Talk me into Carnival, guys...

[Sigyn]

Thanks so much everyone - the Mr. and I just watched a 17-minute ship overview video from YouTube and well, we're kind of excited now. I think we are going to do it... we really like the looks of the Red Frog and Alchemy Bar, and get a kick out of the Disney-esque theming, it really is quite cool. There's also an adult-only Sanctuary which is right up our alley, and we're looking at a Balcony room as well...

 

Now to research everything that I knew about Princess, now Carnival style :)

 

Thanks again, this board is amazing.

 

Good decision! I've cruised Carnival twice before, and enjoyed it. I haven't cruised with other cruise lines before, but I do enjoy super luxe hotel rooms and high-end restaurants and still I can thoroughly enjoy, and appreciate the lower cost, of a Carnival cruise. I think May might be a particularly good time because younger kids will still be in school for the most part, since you want to avoid much of that kind of scene.

 

That said, the serenity deck is the perfect hideaway for adults-only time. It's peaceful and it's where my husband and I spent most of our time on the last cruise we took together, since we'd left our own kids at home. (We're awesome parents like that! LOL!)

 

For the record, I cruised Carnival the first time when I was 41, and now I'm 48, and I feel like I fit right in with the demographic.

 

Enjoy your vacation! Any day on a cruise ship is better than one at work!

Edited August 18, 2016 by njsmom

[Lurkyloo]

Hello lovely folks...

 

 

Am I too old/young for Carnival? What's the 40-something dynamic on a 7 day cruise to Baja? Is it a wild 24-7 frat party or loaded with screaming children? That's my non-educated stereotypical view of Carnival.

 

 

I am 60, and have cruised on Carnival many times, Princess twice, and Royal Caribbean once. My all time favorite line is Carnival and when I am the one making the arrangements that is the one I choose - and not only because it is always the least expensive either. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my Princess and Royal Caribbean cruised a lot but for some reason, I just have more fun on Carnival. And we are not wild and crazy "frat party" drinkers either! ;) I have never found children on board to be a problem, I think you will love Carnival!

[Cushing985]

One of the things I learned in life, is that money talks and also clouds an opinion. For example, Carnival is the cheapest cruise line sailing, so many people choose it. But other cruise lines also fill their ships, and often times in peak periods, you can't find exactly what you want if you wait too late to book. So although Carnival fills ships, it is not the best.

 

Money also pays for services. The less you pay, the less you get. If you take away money, and tell people they can choose any ship they want, and spell out what each ship has to offer, I doubt Carnival would ever come out on top. (There are Carnival Cheerleaders that will argue this point, but you could ignore them).

 

I also believe for some people, it's good to start on the bottom, and work you way to a better experience later.

 

 

Ask yourself this question. When you stay in a hotel, what hotel do you stay in? If you are willing to pay a little more, you get a better place. Same with a cruise line.

 

My wife and I are upper middle class. Not rich by any stretch but very comfortable. We like both Celebrity and Carnival and choose cruises based on ports. I also have RCCL in my sights because they go to a port I want to hit.

 

Our only requirements for a cruise are a good view of the ocean and a relaxing but fun atmosphere. Carnival fits the bill. I don't need a butler to serve me, I don't need a rock wall to climb, I no longer surf so I don't need a Flowrider and I enjoy the full range of ages of my fellow cruisers (that leaves out the upper echelon of lines).

 

If you need people to fawn all over you then or if you require anything mentioned above, by all means, continue to over-pay for your cruises. It's unfortunate the one thing you didn't learn growing up is you don't pay for things you don't need or want. Really, it's a simple concept.

[joeyancho]

On the itinerary you are considering, Princess has the vastly superior ship. The Miracle is a nasty old ship with tacky 70's Vegas decor. No Guys, no Blue Iguana. The MDR is like a bad acid trip in a Vineyard. Princess sails either the Crown or the Ruby on that route. They are much nicer ships. Much nicer. I took you daughter and grandson on the Crown then on the Miracle. When boarding the Miracle her comment was...this ain't Princess. The level of service and food quality is much lower than Princess. Princess is a bit more spendy , but worth it.

[wstxn]

We are far from the wild crowd. Our first cruise was about 10 years ago when we were in our mid 50's. When we returned, we were so exhausted, we had to stop & take a nap in the middle of our 3 hour drive back home. When we did arrive at home, we immediately booked another cruise. The same story has repeated itself dozens of times since.

[Viesczy]

Continuation of myths is an awesome human trait isn't it?

 

CCL offers a great product! It is one that meets the wants of almost all demographics groups.

 

Is it all hedonistic 20 somethings in amazing shape? No, but I wish it was! :D

 

CCL suffers from the cheap product/undesirable fellow cruiser stereotype the way that HAL suffers from the God's waiting room stereotype. Maybe at one point in a particular instance both stereotypes were apt, but isn't a true representation of the brand(s).

 

You're going to have a GREAT time. Tasty food, activities to hold your interest and fun ports to visit.

 

About the "worst" thing I can say is that on a larger ship (meaning passenger capacity in excess of 2-3k) the common areas can feel congested if there's a really popular event happening. That complaint is the same for all cruise lines.

