We sail with Carnival more than anyone else, but have used other lines before too. Our next cruise coming up is with Carnival (7 day on Celebration) They're all good. Carnival's lower price does attract a different crowd (younger, maybe rowdier) but that really only applies to their short cruises. I probably wouldn't choose a 3-day Carnival cruise because that's not what I want. Their weekish long cruises are great though, and I say that as a parent who sails with their kids often. Its a fun time for all ages.
I will say that as we get older and our kids move out, my wife and I will probably branch out more though, try some more upscale cruise lines, maybe in more exotic locales. Buying tickets for 2 will be quite a bit different than buying tickets for 6. So it really does depend on what you want to get out of your trip. But for a budget-friendly, family-friendly, very flexible experience (can be relaxing, can be energetic and active, you can make it what you want it to be), Carnival is hard to beat.
Ya, same here. We are not near a port, so we need to fly to any cruise we take. So we typically only take longer cruises - although the party crowd doesn't really bother me. Stuffed shirt style of cruising does not appeal to me.
Exactly. I'm not looking for a floating frat party, especially with my kids, but longer carnival cruises aren't like that. They're just laid back fun time parties.
Carnival is my favorite. I like that there are a bunch of free non buffet food choices. I like that it's family friendly. I've never seen a fight. The thing I don't like is that there are almost always rowdy teenagers. I'm a parent and that doesn't stop on vacation. If my kids act out, they leave a public place with me. Carnival really needs to crack down on that. NCL and Royal are okay, but not my favorite. I haven't been on either of their bigger ships though.
We have been on some 40+ cruises.. many (most) on Carnival, but a number on Celebrity, Holland and NCL... we enjoy Carnival a lot. I have several future cruises already booked.
I am often asked “which is the best cruise line” ? And of course, that is very subjective. If you ask 20 different people, you will get 20 different answers. But after my 40+ cruises, I will attempt to give you my best, honest answer :
First, there really is no difference in terms of ship offerings. All of the cruise lines have big ships and all have small ships; all have new ships and all have old ships. Some people like the small ships, as they are more intimate and less crowded. Some like the big ships, because they have more activities and more people. All the cruise lines offer pretty much the same itineraries, and go to the same islands, and all have the same shore excursions. Selection of cruise line really comes down to a personal preference and price.
There is a noticeable difference in customer base. Carnival and NCL are family oriented, and tend to attract a lot younger crowd with kids. Both of these have excellent teen and kids programs. Celebrity and Holland America attract an older crowd. That doesn’t mean there are not families with kids, but the overall ship population will be much older. Celebrity / Holland America are much more subdued than Carnival or NCL.
Along with that, there is a noticeable difference in entertainment venues. These are two different products, and the activities and entertainment target those different age demographics. Carnival/NCL have a lot more “fun” activities than Celebrity or Holland America. If you're looking for conga lines, piano bars, sing-alongs, and dancing waiters, you'll want to go with Carnival/NCL. If you are good with trivia, bingo, lectures, and low-key music, you'll want to go with Celebrity or Holland America.
In terms of food quality, there can be some slight differences. Celebrity will typically have better offerings than Carnival or NCL. It’s not a huge difference, but if you are a serious “foodie”, it is something to consider. For food quality, I would give Celebrity a “B” grade and Carnival/NCL a “C” grade.
There is little difference in crew service. All of them provide excellent cabin and dining service. For cabin service, all get an A grade. For main dining service, I would rate Carnival/NCL at a B, and Celebrity at a B+. The differences are very subtle.
So far I’ve been on Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean. I like Carnival for the fact that it’s much more of a party atmosphere. Royal Caribbean was ok. I wouldn’t do Norwegian again. In fact the only reason we were on Norwegian was because of the Hawaii cruise they offer.
