I'm an idiot!!! I gave Carnival another chance.

[derftegel]

Sailed on a Carnival barge once, the cruise wasn't that bad.

[Azspeed]

I say this without allegiance to any cruise line or ship. I think there is such variety in ships, and lines, that there truly is something for everyone.

 

Personally, I like the change, from one cruise line ship, to another.

 

Having been on both Carnival (liked them) and RCCL (liked them, too) they offer similar but different experiences.

 

I think if you went over to the Carnival boards, they'd have a similar reaction to yours regarding RCCL cruises, but for different reasons.

 

As others have said, we're so fortunate to be able to cruise.

 

I'm slated for the Allure in May. Should be interesting. But, I will also book Carnival, and NCL in the future. They are all unique in their own way. I like that.

 

Like them both - Royal a little more, BUT Carnival has not abandoned us on the West Coast. We save about a thousand dollars per trip, by not having to fly across country.

[motherchic]

I have sailed on Celebrity, RCCL and Carnival.

for more pampering, I love Celebrity. we have always had a big CC group and have had a great time. Always had late dinner, went to show then casino. Not tons to choose from in the evenings, but I love the Millennium ships, thallo pool. Less children etc....lots of windows.

 

Have sailed on RCCL, lovely ships, more to do. Not as pampering but very nice.

 

Sailed on Carnival, as we were also taking our 3 daughters ( ages 27, 19, 17. ) Price was much more affordable. Food very good. Did not like all the constant loud noise at the pool area. The large movie screen was always blaring. Did not like the hawking of photos etc.... Not as many window, open areas available. Liked the entertainment in the evenings, but even our daughters did not like all the loudness at the pool. We spent all our time in te adult section. Quiet, but views were not as nice, more closed in. Would we do carnival again, yes, if we were taking our family and the price was better but otherwise, I missed the openness of Celebrity and RCCL

 

Has one of the posters said. A cruise line for everyone........ Did anyone else find the valor, a bit closed in and loud?

[nattybo]

Love RCCL!!!!:D

[BeachChik]

The atmosphere on Carnival ships seems to be like the atmosphere on the Carnival boards on here :eek: ooops, did I say that?

 

That's funny because I see that the boards are interchangeable. The people we saw on carnival weren't any different than what we saw on royal. But people need to justify their choices by saying one line is better than another when the reality is its all about your preferences.

[trigger]

Been on both. Got engaged on the Rhapsody (our first cruise ever). We prefer RCCL, however, Carnival is more affordable.

 

With that being said, On our last Carnival cruise, the CD was on a mission to hookup! If you know what I mean. It was like his own frat party wherever he was at.

 

Steering away from Carnival.

[LittleMiss]

Been on both. Got engaged on the Rhapsody (our first cruise ever). We prefer RCCL, however, Carnival is more affordable.

 

With that being said, On our last Carnival cruise, the CD was on a mission to hookup! If you know what I mean. It was like his own frat party wherever he was at.

 

Steering away from Carnival.

 

Ok I must speak on Behalf of Carnival, though I have only traveled Royal once, I always seem to have a good time. It's definitely about preferences, as with anything, over generalized statements go on a few Carnival cruises then you say not taking Carnival any more because one you may have had a bad issue with. The point is Cruises are expensive Carnival, Royal, Celebrity, Norwegian etc. my thought if you have the money to play..... Play! One last comment, whenever I look for a cruise, I have to admit one thing, the itineraries on Carnival are by far better. You can get a port each day, where as Royal likes to keep you on the boat so you can spend all your money there, which is why their boats are so Hi tech. When I cruise, I like to see the world more and not so much the Floating resort.

[ssca]

I have been on one Carnival cruise and while I had a good time there were some things that stuck with me. The good: the price, the OV cabins were bigger, the MDR food was better. The So-so: the food in the buffet, the service from the room attendants(walked in twice without knocking), the layout ( had to walk through the buffet from the pools to get to the elevator(yuck). But what I remember most was that at the end of the cruise I found myself wishing I was on RCCL ship.

