What differences will I notice....(please, no flaming)

[Esmerelda]

As a past 3 time cruiser (with Carnival) and my latest being my honeymoon this past May (the Valor)....I am wanting to cruise again. The issues I had on my honeymoon;...embarkation was the worst nightmare I've ever encountered (extremely rude people!)..my new husband was stunned (this was his first cruise in May)....the adults only hot tub most days always had kids in it? (I inquired...was told they were with their parents, nothing they could do? huh...??)...the room service was very hit or miss...sometimes it came, sometimes it didn't?...the internet cafe location...(in the "its so foggy with smoke..you need a respirator to get to it in the evenings"...) I needed to keep in touch with my kids so I checked my email everyday otherwise I would have never gone to it. You had to go thru some cigar bar that was the nastiest thing I've ever walked thru. If you are a smoker and wish to flame me...that's fine, I really do not care. We do not smoke...love non-smoking places like Florida (all their public buildings are non smoking)...and have no desire to ever be exposed to it. My oldest son is asthmatic. My father recently killed himself..he smoked for 40 yrs and died a horrible death with lung cancer that spread to his lungs. Its the worst thing in my life I've ever witnessed. Back to my original thought; being as this was the 6 month old ship "the Valor", I guess we just expected a lot more. I did write a letter immediately with all of the quirks we encountered in May and I received some silly letter saying to "mention this letter the next time you book with Carnival"...yeeeaaa right..no problem mon....lol (we did mention all the positives too...our cabin..room steward/wait service folks...the food... self disembarkation..etc...but the negatives outweighed the positives)

 

What is good about RC? How are their cabins, their food....their "adults" only areas....embarkation...debarkation...etc. I am really giving this some serious thought....I don't want another bad experience as back in the spring.

I will be taking my boys this time...14 and 11 and this will be their 3rd cruise each. How are things for the teens and younger? I would love to hear some honest answers....please don't slam Carnival though. I had 2 good cruises before this past one. I'm not sure what happened. I know there are good and bad on all vacations but this was waay more bad this round. :(

 

I want a much better experience this time! :) I appreciate you reading my above babbling...and look forward to all the responses.

 

good day,

Esmerelda

[FCOWHER]

The one big difference I have noticed between the two lines is RCI does not have Carnival's herd mentality. On Carnival you will see huge groups of people waiting in areas, where as RCI seems to have better customer service and more of a small ship feel when it comes to crowds and how they are moved from place to place. Joe V.

 

 

Serenade of the Seas 1/7/2006

Zuiderdam 4/23/05

Princess 3 times

QE2 1 time

RCI 2 times Song of America and Monarch of the Seas

Carnival 1 time

Royal Majesty 1 time

[Lokalona]

It is too bad your new husband had a bad experience on his first cruise. I feel bad when anyone has a bad cruise be it first or 10th. I have been on 2 carnival ships, one being fun and wonderful service, the other being a joke. I have never had a bad cruise on RCI, and even though my HAL cruise was awful, and my mom's first ever cruise we still made the best of it and laugh to this day over some of the events.

 

With the exception of holiday cruises and spring break where the ships are overflowing with kids, RCI does a really good job of patrolling the adult only areas. On Spring break they have extra patrols. I have seen them let the teens get away with a bit more in the adult only hot tubs and other areas as long as they are behaving. I have seen them remove kids from the solarium hot tubs and pool area even if the parents are with them. It makes it nice for those of us that either left the kids at home or make sure our kids are where they should be. It is up to the parent to patrol the kids and enforce the rules not the crew, however there are always those who just don't care.

 

As for will you kids have a good time on RCI? definately! Is there smoking areas? Yes, but I have never been choked up anywhere on an RCI ship. You will find pros and cons on every line, but the overall impression of the vacation will be the marker for setting the next cruise...because there should always be another!

