RC vs Carnival comparison anyone?

[gumbypee]

I have not been on either line but I am looking at some 7 day cruises out of Galveston in October/November 2016.

 

Carnival Breeze and Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas have the ports I want.

 

I know Carnival is cheaper but I have heard great things about RC. It will be women in their early 40s-50s. Don't care to drink much or party but like activities and trivia etc and shows to watch.

 

Thank you

[Clarea]

I have not been on either line but I am looking at some 7 day cruises out of Galveston in October/November 2016.

 

Carnival Breeze and Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas have the ports I want.

 

I know Carnival is cheaper but I have heard great things about RC. It will be women in their early 40s-50s. Don't care to drink much or party but like activities and trivia etc and shows to watch.

 

Thank you

Some recent similar threads:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2327455

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2321947

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2303294

[lynninsc]

Our first 5 cruises were with RC. We have since sailed twice with Norwegian and 3 times with Carnival. I personally find them all very similar. My 3 favorite cruises would be Carnival Liberty, Norwegian Dawn and RCL Adventure of the Seas. Bottom line is, I would pick the most affordable cruise with the itenerary I like best. FWIW, I am a female in my 40's. I am not a heavy drinker, but I enjoy the activities on the ships such as comedy, karaoke, battle of the sexes, etc. I do LOVE the comedy club on Carnival. Whatever you choose, I hope you have a great vacation!

[bigsky]

Many other threads on this topic. You can do a search at the top. It's subjective on what people like. For me, I prefer Royal hands down over Carnival. You'll find others that swear by Carnival.

[deepcman]

We've been on both ships and prefer the Breeze. If Matt Mitcham is the cruise director on Breeze you'll have the time of your life. Food and entertainment on Breeze was terrific. Liberty is more low key with more older folks (60+) .

[OCruisers]

Of the two you are considering ... don't see much difference.

[JimAOk1945]

We've been on both and prefer Royal as you can see in the links to my wife's website below. The ambiance on Royal is more relaxing, but there is still a lot to keep us busy if we choose to participate in on board activities.

 

Happy cruising! It's a great way to travel.

[Wilson]

Loyal to Royal. I am sure that there has been some improvements to Carnival, but as you can see we appropriately titled our sailing in () in our past cruises list.

Edited April 22, 2016 by Wilson

[happymanitee]

Loyal to Royal. I am sure that there has been some improvements to Carnival, but as you can see we appropriately titled our sailing in () in our past cruises list.

 

Lol on "Wal-mart of the Seas"! Carnival Jubilee in March 2003 was my first cruise ever. I did have fun, but you are spot-on! After that cruise, I decided cruising just wasn't for me. It would be another 10 years before I step foot on a cruise ship again.

In 2013, My friend was getting married on a Royal Caribbean ship so we were allowed to board just for the wedding. I was so impressed with Royal Caribbean that we decided to give cruising another try. After a short trip on Majesty of the Seas, we were hooked. Now, I try to take a cruise every summer. If it wasn't for that wedding, I would have been turned off of cruising forever!

Of course I realize that I should probably give Carnival another chance. It was a long time ago and a lot has changed. But, any cruise is expensive for my family of 5 and I just don't want to risk it. I am happy with Royal, so I'm sticking with them for now.

[mrpayroll]

We have been on both of these ships and can say that you will have a great time on either one. The Breeze is probably one of Carnivals top three or four ships. ( will drop a notch after Vista arrives )

[Cruisin' Again 86]

We have sailed both ships.

 

In our opinion Liberty has more/better shows than Breeze, the food on Breeze was better than Liberty. On either ship you will not run out of places to eat or things to do, but if you are familiar with RCCL cruises, Breeze will be different for sure.

 

The feel on Breeze is closed-in, with not a lot of open public areas, walking up a level to continue your walk from bow to aft. Where as on Liberty you can stay non one level and do this. The Promenade on Liberty is where the shops are located, on Breeze he shops remind me of shops on older RCCL ships, located in the Centrum and overlooking a few sets of stairs.

 

Crew on both ships were pleasant and as I said before had plenty of things going at all times. Casino, if you play has better comps, and after first night we were getting free drinks while playing for the rest of the cruise.

 

I don't think that you will be disappointed in either... Enjoy your cruise !!!

[bigsky]

Lol on "Wal-mart of the Seas"! Carnival Jubilee in March 2003 was my first cruise ever. I did have fun, but you are spot-on! After that cruise, I decided cruising just wasn't for me. It would be another 10 years before I step foot on a cruise ship again.

 

In 2013, My friend was getting married on a Royal Caribbean ship so we were allowed to board just for the wedding. I was so impressed with Royal Caribbean that we decided to give cruising another try. After a short trip on Majesty of the Seas, we were hooked. Now, I try to take a cruise every summer. If it wasn't for that wedding, I would have been turned off of cruising forever!

 

Of course I realize that I should probably give Carnival another chance. It was a long time ago and a lot has changed. But, any cruise is expensive for my family of 5 and I just don't want to risk it. I am happy with Royal, so I'm sticking with them for now.

 

 

If you ever try Carnival again, stay away from the old ships... JMO : )

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[matj2000]

Go to the "search this forum" on the RC page and type in "Carnival".

It will probably bring up over 3526 RC vs Carnival comparisons.

45 from this month alone.:):):)

[gumbypee]

Thank you all for feedback.

 

I do realize there is a search option but I wanted to know about those two specific ships and older ladies going.

 

Thanks!!

[fligster]

We've been on both ships and prefer the Breeze. If Matt Mitcham is the cruise director on Breeze you'll have the time of your life. Food and entertainment on Breeze was terrific. Liberty is more low key with more older folks (60+) .

 

Agree, Matt Mitcham was great on the Breeze last summer. I believe he has moved to the Vista. I thought the food was ok, entertainment/shows were good. Its probably the most involved we were in shows etc and the most "fun".

[Dori Saltzman]

Cruise Critic has a full comparison here:

 

Carnival Cruise Line vs. Royal Caribbean International

[Rosy1013]

I have been on Carnival four times and am now booked on my first Royal. Very much looking forward to switching lines as I experienced similar entertainment and dining on Carnival and want something new! Any cruise is a good cruise for me, though.

[M_BA]

Cruise Critic has a full comparison here:

 

Carnival Cruise Line vs. Royal Caribbean International

 

Dori,

 

Thank you for the link! That's a very good objective view of the two lines.

[buddylover]

Cruised both lines....food better on CCL in our opinion, entertainment is better on RCI in our opinion.....but more alike than different.

 

As to the comment "Walmart of the Seas"....pretty tacky and in our opinion not true at all. The demographics on both lines are the SAME...those Walmart shoppers cruise and are visible on both lines! :rolleyes:

[serialcruiser48]

Carnival=Walmart

Carnival; slow sucky Internet;more people per sq.ft,no Diamond lounge perks regardless of number of cruises.

RC; Voom Internet, 276ms ping, 25mbps download. Diamond lounge, free specialty coffee 24/7, free drinks from 5-830pm.

 

You pay a bit more, but you are rewarded for loyalty.