How does Carnival Compare?

Orrymain · May 6, 2011

My image of Carnival is set in a certain way. I'm curious what the rest of you think about it as compared to other lines like Royal Caribbean and Princess et. al.

rogue · May 6, 2011

Our favorit line is Princess. We have also cruised on RCCL, Carnival, Celebrity, and HAL. We haven't cruised on Carnival since about 2003 so I'm not really sure that the product is quite the same as it was then. We're cruising in January on Carnival. I will be able to let you know then. We have never found a great difference between any of the lines, so i don't think we will this time either.

DebbieandJerry · May 11, 2011

We like Carnival because it tends to be the most affordable. Now that we have cruised more than 10 times with Carnival. we have Platinum membership, which is another reason why we go with Carnival.

We have been on Princess, Royal Caribbean, NCL and Celebrity. If Celebrity's prices are low enough, that is our preference. Unfortunately, RCCL and Celebrity don't offer "discounts" or special offers that much (which is another reason why we haven't been on those ships more frequently.)

Eileene · May 23, 2011

Our favorit line is Princess. We have also cruised on RCCL, Carnival, Celebrity, and HAL. We haven't cruised on Carnival since about 2003 so I'm not really sure that the product is quite the same as it was then. We're cruising in January on Carnival. I will be able to let you know then. We have never found a great difference between any of the lines, so i don't think we will this time either.

We started with Carnival on our honeymoon in October 2001. Only 3 weeks after 9/11, you can imagine the security mess in the travel industry. But we had no issues with Carnival. They treated us like royalty, and we had a marvelous time. The low fares and excellent service keep us coming back.

We have been on Carnival twice when hurricanes impacted our trips: When 3 hurricanes in a row hit Florida, our cruise was reduced to three days - and they were awesome days because Carnival made us feel like they appreciated our sailing with them despite the hardships. We also saw Carnival open up their ships at bargain-basement rates to accommodate Floridians who had no power or water at home. And we were well-compensated for our shortened cruise!

In 2009, we were on the Conquest, which sails out of Galveston, when Hurricane Ike hit that coast. Our cruise was over, but we couldn't get home. Carnival overnighted us in Cozumel while they found out what was going on in Galveston/Houston. Then we sailed to New Orleans and overnighted, so those who had homes in unaffected areas could get home. Carnival made internet & phones (free!) available for passengers to contact family and to take care of flight arrangements, etc. Guest Services also helped folks with that aspect. For those who lived in the affected areas and had no power (A/C) to go home to, Carnival offered to let us stay aboard for $10/day/pp - (the tips for the crew) until they could get us closer to Galveston. Although only 300 passengers remained onboard, they flew in entertainers, offered full dining room service for dinner and partial for other meals, and didn't skimp on anything to make the next 3 days bearable. Most of us knew that our cars were destroyed, and quite a few had little or no home to go back to. This was a nice respite, a chance to gather ourselves for what was to come. When we arrived at the Bayport terminal, after silently passing the massive destruction of Galveston on the way in, Carnival had it fully staffed, and our debarkation was painless.

This kind of dedication to the customer is what keeps us coming back every year.

rogue · May 23, 2011

Our favorit line is Princess. We have also cruised on RCCL, Carnival, Celebrity, and HAL. We haven't cruised on Carnival since about 2003 so I'm not really sure that the product is quite the same as it was then. We're cruising in January on Carnival. I will be able to let you know then. We have never found a great difference between any of the lines, so i don't think we will this time either.

We started with Carnival on our honeymoon in October 2001. Only 3 weeks after 9/11, you can imagine the security mess in the travel industry. But we had no issues with Carnival. They treated us like royalty, and we had a marvelous time. The low fares and excellent service keep us coming back.

We have been on Carnival twice when hurricanes impacted our trips: When 3 hurricanes in a row hit Florida, our cruise was reduced to three days - and they were awesome days because Carnival made us feel like they appreciated our sailing with them despite the hardships. We also saw Carnival open up their ships at bargain-basement rates to accommodate Floridians who had no power or water at home. And we were well-compensated for our shortened cruise!

In 2009, we were on the Conquest, which sails out of Galveston, when Hurricane Ike hit that coast. Our cruise was over, but we couldn't get home. Carnival overnighted us in Cozumel while they found out what was going on in Galveston/Houston. Then we sailed to New Orleans and overnighted, so those who had homes in unaffected areas could get home. Carnival made internet & phones (free!) available for passengers to contact family and to take care of flight arrangements, etc. Guest Services also helped folks with that aspect. For those who lived in the affected areas and had no power (A/C) to go home to, Carnival offered to let us stay aboard for $10/day/pp - (the tips for the crew) until they could get us closer to Galveston. Although only 300 passengers remained onboard, they flew in entertainers, offered full dining room service for dinner and partial for other meals, and didn't skimp on anything to make the next 3 days bearable. Most of us knew that our cars were destroyed, and quite a few had little or no home to go back to. This was a nice respite, a chance to gather ourselves for what was to come. When we arrived at the Bayport terminal, after silently passing the massive destruction of Galveston on the way in, Carnival had it fully staffed, and our debarkation was painless.

This kind of dedication to the customer is what keeps us coming back every year.

It's always nice to here the good stories about the cruiselines. It seems like there are people on other boards and blogs who just write about how bad the cruiselines are. Especially the lawyers.

coloradocruisers · May 23, 2011

Thanks for your testimony Eileene. I had no idea they did all of those things after Hurricane Ike. I hope you've been able to recover from the damage to cars and home.

scalise12 · May 23, 2011

We are starting to book more on Princess, Holland America and RCCL!!, Carnival is good in price and the food is good ,but Like we said we are booking with the three mentioned in that order we are finally finding what we been looking for on a cruise lines, NCL forget about it.

Good Question :thumbup: :cool2:

scalise12

DebbieandJerry · May 24, 2011

I, too, am so thankful about the positive attitude toward cruising, cruise lines, etc. that you all share. We all have our likes and dislikes. I have been on many cruises that I thought were "on top of the world" and the folks next to me complain up a storm.

hazelson · June 12, 2011

WOW - what a great Carnival experience Eileene.

We love Carnival. Have tried Princess (twice) and it just does not do it for us.

gogetter · August 3, 2011

I have not tried as many of the other lines as you all. I tend to stick with Carnival. Like another poster stated, we too are Platinum and enjoy the VIP boarding and laundry FREE service. I have noticed a decline in service over the past 6 years however it still is a great deal. Just pick a ship and itinerary and enjoy. After all most everything in life is what you make it!