Carnival to RC, what should I know?

[rukkian]

A few Anthem questions... *These questions can be answered no matter what ship, but I'll be on Anthem.

 

1. When completing online check-in, is the "arrival appointment" time assigned or selected by the cruiser? Are the times enforced?

 

2. How long does dinner in the MDR usually take? We're doing YTD...

 

3. How early should you arrive to reserved shows/entertainment? Would a half an hour satisfy? As you can see, questions 2 and 3 are related.

 

2. MTD is mainly dependent on you, since your table will usually just be your party. We had some done in less than 45 minutes, however lobster night took more like 75 minutes.

 

3. 30 minutes should be fine, unless you want prime seating, as some get there really early for some shows. At 15 minutes prior, they will normally let in people that did not have reservations, so seating will get much more limited at that time.

[carnival03]

You choose the arrival time from those that are still available, which is not enforced.

 

2. MTD is mainly dependent on you, since your table will usually just be your party. We had some done in less than 45 minutes, however lobster night took more like 75 minutes.

 

3. 30 minutes should be fine, unless you want prime seating, as some get there really early for some shows. At 15 minutes prior, they will normally let in people that did not have reservations, so seating will get much more limited at that time.

 

Thanks to both of you. My main concern was not being able to make our show reservations due to dinner taking too long.

[carnival03]

What are the typical hours for the pools and fitness centers? I know Carnival closes both early in the evening. I've been looking at the cruise compass, but it looks like the hours aren't listed.

[Thorben-Hendrik]

Both close around 10 pm....

[carnival03]

Both close around 10 pm....

 

 

Thanks! :cool:

[carnival03]

I'm unable to access Cruise Planner, is anyone else having this issue? Was just able to access it yesterday.

[carnival03]

Can anyone tell me if RC offers Angry Orchard on their ships? I've seen two menus, both from the Schooner Bar, one with it listed and one without.

[Clarea]

Can anyone tell me if RC offers Angry Orchard on their ships? I've seen two menus, both from the Schooner Bar, one with it listed and one without.

I've seen it on several ships.

[NewSalt]

You mentioned that this is your first time on one of the larger ships. We sailed on Anthem in 2016, after sailing on Explorer the year before. DH complained about the crowds on Explorer, so I never told him how big Anthem was until we got to the port. He loved it. He felt it was very efficiently designed. We could always get some seating around the pool. Sometimes it took a little longer to get four seats, but we almost always did. On Serenade in February, we had trouble getting a lounger, no matter what deck we tried.

 

When you do your on-line check-in, you'll be given an opportunity to choose your boarding time. Pick the earliest you can get and then get there earlier. I think we got to the port around 10:30 and were sitting at the pool looking at the looonnnggg line of cars waiting to get the ship. It's NJ=it's crowded. If you do get there early, chec-in is very quick and efficient so I don't think "priority" boarding is much of an inducement.

 

It is my personal opinion that a nine-day cruise is two days better than a 7-day cruise. I love this itinerary. You just have 1.5 days on the ship before your first port, then a sea day to relax, then three port days and then two days to unwind before you get home. It's mixed up enough that we never get bored.

 

Hope you enjoy your first RC voyage.

[carnival03]

I've seen it on several ships.

 

Ahh, good. Thanks!

 

You mentioned that this is your first time on one of the larger ships. We sailed on Anthem in 2016, after sailing on Explorer the year before. DH complained about the crowds on Explorer, so I never told him how big Anthem was until we got to the port. He loved it. He felt it was very efficiently designed. We could always get some seating around the pool. Sometimes it took a little longer to get four seats, but we almost always did. On Serenade in February, we had trouble getting a lounger, no matter what deck we tried.

 

When you do your on-line check-in, you'll be given an opportunity to choose your boarding time. Pick the earliest you can get and then get there earlier. I think we got to the port around 10:30 and were sitting at the pool looking at the looonnnggg line of cars waiting to get the ship. It's NJ=it's crowded. If you do get there early, chec-in is very quick and efficient so I don't think "priority" boarding is much of an inducement.

 

It is my personal opinion that a nine-day cruise is two days better than a 7-day cruise. I love this itinerary. You just have 1.5 days on the ship before your first port, then a sea day to relax, then three port days and then two days to unwind before you get home. It's mixed up enough that we never get bored.

 

Hope you enjoy your first RC voyage.

 

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. We were thinking the same thing with the way the itinerary is set up, we're hopeful we won't get bored. We live in Maryland so the port is a good 3.5-4 hour drive for us. I think we're planning on leaving around 5:45 AM, so hopefully we'll be there early enough.

