Just back from a Carnival cruise....

[tevagirl]

Here are my opinions on the pros and cons with Carnival:

Pros: Our cabin (balcony) was very nice, beds really comfortable.
The ship was clean and never seemed crowded (although it was a full
ship.) I had no problems with the passengers and they were a diverse
group.

Cons: The crew was the biggest problem. Except for our cabin steward not one other crew member (and I am telling you the truth) even acknowledged that we were on their ship. Example: my DH and I got on an elevator with an officer. He never spoked to us or even looked at us until my DH spoke to him first. Another example: when we were in the buffet area the crew members working there just plowed their way through us. You had to move out of their way and they never said excuse me (or anything for that matter). The food that was served was terrible and the portions were truly ridiculous. They would not have filled a two year old. They did have huge buffets every night but that doesn't help the people who can't eat late at night. I know you could ask for more food at dinner and we did. Our dining team were not even the slightest bit cordial (and we are friendly people!). Carnival might be billed as the "fun cruise ship" but they were definately not the "friendly cruise ship" for sure. For me that was the biggest negative.

We were on the Carnival Triumph out of New York and went to Canada for a five day cruise. This November we will be going on NCL out of New Orleans for a 7 day to the Western Carribean. I am not in the habit of bashing any one but I can honestly say that I would have to think twice before going on Carnival again.

 

[bicker]

Crew members vary. Remember that many crew members are specialists, and while positive customer relationship skills are valuable, not every engineer or logistics coordinator is going to have the sunny disposition of a cruise director. As long as a crew member isn't being rude, I wouldn't think twice about them not being overly friendly.

On our cruises, I did note that a lot of Europeans, not just crew members, "plowed through" the buffet lines. I believe that buffets work a little differently in Europe -- more focused on efficiency and less on order. It is natural that people brought up in that culture would apply the principles of their culture rather than ours, since there is really no structural aspect that makes it clear that they shouldn't do so. To be honest, I believe we in the United States are moving towards a more European manner of buffets (for good or ill) so I suspect what you saw aboard will become more the case generally.

Portion sizes in the dining room should be reduced, I believe, to reduce the waste of food. Many passengers use the all-food-included nature of cruises to try out a wide variety of things they wouldn't normally order. Keeping the portion sizes small ensures that folks can do this without wasting a lot of food. As you noted, you can always ask for more, and knowing the nature of cruise dining portions, you can even request a larger portion to start with (except for some items, like lobster).

There is no question that Carnival and Royal Caribbean aren't Disney -- Disney is a lot more expensive for a reason, and a lot of that affects the passengers' experience. Indeed, I would not be surprised to learn that Carnival and Royal Caribbean are BETTER than Disney in almost all ways that don't affect the passengers' experience, since Disney is a relatively new and small cruise line.

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

McDonalds sells billions of burgers though, don't they!!! I have cruised Carnival a few times the older ships do tend to get a more younger crowd but I saw more drunks on DCL than I have ever seen on Carnival.....most recently June 30 to July 8th on the Legend (build 2 years ago) out of NYC to San Juan, St. Thomas and Tortola....we had a great time....it in no way compares to Disney as far as service, but they do a great job. We were a group of 50 people and all had a great time....

Carnival surpasses DCL in their pool deck areas and breakfast/lunch buffet areas....several buffet lines, more variety of food than DCL, plenty of seating. The decor of the Carnival ships are very lavish and a bit over the top but they are meant to be that way. They surpass DCL as far as amount and size of elevators as well. I did not see any lower class of people than I have seen on DCL.

We encountered nothing that would keep us from cruising Carnival again....On the two formal nights people were dressed to the nines.....there were no drunks to be seen anywhere....food was great (and they even turned people away from the dining room if they were not dressed appropriately....i.e. shorts!)....there were all ages of people from infants in strollers to grandmas and grandpas....a strictly enforced adult only pool area and club area. Our kids liked the nightlife much better than DCL. They had a great time.

So many people knock Carnival but unless you have gone recently don't be so quick to judge. I would never really compare Carnival to DCL as it would be like comparing apples to oranges...they are different and both have their good and bad points.

