11 time Carnival cruiser trying Royal

[K L B]

It's subjective. We only cruised with Carnival for many cruises. Once we discovered Carnival, that was the line for us. We did try Princess and few times and Disney.

Royal is our favorite, and probably won't return to Carnival. IF it was a newer ship, less money, and ports we can't go to on Royal, maybe.

 

Everyone likes different lines for different reasons. Royal to me have classier ships, and just a nice balance of fun and classy. Love the cabins much more as well.

 

Much of my cruise is the ship. You won't be disappointed!

 

Ditto on the balance of fun and classy! well said.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

I like to use the analogy of a house you might look at in real estate. RC has higher finishes. The bathrooms, public spaces and rooms have upscale finishes, higher headroom, and more elegant color schemes.

 

For example, on the Pride, the color scheme is Orange, with some pretty large drawings along the corridors.

 

Also, who thought it was a good idea to put life size nude artwork in the hallways and elevators on a ship. I am not prudish--and nothing I have not seen before :p. But, I have been on the elevator with a parent telling their child to stop snickering.

 

While I like the water sides, I feel the venues on RCL are better.

 

I think CC gets the nod on food. JMHO

 

Entertainment is not even close. RCL is better. While CCL had more comedy. The last time we went to the comedy it was all F-bombs.

[Angelica1104]

We loved our first cruise on Royal this Feb on GOS. That said, we love Carnival as well. We are Platinum on Carnival with 14 cruises and our favorite ships are the Spirit Class and yes, the Fantasy. The oldest ship in the fleet. Each cruise is different for us and we will travel both lines again.

 

We loved the live bands and the entertainment on the GOS but we like the Comedy Clubs and piano bars on Carnival. We cruised inside on RCL and always do a balcony on Carnival. Interestingly because of that DH and I spent less time in our cabin on GOS.

 

Now, I will check out both lines before deciding which to book. We like driving to port and are from the NorthEast so by trying RCL we have just expanded our options.

 

I'm so happy we tried RCL because we weren't unhappy with Carnival but we were concerned when the Pride was pulling out of Baltimore. I think that the C&A benefits are much better than Carnivals VIFP program.

[bigsky]

It's subjective. We only cruised with Carnival for many cruises. Once we discovered Carnival, that was the line for us. We did try Princess and few times and Disney.

Royal is our favorite, and probably won't return to Carnival. IF it was a newer ship, less money, and ports we can't go to on Royal, maybe.

 

Everyone likes different lines for different reasons. Royal to me have classier ships, and just a nice balance of fun and classy. Love the cabins much more as well.

 

Much of my cruise is the ship. You won't be disappointed!

 

 

What I mean to say was...when we discover Royal, that was the line for us...

[kwazi07]

WOW that is pretty incredible for a 95 year old ship! ;)

 

 

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Whoops...I hate the tablet keyboards!!!

 

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[cruzenmama]

Cruising on the FOS with family and friends.

Wife and I have always enjoyed our past Carnival cruises.

I've spent the past couple of months lurking here on the Royal forum and I'm not sensing that there is much difference between the cruisers/posters on Royal vs. the cruisers/posters on Carnival.

Other than paying twice as much for a GS on FOS than I would for a GS on the Breeze,,,, what am I missing or not understanding?

 

Thanks

 

we are Carnival cruisers as well and last year went on the Independence of the Seas...we are now RCCL loyalists...

[mommiejaxx]

Weve done only Carnival as well. But after 4 cruises with them we are ready to try something else. The food was pretty much the same and so was the entertainment on all of our cruises. Being they were way cheaper though that's who we went with. It will be a long time before hubby cruises Carnival again. I on the other hand am just happy to be cruising. I have to say though, we loved the kids club, and the staff on all four was great. No complaints whatsoever there.

Luckily I have 1 RCI and one NCL cruise booked this year and they were both cheaper than Carnival. Dont know what that is about but I am one happy chickie!

[maureencruiser]

OP, I am the opposite of you, a loyal Royal who is about to try Carnival for the second time. I was on the Carnivale back in 1993, but, I don't count that. As a solo cruiser, Carnival never seemed to offer any good deals, whereas RC often had good deals for solos- last year's 10% supplement for the Allure springs to mind. However, CCL is currently offering a bunch of zero supplement cruises and I am leaping in headfirst! I am looking forward to trying the different restaurants and the Comedy Club. I will write a review when I get back and I urge you to do the same! :D

[big al]

Cruising on the FOS with family and friends.

Wife and I have always enjoyed our past Carnival cruises.

I've spent the past couple of months lurking here on the Royal forum and I'm not sensing that there is much difference between the cruisers/posters on Royal vs. the cruisers/posters on Carnival.

Other than paying twice as much for a GS on FOS than I would for a GS on the Breeze,,,, what am I missing or not understanding?

 

Thanks

 

As soon as you get on the ship ,you will understand..no neon, no glitz..no having to put sun glasses on INSIDE to walk around..very soft colors..lots of wood,glass...the FOS has the Royal Promenade ( jaw dropping or "wow" factor)..ice-skating shows are great ( don't miss!!)..flowrider ( surf simulator) lots of fun...REAL music at the pools, not a DJ blasting Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber....speaking of pools, the 3 different pool areas are very cool: main pool has the Caribbean band, kids H20 Fun Zone, and the Adult Solarium- don't miss sitting in the canti-levered hot tubs ( sea days are best, but also most crowded) for the best views of the sea....my favorite lounges/ bars are: British Pub ( deck 5), Schooner Bar ( Piano bar deck 4) , Viking Crown Lounge ( a Royal Favorite for drinks & soft music on deck 14) ...also I like the 70's retro disco night on the Royal Promenade ( usually 1st or 2nd night of cruise)...try Johnny Rockets for burgers & shakes AND the waiters dance to YMCA or Respect for you...hint: try & get a table OUTSIDE with views of the sea, very nice!

 

I have also done 6 CCL cruises ( 29 total, 12 RCI)..the main differences I find are the ships themselves-food on CCL is good, entertainment has gotten worse IMO, service fine...CCL has good itineraries , but I always felt like CCL was Holiday Inn & RCI was the Hyatt ...I like 'WOW' stuff and RCI has plenty of it..Oasis & Allure even more...for dining, try Chops Steakhouse for a special evening ( get a table by the window)..also on the Royal Promenade, Cafe Promenade has great finger sandwiches and Sorrento's has pizza , both all are free..do these things I've mentioned & you'll have a great time...any questions fire away..I've cruised the Freedom class ships 3 times...

 

Big Al

[sean24seven]

Here's my take as we've been on both a few times. We are budget travelers so Carnival is out go to choice for the prices.

 

That said, the food and entertainment are consistently better on RCCL. There is also a much classier vibe. You wont tell a big difference in ships of the same size, but

 

 

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[yarlenna]

I enjoy both lines. The one thing that Carnival has that RCI doesn't is pizza. RCI's pizza is lame. Carnival's is PIZZA. There are a lot of good things to eat on the RCI's ships. Oh, and my last cruise was on RCI and my next two are on RCI.

[sean24seven]

Here's my take as we've been on both a few times. We are budget travelers so Carnival is out go to choice for the prices.

 

That said, the food and entertainment are consistently better on RCCL. There is also a much classier vibe. You wont tell a big difference in ships of the same size, as far as the state if the ship.

 

Carnival does seem to have nicer rooms for what it's worth, and the comedy shows are usually great. They also have so many more sailings from so many ports it's awfully convenient to go with them.

 

Overall, the much higher quality food (on MDR and buffet in my opinion) and main deck vibe make it worth a bit more money. But you can't go wrong as long as you are cruising!!!

 

 

 

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