RC VS. Carnival

[dcedar]

I just took my first Royal Caribbean cruise. I had a great cruise and would do it again but I have to say... I don't get the hype??? LOL

 

Most differences were small but the was one HUGE difference that did not break my cruise but I definitely felt a little crack in it. Someone from Carnival needs to teach RC what a real dessert is. LOL. Most things looked good but were bland. And the mousse which was almost every dessert base was more like a gelatin base something or another. Maybe people love it??? It was weird. There were a few good desserts but for the most part blah. And most meals were only blah as well. But I did gain a few pounds so it wasn't all bad:)

 

As for the entertainment RC's best show was better than Carnival's best show. I was very impressed with the singers and dancers on RC. Carnival's were really good too but a few of the RC singers were exceptional! Some of the shows were kind of boring on RC but most were not. Quest, a scavenger hunt type of show was so much fun! Carnival should follow suit on that if they don't have something like it already! I never laughed so hard!!! Both cruise lines had the love/marriage show and I enjoyed them on both.

 

I would have to say those were the only 'big' differences. However there were a lot of little differences, and most in Carnival's favor. I am sure all differences, big or small, can vary by ship or whatever but these are some of the differences that I noted. Again, none were big enough to make or break my cruise but they were noticed...

 

No robes in the room on RC. Carnival has them.

 

No frozen yogurt/ice cream 24 hours a day. The ice cream stand on RC was near the kids water zone and it closed at 6pm every day. So no late night ice cream cones. There were only cones and no bowls. However the buffet had ice cream each night with a toppings station and of coarse you could pay for ice cream at Ben & Jerry's.

 

No chocolates on the pillows and on a 6 night cruise I only had 2 towel animals. I was a little sad over this but I was over it a second later when I became busy reading the cruise compass.

 

No direction on RC. Although this did work in our favor during embarkation. LOL. We ended up going through priority boarding by accident because we were looking for the entrance and a worker asked if we were cruising and said right this way. So we went 'right that way'. Once inside I was thinking 'where are all the people?' and when we came around the corner we saw them all. Apparently they directed us through priority and we were next in line... ahead of everyone waiting in line. So although I was very confused on where to go I guess it worked in our favor so I am not complaining. Once we walked on the ship there were two ways to go. We were unsure which way so we just chose one and it seemed like the wrong way because we didn't walk into the main lobby or anything. Instead we ended up in the hallway near elevators. I remembered someone on this forum saying to check out the promenade first so I decided to go that way. I just remember walking on Carnival and having crew members greet us and give directions on where to go. RC crew didn't welcome us or even talk to us. It was weird. (I want to point out that our favorite bartender Lorenzo and waiter Fernando were very good. They were engaging and funny so not all the crew were blah) Oh and the Cruise Director Jamie and Alison were extremely entertaining and did a wonderful job as well.

 

I was also a little disappointed there was no Christmas music at all. But again, I got over it quickly enough. LOL

 

If anyone has any questions feel free to ask because I am sure there is a lot I can't think of right now.

 

Overall I would cruise RC again but only if it was for the same price as a Carnival cruise. Yes, RC had the ice rink, rock climbing wall and the flow rider but I did not utilize them myself. I did enjoy watching people for a few minutes and the ice show was really good but I wouldn't pay the huge price difference just to see them.

 

One last thing which is not really the cruise lines 'fault' but on RC there were way more kids or so it seemed. We wondered if the kids crew did not do enough to entertain them and that is why they seemed to be everywhere??? And I mean every where! Even sitting at the bars! One lady had her bare foot baby standing on the bar bouncing up and down. I always heard how RC is more classy than Carnival but I saw a lot of redneck and ghetto people on RC. One child was flipping off the camera during the belly flop completion. Alison finally went to him and asked him for his room number because she told him at least three times to leave the pool during the completion. Definitely not RC's fault but where the hell were the parents? Drunk at the bar with their baby? I never saw such behavior on Carnival. I am sure it probably has happened on Carnival so I wonder did Carnival keep me more entertained so I just didn't notice any of the ghetto stuff or did Carnival put an end to the bad behaviors sooner??? I did see a RC crew member immediately tell a father his kids were not allowed in the casino. Maybe if the kid didn't jump right in a seat and start banging on the slot machine yelling 'Daddy! Daddy!' he might have gone unnoticed. What is wrong with people???

 

Okay, rant over. LOL.

[Tapi]

It didn't seem like a rant. I think it was pretty balanced. :)

 

IMHO, there are huge differences between these two cruise lines. But whether someone considers these differences important or even notices them is a different story. That's why you have people that love Carnival, people that love Royal, and everything in between. Personal choice.

 

 

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[bradboy]

What ship were you on. Loved this review!

 

 

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[sanmarcosman]

Glad you had a nice time. LOL

[CatgirlNC]

Jamie and Alison rock! They are so awesome. We were just on Independence last month. Did you have a Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle? Alison hosted ours.

 

But yeah, Carnival and RC both have their plusses and minuses. And a lot of it, like the passenger mix (% of kids, "redneck" types, rude people) is just luck of the draw on each particular sailing. We like both cruise lines, and although we haven't been on Carnival in a few years, but we're going on Pride in February and I'm looking forward to seeing what's changed.

 

By the way, I heard on Royal Caribbean the robes are available by request from your room steward, but we didn't need them, so we didn't ask.

[cjknox]

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.

 

I'm inclined to agree with your opinion that both Carnival and Royal are more alike than not. While they do have their differences overall they are very similar.

[Uncle Deane]

I agree, the two lines are more alike than most people would like to admit. It's the little differences that have tilted us toward Carnival. We wouldn't be climbing the rock wall, surfing or ice skating; maybe those features attract the families with kids.

