Jmox84 Posted July 18 #1 Share Posted July 18 My family and I are primarily Princess cruisers. We have 2 children who are 7 and 9. Though Princess lacks the child amenities of other lines, my kids have never complained. The kids program is great and us adults appreciate the atmosphere of Princess. We are planning our next vacation and are considering trying Carnival. *Gasp*. The dates just work better. I'm a little hesitant though. Are they truly "booze cruises" full of rowdy, party going goons? I am tempted to try a ship with a few more child-centered activities, but not if the above is true. This would be a 1 week long cruise to Mexico. We have been on Royal Caribbean once and really enjoyed the experience. There were definitely a few more loud groups of college students, but overall we would happily sail again if the dates lined up. Is Carnival similar? Or a completely different experience altogether? Thanks for the honesty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mammajamma2013 Posted July 18 #2 Share Posted July 18 We have taken one Carnival cruise and it was OK. We took our immediate family which included our two grandchildren who were eight and ten at the time. This was during Thanksgiving week, so lots of kids of all ages. Our grandkids went to the kids' club once and that was it for them. It has more to do with the fact that they are Velcro kids when it comes to being with their dad and nothing to do with the club, so I can't speak to how good it was. We specifically wanted Carnival because of the "amusement park" atmosphere for the grandkids. Nowhere near a booze cruise and it was different from the lines we'd normally take. We've sailed several times on Princess and Norwegian and once on Holland America; I prefer those types of lines. PS: Carnival has a reputation for being "low class", with brawls and crass passengers. We never saw or heard of fighting on our cruise, the only time we've seen a fight was on Princess. Our fellow Carnival passengers were pleasant and nice to be with. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmox84 Posted July 18 Author #3 Share Posted July 18 58 minutes ago, mammajamma2013 said: We have taken one Carnival cruise and it was OK. We took our immediate family which included our two grandchildren who were eight and ten at the time. This was during Thanksgiving week, so lots of kids of all ages. Our grandkids went to the kids' club once and that was it for them. It has more to do with the fact that they are Velcro kids when it comes to being with their dad and nothing to do with the club, so I can't speak to how good it was. We specifically wanted Carnival because of the "amusement park" atmosphere for the grandkids. Nowhere near a booze cruise and it was different from the lines we'd normally take. We've sailed several times on Princess and Norwegian and once on Holland America; I prefer those types of lines. PS: Carnival has a reputation for being "low class", with brawls and crass passengers. We never saw or heard of fighting on our cruise, the only time we've seen a fight was on Princess. Our fellow Carnival passengers were pleasant and nice to be with. Thank you. Yes, that reputation was what I was hoping to avoid. I'm happy to hear that this was not your experience. Thank you for sharing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquahound Posted July 18 #4 Share Posted July 18 My one and only Carnival experience was a 5-night cruise to Mexico on Carnival Liberty, and it was enough to have never booked them again. It certainly was a booze cruise and the ship itself was a huge turn-off because it was so gaudy. I mean, our cabin was pink for goodness' sake. But please, take this with a grain of salt. I would imagine that experience probably doesn't reflect those of longer cruises on newer ships Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmox84 Posted July 18 Author #5 Share Posted July 18 1 minute ago, Aquahound said: My one and only Carnival experience was a 5-night cruise to Mexico on Carnival Liberty, and it was enough to have never booked them again. It certainly was a booze cruise and the ship itself was a huge turn-off because it was so gaudy. I mean, our cabin was pink for goodness' sake. But please, take this with a grain of salt. I would imagine that experience probably doesn't reflect those of longer cruises on newer ships Thank you for the honesty. I suppose it might be a case of 'try it once' and decide from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Rick&Jeannie Posted July 18 #6 Share Posted July 18 The shorter (less than 7 day cruises) do tend to lean toward the shall we say "less classier" clientele. I know that I may get some flack for such a statement but those short cruises are exactly what the younger folks tend to book if they want to party. I'm quite sure that there are *plenty* of peaceful "rule abiding" folks who will also book strictly from the financial aspect. My son & his family sail pretty much exclusively on Carnival while we consider Princess our "go to" line. We occasionally tag along with them...always at least 7 days and we have always had a great time. Have never seen/heard of any type of disturbances like you so commonly seem to see in the news. I may be way off base here...but I think the length of cruise makes a huge difference! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmox84 Posted July 19 Author #7 Share Posted July 19 6 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said: The shorter (less than 7 day cruises) do tend to lean toward the shall we say "less classier" clientele. I know that I may get some flack for such a statement but those short cruises are exactly what the younger folks tend to book if they want to party. I'm quite sure that there are *plenty* of peaceful "rule abiding" folks who will also book strictly from the financial aspect. My son & his family sail pretty much exclusively on Carnival while we consider Princess our "go to" line. We occasionally tag along with them...always at least 7 days and we have always had a great time. Have never seen/heard of any type of disturbances like you so commonly seem to see in the news. I may be way off base here...but I think the length of cruise makes a huge difference! I think you're probably correct with regards to length. Even on Princess, we've found a huge difference in the crowd and 'vibe' based on length (and itinerary/season of course). I think we might risk it this time and see how it