Long-time Carnival Loyals try Royal—Oasis 2/4/18

Hubby and I recently sailed on Royal Caribbean for the first time in February. We’ve been cruising for almost 20 years, mostly on Carnival. I’ve cruised over 20 times. We decided to try RCI due to receiving a casino offer from players club tours. We sailed on the Oasis of the Seas in early February. We did this cruise for the ship, not the itinerary—so no excursions to report.

Here are some quick comparisons.

Ship: Can’t really compare the Oasis with anything due to its sheer size. The largest ship we’ve been on prior to that was Carnival Breeze. Royal did a good job with the layout of the mega ship. You would never know there are 6,000 passengers because if the nature of the different neighborhoods.

The ship was clean and everything was in working order.

Cabin: We had an interior on deck 3. Since it was a casino agency comp, it wouldn’t have been our first choice, it actually ended up being a great location for us (close to MDR and casino). The cabin was tastefully decorated, and had a sofa. The desk had 3 outlets on the counter, plus one underneath, and an empty mini fridge.

There was sufficient storage for the two of us. Maybe slightly less storage than an inside on Carnival. The bathroom shower has a door instead of a curtain. There were no bathrobes in this class of cabin. Steward service was comparable to Carnival, but they seemed less “outgoing” and also less stressed. Nevertheless, our steward was a little hit and miss on our morning service time. Didn’t really affect our cruise—just an observation.

Cabin TV had fewer network channels and no free movies. Their movies were like $12 each ppv. The cable was completely out for about 3 days between about Cuba and Cozumel and back. Slightly annoying since DH likes to keep up with the news and we both tend to fall asleep at night watching TV. You can use the TV to manage your account, make reservations, order room service, etc.

Outside decks: Loved the variety of outdoor pools and venues! I think there were at least 5 pools, 8 or 10 hot tubs, a kids splash area, and their version of a Serenity deck, known as the Solarium. This adults only area is very large, and has panoramic views out the front of the ship.

This brings me to something we found odd. There is a glass wall all around deck 15 where the pools are. You need to go up to deck 16 to get an unobstructed view. But up there, you can’t really see the pier when docked. There is a secret deck on 14 forward, which was a good place to watch sail away. Deck 5 has a jogging track all the way around the ship, but is almost completely blocked by life boats.

Other topside activities included a really nice mini golf course, wave runner, a zip line, and two rock climbing walls. We didn’t use any of these, so having these extras didn’t really affect our cruise experience at all. We did enjoy watching others use the wave runner a couple times. We intended to try the zip line and play mini golf, but just never got around to it.

Down lower and in the middle of the ship are the boardwalk and Central Park. The boardwalk is in the rear and leads to the Aqua Theater, where they do nightly diving shows. The show is pretty impressive. There is a carousel, hot dog stand, arcade, ice cream store, and Johnny Rockets also on the boardwalk. Didn’t eat at any of them, but did try Sabor—a Mexican style pay restaurant back there (more on the food later). They also show movies on the big screens in the aqua theater.

Central Park is super cool! All the live plants, as well as bird and cricket sounds at different times of the day, really gave the feeling of being in a city park. There are a couple specialty restaurants there as well as a free place called Park Cafe, which was excellent.

Indoor areas: We spent a lot of time in Casino Royale. It was a large casino for a cruise ship. They had one side smoking and the other non, separated by the bar and the high limits area. Good variety of slots, but fewer of the newer games than our last couple Carnival ships we’ve been on. Didn’t notice any difference in apparent payouts between Royal and Carnival. They had lots of table games. Blackjack was hand dealt, but you had to bet $25 min to get a 3/5 game. The casino host was great. Casino, in general was similar. Maybe a little more laid back. Seemed to have fewer promotions going on than Carnival. I think Carnival does a better job with ventilation, but Royal’s non smoking section was more separate than the way Carnival does it.

