Quick comparison Carnival vs. Royal Caribbean

[Swann5]

We’re just back from Carnival Liberty Dec. 31st Western and Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas Jan. 7th Western. It was very easy to compare the two cruise lines, which we have both previously sailed on; the winner, for us, was Royal Caribbean. We will probably continue to sail both in the future based on price alone, but we will be looking at Royal for their better entertainment and Celebrity for all their extra touches.

For us there were only two big differences: Main dining experience and Entertainment, so we’ll will address those and invite specific questions for other points.

Main Dining: We had 6:00 pm main seating dinner on both ships and were very disappointed with our Carnival experience. Hannah and Alexandre, our waitstaff were very good, but simply overworked. They tried to be personable, but they really had no time for pleasantries, they were hustling just to meet basic service needs, carrying huge stacks of plates to and fro, taking orders as quickly as they could, with no time to spare; shame on Carnival for such extensive cutbacks. Royal’s Margaret and Boyan, while still working at a good pace, at least had a few moments each night to interact and were definitely happier. The food quality and selection was about the same, okay quality with no real stand outs good or bad, with cutbacks noticeable. Royal had way better desserts, quality & selection (aside from WCMC.)

Entertainment: Royal totally wins this comparison hands down. The main theatre productions of ‘Up in the Air” (think Cirque du Soleil) and “Saturday Night Fever the Musical” were amazing! The top quality actors, singers, performers, sets, lighting, the entire productions were the best we have ever seen at sea. The Ice skating was also really well done; I was amazed that they did throw jumps with the small ice surface, but they did, wow! Even the non-figure skating fans in our group were impressed with the show. Royal = 5 piece Calypso band vs. Carnival’s 2. Both had some good live musicians and comedians, but Royal wins again on quality, everything just seemed a notch or two better on Royal.

Smoking:

Carnival: loved their new smoking policy, we rarely were affected by other’s smoke.

Royal: smoke slightly more noticeable in public areas, but not overwhelming

Prices: Royal prices for many similar things were slightly more expensive:

Carnival Royal

Phone calls ship to shore: $1.99 min $7.99/ min Yikes

Baseball hats with ship name 2 for $20. $15.00 each

Gift shop misc. souvenirs 10% higher

Liquor 10% higher

Cabin Info:

We had cabin # 7440 on Carnival Liberty the aft corner wrap and absolutely loved it, 2 chairs and 2 loungers on the balcony. The headboard was under the large windows so those wanting to wake up and see outside will have to look in the mirror. The angled bed/room layout seemed to give more space to walk around in and we did not miss the couch at all. It’s a long walk from the aft to the forward gangway so don’t forget anything! J

We had a junior suite on Royal’s Liberty, # 9648, on the hump and it too was great, tons of room on the balcony for 2 loungers and 2 chairs and the room was spacious with a love seat, large chair and ottoman, full tub and walk in closet. Easy access to the stairwells and everywhere we wanted to get to.

These were our observations that impacted our experience and will influence our future cruise choices. If you have specific questions, we’ll try to answer them.

[will773]

Thanks for your comparison. What were your exact itineraries?

[kruzerci]

Thanks for the comparison.

[Cruising89143]

Thanks for your review. I agree that RCI is a step up over Carnival. We tried RCI back in 2004 and haven't been back to Carnival. Both are mass market lines but IMHO RCI does it better.

[Swann5]

Thanks for your comparison. What were your exact itineraries?

 

Carnival: Cozumel, Belize, Roatan, Grand Cayman

Royal: Belize, Cozumel.

[BobbyD]

We were on the Magic this past summer. Great cruise to the Med and really enjoyed Carnival. Still would prefer Royal given a choice, though. I agree with OP that dinner service was much better on Royal. Our servers on the Magic were definitely overworked and complained to us when we asked. I also agree about the entertainment. The entertainment in the main theater was a bit underwhelming although I am probably being picky. I do think that Carnival's food was every bit as good at Royal's and had great selections. Loved the burrito bar and Tandoori. Windjammer is more user friendly, however, and set up much more efficiently.