RCI vs CCL - A Newbie's Experience

[Li'lImp]

There are frequent questions from newbies regarding the differences between Royal Caribbean and Carnival. Being relatively new at this myself with only one cruise on each line, I thought I'd detail my impressions of the two lines.

 

To start with, I'm a mid-forties empty nester. I always travel with my DH of 25+ years, but we also traveled with his folks on the second cruise. We are all low maintenance people. We enjoy interesting ports of call, light to moderate level activities, good food, and an occasional drink or two. We are also non-smokers. I suffer from a mobility issue that does require some extra considerations, but for the most part I'm pretty independent.

 

We boarded from two different ports so comparing that is kind of pointless. Every port will be different. The boarding processes, however, are more similar that different. Security screenings (serious/grumpy), registering (very friendly), photos (chaotic), etc. were pretty much all the same. We did have a longer wait/later boarding with CCL, but it wasn't an overly long wait and we had comfortable chairs. I would rate these equal.

 

The ships we booked -- CCL Dream and RCI Navigator -- are comparable in size, with the Navigator being ever so slightly larger. However, the Dream carries more passengers and crew. This, combined with a less open design of public spaces, made for some very crowded areas on the Dream. The décor in each was fine. Passing through the smoky casino was a necessary evil on both ships, but on the Dream you also had to pass through the buffet to access the aft pool. The theatre seemed smaller on the Dream with less seating, but the nightclubs/bars on the Dream seemed better located and had nicer layouts/designs. The higher rating goes to the Navigator.

 

We had a mid level, mid ship balcony cabin on both trips. We had a HC cabin on the Navigator and a non-modified cabin on the Dream. The sleeping area on the Dream was very comfortably sized for not being HC, but the bathroom was tiny! I'm told the non-modified bathrooms are the same on RCI, but that the cabins are slightly smaller overall. Furniture, bedding, balcony, and storage were all similar. Décor was slightly better on Navigator. Air conditioning was never cold enough for DH on either one. Sound proofing against hallway noise was much better on RCI. All said, I personally prefer RCI due to the quieter space.

 

Crews on both ships are good. I personally only had minor annoyance with one, and that was one of our assistant waiters on Dream. But DH reminded me he's an assistant because he's still learning, so I adjusted my attitude. All of our room stewards/stewardesses and MDR staff received extra tips from us, and at least two other staffers on each ship received good comments from us on our reviews. I did find that the crew on the Navigator seemed a bit more outgoing, and more of the crew knew me by name somehow. And the evening MDR staff on the Navigator insisted that my husband sit back and let them cut my meal for me, when needed. Win goes to RCI.

 

Food and drinks are very subjective, but here's my experience. I never had anything bad on RCI, and did have one or two outstanding dishes. And the drinks were good. On CCL, I never had anything outstanding. Most dishes were just good or okay, with an occasional poor thrown in (scrambled eggs or ham and cheese at the deli comes to mind). And the drinks all tasted like they were over mixed with very cheap liquor. RCI easily gets my vote here.

 

Entertainment was very much hit our miss on both ships. There was both good and not so good theatre. Same with singers/dj's in various venues. CCL did have near constant performers in the atrium, but they were usually mediocre. However, they did have a live band called 'Blackjack' that I loved. Too bad we can't clone them! The same bingo/trivia/contests/midnight buffets can be found on both lines. This is another equal score for me.

 

Other miscellaneous items include excursions (equal selection and pricing); spa (equal again; had massages in one and hairstyling in the other); photography and shops. RCI gets my vote for their photography and shops. I liked that I can pre-purchase photo packages, and that after each port, the shops offered something unique from that stop. For example, they offered amber jewelry after stopping in St. Thomas. And it was the same items at a lower price than I what I saw in the amber museum gift shop onshore. CCL only offered t-shirts.

 

People talk about passengers, but they can vary greatly from one sailing to the next. In comparing my two trips, the pax on CCL were more outgoing overall, but partied harder in the evenings. They were also less likely to dress to the nines for dinner. I'm not going to rate this, because it can change too much.

 

Overall pricing, Carnival gets an edge. I shop around to find the best deal for what ever itinerary we want. That's why I've been on both lines. But I applaud CCL for the Early Saver program. Yes, at the time of booking, it cost me a few dollars more. But being able to price match later on is a big plus for me. I know RCI offers upgrades if you complain about the prices dropping, but I book the specific cabin I want from the start. I'm not interested in an upgrade.

