Carnival Victory or RCCL Adventure

[icepickjazz]

We are planning on taking an April vacation with 2-boys 9 & 12 and my wife and I. We have been on several Carnival cruises (5) with the kids and enjoyed it. My wife & I have been on 3 RCCL cruises over the years w/o the kids and like those as well.

 

I've heard recently the service/quality levels of RCCL have diminished significantly. Any truth to the rumors?

It also seems that RCI seems to nickle & dime with all the extras; i.e., Johnny Rocket's, etc.

 

Any thoughts on which of the 2 ships to choose?

[Cigar Dude]

We sailed the Victory in September and LOVED it. We have never been on a RCCL cruise. You can see our entire trip by clicking on the link in my signature.

[Cruzaholic41]

I've heard recently the service/quality levels of RCCL have diminished significantly. Any truth to the rumors?

It also seems that RCI seems to nickle & dime with all the extras; i.e., Johnny Rocket's, etc.

 

No, and no. False, False, False.

 

RCI service and quality has not diminished, at least not any more than any other cruise line, including Carnival. In fact, their ships are only getting better. Please do not give in to the nasty rumors. Most of it is Carnival cheerleading propaganda.

 

Nickle and diming is also no different. Johnny Rockets can only be used as an example if there is another cruise line that offers it for free.

 

As for the comparison between Victory and Adventure....both are great cruises. However, my nod almost always has to go to the Voyager Class ships (Adventure). The AOS is designed so much better than Victory, is decorated a lot better, and offers more to do. The ice show is a must see.

[LHP]

We are planning on taking an April vacation with 2-boys 9 & 12 and my wife and I. We have been on several Carnival cruises (5) with the kids and enjoyed it. My wife & I have been on 3 RCCL cruises over the years w/o the kids and like those as well.

 

I've heard recently the service/quality levels of RCCL have diminished significantly. Any truth to the rumors?

It also seems that RCI seems to nickle & dime with all the extras; i.e., Johnny Rocket's, etc.

 

Any thoughts on which of the 2 ships to choose?

 

I have never sailed on RCCL...but I would imagine that both ships would provide an excellent cruise.

 

You have experienced both cruise lines and are happy with both...I would check the rates and see which one is the best value for your vacation dollar!

 

Happy Cruising!!!

[Anyislandwilldo]

After sailing the Victory a few weeks ago, I would definately sign up again. We had a 10 star vacation. There are many posts talking about how great the Victory is and I must say I was not in the least bit disappointed with anything on that ship. Right now I am so depressed because I long to be back on a ship sailing somewhere in the Caribbean. Good luck with your choice.

[missabbi]

I have sailed both and would go with the Victory. We had a great experience in June.

 

Either way, you will have a great time!

[firefly333]

Adventure of the Seas is a lot more ship than the Carnival one you are comparing it to, so that makes it pretty hard to pick.

 

Both RCL and Carnival have FREE grilled hamburgers .... why is it a issue because RCL offers you a $5 cover charge alternative for all you want to eat at Johnny Rockets. If $5 is not within your budget, eat the hamburgers from the grill that are free. I dont get the complaining if there is a alternative that costs money, just dont do it if the $5 bothers you. Plenty to eat that is free.

 

Adventure is even newer than Voyager which I thought was awesome. Iv done Voyager twice, but not the next class up.

 

Been some complaining over here lately with folks dissapointed in their cruise. Dont get expecting perfection, no matter which you choose.

[steveaaaaa]

We are planning on taking an April vacation with 2-boys 9 & 12 and my wife and I. We have been on several Carnival cruises (5) with the kids and enjoyed it. My wife & I have been on 3 RCCL cruises over the years w/o the kids and like those as well.

 

I've heard recently the service/quality levels of RCCL have diminished significantly. Any truth to the rumors?

It also seems that RCI seems to nickle & dime with all the extras; i.e., Johnny Rocket's, etc.

 

Any thoughts on which of the 2 ships to choose?

 

RCCL hands down for the kids.

Having done many CCL cruises and 2 Voyager class cruises,the Voyager class has my vote hands down and the kids will be absolutely thrilled.

 

Steve

[scraphappylady]

RCCL hands down for the kids.

Having done many CCL cruises and 2 Voyager class cruises,the Voyager class has my vote hands down and the kids will be absolutely thrilled.

 

Steve

 

I'm certainly not going to get into a p*ssing match with "cheerleaders" from either cruise line, but I have to disagree with Steve here and add my two cents worth. As a mom who has done both cruise lines, I really think your kids, being the ages they are, will like the atmosphere of Carnival better. Let me explain my experiences and rationale.