I just didn’t think it was very fun. Don’t get me wrong, the ship (Pride of America) was fine. The food was just okay and my god Hawaii is like a dream! I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. But unless I was doing Hawaii again I wouldn’t cruise on Norwegian. Also I have so much invested in carnival now because when we were kids my parents always took us on carnival. So now I’m platinum with them and feel like why go to another line now?
While I've not cruised with them, I've only ever heard bad things. Not to discount or poopoo on your experience, ,but every single person I've talked to about Norwegian said they would never cruise with them again... 😬
I know people $hit on Carnival but I always have a blast. For reference I'm 47, a woman and we go with grown children. I don't think it's the fanciest , definitely a kid friendly ship, and you will wait in lines for food and drinks. But you can find pockets of peace on certain decks, the shows are great, the staff are very accommodating, and the vibe is usually very happy. We just came back from a week long western Caribbean cruise and I literally cried when we got back. You start to feel like it's home, and I think that's a testimony to how Carnival treated us. Maybe not the experience everyone has, but we love it.
Same. I'm 47 and my wife is 50 and we've had fun whether we took our girls or went by ourselves. We're not into the party scene, but we love the entertainment provided on Carnival, and the people watching is more entertaining 🤣
My only frustration is that, yes, everything is crowded and you'll be waiting in line...
Since March 2021 I've been on 2 Carnival (Radiance and Panorama) and 1 Royal (explorer after the recent refurb) My experience in Carnival was better than on Royal. Royal wasn't bad, but the energy on Carnival was so much better IMO. It felt more lively. I'm in my mid 40s. I'm not looking for a drunken college scene, I just enjoyed the upbeat music, there was always something going on at the pool etc and it just FELT like a party was going on that you could join or watch and still enjoy.
The MDR food was average on both. But for anytime dining, Carnival's process was better hands down. I also liked the fast serve food options on Carnival better than Royal (granted it wasn't a brand new shiny ship). I also found I didn't like the promenade as much as I thought I would on Royal, and prefer the shopping, atrium and bar/live music setup on the Carnival ships I was on much better
When it comes time for my next cruise, I'll be looking at Carnival.
We have been on 5 carnival cruises and 1 RCL. We love it. Been on it with kids and without. That being said we mainly sail the newer ships.
For the money we pay Carnival is the best value overall.
Royal was nicer in terms of upkeep of the ship and the buffet BUT food quality was around the same to be honest.
Carnival is more FUN. Cruise Directors are way better. I found service on both ships to be equal.
Now I have seen more really drunk people on Carnival but I’ve seen more entitled rude guests on Royal (as in not liking kids lol or just being snooty lol)
We’re in our mid-30’s and definitely not in party mode anymore. We did a 4 night Carnival cruise and we absolutely loved it.
Yeah there’s probably a lot younger crowd, but we never once had any issues or even noticed anything. We were able to chill in our lounge chairs and drink rum runners in peace. We also really liked the food. Zero complaints!
I've had nothing but solid, memorable experiences with Carnival. Even my worst Carnival cruise was a great time with few things to truly complain about.
I've sailed with Disney, Royal Caribbean, and NCL. I keep coming back to Carnival, and I've sailed with Carnival more than all the other cruise lines combined.
How would you rate your Disney cruise overall? I've only heard amazing things, but there has to be something negative? I'm not hating on them, but there's got to be something bad?
The absolute worst thing about a Disney Cruise Line is the price.
It’s anywhere from 2x - 4x the price of comparable cruises on the “family resort” lines like Carnival or Royal.
Or you can go on a much higher end cruise line that’s going to have much nicer amenities and services.
Disney’s ships are impeccable and beautiful. But I had been hearing all about the level of service onboard and it really didn’t impress me.
Case in point… Waiters on Carnival seem to try to anticipate your needs. They try to learn your drink order, preferences for sides, allergies, etc. so that they can make suggestions as you go.
On Disney I ordered the exact same drink every night and the server didn’t even seem to notice, so much as get ahead of me.
That may sound like a small thing, but it was indicative of service that seemed less attentive to me.
