Carnival Conquest or Royal Car. Rhapsody of the Seas with Kids??

[texascruisemom]

I can't make a final decision whether to take my 5 and 9 YO on Carnival Conquest or Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. We'd be taking a seven day cruise.

Thanks in advance!

[tray]

We went over Thanksgiving 2 years ago (our kids were 11 and 8) and we all had a blast. It was our 1st cruise, though, so we didn't have anything to compare it to. There were tons of other kids, and that was the most important thing for my kids. They didn't want the week to end. They liked it so much that they talked all their aunts, uncles and cousins to go with us again on The Navigator last Thanksgiving. That was, of course, awesome! Sorry I can't help you with the Conquest b/c we haven't done that one! But I do know we really enjoyed the service, activities, and overall experience on The Rhapsody!

[cruisinqt]

We've went on both the Conquest and the Rhapsody. They were both very good cruises, I would do either of them again in a heartbeat!:) Here is a comparison of the two:

 

Rhapsody of the Seas

 

1. It's smaller than the Conquest and is 70,000 tons but it's well laid out.

 

2. The food in the dining area and at the buffets are top notch. But the snack foods near the pool and elsewhere are horrible. The pizza is obviously frozen, and the nachos are just so-so.

 

3. The kids program is absolutely wonderful, I can't say enough about how much my kids loved it. Every time you go to the kids area you get an ocean adventure dollar. These dollars accumulate and the kids get to spend them on cool stuff like stuffed animals, t-shirts, ball caps, etc. on the last day of the cruise.:)

 

4. The cabins are slightly smaller than the Conquests and the ship was built in 1998, so it's older than the Conquest, but it's in great shape.

 

5. The shows on the Rhapsody are better than the Conquests in my opinion. And the adults only solarium is wonderful, it was our favorite place to go when the kids were in the kids program.;)

 

The Carnival Conquest:

 

1. At 110,000 tons, the Conquest is massive and has more amenties to offer than the Rhapsody. But it's so big you often get lost.

 

2. The food on the Conquest was better than the Rhapsody, especially the snack food. There is an open grill (it's free) by the pool that cooks hot dogs and hamburgers to order. Everything's fresh including the french fries and condiments like sauteed onions and mushrooms. There is a pizza place near it (it's free too) and the pizza is homemade and delicious. There are a lot more restaurants to choose from on the Conquest. One of our favorites was Paul's Deli that had the best fresh hot Reuben sandwiches (free). There was also an oriental restaurant (free) that was pretty good too.

 

3. The kids program was equally wonderful, I don't think I could choose one over the other. They gave out free Carnival backpacks to all of the kids at the end of the cruise. My kids loved the kids program a lot!

 

4. This ship is not only much larger, but it's newer being built in 2002. The basic cabins start out at 185 sq ft which is huge in the cruise industry. I think the cabins on this ship were a little bigger and better laid out.

 

5. The shows were good, but not as good as the Rhapsody's. But the kids loved the 214 foot spiral slide and the large arcade area.

 

Overall, I would choose the Conquest. It's bigger, newer, has more restaurants, better food, larger cabins, and more extras and amenities like free bathrobes in every room. The Rhapsody is a close second though, because of it's great shows, the adult solarium, the excellent layout of the ship makes it easier to get around, and the kids program is amazing. But the food, the cabins, and the slide put the Conquest over the top for me. I hope this helps. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask and I'll try to help.:)

[texascruisemom]

Thanks for your great responses.... so far the Conquest is winning! We have to make a firm decision in the next few days and I really appreciate your feedback. With taking off work and all the $$$ put into a cruise, I want to make the most informative choice. :rolleyes:

[cruisinqt]

Oh one more thing that I forgot to tell you. It may not be a big deal to you, but it was for me. The Conquest has laundromats on every floor and the Rhapsody doesn't. I love to only pack 4 or so outfits and do a quick wash midweek when there's a lull in the activities. It cuts down on packing and having to lug multiple suitcases around. It also makes a big difference if you have a lot of people with a lot of luggage all going in one car. The less you pack, the less suitcases you bring. Plus, there are irons and ironing boards in the laundry rooms so you can iron those wrinkly tuxes and dresses for formal night. On the Rhapsody you have to send out the laundry to be cleaned ( it's costly) and there are no irons or ironing boards anywhere. Carnival and Princess have laundry rooms, but Royal Caribbean doesn't.;)

[ztalumni]

I must say that I am a Royal Caribbean fan. I have never been on the Rhapsody- but the Voyager and Navigator are wonderful for family vacations. My children are 5 & 8 and they absolutely love the Adventure Ocean program. We will never go with another cruiseline.

