Would Carnival be a good cruiseline for 83 year old?

[HeatherQuick]

We are planning to take Grandma on her first cruise and Carnival seems to have the best ports for the week that we are able to cruise. Given that it is often known as the party cruise line I am wondering if we should even consider it for Grandma.

The only other option we have for cruising the Carribean the week before Christmas appears to be Holland America but the ports do not seem so good.

Also, could anyone give me any idea what type of food they serve in the main dining rooms? We are British and so far have only sailed NCL.

Thanks!

[ruthlessboss]

Carnival will not get over it's original reputation. It's not like that any more, except possibly college school breaks. They have cleaned up their act and "grown up". Their decor is still very colorful compared to other ships. I've yet to see the full party atmosphere.

[Kimbopolo]

I've only cruised twice but I wouldn't hesitate to take an 83 year old on a Carnival ship. On both cruises, there were elderly folks - and they certainly looked like they were enjoying themselves. I agree with the other poster that the party image is rather a distorted one.

As for the food, one of the cruisemate members has a blog with detailed trip reports and he talks a lot about the food (justifiably, !).

Snoozeman's blog: Ray's Cruise Blog

There is another Cruisemate member ZydecoCruiser who has a blog with a page devoted to Carnival menu photos: Carnival Cruise Line Menus - Food* Pictures

Hope this helps!

[linalcaplan]

I agree with the others---Carnival has changed dramatically from 20 years ago---though hardly sedate, it is very similar to the atmosphere we've experienced aboard Royal Caribbean, NCL, Celebrity, and Holland American. The cuisine on all these lines has also become very much alike. The only problem you might have (and it would be aboard any line) is in the timing of your cruise---you may have a ship full of "rowdy" children and/or college students during winter vacation.

That said, however, may I add that we are grandparents and have seen many octogenarians who have far outlasted their younger relatives partying into the night!!

[zydecocruiser]

My eighty-something Mother was pleasantly surprised with Carnival and prefers them over NCL. She also likes Holland-American and Princess and some other cruise lines that no longer exist.

But no two people are the same.

[rosetattoo]

I took my 90 year old mother-in-law on many cruises and she LOVED Carnival. However, since she was curious to see all the ports we visited, I made sure the itineraries we chose did not have any ports where we had to tender to shore. She would have had a problem getting on and off the ship into that bobbing tender boat so we avoided tender ports such as Grand Cayman and Belize which meant we usually booked the eastern itinerary. I also checked shore excursions for the ports we were visiting and made sure there was one available that would meet her needs (such as a sightseeing excursion on a bus, etc.).

Rose

[Skywench]

My mom just turned 73 and loves her Carnival Cruises. She's cruising with me again (on Carnival) next month.

[kandajones]

Hi there,

Told you these guys would know, they're the best

Speak soon

Alan & Katrina
xxx

[Ojos]

Yes, according to a couple elderly ladies I know!

[Trip]

I think the fit is very good, great ports and a cruise that all ages will enjoy!

[PaulBolter]

Yeah she will like it. Carnival is clean (if you don't look to closely), fun, and have a great staff. She will be Happier on carnival than Holland America, Holland america is depressing