[alw1977]

I too am a non-smoker who is bothered by the presence of large amounts of smokers in a small area (my father also died from smoking-related health issues, so I feel just as strongly about it as you do). That being said, I took my first RCI cruise in August. There were only two times I was bothered by smoke on the ship. First, in the casino - but that's to be expected, so I don't really count that. Second, one day on the pool deck someone sat down right beside me and lit up. I have since heard that one side of the pool deck is non-smoking (can someone verify?), so if that's the case, you could just hang out on the non-smoking side.

 

Inside the ship, I don't recall ever being bothered by smoke. Not in the bars, lounges, etc. I've never been on another cruise, so I cannot compare it to another cruise line.

 

I also don't have kids, but my husband and I met several couples with kids on board in the 10-15 age range. They said their kids were thrilled with the cruise and enjoyed meeting other kids their age. The "Voyager-class" ships are really built for kids in your children's age range, with a ton of activities. After we have kids, we'll definitely take our children on a cruise once they get to be around 7 or so...

 

I don't know if this helps at all, but I hope it will. My impression has always been that RCI is a "step up" from Carnival... not sure if this is reality or just rumor.

 

Oh, and the "adult only" areas were kept that way on the Mariner of the Seas. Our August sailing had a lot of kids on board, but nonetheless the Solarium pool and its hot tubs remained kid free. It was really nice.

[Stacylee]

I certainly wont flame Carnival - been on 4 and we did love them all! This was my first RCI so I can make general comparisons. First, Carnival is over the top in decorating, color, all the sensory things come at you ALL the time. I even think their staff can be pretty enthusiastic (sp?) - it can just get loud. This is the main difference in the lines - RCI is more subdued - at least it was during September even though the ship was sold out. As a 40+ adult now, I did really enjoy my cruise because of this.

 

I took my 14 yo DS and he really enjoyed the kids program on RCI, but we went during school and there were not as many kids in his age range. Carnival does have bigger cabins and that was a plus. The smoking areas were just as bad as Carnival - I am a smoker, but I hate to smoke inside in enclosed spaces so that did bother me, but I just didn't stay in the worst places. Have you considered the Paradise - Carnival's non-smoking ship? Since smoking is such a big concern for you - as well as your son's health - it might be a good one to try.

[logan1_2000]

No one should flame you (though I wouldn't post the same at the Carnival board).

 

Best wishes for a smoother, happier, more enjoyable experience.

[bolt]

Sorry your husband's first cruise was not very good. My husband and I cruised also his first on the Valor in April and I am happy to say we had a wonderful time.

 

I have cruised both lines once and did not notice alot of differences. They both had pluses and minuses. We did have alot of kids on Carnival --Spring break. I liked the cabin size on Carnival. We did not have room service. On Royal Carribean we had room service everyday and it was great. The staff on both ships was excellent.

[redcat72]

My first cruise was with Carnival back in '99. I guess the main difference I saw was that I thought the Royal Caribbean's ship was more luxurious and had more of an open feeling. I think the cabin size will be similar, but nicer. The internet area isn't in a smoky area. I hate smoke too - but I didn't feel overwhelmed by it on my cruise except in the casino. I don't have any kids, so can't help you on the youth programs. I'm sure several folks here can give you more info on that. Have a great time on your cruise!!

[FrogCruiser]

On Carnival's conquest the internet area was directly behind the cigar bar - and you are so correct - your throat would burn and your clothes would smell after getting in and out of there. On Serenade the internet area was in an open area near the centrum - a non-smoking area. Also you could get cyber-cabin in room (although slower connection speeds).

I've been on Carnival once, RCL twice and would give the nod to RCL as to the more enjoyable experience.

The kids will have a great time - you might want to look at the Voyager class ships as there are more ammenities kids like, and a bigger children's area.

[wrp96]

Have you considered the Paradise - Carnival's non-smoking ship? Since smoking is such a big concern for you - as well as your son's health - it might be a good one to try.

 

Paradise is no longer non-smoking.

