Tell me what you like or didn't like about Carnival Cruises?

[JKMastalski]

I am thinking about taking my husband on Carnival out of NYC this October to the Caribbean. What do you like or dislike about Carnival? How are the ships? (This would be on the Legend) How is the food? I need to know everything before I make this decision!

 

[leahannpen]

I don't not like anything, really. Have you cruised before?

I loved the food, and everyone was very nice! Carnival has some of the larger cabins out there, which is nice. Make sure you remember only food is included...not drinks or land/shore tours. and be careful about tipping...they add 15% on all drink orders. But most cruise ships do this.

 

[jkovick]

Carnival is a nice, entry level cruise. Most ships are decorated in a Vegas-y type glitz. There are LOTS of activities. You would have a good time. Cabin size is generous. Shows are pretty good.

However, it does not compare in quality to DCL. Apples and oranges IMO.

Hope you have a great time.

 

[monkeyboy]

I enjoyed it better than DCL I must say


It had a CASINO

 

[JKMastalski]

THANKS EVERYONE....ANYONE ELSE?

 

[WeirdEyes]

I like Carnival Cruise Line. I've been on Carnival Destiny in the Southern Caribbean and thought it was fantastic. The cabins are nice, the wait staff were fun and good at what they do, and the food was excellent. I've heard several good things about the Legend. PM me and I will give you a message board where you can get tons of info on Carnival and the Legend from experienced cruisers.

 

[wld]

I have not cruised on Carnival but know a couple of people that did one couple in their early 20's and one person in her early 30's. Both said they would not cruise Carnival again. One just said the loud, continous partying got on his nerves (this from an admitted party boy) The other said everything looked like it was made to be.......vomited on. She said it was all stainless steel but carpeting in hallways had suspicious spots.....she too said it was an all out drink until you puke party boat.
Again I have no personal knowledge but these people were very displeased with their cruise. They admitted to liking to party but felt, at least on their cruises, that it was done to excess.

 

[WeirdEyes]

I have not cruised on Carnival but know a couple of people that did one couple in their early 20's and one person in her early 30's. Both said they would not cruise Carnival again. One just said the loud, continous partying got on his nerves (this from an admitted party boy) The other said everything looked like it was made to be.......vomited on. She said it was all stainless steel but carpeting in hallways had suspicious spots.....she too said it was an all out drink until you puke party boat.

What was the ship that they went on? From what I've heard, the shorter cruises (3-4 day) tend to have more of a partying atmosphere due to having a lot younger people cruising due to the much cheaper prices. On my 7 day cruise, yes there was some partying, but I NEVER saw anything that I wouldn't have seen on Pleasure Island. I'm not big into partying either. It just depends on the ship and the itinerary really.

 

[mickeyfan1]

Carnival is known as the Fun Ship Cruise. I have sailed on them 2 times, and found that you can't beat it for the price. On the newer ships, the lowest priced cabins are very large (for a state room), nice sized bathrooms, great cabin service. Really good food, I thought it was much better than DCL. The age range used to be the 20s, but now on longer itineraries like the one you are considering, there will be more people of all ages. They may not have a Camp Carnival at that time of year, so you may not have a lot of kids. I say go for it, cruising is probably one of, if not the best vacation value going. Great food, entertainment, no unpacking after the first time, the ports are nice, usually there are good shore tours available. I have cruised 13 times, I love it.

The downside of cruising can be: if you don't want to eat a specific time and with people you don't know, it could be a problem, although there is room service and less formal dining options available. THere are tons of activities, but if you are not one who wants to play pool games, or bingo, horseracing, etc, it could be less than fun. My husband hates cruising, he says it's a cattle call for meals and shows, and he isn't into all of it. He has cruised 3 times and will never do it again. I go with out him.

 

[TxJasmine]

About 6 or 7 years ago, I would have told you to take any cruise line besides Carnival. They were that bad. Last summer we went on the Carnival Spirit to Alaska. We got a very good deal which is why we decided to try them one more time. What a change! Carnival went from being the worst to one of the best. I believe that the Legend is a Spirit class ship. These ships are gorgeous! The Spirit is the most beautiful cruise ship I have ever been on (and yes, I think it's prettier than the Magic and Wonder!) The service and the food were both excellent. The food is much better on Carnival than on DCL, IMO. The grill/buffet area always had 4 serving lines open, and you never had to wait in line (like you usually have to on DCL). Even though the ships run full, they never feel crowded. You probably won't need this in the Caribbean, but the Spirit class ships have a retractable dome over the pool area, so you can still swim or sit outside even in bad weather. This was very nice to have in Alaska.

I really think you can't go wrong with the Carnival Legend - but whatever you decide - happy cruising!

