For Those Who Regularly Cruise Carnival

[Floridastorm]

Please tell me why you would choose or not choose Carnival Ships over other lines. Is it the cabins, the food, the entertainment, the itineraries, or just the overall treatment on Carnival. I'm curious because I've never traveled on Carnival but they seem to have pretty good itineraries.

[Micahs Grandad]

We have a good time and know what to expect. Will say that we are disappointed with some of the changes they have made in past few years and more and more going on Princess especially for European cruises.

[maldenmusic]

For us, it's the close proximity of the ports and the low cost.

[KPfromCT]

Please tell me why you would choose or not choose Carnival Ships over other lines. Is it the cabins, the food, the entertainment, the itineraries, or just the overall treatment on Carnival. I'm curious because I've never traveled on Carnival but they seem to have pretty good itineraries.

 

Have you cruised on any other lines?

We love what Carnival offers for the money. It's a great deal and they are a great cruise line.

 

This year we ventured off to try RCCL, Oasis of the Seas. We LOVED it. But, still, at the end of the cruise, we missed Carnival.

 

The price was only $300.00 more, so that was no biggie, at all.

 

The cabins, balconies, closets, and bathrooms are much smaller on RCCL.

We found the pizza and ice cream to SUCK compared to Carnival.:o

The MDR was also worse than Carnival.

 

However, the pools were much bigger, and there were more of them. Never had a problem getting into a pool on Royal.

 

Loved the Solarium with the 16+ pool. Tons of HUGE hot tubs, and they were actually HOT.:D:D

 

Each line has their own thing that they do better.

 

I think it really comes down to a personal preference.......

 

I would LOVE to do another RCCL cruise, but next year, we are going to try out the Magic, in June. :D:D

[BettyPC]

We enjoy Carnival but also travel on other lines. I especially enjoy the Indian food on Carnival and just relaxing!

[vwrestler171]

Value for our money and past experiences with them. I'm happy with Carnival so why go elsewhere for the same money or even more?

[bury me at sea]

Port is first consideration. I don't fly.

 

Then value received for price paid. Carnival gives us a fun experience, varied itineraries, and truly friendly service.

 

A few of their cutbacks over the last five years have annoyed me but so far I believe they still give a good value.

[Sparky2]

We enjoy Carnival because we can afford to do B2B cruises on them. A total of 14 days.

[ABQrobin]

Casual atmosphere.

Price.

Live music onboard in various places.

Loud thumping music by the pool. Yeah, we like that.

Many more active excursions... I almost booked another cruise, same exact itinerary one time and realized that they didn't have half the excursion options for the same ports.

[ourcruiseyears]

Please tell me why you would choose or not choose Carnival Ships over other lines. Is it the cabins, the food, the entertainment, the itineraries, or just the overall treatment on Carnival. I'm curious because I've never traveled on Carnival but they seem to have pretty good itineraries.

 

Right now we have gone with Carnival the majority of the time due to:

• Price
  
• Cabin size
  
• Laundry
  
• Driving distance to ports
  
• Itineraries

We will soon run out of different itineraries & are looking around at other options. It will be interesting to see what other cruiselines/ships have to offer (food, adult deck, etc.).

[rtap23]

For us it is all about the value and the entertainment. It suits our family well. We cruise with several lines but always find ourselves wanting to go back on Carnival

[lizzyplague]

We're happy with Carnival. Itineraries, value and food are all excellent, so no point in changing.

 

Not against trying other lines but like others have said.. why go elsewhere when it's all good with Carnival? :p

[Warm Breezes]

We regularly sail on Carnival but we don't always choose Carnival. Timing is usually the most important factor for us. We start looking at ships the fit into our schedule. Then we narrow down our choices based on embarkation ports, itinerary, and budget. We then compare the ships that are left on our short list and choose the one that interests us the most. Sometimes our search is based on specific port or specific type of ship so we start there when narrowing down our short list. As you can see from our cruising history, Carnival comes out at the top of our list the most often.

[SkyMaster]

I've sailed almost all the other major lines numerous times, and as noted above, they all have areas where they excel. Carnival, for me, has always given great value, with decent sized cabins, good food and service, and excellent entertainment. I too, am disappointed with some of the cut backs, and changes, but will probably stick with Carnival for the majority of my cruises for the foreseeable future. Bottom line is that for the money, I find Carnival delivers a good product.

 

"SKY"

[trvlgirlmq]

Cost

Cabin size

Familiarity

Itineraries

 

This is it for my family in a nutshell.

[PAPERBKWRITER]

We're able to choose any time to go so we look for deals and Carnival often has the best.

The standard cabins are bigger than many other lines (185 sq ft) as platinum we get free laundry and a few perks, the food is good. Better on Celebrity and Princess but IMO similar to RCCL. Entertainment is a bit behind the others and like mentioned there has been cuts made with the new CEO. All in all, a good value, though.

[MMastell]

I have, and continue, to cruise other lines. I am Platinum on Carnival and NCL, Elite on Celebrity and Diamond on RCL, but Carnival seems to have become my "go to" for a nice getaway cruise. The reasons are:

 

1. Best bang for the buck.

2. Nice sized cabins

3. Food in the Lido and MDR is as good as most other lines. I would have once said Celebrity was hands down better but the food on my last three Celebrity cruises was not better than Carnival's.

4. A more enjoyable atmosphere where you can be yourself. NCL is also like this so it is basically a tie in this area.

 

Those are the main reasons but if the itinerary is right and the price isn't too much I will sail any line.

