Is Royal Caribbean REALLY better than Carnival??

REALLY curious if there's any truth to this. What's your opinion?

REALLY curious if there's any truth to this. What's your opinion?

Did you really expect to find many on the RCI board who wouldn't claim that RCI is definitely better than Carnival? Post the poll on Carnival and you will likely get polar opposite results. Truth has little or nothing to do with it. There is no absolutely correct answer to your question. We have cruised on both lines as well as several others but found that RCI was a much better fit for us. That doesn't mean that we couldn't have a good cruise on Carnival, but it is unlikely that it would be as enjoyable as an RCI cruise FOR US. I'm not a fan of the Joe Farcus school of design and so the decor on Carnival ships, for me, is a turn-off. That's part of my reason for preferring RCI. For others, Carnival or some other line would be a better fit than RCI. It really depends on the individuals involved, their previous cruise experiences, their tastes, expectations etc. There is no one line that is "best" for everyone and wouldn't life be boring if there was. :)

Not voting as I haven't sailed Carnival.

Isn't this completely subjective? I mean, I've seen members here whose signature read all Carnival cruises... obviously, they will say something different that I would say.

It's such a blessing to have choice. Different lines offer different things, some that people like and some they do not like. I'm glad I can put my money down on a product which suits me best. But the person sitting beside me may put his/her money on something different entirely.

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For me it depends on the ship and itinerary. I usually prefer the RCI ships but with that said, Carnival Freedom is one of my favorites due to the layout, etc.

Also, not a fan of the huge mega ships like Oasis. Personal preference of course;)

Voyager class -- ice rink a big perk -- great shows! Staff is always smiling and trying extra hard to please on RC. Perks are the best when you join C&A. Vicki:)

Really is a matter of opinion. That being said, we have cruised with Carnival, NCL, and RCI. I like Carvinal the least. The decor on the ship was not my style, and I thought the food in the MDR was very poor.

Definitely think RCI is a better overall experience -- lots of really small differences really add up, and my personal preference is for the style and feel of Royal ships. That being said, our Carnival cruises were bargains compared to what we paid to sail RCI, and we still had a great time. I can certainly see why people find CCL a good value.

Guys, of course it's subjective. Of course it's a matter of opinion.

THAT IS WHAT THE OP IS LOOKING FOR.....your personal opinion. Geesh. Just answer or don't. No need to criticize the OP in the very first page of comments.

I didn't vote and can't comment as I've only sailed RC.

For me it depends on the ship and itinerary. I usually prefer the RCI ships but with that said, Carnival Freedom is one of my favorites due to the layout, etc.

 

Also, not a fan of the huge mega ships like Oasis. Personal preference of course;)

Neither is BETTER. It's personal preference. I used to sail exclusively on Carnival. Now I tend to sail exclusively on Royal. Lately I'm toying with trying out Celebrity - primarily because I tend to like the smaller ships and RCL is tending toward the mega ships. I agree with tdogcruiser on that fact. If RCL ever phases out Radiance class, I may find myself spending all my time over on the Celebrity boards!!!

Many people have a preference. I'm sure your results would be pretty much the same if you reversed it and posted on the Carnaval boards.

I personally don't think any cruise line or vacation choice is better than another. Its all about personal preferences and what is important to you on your vacation. Some will say the higher end lines are better but for me I would not enjoy the more formal atmosphere where someone else might not like the casual aspect of royal and carnival.

We had a good time on both lines and would sail either of them again as I found in many aspects that they were similar.

REALLY curious if there's any truth to this. What's your opinion?

And you thought you'd get WHAT opinion posting here? Did you post on your Carni threads as well....bet you got the same answer there only Carnival.:D After all, it's a matter of taste. I prefer RCCL, you prefer Carnival. Se la vie

Many people have a preference. I'm sure your results would be pretty much the same if you reversed it and posted on the Carnaval boards.

It is posted on CCL board. Check it out.

Many people have a preference. I'm sure your results would be pretty much the same if you reversed it and posted on the Carnaval boards.

Did they post it there also? Too lazy to go look.

It would not be fair to compare my first cruise, a Carnival cruise, to any of my RCI cruises when it comes to ships but the experiences on board have been more alike than different.

I would definitely cruise Carnival again but I just tend to lean to Royal Caribbean because Im trying to climb my way up the C&A ladder slowly and I like RCI ships better.

Both are mass market cruiselines catering to the same demographics. Its about personal choice.

