Negative things I've heard about Carnival

[Sandi149]

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.

 

My husband and I don't even drink beer. He is a martini guy and I drink the foo foos. :p

[bleuiz]

My parents just sailed with us last week, on a family cruise.......

They were apprehensive because of what they "heard" about Carnival...they loved it, from the moment they boarded the ship til they left.....

They thought the crew was friendly, they said the food was better than RC, and they said that the ship was truly a "fun ship"......:D

[Europebound]

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.

 

 

Or try a pina colada with a rum floater. Yum!

[river_sand_bar2]

Or try a pina colada with a rum floater. Yum!

 

Or mix the free fruit punch with the Malibu rum smuggled on board... YUM!!! and CHEAP!!!

 

(Disclaimer.... I don't smuggle booze on board) Yeah RIGHT!

[dewatson12]

We take our "juice" on board. Then we go up on deck and get a glass of orange juice and add a little "juice" to it. Makes for a great morning

[spar23]

My DH and I have only cruised RCCL and Carnival. DH was not that impressed with RCCL and neither was I. We felt Carnival was more fun and the food was MUCH better.

As you can see in my signature we have only done Western Carib. We are planning our next cruise now to Hawaii and it looks like it will either be with Norweigian or Holland America. Not sure yet.

As was stated earlier, look at the itenerary and cost and decide. I however am a CCL fan for life.

Happy Cruising!!!

[SandyW]

I think the decor is "fun". Some of it is a little out there. I am always amazed at how the theme for each room is carried out on the floors, ceilings and walls...stools, chairs, tables, too. On some of the bigger ships I'm still finding things I missed on debarkation day. There are certain lounges that are elegant...but I don't know that I've seen a whole Carnival ship that I'd consider "elegant". (We've only been on 13 so far.) I enjoy the different things they come up with...I have my favorites and of few of them I don't care for at all. We are trying to eventually see them all or most of the ships...because of the different decor.

 

We went on RC in the middle of our Carnival cruises and were disappointed. The food on that particular cruise was not as good, they didn't have as much to do as Carnival (though that might be subjective depending on what you like to do), and the music wasn't as varied. So for now we are happily back on Carnival. We enjoy cruising and the price is affordable. Don't get me wrong - Carnival is not perfect...but we always have a great time!

[fllady61]

: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!

 

 

3 carnival and counting. ready for 4th. NO food bourne illness on any ship i have been on.

 

Maybe there is a little misconception. If you want to be treated like everyone is kissing your u know what. then another ship is for you.

 

Yes, Carnival does not have the Rock Wall. Nor do they put ice sculptures out nightly. So maybe that is why they cost less.

 

As for your age bracket, i would go carnival. Carnival seems to be more relaxed than RCCL or the others from what I have read.

 

As for illness, who reports the most cases of NoroVirus? RCCL. If onw person is a carrier, if it be guest, or crew, then people will get sick.

 

Carnival has something going all the time. They have the same things as the other ships, and to be honest, I would rather save the butt kissing money to have for shore excursions, souvioners, and things like that.

 

The same cruise destinations we are going to on Carnival for 749 pp is 1148 on Rcc. Same 7 days, Same stops. Why pay the extra 400 pp just to have a rock wall and ice sculptures. Plus that is 400$ you got for shore excursions, gambling, or souvioners.

 

You decide.

[stargate fan]

Yes, in general, the decor is horrible, kind of like 1970's Las Vegas.

 

BUT... Carnival also porvides a great cruise experience at a reasonable price. My guess is that you will be pleased!

I rather like the decor on the ships. It reminds me that:

1. I am NOT at home.
   
2. I am on a cruise ship, not at home.
   
3. I am headed to the Caribbean and am not at home.
   
4. I can drink Kiss on the Lips that I cannot make at home.
   
5. I get served hand and foot, unlike at home.

Need I say more?

We have relatives who only sail one other cruise line and constantly bash Carnival. When I asked why they had such a negative opinion, they, too, said they "heard it" from other people.

As you can see from my signature, we have sailed two cruislines and enjoy them both. Go on a Carnival cruise, have a positive attitude, and you will have a blast.

[cruise_crazy68]

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.

 

 

Jennifer we had the same experience as you. Alot of people bashed Carnival to us before our first cruise in 2004. We went had a blast came home told our combined 5 kids of our trip and booked a trip for all 7 of us 4 months later. We had only been home two days when we booked for the kids. We are going on our 3rd Carnival Cruise in Nov 2007 and already booked April 2008 cuz we were so excited about the Nov trip LOL. We are hooked and Carnival does some great deals, has friendly staff and cruisers and goes to some awesome destinations.

 

I can't imagine not sailing Carnival.:p

[denisey]

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

 

Can't she just give an honest opinion?

 

 

She was a piece of work!

 

On the other hand, my in-laws won't sail on Carnival after a bad experience 20 years ago (Spring Break related) and that is just fine with me! :D

[Sandi149]

Some people will have a bad time no matter what cruiseline they go on. There are those constant whiners and complainers all over the place. Nothing is ever good enough for them. :rolleyes:

[Sandi149]

She was a piece of work!

 

On the other hand, my in-laws won't sail on Carnival after a bad experience 20 years ago (Spring Break related) and that is just fine with me! :D

 

LOL!!!!! I can relate about the "inlaw" thing. Not that they wouldn't go on Carnival, but that I wouldn't want to be on vacation with them. :p

[UlvaZell]

There are lots of reasons why Carnival is the World's Most Popular Cruise Line.......most folks who trash the Line have never sailed on it and are relying on gossip...pure and simple.

 

 

Could not have said it better myself...

 

Thx

[dc-snoopy]

Not trying to disturb the "We (Heart) Carnival" lovefest, but CCL isn't for everyone. We cruised twice on RCI and then once (three weeks ago) on CCL. We did love our cruise, but that was because of the heavily port-intensive nature of the itinerary and having my whole family together to celebrate my parents 50th anniversary. Nothing short of someone getting ill was going to ruin that for our family. That said, we had a lot of problems with the service aspects of the cruise. Of our group of 13, we were divided. Those who had never sailed before had the times of the lives. Those of us who had sailed before, really enjoyed our vacation, but agree that Carnival's service was rather poor on that trip.

 

Since returning, I have found out that the Carnival Destiny has a notorious reputation for having more problems than other ships in the Carnival fleet. Although I was more irritated when I first deboarded, in the time since, I have decided not to pan the entire line due to one weak experience. Plus, I have heard of select stories like mine on every cruise line out there, I don't think any of them are immune to the occasional bad experience of a passenger.

 

Feel free to read my review of the Destiny in my sig below. I would recommend that you do a little research about the ship and itinerary that you are interested in before you book. With forewarning, most problems can be handled so as not to affect your cruise. And I would agree with the recommendations that for a first time on a given line, you might want to cruise on one of the newer ships in the fleet rather than one of the older ones.

 

Congratulations and have fun whatever you decide to do!

[Rocknsoul]

And I would agree with the recommendations that for a first time on a given line, you might want to cruise on one of the newer ships in the fleet rather than one of the older ones.

 

If I may present another perspective: I wonder if someone takes her first cruise on a large, new ship, couldn't that lessen the chances of being pleased on an older, smaller ship on a subsequent cruise? Just a thought...in the same vein, I'm glad we hadn't read a whole lot about cruising before we went, because our perspective was truly our own & not colored by our expectations. Now I feel like I'll be aware of every little thing...because I can't seem to rip myself away from these dadgum boards!:D

 

We're going on our first Carnival cruise in September...on one of the older, smaller ships. Frankly, it's because we got a great deal on a port that's within driving distance for us. I think because our first 2 cruises were on older, smaller ships, I have less chance of being disappointed (not by Carnival, but by the ship). I can gradually make my way to the big, new ones. Although by the time I get there, they probably won't be the new ones anymore!:p

 

BTW, OP, we took our first cruise on RCI because of all the negative things we heard about Carnival. This time our wallets spoke louder, and from what I've read on these boards, I'm fully expecting to have a great time. I hope you do too, no matter what you choose!

[luv2shoppe]

I hope that all of you are right and that Carnival IS a great line to cruise on. I am taking my first Carnival cruise next month. I have heard a lot of bad things about Carnival but the comments were mainly associated with their shorter cruises down the California/Mexican Baja. It seems as though that cruise is inexpensive and caters to the party crowd.

 

I am now counting down to my Mediterranean cruise. :eek:

[salt_wife]

We based our chose for this cruise on positive reviews. I personally want to see for myself if I like it or not. I hear ppl rave about this line. i can't wait for my cruise. And This IS "The Funship". If it was so bad it wouldn't sail the seas any longer. :)

 

Fair Winds and Following Seas.

