Royal vs Carnival differences

[nealstuber]

What I'm trying to find is stuff that even as an experienced cruiser I would not know is different on RCCL vs CCL.

 

:)

 

One difference is in the Slots in the Casino. CLL is basically paperless. You set up a casino account, put in cash (or draw from your Sail and Sign with no upcharge) and then put your money back in to the account when you're done on that machine. Cash out the virtual account any time you want before the end of the cruise (if there's anything left). RCCL uses paper vouchers when you cash out of each machine and I can't remember if you can draw against your shipboard account.

[LMaxwell]

I just don't know what Royal has that Carnival doesn't and that's what I'm trying to find out.

 

Voyager class has beautiful Viking Crown Lounges (the flying saucer at the top) that you can get spectacular views from.

 

Voyager class has access to the Helipad on the bow; another great place to be coming in and out of ports.

 

Voyager class as a "peek a boo" bridge; basically large windows that you can look into the navigation bridge.

 

Just some nice little design details to keep in mind if you are on the Adventure.

[nealstuber]

I don't know. Maybe the same thing that makes the Kardashians so popular. LOL

 

Well I think a Rolex's value is function of a lot of things besides time accuracy. If I was offered a free Casio or a Free Rolex, I'd take the Rolex, sell it and book my next 3 cruises. The time on my I phone is accurate enough.

[time4u2go]

this pretty much sums it up: If you want to be treated like a King (or Queen) choose Royal, if you want to be treated like a CLOWN, go with Carnival.

 

listen Craig, I've only sailed on Royal, so I can tell you, unequivocally, that Royal is better.

 

...so easy to ruffle feathers on here... but in all seriousness, you sound like me, trying to gauge based on comparisons, but while you may like Carnival better still after your Royal cruise, you still can't go wrong with RC, you'll enjoy it, that I am quite sure of.

 

Ok then. :rolleyes:

[Illmaxict]

Ok then. :rolleyes:

 

please tell me you caught on that i was joking lol

[time4u2go]

please tell me you caught on that i was joking lol

 

Lol I have now! :D

[Illmaxict]

Lol I have now! :D

 

lol just bored, seeing who will ignore my comments and who will get riled up lol

[sammee]

One difference is in the Slots in the Casino. CLL is basically paperless. You set up a casino account, put in cash (or draw from your Sail and Sign with no upcharge) and then put your money back in to the account when you're done on that machine. Cash out the virtual account any time you want before the end of the cruise (if there's anything left). RCCL uses paper vouchers when you cash out of each machine and I can't remember if you can draw against your shipboard account.

 

Thanks for that info about those vouchers. I was only on the Explorer in 2007 and going on Granduer next month. Been doing it the way you describe on Carnival and it didn't even occur to me about that until your post. I think there was a way to draw, but I can't remember how I did and if you still can.

[dh464]

Our first cruise was on carnival. Since that first we have done 5 more 3 carnival 3 rccl.We as a family don't prefer on over the other except our 16 year old son thinks there are more things( rockclimbing,wave rider,ice skating)for him to do on rccl than carnival.We book based on what ports we like to see then price not only of cruise but airfare and extra hotel stays.

[ryano]

lol just bored, seeing who will ignore my comments and who will get riled up lol

 

You almost hooked me earlier in the thread. LOL. You joke about Royal being the best because they are the only cruise line you've been on but you would be surprised at the number of people that really think that. Thats why I said head in the sand :D

Edited April 8, 2016 by ryano

[Mikew0805]

If that is the way you feel about FTTF then you will fit right in on Royal. In fact you very well may like it more than Carnival. :)

 

Here are a couple to add to your list:

 

5. Carnival people don't talk about their loyalty "status" every 5 minutes. On Royal you will hear the word "Diamond" more times in one week than you think is humanly possible.

 

6. Carnival doesn't have special little rooms available all cruise long for people who have cruised as little as 6 previous times on Royal. Although Carnival does throw a past guest party for a couple of hours only for those who have sailed 11 times before on Carnival. (both these example assume 7 nights cruises)

 

I am laughing so hard and very out loud right now at your #5. When we did the Serenade 15 nights to Hawaii, we went to a friends of Dorothy meeting thingy. Well there was about 20-25 people there, and there were many couples that actually introduced themselves and included their status.

 

No Joke... "Hi I am Bob, Diamond plus... and this is my partner Barry, Diamond." :eek::eek:

 

Me and a dear friend that I met on that cruise, still to this day make fun of that every time we think of the cruise. :D

Edited April 8, 2016 by Mikew0805

[Mikew0805]

Nice to see this thread has not gotten ugly.

 

OP.. I like both lines, heck I really just like to cruise. But here are some differences that come to mind, that I do not think were mentioned;

 

 

RCI has 24 hour pools, and hot tubs. (I love going to the Solarium and sitting in the hot tub, by myself at 230 in the morning.) Carnival does not.

 

RCI does not have 24 hour ice cream, which would be really nice after sitting in the hot tub at 230 in the morning. :cool:

 

RCI has a better non-alcoholic drink package (Royal Replenish) that includes specialty coffee:D:D, vitamin water, red bull (yuck), and much more.

 

Enjoy your cruise.. I think you will like Royal.

[Illmaxict]

You almost hooked me earlier in the thread. LOL. You joke about Royal being the best because they are the only cruise line you've been on but you would be surprised at the number of people that really think that. Thats why I said head in the sand :D

 

haha i almost reeled you in! i'm generally a lurker on the boards until i have booked a trip, then i'll become more active. i know all too well about how defensive people get about "their" cruise line lol. i do find it quite amusing, i must admit.

[CapeCodCruiser]

Firstly I have to say how nice it is that this thread had not degraded into an all out battle.

 

We have been on many different lines - Carnival, Princess, NCL, Costa, Celebrity and we are now booked on our first Royal. They are all more alike than different for sure.

 

I was disappointed to see that Royal has "entertainment" in the dining room - I just hate having my meal interrupted with overly loud antics. I will have to find out the appx times this happens and show up after one and before the second one!

 

We booked a suite on Celebrity and I would never book a suite again that did not come with a butler and all the perks!

 

I can say that in all of the cruise lines we have tried we have NEVER had a bad cruise nor found a line we would not repeat.

[ewenix]

Very odd. Maybe just bad luck with some clueless port personnel. Granted, I've only been on a few cruises, but I've not had any issues with my CPAP on Carnival. Really surprising security was giving you a hard time. A lot of people use them.

 

I would pass it off to clueless port personnel except that at check-in after the first 2 people they starting involving supervisors.

So unless they have 2 different supervisors that are also clueless, something else was wrong.

 

After the check-in debacle, we dodged the paparazzi, then had to stop and get our cards scanned at the point where you leave the building and enter the ramp to the ship.

That's where I was told "there is a flag on your account." The initial problem at check-in was the girl didn't know what this flag meant.

The odd part was she just wanted to check my passport and then let me pass. This was my 13th cruise. Never had an issue on RCL and this was my first cpap issue with carnival.

 

(At the initial security scan they had no issues with the machine nor my extension cord or the power strip.)

[ewenix]

lol just bored, seeing who will ignore my comments and who will get riled up lol

 

You understand that's literally the definition of a troll?

[craigtompkins]

listen Craig, I've only sailed on Royal, so I can tell you, unequivocally, that Royal is better.

 

...so easy to ruffle feathers on here... but in all seriousness, you sound like me, trying to gauge based on comparisons, but while you may like Carnival better still after your Royal cruise, you still can't go wrong with RC, you'll enjoy it, that I am quite sure of.

 

I got that you were joking :)

 

I'm 100% sure I'll enjoy the cruise, we cruise for ports anyway and are so excited for this 10 day of southern Caribbean and the ABC's. Just trying to see the real world differences. My biggest decision may be if I try to bring my Diet Mtn Dew on board or not...

[NightOne]

I am laughing so hard and very out loud right now at your #5. When we did the Serenade 15 nights to Hawaii, we went to a friends of Dorothy meeting thingy. Well there was about 20-25 people there, and there were many couples that actually introduced themselves and included their status.

 

No Joke... "Hi I am Bob, Diamond plus... and this is my partner Barry, Diamond." :eek::eek:

 

 

Yes, it was meant to be funny but it is also true. I have experienced the same type of thing:

 

"Hi, I'm Ricky and this is my wife Lucy. We're diamond members"

 

However, I will say that we have met some really nice people who have brought up their loyalty level without being asked and I just see them as being enthusiastic cruising on Royal so I cannot fault them for it even if it is somewhat crazy. LOL

[mark290]

You make a decent argument about price making something a better product and while I generally agree with you ("you get what you pay for") unfortunately that is just not true. :)

 

Example: Why a $10 Casio Keeps Better Time Than a $10,000 Rolex

 

Awful analogy. That is one aspect of a watch.

[Illmaxict]

You understand that's literally the definition of a troll?

 

yes, i am aware. i believe i even went so far as to mention that i was in a trolling mood in my second post.

[craigtompkins]

I was reading other threads on here and found this one http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2341195 where the OP is asking about getting into shows saying that they tried to book shows a month out and they were already full.

 

So, do you need to pre-book shows on all RCCL ships, just some ships like Oasis, or just for popular shows? Assuming I'll need to prebook shows for Adventure, how early can I prebook?

 

TIA

[Clarea]

I was reading other threads on here and found this one http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2341195 where the OP is asking about getting into shows saying that they tried to book shows a month out and they were already full.

 

So, do you need to pre-book shows on all RCCL ships, just some ships like Oasis, or just for popular shows? Assuming I'll need to prebook shows for Adventure, how early can I prebook?

 

TIA

No prebooking of shows on Adventure.

 

Only Oasis and Quantum class have prebooking of shows.

[BobbyD]

-Royal has better flow of the ships. Easier to maneuver from end to end.

-Carnival does not have the Royal Promenade, which we love.

-Love Carnival's Guys Burgers and many of the other 2.0 upgrades. One of the best things that Carnival has done.

-Most of the Royal ships have a plexiglass door to the shower. Carnival ships have a body-sticking curtain.

[fourkittys]

After 7 CCL and 2 RCI (I can only compare Oasis class except for what I read about other RCI ships), I still find that a lot depends on the specific ship and crew. I count CCL Breeze in my top 3, right beside Oasis, Triumph and Allure. But in the same class as Breeze, Dream was a flop the second time around (aside from having a 230 sq' room with 2 baths). Oasis, I thought the staff did a fine job. Allure, not nearly so much.

 

 

 

1. JR has an actual menu (which includes great 'shakes) and I think the $5 cover charge is more than worth the experience.

(Beyond that, I'm thoroughly in love with the 25+ dining/munching choices on the bigger RCI ships, and many of them are free.)

 

2. My favorite ships for shows (of any kind) have been Triumph (in 2008) and Oasis (2011). Both were equally (and thoroughly) enjoyable.

 

3. Agree.

 

4. As others have said and will say, I've cheated a bit on both lines and never a word was said. It's a bit like those emails we get (from both lines) about our boarding times - the ones I've never once paid attention to or abided by.

 

CCL has bigger Balcony and OV rooms. RCI generally has a lot more food choices (and usually better coffee).

 

For me it's a toss-up. It almost wholly depends on which of my favorite ships has the best deal at the right time. I do want to try more RCI ships, but that's the only real edge that Royal has for me right now.

 

Yes, JR has an actual menu but the $5 cover charge is only for the food. Drinks, shakes and ice cream are an extra charge.

[Moonarino]

Yes, JR has an actual menu but the $5 cover charge is only for the food. Drinks, shakes and ice cream are an extra charge.

 

I had a niggling feeling that we might have paid for those luscious shakes. But the point is, it's a bit broader experience than Guy's Burgers, which I thoroughly appreciate for what it is, but burgers is all it is.

 

I also pay for specialty coffee a dozen times or more on every cruise. But compared to prices we pay for so much else on a cruise, those coffees and the JR shakes are pocket change.

Edited April 15, 2016 by Moonarino