RCCL vs Carnival: I dont know what to do.

[DT1304]

I have been on two RCCL cruises, both on Radiance, and loved them both.

 

I would love to stay loyal to Royal because I enjoyed it so much, but on a future cruise (out of an Australian port) I am very limited in my selection. My family want to try a different ship, and the Carnival seems like the next option to try.

 

The other RCCL ships do not have itineraries that suit my travel whereas carnival is here year round so I can get a cruise booked with them.

 

The problem is that I have heard so many mixed reviews about Carnival, with more negative than positive. In fact even a few different TA that I have spoken to have said that carnival is great, but I will be disappointed after the experiences on radiance.

 

I would love advice from those that have travelled on both lines, preferably with your Carnival cruise AFTER your RCCL cruise.

 

I would cruise with a family with 3 kids, so prefer not to go on the more "adult" cruise ships.

[sheridan318]

I have travelled on both ships and enjoyed both experiences but for different reasons, im sure if you go with an open mind you will have a great cruise no matter which cruise line you go with

Jacquie

[Hstergo]

I have been on both first RCCL ships then Carnival and simply said RCCL ships were much nicer and classier looking the inside of the Carnival ship made you feel like you was trapped in a pinball machine lots of 1980's looking neon.

 

Shows RCCL hands down.. Carnival relies on mostly on the passengers as entertainment as in game shows and things of that nature.

 

Food RCCL wins once again.

 

Yes Carnival is cheaper but simply put.. You get what you pay for

 

I am sure there will be tons of posters telling you how much they love Carnival but if you enjoy RCCL I really don't think you will have the same experience on Carniival.

[Royalty X]

We sailed on the Spirit...and will never go again. RCI & Celebrity all the way for us now. :)

[Ned49]

RCCL every time. Sailed Carnival Spirit wasn't impressed. Way to many kids. Food awful entertainment not very good drinks expensive. The staff aren't nearly as good as RCCl.

I guess if you have kids you might enjoy it.

We will stick to RCCl

[Esilef]

Could you try another RCCL ship? The voyager has amazing things for kids. Happy kids = happy mum & dad.

 

There is some very cheap deals out on the Spirit at the moment. So you could try it without robbing a bank.

[fishtaco]

My experience with RCCL and Carnival are about on par!

 

I sailed carnival splendor and would,nt think twice about going Carnival over RCI if the itinerary suited me more on carnival.

 

Apple V Android = RCI V Carnival, If your a "Fanboy " you will always choose one over the other.

 

If P&O had the same quality ships they would possibly be better than both!

[karmac]

...In fact even a few different TA that I have spoken to have said that carnival is great, but I will be disappointed after the experiences on radiance.

 

So many people on here have said the same thing about P&O versus any other cruise line. BUT......I disagree. We had cruised only P&O and then did a 3 nighter on Rhapsody of the Seas early last year. We gladly went back to P&O. Whilst I agree that Rhapsody is a nicer ship than P&O ships, the whole cruising experience is, in my opinion, far better on P&O than on RCCL. I'm not saying we wouldn't cruise RCCL again (in fact thinking of doing Radiance Honolulu to Sydney next year) but we are more than happy to cruise P&O.

 

If Carnival is better for you as far as timing, itineraries & pricing go, give it a go. Go with an open mind. You'll never know if you don't try it.

[Brossy]

So many people on here have said the same thing about P&O versus any other cruise line. BUT......I disagree. We had cruised only P&O and then did a 3 nighter on Rhapsody of the Seas early last year. We gladly went back to P&O. Whilst I agree that Rhapsody is a nicer ship than P&O ships, the whole cruising experience is, in my opinion, far better on P&O than on RCCL. I'm not saying we wouldn't cruise RCCL again (in fact thinking of doing Radiance Honolulu to Sydney next year) but we are more than happy to cruise P&O.

 

If Carnival is better for you as far as timing, itineraries & pricing go, give it a go. Go with an open mind. You'll never know if you don't try it.

 

I agree with Karmac.

