Carnival Cruise Line?

log47

log47

Member
Dec 27, 2006
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#1
We're planning a cruise with a group of friends in the next coming months. The only cruise line I have been on was Holland America and it was absolutely wonderful! The service & food was fabulous and of course there wasn't any children to be seen (not that I have anything against children :nogood: this just added to the relaxing and peaceful experience). Anyhow, does anyone have any experience with Carnival? I have heard lots of conflicting stories about them - from being lots of fun with lots to do to full of rowdy partyers. Our group is in their late 20's to mid 30's so we're not particularly into the party scene. :yucky: Originally, we weren't considering Carnival, until we saw their prices, which are super cheap! But I'm still a lil scared :confused1:
 
#2
I've heard that Carnival isn't as "nice" as some of the other lines like Holland in terms of food and amenities, but I've also heard that they're the most fun for young people. The only people I've heard say bad things about Carnival have been cruise snobs :shrugs:

The time of year you go will probably determine whether or not it's full of obnoxious kids. If you go during spring break, winter break or summer vacation, you'll probably get lots of rowdy college kids and families on vacation. If you time it so that it doesn't coincide with any sort of holiday or break, it should mostly be honeymooners and old people.
 
#3
I've done 8 cruises, all with different lines....if Carnival isn't your FIRST, you may find it a bit noisier and economical than others. For first time cruisers, I'd say it was a safe bet....if you are looking for quiet relaxation, you may want to go with another cruise line .....
 
#4
carnival is not worth it IMO. Try Royal Caribbean.........it's close in price and ten times better! I always gets emails for killer cruise prices. I'll see if I can find one so I can post the link.
 
#8
I have cruised on both Royal Caribbean and Carnival.

I thought the food and service was far superior on RC, and not so much on Carnival.

We just took a cruise over Thanksgiving on Carnival and we were sorry for that later on. We didn't plan very well, and there were over 700 children on the ship. I have nothing against children, I have three of my own. My children are grown and I don't want to be on a cruise where there are a lot of children at this point in my life. There were so many of them that you couldn't comfortably use any of the pools or hot tubs without them being all over you. That said, I don't think we'll use Carnival again, at least not over a Holiday.

I will say that I thought the accomodations on Carnival were more roomy than RC. It was a very noted difference. The bathroom was much larger on Carnival.

My DH and I have talked about this and have decided that we'll use RC again, but we'll upgrade to a suite so that we have more room. We were also told by some friends that Holland America is great and is more upscale. Not many children either.

All in all, cruising is great and I highly recommend it.
 
#9
This thread is intriguing.....I have been on 6 cruises....both Carnival & RC....and IMO I would do Carnival again hands down...I did not like the food at all on RC..I like fish and every night it was pretty much the same on RC..On Carnival it was always dif...not that for this reason alone would I do Carnival again though...We just had more fun...I thought the RC ships were nicer..and I loved the layout of them...but eh--that didn't make my cruise better....I think it was just the attitude of the whole ship...on the Carnival ships everyone just seemed to be "UP"..the service was always good..But the thing is...your vacation is what YOU make of it..so don't let other people's opinions or comments of a particular cruise line affect the outcome...you'll have a great time no matter what ship you choose...it's just that when you keep cruising..you'll develop a "taste/preference" for a particular line..just because of what you like/don't like...and it's all comes down to your own tastes...so sail on my friend..enjoy the the most amazing water colors you'll ever experience!! Buy some fab jewelry (you really can get some great deals as long as you know what you're looking for) and drink lotsa rum!! You'll have a great time..I promise!!! PM me if you have any questions..DH & I have been to most ports at least twice....oh you lucky girl!!! I can FEEL the pre-cruise tingle now lol!!!!
 
#10
I love carnival. If you're in your 20's, carnival is the best. On our cruise, most were young people.

The food was a lot better than expected. The nice dinners, etc, had great food selection and each table gets their own waiter and bus boy who are so attentive (we had a table for 4, but you can get a table for 2 if you ask nicely or tip). I never had service better than on our carnival ship (this includes 5* restaurants and 5* hotels like Wynn). Their NY style Reuben sandwich was authentic, I was impressed.

I would use Carnival next time.

I'd like to add that if you go on the water rides, there are children, but not so much elsewhere. Maybe because my bf and I had a later schedule (wake up at 11 and go to sleep past midnight), so we didn't get to see them. lol.
 
#11
Thanks so much for all ya'lls input! It really has helped :smile: I'm still not sure what cruise line we'll pick, but after hearing from everyone, I'm not as skeerd of Carnival :P haha
 
#13
travelbliss said:
I've done 8 cruises, all with different lines....if Carnival isn't your FIRST, you may find it a bit noisier and economical than others. For first time cruisers, I'd say it was a safe bet....if you are looking for quiet relaxation, you may want to go with another cruise line .....
Click to expand...

I agree with travelbliss...especially if you have done Holland America previously. Regardless of your choice, I hope you have a memorable time with your friends!
 
#14
I've been on one cruise with Carnival. We were in our early 20's and the ship seemed to cater to the younger crowd, so we had a blast! They did have a ton of families on the ship too.
 
#15
I've done one w/ Carnival and it was my last cruise. I just did NOT like it at all. It was crowded, the activities were not so hot, the food was ehhh- the frozen yogurt machine was good!- and you could not even get close the pools- they were so small and crowded. It was also really packed w/ huge families.

My parents like cruises and they have done other brands. They really enjoyed Holland and Royal Car. They said the activities, pools, food, pretty much everything was more enjoyable. They also said that non Carnival cruises were cleaner too.
 
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