Big difference between Carnival and Royal Carribean?

[stewpapa]

A Royal Carribean cruise is excellent. You will love it.

[H82seaUgo]

A poster asked for more of a critique of the food, here are our impressions of the food on RCCL (just our opinion):

 

1. They served a lot of the casserole/stir fry type of food at the buffet which was very goopy and much too salty for our taste.

 

2. The sauces served in the MDR were also very salty.

 

3. The rolls served in the MDR were hard as rocks.

 

4. The free soft serve ice cream machines were always broken or there wasn't anything to put the ice cream in (no bowls, cups or cones).

 

5. The pizza was horrible, tasted like cheese on hot cardboard.

 

Whenever I have sailed on RCCL, I have actually lost weight because the food is so awful.

 

This is our experience only, please no flaming.

 

5. one correction: there is no free soft serve ice cream on rccl. it's yogurt.

[firefly333]

Someone above mentioned RCL's waiters giving excursions and port advice the day before we hit a port. I thought this was very wierd myself and thought to myself, why would this gal from Jamaica think she should be acting like some expert on the ports. I kind of resented the attitude. We did have a first time couple at our table who ate it up. Me and the TA I was with sat thru it ... I could do without last minute advice on excursions. Only one time did they go too far though.

[nytraveller53]

Someone above mentioned RCL's waiters giving excursions and port advice the day before we hit a port. I thought this was very wierd myself and thought to myself, why would this gal from Jamaica think she should be acting like some expert on the ports. I kind of resented the attitude. We did have a first time couple at our table who ate it up. Me and the TA I was with sat thru it ... I could do without last minute advice on excursions. Only one time did they go too far though.

What?! I think a waiter/waitress would be PERFECT for advise! They come to these ports every week, and some even used to live there! They certainly know what they're talking about.... Sometimes you have to accept that others know what they're talking about, and have valuable information as well.

I like it when MDR staff give me info about the ports, because generally it's helpful tips that I wouldn't of figured out by my self.

[Socref124]

See, and I thought shows on RCI were better, so when the differences are that small, it's really up to personal preference.

 

You are right, it is personal preference. We just thought the choreograpy was better on CCL. I will say that the lead singers in the RCL shows were fabulous and better, imho, than any of the singers we have heard on CCL. Others have told me that RCL is much better on the bigger ships,But I can just base my opinion by what we experienced. We have been on four different lines and they are all basically the same. It depends on what a person expects as to which line is better for them. We are in our 50's and have enjoyed CCL, RCL and Princess. The service on NCL was so bad we would rate them fifth out of the four cruise lines.:eek:

[H82seaUgo]

What?! I think a waiter/waitress would be PERFECT for advise! They come to these ports every week, and some even used to live there! They certainly know what they're talking about.... Sometimes you have to accept that others know what they're talking about, and have valuable information as well.

I like it when MDR staff give me info about the ports, because generally it's helpful tips that I wouldn't of figured out by my self.

 

personally, i would not like to tour where they lived. i'd like to see the palaces.

[nytraveller53]

personally, i would not like to tour where they lived. i'd like to see the palaces.

I'm not saying you have to tour where they live. I'm sure they know plenty about the "palaces" as well.

[H82seaUgo]

I'm not saying you have to tour where they live. I'm sure they know plenty about the "palaces" as well.

 

gross assumption. i would not put my faith in it.

[firefly333]

What?! I think a waiter/waitress would be PERFECT for advise! They come to these ports every week, and some even used to live there! They certainly know what they're talking about.... Sometimes you have to accept that others know what they're talking about, and have valuable information as well.

I like it when MDR staff give me info about the ports, because generally it's helpful tips that I wouldn't of figured out by my self.

 

Nope, didnt like her suggestions for excursions, and the night before a port, most people already have decided what they want to do, they arent looking for RCL excursion ideas. I thought her advice on excursions was not as good as what you can get on CC. I was thinking cut the attitude.

 

I dont mind them acting the expert on the menu and making suggestions, but excursions, no.

[barriecruiser]

I'd say just try it once and make your own opinion. I have only sailed on Royal and have loved it. I am however considering trying a Carnival cruise in a few years. I have read many posts regarding Carnival ships vs Royal ships and everyone has their own opinions and expectations. Mine will be different from many others. I am looking forward to trying Carnival as well as sailing on Royal.

[Tapi]

Carnival has a community feel that washes over the ship.

 

I somewhat disagree. I think that the sense of community that you refer to is more ship specific than cruise line specific. I could say the same thing for both Carnival and Royal Caribbean.

 

While I've met some wonderful people on my Carnival cruises, on our last cruise aboard the Fascination, the "community feel that washed over the ship" would've made me sell my house and move out of my community!

