General Question About Carnival

[cruisinagain1960]

My travel friend and I are thinking about booking a cruise on Carnival - we've cruised RCI before and loved it.

 

My concern is that from what I hear, Carnival boats tend to be more of a party/drinking environment. I've also heard that as long as you stay away from 3 and 4 day cruises, it's generally a different "class" of passenger.

 

How true is this and what difference does departure port make (Charleston vs. Port Canaveral, let's say)?

 

We are looking do something this fall to tide us over til our next RCI cruise in May of next year : )) Charleston is about 2 hours from us, so there's no ancillary travel expenses short of gasoline, which is why I'm curious.

 

Thanks for the input!!

[ricew001]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

You wll see this topic over and over. And it makes me kinda angry. "Class" has nothing to do with what cruiseline you are on. You can act with class whether you're on a 3 day or an around the world itinerary. That said, over and over people say yes a longer cruise means less kids and less partiers. Frankly, I've done a 7-day Alaskan on Princess and 3 shorter ones on Carnival and seen nothing crazy on any of them. Actually it's been tamer than the bars at home.

 

My cousin has done two cruises out of Charleton because it's driving distance for him. He spent a whopping $100 on drink on his cruise so that's the extent of his party/drinking experience onboard.

 

I would advise not picking "Fall break" from USC, ECU or any close by schools for your time to cruise if you're really concerned.

[kcdancerkc]

What *class* are you trying to avoid?...... Even HAL and Princess have party drunks. Just avoid spring break and you should be fine.

As far as embarkation port,

people fly from everywhere to get to all the

ports from canada, Europe etc. if you are looking for a demographic for embarkation, there is no such thing. Relax and enjoy :cool:

[LCTXcruiser]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

You wll see this topic over and over. And it makes me kinda angry. "Class" has nothing to do with what cruiseline you are on. You can act with class whether you're on a 3 day or an around the world itinerary. That said, over and over people say yes a longer cruise means less kids and less partiers. Frankly, I've done a 7-day Alaskan on Princess and 3 shorter ones on Carnival and seen nothing crazy on any of them. Actually it's been tamer than the bars at home.

 

My cousin has done two cruises out of Charleton because it's driving distance for him. He spent a whopping $100 on drink on his cruise so that's the extent of his party/drinking experience onboard.

 

I would advise not picking "Fall break" from USC, ECU or any close by schools for your time to cruise if you're really concerned.

 

Very true. There are always "those guys" no matter where you go. I've cruised 15 times through Carnival. People are people. Some drink, some don't, but most are just good people looking to enjoy their vacation. Give it a try. I would take a short cruise (the one that people are trying to steer you away from) so you can see what they would call the "worst of the worst". I think you'd be pleasantly surprised.

[cruisinagain1960]

Thanks so much for the reply :)) I was trying to come up with a better way to work that question because I simply don't want to categorize anyone based on that criteria...That being said we are looking at a 12 day leaving November 10th and returning on the 22nd, which is Thanksgiving, so it should be pretty quiet ; ))

[Gamecock_Cruiser]

I have never been on other lines, so I can't compare. But if you are at bars later at night, you are liable to see a few intoxicated people, . But it's not like they are running around the ship drunk and hooting and hollering.

[cruisinagain1960]

And I definitely don't have a problem with intoxicated people - what prompted the question is I've seen some reviews that said that police were involved and there were some pretty serious allegations made (bodily harm). I realize that one bad apple can ruin it for everyone, I just wondered if the port really made a huge difference in the demographic (a better choice of words) of the typical cruiser ; ))

[Alaskan Joe]

If we never notice the drunks does this mean we are the drunks?:o:o

[Alaskan Joe]

Now that I have my jokes out of the way, we are late night people. However, we have not encountered a lot of stupid drunks, but occasionally there one in the crowd.

[Silent Penguin]

 

We are looking do something this fall to tide us over til our next RCI cruise in May of next year : )) Charleston is about 2 hours from us, so there's no ancillary travel expenses short of gasoline, which is why I'm curious.

 

Thanks for the input!!

