We love X, but are considering Carnival

[cruie4ever]

From our experience there are pluses & minuses for every cruise line . We have found that in general the newer ships have less problems .Yet it is important to view not only the itinerary ;but ,past passenger reviews & how these would impact your cruise on that ship, one way or the other.

 

We love cruising & evaluate each itinerary & ships past reviews to make our selection

 

Again we are hoping that our favorite cruise line ,Celebrity, will find their way back to the west coast to service the Hawaii route & or possibly Tahiti along with Hawaii.

 

Cliff

[CanWeGoYet?]

Sorry but I disagree 100% Carnival and Celebrity run the same type of Business that is correct but it is marketed and created for 2 different customers! Its like saying the Gap and Banana Republic offer the same level of product and service ? or Macy's and Bloomies do. I realize all sorts of people end up on different ships on any given week but no different then who can walk through a Burberry and drop 500.00 for the 1 purse they saved for versus the regular who drops 20,000 in one day. Its all money in the bank to the Company but they market the lifestyle towards the person dropping the 20,000 and thats the bottom line!

 

 

Sorry, no, Celebrity and Carnival market to a similar financial demographic. Your average passenger on X may not be able to drop 20,000 on the entire vacation, let alone in a day or at the drop of a hat.

 

There's nothing wrong with having a preference for one line, or even thinking another cruise line is substandard. I think it's when people start imagining their preference for another cruise line elevates them to a different class, that's when it gets absurd.

[Bridge Maven]

Sorry, no, Celebrity and Carnival market to a similar financial demographic. Your average passenger on X may not be able to drop 20,000 on the entire vacation, let alone in a day or at the drop of a hat.

 

There's nothing wrong with having a preference for one line, or even thinking another cruise line is substandard. I think it's when people start imagining their preference for another cruise line elevates them to a different class, that's when it gets absurd.

 

Tink, I agree with you and that is the point I was trying to make in an earlier post on this thread.

[Sunbubble]

This has been very interesting for me to read -- a long time for a thread to last. I have sailed on HAL and really liked it. My "problem" is that last year my 88 year old mother & I went for a Panama Canal cruise. The only cruise that left at the right time was Crystal, so we went on that -- each paying our own way. Now I don't know if I can ever go back to HAL at all. I had heard that Celebrity was fantastic and almost as good as Crystal but I've also heard that Celebrity has gone downhill just this past year (maybe because of the economy). This year I have talked my DH into a Crystal cruise because the fares are so low and include airfare and onboard spending, etc. (We went on a 2 night cruise about 15 years ago that was so awful he's very apprehensive about going on any cruise.). These low fares won't last, I know. So, I guess my question is --- do any of you know how Crystal compares to Celebrity? The rooms (other than the penthouse rooms) on Crystal are fairly small, but the food and entertainment and lectures and service is fantastic. Also, the people (staff and other passengers) are not snobby (as I was afraid they would be), but are very friendly and welcoming -- almost like a family. The staff knew our names (somehow) by the 2nd day!! Anyway, maybe someone can give me some idea. Thanks.

[lovesublime]

Woodofpine, I agree with you completely but if sailing on Celebrity makes someone with a just a high school education feel superior to a world renowned surgeon who likes Carnival that is their prerogative.

 

 

 

Hey, our family physician and his family sail on Carnival A LOT-they love it. So do we. And while on the subject, I must comment on our recent Princess cruise. We felt that the clientele were essentially blue collar and not highly educated, but yet it was the most pretenious crowd we've ever cruised with.

 

I don't know, it was kind of like most of the cruisers were retired and pretending to be more 'worldly' or successful than they actually were. We were amongst the youngest onboard (DH and I-early forties, DS-early twenties) and we seemed to attract a lot of scrutiny and inquiries about ourselves. However, we noticed after answering their questions, our interrogators were evasive and not forthcoming when we reciprocated their questions. For example, one gentleman questioned us extensively about our respective careers, travel background and where we were from-he refused to answer our inquiry as to what he did. He simply said "I'm retired".

 

Sorry to make the generalizations, but most people we encountered were extremely rude and looked us up and down every single time. We would much rather cruise on a line where more people are our age and are interested in having a good time than sizing people up.