The inside Promenade and the entertainment zone are the active areas at night. When you first board the ship, you come in on the promenade level. This looks like a land-based shopping mall with stores, bars, restaurants, etc. Think Carnival atrium on steroids. There are also lots of colors and sounds, and I found I didn’t really miss the Farcus look at all, because parts of Oasis looked like a lot of the Carnival ships to me.

At the front is the Opal Theater where they do the production shows. One floor down are the comedy club, jazz club, and skating rink.

This brings me to the shows. Royal differs from Carnival, in that you have to reserve show times. You can book these ahead of time on their website, or once you board at the “box office”, or I think you can book through the room TV. They are free, but hard to get a seat without a reservation. You must arrive no later than 10 min before your show, otherwise they give unused seats to those without reservations. We had pre-booked all our shows,which would have been 6 of them. We skipped one (too tired), were late for one (ended up standing in the back for a while), but did enjoy 3 others. Comedy was great. Very small venue and only one show per night, which we found odd. The water show was amazing. They do the full Broadway production of Cats in the main theater. We left during intermission on that one. It was good, but we were not familiar with the story and it just gets a bit long after a while. Come Fly With Me was a really cool show.

In general, the shows themselves are a step above Carnival’s shows. The jury is out for us on the whole reservation system though.

Food: Similar to Carnival. I’m not sure why people claim to like the food way better on either of these cruise lines. I mean, it was different, but pretty equal. Steaks probably better on RCI, but better seafood on Carnival. Did miss the chocolate melting cake and Guy’s burgers. Royal has creme brûlée every night in the MDR, which was great. Service seemed slightly better on Royal, but it seemed like they had fewer guests per wait team. Maybe because any given night, some people opt to eat in a specialty restaurant or at the buffet.

Royal definitely wins in the buffet department. We were prepared for a crowded mess, but actually found quite the opposite. The buffet is huge. They have various food stations from which to choose. We never found it too crowded. You could always find a clean table. They pre-pour glasses of iced tea, lemonade, juice, etc., so you’re not constantly waiting for people to get their drinks before you can get yours. There are no bacon police. They enforce the use of hand sanitizers upon entry to the buffet.

In addition to the main buffet. There are several other places to grab food during the day. There is a smaller buffet type place near the sports zone called the Wipeout Cafe. There is also Cafe Promenade and Sorento’s pizza on the inside Promenade deck. Like Carnival, late night options are pretty limited to Pizza and sandwiches. However, Royal seemed to have less wait for these things.

Room Service-Carnival has a slight edge on that food-wise. Royal charges $7.50 or something like that, for room service for as much food as you want to order. Continental breakfast is delivered without the fee. You can order using the TV. I heard Carnival is also instituting a delivery fee.

Specialty dining: Depending in how you feel about upcharge restaurants and needing more variety than the MDR, buffet and snack places, you may or may not enjoy the wide variety of specialty dining available on Oasis of the Seas. We ate at a few. Sabor is a great Mexican style place. We had pre-purchased it at a discount, for around $20 per person. I don’t think it would be worth the full price upcharge.

Giovanni’s table is the Italian upcharge restaurant for about $35 each—totally worth it! That was probably my favorite meal. Tiramisu dessert was probably the best I’ve ever had.

We purchased lunch at their steakhouse- Chops Grille. The price was much less at lunchtime, but it was a smaller menu. Very good as well.

Solarium Bistro is a buffet during the day, with excellent food. It becomes an upcharge restaurant at night.

Park Cafe was great for lunch. Salads made to order and yummy kemmelweck roast beef sandwiches were great.

After being loyal to (mostly) Carnival for 17 years, we now have another option. Carnival Players Club has become less and less generous with rewarding its players with comped future cruises. We spend a lot of moolah in the casino. On this cruise, We earned free drinks after 1000 points, which will now roll over to our next cruise. DH earned a free cruise, and I got $400 off next cruise. Guess what? They allowed us to combine offers, so we just booked our next 7-day Royal cruise and used my $400 to upgrade his free inside to a balcony! They give you a list of available sailings with your certificate, and you have a month to book it. Seemed to have more options for the choices of cruises, departure ports, and dates than we’ve been given by CPC the last year or so. They are also completely transparent about how many points you need to get rewards.

