I love cruising, and I love cruising on Carnival.

[MrsKC08]

Well, I'm sure I'll have some people come back on me and that's ok. I'm a big girl and can take it...:D

 

My first cruise was on Carnival, a four nighter to Cozumel. At the time my husband (we were just dating at the time) had been on several cruise lines Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, HAL, Princess and NCL. I on the other hand had nothing to compare it to. It was my first experience and it was fun (what I can remember of it after that stop in Cozumel:eek:)

 

Anyway, after that cruise we went on a Princess cruise and I was sold. It became my go-to cruise line and my favorite. I loved everything about it. We went back to Carnival after a few on Princess. At the time it was the biggest and newest ship for Carnival (Dream) and it was such a huge disappointment and let down. From the design of the ship (more cabins less common space), to the food quality, to the entertainment. I will say the service was pretty good, but everything else was sub-par. When we got off that ship I said I would never cruise another Carnival ship again...and I haven't.

After that Dream cruise, we then sailed on Royal Caribbean (Freedom of the Seas) twice!! We both absolutely loved that ship and experience that's why we booked it again and took some new cruisers on it for their first ever cruise. We now have the new Harmony of the Seas booked for November and my first Celebrity cruise experience is booked for next December 2017. I'm eagerly looking forward to both of those experiences.

 

Now, I will be honest...I check these boards for Carnival often and have even entertained the idea of going on another Carnival cruise to just see if they have improved. They definitely have some newer ships that intrigue me. So, although I said that I would never cruise them again after our Carnival Dream cruise, I am backtracking and saying that I would consider another cruise if the itinerary and price and ship offerings were right for me.

 

I am one who believes that you get what you pay for and see the value in cruising.

[rainbowflag]

What a loaded question!!

 

We choose to sail with Carnival to personally witness how low the product will go before it begins to climb back up.

[Computer Nerd]

What a loaded question!!

 

We choose to sail with Carnival to personally witness how low the product will go before it begins to climb back up.

 

sounds like a waste to me but it's your money. i can't imagine someone spending money on anything they don't like unless they just have money and time to burn. :rolleyes:

[Banditswife]

We sailed CCL for the decent product at a decent price. We tried HAL, because they had a wonderful itinerary we wanted to do. Yes we loved the cruise, but found fellow passengers a bit snooty. We enjoyed the food on HAL, but didn't think it that much better than CCL. Our cabin was about the same as we've had on CCL. Entertainment was average. But the price was a bit steep compared to CCL. I like the laid back passengers of CCL. The food is pretty good, entertainment is usually good, cabins are good sized. We enjoy the lively atmosphere of CCL. So we will stick with CCL until another awesome itinerary comes up on another line.

[easyboy]

Carnival is always our first choice when we travel with the under 18s in our family. There is so much for them to do and it makes family vacations very enjoyable.

 

Why do you choose Carnival for your vacation even after reading all the negatives generated on CC?

Price and port convenience

[sanmarcosman]

We sailed CCL for the decent product at a decent price. We tried HAL, because they had a wonderful itinerary we wanted to do. Yes we loved the cruise, but found fellow passengers a bit snooty. We enjoyed the food on HAL, but didn't think it that much better than CCL. Our cabin was about the same as we've had on CCL. Entertainment was average. But the price was a bit steep compared to CCL. I like the laid back passengers of CCL. The food is pretty good, entertainment is usually good, cabins are good sized. We enjoy the lively atmosphere of CCL. So we will stick with CCL until another awesome itinerary comes up on another line.

It sounds like Carnival is a good fit for you. We noticed that about HAL but even more so on Princess because they weren't old money like HAL but newly middle-middle class folks acting high hat. Phonies. We're sticking with the lively, fun ships of Carnival for now.

[cjnix29]

We like Carnival for a couple of reasons. First, you can't beat the price. Every time I price our vacations, they come out on top for price. May not always be the case in the future, but it is for now, and I really do price everything! I also like the experience....it's laid back, this is who we are, we don't take ourselves too seriously attitude. We've sailed Princess and Disney....and for us, we keep coming back to Carnival. My son, who is 13 now, but was 9 on our first Disney cruise....actually prefers Carnival. We just have fun. Are there things we don't like, of course, but that will happen with everything, as nothing is perfect. I like not feeling nickeled and dimed, with so many extra cost dining venues, I like the larger staterooms, I like the activities....as of right now, it works for us. Have two booked right now, and we will finally hit gold. Not that it gets us anything, but my husband likes having a gold card. lol

[rainbowflag]

The Little Woman and I are about to go on our Milestone cruise in September

 

Sounds like a Fred Flintstone theme cruise. Have fun

[smyliecruising]

The price out of Galveston is lower than the other ships. Because we cruise for about $400 a ticket for 7 days it doesn't bother us at all paying to eat at their fabulous steakhouse. They are adding fabulous free eating venues like guys buyers, Blue iguana, and guys smoked food..and I love that that they are adding quality food choices to the ship and room service with just a small fee but still keeping the same amount of free food. So many fun things to do, beautiful ships, and wonderful Staff. We have been so happy.

[pusywillow]

Why would a cruise line just offer you a free cruise? I know that Carnival has bounce back offers which are essentially prepaid cruises, but why would any cruise line just out of the blue offer a person a free cruise?

 

The free cruises I have taken have been gifted to me by local casinos. One was given to me even though I only gambled there twice. They are always looking to bring new people in to the casinos.

 

I have also been offered Bounce Back offers by the ships, but never used them. Princess offered me $1000 but it was too soon for me to cruise again.

