Carnival or Royal, who do you prefer

[clarkie138]

and why? I've been on both cruise lines multiple times, and just curious what everyone thinks. I'm debating for my next trip. Thanks :)

[srlafleur]

Depends on the itinerary and price for me, so I can be of little help. I do prefer RCL over Carnival for short jaunts to the Bahamas. Other than that, the differences aren't so great that they would make or break my vacation.

[crusingcouple]

I've been on both and honestly I don't think there's much of a difference as far as staff/food/ect. goes. We are not picky people and appreciate just being on a cruise! Royal Caribbean has some neat things to do onboard (ice rink, rock wall, flow rider, ect) and I do like the layouts with the Royal Promenade.

We decide based on itinerary mostly, then price, then ship. Try both, see which you prefer and go from there!

[near the beach]

We prefer Carnival to Royal Caribbean which we have only been on once. Getting ready to go on our fourth Carnival in a few weeks. We are planning two Carnival cruises next year. We had a bad experience on RCCL :mad: after a couple of Carnival cruises. :cool:

[grod19]

I prefer RCCL but I agree that the lines are more similar then different. I prefer the ships on RCCL as opposed to the "bright lights" of carnival. I think the food service etc is about the same but I am not a picky person.

[MedicKen]

As I've noted a few times on this board, the two lines are more similar than different. (Please don't take the above statement as being snobbish, I love sharing)

 

We've sailed both lines and OUR personal choice is RCI. We like the open architecture of the ships and the light, airy feeling. CCL tends to be quite dark and overbearing in their decor. Staff, activities and food are about even. This is diregarding the ice rinks and climbing walls on RCI.

 

CCL tends to have lower pricing and thus tends to draw a younger, and sometimes wilder, crowd. This can be very prevelant on short cruises, especially around "spring-break".

 

My advice, go on each and make up your own mind. And go more than once. Look at iteraries (sp?) and pricing. Then pick one that fits your requirements.

 

Try them, you'll like them.

[cruiserbryce]

we havent been on many CCL ships, just one, twice...but overall we prefer the feel of the ships and the overall offerings of RC. But as RC continues to remove ships from the west coast CCL may become the better option for us

[clarkie138]

Thank you all. This will actually be my 6th cruise, I've taken 3 carnival and 2 royal and I preferred Royal. I did like them both. But each time I was with different people. Once my girlfriends, then the hubby when I was prego, then my mom and then my best friend, so each time I guess I was looking for different things. Now I'm going with my best friend again and I think we'll have fun on either. I guess I got her on a small carnival ship last time, maybe it's time to get her on a big ole Royal Carribbean ship, lol.

[DBCH911]

I prefer Royal Caribbean over Carnival. My last 2 Carnival cruises were disappointing both food wise and service wise. I like the RCI ships better and feel that hey have more to offer. Carnival always had better prices but with their new price hike, I will probably choose more RCI trips in the future.

[phish tales]

the statis we have reached and the perks we receive due to the many times we have cruised with rcl, we always choose rccl. i tried others (carnival, princess, holand, celebrity, and sorry to say ncl. but now it is only rccl and the wonderful perks we receive.

[scottbee]

the statis we have reached and the perks we receive due to the many times we have cruised with rcl, we always choose rccl. i tried others (carnival, princess, holand, celebrity, and sorry to say ncl. but now it is only rccl and the wonderful perks we receive.

 

You realize your RCCL perks carry over to Celebrity, right? (they're the same company). While Celebrity's perks are different, your 20+ cruise status on RCCL would apply on Celebrity as well.

[cruiselover57]

Depends on the itinerary and price for me, so I can be of little help. I do prefer RCL over Carnival for short jaunts to the Bahamas. Other than that, the differences aren't so great that they would make or break my vacation.

 

For the moment, Carnival winds hands-down. Mariner of the Seas was OK, just not the greatest. Had a few issues they failed to resolve for me and had to take matters into my own hands. Food for lunch was not that great - A C rating at best for the buffet. Dinners were OK. Carnival wins for their spectacular lunch buffets! Will go back on RCI one of these years; just not this year or next!

[clackey]

We have done 7 cruises on CCL, 1 PCL and 1 RCCL. We picked Carnival because of price. Food and service was fine on all of them. I liked RC for the layout and decor of the ship but the entertainment on RC and Princess was kind of blah. Maybe I just caught them at a bad time, but it seemed as though Carnival had more entertainment and nightlife than the others.

 

It is really a moot point because we would go on any of them again if the price was right. We have never had a "bad cruise".;)

[cb at sea]

Which do YOU prefer, Clarkie?????

[KAYEF]

the statis we have reached and the perks we receive due to the many times we have cruised with rcl, we always choose rccl. i tried others (carnival, princess, holand, celebrity, and sorry to say ncl. but now it is only rccl and the wonderful perks we receive.

 

phish tales ~

I'd love to babysit that darling little dog when you go on cruises..........too bad we are on opposite sides of the country.;)

[rigldbrg]

Like Cookies and Cream and Mocha Almond Fudge ice cream, I like them both. My wife and I had an awesome cruise on both Royal and Carnival. We would'nt hesitate planning another cruise on either. Unfortunately, there's way too much time trying to compare RCI to Carnival and sifting through all of the little intracacies about which one is better. After all, you're on a cruise; what could be bad?

[Dr. Jack Daniels]

and why? I've been on both cruise lines multiple times, and just curious what everyone thinks. I'm debating for my next trip. Thanks :)

 

ncl

[clarkie138]

I'm not really sure which I prefer. Each time I went on a ship it was with a different crowd of people. With my friends I went on carnival, I also went once with my husband but both times was 9 years ago and I wasn't married nor did I have a child, on Royal I went with my mother and then again with my husband but I was pregnant so I was looking for different things to do each time. I like the size of the ship on royal better and the layout and all but can't remember difference in food or anything like that. Just wondering if I go with my friend we will have as much fun as we did last year on carnival because we like to take advantage of all the activities. Thank you all for your input.

[Jimnbigd]

Hard to say. My Carnival cruises lately have been on the smaller Ecstasy, while my Royal Caribbean cruises have been on the larger Voyager of the Seas. I prefer RC a little more. My wife prefers it a lot more. Carnival tends to have more Vegas type of shows with showgirls and often thongs; RC tends to have classier shows, and better live music. On my last Carnival, the ship's band was down to 5 pieces. RC usually has 9 pieces, and better musicians -- but that might be due to the ship's size. Food: About the same -- RC better on some things, Carnival on others. Carnival has the fresh-cooked hamburger grill by the pool; RC has pre-cooked patties (unless you pay $5 at Johnny Rockets.) Carnival has a made-to-order deli for sandwiches; RC's are pre-made (but quite good especially in the Promenade Cafe). Carnival has both soft serve ice cream and frozen yogert; RC only has the frozen yogert (unless you pay at Ben and Jerries). RC tends to be more formal (which I like), and Carnival tends to be "glitsier".

 

Frankly, if you somehow transported me into the middle of a ship, I probably could not immediately tell you if it is Carnival or RC. I like them both and will continue to use both.

[calm1955]

I love Carnival. I seem to get more personalized service from Carnival. I have cruised both lines several times, always out of Galveston, as well as the long-gone from the area Olympia Cruise Line. The food is about the same. I have never traveled with children, so that probably makes a difference. RC always seems to have more kids on it, whether that is true or just a perception. I will still cruise on either if a good-enough deal comes around.;)