Will we be disappointed in Carnival after cruising with Celebrity?

[NCteacherlovescruising]

We haven’t sailed with Carnival for about 5 years now. We’ve found we liked NCL, Royal and Celebrity better. We are thinking about booking a last minute cruise for next month and for price and itinerary we like Carnival. I’ve heard they have stepped up their game. We’re looking at the Horizon. Is that a nice ship?  

[Harley167]

WE will let you know!Cruising Sunday on the Glory out of New Orleans. Havent been on Carnival in about 10 years. We have been on Norwegian and Celebrity !

[staceyglow]

If you consider price and itinerary vs. Celebrity, and go in with a positive mindset, you should be fine,

 

If you get onboard expecting Celebrity service and amenities at Carnival prices, you will probably be disappointed.

[evandbob]

Horizon is a nice Carnival ship, sometimes seems more crowded than say Celebrity Equinox class.  As long as you remember you are sailing a bargain line at sale pricing, you should be okay. 

 

Post pandemic, I wouldn't expect Carnival to have "upped their game", so it might help to put that illusion aside as well.

 

Since I spend time in the casino, going from Celebrity's totally smoke free casinos to Carnival's smoky gambling area is annoying.

Edited May 13, 2023 by evandbob

[NCteacherlovescruising]

31 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

If you consider price and itinerary vs. Celebrity, and go in with a positive mindset, you should be fine,

 

If you get onboard expecting Celebrity service and amenities at Carnival prices, you will probably be disappointed.

 

The Carnival itinerary wins because it has three ports we've never been to!  I wouldn't expect Celebrity service. We would be booking a Havana cabin and would like to try that area to see if it's really less crowded than main pool decks on most ships.  

 

20 minutes ago, evandbob said:

Horizon is a nice Carnival ship, sometimes seems more crowded than say Celebrity Equinox class.  As long as you remember you are sailing a bargain line at sale pricing, you should be okay. 

 

Post pandemic, I wouldn't expect Carnival to have "upped their game", so it might help to put that illusion aside as well.

 

Since I spend time in the casino, going from Celebrity's totally smoke free casinos to Carnival's smoky gambling area is annoying.

 

We don't gamble, so that would only be an issue walking through.  We would be booking a Havana cabin and I've heard that area isn't normally crowded.  That's one of the reasons it is appealing.

 

47 minutes ago, Harley167 said:

WE will let you know!Cruising Sunday on the Glory out of New Orleans. Havent been on Carnival in about 10 years. We have been on Norwegian and Celebrity !

Enjoy!!

[stobe1]

26 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

 

The Carnival itinerary wins because it has three ports we've never been to!  I wouldn't expect Celebrity service. We would be booking a Havana cabin and would like to try that area to see if it's really less crowded than main pool decks on most ships.  

 

If you can book a Havana cabin, do it. It is definitely THE way to go and you ger your own pool, hot tubs and bar and it is NEVER crowded since it is very exclusive to Havana cabins only.

[Illbcruzn4life]

47 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

 

The Carnival itinerary wins because it has three ports we've never been to!  I wouldn't expect Celebrity service. We would be booking a Havana cabin and would like to try that area to see if it's really less crowded than main pool decks on most ships.  

 

 

We don't gamble, so that would only be an issue walking through.  We would be booking a Havana cabin and I've heard that area isn't normally crowded.  That's one of the reasons it is appealing.

 

Enjoy!!

Being in a Havana cabin is the best. You have your own section of the ship, with pool, hot tubs, and bar.

 

you'll love it.

[SRQbeachgirl]

We took our first Celebrity cruise in January. A couple of days into it I turned to Mr. SRQ and said "so this is what it's like to cruise with adults!" 😆 It was certainly more upscale and sedate than Carnival and there weren't large groups of family reunions and kids (only 8 children on our ship), which we absolutely loved. The service was also much better than what we typically experience on Carnival. But I must say I missed all the daytime food options and the comedy shows. Our last Carnival cruise was last year on the Mardi Gras and we'll be cruising on her again in two weeks, so obviously we haven't abandoned Carnival completely for Celebrity. They are really two different experiences and there's enough room in our vacation plans for both of them.

[EngIceDave]

Depends on you and a go with the flow attitude.

