Honest observations and comments from anyone who has sailed RCI and Carnival

[Nothin' But Sun]

We have only cruised RC and are planning our next cruise (already) for Jan. 2010, on the Dream. Any how I would like to hear from anyone who has cruised both and what do you think we may, miss/enjoy/hate/love etc... thanks:)

[mom2girls]

From my experience you will enjoy Carnival's food much more than RCI's. For the most part everything else between the two cruise lines is the same. No, there's not a rock climbing wall or a flow rider. But, there's still plenty to do. I personally like Carnival better than RCI. For reference I've been on RCI's Liberty of the Seas and Sovereign of the Seas.

[PaddleAddict]

Most of my cruises have been on Carnival, and my only experience with RCCL was on a smaller, older ship for a 3-day.

 

In my opinion only:

 

Carnival wins hands down:

Food (RCCL food was AWFUL)

Fun factor

Service from stateroom attendants

Value (what you get for your money)

Size of rooms--very spacious for a cruise ship

 

RCCL wins:

Service in the dinning room

Midnight canapes and desserts served in the various lounges (nice touch)

 

Although my trips on the Monarch of the Seas were nice (I did enjoy the feel of a small ship), I likely won't sail with RCCL again unless the price and itinerary are right. RCCL is priced so much higher than Carnival and even Princess, and I am never interested in the RCCL Caribbean itineraries.

 

I am sailing next Princess to compare. I am very interested in this cruise because many people on the Princess boards say it is SOOO much better than Carnival. Having only sailed on three of Carnival's newer ships, I have immensely enjoyed all my Carnival cruises and Princess should therefore knock my socks off. :p

[Karysa]

I agree that the food was better on the Carnival ships that we have sailed on. There is less big activities like ice skating and rock climbing on Carnival. I found the staff far more relaxed and genuinely friendly on Carnival. I liked the actual ships and decor of RCCL better. Other than that they were pretty similar.

Karysa

[marimojo]

They both are nice - Carnival has a little bigger cabins, I would rate the pool area as equal on the ships I've been on. I love the Solarium, Carnival does not have that, but on some Carnival ships they have the waterpark. I think the shows may be a tad better on RC in that they have headliners - but we did enjoy the juggler on the Ecstasy. I thought the food was pretty equal too. We had a great time on every ship we were on.

[Kurbanfan]

You can't go wrong with either one. Different in their own way.........

[pkrchkr]

We have been on both.The visions of the seas and the Carnival Paradise( when it was still smoke free:) ) the Carnival Spirit 2 times and we are going on the Pride.We certainly do not go on Carnival because the honor the Canadian military with a discount, cause they don't:mad: . We keep coming back because even with a past guest discount it is cheaper for us to cruise Carnival then RCCL with a discount for the CF members.( I figure it is Carnival's loss if they don't honor our service men and women, they will just take their business elsewhere.)

Carnival is a"fun ship".Lots of stuff to do on board, great services and interesting ports of call.

RCCL has great service in the dining room and lido,and room attendants.The age is generally older then Carnival as I think Carnival is more for families and the generation next age.RCCL gives a great interline rate..Carnival does not( not the CF members)

Carnival has some really nice ships, large ones with more balcony cabins.

Food is about the same but I'm not fussy and DH is from Nova Scotia so anyting with lobster will do:cool: .

If you have not tried a Carnival cruise yet try one and if it is not for you move on to another till you find a cruiseline that suits your taste(I'm not saying we will stay with Carnival for ever but for now it is good for us.)

Truly Canadian,

Supporting our troops serving everywhere:cool:

[Loves_Dogs]

I would have to agree with the previous posters. The dining room food on Carnival is much better than RCI, buffets were dead even but room service was much better on RCI. I love the pizza on Carnival but did not like pizza on RCI at all. Service in the dining room was outstanding on RCI.

 

The RCI ship was by far the most beautiful ship I have seen. LOVED the promenade with all the stores and that great cafe thats open 24 hrs.

 

I prefer the entertainment on RCI. LOVED the 70s dance party, all the trivia games were a blast and the ice show is not to be missed.

 

That being said, I truly enjoyed both Carnival and RCI and hope to have more cruises on both lines in my future. Carnival is so much cheaper and both lines really are very similar. I think you will have a good time on Carnival.

