Difference between Celebrity and Carnival (please be nice)

[Hootsie]

I'm NOT starting this to slam Carnival. A brief cruise history is in my signature so you can see the only two cruises we've been on was thru Carnival. Mainly we did that because we had our teen daughters with us and we'd heard it was a kid friendly cruise. We had both of our cruises over spring break which in itself was crazy. I'm sure even the most elegant cruise ships are crazy during that time.

 

Yea, other kids were out of control (even ticked off MY kids) but other than that we had great trips. The Valor was amazing and only a couple years old when we went. Some decor a little "over the top" but we used to live in Vegas so we're used to that. LOL. The staff was awesome in ever aspect. The food was above average. I can't say it was excellent because we've eaten at some very high end places because my DH is VP in a branch of an internet company out of California and travels almost every week. A few times a year I get to tag along. He stays in Hiltons or Four Seasons and we've accumulated a ton of points in these hotels so when we go, we are used to nice places and eating at great restaurants. Please, don't think I'm one that turns her nose up at things because that is not me at all.

 

I hear comments all the time that Carnival is the Kmart of cruising so this makes me really excited for the Celebrity cruise we'll be taking in May. I honestly enjoyed my Carnival cruises even if it is the "bottom of the food chain" and I'm anxious to see another line of ships.

 

Will it really be that much better than Carnival or is a vacation what you make it to be no matter what ship you sail on?? To those that have sailed Carnival, once you tried another did you ever go back??

[Drew B]

To me, the service on Celebrity is a notch better than on Carnival (which is not to say that Carnival's is not excellent).

 

The food is comparable with some Carnival items being better than their counterparts on Celebrity and vice versa. Celebrity has a 5-course menu whereas Carnival has a 4-course menu. Celebrity has a separate vegetarian menu with multiple choices whereas Carnival has one or two vegetarian items on their regular menu. Celebrity offers a more elegant dining experience. Celebrity has elegant place settings with more silverware than you can shake a stick at. Carnival is a bit simpler. Celebrity has sommeliers serving your wine, whereas on Carnival, if I'm not mistaken, your waiter does it. Corkage on Carnival, though, is only $10 whereas it is $25 on Celebrity. Carnival has much more music, dancing, shenanigans in the dining room than Celebrity. Also, Carnival offers a buffet alternative for dinner whereas Celebrity does not.

 

Celebrity is very stringent about not having a lot of announcements. In general, they have one midday announcement per day. Carnival has multiple announcements for everything from Bingo to whatever. Carnival has more organized activities onboard, including ones (such as hairy chest contests) which Celebrity would never dream of having. Carnival also seems to have more nightlife.

 

Many think that the clientele of the two lines are radically different. I don't agree. I think there are differences in where the average passenger falls on the spectrum, but both lines have people of all types sailing them. The trend is that Carnival tends to be younger and rowdier with more children. There is some truth to this, but please note that that doesn't mean that you won't meet plenty of young people, drunk people, or kids on Celebrity. Nor does it mean that you won't meet plenty of mature passengers travelling without children on Carnival. Also, which ship, which itinerary, and which dates influence the passenger makeup on both lines.

 

Finally, the ships are very different. Celebrity's fleet is, at least till the advent of Solstice and the other new builds, substantially older. Celebrity doesn't have any ships that are as large as the newer Carnival ships. Celebrity ships don't have all of the bells and whistles that the newer Carnival ships have. This is neither a positive nor a negative, automatically. It all depends on what you are looking for.

 

I hope you found my thoughts helpful. However, these are my opinions with some facts thrown in. Others will have a different take.

[Bruin Steve]

I'm NOT starting this to slam Carnival. A brief cruise history is in my signature so you can see the only two cruises we've been on was thru Carnival. Mainly we did that because we had our teen daughters with us and we'd heard it was a kid friendly cruise. We had both of our cruises over spring break which in itself was crazy. I'm sure even the most elegant cruise ships are crazy during that time.

 

Yea, other kids were out of control (even ticked off MY kids) but other than that we had great trips. The Valor was amazing and only a couple years old when we went. Some decor a little "over the top" but we used to live in Vegas so we're used to that. LOL. The staff was awesome in ever aspect. The food was above average. I can't say it was excellent because we've eaten at some very high end places because my DH is VP in a branch of an internet company out of California and travels almost every week. A few times a year I get to tag along. He stays in Hiltons or Four Seasons and we've accumulated a ton of points in these hotels so when we go, we are used to nice places and eating at great restaurants. Please, don't think I'm one that turns her nose up at things because that is not me at all.

 

I hear comments all the time that Carnival is the Kmart of cruising so this makes me really excited for the Celebrity cruise we'll be taking in May. I honestly enjoyed my Carnival cruises even if it is the "bottom of the food chain" and I'm anxious to see another line of ships.

 

Will it really be that much better than Carnival or is a vacation what you make it to be no matter what ship you sail on?? To those that have sailed Carnival, once you tried another did you ever go back??

 

Okay, somehow I feel extremely well qualified to answer this...

I have cruised on seven different cruise lines...many of them multiple times (my "signature" on this board is an incomplete list)...I am an "Elite" Captains Club member on Celebrity...I recently cruised for the third...and, likely, final time on Carnival...

 

What really made it clear to me just how inferior Carnival is was that I cruised the Royal Caribbean Lierty of the Seas and the Carnival Liberty "back-to-back"...

 

It became VERY obvious to us as to the deficiencies on Carnival--all the places Carnival cuts corners...

 

The most obvious difference is in the Space-to-passenger ratios: Carnival had around 3,600 passengers on a 110,000 gross ton ship (note that gross tonnage is a measure of volume or space, not of weight)...RCCL had about the same number on a 160,000 gross ton ship...much more spacious and uncrowded, fewer lines and long waits...Now, Celebrity is my favorite line and this issue should key you in as to why: The Celebrity M-Class ships typically sail with only 2,000 passengers on a 91,000 gross ton ship...compare that with almost twice the passengers on only a slightly larger ship with Carnival...

 

There is absolutely no contest as to the level of service...

My routine on every cruise is to get to the ship early and eat lunch at the buffet...

On Celebrity, someone will assist you with your tray, help find you a table and then bring you drinks or anything you may have forgotten...

On RCCL, no one carried our trays or find us a table, but tables weren't that hard to find and they did come over to our table right away and get us drinks and things we forgot--like silverware...

On Carnival, it was "every man for himself"...hard to find a table...and the ones that were open weren't cleared or cleaned...then you had to get up and find the drink stations...no crew members there to help at all...

 

Carnival has a lot of "entertainment" and "activity"...but, really analyzing it, we noticed deficiencies in quality (like only two singers for production shows and reliance on taped back-up singing)...

 

We just couldn't find many areas where Carnival measured up to RCCL...And Celebrity as a large step beyond it's sister line RCCL...

 

That said, there are a lot of folks out there who, for whatever reason, love Carnival...

I truly believe that many of them just have never cruised with anyone else...

Others just don't notice the difference because their standards and expectations are lower...or their needs or desires are different...Some folks really don't understand elegant service (On Carnival, we actually had a waiter tell us to "save your fork"...and they'd bring multiple courses at once...Some folks might not recognize any wrong with that)...

But, if someone's expectation is just a lot of activity and food (without regard to elegance or service) and they're oblivious to just how crowded everything is, they might be extremely happy with Carnival...

 

We weren't...

We've become accustomed to higher standards...

 

Now, I'm not saying Celebrity is the best cruise for everybody...

 

Every cruise line has strong points and weak points...

Celebrity is more "laid back", more formal...Some people like that, others don't...

It's fine for kids, but, if I were bringing kids, RCCL would be my first choice--more to keep the kids entertained...

 

But for elegance, service, spaciousness and class, nothing in the "large ship" category comes close to Celebrity...

[Hootsie]

Oh, you both make great points! We did hate the dancing and silliness in the dining room. Not that we don't like to have fun (we LOVE fun) but you could just tell the staff was so sick of it and honestly it took them away from their job. Plus dinner was our time to relax and enjoy dinner, not doing the Conga line and marching thru the entire area.

 

Yea, the buffets did stink on both Carnival ships. We did like the upstairs fish & chips bar and that wasn't as busy (same as the burger area). The buffet was almost unappetizing with all the people.

 

The Valor was huge compared to the Paradise so we were really excited for all that space. Well guess what? We felt 10 times more crowded on there than on the smaller Paradise. So, I'm over the "big ship" syndrome.

 

The overhead announcements were annoying too but I didn't know any different. Glad to hear that's not the norm on Celebrity. Do they push Bingo like Carnival does? Man, I hated that.

 

Lines were long, especially at a tendered port and wow, would people let their colors shine. LOL! DH & I would just roll our eyes because honestly, what is complaining going to do? Unruly kids, parents who would either ignore them or holler at them so loud it was embarrassing. Again, this was spring break so maybe it wasn't so much a "Carnival crowd" but a "Spring break" crowd.

 

We would have loved an RCCL cruise for our first away from Carnival but my husband's family is also going (15 of us together) and they booked first and we decided to go just this past week. I'm not worried about the lack of kids on the ship. Our youngest is 15 and oldest is 20 so it's not like they need to be entertained by others. Honestly, they didn't interact with other cruise members on the last two trips so no loss there. Plus on this cruise, they'll have their cousins on board.

 

I'm really excited to see what we think when it's all over. I mean, we don't know anything different than Carnival and honestly, both were great vacations.

 

Wow, what's better than having a vacation planned and enjoying that anticipation? Oh, I know.......the cruise itself!

[Drew B]

It sounds like this will be a great choice for you. Most of the things that Carnival does that Celebrity doesn't seem to be things you don't care for. Congratulations, and I hope you have a great time!

 

F.Y.I., IMO, the buffet is pretty terrible on Celebrity, too (but it's only breakfast and lunch), and the folks can get pretty unpleasant and rude in line on Celebrity much as they do on Carnival.

 

Every cruise will have good things and bad things, but I have enjoyed all my cruises with both lines.

[rebeccalouise]

I love Celebrity. I think it has a relaxed sophisticated feel. I have done six Celebrity cruises now. The only ship I liked better was the QM2.

 

I have only done one Carnival cruise and it was only a four night. It was on the Victory. I had a great time but wasn't expecting perfection. The ship was guady and glitzy- not my cup of tea but I knew this from the brochures.

 

The food was fine. Better than I thought it would be. The crew was pleasant and friendly. My cabin was one of the largest I have stayed in (it was at the bow, an oceanview).

 

The kids program was a bit too crowded but my son enjoyed it.

 

The indoor pool was nice and we spent alot of time there since it was a New England cruise. The pizza and ice cream were a big hit with my son.

 

But I wouldn't choose Carnival in the future. Just like I probably won't sail NCL again- and Royal Caribbean for that matter. All of these lines pack to many passengers onboard. There are too many kids on all three of the lines for my liking.

 

I plan to cruise Celebrity and Cunard from here on out. With an edge to Cunard for freshwater pools and stunning decor.

[janetz]

I'm NOT starting this to slam Carnival. A brief cruise history is in my signature so you can see the only two cruises we've been on was thru Carnival. Mainly we did that because we had our teen daughters with us and we'd heard it was a kid friendly cruise. We had both of our cruises over spring break which in itself was crazy. I'm sure even the most elegant cruise ships are crazy during that time.

 

Yea, other kids were out of control (even ticked off MY kids) but other than that we had great trips. The Valor was amazing and only a couple years old when we went. Some decor a little "over the top" but we used to live in Vegas so we're used to that. LOL. The staff was awesome in ever aspect. The food was above average. I can't say it was excellent because we've eaten at some very high end places because my DH is VP in a branch of an internet company out of California and travels almost every week. A few times a year I get to tag along. He stays in Hiltons or Four Seasons and we've accumulated a ton of points in these hotels so when we go, we are used to nice places and eating at great restaurants. Please, don't think I'm one that turns her nose up at things because that is not me at all.

 

I hear comments all the time that Carnival is the Kmart of cruising so this makes me really excited for the Celebrity cruise we'll be taking in May. I honestly enjoyed my Carnival cruises even if it is the "bottom of the food chain" and I'm anxious to see another line of ships.

 

Will it really be that much better than Carnival or is a vacation what you make it to be no matter what ship you sail on?? To those that have sailed Carnival, once you tried another did you ever go back??

 

 

 

No, once on carnival was enough, "for us". You will be very pleased with Celebrity. ;)

[shawn&angie]

Have yet to cruise on either line (few more days until we set sail) but found this thread very interesting! Good Stuff!

[Hootsie]

Have yet to cruise on either line (few more days until we set sail) but found this thread very interesting! Good Stuff!

 

Have a great cruise!! I'm excited for you (and a little jealous)!

[Sky Sweet]

I an an elite member of Celebrity's Captain Club, but have only been one one Carnival Cruise.

 

My main complaint about that one Carnival cruise was that it was sailing at full capacity, so it had too many passengers for its size. That made it nearly impossible to find a quiet space for conversation on the ship, and the waiters in the main dining room had too many passengers to serve.

 

On the other hand, it had a few pros compared to Celebrity. Carnival's standard cabins are much larger than Celebrity's standard ones. That cruise also had a great piano bar, which included requests from passengers, that created a wonderful bonding experience.

 

Food on Carnival was comparable to Celebrity for very basic foods, such as steak, but Celebrity does a better job with gourmet dishes. However, its dining room service was inferior because it had less crew per passengers.

 

While Carnival had much younger passengers, I did not find them to be that different from Celebrity in terms of socio-economic class because both cruise lines have a very diverse passenger base which include a mix of professionals, para professionals, business executives, pink collar workers, and blue collar workers.

[Hootsie]

 

While Carnival had much younger passengers, I did not find them to be that different from Celebrity in terms of socio-economic class because both cruise lines have a very diverse passenger base which include a mix of professionals, para professionals, business executives, and blue collar workers.

 

That's nice to know. I like diversity. I didn't want to be on a cruise with Thurston Howell III and his wife, if you know what I mean. :-)

[Jenbo57]

Oh lord...you won't find anyone on this board who'd admit to liking Carnival more than Celebrity! :D We sailed Celebrity first, and had an unbelievable time. I thought I'd never sail with anyone but Celebrity! But when it came time to plan for Mexico, Carnival had what I was looking for. After reading the comments on CC about Carnival, I was embarrassed to tell people who we were cruising with, and I was almost afraid to get onboard the ship. But we had a blast, we met some great people, and the ship was beautiful. I'd have no problem recommending Carnival to anyone. A different experience than Celebrity, but I think that had as much to do with the itinerary as the cruise line. Alaska is not a "fun" destination, and Mexico is! The demographic on Celebrity was definitely 60+, again I think more because of the itinerary. Most younger cruisers think sun, rather than snow!

 

Food is subjective; I thought both lines were comparable in that regard. Celebrity probably was slightly better as far as service, but we sailed Concierge Class, so that was the expectation. No complaints on Carnival's service; our cabin was always neat and tidy, and when we needed anything, our cabin steward got it for us.

 

I've chosen our cruises based on itinerary. Whoever has the stops we want on the dates we want is who we're going with! We're back on Celebrity in May -- to Alaska again, but different ship and slightly different itinerary (I want to see Sitka this time). But when we plan our Caribbean trip for next fall, who knows...we could be on the Valor! Either way, I know we'll have a blast, because a week (or more) on any vacation is always better than a week at work, isn't it?!?!?

 

Have a great time! Your itinerary sounds great...I may have to take a look at that one!

[CruiseFever]

Oh I wouldn't be quite so hard on Carnival; the ARE the most popular cruise line in the world, carry more passengers than anyone else and are pretty much resposible for the survival of the cruise industry after the advent of the airplane made cruising irrelevant as a method of transportation.

 

Still, you're sure in for a treat coming from Carnival to Celebrity. Odds are it might be difficult to go back.

 

I think the biggest difference you will notice is the clientele. Specifically in your case; there will be more "nice" kids on the ship. That's not to say that Celebrity teens are not interested in the same urge-related activities as those on any other line. On Celebrity they just do it with style.

 

I think it's pretty much mean to say that Carnival is the K-mart of cruising because K-mart has been having financial difficulties for a long time. Carnival is very much the opposite, racking up record profits year after year. Here though, IMHO, is a big difference.

