Should I switch from Carnival to RCL?

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I have done both and enjoyed both very much. RCI has more glass and brass and less glitz but other than looks, service and accomadations are similar.

 

RCI is more expensive than Carnival but you will be on a Voyager class ship. If taking kids they'll fall in love with this ship.

 

We've been contemplating the southern caribbean for our next cruise. At this point in time while I'd rather go on the Adventure of the Seas I'd pick the Destiny for the better itinerary. Barbados and Aruba on the same cruise and you're in port until at least 10pm on both these ports of call.

 

Bill

[bankofdad]

We've been on CCL, RCCL, and NCL and loved them all! If you've got the itch, try something new:D .

[momofmeg]

I guess my question is: Is it worth trying something new. Has anyone done both? Which one do they like better?

 

 

I do not think one is "better" then the other and really not a whole lot diffferent either. I have enjoyed cruises on both lines. Carnival does have more ships then RCCL and many of them older and Carnival offers more mini cruises then RCCL so they are more affordable because of that.

 

On the ships that have similiar itternaries prices are pretty similiar. For ex. price out Sovereign against Fanasty-prices are pretty similiar depending on which date you pick. Sometimes Sovereign is cheaper-sometimes Fanasty is cheaper.Same goes when pricing Miracle against Splendour. Now Glory is usually cheaper then Mariner but then Mariner is a voyager class ship and like 30 tons bigger.

 

RCL's voyager class ships are more expensive but only because Carnival has nothing to compare to them. I am sure one day Carnival will have a super liner also and I am also sure it will be very expensive to cruise those ships too. Heck you can cruise the Princess grand class ships cheaper then RCCL's voyager class ships.

 

Anyway I say try a RCCL ship-I personally like variety and not the same-o same-o. Why would anyone be so narrowminded to only cruise on one line? I would never do that myself. I am sure as long as I live a long time and can continue to afford to cruise I will cruise both lines many more times.

[steveaaaa]

. Barbados and Aruba on the same cruise and you're in port until at least 10pm on both these ports of call.

 

Bill

Isn't that fantastic? I wish more ports were a very late departure.

Steve

[queenL]

Absolutely! I've cruised on both lines, several times. It is definitely worth it to broaden your horizons. I can't really pick a favorite between them. They are only slight differences between the two. I will continue to sail on a variety of lines depending upon what mood I'm in at the time of booking. If you are going to sail RCL for this first time, I echo what others have said....GO on the Voyager class ships. It's an awesome, can't miss experience.

[mtchg]

I am "discovering" RCI. Did the Splendour of the Seas last January..will do the

Rhapsody in Feb..then the Jewel of the Seas in Nov. As I posted on the RCI

board, and what most here have said. They both put out a great product, and a wonderful vacation value. IMHO, the main differences are:

 

RCI has universally beautiful ships. The Vision class, which are comparable to

the Fantasy class in tonnage and age are generally better designed with much

better and classier pool areas. Carnival has caught up and ships post 1998

are great. The Farcus decor is a little more whimsical than RCI's, but still they are toned down compared to the old Fantasy class ships, and they pack an

"oh wow" factor. Yet CCL has nothing yet to compare to the sheer siz and activites list of a Voyager class. So, on balance, RCI gets an edge here..

 

Ill be seeing if RCI improves for me my next two cruises, but as much as I loved my first RCI experience, and as beautiful as the food was presented, it is NOT as tasty as Carnival, especially the beef. An exception is the dining room breakfast, which has a more varied and tasty menu and better service than CCL's open seating bfast.

 

If you are used to those 175 or 180 foot standard cabins on Carnival...BE PREPARED. Cozy is the positive word I would use for RCI's. Yet with only 135 to 150 square feet, they do use the limited space well,and there is plenty of storage space. RCI's bathrooms...tiny compared to Carnivals. I had to leave the bathroom door open so my knees would have room when I sat down to

"do my business". The TV's are also smaller in the standard RCI rooms, BUT..they have a much better selection of stuff than CCL.

 

 

Service, as most who do the comparison admit, goes to RCI, but not by alot.

Alot of that can be subjective from person to person, However, my embarkation experience on RCI was SO much better than any of my Carnival trips. Before I even got off the transfer bus, which was NOT even RCI's..an RCI rep got on board and proclaimed. "Folks, your vacation starts NOW"...I didn't even have a chance to tip the dock porter. The rep had organized the luggage with the porters and were taking them into the facility ready to be loaded. In line, RCI reps whould mingle and offer cold lemonade and make sure'you had all your stuff filled out and answered any questions. Also when I got up to the desk, RCI gave me my "sail and sign" equivalent right there.Unlike CCL which requires you to go to yet ANOTHER station for that.

