RCCL or Carnival for first solo cruise?

I've cruised three times, all on RCCL. I've been on Allure once and Adventure twice, but have taken no solo trips to date. (I'm in my early sixties.)

I want to book my first solo trip in November. My favorite itineraries/dates are on Carnival Glory and Carnival Dream. There's also an Allure itinerary that's good, but it's 11/25 and I'd prefer earlier in the month.

I'm a little nervous to book on Carnival since I've read some negative dining room (and other) reviews. I don't care about meeting a lot of solos. But on RCCL, I've always been able to find decent, hot food (and healthy salads) in the Windjammer and have been OK with the MDR food for the most part.

Has anyone cruised RCCL and either the Carnival Glory or Carnival Dream? I'd love to hear some feedback about their food and any general comments.

Since so many here push NCL for solos -- they do have a November sailing with a decent itinerary, but it only visits three ports, and all the others are four.

Edited to add that it would be nice to meet people to talk with, solos or not, but I'm not looking for "singles my age" to meet.

I have been on the Glory 3 times. IMO Carnival does a good job in seating solos either with other solos or 2 people traveling together (sisters, mother-daughter, friends). I thought the food was decent and good choices. I don't eat meat but still found things to choose. Carnival has good lunch options. Food is very subjective but there is always something you can find.

Thanks, that helps!

I've done two Carnival and two RC. I prefer the latter but enjoyed the former. From a solo standpoint I didn't feel any significant difference.

I don't like Carnival at all, its way too noisy for me. I would recommend either RC or NCL.

Thanks for the additional input. I have a deposit on a Carnival cruise in Nov - I decided I'd see first hand what it's like since I really liked the itinerary, and it was less expensive.

Thanks for the additional input. I have a deposit on a Carnival cruise in Nov - I decided I'd see first hand what it's like since I really liked the itinerary, and it was less expensive.

I've sailed solo on Carnival Splendor, Sunshine and Pride and found them all to be great. I never felt awkward and met a lot of nice people on deck, casino, bars, shows etc., but prefer a table of one for dinner if I'm dining at the MDR or specialty restaurants. One experience of a "nightmare table' was enough for me (lol) and I don't like to linger through a meal since I rarely order more than an entree. I hate to sit through everyone's dessert and don't want to appear rude by getting up and leaving.

In the future I'd like to sail some other Carnival ships (and I'm open to other lines too) but have so far done the ones that don't require flying for me so I've sailed from NY and Baltimore. Makes it even easier.

Cape Liberty would actually be closer for me to sail on RCCL but I have no desire to sail on Anthem due to it's size.

Carnival sometimes has deals for singles but I usually get a repeat casino offer so it makes it more tempting since the trip is almost free...:D

Next up is another Pride in September. The best thing about solo travelling is there's no one to worry about except YOU!

I've done 10+ cruises on both Carnival and RCCL-and I think the date of your cruise has a much bigger affect on the number of singles than the cruise line you choose. You are going to more likely meet more singles when the kiddies are in school and singles ain't. Prices go down which makes cruising single less expensive whether you pay 100% supplement or not. As far as comparing Carnival and RCCL its pretty much the luck of the passenger draw but I do give a slight advantage to Carnival for late nite single entertainment. Carnival's dedicated disco venues are better than RCCL's make-shift venues since they first went with the Crypt concept and then abandoned it and have gone back to the Viking Crown Lounge which is pretty isolated from the rest of the ship. Carnival pretty much nailed the disco concept while RCCL seems to not be sure what it wants to do. The mere placement of the Carnival disco on the "main drag" encourages more passengers to give it a shot after a late night show. Another example-Carnivals bar at the back of the venue faces toward the dance floor encouraging more involvement while RCCL's bar has seating on the outside circling away from the dance floor encouraging separation. However, I generally prefer RCCL ships in most every other aspect.

I can only speak about Carnival solo cruising. Want to try RCCL but the solo pricing even for inside on the expensive side for dates that would work for me.

I have sailed on the Dream a few years back when it was sailing out of Port Carnvial. Solo sailing. Had a great table 8 top. Four friends from North Carolina and myself and three solo cruisers. We were on late dining and often one of the last to leave. One night we all went to the comedy show together. One of the four did a tour with me (her friends didn't want to visit Maya ruins) and on sea days we hung out on the deck with the hot tubs,plenty of lounge chairs and peaceful.

Enjoyed the ship and ports.

I'm sailing on her again in December. Overall been quite lucky with my fellow solo cruiser at dinner on Carnival. In fact still in contact regularly with another solo I've sailed with in 2005.

I like Carnival because even with the hated single cost, I can still find a rate that I can deal with. Also there are two ports under an 8 hour drive. Good value to me

I haven't cruised in years, so maybe my post is outdated now, but I remember reading that CCL and RCI handle assigned MDR seating differently.

From what I remember, RCI does it randomly by a computer. It may sound "fair", but could result in awkward situations. You could find yourself, as a single person, seated at a table with young children and/or newlyweds. Not exactly a good match, even if the people are good sports about including you in conversations. It's not difficult to do a "manual override" by seeing your maitre d' before the first night's dinner and asking to be reseated, but it's an extra step to worry about.

