Carnival or RCCL ?

[Indianamale]

Which would be better for our group? We will have 2 of us late 30's and 2 early 70's . We cruised carnival last year to Bahamas on the Sensation, we felt the ship was to small and outdated for our taste. Any help would be great, thanks.

[patseacruiser]

I like Royal Caribbean so of course, that's what I'd probably say but you don't really give me enough information to make a reasonable decision. Port you would be leaving from, how many days, where have you already been? Any info for us?

[TrentS]

Royal Caribbean is vastly superior to Carnival... Go for a Royal Caribbean Voyager or Freedom class ship, they appeal to all age groups, are spectacular ships, and have more onboard than anything else afloat.

[Indianamale]

We are looking at the Majesty of the seas from Miami 11/9-11/13 . We have been to Nassu and Freeport. We are just looking for a nice ship. I am sorry for the lack of info but I am new to all this. LOL I can answer any other questions that might help.

[April-in-NC]

The shorter cruises to the Bahamas (3-5 nights) tend to have older, smaller ships. This happens on both Carnival and RCI. If you want a larger/newer ship you will need to do a longer cruise.

 

Also, across the board the two lines are more similar than they are different. There are slight differences between the lines and each line does something better than the other.

[TrentS]

We are looking at the Majesty of the seas from Miami 11/9-11/13 . We have been to Nassu and Freeport. We are just looking for a nice ship. I am sorry for the lack of info but I am new to all this. LOL I can answer any other questions that might help.

 

Well Majesty is an older ship, smaller by today's standards, and the regular cabins are quite small. Why not go for a 7 day cruise on a newer bigger nicer ship?

[momofmeg]

Royal Caribbean is vastly superior to Carnival... Go for a Royal Caribbean Voyager or Freedom class ship, they appeal to all age groups, are spectacular ships, and have more onboard than anything else afloat.

 

No, as a woman 50 plus, I did not care fro the voyager class. It was too crowded for me, and as I did not want to do the extras such as rock climbing and ice skating, it had little appeal. However, a family with children and grandparents, the grandparents would enjoy it for their grandchildren's sakes.

 

I actually think HAL vista class ships would be a good choice for both ages, since no children are mentioned.

[momofmeg]

We are looking at the Majesty of the seas from Miami 11/9-11/13 . We have been to Nassu and Freeport. We are just looking for a nice ship. I am sorry for the lack of info but I am new to all this. LOL I can answer any other questions that might help.

 

I did find the Sovereign of the Seas (sister ship to Majesty) much more attractive than Fascination-but yes-the staterooms are tiny at 120 square feet.

[momofmeg]

We are looking at the Majesty of the seas from Miami 11/9-11/13 . We have been to Nassu and Freeport. We are just looking for a nice ship. I am sorry for the lack of info but I am new to all this. LOL I can answer any other questions that might help.

 

I can understand that perhaps a 7 day is not in your budget at this time.

If you could wait until December, Princess is doing a couple of short cruises for a good price-you would like Princess better I feel.

 

Also, navigator of the seas (voyager class) does do 4 and 5 day cruises-that would be more reasonable.

[Indianamale]

Thanks for all the help so far. I guess we have to go on a smaller ship. It will be a few days before we decide so any more ideas would be of great help. Thanks

[ATL2LAS]

Try the Carnival Destiny. It is larger than the Fantasy class ships and would be alot better than the Majesty. I cruised on the Sovereign her sister before they moved/renamed her. The cabins are very small. The Destiny does 4 and 5 day cruises so they will be very resonable for the time you want to go.

[GeckoGirl]

Also, navigator of the seas (voyager class) does do 4 and 5 day cruises-that would be more reasonable.

 

I agree with this, we were on her sister ship the Mariner and LOVED it. We went with me and hubby mid 40's, and some friends who were in their early 30's and late 30's and we all had a blast. Played mini golf, went ice skating, played basketball, my friend climb the rock wall. Never felt it was crowded at all.

 

We had a promenade room which was 152 sq ft and overlooked the promenade area and could watch the parades from our room.

 

So if you can get the Navigator for a short cruise, I would recommend it. We did sail on the sister ship of the Majesty (Sovereign) it was nice but rooms were tiny. I prefer the bigger ships but some prefer the smaller ones.

[silentbob007]

I think I'd give the edge to older RCCL ships over older Carnival ships, but the standard inside or oceanview cabins are TINY on RCCL.

[Keith1010]

I think you will not get anything conclusive from this question. Those who prefer Carnival will say Carnival. Those who prefer RCI will say RCI. Since you have experience on Carnival you should research RCI. Go to their web site to read all about the ship including its size and when it entered service. And go to the cruise board for RCI to see what people say about the cruise line and the ship. Figure out what most people say are the positives and the drawbacks with RCI and compare that to your experience with Carnival. If you didn't have a good experience with Carnival it would seem to me that you would want to try another cruise line.

 

Keith

[printingchick]

I've cruised both lines.

 

I used to cruise exclusively with Carnival. They tend to have the best prices (not always, but in general) and I was young and single and drawn to the "Fun Ships". When I researched cruise ship personalities, the party-time atmosphere sounded like my kind of place.

 

I'm a 40-something now and, while I still enjoy the FUN stuff, I also like a little more luxury and sophistication thrown in. I used to love all the chrome and neon decor of Carnival. Now I find it a bit loud and tacky.

 

I would absolutely cruise Carnival again for the right price and itinerary. I enjoyed my Carnival cruises. I will tell you that I enjoyed those on larger, newer ships much better. I believe I read that Carnival recently did a total revamp of their Fantasy Class, which is good news. Some of those ships were in truly bad shape. You'd probably enjoy Carnival more if you sailed on a newer ship.

 

Since your travelers are of very different generations, I'd think the more middle-of-the road experience on Royal Caribbean would be more appropriate. Here are some thoughts:

 

The Younger Passengers will enjoy:

• The Sexy Legs Contest, which is just like Carnival's Hairy Chest contest.
  
• A lot of sporty activities such as (not all these are on every RCCL ship) the rock climbing wall, in-line skating, ice-skating, crew versus passenger dodge ball competition, crew versus passenger water volleyball competition and the FlowRider.
  
• The Quest Show - an audience participation scavenger-hunt type of game. That's all I'll tell you; it's more fun if you go in cold. Game has an adult theme - bringing kids along is discouraged.
  

The Older Passengers will enjoy:

• The more sophisticated decor feels much more upscale and tranquil.
  
• The Solarium/Adult-only pool area is absolutely gorgeous. Each ship's solarium has a different decor but all are really amazing. It's a quiet place to escape all the activity at the main pool.
  
• The Windjammer, casual dining buffet area, has a waitstaff to help you find a table or bring you your drinks. You don't have to juggle your breakfast plate and coffee cup while searching for a place to sit. A waiter will bring you coffee...and keep your cup filled.
  

EVERYONE will enjoy:

• The parades on the Royal Promenade (Voyager Class and newer).
  
• The 70's party! Great time!
  
• The entertainment in the Piano Bar.
  
• The ice show (Voyager Class and newer).
  
• The Love & Marriage Game. (Very funny! They have it on Carnival as well.)
  
• Mini-golf. It may be just ok on land, but on the ocean, mini-golf awesome!
  

Good luck!! Let us know how it goes!