RCCL Mariner vs. Carnival Dream (Magic actually) which would you do and why?

[Cruizlovers]

We're going on our eighth cruise next month, 4 on RCCL which we like alot, but we've been on Celebrity, NCL, Princess but never Carnival. We want to book something for next November/December and have the choice of the new Carnival Magic or the Mariner OTS out of Galveston, TX. I know the Magic is new but it is similar to the Dream I believe. I am not a cruise snob but not having been on Carnival would like to hear from cruisers that have been on both lines and any advise. Ports are not an issue, we've seen them all so no biggie, but food, activities, entertainment and service would be a deciding point. We're young at heart in our early 50's. Thanks!

[firefly333]

Lots of complaints about Dream in particular for overcrowding. Its just like a conquest class, expanded with more people, instead of the exciting new ship that NCL and RCL offered when they had a new ship, it was innovative.

 

Nothing wrong with the Carnival product, but Marniner will be WOW and much more beautiful and more space per pax .. but some dont care about these things.

 

Which is cheaper? Im usually willing to pay about $100 pp more for RCL Voyager class.

[Cruizlovers]

At this time price is pretty comparable for balcony which is what we do. Thanks!

[jonbgd]

personally I would do the Magic since it will be new and hopefully the bugs worked out from the Dream( 1 of 2 active CCLship I havnt been on) I like CCL better food, better beds and bigger avg cabin size below Suite level great product for the price also the best steakhouse @ sea

Im trying to get the GF to cruise on her Nov/dec 2011

 

Now saying that The first time on the Mariner it was like WOW!!! walking thru the promenade it is something to be experienced is I am now exploring the ships of RCCL and this is our 4th cruise in a year with them

 

Since you are driving distance to the port you can do both:D

[CINDYSUE]

I must first say that I have not been on a newer Carnival ship, but the one and only one I was on did not conpare to RC or X. The food was pretty bad. One meal would be okay, the next was horrible. Everything from the crew to the shows were second rate as far as I was concerned. I am not a really picky person. I am not working and on a cruise and everything is good, but I would never go on another Carnival cruise.

[Batch5]

I never have been on the Mariner but I have been on the sister Explorer. We did the dream in June was surprised with the layout; it bottlenecked in certain areas on promenade deck (5) and always seemed crowded and dark to us. From inside the ship you did not see water in most public rooms the windows were covered and at times it just felt like a hotel rather then a ship. I Think it was just the little things that I never experienced on prior cruise's that seemed to stick out . The service was great in the main dinning room but it seemed that the assistant waiters were spread a little thin ( I refilled the water glass) no big deal. The food was good no complaints in the MDR and there were lines in the buffet during peak times but you had many great food choices. Only saw one show since you needed to be there an hour before it started in order to get a seat and that was on par with other at sea. Over all we had a great time will go on Carinval again but not the Dream or Magic.

Chris

[compman9]

As you will see from my signature I have enjoyed both products. The Brilliance was an older ship like the Mariner and although we had a wonderful time I would pick a brand new Carnival ship every single time.

 

From my experience, Carnival has better food, more approachable and involved staff, and the rooms are a little bit better. RCI ships are far better in most ways, and the new ones are simply incomparable.

 

I suggest you ask the same question on the Carnival board because there are far too many cheerleaders and RCI employees on here. :rolleyes:

[booklady26]

I sailed on the Carnival Dream last year on her maiden North American cruise. While I found the ship to be beautiful with some interesting innovations, I thought it was way too crowded. It seemd like Carnival built a bigger ship with more cabins but didn't increase public space to accomodate the increase in passengers.

 

Here's some examples:

 

Comedy Club - Loved the shows, but it was way too small. If you wanted the late night adult shows (which were VERY adult), there was no arriving early to grab a seat as the earlier show immediately proceeded it. There were lines in a very small cramped corridor outside and way too many people standing inside the venue for the show itself.

 

Pool area - Way too small for the capacity. Just look at the deck plan and you'll see what I mean.

 

Lido Buffet - By far the most poorly planned area on the ship. Simply not enough tables and the lines were too long at every station except the Tandoori. The worst was the Mongolian stir fry which took up to 45 minutes. So much for a quick casual lunch.

 

MDR - Long waits in between courses. I had heard that there wasn't enough waitstaff for the size of the ship. Food wasn't that great either. I relaize that food is subjective but there was no one thing I ate that was outstanding, some things were even below average.

 

I summed up the cruise by saying that Carnival does not know how to do "big" the way RCI does "big". I'd have to say that our cruise on the Dream was a big disappointment. We had pretty high expectations based on the fanfare and we didn't feel that Carnival delivered.

 

Now a lot of the kinks may have been ironed out in the past year, but the fact remains that there isn't enough public area for the number of passengers the Dream carries. All other thing being equal, I'd choose RCI over the Dream or Magic any day.

 

By the way, I am not an RCI cheerleader nor a Carnival hater. As you can see by my signature, I am an equal opportunity cruiser.

[Bruin Steve]

We're going on our eighth cruise next month, 4 on RCCL which we like alot, but we've been on Celebrity, NCL, Princess but never Carnival. We want to book something for next November/December and have the choice of the new Carnival Magic or the Mariner OTS out of Galveston, TX. I know the Magic is new but it is similar to the Dream I believe. I am not a cruise snob but not having been on Carnival would like to hear from cruisers that have been on both lines and any advise. Ports are not an issue, we've seen them all so no biggie, but food, activities, entertainment and service would be a deciding point. We're young at heart in our early 50's. Thanks!

 

Oooooohhhh...

Easy one for me...

 

I HAVE been on Carnival...three times...but NEVER AGAIN...

You see, my last (and I mean LAST) Carnival cruise was part of a sort of "back to back" with a Royal Caribbean cruise backin the summer of 2007...Carnival Liberty and Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas...

 

Taking two cruises back to back like that really makes the differences stand out...

And, boy, there were differences...

1) Overcrowding on Carnival

2) Much better amenities on RCCL

3) Better designed ship on RCCL

4) Carnival Dining room service was not even in the ballpark--we counted how many passengers our RCCL servers had to serve and the same on Carnival...and it was clear why the service seemed so poor on Carnival--the waiters served 1.5 times as many passengers and the assistant waiter 3 times...

5) Carnival showroom was overcrowded and you generally had to arrive an hour befor the show just to get a decent seat...

6) Carnival just was not a classy cruise (I'll let you read into that whatever you will)...

 

For my money, there is NO Carnival ship I would cruise in if any Royal Caribbean ship were available...and I would gladly pay a considerable sum more to cruise on RCCL rather than Carnival...my vacation time is worth too much...

 

JMHO...

 

Good luck...

[Cruizlovers]

Well I certainly didn't want to turn this into a CCL vs RCCL because I've seen those boards and it's not pretty. But all things equal being ports the same, price is the same, I get the feeling that RCCL would come out ahead in this scenario. I was kinda hoping that someone would tell me that Carnival new ships are on par with RCCL as I'd like to try a Carnival but I also don't want to regret my decision because I am a little picky on the food, service, entertainment issues. So if price isn't the issue you'd go with RCCL?

[TOgirl47]

I've been on the Dream and LOVED it. I definitely noticed more crowding, but I'd like to think they'd sort it out a bit on the Magic. The Lanai area was really interesting.

 

I have clearly been on more CCL ships, so I'm biased. BUT I am going on the Mariner this week so I'm excited to see if its better - I'm a Carnival cheerleader for sure, but that wouldn't prevent me from finding something I might like even more :)

[Carguylee]

I was having this very same debate a few months ago. I have been on both lines before (however not on these class of ship) and found them to be very similar as far as service and food. We always get an inside cabin and are in it mainly to sleep.

 

We like RC ships better. So after thinking about it, it came down to the only reason I wanted to go on the Magic was because it was brand new. In the end we decided to go for the ship we thought we would like best. So far we have cruised every 2-3 years and I'm sure the Magic will be in Galveston for a while. Not to mention Mariner was actually $100PP less at the time.

