal Caribbean!" I gently suggested she google that. I googled it myself and it turns out that the only reported norovirus outbreaks in the month after our cruise were on Celebrity and RC. :D

 

Friends at church, when trying to describe a really bad situation that you can't get out of, said, "It's like taking a Carnival cruise!" :rolleyes: Everyone laughed and shuddered except us. We decided not to mention that we were about to leave on our fifth Carnival cruise.

 

My parents are platinum on Princess. They'd like to cruise with us in a couple years. Princess sounds nice when we're retired. They said, "Let's compromise and go on Royal Caribbean." I wouldn't mind trying a new cruiseline, but I would prefer not to completely rule out the most affordable choice for a family of five during school vacations.

 

What do you say in each of these situations?

 

For the friends at church, if anything, you had the ideal opportunity to mention you were about to leave on your fifth Carnival cruise. I think that would have been perfect.

[Warm Breezes]

I just say that I have yet to have a bad Carnival Cruise and they give me great value for the money I paid....I like to rub in things like on my last cruise DH and I paid $1313 including port fees and taxes for a 7 night cruise in a balcony with stops at Half Moon Cay, San Juan, St. Thomas, and Grand Turk and we had a great relaxing couples get away.

 

We don't choose our cruise based on cruise line. We have sailed Disney 2x, Carnival 7x, Norwegian 3x, and Princess 1x. We pick a ship that best fits what we want out of that cruise for a price we are willing to pay. As you can see Carnival has fit that bill on over half our cruises and has yet to disappoint us. I don't need to justify cruise choice but I can tell people that IMHO it was worth every penny spent on it. In fact the only cruise that I didn't feel like I got value for the money I spent was our Princess cruise that I spent over $1500 for a 5 night for a balcony for 2. It was the cruise that best fit our open vacation time. IMHO the balcony wasn't worth the extra cost because of the lack of privacy the way they were laid out and the uncomfortable furniture made it so I couldn't even enjoy it. If I'm going to pay more for a balcony I want to spend a lot of my time out there and so far Carnival has won in that category for me. While Princess had better entertainment....to me that wasn't worth the premium I paid for that room over what we paid on our Carnival cruises.

[gtalum]

My advice is don't worry about it. I'm not a Carnival salesperson and I don't really care that many people think Carnival is awful.

 

We enjoy Carnival, and haven't had a bad experience in 11 cruises with them now. They provide great value. That's all that matters to us.

[kona_wahine]

When I tell people I'm going on a cruise and they ask what cruise line, I always feel the need to explain why I'm going carnival. Makes me angry at myself I do that!!!

[RickinNYC]

Having sailed Carnival, RCCL and NCL, I can't say that I've encountered a different class of people on any single line; I certainly couldn't tell you if I'd ever met anyone "snobbish". Each line has it's own merits. As for what I say, I don't simply because I don't care. I know what I like and what appeals to me; other people's opinions are worthless, hence not worth my time getting upset over. Frankly, the idea that someone is offended or gets upset because someone else disparaged their cruise line of choice just freakin' baffles me.

[loxley]

It is the same reason people pay $800 for a purse. I paid $5 for mine and it does everything theirs does except impress. I don't care about that so I am good.

 

Some people think if you pay more, it is better.

[gtalum]

Frankly, the idea that someone is offended or gets upset because someone else disparaged their cruise line of choice just freakin' baffles me.

 

It's truly bizarre. Cruise lines and smartphone operating systems (Android vs Apple iOS) generate an incredible amount of defensiveness. Someone should do a study on it. :D

[KatieCharlotte]

Frankly, the idea that someone is offended or gets upset because someone else disparaged their cruise line of choice just freakin' baffles me.

 

In my case, situation (1) involved my MIL and is something she has said repeatedly every time poor DH mentions our vacations. It feels slightly personal but it might be because one RC cruise has made her a very devoted fan. :rolleyes:

Situation (2), at church, I wondered if it was worth trying to change totally uninformed people's opinions.

Situation (3), my parents, really want to do an extended family cruise in a couple years. They actually can be convinced to change their minds, I think. Mentioning the spa rooms were a good idea. They were interested in the seaday brunch also. They also highly value a nice balcony.

[gtalum]

(3), my parents, really want to do an extended family cruise in a couple years. They actually can be convinced to change their minds, I think. Mentioning the spa rooms were a good idea. They were interested in the seaday brunch also. They also highly value a nice balcony.

 

It's not my business, for sure, but I would caution you from trying to change someone's mind and sell them on a Carnival cruise if they are set on another line. The reason is that if they go, they'll probably spend the trip looking for negatives and may resent you for talking them into it if they find any.

[CeleBrat]

Everytime I get the "Carnival=cesspool" comment, I say "You're basing this on personal experience? What's that? You haven't ever been on a Carnival cruise line? Don't judge then."

 

CeleBrat

[SUSIEK]

I find that most of the people who have negative comments about Carnival have actually never sailed on one of their ships. Once I hear that I turn them off. I then rave about all the cruises we have been in and how Carnival is right at the top :-)

[Warm Breezes]

It's not my business, for sure, but I would caution you from trying to change someone's mind and sell them on a Carnival cruise if they are set on another line. The reason is that if they go, they'll probably spend the trip looking for negatives and may resent you for talking them into it if they find any.

 

We saw that with friends of ours. We did not talk them into it but some other family members did. These guys are loyal Royals and had absolutely nothing good to say about Carnival before they left and I swear they spent the whole cruise looking for things to come back and complain about. They and their kids are also the type who need a ship with plenty of things to entertain them because they find it hard to entertain themselves....of course they picked an older Carnival ship without all the newer bells and whistles because of the itinerary so they found plenty to complain about....the biggest being there was nothing for the kids to do and they were bored:rolleyes:.

[vestamark]

We have cruised RCCL twice and Carnival once. Also have a Princess and a Carnival currently planned. We've enjoyed each cruise very much and expect to continue to do so. I attribute it to our attitude. We generally are easy going and look for the good in most situations. I am a total price shopper. Very little brand loyalty in me so Carnival works great. Plus being in Alabama New Orleans is terribly convenient.

About the parents / in laws. I would tell them that I will happily go with them on their cruise line if they want to pay for it. Otherwise we're going or own way and are expecting to have a great time.

[DirtyDawg]

What do you say to people who think Carnival cruise=cesspool?

 

I completely agree with them. That's one less traveler I have to compete with when buying my cruise.;)