 

 

If you're looking for something to tide you over between your RCI cruises - something close-by and affordable- you should definitely book a Carnival cruise out of Charleston. Take the advice others offered about avoiding college breaks, avoid the areas and the times on the ship where chaos is most likely to ensue (just like on any other ship) and you'll probably enjoy yourself just as much as you do on your RCI cruises. If nothing else, you'll find out for yourself if what you heard was true.

 

The first time we picked Carnival it was for the same reason as you. All our cruises (except for one with NCL for which my dad treated) were with DCL. With our next DCL cruise far off in the distance, we looked around for something close by and cheap to scratch our cruise itch. We live an hour's drive from Baltimore so we booked on the Pride. Hoping for the best and prepared for the worst, we were able to enjoy ourselves a lot more than we expected. I think you will too.

[fair-winds39]

My travel friend and I are thinking about booking a cruise on Carnival - we've cruised RCI before and loved it.

 

My concern is that from what I hear, Carnival boats tend to be more of a party/drinking environment. I've also heard that as long as you stay away from 3 and 4 day cruises, it's generally a different "class" of passenger.

 

How true is this and what difference does departure port make (Charleston vs. Port Canaveral, let's say)?

 

We are looking do something this fall to tide us over til our next RCI cruise in May of next year : )) Charleston is about 2 hours from us, so there's no ancillary travel expenses short of gasoline, which is why I'm curious.

 

Thanks for the input!!

 

Honestly, we have tried most cruise lines; RCCL, NCL, Celebrity, Cunard and Carnival. In the late 1990's, and into the 2000's we were Celebrity all the way. A relative recommended the Carnival Legend and we always heard the same thing you mention; Carnival is rowdy, loud, wild, etc., and we were never going to try Carnival. Well, in 2008 we tried the Carnival Legend and liked it. The Carnival Miracle, Victory and Pride followed. We cruised on the Pride in 2010, and in 2019 we will sail the Carnival Pride for the 6th time. I think with any cruise it depends on the passengers. We have never seen anything more than maybe a group of about 25 passengers who were having a a good time and who might have been perceived as being a little loud, but we weren't bothered by it at all. We never did shorter 3-4 day cruises so I can't comment on those cruises. You can have disruptive and annoying passengers on any cruise I guess. We usually leave from Baltimore or Manhattan.

[beachbum6264]

It's funny, whenever we are with a group of people and the subject of cruises and cruise lines comes up the "Carnival is a party boat" comment is often made. I always ask whoever says that what ship they were on when they saw all the partying. Most of the time they have never sailed with Carnival - it's all from 'well, I heard', or 'a friend of a friend', or 'I saw it on FB'. In other words, nothing but BS!! (excuse my abbreviations, LOL)

We've been on a few cruises (21, 22 maybe??) and the absolute worst drunks I've ever seen on a ship were on RCL one night. Loud, rude, obnoxious, and finally hauled off by security before they hurt anyone. Have I seen some people who have had a little too much and have gotten a bit loud? Of course... same as I do on land (and may have been one of those a time or 6 in my life). There will be those people on any cruise line - or any bar anywhere.

Go, with the mindset that you are going to have a great time. Will it be perfect? No, but those 'speed bumps' are what make life interesting. It's funny to read a review here of a horrible cruise someone had - and realize I was on that same cruise... and had a wonderful time.

[Prismism]

My concern is that from what I hear, Carnival boats tend to be more of a party/drinking environment.

 

I can't understand why that would be a 'concern'. My girlfriend and I choose Carnival because their ships have a more party-friendly FUN atmosphere, and people on the ship generally like to let loose. If you want a modest/timid cruising experience, then choose a silver cruise or one of those viking river cruises. Those sound more your speed.

[cruisinagain1960]

Thanks so much for all the positive feedback - we are in the process now of booking 12 nights on the Ecstasy out of Charleston in November : ))

[Countrygurl]

My travel friend and I are thinking about booking a cruise on Carnival - we've cruised RCI before and loved it.

 

My concern is that from what I hear, Carnival boats tend to be more of a party/drinking environment. I've also heard that as long as you stay away from 3 and 4 day cruises, it's generally a different "class" of passenger.

 

How true is this and what difference does departure port make (Charleston vs. Port Canaveral, let's say)?

 

We are looking do something this fall to tide us over til our next RCI cruise in May of next year : )) Charleston is about 2 hours from us, so there's no ancillary travel expenses short of gasoline, which is why I'm curious.

