Highly unorthodox ? about another cruise line

[eeyoresmom]

Hi everyone. I'm hoping for opinions on cruise lines other than DCL for first time cruisers with kids ages 7,8 12,and 16.I would love to sail with Disney, but having just come back from the world last week,their cruise is not in the budget for April.Can anyone recommend a good one or tell me one to avoid?Thank you so much!

 

[disneyjunkie]

Check out this site,

http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?a=cfrm&s=927093444


You'll find tons of information.

 

[alexandrew]

3, 4, or 7 day cruise....

for 7-day family cruising, I would definitely recommend all of RCCL's Voyager class ships...IMO, they come the closest to DCL for family fun and adventure....also, I heard the Carnival Legend is a fabulous ship for families (the rest of their ships ugh)

 

[hilltopfamily]

Originally posted by alexandrew
3, 4, or 7 day cruise....

for 7-day family cruising, I would definitely recommend all of RCCL's Voyager class ships...IMO, they come the closest to DCL for family fun and adventure....also, I heard the Carnival Legend is a fabulous ship for families (the rest of their ships ugh)

Usually I agree with most people here, but I disagree with the blanket statement about Carnival. Not trying to flame anyone, but have you personally been on "the rest of their ships"? If so, then I'd like to hear specifics. As you can see in my signature, we are going on a CCL ship next summer and I did quite a lot of research into other lines suitable for taking my kids on (Princess, Royal Carribbean, Norwegian, HAL, and Carnival). IMHO it seems that Carnival is unable to shake the "party-hardy" image of years past, even though people I have spoken with who HAVE cruised on CCL ships recently say that it just isn't like that. As with most all of the major cruise lines, posters merely caution against sailing on the older ships due to wear & tear, outdated decor, etc. and against sailing on the short 3-4 day trips during spring break times. If anyone is interested, I will post info after our trip, so as to help set the record straight about Carnival.


If you check out www.cruisecritic.com, they have different forums for all the major cruise lines, as well as extensive reviews on each ship. You should be able to find lots of great information that would help you in making an informed choice. I particularly researched the kids programs of all the lines. Yes, there are many differences compared to DCL, but you should be able to find a great vacation for your family. At least, I think I was able to. Do I think it will be the same as a cruise on DCL? No. Do I think it will be terrible? Again, no. I expect to have a great vacation with Carnival.

 

[yourtravelpro]

Originally posted by hilltopfamily
Usually I agree with most people here, but I disagree with the blanket statement about Carnival. Not trying to flame anyone, but have you personally been on "the rest of their ships"? If so, then I'd like to hear specifics. As you can see in my signature, we are going on a CCL ship next summer and I did quite a lot of research into other lines suitable for taking my kids on (Princess, Royal Carribbean, Norwegian, HAL, and Carnival). IMHO it seems that Carnival is unable to shake the "party-hardy" image of years past, even though people I have spoken with who HAVE cruised on CCL ships recently say that it just isn't like that. As with most all of the major cruise lines, posters merely caution against sailing on the older ships due to wear & tear, outdated decor, etc. and against sailing on the short 3-4 day trips during spring break times. If anyone is interested, I will post info after our trip, so as to help set the record straight about Carnival.

AMEN!!!!!!!!

 

[hydster]

We've taken our kids on 2 Carnival Cruises along with 1 Royal Carribean. Hubby and I have also done Carnival, Norwegian, Princess and Celebrity alone without kids. Our kids had the most fun on Disney and Carnival as did we. The reputation of the Carnival ships in the early to mid 90's are still haunting Carnival but on the last 3 ships we have been on they have been just as nice as Princess or Celebrity or even Disney. They have had a party reputation in the past and people still do go and have alot of fun but for the most part I think they have really toned down the type of people that go. When we went on Norwegian we were in our early 20's and the whole ship shut down around 9-9:30 with NOTHING to do after that. There was 1 bar open until midnight but it was just piped in music. The shows were a little blah with musicals like Meet me in St. Louis which at our age was *gag* but we found our own fun. Carnival is alot of fun! Royal Carribean was fun as well our kids just didnt enjoy the kids club like they did on Carnival or Disney. Princess and Celebrity are trying to change their images as well to make them more appealing to younger couples and families but the last time we were on them both they still seemed a ways away from accomplishing that. Giving Princess the benefit of the doubt at that time we were on an Alaskan sailing.
The one thing different with all ships we have been on compared to Disney is the cabaret type shows at night with girls in thongs and pasties dancing in high heels. As you know with Disney you just dont get that so be prepared *especailly if you have teen boys ;-) * that they do have shows like that are not especially designed for younger children but it was still alot of fun. The Carnival ships like the Destiny class and newer have really fun water slides on that that adults can use as well as children.

