Carnival Cruises?

I would like any and all opinions on Carnival. We are looking into our trip for next summer. We already cruised on RCC, Celebrity, and Disney. But Carnival seems to have the best deal and ports for when we want to go this summer. If you could tell me the good, the bad, and the ugly I would greatly appreciate it. Also...we will be cruising with a 10, 14, and 18 year old. TIA

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I have been on 2 carnival cruises and loved them both. The ships were a tad outdated, but have both been refurbished since then. I love the fact that you can eat 24 hours a day and all of the fun on-board activities during the days at sea.
The first was out of Puerto Rico and went to the Souther Caribbean. I can't remember where the second cruise went but it left out of Ft Lauderdale.
I really don't think you couldgo wrong with any cruise line.

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Thanks. We will be on the newest ship, the Dream, so I'm not worried about it being run down just yet.

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Carnival's new ships are really, really nice. Ive been on 2 cruises with Carnival (one on a new ship and one years ago on an older ship), Princess and Celebrity (both on brand new ships). While celebrity was our favorite all around, we enjoyed the Carnival cruise on the new ship much better than Princess cruise, the food was better, the room was nicer and bigger and the entertainments was better. Carnival isnt what it "used" to be, its def been upgraded.

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I have been on two Carnival cruises - one as a 19 year old with my parents, and one as a 30 year old with my husband, so I can give different perspectives from two different ages.

First off, I had a fabulous time on both cruises! As a teenager, I loved being able to move around the ship freely and do what I wanted. I met people, and really did my own thing during the cruise, while dining with my parents, and spending excursions with them. 18-20 can be a weird age b/c there's no camp carnival or Circle C (the different children's groups).

As an adult with my husband and no kids, I had a great time as well. I thought the staff and service were great, as were the activities. The food was good, but not fabulous. We ate one night in the steakhouse, and it was well worth the $30 per person!

I love reading the blog of the senior cruise director of Carnival, John Heald (www.johnhealdsblog.com). You can ask him questions on there as well, although it takes him 3-4 weeks to respond, as he's backlogged. The Carnival Dream looks amazing - have a fabulous time!

(We will probably also be booking a Carnival cruise for next summer)

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Thanks again for your responses I really appreciate it.

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Message edited 1/14/2011 12:12:15 AM.

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We had a great time with our kids. 6 and 3.

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We love Carnival.

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I've cruised seven times, three on Carnival. Love it.

Thoughts:

-There is usually a 24 hour pizza station that is very good. Everything is made fresh while you wait.

-Their staterooms are larger, on average, compared to their competitors.

-Their ships are usually very brightly decorated, although I think they've toned this down with newer builds.

-The "fun ship" tagline is accurate. It's a party atmosphere, but not in a crazy, spring break way. Just normal adult fun. There will always be good music, entertainment, and drinks around, especially at night.

-Service is always terrific.

-I am jealous.

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Thanks again everyone! I really appreciate the input. I think we are definitely booking now.

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I think I am definitely in the minority but I did not like it. I am just not a cruise person though. I mean, the food was good and we liked the excursions we booked. The staff was awesome and I did win $300 on a slot machine (I know,I know - BIG gambler here LOL ) but I just felt like the activities on board were really cheesey and our days at sea were like being trapped. There was NO room near the pool and the ship we were on just didn't have much else to do. I am sure there are much better ships that have a lot more going on but all in all I don't think we're cruise people.

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Carnival is my least favorite cruise line..i feel like they're much more oriented towards young children, the food was eh, and the overall experience was my least favorite of the 4 cruises i've been on..

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My husband and I loved our two Carnival Cruises that we went on. The decor was not that great however who cares, the food was good, the excursions great.