 

[Honolulu Blue]

10 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

We haven’t sailed with Carnival for about 5 years now. We’ve found we liked NCL, Royal and Celebrity better. We are thinking about booking a last minute cruise for next month and for price and itinerary we like Carnival. I’ve heard they have stepped up their game. We’re looking at the Horizon. Is that a nice ship?  

I'm in a similar position to you, not having sailed with Carnival for 3+ years, but having sailed on other cruise lines since then.  Here's what I think:

1. If you liked NCL, Royal, and Celebrity better than Carnival now, I doubt this cruise will change your mind.  The only thing that seems to have changed for the better (for some) are the new ships and their new locations.  Mostly it sounds like Carnival is the same ol', same ol', now that they've gotten back on track after the pandemic restrictions and some crew shortages.
2. That said, the Ho is my favorite of the Carnival ships.  It's nice - spacious without too many choke points.  It's the last of Carnival's "old" ships.

 

Just keep in mind that Carnival is different than the other cruise lines and try to celebrate those differences if you can.  Enjoy your future cruises, whomever they're with.

[havanadaydreaming]

Price and itinerary are pretty big differentiators for me.  

 

Cabins are pretty much the same on every cruise line in our experience. 

 

Ccl doesnt always win the food or entertainment game in the industry but they do win the Fun Squad with many things to do.  

 

I remember i used to love going to applebees or tgi fridays....im sure i could relive those youngster salad years if i had to and be just fine. 

[mz-s]

13 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

We are thinking about booking a last minute cruise for next month and for price and itinerary we like Carnival. I’ve heard they have stepped up their game.

 

You should stop taking advice from whoever told you Carnival has stepped up their game, that's for sure.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

11 hours ago, stobe1 said:

 

If you can book a Havana cabin, do it. It is definitely THE way to go and you ger your own pool, hot tubs and bar and it is NEVER crowded since it is very exclusive to Havana cabins only.

This was what I was thinking. 

10 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

Being in a Havana cabin is the best. You have your own section of the ship, with pool, hot tubs, and bar.

 

you'll love it.

I keep hearing this! 
 

10 hours ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

We took our first Celebrity cruise in January. A couple of days into it I turned to Mr. SRQ and said "so this is what it's like to cruise with adults!" 😆 It was certainly more upscale and sedate than Carnival and there weren't large groups of family reunions and kids (only 8 children on our ship), which we absolutely loved. The service was also much better than what we typically experience on Carnival. But I must say I missed all the daytime food options and the comedy shows. Our last Carnival cruise was last year on the Mardi Gras and we'll be cruising on her again in two weeks, so obviously we haven't abandoned Carnival completely for Celebrity. They are really two different experiences and there's enough room in our vacation plans for both of them.

 

We missed the comedy shows as well. They were the best part of sailing Carnival!  Well that, and those delicious chocolate dessert the tempt you with!  
 

2 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

I'm in a similar position to you, not having sailed with Carnival for 3+ years, but having sailed on other cruise lines since then.  Here's what I think:

1. If you liked NCL, Royal, and Celebrity better than Carnival now, I doubt this cruise will change your mind.  The only thing that seems to have changed for the better (for some) are the new ships and their new locations.  Mostly it sounds like Carnival is the same ol', same ol', now that they've gotten back on track after the pandemic restrictions and some crew shortages.
2. That said, the Ho is my favorite of the Carnival ships.  It's nice - spacious without too many choke points.  It's the last of Carnival's "old" ships.

 

Just keep in mind that Carnival is different than the other cruise lines and try to celebrate those differences if you can.  Enjoy your future cruises, whomever they're with.

 

Glad to hear you like the shop we’re looking at. The newest Carnival ship we’ve been on was the Dream. We actually missed their comedy shows and chocolate dessert. 
 

1 hour ago, havanadaydreaming said:

Price and itinerary are pretty big differentiators for me.  

 

 

Agreed and Carnival wins both here. 

1 hour ago, havanadaydreaming said:

 

Ccl doesnt always win the food or entertainment game in the industry but they do win the Fun Squad with many things to do.  

 

I never had an issue with Carnivals food.  I’m not into the fancy stuff, with extra calories, just bring me protein and veggies and let me get back to having fun. 
 

