Differences between Royal Caribbean and Carnival

[elbaseball212]

Having been on all three I would give disney the highest rating and then royal caribbean and carnival being almost identical. Both have positives and negatives the others do no

[Folk Singer]

Unless something has changed recently, Carnival has no band playing on the pool deck anymore. The last time I sailed it was some goofy dj spinning rap tunes by the pool. It annoyed me to no end. I really enjoy the live band playing by the pool on RCCL.

 

That is a very nice touch.

[Beachdude]

Royal is far from upscale

 

I agree, Royal has very little on Carnival. I do like Royal ships better.

 

As for the suites, Carnival suites are just bigger rooms, they aren't like suites on other cruise lines. HOWEVER, they don't cost anything near the suites on other cruise lines either. So they really aren't a fair comparision.

 

Interestingly, we are sailing with our whole family on RCCL next November and Carnival 14 months from now. Personally I'd rather sail Disney, but Sally doesn't tell me which motorycle I should buy, I don't tell her which cruise ship we should sail. And that is why we are still married after 35 years. :D

 

Burt

Edited February 24, 2015 by Beachdude

[ryano]

The ship itself:

We love Carnival better. Royal feels like a giant floating mall. Carnival is a ship and you can see the ocean from several points wherever you are on the ship (in most cases...the Breeze is the best of the best).

 

What do you think Royal is? :D Royal has 7 different classes of ships. Some of these classes offer far more ocean views than say Oasis or Allure or even Freedom and Voyager class.

 

If you like ships that have more scenery of the ocean and doesnt feel like a "floating mall" I would highly suggest Radiance class.

 

It appears you are painting with a very broad brush based on a very limited experience onboard Royal ships. :) Thus being the reason you wont see me make blanket statements about Carnival based on my one experience on a very old, small ship.

Edited February 24, 2015 by ryano

[chicklily41]

Thank you so much for all of the input! We have decided to go with Freedom of the Seas. It is easier for us to get to Port Canaveral and that was the deciding factor. We always have a great time on vacation, so any of them would have been great! :)

[COCKYMARK]

Great choice...been on both...RCL all around better!

[Big_G]

 

It appears you are painting with a very broad brush based on a very limited experience onboard Royal ships. :) Thus being the reason you wont see me make blanket statements about Carnival based on my one experience on a very old, small ship.

 

It's a direct result of overexposure to the Carnival board cheerleaders and their hyperbole. :D

[MadManOfBethesda]

My DW & I were on the Oasis two weeks ago. I wore shorts in the MDR every evening which of course included two formal dinners. No problems, no questions.

 

I thought Carnival was tacky and not as upscale as Royal....

 

Yeah, shorts in the MDR on formal nights just screams upscale, doesn't it?

 

Now mind you, I'm not a member of the clothing police and I'm not a Carnival cheerleader. In fact, I'm Diamond on Royal and I'm writing this while aboard Rhapsody in Australia. That said, I get a kick out of you pom pom wavers who trash Carnival by calling it tacky while trying to elevate Royal's status to upscale or even elegant. That's quite laughable. I obviously enjoy Royal's product, but it is what it is: a mass market cruise line that caters to people who like to have fun, who like to drink a lot (hence the unlimited drink packages) and people who don't want to be bothered with actually having to dress for dinner. Sound familiar? It's the same clientele attracted to Carnival. Both lines have their own individual strengths as well as their weaknesses. But overall, there's really not much difference between the two.

 

Sorry pom pom wavers, describing Royal as refined and Carnival as just tacky is laugh-out - loud funny.

[PennStateFan123]

Yeah, shorts in the MDR on formal nights just screams upscale, doesn't it?

 

 

 

Now mind you, I'm not a member of the clothing police and I'm not a Carnival cheerleader. In fact, I'm Diamond on Royal and I'm writing this while aboard Rhapsody in Australia. That said, I get a kick out of you pom pom wavers who trash Carnival by calling it tacky while trying to elevate Royal's status to upscale or even elegant. That's quite laughable. I obviously enjoy Royal's product, but it is what it is: a mass market cruise line that caters to people who like to have fun, who like to drink a lot (hence the unlimited drink packages) and people who don't want to be bothered with actually having to dress for dinner. Sound familiar? It's the same clientele attracted to Carnival. Both lines have their own individual strengths as well as their weaknesses. But overall, there's really not much difference between the two.

 

 

 

Sorry pom pom wavers, describing Royal as refined and Carnival as just tacky is laugh-out - loud funny.

 

 

.....porn porn?[emoji12]

 

 

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[Motorman23]

Thank you so much for all of the input! We have decided to go with Freedom of the Seas. It is easier for us to get to Port Canaveral and that was the deciding factor. We always have a great time on vacation, so any of them would have been great! :)

 

I think you will enjoy freedom, that is a nice class of ship. I have been on 3 carnival cruises and 25 royal cruises. I enjoyed all 28 of them both on royal and carnival. Small differences but we like royal a little bit better. I think you and your friends will have a great time.

