Second-Guessing My Decision...

[Gnosisinabox]

Hi! I recently managed to coax my stick-in-the-mud husband into agreeing to a family cruise, which will have to wait until next September/October due to work commitments. I am very excited!

 

We started out with a budget that I have since blown completely. We are booked on RC's Freedom of the Seas for a 7-night Western Caribbean Sept 28. The ship looks amazing, and we have two kids who will be 6 and 2 1/2 at the time of our trip so the Dreamworks characters and kids activities would definitely be a blast for them.

 

Here's my dilemma. We can book a similar itinerary and cabin category on Carnival (Breeze, Sunshine, Dream, or Conquest) for anywhere between $1200 and $2400 less! I have some concerns about going with Carnival, but that's an awful lot of money. My concerns with Carnival are:

 

- Is there much that we can do as a family? RC seems to have more activities and entertainment on board that we could do together...Carnival seems to be nothing but bars and overcrowded pools. We will use the kids clubs here and there, but would like to spend time together as well, doing things that are age appropriate for the kids.

 

-The food. I hear it's pretty sad compared to RC, and while I'm not a foodie by any means, I do enjoy nice meals.

 

-The "party" atmosphere. I understand that there will always be drunks, it's unavoidable and I'm fine with that, but I'm not sure how excited I would be if it turned into a floating frat party.

 

The advantage that Carnival has over RC is obviously a huge price difference, and the fact that our son will be able to go to Camp Carnival for free whenever he wants to. I would be fine with the pay-by-hour nursery on RC, but having him in with little babies may bore him, as he is used to older kids. I also like the flexibility of not having to reserve nursery time for him, in case plans change as they are destined to do with a toddler in tow.

 

We don't care much about which ports we go to, as we'll find something to do anywhere, but I do want to enjoy our sea days and onboard experience. I hate to overshoot our budget (though we can still afford it, I don't like to spend more than I have to), but at the same time, I am willing to do so for a superior experience -- if it is truly $2000 worth of superior.

 

Can anyone give me their opinions of one or both of these lines/ships? Apologies for the novel here, my head is about to explode with conflicting emotions! Ha!

[iahawkfan21]

Hi! I recently managed to coax my stick-in-the-mud husband into agreeing to a family cruise, which will have to wait until next September/October due to work commitments. I am very excited!

 

We started out with a budget that I have since blown completely. We are booked on RC's Freedom of the Seas for a 7-night Western Caribbean Sept 28. The ship looks amazing, and we have two kids who will be 6 and 2 1/2 at the time of our trip so the Dreamworks characters and kids activities would definitely be a blast for them.

 

Here's my dilemma. We can book a similar itinerary and cabin category on Carnival (Breeze, Sunshine, Dream, or Conquest) for anywhere between $1200 and $2400 less! I have some concerns about going with Carnival, but that's an awful lot of money. My concerns with Carnival are:

 

- Is there much that we can do as a family? RC seems to have more activities and entertainment on board that we could do together...Carnival seems to be nothing but bars and overcrowded pools. We will use the kids clubs here and there, but would like to spend time together as well, doing things that are age appropriate for the kids.

 

My first cruise was back in 2000 on Carnival. I was 17, and my siblings were 15 and 10. We chose to stick together as a family and not utilize the youth offerings. Still found plenty to do, and when we saw the "youth" groups, they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Same for our time on RCCL as we've cruised both lines a few times. You're always going to have overcrowded pools, but we've always managed to find activities with both to keep busy.

 

-The food. I hear it's pretty sad compared to RC, and while I'm not a foodie by any means, I do enjoy nice meals.

 

I'm not a "foodie" by any stretch, so I'm not hard to please. My cruise on Nov 30th will be my first in about three years, and I'm sure things have changed. However, I've always been pleased with the offerings on both lines. RCCL might have a slight edge, but to someone like me, I can always find something that I enjoy.

 

-The "party" atmosphere. I understand that there will always be drunks, it's unavoidable and I'm fine with that, but I'm not sure how excited I would be if it turned into a floating frat party.

 

Yes, Carnival does seem to have a little more "lively" atmosphere in that regard. But I feel like the time of year that you are looking at going is a good time to avoid the frat party environment. If you were going during Spring Break, it'd be a totally different conversation. We typically cruise between late October and February, avoiding the holiday weeks and have never encountered any major issues.

