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I've heard many people say that Carnival ships are, just as it sound, a party ship, due to being lower cost. That they attract a younger crowd, you see more drunks, unruly behavior etc.
Is that generally true?
I've only been on a cruise once way back in 2004, the Sapphire Princess on its maiden voyage, and that was outstanding, with everyone well behaved and orderly,, but that shows the extent of what I know about what to look for in a ship.
The big difference especially all drinks, a big difference. On Carnival I went back for another soda and was refused as too soon? If it was alcohol I could get it not soda. Never had an issue on Princess seems more adult level in dealing with cruisers, Staff easier going
As others have said, not necessarily. Usually, the three day sailings are more likely to be the party hardy crowd. Carnival bills itself as the line for the whole family (both for cost and activities).
We noticed shorter more rowdy. Longer better food and less party hardy crowd. But still fun. Older guy, young heart.
I agree with that. Our cruise friends and us are sticking with princess to move up to Platinum, 3/4 cruises.
I like Wal Mart. I have cruised ONLY carnival because I am near the port of Galveston. I hear all these stories of this and that on cruise ships. The cruise is what you want to make it. If you dont like drunks, stay away from them, if you dont like kids ignore them. If you dont like the way people dress for dining dont look at them. The cruise is for everyone not the ones hard to please. We dont like eating with strangers, so we request a table for 2. We dont like elegant nights, so we eat on lido. We see kids acting up, we just laugh at them, we been on "senior cruises" no kids due to school,etc. We like to see them on board. We been on 25 cruises so far, got 3 more scheduled all with Carnival. We do our thing and let people do their thing.
OUTSTANDING! well said!. the cruise within the cruise......not only is it a physical thing, (once you learn the ships layout), but its also in your head....
I like Wal Mart. I have cruised ONLY carnival because I am near the port of Galveston. I hear all these stories of this and that on cruise ships. The cruise is what you want to make it. If you dont like drunks, stay away from them, if you dont like kids ignore them. If you dont like the way people dress for dining dont look at them. The cruise is for everyone not the ones hard to please. We dont like eating with strangers, so we request a table for 2. We dont like elegant nights, so we eat on lido. We see kids acting up, we just laugh at them, we been on "senior cruises" no kids due to school,etc. We like to see them on board. We been on 25 cruises so far, got 3 more scheduled all with Carnival. We do our thing and let people do their thing.
It depends on the time of year and the clientele that the line attracts. Spring, summer, or winter break will usually bring more kids on cruises, since they will be out of school. If that is a concern, cruise during the off-season where there won't be as many kids.
We switched to Princess so far so good.
Carnival is a fun ship for all ages!! We are older but young at heart and still enjoy being with other fun passengers enjoying themselves. The time of the year you go may make a difference in the amount of children on board and if that makes a big difference to you then don’t cruise when children are out of school!! As long as there are drink packages available you will find people indulging and getting drunk on any cruise line!!
I call Carnival the "floating Walmart" (Nothing wrong with Walmart, I shop there for some items). I have cruised on it 9 times and yes the 3 night cruise can be a party cruise, but that does not mean you have to drink and be out all night long. It's your vacation, do what you want and make it what you want it to be. Out of 9 Carnival cruises we only ran into one bad drunk in the piano bar (On a 7 night cruise)
My favorite cruise line is Celebrity, but Carnival was the only ships home ported close to me. I have done a lot of the 3 or 4 night Carnival cruises because of the price and a 45 minute drive to port. I'm almost a senior and I fit in fine on Carnival. If I have a choice of the same cruise at similar pricing I'd go with Celebrity, Princess or RCI over Carnival. I'd go with Carnival over NCL or over not going on a cruise.
If you liked Princess I'd say go with Princess on your next cruise so you know what to expect. The Love Boat Cake is pretty good (I had that almost every night on my last Princess cruise).
GOD I HOPE SO. I'm boarding the CCL Magic next month, and after the last couple years I can really use a party.
Seriously though, Everyone who has posted has brought up valid points. Yankee47's tome brings home the most salient point (at least to me), and that is "your experience is what you make of it". Sure it's possible you could be inconvenienced by some drunken, boorish behavior, but there are adults only sanctuaries aboard every ship to which one can retreat.
And while at some point one may witness or perhaps even encounter such behavior by one, or even a group of "overly imbibed" individuals during their sailing, I'm sure most of the stories or lore regarding CCL are overblown i.e.: there won't be anything like a "Roman Orgy" of a thousand plus people engaging in drunken debauchery on the Lido deck. The crew would step in long before anything like that started to develop.
Personally, one evening I witnessed a young couple so drunk they could barely stand up in an elevator. They were loud, boisterous, and obnoxious. It was on the Disney Wonder, and I found myself hoping that if they were sailing with children, that they left them in the care of someone. My point being you can find that kind of behavior everywhere, even at the "Happiest Place At Sea".
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