I’m going to miss my Platinum perks on Carnival. Also, Royal had an older more laid-back crowd. There was a slight air of classism on Royal that we didn’t notice on Carnival. High-tier loyalty members, and guests in certain cabin classes have access to exclusive areas/venues on Oasis. No big deal, but it was pretty obvious. Maybe someday...unless things change.

If Carnival Players Club steps up its game, or Royal’s casino stops providing great service and rewards, we would definitely go back to Carnival. Also, if we were actually paying the fare, Carnival would win that battle every time. And, while our RCI cruise was fun, I did miss the “Funship” experience. YMMV.

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Thanks for the review and comparison..... You cruised free so it will be hard for you to answer these questions.

1) Cost comparisons Carnival vs RCCL?? When I research similar length cruises....I find RCCL is much higher than my Carnival (newer ship) options. We always cruise over peak times (vacation periods, holidays, etc) so this may be part of the reason why?

2) Beverage Plan.... Again important to us since we like to drink on a cruise. I believe RCCL is higher ....

The rest comes down choice.... If you want a resort type atmosphere...Oasis class is for you. If you want a more cruise type experience....other lines provide that option and/or the smaller RCCL ships do as well.

Thanks for the review and comparison..... You cruised free so it will be hard for you to answer these questions.

 

1) Cost comparisons Carnival vs RCCL?? When I research similar length cruises....I find RCCL is much higher than my Carnival (newer ship) options. We always cruise over peak times (vacation periods, holidays, etc) so this may be part of the reason why?

 

2) Beverage Plan.... Again important to us since we like to drink on a cruise. I believe RCCL is higher ....

 

The rest comes down choice.... If you want a resort type atmosphere...Oasis class is for you. If you want a more cruise type experience....other lines provide that option and/or the smaller RCCL ships do as well.

Definitely more expensive than Carnival! If value is important to you, then Carnival is the best!

Royal’s beverage plans and regular drink prices are higher than Carnival’s.

Totally agree with you on the type of experience too. Definitely missed the Carnival “vibe”. This next one will be on a slightly smaller ship in a better cabin. Will be interesting to see how that compares, for example, to Carnival Breeze.

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Loved your review and comparisons...I was opposite. I only cruised RCL for years (Diamond Plus) and tried Carnival 4 years ago.

Just did my 10th Carnival (Pride) and will be Platinum on my next cruise. Overall, I'm very happy with Carnival. I'm a big casino person too and in the beginning I was getting free or deeply discounted prices on repeat trips. Lately, not much. I just got off the Pride on Sunday and had 12000 points...I got the same casino offer as someone who earned 2000...not fair..LOL

Glad to hear different opinions. I loved RCL Radiance class ( similiar to Pride) but have no desire to sail on any line with 5000 passengers, no matter what line it is! RCL just always seems to have the attitude of BIGGER IS BETTER.

I'll explore...thanks for your input!:)

Definitely more expensive than Carnival! If value is important to you, then Carnival is the best!

 

Royal’s beverage plans and regular drink prices are higher than Carnival’s.

 

Totally agree with you on the type of experience too. Definitely missed the Carnival “vibe”. This next one will be on a slightly smaller ship in a better cabin. Will be interesting to see how that compares, for example, to Carnival Breeze.

 

 

 

 

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This isn't always true. I booked Allure for October this year and it was cheaper than Glory for a similar balcony cabin. Oasis is often cheaper than Allure. It's not true that Carnival is much cheaper than Royal anymore.

The drink packages on Royal, simple answer is "it depends" - which brings me back to the cruise fare also. Royal runs all sorts of different sales all the time that drastically change the prices. As I mentioned, Allure was cheaper than Glory, but I also picked up the ultimate beverage package for $48/day vs $51.95 or whatever Cheers cost... you just have to (annoyingly) watch for sales on all this stuff.

