Celebrity VS Carnival

[reefexplorer]

This was our first cruise with Celebrity, after looking on these boards (back in Aug) I almost decided I didn’t want to go. There were several postings on how great Celebrity was and how awful all the other lines were. I noticed most of these posters hadn’t even tried the some of the cruise lines that they were cutting down. I wasn’t sure if I could put my nose up in the air as high as theirs (LOL) and didn’t know if I was really interested in taking vacations with a bunch of snobs. :eek:But I can honestly say that I am glad we took this cruise. We had a wonderful time, met some really great people and the ship was really nice.

 

The first night we had open seating and we sat with this couple from Cape Cod and there son and daughter-in-law. The first thing he said was “this is our 8th cruise with Celebrity and we would never cruise Carnival they are low class, this is the best and why try anything else.” (LOL) These people were really nice and we really enjoyed dining with them, they invited us to sit at there table with them through out the cruise if our assigned table didn’t work out. Let me tell you how I viewed Celebrity compared to Carnival.

 

Embarkation:

Celebrity: We just walked in no lines, no waiting it was great. (we got there at 11:45am the ship didn’t sail till 10:00pm.) Was offered a glass of champagne or OJ when we got on board. This was the easiest boarding we ever had. Celebrity wins hands down.

 

Carnival: we have always waited in line and when you thought you were ready to board there would be another line it seemed.

 

The room:

Celebrity: While the rooms are smaller than Carnival, the mirrors on one wall made it seem larger and the décor was slightly better. The bathroom only had 2 sets of OK towels. :(

 

Carnival: much more storage and the beds are softer and more comfortable. Carnival gives you a big basket of shampoos, razors and lotions etc (never the same each time.) We always had 4 – 6 sets of nice white fluffy towels in the bathroom and the shampoo and body wash in the shower seemed to be better (just my opinion, the shampoo on Celebrity dried my hair out, I should have brought my own, always did but Carnivals was a good quality and worked well for me.)

 

The food:

Both cruise lines are comparable with quality; Pizza on both lines is really excellent. Celebrity has homemade ice cream YUMM. Waffles are the best. And in the deli they have Potato chips. We did not find the spa restaurant I probably would have like it. The buffet was never crowded and we were always able to find a table.

 

Carnival had soft serve that is available 24 hours a day. Carnival has a wider variety of food, there was always several different nationalities represented in their food. I like the WOK station where you can pick and choose your ingredients, sauces etc and they cook it for you. The Deli is much better also. We missed the warm rolls and bread at dinner time also.

 

The “ambience” of the ship:

 

Celebrity wins this one. I really like the NO announcements, although it would have been nice during debarkation so we could actually hear our color being called. The ships décor was elegant although sometimes it was a little to understated.

 

Carnival does have announcements which were annoying when you are taking a nap. The ships décor sometimes was “over the top” but it can be fun also. Some of the ships are really beautiful and some of them are really gaudy. Fortunately I don’t depend on the décor to improve or degrade my experience.

 

The shows on both lines was excellent, very professional and very entertaining. It was refreshing to find such a good variety on each cruise we have taken.

 

Debarkation:

Celebrity: you wait in lounge and they call your color and number. It would have been nicer if they allowed announcements at this time so you could hear the color and number being called. It did work well though and we found our luggage just fine. This is similar to Carnival except I think that Celebrity has smaller groups and less confusion.

 

Carnival: Beside conventional debarkation they allow you to walk off the ship with your luggage before they start calling numbers, we have done this and it was very easy and worked well.

 

Our conclusion would be is that the more different cruise lines we sail the more they seem alike, the similarities out weigh the differences. Over all we had a wonderful experience with Celebrity, the ship appeared to be less crowded than Carnival and the no announcement policy was nice. I would not hesitate to sail on either cruiseline. My experience doesn’t depend on décor or what others wear. I think each cruise is different and is going to be what you make of it. :D

 

Linda

[CatServants]

Thanks for sharing the comparison! Since we're probably about to book a Carnival cruise I found it VERY helpful.

