Carnival Cruisers trying out Royal-any advise?

[leelee16]

Hi!

 

Me and my husband were looking at cruises for this April when we came across a deal to good to pass up. Royal had a 4 night onboard the Monarch of the Seas for right around $200 a person. Where as Carnivals is quite a bit more. We've cruised Carnival twice this past year and really like it. Is there any dfferences in the way things are done? i.e.......embarktion,disembarktion, do they have anytime dinning? Any info would be helpful and appreciated!!

 

Thanks,

Leanna

[39august]

Yes, RCI has My Time Dining as their "anytime" dining. You do have to prepay all your gratuites however.

[negc]

Hi!

 

Me and my husband were looking at cruises for this April when we came across a deal to good to pass up. Royal had a 4 night onboard the Monarch of the Seas for right around $200 a person. Where as Carnivals is quite a bit more. We've cruised Carnival twice this past year and really like it. Is there any dfferences in the way things are done? i.e.......embarktion,disembarktion, do they have anytime dinning? Any info would be helpful and appreciated!!

 

Thanks,

Leanna

 

It has been some time since we cruised with Carnival but how your Monarch cruise will compare with your previous Carnival ones may depend on which Carnival ships you sailed on. Monarch is among the oldest, if not the oldest, ship in the RCI fleet and doesn't have many of the bells and whistles that have become common on Royal's ships. Staterooms are likely to be more compact than on Carnival or on newer RCI ships but the rooms are well designed with much more storage space than is immediately obvious. The Centrum, however, is stunning and I think the decor is much more refined than what we remember from most Carnival ships we have been on.

They do offer My Time Dining and we find that RCI's version works quite well and provides a great more flexibility in choosing your dining times than does traditional dining. Try it and it is possible that you will find another cruising experience that will be pleasing and may interest you in checking out the newer, larger, and more spectacular ships in the RCI fleet.

[leelee16]

thank you guys so much. We've cruised on the Inspiration and the Ecstasy. Both are older ships. So not much concern with the ship being dated or anything

[yogimax]

thank you guys so much. We've cruised on the Inspiration and the Ecstasy. Both are older ships. So not much concern with the ship being dated or anything

 

I've also been on Inspiration and Monarch.

 

Monarch wins hands down for design and amenities.

[hollon]

I know you don't mind about an older ship, but it would be nice if you could go on at least a voyager or freedom class ship :)

[kruzerci]

I've also been on Inspiration and Monarch.

 

Monarch wins hands down for design and amenities.

 

I agree. The cabins are smaller, but it makes for a lot more public space, which is nice.

 

The Monarch is looking tired, but it's fine when you get a great deal.

[yogimax]

I know you don't mind about an older ship, but it would be nice if you could go on at least a voyager or freedom class ship :)

 

We went on Monarch for the first time in November. I have to say I was impressed by the public areas. For an older ship, she is kept in fine condition.

 

Yes, it would be nice to be on a ship with a Royal Promenade and Skating Arena, but I don't think the OP will be at all disappointed with Monarch.

[tiger belle]

like the OP, we are Carnival veterans who want to try out RCI for comparison...we have been on Carnival's Glory, Triumph and Dream...considering RCI's Voyager of the Seas or Navigator of the Seas (I think both VOS and NOS are the same class)

 

What do you think we will find different (like/dislike) on the RCI ship--for those of you who have sailed both RCI and Carnival in recent years?

[yogimax]

like the OP, we are Carnival veterans who want to try out RCI for comparison...we have been on Carnival's Glory, Triumph and Dream...considering RCI's Voyager of the Seas or Navigator of the Seas (I think both VOS and NOS are the same class)

 

What do you think we will find different (like/dislike) on the RCI ship--for those of you who have sailed both RCI and Carnival in recent years?

 

 

The first time I went on an RCCL Voyager Class ship I was blown away by two things.... first the Royal Promenade. There is nothing like it on other cruise lines.

 

The second was the ice show which was top notch.

 

There are many similarities between the two lines as well. Go for it and try RCCL and a Voyager Class ship is a good way to start!

[kruzerci]

like the OP, we are Carnival veterans who want to try out RCI for comparison...we have been on Carnival's Glory, Triumph and Dream...considering RCI's Voyager of the Seas or Navigator of the Seas (I think both VOS and NOS are the same class)

 

What do you think we will find different (like/dislike) on the RCI ship--for those of you who have sailed both RCI and Carnival in recent years?

 

We went on the Voyager soon after the Carnival Imagination. It was our fist time on Royal since our first cruise 4 years before.

 

We were absolutely blown away at the promenade and main dining rooms. The dining rooms look like something out of Titanic (in a good way :p).

 

You'll find Voyager and Navigator (all RC ships for that matter) to be tastefully decorated and have an upscale feel (dark woods and marble), compared to the dark, neon, and gold of Carnival's ships.

 

Aside from that, entertainment, service, and food should be roughly equivalent, with the exception of the ice show, which is great.

 

We had planned on going on Carnival again, but after sailing on Voyager and Freedom class ships, there was no turning back.

[uksimonusa]

like the OP, we are Carnival veterans who want to try out RCI for comparison...we have been on Carnival's Glory, Triumph and Dream...considering RCI's Voyager of the Seas or Navigator of the Seas (I think both VOS and NOS are the same class)

 

What do you think we will find different (like/dislike) on the RCI ship--for those of you who have sailed both RCI and Carnival in recent years?

 

If your choice is between Voyager and Navigator, choose Navigator, although they are the same glass, Voyager, the first in the class, is a generation 1 ship, and Navigator, 4th in the class, is a 2nd generation ship, although basic floorplan is the same, Navigator is desgined better

[Sunkissed Mommy]

My suggestion to anyone trying a new line:

 

Try not to compare every little thing, you'll spend too much focusing on the comparison and not enough time on enjoying your experience!

[vickiw0318]

Amen to the above!

 

To the OP, don't think that all Royal Caribbean cabins are the same size as the one you will have on the Monarch. They will be smaller than the ones you've had on Carnival. (They are larger on Royal's other ships.) There will not be a basket of "goodies" in the bathrooms. Make sure you bring all your toiletries. (There's soap and shampoo, but nothing else.)

 

I think you will find the Monarch easier to navigate than the Carnival ships you've been on.

 

With the deal you got, you will definitely get your money's worth.

[ryano]

Maybe the price will drop and you can upgrade to a deck 9 SOV cabin for a little more money. They most certainly have a little more room. If not thougyh, how much time are you going to be spending in the cabin on a 4 night cruise anyway?

 

I will say this based on pictures alone of the Fantasy class ships vs. my trip on the Monarch.

 

There is NO comparison. The Monarch blows anything the Fantasy class has out of the water..........Especially if you dont have to have that waterslide.

 

Im a huge Monarch fan though so I may be a little biased :)

[griffy116]

First, we LOVE RCI and have cruised on several of the larger ships. We went on the Monarch last spring break because the timing was great and the price was unbelievable. The ship is the oldes and honestly had the smallest cabins we've ever seen. It was quite a shock compared to the newer, larger RCI ships. The crew, the food, the public areas are great, however and we had a wonderful cruise. If it's possible, try one of the larger ships. The Promenade is unbelievable and the cabins are much larger. It's still a great cruise at the price you are paying.

[birdylady]

I agree, a good deal like that, you'll have a great time and how can you go wrong.

I can't compare RCI to any other cruise lines, but even after having sailed the Voyager class ships, we still loved Monarch. And if it were closer, we would be sailing her very often. She is a nice ship, well maintained, great crew.

 

Erika

[JenAndDan]

like the OP, we are Carnival veterans who want to try out RCI for comparison...we have been on Carnival's Glory, Triumph and Dream...considering RCI's Voyager of the Seas or Navigator of the Seas (I think both VOS and NOS are the same class)

 

What do you think we will find different (like/dislike) on the RCI ship--for those of you who have sailed both RCI and Carnival in recent years?

 

a number of years ago we did the Miracle (it was relatively new) and then the following year (around the same time) we did the AOS. We enjoyed the AOS much more but I think that had to do with the ports. Overall, we found our cabin bigger on the Miracle but we enjoyed the dining room and the public areas on the AOS much much more. They are just more visually appealing plus the AOS had so much more to offer. We still liked the Miracle but not as much as the AOS.

[LittleMissMagic]

Royal Caribbean doesn't provide as many toiletries as Carnival does, and they also don't provide robes for every guest. C&A members (platinum+ ?) can request robes for use onboard, and I think as a first-timer, you can request a robe for use onboard, as well... they may or may not have extra robes.

 

I like the entertainment onboard Royal better - don't miss out on the Love and Marriage Game Show or Quest! :D

[leelee16]

Thank you all so much for your responses.

 

You have all been really helpful

[jlajla]

Less neon on RCI. ;) I remember when fantasy came out, and I thought all that neon was so cool. lol.

 

Enjoy, and welcome to RCI!

[NeuroQueen]

I have been on the Ecstacy and the Majesty (sis to the Monarch) and you will be shocked at the size of the cabin. For $200.00, maybe not that shocked. While Monarch is the oldest it has a very loyal following. It seems much more "classic" ocean liner to me when compared to the Ecstasy. I love any ship, tho, especially at a wonderful price. Have a great time. As stated previously, do not miss Quest and the love and marriage show!

[tiger belle]

thanks for all the RCI to Carnival comparisons...very helpful