Carnival Breeze or RCL Allure?

[Heathera40]

Okay so I had been planning on doing a Disney Cruise with my two boys in May, but after doing a little more research we have decided to open up our options to other cruise lines (mainly because Disney is so expensive for what seems to be a mixed bag of reviews).

 

My two favourite options, aside from Disney Fantasy, are the Carnival Breeze and RCL's Allure or Oasis of the Seas.

 

We could get a MUCH nicer cabin on Carnival - the Grand Suite is actually cheaper than the regular balcony cabin on Disney. And for similar price we could get a Junior Suite on the Allure.

 

I've heard that Carnival is really catering to families these days, but in the past whenever I cruised on them (years ago) it was usually a pretty party-hard crowd of 20 somethings (myself included).

 

Anyone have any preferences between these ships? I have two boys, ages 4 and 7. My 7 year old can get easily overwhelmed and overstimulated, and I've heard that the Disney ships are very crowded, no matter the time of year. Seems the much larger ships seem to be able to spread people out better. Myself, I've always wanted to go on the Oasis/Allure - ever since they were built, but if the kids will have a better time on Carnival, and the cabin will be much nicer, I would go with them.

 

Thanks for your opinions!

[RSLeesburg]

I think for the longer, 7 day cruises, you will find Carnival to be very family friendly. We have not sailed on either ship but are scheduled to sail on Harmony (the new Oasis class ship) in Nov. I have read that there is nothing like the Oasis class ships, but have heard great things about Breeze too. Our son is 6, and he would pick the water slides on Breeze over Allure...lol.

[Keith1010]

I think the children will have a great time on either ship/line.

 

I actually think you need to think through which ship/line will you prefer the most for yourself.

 

Keith

[jlrn366419]

Okay so I had been planning on doing a Disney Cruise with my two boys in May, but after doing a little more research we have decided to open up our options to other cruise lines (mainly because Disney is so expensive for what seems to be a mixed bag of reviews).

 

My two favourite options, aside from Disney Fantasy, are the Carnival Breeze and RCL's Allure or Oasis of the Seas.

 

We could get a MUCH nicer cabin on Carnival - the Grand Suite is actually cheaper than the regular balcony cabin on Disney. And for similar price we could get a Junior Suite on the Allure.

 

I've heard that Carnival is really catering to families these days, but in the past whenever I cruised on them (years ago) it was usually a pretty party-hard crowd of 20 somethings (myself included).

 

Anyone have any preferences between these ships? I have two boys, ages 4 and 7. My 7 year old can get easily overwhelmed and overstimulated, and I've heard that the Disney ships are very crowded, no matter the time of year. Seems the much larger ships seem to be able to spread people out better. Myself, I've always wanted to go on the Oasis/Allure - ever since they were built, but if the kids will have a better time on Carnival, and the cabin will be much nicer, I would go with them.

 

Thanks for your opinions!

 

I've been on both ships with my husband and son who is now 5. He was 3 or 4 for the Allure cruise and 4 or 5 for the Breeze cruise. Allure feels more upscale but the itineraries aren't great. Breeze offers better itineraries and feels more casual. I think the kids will have a great time on Allure.

[Jon in the ATL]

Sailed on both with my boys who are 8 and 10 now. We had fun on both of those ships.

 

Things to consider with Allure: Allure must more refined and has a WOW factor. My kids loved the kids clubs, activities/shows, and the pool areas. However, no waterslides, but the zip line and flowrider made up for it.

 

Things to consider with Breeze: Nice ship, but much more casual vibe. There is no WOW factor on this ship compared to RCCL. However, a friendly crew, great waterslides, and good activities and kids club.

 

If it were me, I would return to Allure in a heartbeat. Glad I went on the Breeze, but wouldn't rush back to it.

[cb at sea]

If you can get a GS on Carnival...do it! A JS is great for 2..but not really for more than that!

[#1TravelMom]

Just asking - why aren't you considering NCL Epic, Getaway, Breakaway and Escape???

 

Out DD is now 11. We have been on Allure(2 times), Oasis, Breeze(3 times), Epic(3 times) and Getaway (3 times). Our family favorite by far is the new NCL ships. Soooo much to do. I think we will like the RCCL ships when she is just a little bigger. She was really disappointed that she couldn't do the flowrider and zipline on RCCL.

 

These ships are all fabulous - NCL just suits us best. We never run out of things to do. The buffets are fabulous. We just did the Breeze and Getaway back to back. When we had done them months apart - loved them both. After doing them back to back the food and service is definitely superior on the Getaway. Just a side note. They have awesome - kids sail free specials.

[cruzin Phillis]

Okay so I had been planning on doing a Disney Cruise with my two boys in May, but after doing a little more research we have decided to open up our options to other cruise lines (mainly because Disney is so expensive for what seems to be a mixed bag of reviews).

 

My two favourite options, aside from Disney Fantasy, are the Carnival Breeze and RCL's Allure or Oasis of the Seas.

 

We could get a MUCH nicer cabin on Carnival - the Grand Suite is actually cheaper than the regular balcony cabin on Disney. And for similar price we could get a Junior Suite on the Allure.

 

I've heard that Carnival is really catering to families these days, but in the past whenever I cruised on them (years ago) it was usually a pretty party-hard crowd of 20 somethings (myself included).

