Celebrity Vs Carnival
- Thread starter bmet7393
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MisterD21
If you take me serious, it's your problem
Um.... isn't that like trying to compare apples to oranges???
I mean clearly, =X= cruises are more quality oriented in most areas, But Carnival offers alot of amenities geared for the young and young at heart.
Both ships offer the same basic amenities, as well as offer the same services. While =X= offers elegance and quality geared for the 40+ crowd. Carnival offers value, and is geared for the family, or the under 50 crowd. Both cruiselines serve all age ranges and often have a mix of age groups.
My suggestion is that if you are traveling with children you would be more suited to cruise Carnival, as there are more things for children to keep them occupied and interested. However if it is simply you and your darling wife cruising, i would suggest =X= for your cruise. As the setting on =X= is a little more intimate and adult oriented for your needs.
Also... i would like to add.... there is no such thing as a "bad" cruise, just that some are more enjoyable than others..
I mean clearly, =X= cruises are more quality oriented in most areas, But Carnival offers alot of amenities geared for the young and young at heart.
Both ships offer the same basic amenities, as well as offer the same services. While =X= offers elegance and quality geared for the 40+ crowd. Carnival offers value, and is geared for the family, or the under 50 crowd. Both cruiselines serve all age ranges and often have a mix of age groups.
My suggestion is that if you are traveling with children you would be more suited to cruise Carnival, as there are more things for children to keep them occupied and interested. However if it is simply you and your darling wife cruising, i would suggest =X= for your cruise. As the setting on =X= is a little more intimate and adult oriented for your needs.
Also... i would like to add.... there is no such thing as a "bad" cruise, just that some are more enjoyable than others..
Mbandy
Staff Captain
The answer is yes to both. I think you'll really enjoy =X=, the food and service are great.
Ryne08Rich47
Shore Excursion Manager
The Century is an elegance ship with great food and service.
BruinSteve
Environmental Compliance Officer
IMHO, there are MAJOR differences...
Not to the "basic" idea--any cruise line you are getting a cabin, dining room, buffet, shows, casino, spa, itinerary, shore excursions, bars, pool deck, etc.
The BIG differences is in HOW they do it...
The major difference that affects all others is the space/crowd...
On Carnival, they cram a whole lot more people onto a ship...
Our last Carnival cruise, we were on a 110,000 gross ton ship with 4,000 passengers...
On our last Celebrity cruise, a 91,000 gross ton ship with 1,950 passengers...
Think about it in terms of space per passenger...and crew per passenger...
Carnival can be a zoo, service suffers, venues are overcrowded...You have to get to the showroom an hour early to get a seat...
On Celebrity, the pace is much more relaxed, the service MUCH better, the cruise much more elegant...
Some people wouldn't notice, I guess...To me it is a MAJOR difference...
MisterD21
If you take me serious, it's your problem
steve i find it hard to believe Carnival overbooked a ship that has a less than 3000 guest capacity. You can't really count the crew as they are not generally taking up passenger space(i.e. public areas), rather they are at their stations serving you...
Conquest class ships are the only 110,000 ton vessels Carnival has: this is the ship info for the Conquest : the passenger capacity is the same, the crew is only slightly different on all conquest class ships:
Total Staterooms - 1,487
Decks - 13
Passenger capacity - 2,974
Total crew - 1,150
Officer's nationality - Italian
Ship size - Large
Tonnage - 110,000
Ship length - 953
Registry - Panama
if you are counting both the crew and a fully booked vessel you get 4124 total capacity Which i agree, almost 3000 passengers could seem crowded at times. Such as sea days on the pool deck, or dinner in the MDR, or theaters. But other than that i don't think it would be too crowded.
Conquest class ships are the only 110,000 ton vessels Carnival has: this is the ship info for the Conquest : the passenger capacity is the same, the crew is only slightly different on all conquest class ships:
Total Staterooms - 1,487
Decks - 13
Passenger capacity - 2,974
Total crew - 1,150
Officer's nationality - Italian
Ship size - Large
Tonnage - 110,000
Ship length - 953
Registry - Panama
if you are counting both the crew and a fully booked vessel you get 4124 total capacity Which i agree, almost 3000 passengers could seem crowded at times. Such as sea days on the pool deck, or dinner in the MDR, or theaters. But other than that i don't think it would be too crowded.