 

On a final note, I have to talk about safety, both day to day and in the event of the worst case scenario. I feel that CCL dropped the ball in a few areas. 1) Day to day, there was a greasy ceramic tile floor EVERY evening in the MDR. My MIL nearly slipped repeatedly, as did others. 2) The pool deck is made of a material that really holds the heat. I actually got blisters on my foot one afternoon. And 3), the housekeeping staff frequently seemed to abandon their equipment in the hallways. Finally,

despite a call to Special Needs before my cruise to specifically notify them of my disability and what my needs (assistance getting up/down stairs) would be in the event of a worst case scenario, no one on the ship was notified. I had to spend time after muster informing the various muster leaders and my room stewards/stewardesses. In contrast, RCI identified me as I boarded the ship, confirmed the info on file, and the employees were ever vigilant regarding my condition.

 

With everything said above, I would still choose to sail both lines if the conditions were right. I'm aware of limitations and can adjust accordingly. If price/ship/itinerary were all equal though, I'd have to go with RCI.

 

P.S.

Disembarking did seem more organized with CCL. Don't know if that was due to the port or the cruise line, though.

[Keith1010]

Thanks for taking the time to write this and to share it with everyone.

 

Keith

[Pack My Bags]

I agree very much with the OP. This is exactly how I found the 2 lines. I enjoy both, but depends on the ship, itinerary & budget.

 

I will almost ALWAYS opt for RCI first as we get many perks being Diamond members, I personally just find it classier & a better mix of families, honeymooners, youth, singles & Srs.

 

I have however, found a few interesting Carnival offerings & I wish Royal had them too..

 

Dream bathrooms - The dream has double bathrooms in rooms that hold 4/5. I stayed in one on deck 2 with my DH. One bathroom has a commode, shower & sink. The 2nd has a sink & tub about 2/3 the size of a regular tub. This is a plus when you need to get ready!

 

Dream food options - There are a few touches that I prefer when it comes to Carnival/Dream class. 1. They give you an entire sandwich at the deli. 2. By the pool they offer Mediterranean & tandoor station complete with hummus & naan every day. YUM! (Or was it every sea day?) 3. Carnival pizza is tastier, especially the mushroom & goat cheese chèvre one! 4. Although it insults & pains me to see people come to the MDR on formal night dressed in jeans & sneakers, sometimes I cannot lie.... I DO like the option that DH can wear his dress shorts & a polo to dinner on Carnival. 5. Five words--Chocolate molten lava cake, daily.

 

Dream Misc - 1. Movies under the Stars. Love it. Some Royal ships are now being outfitted with this amenity. 2. Free drinks in the casino when you get enough points! (1,500?) 3. The seapass kiosk to put money towards your bill instead of waiting on line at the guest svc desk!

 

 

If price & itinerary are the same, I prefer Royal. They have little nuances & tasteful touches that I adore. Overall I prefer the ship layout (same venue names across the fleet) ship flow, openness, staff, amenities, activities & overall experience of Royal. Carnival ship decor tends to be so overly gawdyyyy -- but the Dream is so much better than their preceding classes!

 

BIG PICTURE !!! ANY CRUISE IS BETTER THAN BEING IN THE OFFICE!! ENJOY & SMOOTH SAILING AHEAD!

 

[janetz]

There are frequent questions from newbies regarding the differences between Royal Caribbean and Carnival. Being relatively new at this myself with only one cruise on each line' date=' I thought I'd detail my impressions of the two lines.

 

To start with, I'm a mid-forties empty nester. I always travel with my DH of 25+ years, but we also traveled with his folks on the second cruise. We are all low maintenance people. We enjoy interesting ports of call, light to moderate level activities, good food, and an occasional drink or two. We are also non-smokers. I suffer from a mobility issue that does require some extra considerations, but for the most part I'm pretty independent.

 

We boarded from two different ports so comparing that is kind of pointless. Every port will be different. The boarding processes, however, are more similar that different. Security screenings (serious/grumpy), registering (very friendly), photos (chaotic), etc. were pretty much all the same. We did have a longer wait/later boarding with CCL, but it wasn't an overly long wait and we had comfortable chairs. I would rate these equal.

