Goodbye, Carnival

[volmoma]

You never know what you might like better if you don't "Sleep Around" from time to time. :D

 

 

 

LuLu

 

 

Love your wording!!! We've cruised Carnival 21 times. We're trying Regal Princess in December. Have heard a lot of pros and cons. I really think a cruise is what you make of it. I agree crap happens, but Guest Services w/Carnival has always went above and beyond to correct any problems we may have had. We'll be cruising in January back w/Carnival, my annual GIRLS ONLY cruise in May and a family cruise in June. Happy Cruising!!

Edited September 14, 2015 by volmoma

[kona_wahine]

I've been on 4 cruises, all carnival. Two more booked, b2b, carnival. I'm thinking next will be Alaska, and we can drive to Seattle so maybe try something a bit more expensive since no airfare.

 

But, once I start pricing it may be carnival again. But, I'm not one to cruise for the ship/line. I'm going to see the ports and the experience. I have no complaints with carnival.

[hawaiideb]

We Like both NCL and Carnival for different reasons. Mostly stick to midsize ships. I like knowing what to expect onboard. However, if the price is right I'll sail any line!

[aflyingbuttress]

My husband and I finally tried a new cruise line. We sailed out of Boston on September 4th on the Norwegian Dawn to Bermuda. We loved it! I really love Freestyle dining. I have been on 13 Carnival cruises and, frankly, I have become bored with the Carnival experience. We put down deposits for two more NCL cruises while we were still on the ship. We will be back on Carnival someday, but not for awhile.

 

We were considering doing NCL out of Boston. We live a little over an hour away. I've been on Royal, Princess, Carnival, and Celebrity. I've never done any of them a second time. This is the first time I've repeated a cruise line. 5th cruise, 2nd time on Carnival.

 

I was thinking o NCL partially because I thought I'd gain the experience of being on most of the really popular lines and then settling on my favorite for a while. But ultimately I decided not to because I heard the food on NCL was bad. What did you think about it?

[blarko]

My husband and I finally tried a new cruise line. We sailed out of Boston on September 4th on the Norwegian Dawn to Bermuda. We loved it! I really love Freestyle dining. I have been on 13 Carnival cruises and, frankly, I have become bored with the Carnival experience. We put down deposits for two more NCL cruises while we were still on the ship. We will be back on Carnival someday, but not for awhile.

 

I've never sailed on NCL but I always see posts that everyone loves "freestyle" cruising/dining. What exactly does freestyle cruising mean?

 

Sent from my KFTHWI using Forums mobile app

[zqvol]

It's always good to branch out and try other lines, but why post this at all?

[DebJ14]

I always have good intentions of trying other cruise lines, but as soon as I start quoting them out and comparing price and value, Carnival just can't be beat.

 

Someday I will most likely venture away, but for now the vacation value on Carnival keeps me going back to them.

 

We have gotten cruises on Princess and NCL that were a better value than comparable Carnival itineraries. You just have to shop around.

 

We are going NCL in January because we couldn't beat the promo they were offering when we booked back in March. We are getting the ultimate dining package (specialty restaurant every night if we wish), ultimate beverage package, (Cheers) Free gratuities, $300 onboard credit and 3rd person sails for free. With a suite we got all 4 promos. With a Carnival suite you get zip. We're not fans of the freestyle dining on NCL (or Anytime or whatever the other lines call it) in the Main Dining rooms, but we will be able to make all our dining reservations in the specialty restaurants 100 days out.

Edited September 15, 2015 by DebJ14

[cruising maniac]

Good for you. Variety is the spice of life. Personally, my favs are Norwegian and Celebrity. We basically book based on itinerary.

Edited September 15, 2015 by cruising maniac

[cruiser fanatic]

one more carnival next month and we will stop or really slow down on the cruising. don't get me wrong.:) next month will be number 16 on carnival and we are not excited anymore.

 

we are going to do some road trips, out west, up north or just checking out my good old state of Kentucky.:)

 

yes we love carnival and just might do another one!;)

 

carnival has been fun and we have met some great, great people on board.:)

 

We are taking a break as well. We did a cruise in March, a B2B in April and another cruise in May because of the price. We are not cruising again until April 2016.