 

The advantage that Carnival has over RC is obviously a huge price difference, and the fact that our son will be able to go to Camp Carnival for free whenever he wants to. I would be fine with the pay-by-hour nursery on RC, but having him in with little babies may bore him, as he is used to older kids. I also like the flexibility of not having to reserve nursery time for him, in case plans change as they are destined to do with a toddler in tow.

 

We don't care much about which ports we go to, as we'll find something to do anywhere, but I do want to enjoy our sea days and onboard experience. I hate to overshoot our budget (though we can still afford it, I don't like to spend more than I have to), but at the same time, I am willing to do so for a superior experience -- if it is truly $2000 worth of superior.

 

This is truly a question that you have to answer yourself. If you're comfortable adjusting your budget, go for it! If you have doubts, go with Carnival, you won't be disappointed. If you really enjoy it, then look at trying out RCCL next time. Again, I've cruised both lines and tried different sizes/classes of ships on both, and never had a bad cruise! It's really what you make of it and I don't think you can go wrong either way. Cruising should not be stressful, it should be a relief!

 

Can anyone give me their opinions of one or both of these lines/ships? Apologies for the novel here, my head is about to explode with conflicting emotions! Ha!

 

No need to apologize, that's what these boards are for. I've gotten so many good opinions and ideas from these boards, takes a lot of the stress out of planning and allows me to enjoy my trip. Enjoy yours!

 

 

Cody

[Sauer-kraut]

It all depends on when you choose to take your cruise....spring break for college age will tend to be more on the raucous side. If you can go for a longer time period, more than 7 days you will have a completely different cruise.

 

Also, since this is your first cruise you won't know what either line really looks like until you experience it. Carnival's reputation might truly not be what you are thinking. :D

 

For me, I'd just save the money and take the cheaper cruise. What you save in fare can be used for a fantastic private tour at one of the ports of call. Also have you looked in to Norwegian? They are running a Kids Sail Free promo for select sailings. They also have family activities as well as Nickelodeon characters on a couple of their ships. (Slime time live too) :p

 

G

[cruzeluver]

Freedom of The Seas is an amazing ship! IMHO far superior to anything Carnival could offer.

[UATLB]

We just did the rc freedom of the seas with the characters and paid over 4k for a week which in my book was over priced. My kids enjoyed it had fun but still prefer carnival camp over royal. Thing I like about royal is we could leave the kids in there camp while we went off the ship to do excursions with out the kids which is nice carnival does not offer that. Once the kids go to camp they always wanna go which allows u to enjoy yourselfs without kids for some adult time.

[Gnosisinabox]

For me, I'd just save the money and take the cheaper cruise. What you save in fare can be used for a fantastic private tour at one of the ports of call. Also have you looked in to Norwegian? They are running a Kids Sail Free promo for select sailings. They also have family activities as well as Nickelodeon characters on a couple of their ships. (Slime time live too) :p

 

G

 

Norwegian would actually be my first choice, but their kids activities are for 3+, and our youngest will not be quite there yet. While we'll be together more than not (if the kids don't beg to ditch us, which is very likely), we do want the option of kid-free time. If we enjoy this trip, I think we will definitely book Norwegian the following year!

 

Thanks for all the helpful responses! I do think we will save the money and go with Carnival -- we are first timers, so we don't know what we're missing on the fancier ships yet! Haha. Besides, with the money we save, DH and I can take a little 4- or 5-day adults-only cruise...maybe to check out another line.

 

However, I did think that you were able to leave the kids in Camp Carnival during port stops -- that may be a dealbreaker. We'd like to go diving at one of the ports, and obviously can't take the kids, so that's a bummer...

[cb at sea]

You will have a great time no matter which cruiseline you choose. They are more similar than different. There is PLENTY to do for everyone on all of the lines....so if money is an issue, go with what your budget will allow. You will have much more fun if you aren't worrying about what you're spending!

 

BTW, Carnival has some of the larger standard cabins....just so you know!

[firstcruiseever]

Hi! I recently managed to coax my stick-in-the-mud husband into agreeing to a family cruise, which will have to wait until next September/October due to work commitments. I am very excited!

