Favorite Carnival Ship and Why?

[Luxuriate]

My hubby finally agreed to "maybe" go on a cruise with me on Carnival. Please tell me which ship has the best experience. I may never cruise again if he doesn't like it!

 

Thanks

[agentJoey]

The best was the second time on the Holiday. It was a really good experience. It is a smaller and older ship but the crew was great.

Each one of course is unique.

[Lurkyloo]

My hubby finally agreed to "maybe" go on a cruise with me on Carnival. Please tell me which ship has the best experience. I may never cruise again if he doesn't like it!

 

Thanks

 

I've only been on two so far - The Elation and The Pride! I would recommend either one of them! You probably want to consider itinerary as well as ship - we just got off the Pride's Mexican Riviera Cruise and we had an absolute blast! We did the de los Veranos Canopy Tour Zip Lines in Puerto Vallarta, Randi's Happy Horses in Mazatlan and a glass bottom boat in Cabo San Lucas. I can't imagine not having a great time with these excursions - and the Pride is wonderful - staff was great! ;)

[TennisLover]

From my experience, I can't just say which is the best ship. The four Carnival ships I cruised on seemed the same. "Best ship" would be the one I had the most fun on -- based on the ports, the on-board entertainment (which is personal preference) and who I travelled with.

 

For these reasons, I LOVED our Valor cruise last year. Great ports (Belize, Roatan, Grand Cayman, Cozumel) and great piano bar player (that's where we like to hang out and sing/party). Also had a great time with my family.

 

Even though some ships may be smaller or older, you can still have a great time on them. It's all what you make it. Decide what's important to you and your DH (small ship experience, lots of entertainment, etc.) and pick a ship that meets those needs.

[walkswife]

I've only been on two and although I had a great time on the Fantasy, the Miracle truly is just that.....

 

The staff is wonderful, the ship is beautiful, there are three swimming pools and hot tubs, it is a newer ship and the ports were great.....

 

Grand Cayman-most of us did the Reef & Wreck snorkel....I love to snorkel....and some did the Butterfly Farm.... we all met back at Hard Rock Cafe for lunch and did some shopping.

 

Cozumel-I was with a group of girl scouts and we prearranged a tour of the elementary school and brought donations (it was a trip highlight for the girls) Then went to Paradise Beach and had massages and swam.

 

Belize-We all went cavetubing and had a great time walking through the rainforest and floating through the caves. The lunch they served after was wonderful.

 

Costa Maya-most of us did the dolphin swim and a few did the extreme speed boats.... all had a great time.... we then met at the fishing village Majahual.... absolutely breathtaking beaches..... the port itself is cool with shops, shows and a swim up bar.

 

I would do this trip again in a heartbeat........

[K.T.B.]

Whatever ship I'm on currently is my favorite. :D

[Naismith]

My hubby finally agreed to "maybe" go on a cruise with me on Carnival. Please tell me which ship has the best experience. I may never cruise again if he doesn't like it!

 

What kinds of things does your husband like doing? That would help people in their suggestions.

 

There is no "best" experience, just the best match for certain people. If he has no interest in snorkeling, then being told about great snorkeling opportunities is no help. If he is a confirmed meat-and-potato guy, then hearing about the elegant midnight buffet is not impressive.

 

So if you tell us what he enjoys on land, then it will help folks give suggestions as to whether find that same kind of pleasure at sea.

[Kokamo]

My favorite ship is the Legend. Why? Well, that was the last ship I was on. My next favorite ship with the the Glory in December.

 

:D

[rvrgirl]

Liberty!

[runcassrun_07]

Why is it you chose the Liberty? We are going on the Liberty 5-31.

 

Cassandra

[runcassrun_07]

The best experience I had of Carnival cruise ships was on the Pride. The ship is beautiful throughout. My next ship is the Triumph because we saw & met REO Speedwagon & Journey on the ship. This ship seemed comfortable in size and the way it was laid out. I went on it three times. The ship you want depends on what size you like, where you like to cruise, and the price to pay. We went on the Spirti 4-1-06 and going on the Liberty at the end of May and this is my 25th Carnival Cruise so if you have any other questions just let me know.

 

Cassandra

[caribbean dreams]

Destiny is my favorite ship, not because it was the last ship i was on, but because it's not to big & not to small, the staff was the best and i love the Itenerary, even if her itenerary was changed, i would not hesitate to sail her again.

[Rena921]

Carnival Miracle was my first.....and we all know the first time is always the best;)

[palmtre2]

The Triumph is my first choice - liked her so much I sailed her again a few months later. My second choice is the Liberty. Both have the same layout only the Liberty is much larger. I found the smaller ship allowed us to get to know the crew a little better and that made for a great time on the Triumph.

