Royal Caribbean vs Carnival

[Tatka]

Jewel is a Radiance class ship and does not have ice-rink or inside promenade, but it should be better than Paradise. Radiance class has most beautiful ships.

Edited December 2, 2012 by Tatka

[clackey]

 

You might want to try the Navigator of the Seas from NOLA before next April.

Then it goes to Galveston, and NOLA gets a smaller RCI ship (which can and will go to Key West).

I really like the RCI voyager class ships.

We just got home from the Navigator and must agree with Jimnbigd. The ship is gorgeous, the shows are very good, the singers are some of the best that we have heard on any of our cruises and our waitstaff was the best ever.

 

I am frugal (read cheap;)) and normally go with the cheap seats on Carnival but RCI beat them hands down on this cruise.

[INGODWETRUST]

Our first cruise was on a RCCL. (Explorer of the Seas - 2001) It was spectacular! Ever since them we cruise on RCCL except once and we went on Norwegian (Epic) what a dissapointment. So, its hard to figure out which ship you would enjoy. It depends on your experience, and what you prefer. Hambuger or steak!

[GradySRQ]

Hello all,

I am (or better we - my two older teens and I) are happily planning our first cruise but I get stunned when reading about the giantical difference in opinions regarding the two cruiselines discussed in this (and so many other) threads on the net.

 

We are cruising from Tampa sometime after easter next year, the options are either an RCL or a Carnival cruise (5 days) - both are within our dates in mind.

As I am on a fixed budget, would you recommend Royal or Carnival, my youngsters are in the late teens!

What would you recommend?

During 5 days I assume there will be some time spent in the cabin hence $ spent on cabin upgrade might be wise.

Please advise.

(in my case it's Carnival's "Paradise" vs RCL "Jewel of the seas")

 

I have cruised out of Tampa and other ports many times both on Carnival and Royal Caribbean.

Room wise I give a slight nod to RC based on size.

The interior design and finishes of the ships are of better quality and more refined on RC.

Food wise I say it’s a toss up.

Carnival has more of a party atmosphere. They put more effort into pool deck activities for example.

My kids are younger, 11 & 15, and they love both cruise lines. Truth be told they just like to cruise and really don’t care which ship.

Either way you can’t go wrong.

[duncan449]

We just got back from our first Carnival cruise, and will never sail with them again.

 

• The food wasn't good.
  
• Aside from a handful of people the majority of the staff were less than nice, and some were just plain rude.
  
• There were no clocks in the rooms, which wouldn't be a big deal except that the day is planned by times... the only clocks were in the stairwells and on the main pool deck.
  
• limited activities... unless your at a bar drinking, gambling, or swimming there isn't too much to do. There was a 1/2 court of basketball and 1/2 court of volleyball but you had to check out the items from a hut that was only open certain times of the day. And other times the whole thing was locked and you couldn't even get in.
  
• The photographers are great, but the ship charges you like $22 a photo to buy them... ***! If you were to buy all the pictures you take it would cost more than your room after 7 days!
  
• One of my biggest problems was decorations... we went on a Christmas cruise and there were maybe small trees, and some small wreaths on the walls and a few of the staff wore xmas hats on xmas day. That's it. It didn't feel like the holidays, and no one even put effort into trying.
  

I will say that in comparison, Carnival was much faster at checking in and off the boat than Royal Caribbean. But other than that I have no positives for Carnival.

 

 

 

I mean, don't get me wrong, I had a good vacation - but it had very little to do with Carnival and more to do with making the best of what you've got.

 

 

I see a lot of people say that Carnival is for the younger crowd... I'm 27, husbands 32 and my parents are in their 60's and none of us liked Carnival. Will be sticking to Royal Caribbean from now on!

