New to Carnival - Not to Cruising

[DfyGrvty75]

Tell me all about Carnival.

 

I've done several trips on RCCL, and this would be the first time on Carnival for me. It will be for DH/I 5th wedding anniversary (grandparents are taking kiddos on a trip, so here is our chance without kids!).

 

We are looking at Valor from Galveston as it is in driving distance, and it short (5 days), and more reasonably priced than RCCL. DH worries its a party ship (his last cruise was in 2001, under different circumstances :D) .

[dmdiver]

I prefer 7 night sailings, but the one 5 night sailing out of Galveston was not any different than the 7 nighters as far as the atmosphere. It was in the summer, so lots of kids were there. Head to the adult serenity deck for peace & quiet. We love it up there. I've sailed Valor before, but it was long before all the upgrades. Enjoy!

[flounder315]

Carnival Valor is a beautiful ship. Serenity Deck is awesome, so are the Comedy shows.

[ProgRockCruiser]

Tell you all about Carnival? This forum has untold numbers of threads, and the Carnival website is full of lots of useful info (which, tbh, often provide the answers to the questions asked in those untold numbers of threads ;) )

 

For example, your husband's concerns about Carnival being a party ship are dealt with in many recent threads (and probably hundreds of older threads). In short: probably more party-like than some of the stuffier cruise lines, perhaps similar to RCCL, but not generally a problem unless you want to make it a problem for yourself. Jerks can exist on any cruise, and alcohol is not always required to bring out their "best".

 

What else specifically do you want to know?

Edited February 26, 2018 by ProgRockCruiser
typos, general grammar

[DfyGrvty75]

I guess I'm looking for food menus, pictures, etc.

 

We've been talking, and in 17 years we've aged from partiers to just wanting peace and quiet. I agree, there are always jerks on cruises, either due to alcohol or personality.

 

The unknown is more of what is worrisome. Creatures of habit I guess. Just wanted something short, affordable while kiddos are out with grandparents.

[ProgRockCruiser]

If you want menus, just search this forum - there are a ton of recent posts on the topic, including a very recent one that has links to various resources here and elsewhere in the Interwebz.

 

For photos, look at reviews by people for the ports or ships you might be interested in. Or check the nice photo albums that CruiseCritic has for most of the fleet (go to the main CC page, and click on Explore or something.). For example, here are photos for Carnival Liberty, and you can access other info like cabin descriptions or reviews from the page menu (upper right):

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/carnival-liberty-360/

 

This forum, and CC in general, and Carnival's own website are so full of info, you should be able to get all sorts of your questions answered just by browsing/searching.

[cb at sea]

Carnival is no more a "party ship" than RCI or NCL....of course, the shorter the cruise, the more fun people try to fit into a shorter time. A 5 nighter won't be as hectic as a 3-4 nighter. You'll be fine.

[salty dingo]

I enjoyed the Valor, and am a fan of that ship's design. Carnival has good fares and a good reputation for food quality among its peers.

 

As for the party aspect, the longer the cruise, the less of a party crowd you will get.

[mdin]

My wife and I are 32 and 34 respectively and we are not big partiers either. Our sea days consist of laying on a deck chair enjoying the sun and a drink and hopping in the pool, hot tub, or water park when we want some activity. After dinner, we enjoy taking in a comedy show and the piano bar. Basically low key stuff. Very relaxing for us. I definitely recommend spending some time in Serenity for a little more peace and quiet.

[NavarreCruiser]

I have many cruises on Carnival and RCCL. A 5 day on the Valor will be fine. You will enjoy it.

[BookDragon]

My husband and I will be on a 5 day with the Valor this summer. The duration works for us because this is the first time we will leave our kids (1 has Type 1 diabetes). We will be staying in a hotel the night before so we will really be gone 6 nights. We are definitely not partiers!

[OceansOfTravels]

While MSC is my favorite cruise line and overall cruise experience and the Divina is my favorite cruise ship to date, I still enjoy Carnival and find myself coming back. There is a very fun atmosphere onboard, everyone is there to have a good time and enjoy their vacation. It's much less stuffy and much more fun, which will be nice if you want to let your hair down and enjoy a vacation without having to show out. There certainly will be parties onboard, but just like with Royal Caribbean, you can stand clear of the Viking Crown Lounge if you don't want to party. No difference with Carnival. There will be kids, but there will also be kids on Royal, if you're cruising during the summer or over holidays. The Valor is very beautiful inside from the photos I've seen and it has some beautiful and large staterooms, lots of good options. Overall, I think you'll thoroughly enjoy Carnival - if you go wanting to enjoy it! :)

[cruzinlisa]

Valor is a nice ship. I have cruised mostly Carnival and most recently on RCCL (Liberty). I found the food to be similar. I liked the buffet slightly better on Carnival ships that had Guys Burger/Blue Iguana (2.0 upgrades) and I think Valor has that. Dining room was about the same- except Carnival had the sea day brunch which I liked a lot. I did like ATD much better on Carnival than my time dining on RCCL liberty though. Carnival we never made reservations and never waited. RCCL you had to make reservations and even then would sometimes wait. that really defeated the purpose of ATD to me.

 

Pax are pretty much the same usually. I never felt like Carnival was a frat house or anything (but I have not done a 3 night weekend cruise or spring break- which can get rowdy. I actually thought it got a little crazier on Liberty of the Seas actually- with the parade in the promenade.

 

I liked the décor on valor a lot and I like the layout of that type of ship. But I like the promenade on Liberty so much better than Carnival.

 

I predict you will have a good time.

[payitforward]

The unknown is more of what is worrisome. Creatures of habit I guess. Just wanted something short, affordable while kiddos are out with grandparents.

 

It's funny you say this. I know RCCL and their ships like the back of my hand. I just booked my first Carnival cruise and also found myself a little more apprehensive than usual. But, that's why I want to sail them in the first place. It's time to familiarize myself with the other cruise lines.

[DfyGrvty75]

Thank you everyone!!! Looks at the posts, and reviews on line, I think it will be a good cruise for us. It will be a summer trip, but rather have the heat than the ice and snow we've had for the last week.

 

Thanks again!!

[DrTravelMom]

Here are my suggestions. We are not big party people and we are getting ready to go on our 8th cruise on Carnival.

 

1. Make sure you go to the dining room. My husband and I are big fans of either the 6:00 seating (With kiddos) or the 8:00 seating (when we sail alone). As my husband says, put on your big boy pants and go to the dining room. We love getting to know our servers and they help make the experience awesome. We also love going to the Dining Room for Breakfast.

 

 

2. Pick and choose your activities. Yes you might have to stereotype. But your big party people are not going to be at the Art Auctions or the Piano Bar or really any of the shows.

 

3. On eight cruises with Carnival, we only had one slightly bad experience with really drunk people and that was on the first day during the safety talk.

 

4. My husband is a huge introvert. The worst day of the cruise for him is the first day. Everyone is really compacted in a few eating areas when getting on the cruise. Go explore and find some not crowded areas. We have been on the Valor twice and found some great hidden areas. I believe there is an adult pool on the Valor. This was one of our favorite places.