RC differences???

[dcedar]

I have cruised before but always on Carnival. I am looking for some differences between the two so I know what to expect. I have been reading through the threads but the search feature is disabled??? so I cannot look up specific things.

 

I am looking to cruise the Independence of the Seas. My other cruises have been the Carnival Dream and Ecstasy if that helps:)

 

One very important question, for my 11 year old son... On the Carnival ships there were self-serve ice cream stations. Does RC have them? My son still talks about his cruise and all the free ice cream:)

 

I was reading things about different menus? And paying extra for things in the dining rooms? If I only ate food that was included and did not purchase upgrades would I be happy with the choices offered? Are there menus posted anywhere that I can look at them?

 

Any major differences that I should know about?

[Clarea]

There is free self-serve frozen yogurt on Royal ships, usually on the pool deck. They also have a limited operation time, something like noon to 9pm.

 

I should add that on Adventure last month, the free yogurt was manned by a crew member, so it was not self-serve. However, it was still free, and the crew member actually made serving go faster.

Edited February 23, 2014 by clarea

[cb at sea]

Ice cream (the real stuff) is available in the dining room nightly!!

 

I don't think you'll find that many differences, aside from the ship itself. The cabins will be smaller on RCI than on Carnival. Of course, the decor and layout are different....RCI's layout is MUCH easier to navigate!

 

There is no need to pay extra for food...the buffet and dining room will keep you full and happy, without spending more money than you already have!

 

Both lines will give you good service, and a great time!

[dcedar]

Thanks for the quick answers. I think frozen yogurt will work for him. I know it works for me! LOL.

 

Is there away to turn the search feature on for these forums?

[Gayle V]

As for differences:

Carnival rooms bigger, Royal, far more attactive decor, in room and out

 

Service: Not a big difference, but the edge goes to Royal

 

Food: Not a big difference in my opinion when I compared The Ecstasy in May '13 to the Allure Nov '13. Unfortunately for Carnival their new menu changes have taken their product a large step down. So now after going on the Carn. Liberty two weeks ago, I rate Royal several points higher.

 

The entertainment quality on Royal is far and away superior to anything we've ever seen on a Carnival ship. My cruise on the Ecstasy had the most amateurish shows I've encountered at sea. The dancing made me cringe with embarrassment for the performers. The other evening shows were really just glorified karaoke, or foolish games. (Carnival's new games are very lame. Grade school fair quality. They should have stayed with the old ones. ) So you can expect to be please with the entertainment on RCI..

 

Honestly, silly as it seems, I was a little disappointed with not being able to get an ice cream cone anytime. (Just a wee tiny bit disappointing, but there it is.). But the frozen yogurt on the Allure was delicious. And that ship was so big, I could hardly find my way back to the machine for more anyway And from a kids point of view, the bigger Royal ships, have so much to do, I'll bet he'll consider it a better than fair trade off.

[Gayle V]

Thanks for the quick answers. I think frozen yogurt will work for him. I know it works for me! LOL.

 

Is there away to turn the search feature on for these forums?

 

Search feature has been out of order for several days.

[Gayle V]

If I only ate food that was included and did not purchase upgrades would I be happy with the choices offered? Are there menus posted anywhere that I can look at them?

 

Yes you will be happy without purchasing extras, but you will be tempted.

[B&J_Pgh]

we just got of the Adventure last Sunday and there was both chocolate and vanilla ice cream by the pool. It depends on the ship. The machine was on the fritz. It was only being "manned" because it wasn't working right.

[garnetpalmetto]

I have cruised before but always on Carnival. I am looking for some differences between the two so I know what to expect. I have been reading through the threads but the search feature is disabled??? so I cannot look up specific things.

 

I am looking to cruise the Independence of the Seas. My other cruises have been the Carnival Dream and Ecstasy if that helps:)

 

One very important question, for my 11 year old son... On the Carnival ships there were self-serve ice cream stations. Does RC have them? My son still talks about his cruise and all the free ice cream:)

 

I was reading things about different menus? And paying extra for things in the dining rooms? If I only ate food that was included and did not purchase upgrades would I be happy with the choices offered? Are there menus posted anywhere that I can look at them?

