Difference between Carnival, Royal C, Princess, and NCL

[1313steve]

I've just completed my first sailing on a Carnival ship. After five days on the Glory from Norfolk to the Bahamas, I thought I'd offer my take on the difference between what I've seen during my 6 or 7 cruises on the lines I listed above.

 

As a point of reference, we're in our mid 50's, and always sail in balcony cabins or suites. Cruises have ranged from 5-9 days and have been to different ports throughout the Caribbean. We typically attend some of the evening shows on each cruise, have little interest in the games around the pool during the day, and will usually spend at least one night in the premium restaurants offered onboard each ship. All or my sailing have been in the August - October timeframe. We've chosen ships that we're less than 5 years old or overhauled within the last 1-3 years.

 

One of the things that is important is the quality of the service. To us that means was the crew friendly, were the wait times at bars reasonable, were the dinner waiters personable and attentive to make sure our water stayed full and our plates were cleared quickly. Dinner service should be attentive, but not make us feel rushed. We like our cabin steward to remember our small requests (keep the ice bucket full, etc). The steward should keep our room "refreshed" and learn our schedule pretty quickly. Is the ship/line organized during embarkation, port stops, and debarkation.

 

Another area of importance to me, is the overall condition of the ship. Is the carpet and upholstery clean and not torn or ripped? Do things look to be generally well maintained (not a lot of rust showing, etc). All elevators and public spaces working well and being kept clean. While we like some ships décor much better than others, that's more of personal taste thing than it is a less relevant to us.

 

Finally, does the overall quality of the amenities fit in line with our expectations? Things like soft sheets and towels, nice lounge chairs, appropriate dinnerware in the dining room. Is the food being served the cooked properly, presented well, and at the right temperature.

 

I realize none of the cruise lines I've sailed are considered luxury lines, so my expectations aren't the same as at a Ritz Carlton or Mandarin Oriental hotel, but I do expect a Marriott type experience.

 

So with those expectations and our background, what I've found out is there is little difference between any of these lines. All of them have about the same quality of food, similar service, similar overall ship conditions and a passenger manifest that seems to be similar in demographics.

 

As I plan future cruises, I'd be comfortable booking any of these mainstream lines, and I feel confident I'll get a similar experience no matter which one I choose. Our selection will be based on price, ports of call, and departure port. I do enjoy an occasional cigar and my GF smokes, so the ability to smoke on our balcony will make us have a slight preference to Carnival or NCL, but neither of us are frequent enough smokers to have the smoking policy be a main factor.

 

From a pricing standpoint, I think Carnival has a reputation of being a less expensive line, but in my comparison shopping, I've found is that if you have some flexibility, you can find similar pricing on just about all the lines.

 

So if you're a Carnival cruiser thinking about trying something different, or if you're used to cruising on another line and curious about what happens on the "fun ships", you can pick any of them and the experience won't be vastly different.

 

Yes, you'll find a thing or two you liked better about one line (or one ship) over the other, but all in all, these cruise companies are in a competitive market and sell a product that is similar to what the competition offers. Those small differences may be important enough to you to make you loyal to a line or even a ship, but for me, I know I can select any of these lines and have a great experience.

[nlktx49]

Thanks for your post. I have only cruised Carnival and have been happy with them, but sometimes wonder what I'm missing by not trying another cruise line.

According to you, not much!

[TBMVette]

Great post and true on all counts.

[c&d]

thanks for sharing, I could not have said it better.

[Georgiagolfer]

Thanks for your post. I have only cruised Carnival and have been happy with them, but sometimes wonder what I'm missing by not trying another cruise line.

According to you, not much!

 

The only thing you are missing is the opportunity to sail on a different line. The experiences can vary not only from line to line, but from ship to ship (different class ships). Take that further and it can vary on the same ship. DW and I have sailed CCL Fascination 4 times. 1st time was probably our worst cruise ever (many issues):(, but the last 3 times were great.:D

[Joanne G.]

I have been on Carnival, Holland America, NCL, Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity. I have enjoyed every one of my cruises, despite some clear differences between the lines. Briefly, this is what I remember that distinguishes the major lines:

 

Holland America: typically fewer passengers for a given-size ship, for a less crowded feel. (The effect of this is usually reflected in the price!)

 

Celebrity: practically no loudspeaker announcements, even on disembarkation day, for a more quiet cruise.

 

NCL: many dining options and good entertainment.

 

Princess: in my opinion, the prettiest decor, at least on the one Princess ship I have been on, the Caribbean Princess.

