An RCCL cruiser's first time on Carnival - what's different??

[curlymason]

We've been devoted RCCL cruisers for a while, but we just booked a cruise on Paradise in December. I'm a slightly obsessive planner, so I'm trying to figure out what to expect as far as differences in the way Carnival operates. I'd also love any tips about fun options on Carnival that I might not know about!

 

Thanks!!!

[stewpapa]

We've been on 9 Carnivals and 6 RCI. Royal feels a little classier. More dressed for dinner, etc. If you like that. Carnival has better food. Royal has better service. Both are wonderful. We like RCI better but Carnival is more convenient and lots cheaper for us. Not much different really. We love RCI's Promenade cabins.

[CWcruisers]

RCCL and Carnival are more similiar than they care to admit, but.....

 

The Paradise is one of Carnival's older ships so....might not be the best first impression IMHO. There are many that are fans of this class of ship, but I am not one of them.

 

You will still receive great service, better food (again, IMHO) and a great cruise expericence. Just not all the bells and whistles of the Royal ships.

[curlymason]

Thanks for the input! I'm not really wanting the which is better stuff. I'm more interested in the differences for things like the on board spending account, or prices in drinks, or how tendering works, or any programs carnival offers that we might want to take advantage of.

 

I know it's an older ship, and for the price I'm not expecting brilliance. I just wanted a cheap last minute get away!

[CWcruisers]

O.K. good attitude.

 

On board spending is the same, you have a key card which is also your charge card which is guaranteed by either a credit card or a cash account.

 

Drink prices are a tad more expensive on RCCL, but what I remember most is that I was not a fan of the wine available on RCCL. Bought a wine package on a TA cruise and drank some wines I did not care for.

 

Tendering requires a tender ticket. In the Fun Times, the daily guide, it will tell you where to go to pick up the tickets. Everyone in your party need to be ready to go when you pick up the tickets. When they call your number, you go down and get on.

 

Carnival is in a big flux of change right at the moment, so can't really recommend any programs.

[curlymason]

Thanks for that info! It's been years since we've been on a cruise that required a tendering ticket, so that's good to know!

[ATL2LAS]

The Paradise would be compared to the Sovereign Class with Royal. Smaller but still large enough to get away for quiet times. I love the Fantasy class ships. Just big enough to explore all over and not get too lost:D

[funinthesun1964]

 

Tendering requires a tender ticket. In the Fun Times, the daily guide, it will tell you where to go to pick up the tickets. Everyone in your party need to be ready to go when you pick up the tickets. When they call your number, you go down and get on.

 

 

I've never had a tender "ticket" -- is this something new? The last time I had to tender was in Feb. '11 - and we we just went down, waited, and got on...

[suezyq50]

I've never had a tender "ticket" -- is this something new? The last time I had to tender was in Feb. '11 - and we we just went down, waited, and got on...

I never had a tender ticket. It might depend on the ship.

[tef43]

Tendering requires a tender ticket.

Since when? :confused: I've never had to have a tender ticket in 29+ years of sailing Carnival.

[Tapi]

RCCL and Carnival are more similiar than they care to admit

 

When comparing the older ships (Paradise is equivalent to sailing on RCI's Sovereign class) they are indeed more similar than not.

 

However, the newer ships are VASTLY different from each other. Carnival and RCI are on diverging paths. Ship size, design, list of activities onboard, shows, quality, range of accomodations, children's program, loyalty programs, destinations, dining selection, pricing, and onboard shopping experience (just to name a few) are VERY different these days.

 

To the OP: Sail on the Paradise expecting a comparable experience to a Sovereign class ship and you'll have a more realistic idea of what you can expect.

[beach410]

Thanks for that info! It's been years since we've been on a cruise that required a tendering ticket, so that's good to know!

 

 

Hi, I have never needed a tender ticket on this class ship which in GC. We just head down and get in line.

 

I like that you can bring wine, 1 bottle per adult, carry it on though do not pack it in the luggage. No up front corkage fee, you can enjoy in your room, just ask a bartender for a couple of glasses, if you bring it to dinner they are supposed to charge the corkage fee, sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.

 

I really like this class of ship, it's easy to navigate and the buffet set up so much better then other ships we have been on.

 

If the paradise is like the others I have been on don't miss the serenity deck out back. Also a great spot to eat when doing the buffet in the back overlooking the serenity.

 

Head straight for the deli on the first day, when then lines are small because not many people know about it yet. I enjoy the reuban. There are two food stations outside on the lido deck, a grill and a stir fry, the lines tend to be crazy for the stir fry, but it's good. Inside two more sections with a large variety of food. I always enjoy the fish options in there. There's also a salad bar, dessert bar, 24 hour ice cream/yogurt station & pizza.

[mrpayroll]

Since when? :confused: I've never had to have a tender ticket in 29+ years of sailing Carnival.

 

We had to get tender ticket on the Dream when tendering to Belize. Also on Liberty when tendering to HMC.

[jsjjkelly]

Since when? :confused: I've never had to have a tender ticket in 29+ years of sailing Carnival.

 

We had tender tickets twice when we were just on the Legend. In Belize and again in Grand Cayman. The Splendor had them in Cabo San Lucas when it was on that side of the country.

 

They were just label stickers with a number (or letter) printed on them. The Splendor had a number so it was like first come first serve. I liked that.

 

The Legend had a letter - I for independent, and each Carnival excursion had a different letter code. They sat independents how they came, and would call Carnival excursions first, then fill the rest of the boats with the independents. Took about a 1/2 hour each time to get a tender.

 

Hope this helps!

Shawn

[Carolin]

You can order a bottle(s) of your favorite adult beverage from Bon Voyage for your cabin. :D

 

The two lines are both fun and have plenty of entertainment options. Have a great cruise.

[9876]

I like that you can bring wine, 1 bottle per adult, carry it on though do not pack it in the luggage. No up front corkage fee, you can enjoy in your room, just ask a bartender for a couple of glasses, if you bring it to dinner they are supposed to charge the corkage fee, sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.

 

 

I agree with this. Also, no charge for late night room service. Expect a more limited room service menu although it is very sufficient. Keep an eye out for a 'piece of paper' with the menu on it when you get to the room. They have done away with the information book which I think is actually very smart but don't accidentally throw the menu away!

[zgwortz]

Carnival and RCCL operate substantially fairly similarly. I've been on several cruises on each, and you'll settle in to Carnival quite well. Service, food, excursions, amenities, casino, are all pretty much the same on the ships. Most of the differences between the cruise lines are pretty minor on the class of ship you're going to be traveling on.

 

Some noteworthy changes: You'll notice a lot more room in any of the Carnival cabins than in the comparable cabins on the smaller RCCL ships. I always feel cramped in an RCCL cabin. Carnival tends to schedule more "fun" type events, RCCL tends to schedule more social events. On all the RCCL cruises I've been on, the only food after midnight on board has been room service, while on Carnival, there is a 24 hour pizza bar. There seems to be a bigger late-night crowd on Carnival.

 

I've never needed a ticket for tendering -- I'm betting this is either an issue with the size of the ship (in which case on Paradise I wouldn't expect any issue), or it's an issue with different ports. There is priority tendering for Platinum past guests, and for people who are going on early excursions, but otherwise it's usually just a matter of getting in line.

 

Other than that, plan as you would for your RCCL cruise and you'll be pretty close for your Carnival cruise as well.