Independence of the Seas or Carnival Vista???

Background on myself and the trip: I am 21 years old (will be 22 for the cruise) and have only been on RC cruises. I am going on a Spring 2018 trip with 3 friends (also 21-22 yrs old). We are trying to decide between these two vacations, please let me know your thoughts!

Carnival Vista

Price/Person: 521 for 1 room, 543 for 2 rooms

# of Nights: 6

Amenities: Skyride, IMAX, Microbrewery

Destinations: Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, Cozumel

Size of Rooms: 185 sq feet

Leaves From: Miami

Independence of the Seas

Price/Person: 487 for 1 room, 583 for 2 rooms

# of Nights: 5

Amenities: Surfing simulator, whirlpools that extend from ship, promenade, ice skating rink

Destinations: Falmouth & Labadee

Size of Rooms: 150 sq feet

Leaves From: Fort Lauderdale

If you have been on one or both of these ships I would love to hear from you, thank you!

Don't you have to have someone in the group 25+ to be able to cruise? I'm gonna go refresh myself on the rules.

And you'll likely prefer Carnival to RCCL if you're young.

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nope it's 21 unless I was bringing a minor with me, then I would need to be 25!

Similar thread here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2365435

Since you have already sailed RCI and given the ages of the four of you I would sail with Carnival.

I would go to the member review section of Cruise Critic and read recent reviews about each ship.

Other plus is that the Carnival cruise is one day longer tenth one on RCI.

Keith

When my boys were your age, they loved Carnival. Now in their 30's, they love RCCL. I would go for the extra day AND the itinerary on the Vista. (which is also a brand new ship).. Although I love Labadee, it is only a beach day...nothing else. Carnival has 3 stops and you will LOVE Cozumel and Grand Cayman. (not a fan of Jamaica, but both of your choices include it)

Hi Krice96,

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Typically I would choose Royal Caribbean. But, the Carnival cruise is longer, the ship is brand new and it the cabin is a bit bigger too.

My vote is for Carnival. Have a great cruise.

Jonathan

I went on the Independence in 2015, although a different itinerary, and I skeedaddled it right back to Carnival! I was not at all impressed with the food, the shows, or the cabin. There was not much to do during the day; absolutely nothing on port days. The ice show was a real bore. Just mho. Go with Vista (would love to try her!)

I would typically recommend RCI over Carnival but in this particular case, I think Vista is the better choice, especially for the extra day.