A CC Classic- Royal Caribbean vs Carnival... In Europe

[bahrain_not_dubai!]

Hello everyone !

 

 

Some of you who are on other boards may have noted I have been posting/asking about information on a mass-market cruise this Summer for my family, as well as extended family.

 

Anyway, here goes- the two I am currently leaning towards the most are the 12 nights Carnival Breeze or 7 Nights Liberty of the Seas.

 

I like having a degree of '' ship'' feel when at sea, indeed my preference is for smaller ships and if people in my family decide to bail out for whatever reason I shall probably end up sailing on the 5,000 ton Wind Star with my mother.

 

What would you say is the pros and cons of both lines/ships/cruises? I've never sailed CCL and my last time on RCI was in 2005, on their smallest ship so much has changed.

 

Value is an important thing and I would like you to put yourself in my position- the prices for a couple I have is $2,300 for the 12 night CCL cruise and $2,600 for the 7 Night RCI cruise.

 

Which one would you pick? There will be no kids joining us and the youngest will be 18.

 

I'm leaning even more towards CCL because of the obvious value vs. RCI- yet what do you think? What input can you give?

 

I've posted this on the CCL board in order to get both sides of the fence.

 

Oh and also I want to finally choose one ''big'' ship line and settle- I've tried NCL twice and although I like it I feel there is something out there more suited to my needs. Problem with CCL is that the vast, vast majority of their voyages are ex. USA, where I can't always travel to. On the other hand, I am moving to the UK in September, so a lot of RCI ships will be very close by.

 

Thanks all in advance !

[Dave85]

Hello everyone !

 

 

Some of you who are on other boards may have noted I have been posting/asking about information on a mass-market cruise this Summer for my family, as well as extended family.

 

Anyway, here goes- the two I am currently leaning towards the most are the 12 nights Carnival Breeze or 7 Nights Liberty of the Seas.

 

I like having a degree of '' ship'' feel when at sea, indeed my preference is for smaller ships and if people in my family decide to bail out for whatever reason I shall probably end up sailing on the 5,000 ton Wind Star with my mother.

 

What would you say is the pros and cons of both lines/ships/cruises? I've never sailed CCL and my last time on RCI was in 2005, on their smallest ship so much has changed.

 

Value is an important thing and I would like you to put yourself in my position- the prices for a couple I have is $2,300 for the 12 night CCL cruise and $2,600 for the 7 Night RCI cruise.

 

Which one would you pick? There will be no kids joining us and the youngest will be 18.

 

I'm leaning even more towards CCL because of the obvious value vs. RCI- yet what do you think? What input can you give?

 

I've posted this on the CCL board in order to get both sides of the fence.

 

Oh and also I want to finally choose one ''big'' ship line and settle- I've tried NCL twice and although I like it I feel there is something out there more suited to my needs. Problem with CCL is that the vast, vast majority of their voyages are ex. USA, where I can't always travel to. On the other hand, I am moving to the UK in September, so a lot of RCI ships will be very close by.

 

Thanks all in advance !

 

WOW, a 12-night cruise on the brand new Breeze for the price of a week on LOS? I'd take the 12-nighter in a heartbeat.

 

If all was equal I'd pick LOS despite Breeze being brand new, but with a difference in value like that... I think its a no brainer.

[CruisinGerman]

In Europe you spend far less time on the ship than you do in the Caribbean.

 

I would take the 12 night Carnival Cruise.

 

 

Kind regards,

 

 

Gunther and Uta

[rjrpar]

After many RCCL cruises, we did the 12 nite Magic in Sept. 2011 and had a very good cruise. First of all, Med. cruises are all about the ports, take the time to plan your tours carefully. We used RomeinLimo in Naples and Rome and they were great.

Second, the Carnival vs Royal experience is very similar. Differences can be debated, and often are, but 12 days vs 7 is a no brainer.

Have a great time, we did.

 

ps. We've been on both the Liberty and Breeze's sister ship, Magic.

[Dave85]

I didn't think of this in my initial post but I wanted to add that I agree with the above posters that a European cruise is much more about the ports than the ship. I did a 12-night on the Brilliance a few years ago and found that to be the case.

 

I think that further tips the scales in favor of the Breeze.

[kruzerci]

This is one of these very rare cases in which I would pick Carnival

[BobbyD]

Last summer we took a family cruise to the Med on the Carnival Magic. 12 days. Awesome trip! RC is first choice but the Magic was almost half what the Brilliance was for comparable cabin and itinerary. Food was great, ship was brand new. Service better on Royal, but still fine. Family crowd and not any wilder than Royal. Entertainment a notch below Royal. Again, these are all my opinions, but I don't think the money would have been worth it. We had a great time but will still choose Royal if given the chance.

[time4u2go]

WOW, a 12-night cruise on the brand new Breeze for the price of a week on LOS? I'd take the 12-nighter in a heartbeat.

 

 

What he said!

[suekay]

What he said!

And me:D

[Tapi]

Value is an important thing !

 

Without a doubt, the Carnival Breeze! 12 nights on a brand new ship???

 

Carnival Breeze is going to be like nothing else that Carnival currently has. While she's a sister ship to the Carnival Dream and Carnival Magic, her interiors will be much more elgant and tastefully decorated. Here's a link to the slide show posted on Cruise Critic: Carnival Breeze

 

About the Carnival experience: Sailing in Europe is going to be quite different than the standard atmosphere and clientele found on Carnival's short Caribbean cruises out of US ports, so anything (negative) that you may have read will most likely not apply.

 

DEFINITELY do the Breeze. There's truly NOTHING like sailing on a brand new ship!

[will773]

Without a doubt, the Carnival Breeze! 12 nights on a brand new ship???

 

Carnival Breeze is going to be like nothing else that Carnival currently has. While she's a sister ship to the Carnival Dream and Carnival Magic, her interiors will be much more elgant and tastefully decorated. Here's a link to the slide show posted on Cruise Critic: Carnival Breeze

 

About the Carnival experience: Sailing in Europe is going to be quite different than the standard atmosphere and clientele found on Carnival's short Caribbean cruises out of US ports, so anything (negative) that you may have read will most likely not apply.

 

DEFINITELY do the Breeze. There's truly NOTHING like sailing on a brand new ship!

 

WOW! :eek: All other CCL interiors make me want to vomit, but this ship looks amazing! I would definitely sail the Breeze!

[nellydean]

After many RCCL cruises, we did the 12 nite Magic in Sept. 2011 and had a very good cruise. First of all, Med. cruises are all about the ports, take the time to plan your tours carefully. We used RomeinLimo in Naples and Rome and they were great.

Second, the Carnival vs Royal experience is very similar. Differences can be debated, and often are, but 12 days vs 7 is a no brainer.

Have a great time, we did.

 

ps. We've been on both the Liberty and Breeze's sister ship, Magic.

 

I know that taking a private tour can seem the best option, and we did that in Ephesus and Athens, which were great and good value for money, but Rome in Limo are so expensive, 500 euros for a car for four people for a typical 8-hour tour in Italy, with no lunch, gratuities or entrance fees or ferry etc fees included = £416, or, $653, so if you are taking more than one tour that adds a huge amount to the overall cost of the cruise. I know that some people share with others, but if you are a family like us, it's a big extra expense we can't afford, or would be even willing to pay - even the ship's tour on a similar excursion only works out at £177 ($278) for three people - think I might book that, and I'm not usually keen on doing that either!

[baggal]

Compare the time you actually spend in the ports on each different line. Some cruise lines shorten the length of the day in the ports - this is an important consideration.

 

Also, compare where you will be on Sundays. You may not have the same sightseeing experience on Sundays in Italy. Ideally, a sea day on Sunday is best.

 

If everything else works out, I would opt for the Carnival Breeze because of the extra days.

[A2Mich]

Hello everyone !

 

 

Some of you who are on other boards may have noted I have been posting/asking about information on a mass-market cruise this Summer for my family, as well as extended family.

 

Anyway, here goes- the two I am currently leaning towards the most are the 12 nights Carnival Breeze or 7 Nights Liberty of the Seas.

 

I like having a degree of '' ship'' feel when at sea, indeed my preference is for smaller ships and if people in my family decide to bail out for whatever reason I shall probably end up sailing on the 5,000 ton Wind Star with my mother.

 

What would you say is the pros and cons of both lines/ships/cruises? I've never sailed CCL and my last time on RCI was in 2005, on their smallest ship so much has changed.

 

Value is an important thing and I would like you to put yourself in my position- the prices for a couple I have is $2,300 for the 12 night CCL cruise and $2,600 for the 7 Night RCI cruise.

 

Which one would you pick? There will be no kids joining us and the youngest will be 18.

 

I'm leaning even more towards CCL because of the obvious value vs. RCI- yet what do you think? What input can you give?

 

I've posted this on the CCL board in order to get both sides of the fence.

 

Oh and also I want to finally choose one ''big'' ship line and settle- I've tried NCL twice and although I like it I feel there is something out there more suited to my needs. Problem with CCL is that the vast, vast majority of their voyages are ex. USA, where I can't always travel to. On the other hand, I am moving to the UK in September, so a lot of RCI ships will be very close by.

 

Thanks all in advance !

 

My reply won't help with your question, but I did notice that you are sailing on the Oceana in a few months. I sailed on that ship as the Ocean Princess with Princess Cruises. Beautiful ship, BTW.

[Marysunshine]

I have been on many different cruiselines: Costa in the '70s, Dolphin cruiselines, NCL, Carnival, RCCL, Celebrity, etc. I find CCL and RCCL quite equal. I actually preferred the food on CCL.

As to saving money in the ports, I have done extensive reading in the PORTS OF CALL threads and we have planned our days in Athens, Messina and Chania with minimal costs thanks to the great info posters offered there.

[BobbyD]

I don't know what your exact itinerary is, but on our Magic cruise to the Med last summer we used Rome in Limo for 4 ports. They were simply awesome. We had 4 of us in a car and they were the best tours I've ever had with great drivers. RIL gives a 50E discount if you use them on more than 1 port, I believe. It ended up being cheaper than the Carnival bus tours.

[tiggerman101]

My 12 night Med cruise on the CCL Magic last June was my best cruise yet. I have been on Liberty and love her, but this is a no brainer. The extra places you will go in those 5 days more then make it worthwhile. Go and have fun, it is a different atmosphere then CCL Caribbean cruises.