Anyone on these boards for any length of time knows that I love DCL and have sailed with them 13 times....I just want to say that DCL will always be my favorite but there is an enjoyable time to be had on other cruiselines. Oh and the Carnival promo line is "The Fun Ships", not "The Party Ships"....

I also would like to know what ship the OP was on.

Here is a link to our pics from our Carnival cruise this month in case anyone would like to take a look....

Part 1 http://community.webshots.com/album/392088732kqsOep

Part 2 http://community.webshots.com/album/393162528ZUjTWh

Part 3 http://community.webshots.com/album/393162528ZUjTWh


MJ

I liked you review until I got to where you refer to people by class. I find that disgusting the "type" people. There are obnoxious poeple everywhere in every income bracket.

 

[sln88]

Here are my opinions on the pros and cons with Carnival:

Pros: Our cabin (balcony) was very nice, beds really comfortable.
The ship was clean and never seemed crowded (although it was a full
ship.) I had no problems with the passengers and they were a diverse
group.

Cons: The crew was the biggest problem. Except for our cabin steward not one other crew member (and I am telling you the truth) even acknowledged that we were on their ship. Example: my DH and I got on an elevator with an officer. He never spoked to us or even looked at us until my DH spoke to him first. Another example: when we were in the buffet area the crew members working there just plowed their way through us. You had to move out of their way and they never said excuse me (or anything for that matter). The food that was served was terrible and the portions were truly ridiculous. They would not have filled a two year old. They did have huge buffets every night but that doesn't help the people who can't eat late at night. I know you could ask for more food at dinner and we did. Our dining team were not even the slightest bit cordial (and we are friendly people!). Carnival might be billed as the "fun cruise ship" but they were definately not the "friendly cruise ship" for sure. For me that was the biggest negative.

We were on the Carnival Triumph out of New York and went to Canada for a five day cruise. This November we will be going on NCL out of New Orleans for a 7 day to the Western Carribean. I am not in the habit of bashing any one but I can honestly say that I would have to think twice before going on Carnival again.

I am surprised at your comments about the food. I always thought it was good and there was plenty, and there was so much alternative dining if you did not find what you wanted in the dining room. They had buffets set out with most of the same food as the dining room, pizza almost all day and night, and some other food areas with burgers, oriental, and something else. Usually people on cruise critic say Disney food is lousy. The menus I have seen posted don't look too hot, but maybe I will be surprised.

That is too bad about the crew. Our waiter and assistant were very nice. I was not impressed with our cabin steward. I don't think we ever saw him the whole cruise. But, our room was clean enough. A crew with a bad attitude can take away alot of the fun of a cruise.

Let us know what you think of NCL!

 

[mmouse37]

I liked you review until I got to where you refer to people by class. I find that disgusting the "type" people. There are obnoxious poeple everywhere in every income bracket.

Are you refering to this line in my post:

"I did not see any lower class of people than I have seen on DCL."

If so, that was in response to the many folks that think Carnival is just a ship full of "rednecks, drunks or white trash"....I was trying to prove otherwise....I try never to judge anyone and I was trying to say (I guess not very well) that there were all walks of life onboard Carnival just as there are all walks of like on DCL. I truly was not trying to put people in a class system!!! Sorry if it came out that way. I agree 100% that you can have rude, obnoxious people at every income level from any part of the country and world!! One thing that truly drives me nuts is the notion of the "Ugly American" as Americans are seen by some from other countries....I always go out of my way to dispel that notion.

MJ

 

[Laurabearz]

I am about to compare Carnival and DCL.. On Sept 29th I step on the Wonder for a 3 day cruise with the Family, getting off on Oct 2nd.... Oct 10th I step on Carnival's Fascination for a 4 day cruise with gal pals....

I am a bit worried about being 'let down' on the Carnival cruise, just becasue I will be getting off the Wonder a week before. BUT I can have a great time just about anywhere, and I am able to look over the worn carpet, dated decor, and be happy I am with freinds.

It is going to be an interesting 2 weeks.

 

[off to neverland]

Laurabearz,
Please make sure to post your comparisons......... I'm always interested in how the cruise lines compare.

Have a great time on both!