 

The ships we booked -- CCL Dream and RCI Navigator -- are comparable in size, with the Navigator being ever so slightly larger. However, the Dream carries more passengers and crew. This, combined with a less open design of public spaces, made for some very crowded areas on the Dream. The décor in each was fine. Passing through the smoky casino was a necessary evil on both ships, but on the Dream you also had to pass through the buffet to access the aft pool. The theatre seemed smaller on the Dream with less seating, but the nightclubs/bars on the Dream seemed better located and had nicer layouts/designs. The higher rating goes to the Navigator.

 

We had a mid level, mid ship balcony cabin on both trips. We had a HC cabin on the Navigator and a non-modified cabin on the Dream. The sleeping area on the Dream was very comfortably sized for not being HC, but the bathroom was tiny! I'm told the non-modified bathrooms are the same on RCI, but that the cabins are slightly smaller overall. Furniture, bedding, balcony, and storage were all similar. Décor was slightly better on Navigator. Air conditioning was never cold enough for DH on either one. Sound proofing against hallway noise was much better on RCI. All said, I personally prefer RCI due to the quieter space.

 

Crews on both ships are good. I personally only had minor annoyance with one, and that was one of our assistant waiters on Dream. But DH reminded me he's an assistant because he's still learning, so I adjusted my attitude. All of our room stewards/stewardesses and MDR staff received extra tips from us, and at least two other staffers on each ship received good comments from us on our reviews. I did find that the crew on the Navigator seemed a bit more outgoing, and more of the crew knew me by name somehow. And the evening MDR staff on the Navigator insisted that my husband sit back and let them cut my meal for me, when needed. Win goes to RCI.

 

Food and drinks are very subjective, but here's my experience. I never had anything bad on RCI, and did have one or two outstanding dishes. And the drinks were good. On CCL, I never had anything outstanding. Most dishes were just good or okay, with an occasional poor thrown in (scrambled eggs or ham and cheese at the deli comes to mind). And the drinks all tasted like they were over mixed with very cheap liquor. RCI easily gets my vote here.

 

Entertainment was very much hit our miss on both ships. There was both good and not so good theatre. Same with singers/dj's in various venues. CCL did have near constant performers in the atrium, but they were usually mediocre. However, they did have a live band called 'Blackjack' that I loved. Too bad we can't clone them! The same bingo/trivia/contests/midnight buffets can be found on both lines. This is another equal score for me.

 

Other miscellaneous items include excursions (equal selection and pricing); spa (equal again; had massages in one and hairstyling in the other); photography and shops. RCI gets my vote for their photography and shops. I liked that I can pre-purchase photo packages, and that after each port, the shops offered something unique from that stop. For example, they offered amber jewelry after stopping in St. Thomas. And it was the same items at a lower price than I what I saw in the amber museum gift shop onshore. CCL only offered t-shirts.

 

People talk about passengers, but they can vary greatly from one sailing to the next. In comparing my two trips, the pax on CCL were more outgoing overall, but partied harder in the evenings. They were also less likely to dress to the nines for dinner. I'm not going to rate this, because it can change too much.

 

Overall pricing, Carnival gets an edge. I shop around to find the best deal for what ever itinerary we want. That's why I've been on both lines. But I applaud CCL for the Early Saver program. Yes, at the time of booking, it cost me a few dollars more. But being able to price match later on is a big plus for me. I know RCI offers upgrades if you complain about the prices dropping, but I book the specific cabin I want from the start. I'm not interested in an upgrade.

 

On a final note, I have to talk about safety, both day to day and in the event of the worst case scenario. I feel that CCL dropped the ball in a few areas. 1) Day to day, there was a greasy ceramic tile floor EVERY evening in the MDR. My MIL nearly slipped repeatedly, as did others. 2) The pool deck is made of a material that really holds the heat. I actually got blisters on my foot one afternoon. And 3), the housekeeping staff frequently seemed to abandon their equipment in the hallways. Finally,

despite a call to Special Needs before my cruise to specifically notify them of my disability and what my needs (assistance getting up/down stairs) would be in the event of a worst case scenario, no one on the ship was notified. I had to spend time after muster informing the various muster leaders and my room stewards/stewardesses. In contrast, RCI identified me as I boarded the ship, confirmed the info on file, and the employees were ever vigilant regarding my condition.

 

With everything said above, I would still choose to sail both lines if the conditions were right. I'm aware of limitations and can adjust accordingly. If price/ship/itinerary were all equal though, I'd have to go with RCI.

 

P.S.

Disembarking did seem more organized with CCL. Don't know if that was due to the port or the cruise line, though.[/quote']

 

 

Very good comparison. Thanks for sharing. ;)