 

Happy cruising!

 

Denise

[irishgirl]

Thank you Linda. I was looking for some comparisons so I will know what to expect. I will be cruising on Celebrity for the first time next February.

 

Judy

[H2OH!]

Thank you for the information. We leave on our first Carnival cruise DH won at work and am looking forward to it...it is a cruise and it is free!! :D

[drrich2]

Thanks for the concise yet detailed comparison, from a neutral standpoint.

 

I've cruised RCI's Adventure of the Seas, & am due shortly to cruise Celebrity's Constellation. I've done to reading here & there, & Carnival does seem to catch its share of flack.

 

Then again, I've seen some photos of Carnival ships that gave me pause; in one some designer seems to have gone stark raving mad with the color 'purple.'

 

That said, I've got a question.

 

Did the Celebrity ship not have soft serve frozen yogurt?

 

Adventure of the Seas had it, chocolate & vanilla, and an option to swirl it. I loved it!

 

I've been living in fear for months that the Constellation won't have it.

 

Richard.

[reefexplorer]

It did!! I was making a point that all carnival had was soft serve, but it also had it available for 24 hours a day.

 

Linda

[Bruin Steve]

Linda,

Your opinion and comparison is valued.

What is always interesting to me is how different people value different things and how our individual perceptions are often colored by our different experiences and standards.

 

Let me say that I do not believe that I am a snob...I have been on over 20+ cruises (most of which are noted in my board signature)...And I've cruised on seven different cruise lines...But I do prefer Celebrity...And I doubt I will ever cruise with Carnival again...

 

A lot of that comes from my recent experience of having cruised Royal Caribbean and Carnival in back-to-back weeks. Whereas you may have been comparing your recent sailing on Celebrity to more distant pleasant memories of Carnival cruises, I had the vantage of experiencing two cruise lines in an almost direct comparison.

 

Though you mention embarkation, debarkation, food, cabin and ambience, I think there are some very important aspects you missed. Perhaps they are less important to you or you just didn't pay attention to the same things I pay attention to.

 

Let me also say that there are some things Carnival does do well. Though, IMHO, their food is far short of Celebrity, I will say that it is surprisingly good. Carnival has improved in theis regard drastically over the years. The service, which I'll get into in a moment, is not even close.

 

You mention the entertainment as being "excellent" on both...I would refute that. Viewed in a vacuum, one might think so...It's hard not to enjoy oneslf while being entertained. But, having viewed RCCL entertainment and Carnival entertainment back-to-back, it's really easy to quantify where Carnival falls short. First, the good: Carnival's comedians on our ship were excellent. That's where the excellence stops. Royal Caribbean's production shows were outstanding (as they are on it's sister line, Celebrity)...FOUR singers rotating with multiple costume changes and a bit of variety. Carnival cut corners, using only TWO singers...which also meant they could not rotate off for costume changes or for rests...So, the quality suffered greatly. To make matters worse, Carnival relied heavily on TAPED back-up vocals. Clearly inferior shows. Past this, the two non-comedy, non-production shows on Carnival included an incredibly tacky "hypnotisty show", where the guest hypnotist shilled constantly for his diet and quit smoking DVDs...and a "Guest performer" show where the guest performer was merely a former Carnival production show singer.

 

Now, back to service:

 

The first thing we do onboard EVERY cruise is to hit the buffet for embarkation day lunch...We couldn't help but notice this difference between Celebrity, RCCL and Carnival. On Celebrity, a crew member will greet you at the end of th line and carry your tray for you to an open table, then ask if there is anything else he can get you--beverages, forgotten silverware, condiments, etc. On RCCL, once you find your table, a crew member is right there to ask you what else he can get you. On Carnival, you need to search ard for a table in the overcrowded buffet, likely find one that hasn't even been cleared or wiped off, then leave your food and go back out again to find the drink station etc. Absolutely no help or service in the buffet area...

