Royal Caribbean fan planning a Carnival cruise, am I crazy???

[kruzerci]

We just got back from our 7th wonderful cruise with Royal Caribbean but we are still in vacation mode and desperately need another cruise :p ! So, we are trying to plan a cruise for July with some friends of ours who we have cruised with in the past. Here's the thing...

 

They are tight on money right now, 2 kids going to college and have already taken a cruise this year, so they want to go on the Carnival Legend or Glory since both are $300 less per person than anything that Royal Caribbean has sailing 7 nights to the Caribbean. We want to go and know we will have fun being together, even if it is Carnival, but can somebody reassure me that Carnival isn't as bad as I have it in my mind :eek: ?!?

 

Also, anybody have any experience with either the Glory or Legend :confused: ?

[Ilovepj]

Hi, I was on the Glory this past November, and its a beautiful ship, with lots to do, we were a group of 9, young to old, and we all had a good time.

 

I think the food on RC is alittle better, but I thought the food was fine. The service was good, and the casino is big.

 

We did find that the Glory rocked more then any ship we have been on, but I just took lots of seasick meds and was fine.

 

So listen, if your friends are tight on money, and you want to cruise, I would say go for it, and have fun.

[Cruising89143]

We just got back from our 7th wonderful cruise with Royal Caribbean but we are still in vacation mode and desperately need another cruise :p ! So, we are trying to plan a cruise for July with some friends of ours who we have cruised with in the past. Here's the thing...

 

They are tight on money right now, 2 kids going to college and have already taken a cruise this year, so they want to go on the Carnival Legend or Glory since both are $300 less per person than anything that Royal Caribbean has sailing 7 nights to the Caribbean. We want to go and know we will have fun being together, even if it is Carnival, but can somebody reassure me that Carnival isn't as bad as I have it in my mind :eek: ?!?

 

Also, anybody have any experience with either the Glory or Legend :confused: ?

 

 

Here is the answer that I gave to you on another thread on the RCI board. I did not answer over on the Carnival board as to not upset those folks over there!!!;)

 

If you are looking between the Legend and Glory, I would suggest that you go with the Legend. I have cruised on both ships.

 

The Glory is a Conquest class and has a very poor design. It is very crowded around the pools and promenade deck. Also the interior design is rather tacky. I have photos of the ship in my link below. I really have nothing good to say about this class ship.

 

The Legend is a Spirit class and handles the flow of passengers much better. She is also much less crowded. Her interiors are dark and she does have a lot of urns but after a few days you kind of overlook them. :)

 

While I know that price is important to some of your other guests that will be cruising, I feel that you personally are going to be let down by not going on the Mariner.

[leahmariess]

We are planning a cruise on carnival in '08 just because they have awesome southern caribbean routes!!

 

otherwise we love rc!

[time4u2go]

We did the Glory and we loved it! The food was much better, the rooms were bigger, and the shows were better than our RCI cruise. I say go for it.

[Florida_cruisers]

yes you are!!

I hate to say this but I'd rather stay home then cruise with Carnival again. I did once before and NEVER again. Too many obnoxious people!

[bankonus]

Been on the Glory and a few Carnival cruises. Have had a great time on all of my cruises. Go for it, you'd be crazy not to get another cruise in! The Glory is a great ship, it takes a while to get used to the layout, but that won't ruin your trip!:p We took it for the price as well, and were very glad we did.:D

[bankonus]

yes you are!!

I hate to say this but I'd rather stay home then cruise with Carnival again. I did once before and NEVER again. Too many obnoxious people!

 

 

Sounds like you had a bad experience...because I know I've run into obnoxious people onboard RCI. I wouldn't hold it against a cruise line for life! Exactly why I am trying RCI again. There are bad apples in EVERY bunch.:(

[kruzerci]

Here is the answer that I gave to you on another thread on the RCI board. I did not answer over on the Carnival board as to not upset those folks over there!!!;)

 

If you are looking between the Legend and Glory, I would suggest that you go with the Legend. I have cruised on both ships.

 

The Glory is a Conquest class and has a very poor design. It is very crowded around the pools and promenade deck. Also the interior design is rather tacky. I have photos of the ship in my link below. I really have nothing good to say about this class ship.

 

The Legend is a Spirit class and handles the flow of passengers much better. She is also much less crowded. Her interiors are dark and she does have a lot of urns but after a few days you kind of overlook them. :)

 

While I know that price is important to some of your other guests that will be cruising, I feel that you personally are going to be let down by not going on the Mariner.

 

I remember wondering how Carnival could pull off making the Imagination both incredibly dark and glitzy and Vegas-like at the same time a few years ago when we sailed on her :p . I think I'll just have to go into it with an open mind like I did the Sovereign last week and that way we weren't disappointed.

 

I think we are going to try and go. I know that we will have fun with the group even if we aren't impressed with the ship. I am leaning towards the Legend because it's an easier drive for us and I keep hearing that they are a better size with a better passenger flow, even on the Carnival boards.

 

Thanks for giving your opinion and when are you sailing on the Sovereign? Are you doing the 4 night?

[Tatka]

I would only cruise on Carnival if it's not in Caribbean and 7+ days. I hope this will keep some rowdy folks out.

[Cruising89143]

I remember wondering how Carnival could pull off making the Imagination both incredibly dark and glitzy and Vegas-like at the same time a few years ago when we sailed on her :p . I think I'll just have to go into it with an open mind like I did the Sovereign last week and that way we weren't disappointed.

 

I think we are going to try and go. I know that we will have fun with the group even if we aren't impressed with the ship. I am leaning towards the Legend because it's an easier drive for us and I keep hearing that they are a better size with a better passenger flow, even on the Carnival boards.

 

Thanks for giving your opinion and when are you sailing on the Sovereign? Are you doing the 4 night?

 

 

Going on the SOS in July. Good choice with the Legend over the Glory. The Spirit class was my favorite on Carnival. One thing you have to try is the stair case that stretches out over the atrium about nine or ten decks high. It is a clear acrylic staircase. Kind of spooky when you first step out and look straight down.

[Bruin Steve]

Hard for me to picture ANY cruise being a bad cruise...

 

Now, I'm somewhat in the same boat (no pun intended)...

 

We're doing a Carnival cruise this July 7 on the Carnival Liberty...

 

Why? Because we are getting our "free" RCCL Visa Card cruise on the Liberty of the Seas...and wanted to go back-to-back with another cruise...but one going somewhere we hadn't been recently...And Carnival was the only line doing that at this particular time of year...So we're on an 8-nighter to Costa Maya, Limon Costa Rica and Colon Panama...

 

At 8 nights and that "exotic", it's likely to avoid the "party" crowd...and it actually costs almost $400 less per person for a similar category balcony cabin than the RCCL fare...and that's for a one night LONGER cruise!

 

If those ports are of interest to you, you may want to look into our sailing!

[kruzerci]

Going on the SOS in July.

 

Well, have a good trip. We were very pleasantly surprised last week. She does not feel like a 20 year old ship... until you step into Follies ;) .

[kruzerci]

If those ports are of interest to you, you may want to look into our sailing!

 

We have looked at the Carnival Liberty in the past, but Tampa and Port Canaveral are easy 7 hour drives for us and I have to fly when we sail out of Port Everglades or the Port of Miami.

 

Hope we are able to take this cruise, at least if we don't like it we can come back to Royal Caribbean and be able to say we gave Carnival two fair chances to impress us ;) !

[Cruising89143]

Well, have a good trip. We were very pleasantly surprised last week. She does not feel like a 20 year old ship... until you step into Follies ;) .

 

RCI did a good job with her refurb a few years back. I have sailed on the SOS three times now since her refurb. Great little ship for the quick get aways.

[bahami]

We just got back from our 7th wonderful cruise with Royal Caribbean but we are still in vacation mode and desperately need another cruise :p ! So, we are trying to plan a cruise for July with some friends of ours who we have cruised with in the past. Here's the thing...

 

They are tight on money right now, 2 kids going to college and have already taken a cruise this year, so they want to go on the Carnival Legend or Glory since both are $300 less per person than anything that Royal Caribbean has sailing 7 nights to the Caribbean. We want to go and know we will have fun being together, even if it is Carnival, but can somebody reassure me that Carnival isn't as bad as I have it in my mind :eek: ?!?

 

Also, anybody have any experience with either the Glory or Legend :confused: ?

 

I have never been on RCCL (this will be our first year and I'm looking forward to it). However, last year we went on our first cruise on Carnival Triumph and we LOVED it. The staff was wonderful, the cabin was comfortable, the food was great and I absolutely had no complaints. Mind you...I had no idea what to expect and since we have 3 teenage boys and 1 preteen boy, this was the first vacation where my husband and I were able to relax and do absolutely nothing. The kids were well behaved and met a lot of good friends and DH and I had lots of time to really focus on each other. I thought the ship was beautiful and the experience was incredible. I am looking forward to our cruise on Liberty of the Seas in August and hope it will be just as incredible as our first cruise.

 

Have fun...it's great to be with people you have fun with and just enjoy the moment.

[Shanafan]

Here is the answer that I gave to you on another thread on the RCI board. I did not answer over on the Carnival board as to not upset those folks over there!!!;)

 

If you are looking between the Legend and Glory, I would suggest that you go with the Legend. I have cruised on both ships.

 

The Glory is a Conquest class and has a very poor design. It is very crowded around the pools and promenade deck. Also the interior design is rather tacky. I have photos of the ship in my link below. I really have nothing good to say about this class ship.

 

The Legend is a Spirit class and handles the flow of passengers much better. She is also much less crowded. Her interiors are dark and she does have a lot of urns but after a few days you kind of overlook them. :)

 

While I know that price is important to some of your other guests that will be cruising, I feel that you personally are going to be let down by not going on the Mariner.

I did the Carnival Spirit and loved it. We kept commenting on how it seemed there were so many areas we could go and there were no other people there. And we went on spring break! I would do it again......but finally made platinum with RCCL so will stay with them for the benefits.

