Carnival or Royal Caribbean

[irishcraig]

We're 32 and 27, and have been on 4 cruises with Royal Caribbean on 4 different ships; allure, freedom (east and west Caribbean), mariner and rhapsody in Asia and Australia.

 

We haven't cruised with another company.

 

We're looking at a Southern Caribbean cruise next June with RCI on adventure ots from San Juan but the price has gone up from around €1400 to €2000 in the past couple of weeks, so we had a look at other companies and found a similar itinerary with Carnival on their Valor ship priced around €1400.

 

Is there much of a difference between the 2 companies, does carnival have drinks packages, anytime dining, etc, etc....

 

 

Looking for advise from anyone that has experienced both lines or even better, been on both ships, adventure and valor.

[Cruise-Crazy]

Carnival has drink packages (Cheers) and anytime dining. Valor is a nice ship.

[Gon2hwe]

We're 32 and 27, and have been on 4 cruises with Royal Caribbean on 4 different ships; allure, freedom (east and west Caribbean), mariner and rhapsody in Asia and Australia.

 

We haven't cruised with another company.

 

We're looking at a Southern Caribbean cruise next June with RCI on adventure ots from San Juan but the price has gone up from around €1400 to €2000 in the past couple of weeks, so we had a look at other companies and found a similar itinerary with Carnival on their Valor ship priced around €1400.

 

Is there much of a difference between the 2 companies, does carnival have drinks packages, anytime dining, etc, etc....

 

 

Looking for advise from anyone that has experienced both lines or even better, been on both ships, adventure and valor.

I have been on Adventure but not Valor. Valor would probably be comparable in size to Rhapsody. It would not have the promenade like Adventure. Carnival does not have this on their ships. Carnival does have the drink packages and anytime dining. IMO Carnivals food is better and has more options than RC. Carnival has more of a fun atmosphere if that's what your looking for.

[mizLORInj]

Carnival offers a fun cruise on a less elegantly decorated ship. Their cabins are a little larger than Royal Caribbean's.

Valor has a good waterside for adults and kids alike. I like the outdoor movies on this class of Carnival ship.

Note Carnival's entertainment has changed in the past few years, IMO not for the better. I guess this is where they have cut back drastically.

Food and service is comparable I think.

I've found it best to try the various lines for myself and I haven't had a bad cruise yet. Each cruiselines has great features, and some that are just ok.

Have a great cruise on whichever you choose.

Oh, yes Carnival has a drink package and anytime dining.

[jimbo5544]

We're 32 and 27, and have been on 4 cruises with Royal Caribbean on 4 different ships; allure, freedom (east and west Caribbean), mariner and rhapsody in Asia and Australia.

 

We haven't cruised with another company.

 

We're looking at a Southern Caribbean cruise next June with RCI on adventure ots from San Juan but the price has gone up from around €1400 to €2000 in the past couple of weeks, so we had a look at other companies and found a similar itinerary with Carnival on their Valor ship priced around €1400.

 

Is there much of a difference between the 2 companies, does carnival have drinks packages, anytime dining, etc, etc....

 

 

Looking for advise from anyone that has experienced both lines or even better, been on both ships, adventure and valor.

I am sure you will get some feedback some pro and con on both sides. First of all, I loved the southern itinerary, great islands and port intensive. The majority of our cruises have been on Carnival, but have reached out a couple of times on Royal, the most recent was in March on the Oasis.

 

There is certainly much more in common than different on the two lines. I will give you my 2 cents worth (ahh, I would like make a funny remark on currency exchange... but due to lack of knowledge I can't:)).

 

Entertainment. I would give a definite edge to Royal here. More shows and other things like flow riders rock climbing wall ice skating rink etc. If you enjoy these types of things (and they are only open at certain times).

 

A la carte $$ restaurants Carnival has a steakhosue (better by far in my opinion) and Royal as more options of these (italian steakhouse, french etc).

 

Main dining room I think Carnivals was better by a fair margin, although you certainly won't go hungry either way.

 

Rooms, a little bigger on Carnival but not much

 

Value Carnival believes they are the value leader, so do I.

 

I felt nickel and dimed on my Oasis cruise. From $3 for fresh squeezed OJ to $3 for a small bag of popcorn to $7 for Johnny Rockets to $35 for an extra sized steak or lobster in the MDR. These are options as others will chime in, it is just what I think of as my optimum cruise experience.