 

Any major differences that I should know about?

 

For the different menus, the Main Dining Room (MDR) offers a different "themed" menu each night. The themes I know off the top of my head are Mojo, Pimiento, Saffron, Shiitake, Pomodoro, Basil, Portobello, and Jasmine. Those menus (except for Portobello) can be found here. All items on those menus are included in your cruise fare (I shy to use the term "complementary" since you're still paying for it) You'll notice that there's a "Classics" menu - those are items are also available every night at no additional costs. The only things you'd have to pay extra for in the MDR are drinks that are not normally included in your fare except if you were to buy a package - soft drinks, cocktails, wine, beer, etc. There's also a "special" steak you can purchase that's a higher quality, but in general I felt the steaks were pretty good that were offered in the MDR.

 

There are also venues other than the MDR that are available on Independence. Some of those are included in your fare and others charge a cover. Those other venues are:

 

Sorrento's - Pizza - included in fare

Cafe Promenade - Sandwiches and pastries - included in fare

Cupcake Cupboard - Cupcakes - Cupcakes are priced individually

Ben & Jerry's - Ice cream - Priced individually

Windjammer - Buffet - Included in fare

Chop's Grille - Steakhouse - Cover charge

Giovanni's Table - Italian - Cover charge

Johnny Rocket's - 50s style diner - Cover charge

 

I think it's very possible to enjoy only what's offered and be perfectly happy, but I'd recommend a trip to one of the specialty restaurants, especially Johnny Rocket's, with your son - great milkshakes and a great vibe - burger's a little better than what's usually on offer in Windjammer.

[138east]

If you eat lunch in the MDR, you can get ice cream. MDR is open for lunch on sea days and often has a hamburger or steak sandwich entree plus the Tutti salad bar.

 

MDR menus are posted daily, so you can make plans depending on the offerings. There is also a a children's menu and I believe beef sliders are offered daily.

 

I wouldn't let the free ice cream affect your decision. It is always available at Ben & Jerry's and is a cheap buy in the big scheme of things. Johnny Rockets is also a cheap buy. I'd skip the specialty restaurants with a child unless it was a special occasion.

[dcedar]

I am loving all this information! I booked just a few minutes ago. I was reading too much 'stuff' trying to decide and the more I read the more confused I got so I just jumped in and booked! LOL.

[ehfl]

In addition to the free frozen yogurt by the pool and the free ice cream at dinner, there is a Ben & Jerry's on board if you want to splurge on something special, and you can also get milkshakes at Johnny Rocket's for a fee.

[gingernm]

You won't be disappointed! You'll know where to find your son everyday.... Flowriding!!!

 

Indy is a great ship, we'll be on her for our 3rd time in November for the transatlantic!

 

Which cruise have you booked?

 

 

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[Rogueperson]

I'm a Carnival Fan. But if you haven't tried RC, you should.

 

A lot of differences may depend on you and is subjective.

 

Decor. Carnival's decor is an all or nothing approach. You may absolutely love it for the vibrancy. Or hate it for its gaudiness. RC is more subdued and elegant.

 

Amenities. RC wins here. They pride themselves on the cutting edge. Flow riders. Ice rinks, bumper cars, etc. Bells and whistles, RC wins.

 

Food. Subjective again. It's good on both but I would say RC edges out but only slightly.

 

Service. This sometimes is luck of the draw. My experience with carnival and RC is that Carnival has more consistent good service, but RC's service can really impress you with superior service on one day and then disappoint you the next. Different departments can excel or fail on a whim.

 

You put them all together and they both have a good product. So try RC and see for your sf. You may like it better. You may not. But regardless, you will enjoy yourself

 

 

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[Topo Gigio]

No bacon police on Royal.

