Royal Caribbean VS Carnival

[Singer4Him]

As you can see in my signature, I've only cruised with CCL but I'm considering RC for our next cruise. For those who have cruised on both lines, could you give me some pros & cons for each? Which do you prefer and why?

 

The particular ship that I'm looking at is the Voyager of the Seas and it seems to have quite a few things that I've not seen on CCL. Also, has anyone had a family suite? I would be interested in one but only if they have one that's mid-ship. Anyone have any experience with this? What's the price difference between a family suite and booking a balcony and interior room?

[caribbeanboy]

Do a very small search b/c there are TONS and TONS of comparisons.

[MrPete]

As you can see in my signature, I've only cruised with CCL but I'm considering RC for our next cruise. For those who have cruised on both lines, could you give me some pros & cons for each? Which do you prefer and why?

 

The particular ship that I'm looking at is the Voyager of the Seas and it seems to have quite a few things that I've not seen on CCL. Also, has anyone had a family suite? I would be interested in one but only if they have one that's mid-ship. Anyone have any experience with this? What's the price difference between a family suite and booking a balcony and interior room?

 

We loved our experience on our first RCCL vessel, Voyager class at that.

 

After SO MANY Carnival cruises, boarding the Explorer of the Seas, everything seems fresh and new again, not knowing what to expect.

 

My only downside was that I was rooked into thinking RCCL was a step up from Carnival, where you paid more, and got more.

 

Turns out, it's a step aside. Most things are alike between the two lines, but exploring what was different made the trip that much more enjoyable.

 

We came back having a whole bunch of new ships, and itineraries, at our fingertips.

 

Have fun!

[Cruising89143]

Some recent threads started within the last month.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1285134&highlight=carnival

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1280749&highlight=carnival

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1277443&highlight=carnival

[printingchick]

As you'll see from my signature, I've cruised on both.

 

I was once a DIE-HARD Carnival fan. I argued with people that it was the BEST cruise line, without having experienced any others. Yeah, I was one of THOSE people.

 

My first RCL cruise was on Adventure of the Seas, a Voyager class. A coworker of my traveling companion had taken that cruise and raved about it, so we booked it on his recommendation.

 

You'll also see from my signature that I have stayed with RCCL. Yes, there are many similarities. There are also some pretty clear differences.

 

DIFFERENCES:

• Royal Caribbean ships are better maintained. Adventure was far from NEW when I cruised on her, but she seemed so much newer than most of the Carnival ships I'd been on. No torn up carpeting, no sewage smell on the lower decks - everything looked pristine.
  
• Royal Caribbean has more innovative features, particularly on their larger ships. Ice rinks, in-line skating tracks, the FlowRider, etc. However, Carnival has water slides. I do miss those water slides.
  
• The decor. Everyone mentions it. I thought I liked the neon, screaming colors and Vegas-feel of Carnival. But I really prefer the less dated, more refined decor of Royal Caribbean.
  
• I find the service crew to be more friendly, in general, on Royal Caribbean. I've had cruise directors and activities directors who actually got to know my name. They seem really interested in each passenger as a person, rather than just as a customer.
  
• The Quest Game. I won't spoil it by telling you about it. JUST GO!!!
  
• The Royal Promenade, on Voyager class and newer RCL ships, is a deck that mimics being outdoors. There are pubs and restaurants with indoor/"outdoor" seating. There will be a couple of parades during your cruise. They are absolutely wonderful. They don't last long, but you really should go.
  
• The 70's Party! Even if you didn't grow up with disco, it's enormously fun. Don't miss it! My daughter and I always pack tacky 70s clothes to wear for the big event!
  
• Outdoor casual dining is available on all Carnival ships I've been on. Not so on Voyager Class Royal Caribbean ships. The buffet area is a lot nicer on RCL, but you will have to eat inside. (Radiance Class ships have outdoor dining.)
  

 

 

 

SIMILARITIES:

• Carnival has the Hairy Chest Contest. On Royal it's the Sexy Legs contest. Same game, different body part.
  
• Both ships have an ice-carving demonstration and a belly flop contest.
  
• I found food quality to be similar. I think the best main dining room food I've had was on Carnival, but Royal has a much nicer buffet.
  
• Both ships provide towel animals on your bed each night after the first night.
  
• Entertainment in the theatre is similar on both ships.
  

 

My next cruise is on the Voyager, even though we live in the northeast. ENJOY!!!

[BND]

Yep, more similar than not. That really hurts some people's heads, but it's true.

 

BTW, from what I hear, Carnival has Quest now too. Every Carnival ship I was on was very clean and very well maintained.

 

We do feel RCI ships ride better than Carnival ships because of the width to length ratios being higher on RCI.

[earn]

I have cruise RCl more times than CCL, and I am from Scotland so although we speak the same language our tastes may be very different! RCL cruises to date have all been on Voyager class, though we are cruising Liberty next year. My first cruise was on Voyager, and she is beautiful. The only CCl cruise we have taken was last year on Valor.