 

Others will opine on their views I am sure.

[irishcraig]

Hey guys,

 

Thank you for all the replies and opinions so far.....

 

From what we've read both companies have a lot in common, both have pros and cons, we were never going to get a straight cut answer.

 

I'd like to stay with RCI, but would have no problem trying carnival, especially for the Southern Caribbean as both itineraries are really port intensive with only 1 sea day.

 

It's probably the fact that an OVC is around €600 cheaper with carnival at the moment and we have the added expense of air fare from Ireland to take into account aswell.

 

I also know that prices on RCI will probably come back down or they'll have another "sale", just don't want to leave deciding too long incase carnival starts selling well and drives the price of that cruise up too!

[snc_cam]

I just had to rebook a Carnival cruise due to some family issues. I looked at HAL, RCCL, and NCL for an early to mid Dec cruise (7 or 8 days). What I found is that for the position on the ship I wanted to be, Carnival was "significantly" cheaper than the others. And realize that early Dec is an "off time" since it is between holidays. Now, the others may come down in price but I like Carnival (have done some RCCL cruises) and for the cost, the value is much better.

[b_cruise]

I switched to carnival from RCL basically because of price. I find them very similar. Book the ports u want first but consider the cost too. Love them both!

[buddylover]

We have sailed both RCI Adventure OTS and CCL Valor....actually going back in Jan to San Juan for a B2B Southern.....one week RCI Jewel OTS, the next week on CCL Valor again.

 

Adventure OTS is a bigger ship, more of a WOW factor with the Promenade, ice skating rink/show etc. which CCL does not have.

 

However, we find the food on CCL to be far superior (they bake all their own pastries and bread which Adventure OTS did not). Cabins are bigger in CCL ships.

 

There is more alike than different between the 2...both are "main stream" cruise lines. CCL is definitely a better value being less expensive...and far more lively with more to do later into the night we have found. But we enjoyed both cruises immensely....and are going back for more from them both!

[cuccicruisers]

Loved this cruise! Try to spend some time in Puerto Rico before or after if you can. :)

 

 

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[snc_cam]

We did the rainforest excursion after the cruise in San Juan prior to getting on the plane in the late afternoon. Was a nice day there.

[Rh2458]

We've been on both lines and didn't see enough of a difference to justify the higher price on RC. If you're looking for a quieter area away from the "partying" then I'd suggest when on Carnival hanging out in the Serenity area. We did think it was a little more rambunctious on Carnival than on RC. At times we enjoyed that, and other times we just wanted down time. Serenity was perfect for that. We also are hoping our second experience with Carnival is the same as the first because we plan on cruising a lot more often and would love to build up points towards perks with Carnival.

[firefly333]

The only thing to me different is in the higher tiers on RCL where you start to get free wine and free drinks ...depending on how far you are in their loyalty program.

 

Other than that I choose by price and what goes where I want.

[nhraformula00]

We have sailed on both lines. RC has a little nicer ships, but you will pay a premium in general for this. Our last cruise was on Oasis, balcony cabin,7 day, cost us $2,200 total. Most we have ever spent on a 7 day balcony on Carnival was, $ 1,600. Everything else on both seem about the same, except the shows on RC are much better. 12- Carnival cruises, 2 - Royal. Windjammer buffet on RC is a lot more crowded than Carnivals buffet.

[BettyPC]

You will have a great cruise - I like both - Love sailing from PR and have done so twice with RCI. Like Carnival also & have enjoyed the Valor.

 

Enjoy!

[Criticname]

Carnival has drink packages (Cheers) and anytime dining. Valor is a nice ship.

 

Cheers package is not unlimited like RCCL's is....

[Rh2458]

Cheers package is not unlimited like RCCL's is....

Really? Does someone really need more than 15 drinks? I would think after that there's a concern of "man overboard"

[Criticname]

Really? Does someone really need more than 15 drinks? I would think after that there's a concern of "man overboard"

 

Maybe they do? Maybe they don't?

 

At least RCCL includes bottles of water in their package..

[jimbo5544]

The only thing to me different is in the higher tiers on RCL where you start to get free wine and free drinks ...depending on how far you are in their loyalty program.

 

Other than that I choose by price and what goes where I want.

Holy kabolli where have you been!