 

Mike

 

 

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[Dave85]

I really loved Carnival until the cut backs began under Cahill. Excellent food and service (which always seems to surprise those who haven't sailed Carnival). However, after the cut backs started the entertainment went down the tubes and the newest ships got super crowded... has anyone seen the appalling space ratio for the upcoming Carnival Vista?! :eek:

 

Unfortunately, I can't say Carnival is one of my top choices anymore. We tried NCL and loved the superior entertainment, and really love the mind-blowing Royal ships and outstanding entertainment. Too bad -- there were things about Carnival that I really enjoyed!

[curtsfan]

On Carnival Cruises, you get what you pay for. I have sailed on the Glory, Liberty & Conquest, which were all great cruise. However RCCL seems to step things up a notch. There is no comparison in food or entertainment. RCCL is just a little more refine. That being said, no matter which ship you sail on, your going to have lots of fun.

[kayjo]

Just off of Grandeur and I did see a person turned away from MDR for wearing shorts. It was not a formal night and he had on very nice shorts, but ended up going back to change while the rest of his party was seated, so it may vary from ship to ship.

I have been on both Carnival and Royal, and feel that Royal has better entertainment and food, Carnival has more to do and much better photographers. Royal pushes art auctions. Another thing I did notice on Royal is that they don't have as many small places to sit and listen to music. Other than that, I would suggest sailing for itinerary since both lines are very similar.

You might want to check and see how long your chosen ship is actually in port. On Royal port times were shorter, and if you didn't book an excursion through them you couldn't get off the ship for at least an hour or more after the scheduled arrival time, and be aware that the return time is at least 30 minutes before posted sail time, which actually makes your time in port shorter than you might think.

[American Bear]

[quote name='chicklily41']A group of us are planning a trip in October and it looks like our options are either Freedom of the Seas 7 day cruise from Port Canaveral, An 8 day on Carnival Conquest out of Fort Lauderdale or a 6 day on Carnival Breeze out of Miami. We have been on the Carnival Dream and Glory and a Disney cruise, but not yet on Royal Caribbean. The ports are new to many of us going, so we are more concerned with the differences in the ships. Can anyone tell me the big advantages or disadvantages to any of these options?[/QUOTE]

The main difference in our opinion is,,
RCL is making the ship the destination with larger ships, and fewer ports.
Carnival cruises on average have more port stops, and Carnival is more into creating their own ports like in Roatan, the Turks, and a new one in the Dominican Republic opening up this year.

Pluses and minuses depend on what you like.
The bigger ships of RCL have more things to do, more extra pay restaurants, but also have more cruisers, and more lines.
The ports that Carnival builds are mostly the same, but they are new, and visually pleasing.

Our personal opinion has been we like ports, we like a beach more then hanging around a pool, and we don't like the crowded, shopping mall atmosphere of RCL's larger new ships, so we've been taking most of our recent cruises on other cruise lines.
Depending on your preferences, both offer a lot for the money, and you should be satisfied.

[Dave85]

[quote name='American Bear']

Pluses and minuses depend on what you like.

The bigger ships of RCL have more things to do, more extra pay restaurants, but also have more cruisers, and more lines.

[/QUOTE]

I just want to note that I've had a different experience on this one point over many years of sailing both cruise lines (my cruise history is in my signature). Speaking of lines, in my experience Carnival's ships are way more densely packed with cruisers and have on whole felt more crowded. I've spent 3 weeks on Oasis Class ships and have hardly ever experienced any crowding. On the contrary, on my Carnival Breeze cruise I could barely get into a pool on sea days because there were only 2 of them, they were small, and they were packed end to end with children. When I finally slipped into a pool I left after about a minute because there simply wasn't any room. The Lido Buffet on the Breeze was also the the single most crowded buffet I've experienced in 31 cruises.

Again, YMMV, and different people have different experiences. Edited February 25, 2015 by Dave85

[srlafleur]

[quote name='Dave85'] I could barely get into a pool on sea days because there were only 2 of them, they were small, and they were packed end to end with children. When I finally slipped into a pool I left after about a minute because there simply wasn't any room.

Again, YMMV, and different people have different experiences.[/QUOTE]

IMHO, you just plain can't get a great pool experience on any cruise, any line, any ship. (I'm not a pool person, so that doesn't bother me a bit). It may be somewhat better on certain itineraries, and when the kids are (mostly) in school. But really, if great pools are what you want, I don't think cruise ships are the place to find them. Even when they're not crowded, they're dinky.

[BecciBoo]

[SIZE="3"]IMHO biggest difference is cosmetic. RCCL ships are light years classier and prettier as well as better designed. You can't beat the interior promenade on Freedom class ships...just no comparison with Carnival's cramped over decorated interiors.

The pool experience in Freedom's adult solarium is an excellent one. If you're not a pool person how can you dis a pool experience anyway. The pools on RCCL are bigger, prettier with tile/artwork etc. Carni pools are just squares with water in them and a few fake palm trees around. Take a look at pools from both lines on YouTube or Google them...you'll see right away what I mean. Again IMHO no comparison. Even their newest ship's pool is so tiny you can barely put 10 people in them. They do have the slides though which are fun. But then RCCL has Flowrider. RCCL's newest Oasis ship, Harmony of the Seas, at last, has slides, so you may want to wait for her.