 

We started out with a budget that I have since blown completely. We are booked on RC's Freedom of the Seas for a 7-night Western Caribbean Sept 28. The ship looks amazing, and we have two kids who will be 6 and 2 1/2 at the time of our trip so the Dreamworks characters and kids activities would definitely be a blast for them.

 

Here's my dilemma. We can book a similar itinerary and cabin category on Carnival (Breeze, Sunshine, Dream, or Conquest) for anywhere between $1200 and $2400 less! I have some concerns about going with Carnival, but that's an awful lot of money. My concerns with Carnival are:

 

- Is there much that we can do as a family? RC seems to have more activities and entertainment on board that we could do together...Carnival seems to be nothing but bars and overcrowded pools. We will use the kids clubs here and there, but would like to spend time together as well, doing things that are age appropriate for the kids.

 

-The food. I hear it's pretty sad compared to RC, and while I'm not a foodie by any means, I do enjoy nice meals.

 

-The "party" atmosphere. I understand that there will always be drunks, it's unavoidable and I'm fine with that, but I'm not sure how excited I would be if it turned into a floating frat party.

 

The advantage that Carnival has over RC is obviously a huge price difference, and the fact that our son will be able to go to Camp Carnival for free whenever he wants to. I would be fine with the pay-by-hour nursery on RC, but having him in with little babies may bore him, as he is used to older kids. I also like the flexibility of not having to reserve nursery time for him, in case plans change as they are destined to do with a toddler in tow.

 

We don't care much about which ports we go to, as we'll find something to do anywhere, but I do want to enjoy our sea days and onboard experience. I hate to overshoot our budget (though we can still afford it, I don't like to spend more than I have to), but at the same time, I am willing to do so for a superior experience -- if it is truly $2000 worth of superior.

 

Can anyone give me their opinions of one or both of these lines/ships? Apologies for the novel here, my head is about to explode with conflicting emotions! Ha!

 

Personally I would go with cheaper. The only reason I would see paying that much more would be if I were going on a Disney. I don't see a TON of difference between the two lines. But that is porbably just me. Now Disney on the other hand is a whole different ball game. I think I group NCL, CCL and RCI in the same category together.

[Colorado Kat]

However, I did think that you were able to leave the kids in Camp Carnival during port stops -- that may be a dealbreaker. We'd like to go diving at one of the ports, and obviously can't take the kids, so that's a bummer...

 

Yes you can leave the kids at Camp Carnival when you are off the ship.

 

I would try Carnival for your first cruise. We've always been happy with them.

 

PS - The kids should also like the mini golf.

[Alyrica]

We sailed on the Carnival Triumph for our first cruise in September. We don't have children so I may have just been oblivious but the other passengers were our favorite part of the cruise. No one overly obnoxious or drunk. The children we encountered onboard looked like they were having fun too. We really enjoyed the cruise experience. The only real negative was that after lurking around the forums my expectations for the service weren't realistic. It was by no means bad service. They did their jobs proficiently. I'll have more realistic expectations for my 2014 RCCI cruises. ;)

[Lerin]

- Is there much that we can do as a family? RC seems to have more activities and entertainment on board that we could do together...Carnival seems to be nothing but bars and overcrowded pools. We will use the kids clubs here and there, but would like to spend time together as well, doing things that are age appropriate for the kids.

Yes, tons.

 

-The food. I hear it's pretty sad compared to RC, and while I'm not a foodie by any means, I do enjoy nice meals.

Very subjective, you'll be fine.

 

-The "party" atmosphere. I understand that there will always be drunks, it's unavoidable and I'm fine with that, but I'm not sure how excited I would be if it turned into a floating frat party.

Won't happen, not on a 7 day in Sept/Oct. The partiers stick with the short cruises during spring break.

 

The advantage that Carnival has over RC is obviously a huge price difference, and the fact that our son will be able to go to Camp Carnival for free whenever he wants to.

Those are HUGE differences and the reasons you should do Carnival

 

We have not sailed RC, but have been on Carnival as well as several other lines(including luxury ones). Carnival gets an unfair treatment by the media imho. You will enjoy the Breeze, or whichever ship you decide.

I'd suggest you check out the Carnival board as well as the Family board for specific questions.

