No real difference between Carnival and RCL?

[dclark]

We cruise around the holidays and summer time.

Passengers on CCL are more obnoxious/drunk/etc on CCL, but that only applies to our summer cruises. During the holidays, those nasty passengers really just stood out as most of the others were on their best behaviour. It seems like there are always a lot of canadians on those holiday cruises and they are just about as pleasant as a cold beer on a beautiful beach!

Employees- I have gotten better service on RCL. I have seen CCL employees take a lot of abuse from CCL rude passengers and they still performed well.

Food- CCL starts off with better quality materials and it is a luck of the draw if they prepare it right. Although I prefer Princess food, I still like CCL food; it is not just good food for a low brow line, it is good food period! RCL? Nothing stood out as being excellent, outside of Portofinos.

For when I cruise, RCL would cost my family and extra $1,000-$2000 more than CCL and no frick'en way would I pay that much more as the only thing that I'd get for that $ would be a prettier ship, rock wall and inferior food! I can think of better things to do with that money, like pay for airfare!

[jkfreeman33]

I've have sailed with Carnival, RCI, Princess and NLC with 18 cruises.

I like different things about each line.

 

I think RCI has better looking ships (Voyager & Freedom class) and they do the "little" things better than Carnival. Bartenders remember your name & drink after serving you once. There are fun greeters outside the Windjammer restaurant, just more personal attention.

In general, I do think they present their food better and slightly better quality. For some crazy reason, you don't have to get up at 3AM to get a deck chair on RCI near a pool. You can stroll down at 10AM and there are still plenty of chairs available.

 

Carnival is more casual and while the bartenders don't remember you, you get a drink faster because they aren't chatting with you. I love the 24 hour pizza and hamburger grill.

I eat whatever the fish of the day is and on Carnival, I think it's the same white fish but with a different sauce. It's still good, but not somehting you would rave about.

You better set an alarm and beat the sun up, to get a deck chair any where near the pool. I have been sitting in a chair at 8:30 AM and every chair has crap on it and no one shows up until 10-10:30. The pool boys need to do a better job of controling that issue on Carnival.

 

If RCI & Carnival are doing the same ports, I then look at the ship and if a Voyager or Freedom class ship are doing it, I will always pick RCI.

Having said that..... We are doing Carnival Freedom for a 12 night Med cruise. I picked Carnival because it was round trip Rome (love that city) and I liked the new ship with Carnival Freedom than RCI Brilliance of the Seas. If a Voyager class had been doing a 12 night, I would have gone RCI.

 

I don't think you can lose either way. You will see more kids and couples with strollers (young children) on Carnival than RCI. RCI tends to attract the adult crowd, which is fine with me. We are in our 50's without children, so I don't miss the kids screaming and crying when we sail on RCI.

 

Pick what ship and line you want to go on and have fun!!!!:p

[maxamuus]

Clientele? Exactly the same on both lines, They may not know it, they may deny it, but its the same clientele on both.

 

Dare you to go say that on the RCCL forums. :D

[dan40]

Dare you to go say that on the RCCL forums. :D

 

Y-Y-Y-You t-t-t-think I-I-I-I'm c-c-c-crazy?:(

 

Dan

[fireofficer5]

RCCL and CCL are the same, but different.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Here's my dilemma:

 

Me and my wife are looking at some eastern/western caribbean cruises on the Carnival Glory/Legend.

 

My in-laws swear up and down that we should avoid Carnival at all costs and go RCL instead. The in-laws claim Carnival's food is lousy vs. Royal Caribbean. They also claim Carnival gets a more "low class" clientele than RCL. Not sure where they're getting their information on the food--I've read good and bad about the food on both cruise lines.

 

I don't care about the "low class" clientele thing, unless it means that Carnival cruisers, on average, are a lot less well behaved (how can anyone generalize like this?), on average, than RCL cruisers.