 

I have just returned from a P&o cruise after a 2 year absence (In that time I have only done Royal Caribbean). Sure Royal have nicer ships and may offer a few more free perks but I still prefer P&O. The food was fantastic and better than what I had recently on Radiance, the shows are better, entertainment staff better, daily programmes more varied, staff friendlier (in most areas especially the casino, kids clubs, restaurant and Cain stewards. I love the fact that you are not expected to tip. I love that P&o cap the limits on their kids clubs. The kids club staff seem to care more about the kids, have better organised activities etc. P&O also have the best sail away parties!!!!

 

I am booked on carnival spirit in March next year and will go with an open mind but I have a feeling It won't be as great as P&O or Royal. Carnival has the slides which my kids will love but not sure what else will win me over ( I have heard more negatives than positives about carnival Australia and most are from my friends who have only cruised P&O).

[rumpelstiltskin]

I've sailed on both lines, and prefer RCCL over Carnival.

 

The food is better, and fellow passengers less obnoxious...especially in the Caribbean.

 

Crew have been fantastic on every sailing and cruise line.

[Woody22]

Just got off Carnival Spirit this morning. Traveled with 3 kids and had a great time. Can't compare it to RC but your kids will have a blast!

[Rencruzr]

There seem to be a lot of whingers in the world. Put Carnival australia as a liked page on your facebook and see how many people absolutely rave about it being the best time and best ship, and I would agree.

 

Im thinking do the people who did not like it travel on a different ship? What are there unrealistic expectations? There was nothing wrong with the food, if anything you are spoilt for choice and with the free ice cream 24/7 and wood fired pizza at midnight if you want it, what else do you want.

 

The slide is also excellent for children and the theatre was big with a great production.

 

Forget the whiners and go Carnival

[fishtaco]

I have been on two RCCL cruises, both on Radiance, and loved them both.

 

I would love to stay loyal to Royal because I enjoyed it so much, but on a future cruise (out of an Australian port) I am very limited in my selection. My family want to try a different ship, and the Carnival seems like the next option to try.

 

The other RCCL ships do not have itineraries that suit my travel whereas carnival is here year round so I can get a cruise booked with them.

 

The problem is that I have heard so many mixed reviews about Carnival, with more negative than positive. In fact even a few different TA that I have spoken to have said that carnival is great, but I will be disappointed after the experiences on radiance.

 

I would love advice from those that have travelled on both lines, preferably with your Carnival cruise AFTER your RCCL cruise.

 

I would cruise with a family with 3 kids, so prefer not to go on the more "adult" cruise ships.

 

 

Have you considered P&O as another option?

 

Negative reviews on a cruise line are not really the same thing as negative reviews of a hotel on land unless you are comparing reviews of all inclusive resorts.

 

Entertainment staff interaction with Cruisers is much better on P&O than Carnival and Carnival,s is much better than RCCL.

 

In all my cruises I still havnt been to a full production show apart from the Voyagers Ice Show and it was only Tracey who stopped me walking out. Its not a negative I just dont do shows unless they are Adult comedy shows to which P&O have the best Carnival second and RCcL last!

 

Cafe after hours food and Pizza on RCCL was like eating cardboard and carnivals wasnt much better, again not a negative because I dont do " Ice cream or cakes" plus it was free and I would have had to pay for it on P&O.

 

Carnivals staff were the happiest I have encountered followed by P&O with RCCL,s last.

 

I have not had a cold buffet meal or lack of choice on all three.

 

I have had cold dinning room meals on all three that were quickly changed without any trouble.

 

 

P&O has had the best dinning room choices of all three and so far the best dinning room food quality, but not a negative on Carnival or RCCL because I could re order and have as much as I wanted on all three.

 

P&O has by far the best sailaways that are memorable and missed when cruising the others.

 

RCCL has the cheapest booze Carnival the better cocktails RCCL the strongest drinks with P&O coming in last on the booze front but coming first on the Casino front with RCCL last.

 

P&O can get a bit Feral on the smoking deck side late at night.