goes. Thank you for sharing your experience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare sparks1093 Posted July 19 #8 Share Posted July 19 Absolutely cruise length impacts this- our first cruise was a 2 night cruise to nowhere on NCL and it was like no one could get enough to drink. That being said, heavy drinking by itself isn't a problem and I've seen heavy drinking on every cruise that we've been on. When one cruises also can impact this, as cruising during spring break (especially on a shorter cruise) does tend to be on the rowdy side. Yes, some of Carnival's older ships are very gaudy in terms of decor' and I certainly wouldn't decorate my house the same way, but for a week it is tolerable (and I think many of those older ships have been retired, but I haven't researched that at all). We just returned from a cruise on one of their newer ships and we had a great time. There were several families along with us with kids of all ages and they all had a great time, as well. Nowadays you are more likely to see Family Feud onboard a Carnival ship then you would see a Hairy Chest contest. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Honolulu Blue Posted July 19 #9 Share Posted July 19 17 hours ago, Jmox84 said: My family and I are primarily Princess cruisers. We have 2 children who are 7 and 9. Though Princess lacks the child amenities of other lines, my kids have never complained. The kids program is great and us adults appreciate the atmosphere of Princess. We are planning our next vacation and are considering trying Carnival. *Gasp*. The dates just work better. I'm a little hesitant though. Are they truly "booze cruises" full of rowdy, party going goons? I am tempted to try a ship with a few more child-centered activities, but not if the above is true. This would be a 1 week long cruise to Mexico. We have been on Royal Caribbean once and really enjoyed the experience. There were definitely a few more loud groups of college students, but overall we would happily sail again if the dates lined up. Is Carnival similar? Or a completely different experience altogether? I've been on 16 Carnival Cruises with one booked, more than all the other cruise lines combined, so they must be doing something right - at least for me. Carnival ships are known for being kid-friendly and I haven't heard many complaints about how the kiddos are treated by them. I haven't had any experience with any "goons" on Carnival and only the occasional encounter with those who obviously couldn't handle their liquor. Then again, my shortest cruise on Carnival has been 6 days. Many of my cruises on Carnival have been 10+ days and I recommend them most highly, But on a 7-day cruise up & down the Mexican Riviera... yeah, there will be some kids (especially during the summer). There might even be some less refined customers. But if you enjoyed the Royal experience, I'm betting that you and your kids will enjoy the Carnival experience also. Enjoy your upcoming cruise! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrate13 Posted July 19 #10 Share Posted July 19 Ditto the above except we did a 4 nighter once and that was just fine as well. We've never seen a fight either. They can, and have, occur on any line, even in Disney's Magic Kingdom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCC retired Posted July 19 #11 Share Posted July 19 Nowadays more than ever , a short 3 or 4 day cruise on any mass market cruise lines, is not a good example of a cruise line evaluation. Different type of cruisers are attracted to them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldubs Posted July 19 #12 Share Posted July 19 1 hour ago, Pyrate13 said: Ditto the above except we did a 4 nighter once and that was just fine as well. We've never seen a fight either. They can, and have, occur on any line, even in Disney's Magic Kingdom. After 20 years, we are doing another 4 day cruise later this month. It is on Carnival. We are going to be near the cruise terminal for other reasons and decided why not do a quick get-away. I have zero concerns about taking the cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ontheweb Posted July 19 #13 Share Posted July 19 3 hours ago, ldubs said: After 20 years, we are doing another 4 day cruise later this month. It is on Carnival. We are going to be near the cruise terminal for other reasons and decided why not do a quick get-away. I have zero concerns about taking the cruise. And we all hope it goes well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike981 Posted July 19 #14 Share Posted July 19 Our family has done several with Carnival and my wife and I have done one or two by ourselves. It is what it is, I think for the money you get a good cruise. After our Covid break, my wife and I went to Celebrity (our main line for the two of us) and felt that the food on our last Carnival trip (before Covid) was much better. Yes the decor can be over the top, but it can also be great fun. I will add that the rudest passengers I have ever came in contact with on a cruise, were on Celebrity. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrate13 Posted July 19 #15 Share Posted July 19 The rudest we ever came upon were on HAL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmox84 Posted July 20 Author #16 Share Posted July 20 Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. We are feeling much more at ease about at least giving it a shot. Truthfully, it would likely take a lot for us not to enjoy a cruise/vacation even if we ultimately decide to stick with another line in future. Happy travelling everyone! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zqvol Posted July 20 #17 Share Posted July 20 1 hour ago, Jmox84 said: Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. We are feeling much more at ease about at least giving it a shot. Truthfully, it would likely take a lot for us not to enjoy a cruise/vacation even if we ultimately decide to stick with another line in future. Happy travelling everyone! Nothing wrong with CCL. I have cruised everything from SilverSea down to CCL. Enjoyed them all. The difference with CCL is sometimes some of the passengers are a little rambunctious. If you can overlook that CCL provides a good product. if you need an alcohol package check the cost and compare total out of pocket with NCL. You might find NCL to be a better value. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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