Decided to give Carnival a try...Opinions??

[doulasue]

Decided to give Carnival a try, and here is why:
We got a great rate on an early Feb. hard to find Southern Caribbean cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale, and it is for 8 nights vs. standard 7 night ($699 pp including all ports and taxes, inside GTY room). The ship is brand new, the Legend which debuts one month from now, and the ports sound great (Barbados, Martinique, and St. Maarteen!). Since this is a midweek-midweek cruise, airfare was cheap! I have read many posts on this forum from people who both loved and hated their Carnival cruise. I should state that it will be just me and my DH, mid 30's (we took the kids on the Wonder in May, and will probably go on DCL with them next Spring!) I am just slightly concerned about the negative posts re: Carnival, and am looking for some reassurance that we will not hate it!! Sorry to post this on DCL, but you all are a wealth of knowledge!! Thanks, Sue

 

[mrsltg]

Hi Sue-

I'm not a fan of Carnival per se, but you definitely won't hate it. There is stuff to do on board that's typical of any cruise line. Their ships are more "Vegas strip" themed than "trans-atlantic liner of the teens" themed. I think for the amount of money that you paid, and the fact that you are sailing without your kids (a nice growm-up vacation), you can't go wrong!

Bon Voyage!!!

Erin

 

[mmouse37]

Carnival is not bad at all....I have sailed it and liked it very much. My parents have sailed twice on Carnival and actually liked the experience better than their Princess cruise!!!

I still LOVE DCL and prefer it to all cruiselines, but you will have fun on Carnival. Their newer ships are really something to see and experience.

Have fun and don't worry!!!

MJ

 

[Celebrategoldens]

We sailed Carnival as a family about two years ago. Did we hate it? NO!!! We enjoyed it very much. Would I do Carnival again, no, I don't think so. I didn't much like the amount of "push" to buy alcohol, and the SMOKE!!!! I just hate cigarette smoke, and if you walked anywhere that you had to go past the casino, it was AWFUL. It does sound like you got a GREAT price, so I think you will have fun! We very much enjoyed the shows on the carnival ship, and their shore excursions were very nice. Go, have fun!!! You will enjoy!

 

[prymsu]

We have done Carnival before, and we enjoyed it. It is a good value for the money spent. Feel free to email me if you have any specific questions you would like to ask.

 

[inkkognito]

We have not done Carnival, but we have friends who have done both Carnival and RCCL, and they definitely preferred Carnival! They felt that the food was better and the service was more responsive, which surprised me. We've sailed on RCCL and had good experiences, and I have always thought of it as being a notch above Carnival. But that's who they would sail again (of course, they have never been on Disney). I have heard that Carnival has a reputation as a "party ship," but they are not big partiers or drinkers and they still had a really good time.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[doulasue]

Thank You all so much for your replies. I am fairly certain that I could go anywhere with my hubby and have a great time, we are both very laid back and easy to please. Add to that the fact that I don't have to cook or clean a thing for 9 whole days, and it doesn't get much better! I also like the fact that it is a brand new ship. Thanks again, Sue

 

[MFan]

Speaking from experience, Carnival is a great cruise line if you're not bringing any kids. If you are, it's only an ok cruise line. Carnival offers many more adult oriented program and activities than DCL. Their ships are Vegas styled with a lot of glitz and glamour. Their typical passengers are younger (or younger at heart). You guys should have a lot of fun. We certainly enjoyed our cruises with them BK (before kids).

 

[DisDee]

We sailed on the inaugural cruise of th Victory, almost 2 years ago. We had a wonderful time and would sail with Carnival again.We are not big party type people, but were very impressed with the service, food and entertainment. I'm sure you'll have a great time as we did. By the way, we sailed out of NYC-what a send-off with fire boats , the harbormaster, sailing past the World Trade Towers, and the Statue of Liberty and under the Verazzano-Narrows Bridge. When I look back at those pictures of the towers behind us, its so hard to believe they are not there, along with all the people who lost their lives. Have a wonderful trip!!!!

 

[mmouse37]

DizDee.....I also sailed out of NYC on the Victory two summers ago during her inaugural season. We only did the two night "cruise to nowhere" but it was still a wonderful time on a great ship.

I have some of those same shots of the WTC and the breathtaking skyline of Manhattan. After 9/11 I pulled the photos out and started to cry all over again.

We had a great time...it was myself and 9 girlfriends!!! WE had a blast!!! Left all the hubbies and kids at home!

MJ

 

[ktharris]

The Legend will be sailing out of New York next summer. I have been considering it, as the prices are really good.

Their larger balcony rooms (cat 8E) are going for $1220 for the first 2 passengers and $260 for the 3rd and 4th. This is for an 8 night from NYC to San Juan, St. Thomas, Tortola/Virgin Gorda and back to NYC. prices are from $780.

I'm interested in feedback on activities for the kiddos!

Thanks,
Kathy

 

[Mjasp]

Kathy...Do you know the size of those balcony rooms. I was checking out the same cruise out of NY. What sailings are they offering those prices?

MMouse...The cruise to nowhere out of NY, is it a party cruise or were there kids on board?

Thanks,
Joanna

 

[MFan]

Don't know if the "nowhere" cruise out of NYC falls under this category; but, from some news article I read a few years ago, it said these types of cruises were mostly aimed at gamblers. The onboard casinos can begin operating once the ship is on international water. I suspect the article may be outdated given the mega ships like the Victory (with so many different onboard activities) are probably attracting different types of crowd.

 

[mmouse37]

mjasp....It was definitely not a party cruise. There were people of all ages on board, and plenty of kids. There was a fair amount of mix of ages from Seniors down to little ones.

The clubs were crowded at night, but nobody was rowdy or falling down drunk.

The ship was gorgeous.

MJ

 

[ktharris]

Joanna,

from what I have learned so far...the category 8E is 225 sq ft as compared to a Disney category 6, which is 268 sq feet....

The dates I'm not really sure about all the dates, but the flyer I had gave a category 4c inside room for $780 for departure 10/4/03.

Hope that helps.....I'm still researching...LOL

Kathy

 

[MFan]

ktharris,

Do you know whether the 225 sq. ft. on Carnival includes the balcony or not? The 268 sq. ft on DCL does. If it doesn't on Carnival, then it'll be a good sized cabin. If it does, then the cabin may only be around 180 sq. ft. (which is their standard cabin size.) The actual DCL cabin size is 214 sq. ft.

 

[prymsu]

we are booked in a CAT 9, and i specifically asked about the size of the verandah. My TA said that the verandah was 85 sq feet. I guess i didn't ask about the room, as I was more concerned about having chaise chairs out there so I could sleep on the verandah a night or two.

 

[RAC]

Hi,
We are booked on the Pride on May 24, 2003 and we are booked for a 8I and I think that it is 248sq. ft with the balcony and the 9A are 315 sq. ft. We booked a gurantee keeping our fingers crossed for an upgrade. We decided after two Disney cruises to try a change next year.

RAC