I think if you want to be adventurous you should try out a line that you feel most suits your family and go with an open mind. It may not be anything you want to do again with that line but you will have SOME kind of a memory from it! Our kids still laugh about the old guy on the Royal Caribbean boat going up to lifeboat drill with his pants on backwards and couldnt figure out who stole his button! We still giggle about that and yet it was probably the worst cruise we had been on with our kids.

I say if you want to go and cant afford disney everytime try Carnival or Royal Caribbean. We seemed to have the most fun on those ships but it is definitely a matter of taste.

Heidi

 

[Euphscott]

In response to Penny and her concern about Carnival reputation.

My two most recent cruises have been on the Carnival Conquest and the Radiance of the Seas (Royal Caribbean). These are in addition to four Disney Cruises.

I would have to say that Carnival was the most rowdy of all the cruises we took. The ships decor is LOUD. Not ugly, but very loud and I dare you to find a speck of white wall anywehere aboard that ship! Was it a bunch of drunken passengers falling all over the halls? No, not hardly, but the shows are a little more "fun" intensive as they like to call it. They do encourage more boisterous behavior, and the passengers seem to be intent on following along. Throw in the smoke is a HUGE problem in all the public areas (outside the dining areas, the hallways, lobbies and of course the bars and casino) and it is a little more of a college dorm feel.

That said, Carnival was not all bad. The food and service were better than I was led to believe via the party rap. And although loud, some of the decor was attractive, it just had to gorw on you!

Royal Caribbean was a little more subdued, smoke was nowhere near the issue it was on the Conquest, food and service on par and the passengers a little more respectful. The decor on the Radiance was hands down the most beautiful ship we've been on (yes, in comparison to Disney it was...). It was a more elegant experience and not nearly as much of a party atmosphere. That said, we enjoyed ourselves immensely.

So, yes, in my experience Carnival is still more of a party line than other cruise lines. Is it Animal House on the waves? Certainly not, but it is a little more of a frat house atmosphere than I'd like my children sailing.

 

[hilltopfamily]

glad to see responses regarding different cruise lines (thanks Hydster and Euphscott for taking the time!)

It helps to understand a persons opinions regarding a particular ship or cruise line when they speak from their own experience and describe specifics they encountered, as you both have done. Granted, we will all experience things differently and bring our own uniqueness to every situation, but your comments about the different lines were great.

 

[mrsfuzzmo]

Definitly go to cruisecritic.com, I got hooked on cruise boards there. You'll find the good, the bad, the ugly and the fabulous on any ships out there. They have many many different areas you can look at from First time Cruisers, to which line to choose, to Family cruising and each line individually and each port as well.

Have fun Choosing. You'll love cruising on any line you choose.

Maureen

 

[awatt]

We love RCCL. Radiance in particular was an outstanding cruise. Ship is so beautiful,service was excellent and teh food quite good. we did not bring our kids on radiance(too little at the time) but I checked out the kids club and the kids were having a ball.

This summer we went with our kids on teh NCL Dawn. Also a wonderful cruise. Beautiful ship and also excellent service. Kids could not wait to go to the kids club each night after dinner. For families,NCL's freestyle cruising has appeal-no set dining times,multiple restaurantsl, more casual dress code,easy debarkation- these thing allow some flexibility which can be crucial when travelling with little ones.

Bottom line is each line/ship has something to offer and there is no such thing as a bad cruise.

 

[Brent B]

This from another board that I Posted last week


I am posting this to express MY Opions....... I just got off of the 11/29 sailing of the Triumph. This was my 8th cruise(some including Disney & RCCL) and my 1st Carnival. The only reason why I chose Carnival was due to the price and that it was a guys trip. (My dad, My son (5) and myelf (31). We arrived at the terminal with the attitude no matter how bad Carnival is (due to the reviews I have read) we were going to have a goodtime. Well let me tell you we are still in SHOCK & AWE...... In a great way...... And we will do it again.....

Just some remarks from previous reviews

Water stains on the carpet..... Yes they were there but what are you people doing hanging out in the hallways of your rooms? You are on a cruise get out and have fun.

The rest of the ship was spotless.....

The crews attitude being poor.... Is it the crews attitude or is it yours.... We could have not asked to be treated any better than we where..... THANKS to Andy in the Casino, Renata, Ireana, Ivana and Sonia ---wait staff and to all of the crew in Camp Carnival...... Your simpley the best.