 

As to Dining Room service, we counted--the number of tables served by our waiter and our assistant waiter...Each waiter on Carnival was serving, at a minimum 1.5 times the number of people per seating as were the waiters on RCCL...and they seemed to be sharing the same assistant waiter with two waiters! The effect on service was that service was always rushed, things were forgotten...Often our appetizers and soup or salad and sometimes the main entree all arrived at the same time. Either due to the rush...or the fact that the dining room was so crowded, the waiter never followed the "rules" of which side to serve or remove from...We even saw our waiter, when serving the table across the aisle from us, handing a plate to someone and telling them to "pass" it to someone else!! I don't even have the time to enumerate the large numbers of service faux pas we noticed...Of course, I am also aware this isn't important to some people and they'd likely never notice it...And some might call me a "snob" for making it an issue...but trust me, I am not a snob...I just think that the "elegance" factor on a cruise is an important part of service...I also will tell you that on Celebrity, RCCL, Princess or Oceania, I virtually never have to even ask for refills on my iced tea...On Carnival, I'd often have to ask...and then ask again...

 

The cabin size on Carnival...and the storage space in the cabin was, as the OP noted, ample...I have no real complaints on the cabin--other than the day-glo orange vinyl decor...I don't think the cabin was appreciably larger than the same category cabin on the newer RCCL or M-Class "X" ships though...

 

The Carnival ship, itself, however, was laid out poorly, walkways were insufficiently narrow...and, the most notable thing was the overcrowding...The space-per-passenger ratios (we were on Carnival Liberty) were outrageous compared to the RCCL Liberty of the Seas...and those ratios pale compared to the Celebrity M-Class...When you add to that that "X" passengers and even RCCL passengers tend to be more 2 to the cabin, putting kids in their own cabins, etc., we didn't seem to meet a single Carnival passenger who did this...So all of those many "quads" on Carnival had four passengers in them. Carnival customers seem to want to cruise them for the bargain prices...and want to get the most for their money...So, basically, throw whatever is listed as "full double occupancy" out the window...There are about one and a half times as many passengers jammed onto each Carnival ship...

 

What goes along with that is that there are lines and crowds for everything...Forget waiting for a few pieces of sushi at the Carnival sushi counter...The shows? Prepare to show up an hour ahead of time for a reasonable seat (getting a seat at an "X" show is simple--show up a few minutes before showtime and sit where you want)...Carnival did cut down on my drinking--hard to get a bar waiter in the showroom...Why? I don't know...they seemed to hawk incessantly every other profit area like no one else...

 

The payoff with Carnival is that their cruises, for the most part (not always the case) tend to cost a few dollars less...

 

But, after 20+ cruises, I've decided it's well worth paying a little more for service, elegance, roominess, less stress, etc.

 

I've done three Carnival cruises now...But I doubt I will ever do another...

[nps001]

Different strokes for different folks. However, I don't think that people that appreciate and enjoy the finer things in life should be labeled snobs. Likewise, I wouldn't consider those that aren't even aware of some of these things lower class.

 

I will say that I agree with the person that posted about the dancing waiters on Carnival. Quite honestly, I can barely stand the Baked Alaska Parade on X.

 

Not having sailed recently on Carnival, I won't speak to their service, entertainment, etc. However, I wouldn't diminish the decor of a ship as not being important. It certainly plays into my decision when booking a cruise ship. In fact, given the rather emphatic comments regarding ship condition, dated decor, wear and tear, etc on this board, I would say it is important. When I sailed on Carnival several years ago in the Owner's Suite, I had PINK leather furniture in the living room, mauve carpeting in all areas, and get ready for this: peach/mauve jacuzzi, sinks, toilets, etc. That certainly has swayed my decision about future cruises.

 

I'm not trying to disparage any cruise line. I think they all have their appeal to their customers. Like I said, different strokes for different folks.

[reefexplorer]

Bruin Steve,

 

I was not calling you a snob!!!! I was referring to the posts in August that seemed to be cutting down other cruise lines without giving them a try. I was trying to balance what I have experienced. Yes Celebrity has a good product and I will definitely cruise them again, the tone of the posts in August made it seem like only the special elite were accepted on this cruise line and all the other cruise lines were trash. I am happy to say we did not meet any of those people. We were kind of turned off by the people we met on at the first night dinner but they turned out to be very nice.