BruinSteve
Environmental Compliance Officer
EXCUSE ME...I misspoke SLIGHTLY...
I should have written ALMOST 4,000 passengers...
Your figures are the Capacity figures for "Full Double Capacity" a LONG way from full capacity...Full Double Capacity, the number most often published, is when all cabins are booked with two to each cabin...
The FULL CAPACITY on the Carnival Liberty is 3,710 passengers...
That is the number of passengers (NOT including crew) when every berth is filled...And, with the use of "rollaways", they can actually go over that...
Now, here's the thing: Carnival DOES...
When one cruises on a Celebrity ship, say the M-Class where the Full DOUBLE Capacity is 1,950, the ship usually sails with just about that. There will be some families with kids in the same room, though many, like us, will just book a separate cabin for the kids...This will be balanced out for the most part by a number of "Singles", one to a cabin...
On Carnival, due to their target marketing, they fill a much higher percentage of third and fourth berths...In fact, on most cruises during school vacation periods, they will fill ALL of the 3rd and 4th berths, both maximizing their profit and maximizing their crowds...
So, you have facilities already underdesigned for under 3,000 but with over 3,700 aboard...
The point remains the same...Carnival ships are WAY OVERCROWDED...Chairs on the pool deck? A man-eat-man competition...Seats in the Showroom? Come early and fight for your territory...I gave up on the Sushi Bar--100 teenagers at the front grabbing and eating and cutting back into line with their friends...We even saw lines at the jewlry counter at the gift shop...Catching an elevator not to capacity when the show or some other activity let out? No way...
Seriously, there are crowded ships and there are spacious ships...
Carnival's are a ZOO...And the ships are poorly designed--narrow main walkways on the amenity decks...Floors that don't go thropugh from one end of the ship to the other...
If all you cruise on is Carnival, you may not see it...MAybe you don't care...
Want to really open your eyes? Book a Celebrity cruise and a Carnival cruise back-to-back...
We didn't even have to go that far...
We booked the Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas and the Carnival Liberty BACK-TO-BACK...Got off one and right on the other...
When you do that. the differences are very noticeable...
We noticed a severe downgrade in service going onto the Carnival ship from Day one...
First thing we do on any ship is to go have lunch in the buffet...
On Royal Caribbean, it was easy to find a table and once we were seated, a waiter came over and brought us iced teas and even brought my wife the silverware she'd forgotten...the table, BTW, was cleared and cleaned...
On Carnival, there was NO ONE to help at the table...tables were hard to find, you had to stake out someone leaving...and take the table as-is, mess and all...then go and find your own drinks...
In the Main Dining Room, we counted the number of people being served by each waiter and each assistant waiter...The waiters were serving 1.5 times the number of people on RCI and the Assistant Waiters 3 times the number of people...It was clearly reflected in the quality of service...I could go on with specific points on the service, but I don't have the time...
In the entertainment area, on "production shows", RCI worked with 4 "singers", variety acts and numerous costume changes...Carnival had only 2 singers, no time for costume changes and relied heavily on taped backup singing...Shows were still entertaining but you could see the corners cut right in front of your eyes...
Having cruised on seven different lines, most of them multiple times, I have really learned the differences...
Now, it may be that what is important to me may not be important to you...or that our perceptions of some things might be different..."Quality" of food and entertainment, of course, can be highly subjective...
And, of course, you can have a great time on ANY cruise...None are truly bad...They are better than staying home ...or working...
But, they can be compared on a number of factors and there are some considerable differences, even among the major mass-marketed cruise lines...
IMHO, if the two you are comparing are Carnival and Celebrity, there are incredible differences...of those lines, Carnival is easily the worst, Celebrity easily the best...hands down...
CRUZINQUEEN
Massage Therapist
Bruin Steve, you did a very good job describing the differences. I am 48, been on 21 cruises with 5 different lines, 3 cruises with Carnival and 14 with RCI. I prefer the people mix on RCI and the quality I receive, and don't mind paying more, but I don't have too. I have no need for the new biggest ship, I book an older ship, smaller and save the money to spend on the ship to have a great time. I am booked on Celebrity in February on the Century, and I am very much looking forward to it. I booked a Concierge Class cabin that is no bigger, but has many amenities that I like, some I won't use, but the little extra is worth it to me. I have stated to my friends, if I ever say I'm booking with Carnival again, shoot me first, just kidding, but everything Bruin Steve said made my blood boil when I think of my last Carnival cruise. But I believe that anyone who enjoys Carnival and their FUN atmosphere, please go and enjoy, it is just right for some, just not me.....
