Royal Caribbean VS Carnival

[CptSticky]

Um, er, the Titanic?

Oh come on. They gave free swimming lessons didn't they?

[msproles]

I have sailed both, once on the Enchantment and then on the Carnival Fascination. Both were enjoyable, would definitely feel good going on either cruise line. I would give RCI a slight edge on the basis of 2 things. I felt RCI had better food, and the Windjammer beats the Carnival buffet easily. The other thing is that the Enchantment seemed to have a better layout to get around on. Carnival did have a better casino though. Can't really use it to compare, but the Cruise Director on the Enchantment was great, but that probably varies depending on your sense of humor and I wouldn't use it to compare lines.

[DebJ14]

We're been on Carnival, RCI, Celebrity, Holland America and Princess as well as some lines that are defunct.. The main difference that I have seen is the noise level - Carnival cruises are just noisier in general due to all the announcements. Food used to be alot better on Carnival, but RCI has improved. Cruised on both the Voyager and the Conquest this year and the food was a draw in the MDR. Carnival's late night offerings have gone way down hill - only pizza, hot dogs and hamburgers on the Lido at night. The best thing about RCI over Carnival are the suite perks. We usually get an OS (old Cat 11) on Carnival. The only perk for suite guests is the priority embarkation and debarkation. The perks we get on Carnival are only because of our Platinum status (equivalent of Diamond on RCI). With a GS or higher on RCI you get a whole lot more. We are booked on the Voyager in a GS again in Jan 2011. I like the suites on the new Carnival ships, but they need to give you something else to justify the huge price differential between the suite and a balcony cabin.

[3redheads]

I did a lengthy review/comparison last August. Here's a link to it:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1056421

[salty dingo]

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

Never been on RCI but I have an open mind. Not loyal to any line but have only tried Carnival and NCL plus once on Celebrity.

 

As an outsider, I can only say my impressions from viewing thousands of posts and reviews... RCI has a reputation of being more expensive and having nicer ships but in reality is pretty much the same as all the other mass-market lines in service quality, food, etc.

 

So, it seems some people value the ship more than the cruise and the destination. I'm seeing that a lot with the newest crop of ships being delivered to NCL and Carnival. People are all gaga to go on the latest and greatest vessel.

 

Those new ships are a turn off for me. They are more crowded and expensive and can fit into fewer ports.

 

So, if the main draw is the ship experience and not the cruise and the itinerary and the price, then I'm likely not to be drawn in. I'll give RCI every opportunity to win my business though, and if they offer the right cruise at the right price at the right time for me, I'll be happy to give them a try!

[Singer4Him]

Wow! Thanks, everyone for your comments and opinions. It seems as though RCI has a slight edge over CCL. I was somewhat disappointed in the food last week on the Triumph. It almost seemed as though they tried to be overly fancy with everything, IMHO. For the Taste of Nations buffets, they would often have several things that I had never even heard of before. I can understand having one or two but I honestly got tired of having to eat burgers or pizza because I didn't find anything on the buffet that was appealing.

 

Other than that, we were very satisfied with it. The bathroom was significantly larger than the ones on the Fantasy. At first, I thought it was because we had a balcony room on this cruise but our kids had the same size bathroom in their interior room, too.

 

Thanks again for all the comments. I look forward to reading any more that anyone has to post.

[BND]

I met an older man on an RCI cruise last year who stated that RCI was superior to Carnival. I asked him if he'd ever been on a Carnival cruise and of course he said "no". He had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. And I found that out the more he talked about what he "knew" about Carnival, which wasn't much, except heresay.

 

BTW, we have definitely gotten larger and higher category cabins on Carnival for a lower price when compared to RCI. I think more importantly is they are both mass market cruiselines and people are picking and choosing the somewhat unimportant aspects. I love when people start talking about decor. I think some are just looking for things to nit pick. The reasons we've gone with RCI recently are itinerary and size of ship. I could give a crap what art is displayed or what color the dining room is. But I would go on Carnival again in a heartbeat. In fact, we had a cruise on Carnival Pride scheduled for this Nov and it was cancelled due to a last minute drydock. We've always said Carnival's food is superior to RCI and Princess. I'm not wedded to any cruiseline because at the end of the day, we're only loyal to family and friends, not a corporation.

[sjcruiser]

I h ave sailed Carnival twice, and will be on my second RCI cruise in January. I like both lines, but wshen I was looking at a ship for January, RCI stood out more due to the Promenade, the onboard activities, the Solarium, and Windjammers. We were on the Explorer in November, and the only downside to RCI was that the club was empty most nights. Even those who were in their 50's-60's was asking where the action was at night. There were alot of elderly onboard, but I think that was due to the holiday, and the time of year. Two of my favorite spots in Schooners and the Library. I trhink the open feeling of Schooners made it more inviting to anyone walking past, or you could come in and grab a seat and join in or not. I don't have any negative comments about Carnival, and will be sailing on them in August.

[wantocruisemore]

I have cruised Carnival before and enjoyed it. I have a cruise with Carnival set for next month. We decided on that one because my daughter wanted to visit Uxmal and the itinerary and price fit.

 

For next summer we're looking at Navigator for Eastern Med. It cruises out of Rome which we would like to spend extra time either pre or post cruise and the ports are right. The price is also comparable to Carnival for the same week.

 

When I hear my sister in law (who has only cruised Princess, HAL, Celebrity & RCCL once) say she would never cruise Carnival due to knowing the quality of the performers I laughed. It turned out she knew one that Carnival hired a few years ago for a few months. Based on this she said she would not consider Carnival.

 

I consider those things insignificant. It's whatever you are looking for. I'm looking for clean, safe rooms with good service, decent food, price and ports.

 

For these reasons I will always compare Carnival and RCCL and others and pick the one that fits our needs at the time most. It doesn't matter to me if the decor is glitzy or classic. Substance is what matters.

[Cruising Aussie Mum]

Admittedly, I have only sailed on each line one time - but I did not find them to be as similar as others have.

We sailed on RCI's Liberty of the Seas and on Carnival's Splendor - both when they were within their innaugural seasons.

While I suppose it is good that we gave Carnival a try, (not fair to say you don't like something you haven't tried) we will not be giving them a second chance.

Things we felt were good on both lines: our dining room staff, the food, the nighttime shows, the ports of call.

Things we felt were better on RCI: the kids club was much better organized, a far greater variety of daytime activities on the ship, the ship was much easier to navigate, the ship was more aesthetically pleasing, we loved the royal promenade, disembarking was much better organized.

Basically, we decided to give Carnival a go to save a few dollars and, a year later, I am still kicking myself for not sticking with RCI. I would say that our RCI cruise was a 9 on a 1-10 scale and our Carnival cruise was about a 5.

[nbsjcruiser]

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've done both and really enjoy both. The Voyager class ships really are something to see if you've never been on them. The Royal Promenade is pretty neat with its shops and pub. Also like the restaurant right on the promenade. Free donuts, cookies and Seattle's best coffee. Can't beat it. The 3 level dining room is huge as is the theater. Comparing the decor of the ship to Carnival I have to say I like RCI better.

 

Food is comparable on both lines with a slight edge to RCI for their Windjammer Buffet, service is comparable, value for your $$ goes to Carnival though. One thing I do like about the Voyager class ships is that there are plenty of deck chairs to be had everywhere and plenty of room to use them as well.

 

If you like Carnival, you'll like RCI. Have fun.

[Cruising89143]

Have to say that I am enjoying this thread over on the Carnivore board.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1288108

 

Seems that many of the natives are not happy. ;)