SO! Carnival balcony or Royal Caribbean interior??

[mcroadman]

We are looking at pricing and comparing rooms.

We have a Carnival room with balcony- but have to drive to port and have a hotel stay.

Or for about the same cost- Royal Caribbean for an interior room - at local port?????

 

We have cruised once - and loved the balcony- on Disney!! But we have never been on Carnival or R. C.

Any suggestions from those big cruisers out there!

We want to save money..

Is the balcony better than a little luxury on the RC experience?

Is the food better on R.C.?

 

What to do??

 

Thanks!

[richmke]

Let me preface by saying that I stayed an a Holiday Inn Express last night, and am soon going on my first cruise ...

 

Price out the all-in cost of each option. Including tipping, Parking, hotels, etc. Put a little value on your time (driving to the far away port). If you are going to buy the all-you-can-drink plan, add the cost of that too.

 

At this point, you have a price comparison.

Factor in the Itinerary/excursions. If they are different, assign a value to the difference.

 

Determine if one is offering a large discount - this factors in whether you can get a similar deal on your next cruise. You may have a great deal on a Balcony, so take advantage of that.

 

From what I read, RCI is a step up from Carnival. It also attracts an older crowd. Ironically, that is one reason we chose Carnival for the first cruise. We may go more upscale/older crowed in the future.

 

In general though, if the total cost is close, then Balcony without a question. For a 7-day cruise, a Balcony can be anywhere from $400-$800 more for a cabin. IMHO, RCI is not worth that much more than CCL. The slightly better food/entertainment/whatever is more than offset by the time you spend soaking up the ocean on your private balcony.

 

How much is an Inside Cabin on the CCL? Maybe save money there, so you can take your next cruise sooner.

Edited February 18, 2016 by richmke

[LRY229]

Which ships are you comparing? To me that makes a big difference. I've cruised Carnival & RCCL both and like a lot of things about both of them.

 

But if you are looking at a new ship vs an older smaller ship that may make a huge difference in your experience.

[ryano]

We are looking at pricing and comparing rooms.

We have a Carnival room with balcony- but have to drive to port and have a hotel stay.

Or for about the same cost- Royal Caribbean for an interior room - at local port?????

 

We have cruised once - and loved the balcony- on Disney!! But we have never been on Carnival or R. C.

Any suggestions from those big cruisers out there!

We want to save money..

Is the balcony better than a little luxury on the RC experience?

Is the food better on R.C.?

 

What to do??

 

Thanks!

 

What ships?

 

Unless you stay in a suite, Im not sure you will find any more "luxury" on Royal Caribbean than you will Carnival. The food quality has really went downhill over the last few years on Royal. Of course that same gripe is also on all mass market cruise lines :o

 

Depending on the ships you are comparing, personally, I would take the balcony on Carnival. If you dont have a drink package, you will pay much more for your drinks on Royal. The good thing about Royal though is every adult in the cabin doesnt have to buy the drink package.

[Drazil65]

Been on both cruise lines, the cabins on Carnival appear to be slightly larger and we would pretty much take a balcony or OS over any other cabin hands down and absolutely would NOT take inside cabin (having at least a balcony is a huge part of the entire cruising experience for us and would not sail without it).

 

All lines have their ups and downs and where they are down in one area they make up in another. We also prefer newer larger ships to smaller old ones but that is just us and by all means if you can drive to a port all the better, its the best way to cruise and cut costs upfront (no airfare).

 

We like Carnival and have always had a blast, it is what you make of any vacation as you well know.

Edited February 18, 2016 by Drazil65

[riffatsea]

We don't do inside cabins on any line ever!

You'll have to make your own decision about that.

We have enjoyed both Royal Caribbean and Carnival.

IF I could go from my home port on Royal Caribbean I would do that but would still book a balcony cabin and just pay the extra amount for it.

[2Shoes2Go]

We would take the balcony on Carnival over an interior on Royal. This is the same type choice we've been making more often, especially in the last two years. We find the food better on Carnival, especially the specialty restaurants. Even with balcony discounts for loyalty levels, we find pricing more attractive on Carnival. Pinnacles on Royal don't have the same fun we have as Diamond on Carnival. But, that's not what you asked.:)

[Gopherpharm]

Depends on the ship and itinerary. I do not find anything on Royal to be more "luxurious" than Carnival overall and would prefer the larger cabin with balcony.

[mcroadman]

I should have said: Carnival Triumph 5 day cruise with balcony

or the R.C. Liberty of the Seas 7 day cruise- interior room.

and We don't drink.

I would do this trip with my daughter (16) . Not sure which.

I have done research on Carnival and no research yet on R.C.

Very similar ports.. just the R. C. is 7 days.

I am not excited about the party/dance scene that might be going on on Carnival.

But I love a balcony so much!!

Thanks for input!

Mary

[mbrownferrier]

I have enjoyed both RC & CC. The food and the entertainment was about the same in my opinion. Neither had a crazy party atmosphere. It just depends on what your priorities are. How much time will you spend on your balcony? Is that worth it. Good luck in making your decision

[ryano]

Id take Liberty OTS then. Longer cruise, much newer, bigger and better ship and no airfare. Freedom class rocks. There is so much to do you wont be spending much time in your cabin.

