We strayed to Carnival...NEVER again!

[Travel R]

I got off of my first Carnival cruise (Splendor) this past Saturday after sailing on RCI for a small handful of cruises over almost 20 years. I am currently writing up my review (see link in signature below), which will detail my likes and dislikes, but in summary I will say that it is true that, for the most part, all cruises are more alike than not. However, it is those little things that make the difference. For instance, there may be 2 pizza restaurants across the street from each other - and most people will have a preference for one than the other, even though the differences are minimal.

 

Some of the things I liked about this ship/Carnival (as compared to RCI):

* Price - The reason I chose this cruise in the first place

* The entire Lido deck is covered during cold/bad weather - including the free popcorn with movies at the Lido in the evenings

* Size of the rooms (we were 4 ppl, and had plenty of room)

* Lido Buffet (better than RCI) for the following reasons:

-- Tandoor section in buffet (my family might not agree, but I thought it had great dishes)

-- Pizza (100 times better than RCI)

-- Burgers (although the burgers were better than RCIs, IMHO, they still were not great)

-- Buffet seating (a heck of a lot more places to eat in the Lido Buffet compared to any Windjammer I have ever been on)

* Fitness center (largest & most variety of equipment than I have seen on any cruise ship)

* Spa - although only my DD used it, it really shined (had a lot to offer) compared to other cruise ships

* Coffee - Maybe not the best in the world, but the average (free) cup of coffee was fairly decent and much better than on RCI (I did not have to pay for the premium coffee the entire trip (only a few times))

 

Some of the things I disliked about this ship/Carnival (as compared to RCI):

* Having to call to get their beverage package, then having to run around to get my kid's cards activated to use it when I boarded

* Room Steward - Does anyone know the name of my room steward? I never found out. In 5 nights/6 days, I never met him - just a brief waving of hands down the hallway. Room not made up until after 11:30 on sea days. Did not get towel animals on last two night of cruise.

* Wait Staff - Good waiter for a land-based restaurant, but did not feel like we got personalized service. Took 4 nights to remember our names, never anticipated our needs (e.g., if we ordered the same sodas 3 nights in a row, then automatically bring out the sodas), forgot some items we ordered, always took close to 2 hours, left empty plates on table too long, or glasses empty without asking if they could re-fill. Never had interactions other than purely ordering related. Head waiter did not always take order, or serve food. [Note: The staff did not seem like they had much time for anything, and were always running around, probably understaffed - I would make this a mark against Carnival than against the wait staff themselves.]

* Flow of the ship was not great - sometimes had to go up & down to various decks to get to destination (e.g., Gold Pearl)

* Pools were way too small

* Middle of night selection of food - Limited to pizza and room service (RCI has a larger selection of items at their 24 hour venue)

* MDR does not have windows facing Ocean (if they do they were covered) (I am on a cruise ship, I like knowing I am on the water and feel like I am in a hotel restaurant)

* Food, and this is highly subjective, with a few exceptions, I feel that the food served in the MDR is better on RCI, and of better quality.

* Kids clubs (10-12 year old) - my DD 10 did not enjoy the kids club, and only lasted one morning there and never wanted to go back (unlike previous cruise on RCI, where she did not want to leave the club). [Note: My DD15, in the teen O2 club, loved both.]

* Entertainment - There was always some entertainment on RCI that gave a "wow" factor - there was none on this cruise, including the lack of a live band near the Lido pool.

 

Things that were, for the most part, the same on this ship/Carnival and RCI:

* People - the same nice people and schmoes I have seen on RCI are also on Carnival (although it was a little different on the Med cruise, but it would be unfair to compare)

* Boarding/Disembarking - I have had good experiences with both (and I was not FTTF or premium status)

* Variety dancers/singers - Never liked them, regardless of ship or line

* Cruise experience - That is something that has been lacking for years on all lines

* Fun - Although Carnival tags themselves the "Fun Ship" I really did not see or feel that they were any more or less "fun" than RCI - that includes the activities they had planned - maybe it is because this was more of a family cruise (over 1100 kids on board)?

* Amount of food - Good or bad, there is always plenty of it

* It's a cruise - which is what it's all about. There's no such thing as a bad cruise.

 

It then comes down to which of these factors are most important to me and my family as to which cruise line we will choose next.

 

I also know that some of these experiences may be specific to this ship, or to this particular cruise (e.g., I was talking to another passenger that had a wonderful wait staff) - other people I went with (in other cabin classes) had good service from their stewards. If I go on another Carnival cruise, I might have better service, and by then they will have their "American Menu," so the MDR offerings will also be different.

