Carnival vs RCL

[frenchcanrican]

Hope you post on this board and tell us what you thought of Celebrity. I would be very interested in reading you observations.

 

 

Thank you. I will post the same review/comparison on my return on both threads.

 

I think it will be a good comparison as the trip is 14 days in Asia. On RCCL we have completed a 15 day TA, 10 day Hawaii, and 12 night Med and Africa.

 

In May we are sailing NCL's Breakaway. That will be our first time on NCL. Already I am a little frustrated with what I have to pay extra for on Breakaway compared to CCL and RCCL.

But they do have the Perks and they include gratuities & Drink Package.

 

Those two things are negatives in RCCL. X and NCL have more all inclusive fares. I wish they (RCCL) would get with the program!

 

In October 2017 we are back on RCCL NOS for 14 day Canaries and Africa. I think that will be the trip that closes the full comparison circle and will decide whom we should cruise with more.

 

BTW- we are Diamond with RCCL.

 

 

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Edited September 14, 2016 by frenchcanrican

[PirateLibrarian]

If you don't pick a Carnival Fantasy class ship I think you will find Carnival much better in value.I am platinum on both lines but I find my carnival cruises to be more enjoyable for some reason. Probably the price.

 

I respectfully disagree. I have been on 3 Fantasy class ships, and have had absolutely no problem with them. Fascination, Fantasy, and Ecstasy. Older ships, yes, but that didn't affect the service or the terrific, friendly atmosphere of the staff on them. Certainly not less than the other three relatively new ships we sailed.

[PirateLibrarian]

I have cruised Carnival 6 times, since 2000, and have 4 more booked right now. I have researched other cruise lines, as I do like some of the different itineraries. But when it comes to the final booking price, I choke. It is usually at least 50% higher for the same type of cabin, ocean balcony. I am a NC schoolteacher (and that 50k 'average' is a joke, even after over 20 years), and have to watch my $$, especially since my time to cruise is the most expensive. Ive had friends that have tried others, and say that Carnival is much better, especially for the price. YMMV

Edited September 14, 2016 by PirateLibrarian

[Tapi]

I respectfully disagree. I have been on 3 Fantasy class ships, and have had absolutely no problem with them. Fascination, Fantasy, and Ecstasy. Older ships, yes, but that didn't affect the service or the terrific, friendly atmosphere of the staff on them.

 

 

I've done Fantasy class ships more than the larger ships, and I consider them a great option for an inexpensive, quick, and convenient getaway, specially if you live within short driving distance from the embarkation port. But I wouldn't consider these ships for a longer itinerary or if I have to spend additional money on flights or pre/post cruise hotel stays. If I have to travel a longer distance to board my ship, chances are that I will be expanding my options to include larger and newer ships (and other cruise lines) with more amenities and better itineraries.

 

I agree that service and atmosphere on these older Fantasy class ships is more personal and ambiance is somewhat friendlier and down to earth, but these superlatives are eclipsed by the condition of some of these older ships, the limited amenities and dining options onboard, and the very repetitive itineraries. My 3 closest ports of embarkation are all served by Fantasy class ships, all visiting Nassau or Cozumel on every itinerary. In my opinion, that's a huge deterrent to set foot on another one of these older ships again.

 

 

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Edited September 15, 2016 by Tapi

[nimbex1970]

Carnival-

1. Better Price

2. Better Food

3. More outside activities

Royal-

1. Subdue decor

2. Better evening entertainment

3. No needing to avoid floors with dinning venues to transverse the floor

4. Yes I'm saying it... you'll find fewer folks with wife beaters, pajamas and wet bathing suits in the dining venues. I'll leave it at that;)

Edited September 15, 2016 by nimbex1970

[MikeACY]

I have been on over 26 cruises... Many on Carnival and RCCL.

My 2 cents worth.

 

Carnival:

Better pricing. This tends to lead to more families (ie..young children) on the cruise. So if you want piece and quiet near the pools...well Carnival isn't for u.

Food: MUCH Better on Carnival then RCCL. Carnival always has food available somewhere. RCCL seems to shut down and you may find it difficult to find food at certain times...especially at night.

 

Entertainment: Depends...there is always activities going on..after all it is the "FUN SHIP". But the entertainment in the main theater with the Carnival Dancers gets boring. RCCL is better with the main Theater, but RCCL doesn't always have something going on somewhere.