 

Carnival racks up record profits at the expense of the guest experience, often cutting corners or taking away stuff that used to be included in the price. Celebrity is dead set focused on increasing the value with such efforts as Concierge Class which may not be perfect but is surely a step in the right direction.

 

You wouldn't be here if you couldn't afford it so I'll say you made an appropriate decision, one you won't regret. In addition, I'll say, you can also cruise Royal Caribbean now, a similar value, and feel quite at home.

 

Welcome

[janetz]

Oh I wouldn't be quite so hard on Carnival; the ARE the most popular cruise line in the world, carry more passengers than anyone else and are pretty much resposible for the survival of the cruise industry after the advent of the airplane made cruising irrelevant as a method of transportation.

 

Still, you're sure in for a treat coming from Carnival to Celebrity. Odds are it might be difficult to go back.

 

I think the biggest difference you will notice is the clientele. Specifically in your case; there will be more "nice" kids on the ship. That's not to say that Celebrity teens are not interested in the same urge-related activities as those on any other line. On Celebrity they just do it with style.

 

I think it's pretty much mean to say that Carnival is the K-mart of cruising because K-mart has been having financial difficulties for a long time. Carnival is very much the opposite, racking up record profits year after year. Here though, IMHO, is a big difference.

 

Carnival racks up record profits at the expense of the guest experience, often cutting corners or taking away stuff that used to be included in the price. Celebrity is dead set focused on increasing the value with such efforts as Concierge Class which may not be perfect but is surely a step in the right direction.

 

You wouldn't be here if you couldn't afford it so I'll say you made an appropriate decision, one you won't regret. In addition, I'll say, you can also cruise Royal Caribbean now, a similar value, and feel quite at home.

 

Welcome

 

 

 

 

Clientele? :p With style? :p On our Century cruise we observed two adults crawling on their hands and knees to their cabin late one night, so drunk, they where unable to stand up. I kid you not. Have not seen anything like that, on any other ship.

[Lois R]

I am sure drunks are found on every line.....at one time or another.

Oh maybe not on the total luxury lines..but then again maybe they

have been found on those yachts over the years as well.

 

quote:

 

"Clientele? :p With style? :p On our Century cruise we observed two adults crawling on their hands and knees to their cabin late one night, so drunk, they where unable to stand up. I kid you not. Have not seen anything like that, on any other ship."

[boatboat]

I had not been on Carnival in several years until the Valor this spring. I was very impressed with the better quality food, especially the steaks, and I am not much of a steak eater.

 

The best production shows at sea were on the Valor.

 

This fall, was on the RCI Adventure of the Seas, and found the food quality well below the Valor experience, maybe it depends on the ship.

 

I agree with all the Celebrity comments, and remember, the longer the cruise, the fewer kids and older demographics.

[tuggers]

I just don't think you'll find the same level of service on Carnival as X. I want to be pampered, taken care of and well-fed. I think you will find X has a much better product in those areas.

The lack of announcements on board add to my enjoyment. Except for the noon message from the Captain and a very brief rundown by the CD, the announcements are for safety or emergencies only. Makes for a very quiet, relaxing ship. You can take a nap by the pool and not be jarred awake by three calls to Bingo!

[Coolcruise02]

Still, you're sure in for a treat coming from Carnival to Celebrity. Odds are it might be difficult to go back.

 

Not a problem for us to go back to Carnival after two X cruises!

 

All we heard before our X cruises was about the "exceptional service & food". Well I'm sorry but neither was any better than we have had on our other cruises. In fact the food and presentation was better on Carnival than our cruise on the Century.

 

As far as "clientele", we saw our first cut-off jeans and tank top in the hot tub on a X cruise.

 

So, try lots of different cruise lines and ships for yourself. If you love cruising you will have a good time on them all because they all have good and bad points! :)

[Drew B]

Here though, IMHO, is a big difference.

 

Carnival racks up record profits at the expense of the guest experience, often cutting corners or taking away stuff that used to be included in the price. Celebrity is dead set focused on increasing the value with such efforts as Concierge Class which may not be perfect but is surely a step in the right direction.

