Is Carnival OK?

OnionBreath · July 2014

We have been looking at Carnival cruises, but my friend told me to do any ship but Carnival. Just looking for some feedback on the line.

CMGragain · July 2014

Carnival Cruise Lines is the largest. (I own stock in them.) They own and operate a number of different brand name cruise lines, including Carnival, Princess, Holland America, Windstar and Costa. Each branch is operated separately and caters to a different market segment.
Costa serves mostly European families. Princess and Holland America are mid-priced lines, with HAL a favorite of older passengers. Carnival is the largest, and appeals to bargain conscious cruisers who want a fun experience and a lot of bang for their buck. Lots of kids and families when school is out. The big water slide on the pool deck is their idea.
If you have never cruised before, Carnival is a good way to vacation. They have a lot of different destinations, and you can party all you want and not worry about driving home under the influence. Thousands of people are loyal Carnival passengers.
Their prices are unbeatable.
As an older passenger, I prefer other lines, personally. I'm able to pay more for higher quality, and I don't care for the party-hearty set. I'm more the read-a-good-book type. It's more about how you fit in with the other passengers than about the ship.
Go to http://www.cruisecritic.com and sign up. You can ask questions about specific ships, cruise lines. ports, even talk to others who will be sailing on your cruise. Read my sticky post at the top of this page about how to cruise without spending too much money.

JoanE2012 · July 2014

I would NEVER sail Carnival. All I think of is cheap and spring break kids. Not my style. I've cruised Royal Caribbean and Princess and enjoyed them both.

OnionBreath · July 2014

Thank you for the links and feedback.

This would be for our honeymoon in the Caribbean (seems to have the best pricing). It would be at the end of February. I am not sure there would be a lot of school vacations then?

AprilH81 · July 2014

The end of February is inching towards Spring Break...

I've sailed Carnival twice and while I had fun, it was because of the people I was with, not the ship. Carnival's ships are dark and gaudy (think the worst of Las Vegas) and not my style. Their recent-ish safety issues would prevent me from sailing with them unless someone gave me a free cruise.

My parents went with them this spring and had a nice time.

If another line was just a few hundred more then it would be worth it to me to NOT go on Carnival. Thousands? No, they aren't that different.

CMGragain · July 2014

You should really talk to a good travel agent. They cost you nothing, and they can make suggestions for you after getting to know you a bit. There is no obligation to book with them. Do remember that All travel websites are really just anonymous travel agents. You can get similar, and sometimes better prices and advice by booking with one who gives you some expert advice and service. Never book directly with the cruise line.
Yeah, March and April are full of spring break families. The longer the cruise, the fewer the kids.

500days · July 2014

In the northeast (specifically in new england) many school districts take a February vacation. It is typically the 3rd week or whenever President's day falls. Just something to consider to avoid crowds. I have cruised on Carnival before- if you like to drink and have a good time then it will be fun for you. I recommend Celebrity if you want to have a more relaxed and romantic cruise. I know they offer itineraries in the Caribbean.

beachyone15 · July 2014

I actually really like Carnival. Perhaps it's because the cruise that FI and I went on wasn't full of kids. We sailed in April (right after spring break but before school let out). We had a great time! I agree about talking to a travel agent and checking out cruise critic online. Since it's a honeymoon trip, you might want to try a more "upscale" cruise line. But for any other trip, I'd sail with Carnival again!

CJandRyan · July 2014

I haven't sailed with Carnival so I can't be any help there but I highly recommend Norwegian Cruise Line. I've sailed with them in the past and absolutely loved it! I loved the ship and everything about it and their prices are very reasonable.

annathy03 · July 2014

I've sailed Carnival and Celebrity. Carnival was fun, but I wouldn't choose it for my honeymoon- it was very go go go and had lots of kids. I'd sail with them again when school is in (including spring breakers) or in the future when we have kids in tow. Celebrity we were some of the only passengers under 50, there were less activities on the ship (which led to a more laid back onboard experience for us) and the food was better.

princessleia22 · July 2014

I just had my wedding on the Carnival Dream cruise ship, followed by 7-day cruise/honeymoon. Our parents, siblings, and nieces/nephew also went on the cruise. Everyone had a great time and we would definitely consider Carnival again. It even convinced my in-laws to start cruising and FIL put in for retirement right after returning. It was end of June, so being summer there were kids on board, but we never felt overrun by them... but we had kids in our group also. We certainly felt like we had plenty of opportunity to enjoy our honeymoon. We did hang out in the Serenity (adult only) deck some. And we also got spa passes, so we could hang out there kid free. Most younger kids were in camp or by the main pool, but there are other pools to use. And most of the teenagers hung out in the area around their club and arcade.