[Solstice23]

Sorry, no, Celebrity and Carnival market to a similar financial demographic. Your average passenger on X may not be able to drop 20,000 on the entire vacation, let alone in a day or at the drop of a hat.

 

There's nothing wrong with having a preference for one line, or even thinking another cruise line is substandard. I think it's when people start imagining their preference for another cruise line elevates them to a different class, that's when it gets absurd.

 

I understand your point, But I work in retail design and Marketing and both lines market to a different customer! Celebrity does not Market to Families as much as RCCL and Carnival do, The proof is in the Brochures and commercials and print adds. I have never said it elevates anyone to a different class so I agree with you on that. But the marketing is targeted to evoke emotions in different types of people.

 

Put on the table an NCL, Carnival, Princess, RCCL, Regent, Costa, Cunard and Celebrity cruise brochure. Furthermore tell the customer they can pick 1 cruise from any of these lines and its the same price and same itinerary. The custom will pick the line who's Visuals, words, phrases ring true to them. Its not about Class as some say its about people tastes and comfort!

[rigldbrg]

I just got off of a 7 day Western Caribbean on the Carnival Liberty, and while it was not perfect, my wife and I had an awesome time! I was concerned that Carnival was going to be a rowdy, unruly, drunken crowd, and found the exact opposite to be true. In fact, we sailed the RCI Liberty of the Seas two years ago and found our fellow passengers on Carnival to be a nicer better mannered crowd. I don't think any cruise ship is perfect, so if you go onboard looking for things to be wrong, you'll find them. If you go on board with an attitude that you'll enjoy yourself no matter what, then you'll have an awesome time. Saying that, I just booked the Celebrity Solstice, June 20th sailing and hope I have as good a time on that ship as what we had on Carnival ;).

[Bridge Maven]

I understand your point, But I work in retail design and Marketing and both lines market to a different customer! Celebrity does not Market to Families as much as RCCL and Carnival do, The proof is in the Brochures and commercials and print adds. I have never said it elevates anyone to a different class so I agree with you on that. But the marketing is targeted to evoke emotions in different types of people.

 

Put on the table an NCL, Carnival, Princess, RCCL, Regent, Costa, Cunard and Celebrity cruise brochure. Furthermore tell the customer they can pick 1 cruise from any of these lines and its the same price and same itinerary. The custom will pick the line who's Visuals, words, phrases ring true to them. Its not about Class as some say its about people tastes and comfort!

 

Toronto, there is another way to look at it. Their brochures may attract people who aspire to be like the image portrayed in them instead of people who actually are. In my opinion, if Celebrity was really trying to attract a more elitist demographic they would charge more than other mass market cruise lines. The fact that Celebrity is now following the current trend of keeping cruise fares low, eliminating amenities that were formerly included, and having more a la carte options during a cruise leads me to believe that they have changed their targeted demographic. This doesn't mean that Celebrity does not offer a good product based on their current fares. It just means that they are more similar than not to other mass market cruise lines and not remotely in the same league as the luxury cruise lines.

[Can'tstopcruising]

I think you guys are getting over-analytical! The same person can feel comfortable on many cruiselines for different reasons. Most of us are not one-dimensional. (This is coming from someone who has only cruised on Celebrity, LOL!)

 

My friends and I are more or less the same, and most of them have cruised on a variety of lines, including Crystal, Oceania, and NCL and Carnival. They didn't change after a Crystal or a Carnival cruise. Still the same person!

 

Reading about marketing, reminded me of car ads. Always a sexy girl! And who drives the really expensive sports cars? Bald old men! (Forgive me, anyone bald. My dh is also losing his hair. I am only trying to paint a picture with words!)

[Cruise Junky]

Its like saying the Gap and Banana Republic offer the same level of product and service ?

 

Bad example seeing as Gap and Banana Republic are the same company and products are often sold in both.

 

To the OP, it's a cheap cruise, give it a go and make up your own mind.

[Bridge Maven]

In reading this thread I realize...

 

When a product changes it takes a long time for people to realize it

Perception is frequently more important than reality

First impressions last a long time

[CanWeGoYet?]

In reading this thread I realize...

 

When a product changes it takes a long time for people to realize it

Perception is frequently more important than reality

First impressions last a long time

 

Precisely! When you come down to it, perception IS reality, when it comes to that person's experience.