[AmandaKaye79]

The prices you are saying are pretty accurate. We booked the AOS for June and got a balcony for under $1000 pp. Now its up to $1640 pp. extreme price increase after BOGO sale.

 

One thing with Carnival's price... Are you looking at the 'early saver'? This rate is cheap but it comes with restrictions that arent great. So if you compare the regular carnival rate to the royal rate, is it still way cheaper?

 

I've done both Carnival and Royal. We always choose the one with the best ports and best price. We like both of them.

 

 

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[jimbo5544]

Maybe they do? Maybe they don't?

 

At least RCCL includes bottles of water in their package..

True, but the 15 bucks a day buys a lot of water;)

[Criticname]

True, but the 15 bucks a day buys a lot of water;)

 

Or Drinks number #16 #17 and maybe #18

[oncruisecontrol]

I have been on the Valor twice, and it is a nice ship. I have not been on Adventure OTS, but I have been on Liberty OTS, and it is also a nice ship. In my opinion, the food on Carnival is quite a bit better than the food that we had on Liberty of the Seas. But that is not saying much about the food on Carnival, as I feel that it has been going down in taste and quality over the last 3 years or so. That said, it is still edible, and some of the offerings are enjoyable. The food on Liberty of the Seas, IMHO, was inedible, especially the buffet food. Even the main dining room was disappointing. We ended up eating at Johnny Rockets sometimes twice a day for lunch as well as for dinner. Greasy, but tasty and consistent with Rockets on land.

 

Where RCI really shines is with the entertainment. The production shows blew Carnival's away. While we have always enjoyed Carnival's shows, Royal's were out-of-this-world better. We saw the ice skating show twice. I wasn't sure what to expect with this, myself being a former skater. But these skaters were doing triple jumps, double Axels, one-handed pair lifts and spins with some good choreography to some great music.

 

Cabin-wise, I'd say both lines are equal. Service is equal also, in my opinion. We have always had crewmembers who take excellent care of us no matter what line we are on.

 

I liked the Promenade on Royal, but it kind of feels like you're in a shopping mall with no windows. So, I give the edge to Carnival here as their Promenade has windows along the full length so you can appreciate the beauty of the ocean without being outside in the hot sun.

 

In summary, I think the lines are very, very similar in what they offer. If you haven't been on Carnival yet, give them a try if they have the itinerary you want. Aruba and Curacao are wonderful.

[SMSACE6]

I would love to cruise on Royal Caribbean, as I would also like to cruise on Princess, and came close to cruising on NCL last year. Would also love to revisit Celebrity, but so far none of them can offer me a price that fits my budget.

 

I cruise solo now, and I cannot book/travel last minute, so to date Carnival is the only line who offers me a product that I like and can afford. Granted, it has been four years since my last Carnival cruise, but I fully expect to enjoy the one I have coming up in Nov. Bottom line for me is cost. I am not loyal and no where near Platinum level, so no reason for me to be loyal to Carnival.

 

If the time ever comes that Carnival does not provide me with an acceptable product (regardless of how low the cost is), then I guess I will just have to give up cruising until I can do another cruiseline.

Edited July 26, 2014 by SMSACE6

[oncruisecontrol]

I would love to cruise on Royal Caribbean, as I would also like to cruise on Princess, and came close to cruising on NCL last year.

 

Princess is wonderful, and right now they have some decent deals they're promoting. You may be able to find something affordable on them. The food on Princess blows both Carnival and especially Royal out of the water whether in the main dining room, the buffet, or the International Café (sandwiches and treats). The pool decks on Princess (we were on Crown Princess) are overall better than both Carnival and Royal: the layout and the aesthetics. The entertainment is good also. The production shows on Princess are good (better than Carnival, not as good as Royal). The deck party on Princess is better than Carnival, IMHO. But, there is no sing-a-long piano bar on Princess.

 

Service on all three lines is equal in my opinion.

 

The one place where Princess falters is in their cabins. How can I say it other than: small, small, small. The bathroom and the shower are tiny, tiny, tiny and there is no hand-held shower head. Much smaller than anything I've had on Carnival or Royal. But for one person, maybe okay.

 

Didn't mean to hijack, OP, but this info about Princess might be useful to you. Last year in November right after Thanksgiving we took a great 7-day Southern Caribbean cruise on the Crown Princess for a great price to Aruba, Curacao, and Princess Cays (their private island).