 

I agree with you that the Carnival ships are way more crowded, I was trying to stress that. I also know that each ship is different and each cruise is different, so everyone is bound to have a totally different experience. You experienced canned music on your shows on Carnival. We experienced well planned and well choreographed shows. We didn't go to all the shows that were on each ship maybe there were some lousy shows but I do know that there were also good shows. We never experienced a hypnotist and his selling dvds that is just out right tacky. Speaking of entertainment, sometimes we like to stay in our cabin and watch movies on TV, Carnival runs 3 different movies daily and changes them daily that can be watched in the room, TV on Celebrity was basically lousy it played the same TV shows over and over and didn't have movies to watch in the room. The ones that were available in the theatre were playing at times that were not realistic with us because we were scheduled for early seating at dinner. I also agree with you that the "Conquest class" ships are hard to negotiate. I don't know what they were smoking when they designed them, and some of the decorations are enough to send shivers up your spine. LOL

 

OH there was this wonderful group on the Summit that sang acapella I think that they were called the "Four Points" or something similar. The formed the group just 1 month ago and they will be on this ship till June if anyone is on this ship then they are not to be missed.

 

Another thing that I noticed on the Celebrity cruise is that there was hardly any smoking, even walking through the Casino we were never bothered by it. This is a great thing. Carnival Casinos are shrouded with a cloud of smoke and the layout of some of their ships you have to walk through it. YUCK

 

Steve I am sorry if I offended you I didn't mean this to be personal to you

 

Linda

[drrich2]

When I sailed on Carnival several years ago in the Owner's Suite, I had PINK leather furniture in the living room, mauve carpeting in all areas, and get ready for this: peach/mauve jacuzzi, sinks, toilets, etc.

 

Are you sure you didn't get a ****'s Suite?

 

I'm far from a fashionista (I spent the latter part of my childhood in a rural setting isolated enough that when people say 'fashion' I say 'huh?,'), but for crying out loud!

 

Richard.

[Bruin Steve]

Bruin Steve,I was not calling you a snob!!!!...Steve I am sorry if I offended you I didn't mean this to be personal to you

 

Linda, I didn't take it personally...I just wanted to emphasize the point that I'm not one of those who criticize without trying the line...

 

I really do believe that no cruise is truly bad...beats work...and that everyone has different criteria and standards...And I don't mean that to imply that Carnival cruises have no class--only that those who enjoy Carnival may have diiferent standards and expectations than those who don't want to cruise with them...or who have tried them and won't go back...

 

We all look for different things in a cruise...

 

I, for one, can eat at TGI Fridays or Chili's or Red Lobster...or even Denny's...but still appreciate that I'm getting a better product at Spago or the Palm...Sometimes I want a bargain...and I'm willing to put up with lesser service or average quality...I may just want a filling meal at a reasonable price and don't care if I get paper napkins and no tablecloths and a noisy, tacky crowd...But sometimes, I want an evening to be "special"...to have everything elegant and perfect...maybe only a few times a year--our anniversary, my wife's birthday, Valentine's Day perhaps...

 

Well, I look at cruising like it is something special...I want the dinners to be elegant, the service to be exceptional, etc. I'm willing to pay a little m0ore for that...

 

I know that some people don't care about that...They just want to get away...and don't want to pay a lot. They may be willing to accept less in the way of service or ambiance...or crowding...It's okay...there's a cruise line for everybody...Some folks really don't notice the differences...They may not be looking as hard...

[reefexplorer]

Steve,

 

Wouldn't it be great if we could combine all the good things of each cruise into one cruise. We could have Holland Americas fresh squeezed OJ, daily bread pudding, Maine lobster. Celebrity's personal service, ratio of crew to passengers, Elegant decor. Carnivals prices, more comfortable beds and fluffy white towels (does "X" always only give 2 sets of towels per cabin? whats with that), Hey lets start a new cruise line and take the best of each :rolleyes:

 

Linda

[pseconds]

I have cruised on the Carnival Destiny, as well as RC Monarch of the Seas.

To me, Carnival was like riding a Grayhound bus - Same clientele. It was crowed, noisy, the ship was run down. People wrote on the walls in the elevator and public restrooms. You could walk down a hall on any deck and there would be groups of people loitering in the halls jumping between rooms. The cabin next to us had 5 people in it, including a baby which we could hear all to well. I was 30 at the time, and I like to have fun, dance etc, but I seemed really tame compared to many of the people on board. There was much less semblance of manners – like people coming to the formal dining on sandals or going to the shows in tank tops. We even saw a drunk guy pee off the top deck of the ship.

The entertainment was good, the food and bars were good. The lines were long for everything. It was hard to find chairs on the decks, the pool was unusable due to the sheer number of people.

On RC, we did not encounter much of this at all, people were civilized, we behaved and the ship looked like it had been taken care of. Food was great, the bar tenders knew what we wanted before we asked. It seemed to my wife and I that we could really easily find a quiet place on the ship – a few times we were up on deck and nobody else was around, like we had the whole ship to ourselves.

I guess it all comes down to what you like. If I were in the mood for a beer and peanuts type of cruise, I’d take Carnival again. I’m going on Celebrity in March and a little worried it might be too formal for me.

That’s my $.02

[nps001]

I'm almost positive it was an owner's suite. Truth be known, I didn't pay for the room. I was told that they are not available for sale but rather assigned to their frequent travelers. There were only 2 of them on the ship, and they shared the forward part of the deck above the pool with only the spa/gym.

 

I did recently search for pictures of the cabin since I heard they were re-done. It did look much better (though still not my taste). I chuckled, however, at the comments about the renovation as several people noted that it still had the....you guessed it---mauve/peach fixtures and jacuzzi in the bathroom :D

[drrich2]

I'm almost positive it was an owner's suite.

 

Oh, I was teasing Carnival's, er, 'taste.' Evidently the language filter is very broad & of course blew the meaning of my post.

 

The word that got deleted starts with a 'P' & refered to a, er, 'Manager of Ladies of the Evening.' Folks famous for pink cadillacs, white suits, etc...

 

That was what lept to mind when you described that suite.

 

Richard.

[kruznkanuk]

Re the towels on X...

Not sure what has happened with that, but on arrival in our suite on our Galaxy TA cruise in Dec I was surprised to see only 3 towels.. for 4 people. I mentioned it to the attendant, and there were 8 towels when we got back from dinner, and the towels multiplied day by day. LOL. By the time we were most of the way across the Atlantic one day there were 13. So I think you just have to ask.. but really, they should leave at least 4 for everyone IMHO .

[rjg41]

Carnival has come a long way from the plastic food they served years ago but.......their food is better than Celebrity?

 

No flame, just some questions. Where on Carnival are;

 

1) ... the fresh made Belgian waffles with fresh strawberries and creme fresh?

2) ... the custom egg and omelet station?

3) ... the standard size creme brule?

4) ... the equivalent of the Aqua Spa café?

5) ... the fresh baked bread, especially the bread sticks?

6) ... the custom pasta station

7) ... the fresh made Caesar salad everyday at lunch?

8) ... and more.....

[hajekfam]

The food:

We did not find the spa restaurant I probably would have like it.

Linda

 

Regarding the Aqua Spa restaurant - it is not a restaurant but a cafe -a buffet serving area located by the thallasotheray pool. There are tables set up in the area to eat. The food area is a little hidden.

[Sky Sweet]

While I prefer Celebrity when cruising with only adults, I think the Carnival Cruises out of New York are probably better for family reunions which include a lot of children.

[nps001]

What a difference in the before and after. I'm still not fond of the decor (though it is a huge improvement) and it would most certainly influence my decision on booking a cruise. If you read the entire thread on the new pics link, you will see many on the carnival forum don't like it much either.

 

Here are some pics before: (starts with the second picture)

http://www.webshots.com/search?query=carnival+inspiration+suite&new=1&source=chromeheader

 

And now after drydocking:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=654231&highlight=inspiration+owners+suite

 

Enjoy!

 

 

You will notice, as I said in an earlier post, the mauve jacuzzi is still there :)

[Coolcruise02]

Carnival has come a long way from the plastic food they served years ago but.......their food is better than Celebrity?

 

No flame, just some questions. Where on Carnival are;

 

1) ... the fresh made Belgian waffles with fresh strawberries and creme fresh?

2) ... the custom egg and omelet station?

3) ... the standard size creme brule?

4) ... the equivalent of the Aqua Spa café?

5) ... the fresh baked bread, especially the bread sticks?

6) ... the custom pasta station

7) ... the fresh made Caesar salad everyday at lunch?

8) ... and more.....

 

IMHO Carnival's food is better than X but everyone has their own opinions.:)

 

But to answer your questions:

1. On the Summit our "fresh made" waffles were under a warming light as they were making them up in the "back".

2. On our cruise in Dec on the Triumph the made to order station was on either side of the buffet line closest to the doors to the pool. (had one every morning).

3. Can't comment as I did not notice any difference.

4. Was not impressed with the Spa Cafe.

5. I thought both lines had great bread. (I do not like bread sticks)

6. Was not impressed- they simply rewarmed noodles & sauce.

7. X does have GREAT Caesar salads at the pool buffet. Had one everyday!

8. Carnival had great, hot, made to order pizza and calzones 24 hours-great for a late night snack.

 

No flaming - just some answers to your questions. :)

[Host Walt]

Duplicate threads were merged.

[reefexplorer]

Carnival has come a long way from the plastic food they served years ago but.......their food is better than Celebrity?

 

No flame, just some questions. Where on Carnival are;

 

1) ... the fresh made Belgian waffles with fresh strawberries and creme fresh?

2) ... the custom egg and omelet station?

3) ... the standard size creme brule?

4) ... the equivalent of the Aqua Spa café?

5) ... the fresh baked bread, especially the bread sticks?

6) ... the custom pasta station

7) ... the fresh made Caesar salad everyday at lunch?

8) ... and more.....

 

1) YUMMM I already said they were the best.

2) Carnival does have several custom egg and omelet stations, which are very similar to "X"

3) Creme brule are similar in size and quality on the ships that we were on and one of my favorite.

4) didn't find but wish I had, heard it is the best

5) Carnival has awesome fresh baked bread in abundance, always on the buffet and we were served hot rolls and bread every meal in restaurant, the waiter assistant was there with the hot bread and made sure we were served plenty (waistline can attest to that) This also eliminated others from reaching into the bread basket (who knows where those hands have been and if they have been washed) Also the danish on Carnival were always fresh baked and had a nice tender crisp flake. The ones we had on the summit were good but they didn't seem to be as fresh.

6) I don't recall a custom pasta station on Carnival, but they had custom oriental, thai food that was to die for.

7) I don't recall custom Caesar salad. Although there was always a salad bar to make your own custom salads.

8) and more, I feel that Carnival offered a different menu each day on the buffet, and they also offered some incredible cold soups and melting chocolate cake among other yummy deserts that were available on a daily basis in the restaurant.

 

I think the quality of food was similar, some ships had better than others and I think that is probably true of all cruise lines. Maybe the Summit was not up to par with the other ships, to me it was good but not better than the other ships I have been on. One thing that I think "X" does better is that there was always someone serving you on the buffet line, not just everyone reaching in and serving themselves. I think that this is a much better system.

[Tweek]

Is there a charge to eat in the Aqua Spa Cafe? If so, how much? What does the menu consist of? Thanks. I leave on Saturday on the Summit so, I'm curious about this.

[hajekfam]

There is no charge to eat in the Aqua Spa cafe - however there is a charge for the smoothies that are made near there.

It is a buffet with a soup (usually chilled), salads, chicken, fish, - healthy type food. It is open from breakfast time until early evening, closing around 6, 7, or 8.