 

I took a cruise in March on Adventure of the Seas, with two of my good friends, all three of us moms, and absolutely loved it. However, while we were sans kids on this trip, we were certainly thinking a lot about them, and also what they might think of cruising. (It was a first cruise for all 3 of us.) We found ourselves wondering if our kids would really like being on this ship, because of the more mature atmosphere we felt throughout. Great for adults trying to be adults for a change and not "mom", but maybe not so much for kids.

 

Then in july, my husband and I then took our two kids (ages 14 and 9 at the time) on Carnival's Legend. They loved it, and I got the idea that the more family-oriented, much lower-key vibe I got while onboard extends throughout the Carnival line. From a kids point of view, I also have to mention something my daughter told me in passing. Apparently, another kid who went to camp with her told her he was on an RC ship in the past (I don't think he mentioned which one) and thought it was . . . well, I can't use those his same words here, but the word "uptight" comes close.

 

As for which line our family will travel on in the future, give me a good deal and the right itinerary, and we'll most likely travel either one. My kids should be able to adjust just fine. I'm sure your kids will have a good time no matter which cruise line you pick. If they're more mature to begin with, you're good to go with either!

 

The only caveat I would add would be to consider the itinerary. While each ship left from San Juan, when I was on AOS, we had two sea days and 4 in port. On the Victory, it's each day in a different port, with no sea days. My husband and I will be on the Victory in two weeks, and as definite port people are seriously looking forward to it. However, we are hoping we won't overextend ourselves with too many activities. We decided to do this trip ourselves first, then bring the kids at a later time if it's not too exhausting.

 

As I said to start, just my $.02 worth!

[rednose83]

This is a prime example of how rumors get started. You are not correct in what you post. The upcharge steaks you speak of are an option to order off the Chops Grille menu from the dining room. When did Carnival start offering the Supper Club steak for free? How many times does that have to be explained?

 

...and that last sentence....that is exactly the type of cheerleading propaganda I was talking about. All you have to do is speak kindly of RCI and this is the type of flaming you get. That is sad. :rolleyes:

 

BTW...I am both Carnival folk and RCI folk. Single brand loyalty is not for me.

 

To be honest, I wish Carnival would let you get the Supper Club steak in the MDR for an upcharge. I only want the meat and not the rest of the meal. I'd gladly pay $14.95.

 

BUT, I think people keep writing this because the Supper Club on CCL serves Prime graded meats. RCI (Chops) does not. If they did, they'd be advertising it.

[CecilCtyCruiser]

Until recently, my husband and I were loyal RCI cruisers. After our last RCI cruise in 2008 we were so disappointed in the decline in service and amenities that we decided to try Carnival again. We were sold, and would think twice about going back to RCI. Friends of ours had a similar experience after a cruise on the Voyager of the Seas in 2009. Others may agree or disagree, this was our experience.

 

Good luck in making your decision.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Adventure of the Seas is a lot more ship than the Carnival one you are comparing it to, so that makes it pretty hard to pick.

 

Both RCL and Carnival have FREE grilled hamburgers .... why is it a issue because RCL offers you a $5 cover charge alternative for all you want to eat at Johnny Rockets. If $5 is not within your budget, eat the hamburgers from the grill that are free. I dont get the complaining if there is a alternative that costs money, just dont do it if the $5 bothers you. Plenty to eat that is free.

 

Adventure is even newer than Voyager which I thought was awesome. Iv done Voyager twice, but not the next class up.

 

Been some complaining over here lately with folks dissapointed in their cruise. Dont get expecting perfection, no matter which you choose.

 

Is there an outside grill on the Voyager class or are you referring to the burgers they grill in the windjammer and leave sitting in that tray of grease?

 

BTW OP I'd pick the AOS. Gotta love the Voyager class ships.

 

Bill

[surrealuv]

I've been on both lines recently and both were great.

 

I do have to vote more favorably to Carnivals Dining Room menu & follow through. RC's was such a hit or miss and not very memorable.

 

Service on both though were excellent in every way !!

 

RC seems to have a little less of a Vegas feel but I've never DISLIKED Carnival decor (ok Miracles DR "grape" theme is pretty scary):eek:

 

I LOVED the Tango dancers on RC's Jewel...such a classy show

 

Carnival is definitely more interesting if you are a people watcher....

 

I pick a cruise using this criteria order- ports, dates, price and departure port...

[NutsAboutGolf]

First, what's the price difference?

 

AoS has one less port/one sea day where the victory has all ports days and no sea day.

