Does anyone go back to Carnival after trying Celebrity?

[drakes2]

On 2/1/2019 at 11:36 PM, jelayne said:

The only time we have gone back to Carnival is when the grandkids are with us.  

I did a carnival cruise 2 years ago with the kids and grandkids and was pleasantly surprised. It was inexpensive but service was great everywhere on the ship  The kids had fun and we spent quality time together which was all that mattered.

[chill6x6]

So 90% of the time I book a suite.  Carnival....no double points, no included internet, no included gratuities, all room service not included, no included drink package, no included OBC, no Michaels,  and no Luminae..  Do the math and Celebrity will come out less practically every time if booking a suite.  

 

HOWEVER....Carnival DOES have one thing going for them....varied itineraries and multiple departure ports(so two things).  For those two reasons I'll check them from time to time.  Their 8-day Southern itinerary out of Miami on the Horizon IS a good one.  I've actually got it booked BUT I'm probably not gonna not even gonna go....

[kwokpot]

5 minutes ago, chill6x6 said:

So 90% of the time I book a suite.  Carnival....no double points, no included internet, no included gratuities, all room service not included, no included drink package, no included OBC, no Michaels,  and no Luminae..  Do the math and Celebrity will come out less practically every time if booking a suite.  

 

HOWEVER....Carnival DOES have one thing going for them....varied itineraries and multiple departure ports(so two things).  For those two reasons I'll check them from time to time.  Their 8-day Southern itinerary out of Miami on the Horizon IS a good one.  I've actually got it booked BUT I'm probably not gonna not even gonna go....

I'm going to have to vigorously disagree with your assertion they Carnival has more varied itineraries than Celebrity. Carnival doesn't do regular European sailings, no sailings in Asia or South America. So I'm not sure how you feel Carnival has more varied itineraries. 

[chill6x6]

3 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

I'm going to have to vigorously disagree with your assertion they Carnival has more varied itineraries than Celebrity. Carnival doesn't do regular European sailings, no sailings in Asia or South America. So I'm not sure how you feel Carnival has more varied itineraries. 

You need to check Caribbean itineraries from GALVESTON, from NEW ORLEANS, from MOBILE, from TAMPA, from, MIAMI, from FORT LAUDERDALE, from PORT CANAVERAL, from JACKSONVILLE, from CHARLESTON.....  Quite honestly, no other cruise line comes close.

[kwokpot]

29 minutes ago, chill6x6 said:

You need to check Caribbean itineraries from GALVESTON, from NEW ORLEANS, from MOBILE, from TAMPA, from, MIAMI, from FORT LAUDERDALE, from PORT CANAVERAL, from JACKSONVILLE, from CHARLESTON.....  Quite honestly, no other cruise line comes close.

So you're qualifying that Carnival has more varied CARIBBEAN ITINERARIES than Celebrity. That's a very, very different statement. 

[mfs2k]

4 hours ago, ImANewfie said:

56 Carnival.

 

Omg. 56 Carnival cruises. 

[mfs2k]

1 hour ago, kwokpot said:

So you're qualifying that Carnival has more varied CARIBBEAN ITINERARIES than Celebrity. That's a very, very different statement. 

 

Yes. I agree Carnival has a much more varied Caribbean itinerary and sails from many more US cities which makes it attractive to many people looking for a fun, inexpensive 5-10 day vacation. For me though, I want variety. I need a change.

And let’s face facts. Cruising beyond the Caribbean or Bermuda can be much more costly. 

[shipshape sam]

On 2/1/2019 at 4:53 PM, mfs2k said:

My wife and I are going on our first Celebrity Cruise in March (Equinox)

 

We've been on 11 Carnival cruises. In the past 8 years, we've mostly done All inclusives in Mexico instead of cruising.

 

For our 20th anniversary, we decided it was time for us to try Celebrity.  We're not in our 30's anymore, and the Spring break party is a bit much too for us now. 

 

Obviously on this Celebrity board there are mostly Celebrity fans but I'm wondering if any of you decided to go back to Carnival after trying Celebrity because you missed what Carnival offered.

We are heading back to Carnival later this spring.  Our decision was swayed by price, itinerary and port of embarkation.  We sail out of Tampa, a drive to port for us, and go to Key West and Cuba during a time when DW has a number of days scheduled off.

 

Depending on how this cruise goes, we might put Carnival back up in our 'check them out' mix when thinking about our next cruise.  

 

We are Elite on Celebrity and  Diamond on Royal and within 2 cruises on each line to make Elite Plus and Diamond Plus respectfully.  We see little advantage in either program to exclude other lines if price/itinerary/timing work on other lines.  We like also Princess and HAL. Actually would like to sail Disney in future, if  the stars align with price/itinerary/timing.

 

Having said the above, we do like Celebrity, but have been disappointed in many of the changes they are making.  Such is life and when Celebrity no longer meets our value calculus, we won't sail Celebrity if there is an alternative.  If there is not an alternative and do not believe the value for the cost, we will  do a land based trip, like we are doing next week in going to Colorado to snow ski for a week vs cruise for a week.  To be fair here, we made a decision to snow ski vs cruise, thus did not do a comparison based on price/timing.  Obviously, itinerary is very different.

