RCCL vs. CCL

[sseknichols]

We are going to be cruising with another family next summer. They have never cruised. We have done 4 with Carnival. As I look at the options for next summer, a trip on Allure of the Seas has caught my eye. I guess my question is what differences should I expect - food, shows, amenities, excursions, etc...? Basically anything. Obviously Allure is bigger than the Dream or Breeze which is what I would be looking at on the Carnival side. One thing that seems to pop up a lot is that Allure has many restaurants that cost an extra fee - how prevalent is that?

 

We are travelling with 4 adults and 3 teenage girls (16, 16, 17). Which also brings up another question - Our plan was two balcony rooms for the adults and an interior room for the girls across the hall. Will Royal Caribbean allow that like Carnival would?

 

Thanks in advance for all the information! :cool:

[Clarea]

Allure has around 20 food venues, and around half are free.

 

Royal will allow guests under age 21 to be alone in a stateroom if that stateroom is next to or across the hall from the responsible adult. You must call (or use a travel agent) to book this way, it cannot be done via the website.

 

Some breakfast tips: Johnny Rockets (free for breakfast only), Main Dining Room, and Wipeout Cafe have made to order eggs,

[OCruisers]

We are going to be cruising with another family next summer. They have never cruised. We have done 4 with Carnival. As I look at the options for next summer, a trip on Allure of the Seas has caught my eye. I guess my question is what differences should I expect - food, shows, amenities, excursions, etc...? Basically anything. Obviously Allure is bigger than the Dream or Breeze which is what I would be looking at on the Carnival side. One thing that seems to pop up a lot is that Allure has many restaurants that cost an extra fee - how prevalent is that?

 

We are travelling with 4 adults and 3 teenage girls (16, 16, 17). Which also brings up another question - Our plan was two balcony rooms for the adults and an interior room for the girls across the hall. Will Royal Caribbean allow that like Carnival would?

 

Thanks in advance for all the information! :cool:

 

Both Carnival and RCCL will allow this and would be a great thing to do.

Enjoy whichever you book.

[kwokpot]

There are many differences between CCL and RC. Just so you know i have taken 22 cruises with RC and 12 with Carnival(8 of which were done in the last 18 months, so I'm pretty familiar with both products)

 

RC spends ALOT more money on the design and details of their ships and staterooms. The staterooms are much much nicer with nicer decor. The bathrooms have real tile on the floors and around the lavatory. That's one thing that I wish Carnival would change. Even on their newest Flagship, The Vista, the stateroom bathrooms are one piece blue plastic with no fancy tiling to be found. You think that who cares, but if you take the time to checkout the details you will see Royal really invests money in their ships; Carnival does not.

 

The other biggest difference is that Carnival has much more late night programs and activities than Royal. Carnival has midnight movies on the big pool deck screens, not something Royal does.

 

One observation I have noticed is that Carnival cruisers REALLY LOVE the Carnival product and enjoy ALL the activities that go on. I'm always shocked how many people participate when they have the deck parties on Carnival - the pool decks are packed with people wanting to dance! I've NEVER saw the lines to the Comedy shows that are on Carnival ships on other cruiselines, but that's how it is on every Carnival ship! I think Carnival cruisers have definitely bought into the FUNSHIP mantra and TBH it's great to see everyone having so much fun! I see Carnival cruisers less inclined to whine and complain. Oh, and almost ALL Carnival cruise fanatics think Royal Cruisers are snobs (I hear that opinion on EVERY Carnival ship I go one)

 

Royal Cruisers have a more varied passenger base and NOT EVERYONE enjoys all the structured group activities. Of course they are all there, the deck parties, hairy chest competition(A favorite on Royal!) etc., but they are not as popular as on Carnival. One of the main reasons Royal has passengers with varied interests is by virtue of the all the destinations they sail. They go to Europe, Asia, Middle East, South America none of which Carnival goes to. So just for that reason you will have people that enjoy a more varied cruise experience than just the Caribbean and the standard cruiseship activities.

 

Carnival cruisers are alot more casual than Royal. One place that is VERY evident is in the Buffet. Carnival allows passengers to go into the buffet with NO SHOES, NO shirt, just a bathing suit. I REALLY dislike that and I wish Carnival would change that policy.