[jimbo5544]

On the itinerary you are considering, Princess has the vastly superior ship. The Miracle is a nasty old ship with tacky 70's Vegas decor. No Guys, no Blue Iguana. The MDR is like a bad acid trip in a Vineyard. Princess sails either the Crown or the Ruby on that route. They are much nicer ships. Much nicer. I took you daughter and grandson on the Crown then on the Miracle. When boarding the Miracle her comment was...this ain't Princess. The level of service and food quality is much lower than Princess. Princess is a bit more spendy , but worth it.

 

LOL.....so I am confused.:confused: Do you think the Miracle is not as nice?

[clonehut]

Wife turned 61 and I turned 63 same week in August. We just got back yesterday on the carnival sunshine and we had fantastic first cruise. We are going on our second next year and on Carnival. We are not party people but there is so many things to do around the ship that we had great time. We wend on 8 day eastern carribiann from NY

[Podna's]

One of the things I learned in life, is that money talks and also clouds an opinion. For example, Carnival is the cheapest cruise line sailing, so many people choose it. But other cruise lines also fill their ships, and often times in peak periods, you can't find exactly what you want if you wait too late to book. So although Carnival fills ships, it is not the best.

 

Money also pays for services. The less you pay, the less you get. If you take away money, and tell people they can choose any ship they want, and spell out what each ship has to offer, I doubt Carnival would ever come out on top. I also believe for some people, it's good to start on the bottom, and work you way to a better experience.

 

 

Workebee op, guess you should feel privileged, your first post on here and you got some advise from one of the biggest trolls here. Look at his history before you take anything he post serious. I know it's pathetic but cc allows it.

[stevec999]

I am 59 and wife is 47. We have been on one Carnival cruise this year and have a second in October (also did a HAL last February) .

 

We enjoy Carnival, we don't drink and are not "party people" by any stretch of the imagination. We have been on the Miracle, it is a Farcus design and is loud and in your face. It is also a lot of fun. We enjoy the Farcus designed ships and spend much time wondering what drugs he was taking during the design :D. If you are looking for classic old world design most of the Carnival ships will not qualify .

 

That said go and have a good time. About the only way to not have a good time is to plan on not enjoying it.

 

A few tips:

Avoid the short cruises.

Avoid spring break.

If you don't want a lot of kids avoid summers.

 

All of this applies to most of the lines. Our cruise last May on the Conquest had very few kids on it.

 

There are fancier cruise lines and if you want that by all means give them a try. But for a good time Carnival is hard to beat.

[Cushing985]

Workebee op' date=' guess you should feel privileged, your first post on here and you got some advise from one of the biggest trolls here. Look at his history before you take anything he post serious. I know it's pathetic but cc allows it.[/quote']

 

I don't understand people, while professing a dislike of Carnival, spend so much time on the Carnival board. Do they need a hug?

[BellaSweet]

BF and I are 32/33 and we are looking forward to sailing Carnival. I've sailed it in the past..He's only sailed Royal. When we started talking about taking a cruise together, he said "I don't think cruises are fun.." and I said "That's because you haven't cruised Carnival!"

[pawags45]

I am 58 DW is 59 and we have been on 20 cruise's. 12 with Carnival 3 with Celebrity and 5 with Royal Caribbean. We have had a ball on all 3 cruise lines. The age groups on each line seems to be a mix of 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and up. My Dad is 83 and he loves Carnival.

[golfb4cruzing]

Can't talk you into it knowing that Princess is better.

[Barsnikel]

Hello lovely folks...

 

I'm a first time cruiser, married, no children, 41 yrs old. Husband is 38.

 

I had my heart set on a 7-day Princess Cruise to Baja, and it fell through now because it was in conjunction with a convention I was going to - just found out the dates and it's later than I expected. It is at the end of May so Princess is gone to Alaska at that point, but I'm now eying up the itinerary for May 13-20 on Carnival.

 

Am I too old/young for Carnival? What's the 40-something dynamic on a 7 day cruise to Baja? Is it a wild 24-7 frat party or loaded with screaming children? That's my non-educated stereotypical view of Carnival.

 

We do like to drink so we would be OK tying one on, but we don't stay up until all hours like we used to, but we do expect *some* peace and quiet away from screaming children and 20-something party-animals. We've never been to Mexico but we do a lot of travelling around the US, Canada and England so we're definitely seasoned as far as regular travel goes.

 

We would be interested in excursions and things like that as well, what say you, seasoned cruisers? Will we hate this or will it be a great first time?? Is my view of Carnival skewed and do I need to smarten up and do it? :cool:

 

You will have a great time. We are older than you (buy a considerable amount) and have sailed on Carnival many times (as well as other cruise lines). We prefer Carnival because you really do get more bang for the buck.

 

I have a pretty comprehensive document I've put together called "Tips For New Cruisers". It will answer many of the questions you might have. If you'd like a copy, send me an e-mail and I'll reply with a pdf file.