 

I'm glad you loved the Anthem, and sounds like we will too! Thanks again for sharing. :cool:

[carnival03]

How do you become a member of the Crown & Anchor Society? Are guests automatically enrolled after their first cruise?

[Clarea]

How do you become a member of the Crown & Anchor Society? Are guests automatically enrolled after their first cruise?

Yes.

[amyjoy202697]

We have sailed many times on Carnival but are finally trying RC in Nov for a Thanksgiving week cruise on the Majesty of the Seas. Couple questions...

RC charges for room service? Really disappointed to hear this as we love late night free room service on Carnival each night

Does RC offer discounts on future cruises if you book on board? Is it typically a good deal? We really want to try a newer ship with RC and was thinking I should do my research before we board.

 

 

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[firefox247]

RC charges for room service? Really disappointed to hear this as we love late night free room service on Carnival each night

Carnival has a charge for all late-night room service deliveries as of early 2018. In fact, you'll likely find that RCI is a much better option for late-night room service if you are into that because RCI charges a flat $7.95 per order. Carnival charges by the item, and it adds up real fast.

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=8330

[asalligo]

Seven cruises on Carnival before booking my first Royal cruise. Carnival does not appear to care about return business in my opinion. I have watched the same exact show in the main lounge after returning to a ship five years later and watched the same Indian Chief head carved on deck.

 

What I love about Carnival:

They really are the fun ship, lots of deck parties and activities.

I love WCMC, but then I think a brownie can go in the trash if it is fully cooked through.

Free Guy's burgers, Blue Iguana, and BBQ. My Wife will really miss the Blue Iguana on RC.

Cheap Cruising.

 

What Carnival is not good at:

Shows! Although they have tried to improve recently, they can be really bad.

Buffet organization and just organization in general. Carnival must love a really long line, because they make them all the time. The bigger their ship, the worse they are at it.

The smokehouse, I mean Casino.

Check in. I know Carnival is working on this and their check in times plan is their method, but I frankly no longer cruise if I cannot get FTTF and check in early with Carnival. Royal lets me show up when I want still.

 

The Clientele. Now I know Carnival has little to do with this, but after every cruise, I find myself thinking I need to spend a little more and cruise with a little bit better class of people. Sorry, it is just true. So a few months ago a friend of mine cruised Oasis and I asked him how he liked it. He says, he did not like it, he felt like he was being judged for his old ratty jeans and worn out sneakers while people around him were dressed in suits and really nice shoes, he was going back to Carnival. I was thinking, I really need to try Royal.

[CruisingUnicorn]

Can anyone tell me if RC offers Angry Orchard on their ships? I've seen two menus, both from the Schooner Bar, one with it listed and one without.

 

 

Do they offer Crispin? I prefer Crispin over Angry Orchard. :confused:

[L1211]

Seven cruises on Carnival before booking my first Royal cruise. Carnival does not appear to care about return business in my opinion. I have watched the same exact show in the main lounge after returning to a ship five years later and watched the same Indian Chief head carved on deck.

 

 

 

What I love about Carnival:

 

They really are the fun ship, lots of deck parties and activities.

 

I love WCMC, but then I think a brownie can go in the trash if it is fully cooked through.

 

Free Guy's burgers, Blue Iguana, and BBQ. My Wife will really miss the Blue Iguana on RC.

 

Cheap Cruising.

 

 

 

What Carnival is not good at:

 

Shows! Although they have tried to improve recently, they can be really bad.

 

Buffet organization and just organization in general. Carnival must love a really long line, because they make them all the time. The bigger their ship, the worse they are at it.

 

The smokehouse, I mean Casino.

 

Check in. I know Carnival is working on this and their check in times plan is their method, but I frankly no longer cruise if I cannot get FTTF and check in early with Carnival. Royal lets me show up when I want still.

 

 

 

The Clientele. Now I know Carnival has little to do with this, but after every cruise, I find myself thinking I need to spend a little more and cruise with a little bit better class of people. Sorry, it is just true. So a few months ago a friend of mine cruised Oasis and I asked him how he liked it. He says, he did not like it, he felt like he was being judged for his old ratty jeans and worn out sneakers while people around him were dressed in suits and really nice shoes, he was going back to Carnival. I was thinking, I really need to try Royal.

 

 

 

Ha! I cruised RCI HOTS and Carnival Victory this summer. We’re avid NCL fans so that was our point of comparison. Your description of carnival was spot on! We had a wonderful time! Thought the MDR food was Better than Royal. But loved the royal speciality restaurants- had a 5 night package. Victory did not offer speciality dining. Production shows on ROyal were amazing. Didn’t bother with Carnival. Lines, lines, lines on carnival for free food options. Didn’t like that at all. Needed new space planning for crowd control. Carnival pizza 100x better!! Not worth the calories on Royal. Don’t really eat in buffets so cannot compare.