 

Carnival has NO SHIP on the scale of Oasis Class ships. Once you board you will be AMAZED how big it is. Where you really notice the size is on the pool deck. The ship is so wide it's as if there are two ships side by side, but it's really just one giant ship! The Central Park atrium is very cool. So is the water show and the ice skating rink! You will have a GREAT time on board with so much to do! Enjoy!

 

We are going to be cruising with another family next summer. They have never cruised. We have done 4 with Carnival. As I look at the options for next summer, a trip on Allure of the Seas has caught my eye. I guess my question is what differences should I expect - food, shows, amenities, excursions, etc...? Basically anything. Obviously Allure is bigger than the Dream or Breeze which is what I would be looking at on the Carnival side. One thing that seems to pop up a lot is that Allure has many restaurants that cost an extra fee - how prevalent is that?

 

We are travelling with 4 adults and 3 teenage girls (16, 16, 17). Which also brings up another question - Our plan was two balcony rooms for the adults and an interior room for the girls across the hall. Will Royal Caribbean allow that like Carnival would?

 

Thanks in advance for all the information! :cool:

[Cuizer2]

We are going to be cruising with another family next summer. They have never cruised. We have done 4 with Carnival. As I look at the options for next summer, a trip on Allure of the Seas has caught my eye. I guess my question is what differences should I expect - food, shows, amenities, excursions, etc...? Basically anything. Obviously Allure is bigger than the Dream or Breeze which is what I would be looking at on the Carnival side. One thing that seems to pop up a lot is that Allure has many restaurants that cost an extra fee - how prevalent is that?

 

We are travelling with 4 adults and 3 teenage girls (16, 16, 17). Which also brings up another question - Our plan was two balcony rooms for the adults and an interior room for the girls across the hall. Will Royal Caribbean allow that like Carnival would?

 

Thanks in advance for all the information! :cool:

 

Below is a link to my review of the Allure. Please note, the photographs will no longer be visible after August 16, 2017 because of a change in the terms at Photobucket. I have also been on eleven cruises on Carnival.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1928555

[MikeBTN]

Things I prefer Carnival for:

 

1 - Generally cheaper

2 - Lunch/early dinner casual options are better on Fun 2.0 ships - Guy's Burgers, Blue Iguana are pretty tasty. Also their "24-hr" pizza is better than Sorrentos.

 

Things I prefer Royal for:

 

Everything else.

 

 

Unless Carnival is SIGNIFICANTLY (like 30-40%) cheaper, we probably won't sail with them again. Also the Oasis-class ships are hands down the most amazing thing at sea.

[CPT_b_dds]

I've been on 5 carnival

Cruises and went on my first royal Caribbean cruise. All I can say is I will never cruise again on royal Caribbean. Carnival was better in most ways. More food options for Free. Better 24 hr pizza. Ice cream bar open 24 hours. Midnight buffets in carnival. Buffet is completely SHUT DOWN after 9pm on royal Caribbean. Room service is NOT free on royal Caribbean. There are no ser serve laundry facilities on royal Caribbean. You have to pay a la carte to have your laundry done..dry cleaning service. I've heard it all "royal Caribbean is so much classier and nicer and not a party ship". LOL!! Carnivals ship was way nicer in all aspects. Now I know.

[Big_G]

I've been on 5 carnival

All I can say is I will never cruise again on royal Caribbean.

 

Here's what's laughable about the 'never again' comments. You sailed once on RCI and allowed that to guide your future. We've sailed twice on Carnival and found them less enjoyable than RCI, Celebrity, and Princess. Having said that, we would never rule out sailing them again based on those two cruises. You need to realize that cruise experiences vary from line to line and ship to ship. I will admit if doing laundry is a game breaker for you then stick with Carnival or step up to Princess but the 'never again' stuff is nothing more than a misplaced attempt at justifying your cruiseline choice. Happy sailing. ;)

[nbhwarrior]

I would try RC or another line and then you can make make your own mind up, cruising is all about perception, you will be cruising whatever your choice

[Globehoppers]

RCCL vs CCL? For RCCL much prefer Azamara over the others. For CCL have sailed Princess and their newer Royal Class work well for us. Cunard is class-based and a bit stuffy for my taste - reminding of the transatlantics I did in the 1950s on the Queens. CCL's Seabourn is highly rated and Holland American has wonderful ships.

[BNBR]

I've been on 5 carnival

Cruises and went on my first royal Caribbean cruise. All I can say is I will never cruise again on royal Caribbean. Carnival was better in most ways. More food options for Free. Better 24 hr pizza. Ice cream bar open 24 hours. Midnight buffets in carnival. Buffet is completely SHUT DOWN after 9pm on royal Caribbean. Room service is NOT free on royal Caribbean. There are no ser serve laundry facilities on royal Caribbean. You have to pay a la carte to have your laundry done..dry cleaning service. I've heard it all "royal Caribbean is so much classier and nicer and not a party ship". LOL!! Carnivals ship was way nicer in all aspects. Now I know.

 

I didn't find that Carnival had more food options for free. I found they had much less. Guys, Blue Iguana, and Pizza Pirate are really just extensions of the buffet. Beyond that, Carnival has essentially nothing. Allure has far more options that are much more robust in the free/complimentary dining. But that's cool, you cruise Carnival because their cruise ship pizza is a little better and you can get cheap soft serve at 3:45 in the morning. I don't book week long vacations with that in mind, but some do, I guess.

[Cuizer2]

I didn't find that Carnival had more food options for free. I found they had much less. Guys, Blue Iguana, and Pizza Pirate are really just extensions of the buffet. Beyond that, Carnival has essentially nothing. Allure has far more options that are much more robust in the free/complimentary dining. But that's cool, you cruise Carnival because their cruise ship pizza is a little better and you can get cheap soft serve at 3:45 in the morning. I don't book week long vacations with that in mind, but some do, I guess.

 

I'm going to have to disagree. Guys, Blue Iguana, and Pizza Pirate are separate specialty "restaurants" and not just a simple extension of the buffet. Would you consider Johnny Rockets an extension of the Windjammer?

[BNBR]

I'm going to have to disagree. Guys, Blue Iguana, and Pizza Pirate are separate specialty "restaurants" and not just a simple extension of the buffet. Would you consider Johnny Rockets an extension of the Windjammer?

 

At least on Glory, you have the buffet. At one corner of the buffet you have Guys, at another corner you have Blue Iguana, at another corner you have Pizza Pirate, and at another corner you have Seafood Shack (for a fee). It's all part of the buffet/dining area. They are simple counter serve just like the buffet and attached to the buffet. Do you consider the omelet window a separate dining establishment? It's a GREAT place to go grab food on Carnival, but I think it's a stretch to call them separate restaurants. It's just good branding by Carnival. I wouldn't consider the mongolion wok a separate dining establishment in a buffet, and I don't consider the burger station separate either, even if they try and brand it that way. Guys is a burger station on a buffet where an attendant will sling you a patty from a tray and send you off to the toppings bar. They have a couple different burger options and that's it. It's definitely not a "restaurant."

 

On Allure, Johnny Rockets is a full service dining establishment with a robust menu, waiters, and on the boardwalk, far away from the Windjammer. Park Cafe, Sorrentos, Promenade cafe, etc... all nowhere near the buffet. Solarium Bistro is it's own restaurant as well. There is a clear difference.

 

Not saying it's a bad thing, it's just different. We enjoyed the buffet area on the Glory for the all-in-one approach, too. It was nice and I like to try different things. But I wouldn't say they have MORE complimentary dining options than Allure, that's ridiculous.

[Cuizer2]

At least on Glory, you have the buffet. At one corner of the buffet you have Guys, at another corner you have Blue Iguana, at another corner you have Pizza Pirate, and at another corner you have Seafood Shack (for a fee). It's all part of the buffet/dining area. They are simple counter serve just like the buffet and attached to the buffet. Do you consider the omelet window a separate dining establishment? It's a GREAT place to go grab food on Carnival, but I think it's a stretch to call them separate restaurants. It's just good branding by Carnival. I wouldn't consider the mongolion wok a separate dining establishment in a buffet, and I don't consider the burger station separate either, even if they try and brand it that way. Guys is a burger station on a buffet where you sling you a patty from a tray and send you off to the toppings bar. They have a couple different burger options and that's it. It's definitely not a "restaurant."

