Carnival v RCCL - some thoughts!

[catbaba20]

Im just back from my first Carnival Cruise having gone on a RCCL cruise previously and while it was fresh in my head I thought I would write down a few points of comparison and see if anyone else agrees/disagrees. I appreciate that as I am posting this in the Carnival forum, the answers may be a little one sided! I went RCCL Liberty of the seas and Carnival Liberty.

 

Pros for Carnival -

 

- The main dining room food is considerably better IMO. The desserts on RCCL were never edible and the entrees were hit and miss. On Carnival I genuinely enjoyed my meal every night and it didnt feel too much like mass dining fare. The appetizers were delicious and the selection was really pretty good.

 

-Free Room service all around the clock!

 

-The price. A huge factor! The prices are resaonable and RCCL is a little on the expensive side.

 

-Cabins are bigger and the provided amenity basket is great (although they could do with a flatscreen tv)

 

-I cannot imagine a better stop than Half Moon Cay! We stopped at RCCL's Labadee on the last cruise and there was no comparison.

 

 

Pros for RCCL

 

-I prefer the ship layout on RCCL. Maybe im not comparing like with like in terms of ship size etc but I love the promenade on Liberty of the seas. It felt so open whereas Carnival Liberty's promenade deck is really all about the casino.

 

-Okay this is a controversial one...the guests on RCCL win out over the guests on Carnival! It just seemed that they were a little classier. We met loads of lovely people on Carnival but there were also some guests that I would cross the street to avoid in the real world if u know what I mean. Had one or two bad experiences in that way :(

 

-Specialty Restaurants....I have to give it to RCCL on this one. We tried both Chops and Portofino on RCCL and they were cheaper than Harry's on the Carnival Liberty and the service was superior. In Harry's our waitress brought two members of our party the wrong appetizers/entrees and told us that she wouldnt be renewing her contract on board as the pay was bad- just didnt really reflect top notch dining.

 

-Entertainment was better on RCCL- i found the shows on carnival to be tacky to the extreme. None of the men in our party would go after the first night because they found the whole thing so cheesy!

 

-There was a little less of the "hard sell". It seemed like every 10 mins someone on carnival was coming over the loud speaker trying to get you to reserve Harrys, buy an underwater camera, order the DOD etc etc. It really felt as theough they were trying to milk every last dollar out of you on Carnival!

 

-Service was better. Although our stateroom attendant on Carnival was better and the bar staff on both ships were exceptional...RCCL pipped it on this one. Our head waiter wasnt very good. He referred to the tips we may give him at the end over and above what we had pre paid and we encountered one or two other staff members that were a little rude.

 

So what do you think? I completely understand that my comments are based on just two cruises but i think its interesting to compare. Overall, while I think RCCL is a better experience on the whole BUT I actually purchased a future cruise cretificate online for Carnival. I may have listed more pros for RCCL but I guess for me food and price are really the two biggest factors. I would rather pay $200 less pp and put up with a few things i dont like....

[firefly333]

I think its a oversimplification to say all cabins are bigger on carnival. I assume you were travelling in either a inside or OV?

 

Balconys, overall s.f. is larger on RCL on these 2 ships. JS vs. 9C, not even close. My JS on Liberty OTS was over 300 s.f. and the balcony over 100 s.f.. and suites dont come close to comparing.

 

I think people repeat this litany that carnival has bigger cabins as if its true of every category, not just the bottom categories... and spreads it as if its true people repeat it so often.. Im just going by facts, not subjective stuff like food.

 

I think Carnival no longer has shows in the main theater every night, so hard to compare. Everyone was all excited about the comedians, but no one guessed it was replacing things like the big magic show.

 

the rest of my carnival cruises, lots of good stuff, and I always enjoy them. I have heard coco cay is better than labadee, but until Im on Oasis I wouldnt know first hand.

[catbaba20]

I think its a oversimplification to say all cabins are bigger on carnival. I assume you were travelling in either a inside or OV?

 

Balconys, overall s.f. is larger on RCL on these 2 ships. JS vs. 9C, not even close. My JS on Liberty OTS was over 300 s.f. and the balcony over 100 s.f.. and suites dont come close to comparing.

