Back to cruising…

[bled01]

Going to take a cruise this summer after about a dozen years being away.  Had kids and have been doing Disney and “family” vacations but this will be our first real vacation without our kids since we had them.  Have done RCL, Carnival, Princess & NCL in the past.     
 

Right now we are debating between a suite on the Carnival Celebration vs. a balcony on the RCL Wonder of the Seas.  We like the newer ships with all the bells and whistles, but really just looking to relax on this cruise.  
 

We enjoyed both Carnival & RCL when we took them before, but again it has been a long time.   Carnival seems like the best deal in cruising right now, but I really would also like to go on one of these RCL mega ships.  
 

Any opinions on this?

[ldubs]

Sounds like you are leaning towards the RCI mega ships.  We all have our preferences and they all won't likely match yours.   My opinion -- if you are interested in the mega ship experience, then go for it.  They will have a lot going on and, of course, more passengers.   There will still be plenty of places to just hang and relax.  

 

[lisiamc]

I don’t know your age group, but Virgin ships seem very popular with those who enjoy all the bells and whistles. They’re quite a bit smaller than RCCL mega-ships, but I hear very good things about the food and the entertainment. They started out looking for a very young crowd, but seem very popular with late-40s, 50s, and young-outlook 60s. 

[Essiesmom]

The best deal in cruising these days is on MSC.  EM

[wcook]

8 hours ago, bled01 said:

Carnival seems like the best deal in cruising right now, but I really would also like to go on one of these RCL mega ships.  

To me this would be an easy choice. While a deal is nice, if you want to see an RCL Mega Ship, book an RCL Mega Ship. 

[bled01]

Thanks for the responses so far.   I guess I would clarify that I don’t “need” to go on a RCCL mega ship.   In general we like to go on newer ships but I really wanted to see if anyone had insight on today’s Carvival vs. RCCL and those two ships in general: Celebration vs. Wonder of the Seas.

 

Also is the bang for the buck worth it for an entry level suite?  I guess these are what are referred to as mini suites although it does not say that.   It would be the cheapest suite though on Carnival.  
 

Thanks for any additional insight.

[sparks1093]

We sailed on RCI's Anthem of the Seas and it certainly had its bells and whistles. We've stayed in two Carnival suites and the perks are modest at best. Free laundry bag service. Priority embark/debark. Dedicated guest services line. Two things going for them were price and the extra room that comes with a suite. Excel class appears to be CCL's answer to the mega ships of RCI. We'll be on Mardi Gras in 25 days and we are eager to compare the experience we had on Anthem. Overall we found the two cruise line's to be very similar to each other in what is important to us, taking into account that Anthem was the newest ship we had sailed on up until that point. I am not a roller coaster guy but I am looking forward to riding a roller coaster on a ship, if only for the bragging rights.

[navybankerteacher]

2 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

….I am looking forward to riding a roller coaster on a ship, if only for the bragging rights.

I had the opportunity to ice skate on Mariner of the Seas - but passed:  no skates my size=no bragging rights.   Since I was only on that strange ship (I think one of my Navy ships, a DE, would have fit inside that Royal Promenade) in the first place to get from Rome to my step daughter’s in Houston that fall in time for Thanksgiving, I wasn’t that upset.

Edited March 26 by navybankerteacher

[sparks1093]

13 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

I had the opportunity to ice skate on Mariner of the Seas - but passed:  no skates my size=no bragging rights.   Since I was only on that strange ship (I think one of my Navy ships, a DE, would have fit inside that Royal Promenade) in the first place to get from Rome to my step daughter’s in Houston that fall in time for Thanksgiving, I wasn’t that upset.

Sailed on Capodanno that began life as a DE so I know exactly what you mean.