We had originally gone into it saying "any cruise line except Carnival", after hearing the horror stories. Then after researching more and looking at itineraries/prices, we opened up to the idea, as long as we could do a newer Dream Class ship, because it was better itinerary for lower price for our guests than other cruise lines. After the trip I have no regrets doing my wedding & honeymoon on Carnival and I couldn't imagine it having been any better elsewhere.

Each cruise line has it's own atmosphere. Carnival does tend to be more kids & partying, especially during spring break or summer time. If you go off season, it won't be as crazy. And if doing Carnival, especially for honeymoon, you may want to consider doing a 7-day cruise, which would be on their newer ships. Having been on 3-day and 7-day Carnival Cruises, I'd say the longer ones probably have less kids and are a bit more relaxing. The 3-day cruise really did feel rushed and unrelaxing, so I'd suggest longer cruise (5-7 day) on whichever line you pick. I've heard Royal Caribbean tends to get a lot of the college age & partying crowd also, although I've never been on that line. I think Princess is supposed to be good for honeymoon types.

You will basically get what you would expect for the various prices. Cheaper cruises will draw people with less money and families that have to pay for more people. More expensive cruise lines will draw people with money or older crowds. But, with any line, a lot will change based on time of year, length of cruise, and itinerary. So, look at all the factors before you cross out Carnival completely, because it can be a great option if you pick the right date & itinerary.

michellef2014 · July 2014

Carnival has great prices but it's usually a "party" ship. It's full of spring breakers and that type of audience. I just went on Royal Caribbean and I loved it. The food was awesome, it didn't feel crowded, and the crowd was a mix of young/families, not just spring breakers.

[Deleted User] · August 2014

I just got back from a 3 day cruise to Mexico this morning. It was my first time with Carnival and I must say it was fun! There was a good mix of elder couples, young families, single people, and bachelor/ bachelorette parties. My FI and I are getting married 9/27 and going on Carnival to Hawaii for our honeymoon! good luck!:)

plainjane0415 · August 2014

I took a girl's trip with 3 of my close friends on a Carnival cruise. I will NEVER go on another cruise. I could feel every single turn of the ship, the dining area for breakfast and lunch smelled like mildewed kitchen towels, and the food was not very good. IF I were to do another cruise (and that is a very big IF) I would consider something like Royal Caribbean, FI parent's have been on several cruises and they say that Royal Caribbean is the best of all.

JoanE2012 · August 2014

Knottie43581280 said:

I took a girl's trip with 3 of my close friends on a Carnival cruise. I will NEVER go on another cruise. I could feel every single turn of the ship, the dining area for breakfast and lunch smelled like mildewed kitchen towels, and the food was not very good. IF I were to do another cruise (and that is a very big IF) I would consider something like Royal Caribbean, FI parent's have been on several cruises and they say that Royal Caribbean is the best of all.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience, but don't judge all cruises by one cruise you've been on. The ones I've been on barely had any movement (if anything, the slow motion lulled me to sleep) and I found the food pretty good and there was never any bad smells.

thelastdreamer · August 2014

I went on a Royal Caribbean cruise and I was seriously unimpressed. It just all seemed kind of meh. My mom went on a Carnival cruise after that and swore it was way better than our time on RC. So FI and I chose Carnvial for our honeymoon ... I'm excited after everything my mom told me.

thelastdreamer · August 2014

As you can see OP, everyone has a different opinion and it totally depends what time of year you go too.

CMGragain · August 2014

Carnival Cruises is the largest USA cruise ship line for a reason. They also own and operate (separately) Princess, Holland America, and Seabourne in the USA/Canada market, as well as Aida, Ibero, Costa, and P & O in Europe and Australia.
The Carnival Cruise division offers a good budget friendly cruise experience with the largest fleet in the cruise industry. If they were that bad, they wouldn't be as successful.

Comparisons: Carnival = Holiday Inn. Princess = Marriott. Holland America = Hilton (lots of older passengers) Seabourne = Ritz Carlton.

caitlinmca · August 2014

I've been on a Norwegian Cruise Line as well, and it had it's pros and cons. I had went during spring break season and they had a question and answer session with some of the crew members, captain etc and one of the questions was spring breakers to family to elders ratio and they said most of the passengers were spring breakers. With the ship mostly spring breakers, there was hardly anything entertaining, they had an art gallery/show the entire time that the cheapest piece of art was $500 or more starting, they had morning wii games, but nothing for the 18-25 age group until night unless you wanted to sit by the pool or hot tub and drink constantly which don't get me wrong, I was okay with that as well. I sailed from NYC to FL, then the Bahamas so it was long days at sea with not much to do.

The food was good though, and their dessert/chocolate night was fantastic.

Is Carnival OK?

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