 

On Allure, Johnny Rockets is a full service dining establishment with a robust menu, waiters, and on the boardwalk, far away from the Windjammer. Park Cafe, Sorrentos, Promenade cafe, etc... all nowhere near the buffet. Solarium Bistro is it's own restaurant as well. There is a clear difference.

 

Not saying it's a bad thing, it's just different. We enjoyed the buffet area on the Glory for the all-in-one approach, too. It was nice and I like to try different things. But I wouldn't say they have MORE complimentary dining options than Allure, that's ridiculous.

 

Royal Caribbean considers Jade to be separate from the Windjammer, yet both are in the same space. On many ships (the Voyager and Freedom class come to mind) the Royal Caribbean specialty restaurants take up space that is part of Windjammer. In fact, if you have the right status, you can eat breakfast and lunch in these specialty restaurants for free, and bring in food from the Windjammer.

 

Carnival's buffet and Royal Caribbean's buffet (Windjammer) are buffets. They may share space with other food options, but that does not make the other food options an extension of the buffet any more than claiming the buffet is an extension of the MDR.

[FLSteve11]

I'm going to have to disagree. Guys, Blue Iguana, and Pizza Pirate are separate specialty "restaurants" and not just a simple extension of the buffet. Would you consider Johnny Rockets an extension of the Windjammer?

 

I find they're just extensions of the buffet as well, much like the Mongolian Wok. They're separate stations of the lido deck area to me. They're not "restaurants". They basically took their poolside grill buffet and put 2 new names on it and called them something separate. Johnny Rockets is a sit-down place where someone comes and waits on you, serves you food and delivers it to your table. I like Guys, and Blue Iguana, there's nothing wrong with them. I liked my burger and burrito, and they do a good job with them (certainly the burgers are better then most ships poolside lido buffet grills). But they're not restaurants. Is every station in a buffet area a "restaurant" if they put a name above it? Putting "Italian" or "pizza station" or "pasta station" make it a new restaurant in the buffet area? That's what they do in a number of Lido buffet areas, I don't consider them specialty restaurants either (but maybe I'm wrong on that and there are dozens of free choices on most cruise ships).

 

Funny thing is, with those Carnival has a rather good lido area. You have a good amount of choices of food, with some good tasting ones, and isn't that what matters anyway, rather then if they're separate things or not. It's all marketing otherwise.

[MikeBTN]

I didn't find that Carnival had more food options for free. I found they had much less. Guys, Blue Iguana, and Pizza Pirate are really just extensions of the buffet. Beyond that, Carnival has essentially nothing. Allure has far more options that are much more robust in the free/complimentary dining. But that's cool, you cruise Carnival because their cruise ship pizza is a little better and you can get cheap soft serve at 3:45 in the morning. I don't book week long vacations with that in mind, but some do, I guess.

 

Yes, Royal Caribbean has more specialty options (Chops, 150 Central Park, Giovannis, Johnny Rockets, Izumi) vs Carnival (steak house). In my opinion Carnival has better complimentary lunch/pre-dinner offerings thanks to Guys, Blue Iguana, and the BBQ joint vs Royal Caribbean. That and price are about the only two things that I prefer Carnival over Royal, especially comparing Oasis-class to anything Carnival has to offer.

 

As to the OPs questions about "for fee" food - you have PLENTY of dining options on Allure without spending a dime - Main Dining Room, Solarium Bistro, Sorrento's ("24 hr" pizza - get the custom individual pizza instead of the slices, SO much better), Park Cafe (salads, sandwiches, etc), Wipeout Cafe (salads, sandwiches, etc), Hot Dogs on Boardwalk all come to mind.