Edited September 1, 2015 by Travel R

[tlatrice]

What the heck is wrong with meatloaf? I happen to like meatloaf. Even if it doesn't appeal to you, it was one of several choices they offered. I mean, just how hoity toity are you that comfort food isn't even allowed to be on the menu?

 

That is a theme I notice in a lot of these posts. Come on, tastes vary. If it doesn't appeal to you, don't take it. But that doesn't mean it can't be on the market.

 

I agree. I love meatloaf. Didn't realize it was not 'cruise food'. My meatloaf uses way more than meat and breadcrumbs for sure. :-)

 

As for it being the cheapest thing you can make, doesn't RCI offer a pasta dish with just plain marinara or Alfredo sauce? I think that comes in cheaper.

Edited September 1, 2015 by tlatrice

[ryano]

You are wrong. .

 

Well my apologies then but thank you kindly for pointing out how wrong I am. The point I was trying to convey is that Dream is a fairly new ship at 6 years old.

Edited September 1, 2015 by ryano

[CarnieAddict]

Well my apologies then but thank you kindly for pointing out how wrong I am. The point I was trying to convey is that Dream is a fairly new ship at 6 years old.

 

Sorry I couldn't help myself. I meant to put a lol in the message.

[ewenix]

I wouldn't take it away as an option. but, if, for instance I went to the buffet and they replaced sliced prime rib with meatloaf I'd definitely think it was all about saving cost and trying to get away with serving as cheap as possible.

 

It's like macaroni and cheese. You can dress up the name, you can throw some different cheese in to be cute about it, but it's still macaroni and cheese.

 

I wouldn't want the prime rib replaced with meatloaf either, but I don't care that they have meatloaf as an option on the menu one day out of a 7 day sailing. On our last CCL cruise the MDR food was better than RCL, but we've been sailing RCL for the last 3 years because it's one factor in our decision. Honestly I think the food various ship to ship anyhow, and then you have to factor in the subjectivity of the person eating it.

 

Overall MDR food on both RCL and CCL has changed (not for the better.)

I understand that it's a large cost that both lines are trying to manage.

They both want to provide consistently good food at the lowest possible cost, and over time they've found cheaper ways of preparing food, buying slightly less quality ingredients, and in some cases cutting specific items out entirely.

(Or even eliminating the midnight buffet. Sigh.)

 

It all used to be better, and more fancy back in the day. It is no longer as good and much less fancy, but we keep going because it's just one part of why we enjoy cruising.

 

I'm not proud of this but on my 2nd cruise back in '95, my gf and I were near the end of a 7 day and went into a McDonalds on Martinique because were were tired of eating 'fancy' food all week.

Edited September 1, 2015 by ewenix

[Pickels]

We are a couple in our 60's who are pretty loyal to RCCL because we like the product despite cutbacks over the years. But we wanted to sail out of NOLA, so we chose to go on the Carnival Dream. First let me say, we had a great time (we were cruisin'!), met some lovely people and enjoyed ourselves. We are totally aware that you can have good and bad experiences on any cruise line, any ship anywhere. Having sailed Carnival once before, we were well aware there would be differences. So we went into the cruise with an open mind and tried really hard not to compare. We go with the flow.

 

Things we liked...

Cabin and steward....was fine! Actually I think our balcony cabin was a bit bigger getting around the bed. Towel animals EVERY night!

 

Entertainment... Production shows were excellent! No complaints!

 

24 hour pizza...very good!

 

Bar service was very good.

 

 

It was the little things that made the difference....

 

People....We encountered SO many rude people on this ship with poor social graces. It is hard to go into much detail but just the total lack of concern for others. 1100 kids on this ship, as well. MY fault for booking a summer cruise :eek: SO many people inappropriately dressed...letting it all hang out in a bad way. Some didn't seem to understand the difference between "casual" and "slob".

 

Food...MDR selections were not very good at times. For example, I ordered "tiger shrimp". I expected the waiter to come over and cut the shell off my shrimp as Rccl does. NO need! I got 4 tiny circular shrimp sitting in tomato sauce. THAT was my tiger shrimp! Prime rib was good, but that is the only meal all week I could rave about. AND we totally missed the bread choices! Only 2 types...Italian and a white roll. That's it! NO savory bites, seeded or wheat rolls! Buffet food was ok...but we missed all the selections RCCL has. No pineapple all week, very little watermelon; one of 2 kinds of cheese and lunchmeat on buffet. No pre-made sandwiches. Few salad offerings. All the stations had long lines which were chaotic. Even to get a hamburger, you had to go all the way out by the pool...then go back in to get the rest of your food. I really didn't like that all jellies, jams, cream cheese, etc were open large containers and not under a glass cover.

