Boring question! RCCL V Carnival

[Bigdasher]

We have the choice of 2 almost identical itineries (eastern caribbean), explorer of the seas v the Glory.

The biggest difference is that one has an ice rink (and my girls love skating) and the other one doesn't.

They will be 16 and 13 when we sail, and will be sharing an internal room with my husband and I.

 

There is quite a difference in price between the two companies.

 

Could I have your advice please as to this dilemma....

 

 

thanks a bunch

 

Big D

 

1 cruise down ( I was convinced I would hate it...and well..I want to go again!)

[steveaaaa]

We have the choice of 2 almost identical itineries (eastern caribbean), explorer of the seas v the Glory.

The biggest difference is that one has an ice rink (and my girls love skating) and the other one doesn't.

They will be 16 and 13 when we sail, and will be sharing an internal room with my husband and I.

 

There is quite a difference in price between the two companies.

 

Could I have your advice please as to this dilemma....

 

 

thanks a bunch

 

Big D

 

1 cruise down ( I was convinced I would hate it...and well..I want to go again!)

 

The ice skating is not all that much and long(its smaller than a normal rink and there is not much public skating time available). The money difference is no way worth it for that.

Steve

[stlrboo]

IMHO, I'd take the least expensive of the two! Cruising is for the itineraries, and to do new things! Skating just doesn't seem right on a cruise ship!! :eek:

 

CCL is definitely less expensive than RCI... Same itinerary, I'd pick the 'Carnival Fun Ships'!

 

ps: I've been on the Triumph.. basically the same as the Glory, and they are a real nice ship.. Sailing on EOS next year, but don't plan to 'go skating'..;) :D Have fun...

[ndsumfun]

We have the choice of 2 almost identical itineries (eastern caribbean), explorer of the seas v the Glory.

The biggest difference is that one has an ice rink (and my girls love skating) and the other one doesn't.

They will be 16 and 13 when we sail, and will be sharing an internal room with my husband and I.

 

There is quite a difference in price between the two companies.

 

Could I have your advice please as to this dilemma....

 

 

thanks a bunch

 

Big D

 

 

I personally prefer Royal Carribean as of this moment but I am trying Carnival out again in 5 days! We will see. Anyways, I guess I would probably go for the cheapest in your case. The girls will have plenty to do even if the ship doesn't have an ice skating rink. All of Carnival ships have the GREAT slides..... Now, I have seen the ice rink on the Mariner & it is pretty small. We didn't' go in there during the day which is when you could skate. I don't believe they had any "nighttime" skating but I could be wrong.

 

Yes, cruising is VERY addictive!!! You see I"ve already booked mine for April of 2008!!! :eek:

[CaptainEdwardJohnSmith]

We have the choice of 2 almost identical itineries (eastern caribbean), explorer of the seas v the Glory.

The biggest difference is that one has an ice rink (and my girls love skating) and the other one doesn't.

They will be 16 and 13 when we sail, and will be sharing an internal room with my husband and I.

 

There is quite a difference in price between the two companies.

 

Could I have your advice please as to this dilemma....

 

 

thanks a bunch

 

Big D

 

1 cruise down ( I was convinced I would hate it...and well..I want to go again!)

 

 

In light of what you have told us about similar itineraries and your daughter's preferences, don't you think you should make a decision more based on:

 

WHAT PLEASES YOUR FAMILY

 

rather than what any of us thinks????

[Glama]

Save the $$, and maybe give your girls a bit of it to enjoy in the arcade, or to buy themselves something special (my daughter always gets herself chocolate covered strawberries, it's a huge treat for her). The ice rink is OK, but not really worth the extra $$.

[tyty48]

their is also many other thing to look over then ice skatting rinks like ports and price plus ship reviews

[AmberMarie]

In light of what you have told us about similar itineraries and your daughter's preferences, don't you think you should make a decision more based on:

 

WHAT PLEASES YOUR FAMILY

 

rather than what any of us thinks????

 

I think the request for general opinions based on people's experiences on either of the ships is pretty acceptable.

[Kurbanfan]

Have your family take a vote:)

Afterall you will be sailing with them not us..........

[CaptainEdwardJohnSmith]

I think the request for general opinions based on people's experiences on either of the ships is pretty acceptable.