 

I am in my 50,s with no children and have not had a real problem with children on any cruise as I can step away from them, not as easy to do with "Old Grumpy" people which out number children on any cruise line and are everywhere:D:D:D

[circuitrider]

I base my cruise decisions on price and itinerary first, ship second. Unless a ship's reviews are absolutely horrible, I'm willing to give it a chance.

 

I like Carnival, cheap and does the job. Go in with lower expectations, and be pleasantly surprised.

 

I like Disney. Good food, EXCELLENT family entertainment. Very expensive.

 

I like Celebrity. Though the ship I sailed on is no longer with Celebrity (Zenith).

 

I like NCL. Food is so-so, service is so-so, prices are good and I love freestyle cruising (I want to be comfortable, which suits are not).

 

I don't like Princess due to one problem after another on a B2B Alaska cruise. It'll take quite a bit for me to reconsider them (time heals all wounds).

 

I like RCCL, especially the larger ships (Freedom of the Seas was awesome, next cruise is on Voyager so we'll see how this slightly-smaller-but-still-huge ship compares). Bit pricier than Carnival and NCL, but also more kid-friendly (some argue it's as kid-friendly as Disney; I disagree as a whole but per-dollar I'd have to agree).

 

Haven't been on P&O yet, but I'd have no problem if the price and itinerary were appealing.

 

Plus, each ship is a bit different. Perhaps you tried a Carnival cruise in the past and loved it, but try the Spirit and hate it. Or vice versa. Even the same ship can have a different feel to it from one year to the next.

 

The right frame of mind is probably the most important thing. Even on my "bad" cruise, I still had a great vacation.

[DT1304]

Well I made the decision and have booked my cabins on carnival.

 

Thanks to all of you for your comments.

 

I am looking forward to a new cruise experience.

[Rencruzr]

Well I made the decision and have booked my cabins on carnival.

 

Thanks to all of you for your comments.

 

I am looking forward to a new cruise experience.

 

well done you will have a fantastic time!:D

[Dizziedi]

Well I made the decision and have booked my cabins on carnival.

 

Thanks to all of you for your comments.

 

I am looking forward to a new cruise experience.

 

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel:eek:

 

Enjoy yourselves:)

Di

[DT1304]

Hehehe Di. You make me laugh.

 

As you know I could not book the New Zealand cruise on radiance over new year because of my visitors.

 

And in April with Easter and Anzac Day, I can take a few days leave and get a 10 day holiday.

 

Unfortunately RCI has left for the Alaska season by then and I have got 2 cabins for the 10 night carnival cruise for $7k.

 

At that price I figured I could not go wrong.

 

I will tell you all about it.

[Dizziedi]

Hehehe Di. You make me laugh.

 

As you know I could not book the New Zealand cruise on radiance over new year because of my visitors.

 

And in April with Easter and Anzac Day, I can take a few days leave and get a 10 day holiday.

 

Unfortunately RCI has left for the Alaska season by then and I have got 2 cabins for the 10 night carnival cruise for $7k.

 

At that price I figured I could not go wrong.

 

I will tell you all about it.

 

Hi Daniel, that sounds like a good price for all five of you. It is a shame you can't join us on the NYE cruise but I look forward to hearing/reading your review on the Spirit.

 

Cheers

Di

[Cassicruiser]

Well look who I stumbled across! Hi Di, Hi Daniel!

 

I have a friend who went on Carnival last April with her family and absolutely loved it. If you can turn a bit of a blind eye to the decor apparently it's fantastic for kids, so I'm sure you'll have a great time. Also waiting to hear your view.

 

We are going on Celebrity in January in Asia, also looking forward to a different ship experience from RCI - not better, not worse, just different.

 

Nice to see you both on here....

[allison0523]

We have been on the Freedom of the seas, carnival sensation and legend as well as the Disney dream. We enjoyed all of them, even though they are different. We only thought the food was much better on Disney. Our 4 yr old son liked the Carnival kids club over Disney. If you are open to new experiences and open minded about differences ( not necessarily bad differences) in cruise lines, I think you will have a great time! I have never had a bad vacation with my family. Of course, things happen sometimes and you can either roll with it or let it ruin your time. Have a great trip.