Which Carnival ship is best?

[Beachhunter60]

We are a family of four looking to take a caribbean cruise next summer. We are ages 40-41-20-17, so we have older children. My wife and I went on our first cruise last month on the Carnival Paradise out of Tampa, and we LOVED IT!!! Now we want to experience it as a family. Can anyone tell me some of the pros and cons of the different ships? We are trying to find one that will keep us all occupied and entertained. We are looking at a 7 day cruise, not sure out of which port yet?

[ryano]

This will vary from person to person. All I can tell you is, I HIGHLY recommend Magic out of Port Canaveral! Best cruise yet!

Edited October 11, 2016 by ryano

[KPfromCT]

Right now, our favorite is the Breeze. Before that we only had the Sensation and Pride to compare it to. Pride was good, and actually Sensation was good, as we went on her back in the early 90's, so, at that time she was pretty new.

 

On the Magic in June, and we've read GREAT things about her. Excited to try her out.:D:D

 

Tons do on the Breeze. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

[mrpayroll]

Currently our favorite is the Breeze followed closely by the Magic. May change after January after we are on the Vista...:)

[jimbo5544]

Currently our favorite is the Breeze followed closely by the Magic. May change after January after we are on the Vista...:)

 

 

Ours is now the Vista

 

 

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[HawkIVette]

Check out this site. https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/deckplans/cruiseline.php?line=Carnival

 

Make sure you click on the Features tab and the Dining tab to see what things may appeal to you

[falkcor]

'best' is a question of preference, but I'll tell you what mine would be...

 

vista would be my first choice. latest and greatest and the most to do for kids, and adults alike...

 

breeze would be my next choice. magic is same class and has the ropes course as well. dream is the same class but doesn't have the ropes course...

 

sunshine is actually not 'new' but got a major refurb that warranted a (perhaps ill advised) name change... sunshine now has some of the 'latest greatest' features as well such as the ropes course and upgraded waterworks areas.

 

after that it's more subjective.

 

splendor is actually newest after dream class, but not as upgraded as sunshine, and doesn't have some of the upgraded 2.0 venues / activities, etc.

 

spirit class ships are something special, small ship feel, seem less crowded, etc. but wouldn't necessarily be my first choice if you're looking for 'latest greatest' although they are receiving 2.0 upgrades - pride has the new food venues etc. and the 'green thunder slide', which is unique to spirit and pride. and really, there's only pride on east coast and miracle on west coast here full time.

 

after that some of the conquest class ships are still doing 7 day itineraries. they're pretty big, are getting the 2.0 upgrades, but wouldn't be my first pick over some of the newer ships like vista, breeze / dream class or even sunshine.

 

fantasy class ships for the most part don't do 7 day cruises, with exception of fascination out of san juan and ecstasy out of charleston, etc. so for the most part wouldn't be a good option since you want a 7 day cruise. that, and they're definitely not 'latest/greatest' and don't have as much to do for kids (but would still be a good cruise - you have experience with them).

 

so, in short, my picks would be 1) vista, 2) breeze, 3) magic, 4) sunshine, then the rest. hope that helps lol.

[Podna's]

Mine is easily the Dream and sailing out of New Orleans. Also would love to sail on the Sunshine again.

 

 

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[01sunworshiper113]

Favorite so far is the Breeze. We have been on the Sunshine, without kids, enjoyed the cruise the ship was pretty good too. Went on the Breeze last February with our kids (19, 12) loved it! Tried to book a different ship and/or cruise line, but the kids wanted to go on the Breeze again, so we sailing again February 2017.

 

 

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[Crusin Hogs]

Best of the fleet in the Breeze , Been on 9 different ships .. Going on Breeze again next month

[Aplmac]

'best' is a question of preference, but I'll tell you what mine would be...

 

vista would be my first choice. latest and greatest and the most to do for kids, and adults alike...

 

breeze would be my next choice. magic is same class and has the ropes course as well. dream is the same class but doesn't have the ropes course...

 

sunshine is actually not 'new' but got a major refurb that warranted a (perhaps ill advised) name change... sunshine now has some of the 'latest greatest' features as well such as the ropes course and upgraded waterworks areas.

 

after that it's more subjective.

 

splendor is actually newest after dream class, but not as upgraded as sunshine, and doesn't have some of the upgraded 2.0 venues / activities, etc.

 

spirit class ships are something special, small ship feel, seem less crowded, etc. but wouldn't necessarily be my first choice if you're looking for 'latest greatest' although they are receiving 2.0 upgrades - pride has the new food venues etc. and the 'green thunder slide', which is unique to spirit and pride. and really, there's only pride on east coast and miracle on west coast here full time.

 

after that some of the conquest class ships are still doing 7 day itineraries. they're pretty big, are getting the 2.0 upgrades, but wouldn't be my first pick over some of the newer ships like vista, breeze / dream class or even sunshine.

 

 

so, in short, my picks would be 1) Vista, 2) Breeze, 3) Magic, 4) sunshine, then the rest. hope that helps lol.

Thank you for that!

 

.

Edited October 12, 2016 by Aplmac

[Computer Nerd]

We are a family of four looking to take a caribbean cruise next summer. We are ages 40-41-20-17, so we have older children. My wife and I went on our first cruise last month on the Carnival Paradise out of Tampa, and we LOVED IT!!! Now we want to experience it as a family. Can anyone tell me some of the pros and cons of the different ships? We are trying to find one that will keep us all occupied and entertained. We are looking at a 7 day cruise, not sure out of which port yet?

 

My favorite class of ship is the Conquest class. Good size ship and they have an adult only pool aft side so you can get away from the noise of the Lido deck. Also they have MUTS (Movies Under The Stars) which beats any show in the theater.

[VaTech8912]

Another Magic vote. Love Port Canaveral and my "kids" (23 & 20) like this ship a lot.

[Micahs Grandad]

My favorite class is Conquest but Dream class is starting to run neck and neck

[Towel Critter]

Also a fan of Conquest class... not too big, not too small.

[T2C]

We are a family of four looking to take a caribbean cruise next summer. We are ages 40-41-20-17, so we have older children. My wife and I went on our first cruise last month on the Carnival Paradise out of Tampa, and we LOVED IT!!! Now we want to experience it as a family. Can anyone tell me some of the pros and cons of the different ships? We are trying to find one that will keep us all occupied and entertained. We are looking at a 7 day cruise, not sure out of which port yet?

 

It does depend on each individual person. Some love all the 'bells and whistles', others just the cruise experience as entertainment, food etc, while others really want the ports.

 

Wife and I love, absolutely love the Spirit class ships. They never feel crowded anywhere on the ship because they were designed so well for that.

 

We tried the Magic with friends this year and we will never do another large ship like that, didn't care for it at all. It was still a great time because of being with friends we don't see often. Others love those large ships

[beshears]

As stated by several, I think it depends upon what you folks are LOOKING for.

 

I have cruised for over 26 years, doing various cruise lines, but going back to Carnival, and have done several on Carnival's lines as well. There are 8 of us going in March (NOT one of the BIG/fancy/ships that every is talking about) on the Glory. For our budget , itinerary, etc., it looks like it is right up our alley.

[RecoveryDude]

Best of the fleet in the Breeze , Been on 9 different ships .. Going on Breeze again next month

 

Just curious why you think Breeze is the "best in the fleet" ?? I always hear great things about this ship ... and if she sailed out of someplace more "convenient" than Texas, I would def try it out ... but I'm just hesitant cause it's so much easier (and usually cheaper) for me to fly to Florida as opposed to Tx.

 

For anyone who "LOVES" the breeze ... why do you love it so much?

[Crusin Hogs]

Just curious why you think Breeze is the "best in the fleet" ?? I always hear great things about this ship ... and if she sailed out of someplace more "convenient" than Texas, I would def try it out ... but I'm just hesitant cause it's so much easier (and usually cheaper) for me to fly to Florida as opposed to Tx.

 

For anyone who "LOVES" the breeze ... why do you love it so much?

 

The Breeze was designed by a different designer than Farcus . Who did a lot of Carnival ships , It is not Las Vegas bling , gaudy décor like the Conquest Class , It is more mellow ,beachy feel to it ,Pastel yellow's and orange's ect , More inviting feel than other ships in the fleet . I also prefer the open lido deck it has ,when compared to the stadium seating on Conquest Class ships , No handrails to look under or over when watching Movies ,concerts ect on the big screen . Has the Cloud 9 spa More hot tubs ,

[Crusin Hogs]

This link describes The Breeze ,with pictures

 

https://mycruisestories.com/2012/11/24/carnival-breeze-ship-decor/

[Jim and Monika]

Since there are a lot of experienced opinions here, we have a question:

We have sailed Pride, Miracle, Liberty, and Breeze. Our favorite feature is having an aft pool, bonus points if it has a bar that is open late (like Breeze). Serenity does not have to be in the aft(like Breeze). Without having to look through all the deck plans online, what Carnival ships have the aft pool, and which ones of those also have a bar that's open late?

 

By the way, we don't really like the bigger ships.

 

Thanks,

 

Jim and Monika

[Computer Nerd]

As stated by several, I think it depends upon what you folks are LOOKING for.

 

I have cruised for over 26 years, doing various cruise lines, but going back to Carnival, and have done several on Carnival's lines as well. There are 8 of us going in March (NOT one of the BIG/fancy/ships that every is talking about) on the Glory. For our budget , itinerary, etc., it looks like it is right up our alley.

 

LOVE the Glory. Wish passengers could take turns driving the Rolls Royce they have on her. :D

[Computer Nerd]

The Breeze was designed by a different designer than Farcus . Who did a lot of Carnival ships , It is not Las Vegas bling , gaudy décor like the Conquest Class , It is more mellow ,beachy feel to it ,Pastel yellow's and orange's ect , More inviting feel than other ships in the fleet . I also prefer the open lido deck it has ,when compared to the stadium seating on Conquest Class ships , No handrails to look under or over when watching Movies ,concerts ect on the big screen . Has the Cloud 9 spa More hot tubs ,

 

Some of us like the Las Vegas "bling". ;)

[Computer Nerd]

Since there are a lot of experienced opinions here, we have a question:

We have sailed Pride, Miracle, Liberty, and Breeze. Our favorite feature is having an aft pool, bonus points if it has a bar that is open late (like Breeze). Serenity does not have to be in the aft(like Breeze). Without having to look through all the deck plans online, what Carnival ships have the aft pool, and which ones of those also have a bar that's open late?

 

By the way, we don't really like the bigger ships.

 

Thanks,

 

Jim and Monika

 

Liberty and all other Conquest class. Also, from my understanding, on the Breeze and Magic, the aft pool in NOT adult only. On the Conquest class, it is.

[BNBR]

Is there a reason you have decided on Carnival only? If you are really looking at the ship - Royal Caribbean generally has better ships. Try Oasis/Allure or the new Harmony of the Seas. That or Carnival's new Vista actually rated as the best new ship in 2016 by Cruise Critic....