 

We are going back to RCL for the following reasons.

 

1. Our bays aged 12 and 9 now have always loved Adventure Ocean, but hated CCls kids club. They felt like the did not care as much and there seemed to be an atmosphere between staff members. Mightjust have been that cruise!

 

2. Myself and my husband really did not like the decor. It is just too brash for our taste. For us RCL win hands down on interior design across the whole ship.

 

3. Windjammer is far superior for dinner than the buffet on CCL, though to be fair I preferred the food in the main dining room on CCl, but really didn't like the booth seats and bright orange paint job!

 

4. Rock climbing and Flow Rider are big draw for the boys, and Liberty should have the big screen by the time we sail, which was a fantastic feature on Valor.

 

5. RCL just seems less 'loud'.

 

Why will we try CCL again?

 

1. It is cheaper and probably I can live with the decor for another week.

 

2. Lunch coices were superb. From fish and chips to Mongolian Wok. Alos liked the BBQ outside, and being able to eat outside.

 

3. We could take two bottles of wine on board.

 

4. Shows were better. Didn't see a bad one.

[Mack2]

More similar than different in terms of cruise quality (food, service, entertainment)

 

Carnival is a little more affordable, but the RCI ships have more of a "WOW! Lookit THAT!" factor.

 

 

I've sailed RCI, Carnival, Princess, Disney, and Celebrity... and I will say that I prefer to sail RCI with the family (kids 6-11 years of age)

 

My last cruise was aboard the Carnival Legend, and I would say that the kids' activities were better aboard RCI... The water slide was fun, but it wasn't like the H2O zone on the Freedom-class vessels or the amenities aboard the Explorer class vessels (rock climbing, ice skating)

 

I prefer the Royal Promenade to the Centrum-type common area. The Promenade-type area is just great, in general.

 

So... RCI, I guess you're paying more for the ship. The walls, ice-skating, Promenade (and the stuff on the Oasis-class ships). For basic "Get on a ship and cruise", Carnival is more affordable...

But the RCI amenities are so nice.

 

People have fun on whichever line they choose. Carnival and RCI's passengers are more alike than Celebrity and Princess's passengers (more families and people < 60y/o)...and from what I hear... HAL's ships are filled with MORE people who are a little past their golden years.

 

Disney is great for young families (no casino! NO CASINO!!! :eek: )

 

 

Worst passenger experience I had was aboard Princess. Cranky old people stink. I didn't have to get an earful from some guy who was suffering from macular degeneration when it came to my son, who suffers from juvenile macular degeneration on how to deal with blindness. Hey, at least he got 60+ years of vision before going blind, not 7 years. :mad:

[Monkeythyme]

This is just one person's opinion, but we have cruised RCL on Navigator of the Seas with a balcony, Sovereign of the Seas with an ocean view, and Navigator again with an inside promenade cabin. We loved that promenade cabin. We had a bird's eye view of the parades, and we could see if our favorite table at Cafe Promenade was available.

A promenade cabin can be hard to get, but I heartily recommend it. Just don't forget to pull the curtains before you undress.:D

[Monkeythyme]

Anyone have any experience with this? What's the price difference between a family suite and booking a balcony and interior room?

I forgot to mention in my preceding "promo" that Voyager class ships have some adjoining promenade cabins. May be less total space than a suite, but TWO BATHROOMS...WHEEEE!:)

[utopiahereicome]

My husband and I prefer Carnival when we are cruising by ourselves (without the grandkids) - a suite is affordable, we enjoy the ambiance and activities, and we have always been happy with the ships and the food. Neither of us are going to be doing any rock wall climbing, ice skating, etc...

But when we are travelling with kids, we think that RCI is better - more for them to do and see, better kids program in general.

So it really does depend on your personal priorities.

[BigAl]

As many others have already mentioned.... they really are VERY similar in many respects. Each has some pros and cons but really at the end of the day it depends on what "you're" looking for in a cruise.

 

RCI seems to spend more time on "Decor/Ship" where-as CCL tends to spend more on other things (better buffet etc) but in all honesty if you did a double blind test I doubt many people (who didn't know the differences ahead of time) couldn't pick one over the other.

 

Our "gang" (approx 20+/- cruisers) have gravitated over more to CCL just because we have more with them and are working towards the "Perks" when you reach a certain # of cruises with a cruise line. With that being said (speaking out of both sides of my mouth here) we're probably going on RCI next year to take the Oasis of the Seas. She was our "Sister" ship last week when we were on the Carnival Dream (Eastern Carib Itinerary) and looked like a lot of fun.

 

One thing I'm wondering is if RCI has any service like the Carnival Bon Voyage service where you can send your friends bottles of wine and premium liquor to their cabin as a gift from land. Does anyone know?

 

Keep in mind this is purely our own opinion and like other "things" every one has one and they all stink but your own!! LOL!

