Carnival vs. RCCL pricing

[amyh13]

Many folks that look at Carnival or Rccl have kids. Which means we have the school calendar to work with. I have never found the cost of a RCCL cruise any where near a Carnival during school friendly times.

 

 

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[John Reid]

I never assume Carnival is the cheapest. My problem is I am usually limited on WHEN we can sail. The inflexibility has meant Carnival has always been cheapest when we were looking. We have sailed other lines....but I paid more to do so because other items were more important for us for that vacation than price.

 

I can understand. We had the same rigidity of schedule until retirement recently. That's what made the above possible.

[dave_k58]

I ALWAYS check the prices of the Galveston cruises and Carnival is always several hundred dollars cheaper. I am now somewhat interested in the MSC cruises out of Miami -they look like great itineraries and look to be cheaper than Carnival. I would have tried it already if it sailed out of Galveston or Houston. PS - I see NCL is now offering free drink packages on many cruises.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I too have done both and our experiences have been similar on both lines. RCCL is a little nicer, MAYBE a little better food, but is generally not worth the extra $500 or so. We are pretty happy with the Carnival package, you know what you are getting and its a good value. We though however really look for the itinerary as far as choosing who we go with.

 

Now if Carnival would allow their FC program to apply to their other brands, that would be the clincher for me. We seriously looked at a Princess Cruise, but...no points on CCL...:(

 

Seems silly to me to book a certain cruise line to add to your loyalty points.

 

But we all have our criteria for booking our cruises.:)

 

Bill

[saharaga]

Yes. We are also tied to the school calendar. I have found comparable prices on RCI by booking really far out. For example, we booked a cruise for spring break in April 2018 leaving from San Juan. Carnival's only ship in San Juan will be the Fascination. If we were to choose that ship, it would be our third time sailing it. That's strike 1. Strike 2 is the location of balcony cabins on the Fascination is not where we prefer to be on a ship. The RCI itinerary also has more ports that are new to us. So, we paid an extra $300 on the Jewel of the Seas for a better itinerary and a larger cabin. We try to keep a little wiggle room in our travel budget so that we can book cruises that we can be really excited about.

 

We also try to cruise during somewhat off-peak times. School gets out right before Memorial day here so we try to find cruises for that last week in May. It can be more affordable than cruising later in the summer since many schools don't get out for summer until June. We also book during Fall Break in mid-October, another good time to get decent prices. We found a good deal on Carnival for the first week of Christmas break this year which I booked last summer. It seems that you can get decent prices in December if you get back before Christmas.

 

 

 

Many folks that look at Carnival or Rccl have kids. Which means we have the school calendar to work with. I have never found the cost of a RCCL cruise any where near a Carnival during school friendly times.

 

 

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Edited May 6, 2016 by saharaga

[MCFTJCH2V]

I have cruised both before and thought prices were comparable with RCCL being maybe a bit higher. However, we have a 3 night balcony room booked in Dec. on Carnival for $299 each. The same cruise with the same itinerary on the same date is $605 each on RCCL - and that is after what they claim is a BOGO sale. How can there be that big of a difference? It's twice as expensive! Maybe the cruises I am comparing are not typical?

 

I don't book that way. I look to price a Carnival cruise, and then I just change my dates while looking at RCCL and book that, so I end up cruising RCCL at Carnival prices.

[jimbo5544]

I don't book that way. I look to price a Carnival cruise, and then I just change my dates while looking at RCCL and book that, so I end up cruising RCCL at Carnival prices.

 

LOL, I have read this 3 times and have no idea what you mean..... Apples and oranges or that you don't sail Carnival regardless of the price. Not sure it talks to pricing between the two lines.

[MCFTJCH2V]

LOL, I have read this 3 times and have no idea what you mean..... Apples and oranges or that you don't sail Carnival regardless of the price. Not sure it talks to pricing between the two lines.

 

It's price elasticity. I use it for Disney as well.

 

When I'm ready to book, I price what I'm will to spend on a CCL cruise. For the 4 of us, let's say I come up with a fare of $3000 for the accommodations I choose.

 

Then I take that amount and start looking for a cruise at the same rate in other lines. And find them. Then decide, do I want to do this or that.

 

Disney, we cruised 3 times; once in September, and twice in March, for the same price we would have spent on Carnival.

[jimbo5544]

So you are using Carnival pricing to determine what price you will use to go on a cruise, and then go shopping different cruise lines at different times of the year?