 

Royal Carribean: I was on the Serenade of the Seas, not one of the newest behemoths which have all the bells and whistles one thinks of with Royal Caribbean. My recollection of the Serenade is of much public space with views of the sea and a wonderful adults-only indoor pool.

 

Carnival: What I think sets Carnival apart is the focus on passenger activities rather than amusement-park type attractions - pool games, passenger talent shows, etc. Simple bean-bag toss games were popular, and we even watched a paper airplane contest in the atrium. Low-tech fun on the Fun Ships!

 

But I have not experienced any significant difference in overall service, food quality, and cabin quality. All have been good experiences.

 

Interestingly, my few bad experiences go against the conventional wisdom of which are the "upscale" lines. The most obnoxious drunks I have encountered were in the piano bar on the Maasdam. Only once has a cabin steward completely neglected our cabin one day, causing us to miss early dinner because a lack of clean towels for showers after a 9-hour excursion, and that was on Celebrity. It was Princess that lost our opened wine bottle overnight. (These experiences are the exception, not the rule. I still had a great time on all those cruises.)

 

Itinerary and price are what drive my choice. So, long story short, I'm with the OP that it's worth trying the other lines.

 

Happy cruising to all!

[jerseyralph]

We have sailed Carnival , RCCL, Norwegian, Disney, Celebrity and The Big Red Boat. The only one on which we were not happy campers

was Norwegian and we have not sailed them again. (Terrible stuff like mattress pads rolled up to fill a hole in the mattress!)

 

They are all far more similar than different. I agree with the OP.

[OKC Cruisers]

Ahhh, an honest, refreshing look at the cruise lines. We have sailed on Carnival, Royal and Celebrity. While there a subtle differences, the overall experience for us has been that we found each of our cruises to be fun and relaxing, which is why we do it! As with many of you here, we look for price and itinerary. Another big factor for us, at least for the time being, is departure port. Since we live in OK, we like the convenience of sailing out of Galveston.

[jimbo5544]

I have been on Carnival, Holland America, NCL, Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity. I have enjoyed every one of my cruises, despite some clear differences between the lines. Briefly, this is what I remember that distinguishes the major lines:

 

Holland America: typically fewer passengers for a given-size ship, for a less crowded feel. (The effect of this is usually reflected in the price!)

 

Celebrity: practically no loudspeaker announcements, even on disembarkation day, for a more quiet cruise.

 

NCL: many dining options and good entertainment.

 

Princess: in my opinion, the prettiest decor, at least on the one Princess ship I have been on, the Caribbean Princess.

 

Royal Carribean: I was on the Serenade of the Seas, not one of the newest behemoths which have all the bells and whistles one thinks of with Royal Caribbean. My recollection of the Serenade is of much public space with views of the sea and a wonderful adults-only indoor pool.

 

Carnival: What I think sets Carnival apart is the focus on passenger activities rather than amusement-park type attractions - pool games, passenger talent shows, etc. Simple bean-bag toss games were popular, and we even watched a paper airplane contest in the atrium. Low-tech fun on the Fun Ships!

 

But I have not experienced any significant difference in overall service, food quality, and cabin quality. All have been good experiences.

 

Interestingly, my few bad experiences go against the conventional wisdom of which are the "upscale" lines. The most obnoxious drunks I have encountered were in the piano bar on the Maasdam. Only once has a cabin steward completely neglected our cabin one day, causing us to miss early dinner because a lack of clean towels for showers after a 9-hour excursion, and that was on Celebrity. It was Princess that lost our opened wine bottle overnight. (These experiences are the exception, not the rule. I still had a great time on all those cruises.)

 

Itinerary and price are what drive my choice. So, long story short, I'm with the OP that it's worth trying the other lines.

 

Happy cruising to all!

 

Nice interesting post. Thanks for posting it. I agree with the op as well. Nice to see objective albeit brief reviews without the normal carnival/royal bashing going on...thanks

[OCruisers]

Thanks for your post. I have only cruised Carnival and have been happy with them, but sometimes wonder what I'm missing by not trying another cruise line.

According to you, not much!

 

By not trying other cruise lines, you'll never really know if Carnival is the best fit for you.

 

There are some things we like better about some cruise lines and ships than we do others. We like to "sleep around" and always enjoy something about each one. :)

 

LuLu

~~~~

[kcwingwalker]

By not trying other cruise lines, you'll never really know if Carnival is the best fit for you.

 

There are some things we like better about some cruise lines and ships than we do others. We like to "sleep around" and always enjoy something about each one. :)

 

LuLu

~~~~

 

LOL Hope you don't have that "bad reputation" our mothers warned us about!:)

[davy jones]

We have had good experiences on all 4 lines that you mention and would sail any of them again. I did notice some small differences between the lines, but you are generally correct.