 

We have been sailing since 1998 and I would tell anyone, never say never as I use to do about sailing on Carnival again after I sailed with them 2 times in early 2000's. What can I say, 15 years after my 2nd Carnival cruise, we are now scheduled for our 3rd Carnival cruise.  

 

Wish us luck! 🙂

 

Edited February 9, 2019 by shipshape sam

[Stateroom_Sailor]

2 hours ago, mfs2k said:

 

And let’s face facts. Cruising beyond the Caribbean or Bermuda can be much more costly. 

 

I've noticed that Bermuda, and especially Alaska, Carnival is often the most expensive mass market cruise line.  They typically only use one ship, and supply and demand drives the prices way up there.  I assume that they have so many loyalists who don't price compare, or just prefer the brand, they'll pay extra thinking that they're saving a ton.

[Guindalf]

In all our cruises, we have sailed Carnival twice. After the first one, we both said 'Never again', but when we had a specific window of opportunity, the only thing that fit the bill was another Carnival. It had been many years since our last one so we decided to give it a go. We both got off the ship saying 'Definitely never again'!

 

Carnival is not for us. We'll stick to Celebrity for now and maybe try a different line some time, but Carnival will NEVER be an option.

 

 

[chill6x6]

3 hours ago, ImANewfie said:

Have done this Horizon 8 night Southern 6 times with Carnival - its a great itinerary..   also doing the exact itin April 6 less than two months from now.

Either going on THAT cruise or the Summit out of San Juan for that week.  Have one of the four Havana suites booked on the Horizon and S1 6145 booked on the Summit.  The Horizon will end up costing WAY more than the Summit when it's all said and done....but it's Carnival's newest ship and best cabin.  Hard decision!

[Bill_R]

We are platinum on Carnival and going on a New Years Eve cruise with them. Why because of the cost. Got a nice rap around balcony room for a great price especially at this time of year. On the exquinox in sept. in a royal suite. There is no comparison between the two lines. This will be our 9th celebrity cruise so we do cruise a lot. Priced out New Year’s Eve with most of the lines so that’s why we’re back with them but Celebrity remains our favorite line. 

[Mike981]

I have no problem going on Carnival if the price offset the difference. It was a great option when we were paying for our kids. Total we have probably cruised Carnival 8-10 times. We just our first Celebrity cruise in years after doing Carnival and one Princess.
YES there is a major difference with fit and finish, and to a point, service. I have met wonderful people on all mentioned lines, and I have also met some real buttheads on all mentioned lines.
 
I checked Carnival prices for a 1/20 cruises and Celebrity was cheaper with our four perks and the room price wasn't that drastic. This was a 10 day on Celebrity vs an 8 day on Carnival in the Carribbean.

*sidebar* I booked our Celebrity cruise in January and the prices are going crazy. Without perks (maybe a $100 obc) it is 50% more.

[soozles]

I have platinum on carnival, but no real brand loyalty. In all honesty, I’ve never had a bad cruise. We like the comedians on carnival and guys burger, but i think celebrity has better MDR food. I think the only cruise line I wouldn’t go on would be NCL because I hated how everything had to be booked in advance and it wasn’t really “freestyle”. 

 

But carnival really doesnt give you any perks, even for being platinum. We just booked a cruise on the celebrity summit to Bermuda out of NJ, and the price for 3 people was essentially the same as the carnival Caribbean cruise out of NYC for the same week, but on celebrity we got gratuities included, free drinks package, and $300 OBC, so with all that factored in, celebrity was actually cheaper. 

 

I guess it depends what sort of vacation you like. What other people are doing doesn’t bother me. I don’t spend much time by the pool, I don’t care what others wear to dinner, etc. so really, I have no problems going back on carnival if the price is right. Still haven’t gone on RCCL, because every time we look the price is always much more than any other, and we really don’t like these mega ships. 

[cruzysuzy]

On 2/7/2019 at 6:10 AM, Cruise a holic said:

Went on Carnival 4 times- now only sail on Celebrity or Royal Caribbean.  Carnival has too many wild young adults on it.  One cruise, I remember a large group knocking on cabin doors in the middle of the night- another guests fighting-

 

No longer an option for us- even for free!

 

Have a very similar experience on my one and only Carnival cruise.

[Hlitner]

We have done 3 Carnival cruises after cruising on Celebrity.  And we have also cruised on Celebrity after cruising on Crystal :).  Each cruise line has their pros and cons.   For those of us who enjoy variety, switching lines is not only normal but fun.  Cruise the same line all the time and you often get the same shows, same menus, etc.   Our expectations do vary depending on the cruise line and category we book.

 

Hank

[hubofhockey]

We did one on the Magic when it was brand new to take our kids on a Med cruise (they were 11&13).  That was after Princess for us as we didn't get on Celebrity until three years ago.  Our kids are both in college and prefer Royal Caribbean to Carnival.  Our next three are Azamara, Silversea (new Galapagos expedition ship), and then  back on Celebrity.  Would love to get back on an Oasis class newer ship.

[mfs2k]

59 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

We have done 3 Carnival cruises after cruising on Celebrity.  And we have also cruised on Celebrity after cruising on Crystal :).  Each cruise line has their pros and cons.   For those of us who enjoy variety, switching lines is not only normal but fun.  Cruise the same line all the time and you often get the same shows, same menus, etc.   Our expectations do vary depending on the cruise line and category we book.

 

Hank

This is why we’re going on Celebrity after 11 Carnival cruises. Variety and something new. 

[screwsmcernst]

On 2/1/2019 at 8:04 PM, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

We are also Elite on X...started cruising on Carnival.  We had been on the Carnival Conquest previously in 2004, out of New Orleans and decided to do it again in 2012 because we love NO.  At that time we had done 4 Carnival, one Disney, 2 HAL, 5 Princess and one Celebrity, the Equinox in 2010.

 

That Conquest cruise was a wake up call.  We found we really valued the relative peace and quiet of Celebrity...the food was much better (except for the Guy Fieri hamburgers), the dress of the passengers was more in line with what we expected on a cruise, the lack of smoking was a huge relief.  We have been on 13 subsequent Celebrity cruises and frankly, would never, ever, no never go on Carnival again.  There is too much we like about Celebrity, and not enough that we like about Carnival.  We didn’t have a BAD time on Carnival; we come from the “how can any cruise be truly bad and there’s always something to like” camp.  Just feel Celebrity is much better.

 

That is not to say we don’t currently have reservations about the Celebrity prices and Edgification, but that wasn’t your question.  😊

 

 

I  completely agree.  we started out cruising with Carnival, because our kids were with us.  Then as they got older, we decided that we wanted a little more "Adult" atmosphere, so moved to Celebrity.  We love the shift. 

 

I also have a food allergy, and a few years ago, we did a spur of the moment cruise out of Galveston, on Carnival Magic, so we could spend time with my sister before the cruise.  it was the first cruise that I actually lost weight on a cruise.  It was nearly impossible to eat in the buffet.   The MDR was fine.  A cruise is what you make it, so we had a good time.  We stayed on the serenity deck, and away from the crowds. We just appreciate not being in the middle of a frat party atmosphere.  We decided after that cruise, that we probably wouldn't go back again.  But, never say never.

[Cruise a holic]

9 hours ago, hubofhockey said:

We did one on the Magic when it was brand new to take our kids on a Med cruise (they were 11&13).  That was after Princess for us as we didn't get on Celebrity until three years ago.  Our kids are both in college and prefer Royal Caribbean to Carnival.  Our next three are Azamara, Silversea (new Galapagos expedition ship), and then  back on Celebrity.  Would love to get back on an Oasis class newer ship.

Actually we love Royal Oasis class ships.  We recently went on the Harmony and truly enjoyed it.  Then entertainment cannot be beat, the variety of specialty restaurants also.  Great when we travel with family.  Liked the freedom class also, not so the quantum or explorer class.   

 

However we do enjoy all of the Celebrity class ships, including the edge.  Everyone has their own opinion that is why cruising is such a popular vacation venue 

 

[Mike981]

15 hours ago, soozles said:

I have platinum on carnival, but no real brand loyalty. In all honesty, I’ve never had a bad cruise. We like the comedians on carnival and guys burger, but i think celebrity has better MDR food. I think the only cruise line I wouldn’t go on would be NCL because I hated how everything had to be booked in advance and it wasn’t really “freestyle”. 

 

But carnival really doesnt give you any perks, even for being platinum. We just booked a cruise on the celebrity summit to Bermuda out of NJ, and the price for 3 people was essentially the same as the carnival Caribbean cruise out of NYC for the same week, but on celebrity we got gratuities included, free drinks package, and $300 OBC, so with all that factored in, celebrity was actually cheaper. 

 

I guess it depends what sort of vacation you like. What other people are doing doesn’t bother me. I don’t spend much time by the pool, I don’t care what others wear to dinner, etc. so really, I have no problems going back on carnival if the price is right. Still haven’t gone on RCCL, because every time we look the price is always much more than any other, and we really don’t like these mega ships. 

 

You have many more cruises under your belt than us, but you sure sound like our kind of cruiser.

[retired067]

We sailed Carnival when we didn't know the difference and thought all cruise lines were the same

[Nymich]

On ‎2‎/‎2‎/‎2019 at 12:25 AM, varoo said:

 

Carnival is very good for families and much better for most kids.  The 2 offer two different products but Carnivals price point appears to be lower than Celebrity which is getting crazy with fare increases.

[scubamommy!]

We  live in NC and so when getting 25 gals together to cruise we HAD to choose something close. We went on Carnival due to location this past November with low expectations from Carnival ( we had cruised with them many many years ago) . We even booked the coveted Pent House for the birthday girl. They actually STILL let us down. The service was so horrible. Although we had a blast with each others company we will NEVER EVER (repeat) NEVER do Carnival again! Spoiled by Celebrity. 

[Lovecelebritycruises]

Sorry but simple answer no - celebrity all day everyday. 😂😂😂