First time on Carnival review from a cruise "snub"

[seaman11]

So first time on Carnival ,diamond member on Royal. have done many other lines also .

Avoided Carnival because of the storys of riff raff guests and too much noise and parting on board. (rumors)

 

This cruise fit mine and my sons schedule and for the price i pulled the trigger. Went on Elation on the 25th of feb. 2 hour delay due to fog at port (not Carnivals fault)

 

First impressions the ship was clean and not as old looking as some would have you believe. Staff very friendly and the dinning room food was in some aspects better than Royal. Buffet had less variety however what was there was tasty. the only thing was there was a line at every station every meal. buffets seem to run smoother on other cruise lines for some reason.

 

Now on to the Guests, this is where i think makes the difference from line to line, because basically they all offer the same things. Sure there were quite a few Deplorables on board, However most were well behaved ,with only a few guests wearing flip flops and sleeveless shirts to dinner on any given night.

I was shocked as most did dress for "elegant night" called formal night on other lines.

 

I did have a Family that had two rooms next to mine and used the hallways as their living room to scream back and forth and kids running back and forth, but i was determined to have a good time and ignore it as much as i could ,because they did go to bed before 12am so i still got my sleep in.

 

All and all to make this short and to the point, I would sail on Carnival again at the right price and had an excellent time. For the Price it was really worth it. The horror stories can probably happen on any line.

[sparks1093]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[seaman11]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

 

my pleasure, I am a little picky and a bit of a foodie so if i liked it I think many will. I am not sure how the clientele would change during say spring break or the summer. But I had a great time and felt it was well worth the price.

[sparks1093]

my pleasure, I am a little picky and a bit of a foodie so if i liked it I think many will. I am not sure how the clientele would change during say spring break or the summer. But I had a great time and felt it was well worth the price.

 

 

So let me ask you (since I would like to sail Royal one day:)) and I realize the difference is very hard to quantify but how much more would you pay for a cruise on Royal versus a similar cruise on Carnival (same time frame, same size of ship, same/similar itinerary)?

[Boston Mom]

Thanks for your review - as a RC cruiser that just booked our first Carnival cruise (and our first cruise with our three teenagers) I was very interested in reading your impressions. We chose Carnival over RC for this trip because we got such a fantastic deal, and because we have been wanting to see more of Charleston and love the idea of spending a few days before and after the cruise enjoying the city. It's also going to be nice to be able to drive to the port rather and schlepping all of our cruise luggage on a plane, and paying for airfare for five of us. Glad to hear that the food is good because my teenage boys are VERY interested in meals!

[kctwinmommy]

Good points, the things you mention can really happen on any line. We're actually going on our first Royal after several Carnival, so I'll be sure to write our review after that one.

[seaman11]

So let me ask you (since I would like to sail Royal one day:)) and I realize the difference is very hard to quantify but how much more would you pay for a cruise on Royal versus a similar cruise on Carnival (same time frame, same size of ship, same/similar itinerary)?

 

 

well i have been on a similar size RC ship twice (grandeur) which was actually my favorite. maybe the food and service is just plain better on these (smaller) ships because the ratio of guest to staff is better, who knows. What you would be paying for really is slightly better entertainment and people around you. speciality restaurants which i like to do but elation had none.

 

so yes i would pay maybe a little more to be on RC same size ship however i wouldnt pay double or anything.

[hbgroadends]

It's good you gave Carnival a try. I've been on several cruises with Carnival and RCL (as well as a couple of other lines), and honestly both lines are comparable. I think Carnival got its party boat reputation from their cheap weekend cruises, which are known for being drinking cruises, but I've experienced the same thing on RCL. It doesn't matter what cruise line it is--if it offers a cheap weekend cruise, you are going to get the party people. You just have to realize that when booking and adjust your expectations accordingly.

 

The other thing to remember is that every person's perception is different. What one person would see as deplorable another will not even notice. I've seen people complain about what I consider the silliest things, but then again, I cruise to have a great time, not to go searching for stuff to complain about. For others, they aren't happy unless they complain about something. Since they choose to focus on the negative, that's all they will see. Whatever floats their boat, I guess. (Heh, see what I did there? ;p)

[seaman11]

It's good you gave Carnival a try. I've been on several cruises with Carnival and RCL (as well as a couple of other lines), and honestly both lines are comparable. I think Carnival got its party boat reputation from their cheap weekend cruises, which are known for being drinking cruises, but I've experienced the same thing on RCL. It doesn't matter what cruise line it is--if it offers a cheap weekend cruise, you are going to get the party people. You just have to realize that when booking and adjust your expectations accordingly.

 

The other thing to remember is that every person's perception is different. What one person would see as deplorable another will not even notice. I've seen people complain about what I consider the silliest things, but then again, I cruise to have a great time, not to go searching for stuff to complain about. For others, they aren't happy unless they complain about something. Since they choose to focus on the negative, that's all they will see. Whatever floats their boat, I guess. (Heh, see what I did there? ;p)

 

 

i agree that if you hae a positive attitude and ignore small things that happen on every line. You can have a good time. though i have been on cruises were it affected my sleep, food wasnt good, service/ staff wasnt good ect and that really can spoil your time. I found this cruise very enjoyable and would return.

[sparks1093]

well i have been on a similar size RC ship twice (grandeur) which was actually my favorite. maybe the food and service is just plain better on these (smaller) ships because the ratio of guest to staff is better, who knows. What you would be paying for really is slightly better entertainment and people around you. speciality restaurants which i like to do but elation had none.

 

so yes i would pay maybe a little more to be on RC same size ship however i wouldnt pay double or anything.

 

 

So if Royal was $800 more you'd book Carnival? I think the Royal's price were, say $200 to $300 more (total) I'd probably book it but anything more than that probably not.

[seaman11]

So if Royal was $800 more you'd book Carnival? I think the Royal's price were, say $200 to $300 more (total) I'd probably book it but anything more than that probably not.

 

 

800 total? how many people?

[sparks1093]

800 total? how many people?

 

 

Yes, total difference for 2 people.

[swscruiser]

We very rarely take short weekend cruises so we have no experience on the" Party Cruises" . We prefer Carnivals Steakhouse to any other lines upcharge dining venues. We also find the staff friendlier on Carnival. There is a difference in cliental between lines but not that much difference between Carnival and RC with large differences between Carnival and Holland, Princess and Celebrity. In our opinion all cruise lines ships are more refined than Carnival. Having said all of this this is how we decide which cruise line we use for 2 with $ difference total . Lowest Price always. RC would have to be less expensive for us to cruise them and not on older ship (either line). Of the other lines we would pay more for Princess and Celebrity up to $400, Holland we might pay more but would depend on time of year as the age of their cliental varies depending on the time of year.

[cruizinisthebest]

Glad your first Carnival cruise passed your snob test. Your word not mine. And while I don't agree with flip flops and t-shirts in the dining room, I also don't think that makes you a deplorable person. And if that's not who you meant in defining the deplorable people onboard, then I'm curious as to what did they do or wear that made them that way in your opinion.

 

 

 

 

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[Seago2]

Thanks for your review/comparison. You should try a newer ship next time, the buffet lines tend to move better. Elation is a oooold ship. Glad you liked your cruise.

[seaman11]

Glad your first Carnival cruise passed your snob test. Your word not mine. And while I don't agree with flip flops and t-shirts in the dining room, I also don't think that makes you a deplorable person. And if that's not who you meant in defining the deplorable people onboard, then I'm curious as to what did they do or wear that made them that way in your opinion.

 

 

 

 

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lol, i used deplorable instead of saying something harsh. it is what it is , not sure why so many get offended but its how one acts more so then how one dresses. i did see a few wearing no shirts in the buffet,but as i said it didnt spoil my time at all. one adjusts expectations according to price. i went in with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised.

 

now if you are looking for me to explain the difference in lower or middle class ,i dont think i can describe it to your satisfaction but i can simply say there is a difference in dress and behavior and how their children behave.

[cruizinisthebest]

lol, i used deplorable instead of saying something harsh. it is what it is , not sure why so many get offended but its how one acts more so then how one dresses. i did see a few wearing no shirts in the buffet,but as i said it didnt spoil my time at all. one adjusts expectations according to price. i went in with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised.

 

now if you are looking for me to explain the difference in lower or middle class ,i dont think i can describe it to your satisfaction but i can simply say there is a difference in dress and behavior and how their children behave.

