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

[daveco58]

I know both lines have their devotees, but you are really discussing Motel 6 versus Econo-Lodge. Okay, maybe Holiday Inn vs Ramada

Their is not a dimes bit of difference between two. They are both mass-market, budget cruise lines.

And if you have only ever been on one cruise line, how can you judge what you like?

 

And please, everyone, dont take this as a criticism of either line. I am a cost conscious traveler most of the time, but I have cruised with others, that are different (better and worse) from the Big Two.

 

And, bottom line, any day, on any cruise ship is better than a day at work.

[KillaFee]

I wouldn't go on another carnival cruise unless it was free and they picked me up in my driveway! But going on Carnival made me realize how much I love Royal Caribbean! If you're going to take time off of work and spend at least a few hundred dollars, I'd stay w/RCI, but that's just me. I was on the newest ship (Carnival Liberty) and it was pretty bad. The ship was so ugly, the layout was really screwy, and the staff just weren't nice at all - complete opposite of RCI, but otherwise they are both mass market cruise lines and you have a pool and bars and good entertainment and tons of food and hey, it's better than being at work, as cliche as it sounds.

 

It's what you make of it, but I learned my lesson.

Laura

[DonnaK]

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.

 

 

I feel the same way, but my reason is that the service was horrendous on Carnival, and the ship was smoky, dark and had a very awkward layout (One example: the lido buffet was located between the pool and the aft bank of elevators, so half-dressed wet people would walk through while you were eating to get from the pool to their cabins. Yuck! )

[kruzerci]

I wouldn't go on another carnival cruise unless it was free and they picked me up in my driveway! But going on Carnival made me realize how much I love Royal Caribbean!

 

I felt the exact same way after my Carnival cruise!!! I called Carnival and told them that, so they gave me 20% off a future Carnival cruise, which I never used, but now wish that I had. I guess I am willing to give Carnival one more fair try.

 

My wife just got home from work and she isn't going to be able to take the week off anyways :( . We're already planning to go to our beach condo for a week in July, so I guess we'll survive, but it just doesn't compare to a cruise.

 

Guess we will just have to wait another year for our next cruise unless we get to book a last minute trip. When are we going to get the 2008 Caribbean dates, this is driving me insane :eek: !!!!!

[bankonus]

I feel the same way, but my reason is that the service was horrendous on Carnival, and the ship was smoky, dark and had a very awkward layout (One example: the lido buffet was located between the pool and the aft bank of elevators, so half-dressed wet people would walk through while you were eating to get from the pool to their cabins. Yuck! )

 

You could say that is almost as bad as RCI putting their Hamburgers, Pizza, etc. in the "Adult" solarium pool, so kids keep running through ruining that experience!:(

[patrice1]

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!

 

And you based this on a cruise you took seven years ago on a ship that's been taken out of the fleet since...ummm...you were on it?:rolleyes: And, as far as obnoxious people go, I've been on Celebrity and RCI and met plenty of those, too!:rolleyes: Didn't affect my cruise tho. Most short cruises are more "party" oriented than the longer ones. Having cruised many lines, I must say the bang for the buck is awesome on Carnival, especially since they are the only line to offer a great big military discount to folks who have served and aren't retired or still active. That and big rooms, great beds and great food means I'll probably go platinum with them - but I wouldn't turn down a RCI, NCL, CCL or Princess cruise if the right one came my way. We don't really see a big difference with any of them.:o And we used to swear we would NEVER go Carnival!

[bankonus]

And you based this on a cruise you took seven years ago on a ship that's been taken out of the fleet since...ummm...you were on it?:rolleyes: And, as far as obnoxious people go, I've been on Celebrity and RCI and met plenty of those, too!:rolleyes: Didn't affect my cruise tho. Most short cruises are more "party" oriented than the longer ones. Having cruised many lines, I must say the bang for the buck is awesome on Carnival, especially since they are the only line to offer a great big military discount to folks who have served and aren't retired or still active. That and big rooms, great beds and great food means I'll probably go platinum with them - but I wouldn't turn down a RCI, NCL, CCL or Princess cruise if the right one came my way. We don't really see a big difference with any of them.:o And we used to swear we would NEVER go Carnival!