 

 

I'm very confused about this statement. I think that ALL cruise lines have either cut corners in terms of the "guest experience" or have added a la carte features that can be enjoyed for an additional price. They do so in order to preserve the highly affordable cruise fares which have not risen appreciably in DECADES despite inflation causing prices of everything else to rise. I fail to see how Celebrity differs from Carnival in that regard. As for Concierge Class, I think that is the perfect example of a la carte nickle-and-diming. Concierge Class cabins costs more than basic cabins. Therefore, all the nice little touches you get in CC cabins are ones they've chosen not to give to guests in standard cabins. If you choose to pay for them, GREAT. I hope you enjoy them. However, please realize that they are a way for the cruise line to increase revenue without increasing their costs much at all. Most of the items given as CC perks cost the cruise line next to nothing. And things like the daily appetizer delivery? Please! Anybody can get better food than that delivered free by room service!

 

I agree that Celebrity has areas in which they are much better than Carnival. Gouging for money is not one of them!

[BikerAl]

I think that ALL cruise lines have either cut corners in terms of the "guest experience" or have added a la carte features that can be enjoyed for an additional price. T

 

Well said Drew, and anyone who doesn't agree, should look at the hundreds of threads on this board, and on most of the other cruise line boards, to hear how folks say things have deteriorated. Funny, there are more positive posts on Carnival than here.

 

That being said, Carnival is not elegant, and many of you say Celebrity ships are. Carnival ships are not old and tired, but many of you say some of the Celebrity ships are. Someone said passenger to space ratio is fully utilized. On Carnival, hundreds of folks are on the pool deck at night. It is reported dead on Celebrity ships starting around diner time. What is the biggest complaint on both boards....chair hogs oh, and bad coffee on Celebrity.

 

My point is, make the best of whatever ship you sail on, and find your comfortable space.

 

Looking forward to my first Celebrity cruise in less than 60 days, and if it is so wonderful that I will never sail Carnival or HAL, or NCL or some other line, I will report here.

 

Al

[shipshape sam]

Our perspective is this:

 

We have friends who sail on Carnival with their kids. When we sail together we sail on RCL or Celebrity (Holland America and Princess in future)

 

They would stress price when taking their kids (adult children like ours). I always agree with them that if we want to sail with our friends and their kids ALONG with our kids, we would consider Carnival. THEN I always said, I will guess I will never sail with MY kids and their kids! :)

 

 

 

===============

 

 

We have taken our kids on Carnival and when we take them again it will be on RCL/Celebrity/Princess/Holland America, etc, but NOT Carnival.

 

I have sailed Carnival twice and that was once too many times. They have some nice things, but overall not what we are looking for.

[boatboat]

Not a problem for us to go back to Carnival after two X cruises!

 

All we heard before our X cruises was about the "exceptional service & food". Well I'm sorry but neither was any better than we have had on our other cruises. In fact the food and presentation was better on Carnival than our cruise on the Century.

 

As far as "clientele", we saw our first cut-off jeans and tank top in the hot tub on a X cruise.

 

So, try lots of different cruise lines and ships for yourself. If you love cruising you will have a good time on them all because they all have good and bad points! :)

 

Every cruise is so different ..... but the specialty restrurant on a Carnival is much closer to the standard restrurant on Celebrity ..... it was especially noticible on Carnival .... the comment was .... but .... this is like every nite on Celebrity .... just my observation ....

[biblioguy]

I've cruised exactly once with both lines (a two week Baltic cruise on Connie and a three night Carnival cruise to the Bahamas on Fascination).

 

The ships and itineraries couldn't be more different but we had a blast on both.

 

Our satisfaction with the Carnival experience may have had something to do with the last minute mystery upgrade to a penthouse suite that Carnival gave us. We didn't ask--it just happened. Talk about hitting the lottery!

 

Strangely enough, I thought the food and service on the Carnival ship's main dining room was on par with the quality of the food in the Constellation's main dining room. I wasn't expecting that.

 

Having said that, we're planning a cruise on the Med in 2009. Both cruise lines go there and of the two, I would definitely pick Celebrity again in favor of Carnival. My choice for that trip will probably be limited to Celebrity or Oceania (which I have not yet sailed). Would love to try one of the ultra premium lines, but the budget just doesn't allow it.