Debunking Carnival Myths

[Iluvek]

Just got off the Legend,, my 17 yo son had a blast.. went to club 02 the first night, met some great kids, and I didn't see him much the entire cruise,, in fact, he is still texting and facebooking with the many friends he met.....

[goodml]

 

Foreigners can stop the process completely... Our cruise in Jan. we were delayed as a body was being removed. Sad but you should have seen the angry people trying to shove off the ship.

 

Glad you had a great time!

 

:DHad to chuckle at this one. How do you know the dead guy was "foreign?":D

[valancy1]

Hey, anyone can get on a Carnival cruise, and if they don't like it, they can exercise their guarantee and get off the ship... so if they stay and complain, they just like doing so.

 

I love Carnival and why mess with a good thing and try a different line? There are people that represent a cross-section of America (and probably other countries, too)... peoples of all shapes and sizes and personalities. Everyone describes "fun" in a different way and that's what I love about Carnival: The VIBE. EVERYONE has fun in the way they want without interferring on YOUR fun.

 

We personally have never had any issues with other people's fun interferring with OUR fun. We're not "party" people, but we like to have FUN.

 

I love that those that have bad things to say about Carnival don't cruise on Carnival... leaves the NICE people on Carnival having a good time!! :)

[Monkeythyme]

DW and I took our first cruise on Navigator of the Seas, and we listened to a lot of friends who guided us to overspend [balcony, booking portal-to-portal through TA, etc.] to the tune of about 3 g's for a 7-day cruise. Our next cruise was a 5-day "cheapie" for about a third as much, and it was an ocean view. Since we do not climb rock walls or ice skate, spent a total of about 15 boring minutes on the balcony, and hate flying, we wasted a bundle first time out. It would be tempting to psych ourselves into believing the balcony was heavenly, the Navigator was three times as much fun as the Holiday, and that Carnival is just a redneck party boat. That way, we would feel better about going in not knowing what we really wanted, but we would also have repeated the mistake.

Not to bad mouth Navigator or RCI, we have sailed Navigator again since [inside cabin half the price] and Sovereign [really cool cabin when you're drunk; if you fall, you hit the bed]. We really cannot "rank" our cruises best to worst, because to us they have all been "best" except for debarkation which is always a bummer. But we have learned the 99% of the experience for us is just the "cruise experience", so why double the cost for a measly 1% more fun?

Let's tell the newbies to study CC to learn what is out there, then study themselves and be sure of what they want and how much they want it. The experience is remembered long after the price is forgotten, but two great experiences beats one anytime. JMSO [just my stupid opinion]

[glrounds]

I've never ever noticed the allegations of "hordes of drunken partygoers", much less the "low class" paxs. I don't even care that much for debarkation. I just hang around 'til the "herd" thins out and walk off. Sometimes I get off at 10:00, sometimes its noon, doesn't matter much to me. :)

[Janchris]

Just went on my first cruise on the Carnival Elation. I did way too much research on Cruisecritic and other cruise sites. I read a lot of opinions and I was surprised how many negative Carnival myths I have read in forums.

 

FOOD MYTH: The food was excellent in Tiffanys and in the dining room. The waiter staff was excellent. I usually ordered two starters and I ordered two main course, but there was no way I could eat two main courses. The chocolate melting cake is "walk on broken glass" awesome.

 

ROOM MYTH: I had read a lot of nightmare stories about having four people in a stateroom and I read even more stories about the Riviera Deck. We actually had enough room for the four of us and the Riviera deck was very convenient because our room was just a few doors down from the main elevator.

 

TEEN CLUB MYTH: My 14 year old daughter was pretty hesitant about gong to Club 02. The first night, she said she was going to try it for 5 minutes. She left at 10:30 and didn't get back to our room until 1:00. She met friends and hung out with a group every night. The club had fun activities, but the best thing about the club was getting to meet people her age.

 

DEBARKATION MYTH: I must admit, our debarkation was rough. We didn't get off the ship until 10:45 and we didn't get to our car until 11:30. No one got to leave the ship until 8:40 because they could not get all the foreign passengers cleared through customs. They need to make sure that any foreign passengers check into customs so the rest of the boat can debark.

 

We had a great cruise and I wouldn't hesitate to cruise with Carnival again. What other Carnival Myths need to be debunked?

 

Glad you enjoyed your Carnival cruise. I love Carnival so much that this will be my 3rd cruise with this cruise line. I also enjoy the food and service.;)

[Janchris]

You can see from my sig. how many lines I have cruised. My sister has cruised with me on Princess, Celebrity and Cunard. We loved them all. I am looking forward to introducing her to Carnival on our transAtlantic Dream. EM

 

I see you were on 2 of my favorite ships...Homeric and Oceanic.....wish they were still here. LOL;)

[PunkinsDad]

Hey, anyone can get on a Carnival cruise, and if they don't like it, they can exercise their guarantee and get off the ship... so if they stay and complain, they just like doing so.

