Carnival and Royal Differences -- Inquiring Minds Want To Know

[Illbcruzn4life]

2 hours ago, RWolver672 said:

 

No, it was 2008.

 

I figured in was back in the day when you said they setup the midnight buffet and you were in the smoking section.😀

[cruisinqt]

21 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

I don't believe that for a second.

Been on many RCI ships - never had only 2 elevators.

I guess I should have explained this a bit better, I was referring to the amount of elevator banks PER DECK of which Royal has two. Quantam of the Seas has only two sets of elevators per deck, one forward and one aft. This is standard with Royal. Carnival has 3 sets of elevators on each deck, one forward, one midship, and one aft. Having 3 sets of elevators to choose from per deck (instead of 2) makes a HUGE difference in a ship that hold 5,000+ people. 

[cruisinqt]

19 hours ago, cruisegus said:

Yes Oasis Class ships have tons of free food.  None of which compare to the popularity or quality of Guy's and Blue Iguana. 

 

More importantly Oasis Class ships venue hours don't consider well with the lunch crowd, example the Dog house and Loco Fresh don't open till after 1pm making them inconvenient for lunch hours 11 to 1.

 

I'm Pinnacle on RCCL so obviously I like sailing them, and have sailed all 5 of the "oasis" ships in last 10 months, just pointing out the this is one area that Carnival actually does better than RCCL.  JMHO

 

 

 

I completely agree with your assessment. Guys Burgers is so good that my picky daughter that dislikes just about all food (even burgers) likes to eat there and insists on eating there several times per cruise. 

[crewsweeper]

22 hours ago, cruisegus said:

Yes Oasis Class ships have tons of free food.  None of which compare to the popularity or quality of Guy's and Blue Iguana. 

 

More importantly Oasis Class ships venue hours don't consider well with the lunch crowd, example the Dog house and Loco Fresh don't open till after 1pm making them inconvenient for lunch hours 11 to 1.

 

I'm Pinnacle on RCCL so obviously I like sailing them, and have sailed all 5 of the "oasis" ships in last 10 months, just pointing out the this is one area that Carnival actually does better than RCCL.  JMHO

 

 

 

Would agree on Blue Iguana vs Loco Fresh.  Not a fan of Guy's Greasepatties.  Or Johnny Rockets. Playmakers does a better burger, IMO.  But Carnival MDR Brunch used to make an excellent burger. We didn't set foot in the MDR on the Mardi Gras this past January nor the year before so don't know if that's still the case.  

 

On Oasis Class ships, I've never seen Loco Fresh closed until 1PM.  This past April, DW and I went there on the Wonder around 11:45 and there was a line.  Haven't had a Dog House dog since pre COVID.  But walking by on way to Playmakers for lunch it seemed to be open.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

3 hours ago, cruisinqt said:

I guess I should have explained this a bit better, I was referring to the amount of elevator banks PER DECK of which Royal has two. Quantam of the Seas has only two sets of elevators per deck, one forward and one aft. This is standard with Royal. Carnival has 3 sets of elevators on each deck, one forward, one midship, and one aft. Having 3 sets of elevators to choose from per deck (instead of 2) makes a HUGE difference in a ship that hold 5,000+ people. 

never bothered us (and even my mobility challenged dad), plus, I have a hard time imagining where exactly would 3 banks of elevators fit on the Oasis class, for example, due to its very different layout. 

[firefly333]

On 6/14/2023 at 7:06 PM, 80sGal said:

Ill agree with that.   But like I said ... Both Summer .... Both Europe .... 10 days/12 days .... and I acknowledged the different age and size of ship    It might not be perfect Apples to Apples but it's at least Oranges to Tangerines.  🙂

Imo the one year difference explained the price difference more so than anything else. All lines went up during the past year.

 

Rcl perks as you cruise more. I get a 25% solo discount on royal I dont get on carnival plus $250 off a balcony so for me whenever I've checked at my loyalty level royal comes out cheaper. Carnival used to do 1A no solo supplement, then 50%. I wish they would bring this back. Solo price is my biggest difference. 

 

For those who buy drinking pkg. Rcl costs more but is good in Galveston when you board. It's good on private islands, and not limited to 15 drinks. Beer drinkers prefer rcl . Me I dont care.