Glad you enjoyed Oasis. It seems you did a good job exploring, too. I love the casino on Oasis class because it feels like it's own venue, if that makes sense. It's part of the entertainment deck - jazz club, comedy, theater, casino, nightclub, ice theater, and it's all themed very well together. It's not thrown onto the promenade deck like other ship designs.

Not sure if you knew this, but Johnny Rockets is complimentary for breakfast - made to order diner stuff, and the Solarium Bistro is a great alternative to the Windjammer buffet.

Glad to hear different opinions. I loved RCL Radiance class ( similiar to Pride) but have no desire to sail on any line with 5000 passengers, no matter what line it is! RCL just always seems to have the attitude of BIGGER IS BETTER.

As the OP said as well, you wouldn't know you are on with 6,000 passengers. Quite frankly, Oasis feels much less crowded than typical mid-sized ships. You may want to entertain the idea at least once to see if you like it :)

Thanks for the review and comparison..... You cruised free so it will be hard for you to answer these questions.

 

1) Cost comparisons Carnival vs RCCL?? When I research similar length cruises....I find RCCL is much higher than my Carnival (newer ship) options. We always cruise over peak times (vacation periods, holidays, etc) so this may be part of the reason why?

 

2) Beverage Plan.... Again important to us since we like to drink on a cruise. I believe RCCL is higher ....

 

The rest comes down choice.... If you want a resort type atmosphere...Oasis class is for you. If you want a more cruise type experience....other lines provide that option and/or the smaller RCCL ships do as well.

I have sailed with RCCL twice on Grandeur and just got back off carnival pride two weeks ago. So this is my opinion answer for your questions.

Yes RCCL is more then Carnival! However the saying is true...you get what you pay for! Between Grandeur and Pride out of Baltimore I will always choose Grandeur! I can’t say I will never go on Carnival again...I just won’t go on Pride! We were just very disappointed in Pride!!!

As far as the drink packages I don’t know really. I think RCCL is higher but they have a few different packages.

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I have sailed with RCCL twice on Grandeur and just got back off carnival pride two weeks ago. So this is my opinion answer for your questions.

 

Yes RCCL is more then Carnival! However the saying is true...you get what you pay for! Between Grandeur and Pride out of Baltimore I will always choose Grandeur! I can’t say I will never go on Carnival again...I just won’t go on Pride! We were just very disappointed in Pride!!!

 

As far as the drink packages I don’t know really. I think RCCL is higher but they have a few different packages.

 

 

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Thanks Kim.... We aren't limited to where we cruise out of...so we pretty much can choose which ship we want. The RCL brand just doesn't excite me. I cruised on Enchantment of the Seas twice....and we enjoyed it but didn't feel it was any different....but I like the current newness and size of the Carnival ships and have no interest to cruise on the mega liners. Since we are comfortable with the Carnival brand and have high membership level...we prefer to stick with a brand/product we are comfortable with and always receive consistent solid service onboard.

Thanks for the review. I have cruised on the Oasis, Allure, and the Harmony of the Seas (all Oasis class) and agree with most everything the OP said. I do not gamble so I cannot venture any opinions about the Casinos. As one who cruises quite a bit on both lines, I can say that the perks for Diamond Plus on Royal (175 nights/points) are, in my opinion, much superior to the perks at Diamond (200 nights) on Carnival. And as a previous poster observed, Royal is not always more expensive. I cruised on the Carnival Magic in a cove balcony on 2/3/18 at a fare of $1940.00. I am booked on the Allure of the Seas in a standard ocean view balcony on 10/28/18 at a fare of $1403.00. This is not truly an apples to apples comparison but it is illustrative.

Thank you for the information.

I’ve sailed Oasis and she’s my favorite ship so far. That said I don’t agree that RC is always more expensive than Carnival. Every ship every sailing is different pricing so you just have to do your own homework. There’s lots of sailings on a Oasis that are cheaper than Breeze or Vista. I will disclose that I only price out balcony cabins though.

