RCI Allure vs. Carnival Dream for 18 yo

[jhaasz]

My daughter has now hit that age where she can no longer go to the teen club on the ships. So, my question is, which ship is better for a 18 y.o. that has a tough time meeting others of her age on her own - the Carnival Dream or RCI Allure? Believe it or not, the pricing right now is pretty comparable for the time we are looking at (early July).

 

Any help would be appreciated (also posting this on the Carnival board).

 

Thanks!

[Starry Eyes]

Allure would be a great ship for a young adult. There are so many activities, especially if she is a even a bit athletic. Flow Rider. Ice skating Rink. Rock climbing wall. multiple pools. Those venues draw loads the younger people and give her a chance to talk to other participants. These huge ships are special, and I would pick Allure for most 18 year olds.

[Omishjoe]

Just did a back to back on these two ships earlier this month, Dream first and then Allure. I can say without a doubt the Allure wins hands down in every way. By the second day on Dream we had it nicknamed the ship of line-ups, then by the end had it pretty well summed up to the "Wal Mart of Cruising" By the second day on Allure we had the foul taste of the carnival dump out of our system. This is just my humble opinon mind you.

 

Oj.

[Tapi]

By the second day on Dream we had it nicknamed the ship of line-ups, then by the end had it pretty well summed up to the "Wal Mart of Cruising" By the second day on Allure we had the foul taste of the carnival dump out of our system.

 

Just curious what was so bad about the Dream. Like you, we also sailed on both the Allure of the Seas and the Carnival Dream within months of each other.

 

While we do agree that the Allure was a superior experience, we still had a wonderful time on the Dream (and in fact, we found several things where the Dream excelled over the Allure...)

 

Thanks for your reply! :)

[Omishjoe]

All of my previous cruises had been with RCL and having been used to the service, quality and varity of food and the openness of the voyager and above class ships I was hoping that a change would be good and open my mind to other cruise lines. But we just kept comparing and comparing...long lines at the buffet (30 mins the first time!) in the morning, with two kids to feed it was more like a chore...it would of been easier and less stressful to make them breakfast right at home! After that we decided to eat breakfast in the dining room and even that took a long time for service because I think everyone else was trying to avoid the long buffet lines also.

 

The layout of the ship took days to figure out, which way was forward or back. Most time even with a map we found certian venues by accident

 

Camp Carnival was ok for the kids except the check in area which was small and very crouded with parents dropping off/picking up their kids which made for more line ups.

 

Ate at the pasta bar twice, the first time I went alone and they lost my order and had to re-order after I noticed other people who were seated after me getting served, their response was "this happens sometimes" no sorry, no nothing! WT? The second time we went with my faimly of four and they had stopped taking orders because they were full yet they had lots of empty tables so we sat and waited for about 15 minutes to be served.

 

The dining room service and food was comparable to RCL and have no complains there, but the couple of times we ate dinner at the buffet the selection was small, with just a very limited variety of desserts.

 

We didn't hate everything about this ship, it fact we loved the waterslides (a kid in all of us) and the Deli, and the itinerary but I guess our expectations were high being this as one of Carnivals newest and biggest ships. A loyal carnival cruiser we met at the pool maybe summed it up when she said this ship was laid out just like some of their smaller ships but with more decks and just too many more people.

 

The price for us for this cruise was really good, so I guess you get what you pay for, and I'm gonna cross Carnival off my list. Doesn't mean I won't try their other brands.

 

I'm just glad this cruise wasn't my first or I might not me addicted to cruising at all.

[teenXcruiser]

This is something I've been wondering about too. In the past on Royal I had seen in the day planners events specifically for ages 18 to something, but Carnival doesn't offer that from what I've read. Having turned 18 recently I've been wondering if I'm going to be able to find anything to do on the Dream. My dream would be to go on Allure or Oasis, but at the time that's not really in the question.

[broberts]

An advantage of Allure is the number of passengers. It means that there should be many more 18 - 20 year olds on board.

[brilliantseas]

Just off the Dream and we (both in our early 20's) had a wonderful time. We sailed with every room sold and 4,280 passengers aboard, and never encountered any long waits/lines aside from the forward-most buffet areas and the Mongolian grill. If you know how to "work the system", just keep walking aft and the lines get much shorter. Longest line I ever saw for omelets in the morning was about 6 people, and they moved quickly. The only thing that we waited more than 5 minutes for on the entire ship was for a tender in Belize. We spent about 15 minutes sitting in the lounge and were on the third tender (they call about 5-6 numbers at a time).

 

Loved the fact that the ship had so many whirlpools (the ones on deck 5 were our favorite hang-out on the ship), as they were never overly crowded. Maybe 15 people in line for the water slides on the afternoon of our first full day at sea. The new system of clearing the lounge between each comedy show works really well and you can just go back around and go right back in for the next show and get a good seat.

 

I have not been on the Allure, so I can not compare, but based upon our experience on the Dream, there is plenty for a young person to do. Daytime pool contests, shows, live music, dance classes, etc. during the sea days and nighttime comedy club (we went to at least 2 shows every night), karaoke, dance club, the big production shows in the main show lounge, movies on the Seaside Theater, etc. gave us plenty to do every night. Our biggest problem was staying up too late and not wanting to get up at 8:00am to get off the ship at our next port.

 

Having been to most of the ports on the Eastern and Western itineraries, however, I'd recommend Western over Eastern to anyone who wants a wide variety of activities. St. Thomas and St. Maarten are both big beach destinations, but there isn't much variety. Overall, the water is much more beautiful in St. Maarten. I absolutely love that island. I could pass on St. Thomas and Nassau.

 

If you do go to St. Thomas, Magen's Bay Beach is nice (supposed to be in the top 10 in the world, but I wasn't that impressed), but beware of the taxi drivers taking advantage of tourists. We had a bad experience where a driver took us 100 yards outside the beach facility and tried to make us get out and into another taxi and demanded that we pay him the full fare for the trip back to the ship. Left a very bad taste, and upon talking to someone on the ship that was from St. Thomas, apparently this is a common problem in St. Thomas. Look for the big safari truck taxis with a lot of other people in them rather than taking your own taxi car or van to avoid problems.

 

I've never been to Jamaica or Haiti, but there is a reason for that. I've read reviews and seen pictures and I don't have any desire to go, on Carnival or Royal Caribbean.

 

Cozumel is a "do it yourself" port. Get a taxi to any one of the beaches, or go downtown for shopping and dining. Fat Tuesday at Carnival's Puerta Maya dock is the place to be for a party in the mid-late afternoon. Next time I go, I'll spend the morning at Paradise Beach (nicer than Mr. Sancho's) and then head back to Fat Tuesday for drinks in the afternoon. Senor Frog's isn't the destination that it used to be, and unless I need more cheap Cozumel t-shirts or vanilla extract, I don't see a need to go downtown.

 

In Belize, I'd recommend taking an off-shore excursion to one of the barrier islands, either through Carnival or an independent operator like EcoToursBelize (this is who we used). We had a great time snorkeling and hanging out on the beach at Goff's Caye ($49 excursion booked on the tender pier). We got a little over an hour in the water to snorkel over the reef and then swam to a beautiful private sand bar island for almost two hours of beach time and free rum punch. With only about 30 people on the island, it feels a little like your own Gilligan's Island. Our table mates at dinner did the cave tubing excursion, but said that they didn't enjoy the long bus ride through Belize (a tour of Central American poverty), and the water itself was cold, even though the air temperature was in the low 90's. Not much to see in Belize City itself, and the only things in the cruise pier area are the big chain jewelry and duty free shops, and a 2nd floor balcony bar overlooking the harbor.

 

Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Honduras is my new favorite cruise port. It is owned by Carnival Corp., so you won't see it if you cruise with Norwegian or Royal Caribbean. A huge, beautiful, white sand beach with modern facilities and jungle and mountains in the background. No need to spend a penny here if you don't want to. If you're feeling the need for adventure (like your 18 year old probably is), Clip N Zip Ziplining is just across the street from the taxi area. They offer ziplining for $45 per person, or combine it with an ATV Jungle Tour (offered next door) and do both for $99. The Clip N Zip facility is much larger than most of the ones that are offered in the other ports, with 11 lines ranging from 150 to over 900 feet long. We saw Carnival offering a different one for $79 that only included 5 lines. Like I said though, the beach is so beautiful that you could spend an entire day there and never spend a penny. Even the chairs and umbrellas are free.

