Just back from Carnival (yikes!!!)

[misseulalie]

Ok, as posted last week, we booked a last minute cruise on 3 day Carnival Sensation. We had a limited budget and didn't want to pay $1,000 for Disney. It was me and DH (ages 32 and 40) We didn't bring the kids, we wanted to have a relaxing vacation! We got an Oceanview room for $299 a person.

Good points:
1. Bedding was fantastic. We loved the pillows and duvets. I am actually thinking about purchasing them from Carnival's website.

2. Shows (well 2 out of 3 shows, the first was a little too Burlesque.)
I love DCL shows, but it was nice to see something non-Disney like a comedian or other types of entertainment.

3. Shopping. Carnival had much better stores. They had a huge wall of perfume and cosmetics about 20% cheaper than in the states. Nice costume jewelry, and other things. DH forgot his swim trunks and found 4 or 5 different styles. A few were only $15.

Bad points:
Everything else!

To make a long story short, we will never do Carnival again.
We knew to expect a lot less, and our plan to rest and relax was accomplished, but still we couldn't wait to get off the ship. Thank goodness we didn't take the kids. I personally think it was not a good envirnoment for kids of any age. (at least for those parents who have high morals/values)

1. The food was awful. We ended up eating pizza for every lunch and came away from every dinner still hungry.
The waiters were friendly but not like Disney. They never offered to bring out something different in we didn't like what we were eating, and we had to eat with other diners. It was very uncomfortable. There were no tables for 2 or 4, so we had to sit with 6 other people.

2. Tacky 1980's Vegas decor. It was dark purple and black. Also, it was hard to get out on the deck, plus we never knew what floor we were on.

3. Cigarette smoke and drinking was everywhere! We had to take our clothes to the cleaners because everything smelled like somke.
There were drunk people everywhere. People walking around with open bottles in their hands, there were bars everywhere, servers almost forcing drinks into your hands. Plus when you did get a drink, a Bahama Mama was $7.95

4. A huge difference in guests. I don't know how to say this without being politically incorrect, but DH and I felt really out of place. I guess the best way to say this is that I think DCL attracts more upper-middle class families while I noticed mostly lower middle class families. PM me if you want more details on this topic...

5. The help were not very helpful.
No crew member went out of their way for you. On DCL, I felt like royalty. Every crew member was at my beck and call. On Carnival, there was no "specialness" or pampering.
I even noticed a lot of servers in the buffet were standing around drinking coffee or iced tea while on duty. I also noticed workers purchasing items in the store all the time. You would think they would have special times for crew members to buy things they need.

6. Non-existent kid's club. I know nothing can compare to DCL, even one of Carinval's youth councelors said that, but I expected something nicer than I saw. It was basically a huge room (about 20x20) divided up for 2 different age groups. If we had brought DD's 3 and 5 (thank God we didn't) they would have hated it. It basically was a big screen TV, a few computers, coloring books, legos and a few toys. It would have kept DD-5 busy for about 2 hours. After that she would have probably sat in front of the TV all day long.

Overall we spent the whole time comparing it to DCL, (though in the beginning I promised myself I wouldn't)
I knew the two ships can't compare, but I didn't expect this much of a difference. We decided we would rather pay the few hundred dollars difference and do DCL or just not go at all.

We even re-booked our Disney Med. cruise because going on Carnival made me very wary of other lines. (We still have our RCCL Voyager of the Seas booked, but I thought while I do more research on Voyager, I better have DCL as a backup. I have read Voyager is one of the best ships in RCCL's fleet, but after hearing a few guests on Carnival saying they thought Carnival's food was better than RCCL, that REALLY made me nervous!!!

if you want any other details about the Sensation, please feel free to PM me,I didn't bother taking any pictures- I didn't want to waste the space on my camera!

Jennifer

 

[jiminyC_fan]

Your experience is the exact reason why my dh and I don't book other cruiselines. We are in our mid 50's and don't want the party, smoke environment. Glad you got the rest but sorry for what you had to go through.

 

[lbgraves]

Thanks for taking the time to share. BTW, on DCL there is a seperate crew store behind the scenes. When we asked for Marina on the last night so the kids could say goodbye I was told she was working there that night.

 

[datsyukchick]

I've been on several CCL cruises and have always had fun. That being said, I would NEVER take my daughter on one. CCL does certainly attract the 'younger' group, but as I am in my mid-20's that can be fun sometimes, when my DD isn't there. I've found that I got better service on the longer cruises, much better. CCL also upgraded us from a standard inside room, to a suite on our last cruise. When my dh and I take vacations by ourselves, we'll go back to CCL, when we take the kids, we won't go on anything other than DCL.

 

[HollyTyler]

misseulalie: You have put my worst fear into words. I'm joining a friend and her family on a Carnival Liberty 8 night cruise next January 6 and I'm nervous about how different it will be from DCL. I'm afraid I'll spend all my time comparing the two. BUT I desperately need a kid-free vacation, so I'm hoping the enjoyment of being able to be on my own schedule for 8 days will overpower the downsides of Carnival. I really appreciate hearing your viewpoint and consider myself forewarned! Thanks for the info!

 

[barbmouse]

Your comments about not feeling comfortable taking your kids on Carnival is much appreciated!! The atmosphere you described is one I would not want my dks exposed to...thanks for your honest assessment!

 

[Deb in IA]

Thanks for your report.


That's been my impression too, that the Carnival crowd seems to be mostly younger singles and couples, not many kids, and lots of smoking, drinking, and gambling.

 

[thatmom]

Hi,
Going on an eight day cruise is a lot different than going on a three day cruise. I have been on both Carnival (7 days) and Disney Magic.
I would and did feel perfectly safe bring children on both cruises.
I wouldn't even go myself on a three day cruise. They are known for all the younger people and the party boat.
So really don't worry you will love your cruise on Carnival.
Carla

 

[allears]

Hi,
Going on an eight day cruise is a lot different than going on a three day cruise. I have been on both Carnival (7 days) and Disney Magic.
I would and did feel perfectly safe bring children on both cruises.
I wouldn't even go myself on a three day cruise. They are known for all the younger people and the party boat.
So really don't worry you will love your cruise on Carnival.
Carla

I was expecting that someone would report to this effect or that the shorter cruises use the older ships. Which is a valid comparisson. I think it is a draw back of Carnival or any line to have such inconsistent quality. If Carnival does a great job on their newer, bigger ships on longer trips, they should make sure the same is the case for their other options. I know each line has it's good points and it's bad and everyone's tastes are different, but IMHO, DCL does have the consistency thing down, yeah, small "fleet" but I dont' think the folks on the 3 and 4 night cruises feel that they aren't getting the same quailty as those on the Magic.

One questionmisseulalie , did they have a life orchestra for the shows?

 

[misseulalie]

I will agree that I heard the 3 day is a big party ship and the Sensation and Fantasy ( which only do the short cruises) are older and much smaller. The newer ships and longer itineraries are probably better, but I don't think I will try Carnival again. It just left a bad taste in my mouth (or was that the horse meat they tried to pass off as Prime Rib??? )

We knew to expect a party atmosphere, but to this extreme, I didn't realize.

 

[dmthoma76]

I went on a five day cruise on the Carnival Inspiration last year.

A few things I was not happy about....The Camp for the kids was awfull! My son had an accident, his toe was injured by another child, they did not even have a first aid kit or have a clue what to do. He was bleeding his toenail was almost torn off all the way. They beeped me and told me to go to the information desk for a band-aid. On another level!!! When I questioned them they acted like they could not speak english. (not true)

They tried to get your money anyway they could! Bingo, jewelry sales, art sales, raffles, on and on.


The food though was excellent, the waiters were great. If we wanted two of something, we just asked. They brought my son grapes when he said that's what he wanted for dinner.