[Cruise Mama5985]

I would not cruise Carnival, if they gave it to me for free!

[Smartcookie]

If you really like Celebrity then I doubt you'd like Carnival.

 

We did a Carnival cruise once with our kids who were pre-teens and teens, and even they didn't like it.

 

They dubbed it the "ghetto cruise". 'Nuf said.

[Smartcookie]

The only type of behavior that I consider to be "low class", based on my experience at sea, is when a passenger has had so much to drink that they become loud and obnoxious. .

 

This is what went on night after night on our cruise on the Glory. It was a brand new ship, and not the cheapest cruise going, but we thought it would be good for the kids. Boy were we wrong.

 

I felt like I was trapped in a floating keg party at a biker bar complete with barf buckets for the very tasteful "Fear Factor" pool game.

[The Anchor Banker]

Okay, I've heard a few comments like that (ghetto cruise) and I don't doubt your experience, in fact my parents had a similar Carnival experience but as I stated, our ghetto cruise was on the Radiance of the Seas, one of the nicest ships sailing.

 

You really must consider the time of year (i.e. off season), price paid, length of cruise, age of ship, etc. etc. From what I understand Carnival has also dramatically changed recently (our 2 Carnival cruises were within the last 2 years). The short Carnival cruises attract the college drinking crowd while the longer HAL cruises attract the seniors (some of whom even enjoy drinking :)).

 

We have only sailed Carnival during the Canadian March Break and the vast majority of the ship was filled with Canadian professionals - teachers and their spouses, who were doctors, dentists, accountants, lawyers, business owners, engineers, factory workers, etc. etc. Our experience was excellent. By contrast, our "problem" RCCL cruise was in late November on a deep discounted sell off.

 

While I understand extreme loyalty to something, 1 bad experience I had at a Hilton hotel in Florida 10 years ago hasn't made me stay away from Hiltons or tell everyone and their brother that I wouldn't stay at a Hilton if it were free.

 

I do not like the fact that I've been forced into a Carnival cheerleader role here because honestly I am not loyal to any one line. However, there always seems to be some negative implications towards those who would dare lower themselves to go on a Carnival cruise yet in our experience, it has been fantastic!

[Smartcookie]

Okay, I've heard a few comments like that (ghetto cruise) and I don't doubt your experience, in fact my parents had a similar Carnival experience but as I stated, our ghetto cruise was on the Radiance of the Seas, one of the nicest ships sailing.

 

You really must consider the time of year (i.e. off season), price paid, length of cruise, age of ship, etc. etc. From what I understand Carnival has also dramatically changed recently (our 2 Carnival cruises were within the last 2 years). The short Carnival cruises attract the college drinking crowd while the longer HAL cruises attract the seniors (some of whom even enjoy drinking :)).

 

We have only sailed Carnival during the Canadian March Break and the vast majority of the ship was filled with Canadian professionals - teachers and their spouses, who were doctors, dentists, accountants, lawyers, business owners, engineers, factory workers, etc. etc. Our experience was excellent. By contrast, our "problem" RCCL cruise was in late November on a deep discounted sell off.

 

While I understand extreme loyalty to something, 1 bad experience I had at a Hilton hotel in Florida 10 years ago hasn't made me stay away from Hiltons or tell everyone and their brother that I wouldn't stay at a Hilton if it were free.

 

I do not like the fact that I've been forced into a Carnival cheerleader role here because honestly I am not loyal to any one line. However, there always seems to be some negative implications towards those who would dare lower themselves to go on a Carnival cruise yet in our experience, it has been fantastic!

 

It was spring break three years ago, a seven day cruise on a new ship, the Glory, and it wasn't cheap. Personally speaking, I wouldn't go on another Carnival cruise of you paid me.

 

That's how bad the experience was, but if someone wants to go ahead and chance wasting thousands of dollars and a weeks vacation, they should do so knowing of what their cruise could be like.

 

The fact that it's not during spring break likely will make a difference, but I would rather go with a sure thing.

[hankandteri]

I've sailed with both X and CCL and enjoyed both experiences.

 

It doesn't have to be one or the other.

 

The clientele on our three night Bahamas getaway on CCL were different from those on our two week Baltic cruise on X. No surprise there. What did surprise me is that the people on the two cruises weren't that different.