 

JMO.

Edited February 18, 2016 by ryano

[cruzeluver]

I would book Liberty. Newer, nicer , much more feature-filled ship and two days longer.

[dave_k58]

TRiumph usually does 5 nt sailings and LOS does 7. I would take the Breeze, Freedom if you want a 7 over the Liberty of the Seas. RCL is not a luxury line in my opinion.

[ibcnusoon]

I would take a 7 day cruise over a 5 day cruise anyday.

 

I would take any cruise line cover another based on itinerary only.

 

I would not hesitate to book an interior if it meant 2 more days on a ship!!

 

No airfare is icing on the cake! Enjoy your cruise, whichever you decide!

Edited February 18, 2016 by ibcnusoon

[zqvol]

We are looking at pricing and comparing rooms.

We have a Carnival room with balcony- but have to drive to port and have a hotel stay.

Or for about the same cost- Royal Caribbean for an interior room - at local port?????

 

We have cruised once - and loved the balcony- on Disney!! But we have never been on Carnival or R. C.

Any suggestions from those big cruisers out there!

We want to save money..

Is the balcony better than a little luxury on the RC experience?

Is the food better on R.C.?

 

What to do??

 

Thanks!

 

 

First thought is you go with the balcony, but I think that to give you good answers we need some more info.

 

Which ships are you comparing and which ports? Is cabin cost comparable?

 

One thing that you do mention on RCCL is a little luxury. I think that you are woefully mistaken in assuming that you are going to get any more luxury on RCCL.

 

I should have said: Carnival Triumph 5 day cruise with balcony

or the R.C. Liberty of the Seas 7 day cruise- interior room.

and We don't drink.

I would do this trip with my daughter (16) . Not sure which.

I have done research on Carnival and no research yet on R.C.

Very similar ports.. just the R. C. is 7 days.

I am not excited about the party/dance scene that might be going on on Carnival.

But I love a balcony so much!!

Thanks for input!

Mary

 

I would not worry about the "party/dance scene. It is pretty much the same on both lines.

 

I don't like anything that sails out of Galveston, but because of the extra 2 days I would take RCCL.

Edited February 18, 2016 by zqvol

[Gopherpharm]

How much time will you spend on the balcony? I think it would be tough with such a short cruise, unless you don't plan on getting off or are only getting off for a few hours on port days. For the same price I would choose the longer itinerary!

[arkjeweler]

Take the 7 day over 5. I like RC better in every way, but they've gotten very pricey.

[LMaxwell]

Liberty of the Seas hands down. No question about it.

[ryano]

Take the 7 day over 5. I like RC better in every way, but they've gotten very pricey.

 

They are pricing me out too :o This one would be a no brainer, at least for me though.

[violetsmile]

We're going on our 5th cruise, and have only had interior and OV rooms. We no longer book OV, as I'd rather be on a higher deck. I am sure a balcony is lovely, but we spend very little time in our room. We are introverts, don't party, and go to bed fairly early most of the time. We spend the vast majority of our time on the ship out in the sun on Serenity. I think it so much depends on what you want out of your vacation.

 

No question, we'd go longer with an interior, even if it meant trying a new cruiseline!

[mibarron]

The first time I cruised, we went on Disney and did an interior. Next time, we went with a balcony on the same ship. I will have to say that once I've tried a cabin with a balcony, I can't go back to an interior. I'm not claustrophobic at all, but to be able to sit in private and enjoy the view is one I can't compromise with anymore. I would gladly pay the extra money for a balcony. My kids call me spoiled. :D So for me, it's a no brainer. But then again, I like staying in my cabin relaxing. Most people tend to stay in their rooms long enough to sleep and shower. If you are not one to stay in your room for long periods of time, then going with the more cost-efficient interior may be the way to go.

[sg4crzn]

I would not choose an inside cabin on any ship. Not all RCCL ships are "better" than some of Carnival newer or upgraded ships.

[Jenhem31]

I should have said: Carnival Triumph 5 day cruise with balcony

 

or the R.C. Liberty of the Seas 7 day cruise- interior room.

 

and We don't drink.

 

I would do this trip with my daughter (16) . Not sure which.

 

I have done research on Carnival and no research yet on R.C.

 

Very similar ports.. just the R. C. is 7 days.

 

I am not excited about the party/dance scene that might be going on on Carnival.

 

But I love a balcony so much!!

 

Thanks for input!

 

Mary

 

 

 

We love Liberty OTS. If you go with RC, try to book a promenade interior. They look at the inside promenade of the ship. They're nice rooms and it's better than having no windows at all. I'd also take a 7 day over a 5 day even if it was an inside room.

Edited February 18, 2016 by Jenhem31

[Vitamin_Sea]

If you plan on hanging out in the cabin all day- get the balcony.

 

If your gonna be doing thing all day- get the inside.

 

:p

[Pyrate13]

As you can see, you will have a variety of replies and opinions. Different folks, different preferences. You will have to make the ultimate decision.

 

If you really want additional input, we would not even hesitate, balcony. We have done inside, OV and balcony over the years and for us balcony wins hands down.