 

AoS does charge for room service late night, but with a cruise that busy, I personally can't imagine being up past midnight. If there was more seadays, I can understand that being a factor. Also, to my understanding, you can get a full breakfast including omletts from RCCL? I'd personally love that over CCLs continental breakfast...

 

IMO

If price, an extra port are important to you, Victory (My pick)...

If the ship is more important to you, AoS...

[icepickjazz]

First, what's the price difference?

Price difference is $13.

[NutsAboutGolf]

Price difference is $13.

 

In that case, I'd do the AoS and calling room service and an omlett breakfast delivered to my room each morning...I have never been on RCCL and only one CCL cruise.

[icepickjazz]

How about a tie breaker? There seem to be strong feelings either towards RCI or CCL. I see Celebrity Summit Southern Caribbean that is about $545 less for the cabin than the Adventure or Victory. It's been a while since cruising on celebrity, but it didn't seem as kid friendly or entertainment quite as good. Has that changed any?

 

Our favorite ports are St. Maarten, Aruba, Barbados. (no particular order). That is why we tend to stick to Southern or Eastern Itineraries. If it was wife & I only, then price would be the deciding factor. However; it has been 5 years since we have taken the boys on a cruise. We want them to recapture some of the past cruise excitement. Probably hard given their ages but we will try anyway. Activities, entertainment, ship as a destination as well as price are important factors for this vacation.

 

I'm sure we will have good time no matter what we choose.

[Cruzaholic41]

Celebrity is a fantastic cruise line for couples, but I would not recommend them with children.

 

The kids areas are much smaller than CCL and RCI. There is not nearly as much for the kids to do.

 

The plus for adults is the service. It is a notch higher than CCL and RCI. If you are a non-smoker, X is a huge plus. They do not allow smoking anywhere inside the ship, including the casino. They also do not allow it on cabin balconies.

 

The entertainment has improved. They do a Cirque de Soleil type show that is excellent.

 

As for the strong feelings about RCI and CCL...please understand that most of it is sibling rivalry. The reason these 2 lines are always contested is because they are so very similar. The biggest difference between the two is the physical ships.

[dc-snoopy]

Having sailed on both CCL and RCI, I have to say that RCI definitely wins for us...but it has nothing to do with the petty little arguments that the cheerleaders are arguing about.

 

For us, it is the atmosphere. We are by no means extremely experienced having only two RCI cruises and one CCL cruise, but we'll try to confirm our feelings in a couple of weeks when we go on our second CCL cruise (my sister's choice, since this is for the family to celebrate her big '-0' birthday). For us, Carnival really does feel like the party ship with a bit of sensory overload. Neon lights everywhere and loud music everywhere. The speakers are always pumped up so loud that I stay in the rooms with the bands (and I imagine everyone is losing their hearing in those areas). It was virtually impossible to find anywhere onboard that was quiet when the bands were playing. For me, at the end of the week, I like to spend a little time relaxing and getting ready to go back to home and grind and even on my balcony, I couldn't. We were close enough to the pool deck that we could hear the music there. On RCL, there was a library, games room and several places in the public areas with small tables and chairs where you could watch the sea through a porthole quietly or read.

 

Many little things, but the environments are different and cater to different folks. And I think those things affect cruisers more. To each his/her own. Try them and make your own choice.

[JordanLovesCruisin]

First of all, I hate all of the "politics". What does it matter to anyone if another CRUISELINE slams their competition. What does it matter, seriously? Why do people let it effect them so much to where they have to bad-mouth back? I could see if you were an ex employee with a grudge, but some of you have never even tried one of the cruiselines, so you really have no place to compare, tyvm. I find it funny as heck that people get so defensive over one cruiseline, both of them obviously have their ups and downs, so why get in a tizzy? People must get bored. I thought high school was over!

 

Sorry to hijack. On to your question. Personally, I have not been on the Victory, but on the Valor and Elation. I have been on AoS and absolutely LOVED it. Here's why:

 

I was 15, and never left the teen zone. My brother was 12, and hated to leave his kids club. We made great connections with people that we still talk to today. The club staff was professional, provided us with age-appropriate activities, and went out of their way to make sure that we were taken care of and that the activities planned in the compass started and finished on time. On our Valor cruise, my brother was 17 at the time, went to the teen club to do the scavenger hunt, only to be told that "oh, we're not doing that today." He never went back. Granted, he is stubborn, but he found other things to do like the mini-golf and scarfing down pizza.

 

The ports were FABULOUS. Aruba, Curacao, St. Thomas and St. Marteen were outstanding. Despite the fishy smell (literally, like fish) Curacao was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I'll post pictures.