 

Costa Maya, Mexico - Another port facility that was built specifically for the cruise lines. The facility itself has shopping and a big swimming pool with Senor Frog's bar in the center. No real beach at the port. We went to Uvero Beach Club in nearby Mahahual (about 45 minutes by bus) for the Boat Blast, Snorkel and Swim excursion offered through Carnival and had a great time. About 40 minutes of driving little two person speed boats (each person gets to drive for about 20 minutes), about 90 minutes of snorkeling, and a little over an hour at the beach with free open bar for $85. If you don't want to do the speed boats or snorkeling, Carnival also offers the Costa Maya Beach Break excursion, which goes to Uvero Beach Club and includes three to six hours of time at the beach (they offer three different return times to the ship, you pick which one you want to go back on) with free open bar for about $45. Definitely book an excursion if you stop in Costa Maya.

 

I'm sure your 18 year old will have fun no matter which cruise you go on, but we had a great time on the Dream. If you are looking at Eastern Caribbean itineraries, they are virtually the same, but I think Carnival's Exotic Western on the Dream would beat out Royal's Western Caribbean itinerary on the Allure in my personal opinion. That being said, Allure is still on my radar for a future cruise when the prices come down a little.

 

Have a great vacation and let us know which one you pick!

[Jolimont]

The Dream is a great ship and Carnival a great cruise line, but you're comparing apples and oranges. Of course the Allure is going to win in that comparison! It'll cost a lot more however, and since value is always a consideration to me, I'd think about that.

[Cruzaholic41]

I have been on both and the 2 cannot be compared. Without a doubt, Allure is the superior ship in every way.

[bajathree]

Allure offers much more activities for a teen.

[Tapi]

• All of my previous cruises had been with RCL.
  
• I was hoping that a change would be good and open my mind to other cruise lines. But we just kept comparing and comparing.
  
• I guess our expectations were high being this as one of Carnivals newest and biggest ships.
  
• The price for us for this cruise was really good, so I guess you get what you pay for.
  

 

Thanks for the reply. I do agree with your take on the Carnival Dream.

 

Carnival is what it is: a budget minded cruise line whose goal is to make cruising affordable to everybody. They do charge less for a reason, and while I agree that Royal Caribbean offers a superior experience, I think that Carnival delivers more value for the money.

 

For example, we paid $599pp for a balcony stateroom on Carnival vs. $1049pp for a boardwalk view (no balcony) stateroom on the Allure. My mother in law paid $379 for her inside cabin on the Dream!

 

I've learned that the key to enjoying a Carnival cruise (or any cruise for that matter) is to go with REALISTIC expectations. Otherwise I set myself up for dissapointment and failure.

 

In the OP's case, the price difference between the Allure and the Dream is minimal, which makes the decision a no brainer: Allure of the Seas would be the logical decision. However, as much as I loved our cruise on the Allure, I would have to think twice if I encountered a significant price difference again.

[thshhh]

We cruised the Dream last year and just got off the Oasis yesterday. Our thoughts...

We encountered more crowds and lines on the Oasis. We loved the different venues on the Oasis, but the Dream had venues we also enjoyed. Our 15yr old son felt the Oasis was more difficult to make friends due to the fact that he would meet someone, then not see them again because their were so many people and the ship was so big. (The majority of the teens he met were from other countries, so communication was difficult).

All in all, we had a great time on both ships...but they are vastly different.

[Tapi]

The majority of the teens he met were from other countries, so communication was difficult

 

That was one of they key differences I found between the Allure and the Dream. When we sailed on the Allure, fellow passengers were clearly an international mix. Ship publications were printed in various languages (Spanish, English, Italian, Portuguese, etc). Also, there was a large number of cruisers from Asia. (There even was a TV crew from Japan filming a documentary on the Allure. We were approached to be some of the passengers on the documentary!). It was actually a highlight of our cruise to interact with so many cultures at once.

