WHY (in your opinion) does Carnival seem to have a low rank among many 'cruise snobs'

[Computer Nerd]

It seems more people equate NCL with the "booze cruise" nowadays with their free drink package on short itineraries!

 

Another reason people may look down on Carnival is that their ships are simply way out of the league of the latest Royal ships. Which gives an overall impression of lesser quality. The actual experience, on the other hand, is very similar and yet we enjoyed the Carnival staff and service more than the Royal staff on our cruises last year. But the ships.... man... Royal's ships are just a step above and Carnival doesn't seem to be doing much about it to compete.

 

And don't underestimate the "name" and branding. "Royal" sounds fancy... Carnival sounds like a joke - and the "fun ships" branding of Carnival, and the fact their ships are much uglier, etc... It's all perspective and Royal does a better job branding themselves as a higher quality line.

 

 

More "bells and whistles" does not necessarily equate to "better" (in fact in the IT world, more bells and whistles equates to being a hog.....memory hog that is). I've sailed 3 times on RCCL and while I like their ships, none of them have been a better class of ship than Carnival's Conquest class.

[easyboy]

Each cruise line has its own strength and weaknesses - in varying degrees in the eyes of individual cruiser. A low rank given by one, may be higher by another. I don't really rely on ranking when booking.

[saraet4464]

Years ago, when my husband and I started to cruise fairly regularly, we chose RCL because we heard all of the negative comments and we were concerned that CCL would be too much of a party ship for us. After the first RCL cruise we got a RCL Visa card and used the earned points to keep sailing on RCL. We got some great cruise deals with our Visa points until the point structure changed.

 

Once the points lost its luster, we decided to try other lines. In addition, on our last two RCL cruises we met a number of people who spoke positively about RCL, CCL and NCL. So, spring 2018, we will take our first non RCL cruise in 15 years. We have booked the Vista and are excited to experience CCL. We also plan to book a NCL cruise sometime later on.

 

We may never book on a "high-end" line since I hate getting dressed up. My preferred evening attire is business casual and not evening gowns and black ties. 😀

 

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[riclop]

It's the Walmart of cruising.

[sanger727]

I think they have just built the reputation based on a history of being the "low-price" option; which then viewed as being the lower-class option; and then the short cruises they do which have a reputation of being a "booze cruise". I don't care for Carnival but that's for reasons they've earned, not due to their image.

 

I've cruised Carnival, NCL, and Celebrity. I've wanted to add Royal to the mix but every time we sit down and decide when and where we want to go, Royal's option is the most expensive with the least value.

 

What we cruise for is 1. transportation to the ports we want to see (which Carnival excels at, by far the most options; 2. free food for a majority of the trip (all roughly equal in my mind for that - some meals I liked and some I didn't); 3. entertainment to fill up the hours we aren't in port (Norwegian wins for evening entertainment and Celebrity wins for daytime entertainment); 4. value - which carnival is also starting to lose at, while they continue to be the cheapest. They aren't that cheap and especially when you consider that NCL and Celebrity throw in extras like the drink package, OBC, specialty dining, etc. when you book.

 

I agree they are all more similar than different; I don't like that on Carnival makes both people in the passenger pay for the drink package for one to have it. And I enjoy having a variety of quality live shows in the evening; whereas on our carnival cruise there were 3 shows they played several times with the production crew just singing and dancing to different themes of music. If Carnival finds a way to balance out that equation a little better I'd give them another chance.

[MsJillTate]

I am brand new here and I am far from a snob. Only cruise a handful of times on various cruise lines. Having said that I can say from my experience the CCL cruise we took was absolutely targeted to the low end very budget cruisers. The ship we sailed was in need of a lot of work. Almost everywhere we looked there was rust and badly chipping/peeling paint. The food was not bad by any means but it was inferior to the other lines we have sailed and the late night food options hardly existed other than a single pizza place that served food that was only half done and VERY greasy. The cabins were smaller than other lines but not by a huge amount. The on board entertainment was far below that of all other cruise lines we have sailed. We had a good time because after all we were on a cruise, but we will not sail CCL again.

[GUT2407]

No snob, but Carnival didn't impress in any area.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I am brand new here and I am far from a snob. Only cruise a handful of times on various cruise lines. Having said that I can say from my experience the CCL cruise we took was absolutely targeted to the low end very budget cruisers. The ship we sailed was in need of a lot of work. Almost everywhere we looked there was rust and badly chipping/peeling paint. The food was not bad by any means but it was inferior to the other lines we have sailed and the late night food options hardly existed other than a single pizza place that served food that was only half done and VERY greasy. The cabins were smaller than other lines but not by a huge amount. The on board entertainment was far below that of all other cruise lines we have sailed. We had a good time because after all we were on a cruise, but we will not sail CCL again.