[firstcruise05]

I've only taken one cruise and it was on RCCL's Mariner of the Seas (a voyager class ship)

 

I agree that your kids would have fun on a Voyager ship (the Voyager, the Explorer, the Adventurer, the Mariner...I feel like I'm missing one but you get the idea) or the new Freedom. There are a ton of sport type activities on those ships with a rock climbing will, an ice skating rink (albeit very small), a mini golf course, an inline skating track, an arcade, ping pong tables. They also have a teens only "bar" called Fuel...no alcohol of course.

 

Our stateroom was right next to the internet cafe on the Mariner and it was spotless...also really quiet. It is right above the library and I didn't notice any smoke at all...in fact, I didn't notice much smoke at all during the cruise (but I didn't spend any time in the casino or late at night in the bars either)

 

We found that the Solarium (the adults only pool and hot tub area) were adults only during our visits and at night were very quiet and relaxing.

 

I think embarkation can be hit or miss on any ship or cruiseline..I can say that some of the security guards are not very smart when it comes to managing the lines at Port Canaveral but it may have been a freak thing for our sailing because I've heard from other people that Port Canaveral is one of the best Floridian terminals.

 

I don't know first hand about the kids activities since we left ours at home.

[Stacylee]

Paradise is no longer non-smoking.

 

Gee, guess I don't spend much time looking at Carnival anymore :D .

[wrp96]

Gee, guess I don't spend much time looking at Carnival anymore :D .

 

I was actually thinking about trying Carnival because they had the no-smoking ship but since they don't anymore...notice I have 3 RCI cruises booked in the next few months.

[FitzLA]

Just on a side note...you would like California as well. EVERYTHING is non smoking. Can't smoke in public buildings, can't smoke in bars, can't smoke in restaurants. Its quite nice actually.

 

I felt the same as you about Carnival. I like RCCL as it seems to me as though they care more about the comfort of their passengers. The Solarium pool and hot tubs are ADULTS ONLY and the only way kids can use then is if it is raining, since they are covered, and that is only for like 2 hours during the day while raining. The food is generally better, the specialty restaurants are much better, and there are a lot more options for entertainment and dining on most of their ships. I think you will enjoy it.

[nrdsb4]

From what I have read on the RCI boards, enforcement of adults only areas varies from ship to ship and cruise to cruise. Some people praise their adherence to the policy while I have read MANY complaints here about children in the adults only areas. It just depends. It hasn't been a problem on my cruises, but I'm usually with my kids so I wouldn't have much experience with those areas. The solarium always seemed quiet when I would pass by for what that's worth.

[newmexicoNita]

As a past 3 time cruiser (with Carnival) and my latest being my honeymoon this past May (the Valor)....I am wanting to cruise again. The issues I had on my honeymoon;...embarkation was the worst nightmare I've ever encountered (extremely rude people!)..my new husband was stunned (this was his first cruise in May)....the adults only hot tub most days always had kids in it? (I inquired...was told they were with their parents, nothing they could do? huh...??)...the room service was very hit or miss...sometimes it came, sometimes it didn't?...the internet cafe location...(in the "its so foggy with smoke..you need a respirator to get to it in the evenings"...) I needed to keep in touch with my kids so I checked my email everyday otherwise I would have never gone to it. You had to go thru some cigar bar that was the nastiest thing I've ever walked thru. If you are a smoker and wish to flame me...that's fine, I really do not care. We do not smoke...love non-smoking places like Florida (all their public buildings are non smoking)...and have no desire to ever be exposed to it. My oldest son is asthmatic. My father recently killed himself..he smoked for 40 yrs and died a horrible death with lung cancer that spread to his lungs. Its the worst thing in my life I've ever witnessed. Back to my original thought; being as this was the 6 month old ship "the Valor", I guess we just expected a lot more. I did write a letter immediately with all of the quirks we encountered in May and I received some silly letter saying to "mention this letter the next time you book with Carnival"...yeeeaaa right..no problem mon....lol (we did mention all the positives too...our cabin..room steward/wait service folks...the food... self disembarkation..etc...but the negatives outweighed the positives)

 

What is good about RC? How are their cabins, their food....their "adults" only areas....embarkation...debarkation...etc. I am really giving this some serious thought....I don't want another bad experience as back in the spring.