 

Have fun :)

[Cuizer2]

Norwegian would actually be my first choice, but their kids activities are for 3+, and our youngest will not be quite there yet. While we'll be together more than not (if the kids don't beg to ditch us, which is very likely), we do want the option of kid-free time. If we enjoy this trip, I think we will definitely book Norwegian the following year!

 

Thanks for all the helpful responses! I do think we will save the money and go with Carnival -- we are first timers, so we don't know what we're missing on the fancier ships yet! Haha. Besides, with the money we save, DH and I can take a little 4- or 5-day adults-only cruise...maybe to check out another line.

 

However, I did think that you were able to leave the kids in Camp Carnival during port stops -- that may be a dealbreaker. We'd like to go diving at one of the ports, and obviously can't take the kids, so that's a bummer...

 

I've cruised nine times with Royal Caribbean, ten times with Carnival and twice with NCL. I am not up on the differences between the all the kids activities as I rarely cruise with children. That said ...

 

The passenger mix on Carnival, Royal Caribbean and NCL are all very similar. For the most part you are going to find young active types.

 

Though Carnival has a party hardy reputation, I've not seen it (though to be honest I don't drink that much). Nonetheless, you will find most of that occurs when school is out and on the shorter cruises (three, four and five night cruises). There are not a lot of college aged people that can afford a seven night cruise. Most of what you will see on a seven night cruise are young families and active adults that are out of college and have real jobs with real responsibilities, and thus are more responsible and not out to drink until they drop. That said, Royal Caribbean has had some notorious incidents involving drunks just like Carnival has.

 

Would I pay $1,200 to $2,400 more to cruise with Royal Caribbean over Carnival? No. But I'm not you. Does the Freedom of the Seas have more to offer than Sunshine or Conquest? Yes. I have not been on the Dream or Breeze, so I cannot comment on those two ships. However, both have more to offer than Sunshine or Conquest.

 

Still, what does the Freedom of the Seas have that Carnival does not? A rock climbing wall and a Flowrider (a surfing simulator). Both of your kids are too small for the Flowrider and the younger one is too small for the rock wall.

 

The Freedom of the Seas does have the H2O Zone, which does have a pool for babies in diapers. However, the Dream and Breeze have Waterworks and I'm sure a kids pool (though you can verify that on the Carnival board). However, be advised, the pool in the H2O Zone is deeper than most cruise ship pools. It is 5' 7" deep. Most cruise ship pools are about four and half feet deep. I don't know how deep the two main pools on the Freedom of the Seas are, that was one cruise that I was on with kids (six children ranging in age from six to twelve if I recall correctly). The two I spent the most time with never went to the kid's club (Adventure Ocean). They were with us the entire time, mostly at the H2O Zone, which is more impressive than Waterworks (unless you like the water slide, then Carnival has a BIG edge - 'cause the Freedom OTS does not have a water slide). When the nine year old was six he loved the water slide on Carnival.

 

The Freedom of the Seas has an ice rink (Carnival does not). The two boys (seven and nine) ice skated for the first time in their lives out in the middle of the Caribbean. They really enjoyed it. I know your older child can ice skate (if he wants to), but I am not sure about the younger child (you can check that on the Royal Caribbean board).

 

In my opinion (and I am not a foodie) Carnival has a slight edge in food and Royal Caribbean has a slight edge in service.

 

I can probably find my reviews of the Freedom of the Seas and seven other Royal Caribbean cruises, eight of my Carnival cruises and both NCL cruises. I also have photographs of 22 of the 23 ships I have been on (I've been on 24 cruises, repeating only one ship) if there is something you would like to see (I can post the pictures on this thread or point you to the thread where the pictures already have been posted).

 

If you have any other question I'll be happy to help you where I can.

 

Both Royal Caribbean and Carnival have miniature golf courses. The Royal Promenade on the Freedom of the Seas is impressive (Carnival has nothing like it). I've posted a few pictures of the Royal Promenade below ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2013 by Cuizer2

[Lerin]

We just did the rc freedom of the seas with the characters and paid over 4k for a week which in my book was over priced. My kids enjoyed it had fun but still prefer carnival camp over royal. Thing I like about royal is we could leave the kids in there camp while we went off the ship to do excursions with out the kids which is nice carnival does not offer that. Once the kids go to camp they always wanna go which allows u to enjoy yourselfs without kids for some adult time.

