Carnival voted best cruise line 2019

[Illbcruzn4life]

3 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

When he designed the Dream and knew his time with Carnival was coming to a close, they had a video interview with him.  I found it fascinating and like you, found a greater respect for what he did and the time, thought and work effort it took to put it all together.  Love him or hate him, he certainly has left his mark on Carnival and cruising.  From a Carnival perspective, I could argue the only one who had a greater impact would be Bob Dickerson, but that is another story for another day.  

 

Not to pick nits but that would be Bob Dickinson, Jimbo.😊

 

He was a great guy and did so much for the cruise line. I remember when he was on the ships and did all the different

jobs on the ship including housekeeping and being a drink runner on the decks which caused him to change the fabric their shirts were made of.

[Illbcruzn4life]

1 hour ago, Joebucks said:

As usual, a lot of people mad because they feel their cruise preferences should speak for all. Remember what majority rule looks for. Carnival offers many itinerary choices, affordable prices, tons of activities, fun vibes, and believe it or not, amenities that are completely acceptable by many. What do you expect? Celebrity to be the mass market choice?

 

Nobody is mad, well at least not me.

 

I have been on Carnival more times that any other cruise line with about 35 cruises under my belt.

 

Presently have one RCI cruise booked and one CCL cruise booked.

 

Being a Libra I just like fair and balanced.😊

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

I agree with you, and the fact that they aren't a random enough sample is why the results end up so biased. But I think the sample size is just as important. If it had been a nationwide poll, for instance, I think it'd be much more respectable.

 

Just look at their 2018 results. Carnival won 6 out of 8 categories. I don't frequent that website, barely knew about it. If I've ever been on it, it was merely by accident because of a web search. Even so, it's not hard to tell where their readers stand when it comes to their preferred cruise line. I don't have a problem with those readers preferring Carnival, all power to them. But that awards program is tainted because of how much their readers skew towards Carnival, so in my opinion, it's flawed and doesn't mean much.

I would say that if the sample was random, then size would matter with the larger the better. Without the sample being random, I don't think a  larger sample would help. It's a long time since I took a statistic's course in college, but as I remember having a random sample is the starting point that must be met.

 

Unless your "sample" was every cruiser in the world, or at least nearly every one, I don't see where a larger size would help.

[jimbo5544]

1 hour ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

 

Not to pick nits but that would be Bob Dickinson, Jimbo.😊

 

He was a great guy and did so much for the cruise line. I remember when he was on the ships and did all the different

jobs on the ship including housekeeping and being a drink runner on the decks which caused him to change the fabric their shirts were made of.

LOL,yes it would.😀

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

On 1/1/2020 at 8:17 AM, grandmarnnurse said:

As someone who has sailed all three lines, starting with 5 Carnival, then 2 RCCL, and 2 NCL, before returning to Carnival, I have to agree with article. Carnival gives you the best cruise value for the cost. As a retired couple on a tight budget, Carnival gives us exceptional food, plentiful entertainment, and beautiful ships—all without breaking the bank. Yes, I’m sure there are more “elegant”, “prestigious “, or “luxury “ cruise lines out there, but the vast majority of cruisers out there are middle class families looking for a great cruise experience and the best cost. And that is how Carnival has won 2 years in a row. I actually have 3 Carnival cruises booked in 2020. I may not have been able to afford 3 with another line. Carnival has been mocked and called the “Walmart of the Seas”, which is totally unfounded. Their ships are beautiful, and their staff was far more friendlier and accommodating than the other two lines I sailed. Bravo to Carnival!

We have cruise a vast amount of cruises and you are totally correct. Carnival has always been the best bang for the buck. Not that it is our favorite cruise line.

[BNBR]

21 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

Not sure I understand the significance of whether Oasis being on the list or not.  If she is the only one refurbished and not on, then I get it.  Usually, the submissions for these types of things are done by the cruise lines, if so, possibly Royal made the decision.  

 

Because it was a massive refurbishment - tons of new venues, water slides, new water park, dry slides, several new dining venues, BBQ, escape room, laser tag, music hall, bionic bar, etc. etc.

 

The fact that the biggest ship at sea that went through the biggest refurbishment isn't even listed makes the list come off as utterly ridiculous.