Rooms not being made up or cleaned...... I can't reply everytime we came back to our room our steward had been in...... He was great

I am sure that I have forgotten some things or if you have any questions please ask......

Just remember when your are reading reviews there are some very grumpy people in this world and all they like to do is complain.......

For you guys planning that first cruise relax dont worry that is what cruising is all about....

Now off to planning our 2nd Disney Cruise for March 6th 2004

 

[Jules1]

Our kids have really enjoyed both Princess and Celebrity.

 

[hilltopfamily]

Awatt & Jules:

what are the ages of your kids? How were accomodations in staterooms for families for NCL, Princess, & Celebrity? (we have 5, so cruising thus far has meant 2 connecting or adjoining rooms for us--not enough $$ here for suites). Info on NCL freestyle dining is interesting---I may give them a closer look!

Brent: thanks for copying & putting that out there for us to read. Where did you find that? Was it on Cruisecritic? I always like to hear of other boards to check out for cruise information

 

[disneyjunkie]

Brent I remember reading that thread on another board, great report.

I'm planning a cruise for my son and I for next August. I really want to do Carnival, the prices are great! NCL's Dawn is another option. I love the freestlye concept. Since they sail from NYC, I wouldn't have to worry about air, transportation to and from the port.... It'll take less than an hour to get from my house to the port.

 

[LisaGoeke]

As a big fan of RCCL, I'd also recommend the Voyager family. My parents just returned from the Explorer of the Seas. They were also with us on our Disney cruise in October. They said there was absolutely no comparison and unfortunately looks like they won't be taking us on anymore Disney cruises. However, they think we'd all be real happy going on RCCL again sometime.

 

[Brent B]

hilltop....

That is one that I posted on addicts

 

[awatt]

Our girls are age 4 and 6. Their first cruise was the NCL Dawn in August. We got 2 adjoining OV rooms . This worked out great for us,felt the space was ample. Used one room for kids to sleep,nap etc and the other we could lounge in while they napped. I think each room was about 150 sq feet. They loved the kids club-couldn't wait to go every night. I think freestyle dining a good opion for families. And if you like traditional,you could still arrange that too-we did.

 

[Disneycrazymom]

What is freestyle dinning? Does DCL offer this or just NCL? Thank-you.

 

[afcgirl]

Went with DH on Carnival Conquest in July and had a blast. Ship was gorgeous, food good, service excellent. Pools are saltwater though. If you do not want to party, there is plenty else to do, but who doen't want to have at least one night to let loose? With Carnival you can do that and then go back to a relaxing luxurious vacation.

 

[padisneyfan]

We have cruised 4 times with DCL and once on the Carnival Pride. We are currently booked for the Navigator of the Sea in May 2004. We found both plus and minuses on each cruise line.

We attempted to book Mariner of the Sea for May 2004 back in November,but there were no inside rooms available. Our initial plan, since we are traveling with 2 young adult sons (20 and 21), was to get them there own room. After looking at other options we just decided that we would do Navigator of the Sea.

I looked at travelocity today and for the 5/23/04 Mariner of the Sea there are only D1 balcony rooms and suites available. Yet, DCL 5/22/04 has all classifications of rooms except cat 11,12 available. I then went to compare prices:

Mariner of the Sea for 4 adults in a D1 balcony room $3, 876

DCL Magic 4 adults in Cat 6 $6, 996

Carnival Glory 8E balcony room $3,876

I know that All Seasons Travel would have the DCL less expensive, but wanted to compare apples to apples. I was shocked that there is a $3,000 price difference.

It will be interesting to see how DCL is going to respond with the Mariner of the Sea being right at Port Canaveral. Prior to RCCL positioning the Mariner of the Sea at Port Canaveral the only head to head competetion was Carnival and since many people still have the Party Book image of Carnival avoided booking on the Carnival ships. We are DVC members, so the majority of my DCL trips have been on DVC points. In fact, DH and I will be doing the 10/2/04 DCL cruise using our DVC points. For our cash paying trips we have used other Cruise Lines.

My personal feeling is that DCL is going to have to start to lower their prices to stay competetive against RCCL. RCCL is doing heavy advertising in my area and focuses on the "Voyager Class Ships". We booked our May cruise throught AAA, and the TA told me she has booked more Mariner cruises than DCL so far this year. Is it worth $3,000 to travel with Mickey, I know that for some people it is. However, if I'm paying cash and not using my DVC points, I am open to other cruise lines.

Hope everyone has a Happy Holiday.

Nancy