Carnival regular tries RCCL - my comparison.

[AandBmom]

As of Jan 2014, RCI no longer requires a ship's card to get pool towels.

 

Woody

 

That's only on some ships. I sailed last week on the Freedom and you did require a card to get a towel but my friend was on the Radiance the week prior (Feb 2014) and she didn't.

[AandBmom]

Are they in the rooms like at Carnival? It really doesn't matter if I have to swipe my card it was the having to go up to the pool deck to retrieve them and to turn them back in esp on port days when taking them off the ship...no need to have to go up to the pool before going down to gangway.

 

Yes on Carnival they are sitting in your cabin with a note saying "take me out in the sun but please leave me when you're done" or something like that. Your cabin steward changes them out whenever they are laying around or if you ask for it. You can also change them for fresh ones on the pool deck. So nice to start each day with clean fresh beach towels ready to go in your cabin.

 

Edit to my original comment: I re read your question you were asking if they're not in the cabins on RCCL. No they're not, you have to go searching for a towel on the pool deck.

Edited March 9, 2014 by AandBmom

[AandBmom]

How do you compare shows and entertainment?

 

I found the RCCL shows way more professional seeming and entertaining. The Carnival ones I often find to be more like a dance recital.

 

The skating show is awesome too which is a nice change. The only thing I missed on RCCL is the comedians.

[AandBmom]

Thank you for the comparison! Having only sailed on Carnival, the little differences (i.e. robes, towels, access to drinks, etc.) would have been a surprise. Don't know if we will ever sail another cruise line - no reason to fix what isn't broken - but knowing about the subtle differences ahead of time if we were to book is immensely helpful.

 

I felt the same way because I love Carnival but after doing 5 Carnivals in a row I was starting to feel like it was the same buffet, same dining room menu, same layout, same system etc. I wanted to try something new and I'm so glad I did. It's nice to see how they do things different and as I mentioned some things were better some I didn't care for as much but loved my cruise as much as a Carnival one.

[Lace]

Johnny Rockets doesn't charge for food.

 

Johnny Rockets is a service restaurant, where Guys is self serve. The service charge at JR is the tip for the service.

 

The room service charge is only from midnight to 5AM, and many can think why they do that, in addition to it being considered the tip, and I've yet to see fresh squeezed orange juice in a Carnival ship I have sailed.

Edited March 9, 2014 by Lace

[AandBmom]

Aside from the kids camps, did your kids like the other areas of either line better? Pools, water park areas, golf, etc? Did one seem more kid friendly than the other?

 

My kids are 3,4,8 and 9. I'd say they loved each ship in different ways. On the Carnival Breeze they loved the ropes course and the 5D theater but on RCCL they though the flowrider and rock climbing were cool. They never tried the skating b/c we're from Canada and it's winter - enough skating around here! The golf was slightly better on the Carnival breeze but equivalent between the RCCL Freedom and the old Carnival ships.

 

My kids missed having water slides on RCCL as many Carnival ships have them now. The splash stuff was great on either.

 

The only different/better thing about RCCL was that our cruise was a dreamworks cruise so it was nice to see the characters out and about and to have movies playing continuously in the cabin (great for those quiet moments b/w events).

 

My kids would sail either in a heartbeat. We always make sure we choose a ship with a kids water area and some extra kid fun things whatever line we choose.

[AandBmom]

Thanks for the comparison. I found it to be very fair and open-minded. I am also sailing on FOS this year and it is my first cruise on Royal. I'm actually more excited for this cruise because lately I've been finding myself "Carnivaled Out." Don't get me wrong...I LOVE Carnival, but I want to experience something different. Something as small as different jokes, or different activities. All the Carnival cruises I've been on the last few years are just starting to mesh together and I can't even tell one from the other anymore. I will say I did love the Breeze though.

 

That's exactly where we were! We loved the Breeze but wanted to try something new. So glad we did. Also now I feel I can engage in discussions more with friends when they go on and on about how RCCL is better or Carnival is better.

[AandBmom]

Johnny Rockets doesn't charge for food.

 

Johnny Rockets is a service restaurant, where Guys is self serve. The service charge at JR is the tip for the service.

 

Good point, but I still thought the food at Guy's was way better or if you want service, the dining room is way better IMO.

[Lace]

One thing (probably petty) we missed on CCL were the self-service stations for ice cream, iced tea, lemonade, etc. It was nice to get these at any time, add as much or as little ice as you want, and use it to take a stroll around the ship.

 

On the Navigator self-serve ice cream was only available during buffet hours. You had to go to the Promenade Cafe for Tea or Water, in smaller disposable cups, no ice.

 

Unless RCCL has changed something, they don't have self serve ice cream. It's all frozen yogurt.

[Lace]

Good point, but I still thought the food at Guy's was way better or if you want service, the dining room is way better IMO.

 

Personally I save the burgers for when there's no good food around, and that usually off the ship.

[golfadj]

Good point, but I still thought the food at Guy's was way better or if you want service, the dining room is way better IMO.

 

At Johnny rockets you can get all the onion rings you want but at Guys tough to get more than 2.

[kicia]

Unless RCCL has changed something, they don't have self serve ice cream. It's all frozen yogurt.

 

We were on the Freedom of the Seas in January and we really missed the ice cream There is a station that says it is an ice cream station but it is just frozen yogurt so I didn't get any. The hours are good for the lady on Carnival that wanted the ice cream stations to be closed at 8 PM because the hours on RCCL were very limited. I missed walking around with my small cone of ICE CREAM at all hours.

[1kaper]

Thanks for the review. It seemed very fair. I am considering trying a different line for our next cruise. I find a lot of the things you noted would be something I would too. The towels thing for sure (like you said, not enough to make you not sail but some thing that is missed)

[Mysticks1]

I had similar experiences on RCI and Carnival and agree with what you stated. Another difference is that on RCI balconies they have sliding doors that would lock in place so you could leave them open a little and lock it so it couldn't slide shut. The doors didn't slam.

[belkin]

Thanks for the comparison...it seemed balanced and fair.

[golfadj]

Thinking more and more it is time to give RCCL another try.

[lunagirl]

Thank you for the comparison. We have been on several CCL cruises and are considering RCCL for the first time. We have two small children that would be sailing for the first time and were lured in to consider RCCL because of the Kids Sail Free deal. Now I have more information to help me make that decision. :)

[sjb.illinois]

Having done Carnival Breeze with my kids (10 and 7 at the time) as well as Freedom of the Seas, I completely agree with the OPs review. We loved both ships.

Perhaps b/c we had one of the very first sailings out of Florida on the Breeze, we had a fabulous cast of entertainers and found the singing top-notch. Later reviews of the Breeze were not good for the entertainment.

For the age of my kids the water slides on Carnival (as well as the ropes course on Breeze, which I believe might be the only ship to have this), Carnival was better as far as *activities. I don't think my kids would have done the flowrider or the rock wall, and the kids splash area seemed to be much more baby-ish. The ice skating is fun, but not why we go on a cruise (we're usually trying to get away from ice).

The adults only pool area on Freedom of the Seas was awesome, and frankly would be a reason I would choose that ship. The Serenity area an Breeze was nice, but lacked a pool, and seemed more crowded.

Given the pricing, at least ever sailing I've compared, Carnival is substantially cheaper. And that would mean the ability to cruise more often.

Completely agree on the food comments of options. I would not choose ECLIPSE over Carnival based on food. In fact, the extra options on Breeze such as Tandoori Grill, Blue Iguana and Guy's were huge pluses for us.

 

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[sjb.illinois]

I would not choose ECLIPSE over Carnival based on food. In fact, the extra options on Breeze such as Tandoori Grill, Blue Iguana and Guy's were huge pluses for us.

 

 

 

Should have said *would not choose RC over Carnival*

For some reason I cant edit my post in mobile.

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Edited March 9, 2014 by sjb.illinois

[pspercy]

How do you compare shows and entertainment?

 

Not a big one for shows tho' DW likes them but we thought Royal's shows were vastly superior to Carnival(Triumph).

[AandBmom]

Thank you for the comparison. We have been on several CCL cruises and are considering RCCL for the first time. We have two small children that would be sailing for the first time and were lured in to consider RCCL because of the Kids Sail Free deal. Now I have more information to help me make that decision. :)

 

When you're looking at those deals make sure you look at the total price. I noticed that the adults price doubled when the kids were free. Overall it was about the same. That might not be the case with all sailings but it was for the one I looked at. The kids might really like the dreamworks experience. The Freedom class ships have lots for kids to do!

[AandBmom]

Having done Carnival Breeze with my kids (10 and 7 at the time) as well as Freedom of the Seas, I completely agree with the OPs review. We loved both ships.

Perhaps b/c we had one of the very first sailings out of Florida on the Breeze, we had a fabulous cast of entertainers and found the singing top-notch. Later reviews of the Breeze were not good for the entertainment.

For the age of my kids the water slides on Carnival (as well as the ropes course on Breeze, which I believe might be the only ship to have this), Carnival was better as far as *activities. I don't think my kids would have done the flowrider or the rock wall, and the kids splash area seemed to be much more baby-ish. The ice skating is fun, but not why we go on a cruise (we're usually trying to get away from ice).

The adults only pool area on Freedom of the Seas was awesome, and frankly would be a reason I would choose that ship. The Serenity area an Breeze was nice, but lacked a pool, and seemed more crowded.

Given the pricing, at least ever sailing I've compared, Carnival is substantially cheaper. And that would mean the ability to cruise more often.

Completely agree on the food comments of options. I would not choose ECLIPSE over Carnival based on food. In fact, the extra options on Breeze such as Tandoori Grill, Blue Iguana and Guy's were huge pluses for us.

 

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Absolutely to everything you said. I missed the Tandoori Grill, Blue Iguana and Guys so much. I also missed the hot buffet items from Carnival believe it or not. Lunch was boring in the Windjammer.

[sunkey1]

We went on the Independence of the Seas after MANY Carnival cruises with our kids and my 17 year old daughter never wants to sail on RCCL again. Every night the staff was out checking key cards of the kids to see if they were under 18 or not. She was 16 at the time we sailed, always dressed nice, always with one or two friends, not a huge gang and every night she was told she had to to go back to her cabin at midnight. One night at 12:30 she was only sitting in a quiet area overlooking the end of the promenade, talking to one other girl when a crew member came along, asked her to see her card and told her she would have to go back to her cabin, which was virtually around the corner. She felt like she had to be constantly on her guard. We had given her permission to be out until 2, as long as she was with friends or her 18 year old brother but it did not matter to the crew. She felt harassed and it really spoiled a lot of the cruise for her. I would go back to RCCL with my husband if the price was right (which it usually is not) But I don't ever see my daughter wanting to sail with them again. My 18 year old son had a good time, but said he was perfectly happy to go back to Carnival as well.

[Georgiagolfer]

Thinking more and more it is time to give RCCL another try.

 

Stu,try it again, you may like it better this time.

[yogimax]

We went on the Independence of the Seas after MANY Carnival cruises with our kids and my 17 year old daughter never wants to sail on RCCL again. Every night the staff was out checking key cards of the kids to see if they were under 18 or not. She was 16 at the time we sailed,

 

As a parent, I would applaud the cruise line checking on my 16 year old. What's wrong with that?