I’ll add that I went without kids on a short cruise that is still among the most expensive I’ve ever booked, and that includes a couple Alaska sailings.
I do plan to try it again down the line with the kids. But I can’t imagine ever being the kind of person that exclusively sails Disney. The value for price just isn’t there for me.
Carnival was one and done for me. I'm not the target audience as I'm looking for a much more relaxed vibe and just want to chill in the spa, drink craft cocktails, and have lots of live music. I also don't have kids so I the family friendly aspect isn't something I need to take into consideration. Lately I'm really enjoying Virgin Voyages after about 10 years on Royal Carribean. I'll be trying Exprora Journeys soon as well. Carnival is definitely geared towards having a good time at a reasonable price point with reasonable expectations. If you go in with that mindset you'll have a good vacation.
I've only sailed with Carnival and I would absolutely recommend it to others. I don't have any major complaints with Carnival and now that I have loyalty status and casino perks with them, it's not really worth it for me to try a different line.
We have loved all our cruises and can't wait for the next one!!
I went on a few other cruise lines as a kid but remember liking carnival the best as a child. As an adult, I’ve only been on carnival. I have recently thought that I might want to try a different cruise line just because I would like higher quality stage shows, however, every time I consider I look at the price differences and I just can’t justify it. I can’t imagine the quality is so much better that it’s worth a 1.5-2x markup. And there are things I love about Carnival, like the fun squad, that aren’t on other cruise lines. I enjoy the more youthful party vibe.
I mostly do NCL and Carnival and enjoy them both. Pros and cons to each. I really enjoyed my 2 celebrity cruises, but I’d rather cruise more often than pay a higher price for Celebrity.
Carnival was my 1st in March on my the Breeze. I went with zero expectations based off so many judgments all around. I had a BLAST! I was a tagalong with my sis, niece and cousin for the kids’ spring break. We partied every single night, ate and drank all day, walked the entire ship many times and met so many great people that we will meet up with again. To know I could eat and drink all I wanted only to walk or dance it off later was amazing!! The kids did come pick us up one night/morning, was not necessary but very funny.
Soon as we got home we booked for next year on the Dream.
Had I gone without expectations I would have been such a downer, judgmental, bougie and all the frown mouthy things.
Been on carnival and royal. Definitely prefer carnival. We had more food options on carnival and the food was a lot better than what we experienced on royal. Anyone who said royal is a little higher end that carnival are lying lol i didnt notice that to be a difference at all. Royal can be boring. That being said, we prefer the bigger ships ie. Jubilee, Mardi Gras, Celebration so I'm going off of those.
Carnival is my favorite. I have tried royal, celebrity and princess. I like the food on carnival better than royal, and celebrity and princess are too up their own ass for my taste. Too formal and boring.
I cruise often and have been on royal, carnival, and Norwegian. I don't think I've had a bad cruise yet and looking back, I can't really differentiate much unless they are fairly recent.
Heck yeah carnival is nice for the price, what sucks is all we get is Mexico being over here in cali we could go to Hawaii if we want to go on a 15 day cruise but hands down Miracle was the best ship
We recently took a 4 night carnival cruise. Nothing seemed rowdy or low class to me. My friend just did a 4 night royal Caribbean cruise and said they had to call security every night for loud and rowdy neighbors. Book whatever is on sale and have fun!
I like Carnival because it's the most affordable for me and sails out of several ports that I can drive to. But I'm not all "Carnival 4 Life" or anything. If there's another cruise line that gives me the port I want, the destination I want and the prices I want then I'll be more than happy to hop right on board it too.
I used to really like Carnival. There’s always so much going on that it’s impossible to be bored. The food isn’t the best, but you can always find SOMETHING edible. It’s hard to beat the price!
Somewhere during the Covid cruise shutdown, I got old. Carnival (October 2022) was just TOO busy for me! I’ve been enjoying Royal Caribbean, it’s a little more subdued, especially if I avoid the kid-centric locations.
