Main differences between Carnival and Royal Caribbean?

[VanessaC322]

Hi everyone,

I have never posted on this board before. That is because I have only been on one cruise and now I'm addicted. My DH and I are in our early 20's and we went on the (formerly) "smoke free" Carnival Paradise last March to the exotic western caribbean. We have advanced somewhat in our careers and want to take a little nicer trip this year and would like to do the Southern Caribbean on the Adventure of the Seas. We enjoyed our Carnival cruise very much but would like to give RCCL a try but I just don't know much about this line. (I did so much research last year that I now know tons about Carnival) What are the main differences?

[candigirl41]

I am curious as well. This will be my 9th cruise, the previous 8 were with Carnival. Will be on Vision of the Seas January 9.

 

Candi

[ruttie]

not very much of a difference at all I cruise carnival and RCCL although carnival will always have a special place in our hearts as that was first cruise with my hubby. It is all personally just your own preferences.. I like teh fantasy class over the sovereign class of ships, I love the voyager class ships over the conquest class ships, and i can not find anything wrong with the pride class or the radience class on either line:p Personally I like the food on carnival better (except the chilled soups), but i think that the service on rccl is a little better but even that really is a subjective matter I had some of the best service ever on carnival Pride and also some of the worst on the pride on another sailing same goes for rccl I like rccl because they have private islands which really make the cruise for me... Rccl has a better past guest program so i try to do them more often now to reap there rewards(carnival use to give great past guest upgrades but not anymore) either way you will be fine give rccl a try .. I have always wanted to do teh southern carribean route hope you enjoy!

[VanessaC322]

I am wondering if there are many differences in the way things are done on the ships. Embarkation, Debarkation, activities, port stops, dining, etc. Anyone know about these things?

[Pumbaamd]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=85021&highlight=compare+carnival

[ruttie]

rccl has not started allowing you to leave on your own yet they still have it where they call colors embarkation really depends on the port but generally carnival has teh e ticket lane/ reg lane & suites and rccl usually has t based on the floor your cabin is on... and crown and anchor lane.. The kids clubs are pretty muh the same but Rccl has a token sytem where you can win tokens and then turn them in for a prize at end of cruise., most of the entertainment isteh same RCCL will have the ice show that carnival won't and that is not to be missed , Carnivakl does not have THE QUEST like game on their dships and that is a big plus for RCCL ships it is hilariuos both have some type of love and marriage game, horse racing thing bythe pool bingo etc.. bith have good discos but on rccl voyager clas you have The Dungeon or Vault at the bottom of teh ship that is great for disco.. Rccl has teh VIking lounge which is great and usually has a better piano bar /martini bar... they really are pretty similiar... I think i covered some of your stuuf any more questions? I will try to help/....

[Dave4120]

Hello...My wife and I just completed our 13th cruise and are going on our 14th in January. We just sailed the Adventure in October and in our opinion, you will not be disappointed. WE have also sailed Carnival.

 

Withour writing a book report, I will try to answer some of your questions as briefly as possible. Remember, what I am describing, is just our opinion based on our experiences. Everyone has a different opinion.

 

Carnival tends to appeal to younger adults. The Carnival atmosphere is a bit more wild. Nothing wrong wioth that at all. RCCL has many activities too, but the atmosphere is a bit more subdued. You won't find that many young, wild, party animal adults on RCCL.

 

The Voyager class ships of RCCL which the ADventure is part of, are just magnificant. And the Southern Caribbean cruise is wonderful, especially the route that begins in San Juan, and goes to Aruba, Curaceo, St. Marteen, and St. Thomas.

 

Most of the ships shore excursions are pretty much the same. RCCL's embarkation and disembarkation is normally very smooth. But there are occasions when getting on and off can take longer than normal if certain circumstances arise.

 

The food on RCCL, just like any other ship is good. Is it gourmet? Not really. WE look at it like a big banquet hall, serving hundreds of people at a time. If you don't over expect, things work out fine. Some people think the food is supposed to be fit for a King, or they are supposed to be treated like the President. Those are the people who complain the most and are miserable with life in general. They feel everyone owes them a favor or something. If you remain open minded things seem to go better.

 

The Adventure has the open promenade floor which no other ship has, except for other RCCL Voyager Class ships. I know we are hooked on these ships because of this floor. It's like being on Burbon Street in New Orleans or something. Shops, pubs, winde bars, coffee shop, sports bar. Great place to socialize, unwind, or have a drink before or after dinner.

 

I can go on, but in general, RCCL stops at great ports, getting on and off is normally smooth, the food is good, they even have a Johnny Rockets, the pool area is huge, the spa and fitness areas are big and loaded with equipment, the casino is big and full of action, they even have a rock climbing wall on the top floor of the ship, basketball courts outside, miniature golf, the only ships at sea with an ice skating rink and ice skating shows that rival shows on TV, one of the best theaters we've ever been to for musical production shows and comedy entertainment. And they have a great library, computer room, specialty lounges and bars, all kinds of music for dancing. And if you just want quiet, the outside prominade deck is never crowded at all on the 5th floor. They have chairs and lounge chairs outside on this deck and it's a great way to enjoy the ocean on a sea day, sit, relax, read a book, or just shut yhour eyes and let the sea breeze and sound of the water put you in a state of peace. Nothing like it.

 

I truly believe that once your on the Adventure, you will be spoiled and not wnat to get off.

 

If you have any other specific questions, let me know and I will try and answer them. I hope this helps a bit. Enjoy your cruise.

 

Dave

[VanessaC322]

Thank you Pumbaamd, ruttie, and Dave for your help. The link provided by pumbaamd is very helpful due to the amont of information. I am really hoping that we book the AOS but we still have some research to do on prices. The prices we are finding are about $200 more per person but I'm trying to convice DH that it will be worth it!

 

Thanks for the suggestions!

Vanessa

 

Carnival Paradise 3/04

(Hopefully AOS next!)

[Pumbaamd]

It's worth it!

[Pumbaamd]

Check out the RCL VISA card. You'll save $$$ on your RCL cruise(s).

[reggierail]

I've sailed many times on RCCL and just recently did an inspection on the Carnival Pride and Paradise in Long Beach. I have to say I was quite impressed with both of the ships and my opinion of Carnival has improved a lot. We had one luncheon in the dining room of the Pride and the food and service was very good. The next day we had lunch at the buffet on the Paradise and I was not impressed. The buffet on all of my RCCL cruises had a much larger selection and a much nicer presentation. The cabins on both of the Carnival ships were nice and seemed a little larger than RCCL.

I'd like to sail some day on a Carnival cruise so I would be better able to compare the two.

 

Reggie

[WaterWish]

I've not cruised Carnival, and when I did Southern Caribbean it was on Grandeur (Vision class), but I highly recommend the Southern Caribbean itinerary. Beautiful islands! If you go with RCCL, don't miss the America's Cup regatta in St. Maarten!

[Newcastle]

I've not cruised Carnival, and when I did Southern Caribbean it was on Grandeur (Vision class), but I highly recommend the Southern Caribbean itinerary. Beautiful islands! If you go with RCCL, don't miss the America's Cup regatta in St. Maarten!

 

 

I'm not quite sure I under stand your statement. If you go with RCCL are the islands beautiful or if you go with RCCL don't mis the America's Cup regatta. I would think no matter what cruise line you are on the islands look pretty much the same and the regatta should be at least close to the same on any line.

[Fatherdav]

After a few cruises On Royal Carribean my wife and I decided to do one on Carnival. It was on the Fascination in 2002.

 

We wouldn't turn down another cruise on Carnival, but I wouldn't pick it either.

 

The little things;

 

Less eager and friendly staff.

Darker colors, browns and blacks for decorating.

More plastic versus glasses.

You couldn't buy rum on board and take it back to your room.

Gratuities were automatically charged to your account.

Many of the outer decks were poorly lighted. (Good place for a mugging.)

There was more of a "cattle-call" to get on the ship.

Our cabin's TV had very limited channels and mostly fuzzy pictures. With network channels only occasionally.

At Bingo, they reused cards instead of new cards for every game. And low payouts.

When you got off the elevators the floor directories didn't name what's on every floor.

And worst of all, they ran out of MGD. :)

[ernie16]

IMO Carnival caters to a younger crowd(30 ish) and offer more of a party atmosphere. While RCCL age group tends to be more 40 ish. This is only what I have read in cruise Mags I have never sailed Carnival..true OCEAN blue to RCCL.

[kfgarrow]

IMO Carnival caters to a younger crowd(30 ish) and offer more of a party atmosphere. While RCCL age group tends to be more 40 ish. This is only what I have read in cruise Mags I have never sailed Carnival..true OCEAN blue to RCCL.

 

Why would you comment about Carnival at all if you have never sailed the line? In my experience Carnival and RCCL both have a real mixed bag of customers. We cruised with a couple in their late 80s on Carnival and RCCL always has a ton of kids and young families on their Voyager class ships. The average customer age is probably very similar on a 7-day cruise.

 

So what are some of the differences?

 

Carnival

Food has been a notch better with more menu variety in the dining room

"Fun" factor - hard to describe, just something you experience onboard

Excellent entertainment

Brighter, more thematic decor

 

Royal Caribbean

Outstanding ships -- facilities can't be beat

Loved the private island

More attentive, polished service

Excellent children's program

Excellent entertainment

More subdued decor

Less of a "fun" factor

 

I think both lines have more similarities than differences. Although the facilities on the Voyager class are definitely an upgrade over Carnival, I didn't find most other RCCL features to be an upgrade and the food was certainly a downgrade. But only you can determine if the RCCL experience is worth the premium charged.

[sppunk]

I had the word "Fun" Carnival uses. I'm on vacation: If I were on a ship full of lobsters in a rainstorm I could still have "fun." You don't need to continuely tell me I'm on a "fun ship," so I'm having fun.

 

I've sailed both many times, and really, there isn't any differences aside from the ships themselves. Carnival might have more variety in the dining room, but RCCL makes up for that in room-service, buffet lines, et al. I can't comment on kids programs, though, so that might be a deal-breaker for Carnival, I just don't know.