 

And I'll agree with others that Carnival tends to be the best "value" - though that is a personal calculation, Carnival does provide a great product at a price typically significantly lower than competitors.  So I would say Carnival is probably the best "Value Cruise Line" but it's certainly on the best cruise line under any objective standard.  Even right now MSC is making me question the Carnival value with their incredibly low summer pricing coming up.  But I do prefer the Carnival product over MSC...

Edited January 2, 2020 by BNBR

[rukkian]

3 hours ago, ontheweb said:

I would say that if the sample was random, then size would matter with the larger the better. Without the sample being random, I don't think a  larger sample would help. It's a long time since I took a statistic's course in college, but as I remember having a random sample is the starting point that must be met.

 

Unless your "sample" was every cruiser in the world, or at least nearly every one, I don't see where a larger size would help.

In the end, unless you purposely grabbed people that have sailed (and currently sail) multiple lines, it will always be biased.  The company with the most cruisers going will almost always win any customer choice award, as they people that have only cruised them will vote for them.  Many people get defensive about products (usually subconsciously) as a means to justify their purchase.

 

If people cruised once and didn't like it, they are not going to be on a cruise oriented website real often.  

 

I am not trying to diminish carnival at all, just stating the obvious when it comes to popularity contests (which this effectively is), as it is not scientific at all, nor does it portend to be.

[jimbo5544]

40 minutes ago, BNBR said:

 

The fact that the biggest ship at sea that went through the biggest refurbishment isn't even listed makes the list come off as utterly ridiculous.

 

And I'll agree with others that Carnival tends to be the best "value" - though that is a personal calculation, Carnival does provide a great product at a price typically significantly lower than competitors.  So I would say Carnival is probably the best "Value Cruise Line" but it's certainly on the best cruise line under any objective standard. 

Utterly ridiculous, who could think a Carnival ship better than Oasis..... .  now I hat is objective.  You made my day. 😂 

[BNBR]

10 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Utterly ridiculous, who could think a Carnival ship better than Oasis..... .  now I hat is objective.  You made my day. 😂 

 

Better for a majority of people.  "Objectively" - some people prefer Hampton Inn over Four Seasons, but we all know the Four Seasons is a better hotel.

 

Royal commands higher fares and sells out these ships left and right.  Obviously the demand is there for a reason.

 

And again, the fact Oasis didn't even make the list is what is ridiculous.  I didn't comment on it winning.... 

Edited January 2, 2020 by BNBR

[ontheweb]

For those who might not understand statistics and the importance of being random, I am going to post here the outcome of a poll that got it totally wrong. In 1932, a random telephone poll was taken. It predicted Hoover would be reelected instead of FDR becoming president. So why was it so wrong despite its randomness? Well, the population of people owning telephones in 1932 did not reflect the entire voting population. It skewed to people with money. It would not have mattered how large the sample was, it still would have been wrong since it only seemed to be random, but was not really random.

[jimbo5544]

14 minutes ago, BNBR said:

 

Better for a majority of people.  "Objectively" - some people prefer Hampton Inn over Four Seasons, but we all know the Four Seasons is a better hotel.

 

Royal commands higher fares and sells out these ships left and right.  Obviously the demand is there for a reason.

 

And again, the fact Oasis didn't even make the list is what is ridiculous.  I didn't comment on it winning.... 

Won’t belabor the point but what if it was just oasis and sunrise and sunrise won hands down?  I would not dispute that royal on average charges more or fills ships, beyond that it is debatable.

Edited January 2, 2020 by jimbo5544

[BNBR]

2 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Won’t belabor the point but what if it was just oasis and sunrise and sunrise won hands down?  I would not dispute that royal on average charges more or fills ships, beyond that it is debatable.

 

Well, it's best refurbishment and not best ship.  So it certainly seems plausible that Sunrise had a more impactful before and after.

[jimbo5544]

Just now, BNBR said:

 

Well, it's best refurbishment and not best ship.  So it certainly seems plausible that Sunrise had a more impactful before and after.

Fair enough

[coevan]

48 minutes ago, BNBR said:

some people prefer Hampton Inn over Four Seasons, but we all know the Four Seasons is a better hotel.

 

 

Don't know if prefer is correct, afford might be a better way to put it. Anyone in his or her right mind would prefer Four Seasons

[BNBR]

16 minutes ago, coevan said:

 

 

Don't know if prefer is correct, afford might be a better way to put it. Anyone in his or her right mind would prefer Four Seasons

 

Correct.  Anyone in their right mind would prefer Symphony, right Jimbo?  😉

Edited January 2, 2020 by BNBR

[eroller]

7 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

  I don't have a problem with those readers preferring Carnival, all power to them. But that awards program is tainted because of how much their readers skew towards Carnival, so in my opinion, it's flawed and doesn't mean much.

 

 

Kind of like going to an Apple fanboy website and asking the members to vote on their favorite smart phone.  iPhone or Android. Pretty meaningless.  

[eroller]

4 hours ago, twodaywonder said:

  Carnival has always been the best bang for the buck. Not that it is our favorite cruise line.

 

 

 

Not even sure they are the best bang for the buck anymore.  I suppose it depends on the cruise.  Carnival used to be the price leader, but MSC seems to undersell just about everyone these days.  Whether or not you consider them a better value is up to the individual.  I just got off MSC MERAVIGLIA for a ridiculously low price.  I felt the product I received for the price I paid was an amazing value, especially considering it's an almost brand new ship with all the bells and whistles.  Honestly it would have been difficult to stay home for less.  The icing on the cake was a visit to their new out island Ocean Cay.  I loved it.  It's like the private out islands used to be.  Pristine and unspoiled, with essentially just beach after beach.  I was really impressed.  MSC did a great job.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

32 minutes ago, eroller said:

 

 

 

Not even sure they are the best bang for the buck anymore.  I suppose it depends on the cruise.  Carnival used to be the price leader, but MSC seems to undersell just about everyone these days.  Whether or not you consider them a better value is up to the individual.  I just got off MSC MERAVIGLIA for a ridiculously low price.  I felt the product I received for the price I paid was an amazing value, especially considering it's an almost brand new ship with all the bells and whistles.  Honestly it would have been difficult to stay home for less.  The icing on the cake was a visit to their new out island Ocean Cay.  I loved it.  It's like the private out islands used to be.  Pristine and unspoiled, with essentially just beach after beach.  I was really impressed.  MSC did a great job.

MSC is having problems filling there ships. So you are correct MSC has been lowering there prices for at least a year now. Was on one many years ago. Must not have been to excited about it. Never cruised with them again. Even though they gave me credit for my Diamond status on Carnival.

[eroller]

14 minutes ago, twodaywonder said:

MSC is having problems filling there ships. So you are correct MSC has been lowering there prices for at least a year now. Was on one many years ago. Must not have been to excited about it. Never cruised with them again. Even though they gave me credit for my Diamond status on Carnival.

 

 

They are still relatively unknown so prices are a bargain as they create brand awareness.  I predict they won't always be the bargain they are today.  Compared to years ago or even a couple years ago, they are essentially a different cruise line.  Brand new state of the art ships and catering more and more to the North American market.  They still have a ways to go but they have made great progress, and with 4 ships right now sailing out of Miami they are creating more and more brand awareness.  That will only increase as they build a massive new terminal at PortMiami capable of berthing two of their new World Class Ships (LNG powered) at the same time.  Also their North American headquarters will be moved to offices located at the new terminal.  Add to that a major investment with developing Ocean Cay, their private out island and it's easy to see their commitment to North America.  What is interesting is they are family owned, so no shareholders to answer to.  Just the owner and the customers.  No they are not going to put Carnival out of business but for consumers the increased competition is a great thing.  It keeps everyone on their toes and forces companies to innovate and elevate their products.  Plus it keeps prices in check.  

 

Edited January 3, 2020 by eroller

[Joe817]

eroller, thanks tor the comments. New kids on the block so to speak. I know nothing about MSC and I hope they are successful in their endeavor. I'd say: Bring them to Galveston! That's where I' have to sail from, in my current station in life,...unless I win the lottery. 

[eroller]

29 minutes ago, Joe817 said:

eroller, thanks tor the comments. New kids on the block so to speak. I know nothing about MSC and I hope they are successful in their endeavor. I'd say: Bring them to Galveston! That's where I' have to sail from, in my current station in life,...unless I win the lottery. 