 

Here is a link to my review after my Mariner cruise, I tried to be as honest and open minded as possible:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=44190

[nawlinscruiser22]

Ship- I would say that the RCI decor wins hands down! Its elegant and just simply beautiful. Their ships have lots of glass so you have plenty ocean views and lots of outside deck space to walk around and hang out.

 

Activities- I would say they are about even- except RCI does edge out Carnival just a tad with the flowriders, rock climbing walls and adults only solarium

 

Food-Carnival wins hands down in the dining room. Also, the grill by the pool area and the deli are great. Another huge hit is the 24 hr ice cream! RCI's ice cream has limited hours. However, the buffets and specialty dining are in RCI's corner. Also, I really like RCI's Cafe Promenade to grab snacks but I believe the new Carnival Dream will be offering a similar venue.

 

Staterooms- Carnival's rooms are larger for the standard balcony, oceanview and inside cabins. However, the suites are better on RCI.

 

Crew- I find RCI's crew really pays more attention to detail- learning your name, greeting you warmly as you pass by, holding conversations, etc. Carnival's staff is friendly but does not give the same level of personal attention as we have received on RCI. [but do keep in mind, I am only basing these comments on my experiences and others may have experienced the opposite.]

 

Fellow cruisemates- I know alot of people debate this on these boards, but I really have not found that much of a difference in the passengers between the 2 lines. RCI's crowd I guess you could say was just slightly older but not by much.

 

Casino- Carnival wins without a doubt! We are casino people and usually spend a significant amount of time in there:rolleyes: RCI's casinos really need some help!

 

Overall, I would say you can't go wrong with either one. I love them both! I recommend that you give Carnival a try!

[beckyjohns]

Personally, I prefer Carnival. The rooms are slightly larger on Carnival. Overall, I think RC are a little classier ships in terms of decor, etc. I would say the dining room food is about equal on both. The buffet is WAY better on Carnival. I found the specialty restaurants FAR better on Carnival. Service was better on Carnival. Guests were about the same on both, but I did notice more kids on Carnival than RC. RC does have more "big" activities like the climbing wall, ice skating, etc. Overall, I would choose Carnival without a second thought. And, to boot, the price is almost always cheaper for Carnival.

[serene56]

I am sailing next Princess to compare. I am very interested in this cruise because many people on the Princess boards say it is SOOO much better than Carnival. Having only sailed on three of Carnival's newer ships, I have immensely enjoyed all my Carnival cruises and Princess should therefore knock my socks off. :p

 

 

my email address is serene56@aol.com would love to hear how it compares for you.

 

We have sailed Mostly carnival with royal peppered in there (thought the ship was too big for us)

 

then took our first Princess cruise onboard the CB and had our socks knocked off. ALways had a great time on our cruise but was surely WOW'd us from minute one.

[PaddleAddict]

my email address is serene56@aol.com would love to hear how it compares for you.

 

We have sailed Mostly carnival with royal peppered in there (thought the ship was too big for us)

 

then took our first Princess cruise onboard the CB and had our socks knocked off. ALways had a great time on our cruise but was surely WOW'd us from minute one.

 

I promise to come back to the Carnival board and post a lengthy but fair review/comparison between Carnival and Princess when I return. Just six more weeks to go!

[Nothin' But Sun]

I would like to thank ALL the posters replies. All the things mentioned seemed to be what most people agree on. The rock wall or flow rider have never interested me anyways, so that will not be missed. It is nice to hear that the Buffet gets more hands up than RC, as this is where we have most of our meals. I am looking forward to trying something new and mostly a different cruise line. The price is SOOOO right on the Carnival Dream, as we are planning 4 days at Disney and then hoping over to the Port and going on the Dream. Thanks again:)

[douglinc@msn.com]

We have sailed both lines & overall there is not much difference, Royal Carrib. has prettier ships, but the rooms are a little bigger on Carnival & I give a slight edge to Carnival on food and service & probably a little better on overall entertainment. The shows are good on both lines, but Carnival seems to have more activities. You won't go wrong with either one. The only problem is with cruises 5 days or less, you have a LOT of party people and more loud and heavy drinkers. This is true on both lines, 7 day or longer cruises are not as wild.

 

Doug

[benicehavefun]

I agree with everything mentioned, Carnival gets the nod for food overall, laid-back friendly service, slightly better shows and PRICE (value for your $$). Royal for, somehow, prettier more elegant decor and KUDOS on the Viking Crown Lounge - Love It!!! Wish Carnival had that!