 

Thanks for the input!!

 

 

I vacation every year with my DM and 2 other relatives, all in their 70s. Most of the time it is on a Carnival cruise. So, the answer is no, it is not necessarily a party ship.

 

I have been on 5, 7, and 8 day cruises. There are definitely more kids on a shorter cruise. I know what you are saying when you refer to "class". I don't think you are necessarily referring to financial status. And I'm sorry but yes, the length of the cruise does make a difference IMO. (Back off people its just my opinion!)

 

I've never had a bad cruise. I love Carnival. My next cruise is on RCI in about 3 weeks. Can't wait!!!.

[auburn77]

This upsets me every time I hear it. You're going on a Carnival ship? Can't you afford a better class of cruise line? I hear ( it's always "I hear") it's just a bunch of drunks. I love Carnival and we are in our 60's. I can only recall one case of being disturbed by drunken passengers and that was our last cruise. It was one small group down the hall from us. It didn't stop me from booking our next cruise with them.

By the way, we've been on RC twice and there was not a whole lot of difference, except the food on Carnival, in my opinion, is better.

[cruisinagain1960]

And that's why I asked the question here - I would much rather get the information for those who have sailed on the line and experienced them first hand : ))

 

As for RCI, I thought their dining room food was wonderful, but wasn't terribly impressed by the buffet - love the service though and the ship was nice, although older and smaller...all in all, we had a wonderful time though.

[cruisinqt]

We’ve sailed Princess, Royal Caribbean, NCL, and Carnival. We heard the same thing about Carnival but found it to be untrue. Hal, Celebrity, and other pricier cruiselines get called floating senior citizen centers. And in retaliation they call Carnival drunken party boats. None of it’s true for any of those cruiselines. It’s just people that are loyal to their cruiseline that tend to criticize the competition even though 99% of them have never even tried the cruiseline. It reminds me of my grandfather who was a diehard Ford man and constantly criticized Chevy even though he had never owned or driven a Chevy. But according to him they were awful vehicles that were totally unreliable. :rolleyes:

Just ignore the talk and enjoy experiencing something new. You won’t regret it. The Ecstasy is a nice ship but it’s one of the smallest and oldest ships Carnival has. It won’t really show you what Carnival has to offer. I would recommend the Sunshine. It’s out of Charleston also and is much bigger with all the bells and whistles. There’s more restaurants and it has the Cloud 9 spa which is amazing. ;)

[cruisinagain1960]

We’ve sailed Princess, Royal Caribbean, NCL, and Carnival. We heard the same thing about Carnival but found it to be untrue. Hal, Celebrity, and other pricier cruiselines get called floating senior citizen centers. And in retaliation they call Carnival drunken party boats. None of it’s true for any of those cruiselines. It’s just people that are loyal to their cruiseline that tend to criticize the competition even though 99% of them have never even tried the cruiseline. It reminds me of my grandfather who was a diehard Ford man and constantly criticized Chevy even though he had never owned or driven a Chevy. But according to him they were awful vehicles that were totally unreliable. :rolleyes:

Just ignore the talk and enjoy experiencing something new. You won’t regret it. The Ecstasy is a nice ship but it’s one of the smallest and oldest ships Carnival has. It won’t really show you what Carnival has to offer. I would recommend the Sunshine. It’s out of Charleston also and is much bigger with all the bells and whistles. There’s more restaurants and it has the Cloud 9 spa which is amazing. ;)

 

I'm excited to try the Sunshine next year when she comes to Charleston as well - perhaps that will be our fall cruise in 2019 : ))

[MauiWowie57]

Thanks so much for all the positive feedback - we are in the process now of booking 12 nights on the Ecstasy out of Charleston in November : ))

I'm sure you'll like it. I've done that cruise, and I will say this about demographics & embarkation ports ---

A ship based out of Charleston will have people FROM Charleston more than, from, say Baltimore (which has the Pride). Charleston people are nice people, enjoyable to cruise with. Same as Baltimore or Norfolk people. (I can easily drive to Baltimore and Norfolk, and did Charleston because I wanted to.) Cruising out of FFL/Miami/Canaveral, you tend to see more people that are more geographically agnostic.

