A CC Classic- Royal Caribbean vs Carnival... In Europe

[bahrain_not_dubai!]

Hello everyone !

 

 

Some of you who are on other boards may have noted I have been posting/asking about information on a mass-market cruise this Summer for my family, as well as extended family.

 

Anyway, here goes- the two I am currently leaning towards the most are the 12 nights Carnival Breeze or 7 Nights Liberty of the Seas.

 

I like having a degree of '' ship'' feel when at sea, indeed my preference is for smaller ships and if people in my family decide to bail out for whatever reason I shall probably end up sailing on the 5,000 ton Wind Star with my mother.

 

What would you say is the pros and cons of both lines/ships/cruises? I've never sailed CCL and my last time on RCI was in 2005, on their smallest ship so much has changed.

 

Value is an important thing and I would like you to put yourself in my position- the prices for a couple I have is $2,300 for the 12 night CCL cruise and $2,600 for the 7 Night RCI cruise.

 

Which one would you pick? There will be no kids joining us and the youngest will be 18.

 

I'm leaning even more towards CCL because of the obvious value vs. RCI- yet what do you think? What input can you give?

 

I've posted this on the RCI board in order to get both sides of the fence.

 

Oh and also I want to finally choose one ''big'' ship line and settle- I've tried NCL twice and although I like it I feel there is something out there more suited to my needs. Problem with CCL is that the vast, vast majority of their voyages are ex. USA, where I can't always travel to. On the other hand, I am moving to the UK in September, so a lot of RCI ships will be very close by.

 

Thanks all in advance !

[KruznKel]

Hello everyone !

 

 

Some of you who are on other boards may have noted I have been posting/asking about information on a mass-market cruise this Summer for my family, as well as extended family.

 

Anyway, here goes- the two I am currently leaning towards the most are the 12 nights Carnival Breeze or 7 Nights Liberty of the Seas.

 

I like having a degree of '' ship'' feel when at sea, indeed my preference is for smaller ships and if people in my family decide to bail out for whatever reason I shall probably end up sailing on the 5,000 ton Wind Star with my mother.

 

What would you say is the pros and cons of both lines/ships/cruises? I've never sailed CCL and my last time on RCI was in 2005, on their smallest ship so much has changed.

 

Value is an important thing and I would like you to put yourself in my position- the prices for a couple I have is $2,300 for the 12 night CCL cruise and $2,600 for the 7 Night RCI cruise.

 

Which one would you pick? There will be no kids joining us and the youngest will be 18.

 

I'm leaning even more towards CCL because of the obvious value vs. RCI- yet what do you think? What input can you give?

 

I've posted this on the RCI board in order to get both sides of the fence.

 

Oh and also I want to finally choose one ''big'' ship line and settle- I've tried NCL twice and although I like it I feel there is something out there more suited to my needs. Problem with CCL is that the vast, vast majority of their voyages are ex. USA, where I can't always travel to. On the other hand, I am moving to the UK in September, so a lot of RCI ships will be very close by.

 

Thanks all in advance !

 

I cant compare because I have never sailed RCI.. but I would suggest go with Carnival.. longer cruise cheaper brand new ship.. give them a shot.. even tho you are moving to the UK.. Carnival does have ships sailing over there during the winter months... you may shock yourself and really enjoy it.. or you may hate it.. but you will never know until you try it right... have a great cruise which ever line you choose:D

[firefly333]

Liberty is one of the newest Freedom class which has more for teens to do. Teens prefer RCL almost always. Its a beautiful ship and the serenity area is so nice. I enjoyed sitting in the wooden swings just looking out to sea on many days. Im not one to lie down and tan... but the swings were nice.

 

Liberty also has the surf zone where you can learn to surf, and start laying down and try to get up if you want .. or more.

 

Pools are much more numerous and much much larger on RCL, their ships cost a ton more to build so there is a reason the cost is higher.

 

Breeze is not out yet, but I know the serenity area is not free, you either have to book a spa cabin or pay $249 a couple to use the area. Im booked on Magic, so you know I am looking forward to seeing Magic again in the future, the last ship before Breeze.