[Cruising89143]

As you will see from my signature I have enjoyed both products. The Brilliance was an older ship like the Mariner and although we had a wonderful time I would pick a brand new Carnival ship every single time.

 

From my experience, Carnival has better food, more approachable and involved staff, and the rooms are a little bit better. RCI ships are far better in most ways, and the new ones are simply incomparable.

 

I suggest you ask the same question on the Carnival board because there are far too many cheerleaders and RCI employees on here. :rolleyes:

 

And you don't think that there are Carnival cheerleaders on that board? That comment made me laugh and shake my head at the same time.

 

OP. I suggest that you read the many reviews on both ships. You will also find that Carnival added more staterooms to the new Magic which means even more guests to a ship that gets a lot of negative comments about crowding.

[Cruzaholic41]

Well I certainly didn't want to turn this into a CCL vs RCCL because I've seen those boards and it's not pretty.

 

Agreed. Lately, every single topic on that board turns in to an RCI/CCL argument. It makes no sense and it does nothing to help the question at hand.

 

To the Op - I have been on both the MOS and the Dream. I see nothing wrong with you branching out and trying other cruise lines, but I do not recommend the Dream (Magic). Others have suggested the crowding problems may be sorted out on the new ship. Frankly, I don't see how that's possible. The ship will be the same size and same design. In fact, if they added staterooms as mentioned, that means even less public space and even more people!

 

The Dream Class ships are very congested and the public spaces are all cramped and way too small. The pool deck is the worst. Not only is it way too small for the amount of passengers, but there are 2 decks above it instead of the usual one. It makes it feel like an overcrowded dungeon.

 

Don't even get me started on the buffet lines.

 

If these are your two choices, I suggest booking the MOS. You know you are happy with RCI, so you know you will love the MOS.

[compman9]

And you don't think that there are Carnival cheerleaders on that board? That comment made me laugh and shake my head at the same time.

 

OP. I suggest that you read the many reviews on both ships. You will also find that Carnival added more staterooms to the new Magic which means even more guests to a ship that gets a lot of negative comments about crowding.

 

Why would my comment make you laugh?

 

A balanced view of bias, is better than one biased view, surely.

 

Having said that I also had a laugh at the earlier poster that had been on more than several RCI cruises including invited pre-inaugurals, but only one Carnival cruise in the past decade, cheerleading like a good 'un.

 

Not been on the Mariner but it is old, and if the Brilliance is any sort of comparison, a new ship of most descriptions for me.

[The Big Booper]

Mariner is 6 % larger then Dream/Magic. Dream/Magic carry 800 more people then Mariner at full occupancy. Laws of physics say that no way can Carnival work out the crowd issues with those numbers.

[Cruising89143]

Why would my comment make you laugh?

 

A balanced view of bias, is better than one biased view, surely.

 

Having said that I also had a laugh at the earlier poster that had been on more than several RCI cruises including invited pre-inaugurals, but only one Carnival cruise in the past decade, cheerleading like a good 'un.

 

Not been on the Mariner but it is old, and if the Brilliance is any sort of comparison, a new ship of most descriptions for me.

 

Mariner is not an old ship. She entered service in 2003. An eight year old ship is not considered old. Also, I highly suggest that you spend some time on the Carnival board. They wave their pom poms higher than any team that I know.;)

[firefly333]

I did Voyager twice. I cant wait for Mariner. No way would I pay extra for Magic over Mariner. .. For me, Magic is actually more $$$.

 

I am platinum on Carnival because I wanted to cruise a lot out of Galveston and Carnival was the only game in town, so thats what I did... so Im pretty aware of Carnival. If Mariner looks newer than Voyager, Im going to love it.

[HomePlanet]

I have sailed on both ships - three times on Mariner and most recently on Dream. I should say that Mariner is my favourite ship, but also that I really like the idea of sailing on a new ship.