I am a VIP on Carnival and Carnival has improved a lot. It is a FUN SHIP for people with kids and teens.
I like cruising on Carnival Splendor since it arrived in Long Beach. It is a super large ship with lots of space. The cabins are as large as the Celebrity cabins. They have two closets, robes and the cabins are really nice.
I only go 15 minutes early to sit at my favorite area to see the fantastic shows.
Never a line to get the free Sushi unless a group of people decide to get sushi at the same time I do.
I have so much fun playing progressive Trivia. I also have fun playing the QUEST GAME.
I have fun singing along with the Piano singer. I also enjoy Karaoke.
I enjoy eating breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Golden Pearl restaurant.
On port days I enjoy eating the International foods. They have all kinds of food stations at their buffet. They have great grill for sandwiches. Free soft swirl ice cream/tasty.
My favorite buffet food is the Tandori/India foods.
The class of people are working class... mostly from Calif., Arizona, and other states.
Plus lots of Middle-Eastern and Asian people from Los Angeles.
Like Jennifer Lopez the singer says, "LETS GET LOUD"! IN HER SONG. That is the way the Fun ships are like. If you don't like noise.... stay away from the FUN SHIPS.lol.
I am a senior now and getting loud is not any fun any more.... but I still enjoy cruising on the Carnival Splendor. I have cruised 4 times since May with them. I don't need to fly.
I guess I just gave a cruise review of the Carnival Splendor. I have cruised 20 times with Carnival for many years.
I have cruised on the Celebrity Mercury ship 4 times. I am cruising on the Celebrity Soltice soon.
I have always had fun in all the 7 cruise lines I have cruised with.
People ask me which is my favorite cruise ship and I say all of them have been fun for me.
Celebrity is a more quiet type of cruiseline ships. It's very peaceful. Attracts people from other countries too.
Hopefully I will get dinner companions who speak English. It was boring last time being seated with three ladies who didn't speak English. I will ask to change tables.
I am looking foreward to my cruise on the Soltice ship. Luci
I like cruising on Carnival Splendor since it arrived in Long Beach. It is a super large ship with lots of space. The cabins are as large as the Celebrity cabins. They have two closets, robes and the cabins are really nice.
I only go 15 minutes early to sit at my favorite area to see the fantastic shows.
Never a line to get the free Sushi unless a group of people decide to get sushi at the same time I do.
I have so much fun playing progressive Trivia. I also have fun playing the QUEST GAME.
I have fun singing along with the Piano singer. I also enjoy Karaoke.
I enjoy eating breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Golden Pearl restaurant.
On port days I enjoy eating the International foods. They have all kinds of food stations at their buffet. They have great grill for sandwiches. Free soft swirl ice cream/tasty.
My favorite buffet food is the Tandori/India foods.
The class of people are working class... mostly from Calif., Arizona, and other states.
Plus lots of Middle-Eastern and Asian people from Los Angeles.
Like Jennifer Lopez the singer says, "LETS GET LOUD"! IN HER SONG. That is the way the Fun ships are like. If you don't like noise.... stay away from the FUN SHIPS.lol.
I am a senior now and getting loud is not any fun any more.... but I still enjoy cruising on the Carnival Splendor. I have cruised 4 times since May with them. I don't need to fly.
I guess I just gave a cruise review of the Carnival Splendor. I have cruised 20 times with Carnival for many years.
I have cruised on the Celebrity Mercury ship 4 times. I am cruising on the Celebrity Soltice soon.
I have always had fun in all the 7 cruise lines I have cruised with.
People ask me which is my favorite cruise ship and I say all of them have been fun for me.
Celebrity is a more quiet type of cruiseline ships. It's very peaceful. Attracts people from other countries too.
Hopefully I will get dinner companions who speak English. It was boring last time being seated with three ladies who didn't speak English. I will ask to change tables.