 

I think people repeat this litany that carnival has bigger cabins as if its true of every category, not just the bottom categories... and spreads it as if its true people repeat it so often.. Im just going by facts, not subjective stuff like food.

 

I think Carnival no longer has shows in the main theater every night, so hard to compare. Everyone was all excited about the comedians, but no one guessed it was replacing things like the big magic show.

 

the rest of my carnival cruises, lots of good stuff, and I always enjoy them. I have heard coco cay is better than labadee, but until Im on Oasis I wouldnt know first hand.

 

 

I was comparing two ships that I have been on and they were both interior rooms FYI. I dont think I was generalising. I made it clear that I have only been on two cruises! Its just a discussion!

[firefly333]

Pros for Carnival -

 

-Cabins are bigger and the provided amenity basket is great (although they could do with a flatscreen tv)

 

 

I was comparing two ships that I have been on and they were both interior rooms FYI. I dont think I was generalising. I made it clear that I have only been on two cruises! Its just a discussion!

 

OK, to me "cabins are bigger" I just didnt read into it inside cabins are bigger, so now I know you only meant insides.

 

We pretty much agree on everything else.

[CorvetteLady]

We have only sailed on Carnival but since RCCL will soon have a ship in New Orleans we might want to give it a try. You have made some good observations.

 

I will say that with 9 cruises on Carnival I have never had a waiter mention extra tips. I think sometimes it is the ship, some seem to have friendlier crews. We have had average waiters & some really great ones. Only once did we have a problem & the maitre'd took care of it.

 

I have heard people complain about Carnival's hard sell, I have never really been bothered by it. I think the fact that you have to go to a specialty restaurant on RCCL to get good food is worse than the hard sell on Carnival.

 

We sailed once on NCL & thought the mix of people was the same as on Carnival. Some people think that RCCL has more snobs on it, it's one of the reasons we can't decide about going on RCCL. Also a lot depends on how you judge class, I've seen a lot of well dressed people that act like idiots. But other than this comment I thought you did a nice job on comparing the two lines.

[catbaba20]

We have only sailed on Carnival but since RCCL will soon have a ship in New Orleans we might want to give it a try. You have made some good observations.

 

I will say that with 9 cruises on Carnival I have never had a waiter mention extra tips. I think sometimes it is the ship, some seem to have friendlier crews. We have had average waiters & some really great ones. Only once did we have a problem & the maitre'd took care of it.

 

I have heard people complain about Carnival's hard sell, I have never really been bothered by it. I think the fact that you have to go to a specialty restaurant on RCCL to get good food is worse than the hard sell on Carnival.

 

We sailed once on NCL & thought the mix of people was the same as on Carnival. Some people think that RCCL has more snobs on it, it's one of the reasons we can't decide about going on RCCL. Also a lot depends on how you judge class, I've seen a lot of well dressed people that act like idiots. But other than this comment I thought you did a nice job on comparing the two lines.

 

 

I can appreciate what you mean about different ships and different staff. Sometimes the atmosphere on a ship can be conducive to hrder working staff members I guess.

 

When I talked about class I didnt mean social class really. Im not even American and would have no idea or no inclination AT ALL to judge people on this. Nor would I consider myself a snob at all. I just thought there were some rude people who were walking around the ship so drunk that they were impacting on other people negatively and it wasnt CLASS(y).

[firefly333]

 

I have heard people complain about Carnival's hard sell, I have never really been bothered by it. I think the fact that you have to go to a specialty restaurant on RCCL to get good food is worse than the hard sell on Carnival.

 

Its been since last fall since I was on RCL and unless things went downhill fast, I find the food about equal. I always find stuff on both that I like. Some nights on Carnival I dont like any of the entrees .. and I am not crazy about beef, so Im rather a picky eater and would not say you have to eat in the speciality restaurants on RCL to get good food.

 

both lines now add grilled shrimp I believe to smaller lobsters to stretch them for instance.

 

I always look forward to boarding RCL and finding the honey stung chicken for instance on the buffet the first day. I think RCL does the salad bars way better than Carnival and I love salads.