[Leafpeeper]

We cruise on lots of different cruiselines. We've had good experiences and bad on each cruiseline. I would never rule out an entire cruiseline because I had one bad experience on one ship. Newer ships tend to offer much more variety in everything. However, older ships are fine with me if the price is right and the destination is great. We just got off a 5 night Carnival cruise that we enjoyed very much. We actually overpaid and didn't mind because we wanted something last minute and didn't have alot of choice

 

Different destinations attract a different age group.

Caribbean cruises definetely attract more younger people on every cruiseline--especially on 3-5 night cruises over the weekends. We've never had a problem with young people on any cruiseline. I enjoy watching everyone have a good time on vacation.

 

 

Our worst cruise was a 10 night Hawaiian Cruise on RCCL. However, we've had great cruises on other RCCL ships. We are sailing on Explorer next and can't wait.

 

We tend to book Carnival for our last minute short 3-5 night cruises and generally get an inside cabin because we don't have alot of sea days. We prefer balcony cabins on our 7+ night cruises.

 

One thing we don't like on Carnival (or RCCL for that matter) is a ship with only one dining room and one buffet with no specialty restaurants. However, we can manage same waiter, same room, same table, same guests every night on a short cruise. We find it boring on anything over 5 nights.

 

Carnival has terrific dining room food, including lobster on formal night. Their lunch buffet is great, but the dinner buffet is very limited and few selections. We do like that RCCL room service offers hot food on their room service menu and Carnival only offers cold food.

 

Carnival always has a great kareoke lounge every single night in a large room. Entertainment on Carnival is great. We do enjoy the variety of theater productions when sailing on different cruiselines.

 

We also like Carnival's 24 hr pizza with caesar salad and 24 ice cream in the buffet room.

 

We enjoy taking cruises on different cruiselines because of the variety of entertainment.

 

If you like the casino games, Carnival had $3 tables from 8-11pm for a different card game each night. That was really fun for DH.

 

Finally, Carnival does allow you to bring wine/champagne onboard. We packed our in our suitcase rather than lugging it on.

 

Try something different--especially if it saves you money.

[Lisichka]

I have cruised both, and loved both. My last cruise on the Carnival Spirit was awesome and I would sail her again in a heart beat. My children all also agree: they enjoyed the dining room much better on Carnival but overall, they loved both equally well.

[michigan tim]

The heck with brand loyalty. Both are mass market products in a very competitive market... they both have to be at least good. You will find many more similarties than differences. Save the dough and have a great time!

[AZDCruiser]

I went on my first Carnival in February (Inspiration, 4 day) and there were pros and cons.

Pros: Price was UNBEATABLE, great 24 hour pizzeria/deli, more room service options, faster room service, beds were WONDERFUL, cabins were a little bigger, bathrooms bigger/bigger showers.

 

Cons: tacky/dark interior, felt "closed in" - not a lot of open areas, confusing deck plans, pretty rowdy crowd.

 

About the same: food was on par with RCI, the buffet was not as good as Windjammer though, service was pretty good throughout, shows were the same, casino/bingo, etc..

 

I think if you're itching for a cruise and the prices is right, go for it! It scratched our itch for the time being -- but I'm not sure if I'd cruise Carnival again...maybe if it were a longer sailing and a newer ship.

[Shanafan]

I went on my first Carnival in February (Inspiration, 4 day) and there were pros and cons.

Pros: Price was UNBEATABLE, great 24 hour pizzeria/deli, more room service options, faster room service, beds were WONDERFUL, cabins were a little bigger, bathrooms bigger/bigger showers.

 

Cons: tacky/dark interior, felt "closed in" - not a lot of open areas, confusing deck plans, pretty rowdy crowd.

 

About the same: food was on par with RCI, the buffet was not as good as Windjammer though, service was pretty good throughout, shows were the same, casino/bingo, etc..

 

I think if you're itching for a cruise and the prices is right, go for it! It scratched our itch for the time being -- but I'm not sure if I'd cruise Carnival again...maybe if it were a longer sailing and a newer ship.

 

Isn't there pizza the best???? One reason I like the Jewel so much over the Explorer or Adventure was the sandwiches in the solarium and the crepes. But the pizza on RCCL does not compare to Carnival............

[michigan tim]

Isn't there pizza the best???? One reason I like the Jewel so much over the Explorer or Adventure was the sandwiches in the solarium and the crepes. But the pizza on RCCL does not compare to Carnival............

 

... and the frozen pizza on Carnival does not compare to Princess or better yet, Costa... but I doubt the quality of the pie will influence a decision.

[kruzerci]

Isn't there pizza the best???? One reason I like the Jewel so much over the Explorer or Adventure was the sandwiches in the solarium and the crepes. But the pizza on RCCL does not compare to Carnival............

 

I totally agree with that post! The only thing I loved about Carnival was the pizza.

[bambam2972]

We do like that RCCL room service offers hot food on their room service menu and Carnival only offers cold food.

 

When I was on the Elation in December my sister ordered about 3 BLTs through room service every night.