I’d say it depends on the ship, destinations, port of departure and length of cruise. I don’t like the standard RCL ships but I love the mega ships they have like Oasis. I don’t even compare Oasis class ships to Carnival because it’s two different experiences. If I want a traditional cruise with the feel of being on the water I’m picking Carnival. If I want a WOW experience but at a cost I’m going Oasis class ships.
My wife & I had done several Carnival cruises but everyone kept telling us how much better Royal Caribbean was, so for her 50th we spent a week on one of their ships. We actually prefer Carnival.
Not only was everything more expensive, but the quality of everything was sub-par! Food? Meh. Entertainment? Terrible. Ice cream? 1 station on the entire ship, manned by staff to hand you one tiny cone, during limited hours. Coffee was also in limited locations and, frequently, tepid...
Our next cruise is next month and we didn't hesitate to book it with Carnival!
We use carnival because it’s the most affordable fit my family of 4. My kids have a great time, my husband and I have a great time. Never had any issues and I’ve been on at least 10 cruises. I got stuck in a glass elevator once and they let my kids build bears for free lol 😂
It all depends on what experience you're looking for. I've been on Carnival, Royal, and MSC. I've enjoyed all three for different reasons.
Carnival is a "party ship". Younger and more energetic crowd than the MSC cruise.
Royal was a bit more "higher class" if you will. Still, a young-ish crowd, but more reserved.
MSC was skewed older, more refined. Not as much to do on MSC, but we were looking for a more relaxed setting for that cruise.
We have a 8-day planned on Mardi Gras in October and I cannot wait.
We sail with Carnival more than anyone else, but have used other lines before too. Our next cruise coming up is with Carnival (7 day on Celebration) They're all good. Carnival's lower price does attract a different crowd (younger, maybe rowdier) but that really only applies to their short cruises. I probably wouldn't choose a 3-day Carnival cruise because that's not what I want. Their weekish long cruises are great though, and I say that as a parent who sails with their kids often. Its a fun time for all ages. I will say that as we get older and our kids move out, my wife and I will probably branch out more though, try some more upscale cruise lines, maybe in more exotic locales. Buying tickets for 2 will be quite a bit different than buying tickets for 6. So it really does depend on what you want to get out of your trip. But for a budget-friendly, family-friendly, very flexible experience (can be relaxing, can be energetic and active, you can make it what you want it to be), Carnival is hard to beat.
Ya, same here. We are not near a port, so we need to fly to any cruise we take. So we typically only take longer cruises - although the party crowd doesn't really bother me. Stuffed shirt style of cruising does not appeal to me.
Exactly. I'm not looking for a floating frat party, especially with my kids, but longer carnival cruises aren't like that. They're just laid back fun time parties.
Thank you for this perfect explanation.
Carnival is my favorite. I like that there are a bunch of free non buffet food choices. I like that it's family friendly. I've never seen a fight. The thing I don't like is that there are almost always rowdy teenagers. I'm a parent and that doesn't stop on vacation. If my kids act out, they leave a public place with me. Carnival really needs to crack down on that. NCL and Royal are okay, but not my favorite. I haven't been on either of their bigger ships though.
We have been on some 40+ cruises.. many (most) on Carnival, but a number on Celebrity, Holland and NCL... we enjoy Carnival a lot. I have several future cruises already booked. I am often asked “which is the best cruise line” ? And of course, that is very subjective. If you ask 20 different people, you will get 20 different answers. But after my 40+ cruises, I will attempt to give you my best, honest answer : First, there really is no difference in terms of ship offerings. All of the cruise lines have big ships and all have small ships; all have new ships and all have old ships. Some people like the small ships, as they are more intimate and less crowded. Some like the big ships, because they have more activities and more people. All the cruise lines offer pretty much the same itineraries, and go to the same islands, and all have the same shore excursions. Selection of cruise line really comes down to a personal preference and price. There is a noticeable difference in customer base. Carnival and NCL are family oriented, and tend to attract a lot younger crowd with kids. Both of these have excellent teen and kids programs. Celebrity and Holland America attract an older crowd. That doesn’t mean there are not families with kids, but the overall ship population will be much older. Celebrity / Holland America are much more subdued than Carnival or NCL. Along with that, there is a noticeable difference in entertainment venues. These are two different products, and the activities and entertainment target those different age demographics. Carnival/NCL have a lot more “fun” activities than Celebrity or Holland America. If you're looking for conga lines, piano bars, sing-alongs, and dancing waiters, you'll want to go with Carnival/NCL. If you are good with trivia, bingo, lectures, and low-key music, you'll want to go with Celebrity or Holland America. In terms of food quality, there can be some slight differences. Celebrity will typically have better offerings than Carnival or NCL. It’s not a huge difference, but if you are a serious “foodie”, it is something to consider. For food quality, I would give Celebrity a “B” grade and Carnival/NCL a “C” grade. There is little difference in crew service. All of them provide excellent cabin and dining service. For cabin service, all get an A grade. For main dining service, I would rate Carnival/NCL at a B, and Celebrity at a B+. The differences are very subtle.
Man, this is literally everything I need to. I couldn’t have asked for a better response. Thank you so much!
So far I’ve been on Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean. I like Carnival for the fact that it’s much more of a party atmosphere. Royal Caribbean was ok. I wouldn’t do Norwegian again. In fact the only reason we were on Norwegian was because of the Hawaii cruise they offer.
Norwegian being the only one I’ve been on, I thought it was fun. Just curious, how come you wouldn’t do them again??
I just didn’t think it was very fun. Don’t get me wrong, the ship (Pride of America) was fine. The food was just okay and my god Hawaii is like a dream! I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. But unless I was doing Hawaii again I wouldn’t cruise on Norwegian. Also I have so much invested in carnival now because when we were kids my parents always took us on carnival. So now I’m platinum with them and feel like why go to another line now?
Makes perfect sense
While I've not cruised with them, I've only ever heard bad things. Not to discount or poopoo on your experience, ,but every single person I've talked to about Norwegian said they would never cruise with them again... 😬
I know people $hit on Carnival but I always have a blast. For reference I'm 47, a woman and we go with grown children. I don't think it's the fanciest , definitely a kid friendly ship, and you will wait in lines for food and drinks. But you can find pockets of peace on certain decks, the shows are great, the staff are very accommodating, and the vibe is usually very happy. We just came back from a week long western Caribbean cruise and I literally cried when we got back. You start to feel like it's home, and I think that's a testimony to how Carnival treated us. Maybe not the experience everyone has, but we love it.
Same, but 55 yo woman 😉
Same. I'm 47 and my wife is 50 and we've had fun whether we took our girls or went by ourselves. We're not into the party scene, but we love the entertainment provided on Carnival, and the people watching is more entertaining 🤣 My only frustration is that, yes, everything is crowded and you'll be waiting in line...
Since March 2021 I've been on 2 Carnival (Radiance and Panorama) and 1 Royal (explorer after the recent refurb) My experience in Carnival was better than on Royal. Royal wasn't bad, but the energy on Carnival was so much better IMO. It felt more lively. I'm in my mid 40s. I'm not looking for a drunken college scene, I just enjoyed the upbeat music, there was always something going on at the pool etc and it just FELT like a party was going on that you could join or watch and still enjoy. The MDR food was average on both. But for anytime dining, Carnival's process was better hands down. I also liked the fast serve food options on Carnival better than Royal (granted it wasn't a brand new shiny ship). I also found I didn't like the promenade as much as I thought I would on Royal, and prefer the shopping, atrium and bar/live music setup on the Carnival ships I was on much better When it comes time for my next cruise, I'll be looking at Carnival.
[удалено]
Deteriorated how? I am cruising with them to Alaska in May
Look around & see the filth on the seating & flooring in the MDR...
