Carnival for Europe--will we regret it?

[elaine5]

We prefer Celebrity, Disney, Princess for the Caribbean, and sometimes RCCL (Europe). Carnival has a European itinerary we are interested in. Haven't  been on Carnival in 15+ years-we sailed on a brand new ship in Europe (great experience-similar to Celeb/Princess). This would be older ship. We are in our early 60s, active, enjoy wine/food, things like "fake" Beatles/rock stars concerts onboard, but not crazy, loud entertainment, belly flop contests, etc. We sailed on the oldest RCCL ship in Europe in an OV cabin this summer and it was fine, though we did eat in the buffet for dinner a few nights based upon MDR offerings. We are fine to lower our expectations for Europe, where the ports are the main focus and we're off the ship most days. We'd not have been as happy (on that older RCCL ship) if that was a Carib. trip with lots of sea days. For those who prefer Celebrity and have done Carnival in Europe, how did it compare? 

Edited February 26, 2023 by elaine5

[Cruising89143]

For us when looking at Europe we look at the itinerary first and the ship as the secondary to get us from one place to the other. Usually the itineraries are very port intensive so I would look at it that way. We haven’t cruised on Carnival in over 18 years but we may one day stick our toes back on a Carnival ship. Carnival has a big presence out here on the west coast. 

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, elaine5 said:

For those who prefer Celebrity and have done Carnival in Europe, how did it compare? 

I sailed on Carnival Pride in the Med last year. I went in with low expectations but was very pleasantly surprised. The itinerary was great and it was casino comped so there was very little investment in giving it a try.

 

The food was good and in many cases better than X and we ate in the MDR every night. We learned quickly to bring a glass of wine into the dining room as drink service was slow. Checking in for dinner with the app was super convenient. We ate lunch in the sushi place a couple days and it was very good. Guy's burgers and the breakfast burritos at the Blue Iguana cantina were also highlights.

 

The passengers on this cruise were IMO no different than what I would expect on Celebrity in Europe. That is to say, no one annoyed me. It was mid-May, so few if any children. I don't recall being bothered by cigarette smoke in the casino, so that was another unfounded concern. The music at the main pool tended to be loud, but there were 2 other quieter pools, so it was avoidable. To be sure, the décor around the ship was gaudy for my tastes, but some of it was really beautiful.

 

The piano singer was pretty bad, the comedians were quite good and I like that the ship has a dedicated lounge for comedy acts. We don't go to the big production shows on cruise ships so I can't comment on that.

 

All in all, we had a great time and wouldn't hesitate to do it again. I hope this helps you.

[cyntil8ing]

I agree with the above post 100%. We have about a dozen each on Carnival and Celebrity. We most sail Carnival with the kids and X when it’s just hubby and I. We did our first Europe cruise last summer on the Pride. It was wonderful and very sedate for a Carnival cruise, but still lots of fun. Food and service were very good. We have booked Canada Greenland for 2025.

 

Here’s a link to my review. 

 

[Arizona Wildcat]

Really simple.  The European itineraries on all the cruislines are not party central like the short Mexican Riviera 4 day booze cruises.

Enjoy the itinerary 

[elaine5]

thanks. it's the carnival pride--so good to know that's a decent option for us. exactly the info I wanted.

[kwokpot]

2 hours ago, RichYak said:

I sailed on Carnival Pride in the Med last year. I went in with low expectations but was very pleasantly surprised. The itinerary was great and it was casino comped so there was very little investment in giving it a try.

 

The food was good and in many cases better than X and we ate in the MDR every night. We learned quickly to bring a glass of wine into the dining room as drink service was slow. Checking in for dinner with the app was super convenient. We ate lunch in the sushi place a couple days and it was very good. Guy's burgers and the breakfast burritos at the Blue Iguana cantina were also highlights.

 

The passengers on this cruise were IMO no different than what I would expect on Celebrity in Europe. That is to say, no one annoyed me. It was mid-May, so few if any children. I don't recall being bothered by cigarette smoke in the casino, so that was another unfounded concern. The music at the main pool tended to be loud, but there were 2 other quieter pools, so it was avoidable. To be sure, the décor around the ship was gaudy for my tastes, but some of it was really beautiful.