 

Pay restaurants here is where carnival shines. Overall costs less though now I get a bogo each cruise on rcl so half price on 2. But I loved JiJis and wish it was on more ships. I also love carnivals lobster rolls. Looking forward to mardi gras if not jubilee. 

 

I love rcl pre sales on excursions. I've gotten  35% and 30% off .. cheaper on rcl. 

 

Cold fruit soups on carnival. I hope they dont get rid of these. 

Edited June 19, 2023 by firefly333

[FastShip24]

On 6/14/2023 at 9:26 AM, 80sGal said:

We recently tried RC after finally reaching Platinum on Carnival this year.   We thought we'd like to see what a different line offers because it was starting to feel a bit like Groundhog Day on Carnival .... buy, hey, maybe I like Groundhogs.    Anyway, we booked RC for a European adventure this summer, and then are going to try out NCL and MSC next year for even more comparisons.    As a previously Only Carnival cruiser, I figured other people might be wondering the same thing we had been wondering about -- what are the differences, and are they different enough to make a REAL difference.   Here's some of the things we found out along the way.

 

Obviously, RC appears to be more expensive.   We did 12 days on the Pride last summer out of Dover, and 10 days this year on Odyssey out of Rome.   Our 12 day cruise on Carnival was about 33% LESS than the 10 day cruise on Royal.   Granted, the class of ship is different too -- Carnival's small older ship/Royal's newer larger ship, so that is part of that difference.

 

For us, though, we've enjoyed all the ships we've tried out -- 3 or 4 of the old Fantasy Class, the Pride, Horizon a couple of times, Sunrise a few times, Dream and Celebration once each.   I think we're not so much into how pristine it all looks on the surface, or how large the ship is, but the type of service we get from the crew and the experience of the things to do on the ships.   And for that --

 

Royal -- they offer straws with drinks.  Biodegradable ones!   Why can't Carnival give me a straw?  Why do I have to pack my own or get all sticky with their candy straws??   Score One for Royal!

 

Carnival -- hands down the winner on bedding!  Those wonderful Carnival pillows!   On Royal -- I've never had to sleep on such a lumpy pillow (all four of them the same amount of lumpy) as I found on Odyssey.   The bed wasn't as comfy either, although I will say that our bed on the Pride wasn't as good last year as the newer bedding on Horizon, Sunrise and Celebration.   But overall -- Carnival wins here!

 

Royal -- Two words here, Carnival -- listen up!   SHOWER DOORS!   Yes, I know Celebration and MG have them now, and they can be found in suites (which we've had twice but we usually can't afford to splurge like that) on other Carnival ships, but they appeared to be standard for Royal.   Also, Carnival, while you're at it, can you get me a little footrest for my balcony chair, too?   Royal had them, and we didn't have to ask the steward for it either!

 

Royal -- The winner here, too, with the VARIETY of daily activities.    We are Bingo players, and we like a good round of trivia at least once or twice per sailing, and maybe a go at Wheely Big Trivia, and we almost always try out Deal or No Deal (but it costs extra), but Royal seemed to have SO MUCH more variety that was included at no extra cost.   There was a music game similar to Name that Tune, a Song and Dance contest, Battle of the Sexes, Family Feud, and of course, Bingo -- and those are just the ones we went to.   There was plenty to choose from on Royal, and something different each day, while Carnival seems to be getting a bit stale with the same old/same old -- and now that we've sailed more frequently since becoming Empty Nesters a couple of years ago (about 3x per year), we've realized that the questions and songs don't even get mixed up at trivia very often.   With that said, I'd have to add that Carnival's ENERGY is better.  The Fun Squad members do a good job at getting people involved, and Royal's tried -- but on our sailing I don't think the team members were as engaged as what we see on Carnival, and that is part of what makes Carnival FUN -- even for us who are maybe past Hairy Chest contests but aren't ready for a rocking chair yet.    Variety - Royal!    Staff Personality -- Carnival!

 

Royal -- Tags on the Doors for Breakfast Room Service!!   I was SO excited when I saw those tags in the stateroom.   I still do not understand why Carnival hasn't brought that back since the restart.   It delays everything when I have to wake up, place my order by phone and then wait!   I like to wake up with my coffee on the balcony and get my day started!   