 

SHIP: Carnival ships are nice, but RCCL ships are nicer. More elegant. This I believe is where they put their money...in the ships decor.

 

CREW/STAFF: Same on both..never a problem.

 

The biggest complaint I hear about Carnival is the kids. Kids and young adults don't bother me...I had my children on cruises before. But some people I have brought along on cruises with me tend to not like the noise and the running around that is usually generated by a young crowd. IT can happen on RCCL, but not as common.

 

I, when I pick a cruise go by the itinerary and pricing. Again I have been on many..and the most important thing for me is where it goes, the amount of time spent there, and the price. NO cruise is bad...just some are a little better then others.

Edited September 15, 2016 by MikeACY

[AmberTeka]

ANYONE who is torn between a cruise on Royal or Carnival should read this thread. I thought all of the comments were pertinent and accurate. Judging from what we experienced.

 

The "Always something going on".. is for us, a big lure. And as we are very light drinkers, with me being none and Husband being maybe one a day, and we go to be at about ten or earlier...................I mean daytime activities mostly.

 

We don't watch much TV on a cruise. But Carnival. Princess. HAL. NCR. may not have satellite TV ( They do on some ships) but they all have NBC. CBS. ABC. and the ever awful CNN International. ( just my opinion. They will cover farming in East Asia while a crisis is going on at home....usually weather related)

 

The Awful TV on Royal was a big minus for me. I DID like it that they had cartoons and the DreamWorks Station. Carnival shows cartoons that are scary to little kids. Princess has movies on demand for Free. My grand daughter and I watched Frozen 9 times in seven days March of 2015. She loved it. RCI had cartoons that are suitable for the under 6 crowd. And there were no naughty children on RCI. Very few children at all.

[Computer Nerd]

ANYONE who is torn between a cruise on Royal or Carnival should read this thread. I thought all of the comments were pertinent and accurate. Judging from what we experienced.

 

The "Always something going on".. is for us, a big lure. And as we are very light drinkers, with me being none and Husband being maybe one a day, and we go to be at about ten or earlier...................I mean daytime activities mostly.

 

We don't watch much TV on a cruise. But Carnival. Princess. HAL. NCR. may not have satellite TV ( They do on some ships) but they all have NBC. CBS. ABC. and the ever awful CNN International. ( just my opinion. They will cover farming in East Asia while a crisis is going on at home....usually weather related)

 

The Awful TV on Royal was a big minus for me. I DID like it that they had cartoons and the DreamWorks Station. Carnival shows cartoons that are scary to little kids. Princess has movies on demand for Free. My grand daughter and I watched Frozen 9 times in seven days March of 2015. She loved it. RCI had cartoons that are suitable for the under 6 crowd. And there were no naughty children on RCI. Very few children at all.

 

unless you consider looney toons scary to little kids, i've never seen a scary cartoon on carnival. now i have seen a weird movie before.....dr zhivago is not a good cruise movie for the big screen......unless one is a communist maybe.

Edited September 16, 2016 by Computer Nerd

[frenchcanrican]

Dr. Zhivago is an excellent film. The book was actually banned from the Soviet Union and the movie was filmed in Spain. It won 5 academy awards in 1966 or 67.

 

When ever they play Titanic I get creeped out!

 

 

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[AmberTeka]

unless you consider looney toons scary to little kids, i've never seen a scary cartoon on carnival. now i have seen a weird movie before.....dr zhivago is not a good cruise movie for the big screen......unless one is a communist maybe.

 

We are on Carnival a lot. We were on the Sunshine for Christmas. They only show cartoons from the Nick Channel. Those are now Goth Characters. Skeleton Characters. Scary to four and five year olds. I put my complaints in the Surveys for both the Dream and the Sunshine ( twice for Sunshine) If they have added kid friendly cartoons since Christmas..........I am thrilled.

 

Princess with it's free On Demand movies was my favorite. I watched "Interstellar" on the cruise of March 2015. In addition to "Frozen", I watched several new movies. FIRST time ever on a cruise ship. And I loved it. Laying on my bed. Refreshments at hand. Watching New Movies..................................I enjoyed it.

[AmberTeka]

Freedom of the Seas did show the New Star Wars Movie in 3 D. I had already seen the movie on TV. but I drug my husband to the Theatre. I don't know if it was the screen or what but it did not project well. We did wear the glasses.

 

I loved it. But I could listen to some one read Star Wars and love it.

I am a true believer.

Husband complained but he is not a Sci Fi Fan.

 

I give them credit for the effort. IF they could have made the Screen LIGHTER, I think it would have been fantastic.

Edited September 16, 2016 by AmberTeka

[abisha]

As others have said, and I agree, the two lines are very similar. I like both lines, and would continue to sail both.

 

Carnival...what I like better:

 

Their buffet is a "cut through" area as well ..from pool area to the Aft where another pool exists. It's always opened (never a closed locked door like the Windjammer), so you can always get a free refill from any of the dispensers for water/juice/iced tea/lemonade...24/7. Same goes for wanting an icecream (self serve dispenser). We bring our own refillable drink bottles and fill em up throughout the day and night. I also think buffet food selection is better (but that's subjective of course).

 

Atmosphere with passengers tends to be a bit more energenic and livelier. People just tend to be much more friendlier. Always happy to strike up a conversation, etc. We found passengers on Royal (but not all) to tend to stick to themselves.

 

Carnival's newest ships have a bright and sunny decor (eg..Breeze and Vista) and no longer the former "las vegas style color scheme" which people always comment about. The new ships are paving the way for what's to come, and I find the decor very refreshing, sleek and modern.

 

Bottled water is so cheap.

 

Royal..what I like better:

 

Better drink package selection.

 

Entertainment options.

 

Pier assistance at the ports for the disabled (DH has mobility issues and cannot walk the long piers, but Royal always has people to assist with wheelchairs...Carnival does not, only for embarkation and disembarkation days).

 

Better Solarium (adults only) areas..and they have pools which is great.

 

Better room service menu.

 

I've never had a bad cruise on either line. My favorite line is Princess (but they are pricey)

Edited September 16, 2016 by abisha

[Computer Nerd]

Dr. Zhivago is an excellent film. The book was actually banned from the Soviet Union and the movie was filmed in Spain. It won 5 academy awards in 1966 or 67.

 

When ever they play Titanic I get creeped out!

 

 

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it may be a great film if you're having trouble sleeping but it is not a film for a cruise ship. heck, i'd rather see the posiden adventure on the big screen than dr zhivago again. at least the posiden adventure was entertaining.

[Computer Nerd]

We are on Carnival a lot. We were on the Sunshine for Christmas. They only show cartoons from the Nick Channel. Those are now Goth Characters. Skeleton Characters. Scary to four and five year olds. I put my complaints in the Surveys for both the Dream and the Sunshine ( twice for Sunshine) If they have added kid friendly cartoons since Christmas..........I am thrilled.

 

Princess with it's free On Demand movies was my favorite. I watched "Interstellar" on the cruise of March 2015. In addition to "Frozen", I watched several new movies. FIRST time ever on a cruise ship. And I loved it. Laying on my bed. Refreshments at hand. Watching New Movies..................................I enjoyed it.

 

when the normal princess cruise is about 200 dollars more than the normal comparable carnival cruise, i would say the movies on demand are included, not free. one could watch a lot of pay per view movies when you're saving about 200 bucks a person.

[Tapi]

when the normal princess cruise is about 200 dollars more than the normal comparable carnival cruise, i would say the movies on demand are included, not free. one could watch a lot of pay per view movies when you're saving about 200 bucks a person.

 

 

 

You get a lot more than movies on demand on Princess for the difference in price. But not everybody may appreciate the differences.

 

Interestingly, our first Princess cruise was almost 50% cheaper than a similar Carnival cruise sailing on the same date from the same port. It was a no brainer to go with Princess. And we were treated better as first timers on Princess than as Platinum on Carnival. Go figure!

 

 

 

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[Computer Nerd]

You get a lot more than movies on demand on Princess for the difference in price. But not everybody may appreciate the differences.

 

Interestingly, our first Princess cruise was almost 50% cheaper than a similar Carnival cruise sailing on the same date from the same port. It was a no brainer to go with Princess. And we were treated better as first timers on Princess than as Platinum on Carnival. Go figure!