[flyawayca]

I'm all about switching things up. I have yet to duplicate any ship or itinerary (I have duplicated a few ports).

 

I do have to travel to any cruise port though so since I'm forced to fly anyway I have a big selection of destinations. It costs about the same for me to fly to FL, NY, or LA.

 

It keeps things interesting. I've enjoyed all the lines I have sailed. I like some things on some lines more than others but nothing that will keep me away.

[dvond]

We book on pricing and ports, my wife with some work has found pricing comparable to Carnival. We have been on the big 3 with kids a bunch of times, every line has their quirks good and bad. We did love the Dawn and went on her twice plus Bermuda is awesome.

 

I know what you mean about the Carnival boredom, same shows, same activities, same food,etc. Its great to see how everyone does the cruise experience

[BattyL]

I always have good intentions of trying other cruise lines, but as soon as I start quoting them out and comparing price and value, Carnival just can't be beat.

 

Someday I will most likely venture away, but for now the vacation value on Carnival keeps me going back to them.

 

Yes, same thing with me. Sometimes the price difference is ridiculous :eek:

[quickrate]

Good for you that you're venturing out and trying other cruise lines, specially after 13 consecutive cruises on the same exact line!

 

The best piece of advice that I can give you is that, instead of booking 2 more NCL cruises (making it 3 in a row), that you look at what other cruise lines are out there. That "newness" and excitement that you felt on your first NCL cruise will quickly wear off if you repeat the same pattern of sailing exclusively on one cruise line again. Keep it varied and fresh!

 

We haven't done two cruises in a row on the same cruise line in the last 5 years and the experience has been wonderful. And the best part about it is that, when you're ready to sail on Carnival again, that boredom will have dissipated and it will feel like a new experience all over again.

 

For now, enjoy what NCL has to offer, and be open to even more new cruise lines, ships, and destinations!

I find what you say interesting, Tapi, as my excitement with cruising Carnival has never worn off and I will be doing my 24th soon. I cruise for the relaxation, the ocean, the freedom, and the love of being on the ship. Not discounting other cruise lines, just haven't found a reason to stray.

Pat

[Cruisin 4 Ever]

For some reason I am totally suckered in to Carnival because I want to get to Platinum even though I am only halfway between gold and platinum so I have quite a few cruises to still get there.

I keep seeing that NCL has amazing deals because they offer a choice of a few freebies when you book, one of which is free drinks. So even though the price is higher overall, when you factor in the cost of their version of cheers, it's a better deal.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

We recently began trying other lines as well. The first was Princess, which was a huge disappointment. However, we sailed on the Oasis of the Seas last summer and feel in love with the ship and Royal Caribbean. We even booked our next Oasis cruise while we were still onboard. Our next cruise is another Carnival cruise, then next summer we are trying NCL. I've yet to have a bad cruise, but my least favorite was Princess...I didn't care for their food and I found it a bit stuffy, although service was great.

[JimAOk1945]

We tried RC after having four Carnival cruises and are very happy with the experience.

 

I agree that trying different cruise lines keeps the cruise experience fresh and exciting. We have also cruised on Princess.

 

We will be on HAL for the first time next year for the unique 14 day Alaska cruise round trip from Seattle.

 

Happy cruising!

[Tapi]

...my excitement with cruising Carnival has never worn off and I will be doing my 24th soon. I cruise for the relaxation, the ocean, the freedom, and the love of being on the ship. Not discounting other cruise lines, just haven't found a reason to stray.

 

Pat

 

 

I think that those who cruise for the entertainment, the games, the food, etc may grow more tired of a specific cruise line faster than you who cruises for the gloriously basic pleasures of cruising, which Carnival delivers very well.

 

For some, sailing on Carnival may get old really fast after the same hairy chest contest, the same chocolate melting cake, the same top 10 jokes from the cruise director, the same production show, etc, etc for the 13th time.

[Ascott318]

#26 with Carnival,#10 of which in the last year . All free from Casino. Going again in October. As long as they are comping,I'll be there.

