Carnival for Christmas

[Simru12]

The hubby and I are booked on Carnival Celebration during Christmas week (Dec 24-29). Anyone else going?

 

Another thing.... We've never cruised over Christmas. Are they as overrun with little kids as I've heard they are?

 

David

[Hartleydawg]

Hey David,

 

I have cruised on one Christmas cruise, but it was on Royal Caribbean in Dec of 2005. There were quite a few families and kids on the ship that Christmas. That Christmas cruise was the largest number of folks to sail on that specific ship to that day. But, I certainly did not feel overwhelmed by kids.

 

I will be on Carnival for Thanksgiving and am sure it will be similar to Christmas. I'll be happy to let you know how Thanksgiving goes.

 

I've never sailed on Carnival, so I'm interested to see how it compares. I have had some friends shocked that I'd cruise on Carnival. We will see. :-)

[Simru12]

Thanks Dawg,

 

The husband used to be a travel agent, so has cruised quite a bit but never on Carnival (He calls them the Plastic Ships). We weren't going to do this one, the my parents talked us into it.

 

I'd like to hear about Thanksgiving. I figure one holiday week is probably the same as another.

 

David

[Hartleydawg]

David,

 

I understand the influence of parents. The 2005 Christmas cruise was my first "normal/straight" cruise. Prior to that I had only sailed with Atlantis. But I had lots of fun on the Christmas cruise.

 

I will admit that I worry a little about Carnival. My ex told me the food is not as good as I'm used to and to watch out for the gaudy decor. I am trying to keep an open mind. I decided that the price difference to go with RCI or NCL was not worth it. Guess you could say I'm cheap.

 

I do have to ask, why "Plastic Ships"?

 

I will report back in November. Gosh that seems like a long time away.

 

Frank

[pnhmrk]

We've never cruised over Christmas. Are they as overrun with little kids as I've heard they are?

 

David - we've cruised for the last few Christmases. We've never found that the ships were "overrun" with kids. Although there seemed to be plenty of kids aboard we never saw much of them. I have never been with Carnival, but from what I've heard, I'd be more bothered about that than the number of kids!:eek:

[Simru12]

 

I do have to ask, why "Plastic Ships"?

 

 

 

Frank,

 

While neither of us have experienced them first hand, he said he heard the older Carnival ships put more of an emphasis on being "Fun" than on the aesthetics of the ship. Hence, everything that can possibly be made of plastic, is.

 

Gaudy... neon... plastic.

 

I just have to keep telling myself..... It's Christmas with Mom and Dad, on a beach, in the Bahamas. Beats the wind and snow ANYtime.

 

David

[dcikon2]

My partner and I saild on the Carnival Elation a few years ago. We left port the day after Christmas and was at sea over New Year's Eve. I was very upset with the number of younger teenagers (12-14) drunk on the ship. It seemed that the parents of many children let their kids run around the ship at all hours of the night.

[Simru12]

Under 160 days.

 

Anyone else book yet?

[dcikon2]

My partner and I sailed on the Carnival Elation 2 years ago. We left the day after Christmas. There were several obnoxious and drunk kids. Kids ran up and down the ship pounding on cabin doors and playing on the elavators at all hours of the night. I made several reports to the staff about the drunk teenagers on the ship, but nothing was done. I think some of it had to do with sailing out of Galveston. However, we did have a great time on the cruise and our cabin steward and waiter were excellent! We tipped them very well.

 

You need to understand that more kids will likely be on board when school is out. Christmas break is a time when many families like to to take a cruise.

 

Gary

[ooulio]

We usually cruise on the newer ones. Last Thanksgiving, we cruised on the Elation Thanksgiving Week. We didn't see any drunk kids at all.. It was okay. We still have a good time. I still like the newer ones better .

[ctguy001]

I've done Thankgiving and New Year's cruises on RCCL and Carnival. There are lots of kids, but they seem to keep them busy and out from underfoot. You will find a few smashed teens, but I think they've been a little more watchful since so many drunks have gone overboard.

This year I'm giving a Christmas cruise on Carnival Triumph a try. WAY lower in price than any other line. The service is always good and the food may not be up to Four Seasons standards, but it sure beats Ruby Tuesdays.

I hope I'll find a few fellow 'cruisers' on board.