Food is too subjective so I won't compare that. There were some things we liked on our Carni cruise but we prefer RCCL food.

Service too....depends on which crew you sail with, the crew on the Carni cruise we took were pleasant enough, but I have never not had a smile and a Gooday from every single crew member on RCCL and who have always honored our requests with a smile.

But here's the thing. After our Carni cruise, we both agreed that is not the line for us. You just have to go and see for yourself. It may be your thing....then again, maybe RCCL will be your new preference. The fun of it is trying them on for size...but according to the choices you mentioned, it would be Freedom I would recommend. At the end of the day, a cruise is what you make of it....and our future will have plenty of RCCL and Celebrity cruises to make something of. Good luck and Bon Voyage.:)[/SIZE]

[Dave85]

[quote name='srlafleur']IMHO, you just plain can't get a great pool experience on any cruise, any line, any ship. (I'm not a pool person, so that doesn't bother me a bit). It may be somewhat better on certain itineraries, and when the kids are (mostly) in school. But really, if great pools are what you want, I don't think cruise ships are the place to find them. Even when they're not crowded, they're dinky.[/QUOTE]


I partially disagree, the pool situation on the Oasis Class ships is far superior to that on any other ship I've been on. 3 large pools on the main deck with a separate children's area and a little bird bath pool in the solarium. Never had any issue comfortably enjoying a pool on my Oasis cruises and they were perfect for my intended usage.

Just to be clear though, it depends what you're looking to use the pool for. If you're a lap swimmer, for instance, you're not going to find a great experience on a cruise ship. In that respect I agree with you.



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[Carguylee]

[quote name='davy jones']Royal is closer to Carnival than Disney. You will have a good time on any of the three.

That said, there are differences that are a matter of personal taste. Some of my opinions follow.

Ships: Carnival more colorful and casino like. Royal ships have a more refined decor and a few more bells and whistles (depending on ship)

Standard Cabins: Carnival larger. Otherwise similar (however, see above about decor)

Food: There are differences between the lines, but overall it is close enough to call a tie.

Service: Good on both.

Entertainment: I'd give Royal the edge here on production shows. Carnival has more comedy.

Overall atmosphere: Carnival more relaxed (see shorts in MDR). Royal more formal.

In the end, you can try for yourself. Your personal tastes will determine your preference.[/QUOTE]

I would agree with this. We've been on 3 carnival and 2 Royal with a 3rd in April. A co worker has only been on carnival, I tell him that the biggest difference I see is the ships and the way they are decorated. Like you mentioned, Royal more refined, maybe slightly quieter overall. I prefer Royal because of the ships, but don't think either company is a huge difference from each other when it comes to food, service, exc.

[COCKYMARK]

Becciboo....I don't have to comment....you absolutely nailed it perfectly!!

[RobinKY]

I went on RC Brilliance April 2014 and Carni Sensation Dec 2014-Jan 2015. I sort of had a snobbish attitude about Carni going in that is was going to be like shopping at Walmart vs Macys. The Sensation was an older and smaller ship.

As others mentioned, RC ships are very well appointed and elegant. Carni Sensation (again older) was just plain dated. However, food and service were equal and I had a great time on the Sensation.

[Oak Hill Cruisers]

Great observations on both lines. Since we set our expectations very low on all of our cruises, every cruise is a great cruise to us.

We like both Carnival & RCI but we've been spoiled by our Crown & Anchor status and just love the Diamond Lounge with that nifty coffee machine (when it's working, which is most of the time). A great place to escape the madding crowd during the day with our Kindles.

But if the itinerary works for us, we would sail Carnival again without hesitation. Edited February 25, 2015 by Oak Hill Cruisers
grammer

[OCruisers]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"]At one time RCCL would have been our choice... [I]but things change [/I]so, now, it would depend on which RCCL ship vs. which Carnival ship. ;)
LuLu [/SIZE][/FONT]

[RADICALBURN]

Carnival has hot roast beef sandwiches on rye with mayo and tomato everyday.......RADICAL

[tdk]

Having been on both there are things I think each line has their own thing that they do better. Royal service is usually outstanding. I like that when eating in the windjammer as soon as I sit somebody is not far behind asking what can they get me to drink an will refill you juice tea water etc. I think royal offers a bigger selection of fresh fruit and a bigger salad bar. I think royal does a much better job at crowd control. Their ships are beautiful and tastefully decorated. Onboard entertainment royal wins hands down. Carnival wins in the dessert area by far other than royal on some days in the cafe promenade will offer cheesecake. I like that carnival offers a wok station for stirfry everyday for lunch and dinner....royal is like 1 day of the week at dinner. I like guys burgers on carnival....good burger and fries and it's free. But one thing is for sure I have never been on a bad cruise but royal has been our favorite.