[cruisinqt]

Oh, that's too bad! Sticking to just one cruise line and never experiencing any of the others is like sticking to pepperoni pizza and never giving meatlovers pizza, supreme pizza, or any of the other delicious pizza's a try!:(

 

I've been on Norwegian, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and in 3 weeks we'll be trying out Princess. Each line has something unique that stands out. Princess has the huge outdoor movie screen that's as big as a drive up movie theatre's screen. Norwegian has smaller cozier ships with freestlye dining that's a pretty good idea. Royal Caribbean has the rock climbing walls and ice skating rinks. Carnival has the spiral slides and a let's have fun family atmosphere. Each line has something fun and unique. We really enjoy trying out the different lines, it's a real adventure and so far Carnival and Royal Caribbean are at the top of our list.:)

[nybumpkin]

Our younger sons were 5 and 9 when we sailed on Conquest this past July. 9 YO did one of the "sleepover" nights and had a great time. (The counselors bring the kids back to the cabin at the end of the sleepover.) He also really enjoyed the arcade, but didn't overdo it since there were a lot of other activities. 5 YO loved Camp Carnival; as one of the counselors told us, there was a group of boys in this age group that really bonded well. One thing I like about Camp Carnival is that while it gives parents time to yourselves, they do not allow it to be a permanent babysitter and really encourage family activities. There's a kids' talent show (although my kids didn't participate), make your own ice cream sundaes, etc.

 

As you can tell from my signature line, I can't speak to RCI, but have certainly read lots of good things about RCI when it comes to kids. Hope you enjoy your cruise!

[CurtS]

Cruisinqt thank you for the great reply and texascruisemom, thanks for asking the question. We were also wondering about which was the best--we've looked at NCL and RCI and sailed with Disney last year. We have six children, though, ages 4-13 and Disney has priced itself out of our pocketbook. We had considered Carnival but friends of ours tried to steer us away from it due to problems they had with some of the late-night passengers. Overall, though, it sounds like you've had a great experience with Carnival and kids, so that's definitely a good option. Thanks for all of the good advice.

 

Curt

[cruisinqt]

You know Curt, we almost didn't go on a Carnival cruise for the same reason you did. We heard that Carnival was a party ship full of drunks and that we should stay away from it. But when my brother and his wife went on the Elation and had a blast, we decided to give Carnival a try. I'm glad we did!:)

 

After talking to many long time cruisers, I found out that a long, long, time ago when Carnival first started out, they were more of a party ship and there was way too much drinking, partying, and puking. Since then, Carnival has spent millions revamping their image to a more family friendly, happy-go-lucky type of cruise line. They've come a long way. Their food is great, the service is good, the shows are some of the best I've seen, and the passengers are very down to earth and friendly. I have yet to see the drunk, party till you puke atmosphere on Carnival. What I saw was a lot of families with young children just like me.;)

 

Unfortunately, Carnival has had a tough time shedding their poor image from the past. And when a passenger sees someone a little tipsy they immediately jump to conclusions and think the bad stuff they've heard about Carnival are true. It's not, and I'm not a Carnival die hard, I've cruised with numerous cruise lines. I just hate to see someone bad mouthed like that when it's just not true. Most of the bad comments you hear are from cruisers who are loyal to one particular cruise line.

 

The funny thing about it is that the only really bad drunken scene we saw was on the Rhapsody of the Seas which is a Royal Caribbean ship. Our kids were with us and we found it quite funny. These people were not young, but older and knew better than to get so smashed. We laughed at the staggering drunks who were making fools out of themselves. It was actually pretty funny. And it sent the right message to my daughter who said that drinking alcohol is a stupid idea because it makes you act like an idiot.:)

[CurtS]

Thank you, cruisinqt. I guess if someone wants to get drunk, they'll do it no matter where they are at. We sailed on Disney last year and my son and I went to a midnight buffet. We found a few people who appeared to have enjoyed a good number of MaiTai's. So it's probably safe to assume no ship is immune--and it IS for the adult's fun as well so they should enjoy themselves (though I can't imagine giving up a great sit-down breakfast to sleep in with a hangover!).

 

Thanks.

 

Curt

[ztalumni]

I too have stayed away from Carnival because of their reputation. Glad to hear that it is not true anymore. My "childless" friends go on Carnival every year- but they are the crowd I would try to avoid with my family- Haha!! They had mentioned that on their cruise this March there was a "topless" deck- is that true- or were they just pulling one over on me??

Tiff

[wrp96]

Yes, there is a topless deck on all Carnival ships.

[Alibaster McGillicutty]

Yes, there is a topless deck on all Carnival ships.

 

Which deck would that be?

 

The lovely wife and I have sailed Grandeur of the Seas twice and the Conquest once but both wo/ the kids. Now we are looking at the Rhapsody or the Conquest and with a 6 YO daughter and 4 YO son, it comes down to $$$ and kids activities. I used to hear Camp Carnival was the best but now I hear they are both great. We still don't know which way to go. I don't think we would be disappointed either way.

[atakkat]

We have sailed on the Rhapsody and Carnival's Elation and really enjoyed the intimacy of thr Rhapsody. We have 3 kids... 7,5,and 3 and thought the kid's program fairly comparable. Food was far better on RCCL. Cabin sizes bigger on carnival but the slide is ahit with the kids. Sadly we have difficulty booking 5 to a cabin on carnival and cost is definitely more of a factor when you pay first and second passenger rate for 4 of your passengers. So what did you do cruisemom? Fellow cruiser from Spring,TX....