[dcedar]

The ship was the Independence. Beautiful ship. And we didn't do a meat and mingle because we did a 6 night and RC doesn't do them. We tried getting one going on here but it seemed to not happen or I just missed it.

 

I came across many friendly crew members on RC but it seemed like ALL the crew on Carnival were friendly and outgoing.

 

The Carnival ships I have cruised on are the Dream and Ecstasy. The Dream was my first cruise so nothing will ever compare to her. She will always be my favorite:)

 

I did hear many Diamond + cruisers complaining about RC and the ship. The complaints were mostly about the gifts they were suppose to receive and how the captain would do a dinner with them and some other stuff that seemed trivial to me but they were quite unhappy and vowed to either never cruise again or never cruise on that ship again.

 

I loved my vacation so I would do it all again. In a heartbeat!

[Beach_gal]

I always heard how RC is more classy than Carnival but I saw a lot of redneck and ghetto people on RC.

 

Hilarious!

 

We cruise every line and have never had a bad cruise. We have met people from time to time who've made remarks about Carnival's guests being redneck and ghetto...makes me laugh - hey, rednecks need to vacation too!

 

We are doing a b2b on Independence next summer and can't wait. Glad to hear she's beautiful!

[BettyPC]

Glad you had a good time! I enjoy both vacations!

[iamerica]

Size wise, which Carnival ships would compare to the Freedom class on RCCL? I have only sailed on the Liberty of the Seas and was very impressed! Traveling with my 23 year old niece and 20 year old son.

[dcedar]

Size wise, which Carnival ships would compare to the Freedom class on RCCL? I have only sailed on the Liberty of the Seas and was very impressed! Traveling with my 23 year old niece and 20 year old son.

 

I think the Carnival Dream and the Indy were similar in size.

[dcedar]

Hilarious!

 

We cruise every line and have never had a bad cruise. We have met people from time to time who've made remarks about Carnival's guests being redneck and ghetto...makes me laugh - hey, rednecks need to vacation too!

 

We are doing a b2b on Independence next summer and can't wait. Glad to hear she's beautiful!

 

LOL! I hear people all the time saying they would never cruise Carnival because of how horrible everything is from the crew to the people to the food to the ships. Yet when I ask them which ships they traveled on they usually tell me they never have but they heard how horrible they were. Ha!

 

I loved both lines but I could not tell you I prefer one 100% over the other. I am just happy I have had all good experiences.

 

And I am already looking for my next one. :)

[buddylover]

Size wise, which Carnival ships would compare to the Freedom class on RCCL? I have only sailed on the Liberty of the Seas and was very impressed! Traveling with my 23 year old niece and 20 year old son.

 

Carnival does not have a ship as large as the Freedom class in RCI's fleet. FYI - the Dream is 1004 ft. long on a 121 foot beam.....Independence OTS is 1112 feet long on a 184 foot beam. It is a much larger ship and they really can't be compared. They hold the same number of passengers tho :confused::confused: It depends on what you want....if you like to climb rock walls, use the flowrider, ice skate, then RCI is for your family.

[Tapi]

We have met people from time to time who've made remarks about Carnival's guests being redneck and ghetto...makes me laugh - hey, rednecks need to vacation too!!

 

 

If there's one thing that I've learned sailing on various cruise lines is to NOT associate any specific stereotype with any specific cruise line.

 

For example, when we sailed on Holland America for the first time last year, I asked on their board what would be different about sailing on them. Somebody replied "don't expect to see people wearing their bathrobes around the ship and don't expect to see any tattoos". Sure enough, as soon as I boarded the Westerdam those were the first two things that I saw :rolleyes:

 

For those who think that Royal is "classy", you need to get out more. Yes, it's true that their ships are nicely decorated, and it has a more sedated and toned down atmosphere, but it's far from being classy.

 

 

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Edited December 22, 2014 by Tapi

[latunxitom]

They are so awesome. We were just on Independence last month.

[Tapi]

I agree, the two lines are more alike than most people would like to admit.

 

 

IMHO, the differences are huge, but these difference may not be important to some people, which is why they say that the cruise lines are "more alike".

 

For example, someone who travels with very small children (under 2) will have very little to keep their little ones entertained on Carnival. They wont even be allowed in the pool. On Royal, they'll have the Royal Babies and Tots Program, along with designated pools and play areas for very small children still in diapers. Unimportant to some people, HUGE difference for others.

 

For passengers who like to splurge on suites, their options are limited on Carnival, with limited options and almost zero suite perks. On Royal, they'll have multiple suite configurations to choose from, from Junior to Royal Suites, with a very long list of suite perks, not only in cabin, but also throughout the ship and ashore. Once again unimportant to some people, HUGE difference for others.

 

The same comparison can be made with other things, but for brevity, I'll summarize:

 

- Ship size, layout and decor.

- Number of dining venues.

- Itineraries and regions of the world.

- Focus on onboard activities.

- Alternative, healthy cuisine.

- Quality and level of professionalism of entertainment.

- Loyalty program tiers and perks.

- Use of technology onboard the ships.

- Product partnership.

- Onboard retail shop experience.

- Target audience.

 

All of these are IMHO significantly different among the two cruise lines. For those who care, the differences are huge and can make their cruise experience that much more enjoyable (for us, just the Royal Babies program alone was big enough when our kids were that age).

 

But I agree that someone who is pleased as long as they are fed, have a cabin to sleep in, have some sort of entertainment, are happy as long as the ship is going somewhere, and doesn't care about much else, then yes, these two cruise lines are very much alike.

 

 

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Edited December 22, 2014 by Tapi