Edited May 6, 2016 by jimbo5544

[Galatz]

I dont get how finding Carnival prices and comparing to a different cruise line on a different date helps? Why not just figure out what your budget is and see if a cruise on the line you want fits?

[jimbo5544]

I dont get how finding Carnival prices and comparing to a different cruise line on a different date helps? Why not just figure out what your budget is and see if a cruise on the line you want fits?

 

It is head scratching, but I think the message is that he/she can feel they got Carnival pricing by sailing another line (not a huge Carnival supporter).

[Trumpster]

Except by the time they sail, the Carnival fare may go down. I have never had a royal cruise go down in price.

Elastic pricing?

[Havingfun2010]

I have cruised both before and thought prices were comparable with RCCL being maybe a bit higher. However, we have a 3 night balcony room booked in Dec. on Carnival for $299 each. The same cruise with the same itinerary on the same date is $605 each on RCCL - and that is after what they claim is a BOGO sale. How can there be that big of a difference? It's twice as expensive! Maybe the cruises I am comparing are not typical?

 

You can stay in s Howard Johnson's or a Hilton. Both next door, and the Hilton is more money. The reason is that they are not the same quality. One is no frills, and the other gives you more. Same thing with Carnival and RCCL.

[jimbo5544]

You can stay in s Howard Johnson's or a Hilton. Both next door, and the Hilton is more money. The reason is that they are not the same quality. One is no frills, and the other gives you more. Same thing with Carnival and RCCL.

 

Hate analogies, but I don't think RCCL is as bad as a hojo. You may be shocked but I would bet the majority here actually prefer Carnival. Describe a "frill" for me.

[beachbum53]

It's been a few years since we've sailed on RCCL. I could be mistaken, but don't their ships still have a live orchestra? And don't they still book good entertainers? I know there have been several threads posted about RCCL having much better entertainment than Carnival. Could be (at least in part) why it costs a bit more to cruise on Royal. If you want good, live entertainment, you have to be willing to pay for it. If it's not that important, and you want to save money, guess what your option is? On board amenities may also account for part of the price difference, even on Carnival. A cruise on an older ship, that has fewer amenities, will typically cost less than a newer ship that has all of the bells and whistles.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

It's been a few years since we've sailed on RCCL. I could be mistaken, but don't their ships still have a live orchestra? And don't they still book good entertainers? I know there have been several threads posted about RCCL having much better entertainment than Carnival. Could be (at least in part) why it costs a bit more to cruise on Royal. If you want good, live entertainment, you have to be willing to pay for it. If it's not that important, and you want to save money, guess what your option is? On board amenities may also account for part of the price difference, even on Carnival. A cruise on an older ship, that has fewer amenities, will typically cost less than a newer ship that has all of the bells and whistles.

 

That's exactly what we do. Since we don't gamble or sit in the bars there is not much else going on at night on CCL unless you want to sit on deck and watch a movie, which i don't mind that at all but not every night.

 

If they ever decide to get rid of playlist and Hasbro game I'll be the first in line to book another CCL cruise.

 

Until that day comes I'll usally pay a tad more for an RCI cruise, although being cheap it breaks my heart. lol

 

If i need a cheap getaway some time in the future just to relax and unwind I may be on a CCL cruise even with the inferior entertainment.:)

 

Bill

[jimbo5544]

That's exactly what we do. Since we don't gamble or sit in the bars there is not much else going on at night on CCL unless you want to sit on deck and watch a movie, which i don't mind that at all but not every night.

 

If they ever decide to get rid of playlist and Hasbro game I'll be the first in line to book another CCL cruise.

 

Until that day comes I'll usally pay a tad more for an RCI cruise, although being cheap it breaks my heart. lol

 

If i need a cheap getaway some time in the future just to relax and unwind I may be on a CCL cruise even with the inferior entertainment.:)

 

Bill

 

Wait a minute, you don't sit in bars???? Need to re-think the want to sail with you comment I had made.:confused::rolleyes:

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Wait a minute, you don't sit in bars???? Need to re-think the want to sail with you comment I had made.:confused::rolleyes:

 

I'm good for a handful of beers per week.

 

My nickname is 2 beer Bill.:D

 

Bill

[jimbo5544]

I'm good for a handful of beers per week.

 

My nickname is 2 beer Bill.:D

 

Bill

 

OK then.... now we just need to get you on a Carnival ship

[KPfromCT]

This year we found their pricing to be pretty equal.

We are another family tied to a school calendar.

