RCI Vision of the Seas or Carnival Valor

My husband and I are getting ready to book our first cruise and I can't seem to decide which to book. These two ships are the only two that fit within our time frame but neither seem to have great reviews. We will be sailing out of Galveston at the end of January 2018 and our choice is either a 4 night on RCI's Vision of the Seas or a 5 night on Carnival Valor.

We only get to vacation every 4-5 years plus we will be celebrating his birthday as well as our 1 year wedding anniversary while there (never got a honeymoon so this is as close as we will get). We are both in our 30's and consider ourselves to be foodies. Both thrill seekers, will definitely be taking advantage of the spa, not huge into nightclubs or dancing but love the theater. Also to note this will be the first time out of the US for both of us.

Seems like Carnival has more food options on board but RCI seems to be geared more towards adults. I'm leaning towards finding our own excursions rather than booking through the ship but I am also nervous about that since I have never been to these places before.

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

I would als post your question on the dedicated cruise line forums where you will likely reach more folks who have cruised on both ships.

Carnival: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=215

Royal: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83

That's a tough choice. If both were 4 nighters, I'd easily recommend Vision. I think Vision, and RCI in general, is a nicer cruise experience than Carnival. The design of the ship and the décor is much easier on the eyes than Valor. Service and food quality could go either way.

All in all, I think I'd still lean toward Vision but with you only vacationing once every 4-5 years, that extra day on Valor sounds very attractive. Good luck with your choice.

And for what's it worth...in my experience, the crowd on short Carnival cruises can be a bit more raucous than on a short RCI cruise. But again, that's just been my experience.

Been on Valor, but not on Vision. Food is subjective so I will pass on that.

Valor is an older ship, although very well taken care of. We enjoyed the shows and the crew was excellent.

I would go with the longer cruise.

What ever you pick, enjoy your cruise!!! :cool:

Been on Valor, but not on Vision. Food is subjective so I will pass on that.

Valor is an older ship, although very well taken care of. We enjoyed the shows and the crew was excellent.

I would go with the longer cruise.

What ever you pick, enjoy your cruise!!! :cool:

Valor is an older ship, built in 2004, 110,000 tons. Vision is an...older ship, built in 1998, 78,000 tons. Go for the longer cruise. It will still seem too short. EM

Royal Caribbean is a class above, BUT Carnival is giving you 1 night extra (25% more) for the same price!

So definitely go for Carnival. It will have a younger party crowd (your age) and be loads of fun!

Both of those short cruise will attract similar guests .

Depending on time the year , these can be party people .

Both are older ships without the bells & whistles that you see

on their tv ads that feature their newer ships, but can still provide a great cruise experience .

I would give my nod to Carnival as I prefer their lively dinning rooms and food overall .

Sent from my iPad using Forums

More days is always better for us. We will prefer Carnival over Valor. It would also be fun for your age.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Step it up. Go Vision! Great ship.

Thank you all for the suggestions. We ended up going with Carnival Valor sailing out of Galveston on January 22

Thank you all for the suggestions. We ended up going with Carnival Valor sailing out of Galveston on January 22

Bon Voyage!