 

This is not correct, Carnival offers this service as well.

[Jbird81]

I honestly think you should consider the Carnival cruise just as much as Freedom. Although I have sailed both lines and each has it's own advantages, for that huge of a change in price, I say go for Carnival! Sunshine and the Breeze are both excellent ships! And if you like cruising, you might find a deal on the Freedom sometime after your first one!

[Gnosisinabox]

Fantastic! Thanks for the help! I have confidently cancelled the Freedom trip and booked the Sunshine -- it's an Eastern itinerary, so a bit of a change of plans, which is just fine with us. DH and I honeymooned in the USVI and are thrilled to go back.

 

I solemnly swear to use the money we'll save on something fun. Mama needs a spa day.

 

Thanks again for your great responses!

[#1TravelMom]

We have been on 35+ cruises - all except one- with children. Our youngest is 9. We have been on The Dream and the Breeze in the last year or so. Definitely no issues with party crowd- especially in September. Really liked both ships. Not sure about the Sunshine - hope to try it soon. For the ages of your children - I can't really think of any advantage RCCL has over Carnival. We like both. Lots of fun things in the kids club - good luck getting them out once they try it. My little girl starts asking if she can go at 6am when she wakes up.

[gatorsfam]

Hi! I recently managed to coax my stick-in-the-mud husband into agreeing to a family cruise, which will have to wait until next September/October due to work commitments. I am very excited!

 

We started out with a budget that I have since blown completely. We are booked on RC's Freedom of the Seas for a 7-night Western Caribbean Sept 28. The ship looks amazing, and we have two kids who will be 6 and 2 1/2 at the time of our trip so the Dreamworks characters and kids activities would definitely be a blast for them.

 

Here's my dilemma. We can book a similar itinerary and cabin category on Carnival (Breeze, Sunshine, Dream, or Conquest) for anywhere between $1200 and $2400 less! I have some concerns about going with Carnival, but that's an awful lot of money. My concerns with Carnival are:

 

- Is there much that we can do as a family? RC seems to have more activities and entertainment on board that we could do together...Carnival seems to be nothing but bars and overcrowded pools. We will use the kids clubs here and there, but would like to spend time together as well, doing things that are age appropriate for the kids.

 

-The food. I hear it's pretty sad compared to RC, and while I'm not a foodie by any means, I do enjoy nice meals.

 

-The "party" atmosphere. I understand that there will always be drunks, it's unavoidable and I'm fine with that, but I'm not sure how excited I would be if it turned into a floating frat party.

 

The advantage that Carnival has over RC is obviously a huge price difference, and the fact that our son will be able to go to Camp Carnival for free whenever he wants to. I would be fine with the pay-by-hour nursery on RC, but having him in with little babies may bore him, as he is used to older kids. I also like the flexibility of not having to reserve nursery time for him, in case plans change as they are destined to do with a toddler in tow.

 

We don't care much about which ports we go to, as we'll find something to do anywhere, but I do want to enjoy our sea days and onboard experience. I hate to overshoot our budget (though we can still afford it, I don't like to spend more than I have to), but at the same time, I am willing to do so for a superior experience -- if it is truly $2000 worth of superior.

 

Can anyone give me their opinions of one or both of these lines/ships? Apologies for the novel here, my head is about to explode with conflicting emotions! Ha!

 

Valid concerns, however having sailed both lines with similarly aged children it may be a bit of a hard sell to justify the added cost on the RCL for your family situation.

 

Activities - With young kids, they will likely not avail themselves of all of the amenities on RCL such as rock climbing, ice skating (besides trying it for a short while), flowrider..haha, and on and on... Lots to do as a family on CCL as well and the bars can be avoided and they aren't the drunk-party fests that some who haven't sailed CCL (or only weekend bing cruises) contend that they are.

 

Food - I found the MDR on Carnival to be very nice actually. Buffet on RCL was lacking IMO. No matter what you do you won't starve by any stretch. And find-dining with a 2 1/2 year old takes on a new meaning, so I wouldn't let that sway you too much. Carnival does have great desserts.