 

The piano singer was pretty bad, the comedians were quite good and I like that the ship has a dedicated lounge for comedy acts. We don't go to the big production shows on cruise ships so I can't comment on that.

 

All in all, we had a great time and wouldn't hesitate to do it again. I hope this helps you.

I was on the Pride from May 19-June19, 32 days last year and have a different opinion of the food. Besides Guys Burgers, the Deli and Pizza I felt the food was subpar and many times inedible. I just got off the Solstice yesterday and if comparing overall food between the Solstice and Carnival Pride with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best the Solstice was an 8 and Carnival Pride a 4. I ordered stuffed mushrooms and what was served multiple times in the four weeks was diced mushrooms with the serving portion size of two teaspoon full of diced mushrooms. My husband ordered the lasagna multiple times and every time what was served looked like a brick of meatloaf with a layer of dried cheese covering it. Cutting into it all you saw was dried out ground beef, no tomato sauce, no layers of lasagna pasta. Multiple times I ordered both the Egg White frittata and regular frittata (neither is being served any more) for breakfast and brunch and every single time they came out all dried and hard, not fluffy and soft. The Asian food in the buffet was nothing like what was served on the Solstice. The ship itself is dark and depressing. If you go ahead on the Pride just temper your food expectations drastically.  

Edited February 26, 2023 by kwokpot

[mom says]

19 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

I was on the Pride from May 19-June19, 32 days last year and have a different opinion of the food. Besides Guys Burgers, the Deli and Pizza I felt the food was subpar and many times inedible. I just got off the Solstice yesterday and if comparing overall food between the Solstice and Carnival Pride with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best the Solstice was an 8 and Carnival Pride a 4. I ordered stuffed mushrooms and what was served multiple times in the four weeks was diced mushrooms with the serving portion size of two teaspoon full of diced mushrooms. My husband ordered the lasagna multiple times and every time what was served looked like a brick of meatloaf with a layer of dried cheese covering it. Cutting into it all you saw was dried out ground beef, no tomato sauce, no layers of lasagna pasta. Multiple times I ordered both the Egg White frittata and regular frittata (neither is being served any more) for breakfast and brunch and every single time they came out all dried and hard, not fluffy and soft. The Asian food in the buffet was nothing like what was served on the Solstice. The ship itself is dark and depressing. If you go ahead on the Pride just temper your food expectations drastically.  

You know what they say about doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Why? Is it like hitting yourself repeatedly with a hammer because it feels so good when you stop?

[kwokpot]

Some other points.The Pride is going for a long drydock right after the TA over to Europe,so hopefully many of the major items needing attending to will be addressed. The ship is the same class as Royal's Radiance Class and Celebrity's Millennium class. Both Celebrity and Royal maintains it's older ships better than Carnival does. Comparing the Pride to the Summit, for example, would be comparing Walmart to Bloomingdales or Nordstroms.  The ships are similar in age and size but Worlds apart in looks and condition. Royal and Celebrity's buffet offer much more choices than Carnival. The only specialty restaurant on the Pride is the Steakhouse. We had dinner there three different times and they were by far the best meals on board the ship, although the food quality did vary a bit between the three meals. The Alchemy Bar is the nicest bar there since it was an updated area.  Photo attached is one of our dinner's in the Steakhouse on the Priode. 

Edited February 26, 2023 by kwokpot

[Illbcruzn4life]

8 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Some other points.The Pride is going for a long drydock right after the TA over to Europe,so hopefully many of the major items needing attending to will be addressed. The ship is the same class as Royal's Radiance Class and Celebrity's Millennium class. Both Celebrity and Royal maintains it's older ships better than Carnival does. Comparing the Pride to the Summit, for example, would be comparing Walmart to Bloomingdales or Nordstroms.  The ships are similar in age and size but Worlds apart in looks and condition. Royal and Celebrity's buffet offer much more choices than Carnival. The only specialty restaurant on the Pride is the Steakhouse. We had dinner there three different times and they were by far the best meals on board the ship, although the food quality did vary a bit between the three meals. The Alchemy Bar is the nicest bar there since it was an updated area.  Photo attached is one of our dinner's in the Steakhouse on the Priode. 

Have you been on X since the pared the dinner buffet down ?

[Eli_6]

I would not book a Europe cruise on Carnival if you are used to Celebrity.  IMO, they send their older boats and "C" crew to Europe since most are going for the itinerary. I didn't feel like the ship or crew held up to the normal Carnival standards.  

 

I was on Pride last summer and the ONLY reason I am going back is because we had already booked and had a huge FCC of several thousand dollars that we had to use or loose. 

 

I really enjoy my U.S. Carnival cruises.  Never been on a bad one.  That was not my experience on my Carnival European cruise. 

Edited February 26, 2023 by Eli_6

[Astromaid]

I also was on the Pride last June from Dover to Norway and have cruised Carnival several times. I was disappointed in the food on the Pride. In the Main dining room the service was inconsistent and food was mediocre. And I usually like the buffet at lunch and I was unhappy that most of the time two of the stations were always closed so there were less options to choose from. My guess is that they were battling with being shorthanded and I hope with time that is smoothed out. It didn't cause me to eliminate Carnival, I am going on the Celebration in a month and that should be a whole different experience. Would I go to Europe with one of Carnival's older ships? It would take a lot thought.

[jean87510]

4 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

Have you been on X since the pared the dinner buffet down ?

Buffet is not that bad at dinner. I'm on the Equinox now.  

[ashkir]

I'm waiting for Europe 2024 to drop. I really want to do Belfast and Dublin. Leaning towards Princess, but Carnival's not available yet.

 

Doing Rome to Greece, Turkey, Portugal, Spain, and Azores in october for 25 days on Carnival. 

 

I prefer Carnival to the other cruise lines. 1) Better pricing 2) I know what to expect 3) A little bit of everything for everyone. I'm still rather young, so some other cruiselines are really boring for me. 

[Illbcruzn4life]

1 hour ago, jean87510 said:

Buffet is not that bad at dinner. I'm on the Equinox now.  

are most of the stations open now. They had closed all but a few.

[BlerkOne]

Carnival Pride may not offer specialty restaurants dedicated for suite guests, but Guy's burgers beat any burger I've eaten on Celebrity.

 

Fresh off of a Celebrity cruise, I continue to be disappointed in the lack of venues open when I'm hungry.

 

Celebrity does offer tablecloths in the MDR and the every night available choices in a Celebrity MDR are better, IMO. Specifically escargot and French Onion soup. The steak is better than what Carnival offers, although I have found the quality of the steak in the MDR has steadily declined.

 

Celebrity adding a charge for room service outside of continental breakfast narrows the gap.

 

I rarely do buffets, but was forced to a few times on Infinity. While there are a number of stations crammed into the buffet area, many offered nothing I was interested in. I also couldn't find chocolate deserts like chocolate cake. Celebrity does have something I would describe as chocolate mousse with a little cake.

 

If Carnival offers an itinerary you like at an acceptable price, there really is no need to look farther.

[maluhia87]

We did Pride in September.  While the food had issues the first few days (slow service, cold entrees), things worked out for the better once the dining room wasn't as frequented with guests.  A nice feature was bringing back wine at every port.  We ate breakfast in the dining room a couple of times but realized that the bacon was causing problems for all of us.  Chopsticks was always a perk during lunch when we happened to get back in time.  Our itinerary was more Greek Islands, so some of the above problems were resolved.  

 

Other than one unfortunate incident with a person being transported off the ship via ambulance, the crowd wasn't an issue.  We also didn't witness other than seeing the ambulance from our balcony since our sailing was very port-intensive.

[paulco]

Did Carnival Spirit last year, twas awesmte—-a sister. ship

[Jmoondance]

1 hour ago, BlerkOne said:

Carnival Pride may not offer specialty restaurants dedicated for suite guests, but Guy's burgers beat any burger I've eaten on Celebrity.

