netdvn Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 My family did Carnival twice (Fantasy both times). Yes there were obnoxious people on board. Yes the theming throughout the cruise was tacky (this includes the stage props in the shows too). But I still had a great time. Service was good and despite not being able to hit Bermuda and moving through a hurricane, we still had two ports planned out for us anyway. I'd probably sail with them again (on a different ship of course) because I had a good time although I'd probably prefer sailing with another line just to see how amazing RCL/Disney/etc can be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 ^ I had a "good time" the one time I did Carnival also, but it's not until you go on another cruise line that you can really see the difference. Having only ever done a Carnival cruise is kind of like having ONLY ever been to Six Flags America.... ....unless of course you're into the Wal-Mart of the Seas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParkTrips Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 .. and here I thought you liked Six Flags America, sheesh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopper39 Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 I've been on 2 cruises, both 3 days out of Port Canaveral both sailing to Nassau and back both on older ships, one on the RCCL Monarch of the Seas and one on the Carnival Sensation. Comparing those 2 trips only and I will say I had a much better time on the Carnival ship. On RCCL the food was average to bad (everything on Carnival was pretty good to slightly above average but nothing sucked, on RCCL I got a few dishes that were terrible), drinks were much more expensive, our dinner waiter was TERRIBLE (he was so bad that it kind of ruined dinner, and dinner every night was kind of what we looked forward to), the ship was a little less tacky but it wasn't all that interesting, and the state room was incredibly small in comparison to the Carnival room. The only thing better about the RCCL cruise was the day at Coco Cay. Now, I realize that our experience this particular trip was probably not the norm for RCCL, and that on a longer cruise on a much larger newer ship and RCCL probably blows Carnival out of the water but comparing these two 3 day cruises out of Canaveral to Nassau and back on the two different lines and Carnival gets my vote. For my next cruise I really want to try Celebrity, their newer ships look amazing and the prices seem very reasonable in comparison to some of the others ships of similar size and class. Then again maybe I should wait until the reviews of Guy Fierei's burger joint are in before I make my decision....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 ^ You really didn't go on one of the better RCCL ships - also, something to keep in mind, I personally don't think you really get a true cruising experience on a 3-day cruise. This is why most of the bigger, better ships do at least 7-day cruises, like the Oasis and the Freedom class ships. You're not going to get the best quality on the shorter cruises. (Unless it's Disney!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopper39 Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Yeah, the Monarch is probably one of if not the worst boats in the RCCL fleet. I've never been on a 7 day cruise (yet) but the three day was nice for us since we were close to the port and could take a short cruise over a long weekend, which is what we did. Don't get me wrong here I had a great time both trips, and I would definitely sail with RCCL again just not on the Monarch. Has anyone here ever sailed with Celebrity? Good, bad, neutral? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 I've been on Celebrity, for me they skew a little older. Not like Princess or HAL old, but older than Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and NCL. Ships, crew, service, quality is all great, but nothing that special. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPDave Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 My family did Carnival twice (Fantasy both times). Yes there were obnoxious people on board. Yes the theming throughout the cruise was tacky (this includes the stage props in the shows too). But I still had a great time. Service was good and despite not being able to hit Bermuda and moving through a hurricane, we still had two ports planned out for us anyway. I'd probably sail with them again (on a different ship of course) because I had a good time although I'd probably prefer sailing with another line just to see how amazing RCL/Disney/etc can be. I saw a really interesting talk recently from a maritime historian talking about the cruise market today. In essence he said that Carnival cruise lines (as opposed to Carnival corp. & PLC) exist to provide you with a cruise that's good but not great and make you want to do another cruise but not with Carnival. This with the intention of upselling into the Carnival Corp. & PLC pyramid of lines that offer a better experience (Seabourn, Cunard etc.). Essentially the parent company owns 11 unique brands, one of which is a feeder mechanism to the others. It's a pretty interesting model, and although I've never heard anyone come out of a carnival cruise with a positive experience, it seems to be working for them :S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopper39 Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 That's interesting that you say it was an "older" crowd because all of the marketing and advertisements I've ever seen for celebrity has a fairly young, upscale, and modern feel to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 ^That's advertising for you! Have you seen the ads for Vegas, the people are NOT that good looking once you're actually there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopper39 Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 ^What? Everyone isn't a supermodel? Thanks a lot, I've never