Why should a loyal carnival cruiser try RCCL?

[thegoodlife247]

I have sailed carnival many times. I have sails RCCL mariner of the seas about 10 years ago. For anyone who has cruised both RCCL and CCL can you tell me why I should try RCCL again...

 

Considerations: RCCL more expensive, only 1 person has to purchase beverage program on RCCL, prefer easy access to food options by the pool on carnival.

 

 

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[booboojoy]

lol

[colbycheeze]

It depends what you are looking for. If you are considering a RCCL ship with the extras that Carnival does not have (ie. flow rider, ice rink) then go for it. If not, I would stay with Carnival and build the frequent cruiser perks.

That is just me.

I am sure you will enjoy the cruise either way.

[jp30338]

Why do you need justification... If you feel like booking on Royal then book.. Its not a life altering decision :rolleyes:

[WetToes]

We sail both, but CCL more often, for the reason you stated. The cost. Usually 2 of us can cruise on Carnival for what it cost for 1 on Royal.

RCCL offers some different ports and longer cruises from our homeport, Baltimore. We like longer. :)

Sometimes you just need a change.

Edited April 17, 2014 by WetToes

[manmtnmike]

I have sailed carnival many times. I have sails RCCL mariner of the seas about 10 years ago. For anyone who has cruised both RCCL and CCL can you tell me why I should try RCCL again...

 

Considerations: RCCL more expensive, only 1 person has to purchase beverage program on RCCL, prefer easy access to food options by the pool on carnival.

 

 

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Absolutely!!!

The Oasis of the Seas is amazing!! :D

Save up your pennies, find a good sale and a TA that gives freebies and you won't regret it!!

 

Mike

[JimAOk1945]

We had cruised on Carnival four times before trying RC. The first time we stepped on the Mariner, we were blown away. Over the next seven days, we were extremely impressed by the higher level of customer service in every area as well as the overall experience. We liked it so much we booked another cruise on the Mariner.

 

Since that time, we have also sailed on the Radiance of the Seas southbound Alaska from Seward to Vancouver and the Adventure of the Seas round trip San Juan, PR.

 

So far, we have been very happy with RC and have another cruise booked next year.

 

What was your first cruise on RC like?

Edited April 17, 2014 by JimAOk1945

[racerxspeedy]

As stated previously - what are you looking for? Cost - itinerary???

If your looking for average cost per day - Carnival may have the edge, but a good shopper can find on RC. If your priority is to lay around the pool, eat at the casual food options, and listen to DJs then Carnival is a good fit.

 

If you want the best ship:

Oasis class - amazing shows, live music, food options, atmosphere, space, incredible suites.. I think every cruiser should experience this. There's plenty of reviews out there with detailed pictures

 

FYI - Radiance class offers pizza by the pool.

[OCruisers]

You might want to consider Oasis/Allure which are not your normal RCCL ships and worth the price. :)

LuLu

~~~

[CruiseAddict1982]

I have sailed carnival many times. I have sails RCCL mariner of the seas about 10 years ago. For anyone who has cruised both RCCL and CCL can you tell me why I should try RCCL again...

 

Considerations: RCCL more expensive, only 1 person has to purchase beverage program on RCCL, prefer easy access to food options by the pool on carnival.

 

 

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Royal is more in price for a reason. I've been on carnival before and in my opinion I got the service I paid for which wasn't much. Just my opinion. It's called the fun ship but the only fun I had was when I got off the ship. Mariner is a great ship and has more to offer than most carnival cruises. Your choice, but it depends on what you like.

 

 

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[thegoodlife247]

Thank you everyone for your responses. My cruise on the mariner was wonderful. The only thing I missed was the grill and "free" drinks that you can grab quickly by the pool.

 

Even though RC is slightly more expensive the price would come out about the same if only 1 purchased the beverage program vs both having to purchase on CCL. I don't drink enough to warrant it but felt I had to have a drink in my hand at all times on carnival to justify the cost. That led to massive weight gain and fluid retention on my last cruise.

 

I agree RC felt more luxurious but it has been 10 years so I don't know what all has changed with RC.

 

 

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[xxoocruiser]

I have sailed carnival many times. I have sails RCCL mariner of the seas about 10 years ago. For anyone who has cruised both RCCL and CCL can you tell me why I should try RCCL again...

 

Considerations: RCCL more expensive, only 1 person has to purchase beverage program on RCCL, prefer easy access to food options by the pool on carnival.

 

 

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Don't believe in attempting to convince someone to try anything , including cruising on RCCL. You either want to or you don't. It's totally your decision to make.

[swsf99a]

Someone stated that you can cruise on CCL , two for the cost of one on RCI....in life you get what you pay for. I cannot believe you are getting the same cruise experience for half what you pay on Royal. Are you nickled and dimed to death on a Carnival ship? Are they comparable cruises?

[ryano]

 

I agree RC felt more luxurious but it has been 10 years so I don't know what all has changed with RC.

 

 

 

Other than a few cutbacks Ive heard cussed and discussed around here that you may or may not notice, probably not much. I sailed on a 20+ year old ship, a 13 year old ship and lastly a 8 year old ship and IMHO RCI ships just keep getting better and better.

[SkaterJasp]

RCCL is a better, less tacky, experience than Carnival. I only use Carnival for a fast cheap getaway and Royal Caribbean for my vacations.

 

For starter, Royal Caribbean doesn't need to tell you you are having fun whereas Carnival stick the word fun into everything to make you think you are having fun.

 

Although theres been cutbacks at both cruise lines, the food options is still significantly better on Royal Caribbean but that can be subjective.

 

Also the Dreamworks characters are way less disturbing than Funship Freddy.

 

Also the entertainment is better on Royal Caribbean, the production shows aren't stuck in the 80s. Even the Funship 2.0 shows are kind of meh.

 

In the end it's you get what you paid for.

[Baby_Bear]

I'm going on my first RCL cruise in May. The first cruise I was on was HAL in 2011, we didn't know very much about cruising but were excited to visit Alaska, and had a great time. Second cruise was on Carnival, we picked it for the itinerary and didn't have very high expectations (we had read stuff about Carnival being a big party line, food so-so, etc) and were very pleasantly surprised by the whole experience. We ended up liking it so much, we went on two more Carnival cruises. I have always liked Carnival for the fun, laid-back atmosphere. Plus their suites are very reasonable.

 

Now we have a cruise coming up in May in RCL. We picked it again for itinerary and got a good deal on a JS but were also interested to try a new line. The ship is newly refurbished and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing her, I've heard the RCL ships are really beautiful and packed with great features. So we are going with an open mind and ready to have fun. And I'm sure we will! And even, if for some reason, we don't like it as much as we liked HAL and Carnival, hey, at least we tried it! I really think its better not to be wedded to any one cruise line, they all offer different features and sometimes you don't know what appeals to you until you try it. JMO :-)

[frito58]

Well your not giving any indication as to where or when or if your are willing to fly so it really limits my opinion . But I have sailed Carnival 11 times I have RCI booked for the 6th time biggest difference for ne is the ship itself. Everything to us is a wash. Oh you will here service food shows is all better on one or the other but we love the Voyager class and the Royal Promenade is such a plus and ships out of San Juan which would be the AOS do southern Caribbean cruise price is great ship is Wonderful and ports of call are the best. But if your not flying Then I would suggest a Voyager class or a Freedom class , the Independence of the Seas has some great prices out of FLL.

Edited April 17, 2014 by frito58

[cruise_girl2002]

Someone stated that you can cruise on CCL , two for the cost of one on RCI....in life you get what you pay for. I cannot believe you are getting the same cruise experience for half what you pay on Royal. Are you nickled and dimed to death on a Carnival ship? Are they comparable cruises?

 

