Carnival?

[Firepath]

I feel like this could be a touchy subject, so hopefully everyone will be nice. I am a new cruiser. Hubs and I are in our 60's. We cruised Disney about 15 yrs. ago, then NCL POA in Hawaii, and this summer will head to Alaska on Celebrity. I am looking ahead to plan for 2021 and/or 2022. In the past we have avoided Carnival as we prefer quiet and relaxing over party atmosphere. References to "booze cruise" makes me cringe. No offense to those who enjoy that, it's just not for us.  If I see a great deal in a location we want to go, if the cruise is at least 7 days, are we likely to enjoy Carnival, or should we avoid at all costs?

[Essiesmom]

The only way you will know is to try it.  We are in our mid-70's and we do a lot or Carnival, and we hardly drink at all.  We do enjoy the piano bars, though.  And the production shows.  If you could tell us what route/ship you are considering we could be more direct.  EM

Edited January 8, 2020 by Essiesmom

[klfrodo]

The "booze cruise" and the "party cruises" are an overblown generalization in my opinion.

We've cruised Carnival and Royal.

The 3 day cruises? Yep. Locals getting away cheap for a 3 day weekend.

7 day or longer? I've never experienced this "party" atmosphere.

I will say that Carnival is more "FUN", but that has nothing to do with alcohol consumption. That has more to do with the Entertainment staff. 

 

Were in our 60's.

Edited January 8, 2020 by klfrodo

[taglovestocruise]

We are in our late 60's. Have done Carnival Pride, Carnival Sensation and POA.  Never again, we are lovers of Royal Caribbean and the large ships.  If you like Disney and Celebrity you will find Carnival a step down, IMO. We have done several transatlantic cruises on  Royals Oasis Class, ships are huge, plenty to do, and sail with 1500 fewer kids on a TA. happy cruising 

[iancal]

We typically prefer HAL, Celebrity, Princess, RCI.  In our late 60's

 

BUT..we did two Carnival cruises and enjoyed both very much. One was Mexican Riviera, the other Caribbean.  Service was very good.  Food excellent in the MDR, mediocre in the buffet on one of the cruises.   We did select our ships carefully and the atmosphere was quiet.  

 

Would we book Carnival again?   Yes, if the ship, itinerary, and price were right.  We were hesitant to try Carnival because of the usual..party central, walmart of cruising, etc..  This was not our experience on either trip.

 

Edited January 8, 2020 by iancal

[Cruzaholic41]

If you truly value quiet and relaxing then I would recommend avoiding Carnival. Even on the 7 day cruises, they jam the word “fun” down your throat every chance they get. Quiet and relaxing are 2 words I would never use to describe Carnival. 

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, klfrodo said:

The "booze cruise" and the "party cruises" are an overblown generalization in my opinion.

We've cruised Carnival and Royal.

The 3 day cruises? Yep. Locals getting away cheap for a 3 day weekend.

7 day or longer? I've never experienced this "party" atmosphere.

I will say that Carnival is more "FUN", but that has nothing to do with alcohol consumption. That has more to do with the Entertainment staff. 

 

Were in our 60's.

 

We have cruises primarily Royal, Celeb, and Princess.  We did a handful of Carnival cruises some years ago.  Even though quite a bit of time has passed since we were on a Carnival line, your description is right on with our experience.  Additionally, we found the MDR food to be pretty good.  Comparable to Princess back then.  Can't say how it would be now.  Sometimes it seems things change so much that any experience more than a couple years old is out of date.  Haha

[Aplmac]

Depends on what region you're cruising.

 

We found the difference in cruise vibe between Southern Caribbean cruise

and NYC-to-Canada cruise to be like two different cruise lines!

- both being 7-day cruises.

 

S. Caribbean is party party -with a few wild P. Ricans oftentimes

whereas the Canada cruise to Boston, Portland ME, Halifax etc.

we found to be waaay quieter and more civilized - lol

 

 

[MCC retired]

Carnival ,the  largest cruise line , with the most ships , carrying the most guests of all ages must be doing something right ?

They do have the most short 3 nighters which do attract the party types .

This is an opportunity to give Carnival a try for yourself.

 

[ldubs]

23 minutes ago, Aplmac said:

Depends on what region you're cruising.

 

We found the difference in cruise vibe between Southern Caribbean cruise

and NYC-to-Canada cruise to be like two different cruise lines!

- both being 7-day cruises.

 

S. Caribbean is party party -with a few wild P. Ricans oftentimes

whereas the Canada cruise to Boston, Portland ME, Halifax etc.

we found to be waaay quieter and more civilized - lol

 

 

 

This makes a heck of a lot of sense and is our experience too.  Same cruise line in Mexican Riviera vs Alaska itinerary would be completely different vibes.   

[Aquahound]

1 hour ago, MCC retired said:

Carnival ,the  largest cruise line , with the most ships , carrying the most guests of all ages must be doing something right ?

They do have the most short 3 nighters which do attract the party types .

This is an opportunity to give Carnival a try for yourself.

 

 

I'm pretty sure RCI took the most guests crown away from Carnival years ago.  

 

Also,  I'm not sure what you mean by the "doing something right" comment.  The OP gave criteria of that they're looking and in my opinion, Carnival is not it.  That has nothing to do with whether the cruise line is doing something right or wrong.  It's whether or not what they do is right for the OP.  

 

[GTO-Girl]

5 hours ago, Firepath said:

I feel like this could be a touchy subject, so hopefully everyone will be nice. I am a new cruiser. Hubs and I are in our 60's. We cruised Disney about 15 yrs. ago, then NCL POA in Hawaii, and this summer will head to Alaska on Celebrity. I am looking ahead to plan for 2021 and/or 2022. In the past we have avoided Carnival as we prefer quiet and relaxing over party atmosphere. References to "booze cruise" makes me cringe. No offense to those who enjoy that, it's just not for us.  If I see a great deal in a location we want to go, if the cruise is at least 7 days, are we likely to enjoy Carnival, or should we avoid at all costs?

We are also in our 60’s with many cruises under our belt.  In our earlier sailing days we cruised Carnival but about 10 years ago we switched completely over to Royal and never looked back.  We do only cruise 7 days cruises and usually on the Oasis class.

 

I am not sure a Carnival would be a good fit for you....based on your comments.  Whatever you choice I hope you have a wonderful cruise!!

[cruznjan]

We are seniors who have cruised Carnival a couple of times. We went in the fall, so it was mostly an older crowd - no heavy boozing.

[TNcruising02]

I would not describe any of the 7 or 8 day Carnival cruises I have been on as party cruises.  I was very nervous to try Carnival after my first cruise, which was on Disney.  But we had a great time and realized our experience was nothing like I feared.  I am sure the shorter cruises attract more rowdy crowds.

 

As far as being able to relax, we have always been able to find nice areas on Carnival if we want to get away from the crowds.  Their live music entertainment throughout the ship is very nice and they offer a good variety.  They have events on the pool deck and those areas can get very crowded during those events.  Their comedy shows are the best.

Having said all of that, Carnival isn't for everyone.  Not everyone likes a fun vibe.  Some people want a quieter experience.  I have cruised on Disney, Royal, Norwegian, and Carnival.  Of those ships, I think Royal really offers a great overall experience.  My husband and I both prefer Carnival because we are very low key people.  We love the comedy shows, listening to live music, and just relaxing.  However, when people who have never cruised before ask me about cruise lines, I say that Disney is the #1 for families with small children and Royal offers the best variety.

We will reach platinum on our next Carnival cruise, so it's something we really enjoy,

Edited January 9, 2020 by TNcruising02

[Pyrate13]

We too are seniors and we are Platinum on Carnival and definitely not partiers. As others have said, the "booze cruise" claim is not factual. Of course there will be those that over indulge but I would bet you can find that on any line. We saw it on Disney where we have sail four times, we've seen it on HAL which we also have sailed more than once. There are plenty of quiet areas on the Carnival ships. Give it a try, that's the only way you will know, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised.

[leaveitallbehind]

14 hours ago, MCC retired said:

Carnival ,the  largest cruise line , with the most ships , carrying the most guests of all ages must be doing something right ?

 

 

You do realize that they are the largest with the most ships as a result of acquisition, not organic growth.  The Carnival brand is only one segment of their business under the Carnival corporate umbrella and is the only one that represents the style - and image - associated with that name.  All the others (HAL, P&O, Costa, AIDA, Cunard, Princess, Seabourn, etc.) are separate brands with their own identity operating independently. 

 

So IMO "doing something right" is more the result of good business decisions relative to the brands they purchased across a diverse demographics over time and not so much because of the individual success of the Carnival brand itself.  Just as similarly the number two line, RCI, owns RCCL, Celebrity, Azamara, and has a majority stake in Silver Sea and marketing relationships with several others.

Edited January 9, 2020 by leaveitallbehind

[Joebucks]

The generalization of Carnival being a giant frat party is just not true. The crowd is older more than it is younger.