[lgsshedden]

good post thanks: nice to get a balanced review rather than simple bias or boosterism for any one line. I can accept that people have their favourite ship or line but for those of use still looking to get up to our tenth cruise, it's useful to know a bit more about the relative differences and whether they offset the price difference.

We have sailed Carnival so far, have our next cruise on the Magic in February but for February 2015 will sail on the Princess Regal, in part to try a different line, in part to try the newest ship in the fleet and a lot because I wanted a S.Caribbean itinerary and the Regal is significantly cheaper than the Breeze for the week we can sail.

[Tapi]

Those small differences may be important enough to you to make you loyal to a line or even a ship...

 

I agree that the small differences can be huge for some. Take for example, my mother.

 

We sailed on Holland America this summer. What hasn't she stopped raving about? The white gloves, the fresh flowers, the room service served in china, and the laundry delivered in tissue paper and a gold seal.

 

I'll guess that a lot of people wouldn't even care about any of these things, but for my mom, those were huge.

[jimbo5544]

I agree that the small differences can be huge for some. Take for example, my mother.

 

We sailed on Holland America this summer. What hasn't she stopped raving about? The white gloves, the fresh flowers, the room service served in china, and the laundry delivered in tissue paper and a gold seal.

 

I'll guess that a lot of people wouldn't even care about any of these things, but for my mom, those were huge.

 

If they all were exactly the same, it wold to be so much fun.

[davefl]

We have had good experiences on all 4 lines that you mention and would sail any of them again. I did notice some small differences between the lines, but you are generally correct.

 

I've sailed 2 and have one booked for a third line, like medicare and it's tiers for drugs, cruise lines have a built in caste system. Worst seems to be Celebrity, they all do it by pricing decks and amenities. Seems to be heading for elitism in choice of restaurants, everybody pays for fine dining vs., if you pay more, it will be better.

Once you have experienced them you become a preferred past customer and puts you one up on the first time cruiser, with perks to match the level you attain.

I have found picking the date and destination more important than the line, if the props turn and the generators keep working it will be a pleasant trip on any of them.

[barbaraanne]

This has been a very pleasant thread, kudos to the OP that started it.

 

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is what can be referred to as the inverse relationship between the price paid for an item (or cruise) and the amount of satisfaction derived from it. I know there's an econ major out there to put a term to what I am referring to. In other words, the more you pay for something, the higher your expectations, and the faster you feel dissatisfied if something isn't just right with your purchase.

 

If all five major lines are essentially selling the same product, with some variations, why would I want to pay the most for it and feel less than satisfied if it doesn't live up to my expections? No cruise is going to live up to everyone's expections, but I'd rather pay less and feel more satisfied with the value I got.

 

That said, I'll cruise any line if the price is right (mainly off season), and anyone who says they'll only sail ONE LINE because it is the BEST is being a little too close-minded for me!

[1313steve]

This has been a very pleasant thread, kudos to the OP that started it.

 

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is what can be referred to as the inverse relationship between the price paid for an item (or cruise) and the amount of satisfaction derived from it. I know there's an econ major out there to put a term to what I am referring to. In other words, the more you pay for something, the higher your expectations, and the faster you feel dissatisfied if something isn't just right with your purchase.

 

If all five major lines are essentially selling the same product, with some variations, why would I want to pay the most for it and feel less than satisfied if it doesn't live up to my expections? No cruise is going to live up to everyone's expections, but I'd rather pay less and feel more satisfied with the value I got.

 

That said, I'll cruise any line if the price is right (mainly off season), and anyone who says they'll only sail ONE LINE because it is the BEST is being a little too close-minded for me!

 

 

I'm not an econ major, but what you're describing is the value proposition. We all assign value of the goods or services we buy . To some, Walmart with cheap prices and low service levels is a good value. To others Nordstrom's high prices with excellent service is a better value than the Walmart model! If I go to Walmart and have to stand in a long line to check out, I'm not surprised. But if the same thing were to happen at Nordstrom's I'd be upset.

 

In the case of cruises, even if the price for the cabin was the same, there would be other factors that would influence the overall value. Ports of call, ease (and/or cost) of getting to the embarkation port, a particular onboard feature you prefer, etc. etc.

