Enchantment vs. Carnival Pride

[sapperson]

I have my family of four and my sister's family of 3 planning a cruise in Late July or Early August. I can book a bigger stateroom for a 7 night itinerary on Carnival as opposed to a 5 night itinerary to Bermuda in a smaller room with Royal. Why is Royal charging so much more per night that Carnival? My wife and I have been very loyal to Royal, having gone on 4 an 5 cruises with them, respectively. We really do love Royal, but in this down economy, we are price shopping more than usual. Can anyone comment about the differences between the two? Is there any reason NOT to give Carnival a chance in this scenario?

 

Thanks, Critics!

 

Chuck

[Hokiefan01]

A lot of the difference here between the two is the destinations of the two trips. The reason for Bermuda being so high is they have high port charges which are passed on to the consumer. That is the reason most of the time, but the RCCL Bermuda trip is always higher than a 7 night RCCL to Bahamas. Try and compare two similar destinations for a more accurate price. If you are stuck to a specific time frame and price is an issue choose that, you will still be happy.

[kruzerci]

I have my family of four and my sister's family of 3 planning a cruise in Late July or Early August. I can book a bigger stateroom for a 7 night itinerary on Carnival as opposed to a 5 night itinerary to Bermuda in a smaller room with Royal. Why is Royal charging so much more per night that Carnival? My wife and I have been very loyal to Royal, having gone on 4 an 5 cruises with them, respectively. We really do love Royal, but in this down economy, we are price shopping more than usual. Can anyone comment about the differences between the two? Is there any reason NOT to give Carnival a chance in this scenario?

 

Thanks, Critics!

 

Chuck

 

This is one of the few scenarios where I would pick Carnival considering neither and the newest and best ships and Carnival is 2 days longer.

[jerseyralph]

I have my family of four and my sister's family of 3 planning a cruise in Late July or Early August. I can book a bigger stateroom for a 7 night itinerary on Carnival as opposed to a 5 night itinerary to Bermuda in a smaller room with Royal. Why is Royal charging so much more per night that Carnival? My wife and I have been very loyal to Royal, having gone on 4 an 5 cruises with them, respectively. We really do love Royal, but in this down economy, we are price shopping more than usual. Can anyone comment about the differences between the two? Is there any reason NOT to give Carnival a chance in this scenario?

 

Thanks, Critics!

 

Chuck

 

For two extra nights, go with the Pride, It is a great ship. you will not be sorry.

[chachi]

Where is the Carnival ship going? That would be the deciding factor for me. If you really want to go to Bermuda, I would pay the higher price to go. If you like the Carnival itinerary too, I would pick that one. Itinerary is more important than price for me.

[dmwnc1959]

With all the mediocre reviews regarding the food on Enchantment of the Seas, and important as food is to me (not that I am a food snob), I would pick the Carnival Pride hands down. Several other recent complaints and threads remarking on bad service, smoking, odors, and the overall condition of the ship would steer me away from the Enchantment. Keep in mind that Bermuda cruises don't always go to Bermuda depending on what hurricane or tropical depression is storming up the east coast, so don't be too disappointed if you put all your eggs in one basket simply based on itinerary and it heads to Halifax instead. Carnival consistently gets better reviews on their food, service, entertainment, and overall customer satisfaction. Do a Cruise Critic 'search' on 'Enchantment of the Seas' and decide for yourself. If it were ME, it would be the CARNIVAL PRIDE.

[read52]

I have been on both ships because I am about 40 minutes from Baltimore. Both ships have good food but I prefer RCCL. RCCL has more activities than Carnival. But Carnival is cheaper in price. The rooms and age of the ships are about the same. The Pride goes to the Bahamas which we did twice and did not care for the ports. We loved Bermuda and have been there twice. But cruising is cruising so I would go on both again.

[sailawayjack]

:cool:

I have my family of four and my sister's family of 3 planning a cruise in Late July or Early August. I can book a bigger stateroom for a 7 night itinerary on Carnival as opposed to a 5 night itinerary to Bermuda in a smaller room with Royal. Why is Royal charging so much more per night that Carnival? My wife and I have been very loyal to Royal, having gone on 4 an 5 cruises with them, respectively. We really do love Royal, but in this down economy, we are price shopping more than usual. Can anyone comment about the differences between the two? Is there any reason NOT to give Carnival a chance in this scenario?