[aprilivy]

We found RCL to be stuffy....hoity Toity if you will.

Family-oriented on CCL...older crowd on RCL...EVen for us at 62.

 

Food better on Conquest than on Voyager....again, hoity toity on RCL and more down to earth on CCL.

 

prettier decor on RCL...but prices were much higher and more nickel and diming you on board.

 

beds and bathrooms far superior on Conquest over Voyager....

 

Just my opinion.

would sail either if pricing and ports are equal

[spyder209]

I found the food on Rccl to be much much better than Carnival. They seemed to have more selection in the buffets that changed throughout the week and the dining room food was excellent. However, there is not warm chocolate melting cake!!!!! The ship I was on also had an ice skating rink and rock wall and the entertainment was much better, but Carnival was much less expensive!

[sonicbuffalo]

We have only sailed on Carnival~ wondering if we should try Royal Carribean once. It would be Mariner of the Seas - same itinerary as we are looking at with Liberty or Legend. Would appreciate any feedback/opinions...

 

I've found that nine out of ten times, RCCL is more expensive for the same itinerary and dates. I wouldn't pay more for the bigger ships.

[swscruiser]

Food is generally better on Carnival and totally better on Carnival in Specialty Restaurants,

[trphil]

Since I was the one who mentioned the MDR wait staff making recommendations about excursions, let me clarify: By making recommendations, I meant she told us where some of the nice beaches were located, in certain areas make sure you don't take certain taxis, where there are some great shopping areas, etc.

 

The staff do get some afternoons off, you know, and can off the ship to enjoy R & R time of the islands also. On AOS, we only had one booked excursion and really just decided day by day what we were going to do and whether we were going on an "excursion", so we very much appreciated her info.

 

To each her own, but we really appreciated her input.

 

BTW, her menu recommendations were great too!:rolleyes:

[AandBmom]

I somewhat disagree. I think that the sense of community that you refer to is more ship specific than cruise line specific. I could say the same thing for both Carnival and Royal Caribbean.

 

While I've met some wonderful people on my Carnival cruises, on our last cruise aboard the Fascination, the "community feel that washed over the ship" would've made me sell my house and move out of my community!

 

I can totally relate. On the Legend I met lots of great people and we actually still keep in touch now several years later. On the Sensation I just felt I couldn't relate to the people at all and I'm feeling a strong urge to try another cruise line just based on that experience. I'm thinking the difference is more based on length and price of cruise (sensation being 4 days and fairly inexpensive). I'm by no means "uppity", we're fairly average middle class but it seemed like the other cruisers on the Sensation when we were there had no class (ie. walking around with swear words on their t-shirts), no manners, were all grossly over-weight and looked like they didn't take care of themselves at all.

 

As for the waitstaff making recommendations, depending on how they say it, I would love to have them say, "so do you have plans for tomorrow's port, or are you looking for suggestions?". I would then say, "sure let's hear your experience". Others might say, "we're good thanks". I would appreciate the offer. My biggest complaint about our last cruise (Sensation) was that the first waitress we had never spoke to anyone in her section. The gentleman we had the rest of the cruise was very friendly and we enjoyed him very much.

[arkerlin]

I think the first thing to understand is it is very hard to compare one cruise line to the other, you really need to talk about ships.

 

I went on a RCCL cruise on Independence of the Seas and four months later went on a RCCL cruise on Majesty of the Seas. The difference in the food was immense. The food on Independence was AMAZING and the food on Majesty was awful. They literally had the exact same meals on each ship and they tasted completely different.

 

I chose Carnival because of the overall feeling on the ship. All of the other guests I met there were so friendly and nice. A lot of RCCL guests were foreign and very "upper class". It really depends on what you are looking for in a vacation. I enjoy the activities such as the deck parties and night clubs. The staff on Carnival lets you have your fun without many rules. I enjoy that! It's nice to get away and be able to let loose.

 

On RCCL, there were security guards everywhere constantly keeping people "in check" even though no one was doing anything wrong. If I want to be hounded by a security guard, I can go to any local club in my area. I go on a cruise because I like being able to let go and forget about real life. I think Carnival gives you the ability to do that verus RCCL.

 

If you do RCCL, I suggest a larger ship.

[ehfl]

I've sailed both, and had a great time on both. Carnival still uses trans-fats in it's food....most other lines, including RCL have eliminated them. Some of the food tastes better on Carnival, but it comes with a bit of guilt.

 

Shows tend to be better on RCL, especially the ice shows. The highlight of our last Carnival trip was a show with a singing, flying sofa.