 

Well said!!! I'm so tired of people thinking there are no obnoxious people on RCI!! A cruise is a cruise, when your with family and friends, it couldn't be ruined. Some people are never happy.:(

[kruzerci]

You could say that is almost as bad as RCI putting their Hamburgers, Pizza, etc. in the "Adult" solarium pool, so kids keep running through ruining that experience!:(

 

But they dont :confused: !

[Tatka]

A cruise is a cruise, when your with family and friends, it couldn't be ruined. Some people are never happy.:(

 

Unfortunately it can be ruined... I am very easy going and fun loving, I usually love pool area, but really hated it no Carnival Liberty, bad design, strange games, not enough pools/hot tubs for the number of the kids. Superovercrowded everything: buffets, shops ... I've never spend so much time in my stateroom during any cruise. :(

 

I was almost scared to go on our next cruise on the ship with the same size and number of people (Caribbean Princess)... Boy, was I surprised at the difference! :)

[bankonus]

Unfortunately it can be ruined... I am very easy going and fun loving, I usually love pool area, but really hated it no Carnival Liberty, bad design, strange games, not enough pools/hot tubs for the number of the kids. Superovercrowded everything: buffets, shops ... I've never spend so much time in my stateroom during any cruise. :(

 

I was almost scared to go on our next cruise on the ship with the same size and number of people (Caribbean Princess)... Boy, was I surprised at the difference! :)

 

Funny story about the pool situation. On my SOS cruise with my husband we were in the adults only pool and this little boy about 3 kept swimming up to my husband splashing him and just playing around. My husband has a great sense of humor and didn't let it bother him although it was extremely annoying. After about 45 minutes "Captain of the Ship" walks up and tells son "It's time to go!" Found out through captain his family was on board for a small vacation. How obnoxious of that captain not to follow ALL the rules!:D

 

And yes they do have fast food located where you have to go "through" the solarium pool to get to the burgers, fries, hotdogs...etc.

[DonnaK]

You could say that is almost as bad as RCI putting their Hamburgers, Pizza, etc. in the "Adult" solarium pool, so kids keep running through ruining that experience!:(

 

 

Sorry - a snack area in the Solarium is not the same as eating a sit down meal in an indoor dining room (that's supposed to have a cover-up dress code) and having a parade of wet, sweaty, barefoot sunbathers passing by your table. Very unsanitary and unappetizing. A restaurant should not be designed as a throughfare for traffic between the pool and the aft bank of elevators.

[Glama]

You aren't crazy, you'll love the Legend or the Glory!! I've sailed both, and have also sailed on Enchantment and Mariner. Plan your cruise, save your money, and have a great time.

[shipshape sam]

I would try Carnival!

 

We are fans of Royal Caribbean, but have done Carnival. We won't do Carnival again, but hey, different strokes for everyone.

 

We have also done Princess, Celebrity, Holland America and would sail on each of those again, but not Carnival. We sailed on the Imagination and Glory. There were some nice areas on Glory. For ex. we liked the center atrium with the bar before dinner. Hated dinner. Food was okay, but each night there was a disruptive dance and team challenge. Our waiter could never get our coffee and desert prior to this event, so we had to wait 5-10 minutes extra each night.

 

Anyway, I always encourage people to try as that is the best way to learn. Neither were BAD cruises, just not want we liked. I have NEVER had a bad cruise and if Carnival was the only choice I had, I would be there!:)

[bankonus]

Sorry - a snack area in the Solarium is not the same as eating a sit down meal in an indoor dining room (that's supposed to have a cover-up dress code) and having a parade of wet, sweaty, barefoot sunbathers passing by your table. Very unsanitary and unappetizing. A restaurant should not be designed as a throughfare for traffic between the pool and the aft bank of elevators.

 

Agreed! I didn't mean to take away from the fact that it isn't the best setup, was merely saying we won't ruin our vacation by letting things that are unavoidable happen. There are so many different ships and layouts on ALL the cruiselines, that there are surely going to be things that urk all people on one of them.:)

[Tatka]

If didn't have a choice, but to sail on Carnival, I'd pick their Spirit class ship. (Legend, Spirit, Miracle or Pride). They are as close as it they can get to the normal design. I think they are built on the same base as Zuiderdam class of HAL... and don't have "football field" design of Conquest class ... I haven't been on Spirit class so don't take my word on it though.

[kruzerci]

And yes they do have fast food located where you have to go "through" the solarium pool to get to the burgers, fries, hotdogs...etc.

 

Then what ship are you referring to? Your signature says that the only RC ship you have sailed on is Sovereign and it does not even have a solarium. If you are referring to the Radiance class of ships, it is right at the door to the solarium, you barely even have to walk into the door.

[bankonus]

Then what ship are you referring to? Your signature says that the only RC ship you have sailed on is Sovereign and it does not even have a solarium. If you are referring to the Radiance class of ships, it is right at the door to the solarium, you barely even have to walk into the door.

 

Yes, I'm referring to Radiance class, and yes you still have to go inside. You should give Carnival another chance, since you're signature shows you've only taken one cruise on Carnival, so it would give you a second opinion of them. Since your original post was for you to join friends who had a tighter budget, and would only be able to afford the Carnival cruise, I hope you go on with the anticipation of having a great cruise and not start out looking for things that are bad, and only looking for reasons it is not up to par with RCI. Give them a fair shake. If you are with your friends, and you are all having fun, I don't see how you can't have a great time. I went on "One" RCI cruise, and my second was planned for me by a family member for a family reunion. I have had some good and bad experiences on both cruise lines I've been on, but I certainly would try again especially after only one bad experience. If it was the worst repeatedly over and over, well then you have to say farewell for your own piece of mind.

[kruzerci]

Yes, I'm referring to Radiance class, and yes you still have to go inside. You should give Carnival another chance, since you're signature shows you've only taken one cruise on Carnival, so it would give you a second opinion of them. Since your original post was for you to join friends who had a tighter budget, and would only be able to afford the Carnival cruise, I hope you go on with the anticipation of having a great cruise and not start out looking for things that are bad, and only looking for reasons it is not up to par with RCI. Give them a fair shake. If you are with your friends, and you are all having fun, I don't see how you can't have a great time. I went on "One" RCI cruise, and my second was planned for me by a family member for a family reunion. I have had some good and bad experiences on both cruise lines I've been on, but I certainly would try again especially after only one bad experience. If it was the worst repeatedly over and over, well then you have to say farewell for your own piece of mind.

 

We aren't going to be able to make the July Carnival cruise work, but we're going to have to try something else for next April. We are definitely taking a cruise the second week of April, but everything Royal Caribbean has for a 7 day cruise is either on an older ship (Grandeur), same itenerary that we have already done twice on (Mariner), or way out of our price range (Liberty of the Seas 4/5/08 is $1600 for an oceanview cabin- I dont think so :eek: !!!)

 

So that really only leaves us with Princess and Carnival. Between the two I would rather try Princess, they seem to be more similar to Royal Caribbean from what I have read and they have a balcony for a 7 day Eastern Caribbean on the Caribbean Princess for $1150 P/P, which is hard to beat.

 

We are Platinum members with Royal Caribbean, so I will stick with them for the benefits even if I do like Princess, but their prices are getting a little bit out there on their 7 day Caribbean sailings with all these new ships they've got :rolleyes: .