 

Food -- DH said he liked the Main Dining Room better on Royal.   I don't know that I could tell much difference.   We tried out Royal's hibachi, and I also didn't see much difference in the food or the fun experience with the chef with either line.   We've also tried out the Italian specialty on both, and although the offerings were different, I don't think one was far superior to the other.   And as for the go-to pizza, Royal wins on speed (it was always available, no lines at all -- while I think that Carnival's pizza is better).   

 

Carnival -- Definitely wins on the shows and nightlife experience!   Royal had a different show every night of the cruise, along with their repeating primary production, and that was nice -- but none of them really wowed us other than the duo from Ukraine's Got Talent who were fabulous with their combined "magic" and cirque-like routine.    I had heard so many people talk about the fantastic shows on Royal -- but we were both feeling MEH about that afterwards.   Carnival's shows keep us entertained with their music and dancing (and on some ships, I'll grant you, it's better than others), but overall we were in agreement that Carnival wins.   And Comedy??   Non-existent on our Odyssey cruise, although we heard that Oasis Class has better comedy options.   We really enjoy a good comedian -- and Carnival has had some really, really good ones in our experience (with an occasional has-been who needed to retire years ago), too.   As a final thought on nightlife -- the Captain on Royal was Out and About ALL THE TIME.   When do we ever see the Captain on Carnival?  Maybe -- maybe -- one night at the Atrium Bar for 15 minutes.  But this one?   He was somewhere to be found for a little while on at least half the days -- Photo Opp one night, Meet and Greet, Q&A with the Crew, we even saw him randomly at dinner at the Italian restaurant.   I just don't remember this on Carnival.   And maybe I really would prefer my Captain to be on the Bridge, getting me to my destination, but it was a nice touch to have so much interaction and it reminded us of Captain Stubing from our childhood TV memories.   

 

Carnival -- PIANO BAR!   Royal's idea of a Piano Bar player was not in a closed environment, but in one of the pubs that were open air to the foot traffic.  And after walking by a couple of times, we just kept walking.   Where was Eden's energy?   Somewhere on Carnival!   Because it sure wasn't on Royal.   But that's just one ship -- so maybe others are better.   

 

Shore Excursions -- Too close to call, and probably operated by the same groups off the ship anyway.   Royal had theirs organized much like Carnival.   Meet in Main Theatre, go by groups.   A draw here.

 

So, even with some of the things that we had questioned about Carnival (Where's a decent straw -- it's the little things, ya know! -- Where's the Door Tag for Breakfast? -- Why Have I Heard this Trivia Question Five Times on Five Ships?) -- I think overall we're gonna give Carnival the Thumbs Up -- with the caveat to Show Us The Captain!   And that may sound strange given that there were things about Royal that we liked better.   But -- we even booked another Carnival cruise just this week -- for next NYE -- and we're thinking about the Panorama for Summer 2024.   And that probably says the most.   We came back from a Royal cruise, and booked one on Carnival.   LOL    There was nothing so great about Royal that we felt like we got much more value for the extra money that we spent.   Would we try Royal again?  Sure, someday -- I'd like to try out the Oasis Class -- but for people who like to cruise and have fun, without seriously breaking the bank -- Carnival wins.   We'll still try out NCL (which seems to be the most expensive, but the drink prices are factored into the fare) and MSC (which was more in line with Carnival's pricing for the cruise we chose) next year to see what we can find out about those lines.  

 

Hope this was helpful to anyone thinking about where to spend their Cruising Cash!

 

 

You get what you pay for

[FastShip24]

On 6/14/2023 at 10:04 AM, JenSDCA said:

Thank you for your open minded comparison. My family absolutely loves seeing comedy every night it’s offered, so that is something for us to make note of. 
 

As far as the door tags for room service breakfast, we were told that too many tags were being swiped or altered while hanging, and that pranksters were hanging order tags on doors with Do Not Disturb signs. Perhaps they should have a way to order in the app the night before. Some people had luck calling in their order the night before, but we never reached a human in our attempt to do so. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Speaks to the quality of the guest

[Pellaz]

On 6/14/2023 at 12:26 PM, 80sGal said:

We recently tried RC after finally reaching Platinum on Carnival this year.   (......)

Carnival -- hands down the winner on bedding!  Those wonderful Carnival pillows!   On Royal -- I've never had to sleep on such a lumpy pillow (all four of them the same amount of lumpy) as I found on Odyssey.   The bed wasn't as comfy either, although I will say that our bed on the Pride wasn't as good last year as the newer bedding on Horizon, Sunrise and Celebration.   But overall -- Carnival wins here!

 

Oh my god, so true.  

 

I've never had a problem falling asleep on Carnival -- even when using a Pullman bed or a sofa/couch -- whereas I've had some trouble falling asleep on Royal.   Part of that has been the pillows. 

And then...   On our January cruise on Freedom of the Seas, we were startled at how HARD the mattresses were.  It wasn't just me; both of my cruise-friends thought the same thing.   I considered calling the steward and asking about it, but we hadn't seen him yet that day.  

 

 

On 6/16/2023 at 12:52 PM, cruisinqt said:

I guess I should have explained this a bit better, I was referring to the amount of elevator banks PER DECK of which Royal has two. Quantam of the Seas has only two sets of elevators per deck, one forward and one aft. This is standard with Royal. Carnival has 3 sets of elevators on each deck, one forward, one midship, and one aft. Having 3 sets of elevators to choose from per deck (instead of 2) makes a HUGE difference in a ship that hold 5,000+ people. 

 

More importantly for gout and plantar fasciitis sufferers like me, it means that in general, you won't have to travel as far to get to the nearest elevator banks on Carnival as you do on Royal.  

 

This was especially apparent back in January.  We had an aft balcony on Freedom OTS -- one of the two best aft balconies on that class due to that annoying metal superstucture that gets in the way of your view, but not OUR view! -- and the walk from the cabin to the nearest elevators was a LONG trudge.  We've had aft balconies on Carnival's Conquest-class several times and that walk seemed like perhaps a third of the distance that it was on Royal's Freedom OTS.   For our booking next year, both of my future cabinmates asked if I could request a room closer to the elevators (it's a charter cruise, booked through the charter co.) and I said "Oh, ABSOLUTELY."   

 

Maybe that LONNNNG walk was why I found my rolling duffle randomly dumped halfway down the corridor to our cabin.  I was lucky to spot it, and I suspect the Royal crewman just got tired of trudging down the hallway.  Lord knows I did.  

 

Edited June 20, 2023 by Pellaz

[Mick B]

Hi all,

Can't tell you the difference between Carnival and RCL as I have not cruised Carnival.

 

I can tell you that I have cruised RCL 25 times and never had a complaint about what they did. However, having only done 1 P&O cruise to compare them with may explain that.

 

I do, however, have a theory about why RCL is more expensive than other cruise lines - their loyalty program.

To give you an idea, I have just booked a 15 night TA next April on the Jewel from Florida to Southampton and it has cost me less than £2000.00 for us both for an Interior cabin.

Now as we are both Diamond plus, we get 5 free drinks a day up to the value of $14 and we have 15 nights, so when you do the maths on this (14*5*15*2=$2100 which about £1600), you can see why we don't buy (or need) a drinks package and why we don't sail with another cruise line for now.

Now someone has to pay for this, and that is why the prices for RCL are higher than other lines. As far as I know, no other cruise line offers the perks up to the standard that RCL does.

 

In fact you only need to have cruised 80 nights to get to Diamond and get 4 drinks a day. Now if you are not an heavy drinker or you partner does not or cannot drink then a drinks package is a waste of time. If you can manage on 4 or 5 drinks a day (or 8 or 10 if your partner doesn't want them) then what Royal offers in loyalty is a no brainer. You can get up to this level easy if you book a suite and get double points. Although we never cruised for that reason, we did it to enjoy the ports. Now with the new ships, I guess people do it for the ship as well!

 

For now we are happy with what RCL does, and yes there has been a change in the food menus in the MDR but both my wife and I have both just managed a 7 night cruise where we both found something we liked. The food was hot and served promptly with no issues.

 

Entertainment wise, this depends on the class of ship. Oasis have Ice shows and Aqua shows and Quantum have things in the 270. There are also water slides and other outdoor sports stuff which is mostly geared to the younger person/families.

The smaller older ships may only offer Golf, Climbing wall and some have a Flowrider. These smaller ships still offer good value and can get into ports that some bigger ships cannot. 

