Last week, we (Mr. Makarma) spoke about Carnival Cruise Lines' new "Fun" advertising program. Although the current campaign is fairly new, the concept of fun has been a part of Carnival's message since shortly after the company's inception.
Reader Robert recently asked if we would share some of our own experiences having fun on Carnival. We'd be happy to, but think we should start by sharing how our company's love affair with the "Fun Ships" began.
Cruising in the pre-Carnival days was a fairly-formal experience shared primarily by those who were well-heeled, older and/or with a lot of time on their hands. Along came Carnival, a cruise line which started with one refurbished, but fairly old, ocean liner. It's hard to imagine now, but the company was far from successful at the beginning. (We have a story to share someday about the company's inauspicious start.)
What turned things around for the firm was the new "Fun Ships" message. Cruising became something for everyone; it was less formal and - most importantly - it was one gigantic party.
Well, the last item above didn't sit well with everyone, as the company developed a reputation of passengers partaking in booze and more booze, along with the problems that came with that type of atmosphere.
By the time we invented this wondrous thing called Makarma Travel back in 1998, the cruise line was already taking the steps needed to change its image for the better. Through a number of initiatives, Carnival was able to improve its onboard atmosphere almost overnight. Still, although we had sailed a number of cruise lines, we hadn't sailed on Carnival and, frankly, we were still a bit hesitant to do so.
Our great turnabout came when we made the decision that, since Carnival was such an important part of the cruise vacation business, we absolutely had to give it a try. The rest, as they always say, is history. The food served onboard was excellent. The service? First-rate. There were entertainment options throughout. Nothing even remotely resembled the oceangoing frat party we had feared. We actually remember walking on deck the last night of that sailing thinking, "Wow, this is......a real cruise." We knew back then (and still do today) that the company had several excellent competitors which we continue to fully support; it's just that our initial experience on Carnival was such a pleasantly unexpected surprise.
Since that first cruise we took on that "fun ship" roughly 10 years ago, we can truly say that things have gotten even better. After a recent three-night sailing where the service, food and entertainment was some of the best we've had on any cruise, we believe that Carnival has become one of the more traditional cruise lines, with many of the traits of long-ago classic cruising.
And, trust us, it most certainly is still a lot of fun.
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