Carnival Since the 80s:
I’ve vacationed with Carnival Cruise Lines my entire life. I have a family member who works for Carnival, and since the age of 2 years old, we have enjoyed many cruises on board. I have observed many transformations of the ships, styles, and trends in cruising along the way. I want to preface that I really enjoy cruising, and I am a big fan of Carnival. I have only been on one other cruise line thus far, and that is Royal Caribbean, and it was very nice, but the bulk of my cruising experience comes from 3 decades with Carnival. Here is my story:
Cruising in the 80s was intimate and fancy. Even for the more casual “Fun Ship”, you dressed for dinner. Like, really dressed for dinner. Suits and ties and party dresses, and on the nights of the Captain’s Dinner, black ties, and sequined gowns. I can remember waiters passing around caviar in the dining room, and champagne flowing. I can remember families posing on the stairwell for their portraits, dressed like movie stars. It was all so very glamorous.
My Grandmother, Great Grandmother, and Aunt Gail at a Captain’s Dinner in the 1980s.
Dressed up for Formal night on a Carnival Cruise Ship.
Cruising with My Mom on the Carnival Mardi Gras.
At the Lido Deck pool.
Celebration on board the Carnival Mardi Gras, 1980s.
Cruising with my Grandparents at Age 5.
Carnival Employee dressed up for a Masquerade Party
Moving Into the 1990s:
As the 90s approached and I was adorned in the neon colors of “electric youth”, Umbro, and County Seat, amenities began to gear more towards children, teens, and young adults, but still, only slightly. Things were becoming more casual and brighter, matching the neon that I was wearing on my clothes. The water slides were getting larger at the ship pools. Bingo was no longer the only onboard game on the ship. Hairy chest contests and couple contests on the lido deck were now “a thing”, maybe they always were? The Dinner performances with dancing waiters and guest participation were becoming signature for Carnival. I wonder if they have replaced the “Macarena” with a new song, yet?
Still rockin’ some awesome bangs on the Carnival Cruise Ship, Holiday.
Being interviewed about our cruise experience by a Carnival Videographer, early-90s.
Playing Nintendo Game Boy with my little sister in our cabin on a Carnival Ship, the early 90s. Note the awesome troll fanny pack.
Celebrating with close friends and neighbors, mid-90s.
On a cruise with my former English exchange student, Ruth.
Alaskan Cruise, 1997. You might not be able to tell here, but it was my favorite cruise to date.
And then, the turn of the century happened. It seemed like the entire cruise industry was constantly in a race for bigger is better. Who can create the largest ship in THE WORLD?! Everything was loud, bright, and big, and I can’t help but leave it you with “Who Let The Dogs Out?” and “One More Time“, as they were playing on repeat in the Disco.
Senior Spring Break onboard the Carnival Destiny, 1999.
Bucket of Beers in the disco (we are 21)!
In 2011 my husband and I took my most recent cruise and his first one on the Carnival Liberty. It was a Babymoon for my husband and me, and a lovely break from a cold New England winter. The perfect way to relax in the sun, relax on our balcony, and eat a lot of food – because when I was pregnant, all I wanted to do was relax and eat. We had a really great time, and as my husband was a first-time cruiser, he was excited to get back.
On our Babymoon aboard the Carnival Liberty.
In Cozumel, Mexico on the Carnival Liberty.
Fine Dining restaurant onboard the Carnival Liberty.
Now that we live in South Florida, and close to two major Cruise Ship ports, we are finally going on another cruise…but with kids this time!
Enter Carnival 2.0…
“Where is all the neon?” as I walked onto the Breeze and felt a little underwhelmed by the lack of in your face bright lights and bold colors of the atrium. It felt subdued and threw me a little off-kilter. After all, I have three decades of cruising under my belt, and I was surprised at what I was seeing. What was this new ship, the largest in Carnival’s Fleet, to-date? I would soon find out…
Now that you have cruised down memory lane with me – Check out the Full Report on Carnival 2.0 and Everything You Ought To Know About The Carnival Breeze!
Do you have any fond memories of cruising in your past or present? Or a cruise you are looking forward to in your near future? Let us know and follow along with #CruisingCarnival for our multi-generational cruise coming up in the next few weeks!
Love this! Excited to see your review. Amazing memories and pictures.
Me too! That is one of my favorite pictures of us!
I am honoured to have been a very small part of your cruise history (my 90’s hair was erm “unique”!!) Happy memories! x
I think I did the 90s well, it was the early 2000s that really needed work! Glad you were apart of it! xo
This is a great post and excellent teaser for your upcoming cruise! I’m so glad I got to be part of your second decade of cruising and I can’t wait for the European premiere in 2016!!!! Vista holla!!
Great post! Can’t wait to see your Fun Report tomorrow.
Thanks Shirley! Can’t wait get more cruise insight to share with my readers from a cruise expert!
Love this read! Thanks for joining us aboard the Carnival Breeze.
Thank you, Heather! Keep us posted on a BlogginMamas conference/cruise!
[…] Breeze cabins were standard issue in my mind. Small but accommodating. Being spoiled, I would probably always splurge for a balcony cabin on a cruise. Room service on your balcony in the morning is just too good to give […]
wow! its amazing how everything looked back then, I have yet to go on a cruise but from what you are showing me here, what great memories to be made..
There are so many different styles of cruising, I am sure there is one that would fit your needs. If I had to pick one cruise to go on, it would be Alaska. We are heading out on a multi-generational cruise soon. Check back for more information, tips, and ideas!
Thanks Dorothy! We definitely had a lot of fond memories. I hope to take my kids on different styles of vacation, but the all-inclusives of cruising creates a lot of ease. Plus, you get to see a lot at once!
This is a really cool post! Thanks for sharing! I’v been on a small local cruise ship in Greece as well as on a Princess Cruise to Alaska and Canada. Never taken a Carnival cruise before, but I’m interested.
Thanks Rebecca! I would love to cruise through Greece. The new Carnival Vista will be in Europe in 2016 and I am hoping that it will be in my future plans.
This was an interesting post. It was informative to see how things changed over the years.
Thanks Nancy!
Thanks for sharing your many years of experience travelling with Carnival Cruise and for your personal and sometimes humorous stories. I really enjoyed your photographs showing the difference hairstyles and fashion styles throughout the years. I also enjoyed seeing the cruise ships in the background of your photos, as well as your descriptions of the decor of the ships over the years. I have never been on a cruise, but I think the Alaskan cruise would be my favorite. Maybe I will get to take a cruise in the not too distant future.
Thanks Deborah! I hope you get to cruise or travel to Alaska sometime soon. It is really worth the journey.
I’ve only been on one cruise: to Alaska. It was wonderful. p.s. I’ve now been to all 50 states!
That is awesome Siehan. I really hope to make it to my last 2 in the next couple of years. The Caribbean cruises tend to be much more of a party scene but still really beautiful.