been to Vegas but you basically just ruined it for me So Vegas is full of unattractive people, the cruise lines are full of old farts, where the hell am I supposed to vacation at now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPDave Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 ^ TPR trips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 ^ TPR trips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disneyfan1313 Posted October 29, 2011 Author Share Posted October 29, 2011 Thank god for the icanhazcheezeburger maker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I have the opportunity to take a free trip on the Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Jewel. It's a 7-day excursion in February out of NYC with stops at Port Canaveral, Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas (NCL's private island) and Nassua, Bahamas. I looked through the thread and only saw minimal references to NCL. Anyone have any experiences to share, particularly about the food and upcharge restaurants? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I personally liked the NCL ship that we did a few years ago. The upcharge restaurants were fine, and the ship seemed "nice", but the whole "freestyle" thing wasn't really for me. I actually like having a regular dining room staff that gets to know you during the week, and because this doesn't exist on the NCL ships, I found the overal service and attention to detail to be lacking. But I will say that I enjoyed my cruise on NCL a lot more than I did Carnival and a *bit* more than Princess, but nowhere near as much as I like RCCL. --Robb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 ^^Just remember if you hate it, you can't swear off all cruises, you still have to go with us at some point! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotlanta Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 We are considering a trip Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas in January. Has anybody had any personal any experiences? I know R&E speak well of RCL (which is the primary reason for picking RCL ), just was wondering if anybody can give any direct feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Liberty was the first of the 'Big 3' (Freedom, Liberty, Independence) that we went on. We were hooked after that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 (edited) Ohhhh, Carnival.... FBI investigation of newborn baby death on cruise ship moves to Indiana http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2011/11/fbi-cruise-ship-death-carnival/562156/1 An FBI investigation into the recent death of a newborn baby on a Carnival cruise ship has moved to Indiana, where the baby's mother resides, according to a report in the Orlando Sentinel. The Sentinel says an FBI office in Indiana has taken charge of the investigation from an FBI office in Florida, where the Carnival ship is based. The news outlet quotes an FBI spokesman as saying the 20-year-old mother lives in the northwest part of Indiana. The FBI is not saying whether it thinks a crime was commited, the Sentinel notes. The dead baby was discovered in a passenger cabin aboard the 3,646-passenger Carnival Dream by a crew member on Oct. 12, the day the ship docked in St. Maarten. Carnival reported the matter to Dutch authorities on the island, who took custody of the infant's body. An FBI evidence gathering team searched and processed two passenger cabins on the Carnival Dream after the ship returned to its home port of Port Canaveral, Fla. FBI agents also interviewed crew members and passengers. Citing an active case, the FBI has released little information about the unnamed mother involved in the incident, other than that she had been invited on the cruise to celebrate the birthday of a close girlfriend. A local St. Maarten news outlet, sxmislandtime.com, has reported that the mother of the dead baby allegedly told local investigators that she did not know she was pregnant, and the birth of a child came as a surprise to her. The news outlet says an autopsy of the baby carried out in St. Maarten and information allegedly obtained by local authorities during an interview with the mother suggested the baby died after the Carnival Dream set sail from Florida on Oct. 8 but before the ship reached the island of St. Thomas on Oct. 11. The timeline suggests the baby had been dead anywhere from one to three days before it was found. The Carnival Dream was on a seven-night cruise out of Port Canaveral that included port calls in St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Nassau in the Bahamas. In Short - Carnival cruiser gave birth to a baby in her cabin, didn't tell anyone, newborn baby dies, left for cabin steward to discover a dead baby while person is off on shore (probably getting drunk.) This is why we don't cruise with Carnival! Edited November 10, 2011 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the ghost Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 This is probably the most disturbing thing I'll read all day... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopper39 Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 This sounds like a future episode of "I Didn't know I was pregnant" on TLC. Maybe it will air during their Spring Break Week after "Kate Plus 8 go to Disney World" and "Extreme Couponing: Kissimmee". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeemerBoy Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 There's more than corn in Indiana. There's a little trash too. Was this their ship that was in port when we left? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 ^No, the Dream is actually one of the bigger nicer Carnival ships. It departs on Saturday's I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 ^ You mean "Bigger, nicer" as in the difference between a "Super Wal-Mart" and a regular Wal-Mart? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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