 

Regardless of which one you pick have a BLAST and take LOTS of pics! Also pack 1/2 as many clothes as you think you'll need and 5x as much $$$ :)

 

Allen

[NEMMRRC]

We've sailed both.

 

My wife was sorely disappointed there was no melting chocolate cake for dinner in the MDR on RCI. Also, she missed having a robe in our stateroom on RCI like we've gotten on CCL.

 

We had just as much fun on both though.

[graphicguy]

Have sailed both. Flip a coin. As most have said, they are more similar than different. I do prefer the food and service on Carnival (Conquest). However, as others mention, RCCL (I was on Liberty of the Seas) has the mall thing in the middle of the ship and the wave rider. Carnival has the water slide.

 

It really boils down to the itinerary you like the best regarding which cruise line you choose.

 

I like variety. I'm on the Freedom over the holidays. Probably next summer, I'll try out NCL just to see what that's like.

[firefly333]

Carnival now has the comedy club which apparantly is a step down to me, because no show was offered in the theater that night... to me this is a difference as I love the shows at night.

 

I will miss some perks I have on Carnival, a line at the purser's desk for platinum when its busy (and it sure was busy on my cruise last week with storms).

 

I was wowed by Voyager. The only thing on RCL is food is available fewer hours, and the buffet area is closed in between meals if you want to run in and grab a drink.

 

PS I found the beds on Voyager very hard. I had a hard time sleeping on them. I have a topper at home and Carnival has comfort bedding.

[Jimnbigd]

To, me, RCCL has better:

* Music, especially the ship's band (orchestra)

* Places to relax on the ship. Viking Crown. Deck 4 outside. Solarium.

 

Carnival has better:

* Showers in the cabin. Much larger.

* Prices

[laumicmah]

 

One thing I'm wondering is if RCI has any service like the Carnival Bon Voyage service where you can send your friends bottles of wine and premium liquor to their cabin as a gift from land. Does anyone know?

 

 

 

Allen

You can get wine and different gift baskets and such, but no liquor.

[tracyanns]

I am going to keep this short and sweet...

 

I cannot help you with the family suite question, but I prefer 2 seperate rooms so we have more room and 2 bathrooms...just offers more privacy.

 

As far at the cruise lines...VERY similar. I actually prefer CCL a bit more but we LOVE our RCCL cruise as do we enjoy our NCL cruise. I like to cruise different lines just to see the different ships and how things work.

 

Give them a try and see what you think...how can you go wrong on any cruise really?

[Jimnbigd]

...how can you go wrong on any cruise really?

 

Um, er, the Titanic?

[ImmortalxKiss]

Just off of Grandeur last week ..I did a review talking about all the differences ..see it here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1285134

[wantocruisemore]

I also have some comparisom questions that I have searched and not really found the answers to.

 

Have been on a Carnival and will be next month as well. We're trying to decide between a European land vacation and a Mediterranean cruise (3 generations, 3 families). I usually pick cruises based on price/itinerary/dates.

 

If we go the Mediterranean route looks like RCCL has the best overall for us, the Navigator of the Seas.

 

In trying to figure out bookings, does RCCL have an Early Saver rate with a price guarantee like Carnival?

Upgrades possible?

Does Navigator have side by side balcony rooms where the balcony divider/partition can be opened up into a large balcony?

 

The room designations on the ship seem confusing. With Carnival the rooms are usually blocked off by sections, with RCCL they are jumbled all together. Any really good "secret" rooms that have perks like larger or larger balcony at the lower price?

Any rooms (or decks) to avoid?

 

Can the kids be in a room across the hall from parents balcony room? By kids, I mean 21, 19. 17 & 15 yoa.

 

Is it better to go through a TA or will the direct person at RCCL be just as much or more help with advice?

 

Those are just a few, I'm sure I'll think of many later.

I just want to get this nailed down soon and pin the rest of the crowd down to making decisions.

Thanks.

[Monkeythyme]

To, me, RCCL has better:

* Music, especially the ship's band (orchestra)

* Places to relax on the ship. Viking Crown. Deck 4 outside. Solarium.

 

Carnival has better:

* Showers in the cabin. Much larger.

* Prices

 

But on a rough sea day you don't have room to fall down in the RCI shower.:D

[Jimnbigd]

But on a rough sea day you don't have room to fall down in the RCI shower.:D

 

Funny. :p

[ImmortalxKiss]

Definitely bigger showers ..and cabins on Carnival!

 

But how much are you in the cabin? For us, not very much.

[Aquahound]

Definitely bigger showers ..and cabins on Carnival!

 

But how much are you in the cabin? For us, not very much.

 

I always find these general comments interesting. In my USCG career, I've been on board almost every ship class of each cruise line. This statement might be true when comparing specific ships like Fantasy Class to Sovereign Class, but not the entire cruise lines. I know I've stayed in larger rooms on RCI that were bigger than the same room class on certain Carnival ships.