 

Overall, I enjoyed both, and I am sure you would as well. I found the food similar overall. Both have variety, and each had different things that I really liked, for example the Jade area on Mariner and the burrito and pasta bars or Indian selections on Dream. Our wait staff was excellent on both - but I know with thousands of passengers, many have had a different experience.

 

Dream has a water slide, but it also had long lines. I agree with the concerns about crowding on Dream - it is a common issue. I enjoyed more of the organized activities on Mariner - and even for the same acrtivities, such as Bingo, I had more fun on Mariner.

 

I like the look and feel of Mariner. I enjoy the Royal Promenade, and maybe because I'm Canadian, I really like to ice skate at sea (even though I rarely do it at home). I really like the ice show, but overall I found the entertainment to be comparable, if not better on Dream. They had some excellent variety acts.

 

Mariner has the rock-climbing wall, and both have mini-golf. I don't really use the bars or spa, so can't comment on those areas. I don't recall the Dream having anything like Quest. I do believe that Dream had MUTS, which we really enjoyed on Princess, but on our sailing, none of the movies being shown appealed to us.

 

I agree with the suggestion to check reviews of both ships, to see how they compare in the areas that matter most to you. If it really is a toss-up, then I would probably choose the new ship, but plan ahead to deal with crowding. But for me, Mariner would be an easy choice.

[shmthaus]

I haven't been on a comparable ship the size of Magic, but not sure how we would like the megaships. The Voyager was large and beautiful as I am sure the Mariner will be, but still like the ships of the Vision class size (absolutely loved Rhapsody).

 

Someone posted that Magic is the same "size" as Voyager, but with more passengers. Not quite sure how that works.

 

We have only been on RCL/CCL since we only cruise out of Galveston due to time constraints, but hopefully in about 5yrs we will be able to try other lines out of different ports.

[Cruizlovers]

Thank you for all for your comments and honest opinions. I think it'll be Mariner this time round!

[The Big Booper]

 

...>>>SNIP<<<... Someone posted that Magic is the same "size" as Voyager, but with more passengers. Not quite sure how that works. ...>>>SNIP<<<...

 

.

 

You should ask Carnival that. Squeezing too many people into a space that can't hold them, crowds and long lines.

 

We were on the smaller Carnival Victory a few years ago, once is enough on the Destiny/Conquest/Dream type of ship.

[Jimnbigd]

Thank you for all for your comments and honest opinions. I think it'll be Mariner this time round!

 

Good choice, especially since the Mariner is in Galveston only part of the year. Next time you might have to take the Carnival Magic when it is your only choice out of Galveston (or the Carnival Triumph for a 4 or 5 day cruise). BTW, Magic is 130 tons and 3690 passengere capacity; Mariner is 138 tons (bigger) but only 3114 passenger capacity. So, yes, I suspect the Magic will be more crowded than the Mariner. Oh, and the Conquest is 110 tons and 2974 passenger capacity, smaller than the Magic.

[tiger13]

Cruizlovers....

Just wanted to chime in with my two cents worth...I think you made the right choice with Mariner. Personally most of my cruises have been on RCCL but I think any cruise beats being at home....so a cruise is what you make of it....rarely will you get a complaint from me on a cruise.

 

That said....I was on the Dream in March...I fully expected to be WOWED being as it was a new ship that came out pretty much the same time as Oasis. I figured they would have built something pretty special to compete wtih Oasis. While I enjoyed the cruise I was pretty disappointed with the ship...

 

as Batch5 said earlier...VERY poor design layout...I was truly wondering how they could come out with a new ship and be so poorly designed....getting around on certain decks....the whole food stations were laid out terribly....you think the windjammer on Oasis is bad....I could never find a single food station on Dream that wasn't backed up with lines....

 

so for me....Dream was no different than any other carnival ship...which was a bit of a surprise and letdown for me...I'd take any of the Voyager or Freedom class ships any day of the week...Oasis is in a whole nother galaxy altogether....innovative is too mild of a word...having been on so many cruises I really didn't think Oasis would blow my skirt up....but it did...and crowding was NEVER an issue...

 

oops...sorry to wander onto another topic...enuf said