Carnival cruise for honeymoon?

JedandEricaAA

Has anyone taken or heard of anyone who took a carnival cruise for honeymoon? My fiance and I are going on a 5 day bahamas cruise. What should we expect and is it worth the money?

princessleia22

I am a fan of cruising and think it can be a great honeymoon.  There have been a couple recent postings on here regarding Carnival Cruise for honeymoon, so you may want to do a search for those.

I am actually having my wedding on a Carnival Cruise in June, followed by a 7-day cruise/ honeymoon.

The various ships can have different feels.  The newest, Dream Class, of ships tend to have a more laid back, calming, beachy décor than the older ships, which tend to have a more Las Vegas type décor. But, the newer ships are usually reserved for longer cruises (typically 7 days). So, keep that in mind if that matters to you.  But, you can have a great time on older ships too.

And the atmosphere can vary depending on the time of year.  Carnival is known for being more of a party ship or family ship.  And this is even more true during summer, when you have a lot of families taking kids on cruise vacations, or during spring break time when you have a bunch of drunk college kids.  During the other times, there may still be some partying and some kids, but it will be a lot calmer.

Any vacation is going to be what you make of it.  Some people are anti-Carnival and would recommend the higher class cruise lines, like Princess or Celebrity, for honeymoon.  But, if you are on a budget, you can still have a great time on Carnival.

mlg78

I'm also a fan of cruising but I've heard very few great things about Carnival from people who have been on other cruise lines. I'm loyal to Royal Caribbean and I think prices are the same or slightly higher than Carnival. We did the Southern Caribbean for our honeymoon and it was perfect for us. I think cruising, in general, is a great money saver in comparison to having to pay for hotel plus meals. My husband and I are going on a cruise in November and we're paying $1,322 for both of us for 7 nights. The hotel alone (let's say $150/night?) for 7 nights would be $1,050. Cruise Critic is also a wonderful website and a great resource.

princessleia22

mlg78 said:

I'm also a fan of cruising but I've heard very few great things about Carnival from people who have been on other cruise lines. I'm loyal to Royal Caribbean and I think prices are the same or slightly higher than Carnival. We did the Southern Caribbean for our honeymoon and it was perfect for us. I think cruising, in general, is a great money saver in comparison to having to pay for hotel plus meals. My husband and I are going on a cruise in November and we're paying $1,322 for both of us for 7 nights. The hotel alone (let's say $150/night?) for 7 nights would be $1,050. Cruise Critic is also a wonderful website and a great resource.

I have actually heard that too.  But, I also know many people who are loyal to Carnival and have love it.  Carnival is the lower end of the cruise lines, so it would make sense that the other lines are a bit more luxurious, but that doesn't mean it's bad or that you can't have a great time on it.  And, if you haven't ever cruised before or have nothing else to compare it to, it will still seem pretty awesome.  I do agree that RCCL is often similar in price these days, though.  But, they are also becoming more of a party/family ship as a result.

JoanE2012

I would never go on a Carnival cruise.  When I hear Carnival, I think of a ship full of kids....babies on up to college kids.  Not my thing.  We've cruised Royal Caribbean and Princess (as well as a river cruise, no kids on that!) and loved them all.

JedandEricaAA

^ I am a college kid My husband to be  and I are both under 22..

CMGragain

I have been on 17 cruises, none of them Carnival.  I love cruising.  You can party all you want and not have to drive home.  Cruising is often a real bargain if you add up all the land costs of room, food, and entertainment.  Drinks will be extra.  You should plan to spend the night before you sail in a hotel near the pier so that there's no worry about flights being cancelled or luggage lost.  Of course, if you live near the port, you don't need to do this.  Do buy trip insurance!
Have you spoken with a good travel agent yet?  They can give you lots of information.  Carnival is a cruise ship line that caters to younger people and families.  The cruise I just finished, Holland America, was like a floating nursing home.
I guess I should tell you that I own stock in the Carnival Corp - a recent purchase for me.  Carnival owns and operates Carnival Cruises (the largest cruise line), Princess Cruises, Holland America Cruises, Cunard Lines and (groan) Costa Cruises.  They must be doing something right.  My stock keeps going up.

JoanE2012

JedandEricaAA said:

^ I am a college kid My husband to be  and I are both under 22..

Ok, then maybe it's the perfect cruise for you!  I just prefer something with less of a party/kid atmosphere and more adult/romantic feel, especially for my honeymoon.

jsquared62009

nicoann said:

  Carnival is the lower end of the cruise lines, so it would make sense that the other lines are a bit more luxurious, but that doesn't mean it's bad or that you can't have a great time on it. 

THIS. It's all about expectations. Obviously you can't book Carnival and expect the Ritz on water. However, we aren't that picky with food/luxury/etc so it was totally fine for us and we loved it. We went on a 12 day Med. Carnival cruise for our honeymoon and loved it. I think the Med. cruise had less of a party atmosphere than the Caribbean ones do, but Cruise ships are HUGE. There are lots of things to do so if you want to party you can and if you don't then there's plenty of other things to occupy your time. I'm sure you guys will have a great honeymoon!