 

Room service...they only serve a cold continental breakfast.:(

 

Pop card...same price as RCCL....but you always had to sign a receipt! Big pain! And no pop stations as on some RCCL ships.

 

MDR Wait staff...We had a really bad team! Even our tablemates who are avid Carnival cruisers were so disgusted. All around us were waiters doing an awesome job and had the guests up dancing and having a great time. Our's just wanted us out of there...so they rushed us thru every evening. If you ordered a 2nd entrée, they put it on the table with the first . Served us cold coffee one night; dirty butter dish; served from across the table; never offered us anything else to drink or coffee at the end of our meal even tho' we wanted it and had to ask; the waiter had the ass't serve our whole meal 3 nights while he set a table for the next day; they only had 2 tables! It was an eating extravaganza, not a dining experience! They made the first couple order immediately before the 2nd couple arrived 5 min. later...so they had their food before 2nd couple even ordered. It was ridiculous. We know you can have a bad waiter anywhere, but it just added to the list. Not once did our waiter fill us in on the next days activities, ports, etc like they do on RCCL. Guess Carnival doesn't do that.

 

General Lack of supervision....on RCCL, you always see supervisory staff wandering around whether you are at the pool, MDR, Buffet, stateroom area. We hardly saw anyone overlooking things. Never had a maitre'D come to our table in the MDR! Dirty tables were a frequent sight in the buffet. Un-potty trained kids in the pool...nobody seemed to care.

 

Pools....OMG! NO adult-only pool!!!That was pretty much a nightmare. The pools are very small for the size of that ship and kids overtook the pools and hot tubs. There is a Serenity deck...but only whirlpools.(And you have to climb 2 flights of stairs to get to it since the elevator doesn't go that far.) Carnival need to change that big-time. And the pools are only 4 ft. deep and kids were jumping over our head with no place to go.:eek: There is NO kids pool area. No steel drum music around the pool...in fact , no live music at all!

 

Out of order!!....I have never seen SO many things out of order on a ship! This included elevators...(3 or 4 at a time), urinals in men's bathroom(per hubby, they were "out of order for beautification"...HUH?), drink machines in the buffet (so you have a plate of food and have to cross the whole dining room to get something to drink without spilling it of being knocked over by someone pushing!)

 

Hygiene....There were hand sanitation stations near every buffet, near the MDR, etc but we hardly saw anyone use them. I know some people prefer not to, but this was pretty much the way it was always. We are used to RCCL encouraging the use of them. Kind of concerned me at the lack of hygiene, even tho' many people claim they wash their hands. (BTW, I am not a germ-a-phobe!) Just an observation.

 

Casino....no non-smoking nights. The smoke was SO disgusting every minute of every day and even unbearable for my husband who usually doesn't care....we couldn't even go in there...plus it penetrated all the gift shops and a nice music bar area...sadly, we had to stay out of ALL these areas.

 

Extras....we missed the ice shows. They showed a movie every night at the pool, but we were always at dinner. Evening Bingo was always during our dinner as well.

 

Loyalty...We did not get invited to a Welcome Back Party...they changed their levels that qualify...but each got a 1 liter bottle of water. I think with RCCL, we are Emerald and still only get a 20 oz water...WOOHOO! Carnival has you beat RCCL:!

 

Disclaimer....these are all my opinions, so no need to flame me :-) There are good things about every cruise line and every ship. WE just came off the ship feeling like Carnival wasn't what we want in a cruise line. They pushed FUN, FUN, FUN in your face constantly. Music was SO loud all over the ship ALL the time. Maybe if we were in our 20's......

Just when you think RCCL isn't worth the extra money, we decided you get what you pay for....and for that little extra money, it is worth it.

 

We,ve always cruised NCL and RCI except last year when we cruised Celebrity. A better class of people, well mannered children and outstanding service. Next year my wife wants to try RCI, so being a good caring hubby, we will try RCI agIn. Hope it works out because I'd always give Celebrity top consideration. Try Celebrity once and I think you'll be pleased.

