Curious about Carnival

[kbset]

Hi there!

 

My husband and I have never sailed with Carnival but we are looking at possibly booking a cruise on the Carnival Magic for next year.

 

We have cruised with Celebrity once and LOVED it; Royal Caribbean twice and we were not impressed. We have an upcoming Royal cruise and the only reason we booked it was it was a steal of a deal.

 

What are the differences between Royal and Carnival? Any tips or information about Carnival would be greatly appreciated! Thank you! :)

[sanmarcosman]

A start: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2293793

[Tapi]

Let's start by asking what you loved about Celebrity and what were you unimpressed about Royal. Also, to make the comparison more accurate, what ships were you on? The ships across each fleet are significantly different.

 

Personally I find significant differences between Royal and Carnival although several will say that they are "more similar than not", and ill be happy to expand once you reply. [emoji846]

[Tapi]

Ok, I couldn't see your cruise history on the Cruise Critic mobile app, but I can see it on the desktop site.

 

Good news is that Carnival Magic is part of Carnival's newest class which are also their largest ships. Keep in mind that largest on Carnival is still smaller than the Independence of the Seas. But you will get to experience the best that Carnival has to offer.

 

Main differences that you may notice:

 

- Although both cruise lines cater heavily to families, Carnival has a more relaxed and unpretentious vibe. You may see more international passengers on Royal since they market their product on a global basis, while Carnival heavily targets the US and Canada, many who live within driving distance from the port and who are more interested in convenience and price.

 

- Royal ships have a more understated, modern and elegant decor which is easily recognized throughout their fleet while Carnival ships have a bolder, more colorful and over the top decor. Majority of the ships were designed by Joe Farcus known for his wild ideas and decor, and he conceived a different theme for each ship. Some of the older ones are heavy on neon Old Vegas 90's decor. Magic was the last ship commissioned by Farcus, however it's considerably more toned down than his earlier creations.

 

- Architecturally, Carnival ships are a bit more disjointed suffering from "can't get from here to there" syndrome on some decks unless you go up one deck and then down, or you cut through one venue to get to another one which also hinders passengers flow.

 

- Food is very subjective, and you will get plenty of people telling you that Carnival has better food while Royal has better food. In my opinion quality is similar, but I've found that Royal offers a wider selection of venues (both free and for a charge). I've also noticed more variety as well as out of the ordinary and healthy selections on Royal's buffets which are also laid out in islands instead of long buffet lines, helping once again with passenger flow.

 

- Room Service menu is a bit more limited on Carnival. Breakfasts comprise mostly continental selections, and for lunch and dinner, you have a limited list of sandwiches and salads. You can order some hot items for an extra fee though. On Royal, room service is a bit more generous. You can order full hot breakfasts, including omelettes. You can also select hot entrees for lunch or dinner. Royal will charge a delivery fee if you're ordering late at night though.

 

- Our last experience with Carnival's kids program was aboard the Dream (Magic's sister) and we considered the facilities to be phenomenal, with plenty of activities for the kids, rivaling the ones the we encountered aboard Allure of the Seas. Main differences have to do with the program's structure. Kids on Royal can be as young as 6 months of age to be accepted into their Royal Babies and Tots program, but they will pay an hourly fee until they turn 3 years of age. Carnival's program starts at 2 years of age but it's offered complimentarily to all (except for late owl babysitting hours).

 

- Staterooms: if you normally book lower categories (inside or oceanview staterooms), Carnival will provide more generous accommodations. Ocean views in particular are some of the largest in the industry. The tide turns in Royal's favor with balcony staterooms and above. Royal provides a wider selection of premium categories, all the way up to palatial 2 story Royal Loft Suites on their newer ships. Royal also offers a lengthy list of suite perks, while Carnival is limited to priority embarkation.

 

- Entertainment: This is where Royal truly shines and Carnival needs room for improvement. Royal's productions and entertainment are much more professional and impressive, many times rivaling quality entertainment found on land. Carnival unfortunately has diluted their entertainment, with cheapened playlist productions and several nights where main theater entertainment is provided by passenger participation games.