 

I love Carnival and why mess with a good thing and try a different line? There are people that represent a cross-section of America (and probably other countries, too)... peoples of all shapes and sizes and personalities. Everyone describes "fun" in a different way and that's what I love about Carnival: The VIBE. EVERYONE has fun in the way they want without interferring on YOUR fun.

 

We personally have never had any issues with other people's fun interferring with OUR fun. We're not "party" people, but we like to have FUN.

 

I love that those that have bad things to say about Carnival don't cruise on Carnival... leaves the NICE people on Carnival having a good time!! :)

 

Awesome point!! My family and I have loved each of our CCL cruises, unless they give us some reason to change, why should we??

 

I'm a pretty well traveled person, I've spent time in 5-star resorts and also in places that I would not kennel a dog, so I'm well acquainted with the varieties out there in accommodations, food and service. CCL, thus far has provided our family with wonderful vacation experiences for a very reasonable price. In fact, because of the wonderful pricing, we can book CAT 11 or 12 suites on CCL (Love the larger balconies and extra space) and still not bust our vacation budget.

 

Our busy schedules make our scheduling options for vacations very limited, so we concentrate on making the most of each one, while not going overboard on $$$. CCL has worked very well for us so far and we have no good reason to consider changing.

[Newbie_Cruiser_GA]

My husband wanted me to mention the myths of grooms "disappearing" from ships under weird circumstances and the myth that everyone gets sick on cruises.

 

Since I am a teacher, I had to look up the definition of myth. See below:

 

myth

–noun 1. a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, esp. one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.

2. stories or matter of this kind: realm of myth.

3. any invented story, idea, or concept: His account of the event is pure myth.

4. an imaginary or fictitious thing or person.

5. an unproved or false collective belief that is used to justify a social institution.

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Past Cruises:

 

Carnival Sensation 10/2008

 

Upcoming Cruises:

 

Carnival Fascination 12/2009

[wizard-of-roz]

Thank you for your insights, of course you know the people who propagate such myths will continue to do so. Many without actually taking a Carnival cruise. Happy cruising! :)

 

I see that you are booked on the Splendor.....is there a cabin location that you prefer?

We are going in January and I'm still not definite on the (Veranda) cabin location.

Can you help?

[alreadypacked]

NCL is doing their S&S cards which shows those guests in balconies and higher. To me, that is rubbing peoples nose in the fact they did not spend more money on their cabins.

 

Dave

 

Never sailed NCL, but don't like the sound of this at all. Wonder if they're trying to re-institute the class systems of the old ocean liners? I surely wouldn't want to be treated like steerage just because I prefer to spend my money on other aspects of the cruise than a fancy cabin!

[jetwet1]

Myth: It is illegal to bring booze on board

Fact: Not illegal just against Carnivals rules.;)

 

I did not know that and will have to do my best to forget that I know that rule :rolleyes:

 

I've never ever noticed the allegations of "hordes of drunken partygoers", much less the "low class" paxs. I don't even care that much for debarkation. I just hang around 'til the "herd" thins out and walk off. Sometimes I get off at 10:00, sometimes its noon, doesn't matter much to me. :)

 

Hordes of drunken party goers, sure there are, as many will agree Spring Break is prime time for it, the funny thing is, my one and only problem on a Carnival ship happened in mid Oct, the Spring Break cruises I took were fun and it seemed that the "adults" were having as much fun as the "kids", I know I was.

 

We are the same way when it comes to debarkation, though we normally get a suite and will be platinum next cruise, we like to hang around and have a final coffee and chat with our friends, we just normally wait until the crowd thins out or the crew throws off the ship :D

 

Oh and yes I am one of those foreigners, no you don't ever have to wait for me, however I will tell you, more than once I have seen there be issues (and once I went through this) because somehow someone from the cruise line has submitted the wrong info to the agencies , on our last cruise (with Princess) they had me as Italian, this caused a delay of probably 10 minutes while they figured it out, now if you have a large group and the line messes up, the delay could be horrific.

[Kristi Williamson]

My bad... she will have a great time. MAKE sure she goes the first day on board even if she misses dinner... It really does make a BIG difference. The teens seem to click and some one who comes in later or the next day may have trouble joining in... Teens - how did I ever live thru those years... lol

 

My oldest will turn 15 four days before our cruise this month. He's been on tons of cruises and I've never really been nervous. For whatever reason, just knowing that he's going into the 15-17 year old group is freaking me out a bit. LOL

 

The real truth is that he's 6 feet tall, and looks like he's about 17 or 18. When he was 13, we were at the beach and I saw a grown chick (OK...she was 17 or so, but you know what I mean! LOL) checking him out and he was only THIRTEEN!! We talk to our kids about what is appropriate behavior and what's not, but I still have to pray diligently about his hormones not overtaking his brain.