[The4Cruisers]

I was wondering how long till the usual Carnival nay-sayers came-a-trollin'... err, I mean came-a-callin'!!! Yeah, that's it. :D

Edited August 19, 2016 by The4Cruisers

[lizzyplague]

Just go for the Chocolate Melting Cake. :D But anyway...

 

I'm in my late 20s and my parents are in their 60s and we all have a lot of fun between the excursions and general relaxation.

[Seago2]

I'm one cruise short of Platinum on Carnival so clearly I love Carnival. That said, Princess is better and I guess you realize that. But Carnival really varies sailing to sailing. The four day cruises are a lot more hectic and can have a party type atmosphere- it's just like the whole cruise moves at a more hectic pace. A good seven day Carnival cruise is no more party-ish than any other mainline cruise (except for HAL). Some cruises have a ton of kids, some don't. But you will have a good time, it's a great price, it's a fun ship, and I've never had a bad carnival cruise, whereas I have indeed had a bad NCL cruise. But my favorite cruise ever was a Princess cruise...

[GranthamMommy]

We're a bit older than you, mid 56 and 62, but we love Carnival for it's prices and activities. The food is pretty good too. Yes, some one is bound to overdue with the Cheers! package. We were watching a Dive In movie and a woman passed by us, and then well...lets say she wasn't feeling to good! But that isn't the norm.

 

We sail Carnival for fun and laid back. We sail Celebrity for the itineraries, few children and better food.

 

Have fun!

[jrwill228]

Been on 23 cruises on CCL and several on others. Wife and I are 60'ish....

Haven't seen that many kids since they were in the kids club but you do see them at meals and in the "kids allowed"pool. All in all, not a terrible distraction.

 

You'll have fun but you'll see some senseless things too (mostly at the contests). For me and my wife, the cruise itself is the vacation, not the destination. We just like being on the ship. If we could find the same thing on land, we might do that. We especially enjoy the comedy clubs and the food in the MDR and steakhouse is great. The buffet is what you expect a buffet to be - a buffet. Quality is along the line with any chain like Golden Corral (maybe a little better).

 

Has far as the age of the passengers? It's a good mix. And ironically, we've only witnessed one or two disturbances over the last few years. Most recent was at the boat drill where someone got to much alcohol too soon and acted stupid. Took a swing at one of the crew (female) and almost out of nowhere security made this guy eat deck. The ship went back to the pier, and they escorted him back off the ship with whatever luggage they could find. Turned him over to the police. His girlfriend was told that she did NOT have to leave the ship. She was not acting stupid and had no involvement in this... and she stayed on board (guess that romance was over....).

 

The entire section of the ship applauded when they took this guy off. It delayed our departure about an hour, but it was worth it. ;)

 

You have GOT to try the steakhouse. All of them are excellent!

[mom2tcdx2]

I did my first Carnival cruise when I was 34, and have been doing one when we can since 2005. My parents go, my sister and her husband, my kids, etc. Overall we love Carnival and I think it has been our favorite overall then probably Princess second. Disney would truly be top choice, but alas I can't really afford them but once in a blue moon.

 

Never found Carnival to be a party boat, though the pool areas can get pretty crowded. The pool scene has never really been our thing.

 

Overall we have had pretty good service in the dining rooms, we like the food, shows and comedians are good.

 

Personally we aren't super hard to please and we greatly enjoy the Carnival experience. I find more of the lines to be similar rather than different.

[Dearabby_84]

I'm not a seasoned cruiser, only going on my third this November. We've only been on Carnival , we are early 30's and I found the age group on the ship to be great! There were young and old and it never seemed too crazy party-wise! I never felt uncomfortable and found the group of travellers to be really nice and respectful! The excursions were plentiful and a little cheaper, compared to a friend who went on RCL same excursion and she paid $20 more PP. It's a great option and you get excellent bang for you buck.

[BettyPC]

We enjoy Carnival, Royal and also Viking River cruises! Just do it!!

[amysb]

Op, or you can ask yourself why someone would tell you to ignore posts for people with arguments other than his.....:confused:

 

Carnival is the Fun ships, they are the largest cruise line in the world and their best factor is their employees, who do everything in their power to make your cruise vacation the best that it can be. Fun ships does not mean drunken parties, it means fun. They do it everywhere on the ships, from boarding to dining to activities, throughout the cruise, like no other cruise line. Carnival is the value proposition in cruising, they strive to give you the best vacation for your money. We have sailed on 33 Carnival cruises and sill have the excitement when we board a Carnival Fun ship like we did the first time. My best advice is try it for yourself and make up your own mind.

 

Thank you, Jimbo! We avoided Carnival for many years, but once we tried it, my husband's best remark was "That's the most FUN I've had on a cruise!" We've been hooked ever since.

[jimbo5544]

Thank you, Jimbo! We avoided Carnival for many years, but once we tried it, my husband's best remark was "That's the most FUN I've had on a cruise!" We've been hooked ever since.

 

 

My pleasure, lol, but I was just speaking from experience. We strongly believe in the Carnival product and their mantra of fun. I think it is unique in the marketplace. Both my better half and I are travel agents as a second job. The way Carnival does everything , both on and off the ships has fun wrapped around it. We also were hooked on our first cruise on the Celebration in 96.