As far as drink packages being more expensive on Royal I’ve got to disagree there too. I just sailed Anthem in Oct. and got the deluxe drink package for $40 per night plus 18% gratuity on sale. No limits on number of alcoholic drinks and it includes all non alcoholic drinks so Royal was cheaper than Carnival there.

Thanks for the review! Agree Royal is not always more. I often find prices just as good or better. Oasis class is an awesome experience, highly recommended over Vista class.

Thank you for the information.

 

I’ve sailed Oasis and she’s my favorite ship so far. That said I don’t agree that RC is always more expensive than Carnival. Every ship every sailing is different pricing so you just have to do your own homework. There’s lots of sailings on a Oasis that are cheaper than Breeze or Vista. I will disclose that I only price out balcony cabins though.

 

As far as drink packages being more expensive on Royal I’ve got to disagree there too. I just sailed Anthem in Oct. and got the deluxe drink package for $40 per night plus 18% gratuity on sale. No limits on number of alcoholic drinks and it includes all non alcoholic drinks so Royal was cheaper than Carnival there.

My definition of a balcony cabin is looking at the sea...not over looking noisy public areas and able to see passengers on other side!!..... Price the upper outside balcony's during spring to Vista and Breeze..... Big difference especially when adding a 3rd passenger which they rarely discount!!

Nothing wrong with Oasis class if you like mega ships....it just doesn't feel like you are on a ship when cruising that class of ship.

Your experience on Oasis was very similar to ours. We also are experienced Carnival cruisers who have done one cruise on Oasis.

We are actually looking at another Oasis-class cruise, but since those mega ships can't get into some of the more exotic ports that we enjoy (Southern itinerary is our favorite--Curacao in particular), we will probably end up back with Carnival. I agree with your assessment that the ship is your destination when you cruise on the Oasis or one of the other mega ships.

I enjoyed your review, BooBooMonkey. Especially the details about the casino and casino offers. Carnival's casino offers are not very good this year, so it's good to learn about alternatives. It's been a long time since I cruised RCCL. I've been getting good casino deals on HAL this year, so I haven't booked a Carnival cruise this year.

My definition of a balcony cabin is looking at the sea...not over looking noisy public areas and able to see passengers on other side!!..... Price the upper outside balcony's during spring to Vista and Breeze..... Big difference especially when adding a 3rd passenger which they rarely discount!!

Nothing wrong with Oasis class if you like mega ships....it just doesn't feel like you are on a ship when cruising that class of ship.

I’ve only stayed in ocean view cabins so that’s what I was referring to and RC is notorious for throwing their kids sail free sale so not sure if you’re just looking at holiday dates because they won’t have it then?

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I’ve only stayed in ocean view cabins so that’s what I was referring to and RC is notorious for throwing their kids sail free sale so not sure if you’re just looking at holiday dates because they won’t have it then?

 

 

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Oceanview and neighborhood view are similar in pricing too.

I can see the benefit of neighborhood and ocean views.

Thanks for the review and comparison..... You cruised free so it will be hard for you to answer these questions.

 

1) Cost comparisons Carnival vs RCCL?? When I research similar length cruises....I find RCCL is much higher than my Carnival (newer ship) options. We always cruise over peak times (vacation periods, holidays, etc) so this may be part of the reason why?

 

2) Beverage Plan.... Again important to us since we like to drink on a cruise. I believe RCCL is higher ....

 

The rest comes down choice.... If you want a resort type atmosphere...Oasis class is for you. If you want a more cruise type experience....other lines provide that option and/or the smaller RCCL ships do as well.

We've only done one RCCL and it was a short one but...