I am looking foreward to my cruise on the Soltice ship. Luci
Conniemc
3rd Officer
Agree almost completely Steve, except I don't think you can say Celebrity is the best anymore. I think HAL is just as good now, if not better. Also, the layout on the Grand Princess was insanity...you could NOT get from deck to deck without going up and down several decks. Horrific layout...so I don't think that issue is just limited to Carnival.
Having said that, people who cruise Carnival (generally speaking) are the push and shove, used to a Disney type experience, so they tend to be quite satisfied with the line. It's what they're used to for a vacation. I don't think anyone could argue Carnival isn't the worst cruise line for service, atmosphere and food if you like quality.
It's the best line for teenagers, frat party, families with screaming kids, drunk types IMHO
Having said that, people who cruise Carnival (generally speaking) are the push and shove, used to a Disney type experience, so they tend to be quite satisfied with the line. It's what they're used to for a vacation. I don't think anyone could argue Carnival isn't the worst cruise line for service, atmosphere and food if you like quality.
It's the best line for teenagers, frat party, families with screaming kids, drunk types IMHO
I just returned from the Celebrity Soltice. I wrote a cruise review for Jan.10,2010.
Sorry..... but times have changed..... for Celebrity. They have gone downhill in many ways. Read my cruise review.
I didn't get the Celebrity experience from days gone by when I cruised on 2002, on the Mercuy ship.
I don't think it is worth my money to be on a cruise ship that doesn't cather sp to Singles or Solo cruisers. I had to pay an extra $500. for that cruise so I could have an elegant experience and it didn't happen for me. It was just a nice cruise where I should have paid regular discount rates like I do on the Carnival Splendor.
I don't plan to cruise on Celebrity anymore unless they lower their rates for us solo cruisers and they also provide activities for us Singles who like to have some fun.
The Soltice was very nice for married couples and it was a peaceful ship when I cruised.
But I still prefer the Carnival Splendor for solo me. Luci
Sorry..... but times have changed..... for Celebrity. They have gone downhill in many ways. Read my cruise review.
I didn't get the Celebrity experience from days gone by when I cruised on 2002, on the Mercuy ship.
I don't think it is worth my money to be on a cruise ship that doesn't cather sp to Singles or Solo cruisers. I had to pay an extra $500. for that cruise so I could have an elegant experience and it didn't happen for me. It was just a nice cruise where I should have paid regular discount rates like I do on the Carnival Splendor.
I don't plan to cruise on Celebrity anymore unless they lower their rates for us solo cruisers and they also provide activities for us Singles who like to have some fun.
The Soltice was very nice for married couples and it was a peaceful ship when I cruised.
But I still prefer the Carnival Splendor for solo me. Luci
I have never been on X but just booked one. Have been on RCI, HAL, and have over 10 on both Princess, and Carnival. Can't claim one to be better than the other. They all have their own little perks or features. Many times it depends on the length of cruise, itinerary and time of year. If it is really cheap and doing the Western Caribbean it will be a party cruise with a lot of family reunions and party groups. Holidays will be booked to capacity as the families will have extra people in the rooms. Haven't found the food to be any better or worse on any of them. Never had bad food on any cruise. May not have like some items so then I got something else. Some ships in the same line may be better than others because of some of the features such as the rock climbing wall, giant slide, wave runner, ice rink and etc. I don't use any of that stuff so it doesn't matter and for the most part I would say 90% or more wouldn't use those either.
Just go with a open mind on any cruise line, treat the crew like human beings and not your personal slave and don't be a complainer. Enjoy the cruise for what it is and don't sweat the small stuff. I get a chuckle reading posts from those honeymooners that are really disappointed because the whole ship didn't bow down and kiss their a$$. They think that they are entitled to more than anyone else and deserve special privileges because they are celebrating their honeymoon. Problem is everyone else on board is also celebrating something, either a birthday, anniversary, divorce, or just life. A cruise is basically what you make it.
Just go with a open mind on any cruise line, treat the crew like human beings and not your personal slave and don't be a complainer. Enjoy the cruise for what it is and don't sweat the small stuff. I get a chuckle reading posts from those honeymooners that are really disappointed because the whole ship didn't bow down and kiss their a$$. They think that they are entitled to more than anyone else and deserve special privileges because they are celebrating their honeymoon. Problem is everyone else on board is also celebrating something, either a birthday, anniversary, divorce, or just life. A cruise is basically what you make it.