 

The product Carnival offers is an excellent value, but I wouldn't use the word cheap.

 

I'd consider the time of year, the itinerary and the particular ship more carefully before booking a Carnival cruise than I would with Celebrity. The mix of those variables changes the experience dramatically on CCL. If you book one of their older ships on a short itinerary during spring break and are looking for an elegant cruising experience, you've made a mistake.

 

Next up is a week on Carnival in May. I can't wait.

[ivycruise]

In reading this thread I realize...

 

When a product changes it takes a long time for people to realize it

Perception is frequently more important than reality

First impressions last a long time

Exactly. I swore I'd never cruise let alone ever try Carnival. Only did because other families were going and convinced us to join them during our spring break. I went with low expectations that first time on the Glory and we had a blast and so did our teen girls. The 2nd Glory cruise was even better with the best dining room staff we've ever encounted. The teens loved the club better than the RCI cruises although they enjoyed those also. Fortunately, all our experiences have been extremely positive on Carnival and during spring break on our 7 day cruises and nothing like what some have expressed here. We saw more drunks on our shorter RCI NOS cruises. But we enjoyed those too, it didn't in anyway detract from the overall expereince as it was minimal.

 

We're looking forward to our Celebrity Summit cruise this summer which will be our first. I do like the more restrictive smoking policy and now that we're in our 50's and it will be our last cruise before our daughter goes off to college, we're looking for more sedate as we're not travelling with others. It's far more $$ than any of our previous Carnival or RCI cruises so I do have different expectations,we shall see. But no matter how good I doubt it would prevent me from going back to Carnival or RCI based on itinerary, cost, ports,etc. Not loyal to any line and chuckle when I read some of the comments from the cheerleaders on any of the forums. Carnival is a blast and are the fun ships if you want that kind of activity and I don't mean beer pong and drinking. Try it to see for yourself. We've been mooned in the ports and seen things thrown from just as many youngsters on RCI ships but still waiting to see that happen from a X ship!

[attagirl1490]

I have been on the 12 day, SA (around Cape Horn) Infinity cruise, beautiful ship, a bit boring though...it didn't matter because the ports were so great! Food was not as good as I thought it would be, given the revues.

I've been on Princess to Alaska, Voyager(RCCL) to the Med., Carnival Miracle (when it was new), and then RCCL and Carnival short (4 nights) older ships.

 

I had a great time on all! They each had different things that made them fun. The food, overall is equal. I am from NYC and have eaten in all the best venues, and it surprises me when people complain about the food. It is very good quality, banquet food. Carnival has gotten, in the past few years, as good if not better then the rest.

 

The only time I was dissappointed with the food, was Celebrity, and that was only because people said it was better than the rest.

 

The quality of the people on board is dependent on holiday time, price and duration. I was on a Carnival four day, incredibly cheap, summer cruise. Probably the worst scenerio, and we still had a very good time....

 

If you look for the good, ignore the bad.........

 

And the "bad" can be more "fun".

[spunky01]

I think each line has a group that they target. I have done carnival, royal, ncl and celebrity. One daughter loves carnival one loves royal. But you need to compare ship to ship. We went on an OLD ncl ship and it was horrible so I can't compare it with say the voyager or the millennium. I think each line has something a little different to offer its target group. Princess has the outside large screen movie theater. Royal has the rock climbing and more now. I think it is personal choice and when comparing it is had, like comparing apples to oranges. (just my opinion):D

[CanWeGoYet?]

It was spring break three years ago, a seven day cruise on a new ship, the Glory, and it wasn't cheap. Personally speaking, I wouldn't go on another Carnival cruise of you paid me.

 

That's how bad the experience was, but if someone wants to go ahead and chance wasting thousands of dollars and a weeks vacation, they should do so knowing of what their cruise could be like.

 

The fact that it's not during spring break likely will make a difference, but I would rather go with a sure thing.

 

I can understand that - if the 3 day Bahamas cruise I took in december was the 1st Carnival cruise I'd ever been on, you can bet it would be my last. Just not the sort of atmosphere I would choose for a vacation, and it had nothing to do with the food, service or the ship's decor. But I've been on other cruises with carnival and I know that what I experienced on that ship is not the norm for this cruise line.