 

You will have a great time on Carnival as long as you understand that it's different (not necessarily better or worse) and go with realistic expectations. As I mentioned above, I find significant changes between these two cruise lines, but probably many of these will be inconsequential to someone who is experiencing these cruise lines for the first time.

 

As a side note, I had also booked the same Empress of the Seas itinerary that you are sailing on as soon as it became available for sale. I also had another 5 night sailing aboard the Carnival Valor for May, both which I considered awesome deals. However I have now canceled both in favor of a 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise to Puerto Rico, St. Maarten and the Bahamas aboard the MSC Divina in a balcony stateroom. With their 2 for 1 balcony sale, and their kids sail free promotion, we are sailing for LESS than 5 nights on the Empress of the Seas in an oceanview stateroom. Just food for thought.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Tapi

[renza]

Great job comparing.

[zqvol]

Hi there!

 

My husband and I have never sailed with Carnival but we are looking at possibly booking a cruise on the Carnival Magic for next year.

 

We have cruised with Celebrity once and LOVED it; Royal Caribbean twice and we were not impressed. We have an upcoming Royal cruise and the only reason we booked it was it was a steal of a deal.

 

What are the differences between Royal and Carnival? Any tips or information about Carnival would be greatly appreciated! Thank you! :)

 

 

If Royal didn't impress you, you are likely even going to be less impressed on CCL. While they are very similar, you will find that CCL seems to offer just a little less than does RCCL.

[jonbgd]

On Royal, room service is a bit more generous. You can order full hot breakfasts, including omelettes..

 

Great comparison and agree with all except ^^^

I didn't know you can order omelets

I thought it was only the scoop of fake eggs and tomato slice with limp bacon

[Podna's]

If Royal didn't impress you, you are likely even going to be less impressed on CC.

 

 

Couldn't be further from the truth in my opinion.

[ImaginationCruiseBride]

We have not sailed RCCL, but we have sailed both Celebrity and Carnival. They are different and provide different experiences. We always just book OV, it's our preference, so I can't speak to the perks.

IMO, the main differences are that Celebrity's MDR choices for dinner are far better than Carnivals, but that's where it ends, the buffet and other eating establishments are far better on Carnival. Aside from dinner, we ended up eating off ship whenever possible on Celebrity.

 

As far as entertainment goes, the theater shows on Celebrity are leaps and bounds better than Carnival. Carnival has really substandard theater shows, however, there is a lot more to do on Carnival than on Celebrity. On Celebrity, outside of the main theater there is very little else going on, whereas on Carnival, we often have to choose between two or three things that we want to do. Also, Celebrity passengers tend to be a bit more pretentious than Carnival passengers. We met great people on both cruises, but Celebrity fosters the "class" distinctions, where Carnival does not.

 

I realize that you asked for a comparison between RCCL and Carnival, but I've never wanted to pay more for the same cruise so I've never gone with RCCL.

[Tapi]

Great comparison and agree with all except ^^^

 

I didn't know you can order omelets

 

I thought it was only the scoop of fake eggs and tomato slice with limp bacon

 

 

We didn't order on the Enchantment last year, but when we sailed on the Allure we did. The reason why we learned about it was simply because on that ship you could place your room service order using the TV interactive system and we saw it listed there. But I don't know if it's an item only available on certain ships.

[Kverlinger]

If you weren't impressed with Royal Caribbean after Celebrity...I don't think you would be impressed by Carnival. They are both very similar. Royal is a little better in my opinion. Never been on Celebrity.

RC has better entertainment. RC has nicer ships. They both have the same friendly staff. Carnival has better food and since we started bringing our kids, we chose carnival due to the water slides. Also, being a family of 4, carnival has better prices and usually has better itineraries. Without kids, I would probably go with Royal. Try it out though, you never know until you try. It depends more on the ship, rather than the cruise line!

[Softball20]

We have not sailed RCCL, but we have sailed both Celebrity and Carnival. They are different and provide different experiences. We always just book OV, it's our preference, so I can't speak to the perks.