 

And thanks for the kudos for starting the thread. It's nice to see a thread maintain a positive mindset!

[gooselover]

Well said OP. We feel the same way.....

 

All in all, all cruises are GREAT - we are easy to please.

[seannyice81]

Its always refreshing to read balanced reviews/posts.

[saltybones]

LOL Hope you don't have that "bad reputation" our mothers warned us about!:)

 

 

 

Sleep Around! !!! :eek:

 

 

My mother also warned me about people that do That! LOL

 

Sent from my VS950 4G using Tapatalk 2

[cruzb4IbloAfuze]

By not trying other cruise lines, you'll never really know if Carnival is the best fit for you.

 

There are some things we like better about some cruise lines and ships than we do others. We like to "sleep around" and always enjoy something about each one. :)

 

LuLu

~~~~

Test

[cjknox]

CArnival, NCL, and Royal are similar in many ways yet different in their own regards.

[Zhane's mum]

It was really refreshing to hear an unbiased opinion as we are looking at booking our first carnival cruise. Your views have helped, thanks

[fair-winds39]

I've just completed my first sailing on a Carnival ship. After five days on the Glory from Norfolk to the Bahamas, I thought I'd offer my take on the difference between what I've seen during my 6 or 7 cruises on the lines I listed above.

 

As a point of reference, we're in our mid 50's, and always sail in balcony cabins or suites. Cruises have ranged from 5-9 days and have been to different ports throughout the Caribbean. We typically attend some of the evening shows on each cruise, have little interest in the games around the pool during the day, and will usually spend at least one night in the premium restaurants offered onboard each ship. All or my sailing have been in the August - October timeframe. We've chosen ships that we're less than 5 years old or overhauled within the last 1-3 years.

 

One of the things that is important is the quality of the service. To us that means was the crew friendly, were the wait times at bars reasonable, were the dinner waiters personable and attentive to make sure our water stayed full and our plates were cleared quickly. Dinner service should be attentive, but not make us feel rushed. We like our cabin steward to remember our small requests (keep the ice bucket full, etc). The steward should keep our room "refreshed" and learn our schedule pretty quickly. Is the ship/line organized during embarkation, port stops, and debarkation.

 

Another area of importance to me, is the overall condition of the ship. Is the carpet and upholstery clean and not torn or ripped? Do things look to be generally well maintained (not a lot of rust showing, etc). All elevators and public spaces working well and being kept clean. While we like some ships décor much better than others, that's more of personal taste thing than it is a less relevant to us.

 

Finally, does the overall quality of the amenities fit in line with our expectations? Things like soft sheets and towels, nice lounge chairs, appropriate dinnerware in the dining room. Is the food being served the cooked properly, presented well, and at the right temperature.

 

I realize none of the cruise lines I've sailed are considered luxury lines, so my expectations aren't the same as at a Ritz Carlton or Mandarin Oriental hotel, but I do expect a Marriott type experience.

 

So with those expectations and our background, what I've found out is there is little difference between any of these lines. All of them have about the same quality of food, similar service, similar overall ship conditions and a passenger manifest that seems to be similar in demographics.

 

As I plan future cruises, I'd be comfortable booking any of these mainstream lines, and I feel confident I'll get a similar experience no matter which one I choose. Our selection will be based on price, ports of call, and departure port. I do enjoy an occasional cigar and my GF smokes, so the ability to smoke on our balcony will make us have a slight preference to Carnival or NCL, but neither of us are frequent enough smokers to have the smoking policy be a main factor.

 

From a pricing standpoint, I think Carnival has a reputation of being a less expensive line, but in my comparison shopping, I've found is that if you have some flexibility, you can find similar pricing on just about all the lines.

 

So if you're a Carnival cruiser thinking about trying something different, or if you're used to cruising on another line and curious about what happens on the "fun ships", you can pick any of them and the experience won't be vastly different.

 

Yes, you'll find a thing or two you liked better about one line (or one ship) over the other, but all in all, these cruise companies are in a competitive market and sell a product that is similar to what the competition offers. Those small differences may be important enough to you to make you loyal to a line or even a ship, but for me, I know I can select any of these lines and have a great experience.

I couldn't agree more. We've sailed with Cunard, Celebrity, NCL, CCL and RCCL. We have enjoyed each and every cruise. There are some minor differences on each cruise line, but none that would make or break our cruise. We are close to you in age, and we've also noticed that what we looked for in a cruise 20 yrs. ago, is different that what we look for in a cruise today.

 

Glad you enjoyed your Glory cruise!!