 

Again, are you cruising for the ship or cruising for the ports of call, or both? Does the cruise line you prefer go to those ports and if so, what is the price difference with other lines?

I have seen some nice cruises for Europe advertised by P&O and at the very low price. Sadly for me, when I factor in what the drinks onboard would cost, that low price suddenly doubles and now I find I am better off with RCL due to my status. Now this won't affect every cruiser, but if you are part of a loyalty program like Royal's then surely that must play a part in your decision making.

 

I have heard both good and bad things about Carnival, but at the moment, have no plans to switch from Royal. However, if at some point in the future the perks go away and ports of call I want to visit are no longer available with them, then I may try another brand.

 

Hope this helps and explains why I think Royal is more expensive.

 

[kdr69]

On 6/14/2023 at 10:26 AM, 80sGal said:

but Royal seemed to have SO MUCH more variety that was included at no extra cost.

Uhmmm remember that 33% 😉 

[ItsADryHumor]

I fully realize that this is a Carnival board (hence, my answer may seem biased), but after cruising RCCL, Celebrity, Disney, and Carnival, we prefer Carnival - especially if the kids are with us. 
 

To us, the overall “included” food is better and there’s a wider variety. The kids enjoy their respective clubs. We loved going to comedy as a family, and the Dive In Movies are a family favorite. We just returned from the Celebration, and I’ll admit, the room was smaller than the usual balcony cabin, but we made it work. The shower doors were A+, and there was plenty of storage for us all. 
 

Now, DH and I really loved our Celebrity cruise, but it was also right after cruising started up, so the ship had half of the people it was supposed to. All the folks on the ship were kind and courteous to each other- definitely just happy to be there. The food was great, the Edge is a gorgeous ship, and we got to meet Captain Kate, who really is the real deal. Our daughter had sent a drawing to her, and she made a gift for us to take back to her. DH isn’t impressed by much- especially people social media- but he conceded that she was “really good people”. Our only gripe was the concept of the Infinite Veranda. That setup would be great in Alaska or somewhere cooler than the Caribbean; it was essentially a little greenhouse. 
 

RCCL - I’ve been on Oasis and Quantum. Both beautiful ships, both had lots of activities. Both had very “meh” included food to our palates. They were both nice enough, but we felt like the value wasn’t present. Also, my friend and I had an interior cabin on Oasis, and we joked that we could spoon each other from our separate beds. 🤣 Speaking of beds, Royal’s are hella uncomfortable. I’m middle aged; I wake up uncomfortable every day. But even my kids- who can sleep almost anywhere- had something negative to say about those beds. DH and I tossed and turned, even after the poor steward added a layer of bedding to our beds. 

 

Disney- one and done. Great for the kids at their ages. Food was trying too hard. Activities were top notch, especially since it was a Star Wars cruise. But now, a 7 day cruise on Disney in a balcony room would be almost 10k - and that’s with the resident discount. I’m sorry, what? I guess I can sell a kidney, but if I’m going that route, I’d rather just get a suite on one of the other cruise lines. 
 

I veered slightly into unicorn-land there, but I thought I’d toss my opinions into the ring. Cheers! 

 

 

Edited June 20, 2023 by stinkyenglishteacher

[cruisinqt]

7 hours ago, Pellaz said:

More importantly for gout and plantar fasciitis sufferers like me, it means that in general, you won't have to travel as far to get to the nearest elevator banks on Carnival as you do on Royal. 

I’ve had total knee replacement on my right knee and I’m contemplating getting the left one done soon. And my husband has had 3 back surgeries. So I understand where you’re coming from. That long walk to the elevators and even just standing there FOREVER waiting for one can be painful. And the long elevator wait on Royal was way longer than any wait I’ve ever had on Carnival. The cruiser that posted earlier that the elevator wait with Royal wasn’t that bad and it never bothered him obviously has no clue what it’s like to cruise with disabilities. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, 3 sets of elevators per deck is essential on larger cruise ships, especially ones with several thousand people on board like the Oasis or Quantam class. And I looked at booking the new Icon Of The Seas but it only has 2 banks of elevators per deck and I just can’t do that, not with 7,960 people on board. The elevator wait would be too much for me. 

