Carnival makes me happy. But is it time to go?

[Giantsallday]

This is my first time writing on a forum so I hope I don't get slammed but here it goes.

 

I've been on nine cruises with carnival and have never tried any other cruise line. I've always enjoyed what they have to offer and for the price. I wouldn't say money isn't an object but I do make significantly more money now than I did when I first started cruising so I can afford what some might call "better".

 

I guess my question is am I suffering from if it ain't broke don't fix it because I'm terrified of trying something new and it not being that good and I get mad that I ever tried it. Now here's where I get a little crazy. I will probably be more upset with myself if I love the new cruise line because I will think "you idiot why didn't you do this sooner".

 

I hate being indecisive but i can't be the only one that is a little gun shy when it comes to trying new things. Help me out if you have felt the way I feel and found a way out of it.

[Pyrate13]

That's decision for you to make. Personally, I would not let these boards make up my mind one way or the other. But that's just me. Be prepared, you will get a myriad of opinions soon.

[cruzeluver]

Honestly, trying different lines early on was one of the best decisions we ever made. We have a wider variety of itineraries, ships and experinces to choose from and we don't have the same type of experience evry time. The main stream lines are actually all pretty similar anyway.

[lazydayz]

It is a great big world out there. So far, we have cruised 20+ times on Carnival, same on Royal, three Holland and one Celebrity. We started with Carnival then tried Royal. For a time, Royal was a better fit for us. Now, we are back to Carnival.

 

You should give another cruise line a try. If for no other reason than then you can objectively say, Carnival is a great fit for me.

 

Happy cruising.

[kako14]

I would totally try other lines - I don't think any of them are bad, just different. As long as you expect some things to be better and some worse I think you'll love it.

[bluwes]

Exactly the same for us. We had sailed 11 time with Carnival. Last year we decided to change and booked a Celebrity cruise. Similar itinerary to what we had done before. For us it was a massive difference. We had always thought Carnival was what we wanted, but we found a big difference.

The Celebrity cruise was the difference between a 3 star hotel and a 4 star.

That's not to say will not sail with Carnival again, as you can see below, we are on the Vista in September

[Taters]

We've cruised on several lines and found them more alike than different.

 

There was one exception, which was NCL. There were so many things that were sub standard we won't go back to them.

 

All the rest, however, have been wonderful for us, but Carnival seems to be our "go-to" cruise line. We have a lot of fun on Carnival.

 

My next 2 cruises are on Carnival, then HAL.

[joeyancho]

We fall into category B. We finally tried Princess and loved it. We will not be going back to Carnival. Sometimes, but not always, it costs a bit more but it is worth it. We were shocked how much better it was. The food at all venues was superior, the entertainment was terrific, and the demographic was , how shall in say it, more refined. Not stuffy. Just more civilized. As the old TV commercial used to say, try it, you'll like it.

[tilliebob1919]

We have tried Royal Caribbean from time to time and always go back to Carnival. For us, we find more going on than other cruise lines especially in the evening hours.

[jh2360]

We fall into category B. We finally tried Princess and loved it. We will not be going back to Carnival. Sometimes, but not always, it costs a bit more but it is worth it. We were shocked how much better it was. The food at all venues was superior, the entertainment was terrific, and the demographic was , how shall in say it, more refined. Not stuffy. Just more civilized. As the old TV commercial used to say, try it, you'll like it.

 

Where's the beef?

[cruisinqt]

The main difference I noticed between Carnival and other cruise lines is the age difference of the cruisers and night life/night time activities. The only exception was Royal Caribbean which had a younger crowd and more night life and seemed the most like Carnival. Princess and Norwegian had nothing going on after 10 pm, the dance club was empty, no karaoke, no sing along piano bar, it was like everything shut down around ten pm except for the casino and bars. And the median age of the cruisers had to be 60 plus. I like Carnivals late night shows and their sing along piano bars, there's always some sort of entertainment going on till at least 12 am. It's too bad you can't see the ages of the folks who post on here because I bet a lot of the ones that really love some of these other cruise lines (other than Royal Caribbean) are probably a lot older than we realize. Which is okay, I mean age is just a number. :) But I like the younger funner more enthusiastic crowds on Carnival and Royal. When I'm older and looking for peace, tranquility, and all the fancy shmancy uppity posh stuff I'll look elsewhere. But right now I'm in my 40's and prefer Carnival or Royal because I'm around people my own age and it's just more lively and fun. Should you try someone else? Yes, try Royal Caribbean and you will like it. It's very much like Carnival. :D

[Butterbean1000]

I will be platinum on my next Carnival cruise. We are not opposed to going to other cruise lines, but we have never been disappointed in Carnival. If the right cruise and price comes along, we might "jump ship".

[Hog Rider]

This is my first time writing on a forum so I hope I don't get slammed but here it goes.

 

I've been on nine cruises with carnival and have never tried any other cruise line. I've always enjoyed what they have to offer and for the price. I wouldn't say money isn't an object but I do make significantly more money now than I did when I first started cruising so I can afford what some might call "better".

 

I guess my question is am I suffering from if it ain't broke don't fix it because I'm terrified of trying something new and it not being that good and I get mad that I ever tried it. Now here's where I get a little crazy. I will probably be more upset with myself if I love the new cruise line because I will think "you idiot why didn't you do this sooner".

 

I hate being indecisive but i can't be the only one that is a little gun shy when it comes to trying new things. Help me out if you have felt the way I feel and found a way out of it.

 

All my biker buds tell me Carnival is crap now. We are going on Princess. Better PARTIES!

[TomAceEsq]

As new cruisers that have only been on two, and have three booked, my wife and I enjoy trying other lines to find our fit so to speak.

 

Our first cruise was on Disney, the second on Royal, and our third (which is on Monday) will be on Carnival.

 

The other two that are booked is on Royal and Norwegian.

 

I imagine we'll have a decent idea of what we like this time next year.

[USNUZULOOSE]

I am not loyal to one line. I like trying different ones. If you don't like it you won't sail with them again. But the decision is up to you.

[Indytraveler83]

Nothing wrong with trying other lines. Blind loyalty is silly. May I suggest Princess? They are owned by Carnival Corp, so would feel somewhat familiar while giving you a different experience.

[Dora the Ex]

Sounds like you already know the answer. :) Sounds like you want to spread your wings and see what's out there. Nothing wrong with that. We're doing better financially since we started cruising as well, but we like Carnival, warts and all - we're staying. We like what we like. :eek:

Edited February 27, 2016 by Dora the Ex

[SMSACE6]

I see nothing wrong with trying something new. And feel that I am much like you in that, Carnival makes me happy, and I have loved all 7 of my cruises on them, but there are a couple of issues that sometimes annoy me a bit. Three times I have almost been lured away by NCL, but each time Carnival just lures me back with a better deal. In my early cruising days, I did try two different cruise lines, enjoyed but never went back due to pricing. Still, I enjoy my Carnival cruises, and have an eighth booked for September.

 

I think though, only you can decide what is right for you. Try something new, and if you dont like, you know you can always come back to the familiar, or; you might try several different lines till you find your niche.

[bingo3]

Nothing wrong with trying other lines, they are all somewhat different and each has their pros and cons. I like the variety and honestly don't stick with one line, I look at departure port, itinerary and pricing. I go with whoever gives me the best deal for what and where I want.

 

I also cannot cruise often enough to reach the pinnacles where perks are worth anything, so loyalty is not an issue with me. For those who can cruise often, it may be better to stick with one line.

[OCruisers]

It's fun to "Sleep Around" from time to time! :D

[volmoma]

My DH and I have been on 23 cruises with CCL with 2 more booked thru June. We agreed to try Princess Regal in December with our DS, daughter in law and grand daughter. From the moment we boarded the ship we were impressed with the decor, it reminded us of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. We found the buffet food a lot better than CCL, the MDR was equal. The crew were awesome, but then we've never had problems with CCL. The Atrium/Lobby entertainment wasn't our cup of tea, string quartets, opera etc. Not to say others didn't enjoy it. As far as the AIDP/Cheers, we enjoyed Princess the most. As far as cruising other cruise lines, we say go for it, you'll never know unless you do. But for us we'll stay with CCL for a bit longer, we're both in our early sixties. Maybe as we get older we may return to Princess. Princess does seem a little more reserved, IMHO!

[volmoma]

It's fun to "Sleep Around" from time to time! :D

 

 

Haha.....

[Jenhem31]

I love trying other lines and like different lines for different reasons. I love RC ships but Carnival laid back atmosphere and crew. They also have great itineraries. We have an NCL booked as well.

I'm not loyal to anything that's not loyal to me. No harm in trying other lines.

Edited February 27, 2016 by Jenhem31

[sandij]

We like Carnival, doing our 16th in two weeks but we do other lines also. you will find a itinerary you like and it will be another line and you'll try it and like it. So just continue to look for what you want at the best price you can find and enjoy. Oh about the slammers, they are out there and eventually will find you but don't let them stop you from posting, they just a lot of hot air.

[JimAOk1945]

You'll never know whether or not you've missed something until you give cruising on another line a try. We tried Carnival first. We discovered we enjoyed the cruising experience and tried other lines.

 

In addition to Carnival, we have cruised on Princess and Royal Caribbean. In August we will be on Holland America for the first time on a 14 day Alaska cruise. In the future we will try other lines. The world is a big place and we want to see more of it. Cruising is a wonderful way to travel.

 

Happy cruising!

Edited February 27, 2016 by JimAOk1945