 

The cabins were smaller? Carnival has always had some of the largest staterooms on the sea.

 

What ship was this?

 

Bill

[Moviela]

I think a lot of severe critics of Carnival are trying to convince people that paying more will have more value. There are other people who could find fault with the pattern on the shower curtain. I feel they have not experienced the current product offered by Carnival today. CEO Arnold Donald has made cruising fun, relaxing, safe, and affordable. I took my first cruise last July, and start my third cruise Saturday. I find the staterooms properly appointed with a comfortable bed and generously sized bath. I want for nothing in the room. I find the food offerings to be good, to haute cuisine and lots in between. I am in the entertainment business, and there is nothing wrong with Carnival shows. No they are not Broadway musicals, nor marquee names, but if you sit back and allow the show to suspend you from your everyday life for an hour it has done its job.

 

Last there is the crew. They are simply wonderful people. I know good service, and they deliver with a smile and genuine desire that passengers enjoy themselves. I don't care how much you pay, you cannot get better people.

 

Lastly, they nickle and dime you to death, but that is the way of the travel industry today. If you worry about that, you will lose some of the enjoyment of being on vacation (holiday for my British friends.) I do know there are all inclusive options, but they are way over priced for the value received.

 

If you see a passenger with cut-off jeans and a Harley tat, ask them about their scooter. You will find yourself meeting nice and often interesting people.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I think a lot of severe critics of Carnival are trying to convince people that paying more will have more value. There are other people who could find fault with the pattern on the shower curtain. I feel they have not experienced the current product offered by Carnival today. CEO Arnold Donald has made cruising fun, relaxing, safe, and affordable. I took my first cruise last July, and start my third cruise Saturday. I find the staterooms properly appointed with a comfortable bed and generously sized bath. I want for nothing in the room. I find the food offerings to be good, to haute cuisine and lots in between. I am in the entertainment business, and there is nothing wrong with Carnival shows. No they are not Broadway musicals, nor marquee names, but if you sit back and allow the show to suspend you from your everyday life for an hour it has done its job.

 

Last there is the crew. They are simply wonderful people. I know good service, and they deliver with a smile and genuine desire that passengers enjoy themselves. I don't care how much you pay, you cannot get better people.

 

Lastly, they nickle and dime you to death, but that is the way of the travel industry today. If you worry about that, you will lose some of the enjoyment of being on vacation (holiday for my British friends.) I do know there are all inclusive options, but they are way over priced for the value received.

 

If you see a passenger with cut-off jeans and a Harley tat, ask them about their scooter. You will find yourself meeting nice and often interesting people.

No credit to Christine Duffy?

 

Did Mr. Arnold only choose to make cruising affordable for Carnival cruise lines?

 

Why not Princess, or Holland America?

 

Bill

 

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[Tapi]

My 2 cents:

 

- Carnival is partly responsible for the reputation that they have. Their advertising reflects a fun atmosphere at budget prices which does attract many, but it's also off-putting to cruisers who expect something different from their vacation. As others have said, the product may be similar to what other mainstream cruise lines offer, but the way that it's marketed doesn't come across as a quality product, but as a cheap product. It may not be cheap, but it's perceived as cheap, specially by those who haven't tried it.

 

- Carnival in my opinion is a solid product for the price, specially what's offered on their newer ships, but it's not for everyone. As some of you know, I've spent the last few years bouncing from one cruise line to another (Royal, Holland, Princess, MSC, and coming up Disney and NCL) after many years of being loyal to Carnival. If there's one thing that I've learned is that there are a lot of different people out there who wouldn't be caught dead on a Carnival cruise just like there are a lot of Carnival cruisers out there who wouldn't be caught dead on any of these other cruise lines. They would be absolutely miserable. People have different expectations based on what they like and what they have experienced in life.

 

- Some people do care for the little things that Carnival doesn't offer. I'll use my parents for this example. They've traveled all over the world and have experienced the finer things in life. They've sailed on Carnival a few times as well (including everything from a cheap 4 nighter on the Imagination to a 12 night European sailing during the Liberty's inaugural season). But they don't like Carnival and prefer to sail on other cruise lines.

 

My mother said that the difference is in the details. For example, we sailed together on Holland America to Alaska a few years back and she was thoroughly impressed with the product while I couldn't put my finger on what was so wonderful about them, so I asked. That's when my mother pointed out the little details like the fresh flowers daily, the white gloved service, the room service delivered in fine china (not plastic), the quality of linens and bedding, the throw blankets for balcony use, the laundry delivered in tissue paper with a gold seal in a wicker basket, the full restaurant menu available for stateroom delivery. The non-intrusive announcements, the quality of everything from decor to the brand of toiletries, and dinnerware, and the level of service throughout the ship, specially at restaurants, which followed the highest level of etiquette and protocol.

 

As I said before, for most people these things may be of little to zero importance, but for those who do care, it's a big thing. My parents are at a stage in their life where those things matter but I'm not there yet.

 

- We spend a lot of time on these boards complaining about chair hogging, dress code, booze smuggling, line cutting, etc. While I understand that people want to relax and enjoy their cruise with as few rules as possible and as casually as possible, there are a lot of people who would prefer to cruise in an environment where these basic social rules are followed. You can't fault them for that. While you can find this type of behavior on any cruise line, what I've experienced during the last few years is that, the more strict and upscale the cruise line is, the less you'll encounter this type of behavior (partly because these cruise lines will have less tolerance for this type of behavior and partly because cruisers who don't like this type of structure will go somewhere else). Just reading the boards from various cruise lines here will reflect that. These are hot topics on the Carnival board but not so frequent on others.

 

- With al of this said, there's ZERO excuse to bash, put other people down, or make them inferior because of what cruise line they prefer. That's just mean spirited. But at the same time, people shouldn't take it as a personal attack when someone bad mouths their cruise line of choice.

 

We all know why we cruise and why we gravitate towards a specific cruise line over another. Who cares what someone else thinks?

 

 

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Edited February 22, 2017 by Tapi

[Herfnerd]

Why? Because they are snobs as you allude to (and for the Charleston folks I don't mean Slightly North of Broadway). Some people can't seem to comprehend that something (such as Carnival) can't be good or even great if it's not expensive. ;)

 

 

I think you mean Slightly North of Broad, lol

[Tapi]

Carnival has always had some of the largest staterooms on the sea...

 

 

This was true back when the Fantasy class came out. At 185 sq ft, those standard staterooms were palatial compared to the 120 sq ft on Royal and other cruise lines.

 

But these days, the other cruise lines have evened out the playing field and square footage difference isn't as dramatic. On balcony staterooms and above, many other cruise lines are actually more generously sized than Carnival. And once you get in the Suite category, Carnival severely lags behind, not only in square footage but also on amenities.

 

 

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[b0uncingbubbles]

I think they have just built the reputation based on a history of being the "low-price" option; which then viewed as being the lower-class option; and then the short cruises they do which have a reputation of being a "booze cruise". I don't care for Carnival but that's for reasons they've earned, not due to their image.

 

I've cruised Carnival, NCL, and Celebrity. I've wanted to add Royal to the mix but every time we sit down and decide when and where we want to go, Royal's option is the most expensive with the least value.

 

What we cruise for is 1. transportation to the ports we want to see (which Carnival excels at, by far the most options; 2. free food for a majority of the trip (all roughly equal in my mind for that - some meals I liked and some I didn't); 3. entertainment to fill up the hours we aren't in port (Norwegian wins for evening entertainment and Celebrity wins for daytime entertainment); 4. value - which carnival is also starting to lose at, while they continue to be the cheapest. They aren't that cheap and especially when you consider that NCL and Celebrity throw in extras like the drink package, OBC, specialty dining, etc. when you book.

 

I agree they are all more similar than different; I don't like that on Carnival makes both people in the passenger pay for the drink package for one to have it. And I enjoy having a variety of quality live shows in the evening; whereas on our carnival cruise there were 3 shows they played several times with the production crew just singing and dancing to different themes of music. If Carnival finds a way to balance out that equation a little better I'd give them another chance.

 

We just booked a spring break cruise on Carnival after a lot of comparison shopping. I'm a school principal, so I'm limited on when I can travel and costs always creep up during school break. I will say that Carnival was barely cheaper than NCL or RCL this time around. It just so happened that CCL worked out the best in terms of port of departure for us. So, although there is the premise that CCL is always the cheapest route, I don't think that's necessarily the case, if you do your homework.

 

We sailed Celebrity a few years ago. The best cruise I have been on, by far, but we also paid a pretty ridiculous amount for it. Some of the other passengers treated the wait staff in the dining room and bartenders horribly. They were so rude, it made me uncomfortable. I don't care how much money you have, that's unacceptable.

 

I guess you just have to look for what's convenient and what will give you the biggest bang for your buck. Both of my previous sailings on CCL were fun and the staff were great. A vacation is a vacation, regardless of how fancy the cruise line is. It is what you make of it......

[sparks1093]

I'd much rather spend a week with Jack Dawson than with Cal Hockley.:D (Titanic movie reference.)

[ryano]

The funny thing is, as of lately, there has been ALOT of RCCL passengers trying out Carnival, only to say they are SO alike, OR they like Carnival better.

 

 

Me! Me! Me! ;)

[Havingfun2010]

OR, is it just my imagination ? I realize everybody's welcome to their own opinions, but I've sailed most of the CCL ships (some twice) and done 4 RCL cruises. While I've never done a 'high end' luxury cruise line, Regent, Silver Sea, etc..) I have noticed here mostly, and heard other cruisers on a CCL ship's elevator make nothing but, if outright rude, and snide comments, about this or that CCL ship, the 'type' of passengers Carnival seems 'too attract' and for the life of me I wonder,' WHY are you here..? IF WE lowly mortals are not worthy of your presence ?? WHY aren't you off sailing on the cruiseship ,Mount so-and so? Not all of my cruises have been perfect, but after reading some of the terrible reviews of the high end cruises, I wonder could ANY of these so-called experienced people be pleased ? Just curious why uour thoughts are. Thanks, in advance..

 

Mac

 

 

On my last Carnival cruise, I was one of those people in the elevator comparing cruises. I was on several Carnival ships, and noticed a downward spiral on quality of service and experience. One I finally went on a RCCL trip, I discovered not a "new": level of travel, but basically the same level of travel that Carnival once was. Good entertainment, quality music and bands, a fun atmosphere etc. I went back to Carnival, and really started noticing the little things. Such as Lack of service in the MDR. Poor entertainment. Lack of music. Poorly maintained mini golf. Ripped nets at the half basketball court. Packs of kids roaming around unsupervised. (lack of things to do). A buffet feeding frenzy. (I just thought it was normal until changing lines). A fight over cheap t-shirts. (Wish I had a video, but reminded me of K-Mart on Black Friday). Long lines getting off the ship, because Carnival is desperate for extra money on pictures. Then there was the behavior around the swimming pools (before unlimited drinks were available).

 

 

So as I stood in the elevator, I did ponder all this, and wonder why I'm doing this again. Now, rumor has it that it's worse. Prices are going up. Ships are poorly maintained still. Most entertainment is gone.

 

Plus, most people still believe that Carnival is cheaper and a bargain. Yet, most really looked, they can get a better quality vacation for the same price. So maybe you might need to downsize your room, big deal. No need to hang out in a stateroom with so much activities to go do.

 

WalMart of the Seas is a nickname given to Carnival for a reason. Just because we don't shop at WalMart, does not make us snobs. But we do look on in disgust at the things we see and would love to see Carnival raise the prices, fix the ships, and bring back the Carnival of yesteryear.

[ryano]

Blah blah blah. Same old broken record spewing his diatribe again as if anyone here actually cares what he thinks.

 

Look folks, its the typical Royal Caribbean cheerleader looking down his nose yet fails to see where his precious cruise line falls short too. The hypocrisy here is comical I tell ya

 

Funny how the only fights Ive ever seen was twice on Royal ships and it wasnt over t shirts. LOL. Guess that makes them K Mart of the Seas.

Edited February 22, 2017 by ryano

[gfsmith]

I dont waste to much time worrying about what people think about Carnival, Carnival works for me and thats what matters. I have been on Disney and RC and Carnival is a much better choice for me.

[BNBR]

More "bells and whistles" does not necessarily equate to "better" (in fact in the IT world, more bells and whistles equates to being a hog.....memory hog that is). I've sailed 3 times on RCCL and while I like their ships, none of them have been a better class of ship than Carnival's Conquest class.

 

 

Isn't the Vista all about bells and whistles? My issue is that they are putting so much into ships that aren't quite big enough. They need a big platform if they want to compete on that level. We did Glory last year and liked the ship a lot, especially for it's size. But there is no comparison between Conquest class and Oasis class, for us, we prefer the larger ship with a better flow/layout.

[sk8rmomof3]

. So, although there is the premise that CCL is always the cheapest route, I don't think that's necessarily the case, if you do your homework.

 

 

 

I guess you just have to look for what's convenient and what will give you the biggest bang for your buck. . A vacation is a vacation, regardless of how fancy the cruise line is. It is what you make of it......

 

Completely agree. I didn't go for a specific cruise line when booking this upcoming trip. I looked at them all and took in to account our needs. I wanted kid friendly, I wanted a certain length of a trip, and location was a big factor. I researched them all and this time Carnival won out. And it wasn't the price. It just had more of the amenities we needed this trip. Must do homework and compare compare compare!

[lizzyplague]

Haters gonna hate. I've gotten excellent service with Carnival so until they do something unforgivable I'm staying with them.

 

Some people just can't be happy so they want to make a pity party for themselves and everyone else around them... and thus the mostly fake negative reviews. (Just read one where someone complained the fruit salad at the buffet was mixed up in one bowl instead of 4 large bowls.. really...? Your cruise was horrible because of that? Whatever.

[BNBR]

On my last Carnival cruise, I was one of those people in the elevator comparing cruises. I was on several Carnival ships, and noticed a downward spiral on quality of service and experience. One I finally went on a RCCL trip, I discovered not a "new": level of travel, but basically the same level of travel that Carnival once was. Good entertainment, quality music and bands, a fun atmosphere etc. I went back to Carnival, and really started noticing the little things. Such as Lack of service in the MDR. Poor entertainment. Lack of music. Poorly maintained mini golf. Ripped nets at the half basketball court. Packs of kids roaming around unsupervised. (lack of things to do). A buffet feeding frenzy. (I just thought it was normal until changing lines). A fight over cheap t-shirts. (Wish I had a video, but reminded me of K-Mart on Black Friday). Long lines getting off the ship, because Carnival is desperate for extra money on pictures. Then there was the behavior around the swimming pools (before unlimited drinks were available).

 

 

So as I stood in the elevator, I did ponder all this, and wonder why I'm doing this again. Now, rumor has it that it's worse. Prices are going up. Ships are poorly maintained still. Most entertainment is gone.

 

Plus, most people still believe that Carnival is cheaper and a bargain. Yet, most really looked, they can get a better quality vacation for the same price. So maybe you might need to downsize your room, big deal. No need to hang out in a stateroom with so much activities to go do.

 

WalMart of the Seas is a nickname given to Carnival for a reason. Just because we don't shop at WalMart, does not make us snobs. But we do look on in disgust at the things we see and would love to see Carnival raise the prices, fix the ships, and bring back the Carnival of yesteryear.

 

 

This is a good post. I felt the same thing. RCL does a lot of the little things much better - and it's kind of how I remember some of my first CCL trips 15+ years ago but that seems long gone now. To be fair, however, I found the service on CCL to be superior in general.

[sparks1093]

On my last Carnival cruise, I was one of those people in the elevator comparing cruises. I was on several Carnival ships, and noticed a downward spiral on quality of service and experience. One I finally went on a RCCL trip, I discovered not a "new": level of travel, but basically the same level of travel that Carnival once was. Good entertainment, quality music and bands, a fun atmosphere etc. I went back to Carnival, and really started noticing the little things. Such as Lack of service in the MDR. Poor entertainment. Lack of music. Poorly maintained mini golf. Ripped nets at the half basketball court. Packs of kids roaming around unsupervised. (lack of things to do). A buffet feeding frenzy. (I just thought it was normal until changing lines). A fight over cheap t-shirts. (Wish I had a video, but reminded me of K-Mart on Black Friday). Long lines getting off the ship, because Carnival is desperate for extra money on pictures. Then there was the behavior around the swimming pools (before unlimited drinks were available).

 

 

So as I stood in the elevator, I did ponder all this, and wonder why I'm doing this again. Now, rumor has it that it's worse. Prices are going up. Ships are poorly maintained still. Most entertainment is gone.

 

Plus, most people still believe that Carnival is cheaper and a bargain. Yet, most really looked, they can get a better quality vacation for the same price. So maybe you might need to downsize your room, big deal. No need to hang out in a stateroom with so much activities to go do.

 

WalMart of the Seas is a nickname given to Carnival for a reason. Just because we don't shop at WalMart, does not make us snobs. But we do look on in disgust at the things we see and would love to see Carnival raise the prices, fix the ships, and bring back the Carnival of yesteryear.

 

 

If Royal giving you all of those little things is worth $1000 more then Royal is the line for you (that was the price difference the last time I compared cruises on the two lines). Seriously, you act like an ex-spouse who just has to keep bad mouthing the other spouse in order to chase potential suitors away. Sometimes you just gotta let go.

[ryano]

I. Seriously, you act like an ex-spouse who just has to keep bad mouthing the other spouse in order to chase potential suitors away. Sometimes you just gotta let go.

 

This ^^^^^^^^ and honestly, its beyond old and tired.

 

And you are right, as of right now the price difference between what I paid for a 5 year old Carnival ship is almost a grand less than a 8 year old Royal ship and the food and service is MUCH better than what Ive received on Royal over the last 4 years or so. Im sure Oasis is amazing but its not THAT amazing.