I don't agree with the "you get what you pay for". I paid big bucks for the 3 cruises I have taken with RCL, and not overly impressed with their service, food or entertainment. I sail with them because my friend invites me along, and well, how can I say no to a cruise lol. I have paid way less for carnival and find the service better as well as the food.

 

To the OP...Yes, carnival is my first choice of cruise line. however, branch out a bit and try Royal Caribbean. there are pros and cons to each cruise line. I also like the convenience of having the grill and beverages right near the pool area on carnival, to get pizza on freedom of the seas, I had to go inside to the promenade. I found the balconies on royal much more spacious, but the rooms were smaller. Try it out.

 

I have sailed freedom of the seas (2 times) and the allure, I don't think I will sail the allure again. once was enough. way to big and bit crowded for me, but was an experience.

[WetToes]

Someone stated that you can cruise on CCL , two for the cost of one on RCI....in life you get what you pay for. I cannot believe you are getting the same cruise experience for half what you pay on Royal. Are you nickled and dimed to death on a Carnival ship? Are they comparable cruises?

 

I'm the "someone". I'm comparing the Pride with the Grandeur.

Believe. There was nothing about the Grandeur experience that warranted twice the fare.

I enjoyed the Pride experience a bit more than the Grandeur. We were a little bored on the GOS in the evenings.

"Nickeled and dimed", ... those are words I used to describe the Grandeur experience. It seemed every other thing in the daily paper was for a fee.

I'm not trying to knock the Grandeur or RCCL. Just stating my thoughts and experience.

As I stated earlier, we cruise both lines. We're fully aware of what we are buying.

We've never had really bad service on any of our cruises. To say that the service is better on one line over the other, come on, everyone has a bad day. ;)

We did Royal last year and we're cruising with them again in Oct.

The newer ships with the ice rink, etc., are of no interest to me. I like the smaller ships.

Cruising for us is about relaxation, not go, go ,go.

There's something for everyone.

I don't understand this loyalty thing.

[bigsky]

Sailed many times on Carnival before trying Royal. Haven't gone back to Carnival : )

 

 

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[luvscruising2007]

We started cruising with RC and have been happy with all of our cruises. We had an opportunity to sail Carnival and took it. Here is my take:

 

RC ships are brighter, the Pride was dark.

Food in the buffet is better on RC and actually seems to be available for lunch more hours. Food in the dining room about the same.

I liked the deli on Carnival, got lunch there most days because a lot of the buffet dishes were unappealing to me.

Evening shows are better on RC.

Comedy club on Carnival was great, nothing to really compare on RC.

Price about the same.

Service was about the same in MDR but in the buffet, RC beats Carnival. Crew stood around talking instead of clearing tables and checking to see if you needed anything.

 

None of the differences are really going to ruin a cruise but overall we prefer Royal Caribbean.

Edited April 17, 2014 by luvscruising2007

[ehfl]

The real question is why not try something new? If you only do the same things, you'll never have new experiences.

 

We've been on several different cruise lines and have enjoyed every cruise.

[Cruising89143]

No one should try to convince you to try a particular line. Choose for yourself..

 

Personally for me Carnival is no longer an option for me. They are dead last on my list. Crowded ships (Destiny/Sunshine and Conquest class) with average everything else from my days cruising of with them.

 

RCI's newer ships are head and shoulders above Carnival.

 

In the end you need to decide if it's right for you.

Edited April 17, 2014 by cruisingator2

[Cruising89143]

I don't agree with the "you get what you pay for". I paid big bucks for the 3 cruises I have taken with RCL, and not overly impressed with their service, food or entertainment. I sail with them because my friend invites me along, and well, how can I say no to a cruise lol. I have paid way less for carnival and find the service better as well as the food.

 

To the OP...Yes, carnival is my first choice of cruise line. however, branch out a bit and try Royal Caribbean. there are pros and cons to each cruise line. I also like the convenience of having the grill and beverages right near the pool area on carnival, to get pizza on freedom of the seas, I had to go inside to the promenade. I found the balconies on royal much more spacious, but the rooms were smaller. Try it out.

 

I have sailed freedom of the seas (2 times) and the allure, I don't think I will sail the allure again. once was enough. way to big and bit crowded for me, but was an experience.

 

I assume that your "third" cruise with RCI has been since April 1st??

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=42279069&postcount=55

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=42051510&postcount=59

 

Of course on April 14th you posted that you have cruised on RCI 4 times. LOL!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=42430848&postcount=95

 

I have my doubts that you have even stepped foot on RCI.:rolleyes:

Edited April 17, 2014 by cruisingator2

[Cindy]

I've cruised on 4 different lines and enjoyed things about all of them. If you cruise a lot, I think it's good sometimes to change things up. It helps keep cruising fresh and exciting.

 

We met a couple on our cruise last week on the Navigator who had taken 13 Carnival cruises and were on their first RCI. They really enjoyed themselves. I think in part that was because it is a beautiful ship and the crew is great, but I also think part of it was the novelty...everything was new to them.