I will be taking my boys this time...14 and 11 and this will be their 3rd cruise each. How are things for the teens and younger? I would love to hear some honest answers....please don't slam Carnival though. I had 2 good cruises before this past one. I'm not sure what happened. I know there are good and bad on all vacations but this was waay more bad this round. :(

 

I want a much better experience this time! :) I appreciate you reading my above babbling...and look forward to all the responses.

 

good day,

Esmerelda

I have not read the other comments yet so will just give mine: as for embarkation and debarkation, I do not think either has the best on the water, but RCIs is a little better: just my experience; cabins: Carnivals are much larger. Both lines have good kids programs, probably Carnival has a better program for younger kids, RCI better for the age of your boys: the forever problem of hot tubs and kids? This is a complaint I hear from all the lines and the answer is always the same: can't do much; smoking, you will find much stronger non smoking rules on RCI. Most bars are smoke free or have a very small smoking area, the ship does not even provide matches and one side of the deck is reserved for non smokers. The rules are enforced; food quality, about the same. Hope this does help you some.

 

btw: the response you got from Carnival is about what you would get from any line. I don't really think you could expect too much more. NMnita ps: as for room service, you will not find much difference if you are talking about the menu, if you are talking about the speed and attitude, this will vary from ship to ship. We had better room service on Carnival and NCL than RCI.

[newmexicoNita]

Gee, guess I don't spend much time looking at Carnival anymore :D .

It has not been non smoking for a couple of years. It just wasn't working. NMNita

[w&k]

I've been on many cruise lines, and recently did my first trip with Carnival, on the Glory (western).

 

I missed the touches of RCCL (and X & NCL & Princess & others too):

ship-made salad dressing

ship-made breads & pastries

European-style dinner service

REALLY fine desserts

return cruiser perks

comfortable people-watching

organized embarkation and disembarkation

numerous activities of all kinds

personalized service

 

BUT the cabin size and cabin bathroom layout was OUTSTANDING on the Glory. RCCL cabins, particularly on the older ships, can be teeny-tiny. Insides in particular.

 

The Glory ship layout was not to my taste: I did not care for the chopped-up interior and lack of shade on the main deck. I also found the air conditioning and ventilation systems lacking in all areas, particularly in the casino (I'm a smoker). Had a blast on the water slide though...DH and I started the parade of 40+ cruisers down it one afternoon.

 

Would I go back on Carnival again? Certainly! But I would favor the equivalent RCCL/X/NCL over Carnival because I truly enjoy the list above. It's also REALLY hard to give up the awesome returning cruiser perks.

 

I hear that the Voyager-class ships are really great for families. Most of the ships seem to have kids clubs that keep them having fun in their own area.

 

Wendy

[Nliedel]

Just got off the Mariner last week. The only complaint I have is that the service in the dining room was slow, not typical cruise slow but lethargic and was apologised for, more than once, without us asking. The room service was quick and efficiant, the hot tubs for adults had ONLY adults in them (and I am pretty uptight about that) there was only one cigar outside the cigar bar and I am sensative to smoke. There were over 400 kids on the cruise (2 of them mine) and I NEVER once felt overrun (truthfully I like mine but am not so much a fan of other kids, yes it is hypocritical but I suspect a lot of folks feel the same as I). There was one incident with roving teens being too loud but that was not my floor, which was so quiet I was in shock.

 

The adult pool was all adult and very quiet, sometimes too quiet but the servers had cold drinks so it was all good. The main pool was horrifically crowded on sea days but I have yet to find a pool on any cruise that is not.

 

I love all cruises but I especially loved this one. I would do a group cruise again in a heartbeat. I never lacked for wonderful friends and it was a pleasure. I need to write a review soon.

[caviargal]

I have cruised on CCL 3x, most recently on Glory. I noticed the same problems with smoke as the OP mentioned. It was awful!

