Thread: Cruising With Carnival After Rccl

Hello,

We are planning a family cruise next March on the Carnival Valor. There will be 10 of us travelling: 2 familiies - adults in their mid-40s and 4 teens and 2 pre-teens. One family has cruised before (Holland America, Princess and RCCL for a total 8 times) and we are wanting to try something different. Our travel agent sold us Carnival - saying we would not see the difference between RCCL and Carnival except in our wallets.....However, we are a little nervous after reading all the different comments and posts that go from wonderful to horrible. The other family we are travelling with have never cruised before and are somewhat more on the conservative-side of things....I do not want to wish the vacation away during its duration and would like your HONEST comments before it is too late to change our plans....Please answer. I do not fear the itinerary since we are familiar with many of the ports we will be visiting. I am more worried about the quality of the staterooms (we have 2 balconies and one interior), the quality of food and more importantly the type of passengers we will find on this ship - I am aware that Carnival caters to a younger crowd and we are ok with this - But having drunken, vulgar and horrible people all around us would be a nightmare.

Please let me know.

Thanks !

Hello and welcome to our friendly cruise community!

I'm sure you will get a lot of differing opinions, so consider them all and make your decision according to what your basic instinct dictates after weighing the pros and cons.

I am assuming that this will be a Spring Break cruise next March. There will be more children on board, of course. Can't say how many college kids because break time is staggered all across the US.

We have cruised with RCI, HAL, Celebrity and Carnival (plus some others). Our age is a bit older than what your group will be, so my opinion is geared to a more mature demographic.

We have sailed on Carnival Triumph and Glory. On our 2 Carnival cruises we did notice a decided difference in the quality of service from the staff. It was much more casual and lacking in the subtle refinements you get on some of the other lines. It was adequate, (most of the time.) Our cabin steward was rather indifferent on our last cruise.

Our cabin was what we expected. Not quite as nice as the other lines, but spacious. Tiny bathroom, of course. Also the balcony is very small....it was only about 3 1/2 to 4 feet deep. Could only have 2 chairs and a very small low table. We did have the opportunity to see an inside cabin, and it wouldn't have been one that we would book. It seemed rather cramped and there was no place to sit.

The food was surprisingly good! We were pleased with the quality and the choices.

Activities were a bit lacking, and that surprised me! It could have just been the particular Cruise Director. With a Spring Break cruise I would expect more planned activities for the youngsters.

There is always the chance of good or bad fellow cruisers, no matter which cruise line you sail. We had some of both on our Carnival cruises. To be honest, there was more rowdieness in the public rooms and bars than we have been accustomed to on the other lines. But your cruise could be totally different!

They were not bad cruises, just not as good as we have had on other lines. If you go with the expectation of having a good time and are prepared for the casual atmosphere, then you should be fine. Go with the flow.

Whatever you choose, I know it will be fun!

I personally love Carnival. I just tried Royal Caribbean a few weeks ago for the 1st time, and it was very nice and I do admit that the staff does seem to cater to the passengers more. But, I think we had more fun on the Carnival cruise we took last year. Also, I liked the food better on Carnival, especially the desserts!

The negative Carnival reputation is greatly exaggerated. The only drunken vulgar person on our Valor cruise was me. Food is better than RCCL, but ship is less impressive. I like Princess better, but have still been on the Valor twice and would go again.

I agree with what Char had to say. And, like I've always said, 'What one person loves, another will hate.'

Those who have traveled Princess and Holland America will find Carnival a big step down. We've been on 31 cruises and quite frankly, we find the food much better on Princess and Holland than on Carnival or RCCL. While we find the food good on Carnival, we've found the food better on other cruise lines. The entertainment on Carnival is very good, but they do tend to make alot more announcements than on other cruise lines and the crowd does tend to be younger.

You will enjoy Carnival as they have alot to offer. You will not find vulgar people on them anymore than any other ship - depends on the crowd. I've seen this on just about any cruise - doesn't make any difference what cruise line. I just carry alot of those signs and say, "Here's your sign." You know, the ones that say, "I'm an idot". That's so the rest of us know who they are.

But, as I said, those who have traveled other cruise lines may find that they are a little less in quality, especially when comparing them to Princess and Holland America. Then again, that's just my opinion.

I would be leary of an agent who says Carnival and RCCL are the same except in your wallet. RCCL is actually #1, especially among families - must be for a reason. Carnival is #1 in marketing. Agents should not be recommending any particular cruise line over another - that's just their opinion. And as we all know, opinions are like belly buttons - everyone has one. A good agent will not recommend one cruise line over another - they should represent each cruise line fairly and accurately and let you make the choice. If they are pushing one over another, find another agent because they are more interested in making more commission than trying to find you the best cruise for you.

Best thing to do is to take everything you read into consideration and then make your choice based on what you want, not what others recommend for you.

Pete