Several Carnival cruises but now going on first Royal Caribbean. What should I look for (or not look for)?

[Mawamw]

We've been on several Carnival cruises, mostly the smaller older ships like Elation, but our last was on the Freedom (earlier this year). The Freedom itself wasn't so bad but the food was very underwhelming, and I never had a problem with Carnival's food before (although it was 2015-2019). I did like the free specialty food spots like Guys burgers, the wok place and Blue Iguana. I also enjoyed the stand up comedy Carnival offered. So now we are going to cruise on Adventure of the Seas soon and was wondering ...  based on what I am used to with Carnival, what should I expect/look for from a cruise with RC on the Adventure of the Seas? I see the boat has a burger diner place that costs extra, along with a couple other premium restaurants, but we will probably only try burger place out of the premium food spots. I see the boat has a wave ride and rock climbing, but not my thing.  

[cruiseguy1016]

Adventure has an ice rink. There is an ice show that will be offered 2 or 3 times during your cruise. Do not miss it! In my opinion, the ice shows are some of the best entertainment that RCI offers. The shows in the main theater are hit or miss. We go to the show every night. Some are very good and others, not so much. We love to hang out at the pub on the Royal Promenade and people watch. There will be a parade on the Royal Promenade at some point during your cruise, you should try to catch that also.

[Mawamw]

9 minutes ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

Adventure has an ice rink. There is an ice show that will be offered 2 or 3 times during your cruise. Do not miss it! In my opinion, the ice shows are some of the best entertainment that RCI offers. The shows in the main theater are hit or miss. We go to the show every night. Some are very good and others, not so much. We love to hang out at the pub on the Royal Promenade and people watch. There will be a parade on the Royal Promenade at some point during your cruise, you should try to catch that also.

Thanks for the info. People watching is one of the best things to do during a cruise haha. The ice shows sound very interesting and we'll have to catch one.

[fizzywm]

I’ve only done one cruise with Carnival but thought overall they are more similar than different aside from ship features. I found the food to be much better on Carnival last year than most of my RC cruises, but that’s subjective and YMMV. Sorrento’s pizza on RC is pretty good IMO.
 

Even if you don’t try the Flowrider, it’s fun to sit and watch on the shaded grandstand, especially during stand up surfing. I also second the advice on seeing an ice show.

 

If you get a drinks package you won’t be limited to 15 drinks per day like on Carnival.

 

Johnny Rockets does cost money, but it’s a cover charge, so you can eat however much you want for the price. The only things that are not included are shakes and sodas (unless you have a drink package).

 

If you are possibly interested in any other dining, check the cruise planner or your app right now because the discounts for Black Friday have been pretty good. With dynamic pricing this varies by sailing though.

 

Edit - if you have My Time Dining I’d recommend making reservations through the app or website as soon as you are able to. There will be a non-reservations line but it tends to be longer. Now the earliest you can do MTD is 6:45 so if you want earlier then switch to traditional dining.

Edited November 22, 2023 by fizzywm

[clackey]

9 minutes ago, Mawamw said:

Thanks for the info. People watching is one of the best things to do during a cruise haha. The ice shows sound very interesting and we'll have to catch one.

You definitely don't want to miss the ice show.  The one on Voyager of the Seas was great.  We did a Carnival and a Royal Caribbean this year and RC is by far my favorite.  Hard to say that when we are Platinum on Carnival.

[PhillyFan33579]

2 hours ago, clackey said:

You definitely don't want to miss the ice show.  The one on Voyager of the Seas was great.  We did a Carnival and a Royal Caribbean this year and RC is by far my favorite.  Hard to say that when we are Platinum on Carnival.

I am Platinum on Carnival and Diamond Plus on RCI and I can easily say RCI is by far my favorite between the two. 🙂 I am only a few cruises away from Diamond on Carnival, but I don’t think I will cruise on Carnival again. 

[crzndeb]

1 hour ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I am Platinum on Carnival and Diamond Plus on RCI and I can easily say RCI is by far my favorite between the two. 🙂 I am only a few cruises away from Diamond on Carnival, but I don’t think I will cruise on Carnival again. 

I have been Diamond on Carnival since 2019, but have only been one cruise since, 2 years ago, because I had to use up an FCC. I will be sailing the Panorama over to Singapore next year, and I did the Splendor to Singapore in 2019. Their Diamond benefits mean nothing to me, but I will cruise them for a unique itinerary, and I did like the Panorama.

I’m also Diamond Plus on Royal, and as a solo cruiser, their benefits suit me so much better. I reached the magic 340 in the Spring, but have yet to book anything with it. I’m waiting for info on the Anthem TP in Spring of 2025. Hopefully I can use it then.

[silversneakers]

On 11/22/2023 at 11:57 AM, clackey said:

You definitely don't want to miss the ice show.  The one on Voyager of the Seas was great.  We did a Carnival and a Royal Caribbean this year and RC is by far my favorite.  Hard to say that when we are Platinum on Carnival.