[Tapi]

...when I compared The Ecstasy in May '13 to the Allure Nov '13....

 

 

No offense, but that's a pretty disproportionate comparison. Ecstasy is a 22 year old outdated ship relegated to short, cheap cruises out of Miami, and less than a third the size of the Allure. I've sailed on both of these classes of ship and the differences are abysmal. Ecstasy is not representative of the best Carnival has to offer, like the Dream Class, which the OP has sailed on.

 

To the OP, I sailed on the Carnival Dream and the Allure of the Seas within months of each other. While both were great cruises, the Dream was nice, while the Allure was amazing. I've written reviews for both (links in my signature). I hope they are helpful in determining differences.

 

 

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Edited February 24, 2014 by Tapi

[dcedar]

Thanks! I have also sailed on the Ecstasy:) It could not compare to the Dream in any way except for the fact that we loved our cruise on both.

 

No bacon police...hehe. Bacon police were hit and miss with me. Sometimes they were there and sometimes they weren't.

 

We are booked on the Indy for December 14th. I am counting the days!!!

[summersigh]

Based on our experience sailing on both ....

 

The service is even.

Balcony rooms on CCL are stark compared to RCCL.

Food on RCCL is much better than CCL.

We never went hungry on either ship and didn't spend any extra $$ on either.

The vibe on RCCL is a little more reserved than on CCL - but not stuffy.

[Gayle V]

No offense, but that's a pretty disproportionate comparison. Ecstasy is a 22 year old outdated ship relegated to short, cheap cruises out of Miami, and less than a third the size of the Allure. I've sailed on both of these classes of ship and the differences are abysmal. Ecstasy is not representative of the best Carnival has to offer, like the Dream Class, which the OP has sailed on.

 

To the OP, I sailed on the Carnival Dream and the Allure of the Seas within months of each other. While both were great cruises, the Dream was nice, while the Allure was amazing. I've written reviews for both (links in my signature). I hope they are helpful in determining differences.

 

 

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Hi Tapi, For what it's worth, that comparison statement referred to the just the food in the buffets and MDRs. That would not be influenced by the age of the ship.

 

Besides, look again at what I wrote:

As for differences:

Food: Not a big difference in my opinion when I compared The Ecstasy in May '13 to the Allure Nov '13. Unfortunately for Carnival their new menu changes have taken their product a large step down. So now after going on the Carn. Liberty two weeks ago, I rate Royal several points higher.

 

You might also notice that I was rating the food about equal on the Ecstasy and the Allure. And it was. Yes the ships are hugely different, but the food was not. At the time. It was the changes that Carnival recently made in January (that are not yet fleet wide) that took the food level down for Carnival, not the individual ship.

 

BTW, I only chose the Ecstasy to mention, because it was my most recent Carnival experience at the time that we sailed the Allure. I would not compare experiences on long past cruise to current ones, since things change too much.

 

[As for my other statements, the list of my past cruises below, would suggest that I do have a basis for comparisons.]

Edited February 27, 2014 by Gayle V

[summersigh]

Based on our experience sailing on both ....

 

Food on RCCL is much better than CCL.

We never went hungry on either ship and didn't spend any extra $$ on either.

.

 

Taste in food is very subjective but ....

To clarify our thinking on the food being better on RCCL - we liked the menus much better on RCCL. They seem to have a bit more "gourmet touch" without overdoing it than CCL.:)

Carnival also seemed to put Italian red kind of sauces on a variety of foods including their version of Shrimp Scampi (go figure???):confused:

[kc320]

Thanks for the quick answers. I think frozen yogurt will work for him. I know it works for me! LOL.

 

Is there away to turn the search feature on for these forums?

 

 

It's easy to miss now....but if you go to the very TOP of the 1st Page...towards the right side where your log in info is....there is a square box that says...Search Cruise Critic...type your subject in there & voila`:)

 

Actually...I see after posting it is also at the top of the current page as well....

Edited February 27, 2014 by kc320