 

Fresh off of a Celebrity cruise, I continue to be disappointed in the lack of venues open when I'm hungry.

 

Celebrity does offer tablecloths in the MDR and the every night available choices in a Celebrity MDR are better, IMO. Specifically escargot and French Onion soup. The steak is better than what Carnival offers, although I have found the quality of the steak in the MDR has steadily declined.

 

Celebrity adding a charge for room service outside of continental breakfast narrows the gap.

 

I rarely do buffets, but was forced to a few times on Infinity. While there are a number of stations crammed into the buffet area, many offered nothing I was interested in. I also couldn't find chocolate deserts like chocolate cake. Celebrity does have something I would describe as chocolate mousse with a little cake.

 

If Carnival offers an itinerary you like at an acceptable price, there really is no need to look farther.

Bingo!

All the cruise line is same as profits driven. 

Enjoy what's given to you, if it's not move on.

[MedCruise_2022]

We did the Mediterranean Cruise on Pride last October, from Rome to Lisbon, and it was great! We had 4 days pre-cruise in Rome, and 2 days post cruise in Lisbon, which added much significance and fun to our vacation experience/cruise.

We took the Carnival "bundle" of cruise, airfare (Fly2Fun), and travel protection/insurance---and everything worked fine.

It was port-intensive, only 2 sea days (out of 9)--and we took our shore excursions on every port from Carnival. They were all pretty organized (Amalfi/Pompeii, Messina-Taormina, Malta, Malaga-Alhambra, Gibraltar, and Portimao-Algarve); some shore excursions were day-long, but they were all to my liking- as I took great pains in choosing them.  I loved Granada-Alhambra, Taormina, and Malta the most though.

We have been on several Carnival cruises and greatly appreciate the friendliness and care by the Carnival crew. They are always attentive and ready to provide assistance.

We are booked on our Western Caribbean Cruise from Galveston this April. Like some of you, we are waiting for the Carnival 2024 Europe sailings-hoping to book a B2B to Norway and Northern Europe.

Hoping for calm winds and smooth seas for all of us!

[icft]

@kwokpot I looked at your profile pic and your pic in post #9 above. Favorite shirt? 😁

 

I like it though.

Edited February 27, 2023 by icft

[Jmoondance]

5 hours ago, icft said:

@kwokpot I looked at your profile pic and your pic in post #9 above. Favorite shirt? 😁

 

I like it though.

What is this all about?😳

 

[icft]

24 minutes ago, Jmoondance said:

What is this all about?😳

 

I just found it unusual for one to be wearing the same shirt in a profile pic as in a random pic from a cruise. Kind of a "what are the chances?" thing.

 

I bet the profile pic was from about the same time at the posted pic but I still find it mildly amusing. Then again I have been told my sense of humor can be strange and your reaction leads me to believe I will be the only one to get a chuckle out of the rare actually occuring.

[Jmoondance]

10 hours ago, icft said:

I just found it unusual for one to be wearing the same shirt in a profile pic as in a random pic from a cruise. Kind of a "what are the chances?" thing.

 

I bet the profile pic was from about the same time at the posted pic but I still find it mildly amusing. Then again I have been told my sense of humor can be strange and your reaction leads me to believe I will be the only one to get a chuckle out of the rare actually occuring.

You were right it was amusing!😄

[Eli_6]

16 hours ago, ashkir said:

I'm waiting for Europe 2024 to drop. I really want to do Belfast and Dublin. Leaning towards Princess, but Carnival's not available yet.

 

Doing Rome to Greece, Turkey, Portugal, Spain, and Azores in october for 25 days on Carnival. 

 

I prefer Carnival to the other cruise lines. 1) Better pricing 2) I know what to expect 3) A little bit of everything for everyone. I'm still rather young, so some other cruiselines are really boring for me. 

Be aware that the British Isles cruise for Carnival has numerous tender ports.  If you are not in a Suite or Diamond/Platinum, I would stick with Carnival excursions for the tender ports as otherwise it might take you a long time to get off the boat.  There are not tender companies in most ports so they use a couple of the life boats that only have a capacity of about 40 to unload all of the passengers and it can take hours.