 

On the Dream, majority of fellow passengers are from the USA, many who live close enough to drive to the port (including us! :)) Besides a family from Portugal, and two couples from Puerto Rico, everybody we interacted with hailed from neighboring states like Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida.

 

Both groups of fellow passengers were very enjoyable but vastly different. It's clear that these two cruise lines don't target the same market.

[genegri]

For East Carib route, Oasis wins by a landslide. Same itinerary and a much better ship.

 

For West Carib route, it's a toss up. Oasis is a much better ship but Dream's itinerary is much better (to me anyway).

 

Good luck deciding! :)

[Cruising89143]

For me it would be the Allure by a mile. Not a fan of Carnival. They haven't turned out a new ship design in over a decade. If money is not an issue, go with Allure. You won't be sorry.

[Starry Eyes]

That was one of they key differences I found between the Allure and the Dream. When we sailed on the Allure, fellow passengers were clearly an international mix... It was actually a highlight of our cruise to interact with so many cultures at once.

 

On the Dream, majority of fellow passengers are from the USA, many who live close enough to drive to the port (including us! :)) Besides a family from Portugal, and two couples from Puerto Rico, everybody we interacted with hailed from neighboring states like Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida.

 

Both groups of fellow passengers were very enjoyable but vastly different. It's clear that these two cruise lines don't target the same market.

 

It is interesting to see how many international passengers the Allure and Oasis are able to attract. I am not sure the cruise lines are "targeting” different markets, but if Carnival Dream can barely draw passengers from further across the US, it is no surprise it cannot draw many international passengers...

 

For the same price, I'd certainly select Allure.

[Cruising89143]

It is interesting to see how many international passengers the Allure and Oasis are able to attract. I am not sure the cruise lines are "targeting” different markets, but if Carnival Dream can barely draw passengers from further across the US, it is no surprise it cannot draw many international passengers...

 

For the same price, I'd certainly select Allure.

 

When the Oasis entered service, Adam Goldstein stated that about 40% of the guests on board would be international. They are marketing very heavy in Europe and South America. We have cruised the last two years on either the Oasis or Allure in January and there has been a very large group from Brazil on board as that is their summer vacation.

[bajathree]

Oasis/Allure definitely seem to be attracting a large international crowd...last Oasis sailing in July I would have to say over half the ship was Spanish speaking....I am sailing again for NYE and expect over half the ship to be from South America as that is the start of their summer vaca.....amazing at the premium those 2 ships are bringing to all the other ships for the holidays....I know that the South America crowd is very attracted to the latest and greatest and it is obviously clearly showing where Royal is marketing these big girls.

[The Big Booper]

When the Oasis entered service, Adam Goldstein stated that about 40% of the guests on board would be international. They are marketing very heavy in Europe and South America. We have cruised the last two years on either the Oasis or Allure in January and there has been a very large group from Brazil on board as that is their summer vacation.

 

For the girl watcher located in every male, no matter the age, nothing beats watching a band of Brazilian senhoritas trying to outdo each other in terms of the skimpiness of their bikinis:D:D

 

We had that on leg one of our B2B on the Allure last May.

 

For similar pricing, the Allure blows away the Dream.

[bajathree]

For the girl watcher located in every male, no matter the age, nothing beats watching a band of Brazilian senhoritas trying to outdo each other in terms of the skimpiness of their bikinis:D:D

 

We had that on leg one of our B2B on the Allure last May.

 

For similar pricing, the Allure blows away the Dream.

 

Not complaining about the eye candy:D

[Starry Eyes]

Not complaining about the eye candy:D

 

well, decent chance the OP's teen daughter will be less interested in such eye candy...

[bajathree]

well, decent chance the OP's teen daughter will be less interested in such eye candy...

 

True...True....those Brazilian girls can be a little intimidating to most American teen girls.

[The Big Booper]

True...True....those Brazilian girls can be a little intimidating to most American teen girls.

 

..................not to say most American women. :D

[Starry Eyes]

True...True....those Brazilian girls can be a little intimidating to most American teen girls.

 

I did not mean the OP's daughter would be intimidated. She just may not consider them eye candy.