[angiedelight]

I sailed on Royal Caribbean Majesty of Seas July of 2012. I loved, loved this cruise. Prior to this cruise I had gone on a promotional starter cruise on Bahamas Celebration and it almost soured my stomach against cruises. However a good friend(one I call my sister) invited me to the Majesty for Retirement Cruise in July, so for her I went. There was never a dull moment, from the time we pulled away from the pier at Port of Miami, the ship was rocking and I'm not talking bout rough seas. The party was live all 5 days. The crew was always throwing parties and out dancing. If they didn't have a party in the theater they were out on the deck. The games shows were live, the shows were the bomb, the food was good, the service was over the top. Nothing to complain about this cruise I had to get off to get some rest. It really changed my mind about cruises. So since I had such a great time, I decided I wanted to take my children on one.....I chose Carnival Elation out of New Orleans for their Holiday Cruise. Can you say blah.....glad it was for the kids. The only thing I remember is what I hate most and that's sales people. The entire time they are trying to sale you something....boo, it's vacation where is the party!! You have photographers bullying u into taking photos most of the time. It was the worst, not to mention the picture prices are outrageous:eek: Bingo cards were $20 and they were only giving out one prize. The shows were lackluster. Breakfast sucked, the bacon was always EXTRA EXTRA Crispy:( New Years Eve I went to sleep at 10PM so that tells u about how the party was. I must say that Mutzie was a very very good Comedian best part of the ship. The other comedian was horrible. The lunch buffet sucked everyday....me and my kids ate a lot of chicken tenders, fries, burgers, & pizza. The Mongolian wok only had three sauces, and never any rice. SMH....it was really bad. Dinner only one good night (5 day cruise). Flat Iron Steak...seriously, I couldn't at least get a Sirloin if I wanted one. We had to ask for refills of bread and water. I'm out of sorts...this is really like Motel 6 and I am most definitely a Marriott girl. First and last for Carnival. I could keep going but, I would be here all night. My kids highlight of the ship...Room Service. Oh but they did love the resort in Cozumel of course I didn't pay for Carnival's outrageously priced excursions. I did meet some of my shipmates at the resort that paid 5 times the amount I spent for 3 ppl and I even went Jet Skiing and Snorkeling. Carnival was a rip off....bootleg, money hungry, cruise line....this is soley my opinion.

[declansdad]

 

I see a lot of people say that Carnival is for the younger crowd... I'm 27, husbands 32 and my parents are in their 60's and none of us liked Carnival. Will be sticking to Royal Caribbean from now on!

 

 

I'm 48, sailes twice with Carnival and loved both cruises. A cruise, like any other vacation, is what you make of it. When people have preconceived notions about what it is going to be like it will affect their trip. If you go with Carnival and think it is going to suck, it probably will suck.

[angiedelight]

I enjoyed my vacation, but I don't wear blinders either. I call it as I see it. Seeing that I had something to compare it to, and knowing how much I paid for this vacation. I have the right to have expectations, and unfortunately Carnival failed my expectations. Bottom line it was lack luster...my opinion!!!:rolleyes:

[duncan449]

I'm 48, sailes twice with Carnival and loved both cruises. A cruise, like any other vacation, is what you make of it. When people have preconceived notions about what it is going to be like it will affect their trip. If you go with Carnival and think it is going to suck, it probably will suck.

 

If I went into it thinking it was going to suck I wouldn't have booked it. We decided on Carnival because you never know until you try; and now I know.

 

I enjoyed my vacation, but I don't wear blinders either. I call it as I see it. Seeing that I had something to compare it to, and knowing how much I paid for this vacation. I have the right to have expectations, and unfortunately Carnival failed my expectations. Bottom line it was lack luster...my opinion!!!:rolleyes:

 

I agree! I'm sure if I had never been on Royal Caribbean and had nothing to compare it to I would have little to complain about. But I have been on RC twice and the standards on their ships are way above that of Carnival in my opinion.

 

 

To me Carnival came across as a company worried more about $$ than the care of the customer, or that of the ship. I don't think there was a full set of working elevators on that ship, and they sure as hell don't care about the standards that they set out. If your not supposed to wear shorts and flip flops into the dinning room, then why did you let everyone in like that? I've said before, I personally don't care what you wear to dinner, but if you are going to set the rules you should follow through on them. I had an employee look me up and down, sneer and proceed to explain the dress code to me when we were making our reservation for the Steakhouse. When we showed up for our reservation, there was a guy sitting next to us in fishing pants (zipper that turns them into shorts) and flip flops. I mean really?!

There were a handful of employees that were nice, and the majority just had an attitude of 'I don't care' or were just plain rude. Even a good portion of the guests on this cruise were really rude. I was shoved more than once because someone wanted to get down the stairs faster, or get to that item first in the store.

I just didn't care for the atmosphere on this ship.

 

And for the record, I never said I had a bad time. I enjoyed my vacation, and I'm just voicing my opinion on the differences in companies. No one will ever agree 100% on anything in this comparison, there are Carnival fans and there are RC fans... there are even those that enjoy both. Everyone is different and I'm NOT a fan of Carnival. Maybe it was just this particular ship, or maybe it was just this combination of crew.. I don't know - but it was enough that I don't want to give them anymore of my hard earned money.

Edited January 6, 2013 by duncan449

[sailinglisa]

Just an FYI: NO ships have clocks in their cabins except for on the phone in the room. I ALWAYS bring a travel alarm clock whenever I cruise because of that.

[angiedelight]

if i went into it thinking it was going to suck i wouldn't have booked it. We decided on carnival because you never know until you try; and now i know.

 

 

 

I agree! I'm sure if i had never been on royal caribbean and had nothing to compare it to i would have little to complain about. But i have been on rc twice and the standards on their ships are way above that of carnival in my opinion.

 

 

To me carnival came across as a company worried more about $$ than the care of the customer, or that of the ship. I don't think there was a full set of working elevators on that ship, and they sure as hell don't care about the standards that they set out. If your not supposed to wear shorts and flip flops into the dinning room, then why did you let everyone in like that? I've said before, i personally don't care what you wear to dinner, but if you are going to set the rules you should follow through on them. I had an employee look me up and down, sneer and proceed to explain the dress code to me when we were making our reservation for the steakhouse. When we showed up for our reservation, there was a guy sitting next to us in fishing pants (zipper that turns them into shorts) and flip flops. I mean really?!

There were a handful of employees that were nice, and the majority just had an attitude of 'i don't care' or were just plain rude. Even a good portion of the guests on this cruise were really rude. I was shoved more than once because someone wanted to get down the stairs faster, or get to that item first in the store.

I just didn't care for the atmosphere on this ship.

 

And for the record, i never said i had a bad time. I enjoyed my vacation, and i'm just voicing my opinion on the differences in companies. No one will ever agree 100% on anything in this comparison, there are carnival fans and there are rc fans... There are even those that enjoy both. Everyone is different and i'm not a fan of carnival. Maybe it was just this particular ship, or maybe it was just this combination of crew.. I don't know - but it was enough that i don't want to give them anymore of my hard earned money.

 

i wish there was a like button!!!!

[angiedelight]

A cruise is what you make it. Low expectations are the best way to go. It will almost always beat your expectations.

 

~Doris~

 

I'm sorry I don't spend over $2K on anything and have low expectations. I expect to get what I pay for. If it had been cheap, I probably would have had a low expectation.:confused:

[nychinacat]

Hi,

I'm new to this website and am curious if any one has feedback to give on a Northern European cruise with Royal Caribbean?

 

I'm going July 2nd out of England.

Thanks

[fleckle]

Hi,

I'm new to this website and am curious if any one has feedback to give on a Northern European cruise with Royal Caribbean?

 

I'm going July 2nd out of England.

Thanks

You may want to post this question on the Royal Caribbean board. Here is a direct link to it:

 

- ROYAL CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL

 

 

[declansdad]

If I went into it thinking it was going to suck I wouldn't have booked it. We decided on Carnival because you never know until you try; and now I know.

 

 

 

I agree! I'm sure if I had never been on Royal Caribbean and had nothing to compare it to I would have little to complain about. But I have been on RC twice and the standards on their ships are way above that of Carnival in my opinion.