 

Thanks, Critics!

 

Chuck

 

:cool:As someone who is loyal to Royal, I would probably pick the carnival. Been to Bermuda before (8 days-Empress). Had three full days in Bermuda at three ports. Enchantment only offers 1 and a half days there because of size of ship. Even though I'm taking Enchantment to Bermuda in May, it was not my first choice. Been on one Carnival. Had balcony, literally first cabin off pool. Loved walking out door, and being on pool deck. BUT--I do love ships, service on Royal over the "glitz" of carnival. Thought I was in a bordello in vegas because of the purple lights and chrome LOL. Food, shows were actually better on Carnival.

[bus man]

I've been following this thread closely, as I too am curious about a comparison between the two ships. I've sailed RCI four times, including once on the Enchantment, and I had a wonderful trip each time. And Bermuda . . . it's hands-down my favorite port (not that I've been to all that many). But as you've noticed, the Carnival Pride does offer more days for less money, so that's an important consideration. And for the most part, the people who have sailed on her seemed to like her.

 

Here's a thought: RCI is going to offer 6-night Bermuda cruises from Baltimore starting in the spring of 2012. So maybe you could take the Pride this summer, and then do the Enchantment next year, and avail yourself of more time in Bermuda.

 

Whatever you end up doing, please come back and post a comparative review.

[KeywestK]

I've been on both Enchantment and Carnival Pride, and we much prefer RCI's all around product. You cannot beat their beautiful ships and their stellar service. I couldn't even make close to a similar statement about our experience on the Pride. Awful (really inedible at times) food, not great service, mediocre shows in the main show lounge, an Anytime Dining option that paled in comparison to our MTD option on RCI, etc. However, I will say that Carnival does do some things well--like robes in our cabin, lots of sample sized toiletries in our bathroom--that kind of thing. Another big turn off for me about the Pride was their Centrum area was the ugliest space I have ever seen--dark, closed in, totally unwelcoming in its feel.

 

When we booked our Pride cruise, we did it because it was a 7-night itinerary versus the Enchantment's 5-night Bermuda itinerary, for less money. After our Pride experience, we felt you get what you pay for. We should have done the Enchantment.

 

Feel free to check out my review of our Pride cruise to the Bahamas in October, 2010. It's under my CC name, KeywestK.

[torpeedo]

Suggest you go over to the Carnival board to read a current post by a recent Pride cruiser. Jazmine8 wasn't impressed, and she's getting a lot of flack for stating her opinion. I suppose if price is the primary or only criteria, the choice is obvious.

[dmwnc1959]

Suggest you go over to the Carnival board to read a current post by a recent Pride cruiser. Jazmine8 wasn't impressed, and she's getting a lot of flack for stating her opinion. I suppose if price is the primary or only criteria, the choice is obvious.

 

A female co-worker of mine cruised the Carnival Pride back in December and loved it. I cruise the Celebrity MERCURY the same week and our ships met in Nassau. We were going to meet up but she took a shore excursion being her first time there, it was however my um-teenth time visiting Nassau. She showed me pictures and said she had a ball. I guess to each his (or her) own. ;)

[GRANNYOFSIX]

We enjoy both Carnival and Royal and have been on both of these ships. If you are traveling with children I would definitely choose the Pride. If you are older (we are in our late 50's) you might enjoy Royal more........We had friends cruise on the Pride the same week we cruised on the Enchantment. Our friends were in their early 30's..........They loved the Pride as much as we loved the Enchantment............

[bjfitz0703]

The Pride is great. If you sail her be sure to pick the trip with the Half Moon Cay/Grand Turk ports. They are both great.

 

You get 40 percent more vacation on a 7 vs a 5 day trip. The Enchantment does not justify that normalized cost difference.

 

One last thing. You make the trip. All ships have some drawbacks. It is mainly what you make of it.

[tracey980]

I was just in the same situation as you. I was looking for a cheaper getaway for our family. We live 40 mins from the Port of Baltimore so I obviously started looking at those ships first. We have already been on the Enchantment twice and were looking for something different. I almost booked the Pride but am more loyal to RCCL – though for the right price I would sail either line again. In the end we decided to drive to Cape Liberty, NJ about two and a half hours away and board the Explorer to Bermuda. I think in the end we made the right choice for our family. I hope in the future RCCL and Carnival will bring some bigger ships to the Baltimore area.