A Carnival ship docked at the pier in Grand Turk
Cruise line reviews · Aggregated

Carnival Cruise Line Reviews

Every source, one honest read.

27,285 reviews across 2 sites, summarized by people who have sailed Carnival.

Plan a Carnival cruise
Ratings by source

Carnival Cruise Line reviews, every source in one place.

Scores and counts belong to each site; tap through to read the reviews there. Snapshot as of September 4, 2026; Google updates weekly.

VacationBooker blended score3.4out of 5★★★☆☆
How we blend it

One number to compare lines. Weighted: Cruise Critic 85% · Trustpilot 15%. Cruiser-review sites count most because they reflect real sailings; complaint boards count a little; Google and our own verified reviews fold in when available.

Compare all nine lines
From Cruise Critic 3.8/5 ★★★★☆ 26,781 reviews · Average Member reviews from people who sailed, filterable by ship and date. The most useful single source. From Trustpilot 1.5/5 ★★☆☆☆ 504 reviews Trustpilot skews toward customer-service complaints for every cruise line; read it for how problems get handled, not for what a good sailing feels like.
From Google –/5 ☆☆☆☆☆ Loading Google rating… Live from Google Maps.

We show scores and counts with attribution and link to the source. We do not copy other sites' reviews. Trustpilot and similar complaint boards run low for every cruise line; Cruise Critic and Tripadvisor reflect actual sailings.

From Google

Recent Google reviews of Carnival.

The five most relevant reviews from Google Maps, shown as Google provides them.

Google reviews appear here once the Google connection is turned on.
What people say

The patterns across thousands of Carnival reviews.

Written by us from reading the sources above. Not quotes, no cherry-picking.

Praised most
  • Value: the lowest all-in cost for a family week on a big ship
  • Friendly, upbeat crew and a social, no-pretense crowd
  • Guy's Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina and the comedy club
  • Excel-class ships (Mardi Gras, Celebration, Jubilee) for the roller coaster and pool decks
  • Easy drive-to departures from a dozen US ports
Complained about most
  • Party atmosphere on short weekend sailings
  • Inconsistent service and food on older ships
  • Crowded pools and long buffet lines on sea days
  • Nickel-and-dime extras once on board
  • Embarkation delays at some ports
Our read

Carnival delivers exactly what it promises: a fun, affordable week. Reviews turn negative when travelers expect a premium product at a budget fare, or book a three-night weekend and want quiet.

Plan a Carnival cruise Read the Carnival guide
Your review

Sailed or stayed with Carnival Cruise Line? Tell the next traveler.

Every review is read by a person before it goes live. Reviews from trips we planned are marked verified.

No account needed. We may email you once to confirm it is really you.
VacationBooker travelers

Sailed Carnival with us? Tell the next person.

Reviews from our travelers are verified against a real booking and shown in full. Open your trip and use the Review tab.

Open my trips
Compare

Reviews for the other lines.

Virgin Voyages4.0 blended · 9,685 reviewsDisney Cruise Line3.9 blended · 2,532 reviewsCelebrity Cruises3.8 blended · 21,638 reviewsPrincess Cruises3.6 blended · 21,913 reviewsHolland America Line3.6 blended · 9,773 reviewsRoyal Caribbean3.5 blended · 45,272 reviewsNorwegian Cruise Line3.3 blended · 45,120 reviewsMSC Cruises3.1 blended · 14,819 reviews
A Carnival ship docked at the pier in Grand Turk

Ready to sail Carnival?

Tell us who is going and when. A person who has sailed it replies with the right ship, cabin and ports. No fee to you.

Start planning Surprise me
Plan a trip

Let's find somewhere fun.