 

However, he's been a model young man up to this point, so I have no intention of treating him otherwise now. At 3 weeks from being 15, the kid has never given us a days trouble!! (YES!!) I will, however, be checking out the chicks in the room when no ones looking. :eek: :D

 

And to add to the debunking thread: I have been on plenty of cruises. The worst behavior I've ever experienced was on Royal Caribbean. Every line has their share of oddballs, but for the most part, they are all more similiar than different. Those that harp about Carnival seem to need to uplift themselves and their chosen line. It's weird, because I just don't equate money to class, and it appears as though MANY people do just that.

 

I'm a real estate broker and I deal with TONS of wealthy people. (I only sale foreclosures and that means lots of investors) I've met some really classy millionaires and I've met some really crappy ones who put down everyone and everything they came in contact with, whether they knew anything about what they were talking about or not. They just needed to feel better about themselves and all the money in the world wasn't bringing them contentment. I've also met some outstanding people who could barely afford the mobile home that they were thrilled to have the opportunity to afford. Their absolute gratefulness was, and is, very humbling. I've also met some low class red necks that could barely string a sentence together. Equating class, and humility, with money is a sure sign, to me anyway, that you should probably work on your priorities and your own level of class.

[rigldbrg]

My first cruise was a family trip on Disney, so I had no choice in selecting the cruise line. Had a great time on Disney, btw!

 

Our second cruise was on RCL, and when we were shopping for different cruises we specifically avoided Carnival like the plague. Did not even consider one Carnival ship, primarily because of the reputation as a "drunken party ship" that others have mentioned. We had a great experience on RCL, but what we also found was that a lot of those drunken fools that we were afraid of on Carnival were also on RCL. In fact, there was the "Wal-Mart crowd, the Hillbilly crowd, and just about every other crowd you could think of. Regardless of cruise line; be it Carnival, Costa, Cunard, Azumara, etc, you will find people who are different and may not meet your expectations. Eh, so what? As the saying goes, don't judge a book by its cover. They're on board to have a good time like you. Had a great time on RCL, btw!

 

The interesting thing is that CC was instrumental in convincing me that Carnival will be a great cruise experience for me and my wife. We were as dilligent as possible asking CC members about many of the myths that people have discussed in this thread. We drank the Cool-Aid and booked an upcoming cruise believeing that we scored a great value not available on any other cruise line. The most important advice that someone in the forums offered me is that a cruise is what you make it. If you focus on those myths and look for them once you get on board, you are likely to find them. On the other hand, if you take the approach that you're on vacation and don't sweat the small stuff, those myhts become irrelevant. Will have a great time on Carnial, btw!

[going2cruz]

NCL is doing their S&S cards which shows those guests in balconies and higher. To me, that is rubbing peoples nose in the fact they did not spend more money on their cabins.

 

Dave

 

Never sailed NCL, but don't like the sound of this at all. Wonder if they're trying to re-institute the class systems of the old ocean liners? I surely wouldn't want to be treated like steerage just because I prefer to spend my money on other aspects of the cruise than a fancy cabin!

 

 

Your not going to miss anything...the food on NCL s_ _ _s...and you can't say food is subjective. On NCL is down right awful..just got off the Jewel this past spring and will never go back.

[mjlfg]

Hi Peggy,

The 17 yr old will have Club 02 to go to. Make sure they go the first night. Where the limbo comes in at is those who are 18-20. They really dont have a structured program for that group. Carnival is aware of the issue but has not put something in place yet.

 

I have a 8 and 14 yr old daughters. The oldest is looking forward to being able to go to Club 02 which is for 15-17 yr olds. Circle C is for 12-14 age group.

 

Activities on ship does vary depending on the Cruise Director and the energy of the social hosts onboard.

Dave

 

Hi Dave, Thats what I'm finally realizing....it really won't matter which 'ship' we choose...it comes down to the staff, the mix of families and ones own attitude (ie decide to have a good time no matter)....I see that now. SO then we either pick our journey on either 'the Legend or the Valor' both heading to W. Caribbean and both on Dec 20.....that means it comes down to airline prices! Thanks Dave for the extra tid-bits! It really does help! :D

[NavarreCruiser]

You didn't see the drunks, orgies, wife beaters on formal nights, and sewage smells?

 

You always read that on the RCCL boards from people that have never and would never set foot on a Carnival ship.

 

 

You are right on about that. I read the boards quite a bit , but I must be sartorially ignorant. Would someone tell what attire is a "wife beater".

[MrPete]

You are right on about that. I read the boards quite a bit , but I must be sartorially ignorant. Would someone tell what attire is a "wife beater".

 

C'est wife beater:

 

[NavarreCruiser]

C'est wife beater:

 

 

 

Thanks Mr Pete. DW and I thought that was what people meant but you confirmed it. Nice picture.