First time cruisers! Royal or Carnival?

[big al]

We could actually go on Fall Break the week of October 12. Would you all recommend this? Let me clarify by no partying I mean we won't be partying :) It doesn't bother me if others do and I am prepared for kids (just as long as they aren't our responsibility for a week, we're golden:) ) The price for March seemed pretty decent but I am new to this. Under $1000 for a 4 night doesn't seem bad :confused:

 

So new question is; would you wait and do October?

 

And, it seems the majority is RCCL so that's definitely where we are leaning

 

Thanks a bunch for the replies this really helps :)

 

October would definitely have less kids AND should be less $$...it's not just kids, it's that when there are 1000 kids on these smaller ships, hot tubs & pools are much more crowded, it's a bit more hectic...once went on a Spring Break cruise on the Carnival Triumph ( with 2 nieces & 1 nephew), and I made it to the hot tubs exactly TWICE the whole 7 days- too many kids ( sometimes 12 in a 6 person hot tub!!)...look into October.....

[celebrity]

I've cruised from Port Canaveral three times, all in hurricane season, and never ran into a hurricane.

 

Me too! 19 times during hurricane season and no incidents.

I vote RCCL.

[cello56]

Enchantment of the Seas is a very nice ship. Smaller than the mega ships, but still lots to do. Adult solarium is very nice. Park Cafe has awesome carved roast beef sandwiches for lunch! The pool deck on Enchantment is one of the largest in the industry - much larger than many of the bigger ships due to the expansion of the ship several years ago. The central Centrium is our favorite place to sit and listen to the live music every evening. They also have a rock climbing wall and a fun outdoor trampoline jumper! We have already sailed on her four times and are excited about number five in September! :)

[haylee1202]

Thank You all so much. We chose the 4 night because we have never left our kids before not even for a weekend :o ... we would be away a total of 5 nights and that's just fine with us.

 

I think we have decided on the Enchantment in March. Your input has been very helpful and who know knows, we may end up going in October too! :)

[Cruisin' Chick]

$1000 for four days? Seems quite a bit if you're going with a low category cabin.

[big al]

$1000 for four days? Seems quite a bit if you're going with a low category cabin.

 

Most likely that's because it's Spring Break...most $$ times to cruise are:

 

1) New Year's Eve

2) Christmas Week

3) Spring Break ( generally 2nd week of March thru mid April)

4) Summer during school vacations ( June- Aug)

 

in general, whenever school is out or on vacation, prices go up..

 

Big Al

[big al]

Hubby is 27 and I am 28 and we did our first cruise with Carnival last year (12 day Baltics).

 

We were looking at RCL,NCL, Princess ,Celebrity and NCL at the time and Carnivals dates and price were the best by far. We are booked with them again this year because we were so impressed by the relaxed feel of the ship and value for money for what we got. We do want to try the other lines at some point though as the other 4 look fab.

 

As we are quite young we did not give any of the older clientele/luxury lines a look as we did not want to cruise with too many older folk. The above lines supposedly have a more mixed clientele.

 

I would however look at a longer cruise than 4 days if you can as it isnt much more for a 7 day with Carnival.

 

FYI- Celebrity & Princess, both outstanding cruise lines, are a bit more mature ( old folk??) than RCI & NCL..for 4-5 days look at the RCI Liberty Of The Seas in Port Everglades- blows away any Carnival ship, IMO...she will go to NY in the fall of 2015, replaced by the slightly smaller Navigator Of The Seas ,also doing 4 & 5 nights...the Royal Promenade is so cool, the Flowrider surf simulator, Adult Solarium pool area with those canti-levered hot tubs that stick out over the sides, Saturday Night Fever show, ice-skating shows with Canadian, Russian & U.S. skaters dancing to great music...on NCL, try the new Getaway in Miami..20 bars & 24 dining options including Teppanyaki's ( Japanese steakhouse where they cook the food hibachi style at your table), Le Bistro ( French- fantastic!), Cagney's ( American Steakhouse), along with shows like Legally Blonde, Illusionarium ( Magic & Cirque show), Burn The Floor ( latin dinner show)...NCL is a bit more 24/ 7 action oriented, and RCI has a lot as well, but perhaps a bit more balanced between action & relaxation...best ships are RCI for their beauty, along with Celebrity's Solstice class ships- very upscale & elegant..great dining & classy..Princess also has nice ships, especially their 2 new ones, Royal & Regal Princess..I would rank all 4 cruise lines in front of Carnival,IMO...I've done 6 Carnival ( 29 total) cruises, and they are cheaper because they are not premium lines like RCI, Celebrity, Princess & slightly less NCL...go try some new ones- variety is the spice of life..you wouldn't eat at only ONE restaurant, would you?

 

Big Al

[cruiserking]

Another vote for Royal Caribbean. We finally sailed with them this past February and fell in love with the Explorer of the Seas and the first class service aboard the ship. We met tons of great people, loved the food and adored the ship.