 

 

 

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yes, at times you can find a princess cruise cheaper than carnival. same can be said of most cruises. but on average, carnival is cheaper. that being said, i have sailed princess before and like them a lot but since for the most part they are not competitively priced compared to carnival, i'll stick with carnival.

 

i don't know how you were treated better as a first timer on princess than as a plat on carnival. for me, it was the same as the first time i sailed carnival. no perks but that's okay because i don't cruise for perks.

[Tapi]

...i don't know how you were treated better as a first timer on princess than as a plat on carnival. for me, it was the same as the first time i sailed carnival. no perks but that's okay because i don't cruise for perks.

 

 

We sailed on Princess for the 1st time for our wedding anniversary. Embarkation was faster than our Carnival Platinum embarkation and our cabin was ready as soon as we walked onboard even though it was only 11:30am. We arrived in our cabin with complimentary decoration and an invitation to a special event. We were also given a complimentary dinner at a specialty restaurant (which unfortunately we didn't use) and on our last night we were presented with a complimentary anniversary chocolate cake. About the only thing that we missed from our Carnival perks was the free laundry, but this was a short cruise so it wasn't as crucial. Overall, we felt much more welcome on Princess. Service, not only in our stateroom and MDR, but also at the service desk when we had to sort out a small issue was much more polished and responsive. Overall, Princess provided an overall experience that surpassed our Carnival Platinum experience.

 

But as you say, Carnival consistently offers lower prices so when we do sail on Carnival, we adjust our expectations accordingly so we are never disappointed.

 

Other cruise lines are going out of their way to make first timers feel special. For example, we sailed on MSC for our last cruise and they matched our Carnival Platinum status so they offered a fare discount, logo gift, complimentary photos, and thermal suite passes. Like you, I don't stick with one cruise line because of perks but these tokens of their appreciation make the experience definitively more enjoyable.

 

 

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[RWolver672]

We tried RCI once and didn't like it. As others have said, Carnival is much more "fun". The other cruisers seemed to walk around with their noses in the air acting like they were better than everyone else.

 

The crew always speaks to us on Carnival unlike on Royal. Our cabin steward on Royal was rude and very unfriendly. On Carnival, they bend over backward to make your cruise memorable.

 

We live in a small village and don't get to see "glitz". We enjoy seeing it on the Carnival ships. On the AOS, all we saw was wood paneling. We weren't impressed with the decor at all.

 

As others have said, it's all in what you like. We prefer Carnival.

[PAPERBKWRITER]

Coke or Pepsi? Boxer or briefs? Carnival or RCL. Just a matter of choice. IMO very similiar. RCL better entertainment, Carnival bigger standard rooms.

[cyclenut]

One of our best cruise experiences was on the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas. Beautiful ship with awesome entertainment. Had the best time. We've sailed Carinval a few times but only the short itineraries out of Long Beach. Next week we'll be on the Breeze for our first 7 day Carnival experience. We live in Texas now so itineraries out of Galveston are more attractive.

 

The entertainment we've experienced on Carnival to date has been pretty horrendous. The comedy shows are not bad but the production shows were almost like a parody of a real production show. Dancers were marginal at best and there was only one good vocal talent, which wasn't enough to carry the shows. I'm hoping our Breeze experience is different, but I'm told by those in the performance industry that Carnival can't attract the top talent. A stint on Carnival for a performer is not looked at favorably by casting directors (so I'm told). I'm hoping that is old information as I've heard Carnival is working to improve its reputation.

 

The other thing that I've noticed that's different is that Carnival really pushes it's alcohol. On the ship and prior to sailing. When I order a beer on another line, they bring me a beer. When I order one on Carnival they try to insist a get a bucket (if I'm anywhere near the pool).

No thanks, I don't need a bucket.

Are you sure, let me bring you one.

No, I don't need a bucket.

It's almost like getting a free beer.

Please just bring me one beer.

OK if you insist, but I know you'll be wishing you had chooses the bucket.

 

Seriously?

 

Disney has a nice thing for beer lovers. They have a beer mug program. It's really just a gimmick or twist on the bucket but you get to keep the mug and bring it back on future cruises for discount draft beer.

 

The staff on Royal was quick to learn my drink preference and when I arrived in the theater they would bring me one before I even ordered it. Totally shocked but it happened more than once and not just in the theater.