 

Carnival has stopped having nightly shows in the theater, and switched to comedians in the aft lounges, and at most a game in the theater. I miss the big shows on Carnival. For me this is the biggest thing they cut back on I miss.

 

Id take the better deal and do Carnival, but dont expect the same amount of outside activities and shows.

[Busy Barge]

Breeze is not out yet, but I know the serenity area is not free, you either have to book a spa cabin or pay $249 a couple to use the area.

 

Serenity is not free on Breeze? Is this something new? Serenity has always been free for adults on other Carnival ships.

[zqvol]

Liberty is one of the newest Freedom class which has more for teens to do. Teens prefer RCL almost always. Its a beautiful ship and the serenity area is so nice. I enjoyed sitting in the wooden swings just looking out to sea on many days. Im not one to lie down and tan... but the swings were nice.

 

Liberty also has the surf zone where you can learn to surf, and start laying down and try to get up if you want .. or more.

 

Pools are much more numerous and much much larger on RCL, their ships cost a ton more to build so there is a reason the cost is higher.

 

Breeze is not out yet, but I know the serenity area is not free, you either have to book a spa cabin or pay $249 a couple to use the area. Im booked on Magic, so you know I am looking forward to seeing Magic again in the future, the last ship before Breeze.

 

Carnival has stopped having nightly shows in the theater, and switched to comedians in the aft lounges, and at most a game in the theater. I miss the big shows on Carnival. For me this is the biggest thing they cut back on I miss.

 

Id take the better deal and do Carnival, but dont expect the same amount of outside activities and shows.

 

 

Since when is the serenity area not free?

[firefly333]

Serenity is not free on Breeze? Is this something new? Serenity has always been free for adults on other Carnival ships.

 

sorry the its the pay spa area on breeze .. I did say you had to book a spa cabin to get it.

 

both areas are adult on Breeze, and I confuse the two areas.

 

You still get a lot more in the way of pools and such on Liberty, but you get much more price too.

[Tapi]

Let me start by saying that my parents are NOT big fans of Carnival, but they chose to sail on the Carnival Liberty when it was sailing in Europe. To this day, they say that it's one of the best vacations they've ever taken. (and they have traveled all over the world and enjoy the finer things in life).

 

As much as I've enjoyed my Royal Caribbean cruises, I think that the obvious choice here is the Carnival Breeze. Brand new ship, longer itinerary.

 

About finding one cruise line and sticking with it: based on what you said about yourself, Carnival may not be the best choice for you since their main focus is budget Caribbean cruises from US ports. In my opinion, if you are more of a world traveler, you may want to look at other cruise lines with more varied itineraries, like Celebrity, Holland America, Princess, and even Royal Caribbean.

 

With that said, I dont think there's anything wrong with sailing on different cruise lines depending on what you are looking for on each individual vacation.... :)

[marty's mom]

we did the 12 day splendor in europe a few years ago. it was fantastic. we'e also sailed RCI liberty, oasis etc but 12 days is a no brainer!

also there won't be a lot of kids on that sailing, average age is higher

enjoy

[bahrain_not_dubai!]

I just want to clear one thing up- there is no production shows on Carnival anymore? Like the singer/dancer type show in the main theatre ?

 

If this is true then it is a deal breaker for me as a I enjoy such entertainment immensely.

 

Can someone please give me more information in regards to the entertainment aboard Carnival (the nightly show, not day time).

 

Thanks- and thanks for all your input !

[firefly333]

I just want to clear one thing up- there is no production shows on Carnival anymore? Like the singer/dancer type show in the main theatre ?

 

If this is true then it is a deal breaker for me as a I enjoy such entertainment immensely.

 

Can someone please give me more information in regards to the entertainment aboard Carnival (the nightly show, not day time).

 

Thanks- and thanks for all your input !

 

There have been two, but the big Magic show for instance was cancelled. There is a short welcome show, and the two dancing and singing shows, and sometimes a talent type show.