[cruisinqt]

7 hours ago, Mick B said:

Now someone has to pay for this, and that is why the prices for RCL are higher than other lines. As far as I know, no other cruise line offers the perks up to the standard that RCL does

Actually, Carnivals perks are pretty outstanding. We are Platinum and we get amazing deals. We are doing a suite on the new Carnival Celebration (7 days) during peak season (early July) for the cost of port fees and taxes which comes to $502 for 2 people. We are doing a 12 day cruise out of London in late August (going to Iceland, Ireland,& Scotland) in an extended balcony cabin for $644 for 2 people. Then in October we are doing a 14 day transatlantic cruise out of Barcelona for $508 for 2 people. I won’t even go into detail on next years cruises but they’re awesome deals and places too. And all of these cruises include unlimited free drinks including alcohol. And we almost always have a few hundred dollars in on board cash to spend too. 

 

We do spend money in the casino so that is a factor in the perks we get but we aren’t big spenders gambling wise. I just about choke when I see these gamblers spending $5-$10 per spin on the slot machines, I could never do that. If I’m down $100 I just leave and come back the next day. I think Carnival is just very generous to their long time cruisers especially if they gamble or spend money on extras like shopping on board, excursions, or specialty restaurants like we do (we usually do 2-3 specialty restaurants per cruise.) I did enjoy our cruise on the Quantam but since we aren’t top tier status with them it was quite expensive. But if I had the status and perks you did I completely understand sticking with Royal like you are. I guess we are in the same situation with Carnival that you are with Royal, our status and the perks we get are hard to beat. 

[firefly333]

5 minutes ago, cruisinqt said:

Actually, Carnivals perks are pretty outstanding. We are Platinum and we get amazing deals. We are doing a suite on the new Carnival Celebration (7 days) during peak season (early July) for the cost of port fees and taxes which comes to $502 for 2 people. We are doing a 12 day cruise out of London in late August (going to Iceland, Ireland,& Scotland) in an extended balcony cabin for $644 for 2 people. Then in October we are doing a 14 day transatlantic cruise out of Barcelona for $508 for 2 people. I won’t even go into detail on next years cruises but they’re awesome deals and places too. And all of these cruises include unlimited free drinks including alcohol. And we almost always have a few hundred dollars in on board cash to spend too. 

 

We do spend money in the casino so that is a factor in the perks we get but we aren’t big spenders gambling wise. I just about choke when I see these gamblers spending $5-$10 per spin on the slot machines, I could never do that. If I’m down $100 I just leave and come back the next day. I think Carnival is just very generous to their long time cruisers especially if they gamble or spend money on extras like shopping on board, excursions, or specialty restaurants like we do (we usually do 2-3 specialty restaurants per cruise.) I did enjoy our cruise on the Quantam but since we aren’t top tier status with them it was quite expensive. But if I had the status and perks you did I completely understand sticking with Royal like you are. I guess we are in the same situation with Carnival that you are with Royal, our status and the perks we get are hard to beat. 

I'm always confjzzled when someone says carnival is cheaper, then quotes a casino rate. From what I hear carnival counts pts each cruise individually and rcl counts casino pts by the year april to April. 

 

I am diamond on carnival but hardly gamble and about half way to pinnacle on rcl so a balcony solo is cheaper on rcl than carnival. I sure wish carnival would give solos a break. 

 

I'll book again I'm sure besides the one on carnival but it's hard to give up my 5 free daily drinks and 2 free days of wifi when a inside on carnival costs more than a balcony on a older oasis class. My only complaint is the prices .. but I lost my butt on a bunch of carnival stock, sold at a loss and bought back in at 21 .. so im still down ... so go go go on these high prices. Keep them high. Sooner to pay off the debt, so doesnt bother me how high prices go. Maybe once I take my jan cruise they will send me some better deals. My theory is if you are booked the deals arent as good. I'm patient. 

 

I keep thinking I need to gamble more. 

[cruisinqt]

2 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I'm always confjzzled when someone says carnival is cheaper, then quotes a casino rate. From what I hear carnival counts pts each cruise individually and rcl counts casino pts by the year april to April. 