[2Ports]

The "new" Holiday was simply superb - I'd recommend it to anyone (except my MIL), anytime. The only downside is the shorter cruises.

[yogimax]

Intimidation or Perspiration

[Deere One]

My favorite has to be the Miracle. I love the layout of the ship and the experience on board was superb!

[pppiglet]

The Pride is the only one I've been on and loved it!

[doodlefan]

Hey

 

My favorite was the MIracle. Perfect size, not too big, not too small, great Supper club, great staff, lovely adults only pool aft.

 

I could go on and on but so far, it's my favorite.

 

Doodlefan

[PineappleGal]

First cruise ever and I loved the experience. Because it is my first the Glory was the best. Nice colors, great atmosphere, great food, great time. I would recommend this ship hands down; 5 star experience. The ports of call were GREAT!! Nassau, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten a 7-day cruise the only thing I would change is to add another port, 2 days at sea were a little to much. Embarkment was also great just a few miles from Orlando International Airport, Fast and speedy check-in. ALL AROUND THE BEST MONEY WE EVERY SPENT!! Liberty in November so this should be another boat I like. Great reviews, etc., Any questions about the GLORY, Here is my Review...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=312481

[mac4cruise]

For us it would be the Legend because this was our first cruise. In fact we loved the cruise so much that we booked another cruise on the Legend next year.

[Lurkyloo]

The best experience I had of Carnival cruise ships was on the Pride. The ship is beautiful throughout. My next ship is the Triumph because we saw & met REO Speedwagon & Journey on the ship. This ship seemed comfortable in size and the way it was laid out. I went on it three times. The ship you want depends on what size you like, where you like to cruise, and the price to pay. We went on the Spirti 4-1-06 and going on the Liberty at the end of May and this is my 25th Carnival Cruise so if you have any other questions just let me know.

 

Cassandra

 

First of all - I'm jealous you get to cruise so often!!!! :D Now for my question - we are going on the Spirit 3/31/07 which is about the same time you went this year (Spring Break for the K-12 kids!) Were there lots of teens onboard? Son Ryan will be 15 then, and we are hoping there will be kids for him to hang out with! We cruised on the Pride 4/2/06 (we actually saw your ship - at least we were told it was the Spirit - while at sea!) There were so many teens on board and they all had a blast! I'm hoping that the Spirit also attracts families with teens! Thanks for anything you can tell me!

 

Jen

[Island Annie]

I sailed on the Carnival VICTORY in 1999 . . . Had so much "fun" I've sailed on her not once, but TWO more times since then:-) (in addition to a few other cruises).

 

Although she's not one of the "newer" ships, I DO like her size (not too big/not too small), and the layout of the ship(easy to navigate).

 

She still has the "funship" atmosphere that IMHO some of the newer Spirit-class ships seem to lack.

 

As mentioned above, you need to decide what is most important to you & your DH to make a good decsion.

 

** Is being on a newer/more elegant ship important to you?

** Are you looking for a ship that "parties" til the wee hours in the morning , or one that is more quiet & relaxing?

 

Is the itinerary important to you? (are you wanting to visit some new ports- of- call, or re-visit some of your favorites?)

 

Is the port of departure important to you?

 

Consider each of these questions, and then either repost your question to get a more informed response, or make your decision based on your desires.

 

These are questions I ask myself whenever I'm needing to make a decision on my next cruise.

 

I hope my advice will help you to make your decision.(or will help to create more replies to help you make a good decision)

 

Annie

[julie aka social director]

Our first experience on Carnival was the Sensation. It was an older ship, pool had a slide which made swimming impossible, and the decor was out of date. We thought that would be our last Carnival cruise, but decided to go on the Pride the year after. We absolutely loved the Pride and wish she was still sailing in the Caribbean. Have also gone on the Glory and this summer cruisin' on the Miracle (sister ship to the Pride). My biggest suggestion would be to seek one of the newer (updated) ships. Have fun. We have and will again.

[RWolver672]

The Conquest out of New Orleans. We took our two young adult sons along with us. My brother and his wife and my wife's sister and her family joined us. My brother's wife's sister and her husband came along too. We all had balcony cabins on the Panorama deck in a row. Sometimes we did things together, sometimes by ourselves. Carlos n Charlie's was the highlight of that cruise. We still talk and laugh about it.

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/64207829VxoaMg

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/64255475BmgEYc

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/64257560HtCNho

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/64391194yIEeHq

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/64463044nNfnMZ