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

Lol. This is simply laughable at this point. I’ll say it one more time then I’ll be moving right along. Never, have I ever found a RCL cruise cheaper than carnival. I know lots of others who say the same. Have a lovely evening. [emoji4]

 

 

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Apples to Apples comparison. I have the Allure of the Seas booked for Oct 28, 2018, 7-day cruise in an ocean view balcony for $1403. This was booked during an RCCL sale and I also get a $250 or $300 discount on a balcony cabin (not sure which) for being Diamond plus. I just did a mock booking on the Vista for a 10/28/18 7-night cruise with my VIFP Diamond # entered. Carnival cost $2058.

I cruised on Jewel of the Seas for 2 weeks in Jan/Feb. let's just say was BORING. I kid you not, one of the pool side games... they brought up 2 bed and had a contest to see who could make a bed better and faster than a stateroom attendant. We paid more for 2 weeks on RC than carnival and we were all bored!

Apples to Apples comparison. I have the Allure of the Seas booked for Oct 28, 2018, 7-day cruise in an ocean view balcony for $1403. This was booked during an RCCL sale and I also get a $250 or $300 discount on a balcony cabin (not sure which) for being Diamond plus. I just did a mock booking on the Vista for a 10/28/18 7-night cruise with my VIFP Diamond # entered. Carnival cost $2058.

One more example, I actually booked Allure for September 16th for $1822 pp for a 2br Spacious Aquatheater suite with large balcony. That's 1595 sq ft (room and balcony) for what many people pay pp for a regular balcony cabin on some itineraries. We booked originally at a higher rate and just kept checking and happened upon this steal. Definitely cheaper than the OP found with the Vista sailing above. You can always find cheaper fares on one line vs the other if you're vigilant. Newer ships in a particular class are always going to be more expensive than their older counterparts if you're comparing apples to apples.

After my upcoming cruise, I am looking to book Carnival Horizon. I book for the ships (1st) and cruiseline (2nd). I've yet to have an experience on any line (Carnival, RCI, Princess, NCL, Celebrity) that would keep me from sailing with that line again. I'm there to relax and have an enjoyable vacation so if I'm in a location on the ship that is not to my liking, I just move to another. All of these ships have so many options available now, that finding a place that makes you happy shouldn't be too hard. I do have to laugh at the "floating mall" statements as the "mall" is a fraction of 1 of 16 decks. If that's not the deck for you, then there are many others to choose from.

The end result is to cruise on the ship and/or line that best suits your needs and have a great cruise!

Thanks for the comparison. I cruise on both lines and am looking forward to my Oasis cruise later this year. In my opinion, both lines have pros and cons. I will probably continue to go back and forth between the lines. Both lines offer things I really like.

Thanks for the comparison. I cruise on both lines and am looking forward to my Oasis cruise later this year. In my opinion, both lines have pros and cons. I will probably continue to go back and forth between the lines. Both lines offer things I really like.

Thanks to those who acknowledged my balanced review. That was my goal. After our next cruise on RCI Liberty, we plan to try a Carnival Vista or something to compare again.

I’m totally surprised at the back and forth about prices and mall at sea!

We didn’t purchase a drink package, but the drink prices are definitely higher on Royal. We were “comped” this cruise. We always have found the Carnival fares to be less than Royal for the ships and ports we’ve researched. I’m sure there are exceptions. However, price has always been a factor in our decision not to choose Royal before now.

Now to research how to get to Galveston, which airport, hotel, etc! This will be our 8th different port of embarkation!

Happy cruising to all. [emoji16]

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Thanks to those who acknowledged my balanced review. That was my goal. After our next cruise on RCI Liberty, we plan to try a Carnival Vista or something to compare again.

 

I’m totally surprised at the back and forth about prices and mall at sea!

We didn’t purchase a drink package, but the drink prices are definitely higher on Royal. We were “comped” this cruise. We always have found the Carnival fares to be less than Royal for the ships and ports we’ve researched. I’m sure there are exceptions. However, price has always been a factor in our decision not to choose Royal before now.

Now to research how to get to Galveston, which airport, hotel, etc! This will be our 8th different port of embarkation!

Happy cruising to all. [emoji16]

 

 

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I cruised on Liberty of the Seas out of Galveston and it was one of my favorite cruises. You won't have to make reservations for the shows and the shows are very good. I liked everything about the ship. The only downside was the lack of continuous comedy shows, which is definitely a Carnival perk. However, the comedy shows they had were very good. I think you'll have a great time.

The Hobby is the closest airport, but I've always flown into Bush International because of my flight choice. Anyway, thanks again for your review and I hope you have a wonderful future cruise.

I have cruised both lines about equally and sometimes Royal is cheaper, but usually I find Carnival's pricing to be the best value. In any case, someone's review thread is really not the place for arguing about cruise line pricing and who checks for low prices the most. How about we end that discussion now and take it to another thread if you want to continue on that tangent?

Thanks for the balanced review, BooBooMonkey.

Thank you for the comparison, I enjoyed your review.

I sailed on the Liberty of the Seas and then 3 months later the Breeze both out of Galveston. The Liberty was my first Royal cruise and I went with a group of women who picked the ship. I was worried about traveling to Galveston, since the port is not close. It was really pretty easy. The worst part was getting off the ship and waiting for the shuttle we had prebooked. When I traveled on the Breeze we booked a private shuttle to the airport, much better. We also booked private from the airport to the port both times. I love the Breeze and liked it better than the Liberty probably because I am more familiar with the Carnival product, but I will say the pool area on the Liberty was much bigger and we really enjoyed it.

I am sailing the Oasis in November with my daughter and family. We did look at Carnival but Royal's sale where kids sail free and the $175 OBC beat out any Carnival ship sailing on the East Coast. Granted, we are in a boardwalk balcony but add the soda packages for the kids, Johnny Rockets and the price can't be beat.

Enjoyed the comparison review very much. Thanks!