 

If the "low class" designation means the dress code on Carnival isn't as well enforced as on RCL, then there's no issue for me. Frankly, I'm on vacation. It's not going to ruin my vacation if people wear shorts in the dining rooms. I'd prefer to wear shorts myself, but tend to stick to whatever dress code is recommended.

 

If "low class" means Carnival cruises tend to contain more loud and obnoxious people than cruisers on RCL, then yeah, that would bother me. "Class" doesn't bother me (I'm not a doctor / lawyer / prude / etc). Behavior does.

 

If the food on Carnival is, somehow, much worse, on average, than RCL, then that's one reason I might prefer RCL. But then I don't expect 5 star dining on a cruise, given the number of people to be fed daily.

 

A co-worker of my wife has been on a number of cruise lines and claims there's no significant difference between Carnival and RCL. She says the real difference comes between Carnival/RCL and higher tiers of cruise lines like Princess/Celebrity. *That* I can believe.

 

Finally, I wonder--of the people who hate Carnival, did they:

 

-- Take a cruise in peak season? (I tend *never* to travel in high season for any type of vacation travel; it's always a worse / more crowded experience by definition; some people just don't get that there will probably be more loud, obnoxious people--or more of them--cruising during peak season). I'd also guess--and it's just a guess--that during peak season, cruise personnel, including kitchen staff, would be more stressed than in the off-season; and that may directly impact the end result on the plate; though it wouldn't make a difference if the ingredients were poor quality to begin with.

 

-- Take a cruise on an older ship (e.g. 10-15 years old); I tend to look for the largest, newest ships as a hedge; although I don't know that this would get me better food.

 

Finally, yeah, I admit it. I'm not a "partier." I enjoy a few good beers / mixed drinks as much as the next person, but I don't cruise to drink myself into oblivion. So if I'm around a lot of crazy drinkers, I'm going to be less happy on a cruise than without them. But that's my personal preference.

 

I don't judge people who do like to whoop it up; but they can do that in clubs/bars; I'd prefer not to be near them.

 

By Carnival saying they are "the fun ships" or whatever the slogan is, do they really mean "the party ships"? Somehow, I like to think there's room for both family cruisers / cruisers who like it more peaceful and club/bar-goers.

 

Mike

 

Just wanted to add that I believe it's May 19th you'll be able to wear dress shorts to dinner on casual nights.

 

Bill

[shadyskipper]

We've cruised Carnival twice and RCI once. Our honeymoon is going to be on Carnival, because it's better, hands down.

 

My guess is that if you're considering Glory or Valor, those are 7-day itineraries, right? RCI is not going to be similar in cost. In fact, I'll bet it's a couple hundred dollars per person difference, at least. My view: Not worth it, at all. And running into a drunk/rowdy crowd is 1) not predictable and 2) avoidable.

 

Here's my suggestion: Offer anybody who thinks you're making a mistake by going on Carnival the opportunity to pay for you to "upgrade" to another line. I bet they turn you down!

[tekdiva]

I think too many people will not let the stigma of Carnival being a party boat go. I have not been on either cruiseline. However, logic tells me that if you go to ANY vacation spot when it is Spring Break, Christmas Break, etc., there will probably be a livelier group of people on board.

 

Also, it seems to me that Carnival's cruises are more economical and therefore attract more families, younger people, and people who may not be able to afford another cruiseline. I know I cannot afford a long cruise with my daughter mainly because of the airfare. So if your in-laws don't like cruising with hard-working individuals with kids, fine by us! Who knows you may have the time of your life on Carnival!

[trock]

I have done Carnival, Celebrity and NCL

 

The food on carnival is on par with Celebrity- VERY GOOD

The buffet on Carnival is not that great

 

My younger sister.. who's sailed more than me, and is REALLY picky loved the food on Carnival better than RCCL..She also feels that Carnival has a better group of passengers... really did not find the people on RCCL too friendly..

But in reality.. a group of passengers is different from one sailing to the next... What does it all mean ?

