PXYca

My husband and I are looking to take a W Car. cruise in Apr 2006 - we really like the Carnival Fascination/Imagination 5 day itinerarys as we could then do a land stay in Miami for a few days.

We do not have kids and are not lovers of "over the top" kid behaviour (i.e. I would not even consider a disney cruise). We also are not overly attracted to a "party til you drop" younger single atmosphere. That said we're not dead - but like to have fun without it turning obnoxious or to the point it disrupts others enjoyment of their activities (dining etc).

Any thoughts on whether we would enjoy carnival? Is the "fun ship" too much fun for us? We're both in our 40s and will likely spend some time in the casino, spa and deck.

cruisin_tigger

You'll find both lovers and haters of Carnival. I personally have sailed with them 9 times and enjoy their cruises (and have been on Fascination and Imagination), so I would recommend trying it. For tons more info try http://boards.cruisecritic.com/

PXYca

Hmmmm. We're also looking at the following departure ships/ports:

Norweigan Majesty Apr 8 (7nt) Charleston

RCI - Rapsody Apr 2 (7nt) Galveston

Celebrity Zenith Apr 3 (5 day) Miami

RCI Grandeur May 12 (9 day) baltimore

All are W carribean - any thoughts or comments? Any ship that stands out above the rest?

BeachBoi

PXY...I personally would not sail for less than 7 days..Just me,...Now, my TA is in Dallas....His agency does a TON of Royal Caribbean/Rhapsody out of Galveston.....I asked him to characterize briefly that ship on that routing..Remember, these are the words of a Travel Professional, not ME!! "Very Redneck"....Good Luck....

PXYca

Beachboi

LOL Redneck?!!!This is for the RCI Galveston Rhapsody? Wow - it's so hard to tell!

I have done a bit more research and we are now really leaning towards the RCI Grandeur of the seas itinerary as we could drive to the Baltimore port. We are from Canada (near Toronto). The drive is @8-9 hours so not bad at all. Does your TA have any comments on that ship? Hopefully not "redneck"! (thanks for giving me a laugh - it mirrors my concern with the Carnival - I am worried it's a frat boy booze cruise)

BeachBoi

PXY.....Well, the Galveston port is very popular with Texas and the states surrounding....Now, only a TRUE blueblooded Texan would know exactly what "redneck" means...And I'm not a Texan!! But his point of reference is only what his customers have had to say about those particular cruises.Baltimore, he has not done...

joan

The length (and therefore the cost) of the cruise has everything to do with the cast of characters who will be on the ship. The shorter the cruise, the lower the bar, both for range of cruisers and their behavior. With a nine-day cruise, you will rule out most families, low budget cruisers, and very young couples. This is just a rule of thumb. I've been on a couple of 3-5 day cruises, and they're definitely less classy. For example you will not find tuxedos and gowns in the dining room, as you would with a longer, more expensive cruise. But they're still great fun! Did it with girlfriends...you can also usually find nooks and crannies on any ship that will allow you that fantasy quiet time with just a glass of champagne and each other.

PXYca

Thanks Joan that is very helpful. We are really leaning towards this RCI cruise out of baltimore (saves us having to fly).

nina

Joan gives very good advice regarding the length of a cruise and the type of passengers. If you do want a short cruise, I would say the Zenith is your best bet, the atmosphere will be more civilized than a short Carnival cruise.

I've cruised nearly all the mainstream lines, and I wouldn't cruise Carnival again, it's not my style. I'm in my 40's and like to have fun, but on my 7 day cruise on the Glory (a new ship), the crowd was louder, the lido deck music deafening, and all in all I found the atmosphere somewhat obnoxious. I imagine it would be worse on a shorter cruise on an older, gaudier ship. It is the fun ship, if your kind of fun includes fear factor contests by the pool, complete with barf buckets (I'm not kidding).

PXYca

Thanks Nina - Barf Buckets? Sounds very Monty Python!

This is as I suspected - fratboy boozecruise type atmosphere - I grew out of that phase (if I was ever in it!?!)over 20 years ago! I think we'll pass on Carnival

We are now leaning to the 9 day RCI western carribean from Baltimore.

mlrplast

My husband and I had booked a Carnival cruise a few years ago and then a friend told me that her sister had gone on the very same crusie and that they had not appreciated the 'fun ship' at all - the fun included nudity by some of the partying passengers. We ancelled that cruise and rebooked on Royal Caribbean - we were not disappointed. We too prefer quiet dinners, sunsets, shopping and lounging without barf buckets.

therenaissanceman

You get your money's worth on Carnival, but it really does cater to a party crowd. Of the ships you mentioned, Celebrity would get my nod as having the most class, but if you prefer to avoid flying, Royal Caribbean is ok. It does tend to have massive ships with smaller cabins- not my preference.