 

[4cruisin]

My dh and I cruised on the Legend in March out of Pt. Everglades. The ship is very nice...glitzy but clean and well kept. The food was fantastic. The service was great also. The entertainment lacked in my opinion but the casino made up for it. I think that CCL could have better quality entertainment but for the money, CCL is a great value. We did not really run into any "party till you puke" groups although we did notice that it is definetly a bigger booze atmosphere than Disney Cruise Lines. My dh and I don't really drink...I had one drink of the day during the 8 day cruise (and we had an open bar card but the atmosphere did not bother us at all. I do wish that they would have a separate pool/hot tub area just for adults though. Children were allowed at all 3 pools and although I love kids, I had a problem with the 2 year old in the pool beside me in a diaper.

Because of the reputation CCL has, I probably would not have chosen to cruise with them, but the cruise was a gift from my boss and we enjoyed CCL so much that we booked another cruise for January along with my dsis, dbil, my cousin and her husband. We can't wait.

Nancy

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

Our first cruise was on Carnival. Like another poster said, i is a great entry level cruise. I had no complaints at all. My kids (had 2 at the time) loved it the suite was spacious and the food was great. Sure its glitzy and loud so it may not be for everyone. And I saw no signs of "puking" We have since been on HAL and RCCL and although I preferred both of these lines to Carnival, we are actually looking to book a Carnival Cruise for the summer of 2005. There will be about 8 families going and we all thought Carnival would be the most diverse. That and we can all drive to the port.

 

[dina7]

My DH and I went on the Carnival Legend a year ago for a "cruise to Nowhere" out of NYC. The Ship goes out to sea and comes back. It was for 2 nights. We had a great time -it was for our tenth Anniversary. We thought the ship was beautiful and it had a mixed crowd as far as the ages of people go. There were a couple of Bachelor Party groups, but they were not obnoxious at all.
The food at the buffets was just alright. The food in the Main Dining Room was great in my opinion! The activities onboard were a lot of fun and so was casino and we are not big gamblers by any means. Our cabin was very nice and extremely clean as was the rest of the ship. We had a veranda which we really enjoyed having and convinced us when we finally do the Disney Cruise we really want a cabin with one. It really felt like we were on vacation even though it was just a quick 2 night getaway! Have a great time on your cruise!

 

[wld]

They did indeed go on the shorter cruises which were, I'm sure much cheaper......that may account for what they experienced.

 

[JKMastalski]

GREAT RESPONSES. THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP!

 

[WDWAurora]

I love everything about Carnival! I cruised with them twice, and met friends on the second one that I still keep in touch with, nearly 5 years later! My room was always quiet, never heard the loud partying (even though one of our rooms was on the same level as three of the pools) and never saw anyone overly drunk (and I was in the bars/dance club areas until at least 2am every night). I have absolutely nothing bad to say, as our food was great, servers and room attendants were fantastic, and all of the destinations were great! What destinations are you travelling to and I'll give some opinions on which tours to take, if any. Also, someone mentioned that food is all that's included, not drinks...well that's not entirely true. Drinks such as tea, lemonade, juices, etc are included, but alcoholic drinks and sodas are not. Shore tours are an additional cost, but you don't need to take one everywhere (for example, San Juan Puerto Rico is a great place to not take a tour and just walk through the old part of the town, tour the fort, etc)

 

[monkeyboy]

If you are on a diet, they will now be offering a LOW CARB menu

 

[niks81]

Yep, we did the Carnival Victory and the Carnival Imagination

I like Carnival....its a good deal for the money. It is a party ship in some ways though and those that sail regularly on other lines (Princess, RCL etc) may not find it to be to their liking.

I like it for its laid back atmosphere and I think the food is wonderful!!!

 

[Jeafl]

We went on the Carnival Inspiration over Thanksgiving and had a great time. We went with extended family, so the age group was 7 to 67, and everyone loved it! There was something to do for everyone. The food ranged from good to excellent, and I can honestly say that I didn't see any drunks or puking the entire week. In fact, we estimated that a third of the people were young singles, a third were families, and a third were older. It made for a nice balance.

Go to www.cruisecritic.com for excellent discussion boards. The carnival boards in particular are a riot! You will learn everything you need to know (and more) from the people there.

 

[yecats]

I've been on 5 CCL cruises and have never had a bad one yet. I've been on 9 cruises to date and am scheduled for another in 8 days and I have always had a great time. CCL's boats are very Vegas style but do have plenty of fun on the run. You will get a younger crowd with plenty of places to party but there are several different options to go from one scene to the next (and I have always managed to find plenty of quiet places when I wanted to be alone). Last cruise I took I had a few kareoke nights, one night in Disco and two nights in large lounge with local somewhat Jamaican type band (from N.O.) which really put a different spin on the music but all in there really were enjoying it. You won't get the prettiest ship or the largest room but you'll have a great time and the staff is usually excellent. I have always enjoyed the food and the shows. IMO, key to cruising is finding the right amount of fun and relaxation all in one. I have always found a good price for these cruises as well.