 

 

To me Carnival came across as a company worried more about $$ than the care of the customer, or that of the ship. I don't think there was a full set of working elevators on that ship, and they sure as hell don't care about the standards that they set out. If your not supposed to wear shorts and flip flops into the dinning room, then why did you let everyone in like that? I've said before, I personally don't care what you wear to dinner, but if you are going to set the rules you should follow through on them. I had an employee look me up and down, sneer and proceed to explain the dress code to me when we were making our reservation for the Steakhouse. When we showed up for our reservation, there was a guy sitting next to us in fishing pants (zipper that turns them into shorts) and flip flops. I mean really?!

There were a handful of employees that were nice, and the majority just had an attitude of 'I don't care' or were just plain rude. Even a good portion of the guests on this cruise were really rude. I was shoved more than once because someone wanted to get down the stairs faster, or get to that item first in the store.

I just didn't care for the atmosphere on this ship.

 

And for the record, I never said I had a bad time. I enjoyed my vacation, and I'm just voicing my opinion on the differences in companies. No one will ever agree 100% on anything in this comparison, there are Carnival fans and there are RC fans... there are even those that enjoy both. Everyone is different and I'm NOT a fan of Carnival. Maybe it was just this particular ship, or maybe it was just this combination of crew.. I don't know - but it was enough that I don't want to give them anymore of my hard earned money.

 

 

It's too bad that you had a bad cruise. Sailed twice with Carnival and never experienced any of those things you did. I have known many others that have never had those problems either.

[hsaroya]

Hi, there. We just did Christmas on the RCL Oasis and New Year's on Carnival Freedom, so have a very recent basis of comparison. Both cruise lines were a first for us. We picked Carmival as it was a cheap add on for the second week for us (airfare from where we are in Canada is too high just to come south for only one week). All 10 of us swore that we will never do Carnival again, yet will definitely do Oasis or Allure many more times. There were 2500 more people on Oasis, but it was not til we boarded Carnival that we had lines, waited for elevators, experienced chair hogs, had smokers impact all outer areas. The oasis was visually stunning while the freedom was dark, dank, and looked much older than its five years. The shows on oasis rivalled anything I've seen in Vegas, while on freedom, two of the main shows in the main theatre showcased passengers as the headliners, something other lines do as their version of American Idol in a nightclub or lounge, not the main venue. The varied and numerous eating venues on oasis, many of them no charge, were also a highlight. The food in Carnival's buffet was mediocre at best and the selections at dinner were scant. for those who might interject that we should have eaten in the MDR, we did! And then always headed to the buffet hoping for something better!! The adult, fee free area on oasis, the solarium, is not to be rivalled anywhere, absolutely stunning. I respect the opinions of the diehard Carnival cruisers, and hope they realize no disrespect was intended - simply my opinion based on one cruise.

 

Hilarious that many of you mention the hotel comparison. As soon as we boarded Carnival, and remember this was three hours after getting off RCL, I turned to my sister and said " I think we just went from the Bellagio to the Imperial" - those of you who have been to Vegas will know what I am talking about! I keep saying that RCL WAS the destination and Carnival was merely the vessel TO the destination. Please bear in mind that this review is based only on one experience on both lines, as we are Princess diehards. My two teens had a fantastic time on RCL. So hands down, RCL!

Edited January 20, 2013 by hsaroya

[lifesavr65]

Hello all,

Newbie here..... Is RCI pulling out of New Orleans.. I was looking for "fall 2013" cruises and cant find any. Carnival has a few. Its gonna be BW and our 2 kids (3 and 10).... yes, First cruise...

[lahotsauce]

We've cruised twice with Royal Caribbean and will be cruising with them again April 2014. We have always enjoyed our experience with Royal Caribbean with very minimal complaints. The food is decent, but somewhat bland (however, we are from Louisiana and are used to spicy food). On our last cruise on Navigator of the seas in March 2013, our housekeeper walked in while we were napping. It wasn't a huge deal, but could have been worse if we weren't napping. LOL Also, while we boarded Navigator of the seas, there was a horrible sewage smell around the 9th or 10th deck. We smelled it again a few days later in the same area. No major complaints. Overall, we had a blast both times and we will continue to book Royal Caribbean. We love it!

[speed4theneed]

Having sailed both, I personally prefer Royal Caribbean slightly over Carnival (the drop off isn't very steep). I also think the prices are very comparable. Whereas rci usually charges a little more up front, they won't nickel and dime you as much as carnival, which in the end makes up the difference. Food was similar as well.

 

The biggest noticeable difference for me was in crowd type. Carnival seemed to have more younger passengers while Royal Caribbean had a more laid back, older crowd. I'm not old, but just still preferred rci, by a slim margin

[speed4theneed]

I could be wrong, but it sounds like the original poster might have been comparing the ships she sailed more than the companies? If you go onto a smaller and/or more outdated ship than you are used to, then of course that can be disappointing if you were expecting more. I would agree that a ship meeting ones personal expectations does make the trip more enjoyable, but there's a huge variety to choose from.

[cruisentn]

This seems to be an Apple vs. Android ongoing debate.

But, if I may, I am going to post some noobie observations:

One cruise and it was on the Royal Serenade of the Seas.

-We docked right beside the Carnival Enchantment in Nassau.

We were clearly a larger boat, that wasn't the pivotal point. The Enchantment simply looked old, poorly maintained and run down. Nowhere NEAR the amount of balcony rooms that we had. Our ship had dynamics, sexy curves and lotsa glass; a sleek and more modern appearance. Our lifeboats looked more substantial. We didn't have rusty spots.

It was like parking a Lamborghini beside of a Yugo.

That said, I have absolutely no idea what the inside of that old book was like. I only saw the frayed cover.

-I asked around on the frequent cruisers that I met on the RC boat and 100% of the people I asked said they were a lot more happy with the RC line than the Carnival line.

-I have friends that SWEAR by the Carnival line, although they've never even been on an RC boat.

-I know what I see on the news over the last year.

-I know that I couldn't get a Carnival boat to book our first cruise on that had a balcony room sailing out of N.O.

-I know I've read about more rocking boat/seasickness and loud noises and smokey atmospheres on Carnival. We experience NONE of these on our S.O.S trip.

These are just the new guy's observations into the RCC fanboy vs. the Carnival fanboy debate.

Edited January 22, 2014 by cruisentn

[Tatka]

There is no Carnival Enchantment. Enchantment of the Seas is a Royal Caribbean ship.

 

Carnival does have older ship, but so is RCI. I prefer RCI, but lets be fair and compare apples to apples. Serenade needs to be compared to Legend, Spirit, Pride or Miracle. Same size and approx same age.

[cruisentn]

There is no Carnival Enchantment. Enchantment of the Seas is a Royal Caribbean ship.

 

Carnival does have older ship, but so is RCI. I prefer RCI, but lets be fair and compare apples to apples. Serenade needs to be compared to Legend, Spirit, Pride or Miracle. Same size and approx same age.

 

See how new I am! LOL.

went back to look at the side by side pix, it was the Carnival Sensation.

The Enchantment was anchored (or whatever it's called) beside us outside of Coco Cay....

Sorry, but thanks for that correction!

[Tatka]

No prob.. :)

 

I thought you mixed names and it was Carnival Ecstasy or something, but Coco Cay is Royal Caribbean private island.

 

And by the way... size does not always matter. Serenade of the Seas is a beautiful great ship, but there are 3 larger classes of Royal Caribbean. For example

 

This is also RCI ship

 

 

It is 225K T against 90K T of Serenade, and has many more balconies. But is it better? Well for some people yes. I will probably take a cruise on her at some point, but it does not mean that Serenade and her sisters, or Enchantment are worse.

[cruisentn]

No prob.. :)

 

This is also RCI ship

 

 

Yes, I've already got my eyes on that one. :)