[summersigh]

There are a half dozen different grocery stores between home and office. Even though some offer loyalty cards I choose to stop at a different one each time. One has the candy bars I love, another the perfect salad dressing, and you can't beat the rotisserie chicken at the third. I think I cruise in exactly the same way and I also mix in land vacations, too. I gave up on loyalty programs a long, long time ago since I really discovered, like coupons, you were trying for extras or savings that weren't all that important in the grand scheme of things.

 

To the OP: good on you for shaking it up a bit. Hopefully you are also trying other ports, and embarkation ports, and cruise lengths. It all goes into making vacation time unique each and every time. And this is coming from someone who goes to the same casino everytime and then cries if someone is sitting at my machine of choice.:)

 

Well said Sweet :) We also choose port/ports we want to see or haven't seen yet, then search out an accommodating itinerary that will take us there. From my signature you can see where that's taken us as far as cruise lines go. Each of them - Cunard, HAL, RCCL and CCL - is different in the atmosphere aboard that line but we like each in it's own special way. ;)

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I think that those who cruise for the entertainment, the games, the food, etc may grow more tired of a specific cruise line faster than you who cruises for the gloriously basic pleasures of cruising, which Carnival delivers very well.

 

For some, sailing on Carnival may get old really fast after the same hairy chest contest, the same chocolate melting cake, the same top 10 jokes from the cruise director, the same production show, etc, etc for the 13th time.

 

That would be us. We used to sailed exclusively with CCL because of the price. I like to get on a ship and check it out. After so many on CCL you know where everything is no matter which ship you go on.

 

The food was still good when we decided to switch but ultimately it was the entertainment that sent us packing.

 

Not much on drinking or gambling so the entertainment is very important to us.

 

NCL fit the bill for us as they actually had shows every night and they didn't include the Hasbro game, Love and marriage, etc.

 

The price was a little more but worth it to us.

 

Also went on RCI last year and absolutely loved it.

 

So venturing out for us was great. YMMV!

 

Bill

[Ery]

I know what you mean.

 

I don't know, I guess I would have said the same in the past. We have done Carnival and have one booked in March for a group of around 20 friends, it's the closest ship from home so traveling is easier. Still our average flights were $600 per couple, the 7 night cruise for interior was $1500 or $1750for a balcony. Both options with a $75 onb per cabin.

He and I actually had already booked a 7 night on Oasis of the Seas for October. We have a balcony room and with gratuity and insurance were out the door at $1862 for the two of us, plus we got $200 obc for the cabin and got two free robes to keep.. For a ship with so much more to offer. Yes, because we are flying across the country our flight is a little higher, coming in at around $800. The drink package is a bit higher, about $10 per person per day. But it includes specialty coffees and if only one of us wants it, we don't bother have to purchase it. I'm really glad we looked around, I'm excited to try RCL and the Oasis

[Ery]

We've begun playing the field as well. I still want to try Celebrity and HAL. I don't know that I'll ever want to go on NCL, but we'll see what happens.

 

Have fun and please come back and tell us how you enjoyed your NCL cruise. I love reviews that compare lines. :)

 

We are doing RC, Royal :)

[Cinders411]

After several Carnival cruises we decided to try Royal Caribbean. I plan on trying Norwegian after I have sampled a few more RC ships. I think everyone should try a different line. How do you know you won't enjoy another line more if you never try one? Glad to hear your experience with Norwegian was a good one.

[PartyAnimal]

I am also a big Carnival fan but decided to try NCL and fell in love. I still will cruise Carnival as I am close to Diamond but I want to play the field. I am currently booked on Princess because it was close to home and I did not want to fly. I bought a FCC on NCL so I will definately will be going back. I will probably do the Dawn again out of Boston. Although the Dawn was an older ship the amenities with booking a suite was wonderful. The staff was so great and they made you feel so important. I really liked the anytime dining and the specialty restaurants. I also like the fact that they had a 24 hour restaurant that you could get something other than pizza after a long night out. Love those hot wings late at night. Now I will definately go back to Carnival as it is my first love, but I do love "shipping around".

[Glock19]

Its good to keep an open mind and cruise other lines. I have too. That's why I feel Carnival is still the best bang for the buck. Every once in a while I still jump on other lines.