Also the info;pursers desk on ship was staffed with extremely patient and cheerful folks. I have has one or two rough experiences on Carnival, but to be fair, I've had many MORE Carnival experiences to date..and there were also many great purser's staffers for CCL.

 

Dining Service, perhaps an edge to RCI..but not by much. Room stewards..equal..right down to the creative towel animals..although I believe Carnival pioneered that concept.

 

After hours food availability. Carnival has more. At some hours, your only choice on RCI is room service. Then again on RCI with notice you can have

a regular dining room order for room service. Not available on Carnival.

 

Pricing: I have noticed that other than the Voyager class, they are very similar. All three RCI cruises I will have experienced on RCI I have gotten from

60 to 80 dollars a day (admittedly insides).

 

Mitch

[frankhi]

We been on CCL, RCCL, Celebrity, Princess, and Costa.... I can't really see how people can make a distinction on the newer ships. They all seems the same (great) to me. You may like an individual, say, waiter, and that make one cruise more fun that another, or you may go on one when school is out and another when its not, but all the new ships and lines seem the same to me..... with one exception... I think the RCCL Voyager class ships offer something different and IMO better. I guess that's why they never seem to be discounted as much as all the other ships. If I had a choice of ships at roughly comparable prices I would take a Voyager class ship. We are going on the Valor this wed. I just saw some photos and while they are spectacular/awesome they are really just the same as, say, Destiny when it was new in '96

[JB007]

We have sailed on 21 cruises, 22 will be on the Glory this Sat the 11th. I think host Terry covered it well in his post. The prices are very close if you know how and when to book your next cruise. RcL has one thing over Carnival thats Voyager Class. Carnival has nice new ships but they need to step up in there next class of ships to a real wow factor. Food is better on Carnival so is entertainment most of the time. RCL has better looking ships and better layouts. We have been on 5 different lines so the moral to this story is to try different lines then you can judge for your self. Happy Cruising. :)

[mrios1]

Try NCL and you'll never go Carnival again...try Royal caribbean and you'll never go NCL again..Branch out, dont just stop at Carnival..Im my opinion, Carnival has been the worst cruise ship i've been on so far...

[daytrips]

I traveled both lines also. Most of my cruises have been on Carnival. I did one cruise on RCCL Voyager. The mistake I made was breaking my own rule. I never travel on ships that are more than a couple years old. The mattresses on Voyager were all hollowed out. You could actually feel the bed frame. I suppose if I had followed my "rule" I wouldn't have that complaint but I'm sure the same could be said about some of the older Carnival ships too.

 

The one thing that I did notice on RCCL was the lack of "energy" on the ship. Mostly at night. I swear everyone went to bed at 9pm. Not much going on after the production shows. I'm 35 and on vacation, I don't want to go to bed after dinner.

 

But to each his own. I'll be back on Carnival. Try RCCL but try the newer ships - ditto for Carnival.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Try NCL and you'll never go Carnival again...try Royal caribbean and you'll never go NCL again..Branch out, dont just stop at Carnival..Im my opinion, Carnival has been the worst cruise ship i've been on so far...

 

Did NCL once. Whilke not a picky eater the food was the worst I have ever encountered on 12 cruises. I wouldn't cruise NCL again unless it was the only ship doing an itinerary I wanted to go on.

 

No complaints to speak of on Princess, CCL, RCI, and Celebrity. :)

 

Bill

[Cruising89143]

I traveled both lines also. Most of my cruises have been on Carnival. I did one cruise on RCCL Voyager. The mistake I made was breaking my own rule. I never travel on ships that are more than a couple years old. The mattresses on Voyager were all hollowed out. You could actually feel the bed frame. I suppose if I had followed my "rule" I wouldn't have that complaint but I'm sure the same could be said about some of the older Carnival ships too.

 

The one thing that I did notice on RCCL was the lack of "energy" on the ship. Mostly at night. I swear everyone went to bed at 9pm. Not much going on after the production shows. I'm 35 and on vacation, I don't want to go to bed after dinner.

 

But to each his own. I'll be back on Carnival. Try RCCL but try the newer ships - ditto for Carnival.

On the Navigator this week the ship has been going late well into the night. It is not the cruise line more than it is the make up of that weeks passengers. I have been on Carnival ships where the sidewalks rolled up before midnight.

