Glory, Valor or RCI Liberty of the Seas?

[BeacheeMe]

Forgive me if it's a breach of board etiquette to ask for ship comparison advice. (New here and didn't see anything about it in member guidelines.)

 

Trying to choose a cruise: Carnival Valor and Glory have the exact itinerary I want. RCI Liberty of the Seas has an almost-as-good itinerary but, based on reviews I've read, I wonder if the ship's nicer. Can anyone tell me anything about how these ships compare in overall niceness? (Pretty, clean, elegant common areas are important to us and add a lot to our enjoyment of a cruise. Cabins not as important, as long as they're clean.)

 

I've only cruised once before: It was RCI Serenade of the Seas, which I liked very much! If Glory or Valor is as nice, that's the cruise I'd choose. Thank you!

 

(Also posting this RCI forum. I hope that's okay!)

[bobbiejean]

We have just sailed the Glory in October and was very nice. We have also been on the Victory,Miracle and RCI Mariner of the Seas. We find the food much better on Carnival but the RCI ships are prettier and the dining room much more elegant. Just choose what you like

[nytraveller53]

If I were you, I'd do the following:

 

1. Take your first cruise on the Glory or Valor (they are identical, pick the best date/price/airfare that suits your needs)

2. Next cruise (I'm automatically assuming you'll want to take another cruise ;)), try either the DREAM, MAGIC, BREEZE [Carnival ships, the newest], or OASIS OF THE SEAS or ALLURE OF THE SEAS [RCI ships, the newest]

 

On Liberty of the Seas: I recently returned from my Valor cruise, which was my second cruise, right after the Freedom of the Seas, a sister to Liberty of the Seas. There isn't a big enough difference to have a preference over one or the other. Save your money, then try a larger ship.

[Knights on the Beach]

Since you've already been on one RCI cruise, you already know the RCI ships have an elegant look and feel to them. Carnival has a more "fun" look and feel to them. We've been on Glory and loved it and will be on Valor next week. We've enjoyed all our cruises, and I'd say Carnival and RCI are more alike than they are different but the Royal Caribbean ships are prettier and the food is better on Carnival (my opinion). You can tell by the ships listed in my signature below which line we prefer. ;)

[sjcruiser]

Glory was my second cruise, and was great. I'm heading on the RC Liberty in January. My last cruise was on RC Explorer, and that had an impact on going on the Liberty. Since I want to try Allure and Oasis also in 2011, I'll wn't be back on Carnival til 2012.

[Tapi]

As others have mentioned, main difference you'll find between the two cruise lines is decoration. RCCL is more elegant and low key, Carnival ships have individual themes and tend to be glitzier.

 

Otherwise service, entertainment, food and fellow cruisers are pretty much the same. One key difference though is each cruise line's "signature" attractions. While Carnival has the Twister Water Slide, RCCL will have the rock climbing wall and (on some ships) The Flowrider.

 

One big plus on Carnival is that prices are usually lower for a fairly similar product..