 

The only thing I don't agree with is the MDR food I did not feel it was better,but its been 5 years since we have been on RCL.The past 4 we have tried 4 different CCL ships and every year say we are going back to RCL but the costs were soooooo different. Last year I also had the room attendent walk in,I was drenched by water standing on my balcony just before dinner(they were cleaning the lido deck and did not bother to let anyone know water would be coming off the back, we were in an aft cabin) There was a problem with our sons cabin it was just not a great experience. Everyday we said we wished we were on RCL. It is true they are a lot of people who can like both, Im just not one of them! The only way I will ever go back to CCL is if I need a Roatan fix! (although they skipped it last year!!!) if RCL stopped there life would be perfect!

Can't wait for our FOS cruise this summer!!!

[Cmx3d]

Oh lord the choices the world has to offer! Don't worry, the world is a scaaaarrryy scaaary place sometimes. Best stick with what your used to and not get out of your comfort zone.

 

Do you own a Mac by chance?

[KuffMUp]

Sorry about your experience and don't whack yourself in the head too hard. :eek:. We took our first cruise on Carnival and hated it. At the time we weren't sure if we hated cruising or what. It was on the Pride and the ship wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, we picked a Mexican Riviera in which we had spent vacationing in those ports for several weeks which may have impacted our enjoyment.

 

A few years later, we decided to give cruising another chance and discovered it wasn't the cruise experience but the company. People were yelling profanities at the staff!! I felt sorry for them. They were doing a good job but getting called %* incompetent. Then there were the wife beater tshirts, shorts, and flipflops in the restaurant. We don't like to dress up so failed to show on formal night out of respect to those that like to dress up. I hated the layout of the ship - Valor. After the first cruise where we enjoyed a cocktail at the lobby bar then went back to the dining room. On this ship, the only way to the dining room from the lobby bar was to go up a floor to the aft then down 2 floors. Weird. We couldn't enjoy the adult pool because the kids took over!!!

 

When we realized that RCI targeted the same demographic, we tried them. Yes, more expensive. But OMG the ship was beautiful. The passengers were decent. The children were very well behaved. The staff very friendly. We absolutely loved it. So much so that for our 25th anniversary we booked a B2B out of San Juan PR. Unfortunately, I suffered from an accident and could not fly so we had to cancel.

 

I am looking forward to our next in April 2013. Wish it was closer but I can't wait!!

[bajathree]

This is my take on it....there are all different cruise lines for all different folks....which makes it nice. However my rule has become...when a sailing get's to cheap I jump ship...my days of $129 sailings are behind me. Most all of us have grown up doing them at one time or another and there is nothing wrong with it.....but the short cheap sailings definitely attract a different cruiser from the longer more expensive ones....think it's like that with almost anything...be it housing...cars...hotels...some might say it's snobbery ...of course there are always exceptions to the rule...but in general I say it's just reality. There is definitely a bit of truth to the saying you get what you pay for....at least that has been my life experience.

[maxxedout2]

Carnival has some interesting itineraries. Soon, we are sailing on the

Carnival Miracle. The '3 Saints' Eastern cruise visits St. Martin, St. Lucia

and St. Kitts.

 

Our last 5 cruises have been on RCI (Navigator and Liberty).

 

Royal ships are WOW ships in every way but thanks to Carnival

I/we have seen several ports that Royal ships don't visit.

 

Platinum on Royal, but will gladly sail Carnival to see some new ports.

 

:cool::cool:

[benefactr]

Least CCL doesn't have to do a Kate Gosselin cruise. I'm sure her craft classes will be oh so much fun!

[VegasGreen]

Love Carnival, Love Princess, and excited to finally be trying Royal in six weeks after 25 cruises.

 

Heck, even considering all the other lines we've tried over the years - NCL, HAL, Costa, etc. - Some cruises are better than others, but I feel like all the lines do a pretty good job and are WAAAAAAAAY more similar than different. It seems more about the week you happen to be on, ya know?

 

Frankly, I can't conceive of eliminating a line from future consideration.. I just love cruising too much, and have learned to never say never!

[graphicguy]

Funny how these threads pop up with regularity.....CCL loyalists dismissing RCCL.....RCCL loyalists dismissing CCL.

 

The conclusion is usually the same.....there are many more similarities than differences between the two.

[LittleMiss]

Carnival has some interesting itineraries. Soon, we are sailing on the

Carnival Miracle. The '3 Saints' Eastern cruise visits St. Martin, St. Lucia

and St. Kitts.

 

Our last 5 cruises have been on RCI (Navigator and Liberty).