Have to say that I have never thought RC had great food. Also Diamond on CCL and I have always enjoyed the food but have not sailed with them since COVID. I believe the cruise lines have all cutback on food as well as other amenities since COVID. I always enjoy my cruises no matter what cruise line I sail!  So sail and enjoy!

 

[cruisinlawn]

We too will sail Adventure in June '2024. While we have our shore excursions planned and secured, we are now curious if we need to make reservations for any shipboard activities, if that's even an option. 

We'll have the 4 grandsons with us along with their parents, a total of 10.  We won't do any specialty dining and I understand Johnny Rockets we'll simply popped into. Mostly curious if res can be made for shows, rock climbing, wave runner, etc.  Its been a few years since our last RCI cruise, TIA , enjoy!

[cruiseguy1016]

21 hours ago, cruisinlawn said:

We too will sail Adventure in June '2024. While we have our shore excursions planned and secured, we are now curious if we need to make reservations for any shipboard activities, if that's even an option. 

We'll have the 4 grandsons with us along with their parents, a total of 10.  We won't do any specialty dining and I understand Johnny Rockets we'll simply popped into. Mostly curious if res can be made for shows, rock climbing, wave runner, etc.  Its been a few years since our last RCI cruise, TIA , enjoy!

 

No reservations are needed for shows etc. on Adventure. The only exception MIGHT be the ice show. Sometimes they want you to grab (no cost) tickets ahead of time. I have never seen a line for rock climbing. The line for the Flowrider is first come, first served but it's usually not very long.

[cruisinlawn]

50 minutes ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

 

No reservations are needed for shows etc. on Adventure. The only exception MIGHT be the ice show. Sometimes they want you to grab (no cost) tickets ahead of time. I have never seen a line for rock climbing. The line for the Flowrider is first come, first served but it's usually not very long.

Thank you. Its been a few years since our last RCI sailing so wanted to ask. Enjoy 😃

[rizkeeper]

I just got off Mardi Gras (yesterday 😞 ) and last Thanksgiving we sailed RCL Jewel of the Sea (I have sailed Carnival ~ 15 times and RCL 3). My next cruise will be RCL. 
 

Food: RCL huge winner for taste and quality. The Buffet on carnival was really bad and I’m not a picky eater. I did miss Guy’s burgers last year while on Carnival , but I only went there 1 time last week. Still very good. The MDR on carnival was OK, but the speciality options were GREAT.   Last year on RCL we were planning on hitting a few specialty options but the buffet and MDR were really good. GREAT salad bar, carnival’s salad option in the Buffett are poor.  
 

Comedy Shows: we saw 6 comedians last week on the Mardi Gras and 4 were brutal. 1 was really good. 

show waits on the Mardi Gras were not bad, very comparable to the Jewel of the Sea last year. 
 

Cruise Director: Carnival seems to have the better, more involved CDs, it seems to be a different role on RCL, but CDs don’t make or break a cruise. Last week ours “quit” 5 days in and the next man up finished the trip. 
 

Stops: RCL has wayyyyyyyy better ports of calls and better the off boat hours. 
 

shows: Mardi Gras had a few really good shows last week, but I recall RCL’s shows last year, even on an older ship we still entertaining.  I’m assuming on the newer RCL ships the shows must be magnificent. 
 

filling out your day: Carnival a

had stuff going on all day, even over lapping. Last week flew by, I’m still in awe it went by so fast!! 
 

casinos: prob the same on each boat, but carnival really slimmed down their table games and the odds have got really poor. 
 

back to food: the PIZZA on RCL is way better, but doesn’t stay open as late. There are not as many other smaller options but you will not miss them because the buffet and MDR do a really great job with themed days which you can plan for and experience as many different tastes. 

[BillOh]

On 11/22/2023 at 10:54 AM, Mawamw said:

We've been on several Carnival cruises, mostly the smaller older ships like Elation, but our last was on the Freedom (earlier this year). The Freedom itself wasn't so bad but the food was very underwhelming, and I never had a problem with Carnival's food before (although it was 2015-2019). I did like the free specialty food spots like Guys burgers, the wok place and Blue Iguana. I also enjoyed the stand up comedy Carnival offered. So now we are going to cruise on Adventure of the Seas soon and was wondering ...  based on what I am used to with Carnival, what should I expect/look for from a cruise with RC on the Adventure of the Seas? I see the boat has a burger diner place that costs extra, along with a couple other premium restaurants, but we will probably only try burger place out of the premium food spots. I see the boat has a wave ride and rock climbing, but not my thing.  

I did my first ever Carnival Cruise on Freedom and also found the buffet and dining room underwhelming.  If you want to see the POV of a Royal cruiser here is a review I did earlier this year.