Goguinness
Ordinary Seaman
I'm with you 6packEd. Keep an open mind, don't sweat the small stuff, and treat the cruise staff, from top to bottom, like human beings, not your personal servant's, and for God's sake let people out of the elevator before trying to get in.
Paul S
Paul S
BruinSteve
Environmental Compliance Officer
Bob,
We were on Celebrity Eclipse in July and were just on Carnival Paradise last week...
To be honest, things haven't changed that much since 2009...
Our 70,000 gross ton Carnival ship sailed with over 2,600 passengers (Yes, full capacity--not "double capacity"--is 2,634 and it was PACKED)...Our 122,000 gross ton Celebrity ship sailed with 2,800...Major, major difference...
Celebrity was elegant, relaxing, comfortable...Carnival was a noisy, overcrowded ZOO...
I won't argue one point... some folks LIKE noisy, overcrowded zoos...
But, not me...
On Carnival:
** The service was POOR
** The entertainment was TERRIBLE
** The activities (which I expected to be a strong point for Carnival) were actually very limited and few...a major drop from our prior Carnival cruises
There was more to do and better and more varied entertainment on Celebrity...Better food and service on Celebrity is a given...
To be completely fair, this was a brand new Celebrity ship on a longer cruise compared to an older Carnival cruise on a short run...but, I really do not think Carnival is that much better on longer cruises and newer ships...the business model is still to overcrowd ships and cut corners...
Just a 'thank you' to Steve for your postings. I have been lurking here for a couple days and have come across your postings often. We just returned from said "older, short-run" Carnival cruise (Imagination last week), and were sadly disappointed in the entertainment, activities, and just overall quality of the cruise. Everything you state in your references to the 'zoo' are spot on, and while I did give my middle-of-the-road rating, I could have added most of your commentary except that I didn't really know that it could be better (having also read (after booking) that 'times have changed' in the cruise industry, so my expectations were already lower, and I didn't know that 'better' was still an option).
I am an infrequent cruiser ('86, '88 or '89 and '93), and have fond memories of the impeccable service, the show-stopping entertainment, and the motivating & interesting activities. I was thoroughly impressed by the whole experience. Not so much this time around. I posted my review today for the Carnival Imagination (under 'unregistered' because it took me so long to write that I was logged out by the time I hit 'submit').
From reading your posts, I will likely be trying out the =X= line next time around, and am looking forward to being 'thrilled with the experience' again.
I am an infrequent cruiser ('86, '88 or '89 and '93), and have fond memories of the impeccable service, the show-stopping entertainment, and the motivating & interesting activities. I was thoroughly impressed by the whole experience. Not so much this time around. I posted my review today for the Carnival Imagination (under 'unregistered' because it took me so long to write that I was logged out by the time I hit 'submit').
From reading your posts, I will likely be trying out the =X= line next time around, and am looking forward to being 'thrilled with the experience' again.
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I just want to add that Carnival is NOT necessarily as bad as all that. And on my last cruise the Wednesday show was FANTASTIC, and there must've been 20 or more different scenes and all were handled really well. I also chatted a lot with one of the choreographers, and the day after one show I meet the saxophonist at one of the Lido bars, he was about my age (50s) and a really good horn player. ALL of the instrumentalists (including the live orchestra) were good. If they were GREAT, they probably wouldn't have themselves tucked away on a cruise ship for months at a time, at least not for long.
We sailed in September, after kids were back in school, and of course that's the smart thing to do if you don't have kids. But I'm saying I thoroughly enjoyed (although some didn't seem to) the 2 Carnival cruises that I've been on.
But now I'll sailing on the Celebrity Eclipse ..... in 2 DAYS!!!
Jeez I just lost it!! I can't think what to write anymore!
We sailed in September, after kids were back in school, and of course that's the smart thing to do if you don't have kids. But I'm saying I thoroughly enjoyed (although some didn't seem to) the 2 Carnival cruises that I've been on.
But now I'll sailing on the Celebrity Eclipse ..... in 2 DAYS!!!
Jeez I just lost it!!
I can't think what to write anymore! 