 

There is definitely a youthful vibe aboard the ship and Royal Caribbean compared to other lines we've cruised. There are plenty of entertainment options to fill your days. Enchantment is a very beautiful ship. We are sailing in sister Grandeur next February and both have been refurbished in the last two years so they are almost like new ships.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

Jonathan

[Marie51]

Thank You all so much. We chose the 4 night because we have never left our kids before not even for a weekend :o ... we would be away a total of 5 nights and that's just fine with us.

 

I think we have decided on the Enchantment in March. Your input has been very helpful and who know knows, we may end up going in October too! :)

 

I think you made an excellent choice. I have been on Enchantment and I'm sure you will have a great time........... may this be your first cruise of many.

[Velvetwater]

FYI- Celebrity & Princess, both outstanding cruise lines, are a bit more mature ( old folk??) than RCI & NCL..for 4-5 days look at the RCI Liberty Of The Seas in Port Everglades- blows away any Carnival ship, IMO...she will go to NY in the fall of 2015, replaced by the slightly smaller Navigator Of The Seas ,also doing 4 & 5 nights...the Royal Promenade is so cool, the Flowrider surf simulator, Adult Solarium pool area with those canti-levered hot tubs that stick out over the sides, Saturday Night Fever show, ice-skating shows with Canadian, Russian & U.S. skaters dancing to great music...on NCL, try the new Getaway in Miami..20 bars & 24 dining options including Teppanyaki's ( Japanese steakhouse where they cook the food hibachi style at your table), Le Bistro ( French- fantastic!), Cagney's ( American Steakhouse), along with shows like Legally Blonde, Illusionarium ( Magic & Cirque show), Burn The Floor ( latin dinner show)...NCL is a bit more 24/ 7 action oriented, and RCI has a lot as well, but perhaps a bit more balanced between action & relaxation...best ships are RCI for their beauty, along with Celebrity's Solstice class ships- very upscale & elegant..great dining & classy..Princess also has nice ships, especially their 2 new ones, Royal & Regal Princess..I would rank all 4 cruise lines in front of Carnival,IMO...I've done 6 Carnival ( 29 total) cruises, and they are cheaper because they are not premium lines like RCI, Celebrity, Princess & slightly less NCL...go try some new ones- variety is the spice of life..you wouldn't eat at only ONE restaurant, would you?

 

Big Al

 

Thanks for the advice although such 4-5 day cruises are really not option for us due to air costs from the UK and Europe cruises are often longer anyway.Not sure if that was more for the OP. We are spoilt I guess as we only want to do 10+ day cruises now.

 

I dont consider RCL/NCL less premium than Carnival ...I see them as 'having more things to do' on bigger ships. The basic cruise services (room service, dining room, pools, spas etc) are on all 3 lines with little difference in quality it seems so by saving my money I can spent it elsewhere. As for bigger ships I am not sure if I would like them or not...we will have to see.

 

It is likely we will try different lines in the future (especially as CCL is not often in Europe) but for us it is much less about the ship and more about variety in itinerary and not going to the same place twice. The other main reason we booked with Carnival is because they were doing a quite rarely timed 13 day PC transit this summer and as we are educators we thought our timings would never fit a PC cruise as they are usually in other months. We changed from our planned 14 day NCL Med cruise as soon as we could.

 

Different strokes for different folks I think.

[Cruzaholic41]

RCI over CCL any day of the week! You made the right decision.

[stuartgweston]

Hi, my husband and I are planning our first vacation alone. We have decided to leave the kiddo behind on this one (they probably won't be happy, but everyone needs some alone time at some point ha)

 

We are a younger couple (27 and 32), we are looking at two different cruises and cruise lines and need your help to decide. We aren't looking for a party just a nice quick get-a-way.

 

Here are our options:

Carnival Sensation: 4 night Bahamas leaving on March 15, 2015 - ports: freeport and Nassau - current price for interior porthole w/ prepaid grats $935.58

 

Enchantment of the Seas (Royal): 4 night Bahamas leaving on March 16, 2015- ports: Nassau and Coco Cay - current price for interior w/ prepaid grats $974.74

 

So my ultimate question is which would you recommend for us and why? Thanks in advance :)

 

 

Congrats !!

[big al]

Thanks for the advice although such 4-5 day cruises are really not option for us due to air costs from the UK and Europe cruises are often longer anyway.Not sure if that was more for the OP. We are spoilt I guess as we only want to do 10+ day cruises now.

 

I dont consider RCL/NCL less premium than Carnival ...I see them as 'having more things to do' on bigger ships. The basic cruise services (room service, dining room, pools, spas etc) are on all 3 lines with little difference in quality it seems so by saving my money I can spent it elsewhere. As for bigger ships I am not sure if I would like them or not...we will have to see.

 

It is likely we will try different lines in the future (especially as CCL is not often in Europe) but for us it is much less about the ship and more about variety in itinerary and not going to the same place twice. The other main reason we booked with Carnival is because they were doing a quite rarely timed 13 day PC transit this summer and as we are educators we thought our timings would never fit a PC cruise as they are usually in other months. We changed from our planned 14 day NCL Med cruise as soon as we could.