Aside from the time of year and length of cruise (eg, Spring Break on a short Carnival out of Miami -- ), the lines have "personalities," which is why the parent company had build that "cruisinology" test..which isn't there anymore. Still:

- Carnival maintains a festive, Caribbean 'party' atmosphere. Cruise directors try to maintain the enthusiasm to get out on deck and do something fun. They've got waterslides! IMAX movies on the Horizon class. More kids, and certainly lots of kids during holidays. Almost all the ships have outdoor screens

- Holland is a bit more refined; they expect you to dress nicely for dinner, and I appreciate the finer table service, the string quartet before dinner, etc. There's no water slides. Not as many kids, but holidays are an exception.

- Princess seemed to be in between those two; but it didn't hit the spot with me.

I alternate between the first two now, depending on what I'm looking for - party or a more sedate R&R at sea. Honestly there's not a big cost difference; I can cruise less expensively on HAL than Carnival easily; it depends on the iteniary and what options I buy into.

[lidoplease]

We just got off the Ecstasy Monday. It was a 4 night...just a filler...lol! But we loved it. I know you'll enjoy a 12 day! I'm jealous! Let me know if you have specific questions. We have cruised RC four times, NCL once and Carnival 40 times! We're in our 60's and the only cruise we saw lots of rambunctious teenagers was on college spring break. They were having a great time and didn't bother us one bit. Yes, this is an older, smaller ship. But it does have guy's burgers and the taco bar.

We never encountered long lines. The staff is absolutely amazing. Have a great time!

[cruisinagain1960]

We just got off the Ecstasy Monday. It was a 4 night...just a filler...lol! But we loved it. I know you'll enjoy a 12 day! I'm jealous! Let me know if you have specific questions. We have cruised RC four times, NCL once and Carnival 40 times! We're in our 60's and the only cruise we saw lots of rambunctious teenagers was on college spring break. They were having a great time and didn't bother us one bit. Yes, this is an older, smaller ship. But it does have guy's burgers and the taco bar.

We never encountered long lines. The staff is absolutely amazing. Have a great time!

 

I REALLY wish Charleston would have other cruise lines - it is simply so much more convenient for us - our first cruise was out of Port Canaveral, which involved an overnight stay on the way down and the way back, so by the time we were done with parking, gas, food and hotels, it added about another $400 to our trip - Charleston is 3 hours from home, so we'll leave early in the morning and be home in time for Thanksgiving dinner : )) Plus the added perk of free handicapped parking was unexpected and very welcome!

 

We will be sailing out of Baltimore on RCI next May, so I'm looking forward to that as well - I'm also excited to see what Norfolk is going to have available as well since that's about the same distance as Charleston for us.

 

Needless to say, we've kind of become cruise addicts!!

[Trueblueky]

My travel friend and I are thinking about booking a cruise on Carnival - we've cruised RCI before and loved it.

 

My concern is that from what I hear, Carnival boats tend to be more of a party/drinking environment. I've also heard that as long as you stay away from 3 and 4 day cruises, it's generally a different "class" of passenger.

 

How true is this and what difference does departure port make (Charleston vs. Port Canaveral, let's say)?

 

We are looking do something this fall to tide us over til our next RCI cruise in May of next year : )) Charleston is about 2 hours from us, so there's no ancillary travel expenses short of gasoline, which is why I'm curious.

 

Thanks for the input!

Our experience with Carnival Sunshine out of Port Canaveral at the end of January the past two years (so holding cruiseline, ship, time of year, and embarkation port constant) was that the four-day Bahamas cruise had more drunks than the eight-day Eastern Caribbean cruise.

 

Your mileage may vary.

[wamdam]

Your cruise is what YOU make it. If you want to party...CCL provides plenty of opportunities. If you want quiet...you can get that too. My wife and are somewhere in the middle...and love CCL.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Forums mobile app

[GradUT]

Thanks so much for all the positive feedback - we are in the process now of booking 12 nights on the Ecstasy out of Charleston in November : ))

 

A 12-night cruise in November is not going to be a party cruise and it’s not going to be a kid-centric cruise either. And I’ve been on the Ecstasy twice and loved it! You’re going to have a wonderful time!