Many areas of the ship were off-limits due to about 1500 people on board were having a convention, they had there own entertainment and comedian and it was NOTHING you would want your kids to see. We were never told about this when we booked.

The best time we had was in Cozumel off on our own and Formal night on the ship.

The day before we were to leave the crew acted like we were already gone, they stacked up all the chairs, put covers on the pools and hot tubs, no good food on the buffet, drinks much weaker now, So really it was a FOUR day cruise.

~Donna

 

[misseulalie]

I was expecting that someone would report to this effect or that the shorter cruises use the older ships. Which is a valid comparisson. I think it is a draw back of Carnival or any line to have such inconsistent quality. If Carnival does a great job on their newer, bigger ships on longer trips, they should make sure the same is the case for their other options. I know each line has it's good points and it's bad and everyone's tastes are different, but IMHO, DCL does have the consistency thing down, yeah, small "fleet" but I dont' think the folks on the 3 and 4 night cruises feel that they aren't getting the same quailty as those on the Magic.

One questionmisseulalie , did they have a life orchestra for the shows?

Oh yes, that was one reason we really liked the shows. The orchestra was fanstastic and they even interacted with the show. It was nice to hear live music. They one show we REALLY didn't like was the adults only comedian. We saw her perform a PG version as a warm up for the juggler and she was really funny, so we thought her R rated performance would be funny, too. Oh my goodness! We left after about 15 minutes. It was SO foul. I like Robin Williams and Eddie Murphy, a little cursing doesn't bother me, but this was very vulgar. I can't even explain it....

 

[sillykidsmom]

My husband and I went on the Carnival Miracle last September and the only bad thing I can come up with is the tacky decor. Other then that it was one of the best cruises we had!! No, we didn't take the children with us but I wouldn't hesitate on taking them on this ship. We just came off the Disney Magic a few weeks ago and there were several children including my son who constantly complained about one counselor in the Lab. I didn't think anything of it since this was Disney until I had a run in with her. She was so rude everytime we checked our son out. I don't even think this cast member ever smiled. Not to mention that there were a group of older gentlemen that we always ran across who were always two sheets to the wind. They were on vacation and if this is the way they chose to spend their vacation so be it. They weren't bothering anyone. We also took a cruise this past May with RCCL. Again it was just the husband and I. We had lousy service, lousy food ect. There is nothing good to be said. I'm not going to right RCCL off because of it. I just won't sail on that particular ship again. For all of you who posted that are going on a Carnival cruise that is 7 days plus, don't worry. Just stay away from the 3 or 4 day cruises. They are designed for the younger crowd and the partiers. I try not to judge people. I go on these cruises whether to have some alone time with my husband or to spend a nice family vacation together. My main concern is that we are spending time together and having fun as a family not worrying about what everyone else is doing.

 

[joelidol]

I've never been on any other cruise before, but I don't think I will anyway!
To give you a sorry event on my trip last year on the DCS (11/25/05), the carnival ship next to the Magic before we left honked it's horn (as a sign of good luck) and the horn got stuck open! It wailed for several minutes 'till they could shut it up! So much for good luck...

 

[jodifla]

I went on a five day cruise on the Carnival Inspiration last year.

A few things I was not happy about....The Camp for the kids was awfull! My son had an accident, his toe was injured by another child, they did not even have a first aid kit or have a clue what to do. He was bleeding his toenail was almost torn off all the way. They beeped me and told me to go to the information desk for a band-aid. On another level!!! When I questioned them they acted like they could not speak english. (not true)

They tried to get your money anyway they could! Bingo, jewelry sales, art sales, raffles, on and on.


The food though was excellent, the waiters were great. If we wanted two of something, we just asked. They brought my son grapes when he said that's what he wanted for dinner.

Many areas of the ship were off-limits due to about 1500 people on board were having a convention, they had there own entertainment and comedian and it was NOTHING you would want your kids to see. We were never told about this when we booked.

The best time we had was in Cozumel off on our own and Formal night on the ship.