 

 

Absolutely Acceptable!

I think my comments did not come out the way I intended them to!

I was thinking more in terms that if the itineraries are identical, price not being an issue and OP's daughters showed an interest and leaning more towards the ship with the Ice Skating Rink, well, maybe that would have

been a more appropriate choice!

Again, I think I might not have exactly spelled out what I meant to say.

Sorry!

[TennisLover]

Ok - your daughters like to ice skate. What do YOU like to do? It's your vacation too!

 

We tried RCI -- it was a novelty to ice skate on a cruise ship. Now, we're going back to Carnival. Everyone agreed that, overall, Carnival was more FUN.... for us.

 

At one point, my DS argued that he wanted to play tennis on a cruise ship and wanted us to go on Princess (I think they're the one with the "court"). He does that at home. I'm sure it's small scale and not what he expects. It would have been cool to say he played tennis on a cruise ship -- but that's not what we're going on vacation for.

 

Just relaying that because, having done the ice skating on RCI, it's pretty much the same thing. If your kids ice skate all the time, they will be under-impressed with the rink (but it is a novelty to skate on a ship). Just wouldn't pick a cruise based on that. And, if there's a significant price savings on another ship.....

[firefly333]

Iv heard that the ice skates are like ski boots, very uncomfortable. You get to skate for 45 minutes and everyone says those ski boots, soldid molded shoes on the skates are so uncomfortable 45 minutes is enough. Otherwise you will have to bring your daughtes skates, and for 45 minutes of public skating and a kids lesson?

 

Id take your daughter skating at home and do whichever ship works out better.

 

I used to love to skate and like the idea of skating too, but not for the difference in price.

[Drew B]

Absolutely Acceptable!

I think my comments did not come out the way I intended them to!

I was thinking more in terms that if the itineraries are identical, price not being an issue and OP's daughters showed an interest and leaning more towards the ship with the Ice Skating Rink, well, maybe that would have

been a more appropriate choice!

Again, I think I might not have exactly spelled out what I meant to say.

Sorry!

 

 

Was price really not an issue? The OP made it a point to say that there is a significant price differential.

[Cotton]

Big D - Since you said there is a significant price difference, I wouldn't let skating be the factor. There are a lot of activities for teens on Carnival ships - the skating time would probably not be worth the price difference; they can skate at home.:) Enjoy!

[PA Dutchman]

We figured we paid $800 for the ice show in Jan to go on the AOS. We did the Destiny also and that was the price difference for a balcony VS Balcony. Not worth it and won't do it again. Difference one had a mall and one had a atrium, the rest was 99% the same.

[MaryZ]

my kids like both lines. They are active kids tho and really enjoy what rccl has to offer. If it was just because my kid wanted to ice skate and there was a significant difference in price, I'd say pick carnival.

also, we never sail with the kids in our room. There is no way I can deal with a whole week in a 11x14 room with kids. cruise ship cabins are smaller than my bedroom at home. that's no fun for anyone. And for the people who say you are never in your cabin, well you are. You have to sleep, use the bathroom, get dressed. It's too tight with 4 people in a room. very young children (under 6) it's doable.

[mtchg]

...One of the best things I ever did was venture beyond Carnival and try Royal Caribbean and recently NCL "Freestyle"..they ALL were fun trips and each line has it's strengths and a few weaknesses (minor) compared to their competitors.

 

I will say that lately pricing has kept me from going back to RCCL..their new meg MEGA ships look very exciting.....but Carnival's new ships look great too..at hundreds of dollars less for the same itineraries. Couple this with my long held opinion that Carnival's main dining room food is better than Royal Caribbean....and for my next cruise I chose Carnival Freedom, barely out of the ship yard, and no Royal Caribbean mega ship even come close in pricing right now...oh I'll do RCCL again, and may venture to Princess and even HAL,

but right now the value edge goes to Carnival.

 

Mitch

[Bigdasher]

Thankyou for all of those who have responded. I just want everyone to enjoy themsleves.

So this is the decision of the jury (Mum)!

We go Carnival. I know that there will be moans and groans, that the rink is too small and there will be too many other people, and they won't be able to do their jumps. Then I will have the hassle of having to pack skates fly them over the atlantic and and the worry that they might will get lost.