 

With that said, if you are going to have your whole vacation ruined because some people are having a good time and there is music, then you shouldn't go.

[sparks1093]

We've always been able to find a quiet place to get away. I would expect that Carnival is a step down from Celebrity given the cost difference but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy yourself. If you get a great deal to a great location it might be worth giving it a shot because only then will you know for sure.

[iancal]

The one thing that sticks in my mind on our first 8 day Carnival cruise was a passenger interaction.   A small group of children we being escorted through a public area by their program leader.  I think for ice cream sundaes.   A cruiser was about to take a photo of the group.  The leader immediately went to this gentleman and asked him not to take photos. 

 

There was a discussion.  The only other thing I heard after that was something about security and then I saw the youth leader reach for her phone.  The gentleman put away his camera and left.  We were impressed with that.  It was clear to us that she, the leader, was very protective of her charges and very aware of her surroundings.

[evandbob]

The OP lives in northwest USA, and doesn't say where they want to cruise from.  Perhaps a 7 day Panorama from LA would be a nice fit?

 

If they want to do a Caribbean cruise, I would suggest they avoid any of the older Carnival ships and look at week long Dream or Vista class.  They did say they enjoyed Celebrity, so Farkus decor may put them off.

Edited January 9, 2020 by evandbob

[ldubs]

2 hours ago, leaveitallbehind said:

You do realize that they are the largest with the most ships as a result of acquisition, not organic growth.  The Carnival brand is only one segment of their business under the Carnival corporate umbrella and is the only one that represents the style - and image - associated with that name.  All the others (HAL, P&O, Costa, AIDA, Cunard, Princess, Seabourn, etc.) are separate brands with their own identity operating independently. 

 

So IMO "doing something right" is more the result of good business decisions relative to the brands they purchased across a diverse demographics over time and not so much because of the individual success of the Carnival brand itself.  Just as similarly the number two line, RCI, owns RCCL, Celebrity, Azamara, and has a majority stake in Silver Sea and marketing relationships with several others.

 

Carnival Cruise Lines (not the holding company) is the largest based on passenger counts and second largest based on revenues.   Royal (not the holding company) is the largest based on revenues.   This according to data I saw which may or may not be current.   I am not too sure about ship counts but think Carnival (not the holding company) may have the highest count.  Won't be too surprised if that is incorrect. 

[Aquahound]

5 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

Carnival Cruise Lines (not the holding company) is the largest based on passenger counts and second largest based on revenues.   Royal (not the holding company) is the largest based on revenues.   This according to data I saw which may or may not be current.   I am not too sure about ship counts but think Carnival (not the holding company) may have the highest count.  Won't be too surprised if that is incorrect. 

 

I realize this is getting off the subject because it has nothing to do with whether or not Carnival is right for the OP, but according to this article, RCI became the largest cruise line by passenger count in 2014.  Carnival might have 1 more ship than RCI but RCI has 4 6000+ passenger Oasis Class ships. 

 

https://skift.com/2016/05/23/royal-caribbean-became-the-worlds-largest-cruise-line-and-pretty-much-no-one-noticed/

Edited January 9, 2020 by Aquahound

[ldubs]

9 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

 

I realize this is getting off the subject because it has nothing to do with whether or not Carnival is right for the OP, but according to this article, RCI became the largest cruise line by passenger count in 2014.  Carnival might have 1 more ship than RCI but RCI has 4 6000+ passenger Oasis Class ships. 

 

https://skift.com/2016/05/23/royal-caribbean-became-the-worlds-largest-cruise-line-and-pretty-much-no-one-noticed/

 

Thanks.  I was just responding to your post because I thought Carnival (not the holding company) is pretty large and successful. The data I quoted is from 2018.  Again, I cannot vouch for it.   

[leaveitallbehind]

9 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

Thanks.  I was just responding to your post because I thought Carnival (not the holding company) is pretty large and successful. The data I quoted is from 2018.  Again, I cannot vouch for it.   

 

But, as mentioned before, true to both Carnival and RCI, their rise to their ranks was primarily through acquisition - not necessarily through organic growth of any one brand.  And both are quite successful as a result of multiple brands appealing to different demographics. 

 

All good information, however - appreciate it being posted!

[Firepath]

Thank you everyone. I think we will definitely keep Carnival as one of our options. We like both relaxing and having fun, so I think it's worth a try. We are not looking at any particular region right at the moment. Will keep them in mind if something interesting pops up though.