 

Different strokes for different folks I think.

 

Just for the record, I said Carnival WAS less premium than RCI & NCL, not the other way around...the real "premium" lines are considered Celebrity, Disney, HAL & Princess, and RCI, NCL, MSC ,CCL & Costa are more mainstream, but I consider RCI more premium than Carnival...I disagree about all 3 line's ships being the same regarding the pools, spa, dining venues, etc...I'm guessing from your response you have NOT tried the bigger ships like the Oasis/ Allure, Freedom class ,Voyager class ships, nor the NCL bigger ships like the Epic, Breakaway, and new Getaway...bigger ships have more passengers, but they also have more amenities & perqs...when I boarded the Oasis in Jan. 2010, I thought I would be put off by her size & passenger traffic- I was completely wrong! Because she has 7 different neighborhoods ( Boardwalk, Central Park, Sports Zone, Royal Promenade,etc..) , the people are spread out all over the ship.. I love having many dining options ( 20+ now on most newer, bigger ships) , and more things to do...I actually felt more crowded on Carnival's 70,000- 110,000 ton ships...agree that for a European cruise, the itinerary is the most important thing...just wanted to point out that there will be newer, bigger ships in Europe this summer and even more next summer...Good luck in finding your cruise and Happy Cruising!

 

Big Al

[loubetti]

Just for the record, I said Carnival WAS less premium than RCI & NCL, not the other way around...the real "premium" lines are considered Celebrity, Disney, HAL & Princess, and RCI, NCL, MSC ,CCL & Costa are more mainstream, but I consider RCI more premium than Carnival...

Big Al

 

Not that it matters for a short cruise, but you sort of forgot one line that has been around for 174 years...

 

 

I put Cunard (even though owned by Carnival Corp) ahead of ALL the aforementioned lines. They're not for everyone, and I would dare say that Celebrity would be a good option in their place.

[big al]

Not that it matters for a short cruise, but you sort of forgot one line that has been around for 174 years...

 

 

I put Cunard (even though owned by Carnival Corp) ahead of ALL the aforementioned lines. They're not for everyone, and I would dare say that Celebrity would be a good option in their place.

 

I did not forget Cunard, but let's face it, they are much more upscale than all those including Celebrity...I would love to do a TA on the QM2...

[Velvetwater]

[quote name='big al']Just for the record, I said Carnival WAS less premium than RCI & NCL, not the other way around...the real "premium" lines are considered Celebrity, Disney, HAL & Princess, and RCI, NCL, MSC ,CCL & Costa are more mainstream, but I consider RCI more premium than Carnival...I disagree about all 3 line's ships being the same regarding the pools, spa, dining venues, etc...I'm guessing from your response you have NOT tried the bigger ships like the Oasis/ Allure, Freedom class ,Voyager class ships, nor the NCL bigger ships like the Epic, Breakaway, and new Getaway...bigger ships have more passengers, but they also have more amenities & perqs...when I boarded the Oasis in Jan. 2010, I thought I would be put off by her size & passenger traffic- I was completely wrong! Because she has 7 different neighborhoods ( Boardwalk, Central Park, Sports Zone, Royal Promenade,etc..) , the people are spread out all over the ship.. I love having many dining options ( 20+ now on most newer, bigger ships) , and more things to do...I actually felt more crowded on Carnival's 70,000- 110,000 ton ships...agree that for a European cruise, the itinerary is the most important thing...just wanted to point out that there will be newer, bigger ships in Europe this summer and even more next summer...Good luck in finding your cruise and Happy Cruising!

Big Al[/QUOTE]

Yes sorry, I meant more premium but put less by mistake. What I was trying to say was I dont consider more things to do as more premium. Premium to me would be Crystal, Seven Seas and Regent et al and not the ones you mentioned.

I would put most of the 'less premium' ones you mentioned above in the same boat so to speak in terms of value. If each line had a similarly sized ship compared it does not seem much difference for the price you pay. Before I booked the Carnival Legend last year for Europe I was comparing it the NCL Jade and the RCL Serenade of the seas. Ships all similar size,had a spa, 2/3 pools, slides, specialist restaurants (Jade had more but we don't use them anyway), similar cabin types and things.Really not much different at all and when you think about price difference it is Economical sense to book whichever is the cheapest. Comparing the Getaway to something like the CCL Fantasy isn't really fair. Can't really speak on other lines as we didn't look at them very closely. Will happily try any line that meets our requirements and price bracket.

Big ship crowding doesn't bother me too much but more so the feel of not really being on a boat and it feeling too impersonal. I am pushed to not even try Carnival's Dream class as the ships look too big for my liking. Hubby wants to so he might persuade me at some point to be on something like an Oasis class vessel etc and I may hopefully be surprised.

Itinerary is important whatever the cruise is...we never cruise just for the ship and maybe thats why I don't particularly worry about small details on ships. Edited July 6, 2014 by Velvetwater