 

Here’s where Royal disappointed us - nighttime entertainment. They seem to roll up the carpets by midnight. That’s when carnival and NCL get going! The few open bars were full of kids. What? Not my thing. No deck parties, Howl at the Moon or Piano bar (scooners simply is not the same thing!). So, very family oriented into late in the evening. Their Dazzles night club closed at midnight. If you’re late-nighters like us, Royal was a bore. The ship was simply stunning. So pros and cons to both. Yes, clientele likely a bit more upscale on Royal but that didn’t bother us at all. Enjoy your decision! It’s a cruise, how can you go wrong??

 

 

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[mpdog42]

Do they offer Crispin? I prefer Crispin over Angry Orchard. :confused:

 

 

Sorry, I might be an American, but nothing beats Strongbow!!;p

 

Mike

[Countrygurl]

I agree that the soda package on Royal is better, very convenient. However, we never pay for soda when we sail Carnival because we find their drinks acceptable. Some of Royal’s standard drinks (like lemonade) are watered down which kind of forced us to buy the soda package. Not sure if that’s still the case since we always buy the soda package now.

 

We went on the Vista last year and even though they are stepping up their ships, they still have a ways to go to offer as much as some of Royal’s ships. We stepped away from Carnival for a couple of years because of the “clientele”, but I think you can get around that when you sail on the newer ships during certain times of the year.

 

 

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The 8 day Carnival Vista cruise we were on was a big step up from the 5 day Carnival Conquest cruise as far as "clientele". I agree the newer ships AND additional days make a huge difference!

[CruisingUnicorn]

Sorry, I might be an American, but nothing beats Strongbow!!;p

 

Mike

 

I'll take a Strongbow over Angry Orchard! LOL

[Countrygurl]

When I was looking at my upcoming oasis cruise AAA was offering that. I didn't use them ultimately so I won't be able to comment on it, but from what I remember on my first oasis cruise I don't recall a line for non CA/suites.

 

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Just off Adventure of the Seas yesterday. We booked thru AAA and received priority boarding. We arrived at the port at 10:30 and by 10:45ish we were on the ship.

[Ahmne]

This thread has been so helpful. We have sailed Celebrity and Carnival and looking to book Freedom of the Seas in the spring. We loved the food options on Carnival. As I read reviews I’m worried about the food and being pestered to buy stuff. I’ve been waning to try Royal and the ports are great so we will probably do it.

 

Any thoughts on how the kids programs compare?

[carnival03]

I originally started this thread to learn more about RCL. However, our first cruise with RC is fast approaching (95 days!) and I wanted to see if anyone has any last minute tips/tricks. I figured bumping it may also help others.

 

What's everyone's experience with online check-in? We have to do this in a few days for our trip on Anthem. It's my understanding that we have to upload headshots and passports? We only have Macs and I heard this could cause problems, anyone have experience with this?

 

As far as wine goes, If I bring wine onboard can I take it straight to the dining room to have them hang on to it and chill it? How does this work? Are they still charing the fee?

Edited February 17, 2019 by carnival03

[carnival03]

I have two RCL questions:

 

1. I understand that you need your driver's license to board the ship in ports, along with your sea pass, but does your DL have to be "real id" compliant like at the airport for TSA?

 

2. I posted this in the private island forum, but no luck... For those that have done the Dragon's Breath Coaster in Labadee, is there a long line to do this? What's the average wait? I'm trying to decide if I want a single ride or the daily pass.

[MandyMooToo]

On 2/17/2019 at 12:37 PM, carnival03 said:

I originally started this thread to learn more about RCL. However, our first cruise with RC is fast approaching (95 days!) and I wanted to see if anyone has any last minute tips/tricks. I figured bumping it may also help others.

 

What's everyone's experience with online check-in? We have to do this in a few days for our trip on Anthem. It's my understanding that we have to upload headshots and passports? We only have Macs and I heard this could cause problems, anyone have experience with this?

 

As far as wine goes, If I bring wine onboard can I take it straight to the dining room to have them hang on to it and chill it? How does this work? Are they still charing the fee?

 

I see you have not gotten a response to your last set of questions.  I do not the answers to them all but...I have a Mac and do not have any additional problems with the website (other than the ones everyone else seems to have).  If you do have an issue you can do the picture at check in at the port if necessary.  As for the wine, I know that once it has been opened in the dining room they will keep it for you but I am not aware of them holding it ahead of time (just go ask the maitre d' when you board).  I think the corkage fee is probably dependent upon your server.