[bankonus]

I've heard good things about Princess and would love to try them as well. I think the prices are getting crazy for some of these cruises. I have 6 to buy tickets for and it gets crazy expensive! I want my kids to go on all of our vacations with us, which is one of the reasons I like Carnival since they do the military rate on every cruise we purchased so far. At $200-$300 per person, sometimes that's the only way we can "get out there" and afford to do all the fun things in port as well. Whatever you decide, I'm sure you will have a good time, cause cruising with friends can't be beat!:D

[kruzerci]

I've heard good things about Princess and would love to try them as well. I think the prices are getting crazy for some of these cruises. I have 6 to buy tickets for and it gets crazy expensive! I want my kids to go on all of our vacations with us, which is one of the reasons I like Carnival since they do the military rate on every cruise we purchased so far. At $200-$300 per person, sometimes that's the only way we can "get out there" and afford to do all the fun things in port as well. Whatever you decide, I'm sure you will have a good time, cause cruising with friends can't be beat!:D

 

I don't know why all cruise lines don't give a good military rates, but I'm glad for you that Carnival does!

 

I know what you mean. We took 6 people on a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise three summers ago on Voyager and we paid just over $4500 (in inside cabins) so that averages about $750 p/p. Last year we took the same cruise on Navigator and we paid $5000 for 3 of us in a balcony cabin, so that was 1600 p/p :eek: ! Even though we got a balcony last year, it wasn't much less for an oceanview or inside! I swear I will never pay as much for a cruise as I did for Navigator last year. Take that $5000, add a couple thousand for the onboard account, and then add airfare on top of that and you have quite a bill on your American Express :eek: !

 

I just can't see how they can keep raising the prices the way they are.

[bankonus]

Can you imagine what Genesis will cost?:eek:

[kruzerci]

Can you imagine what Genesis will cost?:eek:

 

No kidding :eek: !

[Guienevere_Arianette]

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: ?

 

Why don't you check out the reviews/comments on the Carnival board?

[Mikew0805]

Solariums that you walk through are also on the Vision class.. ok wait, I don't know about the whole class.. but Splendour, you had to walk in, and then all the way to the other side to get your burgers, fries.. whatever. I thought it was a weird location, but if kids etc. stay on the side you really didn't notice.

 

What I did notice is the family of 4, ( 2 kids probably 4 & 5 years old ) monopolizing a hot tub and making so much noise the other hot tub was not enjoyable. I just kept turning to my partner and saying.. ( in a slightly louder voice ) " Man, I wish adults knew how to read and comprehend " The sign was right in front of them, and I saw the father reading it at one point. :rolleyes: Anyway, that is another thread.

 

OP, give Carnival a shot, you may like it. Someone said earlier about the aft dining area being between the pool and the aft elevators, but they neglected to mention that there is a set of elevators on both sides ( forward & aft ) of the Lido deck restaurant. If there were people prancing through there it was a "person" issue, not the cruise line. People will always enter places where other people think they are not appropriately dressed, on every cruise line, and any other place as well.

 

Cruisingator mentioned the layout of the Conquest class ships, and I understand exactly what he is talking about. However, I think once you realize how the decks are laid out, it is not as bad.

 

You may not have the time this July, but at some point you may have an opportunity to go on a newer ship ( I don't mean it the way it sounds, as I like the Fantasy class very well ) for a great price.. and I say don't pass it up. We just booked the Conquest for 09/28/2008 7 nights for $492.54 p/p with an ocean view cabin that has 2 picture windows. Hard to beat that price.

 

Anyway, happy cruising to you, and I am sorry your plans fell through with your wifes job. :(

 

-Mike

[tjljsc]

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!

 

I'm not sure if I'd stay home, but I'd definitely never cruise on Carnival again. My mom's first experience to cruising was on carnival and I had to beg her to cruise with me for one of our vacations. She said the Enchantment experience on RCCL was nothing like her experience on Carnival and she was hooked on cruising. One year, we found a fantastic deal on Carnival and I convinced her to try the line again. We will NEVER cruise them again. Maybe we're just snobs, but the clientelle was vastly differenct from RCCL and the whole cruise felt tacky, from the decor to our fellow passengers. To this day, we call it the Big Lots Boat.

 

:eek: