Carnival instead of RCCL?

[Tapi]

I've been on a few Carnival cruises recently, and thought they had a pretty good product that was more similar to RC than different.

 

Looking at your cruise history, it seems like your Royal experience has been mostly on Mariner while your Carnival experience has been mostly on the Dream. These ships are indeed more comparable in size (although the rest of the experience being the same is questionable). But the OP is trying to go from Oasis and Freedom to the Ecstasy! :eek:No comparison whatsoever. HUGE difference.

[BettyPC]

We have cruised both lines - enjoy them both!

 

Its a cruise - relax - ocean breezes, ship sailing... We went on 2 Carnival voyages, then 2 RCCL and now we are on our way to Liberty in August!

 

Feel blessed to be able to go on a cruise and relax! Enjoy!

[jules815]

Looking at your cruise history, it seems like your Royal experience has been mostly on Mariner while your Carnival experience has been mostly on the Dream. These ships are indeed more comparable in size (although the rest of the experience being the same is questionable). But the OP is trying to go from Oasis and Freedom to the Ecstasy! :eek:No comparison whatsoever. HUGE difference.

 

Oh yeah, I know that; absolutely no comparison. But, out of my 3 Carnival cruises, the best of the 3 actually turned out to be on Destiny, which after reading reviews, should have been the worst! (And those were reviews on the Carnival board!)

[cruzeluver]

But the OP is trying to go from Oasis and Freedom to the Ecstasy! :eek:No comparison whatsoever. HUGE difference.

 

This! A comparison of the cruise lines is not helpful here. A comparison of the ships is. Going from two of Royal's largest and most amenity-packed to the second oldest and smallest class in the Carnival fleet is a pretty big leap.

[Halftocruz]

Food is definitely not comaparable anymore between the 2. RCL is much better.

RCL subdued?

Not al all.

Compare apples to apples. Not Caribbean cruises with transatlantic.

 

Funny how this works. She asked my opinion and I gave it. I know it's not a complete comparison. I think RCCL does a great job, I also think Carnival does an excellent job so I gave my opinion...

[Winnigirl]

My dh is just the same as your dh - but so am I. One Carnival Cruise convinced us - never again! Sorry.

[Cruisegirl6]

I have cruised many times on both lines RC is the winner and our first choice all the time! We decided that we not straying any longer and staying with RC but I must say the Dream is the only Carnival ship we would go back on she was definitely on par with the Freedom class RC ships. I am sure the Breeze would be also since she is the sister ship of the Dream. As far as the older, smaller Carnival ships, its great if you take a few trips per year as we do, but to go on them as your only or main trip in the year your going to miss so much. My suggestion if you won't be taking the Dream or the Breeze trust me go RC!

 

Comparison Carnival smaller/older ships to RC lets say Freedom Class:

RC offers live bands at pool where Carnival took away

RC buffets offer sooo much variety and selection amazingly huge difference!

Service- RC overall service always excellent, Carnival hit or miss

Specialty restaurants- Both provide excellent

Staterooms- RC gives you shower doors Carnival shower curtains

and both provide very good bedding, storage, etc.

Staff- Friendly on both

Overall Ship both very clean

Pools- Larger pools and more seating space on RC

Shows- RC all the way

[Tiffny111]

We had to take a Carnival cruise after our Grandeur cruise was cancelled. We only had two weeks to get on another cruise ship so we figured it couldn't be too bad. We had sailed Carnival twice before and after out Fantasy cruise, we vowed to never sail Carnival again. Well to our surprise we has a blast. I think most if it was due to the fun ship 2.0 upgrades. We loved guys burgers and brunch. We sailed on the Conquest and like I said we did not enjoy the Fantasy. I'm not sure if the Ecstasy has the 2.0 upgrade but just go into it with an open mind. I've seen short Carnival cruises going for $159 pp. I wouldn't dare compare that to my RCCL or Disney cruises. At least you'll be in vacation. Have fun!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[dorinel]

but was getting a little tired of them after sailing Carnival for the 10th time.

 

But my experience recently with the Carnival Breeze has me hooked again. I absolutely loved it. The decor, the adult only deck, Guy's burgers, food and the cove balcony.

 

I enjoyed the Jewel of the Seas and can't wait to experience the Freedom of the Seas.

 

Could I come up with some dislikes about the Jewel, yes, but a cruise is what you make of it, just like any vacation.

[WilCruise]

You will never know until you try. However you can always have a great experience ONE TIME. You really need to cruise a number of times with a few lines you think you might like. Itinerary dictates a lot. I keep coming back to RCI for value, just to go cruising. I go with Princes or Celebrity when itinerary dictates. But all have their periods of good and bad. RCIs newest ships are hard to beat.

[rosebud1g]

I was just on the Serenade of the Seas to the Mediterranean and while the cruise was fantastic and RCL did a great job, I still think Carnival does a better job overall.

 

RCL had absolutely no entertainment on this cruise and it felt very subdued and very boring EVERY night!!! We looked to have some outside movies on their version of a jumbo screen :eek: but they didn't, the shows were not very good and only one per night for the most part.

 

I think the food is comparable on both lines but food is not my thing so maybe I'm not the best to analyze.

 

I think Carnival gets a bad rap and overall they do a great job with food, fun and the staff is just as great on Carnival as RCL.

 

I know this is a RCL forum but I think we can all agree that cruising is fun no matter what and you have to make your own enjoyment.

 

IMO Carnival does a better job but that being said, RCL was still a great cruise line and I just feel blessed to be able to cruise as often as we do!!:D

 

You should try the Oasis and Freedom class on RCCL- The shows and entertainment are outstanding on these. You WONT want to go back to Carnival after that. I didnt!