 

 

Hey at the rate they are growing you just might see them in Galveston sooner than later!  I think they might be the fastest growing cruise line in the world right now.  They are not for everyone, but if you like Carnival there will be a lot you will enjoy on MSC.  The biggest area of opportunity is food.  It's too structured right now and there is not enough choice.  Hopefully they will work on that.  The entertainment is awesome and their new ships are stunning.  Probably nicer or at least as nice as any of Carnival's newest ships.  They do beat to their own drum though and things can be a little quirky.  It's a much more International passenger mix as well compared to Carnival.  I quite enjoyed that.  

 

Their new ships have the Yacht Club, which is a ship within a ship suite concept very similar to NCL's Haven.  All the cruise lines seem to be jumping on this trend, even Carnival which will take it to the next level on Mardi Gras.  What is interesting is that MSC is taking the Yacht Club concept a step father.   They are creating a new cruise line of smaller ships (1000 pax) that will be 100% yacht club experience.  I wouldn't say luxury (and they won't be priced luxury), but perhaps "luxury-lite".  Something a bit nicer without breaking the bank.  The first ships have already been ordered and I'm anxious to learn of more details.  

Edited January 3, 2020 by eroller

[coevan]

We were exploring MSC as well. We are Platinum and they do match benefits. However, when we started digging deeper and wanted to add the Yacht Club, with preferred bar menu, you really had no platinum benefits as Yacht Club is even more inclusive. FYI $4000 for an 8 day balcony with the Yacht Club

[eroller]

33 minutes ago, coevan said:

We were exploring MSC as well. We are Platinum and they do match benefits. However, when we started digging deeper and wanted to add the Yacht Club, with preferred bar menu, you really had no platinum benefits as Yacht Club is even more inclusive. FYI $4000 for an 8 day balcony with the Yacht Club

 

 

Last year I sailed in the YC on SEASIDE.  We got an amazing price, but even better was earlier this month in standard balcony cabin on MERAVIGLA.  I enjoyed it equally and paid less than $500 (including taxes) for my own single aft-facing balcony cabin.  What a deal!  My friends each got their own balcony cabins as well.  MSC matched my Elite status on Princess and gave me Black/Diamond Status.  That included dinner at a speciality restaurant for two, a bottle of champagne, a chocolate ship, a MSC baseball cap, chocolate covered strawberries, and some extra amenities like robes/slippers in the cabin and priority boarding/disembarkation.  While I really enjoyed the YC and went with my husband on that one, I have to say I really didn't miss it on MERAVIGLIA.  We had such a great time even without the exclusive environment of the YC.  

 

In the YC yes it's more expensive, but it also includes all your drinks (premium package).  Even things at the chocolate shop are included like milkshakes, speciality coffees, etc.  The best deal is for the inside cabins.  Yes they have then in the YC but not many.  They include all the YC amenities but of course with an inside cabin.  They are some the best bargains on the ship but book up quickly.  If you don't spend much time in your cabin but still want an exclusive environment, and an uncrowded private pool and deck, these are the way to go.  

[jimbo5544]

3 hours ago, BNBR said:

 

Correct.  Anyone in their right mind would prefer Symphony, right Jimbo?  😉

Over what?

[Tapi]

9 hours ago, twodaywonder said:

MSC is having problems filling there ships. So you are correct MSC has been lowering there prices for at least a year now. Was on one many years ago. Must not have been to excited about it. Never cruised with them again. Even though they gave me credit for my Diamond status on Carnival.

Everyone comments on how MSC is lowering prices because they are “having problems filling up their ships”. But this is not quite true.
 

MSC Cruise Lines is a very small division of a much larger, worldwide cargo shipping company. Cargo is what provides most of the financial revenue for this company. They can charge less and still generate profits in ways that other cruise lines simply can’t. And they are taking full advantage of their unique position to deliver a product that other cruise lines simply can’t at the same prices. That’s why you see MSC building enormous ships at a record-setting pace, building new terminals and developing a private island while still charging low prices, not only in the Caribbean, but in other markets worldwide. 

 

From the cruise line’s inception, MSC stated that their primary goal as a family owned company was to make cruising affordable to all, and that they’d be able to provide a much better product at lower prices. From what I’ve experienced when we’ve sailed on MSC, both in the Caribbean and in the Mediterranean, they are delivering on their promise. 
 

 

Edited January 3, 2020 by Tapi