New to Carnival-would we be happy?

[eyeamacruiser]

JORDANAIRE

Where did you get that countdown clock?

Edited March 27, 2016 by eyeamacruiser

[Tripper10]

We are an older couple for Carnival, I think, early 60's. We've only sailed on Royal Carribbean before. We are celebrating our 30th anniversary in August. While we are taking a celebratory cruise on Oceania to the Mediterranean in June, I'd like to actually do something on the date of our anniversary itself in August. I was thinking a cruise would be perfect since we love to cruise.

 

I know all the reasons why most cruise lines don't sail the Caribbean in August (yeah, yeah, hurricanes, not concerned), but I was shocked to see that the only choices from Tampa are a 4 or 5 day Carnival cruise. No other cruise lines go out of Tampa in August. While we live near Fort Lauderdale, I was thinking of going out of Tampa since we'll have a new puppy and that's where it will come from and I can board it with its trainer. I know we can do the Allure or the Oasis from our home port (been there, done both) but if we go from Tampa, it looks like it's just Carnival.

 

I have a vision of Carnival as a party ship, or spring break type ship, I'm guessing in August it will be a lot of multi-generational families and lots of little kids. Those of you who have been on Carnival, specifically the Paradise, do you think we would be happy on there? We wouldn't be going for the ports, just for the ship experience itself. Are we too old? Would we be out of place?

 

I can't believe the lack of choices for Florida ports in the summer!

 

RCCL is pretty busy also, carnival is not that different if your cruise is 7 days or more and not on spring break or school vacation. HAL, Princess or Celebrity is way more laid-back.

[Greselda2251]

We too are in our 60's and although we have sailed Princess, RCL, and Celebrity, we tend to prefer Carnival the best.

 

Some of the things we love about Carnival:

 

Very comfortable beds

We like the "spirit class" of Carnival...smaller ships, less pax

Lots of nooks and crannies to explore and spend some quiet time in

You can do as much or as little as you desire....no pressure

Good food selection now that they have added the American Table menu

 

We are now Platinum on Carnival and enjoy the early boarding perk...:D

 

You will be among many of our age group, which is nice especially when seated at a large dinner table in the MDR...

 

Enjoy!!!

[dolphin2012]

My husband and I are in our 60's and are planning on our 7th Carnival cruise this summer. We have a 18 year old daughter that is graduating and she been the cruising kid . Our two older daughters didn't get to experience the cruise life since this kid came along 20 years later!! So yes I still want to have fun and don't think its a ship just for the young. I think a balcony is worth the splurge for some private time if you do feel like you want to get away from the crowd. We have always had a good time on all the ships and plenty to do on and off the ship. We are not drinkers but I do enjoy the crazy games and lido deck people watching. The weird thing is the wildest cruise we were on was the Alaska one where everyone was probably over 60. Those people were partying all nite and didn't seem to care we had a child next door. I think you will have fun and a good time. Life is what you make it. I prefer the younger crowd and still want to have fun.

[tonyweir]

You are where we were last year. We booked the Carnival Conquest and were wondering the same kinds of things.

 

There is definitely more f the WalMart crowd on board, but there's also many others as well. We had a great time and really enjoyed the fun aspect. There was great energy all over the ship. The dining room staff was better than we had on Princess! The food was great too! The Guys Burgers and Blue Iguana (both included - are you listening Royal Caribbean?), was great. We enjoyed breakfast burritos at Blue Iguana.

 

The cruise is what you make it. You'll have a great time!

[Rock712]

We had the same concerns before our first Carnival cruise , and we were in our mid forties at the time. No kids , not drinkers or partiers , just wanted a nice relaxed vacation. Our TA at the time steered us towards Carnival due to price and itinerary , and now 12 years and several cruises later we've never looked back.

 

I really believe the horror stories you here about Carnival , or for that matter of fact any of the other lines , boils down to luck of the draw. Sure , how they manage their ships and resources play a large part into it , but the lines cannot control weather , rough seas , or the behavior of their passengers once on board.

 

For instance , Carnival has the rep as being the rowdy , party ships , but in all of our cruises , the rudest and most obnoxious drunks we had to deal with were on a RC cruise. That wasn't the fault of RC , it was the one particular group of idiots that happened to be aboard that cruise and seemed to be everywhere on the ship at all hours , drunk out of their minds and causing commotions in general.

[Rock712]

You are where we were last year. We booked the Carnival Conquest and were wondering the same kinds of things.

 

There is definitely more f the WalMart crowd on board, but there's also many others as well. We had a great time and really enjoyed the fun aspect. There was great energy all over the ship. The dining room staff was better than we had on Princess! The food was great too! The Guys Burgers and Blue Iguana (both included - are you listening Royal Caribbean?), was great. We enjoyed breakfast burritos at Blue Iguana.

 

The cruise is what you make it. You'll have a great time!

 

 

C'mon , admit it , it's a dirty little secret we all carry around. You've shopped at Walmart too. We were just there yesterday stocking up on the essentials

[cv322]

In my humble opinion, :o, you're certainly not "too old" for Carnival. Having said that, however....I think a shorter cruise, especially in the summer with schools out, wouldn't be a good fit...regardless of cruise line. I'm platinum with Carnival & love them for what do best: longer 10+ days and/or re-positioning cruises! Take your wife to a fabulous resort for a few days and wine & dine her...and go dancing ;)! Congrats on your anniversary!

[RecoveryDude]

Just don't compare Paradise to an Oasis-class RC ship! I have read people do this and say "carnival sucks" ... but you have to compare apples to apples. I was on the Paradise 8 months ago. Great ship. not a "new" one and it's smaller, no steakhouse or specialty dining ... but does have a serenity deck and was in great condition. service was spectacular! Also, I didn't notice many people being rowdy or drinking ... and I'm a recovering alcoholic so I would definitely "notice" if anyone was "too" out of hand. and I was on a 4 day over a weekend ... typically the ones that have the most partiers.

 

I think as long as you realize this ship doesn't have the bells and whistles of your typical RC ship ... you will have a GREAT time. I'm in my 40's but I see plenty of people 60+ enjoying carnival (we were all young once, lol)

 

Cheers and let us know ho it goes!!!

 

Jeff aka Recovery Dude

[sunshine002]

I am 61 and have done around 18 Carnival Cruises ranging from 4 days to 14 days. I am also gone on RCL, Celebrity and Princess.

 

On RCL I enjoyed the Majesty as much or more than the Allure of the Seas. I would rather be on a small ships than a mega ship.

 

I also find I enjoy the food more on Carnival than the other lines, as well as finding more things to do around the ship. As well as enjoying the different types of music. The piano bar always seems more lively on Carnival.

 

I say try it, people are people and I have met wonderful people while cruising.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

We went on Elation for Halloween, another Fantasy class ship, but we had a great time. The ship had some wear, much more obvious than the Victory, which we took a few years prior. We had the best room steward in 4 cruises, and the activity staff was phenomenal!

 

Here's an example of what you don't want to do:

 

We got nearly assaulted by a drunk Princess cruiser, who was angry that she got on the wrong line, first night at the Halloween party. Never saw her again, so I told my wife that these grumpy people must hibernate in their cabins.

 

Flying home, we met a couple that did just that. They were Loyal to Royal, claiming that they didn't like the Halloween contest, so stayed in their cabins ALL DAY EVERY DAY, until 2AM. Since the hot tubs were closed, they basically confirmed their bias and had a miserable time.

 

Other than the woman mentioned above, I saw no one blatantly drunk, out of control, or making a scene. In the Fall, there are very few kids, which you could match by sailing in late August should you desire that.

 

Carnival is for the young and young at heart, just like the 70 year old who stole our sail-away party last year. 7 day cruises in the Fall, will have a more mature crowd (40's). 10-14 day Journey (repo) cruises will have more retirees, and added amenities that you would find on more premium lines. There's multiple ways to make Carnival work.

Edited March 29, 2016 by Stateroom_Sailor