Seating on CCL is done manually by the maitre d', who tries to match people up by marital/familial status and age. While it's not perfect, you at least have people of similar demographics seated together. I got along smashingly with my tablemates in the past, and hung out with them on the ship and in ports. So with everything else being equal, I give an edge to CCL for being more solo-friendly. Granted, you might not get along with everyone, but every little bit helps.

I have done 5 solos on Carnival and one on Royal Empress of the Seas.

First, I always had a great time on Carnival and I have requested both solo shared tables and at other times a table just by myself. There has been no problems either way. If I had to pick a ship I would say Carnival Dream is the one to take. Just remember to make sure you are walking in the right direction, at first I would find myself at times at the wrong end of the ship and it was a long walk to the other end.

Because I have done 12 cruises on Carnival I know where the best food is, On Royal it was all new. I was pleasantly surprised, I enjoyed the quality of the food on the Lido deck. I did not enjoy the dining rooms as much as Carnival but like I said this was my first trip with them.

In December I will be doing Royal's Symphony of the Seas and next year Carnival's Horizon so you see all the ships are fun.

12 Carnivals

2 NCL

1 Holland America

1 Royal Carribean

I must have accidentally unsubscribed from this thread, and just saw the additional replies. Thanks all! I did the final payment on my Carnival Nov cruise yesterday, and I'm really excited about it!

I’ve sailed RCCL and both the Glory and the Dream always sailing solo.

I don’t think there is a huge difference, solo-wise. I don’t think either Cruiseline caters to the solo cruiser in really any way. I will agree with the point raised by others that I would give the nod to Carnival due to dinner seating arrangements. I always have chosen late seating and always ended up with congenial and compatible dining companions, some of whom I arrange to sail with again. On RCCL, I only once made a new friend during dinner, to the point that I now choose specialty dining packages and eat alone.

The truth is, if you want to meet people and are outgoing, you will. If you prefer to keep to yourself, you will. I have done both, on both Cruiselines.

Enjoy your cruise and you do you! (P.S. if you are sailing the Dream, consider the spa pass.)

i have sailed solo on royal, carnival and ncl. i prefer royal. but if you are going strictly to meet other solos ncl is probably best.

i have sailed solo on royal, carnival and ncl. i prefer royal. but if you are going strictly to meet other solos ncl is probably best.

Yes, I forgot to mention them but both solo trips on NCL using inside cabins (not solo cabins) were great too.

On 8/20/2018 at 6:44 PM, RW_MI said:

I must have accidentally unsubscribed from this thread, and just saw the additional replies. Thanks all! I did the final payment on my Carnival Nov cruise yesterday, and I'm really excited about it!

Did you go - Carnival is good for solo?

7 hours ago, CanadaGuyEh said:

Did you go - Carnival is good for solo?

Yes, I went and had a great time!  They may have had a single/solo gathering (seem to remember one scheduled?), but if they did, I missed it. Fine with me, since I wasn't looking for solo-specific activities. 

I met enough people around the ship and on excursions to make it very comfortable - I didn't want to go a week without talking to anyone.

I opted for shared dinner seating when available (only a few nights since the MDR wasn't as busy as normal apparently), and that was a nice way to meet people.  When shared wasn't available, I was usually at a two-top adjacent to other two tops. I didn't want to intrude on my neighbors in case they wanted a quiet dinner for two, but every night, they'd start conversations.  People were just friendly!  

I'm on the Dream solo this coming Spring (2019). I'm so excited about this new adventure of mine!  But, yeah the BUT, the little girl in me is nervous about dinner time. Today is 99 days (per Carnival) and I surprised myself about my reaction!  I've been a little apprehensive, but reading 99 days. ....😧

So, I think I'll start coming by here and reading others experiences. How they handled the dining question. Please keep the positive posts coming! 🍽 👀

🌸🌸 Bobbi 

I enjoyed dining in the MDR. I always took a book to read in case I needed it, and a healthy dose of attitude.  Key to enjoying my cruise, including dinner, was to leave the "pitiful" mindset home.  It's just fine to be alone, and there people who are part of couples/groups would love to change places.  You're free to do what you want, and doing something a lot of people would be afraid to do.

I asked for a shared table when available, and met some great people.  A few nights I needed to be at a two-top, and that was OK too.  If there was a couple sitting next to me, I'd let them start a conversation, so I was sure I wasn't intruding.  There was only one night that I ended up reading much of my book - the table on one side was empty, and on the other were two women who didn't speak English.

You'll be fine and have a great trip!

I haven't cruised since 2013, so things may have changed since then, but this is what I recall.

Carnival's assigned dining is determined by the maitre d'.  He will often group people by age and marital/familial status.  That is, newlywed couples with newlywed couples, parents and kids with parents and kids, etc.  Basically, people most likely to bond socially over a shared life stage.  Solos often end up sitting with demographics most receptive to meeting new people: laid-back long-time couples, groups of friends, groups of siblings, etc.  I've met and even gotten "adopted" by cool tablemates that way. 

Royal Caribbean's assigned dining is determined randomly by a computer.  This may seem fair and equitable, but it has a big caveat.  A young childfree single man may end up sitting with a group of married seniors or with a family with small children.  Pretty awkward, if you ask me.  The computer-generated seating can be manually overridden by the maitre d', but it requires a special visit to the MDR after the first night's dinner, and the slight awkwardness of later running into people you moved away from.

Among the extensive research I did, this is what clinched my decision to choose Carnival for my first cruise back when, along with the lower price.