Carnival Bookings?????

[jcallcut]

I think someone mentioned staying away from holidays, and I would agree. My one and only time on Carnival was on the inagural sailing of the Sensation. It was a Carribean cruise over Thanksgiving, and there were a very large number of college kids on the cruise. That in and of itself was not a problem, but given they had many cabins with four persons in them, the ship was packed to the gills. Everything was crowded. That is no reflection on Carnival at all. It is just the reality of a holiday cruise. The big issue I had was with the number of college kids and the easy availability of alcohol made for a bad mix.

 

I know it will sound like an exageration, but it is not. There was not a single night that I did not go into one of the public restrooms where someone had gotten sick on the floor. You had people out in the sun all day, drinking way too much, then coming back and eating rich dinners. Something had to give. I had heard that Carnival was reevaluating their policy of letting four people under the age of 25 share one room, but I don't know if that happened or not.

 

That said, the ship was wonderful, the staff was efficient. Not the friendliest I have sailed with, but they did thier jobs well. The cruise director and the activities were always fun.

 

Would I sail them again? Probably not. Since finding Celebrity, I can't imagine going back. There is just a huge step up in service and value to me, and the cost is not that much higher

[RodPat]

Stanley, I have been on only one Carnival cruise. It was the Destiny to Canada out of New York. I did not find a party ship but I did find a very dirty ship. we never knew what table to sit at in the buffet area because no one ever cleaned the tables. The service was almost not there at all. That being said I must tell you that I love the Galaxy. The ship is not too big and it is tastefully decorated. The service that you will recieve is outstanding. The desserts are to die for. We sailed her twice in one year out of Baltimore. There are other lines that are good also. Holland America is our next choice followed fby Princess. Pat

[nealberk]

Carnival did have a reputation during the 70's as being a non-stop party. This was when most people who cruised were over 50 and extremely sedate. The party boat atmosphere was good for Carnival. It put them in the spotlight, brought a whole new group of people to cruising, and made a lot of money for the company.

 

Like any child growing up, Carnival did mature a bit and decide while they still wanted the "fun" aspect, beer parties, wet t-shirt contests, and spring break attitudes were not where they wanted to be. They have changed considerably over the years and are currently the most booked cruiseline in ALL age brackets.

 

They must be doing something right.

 

With that said, I still prefer Celebrity and HAL.

[MusicMan]

"They have changed considerably over the years and are currently the most booked cruiseline in ALL age brackets.

They must be doing something right.

With that said, I still prefer Celebrity and HAL."

 

 

And THAT (IMO) is the right attitude. I am 55 years old and had only cruised Carnival until this year. I went on a Holland America cruise to Alaska. The cruise was wonderful ..... but I was BORED TO TEARS..... The service in the dining room was the worst I had encountered.....It was still okay, just not what I had encountered on Carnival. Now I will say, that I noticed our wait team seemed to be behind the others. Rather than say HAL has poor service, I chalk it up to our particular waiters. My preference for Carnival has to do with MY tastes, and what I LIKE TO DO on board a ship. I'm a ham... I love karaoke, and talent shows. While I always thought some of the poolside games were a little silly and didn't participate, they DO create a "fun" atmosphere that I missed on HAL. Like they used to say "Different strokes for different folks".... I would say try everything once, and repeat those that you liked!

[Slinkiecat]

:confused:

Just stay away from the 3 or four night Carnival Cruises.

 

They have upgraded their product in all categories.

Just wondering why the short trips on Carnival wouldn't be advisable? Is this because of the weekend party crowds?

 

We signed up for one such "quickie" as a means to qualify for a big discount on a HAL world cruise, and I think it would be a fun thing to break up the long wait until our long cruise in January.

 

We're not youngsters either, but are very mobile and able to enjoy water activities as well as other shore excursions, so maybe the rowdy ones won't bother us too much.

 

Slinkie

[nealberk]

:confused:

Just wondering why the short trips on Carnival wouldn't be advisable? Is this because of the weekend party crowds?

 

We signed up for one such "quickie" as a means to qualify for a big discount on a HAL world cruise, and I think it would be a fun thing to break up the long wait until our long cruise in January.

 

Slinkie

You hit one of the major reasons. In addition the crowds on the three and four day trips are generally people who can't afford the time or money for a longer cruise so they try to cram as much as they can into the few days they have. The people on the shorter cruises generally are first time cruisers who want to get their feet wet, figuratively speaking. Because of this you have a more varied group with many different expectations, not all of which can be accommodated on the ship. Unfortunately for some people, frustration or boredom eventually equates to more drinking and the loss of inhibitions and sensibilities.

 

Most people who have cruised previously go for the seven day or longer cruises since they do not want to "get off the boat just as they are settling in" . They have previously cruised, like the experience, and generally fit in with other people on the ship.

 

People on a very limited budget are more inclined to go on the shorter cruises since they are cheaper.

 

Carnival also has put their oldest ships on the short cruises. These are also some of the smallest ships. Generally there is more to do on a larger, newer ship (This one I can argue, but to some people size is everything)

 

Just got an e-mail from HAL stating that they were going to run the new Westerdam out of Ft. Lauderdale for a three day cruise to their private island. Their newest, biggest ship. Pretty well refutes all the points above doesn't it? :rolleyes: