Only for those of you who dislike Carnival...

[Elvis1209]

I sailed them once many years ago, and it wasn't for me.

 

Came back and have been loyal ever since.

 

Love my RCI

 

Been sailing with them since my mom took me back when I was an elementary school kid.

 

Now I'm grown up with kids of my own...

 

We are within driving distance to New Orleans and sailed the Serenade out of there last year. It was my first time ever driving to a ship instead of flying.

 

With 2 little elementary school age girls, in our family of four we saved a fortune in airfare, and it was so much easier to pack and get the girls to the ship.

 

RCI is no longer in New Orleans, so we're planning our cruise for 2016 and planning to fly to Florida as we have every year since I met my wife.

 

Airfare for the four of us is running about $1700, plus a Junior Suite is running around $61-6200 on the 3 ships we're considering.

 

We can do a Grand Suite on Carnival Dream, and drive to the port for $3300, total.

 

I love my Royal Caribbean cruise line but at a 4800 difference, I'm starting to feel stupid.

 

Sure, many people sail both and say they're ok, but I HATED the smoke filled, vegas-esque, party ship.

 

My TA and many friends tell me it's not bad, try another ship.

 

At this savings I'm really tempted to listen

 

Would you be? What should a this RCCL Lover do?

 

I sailed on Carnival Valor last year. If you were to ask me I would say take your girls on a Carnival cruise. They are much more "kid friendly" than Royal. There was no smoke filled rooms to be afraid of. I am a cigar smoker and look forward to my nightly smoke with a nice glass of cognac. Carnival offered a lounge that provided just that. You can no longer smoke on your balcony, like I did before bed every night, but the fact that there is a lounge that allows cigars is good enough for me. The food I found was not as good as Royal. It was good, but not as good! There was a large group of children on board, so your girls will have plenty of company. The rooms were in good condition, but the ship was in need of refurbishing. The basic color scheme in my room was orange! It gave me nightmares! The entertainment was comparable to Royal. If I had children I would definitely sail with them again, but seeing as I don't, I'm going to stay with Royal Caribbean. Their ships are geared more towards adults. Also, being able to drive to the port is a big plus!

 

Elvis

 

PS You're going to love the Oasis class ships!

Edited August 16, 2015 by Elvis1209

[krazy4kruisin]

I have gone on Carnival cruses 3 times. All of them were good. Two were over spring break . There were a ton of kids and elderly. The next was in the month of July, again, lots of kids. We got greats deals on all of these. I would definetaly go on Carnival again if it meant that I could save that much $$ and could afford another vacation. We have sailed RCCL, Princess, Holland & NCL. Your kids will love Carnival. Go for it.

[RCCL Fan]

We've sailed both Allure and Oasis.... considering another Allure or Harmony now.

 

I agree with other 48-hundred is a lot to save!

 

But yes I look at those orange walls and blue plastic sinks and think. ewww!

 

 

Going to wait and bit and see if my RCI sailings or airfare come down in price, if not, we may just roll the dice and try the whale tail again!

 

 

Appreciate the feedback everyone.

[GUT2407]

Try it ans see.

 

With two littlies it may be different.

[dplusd]

I also prefer Royal to Carnival and have only taken 1 Carnival cruise. But if Royal pulled out of Galveston (my drive to port) I would sail Carnival (and Princess) in a hearbeat. No problem at all. I think you (the OP should give them a try and with an open mind, I bet you will come to like them as much as Royal.

[orville99]

We've sailed both Allure and Oasis.... considering another Allure or Harmony now.

 

I agree with other 48-hundred is a lot to save!

 

But yes I look at those orange walls and blue plastic sinks and think. ewww!

 

 

Going to wait and bit and see if my RCI sailings or airfare come down in price, if not, we may just roll the dice and try the whale tail again!

 

 

Appreciate the feedback everyone.

 

The good news on the Dream is that the Grand Suites are mostly beige and wood tones, and the sinks are bone colored inlayed into a marble counter. :)

 

I should have added before, we are D+ on Royal, so definitely our favorite line, but I still would not hesitate to book the Dream.

[Baby_Bear]

Blue plastic sinks don't apply if you are in an Ocean Suite or Grand Suite on Carnival and you said you would be in a GS. I've sailed on the Carnival Breeze (sister ship to the Dream) , Valor and Freedom, always in either OS or GS categories. The bathrooms are really nice, with granite counter tops, double sinks and nice bathtubs. GS bathrooms also have a bidet if I remember right. I've been on one RCL ship - Vision - in a JS and the bathroom was nowhere near as nice as the OS on Carnival.

 

I've been on 4 Carnival cruises. Prior to trying them, I too was apprehensive. Someone posted once that people have this perception that Carnival is just this party boat cafeteria line. And having done 4 cruises, all longer ones, that's just not true. Based on my limited experience with RCL, I think maybe RCL has prettier ships and better entertainment, but the food and service have ben every bit as good if not better on Carnival and their suites are very nice,albeit no perks except for priority boarding. Their suites are also reasonably priced.

 

I'd give it a shot if I were in your shoes. You will likely be pleasantly surprised :D

[Robinola]

A fantastic royal c ship that has so many choices to offer vs a better room on carnival is apples and oranges. I have been on the dream twice, it is a wonderful ship, but now I want to have more options and space on the oasis. What is more important, the ship or the room? Ps, the aft area with bar, pool,hot tub overlooking the wake on the dream is wonderful! I will miss that on the oasis.

[jayblue]

I sailed them once many years ago, and it wasn't for me.

 

Came back and have been loyal ever since.

 

Love my RCI

 

Been sailing with them since my mom took me back when I was an elementary school kid.

 

Now I'm grown up with kids of my own...

 

We are within driving distance to New Orleans and sailed the Serenade out of there last year. It was my first time ever driving to a ship instead of flying.

 

With 2 little elementary school age girls, in our family of four we saved a fortune in airfare, and it was so much easier to pack and get the girls to the ship.

 

RCI is no longer in New Orleans, so we're planning our cruise for 2016 and planning to fly to Florida as we have every year since I met my wife.

 

Airfare for the four of us is running about $1700, plus a Junior Suite is running around $61-6200 on the 3 ships we're considering.

 

We can do a Grand Suite on Carnival Dream, and drive to the port for $3300, total.

 

I love my Royal Caribbean cruise line but at a 4800 difference, I'm starting to feel stupid.

 

Sure, many people sail both and say they're ok, but I HATED the smoke filled, vegas-esque, party ship.

 

My TA and many friends tell me it's not bad, try another ship.

 

At this savings I'm really tempted to listen

 

Would you be? What should a this RCCL Lover do?

 

Go for it. Your kids might like the variety.

 

My limited experience has only been with RCCL, but I've seen good things on Carnival. My next might be with them.

[hollon]

What Carnival ship were you thinking of trying? Sorry, if I missed that info.

[mirp]

I'm not loyal to royal. I actually prefer Carnival because on the ships I have sailed they have had better comedians and more dancing on the pool decks. But different strokes for different folks.

 

I think RCI and Carnival are more alike than different.

[cincicruisers]

I think 4800 is enough of an incentive to give Carnival a try. I would also post on the Carnival board to get some feedback.

 

Happy Sailing

[Cindy]

Carnival's smoking policy has changed over the years like Royals. The spot everyone most complains about now? The casino. Sound familiar? lol!

 

I did a 4 nighter in April, and it did feel different in my opinion than previous 5, 7, and 8 nighters. A different crowd for sure. I would probably do one again under the same circumstances (it was to join a large group of friends from all over) but I wouldn't ever book one like that again as my family vacation or romantic get away.

 

Other than that, my experiences on Carnival have not been substantially different than my experiences on Royal. From service to food quality to party atmosphere. We usually find the party no matter what ship we're on ;-)

 

I've taken 5 Carnival cruises. All but one were 7-nights, and the one that wasn't was a 5-night Christmas sailing. I didn't find any of them to be a party atmosphere at all. If anything, the most noticeable group was families with children. Carnival, like the other 4 lines I've cruised on (RCI, Celebrity, Princess, and HAL) has some things I think they do exceptionally well and some things that leave me scratching my head. I think Carnival's "Special Events" are great...their All Access type tour was the best of the three I've done, and I also thought their Chef's Table was great!

 

When it's just my husband and I, we prefer something a little more luxurious -- with suite perks or Celebrity's Aqua Class. However, two of our Carnival cruises were with extended family. The kids all preferred Carnival Splendor and Dream to RCI Mariner and Explorer, because they only used the rock wall and ice rink sparingly, while they LIVED on the water slides. I don't love Carnival's entertainment (too much passenger participation for me), but I think with kids you would find plenty to do.

 

 

We've sailed both Allure and Oasis.... considering another Allure or Harmony now.

 

I agree with other 48-hundred is a lot to save!

 

But yes I look at those orange walls and blue plastic sinks and think. ewww!

 

 

Going to wait and bit and see if my RCI sailings or airfare come down in price, if not, we may just roll the dice and try the whale tail again!

 

 

Appreciate the feedback everyone.

 

The Ocean Suites and Grand Suites on Carnival's newer ships are beautifully finished, with granite countertops, whirlpool tubs, glass shower enclosures, etc. The suites don't come with perks, but the real estate is actually quite nice. Just beware the balconies on the Dream are narrow.

 

Carnival started to tone down their ships beginning with the Dream. There are some really nice areas, and not much of the neon you remember from years ago.

 

If I were you, I would give it a try. You don't have a lot to lose, but $4,800 could buy another vacation!

[LilBlackDress]

Harmony's prices have been better than Allure/Oasis. And as you know, you wouldn't get anything like an Oasis Class on Carnival or even RCCL out of NO...

 

Have you thought of driving to Galveston, TX

[KansasK]

I have sailed on three Carnival ships, all of them twice. All the cruises were 7 or 8 days long. I found the cabin attendants and the service in the dining room to be excellent. The ships with the 2.0 upgrades were very popular among the passengers. The additional places to eat were a good addition to the pool deck.

 

Since the smoking rules changed on Carnival, smoke is not a problem except in the casino or near the casino, but this is where smoking is allowed, so I cannot complain.

 

None of the cruises were party cruises. One thing that changed from my first Carnival cruise in 2009 to now is that the entertainment at night has declined. A lot of the entertainment is the passengers being the entertainment, instead of an actual entertainer. We still had a good time and found other ways to spend our evenings.

 

Every cabin we have had has been decorated in orange shades. I still enjoyed looking at the ocean. Maybe their newest ships have different colors in the cabins. My brother had a small suite. All the surfaces were granite, he had a big balcony and larger bathroom with a bathtub. There is a lovely Serenity area for adults much like the Solarium areas on Royal.

 

The Carnival Miracle had a purple dining room with purple grapes on the ceiling. This did not impact our enjoyment of our food. I think Royal Caribbean's ships are more tastefully decorated, but none of the unusual décor on Carnival stopped me from having a good time.

 

On our first cruise on Carnival, our cabin attendance asked us if this was our first cruise. We said that it was not our first cruise, but our first on Carnival. He told us that he would make it our best cruise. This was the right answer! He was an excellent cabin attendant.

 

I would stay with their newer ships, or at least those that got the Carnival 2.0 upgrade. The pool deck has slides your kids will enjoy!

 

Sorry - I cannot say I dislike Carnival so maybe I should not have replied. I prefer Royal Caribbean, but you have a large discrepancy in price between the two cruise lines, so Carnival could work for you.

Edited August 17, 2015 by KansasK

[CaribSailor]

Been on Carnival 3 times. For 3300$ vs. 6k I would jump on it.

[MichaelCMTX]

We've sailed both Allure and Oasis.... considering another Allure or Harmony now.

 

I agree with other 48-hundred is a lot to save!

 

But yes I look at those orange walls and blue plastic sinks and think. ewww!

 

Going to wait and bit and see if my RCI sailings or airfare come down in price, if not, we may just roll the dice and try the whale tail again!

 

 

Appreciate the feedback everyone.

 

Taking air travel out of the equation is the big one for me. Not only for the obvious dollar savings but simply the convenience of not worrying if you've packed too many bags, etc. Our whole reason for doing Serenade was it got us to the Bahamas on an RCL ship without getting onto a plane. I'd have done that one again, happily. But...

 

Another piece of advice my experience cruiser folks gave me: when in doubt go on the newest available ship.

 

Best of luck.

[flacplnj]

If you decide to go Carnival walk on board with the expectation of having a great cruise. If you think you will be disappointed you will be. If the latter is the case you probably should spend the $4800.00 if these are your only two options. No use in spending money to be miserable.

[Domino D]

I know I'm not the person your looking to hear from primarily, not loyal to Royal or hater of Carnival, but I would like to offer you my humble opinion.

 

Book the Royal cruise when you are ready, and then enjoy it. You have the money, and that is clearly where you want to be, so do what feels right.

 

1. From your comments, it's clear that where your heart is at.

2. Maybe if you were considering Carnival Dream vs Radiance Class or Mariner Class, you could go and be happy, but not compared to Oasis class.

3. I think there is more you prefer about Royal than just decor, but even if that's it, you still prefer Royal.

4. If you go on Carnival, you will spend the whole time comparing it to Royal (good or bad), if you go on Royal you won't think about Carnival once.

 

Some of your concerns about Carnival are unwarranted, and the newer ships are better decorated (primarily thinking Breeze), but the Dream will not compare favorably to the Royal ships you are considering. There is a reason it is less expensive. FYI, I have never seen orange walls and a blue sink. I went to Syracuse and would be fine with that mind you, just never seen it.

 

Try Carnival out of New Orleans, on its own merit one time when it is on sale, and you are taking "it" for its own sake.

[RCCL Fan]

Once you guys understood what I was asking the advice has been wonderful.

 

I truly appreciate it.

 

I'm looking at photo reviews and ship tours of the Dream now.

 

My daughters will be 2 and 7 when we take this cruise.

 

As of now the oldest is scared to death of water slides. Took her on one at Rose Hall in Jamaica, and NEVER again. lol

 

The youngest won't be tall enough.

 

The oldest LOVES Adventure Ocean, we've toyed around with Disney ships, but she's a huge fan of Adventure Ocean, and when I gave her the choice of a 4-day on Disney or 7-day on Royal she always chooses Royal because it's more days and she loves Adventure Ocean.

 

The wife and I love Royal Babies & Tots, it's awesome to have *us* time.

 

We know the product and LOVE it, but for what we save we could pay for a good chunk of our sext RCI cruise! lol

 

We're planning on canceling our Jewel cruise in 2017 and replacing with Harmony for those of you who mentioned her. I'm a sucker for RCI's newest ships.

 

Harmony won't be out yet when we sail in October 2016

 

So it's Allure/Oasis vs. Carnival Dream.

 

For me I'm not worried about the food or really activities as much (we're usually in bed early with the girls)......

 

What I remember disliking about my Carnival cruise

 

1) ship was dark, with lots of neon and pastel colors, i felt closed in.

 

2) ship was smoky

 

3) ship was CROWDED. I felt like they packed more people per square foot than RCI. the windjammer type area was on the side of the ship and people with trays kept bumping into one another and spilling food. (seas were rough) Also tried going to shows in comedy club and other rooms but there weren't enough seats. Happened 3 times, people were sitting on the floor and in laps

 

4) i couldn't easily get from one end of the ship to the other, I always got lost trying to find stuff

 

5) Service was rough. We had a room above the burger grill, and the cabin steward and guest services told me upon check in that their ventilation system was broken and had been for 2 sailings, so our room smelled of burgers all the time. Boy were they right.... it stunk.

 

Everyone kept saying sorry, but here's the kicker. They would move me from my corner aft balcony to an inside cabin for free, but my category of balcony was sold out, so if I still wanted another balcony I would have to pay the difference in fare to upgrade, even though the room smelled because of their broken ventilation.

 

They hung potpourri for me --- that didn't do it! lol

 

 

 

6) Positives: Food was excellent, best server ever -- even got her email to stay in touch, really cool piano bar with oyster shells hammered on the wall. Spa service was good.

 

 

Overall, it wasn't for me. But that was more than 10 years ago. Based on what you guys are saying it sounds like a lot has changed, with these updates.

 

So I'm researching, picture viewing, and will go with my gut... and maybe so many of you who say... "have an open mind... take the deal"

 

:-)

[RCCL Fan]

I know I'm not the person your looking to hear from primarily, not loyal to Royal or hater of Carnival, but I would like to offer you my humble opinion.

 

Book the Royal cruise when you are ready, and then enjoy it. You have the money, and that is clearly where you want to be, so do what feels right.

 

1. From your comments, it's clear that where your heart is at.

2. Maybe if you were considering Carnival Dream vs Radiance Class or Mariner Class, you could go and be happy, but not compared to Oasis class.

3. I think there is more you prefer about Royal than just decor, but even if that's it, you still prefer Royal.

4. If you go on Carnival, you will spend the whole time comparing it to Royal (good or bad), if you go on Royal you won't think about Carnival once.

 

Some of your concerns about Carnival are unwarranted, and the newer ships are better decorated (primarily thinking Breeze), but the Dream will not compare favorably to the Royal ships you are considering. There is a reason it is less expensive. FYI, I have never seen orange walls and a blue sink. I went to Syracuse and would be fine with that mind you, just never seen it.

 

Try Carnival out of New Orleans, on its own merit one time when it is on sale, and you are taking "it" for its own sake.

 

LOL I went to Syracuse University too! Small world.

 

You're right, I'm an RCI snob, I love them. My wife said if we go I'm not allowed to complain, and so I would behave.

 

I cherish my vacation time, and like to make the most of it. So, just being cautious and truly respect the opinion of so many of the experts on here!

 

Lets Go Orange!!!

[searoses]

There is a lot of cruising going on in my extended family....it was all carnival until I lured them away to rc and they loved it.....now I am stuck on x and they easily go back and forth between carnival and rc......my sister meanly sends me pictures of them digging into guys burgers on the dream!!.....seems they become more alike than different as time goes on.....to save that amount of money it seems like a no brainer....we have done 2 cruises with ncl to bermuda from boston....awesome to just pack what we want and not have to worry about planes....hop in the car and get out at the ship...have a wonderful time with your littles!!

[foxgoodrich]

We've cruised 22 times on Royal and 1 on Carnival - on the Breeze. We do have a preference for Royal, but we surely did not hate Carnival! The Breeze is a pretty ship and we had a very enjoyable cruise. Given your situation, I'd probably go with the lower buck option and sail Carnival. Actually I wouldn't mind sailing Breeze again.

 

Orange is my most unfavorite color, so I was afraid I'd get oranged out since that's what I'd heard. But that was not the case on Carnival Breeze. I thought the ship was nice and the decor was fine, although not as elegant as Royal, but I found it hard to get around on the ship as there are only a few decks where you can go all the way from bow to stern. So I was always kind of befuddled on how to get from point A to point B!:confused: Our cabin was deck 12 forward, so if we wanted to go to deck 4 aft to our MDR restaurant, we had to take the aft elevator down to 8 or 5, walk forward, then walk down the stairs or take a forward elevator to get down to the dining room. I think Royal wins on the way ships are laid out. Royal also has much nicer art displayed around the ships, and in general wins on more tasteful and elegant decor. (Although the Breeze is pretty competitive.)

 

CABIN: We had a spa interior cabin on deck 12. It was inexpensive and adequate. It was quite small, as you would expect an interior to be, but storage was adequate and the decor was really fine - aqua, white and beige I think, very spa-like - no orange! The bathroom was a little larger than what we've had in an interior on Royal. I missed having an easy chair or loveseat, which Royal's interior cabins have - the only seating in our interior on Breeze was a stool at the vanity. BUT we didn't hang out in the cabin. Since it was a "spa cabin" we had privileges in the thermal suite, which was fantastic! We also got some spa bathroom amenities and robes, which were very nice. I really didn't see a huge difference in terms of accommodations, but the edge would go to Royal. Those thermal suite privileges were the bomb, though! We loved the thassilotherapy (sp?) pool, the heated tile loungers, the aroma steam and showers, etc. I don't think RC has spa cabins, so although I'd have to give Royal the win for the cabin itself, Carnival rocks with those spa cabins and that thermal suite, which is better than what I've seen on Royal ships.

 

CREW: Our cabin steward (actually a team of two) and our dining room servers on Breeze were great. In general, all the crew we encountered were friendly and helpful. No difference here.

