Negative things I've heard about Carnival

[crusinmama06]

I get the same response when people find out that I have cruised Carnival and my NEXT cruise is Carnival. I get asked why I would switch to a big party boat.

 

Well the answer for me is...my first experience wasn't a "big party boat". I had a great time. So I booked another one for August.

 

I DO prefer RCCL. I just got off Freedom of the Seas in May. The ship is phenomenal. But it's not like you will have a bad time on Carnival.

 

Compare prices, compare itinerary. And then decide.

[teaser]

I remember a few years back I walked in to my parents home and there were a group of my aunts and uncles siitting at the dining room table. I mentioned that my wife and I had booked a cruise and they were all excited until I metioned the Cruise Line (Carnival). At first there was dead silence and then they all started remarking how terrible Carnival was. I asked them what some of their experiences were and none of them had ever sailed Carnival. At the time I believe it was considered a rowdy, party atmosphere.

 

In any event my wife and I took the cruise and we had the time of our lives. We had previously sailed Royal Carribean and felt everything on Carnival was more to our liking. We have taken Carnival ever since and a few years back we took a trip with my parents on their first Carnival cruise, they are Princess Platinum members, and they very were surprised. They felt the food was as good if not better than Princess. Last year my parents took us on a cruise on Princess (they paid so we went on the ship they wanted to) and we all felt the food was not as good as it was on Carnival. Also, my wife and I felt the people were stuffier on Princess and not as friendly. We will be sailing on our 6th Carnival cruise this August and will never cruise another line (unless of course my parents will be taking us again). However, I think we can convince them to do Carnival next time.

 

Have a great honeymoon.

[poodlemom396]

OK Ronath - I bow to you - I envy you - You know how to party!!!

[we2cruze]

I, too, was a bit leary of Carnival after all the "things" you hear. But the truth is that Carnival is a great cruiseline with great prices. I enjoy their food, shows, and regular amenities and didn't find it to be the "party boat of drunks" that I had heard rumors about. I also enjoy Royal Caribbean and Princess. We got a great deal on aRoyal Caribbean cruise, but usually pass them up due to the prices. We have taken Princess for our Mom and Dad only cruises and, truthfully, it's my favorite for just us. However, for our entire family I would sail Carnival or Royal Caribbean and Carnival usually wins out in the price department.

[cathyz]

We love Carnival and I don't mind the folks who bash it, they can sail with the other and lines leave more available cabins for us!

[jpg1747]

I stayed away from Carnival for many years because of it's "party hearty" reputation, but when I started pricing cruises this year I just couldn't justify spending twice as much on another line for the exact same thing. I believe that Carnival has changed for the better since the "good old days." I'm giving it a try and I bet I'll be back for more.

[thoneycu]

We have someone here at work that recently returned from her cruise and was telling all of us what a wonderful time she had and how much she loved the ship and this person is what you would call one of the "VIP's"....... anyway, without knowing what line she had cruised, thinking it was probably one out of Galveston, I asked (me and 2 others in the conversation had Carnival cruises booked) was it Carnival and she said "Oh gosh! No way! I would never set foot on a Carnival ship!, it was Princess!" Needless to say, myself and the 2 others were a little offended but I really didn't care, I had cruised on Carnival and had already booked our 2nd but the other 2 had not cruised before so they were a little concerned. Little did we know that another, more important VIP than her had also booked a Carnival cruise on the Legend. He never said a word when she said that, he just stood there smiling. He just got back a couple of weeks ago and said he did not know how it could get any better than that, they had total blast! Also, after she said that I asked her if she had sailed and had a bad experience and she said NO..... she had never sailed on Carnival.:rolleyes: I had to convince the others that they should not worry and there was nothing wrong with Carnival and they needed to keep in mind that she had never even sailed on Carnival before! Of course they went on their cruises and loved it. Just goes to show- you should always watch what you say.....;)

[denisey]

Two comments:

 

We were on the Paradise and an older lady came up to us. She grabbed my arm and said "I am having SUCH a great time. My TA didn't want me to take Carnival. I'm glad I didn't listen, this is so much fun!" We never saw this woman before or since, but she sure loved it.

 

We were on a Celebrity cruise at lunch and our table mate spent half the meal bashing Carnival. We just kept quiet and gave each other looks. Then, come to find out, this woman was on a 10 and 11 day Carnival back-to-back cruise the year before. She had a great time, the food was great, many things were better than Celebrity, she just felt bashing Carnival was the thing to do! Yikes, go figure!

 

So, we are not partiers (I'm usually in bed by 10, even on vacation) and we've had a great time on all 9 of our Carnival cruises. We also went on a Princess and a Celebrity cruise. The food was not as good on those, the wine selection was really limited. The service on Princess was bad, the service on Celebrity was either really good or really bad, no in between. We had a great cruise on both of those ships, but I don't see any reason to rush back.

 

I agree with an earlier poster to find the itinerary and price you can live with and go from there.

 

Have fun!

[cruisecastle]

:o I am sorry to upset anyone who might be a loyal Carnival fan. I have been told by some people I know to avoid Carnival for "something better," like RC. I have been looking at cruises and have basically avoided looking at anything Carnival, and I am now rethinking my choice after reading through the boards. Seems like many of you LOVE Carnival. They are very reasonable, that's for sure- and I just wanted to ask your opinions.

 

My aunts said avoid Carnival because of the (and I cringe even mentioning this) food bourne illness issues from the past. I've heard that the food is horrible compared to the other lines, and here I read it is wonderful. I've heard that the ships are "cheap" and "garrish" and there is a reason why they cost less- you get what you pay for...?

 

This will be like a honeymoon for me and my wonderful husband, and I want him to have a blast (so he will want to cruise over and over again!!!) LOL- no, also just because I want us to have a grand time together. We are in our early 30s, no kids yet.

 

Inform me please!

 

Uh Carnival wins the award for the best food at sea on mass carriers every siingle year. Your aunts might be losing it

[Kurbanfan]

you can see how beautiful the ships are.

 

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder:p

[gtalum]

Like many have said, I was nervous taking my first Carnival cruise two years ago because of what I'd heard. Anyway, we had a blast, and have had another blast on another cruise. From everything I hear, Carnival and RC are basically interchangeable except for a few extra amenities on the big RC ships like the rock climbing wall and ice skating rink. Personally I prefer the water-slide to either of those amenities! Most of the folks saying bad things about Carnival have never sailed on a Carnival cruise.

[BULLOCH12]

i've been on both, book me on carnival any time. the decor say on rc soveriegn and the decor of the fantasy are really no different. i've never been able tell a difference in the food quality. that being said whichever you book you will have a good time. i would stay away from princess unless your looking for an older crowd

[Cruiser from MS]

I must say I have only cruised Carnival. My husband and I are in our mid 50's so we were a little apprehensive about our first cruise because we heard that Carnival was for younger people "the FUN SHIP". Well we are now booked for our third cruise in January. We love Carnival, I am now apprehensive about trying any other cruise lines. The only problem we have had with illness is the day before our first cruise I had a kidney stone but passed that and went on my cruise and totally forgot what almost made us miss our crusie.....:)

[Dallas305]

Check out this website...It will "wet your whistle" so to speak for the Carnival atmosphere..... http://www.funshipisland.com

[OHCruisin]

I had a not-so-positive experience on Carnival many years ago, but I wouldn't tell you never to sail them. I realize that one cruise does not a cruise line make. Each ship and each cruise is different. It was just the luck of the draw at that time. And I didn't let any of the negatives ruin my trip. I still had a great time. You can only decide for yourself. Don't let bashers on any line's boards turn you off a particular cruise or ship.

 

I would, however, recommend the newer ships on ANY line.

[ECP]

We were on a Celebrity cruise at lunch and our table mate spent half the meal bashing Carnival. We just kept quiet and gave each other looks. Then, come to find out, this woman was on a 10 and 11 day Carnival back-to-back cruise the year before. She had a great time, the food was great, many things were better than Celebrity, she just felt bashing Carnival was the thing to do! Yikes, go figure!

 

The lady had a great time on Carnival but felt she still had bash them?

 

Can't she just give an honest opinion?

[PJBUCHEIT]

:o I am sorry to upset anyone who might be a loyal Carnival fan. I have been told by some people I know to avoid Carnival for "something better," like RC. I have been looking at cruises and have basically avoided looking at anything Carnival, and I am now rethinking my choice after reading through the boards. Seems like many of you LOVE Carnival. They are very reasonable, that's for sure- and I just wanted to ask your opinions.

 

My aunts said avoid Carnival because of the (and I cringe even mentioning this) food bourne illness issues from the past. I've heard that the food is horrible compared to the other lines, and here I read it is wonderful. I've heard that the ships are "cheap" and "garrish" and there is a reason why they cost less- you get what you pay for...?

 

This will be like a honeymoon for me and my wonderful husband, and I want him to have a blast (so he will want to cruise over and over again!!!) LOL- no, also just because I want us to have a grand time together. We are in our early 30s, no kids yet.

 

Inform me please!

 

Ottergirl,

When we were first deciding on which cruise line to go on, we too, got a lot of peoples views of Carnival. We heard all the bad stuff from these people and I have to tell you, not one of them had ever been on the cruise line. And I would say to them"how do you know all this info", they would say "we heard it from someone." So they did not even know for them selves. So, we decided to go with Carnival and loved our first cruise so much, that when we came home, we booked our 2nd cruise with our children for 7 months later. Now this Nov. we will be taking our 3rd Carnival cruise.

 

For DH and I, right now, Carnival is the cruise line we will cruise with. There service has been good. There food has been good. The price fits our budget. Our rooms were quite comfortable each time we have sailed. And on our second cruise we had 5 in our room and I still felt it was comfortable.

 

I say, go with what you feel is right for you. Don't let others views, make a decision for you. Only you know what your likes and dislikes are.

 

I think if you decided to go with Carnival you will have a great time. Good luck! And happy future sailings.

[caribbean dreams]

Ronath~

I am flying in from the Midwest and looking to go to the Caribbean for 7-9 nights. :)

 

.

 

Then i would look into the Liberty 8 night or the Valor exotic western.

Both nice new ships, the liberty has a really toned down look, not as brightly decorated a they used to be.

[dzcruisers]

You comment that you have read bad things about the food.

I would think that a meal with escargot, lobster and a big caesar salad was heavenly. My husband would think you were trying to poison him. I like my steaks rare. Many people likes theirs well done. I would think I was being poisoned!

When so many people cruise, it's hard to get it all right the first time for everyone. But that's what is so great about cruising - don't like it, just order something different. And the free room service is great too. I cruised a couple of times before I found out room service is free. (Yes, I tip but relatively little, a buck or two to the delivery person.)

Food is so subjective. I wouldn't base a cruise on that.

You will definitely find a younger crowd on Carnival than any other cruise line I've cruised.

Have a great honeymoon!

[ECP]

We've never vacationed anywhere but fishing trips with family in the SAME cabin (right after our wedding too!) and I am looking forward to an exciting time with my husband and the new people we meet.

 

You stayed at the fishing cabin for your honeymoon!

 

You are going love cruising - no matter what line you choose. If your cabin is anything like mine is here are the differences between a cruise and a cabin.

 

Morning, you wake, the room is already warm ... no adding wood to the wood stove and waiting for half a hour for the cabin to warm up. Mind you I always fall asleep again watching the flames. :)

 

Next, you have real bathroom with hot running water! None of that stumbling down to the lake to take a cold dip that wakes you way too fast.

 

Hey, there is a flush toilet in there too. No need to keep a eye out for bears on the way to the outhouse.

[ECP]

Breakfast --- what the %^$# they make it for you, no struggles with the old coleman stove (first 10 years), no running out of propane gas and having to go change the bottle (last five years) -- and they make custom omelets too!

 

Day spent exploring a land you have never seen before from the moment you get off the ship, no two to four hours of canoing before you reach new territory, it's all new the moment you step off the ramp/tender.

 

Come back to the room - IT IS CLEANED UP - oh the joy, the joy. You can be messy, you can be lazy, you can use all the towels and wash clothes and while you are away magical dancing maids and stewards fly in on their vacuums and put your room in order and they do it every day you are there!!!!!!

[ECP]

Go for dinner, not only are the choices delectable but calories on a cruise ship don't count! Ok, I am just kidding there, but I stuffed myself with fresh fruit thru-out the day and never gained a pound. My girlfriend lost weight but then she does silly things like getting up early and running two miles on the track, then spending time in the spa. Like I said, she does silly things. I just walk the entire ship, looking at the views and sampling food where-ever it is to be found.

 

Nighttime - Disco, too loud for me - Gambling, a fool and his money is soon part, I try not to be a fool (wish I knew how the people who do win did it) - Bars, not a drinker but they sure are packed - Shows, some good, some bad, all are free. - Joke shows, glad to see I am not the only one with rotten jokes and bad taste, still next time I plan to sit up front so I can join in the quiz contests better.

 

Sleep - AAAAHHHHHH, the most comfortable beds I have ever slept on, beat a thermal-rest hands down - good night.

[Europebound]

I don't know how far you live from a port, but if you are uneasy about Carnival why not try a 3 or 4 night "demo" cruise before you go on your honeymoon? The shorter cruises are on smaller, older ships. My first cruise 8 years ago was a 4 day on the Fantasy. My DH and I had been considering cruising for a while and just decided to give it a try. We are both hooked! I have sailed Disney and Princess, but I keep coming back to Carnival for their friendly service and value for the dollar.

 

This is exactly what my husband and I did back in 1992--a much too short 3-day cruise. We were totally hooked! We've only been on Carnival, Royal, Caribbean, and Princess, and like them in that order. The staff on Carnival is totally friendly and very helpful. The food is just fine (not 5 star), but the supper clubs on those Carnival ships that have them (for an extra fee) are very close to 5 star. The other cruise lines are fine, but there is just so much more to do and chose from on the Carnival ships. Or you can do nothing at all. They are great, but like others have said, its a matter of taste. Regarding the decor, we've heard people say how gaudy they are, but we've not had a problem with any of the decor. Hey! Its a cruise! What more can anyone want? Whatever you choose, I'm sure your husband will love cruising, but for your ages (and we are decades older) I'd highly recommend trying Carnival. Have a wonderful honeymoon.

[dewatson12]

We've been on 6 RC cruises and 2 Carnival cruises. I summarize the difference between the two as follows: all the service and amenities are about the same !!! The only real difference is in the people who are on board. The best way to describe the difference between the people is that on RC when they buy beer, they are going for Heineken whereas on Carnival, they are buying Budweiser. You can get Corona on both and that is my choice.

 

We are going on Victory in January. We compared this to Radiance and Jewel on RC. Our balcony on Victory is less than an interior on either RC ships.

 

When all else is the same, the $$$ wins.

[gtalum]

The best way to describe the difference between the people is that on RC when they buy beer, they are going for Heineken whereas on Carnival, they are buying Budweiser.

 

 

That's a bit of an over generalization. I vacillate between Pilsner Urquell and Stella Artois on Carnival, and I always see a lot of folks drinking what I'm drinking.