Carnival. The name alone elicits all sorts of reactions among cruise passengers. Some people absolutely love the cruise line while others refuse to set foot onboard. But as one of the most popular cruise lines with dozens of ships and millions of passengers each year, obviously it is doing something right.
So why would Carnival be your favorite cruise line? What I’m about to share are the reasons that Carnival fans absolutely love it. If it’s what you like as well, then there’s little doubt it will be your favorite too…
The Fun-Loving Onboard Atmosphere
Let’s start with what I think is the biggest difference between Carnival and every other cruise line out there. I’m talking about the atmosphere on the ship.
Now, this one is a little hard to explain as it is something that’s more of a feel than something concrete. But Carnival likes to dub themselves as the “Fun Ships” and it shows in the atmosphere. Onboard the vibe is much more relaxed and geared toward having fun.
For instance, in the dining room there’s a nightly tradition of stopping service while the waitstaff hop up and start dancing. The sail away parties are bigger and more popular than any other line I’ve been on before. There are dance parties at night, karaoke, and the piano bar. There’s always a prominent cruise director not only making announcements about what’s coming up, but acting as an MC for the entire cruise.
If you’ve never sailed Carnival before, it’s something that’s a little hard to put into words, but if you have, then you know exactly the feel I’m talking about.
The Other Passengers Onboard
The atmosphere put out by the cruise line is a big draw to Carnival, but it’s a bit of a reinforcing circle. People that like the Carnival atmosphere tend to be more outgoing and choose Carnival, which builds on that atmosphere as well.
Now I’m not saying that you’re going to love every passenger onboard. But the people that love Carnival tend to be pretty friendly and there are countless stories of people making fast friends while sailing.
Passengers seem more quick to let loose, such as dancing in front of a crowd at sail away. Fun quirks like door decorations and hiding ducks around the ship seem to be a bigger deal on Carnival as well. Just like with the atmosphere on board, the passengers on the ship seem different from other lines, and for many, it’s exactly why they love Carnival.
Great Value for Fares and Simple Pricing Onboard
One of my favorite things about sailing on Carnival is that I feel like it’s one of the best values in cruising. First, while prices have gone up since Covid, they are still among the most affordable in cruising. That doesn’t mean you always find the cheapest cruises on Carnival, but in general they offer affordable fares.
But it’s not just the cruise itself. All those extras like drink packages and wi-fi and specialty restaurants tend to be less money. And unlike some cruise lines that love to change prices depending on the cruise you sail or those that offer high prices but offer deals to include perks, there aren’t a bunch of games to play.
You see the price, you pay the price. Usually that price is easier to swallow than on other lines.
Private Destinations
One thing that a lot of people love about Carnival and what makes it their favorite cruise line are the destinations. Now, cruise lines largely visit the same public ports. So it’s those private destinations where there can be a difference.
In summer 2025, Carnival is taking a huge step with the opening of Celebration Key near Freeport. This is its response to Royal Caribbean’s CocoCay and will have a massive beach, some of the biggest pools anywhere, and tons for families to do.
Even without Celebration Key, however, Carnival has a lot of ports for their passengers only that people love to enjoy. Half Moon Cay, Mahogany Bay, and Grand Turk to just name a few.
Now, I will say that these private ports aren’t the greatest if you’re looking for authenticity. But if you like great places to spend a day at the beach, they are a good reason to love Carnival.
Included Food Options on the Ship
It’s taken a bit to get here, but when it comes to reasons that people love the cruise line, this one is at the top of my personal list.
Cruise lines offer two kinds of dining — the food included with your cruise fare and specialty restaurants that are an extra fee.
The trend in cruising has been toward offering more and more specialty restaurants as a way to generate more revenue. Some lines have the buffet and dining room included and that’s it. But Carnival is one of the best in the industry about offering a lot of variety for food that’s included in your fare.
That two big players for me are Guy’s Burger Joint — which I think rivals any burger on land — and BlueIguana, that serves some pretty good Mexican food. But many ships offer a lot more options that are included with your fare as well.
Not having to deal with shelling out extra for food is definitely a nice plus of the cruise line.
Ships That Are More Manageable in Size
There’s one reason that a lot of people love Carnival, and it’s something that frankly won’t be around forever.
Cruise lines continue to build bigger and bigger ships. But Carnival has seemingly been slower to upsize their fleet — especially in relation to Royal Caribbean. For instance, Royal Caribbean’s largest ship is about 250,000 gross tons. Carnival’s largest is 180,000 gross tons, though the line does have plans for bigger ships soon.
But for now at least, there are a lot of ships in the fleet that are smaller than the massive mega ships. For people that like a smaller ship with fewer people, that’s a big plus. Smaller ships are less hectic, easier to navigate, and don’t flood ports with as many people.
It won’t always be this way but if you like smaller ships, there’s a lot to like about Carnival.
Departure Ports Within Driving Distance
A lot of people may have taken their first Carnival cruise by default and then fell in love with the line. That’s because Carnival is the best at putting ships in smaller departure ports.
Why is that a big deal? With ports like Mobile or Norfolk or Galveston 20 years ago, you’re opening up cruising to millions of people that are within driving distance. Now, instead of having to deal with expensive flights to get to Florida to take a cruise, people can drive a few minutes and hop on the ship.
I will say that the smaller ports typically have an older ship, and it may just be one. But when you look at everywhere that Carnival sails, they’ve made a point to put ships within driving distance of hundreds of millions.
Being able to save on flights is a major draw.
Sailing With Kids
If you have kids, then there’s a big chance that Carnival may be one of your favorite cruise lines.
First, the ships are built for families. So there are always a ton of things for kids to do and to keep them occupied. Ships will have everything from literal roller coasters to sport courts, mini golf, Dr. Seuss breakfast, arcades, and more.
In fact, among people that don’t like the cruise line, one of the biggest complaints you’ll hear is that there can be too many kids. If you have a family there’s a lot to like.
Carnival’s Camp Ocean is one of the absolute best in the business when it comes to spots for kids to play. When my kid has gone there, it’s been nearly impossible to get him to leave (it might have something to do with video games). Still, it’s great knowing that mom and dad can have fun without feeling like you are dumping the kid off somewhere he doesn’t want to go.
The Small Touches
Sometimes it’s the little things that can really cause you to love a cruise line. Of all the lines I’ve sailed, I feel like it’s Carnival that is the best at those small touches — especially if you have kids.
For instance, it may seem kind of silly, but one of Carnival’s signatures are towel animals. I can tell you firsthand that when you have a kid and they come back to the cabin to see a towel animal every night, it’s a big deal to them. And when they do the towel animal invasion on the pool deck, it will blow their minds.
When I sailed on the first cruise back after the pandemic the kids club was closed, but Carnival went out of their way to give my kid a swag bag with all sorts of little gifts.
Then there are touches like the little trophies and awards given away trivia and contests that don’t cost much but you feel like a million bucks if you win.
They are all small moves that make a big difference.
More on Sailing Carnival:
- 38 Must-Do Things on a Carnival Cruise Ship
- Worth It? 15+ Answers About the Carnival CHEERS! Drink Package
- 47 Best Carnival Cruise Line Tips & Tricks For Your Next Cruise