 

Royal ships are WOW ships in every way but thanks to Carnival

I/we have seen several ports that Royal ships don't visit.

 

Platinum on Royal, but will gladly sail Carnival to see some new ports.

 

:cool::cool:

 

I totally agree.... It's kind of like the people who go away to a foreign country and stay at the resort, you can go to the Four Seasons at home. Carnival definitely wants you to enjoy the boat and the ports unlike others that just want you to suck all your money on the boat. Every time I go to book a cruise, I always find myself falling back into the arms of Carnival just because of the destinations.

[LittleMiss]

Funny how these threads pop up with regularity.....CCL loyalists dismissing RCCL.....RCCL loyalists dismissing CCL.

 

The conclusion is usually the same.....there are many more similarities than differences between the two.

 

Agreed!!

[nyyhoneybee]

I wish that RCL did some different ports, I really do. I might try NCL for a Caribbean cruise if they do other ports (assuming I like my upcoming NCL cruise of couse). I had such an awful time on CCL and the food was horrendous that unless it was longer then a 7 day cruise (you usually get less families for the longer cruise) I would have to be getting the cruise basically for free to consider sailing them again. Longer then a 7 day I would consider it for the right price.

 

I would also try Celebrity before trying CCL I think, even if it's a slightly older crowd. Give me a pool, my Nook, a frozen drink and good food and I'm happy!

[lidopuppy]

I can't envision myself on any line other than Carnival of RCCL. 6 of our first 7 were on Carnival but the last 2 and our next on RCCL. There is no question that the RCCL ships are so much nicer (but we've only been on Independence and Voyager class ships). Also the ice show, 70's and 80's theme nights, along with the parades in the Promenade & quest are definitely a big plus for RCCL. On the other hand the food on Carnival is a lot better, and the entertainment in the main theater is better on Carnival. Especially on the carnival Dream where entertainment is far superior to any I've seen on either line. That is not close. And some people don't care about this, but I have found that the cruise directors on Carnival are a lot better. They seem to be more engaging and entertaining (at least the ones I've experienced, and I know that is a pretty small sample size). I would certainly promote BOTH lines to my friends and encourage my friends who have not cruised to give either a try. It's the best vacation one can take in my opinion.

[1ParticularHbr]

Least CCL doesn't have to do a Kate Gosselin cruise. I'm sure her craft classes will be oh so much fun!

 

Cut Royal Caribbean some slack on the Kate Gosslin cruise. From what I understand, it is arranged through a private tour company....just happens to be a RCI cruise. (Just glad it's not one I'm on...hehehe)

[franncos]

Was on the Carnival Pride and I thought it was the best cruise I was ever on. I was also on RCCL Explorer of the Sea and the cabins were much smaller. Also I thought the food was better on Carnival. I will admith both cruise lines did not chage me the corkage fees. Just one persons opion.

[yarlenna]

Funny how these threads pop up with regularity.....CCL loyalists dismissing RCCL.....RCCL loyalists dismissing CCL.

 

The conclusion is usually the same.....there are many more similarities than differences between the two.

 

Well said! Sometimes you feel like a nut and sometimes you don't. I have almost 50 cruises under my belt (in more ways than one, if you get my drift.) Sometimes I am in the mood for a Carnival, and other times it may be Royal or some other line.

[jonbgd]

Cut Royal Caribbean some slack on the Kate Gosslin cruise. From what I understand, it is arranged through a private tour company....just happens to be a RCI cruise. (Just glad it's not one I'm on...hehehe)

Can you imagine what would be said if it was on a Carnival ship:eek:

[LittleMiss]

Can you imagine what would be said if it was on a Carnival ship:eek:

 

Exactly!!

[PINEVIEW01]

We usually cruise with RCCl but we were on the Carnival Magic for 2 weeks in the Med. in Sept. There were some issues on the Magic, however, the food on the cruise was better than our last 2 rccl cruises and we had a great time. No matter how many times CCL and RCCl are compared on cruise critic, the differences that are always highlighted are really not very significant. Both are mass market lines operating within the same general price range and both attracting tens of thousands of passengers each week.

Yep, I find the food hands down better on Carnival than on RCCL. I also find the two lines more alike than different.

 

Between all my cruises I have found the same bad and good at some time on both.

 

My husband won't cruise on RCCL with me. He likes Carnival and Princess. I like them all as long as I'm on a ship:D