On Royal Caribbean your treated like an honored guest.:)....Carnival, your just another passenger.:(.... On Royal Caribbean you dine.:)....On Carnival , you just eat.:(....On Royal Caribbean your cruising the open sea on a magnificent ship.:).... On Carnival, your just on a boat.:(... Enough Said!

I can't comment on this either since I never did a Carnival cruise HOWEVER of all my friends who did take both lines, all of them have overwhelmingly recommended Royal over Carnival...based on 1) nicer ship layouts for cabins and restaurant/bars, 2) service and 3) cleanliness and 4)quality of food.

I do believe in that adage of "you get what you pay for" and while I could cruise on Carnival to the same ports for a much, much lower price- I understand there are some trade offs in doing so. I have priced both RC and Carnival and 90% of the time, Carnival has the lower price...but I haven't done so because I am afraid of having a sub-par experience (much like some cruisers will never go back to an interior stateroom/cabin after experiencing a balcony or Junior Suite cabin).

With that said though, I agree it's personal preference. There are many details that won't matter to some, but those who are frequent cruisers- those details can impact overall enjoyment or expectations.

Another thing I am noticing (and that's just from lurking on all the Carnival boards) is the demographics that each line seem to attract...for ex- there is a very long (and hysterically funny) thread on the Carnival board titled "Crazy Tablemate Story" which resulted in about 45 pages of Carnival cruisers discussing the type of low-class, rude, judgmental, racist and narrow minded attitudes of fellow cruisers when dining in MDR...I have tried to see if there is a similar thread on the RCCL board but can't find one..,on my last cruise, we made friends with practically everyone we encountered...so I don't know..but I can't help but wonder whether the demographics who choose Carnival tend to be a bit more on the lower end than those at RCCL (I say in general...I know there are exceptions).;);)

CosmoLover - those threads have existed here, but this board has much better Hosts than the CCL board.

We have only sailed Carnival once. I have a friend in work who just sailed Carnival for the 10th time. Before this last cruise she had no interest to try another line. She was telling me today they are looking at the Breakaway or Oasis. She said that her and her DH love shows and Carnival is cutting back on them and for them, that is a deal breaker. RC has great entertainment. :)

We have sailed on both many times. Posters are correct; it it what you expect and what you get when you are n the cruise. Carnival tends to be a party ship with a crowd that is slightly younger and likes to stay up later. RCI crusers are a mix of ages and a little more conservative but not by much. I do not like the decor of Carnival being more what I call gaudy. The new RCI ships are just beautiful.

Last word on this. when we were ready to board on one of Carinival's ships the people that checked you in had the sillyist hats on that looked like ship smokestacks,. RCI people would not ever wear such stupid things.

Just an observation, not a sermon

Unbelievable.

We have sailed on both many times. Posters are correct; it it what you expect and what you get when you are n the cruise. Carnival tends to be a party ship with a crowd that is slightly younger and likes to stay up later. RCI crusers are a mix of ages and a little more conservative but not by much. I do not like the decor of Carnival being more what I call gaudy. The new RCI ships are just beautiful.

Last word on this. when we were ready to board on one of Carinival's ships the people that checked you in had the sillyist hats on that looked like ship smokestacks,. RCI people would not ever wear such stupid things.

 

Just an observation, not a sermon

I voted they are more equal,but comments like this is why we are only Platinum on RCI as well as CCL. There seems to be a difference in passengers attitudes towards others.:confused:

cruise girl 2002 say the cake is better on the Carnival board , so you should probably go Carnival.

Did you really expect to find many on the RCI board who wouldn't claim that RCI is definitely better than Carnival? Post the poll on Carnival and you will likely get polar opposite results. Truth has little or nothing to do with it. There is no absolutely correct answer to your question. We have cruised on both lines as well as several others but found that RCI was a much better fit for us. That doesn't mean that we couldn't have a good cruise on Carnival, but it is unlikely that it would be as enjoyable as an RCI cruise FOR US. I'm not a fan of the Joe Farcus school of design and so the decor on Carnival ships, for me, is a turn-off. That's part of my reason for preferring RCI. For others, Carnival or some other line would be a better fit than RCI. It really depends on the individuals involved, their previous cruise experiences, their tastes, expectations etc. There is no one line that is "best" for everyone and wouldn't life be boring if there was. :)

look at this on the carnival poll almost 2-1 prefer RCI

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/poll.php?do=showresults&pollid=5145

I answered you on the CCL board as well. So to be brief I will just say that both have their strengths and weaknesses. Although I will be cruising with RCI almost exclusively from now on due to what Carnival has done to their past guest program.