Try it for yourself and decide for yourself:D

[Amlee]

I have sailed both lines.

 

Like with everything the service you get can vary from ship to ship. I don't think it's fair to say, I've sailed Carnival or RCI once and never again. I have found things on Carnival that I liked and things I didn't like. The same with RCI, Celebrity, Azamara, and Disney.

 

Carnival and RCI tend to carry the same type pax. I found that I didn't like the food or service or dining service that I got on the Fantasy. I tend to like any type of drink with my meal. Water would have been nice. We never got drinks with our meal. I'm not sure what her problem was. But I had the same type problem on my last Disney cruise. Disney fixed it, Carnival did not. But I'm not going to say I'll never sail Carnival again. If I can manage it, I hope to be on one this summer.

 

Carnival has the best pizza at sea.

 

I like some of the activities on Carnival, to me they were better than RCI. RCI, tends to let their ice ring, and such do the entertaining. But that doesn't mean I will never sail RCI again.

 

I have seen rude people on both lines. I have seen people behaving badly on both lines. Doesn't mean I will never sail them again.

 

 

Go, make your own choices.

[MTcruiser]

I sailed on Grandeur of the Seas in January. I sailed on Carnival Imagination in 2006. Personally, i liked Carnival over RCCL. To me the food was better. Our room steward was amazing. and We just felt more at home on Carnival. WE had a fabulous time. Im not saying i didnt like RCCL. Because who wouldnt like Ben and Jerry's on a cruise ship. I loved that.....:)

[hubofhockey]

I have multi cruises on both CCL and RCL. In fact, the only major line operating today that I have not cruised is Disney [no casino]. There are differences between CCL and RCL, but they are not major. RCL Voyager class type ships are nicer, CCL cabins are larger and cheaper for the most part.

Food in dining room, CCL is better, especially beef and CCL's beef is not that good but RCL's is worse. Beef is good in the supper clubs. But both have excellent dishes if you try new things. In the buffet, RCL is a little better than CCL. Except for pizza and the deli. All in all, a close thing between them both. Clientele? Exactly the same on both lines, They may not know it, they may deny it, but its the same clientele on both.

No cruise line has 5 star food, not really even 4 star. But no 5 star restaurant anywhere serves 15,000 meals a day.

I wouldn't hesitate to cruise either line again and have within the last 12 months.

My personal experience with Carnival haters is that 8 or 9 out of 10 of them have NEVER cruised Carnival.

 

 

 

Dan

 

Wow, I agree with just about everything you wrote above. I do think the RCCL buffets are more than "a little better" than Carnival's and the buffet restuarants are just nicer to be in and lines are smaller. I agree with you on the beef too. I have now convinced myself that I will never order steak in cruise main dining room. One is worse than the other. That's why I booked the supper club for my upcoming cruise.

 

I'd cruise Carnival or RCCL any time. In general, they are both good family cruise lines and get all types of passengers. When I cruise alone with my wife next time around, I am thinking of avoiding both of them and going on a line not so oriented to families.

[arm2msm]

Have done 1 Carnival and 2 RCL enjoyed them all.

 

our first cruise was on carnival .. the ripped our luggage tore my husbands suit jacket lost one of his shoes. beds were very comfy. food good shows pretty good. we are trying CC again to see if it is better.

 

RCL was much better for the kids they had a lot more to do. shows were great over all ship was prettier.

 

i don't think one is really better than the other just depends on what you are looking for. i like to keep and open mind and think positive about things. so which ever you choose have a great time. even though we had a little trouble with CC does not mean i will not try them again (which we are) because we still had a great time. and like i said the beds were great to sleep on.

[dznymom]

Try Carnival. I've been on both and my sentiments seem to agree with others:

Rooms - larger on Carnival

Food - Better on Carnival in the dining room; buffet better on RCCL

Entertainment - Carnival has better comedy and also has midnight R rated comedy shows; as for the productions, it is a draw. RCCL has a great ice show on the Voyager Class ships.