 

Liberty had three big singing and dancing shows for the 7 day, not sure how many for a longer cruise, plus every night there was a show in the theater.

 

To me love and marriage game in the theater or bingo is not a show they do on the other nights on Carnival.

 

Carnival does have comedians on the nights without a show, but they are on multiple times with the same jokes each time. Just hard for me to find a show on Carnival nightly like they used to. I miss the shows.

 

I have not done a 12 day, so maybe they add the Magic show back in on Carnival in Europe, since those cost more to book. Im just comparing the 7 days. Maybe RCL is cutting back on shows too, as I did Oasis twice and there are only 6 bookable shows for 7 nights.

[KruznKel]

I just want to clear one thing up- there is no production shows on Carnival anymore? Like the singer/dancer type show in the main theatre ?

 

If this is true then it is a deal breaker for me as a I enjoy such entertainment immensely.

 

Can someone please give me more information in regards to the entertainment aboard Carnival (the nightly show, not day time).

 

Thanks- and thanks for all your input !

 

There have been two, but the big Magic show for instance was cancelled. There is a short welcome show, and the two dancing and singing shows, and sometimes a talent type show.

 

Liberty had three big singing and dancing shows for the 7 day, not sure how many for a longer cruise, plus every night there was a show in the theater.

 

To me love and marriage game in the theater or bingo is not a show they do on the other nights on Carnival.

 

Carnival does have comedians on the nights without a show, but they are on multiple times with the same jokes each time. Just hard for me to find a show on Carnival nightly like they used to. I miss the shows.

 

I have not done a 12 day, so maybe they add the Magic show back in on Carnival in Europe, since those cost more to book. Im just comparing the 7 days. Maybe RCL is cutting back on shows too, as I did Oasis twice and there are only 6 bookable shows for 7 nights.

 

I think it is in your best interest since the Breeze will be a brand new ship to call Carnival and ask them what the entertainment will be.. since no body here knows since SHE is a NEW ship...

 

You may want to post a question on John Healds FB page asking him.. he maybe able to help you regarding that...

[TheCaveman]

There have been two, but the big Magic show for instance was cancelled. There is a short welcome show, and the two dancing and singing shows, and sometimes a talent type show.

 

Liberty had three big singing and dancing shows for the 7 day, not sure how many for a longer cruise, plus every night there was a show in the theater.

 

To me love and marriage game in the theater or bingo is not a show they do on the other nights on Carnival.

 

Carnival does have comedians on the nights without a show, but they are on multiple times with the same jokes each time. Just hard for me to find a show on Carnival nightly like they used to. I miss the shows.

 

I have not done a 12 day, so maybe they add the Magic show back in on Carnival in Europe, since those cost more to book. Im just comparing the 7 days. Maybe RCL is cutting back on shows too, as I did Oasis twice and there are only 6 bookable shows for 7 nights.

 

 

Firefly, i just have to say, i appreciate 99% of your posts, but you are talking ferteliser here....in this post above.

 

we went on a 12 day Carnival cruise, and, there were production shows on 10 out of 12 nights, and the other 2 were the talent show, last night, and a singer the other.

 

On the 1st sailing of Magic, yes, ther were cancelations, but, when we went, it was a lot to do every night, plus, e ery night there were a comedial as well....

 

I did a full trip report, daily, and you are welcome to check, as i listed all the shows,,,,

[DEL67]

I have sailed both Carnival and RCCL many times and, to me, there is not a lot of difference. I enjoy both.

 

Like you, I prefer smaller ships; however, I believe that the European prices on the Carnival Breeze provide much more value than those on RCCL. In fact, I just booked it myself. In addition, I do not believe that the size of the ship makes much difference when you are in port most of the cruise unless it is small enough to go to ports where large ships cannot go.

 

Therefore, I would choose the longer Breeze cruise over the Liberty unless I liked the ports better, but that's just me.