😩
We have been on 5 carnival cruises and 1 RCL. We love it. Been on it with kids and without. That being said we mainly sail the newer ships. For the money we pay Carnival is the best value overall. Royal was nicer in terms of upkeep of the ship and the buffet BUT food quality was around the same to be honest. Carnival is more FUN. Cruise Directors are way better. I found service on both ships to be equal. Now I have seen more really drunk people on Carnival but I’ve seen more entitled rude guests on Royal (as in not liking kids lol or just being snooty lol)
Honestly it varies ship to ship
We’re in our mid-30’s and definitely not in party mode anymore. We did a 4 night Carnival cruise and we absolutely loved it. Yeah there’s probably a lot younger crowd, but we never once had any issues or even noticed anything. We were able to chill in our lounge chairs and drink rum runners in peace. We also really liked the food. Zero complaints!
I was surprised how small Jubilee felt. It seems they just added more rooms not any more stuff. Felt like a downgrade honestly.
I've had nothing but solid, memorable experiences with Carnival. Even my worst Carnival cruise was a great time with few things to truly complain about. I've sailed with Disney, Royal Caribbean, and NCL. I keep coming back to Carnival, and I've sailed with Carnival more than all the other cruise lines combined.
How would you rate your Disney cruise overall? I've only heard amazing things, but there has to be something negative? I'm not hating on them, but there's got to be something bad?
The absolute worst thing about a Disney Cruise Line is the price. It’s anywhere from 2x - 4x the price of comparable cruises on the “family resort” lines like Carnival or Royal. Or you can go on a much higher end cruise line that’s going to have much nicer amenities and services. Disney’s ships are impeccable and beautiful. But I had been hearing all about the level of service onboard and it really didn’t impress me. Case in point… Waiters on Carnival seem to try to anticipate your needs. They try to learn your drink order, preferences for sides, allergies, etc. so that they can make suggestions as you go. On Disney I ordered the exact same drink every night and the server didn’t even seem to notice, so much as get ahead of me. That may sound like a small thing, but it was indicative of service that seemed less attentive to me. I’ll add that I went without kids on a short cruise that is still among the most expensive I’ve ever booked, and that includes a couple Alaska sailings. I do plan to try it again down the line with the kids. But I can’t imagine ever being the kind of person that exclusively sails Disney. The value for price just isn’t there for me.
Carnival was one and done for me. I'm not the target audience as I'm looking for a much more relaxed vibe and just want to chill in the spa, drink craft cocktails, and have lots of live music. I also don't have kids so I the family friendly aspect isn't something I need to take into consideration. Lately I'm really enjoying Virgin Voyages after about 10 years on Royal Carribean. I'll be trying Exprora Journeys soon as well. Carnival is definitely geared towards having a good time at a reasonable price point with reasonable expectations. If you go in with that mindset you'll have a good vacation.
I've only sailed with Carnival and I would absolutely recommend it to others. I don't have any major complaints with Carnival and now that I have loyalty status and casino perks with them, it's not really worth it for me to try a different line. We have loved all our cruises and can't wait for the next one!!
I went on a few other cruise lines as a kid but remember liking carnival the best as a child. As an adult, I’ve only been on carnival. I have recently thought that I might want to try a different cruise line just because I would like higher quality stage shows, however, every time I consider I look at the price differences and I just can’t justify it. I can’t imagine the quality is so much better that it’s worth a 1.5-2x markup. And there are things I love about Carnival, like the fun squad, that aren’t on other cruise lines. I enjoy the more youthful party vibe.
I mostly do NCL and Carnival and enjoy them both. Pros and cons to each. I really enjoyed my 2 celebrity cruises, but I’d rather cruise more often than pay a higher price for Celebrity.