[Halftocruz]

You should try the Oasis and Freedom class on RCCL- The shows and entertainment is outstanding on these. You WONT go back to Carnival after that. I didnt!

 

Thanks for the feedback I will definitely cruise on Royal again. Want to try the two classes you mentioned.

[Cruisegirl6]

I have been a few times on the FOS and her sister ship LOS we love that class!

 

I totally agree in order to find your perfect cruise line and then your favorite ship you need to cruise different lines and ships. This is how I am able to compare very well, Im 50 now and last month took my 50th cruise.

 

For me I been there done it all, itinerary not important at all, in fact, your only on the islands for just a handful of hours it is the ship that is most important (at least to me) as that is your "home" for the week.

 

Sometimes we stray just to try another ship or different cruise line but always we come back to say RC is our favorite. :o

[Tapi]

...but was getting a little tired of them after sailing Carnival for the 10th time.

But my experience recently with the Carnival Breeze has me hooked again. I absolutely loved it.

 

We had a similar experience. After our cruise on the Fascination (Ecstasy's sister ship) we almost made the decision to never sail on them again. It was our 9th Carnival cruise in a row and we were feeling "Carnivaled out".

 

Thankfully, we gave the Carnival Dream (Breeze's sister ship) a try and had a very enjoyable time. Very different experience and it restored our faith in Carnival. :)

 

But as someone mentioned before, instead of comparing cruise lines as a whole, the OP should be comparing individual ships. A Carnival Breeze review will be very different than a Carnival Ecstasy review.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

You've probably heard this, but either your job is really crappy, or you haven't had a truly bad day on a cruise.

 

I am with you there. I never really thought much about that saying until I was trapped on a ship with widespread norovirus for 5 days.

 

I would have much rather have been in work.:)

 

Bill

[UNV-IT!!!]

Be prepared to have a pissed off hubby.

[efiinut]

[quote name='CptSticky']We cruise RCI almost exclusively, but have done a Carnival or Princess here and there. Did we like Carnival, yes. Not sorry at all that we cruised with them. Compared to RCI, better in some regards, worse in others. So why the loyalty to Royal? C&A benefits win over anything that Carnival offers hands down no question.[/quote]


I'm with you. I didn't like the Triumph. Loved the Liberty. Still had a good time, both cruises. Perks win out on RCCL.

[sellwingri]

Although we're Diamond on RCCL, we found a unbelievable price on a cruise 3 weeks before departure on Carnival out of Boston. Embarking was unbelievably quick and easy and our balcony room was bigger than RCCL but the balcony wasn't really comfortable. The deli, which was also available on the room service menu, was also great. However, that's where the good ended.

The biggest negative that will stay with me about Carnival was Bingo. I went to get my bingo cards for a 3 game round. After paying, I realized that they just gave me 1 card with 3 games on it. I went back to point out their error and they had no idea what I was talking about. They told me that I had a sheet of 3 games. Thinking I misunderstood, I asked if this wasn't for 3 rounds of bingo and they confirmed it was. It turned out that after game 1, you have to unfold your numbers and use the same card for round 2 and the same for round 3.

DL and I just cracked up!!! I know this is only a minor thing, but I think the RCCL bingo players will understand why this is so funny.

That being said, I did do very well playing 3 card poker in the casino so that was very nice.

We would consider another Carnival cruise if we could book it as cheaply as this one - $1000 for a 5 day cruise with a balcony for the 2 of us.

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

We loved Carnival! We feel both lines are pretty comparable with slight edges to Carnival in food and entertainment and slight edge to Royal in service and amenities. We sail exclusively on Royal lately due to the suite perks, though. Carnival can't come close to those. I don't think the Fantasy class will be a fair comparison though to freedom and oasis classes!!

[Cruising89143]

I'm with your husband. No more Carnival for me. Been there and done that. Every other cruise line that I have cruised has been a much better overall experience. Carnival ships are far too crowded and poorly designed. I also see nothing similar other than the ships float. When Carnival build ships like Oasis and Quantum, then I will think more about them being similar.

[Cruisegirl6]

My favorite cruise line RC

We are going back and my other half says we not straying anymore! :D;):p

[Tapi]

[quote name='sellwingri']DL and I just cracked up!!! I know this is only a minor thing, but I think the RCCL bingo players will understand why this is so funny.
[/QUOTE]

I've played Bingo on both cruise lines and I'm not getting it. The main difference that I remember between the two though is that on Royal the bingo was considerably more expensive.

[whyrlygig]

Like most others here, I wouldnt take a 2nd Carnival cruise....even if it was free I think. I really disliked the decor and the service and the food was inedible.

[WetToes]

[quote name='whyrlygig']Like most others here, I wouldnt take a 2nd Carnival cruise....even if it was free I think. I really disliked the decor and the service and the food was inedible.[/quote]


Beings you added that "I think", 'I' think you surely would take a "free" Carnival cruise. Who are you kidding? ;)
I would never let the "décor" of a ship determine whether I'd sail them again, ... maybe that's just me.
" ... the food was inedible". So you didn't eat for the duration of the cruise after the first attempt? :rolleyes: How much weight did you lose?

[sellwingri]

[quote name='Tapi']I've played Bingo on both cruise lines and I'm not getting it. The main difference that I remember between the two though is that on Royal the bingo was considerably more expensive.[/QUOTE]

I can only speak for Princess and RCCL but they both give you a fresh sheet of bingo games to play each round. You don't have to unfold them and use the same cards over and over again.