[Studio472]

You make it sound like microwave ramen. That may be how meatloaf is made at your home, but trust me, you can class it up, and I have had it in many good restaurants.

 

 

What's wrong with ramen!? Loving the back and forth.

 

Burrito place near us had 'ramen bowls' for a limited run, was one of the best burrito things I've had in many moons :)

[George C]

We,ve always cruised NCL and RCI except last year when we cruised Celebrity. A better class of people, well mannered children and outstanding service. Next year my wife wants to try RCI, so being a good caring hubby, we will try RCI agIn. Hope it works out because I'd always give Celebrity top consideration. Try Celebrity once and I think you'll be pleased.

 

We did Celebrity once, great ship , lousy entertainment, and in general people were very nice, but we were eating dinner at there expensive French restaurant and there were only a few couples in the place, and one woman had some argument with the man and picked up her entire plate of food and threw it at him. That was the best entertainment we had for the week.

[Studio472]

we totally missed the bread choices! Only 2 types...Italian and a white roll. That's it! NO savory bites, seeded or wheat rolls!

 

I can relate to your love of savory bites. We just got back from Radiance and by the 2nd night they just brought us little plates full of savory bites.

 

I have cruised 7 times, all Royal, but the last cruise left me with fewer reasons to stay loyal. I've never had a 'bad' cruise but with everything some are better than others. So many factors come into play it's a shame people stereotype an entire cruise line based on cherry-picked details. For example, Oasis class ships are amazing, but they're so big they can't get to many cool ports. I recently sailed on Radiance which is a more classic cruising experience without all the bells & whistles.

 

Going forward I'm going to book cruises based on itinerary/ship/price where before I was chasing Platinum status. I've got my first NCL cruise booked this December so I'm looking forward to see how they do things differently. Even though CCL's prices were better across the board, my wife isn't willing to try them just yet.

[Langley Cruisers]

...except last year when we cruised Celebrity. A better class of people, well mannered children and outstanding service...

 

A better class of people? Did you really just say that? Yikes. :(

[Studio472]

I didn't get to say this before but I really liked your review and didn't look at it as complaining as some did. You have your bar set with expectations and you measured this cruise against that bar. Since everyone's bars are at different heights you're going to get a range of reactions. My 1st cruise was on Majesty and despite the rampant hate for that ship, I loved it and loved it again when I sailed her last year.

 

Things we liked...

Cabin and steward....was fine! Actually I think our balcony cabin was a bit bigger getting around the bed. Towel animals EVERY night!

 

This got me thinking about a 5-nighter on Navigator. We had the worst room steward. We never got towel monsters and the room was rarely made up. Things just felt thrown around. That seemingly minor detail really stands out because it my wife's 1st cruise and I knew she'd love the towel monsters. Point is, even though everything wasn't perfect we still enjoyed the cruise, had wonderful wait staff and in general had a good time.

[NOSaints1]

Wait till you try Guys Burgers, they're one of the best

[Sitzmark]

A better class of people? Did you really just say that? Yikes. :(

 

I think a great many people that cruise are all about classism, it isn't really that shocking when it slips out in conversation.

[bettyboop16]

I doubt having less kids would have made too much difference except in the pool area. Yes, kids were running in the halls at night, banging on doors at 4 am and someone turned our "cruisin'/snoozing" tag on our door around so our room wasn't made up one day....frustrating, but can happen on any ship.

 

It was just a general dislike of the atmosphere that Carnival creates and much of the passenger base. WE are past the FUN, Fun, Fun! LOL

 

With saying that, we thoroughly enjoyed sailing the Mississippi and NOLA. Would I go on the Dream if I REALLY want to experience sailing out of NOLA...sure! It's a cruise...how bad could it be? That would be the only reason I would choose Carnival, tho...if I have no other choice, which is what we did. We were hoping for a better experience, but you do get what you pay for. PS...this was NOT a cheap cruise b/c it was in the summer :rolleyes:

 

 

I think you might enjoy a cruise with HAL. They offer some good itineraries & their ship are on the small side...usually don't see a lot of children.

 

We have sailed with them 3 times....they are just too quite for us :)

[Pickels]

A better class of people? Did you really just say that? Yikes. :(

 

Absolutely, that was one issue that we both agreed on. Since 2003, this cruise on the Eqinox had a better, classier group of cruises. Maybe itwasjust the luck of the draw.