No whatever you said in response was fine. I just was really curious if the flip flops and t shirts in the dining room is what made you define some folks as deplorable or if it was some really bad behavior that you witnessed that makes you say that.

 

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[seaman11]

Yes, total difference for 2 people.

 

 

then i would go with carnival if ships are the same size roughly. if it was say $300 more only id choose RC personally.

[tea4ular]

I've sailed on Royal, and I've sailed on Carnival. The last 4 cruises have all been on Carnival (and all were wonderful) simply because having sailed on the other lines (all the majors except Princess & Disney) we cannot justify a $300-700 p/p higher cost...with the exception of Celebrity, the majors don't warrant that much of a rate difference...in our opinion. We would love to frequent the other lines, just can't justify the extra cost.

[Thrilled2012]

 

now if you are looking for me to explain the difference in lower or middle class ,i dont think i can describe it to your satisfaction but i can simply say there is a difference in dress and behavior and how their children behave.

 

So glad you enjoyed your trip :hearteyes:! I certainly hope that you are speaking about "lower or middle class" in terms of how you view their behavior and not whether people are lower or middle class socioeconomically. I have seen people with quite a bit of money who are upper middle class or upper class who display way less class and etiquette than people that I know that are low income/lower class.

[seaman11]

I've sailed on Royal, and I've sailed on Carnival. The last 4 cruises have all been on Carnival (and all were wonderful) simply because having sailed on the other lines (all the majors except Princess & Disney) we cannot justify a $300-700 p/p higher cost...with the exception of Celebrity, the majors don't warrant that much of a rate difference...in our opinion. We would love to frequent the other lines, just can't justify the extra cost.

 

 

i totally understand. interesting thing i had a bad experience on celebrity although i found the food good and the ship itself great. the front desk staff was a little rude, dinning room staff not good , and room was close to the theater so loud sounds and vibrations in my cabin as they had 2 shows a night and few hours practices . taking naps was impossible and left me very irritable. closed pools and hottubs 8pm (summit) i would try celbrity again though as to see if it was just my bad luck that trip.

[The4Cruisers]

Glad you had a good experience on Carnival. We got off the same ship as you got on last week.

 

Enjoyed the cruise, even though the weather wasn't really what we had hoped for. But, that certainly isn't CCL's fault.

 

Have to say that we really liked the Elation. In fact, we have not had a crummy time on any Fantasy class ship yet.

 

I did want to point out that the few times we ate on the Lido, lines were never a problem. I guess each sailing has its own peculiarities based on the dynamic of that group of people.

 

Anyway, here's to many more cruises to you, sir!

[seaman11]

Glad you had a good experience on Carnival. We got off the same ship as you got on last week.

 

Enjoyed the cruise, even though the weather wasn't really what we had hoped for. But, that certainly isn't CCL's fault.

 

Have to say that we really liked the Elation. In fact, we have not had a crummy time on any Fantasy class ship yet.

 

I did want to point out that the few times we ate on the Lido, lines were never a problem. I guess each sailing has its own peculiarities based on the dynamic of that group of people.

 

Anyway, here's to many more cruises to you, sir!

 

 

thank you for the response. and for taking the time to read it. i did enjoy the ship as well. i guess it could be timings, as my timing for using the buffet could differ from yours also. i found lines for just about everything burgers, pizza sandwiches and so on. i felt it was very tasty though. and the waiting in line wasnt over the top as to ruin my experience at all.

 

few things i left out

 

Elevators way faster than any RC ship i have been on in fact best that i can remember as far as speed goes on any ship.

 

won enough money in the casino to cover the tips , thats a plus

 

room steward refused not to clean my room twice a day. lol that was a first for that. he insisted i dont leave the privacy sign up. threw away my water bottles one of the days then gave me a big bottle of water that later i saw on my bill. he did a great job cleaning my room but i thought that was quirky. nothing to be upset over , it was more funny to me.

[delbizz]

I love Carnival i feel like they are really upbeat and fun

 

 

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[louanne93]

I love Carnival i feel like they are really upbeat and fun

 

 

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Our next cruise on RCI, we will be Diamond, and since we have cruised on Carnival because they are really upbeat and fun, we have yet to take that "Next" cruise on RCI!