Overall Ship Decor - Sorry, I prefer RCCL - Carnival is a little too over the top at times

Clientele - These lines have the SAME DEMOGRAPHICS! Don't let anyone tell you Carnival caters to a young, party crowd. I have read industry things which support this. However, if anyone goes on a short - 2 or 3 night run to the Bahamas, you ARE going to get a partying crowd, Carnival or RCCL. It just might be that they went on Carnival.

 

Geez, I almost thought I wrote this response! I enjoy both RCCL & Carnival, and find that things do vary as much from ship to ship as from cruise line to cruise line. It really is true that the short cruises get the real partiers, and on the 7 day cruises you get a real mix of people on either line. If you like the price & itinerary, then definitely give Carnival a try.

[mumofsons]

We have cruised both lines and had a much more positive experience on both the Imagination and the Legend than Mariner of the Seas.

The staff were very good on both the Carnival ships and we found them to be quite rude on the Mariner. That isn't to say we could have had the same experience on either of the Carnival ships we have sailed, but we have been so happy with Carnival that we have booked a third one.

Our first cruise experience was the Disney Magic and we just love that size of ship - personally the Voyager class ships are too big, and we will stick to the mid-sized ones.

I think everyone's bar experience is different because both the bartender at the Unicorn Bar (on the Legend) and the wait staff in the dining room remembered what drinks we enjoyed and when we were heading for the bar they would have our drinks ready. Once again personal experience. The shows on Carnival - I didn't think were quite as good as the Mariner but we did love - love - love the piano bar.

The food I thought were about equal - to me a buffet is a buffet and well - what more can I say.

The pizza - slightly better on Carnival.

Value for your money - I still think Carnival is better - but then we were amazed at what we got on RCCL (Jr. Suite plus inside state room for mother) for the price of a balcony room on the Magic. I quess it is all in what you are looking for.

Anyway you look at it - if you are cruising - it should be a good time!

[halos]

LOL.

I learned that you can never anticipate any demographic at any given time.

We cruised last year during spring break. There were quite a few college kids, but the ship wasn't over run with them. We enjoyed the cruise and all the 'young energy'.

We cruised this year, same exact time frame from the same exact port, but just took a 7 day as opposed to a 5 day. We still anticipated college kids.

Nope

Majority of folks on our sailing were old. (meaning our age..mid 40's ;) and older) Two days added to the cruise made a huge difference.

 

We sailed once in February and there were a LOT of families/young kids.

Didn't expect that.

 

You never know what demographic you'll get on any ship unless you're sailing a 30 day on HAL. Then you are guaranteed everyone will be over the age of 65. :p

[janerd]

The Carnival cruise I just got off today had no Baked Alaska or Cherries Jubilee.How is that misleading,it's a fact.Yes we asked for pasta and was told by the waiter and the maitre'd they don't have pasta as a alternative.I let CCL know when we booked almost a year out about my wifes dietery needs.I take offense when someone tries to call me a liar.If you had these deserts on your cruise great,they were not on mine.Choc. melting cake(awesome) was on the menu every night with two other choices,usually one diet kind then ice creams,coffees and after dinner drinks.Again this was my first CCL cruise and not my last,just giving my opinion from our experiences so far.

Have done 3-RCCL 1-CCL 1-DCL and 1-dolphin and enjoyed them all.

Ventureman,ONLY 1 repeat only one of those items was on the menu for vegetarians every night.So then your comment is misleading.So if you didn't like the indian spices well tough luck,you could get a baked potato and fruit plate.They need more choices for vegetarians.I am not a vegetarian so I always found something to eat.Again this is my first CCL cruise so don't flame me for my opinion.Mike.

[lcpagejr]

$$$PRICE$$$.... It's amazing how much RCL charges in comparison to Carnival!!! You can almost go on 2 Carnival cruises for the price you pay for 1 RCL cruise. Easy decision here as differences between food, service and ships are not as large as the price differential...actually IMO Carnival has a slight edge when you compare similar categories (food, entertainment, cabin, etc).

 

I love to cruise...Carnival, thanks to their pricing, allows us to cruise atleast twice a year...I sometimes throw in a Princess cruise for a change of pace...But my previous 3 cruises on RCL didn't do anything for me to stand out and make me feel the huge price difference was worth it.

 

Going on Cruise #10 with Carnival next month!

[ooulio]

We have done 1 RC,1 Disney and 8 Carnival. I did not like RC at all. Had drunks outside our room yelling at 2am. Rooms were smaller. I wasn't too thrilled with the food on RC. We just came back from the Freedom last month. We had pasta at every dinner. Either appetizer or main course. I talked to some people that had Celiac Sprue. They were on Gluten Free menus. They said Carnival gave them a chice for Gluten Free. They said 2 other lines gave them one choice and that was it. Lady that was on Carnival said they even made her special gluten free rolls. I will find out next cruise. I will be on that stinky diet too. Unfortunately, I also have been diagnosed with Celiac Sprue. I was on Disney with a suite. Very nice room with bath and a half. I just missed the casino. Too many kids for me. I won that vacation . It wouldn't have been my first choice. I enjoy Carnival. I also get sick of people knocking Carnival that have never been on the line..We had Cherries Jubilee one night at our last cruise. I stuck with my Chocolate Cake. We go to the restaurants for breakfast. I do like the omelettes in the buffet. They make them fresh. That is also a thing of the past. Planning my next cruise but not til Feb 2009. Enjoy your cruises!

[halos]

The Carnival cruise I just got off today had no Baked Alaska or Cherries Jubilee.How is that misleading,it's a fact.hing to eat.Again this is my first CCL cruise so don't flame me for my opinion.Mike.

 

I've had 5 CCL cruises and not one of them offered me cherries jubilee but Baked Alaska has been offered on all my 7 day cruises...not my short cruises.

This isn't to say that you are wrong, or lieing or shouldn't give your opinion.

 

To be honest, I never even ordered the baked Alaska on my CCL cruises. It's cooked ice cream, I don't see what all the fuss is about it.

I had it on Celebrity and wished I had ordered the creme brule instead. :cool: Celebrity makes a whole parade out of it....LOL, seriously, over ice cream :rolleyes:

[janerd]

Mike - Carnival does offer pasta every night. It is listed as an appetizer, but you just have to ask for it for an entree. Did you book your cruise telling them of your dietary preference? Did you talk to the maitre'd and/or your server on the day of embarkation? I'm not sure how Carnival handles this, but just curious if they knew ahead if anything would have been handled differently. I wasn't aware that hot breakfast items were not available through room service.

Pasta was not on the menu as a starter,if you go to web shots and type in carnival menus,I didn't see pasta on any of those menus either as a starter.They had just one vegetarian item a night.Rooms have a breakfest menu,the one you leave hanging on your door before you go to bed,and it's just a continental breakfest.Mike.

[Amlee]

 

To be honest, I never even ordered the baked Alaska on my CCL cruises. It's cooked ice cream, I don't see what all the fuss is about it.

I had it on Celebrity and wished I had ordered the creme brule instead. :cool: Celebrity makes a whole parade out of it....LOL, seriously, over ice cream :rolleyes:

 

Thank You! I don't get the whole parade thing either. Nor am I impressed with the cooked ice cream. I upset my waiter, because I asked for the dessert menu on that night.

 

In case you don't know this, but you can pre-order non-menu food on Celebrity. When I told my table that they could pre-order creme brule or a certain flavor ice cream. They did it every night. I cruised Celebrity during Thanksgiving last year. To me it's not Thanksgiving with out Mac & Cheese. So I ordered M&C a few days before the Thanksgiving dinner. It wasn't my grandmother's, but it was still good.

[Travelitis]

You can't just compare lines, but you have to compare the ships as well. The RCI Rhapsody in no way compares to the Voyager class ships (Mariner, Navigator, etc.), but it does compare to the Elation and Triumph. Meaning that the Triumph and Elation are just as nice as the Rhapsody, but they feel budget compared to Voyager class RCI ships. That being said, because of the price difference, CCL is a good value. If you think you'll like CCL, then book one of their newer ships and try it. We have sailed CCL, will continue to sail CCL, but we much prefer Princess or Voyager class RCI ships. If prices were equal, we wouldn't sail CCL. We do have to have a significant savings to pick CCL over the competitors. Our 7 day cruise on Triumph cost only $200 more than a 5 day on RCI would've. Extra days were more important than added luxury.

 

Here are some differences:

 

RCI costs more because there are more frills and extras. They have egg crate pads to add to your bed if you want it. CCL can add comforters.:confused: RCI will deliver what is being served in the dining room via room service. Carnival gives you a strict room service menu and won't vary. I asked if they would deliver warm chocolate melting cake sans ice cream, and they said no, it's the limited menu only. Carnival had a scrapbooking class, but you had to buy a kit. RCI's class was free and they included supplies.

 

CCL offers soft serve ice cream and frozen yogurt 24/7, but the Mariner's machine was open only 1 day. They want you to buy Ben and Jerry's. CCL drink stations include complimentary fruit punch, lemonade, and apple juice and are available all the time. RCI offers lemonade. Both have free ice tea, which we don't drink.

 

Both have mini golf, but the RCI version is much nicer. You can enjoy either cruise, so you go with your gut on this one. Compare ships, not just lines.

[dan40]

Pasta was not on the menu as a starter,if you go to web shots and type in carnival menus,I didn't see pasta on any of those menus either as a starter.They had just one vegetarian item a night.Rooms have a breakfest menu,the one you leave hanging on your door before you go to bed,and it's just a continental breakfest.Mike.

 

You need to re-look at those menus. Pasta is on the Carnival menu, fleetwide, every single dinner. And it is ALWAYS available as a side or an entree. Pasta, spaghetti, penne, linguini, fettuccini, something, ALWAYS.

 

Dan

[wayne_trisha]

I've been on the Glory and the Mariner. Both seven days.

 

Food: I thought the food was better on Carnival but it was good on both. Pizza on Carnival is much better! I think Carnival has more food choices available 24 hours a day. Mariner promenade cafe has tasty deserts and pastries 24 hours or at least after midnight.

 

Rooms: Had a balcony on Glory and inside Promenade room on Mariner. 4 of us in hte balcony room so it was a bit crowded. Both were very comfortable rooms and we had no complaints. We didn't use the balcony much because it was just too hot (cruised the end of August).

 

Entertainment: We enjoyed nearly all the entertaiment on both. The adult quest game on the Mariner was stupid in our opinion and we walked out. One of the comedians on the Mariner was horrible but that is hit or miss since they chagne all the time. Ice show was fantastic and the special guest was that couple that does the quick change routine. One irritating thing about Carnival is they delay the show's start to play a game of bingo.

 

Service: Great on both. No complaints at all.

 

Ship decor: We definitely liked the Mariner design better but that doesn't mean the Glory is bad. We just liked the Mariner better. Both are beautiful ships.

 

Guests: Both are the same. You'll find drunks on both but we never had any issues with them. We usually sit back and let them entertain us with their drunken antics.

 

Carnival always seems cheaper. Our next cruise is on the Freedom in November unless shoot off on another shorty this summer.

 

Our last cruise was the Sovereign and we loved it but it was a different experience. We took no evening clothes and ate all our meals in hte lido buffet. Laid by the pool and drank adult beverages for three days in complete bliss. It was WAy better then planning excursions, rushing for dinner, trying to make it to shows, packing enough clothes for all the dinners. We only took shoes so we could go to the gym and a short wonder about Nassau to get trinkets.