The day before we were to leave the crew acted like we were already gone, they stacked up all the chairs, put covers on the pools and hot tubs, no good food on the buffet, drinks much weaker now, So really it was a FOUR day cruise.

~Donna

I went on the Inspiration two years ago. We had a great time! Only think I didn't like was the Vegasy theming.

But the food was fantastic....blew DCL out of the water.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

Thanks for the honest report! we only do DCL and now will continue to do so!! I must admit the cheaper prices do often catch our eye, but then we realize we want a vacation!!!

 

[misseulalie]

Well this is one thing that struck me, I read a lot of different posts that Carnival food was much better than DCL. If it is, it isn't on the Sensation. It was like high school cafeteria food. Dinners were better, but portions were very small. I would say on a scale of 1-10, DCL dinners are a 7, and Carnival dinners are 5.

Lunch was the worst. Like I posted earlier we ate pizza for lunch each day, then ended up eating pizza again around 9pm because we were hungry again from dinner. I usually ended up being so stuffed from DCL's dinner that we could never eat for Pirate night midnight buffet.

 

[vital]

I went on a 5 day cruise out of New Orleans last year on the Sensation. It is an older and samller ship, yes. The food is mediocre, yes. I went alone with my DS who was 5 at the time. He LOVED the kids club. I even had to come back and get him later one time b/c he didn't want to leave. Were there drunk ppl stumbling around? No. Did I have to dry clean my clothes due to cigarette smoke? No. You chose to go on a "cheap" cruise and you seemed to look for the "cheap" things about the cruise. You mention in your post about the "lower middle class" that was on the ship. How do you know what socioeconomic class they belong to? In my dealings as a nurse I come in contact with every level of society. I get the "I'm better than you because my house is bigger, car more expensive and I make more than you" group along with the "I don't have a dime to my name but I bust my a** to get what I do have." Personally I'd rather deal with the second group of ppl. I'm not judging you or putting you into a "class" but I get tired of posts like this and finally had to respond. I am a single mother who is having to save for a year to take the Disney cruise. I could afford to go on 2 Carnival cruises for the price of the Disney cruise, but my DS will only be 8 once. If your post would've been just about the cruise line and not the ppl on the boat then I would've thought, "I sure hate that she had such a bad cruise." When you started grouping ppl in a lower class than you it turned the whole report sour for me. You even added the snob smiley to it. I think that about sums it up.

I hope you aren't on the ship next October for the 7 day Eastern Carribean cruise. I don't want to feel like I'm being stared at and judged because I don't look like I'm "upper middle class", which I am proud to say I make enough money to support my son and I comfortably.

I am not trying to start a debate or flaming you. I am just responding to your comments about the "class" of ppl. No, I don't cruise Carnival all the time. Once when I was 20 with family and last year. I've actually cruised Costa, Carnival and the ship I see you booked on, Century. The food is MUCH better on Century than Carnival. The service was outstanding. My waiter noticed me laying out and brought me some chocolate ice cream b/c he knew I liked it. Now, that's service with a smile. They even brought chilled hand towels to the sun deck for you to cool off with.

Once again, not flaming or debating, just stating my opinions.

 

[zzzzjohnzzzz]

Jennifer tell us how you really feel!!!!

Thanks for the info I'm going on Magic for our first cruise with the kids next week. From what I hear I won't want to try any other line but I had heard carnival was on the low end and wasn't doing them anyway. Neon glass and brass even the commercials look like the inside of a casino

 

[ricka47]

There is cruising beyond DCL- believe it or not. But, if you chose to sail on shorter cruises with Carnival or RCI, you will often get a party crowd. The shortest cruise we did was on RCI (4 nights) and the longest was also on RCI (11 nights). The difference was amazing.

So, for longer cruises, Celebrity and HAL do great jobs - much better than DCL in food and service. They have live show bands as well although, in general, the production shows are not as good as DCL. But, if you want to get away for only three or four nights, DCL may be your safest bet.