 

MDR FOOD: Pretty comparable to Royal, and Carnival food was decent, but we both think we prefer the menus on Royal. Seems like there are more choices on RC?? There were a couple of neat things on Carnival, though - you can order (I think you have to pre-order the night before) platters of chicken wings (really good!) and onion rings, and maybe other hors d'oeuvres things for your MDR table. One of the people at our table for 10 was a frequent floater on Carnival and he always arranged for the platters to come as soon as we sat down - that was cool. And Carnival MDR had brunch on sea days, so you could go to the MDR and order breakfast or lunch over a 5-6 hour time span, and that was a nice plus. Royal's MDRs are more elegant, prettier, and seem more spacious due to the open center space. Carnival's wait staff do a better performance than RC's if you like that stuff. All in all a very slight edge to Royal on the MDR.

 

BUFFET: We found the Windjammer easier to navigate than the Lido buffet on Carnival. Seemed like it was hard to find things and we had to wander around a lot, but that could be because we're so much more familiar with WJ layout. Food was pretty much equal in quality and selection. Pretty much a tie.

 

PIZZA: Carnival wins big. I can't take credit for this as another CC poster said it first but I totally agree.…"On Carnival the pizza 'is to die for' and on Royal Caribbean the pizza will kill you." That pretty much tells it like it is! Carnival has hand tossed pizza, made to order. It's delicious. Royal has pre-fab cardboard pizza. It's warm flavored cardboard.

 

BURGERS: Carnival wins. Guy's Burgers (no extra charge) are hand made and very good. They are better than any burgers we've had on RC, even Johnny Rocket's.

 

ENTERTAINMENT: Royal wins big. We did find some decent live music at odd times in various places on the Breeze, but there was way too much disco for our taste, including poolside. The shows were not nearly as good as what we've seen on Royal.

 

KIDS PROGRAM: I have no firsthand experience since I've only cruised with kids on Disney, and the mouse is just in another league altogether. Based on stuff I've heard and observed, though, I might give the win to Carnival for the kids' program. There are undoubtedly others here on CC who could give you a more informed opinion, so seek other input on this!

 

I'm sure there are many other attributes of both lines I should or could compare, but this is ENOUGH for tonight! There are differences between RC and CCL, but my limited experience did not find those differences to be glaring or awful, and I would cruise Carnival again. (Probably in one of those spa rooms again, but maybe I'll book earlier and get a spa balcony next time.;)) Problem is I'm D+ on Royal and basically nothing on Carnival, so the perks are a lot better for us on RC. (i.e. I missed my free drinkies) I think if I were in your position, though, I would go for the less expensive option and try Carnival for your family cruise.

Judy

[docd]

Go on Disney and you won't feel so bad about the price differences. With kids aged 2 and 7, that makes the most sense IMO.

 

Otherwise, I'd find it hard to believe that any comparable RCI cruise is worth 2x the cost of a Carnival cruise.

[vanstare]

I've been on 2 Carnival (Valor & Breeze) and 2 RCI (Allure & Splendour) ships. I wouldn't say I dislike Carnival. I tolerate it. I very much prefer Royal Caribbean. Carnival (also known as the fun ship) is a family cruise line in my opinion whereas RCI caters more to DINKYs (double income no kids). And Carnival is a fun ship, the atmosphere is completely different from RCI and on certain days, that silliness and fun really is needed. They do know how to put a smile on your face. RCI can be too serious sometimes. I am not a fan of Carnival's service, and prefer RCI (much more attentive and easier to find help/service when you need it) but I would say the food is pretty much the same. In my opinion, Carnival's food quality has stayed the same while RCI's quality has gone down in the last couple of years. Also, the kids program on Carnival seems to be advertised better.

 

With that being said, I am booked on another Carnival (Vista) and another RCI cruise (Oasis) in the next 8 months. I book Carnival because to put it quite simply, its saves me a lot of money and I'm really only interested in the ports for the Carnival cruise. I'm not expecting to spend a lot of time of the ship so it makes sense for me. If this is really an issue about money, I would book Carnival in a heartbeat if I were you. By the way, the decor on the Valor and the Breeze is not that bad really. Those are newer ships, so if you're going on a newer Carnival ship, it's gonna be alright.