[momofmeg]

We been on CCL, RCCL, Celebrity, Princess, and Costa.... I can't really see how people can make a distinction on the newer ships. They all seems the same (great) to me. You may like an individual, say, waiter, and that make one cruise more fun that another, or you may go on one when school is out and another when its not, but all the new ships and lines seem the same to me..... with one exception... I think the RCCL Voyager class ships offer something different and IMO better. I guess that's why they never seem to be discounted as much as all the other ships. If I had a choice of ships at roughly comparable prices I would take a Voyager class ship. We are going on the Valor this wed. I just saw some photos and while they are spectacular/awesome they are really just the same as, say, Destiny when it was new in '96

 

That is what we have done. We have booked Mariner of the Seas for next October. So I will see what all the hype is about these voyager class ships. I am sure I will love the iceskating show and I will probally do the miniture golf but no inline skating or rock climbing for me. So a year from now I will be able to decide if it is really worth the extra bucks or not.

 

I will say this-we loved Miracle last April and if we were choosing between Miracle and Splendour (both out of Tampa now and both doing Belize, Cozumel, costa Maya and Grand Cayman) I would pick Miracle unless I got a SUPER deal for doing Splendour.

 

I like trying different things and having different experiences but Carnival need not fear- I am sure I will cruise Carnival many more times as long as I am still living and still able to afford to cruise.

[kkorman]

I have done 7 on each and think they are more alike than different.

RCI wins the service (defintiely more hit and miss on CArnival), food (the are both good and usually not any better than that, I did not like Carnival's Lido foods (buffets, sandwhichs, buffets, etc.) at all though and most people say they love that.), and ships category (Carnival does nto compare when it comes to ships design, decor, and layout). Carnival has better shows (unless you are on the voyager Class). Personally, I'd take a $100-$150/person more to travel on RCI, but that is me. If you have tried Carnival mind as well give RCI a try. All that being said, I don't have any Carnival or RCI cruises planned in the foreseeable future and they would probably be at the lower end of cruise line options.

[nosnobunny]

I've also sailed on both multiple times. If I had to chose between the two, my own personal preference would be for RCCL. That does not mean that Carnival does not put out a good product. It does. There are some things that I feel they do better than RCCL, ie. food, entertainment and cabin size and layout. However there is that undefinable something that RCCL does very well and that makes the difference for me. Neither would be my cruiseline of choice but I only came to that conclusion after trying several lines. Loyalty has to be earned. If you never try another line, you'll never know.

 

 

Beth

[newmexicoNita]

I guess my question is: Is it worth trying something new. Has anyone done both? Which one do they like better?

 

 

Two schools of thought here: one, why rock the boat? If you are happy with Carnival stay there. two: it's always fun and worth it to try something new.

 

We have done both and I really think I like Carnival a little better. Many will dissagree but that's the way we feel. The food on RCI may be a little better, but the cabins on Carnival are bigger. RCI ships aren't quite as glitzy or gaudy depending on how you view things as Carnival, but Carnival has a friendlier staff. I would base my decision of price and itienrary I think. NMNita

[xgdgirl]

This has been interesting to follow because I have the same questions.

[halos]

I guess my question is: Is it worth trying something new. Has anyone done both? Which one do they like better?

 

It's always worth trying something new!!!

Besides, It would be great if YOU were the guinea pig!! :D

Give RCI a try and get back to us with the scoop!!!

 

Seriously...why not give them all a try????

[newmexicoNita]

Did NCL once. Whilke not a picky eater the food was the worst I have ever encountered on 12 cruises. I wouldn't cruise NCL again unless it was the only ship doing an itinerary I wanted to go on.

 

No complaints to speak of on Princess, CCL, RCI, and Celebrity. :)

 

Bill

 

 

Bill we all know food opinions are very subjective, but if you think NCL is worst you have ever encountered I would like to know which ship and how many years ago. NCL, as with most lines and as most have said here, has about the same food as everyone else. We have cruised all but one mass marketed line and found very little difference. Some have better desserts, some better presentations, some better appitizers, etc, but when it comes down the the nitty gritty it is all good, non great!!!!! NMNita

[S.S.Oceanlover]

It was a long time ago Nita. It was on the then Dreamward 1993. I thought when Star bought them things would change. From reading most reviews, granted they are mostly Proud of Aloha the reviews are not good. A lot of the reviews say to get a good meal on that ship go for the reastaurants where you pay extra or eat on land.

Maybe I'm judging the whole fleet by one past cruise many years ago and on the Pride of Aloha but I think that if food is not good on one ship in the fleet it's probably bad on all of them.

In the end there are too many cruiselines out there that I know I will get decent food on and I'm not going to pay thousands of dollars to find out if the NCL food is better now.

 

Bill

[ShanB42]

I have done the Destiny and Adventure (southern). Both cruises were great. I would make the decision on which itinerary you like best.