April vacation is out, as DH is a CPA, and DD's break ALWAYS falls before the 15th:mad::mad:

 

Breeze moved to Galveston, so that was out for us.

Looked at Magic but wasn't thrilled with itinerary.

DH suggested looking at Oasis, so we did. And we booked it:eek:

 

First Royal cruise for us, but it's really more for the ship itself.:D

AND, 3 new islands for us. San Juan, St. Maarten, and Labadee.

 

June 11th cannot come quick enough!! 30 days:D

[Cinders411]

We have cruised both and enjoyed both. Price wise we sail in the fall when the rates are reduced a bit. Would have to say we probably prefer Royal. Reasons being, better entertainment and the wonderful Solarium. We prefer the Carnival for spa use IF it has a thalassotherapy pool. I think you can get a good value on either line though with proper planning. When I check the prices if the ships have the same ports & are the same size the price is often fairly close.

[AguaMala]

You can stay in s Howard Johnson's or a Hilton. Both next door, and the Hilton is more money. The reason is that they are not the same quality. One is no frills, and the other gives you more. Same thing with Carnival and RCCL.

 

We were just in Milford Ct last weekend. Could stay in Red Roof Inn or for the same price, Springhill Suites. When you know your price you can choose better for the same $$.

[EMBFlyer]

It's been a few years since we've sailed on RCCL. I could be mistaken, but don't their ships still have a live orchestra? And don't they still book good entertainers? I know there have been several threads posted about RCCL having much better entertainment than Carnival. Could be (at least in part) why it costs a bit more to cruise on Royal. If you want good, live entertainment, you have to be willing to pay for it. If it's not that important, and you want to save money, guess what your option is? On board amenities may also account for part of the price difference, even on Carnival. A cruise on an older ship, that has fewer amenities, will typically cost less than a newer ship that has all of the bells and whistles.

 

I hate to break it to you, but Royal's entertainment isn't all that great.

 

We just sailed on the Liberty of the Seas in March. The Broadway show was Saturday Night Fever and it wasn't very good. The other production show was "In The Air" and while it was really good, it had no live band. It was completely tracked. The comedians they had at the Welcome Aboard and Farewell shows were atrocious. We actually got up and walked out.

 

I missed the first Headliner entertainers (a Canadian group called Sonic Eve), but they ended up in the pub with Derek Lewis (think Carnival piano bar with a guitar) until they left the ship in Belize. They were quite entertaining when paired with him. The other fly-on entertainer was Paul Bolland. YouTube him sometime. He masquerades as a vocal impressionist who can do over 1000 different artists. Well, he ends up sounding like the same person each time and that is nowhere near anyone he's supposed to be impersonating.

 

I really, really, really missed the Punchliner Comedy Club! We got very lucky last summer on the Magic with our comedians, especially with Cowboy Bill Martin! If you want comedy like that on RCCL, you have sail on an Oasis-class ship and make reservations for the comedy show. Oh, and by the way, it's the same show for the entire week.

 

Carnival's entertainment isn't bad at all. In fact, a few nights on RCCL, I was bored.

[jimbo5544]

We were just in Milford Ct last weekend. Could stay in Red Roof Inn or for the same price, Springhill Suites. When you know your price you can choose better for the same $$.

If only they were cruise ships......, wait a minute, is this cruise critic or trip advisor... If you were in Milford you were close by, should have stopped by.

[cincicruisers]

Pricing

RCCL, Carnival, NCL

 

Rccl, 8 night Eastern Caribbean, 3/4-3/12

Balcony, $2370, $1185 pp, $148 pp per day

(Booked March 2016, price has increased since I booked)

 

Carnival, 8 night Eastern Caribbean, 3/18-3/26

Balcony, $2950, $1475pp, $184 pp per day

 

Carnival, 7 night Eastern Caribbean, 5/13-5/20

Balcony, $2237, $1118pp, $160 pp per day

 

NCL, 7 night Eastern Caribbean, 5/13-5/20

Balcony, $2505, $1252, $179 pp per day

 

NCL 7 night Western Caribbean

Balcony, $2375, $1188 pp, $170 pp per day

 

Pricing for each Includes cruise, tax/port charges, gratuities

 

NCL cruises includes Drink package, photo credit, arcade credit

 

It seems to me that NCL is the most economical choice when you add the drink packages into the mix. RCCL would be around $500 each for drinks. Carnival would be approximately $400 each for drinks.

 

Am I doing something wrong with pricing?