The person I was replying to was comparing the perks he gets with Royal to other cruise lines perks. Perks could be anything from casino perks, loyalty perks, or other benefits from being a loyal customer for many years. We weren’t discussing normal everyday pricing between the cruise lines, we were discussing perks. With Carnival $2.50 spent in the casino earns 1 point. With Royal and most other cruise lines you’ll have to spend $5 in the casino to earn 1 point. So Carnival has better casino perks and that was the point I was trying to make. I wasn’t putting Royal down, I love Royal and thoroughly enjoyed my recent cruise to Alaska on the Quantam. 
 

I totally agree with you that Carnival is terrible for solo cruisers. I think it isn’t fair what they charge them. And I worry about my future cruising with Carnival if my spouse were somehow no longer in the picture. I wish they’d change their stance on that. Happy sailing ⛵️ 

[Pellaz]

2 hours ago, cruisinqt said:

I totally agree with you that Carnival is terrible for solo cruisers. I think it isn’t fair what they charge them. And I worry about my future cruising with Carnival if my spouse were somehow no longer in the picture. I wish they’d change their stance on that. Happy sailing ⛵️ 

 

Even if it was just a 50% solo supplement instead of the whole amount (double the standard fare), that would help.  Better to make a quick nickel than a slow (or nonexistent) dime.  

 

[firefly333]

1 hour ago, Pellaz said:

 

Even if it was just a 50% solo supplement instead of the whole amount (double the standard fare), that would help.  Better to make a quick nickel than a slow (or nonexistent) dime.  

 

Which is actually what rcl gives me. I did 4 short cheap cruises on grandeur last year, smallest oldest rcl ship. To get to the points early last may. DP340 gives me 50% off the 2nd fare. I said 25% off overall, but it comes out the same. Also solo gets a extra loyalty pt. I wish carnival offered solo deals. It's nothing against carnival. I wouldnt be diamond on carnival if I hadnt cruised carnival a lot. 

 

I had way more points on carnival after covid but rcl offered double pts, thru last dec. So I was getting 4 pts a day. JS and higher was 6 pts a day. I went from around 100 pts to 444 pts fast.

 

Did 3 on carnival after restart and realized i could up my perks big on rcl with double pts plus the extra solo pt. Wished I had just done rcl and gotten to pinnacle. Free wifi the whole cruise. Dont care about more drinks so  much. I'm a value type and want the most value for my $$$. I didmpost to solo here take advantage last year of the double pts promotion. .. and rcl also gives solo a extra loyalty pt so 2 just normally so I jump up double fast vs carnival. Not because I did more days. .. and yes I would like free wifi before someone says carnival perks just as good. I love my wifi. Both give free laundry. Rcl gives bogo at D+ also for pay restaurants.  And my ta has cheaper group rates on rcl, not carnival. 

 

Need to find a way to get lower carnival rates. 

[Illbcruzn4life]

8 hours ago, cruisinqt said:

Actually, Carnivals perks are pretty outstanding. We are Platinum and we get amazing deals. We are doing a suite on the new Carnival Celebration (7 days) during peak season (early July) for the cost of port fees and taxes which comes to $502 for 2 people. We are doing a 12 day cruise out of London in late August (going to Iceland, Ireland,& Scotland) in an extended balcony cabin for $644 for 2 people. Then in October we are doing a 14 day transatlantic cruise out of Barcelona for $508 for 2 people. I won’t even go into detail on next years cruises but they’re awesome deals and places too. And all of these cruises include unlimited free drinks including alcohol. And we almost always have a few hundred dollars in on board cash to spend too. 

 

We do spend money in the casino so that is a factor in the perks we get but we aren’t big spenders gambling wise. I just about choke when I see these gamblers spending $5-$10 per spin on the slot machines, I could never do that. If I’m down $100 I just leave and come back the next day. I think Carnival is just very generous to their long time cruisers especially if they gamble or spend money on extras like shopping on board, excursions, or specialty restaurants like we do (we usually do 2-3 specialty restaurants per cruise.) I did enjoy our cruise on the Quantam but since we aren’t top tier status with them it was quite expensive. But if I had the status and perks you did I completely understand sticking with Royal like you are. I guess we are in the same situation with Carnival that you are with Royal, our status and the perks we get are hard to beat. 

Im glad you threw in about spending money in the casinos because there is no way you are getting a suite for just taxes and fees.

