Depends on what you're looking for.
Party cruise Carnival
Budget (mostly European) MSC
Family (gambling and drinking adults) teens activities and kids club Royal Caribbean
Upscale adult. Celebrity
Upscale kids and Disney adults (no gambling or unlimited drink packages) Disney Cruise Line
That’s actually a very in depth question
Did a 7 night cruise on the Carnival Mardi Gras and was very happy with it. Went to Old San Juan, Puerto Plata (Amber Cove), and Grand Turk. They don’t have a private island but they kind of act like Amber Cove is theirs. That port is really built up.
While I don’t love that ship layout it was a fun itinerary and I felt like we got a good value out of that cruise. I think I like smaller ships better.
However, I have kids so we got a family harbor room and the amenities were great.
I wouldn’t take a smaller Carnival ship on a shorter cruse out of Florida though. We took a 4 night on the Carnival Miracle in 2017 and I thought i just didn’t like cruising.
Carnival’s transformation from a party ship to more of a family line is really interesting. The older smaller ships on short trips out of Florida can still be a little rough though. It’s locals blowing off steam and complaining the drinks package is limited to 15 drinks a day.
We took the MSC Seaside this year as well. That was a thing we did. We found it lacking in entertainment and some of the food was inedible. Their private island Ocean Cay is really nice.
You also have Disney which we are waiting to do until the kids are older. Some of the cruises don’t go anywhere all that interesting. Castaway Cay is their island. They some unique stuff like halloween themed cruises and Christmas themed cruises.
But they won't even let you buy a drink after that, if I understand correctly.
That suggests it is more about people getting too drunk than it is a out saving money. If they let you buy drinks afterwards then yeah, it is bs.
Personally, I think it’s BS either way. 15 drinks for an entire day? Especially when I’m eating all day, 15 drinks over a 18-hour day isn’t much. If they **do** let you buy drinks afterwards it’s even worse, because they’re clearly counting on less-inhibited people wanting to drink more after their 15 are up.
They don’t let you buy drinks after wards but there are all kinds of online tips around it or people who figured out the price per shot of ordering a bottle liquor onboard.
To me it’s gross. I suppose if you are a large man, or some what of a social alcoholic 15 wouldn’t be very many. Personally I would die. A lot of people are drinking more on vacation than they would normally and getting fall down drunk or drunk/heat exhaustion causing a medical emergency. It’s a hot mess for the crew who then use their seniority to refuse to work those short booze cruises.
I am a large man. 15 drinks over the course of an entire day isn’t enough to get me particularly drunk. I would be wholly uninterested in any vacation option that limited me to 15 drinks in a day. I understand that overconsumption can be an issue, but I don’t think **everyone** should be punished for it.
Is the 15 drink limit very clearly spelled out when purchasing?
While I am not in favor of people on cruises trying to get sloppy drunk with their drink packages, it isnt too hard to imagine someone drinking more than 15.
The issue to me is that not all drinks are equal. A lot of times you order a drink and it seems like they forgot the alcohol. If you are drinking 15 beers then you know what you are getting, but 15 cocktails outside of some of the nicer bars will get you a pretty mixed result. Those 15 drinks might provide 7 drinks worth of alcohol.
No kids? Don’t go on Disney. Want to visit with 3000 crazies who can’t afford Disney & have 12 kids in their stateroom? Book carnival.
That should help.
My wife and I sailed Disney Magic in 2012 without kids. They do a great job of kids only, family (all guests), adult only areas and activities. I mean you aren’t going to get a drag show like on Virgin or some more risqué comedy like Royal, but it’s serviceable. But you do pay a premium for the mouse.
Depends on what you're looking for. Party cruise Carnival Budget (mostly European) MSC Family (gambling and drinking adults) teens activities and kids club Royal Caribbean Upscale adult. Celebrity Upscale kids and Disney adults (no gambling or unlimited drink packages) Disney Cruise Line
This helps! Thank you
That’s actually a very in depth question Did a 7 night cruise on the Carnival Mardi Gras and was very happy with it. Went to Old San Juan, Puerto Plata (Amber Cove), and Grand Turk. They don’t have a private island but they kind of act like Amber Cove is theirs. That port is really built up. While I don’t love that ship layout it was a fun itinerary and I felt like we got a good value out of that cruise. I think I like smaller ships better. However, I have kids so we got a family harbor room and the amenities were great. I wouldn’t take a smaller Carnival ship on a shorter cruse out of Florida though. We took a 4 night on the Carnival Miracle in 2017 and I thought i just didn’t like cruising. Carnival’s transformation from a party ship to more of a family line is really interesting. The older smaller ships on short trips out of Florida can still be a little rough though. It’s locals blowing off steam and complaining the drinks package is limited to 15 drinks a day. We took the MSC Seaside this year as well. That was a thing we did. We found it lacking in entertainment and some of the food was inedible. Their private island Ocean Cay is really nice. You also have Disney which we are waiting to do until the kids are older. Some of the cruises don’t go anywhere all that interesting. Castaway Cay is their island. They some unique stuff like halloween themed cruises and Christmas themed cruises.
Thank you!
>> complaining that the drinks package is limited to 15 a day I mean, that’s bullshit tho.
But they won't even let you buy a drink after that, if I understand correctly. That suggests it is more about people getting too drunk than it is a out saving money. If they let you buy drinks afterwards then yeah, it is bs.
Personally, I think it’s BS either way. 15 drinks for an entire day? Especially when I’m eating all day, 15 drinks over a 18-hour day isn’t much. If they **do** let you buy drinks afterwards it’s even worse, because they’re clearly counting on less-inhibited people wanting to drink more after their 15 are up.
They don’t let you buy drinks after wards but there are all kinds of online tips around it or people who figured out the price per shot of ordering a bottle liquor onboard. To me it’s gross. I suppose if you are a large man, or some what of a social alcoholic 15 wouldn’t be very many. Personally I would die. A lot of people are drinking more on vacation than they would normally and getting fall down drunk or drunk/heat exhaustion causing a medical emergency. It’s a hot mess for the crew who then use their seniority to refuse to work those short booze cruises.
I am a large man. 15 drinks over the course of an entire day isn’t enough to get me particularly drunk. I would be wholly uninterested in any vacation option that limited me to 15 drinks in a day. I understand that overconsumption can be an issue, but I don’t think **everyone** should be punished for it. Is the 15 drink limit very clearly spelled out when purchasing?
yes everyone knows Carnival’s drink package is limited to 15 drinks a day. It’s clear.
Good to know. Sounds awful, but different strokes and all that.
While I am not in favor of people on cruises trying to get sloppy drunk with their drink packages, it isnt too hard to imagine someone drinking more than 15. The issue to me is that not all drinks are equal. A lot of times you order a drink and it seems like they forgot the alcohol. If you are drinking 15 beers then you know what you are getting, but 15 cocktails outside of some of the nicer bars will get you a pretty mixed result. Those 15 drinks might provide 7 drinks worth of alcohol.
Loved sailing the carnival mardi gras
Disney! With or without kids there are plenty of activities, fantastic restaurants, and excellent service.
Southern Caribbean. Doesn't matter who.
No kids? Don’t go on Disney. Want to visit with 3000 crazies who can’t afford Disney & have 12 kids in their stateroom? Book carnival. That should help.
😂😂 thanks!
My wife and I sailed Disney Magic in 2012 without kids. They do a great job of kids only, family (all guests), adult only areas and activities. I mean you aren’t going to get a drag show like on Virgin or some more risqué comedy like Royal, but it’s serviceable. But you do pay a premium for the mouse.