[fllady61]

LOL!!!!! I can relate about the "inlaw" thing. Not that they wouldn't go on Carnival, but that I wouldn't want to be on vacation with them. :p

 

But will they go on Princess, Holland, Windjammer? If so, they are going on Carnival since Carnival owns them now. Along with many many other lines. I think RCCL, Celeberty, and Cunard are about the only one's not related to Carnival now.

[patrice1]

I confess to being a past "I'd-NEVER-sail-Carnival" snob until a friend went. She asked why I would never sail CCL & I didn't have an answer.:rolleyes: After research, I found that they were the only line that would "honor" my DH's service in Viet Nam without him being retired or active. We booked the Triumph & we're loyal fans since (Liberty in 78 days, :D ). The service was better than/equal, as was the food, to any other line we had sailed. There is no bigger bang for the buck in the cruise world than CCL with a military discount and it's still big bang for the buck without it. I guess you could say we've seen the light :D .

'

[ckornuta]

We heard many of the same things but once we went we were impressed and we did not find that many differences at all. Food was really good, ship looked nice,room good size. The service was good.

After hearing such things like" It's a lower class cruiseline' It was really no differance. Even the age range was about the same.

We will be going on Carnival again And would really recommend it!!

[crazyboutcruisn]

It is curious as to whether your relative has ever actually 'sailed' a Carnival ship. They are 99% awesome! We are 3rd time cruisers and planning our

4th soon. It will be Carnival. We were a tiny bit dissappointed with the Fantasy, but the staff were wonderful, smiling, friendly and attentive to our every need. The Fantasy is a rather old ship and she was fine for her age. Yes, the ships are decorated to the hilt, but I wouldn't call it 'garish' as I have heard some folks say. When I'm on vacation, I kind of want my eyes to pop out of my head and they have!! The Legend is my personal favorite at this stage of the game and a lot of the reason why is because of the 'decor'. The pictures of actors and actresses from years gone by are wonderful! The statues are beautiful and the main entry with the 3 glass elevators that reach to the sky (10 floors, I think) are fabulous!! I'm like a kid with my nose pressed against the glass riding up and down! I guess everyone is welcome to their own opinion, but I will be sticking with Carnival. Friends who have traveled with NCL and Celebrity have told me you must dress certain ways every night to enter the dining room. Granted, there are usually 2 dress-up nights on an 8 day cruise with Carnival, the other nights we could dress up, or dress down. I like being given the choice. As for the food, maybe I come from a meager background, but EVERYTHING on that ship was fabulous!! From the food bars on the lido deck to the main dining room. We have never seen the need to buy into the fancy dining room that costs another $30-50.00 per head because the waiters and the food is great in the dining room!! Someone also posted that your cruise is what you make it. This is so true!! Go on with a 'fun' attitude and you will have a blast!! Good luck and bon-voyage!!! :)

[jessemon]

All I can say to the "OP" is this. A company took me on a 4 night cruise (first cruise I'd been on) on the Fantasy out of Port Canaveral a few years back. Have cruised with RCI, NCL, HAL, Princess, Regal, and CCL again...

I have been on 18 cruises...number 19 coming up.

If it wasn't for the great time I had on "Carnival" I would not have cruised again...

Guess they did a good enough job to hook me on cruising....

By the way...the next one is #4 on Carnival.......;) ;)

[GeeBee1022]

If I may present another perspective: I wonder if someone takes her first cruise on a large, new ship, couldn't that lessen the chances of being pleased on an older, smaller ship on a subsequent cruise? Just a thought...in the same vein, I'm glad we hadn't read a whole lot about cruising before we went, because our perspective was truly our own & not colored by our expectations. Now I feel like I'll be aware of every little thing...because I can't seem to rip myself away from these dadgum boards!:D

 

This rationale is exactly why we are ok with starting our kids off cruising this Saturday, on a 5 day on Ecstasy in an inside room!!! I figure if they like cruising half as much as my husband and I have (I've been on 2, he's been on one), they'll be hooked. Then there's nowhere but up! Bigger ships, longer iteneraries, OV, balcony, etc!!!

 

Of course, I would have loved Conquest for 7 days, but it did not fit into our shedule this year, and I booked so late, the only reasonable room was an Inside. (I have to admit, I'm a little apprehensive about that part!)

[Sandi149]

But will they go on Princess, Holland, Windjammer? If so, they are going on Carnival since Carnival owns them now. Along with many many other lines. I think RCCL, Celeberty, and Cunard are about the only one's not related to Carnival now.

 

I don't think they would cruise after the few times they did it many many years ago. They got very seasick and aren't into cruising anymore. I was just saying how I wouldn't want to go on any vacations with them....period. :p