1) I check almost all cruise lines when we are booking a cruise just to be sure and 90% of the time, Carnival is the cheapest. We went on RCCL once though because it was almost $100 cheaper - I think it was due to the hold up on Cuba cruises so they sent the ships on quick Bahamas cruises which worked for us at the time - so it's definitely worth checking every time because it might be lower for whatever reason. I've also noticed that the interior is normally cheaper on Carnival but a lot of the times it's a bigger jump on Carnival to go to a Balcony than on other cruise lines so the Balcony cabins might be more comparable.

2) Beverage package was barely more expensive, only a few bucks but the rules did seem less inclusive (only up to $12). We didn't run into any issues on our ship but it was small; maybe bigger ships have more bars with more expensive offerings so it would be something to consider.

We were also surprised at the food. We've heard nothing but how RCCL's food is so much better than Carnival's when in our experience, it was not. Some was better, some was worse. The drinks did seem less sugary which was nice since some of Carnival's are just too sweet and fake tasting (they've gotten much better over the last few years though too). The fun ship vibe was definitely missing; there wasn't even music at the pool when we got on the ship which we though was weird. That could vary on itinerary/ship as well too.

All in all, we'd give Royal another go if the price was right but we didn't see the experience as being worth more.

We've only done one RCCL and it was a short one but...

 

1) I check almost all cruise lines when we are booking a cruise just to be sure and 90% of the time, Carnival is the cheapest. We went on RCCL once though because it was almost $100 cheaper - I think it was due to the hold up on Cuba cruises so they sent the ships on quick Bahamas cruises which worked for us at the time - so it's definitely worth checking every time because it might be lower for whatever reason. I've also noticed that the interior is normally cheaper on Carnival but a lot of the times it's a bigger jump on Carnival to go to a Balcony than on other cruise lines so the Balcony cabins might be more comparable.

 

2) Beverage package was barely more expensive, only a few bucks but the rules did seem less inclusive (only up to $12). We didn't run into any issues on our ship but it was small; maybe bigger ships have more bars with more expensive offerings so it would be something to consider.

 

We were also surprised at the food. We've heard nothing but how RCCL's food is so much better than Carnival's when in our experience, it was not. Some was better, some was worse. The drinks did seem less sugary which was nice since some of Carnival's are just too sweet and fake tasting (they've gotten much better over the last few years though too). The fun ship vibe was definitely missing; there wasn't even music at the pool when we got on the ship which we though was weird. That could vary on itinerary/ship as well too.

 

All in all, we'd give Royal another go if the price was right but we didn't see the experience as being worth more.

Carnival you can get just about anything you want on the package. Though with Royal, I found they would still pour just about anything for the $12. Gentlemen Jack, Patron Anejo, etc. We were trying to find stuff not on the package and it was actually kind of hard. NCL - that's a different story. They have a $15 minimum but almost nothing other than basic liquors seemed to "not be included, sorry sir".

I would agree with you that the experience isn't worth more on Royal when comparing similar size ships with Carnival. Actually, I think Carnival puts out a darn good product and may be better for comparably sized ships. It's when you get to the Oasis class that Royal sets themselves apart and most definitely worth trying.

OP - Thanks for the nice review, and sorry for the slight threadjack:

I have sailed with RCCL twice on Grandeur and just got back off carnival pride two weeks ago. So this is my opinion answer for your questions.

 

Yes RCCL is more then Carnival! However the saying is true...you get what you pay for! Between Grandeur and Pride out of Baltimore I will always choose Grandeur! I can’t say I will never go on Carnival again...I just won’t go on Pride! We were just very disappointed in Pride!!!

 

As far as the drink packages I don’t know really. I think RCCL is higher but they have a few different packages.

 

 

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Awww:( I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the cruise (we were on at the same time). We loved it, but I know everyone has different preferences/perspectives even from the same experience. I hope your next cruise is better.

We've only sailed Grandeur once and had a miserable time (although some was out of their control). I know many enjoy Grandeur but we can't see any itinerary on it currently that tempting us to try them again.