 

we have been Platinum since 2011 and have never gotten any kind of deal like that.

[staceyglow]

42 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

Im glad you threw in about spending money in the casinos because there is no way you are getting a suite for just taxes and fees.

 

we have been Platinum since 2011 and have never gotten any kind of deal like that.

Exactly. The casino doesn't care about your VIFP status. It only cares about how much you are gambling. 

[Lane Hog]

We are on QOTS right now and yes, the elevator situation is ridiculous. 

 

Our cabin is aft (only option available for a disability room when we booked), and there's a forward and a mid elevator bank.  No aft bank. 

 

For any activity aft to our cabin we walk the length of the ship... next time we will choose a different cabin, but it won't change the issue of long waits at the midship elevators.  2/3rds of the ship is using them.

[momof3cruisers]

This next Feb I am sailing Breeze out of Galveston and two days after I get back from that cruise, heading out on Voyager of the Seas. I’m looking forward to checking out the differences. I’m Platinum on Carnival and this will be my third Royal cruise. The itineraries are exactly the same. OV on Breeze (but I’ve sailed on both a cove and reg balcony on her before) balcony on Voyager. Navigator? Whichever one is in Galveston. Lol

 

our last cruise on Royal, we stopped sailing with them very intentionally. There was a series of “unfortunate events.” The biggest problem was that at the time, they were tooting their own horn quite loudly about some Autism friendly award they had just won. We were on Allure and nothing could have been further from the truth. I spoke with their special needs dept beforehand and I was told to go to customer service on boarding day and speak with them about accommodations for the muster drill. I was not even allowed to get into the regular line. They had someone basically vetting every question and she just kept telling me that everyone had to do muster. I knew that. I tried rephrasing the issue several times and she would not let me in the line. Super. So we did the regular muster and the anxiety from the crowds, the closeness etc, made our son throw up most of the rest of the day. Our head waiter was also a huge jerk. He kept touching our son and even gave  him a hard time about not looking him in the eye. I had talked to him after dinner the first day and explained that our son didn’t want to be touched and would not be making eye contact but that didn’t help. If we’d been sailing alone, we would have moved but we were sailing in a family group of 17 and that wasn’t an option. He also took the kids menu away from him on formal night and told him he was too old for that and he needed to order from the main menu. He was only 12 but was tall. I told him he could order whatever he wanted but one of his autism quirks was extreme rule following so he wouldn’t order or eat from the kids menu and was so stressed he didn’t eat. There were other things that came up during the week but those were the worst.  
 

Contrast that to how Carnival had worked with us on two previous cruises and it was night and day. When Royal gave our 17 year old a bottle of sparkling wine when she won the karaoke tournament even after she told them she was only 17, that really sealed the deal. She gave it to us but we weren’t even there when the results came out. She could have chosen to go out to the deck with all the other teens who were trying to convince her to do just that. We decided that when sailing with our kids Royal was not for us. 
 

However, since these are grown up trips, I’m really looking forward to see how they each go. 

[kdr69]

19 hours ago, cruisinqt said:

We are doing a 12 day cruise out of London in late August (going to Iceland, Ireland,& Scotland)

If this is the Aug 20th cruise on the Pride we will be on that one as well!!

[cruisinqt]

11 hours ago, kdr69 said:

If this is the Aug 20th cruise on the Pride we will be on that one as well!!

Yes that’s me. I can’t wait!

[cruisinqt]

21 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

Im glad you threw in about spending money in the casinos because there is no way you are getting a suite for just taxes and fees.

 

we have been Platinum since 2011 and have never gotten any kind of deal like that.

It’s funny because I’ve talked to a lot of people that gamble way more than me and my husband do and they don’t get anything near what we do as far as offers go. It’s been discussed many times on the carnival boards and no one can figure out how they determine who gets what offers. Some people say they spend a lot in casinos but get no offers then others say they are careful and budget themselves but get lots of great offers like us. I wish I knew their algorithm. But we spend a lot more than normal people do on other stuff like specialty dining, shopping etc. I’m wondering if there’s some type of connection. Or maybe it’s because we cruise so often. We don’t spend a ton in the casino on each cruise but we cruise all of the time and hit the casino on every cruise so maybe it’s because of that.