After 14 Carnival cruises, trying RCI

[BEEZALAR]

Am I crazy? The price was right for Monarch on Sept 19, so I figure what the heck! Anyone have any advice on the differences I should expect? Trisha

[going to see the world]

I think it would be great to try another line. We've been looking at some others also. I hope you'll be doing a review when you get back so you can share some of the differences that you noticed and who you'll be sailing with next :)

Have a great cruise!!! :)

[lknight27]

Am I crazy? The price was right for Monarch on Sept 19, so I figure what the heck! Anyone have any advice on the differences I should expect? Trisha

 

Unless you're getting a paid to stay with Carnival, I'd say go for it! It's your money and your vacation. Contrary to what others might think, these two cruiselines are more similiar then they are different. :rolleyes: And neither have earned my sole loyalty, so depending on my needs, I'll book with any cruiseline the fits the bill for what I am looking for.

 

IMHO, you can get sick, have rude guests, bad food, poor service, etc, or just have a bad experience on ANY cruiseline. Any they've ALL cut back, which is why I have no loyalty to just one line. So go for it! Monarch is an older ship, but still lovely and very enjoyable for a short cruise. Enjoy your cruise and happy sailing! :D

[DebBrown]

I sailed with them once and would go back in a heartbeat if they could match Carnival's prices. Think about it, every cruise has food, a casino, a pool deck, shops, entertainment, a spa and more food. Unless you go top of the line, they can't be THAT different.

[jonbgd]

I was loyal to Carnival till Bob retired and the customer service started slipping. Since than Ive been on Hal, Princess, Royal and doing NCL in 2 months

All the major cruiselines are more similar than not

[reddgrits]

I haven't been on a bad cruise yet! I just love cruising!

[Jolimont]

What the heck is right! If the price is right and the itinerary suits you, go for it! RCI is a nice cruise line, you'll have a great time!

[walkingmom]

As you can see from our previous cruises, we don't stick to a particular line, but go where the prices (Carnival) and itinerary (Holland) interest us.

 

That being said, Royal Caribbean is our favorite! Something about the size, staff and customers appeals to us. We wish they would offer a better variety of ports or match Carnival's prices on some itineraries, but given the choice between similar prices/stops, we'll chose Royal Caribbean every time. We were even originally booked to do South America with Royal until we discovered that for a bit more, we could visit the Faulkland Islands with Holland.

 

Any cruise, with the right attitude will be great!

[firefly333]

Monarch is one of the 2 oldest ships with the tiny cabins, the reason RCL has a reputation now for small cabins .. so cabins will be tiny, but we had fun on Majesty with good shows, private island, the BBQ was great, and key west and another port.

 

I would never book a inside on monarch, but OV and up, I would again.

[ilovetexas]

I've been on Monarch and it's fine. We didn't like the food in the MDR at all, but the ship's decor was not "over the top" like the Carnival Fantasy class ships. The cabins were smaller (tiny really) but I liked the room service better. Their private island (Coco Cay) was lovely.

 

Don't try to compare Monarch to Legend and you'll have a great time, cruises are exactly what you make of them. :)

[rstout]

Just go into it with an open mind and remember that any day on a cruise is better than a day at work! We were loyal to RCCL and tried our first Carnival Cruise last year. I think I had more of an open mind than my husband did, and I came away with a more positive outlook on the overall experience. The Monarch is one of the smaller and older ships, and not my favorite, but I still prefer RCCL's decor and general ship layout over Carnival. I thought Carnival's food was a bit better overall (it was a wash for my husband), and my kids loved the slides on the Carnival Dream. Service will vary from ship to ship, so I don't think you can really compare that between the two lines.

[T. Advisor King]

Am I crazy? The price was right for Monarch on Sept 19, so I figure what the heck! Anyone have any advice on the differences I should expect? Trisha

 

Wow! 14 cruises and they were all Carnival? I guess you're no fan of variety. I had better hold up my comments/questions right there.

[samsgram1026]

Wow! 14 cruises and they were all Carnival? I guess you're no fan of variety. I had better hold up my comments/questions right there.

 

We also have done 12 cruises with Carnival and find that they are indifferent to their clients. Have a cruise booKed in November with a scheduled stop at Catalina Island DR. Carnival saw fit to change the port to LaRomana DR but we can still go to Calalina Island for $70/person-no food or drink. So....................next cruise will be with rccl. There are options out there.

Eleanor

[BEEZALAR]

Wow! 14 cruises and they were all Carnival? I guess you're no fan of variety. I had better hold up my comments/questions right there.

 

After 14 I do see that carnival does much of the same thing on all the ships. It does get tiresome. I've seen some shows serveral times on different ships. different dancers but the show was the same. gets kinda old after a while. Guess it is past time for a change.

 

I have always loved carnival and never had a bad cruise, they just need to change it up once in awhile, for us repeat cruisers!

[Cruzman]

I was loyal to Carnival till Bob retired and the customer service started slipping. Since than Ive been on Hal, Princess, Royal and doing NCL in 2 months

All the major cruiselines are more similar than not

 

I totally agree! Since Bob retired, CCL has gone steadily downhill. For the first time in more than 10 years, I do not have a CCL cruise booked.

 

To the OP; the primary difference you will likely notice is very tiny standard cabins on the Monarch. They are extremely small! You will notice however, that there is more public space on this class of ship. The interior decor is more subdued, and I suspect you just might like the contrast.