[gagirl96]

We were on the Miracle 9 day cruise in the Med last summer and loved it. We had cruised previously on RCCL, and didn't notice a large difference between the 2 lines, honestly. It was great being on a brand-new ship. The cruise is so port-intensive that we weren't interested in staying up for the shows every night any way. The serenity sun deck was free, and very nice with lots of shade and a bar. You can't beat the price of Carnival's Med cruises. I just wish they had a more eastern itinerary because I want to go to Greece next!

[Chigirlcruzin]

Firefly, i just have to say, i appreciate 99% of your posts, but you are talking ferteliser here....in this post above.

 

we went on a 12 day Carnival cruise, and, there were production shows on 10 out of 12 nights, and the other 2 were the talent show, last night, and a singer the other.

 

On the 1st sailing of Magic, yes, ther were cancelations, but, when we went, it was a lot to do every night, plus, e ery night there were a comedial as well....

 

I did a full trip report, daily, and you are welcome to check, as i listed all the shows,,,,

 

Agreed. There was a "real" show every night on my Sept Legend cruise. John Heald has posted entertainment schedules for nightly shows, and they include actual shows, not the marriage game.

[CupKayke]

To the OP...

 

If you can get away for 12 days with no problems, the obvious financial choice would be the Carnival Breeze!!

 

Secondly... which one has the ports you want to see??? Isn't that top priority??

 

As for the ships... the Carnival Breeze has a newly announced 5D Theatre!!! It seats 100 people and should be awesome!!

 

 

As for RCCL versus Carnival, in general... I think they were were more alike than different.

Here are the things I noticed to be most different... at least, the things that mattered to me... your mileage may vary...

 

On RCCL you must dress-up for dinner every evening... business attire... I wore black slacks or skirts, etc. If I had I wore jeans on our cruise at night in the MDR on RCCL, I would have been majorly out of place. On Carnival, I wear a nice tops and jeans most of the time. I dress-up for work so I prefer Carnival's laid back atmosphere.

 

Every ship on RCCL has a designated smoking lounge/bar. My husband smokes. I do not. He likes to sit and have a drink and read his book. I like to sit with him and have a drink or soda and do whatever it is I'm doing at the time ~ our balcony isn't always the most comfortable due to weather, etc. Carnival doesn't offer this, sadly. :(

 

I felt like the staff on RCCL went above and beyond and out of their way to make us feel special and accommodated. Seriously. They definitely believe in the customer is always right. I have never had a problem with Carnival staff (besides once in the spa but I digress) but, in general, I've never really gotten this feeling from Carnival staff... I could give examples but then 10 people would jump on here and yell at me.

 

I like Carnival's liquor policy WAY more than RCCL. RCCL is not going to let you get a drop of liquor on their boat at embarkation or on the boat from a port or via room service or etc.. .without you paying sky-high prices for it. Carnival has Bon Voyage where you can order your Crown Royal ahead of time and sip it in your room. RCCL offers nothing like this. However, I have heard RCCL is offering unlimited drink packages on their overseas cruises so maybe that will be an option for you??

 

RCCL lets you schedule a photography time for you and your family ~ during the day ~ to take pictures. You choose if you want to buy a package or not. My husband & I scheduled a time around 1:00pm on a sea day... put on jeans and semi-matching tops :o and our photographer took pictures of us in all sorts of neat poses and with all sorts of different backgrounds... in the middle of the day!! Carnival will not do this... they only take pictures at night and it's usually at/during dinner time which is usually highly inconvenient for us. Something small but maybe it will matter to you, too???

 

In general, they both have goods and bads. I think you should make a list of what matters most to YOU and YOUR FAMILY and then research those specific items. For us, overall, Carnival wins over RCCL hands-down... not to say we would never cruise RCCL again (we would) but we would choose Carnival first if possible.

 

Also, just a tidbit about your Europe cruise... we loved that our dining room table was us and a group from London. The table next to us was a large Indian family. Being Americans, we were BY FAR the minority on the cruise!! I thought that was odd but it was most definitely true. The karaoke bar was PACKED with a bunch of crazy, fun Italians singing oldies IN ITALIAN!! WE LOVED IT!! We would listen to them, not knowing Italian, of course, and still be able to figure out what song they were singing! Fun Fun Fun