 

Sue

[CookiePie]

My sister had a few Carnival cruises under her belt when she convinced our family to go with hers. We had never cruised before, therefore have nothing to compare it to! Although I have looked at other lines I can't see paying the higher the price difference when we have had great experiences on Carnival. We are about a month away from our fourth Carnival cruise!

[VASOXFANN]

I came back to Carnival for a lot of reasons. Royal has gotten "too big for their britches" IMHO. Their prices have gotten outrageous. Their "sales" gimmicks are a joke. Their food is not very good anymore. Their steakhouse use to be special but is now a ripoff to me and not even on par with most chain steakhouses. Service has been on a downward spiral for several years. Drink prices are ridiculous. I could go on and on.

 

Carnival put a 5 year old ship in my favorite homeport. Their prices are still decent. Service and food was the best Ive had yet. Their drink prices are more reasonable. The crew (at least on Magic) more friendly. They have more included food options. Their steakhouse is absolutely incredible. Lido and MDR buffet food is better IMHO. I can deal with the louder decor.

!

 

^^^This!

[kc13]

Carnival is always our first choice when we travel with the under 18s in our family. There is so much for them to do and it makes family vacations very enjoyable.

 

 

 

Why do you choose Carnival for your vacation even after reading all the negatives generated on CC?

 

 

When it comes to price they are just about unbeatable but different lines have different styles. We are sailing Royal Caribbean for our 1 upcoming cruise that's just my hubby and I because we have always wanted to sail Oasis. We will be back with Carnival Sept 2017 for a cruise that DH and I are taking our family on for their first cruise. It's affordable and they will enjoy it especially since they'll have nothing to compare it to. If we were to book an identical balcony room for our family on A different line it would of cost us a small fortune. I love carnivals prices!

 

 

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[Computer Nerd]

Liked Carnival till I stepped aside and tried some other lines. When I came back, their lower pricing was appealing, until I saw the lesser offering.

 

Some like the subway, some like the limo, and both will get you there. The problem is, do I like to ride with other subway riders, or other limo takers. There's the difference.

 

my mom always told me 'rich people don't stay rich by acting like rich people'. :)

 

as you clearly stated, both the subway or limo will get you from point a to point b but the limo will clearly cost you a lot more. so if you want to burn through what money you have by acting like a rich person, go ahead, but don't be surprised if you wake up one morning poor. i will happily take the subway to point b and stay rich. :)

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

my mom always told me 'rich people don't stay rich by acting like rich people'. :)

 

as you clearly stated, both the subway or limo will get you from point a to point b but the limo will clearly cost you a lot more. so if you want to burn through what money you have by acting like a rich person, go ahead, but don't be surprised if you wake up one morning poor. i will happily take the subway to point b and stay rich. :)

 

I'm glad life offers us a chance to experience many different offerings...some are costly, some aren't. If something costs more but you get a "an experience" that means something to you the cost can be a bit irrelevant.

 

I'm one who chooses to spend my hard earned dollars on things that I'll cherish, both for the experience and the memories...and that is more important to me than being "rich" only in a monetary sense. Besides, I can't take it with me so I'd rather spend it while I can.

[DreadPirateRobert]

We choose Carnival for price point and convenience of a homeport. Galveston is only about 4 hours away. In all honesty I do think the food quality has declined since our first cruise 15 years ago but not so much that it would keep me from sailing. We do get great service most of the time. For us cruising is just about relaxing in the sun and not having a care in the world. No reason for us to pay 2-3x what we'd pay on Carnival. We've been on other lines and they were great too just more expensive.

[sparks1093]

I choose Carnival mostly due to the price point and the convenience of ports....the product they put out is just as good (all around) as the other mass market cruiselines....All of my Carnival cruises have been very good - excellent....why change?

 

This.

[Mr & Mrs Happy]

I haven't had that bad of an experience with Carnival (fingers crossed) which would make me go elsewhere.

 

My husband and I are truly simple folk. Cruising allows us to see ports we'd not be able to see unless we hit the lotto. Even if it's for a few hours. We don't have to worry about securing a hotel (well except that one day prior to the cruise), driving everywhere, finding a place to eat, etc. This also allows us to determine if it's a place we'd like to visit again (outside of cruising) if we planned and budgeted right to do so.

 

I wasn't a fan of Nassau this last go round. My husband definitely wasn't impressed but we still made the most out of our cruise. On our last cruise. We ate til our hearts were content, drank, danced, saw shows and overall had a great time which is why we're cruising (on Carnival) again.

 

I mean, how can you not be in awe?!? Not a care in the world...

 

When you find your favorite game on board!! Yeah, we're boring...LOL!!

 

We thought the food was delicious. If we didnt like something, we just tried something else. But again, we "simple" people...LOL!!

 

Oooohmylawd did we have fun at Senor Frogs in Freeport. I'm pretty introverted so for me to get up on the bar and dance and sing?!? I won't show yall the videos...lol.

 

I think we were docked in Nassau in this shot

 

I guess maybe once we get a few more cruises under our belts, maybe certain things will bother us. Until then, we love Carnival and will continue to sail using them.

Edited August 29, 2016 by Mr & Mrs Happy

[VASOXFANN]

Love Carnival. I even agreed with a post in this thread, but price sells me, and RC had a price that blew Carnival's out of the water for a similar itinerary for Thanksgiving week.

 

So I'm venturing back to Royal for a bit, with a Carnival cruise to follow :o

[Seago2]

In a nutshell, I love Carnival because this: