Holland or Carnival

[Firkin]

I am about to start planning me and DH's next cruise. I am thinking of Holland, DH wants Carnival. The cruise would be in May. I have read through most of the members reviews of of both of them to compare and contrast, but I can't tell. Ideally I would book back to back 1st Carnival and then Holland. I can dream of doing that. So if anybody has experince with Both Lines please comment.

 

Or even which cruise line you feel gives the most bang for your buck for the spring Caribbean cruise.

[Krazy Kruizers]

JMO - have never done Carnival - never will. Ships are too large -- too many passengers -- too many children.

[zaandam_2]

i done both. no comparison, really. totally different experiences.

what is it that draws your husband to carnival?

[jhannah]

There's a long thread lower down on the page (click here) that covers your question.

[Roz]

I've done both; enjoy both but for different reasons. I compare it to shopping at Target (Carnival) vs. Nordstrom (HAL). I walk into both stores with different expectations, and pricing.

 

Roz

[FlorenceItaly]

Like Roz, I've done both, and enjoy them for different reasons. Can you tell me more about what you are looking for? Also, about Carnival, in May....I would only cruise the first two weeks in May on Carnival. For ME, any later, would be cutting it too close in regards to many children on board. While I like children, I am an empty nester and prefer to sail when few are on board.

For that reason, HAL is a very good fit for me. We do have a Carnival cruise coming up in a few weeks, but since this is the middle of the school year, the children will be minimal.

 

 

 

Marie

[SANDY BEACH]

All cruises have been enjoyable including our Carnival cruise; however, it was wayyyy down the scale compared to Holland.

[etmanch]

Have never done Carnival but have done Princess RCL and Holland. Holland was the best by far and I am looking at Eurodam for 2009. We are giving Regent a try in 2008 for our trip to Tahiti as Holland does not sail this area. If I had to pick between Carnival and HAL I think you should stick with HAL IMO.

[cruznon]

If you have kids and want an active children's program, Carnival would be the way to go. If you want an active ship with lots of nightlife go Carnival. If you want a more elegant, quieter experience, HAL would be better.

As was stated earlier, two totally difference styles and expectations on these two lines.

[HamOp]

If you don't go with HAL, just go with Greyhound......

[m steve]

I prefer HAL in almost every way except one.

Carnival's supper club at $30 pp is so far superior to HAL's Pinnacle Grill that it was amazing. HAL has real libraries, better shows and nicer cabins and lounges. Then there's the passengers.

[FlorenceItaly]

Just want to add that HAL is my preferred cruiseline(at this time), however, I do VERY much enjoy the nightlife that Carnival offers. Just for reference, my dh is 59 and I am 44.

 

 

 

Marie

[terrydtx]

We have done both and I can say I wouldn’t do Carnival again by choice, too many kids and silly behavior by the passengers geared more to the under 35 crowd. Having said that, it looks like we will be on Carnival in June 2009. My parents who live in Texas want to do a cruise on their 60th anniversary with my DW and I and they do not want to fly to port so we are limited to the Carnival Conquest out of Galveston. Good news is we can book a nice suite cabin for about what a standard HAL VH veranda cabin costs for a 7 day Carribbean cruise from FL. Starting next year Carnival will be the only cruise line at a Texas port leaving after end of April through the summer.

[bng804]

Hmmm, not hard to guess which way the answers to this question will lean in this forum. :)

 

We've always been partial to HAL, but tried Carnival for the first time on our last cruise. Sailed on the Conquest. Carnival does a lot of things right, but my number one complaint (and the reason I won't go back) is the number or people they cram onboard - a night and day difference for people who normally sail HAL.

 

As others will tell you, if you are looking for lots of people and an active party atmosphere, you'll be quite happy on Carnival. If you are looking for a more relaxing, upscale, experience, then you'll be more at home on HAL.

[eh2zed]

You will get different experiences on both lines. Whats probably quite instructive is that both lines are owned by CCL. The owners say Carnival is a regular cruise line and HL is a premium cruise line. The differences are in food cost per passenger, space per passenger, etc. Carnival has lots to offer, particularly much more active night life while HAL offers a more traditional product. Most people and polls have at least a one star difference between them. However, Carnival might be right for you depending on expectations.

[newmexicoNita]

I am about to start planning me and DH's next cruise. I am thinking of Holland, DH wants Carnival. The cruise would be in May. I have read through most of the members reviews of of both of them to compare and contrast, but I can't tell. Ideally I would book back to back 1st Carnival and then Holland. I can dream of doing that. So if anybody has experince with Both Lines please comment.

 

Or even which cruise line you feel gives the most bang for your buck for the spring Caribbean cruise.

Haven't read what others are saying thus this is probably a repeat, but first you have to define what it is you are looking for in a cruise experience, your ages and energy level.

 

here is my opinion of the two lines: I do love HAL, the ships are well maintained and truely classy as is the staff. They are a little more formal, not as relaxed and maybe not quite as naturally friendly as Carnival. The food on HAL is outstanding as ship food goes. The cabins are large and well appointed plus done very nicely and pool areas are not crowded.

 

Carnival has large cabins, but they can be not terribly well decorated, in fact I think of Carnival ships as being very gaudy compared to Celebrity and HAL. the food is subjective at best, but I certainly do not think it compares with HAL. The service may not be quite as attentive, but the crew are genually friendly, not phoney. There is more to do and more night life on Carnival. The age breakdown will be a younger group with more families. I think the casinos on Carnival are much larger and nicer.

 

In short, HAL attacts an older, more sophisticated (spelling) crowd who prefers to spend time in the library or playing trivia and playing very serious trivia. Carnival ships are geared to the middle class, younger, with or without families. The activities are more on the relaxed side.

 

Hope this helps some.

 

Nita

[newmexicoNita]

I've done both; enjoy both but for different reasons. I compare it to shopping at Target (Carnival) vs. Nordstrom (HAL). I walk into both stores with different expectations, and pricing.

 

Roz

Great comparison Roz.

[crisp1]

Hmmm, not hard to guess which way the answers to this question will lean in this forum. :)

 

We've always been partial to HAL, but tried Carnival for the first time on our last cruise. Sailed on the Conquest. Carnival does a lot of things right, but my number one complaint (and the reason I won't go back) is the number or people they cram onboard - a night and day difference for people who normally sail HAL.

 

As others will tell you, if you are looking for lots of people and an active party atmosphere, you'll be quite happy on Carnival. If you are looking for a more relaxing, upscale, experience, then you'll be more at home on HAL.

 

My first cruise with my wife was on the old Volendam 25 yrs ago. We have cruised on 5 different classes of CCL ships and the Conquest class has the worst layout and the most pax. We've enjoyed cruising on CCL with our son, and also by ourselves. I have only once experienced the rowdy crowds someone here mentioned, and that was on a 4 day, Memorial Day weekend cruise to Cozumel ( what do you expect- young drinker's). CCL is very good as far as value for you $$, especially the older ships, the cabins are larger than most, good nightlife, and ( from my experience) a good mix of ages. Yes, there are more families and kids, but like previous posters have mentioned, stay away over holidays, summer months and Spring break season. One of the first things I look at when researching a cruise is the itinerary, second, the price, next the ship/line. I like each cruise to have something new- a new port, class, even try a new line. This past 4th of July week, we cruised on the QM2 to Eluethera with our 19 yr old son and his gf. We all had a Great time. They had their own cabin, were considered adults ( an English thing ;)) I was surprised that the nightlife was good, and it wasn't the senior/snob crowd I was told it would be. I'm also hoping that our upcoming Noordam cruise is equally impressive

[twinkletoes4445]

We've done both, and IMO, Holland wins hands-down. We took our kids on a New Year's cruise on Carnival (the Triumph) and earlier this year, we went on the Zuiderdam...

 

Here's the differences I noticed...

 

Serivce...

 

Holland-10

Carnival-6

 

Holland is all about service. We were in a deluxe suite on Holland, and our every wish was taken care of. The staff on Carnival was friendly, prompt, and took care of what we asked...but there was no comparison.

 

Cabin...

 

Holland-10

Carnival-5

 

We had a balcony cabin on Carnival. The room was tired, and the bed was not comfortable at all. The cabin on Holland was amazing. It was spacious (probably not a fair comparison because we were in a deluxe suite), clean, and above all, the bed was amazing! The mattress was soooo comfy. Plus, we had tons of pillows...nice fluffy pillows.

 

Food...

 

Holland-10

Carnival-7

 

Food is very subjective however, we found the food on Holland to be quite a bit better than Carnival...in both the dining room and the buffet. We liked that there were trays on the buffet line. The lido was also a lot nicer on Holland than on Carnival (tablecloths, etc). We also like the fact that Holland had waiters that helped you carry things...if you needed help.

 

Room Service...

 

Holland-10

Carnival-7

 

Holland wins hands-down in this area. They have a wide assortment of items items (including a hot breakfast) on their list. And if it's not on the list, we just wrote it on our card and found it on the delivery tray. Not so with Carnival. They have a very limited room service menu, however, what we did order was delivered promptly.

 

Activities...

 

Holland-5

Carnival-10

 

Carnival wins in this area. There's lots to do all the time. Our kids had a blast. We love nothing more than to find a quiet spot and read, so activities aren't something that really matters to us.

 

Embarkation/debarkation...

 

Holland-10

Carnival-7

 

Holland has this down...pat. With Carnival, there was nothing but long lines and confusion. It was very orderly with Holland.

 

Entertainment...

 

Holland-7

Carnival-10

 

Lots of great shows on Carnival. But again, this isn't a top priority for us.

 

 

 

Holland...elegant, service-oriented, classy

 

Carnival...fun, younger passengers (in our experience), more casual.

 

Whatever you choose, have a great time. We enjoyed both cruise lines for different reasons. :)

[eh2zed]

Twinkle, very good and fair comparison

[MSammy]

I'm sure any cruise is better than no cruise at all, but, for my money, it's HAL hands down. I hated the non-stop selling on Carnival...the fighting for pool chairs...the small cabins. Once you've done HAL, you can never go back. :)

[twinkletoes4445]

Twinkle, very good and fair comparison

 

Well, thank you. :)

[forensic]

Twinkletoes, that was an excellent way to list an evaluation, if I may copy your way a evaluating, here is our vote on the two cruise lines:

 

I should say we have sailed on each once - as we usually sail Celebrity.

 

Service:

HAL: 9

CCL: 3

 

Cabin (Veranda on Both)

HAL: 8

CCL: 2 - NO FURNITURE TO SIT ON OTHER THAN BED-NO SOFA, CHAIR ETC., SERVICE OF ROOM VERY POOR, ONLY CHANGED SHEETS ONCE ALL WEEK & THEN WE ASKED.

Food:

HAL: 8

CCL: 2 - WE THOUGHT IT WAS ABOUT THE CALIBER OF EATING AT A DENNY'S. NOT AT ALL WHAT WE EXPECT ON A CRUISE. LINES TOO LONG IN THE BUFFET. PLUS 3 TIMES ON THE CRUISE, DURING LUNCH, THEY RAN OUT OF ICED TEA AND ICE. WAS IT A SURPRISE WE WERE ALL COMING FOR LUNCH?

ROOM SERVICE: DID NOT GET ANY

 

ACTIVITIES:

HAL: 5

CCL: 5

 

EMBARKATION/DISEMBARKATION:

HAL: 7

CCL: 4

 

ENTERTAINMENT:

HAL: 8

CCL: 5

 

I agree with Twinkletoes, the whole atmosphere of HAL is elegant and sophisticated. We found that the majority of fellow passengers were well mannered and dressed properly for meals and activities. We do not recall passengers at breakfast in their pj's or bathrooms. There were some children but mostly well behaved. Passengers were very mixed as to age groups, but all the ones I met and talked with were very pleasant and enjoyable to talk with. Did not see anyone, day or night that had been drinking to excess and was obnoxious about it. Nice evening music and casino and bars locations that were not so loud that we felt driven out.

 

On CCL we liked the ship we were on but DISLIKED the rude crew, food was terrible, bed was worse we ever had on a cruise (and it was one of the 'new' ones. At night the bars were too loud and too full of drunks for us. We are not anxious to sail CCL again.

 

 

[twinkletoes4445]

Twinkletoes, that was an excellent way to list an evaluation, if I may copy your way a evaluating, here is our vote on the two cruise lines:

 

I wish I could take credit for this, but another poster here on CC used this format, and I thought it was easy to read, so I used it when I was posting. :)

 

After reading your post, I realized that I forgot to mention the balcony furniture. On Carnival, we had two plastic chairs, and a small table. On our HAL cruise, we had a nice-sized table with three (maybe four) wicker-like chairs, and an additional two wicker-like chairs with ottomans. Quite a big difference. Even if we didn't have the table and chairs (on the HAL cruise), the chairs and ottomans were very comfy compared to the plastic ones on Carnival.

[twinkletoes4445]

Double post-sorry.