[Cuizer2]

I find they're just extensions of the buffet as well, much like the Mongolian Wok. They're separate stations of the lido deck area to me. They're not "restaurants". They basically took their poolside grill buffet and put 2 new names on it and called them something separate. Johnny Rockets is a sit-down place where someone comes and waits on you, serves you food and delivers it to your table. I like Guys, and Blue Iguana, there's nothing wrong with them. I liked my burger and burrito, and they do a good job with them (certainly the burgers are better then most ships poolside lido buffet grills). But they're not restaurants. Is every station in a buffet area a "restaurant" if they put a name above it? Putting "Italian" or "pizza station" or "pasta station" make it a new restaurant in the buffet area? That's what they do in a number of Lido buffet areas, I don't consider them specialty restaurants either (but maybe I'm wrong on that and there are dozens of free choices on most cruise ships).

 

Funny thing is, with those Carnival has a rather good lido area. You have a good amount of choices of food, with some good tasting ones, and isn't that what matters anyway, rather then if they're separate things or not. It's all marketing otherwise.

 

I'm not going to push this. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Speaking of which, I prefer Splash Away Bay to the H2O Zone. :D

[MikeBTN]

We are going to be cruising with another family next summer. They have never cruised. We have done 4 with Carnival. As I look at the options for next summer, a trip on Allure of the Seas has caught my eye. I guess my question is what differences should I expect - food, shows, amenities, excursions, etc...? Basically anything. Obviously Allure is bigger than the Dream or Breeze which is what I would be looking at on the Carnival side. One thing that seems to pop up a lot is that Allure has many restaurants that cost an extra fee - how prevalent is that?

 

We are travelling with 4 adults and 3 teenage girls (16, 16, 17). Which also brings up another question - Our plan was two balcony rooms for the adults and an interior room for the girls across the hall. Will Royal Caribbean allow that like Carnival would?

Thanks in advance for all the information! :cool:

 

Yes, you can, but you cannot do it online. If you want to email me I can tell you how - mburchyett AT comcast DOT net

[FLSteve11]

I'm not going to push this. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Speaking of which, I prefer Splash Away Bay to the H2O Zone. :D

 

True, it's really all semantics anyway. And I don't blame you, not a lot in H2O Zone if you're a teen or older. There's only a few slides on there so far, looking forward to trying the newer ones soon. They were fun on the Breeze (the ones on the older ships just don't cut it after you do those or the NCL mega ships) :)

[Cuizer2]

True, it's really all semantics anyway. And I don't blame you, not a lot in H2O Zone if you're a teen or older. There's only a few slides on there so far, looking forward to trying the newer ones soon. They were fun on the Breeze (the ones on the older ships just don't cut it after you do those or the NCL mega ships) :)

 

I am booked on the Getaway next year and the Epic in 2019.

[Cuizer2]

True, it's really all semantics anyway. And I don't blame you, not a lot in H2O Zone if you're a teen or older. There's only a few slides on there so far, looking forward to trying the newer ones soon. They were fun on the Breeze (the ones on the older ships just don't cut it after you do those or the NCL mega ships) :)

 

This is what Splash Away Bay looks like on the Liberty OTS. Unfortunately the photographs will disappear after August 16 because of a change in Photobucket's terms of use ...

 

 

 

 

 

[Cuizer2]

More Splash Away Bay ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FLSteve11]

I am booked on the Getaway next year and the Epic in 2019.

 

I've done the Epic and Breakaway (sister ship to Getaway) as well as the Escape (basically expanded Getaway). I think NCL has the best water slides out there, then Carnival. Sometime will try an RCL ship with the newer slides to see what they're like.

[BNBR]

I've done the Epic and Breakaway (sister ship to Getaway) as well as the Escape (basically expanded Getaway). I think NCL has the best water slides out there, then Carnival. Sometime will try an RCL ship with the newer slides to see what they're like.

 

Hey neighbor (Davie just over the Indian Trace bridge). I have Harmony coming up then Escape. From reading, it seems Harmony's water slides are slow and a tad disappointing, but I'm looking forward to trying them out. I think it's Liberty of the Seas that has the new awesome slides.

[MikeBTN]

I've done the Epic and Breakaway (sister ship to Getaway) as well as the Escape (basically expanded Getaway). I think NCL has the best water slides out there, then Carnival. Sometime will try an RCL ship with the newer slides to see what they're like.

 

Agreed - NCL has great water areas for the kids, and great slides for all ages. Carnival Vista looks pretty comparable too. Royal is way behind in this area, although what they did with Liberty looks amazing!