I have already got my agent to do a quote for RCCL. I didn't even consider Carnival ( as last year we went Princess and people said not too nice things about the Carnival line) - but then I see that the itinery is similar...so that is it, the decision is made. I'm no snob, and the 16odd responses to my question just proves that Carnival passengers are lovely! xxx

Have got Carnival brochure out of the travel agents this lunchtime and will look through it to choose a nice room

 

Anyone know which would be the best internal room on the Glory?...I think I will post that question seperately.

 

loves you all

 

bigD

[quagmire0]

Having sailed on Royal Caribbean exclusively thus far, I'd say if there is a considerable price difference, go with Carnival. While the ice rink, ice shows, and 'mall' are cool, I don't think they're absolutely necessary for you to enjoy your cruise. I was on Navigator, and while I liked the rink and the little shops inside the ship, they weren't 'all that'. The wine bar and pub had a very so-so selection. Another thing to take into consideration though, is that Royal Caribbean's prices tend to fall after a while, so there's a chance that the prices could become comparable and you could get a sizable refund before you cruise.

[MJ25]

I have cruise on RCCL Adventure of the Seas and on Carnival Triumph. My DW and I talked about this very subject on our way home from the Triumph cruise this past weekend and we both agree that we prefer RCCL over Carnival by a mile. In fact we have also cruise Norwegian and Carnival comes in 3rd over all.

The RCCL ship was much more grand and easier to get around on than those we have cruised on the other lines. The entertainment, lounges and dinning options were much better on RCCL and not to sound like a snob, but, we found the passenger make-up on RCCL to be a little more considerate to other cruisers.

To be honest we were both looking forward to cruising the "FUN SHIPS" of Carnival and were very disappointed. I posted a complete review in the members review thread. We are a mid-40's empty nest couple. We enjoyed our last cruise, as we have all of them, but I would definately recomend RCCL.

Enjoy your cruise no matter what you choose.

Fins Up! :cool:

[Sirwinston]

Carnival is a good choice if you have kid(s). :D I also like that I can get a suite for what an inside cabin sells for on some lines. The dining room food on my recent 4 day cruise was as good as Britannia QM2. I like the non stuffy atmoshere. Good value for the money .

If if works in your budget, may I suggest getting an outside cabin instead and sell that as better than iceskating. Your kids will love looking out the window. Best one would be middle of the ship for stability.

[queeni]

We were on Glory May 06 and RCCL's Voyager Feb. 07 and we loved both! I think you made the right choice with Glory. I would not pay more for RCCL because we had just as much fun, if not more on Carnival.

 

Skating was only available twice during our 7 days and we did skate both times, but the second time was so crowded we left early. I think you will have better skating experiences at home.

 

Glory really was a fun ship and we liked the food in the dining room better. We booked an inside guarantee and got a great upgrade to a family oceanview on the spa deck so I'm not sure what the insides are like on Glory but I think they are bigger than the insides on RCCL. We were in an inside on Voyager. Two kids, two adults and we were fine. Just keep everytyhing organized. I know you will love Glory!

[mlpreston]

IMHO why spend an additional $200 + PP to cruise RCI for the fact of a skating rink when you could spend $3 to go to a skating rink in your hometown/city. Save yourself some money, cruise Carnival and put the additional $$ you would've spent on RCI and book a really COOL shore excursion for them.

If you're doing the Eastern Itinerary - book the horseback riding in St.Maarten or parasailing in St. Thomas. If you're doing the Western Itinerary book the Cave tubing in Belize or the Race Fantastique in Cozumel.

 

 

That would be my choice, personally. Good luck with what you choose. Have fun!

[hdawson]

With the kids I would certainly lean to the Explorer. Not only ice skating, but rock wall climbing, inline skating, mini-golf and the gigantic indoor mall. To make it even more of a must, Explorer goes to RC's Labadee, one of the most beautiful spots I've seen.

 

I hope you've also posted your delima on the Royal Caribbean board too.

[crusinpsychRN]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this...every time your kids for skating, rock climbing etc. the parent must sign a liability waiver. Not once in the week for skating, once for rock climbing...EVERY time, EVERY day. And if they go several different times in the same day, there you are in line waiting to sign.