IMO, the main differences are that Celebrity's MDR choices for dinner are far better than Carnivals, but that's where it ends, the buffet and other eating establishments are far better on Carnival. Aside from dinner, we ended up eating off ship whenever possible on Celebrity.

 

As far as entertainment goes, the theater shows on Celebrity are leaps and bounds better than Carnival. Carnival has really substandard theater shows, however, there is a lot more to do on Carnival than on Celebrity. On Celebrity, outside of the main theater there is very little else going on, whereas on Carnival, we often have to choose between two or three things that we want to do. Also, Celebrity passengers tend to be a bit more pretentious than Carnival passengers. We met great people on both cruises, but Celebrity fosters the "class" distinctions, where Carnival does not.

 

I realize that you asked for a comparison between RCCL and Carnival, but I've never wanted to pay more for the same cruise so I've never gone with RCCL.

 

We haven't been on Carnival for a while (going on a short girls' cruise next week, though), so I can't make valid comparisons between them and Celebrity or Royal (although I was unimpressed with Royal, too, but it's been a while). However, we do love Celebrity, and I have never seen any kind of fostering of any kind of class distinction while on a Celebrity ship, and I have never found the passengers to be pretentious at all.

[kbset]

Ok, I couldn't see your cruise history on the Cruise Critic mobile app, but I can see it on the desktop site.

 

Good news is that Carnival Magic is part of Carnival's newest class which are also their largest ships. Keep in mind that largest on Carnival is still smaller than the Independence of the Seas. But you will get to experience the best that Carnival has to offer.

 

Main differences that you may notice:

 

- Although both cruise lines cater heavily to families, Carnival has a more relaxed and unpretentious vibe. You may see more international passengers on Royal since they market their product on a global basis, while Carnival heavily targets the US and Canada, many who live within driving distance from the port and who are more interested in convenience and price.

 

- Royal ships have a more understated, modern and elegant decor which is easily recognized throughout their fleet while Carnival ships have a bolder, more colorful and over the top decor. Majority of the ships were designed by Joe Farcus known for his wild ideas and decor, and he conceived a different theme for each ship. Some of the older ones are heavy on neon Old Vegas 90's decor. Magic was the last ship commissioned by Farcus, however it's considerably more toned down than his earlier creations.

 

- Architecturally, Carnival ships are a bit more disjointed suffering from "can't get from here to there" syndrome on some decks unless you go up one deck and then down, or you cut through one venue to get to another one which also hinders passengers flow.

 

- Food is very subjective, and you will get plenty of people telling you that Carnival has better food while Royal has better food. In my opinion quality is similar, but I've found that Royal offers a wider selection of venues (both free and for a charge). I've also noticed more variety as well as out of the ordinary and healthy selections on Royal's buffets which are also laid out in islands instead of long buffet lines, helping once again with passenger flow.

 

- Room Service menu is a bit more limited on Carnival. Breakfasts comprise mostly continental selections, and for lunch and dinner, you have a limited list of sandwiches and salads. You can order some hot items for an extra fee though. On Royal, room service is a bit more generous. You can order full hot breakfasts, including omelettes. You can also select hot entrees for lunch or dinner. Royal will charge a delivery fee if you're ordering late at night though.

 

- Our last experience with Carnival's kids program was aboard the Dream (Magic's sister) and we considered the facilities to be phenomenal, with plenty of activities for the kids, rivaling the ones the we encountered aboard Allure of the Seas. Main differences have to do with the program's structure. Kids on Royal can be as young as 6 months of age to be accepted into their Royal Babies and Tots program, but they will pay an hourly fee until they turn 3 years of age. Carnival's program starts at 2 years of age but it's offered complimentarily to all (except for late owl babysitting hours).

 

- Staterooms: if you normally book lower categories (inside or oceanview staterooms), Carnival will provide more generous accommodations. Ocean views in particular are some of the largest in the industry. The tide turns in Royal's favor with balcony staterooms and above. Royal provides a wider selection of premium categories, all the way up to palatial 2 story Royal Loft Suites on their newer ships. Royal also offers a lengthy list of suite perks, while Carnival is limited to priority embarkation.

