And HAL regulars sail Carnival lately?

[Bostonjetset]

So I’m considering a partial Panama Canal transit for April 2024 now that my Zaandam cruise was canceled. My mom has wanted to do a PC cruise for years and DH has very little interest so figured it would make a good mother/son trip. However, DH and I already have other trips planned for 2024 and so a full transit is not in the cards. A shorter partial would be best due to work scheduling. HAL only has Rotterdam at 12 nights (so not that much shorter than a full transit and with new locks) and Princess doesn’t have anything in the spring. 
 

Carnival has an 8 day round trip from Tampa on the Pride which is one of their older ships that still uses the old locks. I love the idea of an 8 night PC partial and REALLY love the idea of sailing through the old locks. However, it’s been almost ten years since I’ve sailed with Carnival and their “inside of a pinball machine” decor is cringy to me. The trips we’ve taken with them were enjoyable enough but I’m more of an HAL/Cunard/Princess vibe kinda guy. However, itinerary is paramount for me (and of course price matters to a degree as well) so I’m seriously considering as no other mainstream line offers anything similar. 
 

Have any of you fellow HAL-lovers sailed with Carnival recently?  If so, was it enjoyable enough for the right itinerary? 

[AncientWanderer]

We are in 60s and did a 7-day Mexico cruise this past summer on a large Carnival ship -- the Panorama.  We booked in what they call the Havana area that has its own private pool area and bar, and we ate in specialty restaurants every night.  We enjoyed ourselves okay with that set-up.  Outside of that, it really was too much a party ship for us.  Would I do it again?  Depends on how desperate for a quick getaway.  We didn't have to fly -- very easy.  

I honestly think it depends on your mom and her sense of humor. 

[Destiny0315]

The Carnival Pride is scheduled for a dry dock from 4/26-5/27, not sure what is scheduled but it is a long one. It's last one was for two weeks back in February of 2019 when they put in some new carpeting and tiling in the lounges and public areas. They also relocated and renovated the arcade which replaced the chapel and library and The Cove replaced the original area of the arcade. The Pride has always been a good ship for CCL. I sailed it couple of times out of Baltimore around 10 years ago and do agree that it's décor was over the top. I was on the CCL Legend out of Baltimore last May and yes there was still loudness and crowding around the main pool area and long lines in the lido but the Serenity pool area was much quieter and the MDR was good with anytime dining. The Red Frog Pub filled every night for an excellent rock/pop band that played all types of music from the 60's-00's. Btw, the Pride was so popular over the years in Baltimore that CCL is bringing it back up to there in 2024. Here is a link to a recent 4k walkthrough of the ship.   https://youtu.be/Bi3tAQdWu4E

[AncientWanderer]

I want to add one thing that comes to mind...and might illustrate the difference between a Hal cruise and a Carnival cruise.  I ordered a Manhattan cocktail in the special steakhouse and literally nobody in there knew what it was.  The waitress had feverish discussion with the bartenders and it was like chickens with heads cut off.  I finally ordered something else.  DH and I cracked up, but some might get cranky about that.  (I think they get a lot more calls for tropical drinks.)

[Destiny0315]

You would think that CCL would leave a multi-language copy of the Bartenders Bible around so they would at least have a clue.🙂 

[goldsmip115]

You could not pay me to ever get on a free Carnival cruise.  

[Banditswife]

We sail Carnival frequently, but avoid the shorter or Spring break cruises.  We like the size & layout of the "Spirit" class-Pride.  

[Destiny0315]

6 minutes ago, goldsmip115 said:

You could not pay me to ever get on a free Carnival cruise.  

Well I took that Legend cruise last May only because I was offered a "free" balcony on a casino deal. The casino was so crowded I just collected the $50 they offered for the casino as part of the deal and spent it elsewhere.

Edited February 18, 2023 by Destiny0315

[Hlitner]

4 hours ago, goldsmip115 said:

You could not pay me to ever get on a free Carnival cruise.  

Have you ever been on Carnival?  Which ship(s) and when?  Do not get me wrong, we are not Carnival fans, especially being in our 70s.  But when we cruise on lines like HAL and chat with other cruisers, it is common to hear "Carnival bashers."  When this happens, I always ask about their previous experience with Carnival and the response is usually "we would never go on Carnival."  

 

So, DW and I have only been on 3 Carnival cruises (out of far more than 100 cruises) and all 3 were quite good (and fun).  It is not one of our normal cruise lines, but those 3 bookings made good sense and we had no regrets.  In fact, there were quite a few things on Carnival that we thought were far superior to what we have experienced on HAL (we are 5* Mariners).

 

I am not suggesting that most HAL fans would enjoy Carnival.  But for many folks, the right CarnIf ival cruise might be enjoyable.  If you have experienced Carnival (in recent years) and dislike it, that is one thing.  But if you have never been on Carnival and just assume it is awful, you might be surprised.

 

Hank

 

 

[PACD_JG]

13 hours ago, goldsmip115 said:

You could not pay me to ever get on a free Carnival cruise.  

 

8 hours ago, Hlitner said:

But when we cruise on lines like HAL and chat with other cruisers, it is common to hear "Carnival bashers."  When this happens, I always ask about their previous experience with Carnival and the response is usually "we would never go on Carnival."  

 

Thanks Hank for pointing this out.  At worst, these statements are racist.  At best, these statements are elitist.  Regardless, comments like that prove HAL cruisers deserve the stereotypes about them.

[Hllb]

8 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Have you ever been on Carnival?  Which ship(s) and when?  Do not get me wrong, we are not Carnival fans, especially being in our 70s.  But when we cruise on lines like HAL and chat with other cruisers, it is common to hear "Carnival bashers."  When this happens, I always ask about their previous experience with Carnival and the response is usually "we would never go on Carnival."  

 

So, DW and I have only been on 3 Carnival cruises (out of far more than 100 cruises) and all 3 were quite good (and fun).  It is not one of our normal cruise lines, but those 3 bookings made good sense and we had no regrets.  In fact, there were quite a few things on Carnival that we thought were far superior to what we have experienced on HAL (we are 5* Mariners).

 

I am not suggesting that most HAL fans would enjoy Carnival.  But for many folks, the right CarnIf ival cruise might be enjoyable.  If you have experienced Carnival (in recent years) and dislike it, that is one thing.  But if you have never been on Carnival and just assume it is awful, you might be surprised.

 

Hank

 

 

We have been on only one cruise and it was on Carnival Breeze over Christmas 4 years ago. We had a great time. Literally zero complaints. After reading on here, I’d expected the food to be terrible - it wasn’t. We ate in the MDR most of the time, with only one specialty meal. The food was really good. Sure, there were things we didn’t like, but that was personal preference. We had one new thing that was amazing - alligator fritters. We started with Carnival for a reason - it can only go up from there! 
 

since we had just discovered cruising when the pandemic hit (and my daughter and I had a canceled Mediterranean cruise in 2020), I was very worried about the industry surviving long term. The cuts I’ve heard about are fairly understandable given everything that’s happened. I hope some things come back with time but others are likely gone for good.

 

we are currently booked on HAL Eurodam for Alaska this summer.

Edited February 18, 2023 by Hllb

[Hlitner]

Just now, PACD_JG said:

 

 

Thanks Hank for pointing this out.  At worst, these statements are racist.  At best, these statements are elitist.  Regardless, comments like that prove HAL cruisers deserve the stereotypes about them.

Please do not overreact to my post or make it something it is not!  This has nothing to do with racism and not a lot to do with HAL.  One will find Carnival bashers on just about any cruise line (including Carnival) and it is often folks, who have never been on a Carnival ship, just repeating what they have heard (probably from others who have never been on Carnival) that all their cruises are non-stop loud party ships!  The truth is that while this can happen (on almost any line during a short cruise) it is an unfair stereotype.  

 

Your "Elitism" use is another of those hot button words that is an oversimplification.   There are certainly plenty of cruise snobs (on any line) but we have found most cruisers (on any line) to be friendly, social, and just nice folks.  There are always some who think "they are better than you" but that is just part of life and exists everywhere.  Do not paint HAL folks (or folks from any line) with too broad of a brush.

 

Hank

[Stateroom_Sailor]

We did Carnival the Carnival Pride in 2017, 14 night partial Panama Canal.  Passenger behavior was terrible, not in the stereotypical booze cruise fashion, but an older crowd that wasn't used to 14 nights.  The longer the cruise went along, the more frustration and hostility emerged, especially when all the exciting ports were behind us.  The final day was full of profanity near the pool, pushing and shoving in the buffet after blatant line cutting in the buffet, and purposeful spreading of a cold by sneezing on each other or contaminating the food.  We saw a woman sneeze in her hands, and rub them all over the jello!