1 hour ago, havanadaydreaming said:

I remember i used to love going to applebees or tgi fridays....im sure i could relive those youngster salad years if i had to and be just fine. 

 

 Not a foodie, so this isn’t a big factor to me. 

13 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

You should stop taking advice from whoever told you Carnival has stepped up their game, that's for sure.

I should have worded that differently. I’ve heard their new ships are nicer with much better decor.

[May1cruiser]

If you are asking this question, you might be. Every cruise line offers the same sunset-sunrise-star gazing and beautiful ocean view. Beyond this, everything is subjective. 

[aml3679]

We are retired and live on Social Security, therefore, carnival is our cruise line of choice. We absolutely love celebrity cruises, and are going on a cruise in November. We would rather sell with Celebrity, but because of our income, Carnival is our choice..

[kwokpot]

2 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

I should have worded that differently. I’ve heard their new ships are nicer with much better decor.

If that's what you were trying to say that 100% agree. The MardiGras and Celebration are completely different from the Vista Class which Horizon is and all other previous ships. 

[tonit964]

I haven't been on a Carnival ship since 2016, no particular reason why, just been sailing Princess lately.  I will be on the Panorama in October and I cannot wait. I really like Carnival and miss it. 

Just go and have a great time!

[kwokpot]

5 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

That said, the Ho is my favorite of the Carnival ships.  It's nice - spacious without too many choke points.  It's the last of Carnival's "old" ships.

You forgot about the Panorama, which is the last Vista Class ship. 

[kwokpot]

4 hours ago, havanadaydreaming said:

Cabins are pretty much the same on every cruise line in our experience. 

That is so not true. That's like saying a Chevy and Lexus are basically the same. 

[Honolulu Blue]

7 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

You forgot about the Panorama, which is the last Vista Class ship. 

You're right, sorry about that.

[kwokpot]

4 hours ago, havanadaydreaming said:

Cabins are pretty much the same on every cruise line in our experience

A standard cabin bathroom on the Carnival Horizon vs Celebrity Edge. Tell me again this is the same thing? 

[cyntil8ing]

30 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

A standard cabin bathroom on the Carnival Horizon vs Celebrity Edge. Tell me again this is the same thing? 

You’re showing bathrooms from ships with a 20 year age difference. Hardly a fair comparison.

 

Carnival linens and bedding are nicer than Celebrity. I sleep much better on Carnival ships.

 

We’ve done over a dozen on each line and have upcoming cruises booked with both. We tend to go Carnival with the family and Celebrity as a couple. Both feel like our home away from home.

[kwokpot]

5 minutes ago, cyntil8ing said:

You’re showing bathrooms from ships with a 20 year age difference. Hardly a fair comparison.

 

Carnival linens and bedding are nicer than Celebrity. I sleep much better on Carnival ships.

 

We’ve done over a dozen on each line and have upcoming cruises booked with both. We tend to go Carnival with the family and Celebrity as a couple. Both feel like our home away from home.

You don't know your Carnival and Celebrity ships. The Horizon and Edge BOTH LAUNCHED IN 2018. The fact that you thought there was a 20 year difference between these 2 ships when they were actually launched the SAME YEAR goes to prove my point that No, ship cabins aren't exactly the same. 

Edited May 13, 2023 by kwokpot

[luv2trvlnow]

4 minutes ago, cyntil8ing said:

You’re showing bathrooms from ships with a 20 year age difference. Hardly a fair comparison.

 

Carnival linens and bedding are nicer than Celebrity. I sleep much better on Carnival ships.

 

We’ve done over a dozen on each line and have upcoming cruises booked with both. We tend to go Carnival with the family and Celebrity as a couple. Both feel like our home away from home.

There is definitely not a 20 year age difference between Carnival Horizon and Celebrity Edge.  Carnival Horizon launched March 10, 2017.  Celebrity Edge launched January 23, 2018.  Didn't launched in the same year, but did launch within10 months of each other.

[kwokpot]

3 minutes ago, luv2trvlnow said:

There is definitely not a 20 year age difference between Carnival Horizon and Celebrity Edge.  Carnival Horizon launched March 10, 2017.  Celebrity Edge launched January 23, 2018.  Didn't launched in the same year, but did launch within10 months of each other.

Maiden voyages for both ships were in 2018. I was on both ships that year.