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Just back from cruising on RCI's Sov of the Seas Monday. I found the Windjammer had a far superior variety of foods compared to Carnival. Go figure.;) Was only my 2nd RCI cruise and will be Platinum on Carnival in January.

 

Overall I prefer Carnival because of the price difference, but no complaints with either line.

 

Bill

[Georgiagolfer]

Sailed both and love both. I will compare RCI Mariner and CCL Glory. Mariner had rock wall, ice rink, and adults only solarium, Glory had neither.

Mariner DR service great, Glory DR food better. Mariner room service menu much better than Glory. Buffet food equal with Glory getting advantage with Deli, grill, and fish & chips.

Jr. Suite on Mariner larger than Cat. 11 on Glory. Sr. Discount on Mariner week we sailed made it cheaper than Glory the same week. Prices depend on any available discounts for that sailing and time of year.

 

Shows, both need improving IMO. Overall decor, Mariner much prettier ship. Loved the Crown Viking loungs. Would sail either line or ship again. Not a cheerleader for either line as we like both equally.

[Minoushka]

WE have done both .I like them both

During the day Breakfast will be about the same

Lunch..I prefer the way Carnival does it now with stations -more choices seems fresher .I really like the Asian food and great salad bar

I like little Promenade cafes on Freedom and Adventure ....My son loved the brownies we would get on our way back at night....he could not resist them ...Hubby could not resist Princess 4pm cookies

Great little salads and pizza on Freedom...

Rccl lunch is very Cafeteria style .Lunch in dining room same every day on ships we sailed on .However our waiter made us a special Indian dish.....Delicious.... as that was his job for lunch ...cook(Rhapsody OTS)

Dinner is great on both

Portions on Carnival somewhat smaller so no waste and allows you to try different stuff in smaller quantities .Service excellent on both .I shared many different dishes with my boys -surprisingly good !!!

Cabins similar in size ..Splurge do balconies...AWESOME for breakfast,reading .sea gazing /stargazing .seabreezes...What can I say I'm hooked on balconies since I got a free one on Costa a few years ago ....CLEVER!!!!LOve extended balconies on Princess

Ships are more Neon Glitzy Glitzy on Carnival. I loved the Miracle dining room Loved the purple pink ...where else but on a cruise ship .

Rccl is understated in comparison but still very nice

Looks like a nice hotel

I really like both and get a kick out of the bright Neon of Carnival.You know you are on a CARnival ship !!!!

I kinda like that.

Shows were great on both Do not miss Beatles show FABULOUS -sit right up front and sing-along -My kids watched me with BIG DISAPROVING EYES ... How did I know ALL their songs!!!!

Rccl also has great shows but sometimes before dinner which was VERY inconvenient for us ...I prefer dinner AND A SHOW In that order We missed quite a few ...wrote that up as a negative at the end of the cruise.

Often at night found there was little to do except casino .....smart -donate more money to their cause !!!

Rccl of course has more sports stuff .My son loved flowrider and ice rink .Found less to do on Carnival but loved it when he was younger

Ncl Crown treated our kids the best -had loads of games and prizes for kids .He loved it

Now they are both teenagers ..he enjoyed REMIX on Princess ...not sure what it was on Miracle but I believe he liked it too .He loved the Pizza place on Miracle and Regal Princess ...This kid knows his pizza .....

On RCCL he skated all day or did flow rider

Once in a while he allowed me to beat him at shuffleboard or golf

We loved bocciball on Costa .The wind and ship rocking made it lots of fun .I wish everyone offered bocci ball

By the way I loved COsta cruises FUN FUN FUN especially toga night .Entertainment TOP NOTCH. I enjoyed all languages spoken on PA ...picked up more Italian this way ..some hate that ..food very European in presentation and I enjoyed that ..others do not care to see shrimp with heads ...ok by me

Costa ships WAY WAY WAY WAY glitzy ....I Loved them

 

Basically you will find different things to like

We are doing 2 cruises on Carnival this year.Yes we will go back on Rccl OASIS being the obvious choice...

THe only company I did not care for nor was impressed is Celebrity ..Very disappointed by Galaxy /cabins -poor layout /food ...yuck!!! shows so-so HOwever Itinerary was GREAT

I choose cruises on itinerary,price of course and quality of food and shows in that order

Whichever you choose go with a positive attitude and you will have a great time

ENJOY!!!!Hope my input helped

 

Michele

[Majesty Fan]

I have cruised all 3 lines. We do not have kids so can't but that in the factor. We have over 26 cruises on RCI. We were even married on the Majesty. I met my husband who was a waiter with RCI on Majesty. But from June 2006 when we were on Vision to Alaska till Sep 07 Radiance to Hawaii 15 night cruise we saw a large slump in serivce. The food quality had gone down hill. Lobster it was a large shrimp. Part of it was a 15 night cruise I think.

 

We had a great time but I just did not see people go out of thier way like they had before. Our CS was fantastic. He did explain that on the 2 week cruise towel animals are only done the second week. I kept looking for them. No amnetiteis in the BR we are now diamond plus.

 

 

Food was just ok. Not great like before. The Escargot which is my favorite was not that great I would give it a B. I paid $110 for a coke cup but if I was by the pool I was always last to get served. Hmm thay had already gotten my gratiuity. Our dinning room server's were really good. The Windjammer seemd to have the same things everyday. The Seaview Cafe did have the best Reuben sandwhiches.

 

Entertainment- The stage shows were horrible. We walked out of the first one and never went to another one. One production was a guy about 75 doing some yodeling. The comedy and magic were typical. The best act was in the Schooner lounge was Matt Yee. Matt Yee is a gay chinese Hawaiin who sings songs everyone knows. Most nights it was standing room only. For Hawaii hey did have some superb acts on the ship. Great Hawaiin band.

 

Ports: Great we did our own thing.

 

Embarkation in LA- a nightmare we got there at 11am after Prime Time was over 60 minutes late to our hotel. Claimed they could not find it. You can't find DisneyLand! No oder people cutting in line only 2 bag guys. Finally on the ship by 1230. Luggage they guys throw it! Some were even wet!

 

Debarkation; Even worse than getting on the ship. No order people had to clear customs in the main show lounge and then given a ticket to get off the ship. Was suposed to go by colors but everyone was tired of being on the ship so everyone trying to get off and go through customs at the same time. We started at 7am and did not get off the ship until 1030am. People were fighting in line. Cruise staff doing nothing!

 

Had booked the Panama Canal but canceled it and our going on the Legend.

 

 

Cruised Carnival long ago when it was know as the Party ship or Puke ship. But we needed to get away so we booked the Inspiration out of Tampa. Tampa is a 6 hour drive. We left Panama City and got to Tampa around 2pm. We stayed at the HoJo Plaza where you can leave your car for $5 a day instead of the $12-14 a port of Tampa. Plus they will take you to channelside to diner. We had our car so we went to Busch Gardens which was 15 drive. Loved it! In the am the hotel took us to the pier we left at 11am and were were on the ship by 1130am.

 

We were able to put our bags down in the cabin but could not come back for them until 130 pm. Got the coke cup. Userfriendly and the bar had big screen fla TV's. So far so g ood. Lido food. There was an outdoor grill for breakfast and lunch with hot dogs (not so good) hamburgers tasted just like they were home grilled! Mac and Cheese saurkraut, salad fixings and desert plus there was ice tea and water stations too and juice.

 

Inside were Pods of foods. Some were salad bar, some were grilled sandwhiches other were regualr buffet items like fish, pasta, carved meats and vegetarian items. Plus an ice cream cone station. Plus towards the back was Pizza. They did about 6-8 different Pizza plus calzones and Ceasar Salads. They were great.

 

We booked a outside gty and got deck 6. Bigger cabin the royals ships of this size. Nice big Bath room. Plenty of space to put things.

 

Had a nice minigolf you have to get the clubs by the pool. Royals is better looking but this has more space so you not right on someone too. Never too congested either.

 

waterslide- This ship had the Evolutions of fun too it. Therre were 2 speed slides. They were fun but in 10 seconds you are done. The Twister slide was my favorite. During sea days always a wait sometime 20 minutes or more. The last day it did not work good and had not enough water. Open from 10-5 every day. We skipped GC we did not get off so we had the pools to our self.

 

Pools were crowded most of the time until about 5pm when people started getting ready for diner then we had it to ourself.

 

Dinning room- we ate here for dinner only- The food was much better than RCI. Lobster was much bigger. Out waiter and ast waiter had no personality but the food was good. great Escargot.

 

Shows we only went to the comedy show which was a lot of fun. We did see the Adult show a few nights later.

 

After our cruise we were very impressed by RCI. We have 5 ports within driving distance to us with nice ships. We have only 2 for RCI. We still will sail on RCI but not right now. You look aty Carnival and there ar e more ships and more ports than RCI. We sail on the Legend in 5 weeks!

