RCCL compared to Carnival

[Cuizer2]

I've been on 11 cruises. We started with Celebrity and loved them until they canceled one of our cruises. RCCL gave us a great deal so we stayed with them for 5 years. We expecially loved Adventurer of the Seas...went on that ship 3 years in a row. The first time on that ship service was excellent. But by cruise #3 the service had gone way down. So we tried Holland America. Not bad but I still think I prefer RCCL. I also took my teenagers on Grandeur last year for their first cruise and they really liked it (and the service was excellent). Husband prefers HA but he is also 20 years older than I am so he is closer to the age group they cater to.

 

I was hoping to take the kids on another cruise in 2012, and I was hoping to go on RCCL...BUT unless I want the Oasis or Allure(too big and too expensive) there is nothing in the Caribbean in the summer which is when we have to go. I saw that Carnival has some excellent itineraries. So my question is for those who have traveled on both lines...what are the major differences between the lines? What differences will I notice?

 

I've been on seven Carnival cruises and six Royal Caribbean cruises with one more booked on each line. In my opinion the lines are more alike than different.

 

Royal Caribbean has rock walls and Carnival has water slides.

 

The passenger mix is about the same.

 

The standard cabins on Carnival are a little bigger than the standard cabins on Royal Caribbean. The passenger space ratio on Royal Caribbean is a little better than on Carnival. However, you pay for that extra space.

 

Carnival has a little better food, Royal Caribbean has a little better service.

 

Almost half (10 out of 22) of Royal Caribbean's fleet is bigger than any of Carnival's ships. Royal Caribbean's bigger ships (Voyager class and above) offer more activities than the Carnival ships.

[Cruzaholic41]

Dorie7...

 

May I ask why you find Carnival's rooms to be uglier and less comfortable than RCI's?

 

I have been on several rooms on both cruise lines and can see no discernible difference at all.

 

Except, Carnival's rooms are larger, have robes, have free amenities, and more expensive bedding.

 

And RCI's have grey trim instead of pink trim and shower doors rather than curtains.

 

These generalizations are often made by people who have only been on one or two ships of either cruise line.

 

Carnival's rooms are not larger across the fleet. Many RCI ships have larger standard rooms than many CCL ships, and suites are much nicer on RCI.

 

RCI's Oasis Class has a light aqua trim in their rooms, Radiance Class has blue trim in their rooms and Vision Class uses a darker orange tint.

 

Some RCI ships have shower curtains and some have doors.

 

I did a B2B Mariner/Splendor cruise and thought the Splendor's beds were more comforable. However, Allure had the most comfortable beds I have ever slept on a cruise.

[midasct]

sorry, repost.....

[midasct]

I've only been on two cruises. My first was a 9 day out of Norfolk Virginia on RCCL's Enchantment and my second was a 6 day out of Charleston on the Carnival Fantasy. We had a great time on both cruises (I agree the experience is what you make of it). Our overall preference was definitely the Enchantment (especially the crew). Keep in mind however that the Fantasy (I think) is Carnival's oldest and smallest ship. I would certainly try them again, I would just

go with a different ship. On a side note: our next cruise in in June 2012 on the Explorer, it will be our son's (13yo) first cruise...i'm curious to see what he thinks of the youth activities.