[Socref124]

I felt that RCCL and CCL are more alike than different. We had an inside on MOS and compared it to an inside on the Imagination and Carnivals inside cabins are larger.

We felt the food in the MDR on RCCL was slightly better and the service in the MDR was much better, however, our room stewards on CCL do a better job than on RCCL. imho.

We felt that the entertainment on Carnival was much better. It seemed like the choreography on RCCL was very amateurish.

The decor on RCCL was more elegant, but we do not have a problem with CCL's fun atmosphere.

The one thing that perturbed me was the CD on MOS put down CCL several times. I have never heard a CD on CCL, NCL or Princess put down another cruise line. I was shocked that he would say what he said. Totally unprofessional.

RCCL is much more expensive than CCL, at least when we have cruised and researched prices.

Free room service on CCL.

Tea time on CCL.

Cold soups on RCCL.

Guests, I saw more drunks on MOS than any other ship we have been on. There was a huge VFW group on MOS the time we were on her, so I guess it all depends on the demographics of each sailing.

LOL, CCL does do a hard sell, don't they? On NCL, the pool attendant (Alex, he was the best) kept our drinks full, but it wasn't a hard sell like on CCL.

Just my 2 cents worth.

[KansasK]

I have sailed more on RCI than on Carnival, but I think they offer a similar product. I prefer the way RCI's ships are decorated more and think most of their newer ships win hands down for being more innovative.

 

I think both have better food on some nights, and not as interesting food on other nights, but both try to offer good food in the main dining room. Both have made some cuts in food which are regrettable. I found desserts to be slightly better on Carnival, too.

 

I think the entertainment on RCI is better, also. I still go to the entertainment on Carnival, anyway.

 

On inside room and balconies, I think Carnival has bigger rooms. I think RCI's inside rooms are decorated better to make them feel less boxlike. A few more square feet is always good, though.

 

I don't think the formal night on RCI has dressed down as much as on Carnival, but that may be coming. On Carnival, people can bring their own soda cans to the dining room, which is economical and harmless, but did surprise me. On RCI you cannot bring 12 packs on soda on board, so this does not happen.

 

For seven day or longer cruises, I think the passengers are about the same for the most part. There are always some rude and drunk people from all economic classes on both ships. The trick is to avoid them.

 

Carnival is cheaper than RCI. Their fares are usually lower. Both cruise lines offer a good vacation experience.

[V8cruiser]

I think the food is better on Carnival, but the desserts were better on RCCL. My DH likes Carnival desserts better and the food the same.

As far as the class of the people, each sailing has a different clientel....good and bad on each.....

Dont care for the shows on either line, would prefer a GOOD live band....again both lines so far lack in this department.....

service was better on RCCL, but service has never been bad on CCL....again each sailing is different .

......bottom line for me, I havent been on enough to completely say one is better than the other.

[cruise_girl2002]

I have sailed on RCL freedom of the seas and a crap load of carnival ships...

the balconies for the balcony rooms are better on RCL...it was basically an extended balcony for carnival

 

the rooms on RCL were smaller (i had a balcony room on RCL and carnival)

 

closet space on RCL was CRAP! not much room in the closet at all. you could hang things and there were about 4 shelves

 

Entertainment on RCL wasn't good. no comedians the entire 7 days, the shows were pretty boring. i guess i like the carnival "vegas" style shows, but thats just me

 

the food is better on carnival. 1 night i couldnt find a dessert i liked or really wanted, the waiter on RCL said he would whip something up for me (that was really sweet of him) warm brownie with icecream and chocolate sauce :)

 

all ships (no matter which cruise) was beautiful. but i like the interiors/exteriors better on carnival

 

icecream wasnt available 24/7 on RCL (not a biggie but something i noticed) my brother and i love our 10pm icecream run lol

 

music on lido deck on RCL was terrible...same 5 songs over and over and over again...my mom and i became irratated and went somewhere else

 

these were a few things. had a good time on RCL but carnival is for me

 

the assistan waiter on RCL was terrible and only refilled our water glasses twice, the last night they sat emptied for 20 minutes...we did tip her, just not as much as we had planned...she wasnt good the entire trip

 

its nice RCL has johnny rockets..however for something like this to work, when lunch time comes and there is a line (this happend to us) they need to kick the people out of the booths that are just sitting there talking. we waited 90minutes for a freaking table, about 2-3 booths only had people sitting there talking, they finally got up and left

 

coco cay and half moon cay--half moon cay WAY better.