Interesting read. We sailed Oasis several years ago. I thought the food was good - especially the BBB (baileys, banana, brulee). Buffet has a different arrangement which I sometimes liked & sometimes hated. It does cut down on the length of the lines - I just never could remember which station had what & did a lot of wandering. I would have liked to compare the entertainment, but since we neglected to make reservations, we couldn't get into any shows except 1 comedy where we got in after there were no-shows. My favorite areas were central park in the evening, the pool and the solarium. However, I'm pretty sure the solarium was at the back of the ship. I personally would not like the promenade/park view balconies. I have no desire to look out & see other cruisers on their balconies. I prefer to look at the ocean.

As far as pricing goes, our 2 RCCL cruises have been more expensive than any of our CCL cruises. I get all excited when I get an email advertising the 2nd person 1/2 price, only to find that the fare for the 1st person is over the top. I like RCCL, just haven't been able to find a good deal at the time we are sailing.

We don't do the drink packages, but my neighbor was telling me that you can get less than a full week on RCCL. I think if you could specify what days you did & didn't want the package, that would be beneficial, but she said they tell you what 4 days you have the package.

However, I'm pretty sure the solarium was at the back of the ship.

Solarium on Oasis Class faces forward.

Hubby and I recently sailed on Royal Caribbean for the first time in February. We’ve been cruising for almost 20 years, mostly on Carnival. I’ve cruised over 20 times. We decided to try RCI due to receiving a casino offer from players club tours. We sailed on the Oasis of the Seas in early February. We did this cruise for the ship, not the itinerary—so no excursions to report.

Thank you for your report. 54 cruises across 7 lines and Oasis Class is still the class that has amazed me the most. :)

Interesting read. We sailed Oasis several years ago. I thought the food was good - especially the BBB (baileys, banana, brulee). Buffet has a different arrangement which I sometimes liked & sometimes hated. It does cut down on the length of the lines - I just never could remember which station had what & did a lot of wandering. I would have liked to compare the entertainment, but since we neglected to make reservations, we couldn't get into any shows except 1 comedy where we got in after there were no-shows. My favorite areas were central park in the evening, the pool and the solarium. However, I'm pretty sure the solarium was at the back of the ship. I personally would not like the promenade/park view balconies. I have no desire to look out & see other cruisers on their balconies. I prefer to look at the ocean.

 

As far as pricing goes, our 2 RCCL cruises have been more expensive than any of our CCL cruises. I get all excited when I get an email advertising the 2nd person 1/2 price, only to find that the fare for the 1st person is over the top. I like RCCL, just haven't been able to find a good deal at the time we are sailing.

 

We don't do the drink packages, but my neighbor was telling me that you can get less than a full week on RCCL. I think if you could specify what days you did & didn't want the package, that would be beneficial, but she said they tell you what 4 days you have the package.

Thank you for confirming what I have seen!! I do the same thing...everytime I see a 30% off across the board, 1/2 price 2nd person, etc.... I am disappointed when pricing out the cruise and many times I am trying to make it work price wise with a Boardwalk or Central Park cabin...which in my opinion is major step down. I'm sure there are deals to be had...but never seems to be during the weeks we like to cruise!! That being said...I'm never disappointed because I like the Carnival brand and the overall cruise experience from Carnival

Thanks for the review.

When we were on the Allure four years ago, I went up to the buffet at dinner to just see what they had and they had...t bone steaks!

Never saw that on CCL!

I was able to have grilled mushroooms, properly cooked turkey bacon on rcl. I liked the vita water that’s free, the roast beef sandwiches, Starbucks , and better mdr food.

Two years ago, they had salad with king crab legs; our waiter fetched us extra legs.

CCL has better seafood? Really? Never seen a crab leg in the mdr.

Only thing better on CCL was the steak house.

Entertainment was incredible- don’t miss the parades, ice show, plus on pool days, you really can get a lounger next to the pool. The ship spreads everyone out so it doesn’t feel crowded.

If you have sailed RCL but not on one of their oasis type ships, then you are missing out on their best ships.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Keith