Lexi

[Kurbanfan]

I am sailing next Princess to compare. I am very interested in this cruise because many people on the Princess boards say it is SOOO much better than Carnival. Having only sailed on three of Carnival's newer ships, I have immensely enjoyed all my Carnival cruises and Princess should therefore knock my socks off. :p

 

We have sailed primarily on Carnival (10)also RCCL....then we sailed on the Crown Princess last December and I have to tell you that was our best cruise hands down. Although it was the S. Caribbean and I am partial to that itinerary.....the ship blew us away. I know you will be on a different ship, I too would love to read your review...........

I don't think Princess is soooo much better then Carnival, just different in a really good way.........

[gooselover]

I'm not going to be able to compare the two for you as we have only sailed Carnival Conquest, however, I can certainly be the first to say that Conquest and Carnival FAR surpassed our expectations.

 

Try it and make your own decision, and have fun.

[Tapi]

We have only cruised RC and are planning our next cruise (already) for Jan. 2010' date=' on the Dream. Any how I would like to hear from anyone who has cruised both and what do you think we may, miss/enjoy/hate/love etc... thanks:)[/quote']

 

 

Hi, I have sailed on both Carnival and RCCL a few times, and although the product is very similar, here are some observations:

 

What we loved about RCCL:

- More low key (elegant) decor.

- LOVED eating at Portofino's (reservations only).

- Climbed the rock wall once (and one time was enough!!)

- RCCL's Gold status is much more easily attainable than CCL's Platinum status, so we were entitled to some extra goodies on our last RCCL cruise that we won't be entitled to on CCL until our next cruise.

What we loved about Carnival:

- BIGGER and nicer cabin.

- Comfort Beds are awesome.

- Main Dining room food is a notch better than RCCL

- Definitely more fun activities

 

What we didn't like about RCCL:

- Cabins are definitely worse than Carnival (and we even had a JS on our last RCCL cruise which left a lot to be desired)

- Staff is consistently not as friendly as Carnival

- Gets somewhat boring at night after the shows.

 

What we didn't like about Carnival:

- Some ship's decor can cause a headache (hello, Sensation). Choose a ship wisely since they're all different!

- Room service menu is more limited than RCCL (mostly cold items)

- Some activities are very repetitive from one cruise to another.

 

Overall, the experience is VERY similar, just in different surroundings. Hope this is helpful!

[westwingjazz]

Lets get right to the point...Carnival is 'definitely' the fun ship. The little things I noticed was on a Carnival cruise to you receive 'goodies' or samples in your bathroom...like razors, lotions, etc. In fact, Carnival also supplies you with shower gel, shampoo and conditioner. RC supplied shampoo:confused: . On a Carnival cruise you have access to a 'wash room' or laundry matt.

Some major differences regarding Carnival and RC, I believe Carnival has more 'midnight buffets'. Carnival cruises are a lot cheaper for families. Carnival supplies fresh hamburgers and fries on the 'Lido' deck (you can actually watch the cooks prepare the burger...RC 'totes' their burger materials out in a huge pan (make it yourself). More importantly, my girls ages 13 &15 enjoy Carnival 'Camp' (Camp Carnival) a dozen times more than RC Ocean Adventure. They have games like 'Guitar Hero', Dance Dance Revolution, gaming contest, over night parties, etc. One last thing, there is a vast difference in clientele between the two carriers. I can go on...but I will let others have their say.

The one thing my husband enjoyed (and believe me...it was only 'one' thing) RC had much larger food options. He was glad to have the option of turkey burgers and turkey sausages.

My husband first cruise was last year on the Carnival Liberty...this year we sailed the RC Liberty. RC Liberty does not come close to Carnival's Liberty. No way...no how! In fact, sailing aboard Carnival Liberty was the best cruise experience to date!!

I hope this helps....

For all those that are:eek: .....don’t be, this thread is subjective and from my experience only. Negative comments are not welcomed.

[Illinoisgal]

I promise to come back to the Carnival board and post a lengthy but fair review/comparison between Carnival and Princess when I return. Just six more weeks to go!

 

I went on the Cb this summer and all three of us hated it.. I hpoe it is more enjoyable for you :)

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I went on the Cb this summer and all three of us hated it.. I hpoe it is more enjoyable for you :)

 

any reasons why?

 

Bill