 

Anyone have any preferences between these ships? I have two boys, ages 4 and 7. My 7 year old can get easily overwhelmed and overstimulated, and I've heard that the Disney ships are very crowded, no matter the time of year. Seems the much larger ships seem to be able to spread people out better. Myself, I've always wanted to go on the Oasis/Allure - ever since they were built, but if the kids will have a better time on Carnival, and the cabin will be much nicer, I would go with them.

 

Thanks for your opinions!

I have sailed on Oasis and Carnival Magic which is similar to the two. Now that I have a two year old, I am comparing the same ones. From my experience and research, Both offers something for families. I find that Carnival is slightly cheaper and sail to different ports that Royal Oasis ships do not. However on the Oasis, it never felt crowed. I found that there was plenty for kids to do outside of the kids club on Oasis. Carnival focus is the kids club area. So there may not be alot of kids activities out side of the clubs for kids.

[cruzin Phillis]

Just asking - why aren't you considering NCL Epic, Getaway, Breakaway and Escape???

 

Out DD is now 11. We have been on Allure(2 times), Oasis, Breeze(3 times), Epic(3 times) and Getaway (3 times). Our family favorite by far is the new NCL ships. Soooo much to do. I think we will like the RCCL ships when she is just a little bigger. She was really disappointed that she couldn't do the flowrider and zipline on RCCL.

 

These ships are all fabulous - NCL just suits us best. We never run out of things to do. The buffets are fabulous. We just did the Breeze and Getaway back to back. When we had done them months apart - loved them both. After doing them back to back the food and service is definitely superior on the Getaway. Just a side note. They have awesome - kids sail free specials.

I was considering NCL as well, but I have read reviews where people say that the smoking on board is bad. That is a concern for us as I will be traveling with a 3/4 year old next year. Also, if my son is mot potty train by then, he still can play in the water park on board Allure. Your thoughts? I would like to give NCL so I hope to get your insight.

[cruzin Phillis]

Sailed on both with my boys who are 8 and 10 now. We had fun on both of those ships.

 

Things to consider with Allure: Allure must more refined and has a WOW factor. My kids loved the kids clubs, activities/shows, and the pool areas. However, no waterslides, but the zip line and flowrider made up for it.

 

Things to consider with Breeze: Nice ship, but much more casual vibe. There is no WOW factor on this ship compared to RCCL. However, a friendly crew, great waterslides, and good activities and kids club.

 

If it were me, I would return to Allure in a heartbeat. Glad I went on the Breeze, but wouldn't rush back to it.

I agree. with my comparisons to magic and oasis, I would choose oasis over magic.

[beckyjohns]

I have not been on the Breeze, but have been on many, many Carnival cruises (including Dream which would be very similar). Also been on both Allure and Oasis. All times with my kids, who were between ages 3-8 on all those cruises.

 

I agree, there is a WOW factor with the RCCL ships. Everything seems very high class and there is a ton of variety. They do a really great job at spreading people out throughout the ship. For instance, the various food places are spread out on different decks so not everyone is bombarding the buffet at lunch on sea days, etc. The shows are, hands down, the best out there. Any my kids enjoyed all the shows they saw on the RCCL ships. The activities are great FOR ADULTS! My kids were too small for the flowrider and zipline. They were allowed to ice skate and I believe the minimum age on the rockwalls was 6 (but check). So, while there was lots to do, much of it was off limits for the smaller kids. My kids HATED the kids clubs on RCCL. They said there were so many kids there all the time that all they did was play games that required everyone to sit in a large circle and wait for their turn at the game.

 

Weeklong Carnival ships I find to be very family-friendly. Some partying, yes, but I don't find it obnoxious. I love the service on Carnival and I've always felt like the crew bends over backwards to make kids happy (in the dining rooms, etc). The kids love the waterslides and could spend all day there! They also love the kids camps. Beg to go there daily. Another nice thing about Carnival is that they are open over dinner time and will take the kids to dinner if you want to have a night to yourselves. The shows aren't really appealing to the kids, so you lose that aspect.

 

If my kids were 4 and 7, I'd go the Breeze route. Lots of stuff to do for them (waterslides, ropes course, I think a small climbing wall?), can't beat the kids camp, service is excellent and it's probably cheaper!

[LuCruise]

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[tinkr2]

Wow both ships are fun but there is really no comparison. RCCL wins hands down for grownup and big kid activities. Not so sure for the little ones. We are trying getaway with littles so we will see.

[Maryscooking]

We've cruised with our daughter on Allure (age seven) and Dream (age five), sister ships to the ones you are considering. I agree that RCCL has more to offer for OLDER kids. Very frustrating for little ones to see the zipline, flowrider, and rock wall but not be able to participate.

 

Our daughter loved the Dream waterslides, and I preferred the WaterWorks area myself. And we could not keep her out of camp carnival. She tried to do "Night Owls" (the late night program) every night. She did like RCCL's program as well, but I think was more enthusiastic about Carnival. With RCCL, she'd carefully review the planned activities before deciding to go. At Camp Carnival, she just went without even asking what was going on first.

 

Allure did have the ice and water shows that she loved, and the boardwalk was a cool place to hang out. It also had a parade, which was fun, but not the be all, end all of parades :P.

 

All in all, I think it depends on what you are looking for. I really loved Allure and would go back to that class of ship if the price and ports were better. But our next cruise is on Carnival Magic.