9th cruise-2nd on Carnival. I have sailed Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Norwegian and Carnival over the past 20 plus years. I have to say each has it's own style yet all are very similar. I really can't say I favor one over the other that much. I have always received excellent service on all cruises. Yes, like anything in this world, sometimes it might be better at times than others, but give me a break, the world isn't perfect. Sometimes the service staff may not be at their best, however, I can say the cruise experience is by far better than dealing with different hotels, restaurants, airlines, car rental agencies etc. Even Ritz, Hyatt, Four Seasons etc have break downs in service at times. I believe some people just like to complain and love finding fault vs finding good. Considering the cost of cruising has actually decreased dramatically over the past 20 years, over all the quality of the experience is still a fantastic travel bargain! Yes, food quality has suffered some, but the ships are much larger. Try doing dinner parties for 1000s of people and get everything perfect. You can go to a 5 star Beverly Hills restaurant and get crappy food and service at times. The next time it will be superb! Breakfast and lunch in the dining room was great. Dinner was ok. Biggest problem was food would never come out very warm. I can't say it was due to the wait staff as the service progressed at a nice pace and was very attentive by every wait person we had.

The ships carry more passengers so the crowds and lines are somewhat longer. However, the ships now have more amenities. More food outlet choices, recreation, gyms, etc. Considering the 3000 plus people on the Glory, I have to say, it never seemed overwhelming to me.

Food: We ate all meals in the dining room except for snacks. Avoid the buffet and you will be much happier. Quality was good. Not spectacular, but good. Nice variety. GREAT SERVICE ! Very attentive. We had "Anytime Seating" and never waited long. You will wait much longer going out at your local restaurant! They even learned our names and we didn't always have our same servers! I find that amazing. Read more