 

Take care,

Mike

[Jilltoons]

Carnival had the best schedule for our family - Tuesday-Tuesday. My daughter is leaving for Europe on the Monday prior and then coming back the Friday after we get back. So this allowed us to take our youngest son to Alaska! Just have to get from Tacoma to Seattle to the port. Can't wait!

[winddawn]

Please tell me why you would choose or not choose Carnival Ships over other lines. Is it the cabins, the food, the entertainment, the itineraries, or just the overall treatment on Carnival. I'm curious because I've never traveled on Carnival but they seem to have pretty good itineraries.

For me the answer to your question is easy. Carnival offers great value for an enjoyable product. Carnival may not be for everyone, but for those who appreciate good service at a good price, Carnival is the best choice. For those wanting an upscale experience and food, Carnival is probably not their best choice.

 

Carnival's food quality has declined over the years, but overall is acceptable to most people not looking for an upscale dining experience.

 

Carnival's cabins overall are larger than most other mainstream cruise lines.

 

And in the Caribbean, Carnival pretty much calls in the same ports as other cruise lines, plus Carnival offers <7 day cruises that many other cruise lines do not offer (or don't offer as much). Plus Carnival cruises from a variety of ports closer to home for many people allowing them to get to a port more economically.

[BenjiRodney]

Please tell me why you would choose or not choose Carnival Ships over other lines. Is it the cabins, the food, the entertainment, the itineraries, or just the overall treatment on Carnival. I'm curious because I've never traveled on Carnival but they seem to have pretty good itineraries.

 

The cost, the overall treatment I get from Carnival and knowing that I am getting something that I will enjoy. I have tried another one 3 times and have yet to be "Wow'ed" by them. 13 times on Carnival with 4 more booked, I just know what I like and what I am comfortable with.

[KirkWN737]

I like the value of the overall cruise. The ports and days usually work out and I like the product. But this next cruse we do will probably be on one of the newer RC ships just because we want to give them another shot. We had a bad experience a few years ago but are willing to give it another try.

[Jana60]

Please tell me why you would choose or not choose Carnival Ships over other lines. Is it the cabins, the food, the entertainment, the itineraries, or just the overall treatment on Carnival. I'm curious because I've never traveled on Carnival but they seem to have pretty good itineraries.

 

I have Cruised 23 times on Carnival. Three of those times were back-to-back cruises Feb 2016. The rooms other than suites are more spacious, itineraries are the same, and food is , in my opinion, just as good as any of the other Cruise Lines. The price is higher than it used to be but still competitive with all the other lines however the quality has diminished causing the price for Value to no longer be adequate for me. On my last several cruises with them the service has been increasingly poor. Examples of this are waiting 20 minutes standing at a bar in order to get a drink. Orders for drinks in the theater or Comedy Club were never received. I received one order out of five orders placed with room service. And multiple areas of the ship were less than clean. Oddly my biggest complaint is with how much more smoke was present on the ships during my last few cruises. There didn't seem to be any area where I could go and get away from the cigarette smoke. Even in the lobbies of the ships there was smoke. When I asked about this I was informed that there is a smoking area just outside the door of the lobby. I have since February Cruised on NCL twice and on both ships smoking was only permitted in the casino and very few other spots. When I was near the casino I did smell smoke but I did not smell any smoke in the lobby, in any of the restaurants, or in any of the bars or theaters. This made the trip much more enjoyable for me. Also the entertainment was much better on NCL. They had lots of karaoke with a dedicated Bar for karaoke. They also had big Musical shows with live instrumental music and multiple bands playing in smaller venues. If Carnival wants to be cheap and give poor service and entertainment they still need to clear the smoke out of their ships and charge less to be competitive. If they get rid of the smoke and lowered their price a little bit I would certainly still cruise with them.

Edited August 9, 2016 by Jana60

[berrieh]

We don't want to make a bunch of reservations, don't care about Broadway style shows, like a casual, fun atmosphere with good drinks, good food (we love Carnival steakhouses, like the MDR, like the "satellite" lunch choices (Guys, Iguana, Indian, deli, etc). One weird thing we find a little important is free room service. We don't like to dress up too much, find Carnival nickel and dimes less, and find a younger (our age, 30s) crowd. There are still too many kids for my tastes when we travel (I teach so.... when school is out) but nothing's perfect and I love Serenity. Honestly, it's the best line for the relaxing vacation we want. We also love the Seaside movies, Comedy, and would miss those on other lines (I know some have comedy but Carnival does that best IMO).

[bakersdozen12]

It has just been a coincidence that I have only sailed or are booked on Carnival. My first cruise was a group cruise, so I didn't pick the cruise line.

 

My second and third were picked because of the itineraries (wanted to go to HMC and specifically the week of the 4th).

 

My next cruise is another group cruise, so again, I didn't pick the line.

 

After that it's Alaska and I picked that one because of the price. Carnival had the best deal.

 

Going forward, though, it will be hard for another line to steal away my business, because at this point I really like Carnival and I tend to be very brand loyal. I've had great service for a great price so far.

 

 

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Edited August 9, 2016 by bakersdozen12

[DreadPirateRobert]

In Carnival's favor; low cost and proximity to ports. Oceania has incredible food, Celebrity is very good too. Carnival's is ok, but not even in the same league. I think Celebrity and Oceania have an elegance that you just don't find in the budget minded cruise lines. Don't get me wrong, I like Carnival but sometimes it is nice to splurge and step up a few levels.