 

I did not like the herd like feeling of the ship; it was overcrowded and congested. And embarkation and debarkation were a joke.

 

I would chose RCI over Carnival, period. The room size is pretty irrelevant to me. Although I enjoy my balcony, I am not one to sit in my cabin, although I will admit to doing a lot of that on Glory to get away from the smoke and the crowds.

 

RCI ships are not as packed (look at the specs on Voyager vs Valor), dining room service is European and much nicer, food is better overall, decor of the ships is more to my liking, and the fitness and entertainment options are much better, IMHO.

 

However, I will say that the policing of kids in the adult areas was very slack on my last few RCI cruises and I was very disappointed, as were many adults looking for a quiet sanctuary. It may differ from ship to ship, but I have not really noticed.

[M. St. Louis]

I just got back from the Vision of the Seas in early October. I've sailed Carnival twice before, and one of main purposes of this trip was to compare the two lines. All week long, both my wife and I found ourselves saying "I like the way Carnival does that better" or "This isn't as good as Carnival". Not huge things, just lots of little things.

 

The food was better on Carnival. RCI wasn't terrible or anything, just nothing special. The food presentation was better at dinner (this was especially noticable on the big photo buffet night). The service was better, the crew/customer ratio is much lower on RCI and it showed. The staterooms were bigger and better. The shows were better. Debarkation was the same, hundreds of us sitting on the floor in an overcrowded lounge waiting for hours. Maybe the rich folk get better debarkation on RCI, but not us normal riff raff.

 

The one area that RCI just blew Carnival away in was mentioned above, the non-smoking areas. Not even close. If Carnival acquired RCI's attitude and policies towards smokers, they'd be the perfect line for us.

[mrg0433]

We recently sailed RCCL Jewel of the Seas from Boston to the Caribbean and Bermuda. I thought that since the ship is only a year old that it would have been designed with nonsmokers in mind. However, we found it very poorly designed. For example, you must pass through a smoke filled piano bar to get to their two alternative restaurants. We also had a smoke problem on our balcony because we were on the top deck of balcony cabins. There was an overhang above our balcony that trapped smoke--which was a problem because of a cigar smoker lighting up every day from morning to night.

 

I also noticed a similar problem on other RCCL ships we've cruised. You must pass through the smoke filled casino to get to the theater at night.

 

Other than smoke and assigned dining, there are lots of things we enjoy on RCCL. I love the solarium, and entertainment is very good. RCCL ships are gorgeous and have cabins that are pleasing to the eye. The Jewel of the Seas has a fantastic Windjammer Buffet with multiple food stations. You can select your own slice of fish, meat, or poultry and have it cooked for you and served hot. There is also an outdoor seating area for dining under the stars.

 

We prefer sailing the Norwegian Dawn because of freestyle dining--eating anytime you want at any restaurant of your choice (10 in all). The Dawn is well designed for nonsmokers because they have a hallway going around their casino on the way to the theater. The Dawn has a smoking room for cigar smokers. They also have a smoking pub. I really enjoyed the fact that the ship is setup to keep nonsmokers out of smoke filled areas. I loved the movie theater and dancing on the Dawn. One thing I did not like on the Dawn was the indoor pool area. However, their outdoor stadium style pool area is fantastic--not to mention poolside BBQ. So far, it is a tossup between NCL Dawn and RCCL Jewel of the Seas for me--with Dawn having a slight edge.

 

I am taking another Carnival cruise in February. We love Carnival for short fun cruises. I am happy with any cabin on CCL. It's all about sun and fun for a few days. Carnival does have larger cabins than other cruiselines. Carnival ships also have a fantastic pizzeria and ice cream 24 hours. They have smoking and non smoking lounges. Carnival has the best Kareoke of any cruiseline. I also enjoy the waterslide at the main pool on Carnival because that leaves the rear pool nice and quiet for me.

 

All in all, I enjoy CCL, RCCL, and NCL. I will continue to cruise all three. I wish I could take the things I like most on all three cruiselines and build one ship. Even if I found the perfect ship, could I find the perfect itinerary out of my home port on the date I want and within my budget. It is not easy making me happy.

