Carnival’s Style: Their tag line is the “Fun Ships” and that is a great way to describe them.  They are all about fun.  Their budget friendly cruises are great for families and young adults which is primarily who they attract.  Although their latest ships hold over 4,000 people, a lot of their ships are in the 2000 to 2500 range.  

Entertainment and Activities: Their entertainment tends to fall between two categories; the family friendly interactive shows like Hasbro Live, Family Feud and other family and kid friendly entertainment and adults only comedy shows and live musical performances for the adults.  The activities likewise fall between those two as well with water slides, water park and roller coasters for the kids and families to the late night dance parties for the adults.  

Dining on Carnival? Although Carnival has branched out slightly and added a couple alternative dining, most of their food options are still included in the cruise price.  Their dining is the traditional dining rooms with set dining times although they do now allow you to just drop in and they will seat you if there is available seating.  The do tend to have at least a couple formal nights on each cruise.  Their casual dining is headlined by Guy’s Burgers and a fast food Mexican place along with the traditional buffet and 24 hour pizza.  

Group Info and Perks: Carnival offers what are called GAP points that allow special perks to be added to the group, such as a small on board credit, chocolate covered strawberries on departure, or something similar.  They tend to be small thank you’s for the group.  The GAP points go up with the size of your group.  The down side of Carnival and groups is they have to be ready to book the group as soon as it’s started so make sure you already have the people locked in and ready to book.  

What groups are good on a Carnival Cruise? Groups of young families with children will fit in perfect on Carnival with all of the activities available for kids.  Bachelor and Bachelorette parties, as well as friends get togethers that want to show off by the pool during the day and drink, dance and party all night.  

Who is Carnival not good for? With budget prices comes budget service so if you are looking for high line service, Carnival isn’t for you.  The rooms can be nice on the some of the newer ships but don’t expect exceptional design elements, especially on their older ships.  Even if the ship has been modernized, the cabins tend to remain about the same.