 

Good news is that you'll avoid that on an 8 nighter.  However, we had stabilizer issues, and avoided an engine room fire by 1 cruise.  Our balcony door handle fell off, and was nearly stripped from all the re-drillings.  Some friends we made had mold in their vents.  Perhaps a dry dock will save you there too.

[Bostonjetset]

14 hours ago, Destiny0315 said:

The Carnival Pride is scheduled for a dry dock from 4/26-5/27, not sure what is scheduled but it is a long one. It's last one was for two weeks back in February of 2019 when they put in some new carpeting and tiling in the lounges and public areas. They also relocated and renovated the arcade which replaced the chapel and library and The Cove replaced the original area of the arcade. The Pride has always been a good ship for CCL. I sailed it couple of times out of Baltimore around 10 years ago and do agree that it's décor was over the top. I was on the CCL Legend out of Baltimore last May and yes there was still loudness and crowding around the main pool area and long lines in the lido but the Serenity pool area was much quieter and the MDR was good with anytime dining. The Red Frog Pub filled every night for an excellent rock/pop band that played all types of music from the 60's-00's. Btw, the Pride was so popular over the years in Baltimore that CCL is bringing it back up to there in 2024. Here is a link to a recent 4k walkthrough of the ship.   https://youtu.be/Bi3tAQdWu4E

I sailed the Legend back in 2013 and we enjoyed our cruise on her as well.  Our first cruise ever was in 2008 in Carnival Fascination and as a 25 y/o I thought it was amazing. I’ve also seen some pics of their newest ships and it seems they got the hint and started decorating them in a more tasteful way. 
 

13 hours ago, Banditswife said:

We sail Carnival frequently, but avoid the shorter or Spring break cruises.  We like the size & layout of the "Spirit" class-Pride.  

Yes the Spirt class is a good size. And they can fit in the old PC locks which is a plus as I’ve never sailed the PC before. 
 

8 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Have you ever been on Carnival?  Which ship(s) and when?  Do not get me wrong, we are not Carnival fans, especially being in our 70s.  But when we cruise on lines like HAL and chat with other cruisers, it is common to hear "Carnival bashers."  When this happens, I always ask about their previous experience with Carnival and the response is usually "we would never go on Carnival."  

 

So, DW and I have only been on 3 Carnival cruises (out of far more than 100 cruises) and all 3 were quite good (and fun).  It is not one of our normal cruise lines, but those 3 bookings made good sense and we had no regrets.  In fact, there were quite a few things on Carnival that we thought were far superior to what we have experienced on HAL (we are 5* Mariners).

 

I am not suggesting that most HAL fans would enjoy Carnival.  But for many folks, the right CarnIf ival cruise might be enjoyable.  If you have experienced Carnival (in recent years) and dislike it, that is one thing.  But if you have never been on Carnival and just assume it is awful, you might be surprised.

 

Hank

 

 

Thanks for confirming some of what I expected. I know a lot of the Carnival hate is from perception and not necessarily experience. I’ve had a few great cruises with CCL when I was younger. They just aren’t usually on my radar now as I remember them as loud and having tacky decor; not a deal breaker for a great itinerary but not the first thing I look for either. 

[Bostonjetset]

3 minutes ago, Stateroom_Sailor said:

We did Carnival the Carnival Pride in 2017, 14 night partial Panama Canal.  Passenger behavior was terrible, not in the stereotypical booze cruise fashion, but an older crowd that wasn't used to 14 nights.  The longer the cruise went along, the more frustration and hostility emerged, especially when all the exciting ports were behind us.  The final day was full of profanity near the pool, pushing and shoving in the buffet after blatant line cutting in the buffet, and purposeful spreading of a cold by sneezing on each other or contaminating the food.  We saw a woman sneeze in her hands, and rub them all over the jello!

 

Good news is that you'll avoid that on an 8 nighter.  However, we had stabilizer issues, and avoided an engine room fire by 1 cruise.  Our balcony door handle fell off, and was nearly stripped from all the re-drillings.  Some friends we made had mold in their vents.  Perhaps a dry dock will save you there too.

Well that sounds nightmarish. Sorry you had to experience those issues. 

[vicd1969]

One nice thing about the Carnival Pride - if you have ever been on the Eurodam or Nieuw Amsterdam, its layout is very similar except it doesn’t have a full promenade deck.

[Bostonjetset]

Royal has a 7 night full transit on Rhapsody OTS that also goes to Cartagena. It’s another great itinerary but we would have to fly to Panama as it is Panama City to Colon. Great itinerary but maybe inconvenient and expensive flights (too far out to know that though). 

[Stateroom_Sailor]

16 minutes ago, PACD_JG said:

At worst, these statements are racist.

 

When someone talks poorly of Carnival, do you assume they're picking on a specific race of people?  Why can't bad behavior come from anyone?

[FlaMariner]

Was hoping this topic would come up.....

 

Our first cruise was on the first Carnival ship back in the day....the Mardi Gras....and we enjoyed many a Carnival fun ship for many years (especially when our children were young) until we discovered Holland America Line and then there was no going back......

 

until now.......

 

We just booked a 25 night October 2024 Singapore to LA repositioning cruise (seems as though Carnival is sending the Panorama over and back to Asia for dry dock).  

 

We booked it because......

 

• awesome itinerary (Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Guam, Hawaii, etc)
• price was outstanding ($87 a night pp for a balcony)
• because of the itinerary and the length, I do not believe we will be traveling with the usual Carnival party crowd (however you choose to define that).

 

So far.........We think we are good.....We shall see....We cheated on Holland America Line only once w/Princess and that was a disaster......But we always remain open to new adventures w/an open mind.  

 

Join us?  So far, the roll call reads like a typical HAL crowd.......but we shall see.

 

And any intel from Mariners going on long Carnival cruises would be appreciated. 

 

 

[Bostonjetset]

2 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

Was hoping this topic would come up.....

 

Our first cruise was on the first Carnival ship back in the day....the Mardi Gras....and we enjoyed many a Carnival fun ship for many years (especially when our children were young) until we discovered Holland America Line and then there was no going back......

 

until now.......

 

We just booked a 25 night October 2024 Singapore to LA repositioning cruise (seems as though Carnival is sending the Panorama over and back to Asia for dry dock).  

 

We booked it because......

 

• awesome itinerary (Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Guam, Hawaii, etc)
• price was outstanding ($87 a night pp for a balcony)
• because of the itinerary and the length, I do not believe we will be traveling with the usual Carnival party crowd (however you choose to define that).

 

So far.........We think we are good.....We shall see....We cheated on Holland America Line only once w/Princess and that was a disaster......But we always remain open to new adventures w/an open mind.  

 

Join us?  So far, the roll call reads like a typical HAL crowd.......but we shall see.

 

And any intel from Mariners going on long Carnival cruises would be appreciated. 

 

 

Wow that sounds like an amazing itinerary!!  Enjoy. If only I was retired lol. The Panorama is a newer ship too so it should have a nicer decor than that old ones. 
 

Unique itineraries are a great reason to pick a line one wouldn’t usually pick. 

[Banditswife]

We have done a couple of longer Carnival cruises- Hawaii, Panama Canal.  Hawaii was pre covid & had a much more laid back, more mature crowd.  The Panama Canal was post Covid- it was on the Spirit, which is older & needed some updates, crew members were new & inexperienced, plus we had a major covid outbreak- so I wouldn't classify that cruise as a normal Carnival cruise.  We've done several 7 day cruises on Carnival & find most shipmates are easy going & open to socialize.  Food & entertainment is comparable to HAL- my opinion.  It seems like staterooms are a bit larger than HAL.  Spirit class  seems to have a better crew to passenger ratio & open deck spaces seem better.

[P&PNH]

We sailed the Pride last Nov. out of Tampa.  We have split our crises between Carnival an HAL over the years, it all depends on the  itineraries.  We had a good time and the ship and crew were fine.  The passengers seemed to be an older crowd that short cruises out of Miami.  The cruise will be what you make of it.  If it fits your time slot, go for it.

 

[Banditswife]

Carnival does have the reputation of being the party, loud & rowdy cruise line.  We don't agree with that image of CCL.  Will there be a few partiers-sure, but I have seen them on HAL too, we just avoid those people.

[AncientWanderer]

We didn't observe any bad behavior on our one-week Mexico Carnival cruise.  Granted, we stayed away from party areas at night, but we had Lido lunch every day and the other guests were very polite -- "You go ahead"; "No, no. After you."

[Roz]

The last cruise I took pre Covid was a Panama canal full transit on the Carnival Miracle.  It was a wonderful,  fun,  lively cruise.  The best Alaskan cruise I took was an 8-day on the Carnival spirit.  Also did a great 12-day Hawaiian cruise on the spirit. 

 

When I wear my Carnival tshirts on HAL I get all kinds of flack.  If you sail Carnival you have to be selective.