[bilyclub]

I get a kick out of all of going on about Carnival. Have you people not read any of the reviews on the 2 Quantum class ships? How the pools are so small. 800 sun chairs for 5000 people. Computers charging people for things they didn't purchase. The Bionic Bar not working. Not enough staff. Oh and on the Inaugural cruise on the Quantum there was a malfunction in one of the shows and a performer was kicked in the head. And these are brand new ships not 8 years old like the Dream.

 

A badly designed Royal ship is still better than the Carnival ships that you can't get from the bow to the aft without switching decks.

[molsonschooner]

Don't know if it's a signature dessert, but my favorite would be the Key Lime pie.

 

it is one of my favorites too

[molsonschooner]

The only other Carnival ship actually sailing right now that is newer than Dream is Breeze. Dream is 6 years old.

 

Actually, the Magic is newer than the Dream(2011). Same class as the Dream

[Domino D]

We strayed to Carnival...never again

 

With saying that, we thoroughly enjoyed sailing the Mississippi and NOLA. Would I go on the Dream if I REALLY want to experience sailing out of NOLA...sure! It's a cruise...how bad could it be? That would be the only reason I would choose Carnival, tho...if I have no other choice, which is what we did. We were hoping for a better experience, but you do get what you pay for. PS...this was NOT a cheap cruise b/c it was in the summer :rolleyes:

 

So, with all due respect, which is it "Never Again" or "Sure! It's a cruise...how bad could it be"

 

I thought your observations were very fair, so this is not a question of disagreeing with your opinions, I'm just wondering about the conclusion stated in the title of the thread.

 

I really think you are stating your preference for Royal, which I get, but it seems you would indeed sail Carnival again under the right circumstances. It just wouldn't win if there was a choice.

 

My wife shares many of the observations form your review, and is often frustrated by my complete apathy and indifference to these types of issues. It's not that I don't see them, I simply don't care and I just work around them. This has led to many a discussion about who to cruise with, and it centers around the dichotomy of your two statements. Never is a long time, and the worst day on a cruise is still pretty good.

 

If ANY ship is going where I want to go, when I can go, for what I think is a fair price, I'm booking it.

[Domino D]

Absolutely, that was one issue that we both agreed on. Since 2003, this cruise on the Eqinox had a better, classier group of cruises. Maybe itwasjust the luck of the draw.

 

This is a serious question, how are you defining "classier"? I have never been on Celebrity (hope to one day soon), so I am not challenging your observation, but am curious as to what difference you saw and are attributing to class.

 

I think a lot of people assume you are meaning financial position, but I don't like to make assumptions, so thought I would just ask.

[2wheelin]

We did Celebrity once, great ship , lousy entertainment, and in general people were very nice, but we were eating dinner at there expensive French restaurant and there were only a few couples in the place, and one woman had some argument with the man and picked up her entire plate of food and threw it at him. That was the best entertainment we had for the week.

 

Gotta love that "better class of people".

I used to like cruising vacations more because the classes were eliminated. No separate dining rooms, no pay-extra private pool, no "go to the head of the line". The only differences were in the amount each wanted to pay for a cabin. Everyone mingled on the ship and met some very interesting folk.

[Domino D]

Actually, the Magic is newer than the Dream(2011). Same class as the Dream

 

Do you count the Sunshine? I think it was Destiny before rechristening???

 

I know Carnival does. I don't, but they do.

[Big_G]

This is a serious question, how are you defining "classier"? I have never been on Celebrity (hope to one day soon), so I am not challenging your observation, but am curious as to what difference you saw and are attributing to class.

 

I think a lot of people assume you are meaning financial position, but I don't like to make assumptions, so thought I would just ask.

 

I think many people and not just here on Cruise Critic refer to better behaved people as classier. It rarely has anything to do with actually having class or classism but it's always fodder for the politically correct.

[Sitzmark]

I think many people and not just here on Cruise Critic refer to better behaved people as classier. It rarely has anything to do with actually having class or classism but it's always fodder for the politically correct.

 

You're right it has nothing to do with actual class. Quite a lot to do with level of accommodations purchased, adherence to dress code etc.

 

The classism isn't just between the passengers, it's also the demeaning way the staff is treated.

[Domino D]

I think many people and not just here on Cruise Critic refer to better behaved people as classier. It rarely has anything to do with actually having class or classism but it's always fodder for the politically correct.

 

Less heavy drinkers, 20 something partiers, I'm guessing? Big_G is it also a predominantly older crowd?

 

I think my wife might enjoy that atmosphere. Like I said, none of that bother me, but I get how could bother others.