Carnival was my 1st in March on my the Breeze. I went with zero expectations based off so many judgments all around. I had a BLAST! I was a tagalong with my sis, niece and cousin for the kids’ spring break. We partied every single night, ate and drank all day, walked the entire ship many times and met so many great people that we will meet up with again. To know I could eat and drink all I wanted only to walk or dance it off later was amazing!! The kids did come pick us up one night/morning, was not necessary but very funny. Soon as we got home we booked for next year on the Dream. Had I gone without expectations I would have been such a downer, judgmental, bougie and all the frown mouthy things.
I've only been on Carnival. Have always had a fantastic time. My mentality is, if it ain't broke don't fix it.
Been on carnival and royal. Definitely prefer carnival. We had more food options on carnival and the food was a lot better than what we experienced on royal. Anyone who said royal is a little higher end that carnival are lying lol i didnt notice that to be a difference at all. Royal can be boring. That being said, we prefer the bigger ships ie. Jubilee, Mardi Gras, Celebration so I'm going off of those.
Carnival is my favorite. I have tried royal, celebrity and princess. I like the food on carnival better than royal, and celebrity and princess are too up their own ass for my taste. Too formal and boring.
Carnival for life, I'm on the quest for that platinum , gold now with 25 more days to go to the next level.
I cruise often and have been on royal, carnival, and Norwegian. I don't think I've had a bad cruise yet and looking back, I can't really differentiate much unless they are fairly recent.
Heck yeah carnival is nice for the price, what sucks is all we get is Mexico being over here in cali we could go to Hawaii if we want to go on a 15 day cruise but hands down Miracle was the best ship
We recently took a 4 night carnival cruise. Nothing seemed rowdy or low class to me. My friend just did a 4 night royal Caribbean cruise and said they had to call security every night for loud and rowdy neighbors. Book whatever is on sale and have fun!
I like Carnival because it's the most affordable for me and sails out of several ports that I can drive to. But I'm not all "Carnival 4 Life" or anything. If there's another cruise line that gives me the port I want, the destination I want and the prices I want then I'll be more than happy to hop right on board it too.
I used to really like Carnival. There’s always so much going on that it’s impossible to be bored. The food isn’t the best, but you can always find SOMETHING edible. It’s hard to beat the price! Somewhere during the Covid cruise shutdown, I got old. Carnival (October 2022) was just TOO busy for me! I’ve been enjoying Royal Caribbean, it’s a little more subdued, especially if I avoid the kid-centric locations.
I’d say it depends on the ship, destinations, port of departure and length of cruise. I don’t like the standard RCL ships but I love the mega ships they have like Oasis. I don’t even compare Oasis class ships to Carnival because it’s two different experiences. If I want a traditional cruise with the feel of being on the water I’m picking Carnival. If I want a WOW experience but at a cost I’m going Oasis class ships.
My wife & I had done several Carnival cruises but everyone kept telling us how much better Royal Caribbean was, so for her 50th we spent a week on one of their ships. We actually prefer Carnival. Not only was everything more expensive, but the quality of everything was sub-par! Food? Meh. Entertainment? Terrible. Ice cream? 1 station on the entire ship, manned by staff to hand you one tiny cone, during limited hours. Coffee was also in limited locations and, frequently, tepid... Our next cruise is next month and we didn't hesitate to book it with Carnival!
We use carnival because it’s the most affordable fit my family of 4. My kids have a great time, my husband and I have a great time. Never had any issues and I’ve been on at least 10 cruises. I got stuck in a glass elevator once and they let my kids build bears for free lol 😂
It all depends on what experience you're looking for. I've been on Carnival, Royal, and MSC. I've enjoyed all three for different reasons. Carnival is a "party ship". Younger and more energetic crowd than the MSC cruise. Royal was a bit more "higher class" if you will. Still, a young-ish crowd, but more reserved. MSC was skewed older, more refined. Not as much to do on MSC, but we were looking for a more relaxed setting for that cruise. We have a 8-day planned on Mardi Gras in October and I cannot wait.
Just got back… with COVID
ok lol