Carnival Freedom vs Mariner of the Seas

[loungelizard]

I've narrowed down our choices for our next cruise to these two ships. I'm hoping to get a comparison by anyone who has cruised on both ships. Being that the Freedom is relatively brand new, it probably is a long-shot to find past cruisers of both. The itineraries are exactly the same but RCI is a bit more expensive...which I'm not concerned about. I'm interested in the onboard experience and how they differ. Thanks in advance.

[silentbob007]

I've not been on either ship, but I've been on sister ships of both ....

 

Mariner is a bigger ship with more "sporty" activities available. It has a rock wall, ice rink, mini golf, full basketball court, etc. Freedom has a half-basketball court setup, but that's about it in terms of sporty space.

 

The decor will also vary. RC tends to decorate in more wood tones while Carnival usually sticks to themes with brighter colors.

 

I've thought there were plenty of activities on both. I've found the dining room food to be better on Carnival, the buffet better on RC, but Carnial wins for best free alternative dining with fish and chips, pizza, deli, etc. Depending on what time you go in the year, there will be lots of kids on both ships.

 

What it really comes down to is personal preference, desires, etc. I would probably choose Mariner over Carnival Freedom with all other things being equal, but I would not pay much of a premium just to sail on Mariner.

[djcellini]

I've narrowed down our choices for our next cruise to these two ships. I'm hoping to get a comparison by anyone who has cruised on both ships. Being that the Freedom is relatively brand new, it probably is a long-shot to find past cruisers of both. The itineraries are exactly the same but RCI is a bit more expensive...which I'm not concerned about. I'm interested in the onboard experience and how they differ. Thanks in advance.

 

I've been on the Mariner of the Sea in Jan of 06, and man she is a nice ship, Iv'e never had so much fun, trust me u'll like her. Big ships like that have so much to do.You should wait a lil bit to try a few ship before they get the lil things all taken care of, so id wait a year or two before id try the Freedom...... Trust be try the Mariner first before the Freedom.....:D