[Inshape]

As far as cabins: Carnival are bigger but I think RCCL utilizes the space better. On balcony cabins the Carnival ones have a regular door. On rccl there are sliding doors. In the bathrooms the shower on RCCL is semi circle with a hard enclosure, not the curtain on Carnival. There are more activities to do for the family on RCCL (voyager class ships). The food is a bit better on Carnival , but that is not saying RCCL is bad. We enjoyed the shows a lot on RCCL and thought that they were more talented. Carnival, especially after doing a few of their cruises, all seemed like High school staging. Ease of embarkation is hands down to rccl. A nightmare always with Carnival. The decor is more tasteful on RCCL with fascinating pieces of art all over the hallways to look at. The staff seemed to be fine on both, but service on RCCL was better. The waiter automatically cut all the food for our kids, where on Carnival they saw me cutting up the food and only the last 3 days he came over to assist. Poolside activities are not as cheesy on RCCL. Loved the lounges at night--many many are NON smoking. On Carnival we could not enjoy the late night shows without a tank of oxygen to breath into. On RCCL there were only a few places that the smokers were. On RCCL the bar service is not always throwing drinks at you around the pool, and if you say NO , they do not make you feel that something is wrong with you. This is how I felt on Carnival. It never stopped. The shows in the main theaters are interrupted by waiters walking up and down rows of people to serve and take drink orders on Carnival. The shows were much more relaxing on RCCL because this does not happen. My kids love the Adventure Ocean camp--so much better things to do than at CAmp carnival.On RCCL the kids collect "money" for times in the camp which can be turned into really nice prizes at the end of the cruise. They do this for parents too who take part in certain activities. I got a RCCL t shirt, a towel and a key chain. Overall I liked RCCL better.

 

Carnival does a good job for what you get. Food , entertainment and ports similar to RCCL.

[Ms Belvedere]

We've been on 9 Carnival cruises and one RCCL, the Mariner that Nliedel and the CC group were on. I liked that there were no pushy passengers and no out-of-control kids. Really liked the dining room but hated the service and we all thought the food in the RCL dining room was sub-par. We would have eaten at the Windjammer every night if not for the other four people we traveled with. We dislike the "entertainment" of the dining room staff on Carnival and didn't like seeing some of that on Mariner.

 

The rooms on RCL were small compared to Carnival and when we pulled into port I felt a tug when I heard the three note chime from the Victory that they make before the room announcements.

 

Missed the waterslide and the HAPPY, ENERGETIC room stewards on Carnival. Loved RCL's understated elegance and more dignified employees. Overall comparison is that the RCL crowd is more in line with our lifestyle, but we will cruise Carnival again, not only because we go with relatives who need our assistance, but because we like to step out of our every day life and have some Unhinhibited Fun once in a while, too.

 

I'm working on a review of the Mariner but with a new job it's been a struggle to find time to write it!

 

Ms B

 

Mariner of the Seas Oct 05

Fantasy Jan 05, Mar 05

Glory Sept 04

Miracle Apr 04

Pride Nov 02

Spirit Nov 01

Sensation Nov 00

Triumph Dec 99

Celebration Oct 97

[Inshape]

Was on the Miracle Jan 05 and cannot wait to do my second RCCL jan 06 on the Mariner. First was Explorer. The Miracle was ugly! I hated it. The slide was rarely open, and it was not due to weather conditions. Due to staff just not being there to open it. Had to fight them tooth and nail for photo coupons promised to me as a "I am sorry for the bad stuff" on a previous Carnival cruise. They nickeled and dimed me for a few coupons. Never believe DO NOT WORRY. I worried and then they hassled me the entire crusie telling me to keep checking back ad emailing Miami office. So this year , we are looking forward to NO DINING staff doing the cha cha cha or anything each and every night. Yes, RCCL does a staff song ONCE on the cruise. CHeesy as it is, it is only once. Love the live piano music while we dine too.