 

The AoS itself is immaculate. We did the Johnny Rockets as a family twice during the cruise, and enjoyed it. It was a fun family atmosphere. My brother and I definitely remember it, with the great food and dancing waiters. If you want to make a memory in your child's life, and don't mind spending $20 to see a smile, go for it.

The rock climbing wall was fun, as well as the ice skating rink. There was just so much to do.

 

My next cruise, I want to go back on a Voyager class ship, or Freedom.

 

The Valor was fun, but I missed the promenade of RC, which made the ship feel more open and accessible, whereas the atrium on the Valor produced a more crowded feel for me, in my opinion. I found myself a little bored on the Valor, and my brother did as well. Sure, he could have tried to go back to the teen area, but he's stingy, so I'm not protecting him there. I think the idea of just knowing that there is more to do on AOS for kids should put your mind to ease.

 

Just my two cents. I love both cruiselines.

[dc-snoopy]

Urgh...typing to fast earlier...

 

The speakers are always pumped up so loud that I stay out of the rooms with the bands (and I imagine everyone is losing their hearing in those areas)..

[Cruzaholic41]

I wanted to get to diamond, and now they dont let you into the lounge until you are diamond plus ...took the wind out of my sails for getting to diamond.

 

This was a blessing in disguise for many of the RCI faithful. Many have tried cruising with other lines and have discovered the others are just as good, if not better. DH used to swear by RCI, but now swears by X. Coincidently, X now has the concierge lounge in Michael's Club for Elite members.

 

The addition of the Diamond Lounges on Freedom Class and newer was a nice touch though.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

This was a blessing in disguise for many of the RCI faithful. Many have tried cruising with other lines and have discovered the others are just as good, if not better. DH used to swear by RCI, but now swears by X. Coincidently, X now has the concierge lounge in Michael's Club for Elite members.

 

The addition of the Diamond Lounges on Freedom Class and newer was a nice touch though.

 

I'm sure RCI doesn't mind them jumping to X.:)

 

Bill

[creamandcrimson]

I can't say any input on Celebrity but...

 

I just got back from Carnival Victory and I sailed on the Adventure of the Seas about three years ago.

 

What I enjoyed as 16 year old on the Adventure was the never-ending amount of activities that I could participate in. The rock wall, the skating rink, the full size sports court, the larger putt-putt course, the royal promenade-- all of it was a kid's dream. The shows, both the main stage and the ice rink, where spectacular.

 

Though I'm older now, I was disappointed by the lack of activities on Victory. The basketball court was only a half court. There was no rock wall (though I know that's a RCI standard). All the equipment wasn't easily accessible and had to be rented when the rental booth was open. Another thing I disliked about Victory was its lay-out. It was somewhat confusing, like trying to get to the Pacific dining room. While we loved our head and assistant waiter, we noticed that when dining room workers were working in the buffet or at breakfast when they didn't need to work for a tip the service was less than stellar.

 

One thing I enjoyed on the Victory was the pizzeria, which offered more choices and better taste than Adventure's equivalent. Also, I liked the lay-out of Victory's rooms better (we had interior). The guest services were spectacular and went the extra mile for us.

 

I could do a much more lengthy comparison, but my family consisting of myself (20 years old), my 50ish year old parents, and my 17 year old brother, hands down agreed that we will not be sailing Carnival anytime soon. We were just on RCI in June and we feel that RCI with the cutbacks (we've sailed on them several times over the past six years so we've noticed the change) still offers better cruises for our family than Carnival.

 

Just my two cents...

[smilz]

We have cuised 21 times in the lst 9 years:

Princess 8

RC 7

Carnival 3

Celebrity 1

HAL 1

NCL 1

Each line and each ship is unique in its own way. All have been faced with decisions to keep the black line as healthy as possible. It is a business. We have noted a general decline in"abundance" and quality in all the lines. However, the price of a ticket is less than when we started cruising 9 years ago. For that, I am extremely grateful. It alows us to cruise several times a year. If I had to make judgement statements, I think RC entertainment is way above the others. Food is a toss-up between Carnival and Princess. (love those sauted mushrooms for the hambergers at the grill on Carnival! Also love the 24 hr buffet that is available on Princess)The Casino on NCL is nice and the fresh water pools on Princess are the best. The service on HAL and Celebrity is spectacular. The very best cruise we were on was EOS (RC) but our worst cruise was also on RC. Choose your cruise according to what is important to you whether it be the kids club or $4.50 beers. And enjoy!:cool: