Should we give Carnival another try?

[dianeh]

We and another couple sailed a couple of years ago from lax to Mexico. We had balcony cabins. We usually cruise with Hal and have also sailed with Norweigan. We found our 7 day adventure horrible. Almost every meal in the dining room was cold, over or undercooked. We were told they would make it right. Never did. Our last night we ate at the buffet. The ship ran out of clamato juice, worstershire and avocados. There's more to add but you get the gist of it. We are flying to Sydney next December 2024 to see family. I have found a cruise for New Zealand on the Splendor. This is the only cruise in the time we wish to visit. I swore I'd never set foot on another Carnival ship but maybe I should give them another try? 

[kdr69]

well cant hurt....curious which port you sailed from earlier and which ship?  Obviously it wasnt LAX (the Airport).....I have sailed on the Panorama out of Long Beach a few times and always had a great cruise to Mexico.

[dianeh]

Yes Long Beach. 

[kdr69]

The Splendor is a little older and doesnt have as many food options as the newer ships as well.

[sgttami]

26 minutes ago, kdr69 said:

The Splendor is a little older and doesnt have as many food options as the newer ships as well.

My first 5 Carnival cruises were on Splendor (from NY) and I'd sail her again in a minute.

 

I don't need a dozen different places to eat and I'm happy with the older ships.

 

No complaints at all!

 

 

[Hoosierpop]

Based on what you said, nope. I have never been on a Carnival cruise I would remotely call horrible. You said you had 7 days of horrible. So no, I wouldn’t go if I had a cruise that bad.

[CruizinSusan70]

52 minutes ago, kdr69 said:

The Splendor is a little older and doesnt have as many food options as the newer ships as well.

Carnival currently has 11 ships in their fleet that are newer than her.  Thank goodness there are people that enjoy sailing on the rust buckets.  I would only consider sailing on one of them if it was offered for free and I could drive to NYC or Baltimore for embarkation.

[CruizinSusan70]

14 minutes ago, Hoosierpop said:

Based on what you said, nope. I have never been on a Carnival cruise I would remotely call horrible. You said you had 7 days of horrible. So no, I wouldn’t go if I had a cruise that bad.

There are varying degrees of good vs bad from ship to ship with every cruise line.  Many people write off an entire line because of one bad sailing or because of second hand information that they have heard

[CruizinSusan70]

1 hour ago, dianeh said:

Yes Long Beach. 

The Carnival Luminosa is also down under at that same time and could possibly be a better bet than the Splendor.

[luv2kroooz]

For the right price, I would give them another try. Carnival is widely know to be a budget cruise line. They are not HAL nor do they pretend to be HAL. We have found that they compare well with NCL. You can go to the NCL boards, like I have, to read reviews about cold food, tough meat, and supply chain issues. If it is the only cruise that fits your schedule and you want to take a cruise, give it a go. Go in with eyes wide open as the onboard experience post Corona is probably  different than what many are used to pre Corona.

[Hoosierpop]

14 minutes ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

There are varying degrees of good vs bad from ship to ship with every cruise line.  Many people write off an entire line because of one bad sailing or because of second hand information that they have heard

Sure. But I’ve never had a day that I would call horrible, let alone an entire cruise. If the complaint was that their AC didn’t work in their room, I’d say that might be a one off. Sure, they can try again. And they might have fun. But if I had a horrible 7 day cruise, I wouldn’t go back unless it was close to free.

[dianeh]

The string trio called Stringsx3 was fantastic. I happened to speak to the restaurant manager and he know nothing of the shortages. Not sure how you run out of items when you are in Port everyday? 

[Wennfred]

No, Save your money and sail on another cruise line, give the Celebrity Apex class a try, you will really see a difference in everything from Quality of service and especially food.

 

I am giving the Mardi Gras and Celebration a try this November because it’s their newest biggest ships but after November I have one more and it’s because Firenze is a different Italian concept but after that I’m done with Carnival.
 

I will sails with Holland, Princess, Royal and Celebrity. I have not done MSC or NCL yet and with the BS that NCL is pulling with taking that lady’s 4600.00 money over a 109.00 bus transfer mis-take I won’t waste my time with them also.

 

 

 

[BlerkOne]

11 minutes ago, dianeh said:

The string trio called Stringsx3 was fantastic. I happened to speak to the restaurant manager and he know nothing of the shortages. Not sure how you run out of items when you are in Port everyday? 

After Covid struck, ships aren't always allowed to resupply in any port. Last month I was on a Celebrity cruise and they had to estimate how much they needed for the 14 day cruise and load it all before the ship left. Yes, they ran out of some things.

[BlerkOne]

2 minutes ago, Wennfred said:

No, Save your money and sail on another cruise line, give the Celebrity Apex class a try, you will really see a difference in everything from Quality of service and especially food.

 

 

That wasn't a choice. The choice is cruise or don't cruise.

[Wennfred]

The choice whether to cruise on Carnival or not, then Don’t Cruise.  That’s my answer.

 

To the OP, nothing has changed for the better with Carnival, it’s actually worse today.

 

Enjoy your trip in New Zealand, it’s a beautiful country.

 

 

Edited March 27, 2023 by Wennfred

[dianeh]

We have to keep to a budget. And a specific time frame. Air from YVR in Premier Economy is pricy but can't travel in Economy. I realize Carnival is a fiierent class of ship from HAL. But I couldn't wrap my head around the huge difference in service. I appreciate everyone's input and keeping the posting non judgemental. Thank you. 

[BlerkOne]

2 minutes ago, dianeh said:

We have to keep to a budget. And a specific time frame. Air from YVR in Premier Economy is pricy but can't travel in Economy. I realize Carnival is a fiierent class of ship from HAL. But I couldn't wrap my head around the huge difference in service. I appreciate everyone's input and keeping the posting non judgemental. Thank you. 

As long as you don't have a poor attitude before the cruise, go ahead and cruise. It will be great. If you think you will have a bad time, it will be a self-fulfilling prophesy.

[zanydoc]

I mostly cruise Royal and recently tried out Carnival and was pleasantly surprised…and it was on an older ship. If you get a good price, just lower your expectations a bit and don’t expect HAL service and I think you could enjoy yourself. 

[Denversail]

I always thought Carnival was very similar to Royal. I won’t sail on Carnival because of the drink limit. If Carnival suits your needs and you love the itinerary you should go for it. Considering it is referred to as a “budget cruise line”, I wouldn’t expect gourmet food. From what I’ve read you’ll always find something decent to eat. Just don’t expect 5 star. Happy cruising!

[USU_Aggie]

No clamato juice or avocados? I'd never cruise again. 

[dianeh]

I do realize you a making fun. This was pre covid. I just couldn't understand why? 

[mz-s]

I don't think anything about Carnival today is better than it was 5 years ago, that's for sure. So if it didn't meet your needs then you're only setting yourself up for another disappointment in my opinion.

[Nachosdelux]

If I had that poor of a time (especially the bad food) I would not risk a repeat.  Save your money and find a better product.  Carnival is getting worse, not better.

[latebloomer56]

Well sorry if the cruise was so bad, just lucky I guess never had a totally crappy cruise. Yes not everything has been perfect, but have never gone hungry on any cruise. If NZ ties in with your family visit go for it vacation is about making memories, only you can choose those memories.

 

Sorry to hear some feel Carnival is sinking we just booked the Venezia for Aug./Sept. first Carnival cruise in many years. No reason other than they weren't going where I wanted when I wanted so have stuck with Princess and for our home port area NCL (which is actually sinking fast).