 

Ships are similar, but with RCL having more activities such as rock climbing, ice skating, etc. and more of a "wow" factor. Carnival ships tend to be more vividly decorated. Carnival tend to have larger cabin. RCL tends to have larger public spaces and better flow.

 

You should probably try both, but I think you'll have a great vacation on either one...we do.

[frito58]

We have only sailed on Carnival~ wondering if we should try Royal Carribean once. It would be Mariner of the Seas - same itinerary as we are looking at with Liberty or Legend. Would appreciate any feedback/opinions...

 

If you were going on any thing other than a Voyager class ship , I would say no big diffference, but the Royal Promeande is our favorite part of those ships , we love going to the pubs or just strolling along or sitting down and people watching while enjoying some great sandwiches and cookies or the in evening the parades or shows they have there. Saying that we just jumped from RCI to Carnival in San Juan was to switch from 2 balconys and inside room on the Serenade to 3 balconys in a row on the Victory and saved about $400 , so I have no loyalty to RCI , BUT if that had been the AOS i would have never switched. Its a voyager class, the Radiance class , not that special IMHO but others will disagree.

[TwoSeasCruisin]

This will be our first cruise on Carnival but we've cruised on RC six times. Here are some thoughts about RC...

 

Let me preface to say that we had a blast on our last cruise (probably one of the best vacations we've ever had) but here are a few things that irked me...

 

Unless you buy a soda card, there is no where to get a cold drink (except water) after the Windgammer closes (the buffet).

 

The activities were either spaced too closely together, sometimes overlapping, or there would be lulls where there isn't anything going on. The movie theater only showed the movies 3 times a day. (Does the Pride have a movie theater?)

 

I was not impressed with the food.

 

RC needs more activities like a scavenger hunt, we had more fun doing this but they only did it once and on the day before we got back into port.

 

We never went for the ice cream (yogurt) so I can't comment on that.

 

There is a wait for the elevators, but we always take the steps anyway.

 

 

Plus items

 

Excellent customer service, our assistant waiter actually lent us her camera when we misplaced ours (we did finally get it back).

 

Very nice decor and is very clean. The bed was very comfortable.

 

The entertainment is very good but repetitive between ships. (So if you've seen it on one ship, odds are it is on another ship, ex. the Newlywed game, the Quest, both are awesome BTW.)

 

If you like karaoke, RC has LOTS of karaoke.

 

Lots of poolside fun, and has a belly flop contest which was good.

 

Ice skating rink and flow rider (on the larger ships) and a rock climbing wall.

 

That's all I can think of now. Looking forward to trying Carnival. :)

[Nanaimobound]

For us the main difference is the Mariner has an excellent buffet in the windjammer. Very good and much more offered than Carnivals.

But MDR was not as good or as fun as Carnival.

We ended up just eating in the windjammer all the time.

And you can't beat a Carnival bed to sleep on for 7 nights!

[raylene5]

I I'm by no means "uppity", we're fairly average middle class but it seemed like the other cruisers on the Sensation when we were there had no class (ie. walking around with swear words on their t-shirts), no manners, were all grossly over-weight and looked like they didn't take care of themselves at all.

 

 

I've now been on all 3 major lines (CCL, RCI and NCL) and honestly, I think this description fits a lot of the people cruising on all the lines (maybe the Alaska, TA and Europe itineraries are an exception). These 3 are all generally priced the same give or take a few hundred bucks and I think that's the driving factor. I'd love a line that weeded out those with "no class" while still being fun, young and family-friendly. I think that's a pretty tall order though, unfortunately.

 

To the OP, I really don't think there is a big difference between the two and if you've already done CCL, I think you might as well go with something new :)

[ehfl]

For those who prefer the food on one vs. the other, I'd be curious to know why you feel that way. You all seem to be split down the middle on that one.

 

People either seem to prefer one or the other. Based on my friends food preferences and what they like, it seems that those that prefer bland food prefer Carnival (see the post above about the wife that thought having sauces and mushrooms was too "fancy") although, of course, you can always order without these. If you like curries, sauces and flavors, you'll likely prefer RCL. Also, Carnival still uses trans-fats, while the rest of the industry has eliminated these. Trans-fats generally provide better texture for many foods especially baked goods such as breads, pizza crust, etc. Lots of people seem to prefer these baked good on Carnival....I tend to agree, although it does come with some guilt. I'm fine with the RCL baked goods....texture is not quite the same, but at least there is less to worry about in terms of your arteries.

[ehfl]

Unless you buy a soda card, there is no where to get a cold drink (except water) after the Windgammer closes (the buffet).

 

Actually, you can get soda at any bar....no soda-card needed...just order it. You can also get tea, lemonade, etc. at various places depending on the ship...the deli, sorentos, etc.