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Let's talk about Carnival! They are called the Funships for a reason! They don't try to pretend to be something they are not. They are value oriented and have 24 ships with some pretty cool itineraries to choose from. They have improved their casino reward program recently and with the many homeports and the great price point, they are a great way to spend a weekend, a week or more!
Carnival wasn't as bad as everyone made it out to be...I did a 3 day booze cruise from LA, & 7-day Mexico cruised with them, and really had no complaints. I guess the one thing I remember the most was the plastic cups for drinks and such, thought that was tacky. Food was fine, and it was pretty funny....my friend Jenn got a great deal on the cruise $499, which is unheard of for 7 days...anyways, ended up being the Grand Ol Opry cruise! I shared elevators with Little Jimmy Dickens (RIP) and Riders in the Sky, had a drink with 'Whisperin' Bill Anderson, who seemed to be impressed that I knew about him being the songwriter for 'Whiskey Lullaby' (Paisley/Krauss) and laughed in Lorrie Morgan's face when she tried to hide behind a menu at a taco stand in Mazatlan.
Needless to say there were not a lot of kids on that cruise haha
Food was ok...I prefer the dining choices on Royal Caribbean
Yes, Carnival generally gets a bad rap but these days, IMO, it's not much different from all the other mainstream cruise lines. They have comfortable, roomy staterooms and bathrobes (I bought one,
years ago, and it's just starting to fray) too.
I rarely gamble on cruise ships, but Carnival sends me casino offers for free cruises, six month out (haven't taken them up on it though!)
I really like the design/layout of the Fantasy Class ships in their fleet. The larger ones, not so much.
My first and only cruise was on a Carnival ship and I had a great time. I really enjoyed eating 24/7. I am itching to go on another cruise. Just got to find the time and money.
My first and only cruise so far was also a Carnival cruise. My DP and I booked it through his work website Perx.com and got a really good deal on a 5 day, think it was around $400 each including the taxes and port fees. Unbeknownst to us we were on the infamous Poop Cruise ship that had broken down in the gulf of mexico the prior year, but we never had any issues. The staff was super friendly everywhere on the ship, but especially the casino staff and the bartenders at the Alchemy bar which we spent a lot of time at because the drinks were amazing and they put on a show making them. I quickly earned free drinks in the casino the first day and they sent chocolate covered strawberries to our room on the second day. The night before we reached home port they slipped a free cruise under the door, but it was an inside room and had to be booked within a week, so we didn't do it. Overall, like others said, they don't pretend to be anything they're not but we both had a really good time and are looking at doing it again soon on a Vancouver to Hawaii itinerary.