Why My First Carnival Cruise Won't Be My Last

Because I had been so against cruising for so long, when I finally decided to go, I kind of just pulled the plug. It was over the Christmas break, my kids were visiting, and I knew they wanted to do it, so I booked it without doing a ton of research.

I ended up booking with Carnival.

After I had the trip locked in, I started sharing the news with friends and colleagues. Those that had cruised multiple times were often surprised I booked with Carnival. It wasn't always negative, but it was often, "Oh boy, I don't know if I would've done that," or "I'm surprised you booked with Carnival."

Those reactions made me incredibly worried. Based on the way people were talking, I got the impression that we had accidentally booked a wild "booze cruise." I imagined a big bash party where we would be completely overtaken by loud, rowdy crowds, and that the family friendly vacation I was hoping for was going to be a disaster.

What I experienced was quite the opposite.

I found that the events were well-organized, and the fellow passengers were great. Everybody was kind, respectful, and clearly focused on just enjoying time with their own family or friends. People gave each other space, and the overall atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed. The entertainment provided by Carnival was fantastic, the food was great.

Maybe it's because I haven't experienced other cruise companies yet and don't have a baseline for comparison, but I can honestly say that Carnival provided a wonderful experience. If I were looking to book another cruise in the future, I wouldn't hesitate to sail with them again.