 

lido food- RCL has the hamburgers sitting out, carnival-you see them make them right there and are hot. I only had 1 burger on RCL and it was nasty, cold, and tough...ewww

 

hated the beds on rcl and how they were rounded...they were comfy just not carnival comfy

 

embarking was smooth for both lines (until the agent with RCL screwed up) somehow she put my name with somebody elses picture,so when i was about to board i was stopped by customs and they said thats not you (showing me a picture of a big man lol) after 20 minutes they retook the picture and all was good. disembarking was terrible on rcl...not all their fault though. customs got backed up a bit...took us an extra 2 hours to get off the ship. we were off about 11am

[stargate fan]

Im just back from my first Carnival Cruise having gone on a RCCL cruise previously and while it was fresh in my head I thought I would write down a few points of comparison and see if anyone else agrees/disagrees. I appreciate that as I am posting this in the Carnival forum, the answers may be a little one sided! I went RCCL Liberty of the seas and Carnival Liberty. We have sailed five Carnival and three Royal Caribbean cruises, including both of these ships.

 

Pros for Carnival -

 

- The main dining room food is considerably better IMO. The desserts on RCCL were never edible and the entrees were hit and miss. On Carnival I genuinely enjoyed my meal every night and it didnt feel too much like mass dining fare. The appetizers were delicious and the selection was really pretty good. I happen to agree with you. But my taste buds are not very fussy. I love most food.

 

-Free Room service all around the clock! Definitely a plus.

 

-The price. A huge factor! The prices are resaonable and RCCL is a little on the expensive side. I agree.

 

-Cabins are bigger and the provided amenity basket is great (although they could do with a flatscreen tv)

 

-I cannot imagine a better stop than Half Moon Cay! We stopped at RCCL's Labadee on the last cruise and there was no comparison. Hope to experience HMC some day.

 

If I might add a few of my own Carnival pros:

24-hour ice cream machines

Deli-we ate so many pastrami & corned beef sandwiches.

24-hour pizza

 

 

Pros for RCCL

 

-I prefer the ship layout on RCCL. Maybe im not comparing like with like in terms of ship size etc but I love the promenade on Liberty of the seas. It felt so open whereas Carnival Liberty's promenade deck is really all about the casino. Back in November, the Royal Promenade on LOTS was so crowded. There were tables set up in the middle with all kinds of things for sale so walking up and down the path was very difficult without bumping into people. Plus, so much smoke billowed up from the spiral staircase from the casino one deck below and the pub.

We had a completely different experience on Adventure of the Seas in 2006. We spent so many evenings just strolling the Royal Promenade. There were no tables so the path was free and clear all week.

 

-Okay this is a controversial one...the guests on RCCL win out over the guests on Carnival! It just seemed that they were a little classier. We met loads of lovely people on Carnival but there were also some guests that I would cross the street to avoid in the real world if u know what I mean. Had one or two bad experiences in that way :( The passenger make-up might have been completely different on any other given week. Don't judge all Royal Caribbean and Carnival cruisers on just the ones your have taken.

 

-Specialty Restaurants....I have to give it to RCCL on this one. We tried both Chops and Portofino on RCCL and they were cheaper than Harry's on the Carnival Liberty and the service was superior. In Harry's our waitress brought two members of our party the wrong appetizers/entrees and told us that she wouldnt be renewing her contract on board as the pay was bad- just didnt really reflect top notch dining. We have never eaten in the specialty dining venues.

 

-Entertainment was better on RCCL- i found the shows on carnival to be tacky to the extreme. None of the men in our party would go after the first night because they found the whole thing so cheesy! We stopped going to the shows five cruises ago. :D

 

-There was a little less of the "hard sell". It seemed like every 10 mins someone on carnival was coming over the loud speaker trying to get you to reserve Harrys, buy an underwater camera, order the DOD etc etc. It really felt as theough they were trying to milk every last dollar out of you on Carnival!

 

-Service was better. Although our stateroom attendant on Carnival was better and the bar staff on both ships were exceptional...RCCL pipped it on this one. Our head waiter wasnt very good. He referred to the tips we may give him at the end over and above what we had pre paid and we encountered one or two other staff members that were a little rude. The service we received in the buffet on LOTS was amazing! Staff members came over and talked with us. We never saw tables with dishes left behind. Dining room staff was also better than we have experienced on other cruises.

 

A few more RC pros:

Pools and hot tubs are open very late. We soaked at midnight.

Shower doors, not curtains.

 

So what do you think? That you are entitled to you opinions and I appreciate reading your point of view. I completely understand that my comments are based on just two cruises but i think its interesting to compare. I agree. You made some very valid points concerning your experiences. Overall, while I think RCCL is a better experience on the whole BUT I actually purchased a future cruise cretificate online for Carnival. I may have listed more pros for RCCL but I guess for me food and price are really the two biggest factors. I would rather pay $200 less pp and put up with a few things i dont like....

 

Thank you for sharing. I hope you don't mind that I added some of my own thoughts. After all, you did ask. ;)

[pamurchu]

We have only been on two cruises--RCCL Serenade of the Seas and Carnival Glory--and we are scheduled for Carnival Magic in August. We had balconies both times.

 

We really did not notice that much difference between the two, greatly enjoying them both.

 

RCCL is very strict about bringing liquor on board--not even one bottle of wine, if you follow the rules. However many folks sneak. We also could not even purchase bottles on board for the cabin, even at inflated cruise prices...no Bon Voyage liquor purchases. It is nice to be able to have a drink or two on the balcony, but "no worries." There is always a bar nearby.

 

Individual cruise experiences seem to change from cruiser to cruiser. We disembarked with many people both occasions who seemed to have a terrible time--it seemed as if we were on separate cruises and ships.

 

Either way, choose a cruiseline, an itinerary, a month-day-year, and have fun.

[angel258]

We have only been on two cruises--RCCL Serenade of the Seas and Carnival Glory--and we are scheduled for Carnival Magic in August. We had balconies both times.

 

I have only sailed on the same two ships as you. I enjoyed both cruises moreso because of the itinerary/price which is more of a deciding factor for me. I stayed in a balcony room on the Serenade and an oceanview on Glory. I am currently booked to sail the Carnival Victory in 2012.

 

We really did not notice that much difference between the two, greatly enjoying them both.

 

I think both cruise lines are quite similar but there are certain things which stood out to me. Of course I have only cruised one ship from each line but below are some things I noticed from the two ships I sailed.

 

Pros for Royal:

 

• Ship Design
  
• Windjammer-- Efficient,faster and better flow..lovely food presentation on embarkation day
  
• Friendlier crew
  
• More elegant ship
  
• Seemed more organized with regards to safety briefing/drill ...checked to ensure all passengers were out of cabins and performed a check-in at passengers meeting locations
  
• On the Serenade at least ...More open design and views of the ocean while walking around the ship
  
• Entertainment -- Seemingly better shows and performances..70s show is very entertaining
  
  • 
    

 

Cons for Royal:

 

• No robes in rooms -- only for Platinum level or above guests
  
• No amenities in bathroom
  
  • Does not allow you to bring one bottle of wine aboard
    
  • Does not have washing/drying facilities or iron/ironing boards aboard for use
    

 

Pros for Carnival:

 

• Very good value
  
• Serenity Deck
  
• Emerald Steakhouse -- Very good meal overall and steak selections for an inexpensive rate
  
• Robes in all guest rooms
  
• Enrichment activities -- Good presentation on health/fitness and beauty routines
  
• Water slide and outdoor theater screen to watch movies
  
• Dining food-- Although subjective but IMO was seasoned better and offered better selections. Hot melting chocolate cake...very good..
  

 

Cons for Carnival:

 

• Lido Deck -- Overly crowded, long and very slow lines --cafeteria style *not a fan
  
• Disorganized tendering process
  
• Poor ship design --You are unable to go from one end of the ship to another end for certain deck levels
  
• Closed in layout -- Seemed to be not as open to view the ocean
  
• Waiting periods prior to dining -- Guests had to wait many nights outside the dining halls prior to dining to allow the crew to prepare for the next set of guests
  
• Entertainment -- Cheesy shows and comedians who were more vulgar than funny
  
• Poor sceduling of activities--Although I know you have to pick which activities you would like to partake on a cruise it seemed many of the more interesting activities were during odd hours
  

 

RCCL is very strict about bringing liquor on board--not even one bottle of wine, if you follow the rules. However many folks sneak. We also could not even purchase bottles on board for the cabin, even at inflated cruise prices...no Bon Voyage liquor purchases. It is nice to be able to have a drink or two on the balcony, but "no worries." There is always a bar nearby.

 

Individual cruise experiences seem to change from cruiser to cruiser. We disembarked with many people both occasions who seemed to have a terrible time--it seemed as if we were on separate cruises and ships.

 

 

Either way, choose a cruiseline, an itinerary, a month-day-year, and have fun.

 

I agree with your statement regarding cruise experiences...each individual's experience will vary based on what you enjoy and many things will be highly subjective.

[gooselover]

DH and I have two Carnival cruises under our belt and now one RCCL cruise. Our next cruise is on Carnival. I wrote a review back in October 2010 regarding our experience on LOS with RCCL. We went with friends who are diehard RCL cruises.

 

Yes, price is cheaper on Carnival in our opinion. This next cruise we booked was for under $1300 for a balcony. It is also our opinion that RCL is higher. On our last cruise with LOS, we did snag a Jr. Suite for under $1000 each. The room was great and we had no complaints.

 

Again, this is just our opinion, Liberty of the Seas had much more to offer insofar as the Promenade, the ice skating rink (we could never find it open, however, for the public), the flowrider, rock climbing wall, etc. etc. While we are in our 50's and didn't do these things, it was still fun to watch and gawk.

 

The food, however, was/is much better on Carnival. On our LOS cruise, we also went to Portofino's and Chops. The presentation, taste, service - nothing compared to Carnival. Again, just our opinion, Carnival tops RCL in food and speciality restaurants.

 

Rooms....well we stayed in a Jr. Suite, but we can compared the aft balcony on LOS to our aft balcony on Carnival Glory and Glory's aft balcony room was bigger.

 

Now, did we have a bad time on LOS? No, not at all. We enjoyed ourselves completely. Would we go on another RCL cruise? Absolutely, if the price was right.

 

I'm not going to say one is better than the other, but it is our experience that we do FEEL that for the price, food, and room, Carnival inches ahead of RCL.

[firefly333]

Rooms....well we stayed in a Jr. Suite, but we can compared the aft balcony on LOS to our aft balcony on Carnival Glory and Glory's aft balcony room was bigger.

 

Im trying to think of some aft balcony on Glory that is bigger than the JS you had on LOS?? Are you talking Liberty of the Sea?? the JS is over 300 s.f. and the balcony over 100 s.f...scratching head. The inside part of Carnival balconys are 185 s.f. Even the 9C aft wrap shows a cabin size of 185 s.f. and there are no suites on Glory back there.

 

Im going by cruisedeckplans.com s.f. .. if you want to check. I too had a JS on LOS as I said, so I know the s.f. posted in public is correct... even the extended balconys on Carnival, are 185 s.f. plus a double deep balcony of 70 s.f.. scratching head still.

[catbaba20]

Thank you for sharing. I hope you don't mind that I added some of my own thoughts. After all, you did ask. ;)

 

 

Thank for sharing your thoughts also! I do belive that a cruise is what you make of it but it was difficult not to compare and contrast seeing as we have only done two cruises and they are rival companies!

[gooselover]

In my post, after rerearing the part about comparing the rooms....let me clarify. Yes, we did have a JS on Liberty of the Seas, however, our diehard RCL friends had an aft on that cruise. Since we have had an aft on Carnival Glory in 2009, we COULD compare the aft balcony room on Glory with Liberty's balcony room (which our friends had). Carnival again, inches ahead on room size.

 

Hopefully, this makes it easier to understand what I meant.