 

Camp Carnival - we found this nicely run and our kids enjoyed it a lot. Depending on the age groups, they can move around the ship for different activities. We found they spent a lot of time in the unused spaces of the ship which was great since it gave the kids a lot of room to run around and play structured games and such.

 

If I was facing this decision I think I'd go for Carnival now and look to RCL when your youngest is 6-8 and your oldest is a pre-teen..

 

Good luck to you!

[dorisis]

Freedom of The Seas is an amazing ship! IMHO far superior to anything Carnival could offer.

 

I just got off the Freedom and the children's area was awesome. Carnival can't even claim a close 2nd. You DO get what you pay for. I hope you have a good travel agent to help with On Board Credits or other ways of saving.

[seashinesunshine]

Hi! I recently managed to coax my stick-in-the-mud husband into agreeing to a family cruise, which will have to wait until next September/October due to work commitments. I am very excited!

 

Can anyone give me their opinions of one or both of these lines/ships? Apologies for the novel here, my head is about to explode with conflicting emotions! Ha!

 

You might find a lot of different opinions on this, and here is one more. :D

I have done Carnival three times and RCCL 2 times. In my honest opinion RCCL is not worth the extra $.

Dining~ food is about equal. We were on RCCl after the new menu updates and yeah the food was good, not better and not worse than Carnival. Pretty equal. oh, but on our last RCCL cruise the buffet closes from 330 to 6, which is when we were looking for a snack. The ONLY food on the ship is he room service (free on both) and a very small deli with long lines.

Service~ I fully feel that service has been 100 % better on Carnival on every level on each cruise. My husband agrees that Carnival is better, but he feels they are more equal. Our last RCCL cruise, all we heard from the crew every where was Please give me a good review. Like they were scared to not get a good review on a comment card or something. Then one told us to please give her a review and please not to tell anyone she said to do that or she would get in trouble.

Entertainment~ shows etc, neither are great, but you will find good shows once in a while. RCCL ice show is amazing! Carnival comedy club family hour is anything but family friendly.

Family activities~ Your family will have fun anywhere. Our kids from hockey country in ND, learned to ice skate in the Caribbean. The kids clubs are good and equal on each ship. Our kids have never really used them. Both have great pools, I think Carnival has better waterslides, but that depends on the ship.

Cleanliness~ about the same. No real complaints from me.

I do not feel that Carnival is more of a party ship. People have fun and party on both, but I have never seen it overwhelming on either ship. Yes isolated incidents. Anyone on the Adventure last January at the Piano Bar Monday night will never forget the Canadian women. Esp the one who peed her pants, or dress I guess it was. I have the video. :D But that was late at night in a bar, not something you are likely to run across with your little ones.

The one thing RCCL has is the Royal Prominade. It is usually on the 5th level and is a great mall like area for gathering and shopping. Better than carnivals crowded decks.

So in my opinion as we are planning to book our next one, I will take the 1000K I will save for the 4 of us and book Carnival, and use it for excursions.

Either way, you will have a great time!

[manda513]

Have not been on RC but we will be going on our 4th Carnival cruise this spring with our 8&10 year old's. Not sure whether us the parents or them the kids enjoy it more. They love eating in the main dining room bc they always get special attention from the waiters and waitresses. Request to spend as much time as possible in the camp. They plan so many fun and unique activities for them in there that they absolutely hate to leave. I honestly would not pay that much extra to go on RC (and the extra $$$ keeps me from sailing Disney as well which I would love to do one day!). There is just so much more you could do with that extra cash.

 

Amanda from KY

wife to Danny

Mom to two girls K (10) and C (8)

First sailing on Carnival Imagination May 2010

Carnival Liberty May 2012 for hubbys graduation

Carnival Dream March 2013 (first balcony!)

Next up- Carnival Sunshine March 30th 2014.

Celebrating hubbys graduation (Bachelors degree!) and our 10 year anniversary with our first Spa room.

[Seraphine]

We've loved our Carnival cruises and hope to sail with them again one day. You'll have a fantastic time! We've enjoyed the food and our kids loved their kids program.

 

We sailed with RCI once, and one of the most off-putting things was constantly being told "oh, you'll love us so much more than Carnival!". Well, no, not really... It was nice, but it didn't bowl me over - I thought the food and the kids program was better on our Carnival sailings.

 

Have fun!