 

- Entertainment: This is where Royal truly shines and Carnival needs room for improvement. Royal's productions and entertainment are much more professional and impressive, many times rivaling quality entertainment found on land. Carnival unfortunately has diluted their entertainment, with cheapened playlist productions and several nights where main theater entertainment is provided by passenger participation games.

 

You will have a great time on Carnival as long as you understand that it's different (not necessarily better or worse) and go with realistic expectations. As I mentioned above, I find significant changes between these two cruise lines, but probably many of these will be inconsequential to someone who is experiencing these cruise lines for the first time.

 

As a side note, I had also booked the same Empress of the Seas itinerary that you are sailing on as soon as it became available for sale. I also had another 5 night sailing aboard the Carnival Valor for May, both which I considered awesome deals. However I have now canceled both in favor of a 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise to Puerto Rico, St. Maarten and the Bahamas aboard the MSC Divina in a balcony stateroom. With their 2 for 1 balcony sale, and their kids sail free promotion, we are sailing for LESS than 5 nights on the Empress of the Seas in an oceanview stateroom. Just food for thought.

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to write all of this!! I really appreciate it!! :)

 

When we were on the Independence of the Seas in 2014, a lot of people (meaning diamond plus/pinnacle members) were complaining about the same things as we were on Independence. The service and food were horrible. At dinner, a couple times it took us a out 2 1/2 hours to finish because service was so slow, and the food was cold by the time we got it. Everyone at our table (a table of 10) complained and things got a little bit better, but not too much. Our stateroom (deck 2) was filthy, and our toilet paper and kleenex barely ever got replenished. We always had to call the desk for tp and kleenex. In fact, on the top shelf where the closet is, someones old PJ's were up there...no idea how long they were up there for before we found them. There were so many other problems that we experienced but those were the main ones.

 

So glad you mentioned the Architectural aspect of Carnival. We did notice (and it annoyed us quite a bit) that on Independence (can't remember which decks) you had to go up a floor and then back down to get to the back of the ship. That is something we will definitely have to take into consideration!

[jonbgd]

We didn't order on the Enchantment last year, but when we sailed on the Allure we did. The reason why we learned about it was simply because on that ship you could place your room service order using the TV interactive system and we saw it listed there. But I don't know if it's an item only available on certain ships.

 

We just did the TA on the Allure for 12 days and didn't even think of ordering bkfast from the TV just the door hanger DARN

Thanks Didn't know I would learn this on the CCL boards tho:o

[jonbgd]

So glad you mentioned the Architectural aspect of Carnival. We did notice (and it annoyed us quite a bit) that on Independence (can't remember which decks) you had to go up a floor and then back down to get to the back of the ship. That is something we will definitely have to take into consideration!

 

On the Indy if leaving deck 3 of the theater you have to go up a deck to go aft

The skating rink is in the way

But there is a secret door

Edited January 24, 2016 by jonbgd

[elainmir]

My advice is this, book your trip on the Magic and YOU will know FOR SURE if you would like to continue sailing CCL. I say this because I hear people here on CC say " Bahamas" not the place to go..a million reasons why I shouldn't have went. I went and loved it. The same was said for ports in Jamaica. I loved it. I would've missed out on all of those things I love had I listened. Advice is great, I ask for it on here also but I also know I would regret not at least giving something a chance.

[kbset]

On the Indy if leaving deck 3 of the theater you have to go up a deck to go aft

The skating rink is in the way

But there is a secret door

 

YES!!! That is exactly what I was talking about....too bad we didn't know about the secret door :(

[kbset]

My advice is this, book your trip on the Magic and YOU will know FOR SURE if you would like to continue sailing CCL. I say this because I hear people here on CC say " Bahamas" not the place to go..a million reasons why I shouldn't have went. I went and loved it. The same was said for ports in Jamaica. I loved it. I would've missed out on all of those things I love had I listened. Advice is great, I ask for it on here also but I also know I would regret not at least giving something a chance.

 

I agree!! We won't know if we like Carnival until we try it :)

 

One of our stops on the Independence in 2014 was Jamaica and we LOVED Jamaica :) I do hear a lot of people complain about it but honestly, it was one of our favorite stops.