Carnival Cruises Reviews | Carnival.com

The Site:  Carnival.com

• Carnival Cruise Line is the largest cruise line in the world based on the number of passengers carried, and is a member of the exclusive ‘World’s Leading Cruise Lines’ alliance which also includes Holland America Line, Cunard Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line and Costa Cruises.
• Carnival Cruise destinations include Bahamas – Caribbean – Mexican Riviera – Alaska – Hawaii – Canada – New England – Bermuda – Europe – Greek Isles — South America
• Carnival Cruise departure ports primarily located in Miami, Florida – Long Beach, California – Tampa, Florida – New Orleans, Lousiana – Port Canaveral, Florida – Galveston, Texas – Vancouver-Whittier, Canada – Anchorage, Alaska – New York – Fort Lauderdale, Florida – Jacksonville, Florida – Mobile, Alabama – Baltimore, Maryland
• Ongoing Carnival Cruise specials
• Carnival Cruise Lines vacation packages available, which include the departure city hotel stay and the option to purchase transfers between airport/hotel and hotel/pier
• Wedding packages with Carnival Cruise Line
• Scrapblog – share your cruise stories in an online multimedia scrapbook, using the Scrapblog builder
• Past Guest Recognition Program – a Carnival Cruise Lines reward program. On your second Carnival cruise you become a Gold Member, which entitles you to member offers, free Currents magazine subscription, and an exclusive cocktail reception onboard . If you go on ten or more Carnival cruises, you become a Platinum member. Platinum members get perks such as guaranteed dining times, complimentary $20 blackjack/slots tournament entry, complimentary laundry service, and priority boarding.
• Vacation Guarantee – If you are not satisfied with your cruise, notify Carnival before arrival at the first port of call to recieve a refund of the unused portion of your cruise
• Carnival Cruise Vacation Protection Plan – from $49 you can be covered for in the event of an emergency
• ‘Dreamy Carnival Comfort Beds’ – high quality bedding exclusive to Carnival Cruise Lines

The Good: Carnival makes it super easy to find their cruise specials, and when it comes to cruise deals they are the leaders in the cruise industry. Carnival Cruise’s deals are aptly found under the Specials tab, where we often find cruise deals from less than $200 per person. Today, we found a 3-night Mexican cruise special from only $129 per person. This is one of Carnival’s ‘Early Saver’ special rates, where you can really save if you book your cruise early. We rarely find cruise deals this good.

We think Carnival’s cancellation policy is reasonable. Cancellations are allowed on most Carnival cruises with a full refund (less deposit) up to 30 days prior to departure, and a 50% refund up to 8 days prior to departure.

The Bad: You may only book one stateroom at a time, when booking online. As some staterooms have the maximum capacity of five, you are limited when trying to book a large family cruise. We do not like that we are required to either call Carnival, or book two separate bookings with adjoining rooms. Carnival does have an online group planning tool, but that is for when you are booking eight or more staterooms. What about a family of six? For spacious accommodations for families of six or more, we prefer Holland America Cruises.

That being said, we don’t think Carnival offers enough information online about their staterooms. Sure, there are videos and pictures. However, we cannot find the maximum capacity of the Carnival room categories and this was a bit frustrating.

The Policies *: $0 Cancellation fee up to 61 days prior to departure for 3-5 day cruises or 76 days prior to departure for 6-10 day cruises and Alaskan cruises. Cancellations made up to 30 days prior to departure must forfeit their deposit amount, and the remaining cruise fare is refundable. Cancellations made up to 8 days prior to departure must forfeit 50% of the cruise fare (15 days for Alaskan cruises). Cancellations made during the 7 days prior to departure are non-refundable (14 days for Alaskan cruises). *Based solely on research done by TravelSiteCritic.com, these figures may be inaccurate and are subject to change. Double check before you buy.

The Deals: 

7 Day Caribbean Cruise starting at $399*

4 Day Mexico Cruise starting at $299*

Family Cruise Deals on CruiseDirect.com

Read more travel site reviews • Find more travel site deals • Subscribe to our email newsletter

You Rate It: