what is reality: Carnival vs RC vs Celebrity vs etc

[tuna hp]

To preface, I've been on 7 cruises, 5 of them with my family. Of those with my family, 4 were carnival (the other was Costa, it was kind of a disaster. But it was for my dad's 70th birthday and he paid for the whole family so that was nice). We were on the Imagination and Sensation a while ago, and more recently (last spring break) the Miracle and the 12/18/05 Valor.

 

My family (myself, my wife, my 17yo son, 15yo daughter, and 12yo son) have a good time on the carnival cruises. I'm wondering if there's anything to paying a little more for a different line. We know a lot of people who have only been on RC who swear by it, but then we know a couple families who have been on both RC and Carnival who claim that theres not a huge difference.

 

My carnival complaints:

-simply too many people on the boat. On the Valor, there were supposedly 3500 people. The deck was packed, the lido restaurant was packed, and trying to get through the halls after dinner was a pain, especially with hundreds lined up for different picture setups. Is there more space per passenger on the other lines?

-ridiculously tacky interiors. To that extent, I think that the Miracle was slightly better than the Valor. The Valor had way too much super-fake laminate "marble" everywhere, the lido restaurant was an atrocity against man that I wouldnt wish upon my enemy's eyes (a "barf" green, that I can only surmise was used to make people less hungry so they wouldnt eat as much), and the dining rooms were hot pink. Why? Couldnt they have used a normal color? What is the deal? The miracle was better overall, but the miracle dining room had some kind of herpes on the cieling.

-"wheres the beef". In other words, when RC builds these huge new ships, they put crap on them. Climbing walls, mini-golf, ice-skating rinks, etc. Heres the Valor, 110,000 tons, and the only amenity it has over the Imagination or sensation is the volleyball/basketball court. I guess they used the extra space to jam in more people, and then theoretically more public areas to serve them.

-"fake sophistication". I really dont mean to sound like a snob. But is anyone else just annoyed by, for example, the dining room wait staff who refuse to present the menu to you in any way except opened in front of your face, and insist on applying your napkin to your lap, then presenting extremely mediocre food? I dont mean to sound like I'm bashing the staff, I know that thats how they were trained and they have no impact on the quality of the food, but... its all so fake to me. For example, all the fancied up italian and french names that they give to the extremely mediocre steak that they serve that night. For all I know, its the same piece of meat decorated differently to fit the theme. Maybe I'm spoiled because there dozens of great restaurants around where I live in chicago, but the food just plain isnt great and they insist on pretending that you're getting a 5 star experience. Thats besides that the service itself if patchy anyway. The drink service, for example, is seperate from you normal waitstaff, and my kids have waited in excess of 20 minutes for soft drinks.

 

The experience was actually much better at the supper club. The service was much better, and the meats for the main courses were actually GREAT. As high quality as I can get around my home. I guess that what you should get for spending $30/person EXTRA for it.

 

well... we actually had a great time, we were with some family and some friends, so the experience was pretty much outside of carnival. I just needed to have my "airing of grievences".

 

So... anyone who's been on a recent Carnival cruise as well as recent RC or Celebrity cruises, could you shed light onto whether those lines are actually any different from Carnival, specifically in the areas which i mentioned? I've never booked a cruise on a different line because I've hear from a couple people that they're not that a big enough improvement to warrant the price difference, and also because I was worried about how good of a time my kids could have on these "nicer" ships. Although I'm starting to think that the number of kids on RC cruises might not be much different from Carnival.

 

Thanks a lot.

[MrPete]

But it was for my dad's 70th birthday and he paid for the whole family so that was nice).

 

My family (myself, my wife, my 17yo son, 15yo daughter, and 12yo son) have a good time on the carnival cruises.

 

My carnival complaints:

-simply too many people on the boat.

-when RC builds these huge new ships, they put crap on them.

-getting a 5 star experience.

 

well... we actually had a great time, we were with some family and some friends, so the experience was pretty much outside of carnival.

 

I see you can be bought.

 

You want to pay $500+ PP extra for that "Crap", go for it. It's cheaper to me to do those things when I'm not on a cruise.

 

I started out on the small ships. When I got to the Destiny size, even though I went on all three of them, I found that was just too big, and settled on the Spirit class. I've never set foot on a Conquest class ship. Knowing it was just a bigger version of the Destiny class, I passed.

 

You keep on mentioning fun, good time, etc. I ventured out twice so far, and keep coming back to Carnival for the FUN. It seems to be lacking on the other lines I've sailed.

 

And NO WHERE, does it say they are offering you 5 star service.

[cruzeluver]

Agree with MrPete. Nowhere does Carnival claim to be a 5 star operation. They provide a good cruise experience for those who want to have a good time and do not require some of the higher-end niceties.

 

If crowded ships are an issue for you (and frankly they are for me), here is a suggestion. When looking for your next ship, find out what the passenger/space ratio for the ship is. This gives you an indication of how crowded the ship will feel when full. If the ratio is over an 8, you shouldn't feel too crowded.

[BambiRumsey]

I've sailed all three lines mentioned and HAL & Disney (and Costa but it was 10 years ago so can't speak to them currently).

 

We took the Majesty of the seas on a 4 day trip over Thanksgiving and I compare it to our 4 day trip on the Imagination over Easter. The Majesty sucked so bad, RCCL could not pay me to take another one of their cruises and i have no idea why they feel they can charge so much more.

 

On the Majesty:

 

The closet in my master bedroom is bigger than our cabin (we booked last minute and could only get an inside for the three of us but the outsides did not look any bigger)

 

It was an overall dirty ship, the public area restrooms were always a mess, nothing was polished or cleaned or repaired it looked like in a quite a while.

 

The dining room menu was boring at best, I am an adventurous eater who had a hard time finding anything I might want to try on at least 2 of the nights. The quality of food served was hit or miss, some things were very very good, some things were just not. No lobster. The lido had a hard time finding a clean table to sit down, they never seemed to clear them and at lunch in the dining room they offere the same menu every day and after teh first day there is nothing you want to eat.

 

The shows on majesty were eh.

 

On the Imagination:

 

Large spacious cabin with plenty of room for all three of us. Nice little basket of toiletries in the bathroom, very comfrotable, the only better cabin we've had for all three of us was on Disney.

 

Lobster on formal night, better quality food, better menu selections, many nights I had a hard time choosing which of 2 or 3 entrees I wanted. Lido was great, always someone clearing tables or coming around and bringing you tea, lemonade, etc.

 

Shows were better, but not much, but then I don't typically go to that kind of thing at home so hard to say if better or worse than a vegas show.

 

I honestly didn't care either way about the rock climbing wall on MoS. Hannah climbed it but she has fun on cruises that don't have it so I don't think it makes or breaks her trip (she is 6).

 

Did not like the lack of Sommoliers on both Carnival and RCCL and REALLY hated the hard sell of the wine program when you first board on RCCL (made me feellike I would have been able to get wine at all with dinner unless I ordered through them).

 

But, on MoS had the BEST service from a Maitre D' ever, on any cruise, came over to cut Hannah's food every single night, brought her 2 shrimp cocktails every night even when not on menu. He was fab.

 

Differing from the OP, we actually liked that the DoD on the MoS were virgins unless ordered otherwise, hubby and I are not big liquor drinkers but we do like frozen fruity concoctions and this way we could control the strength of the drink or get them completely virgin and get one for Hannah too if she wanted

 

Children's program on each ship was very good with MoS maybe being a little bit better than Imagination, more interesting activites but that may also be the age break. She was 5 on the Imagination cruise and then 6 by the time we cruised MoS so she moved up a group.

 

We've sailed Celebrity twice. The first time was just hubby and I in a suite. It was expensive (about double what we normally pay for a cruise) and we definitely got our moneys worth. Huge cabin with a Butler and a Cabin Steward catering to every need plus some needs we didn't know we had. Wonderful to sit on the balcony and have someone brings us tea and canapes, etc. Food was also very very good on that trip, extremely knowledgable waiter who was totally on the ball at all times. But, our table was next to the Captain's table and I imagine they don't want a less than perfect wait staff in that section.

 

The second X cruise was not in a suite, it was the 3 of us in an outside and everything else was just as great.

 

Both ships were just overall gorgeous, sleek, sophisticated, just really luxurious in look and feel to my eye. We sailed with them in 2003 and our trip in the outside with Hannah cost about $2500 for all three of us in the cabin - to compare we are sailing in a balcony on the Miracle next week and it ran us $2300 for 2 people, a little more expensive for X but not a whole lot but I think their prices may have increased since 2003.

 

The best thing about HAL is by far the food. They win hands down over all the other lines. Gorgeous table settings (the china is really beautiful) and it really was a 4-5 star dining experience. That was about all we liked about it though. We were on the Zuiderdam and did not like the decor or lay out of the ship and had a hard time finding activities that appealed to us as most of our fellow cruisers were my grandparents age, very nice people, just nothing in common with them - these are folks who have the time and resources to take cruises for a month or more at a time. They did offer interesting ports though, loved Tortola and thought their private island was the best i have been to. When we retire we will probably revisit this line.

 

Bottom line, IMHO, is that Celebrity is worth the money if you are willing to cruise less. I am hoping that my upcoming Miracle cruise will offer me something in between the "entry level" cruise on the Imagination and the Suite on Celebrity; I don't need a butler to wipe my a** for me every day but I do like to be catered to and pampered when on a cruise and I also like nice surroundings and a little more upscale dining experience. Hubby and I have decided though after the horrible RCCL experience that if this newer Carnival ship does not wow us we will go back to cruising less but cruising "better" I guess you could say.

 

Oh and FWIW, hated everything about the Disney cruise except the cabin and shows. I mean EVERYTHING else - that line is NOT worth the money IMHO. I have a member review on CC of that cruise if you want to read it....

 

It is just personal choice and everyone's tastes are different, not good or bad, just different.

[CruiseMark]

We've cruised Carnival, Princess and Royal Caribbean and Carnival fits us best.

 

Every cruise line seems to have a personality - it's just a matter of finding the one that you're most compatible with.

 

To us, Carnival is lots of fun, with fun activities, shows, crews, etc, plus the food is right up our alley (good quality without being stuffy).

 

Princess was nice too - a bit more sedate, fun...but more of a grin than a wide smile, if that makes sense. Good food, good shows, etc.

 

Royal Caribbean is the least favorite of the three. We've sailed them twice (just to give them a fair shot). Our experience was that the "party cruise line" mantle, which used to be associated with Carnival, is now squarely with Royal Caribbean. LOTS of 18-25 year old drunks everywhere. The ships have lots of amenities, but they REALLY charge you for just about everything. (I know most lines are charging for little things now, but RCI seems to do it more than others). The crew on both of our cruises was just downright surly - many openly complained to us about their living and working conditions. And the cabins are TINY compared to Carnival. Again, everyone has their own opinion, and many people love RCI, but we won't be going back.

 

We've really wanted to try Disney Cruised Line, but the prices are so much higher than everyone else, it just isn't in our reach.

 

To us, Carnival is the best VALUE of the three we've been on (best combination of price and amenities) and we've had the most fun on them as well.

[serene56]

-"fake sophistication". I really dont mean to sound like a snob. But is anyone else just annoyed by, for example, the dining room wait staff who refuse to present the menu to you in any way except opened in front of your face, and insist on applying your napkin to your lap, then presenting extremely mediocre food? . .

 

Its the same on Royal Caribbean too. I get handed the menu opened up-- i get my napkin placed in my lap. Do other cruiselines spoon feed you? what else is there? now I feel I am missing something. How does Celebrity /Princess/ HAL do dinner presentation?

 

I do not look at this as fake sophitication. When I cruise I like the pampered feeling..and if putting a napkin on my lap or opening a menu makes me fake-- I dont think so.

[Happy ks]

Very amusing post.

 

I, personally, think that RCI and Carnival offer the same type of cruise experience (food, games, entertainment), but RCI just has better decorators. That's all personal perspective, though, some people like barf green, herpes and lots of twinkling neon lights.

 

Surprisingly, when I price out the two lines, it's always so close, Carnival just doesn't seem to be the cheap cruise most people make it out to be. But, I don't price them out often, so maybe I'm missing something.

 

I've only been on one Carnival cruise, 3 RCI cruises and one Celebrity cruise, so I'm no expert. But, the Celebrity cruise was far and above the more sophisticated experience. Far more luxurious in character and decor, the pax tended to be more subdued in behavior. My favorite part was the lack of constant announcements to participate in games/"art" auctions/bingo opportunities/sales events of trashy cruise ship mementos.

 

Food is always so subjective. I've only found food to be truly tasty on a ship when I've had one too many martinis or while dining in "specialty" restaurants, where the food is cooked to order and not held in hot bins until serving time. I love service and enjoy the open menu and napkin placed on my lap and I avoid buffets whenever possible.

 

I'm always amused by people who upgrade their cabins on mass market lines, in hopes of more "perks" and service. If you truly want to upgrade your cruise experience, upgrade the ship, not the cabin.

 

I've only been on one cruise where I wished I hadn't bothered, but even then I found something to enjoy. Even with the mediocre food of cruise ships, I love the ease of vacationing on a cruise, being able to unpack once and not having to drive/ride in a vehicle to get to a new destination.

 

I almost forgot, I love being on the ocean. Especially at night when everyone else is in the casino or disco or at the silly review type of shows so typical on cruise ships. The ocean at night is gorgeous and it is a truly wonderful experience to be up on deck when hardly anyone else is out there. But, don't tell anyone else!

[CanTex]

Amongst these cruise lines (and I'd add Princess to the group), my opinion is that only Celebrity is clearly differentiated from the others. Celebrity is a little more refined, classier experience and you won't be bothered so overtly about promotions for inches of "gold," bingo, T-shirt specials, art auctions, etc. (though of course they offer it too -- you just won't be assaulted with announcements over the PA system or at every event). You usually pay more for this slightly more upscale experience as well... not always worth it to me.

 

The other lines each have their strengths and weaknesses, none of which cause me to rule any of them out for future repeat cruises. I personally feel there is as much variability in quality, service standards, etc. within a particular cruise line as there is amongst the mass market lines. As we often read here, even the same ship can be inconsistent from cruise to cruise.

 

Bottom line: If you're going to going to jump ship, don't expect things to be as dramatically different as you might hope they might be.

[madelinerose]

Just a thought...If you're looking for 5-star dining, ambience and protocol on a mass market cruise ship, you should never book another. You will find 5-star dining at Daniel or Alain Ducasse in NYC. ;)

[madelinerose]

Just a thought...If you're looking for 5-star dining, ambience and protocol on a mass market cruise ship, you should never book another and perhaps visit Daniel or Alain Ducasse in NYC. ;)

[Cruise Cat]

I started on Carnival, went to RCCL and now am going back to Carnival. Both the food and entertainment have been going downhill on RCCL and they just can't seem to schedule their shows right. I want some spice and taste in my food. I wasn't getting that with RCCLs bland food. I want good 24 hour pizza. I could not get anything close to that on RCCL. I want good entertainment around the ship and on the pool deck. All I can find on RCCL these days is Kereokee everywhere. I want to go to the show AFTER the late dinner seating. I could not get that on RCCL.

 

So, I am going "Back toThe C"

[BambiRumsey]

In my experience the dining on Celebrity and Hal is more a kin to what you would get at Ruth's Chris or upper end restaurant, something that would cost about $150-$200 per couple on land for all the course and a decent bottle of wine. A little more attention to the place settings, crumbs get swept prior to dessert, they move the dessert silverware "down" for you, a better quality, nicer china and crystal, heavier flatware, stuff like that.

 

Again, I say "upper end" for what I can get in the Annapolis/Baltimore/DC area. I suppose folks who live in Manhattan or Los Angeles may have a different definition as some places you can drop $150 per person!

[margaritagal]

I'm with you all the way on 'going back to Carnival.' A snooty co-worker of mine refers to Carnival as the 'white trash of the cruise lines.' C'mon lady, give all of us Carnival-lovers a break, will ya???? BTW, she & I are not friends....merely co-workers!

 

On Carnival I love the 24 hour pizza availability, the soft-serve ice cream, the food, the sometimes 'dorky' shows, the customer service onboard, the cabins with balconies (yep, there's no going back now), the people I've met, etc.

 

Celebrity nearly put me to sleep with the Horizon. I swear they rolled up the walkways at 10:00 P.M. We were on the NCL Dream (need I say more?). My all-time favorite cruise was the Destiny southern Caribbean. So therefore PLEASE do not ask me why the h*ll I'm booked on the NCL Star next month, OK?

[Cuizer2]

In May 2004 I did a Mexican Riviera cruise on the Carnival Pride. In October 2005 I did a Mexican Riviera cruise on the Norwegian Star. In my review I make many comparisions between the two. You can read the review if you want by clicking on the link below ...

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=13327

[Leafpeeper]

We sail on Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian and really enjoy all three cruiselines. Here are some of my comparisons.

 

Food: I prefer Norwegian's new ships. Our cruise on the NCL Dawn had ten different types of restaurants: Mexican, French, Italian, Japanese, American, Chinese/Fast Food, English Pub, BBQ, etc). I enjoyed the variety of dining in a different restaurant on a ten night cruise and eating at whatever time I chose each day.

 

New RCCL ships have alot more options in dining than new Carnival ships. We enjoyed our recent cruise on RCCL Jewel of the Seas because they had two specialty restaurants (Steak House & Italian), a gorgeous Dining Room, fast food in the Seaview Cafe, and Windjammer Buffet--where you can select your meat poultry, or fish and watch them cook it and have it served nice and "hot" (something hard to find on a cruiseship). It is the most gorgeous Buffet I've ever seen. We enjoyed dining indoors or outdoors (Windjammer Buffet) under the stars.

 

Carnival has the best pizza and caesar salad, but their dining room food is very comparable to RCCL in my opinion. I don't really enjoy most cruiseship food because it is usually overcooked food served warm instead of "hot". I wish Carnival would add specialty restaurants like RCCL has done on their new ships. Perhaps their newer ships will offer more variety in dining.

 

We are sailing Carnival Triumph in February and look forward to our "fun" cruise. Carnival has the edge with their entertainment and activities. Best kareoke is on Carnival ships. No other cruiseline has better pizza and caesar salad. Carnival also has the edge when it comes to bargains. I have been able to find last minute specials that are fantastic with Carnival. Can't complain much when the price is right. Carnival is the only cruiseline to offer Military Discounts to Veterans. That was a big factor in us booking Carnival Triumph in February. I also enjoy the larger cabins on Carnival.

 

I must say that Royal Caribbean has the most beautiful decor I've seen on any ship. Jewel of the Seas is absolutely gorgeous. The cabins are much larger on Carnival's older ships than on RCCL older ships. I have noticed that RCCL seems to add one extra port on their 4-5 night cruises than Carnival--which some people may prefer over a larger cabin.

 

Pools: We love the solarium with the indoor pool area on RCCL ships like Jewel of the Seas. Carnival has great pools with slides, but the solariums on RCCL are just fantastic when sailing during cool or windy weather.

[supercoltsfan]

I've been on Hal (Zuiderdam 8/04) Princess (Golden 12/04) RCCL (Mariner OTS 8/05) and Carnival (Liberty 11/05) in the last year and a half. I wanted to try most of the major lines to see what suited me and my family best. Not to upset the Carnival loyalists, but RCCL was by far the best cruise of the bunch for us, hands down, no comparison. The RCCL ship (Mariner of the Seas) was spectacular. So many wonderful spots to hang out, have a pre or post dinner drink, people watch, or whatever. Everyday I found a new "favorite" spot it seemed! Unfortunately, the Carnival Liberty was the complete opposite. Gaudy, Loud, obnoxious, a complete assault on my senses. Service was also far better on RCCL, perhaps because tipping is still purely optional. On the Mariner, even in the buffet areas, plates were cleared as soon as you were done and drinks brought as soon as you sat down. On the Liberty it was masses of dirty dishes and tables everywhere. I will say the Liberty had the best desserts consistently, and we loved the outdoor movies, but other than that, I can't say much positive. My family and I agree, no more Carnival for us. Of course, that's just my $.02. Opinions will vary!:)

[elaineb]

Surprisingly, when I price out the two lines, it's always so close, Carnival just doesn't seem to be the cheap cruise most people make it out to be. But, I don't price them out often, so maybe I'm missing something.

 

I disagree with this. Everytime I price Carnival vs RCI, RCI is usually higher, averaging around $330 more per person. Also, if you are military or retired military, the savings is in general around $300 for person/addtl. guest in stateroom. Using that, we saved about $600pp ($1200) for our cruise this summer by going Carnival!

 

We did try an Explorer class ship on RCI, Adventure of the Seas. Althought the ship was incredibly beautiful and we did have a great cruise, I think it's a lot of extra money to pay for ammenities we just don't need such as the rock climbing and ice skating rink. The food also wasn't up to par with Carnival.

 

After our Miracle cruise, I want to try Princess.

[Happy ks]

elainb, I really haven't priced out Carnival lately, with the exception of the local shorter cruises. RCCL comes out quite a bit cheaper than Carnival for Monarch vs. Paradise, even if we get 2 cabins on Monarch for the 4 of us. I have priced out Mexico and Alaska in the past, they were both very close, I've never priced out the Caribbean. I'm not real sure I'd want to sail the Caribbean, it sounds too crowded.

[broncoboxer]

I have only cruised once before and that was on Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas. My wife and I had a blast.

 

The food was great (Lobster, Filet Mignon, exotic soups, etc.--all cooked the way you wanted them cooked). The ship was a marvel (approximately 140,000 tons--a true behemoth, with a great selection of entertainment options). We had an awesome array of table mates who we maintain contact with to this day.

 

We're offically hooked on cruising. All because of one 7-day sailing with Royal Caribbean.

 

With that said, we'll be sailing in less than a month, and we'll be sailing on Carnival's Victory.

 

Why? you may ask. Because we're getting a Balcony room on the Victory for a hundred dollars less than what we paid for an interior room on the Navigator. Pardon the cliche, but the price is right.

 

We may regret our decision. But after perusing these boards for the last few months and starting a few similar threads of my own (you might try searching for those...), I believe we may end up enjoying the Victory as much, and possibly more, than we enjoyed the Navigator.

 

Now, the friends we made on the Navigator certainly helped make our experience so memorable. I'm not banking on befriending such interesting characters this time around. In fact, I believe we may see many a cruise before running into a similar group. But that doesn't mean we can't still have a wonderful time.

 

Almost everything I've read about Carnival leads me to believe that we'll have a blast. As folks here often say: a cruise is what you make of it. And my wife and I are not picky (well, she is kida picky about food...).

 

Give it a shot, like I'm about to. My guess is you (and I) will not be disappointed.

[yankeemike1]

I have been on Carnival twice, another one booked in January (not my choice!), RCCL twice and HAL once. I have not had very good experiences with Carnival lately, and they are living up to this expectation with my January cruise. I always book a balcony cabin, and while HAL was much more expensive, the cost between Carnival and RCCL has been within $100. The entertainment on the Pride this year was laughable - except for the comedian. If you enjoy bingo at $20 per game, then they had plenty of it. I had a gold bracelet "disappear" out of my stateroom - they "forgot" to tell us that our room was the thoroughfare for the workers and cleaning equipment when it came time to clean all the balconies! I couldnt get into my room for 45 minutes after breakfast. We received a $15 credit to be used on our next cruise! The next cruise I had booked a guarantee balcony cabin for 3 adults, having been told that you cannot book a 3 person cabin with only 2 people. Now I have a cabin for 2 adults and they will generously provide me with a rollaway bed to use! Traveling with my parents, (elderly) I will either sleep on the balcony or in the hall so they dont have to climb over me when they have to go to the bathroom 3 times during the night! According to Carnival I can "upgrade" to an outside cabin with large windows for only $111 extra. Other than that, they are sorry but that is the best they can do. I have talked to my ta, and she said that this is what you get when you take Carnival - RCCL will be my only choice from now on, unless I decide to try Celebrity or Princess. At least the customer service is better.

[Cuizer2]

unless I decide to try Celebrity or Princess. At least the customer service is better.

 

Celebrity and Princess have their problems with customer service also.

[MamaMicki]

Hello all,

I am a 35 yo female married with 2 small kids. I have been on 5 cruises and will be going on my first Carnival cruise in 10 days. We are going on the Miracle. I was one of the people who believed the sterotypical idea that Carnival was a drunk ship. I have been on HAL (2), Princess (2), and RCCL (1). I don't really have any real comparisons between the ships that really stood out except that actually, HAL was my favorite. Not in the areas of super fun or great nightlife, but in food and relaxation. I was pregnant on our last HAL cruise and it was wonderful. It was perfect for a pregnant woman. I loved the horse races and bingo.

Nightlife on RCCL was overrated. I went out a few nights and NOTHING was going on until after 11pm. Then the dance club finally started hopping, but it was time to go to bed about an hour later. Princess has really pretty ships, but really small rooms. RCCL interior stateroom was tiny. I am really looking forward to our Carnival cruise, I was kind of disappointed in our last cruise which was RCCL. THere wasn't any kind of wow factor. HAL could WOW you with food and ship layout and great service, Princess with decor, RCCL didn't really have any of that. If HAL had a great kids club I would never try another line, but we all know that's not likely. :D

I am hoping that Carnival will be a lot of fun and that my kids will be thrilled. I honestly never thought we would try Carnival, but I read so many great things about their kids club that I was sold. You give me happy little ones that are well taken care of and a good grilled cheese sandwich at 2am and I am satisfied. OK.. add 2 chocolate milks and a cookie and I am over the moon. I hope this has helped a bit. Happy New Year

[oulou]

I've been on RCL and Carnival. Our first Carnival experience was on the Pride and we as parents loved it, the kids really enjoyed it. Our second cruise was on Explorer of the Seas. While there are certainly more things to do on RCL, when our children went to enjoy the different activities, they were closed or the lines were so long it wasn't worth waiting to use them. As before when asked, we are on our third cruise this winter. When we took the poll on what line the children wanted to book our next cruise on, hands down it was carnival. And unfortunately for us, the price between the two was substantial. I would summarize at least 2-3,000 difference in Carnivals favor. The rooms were comparable although RCL's needed an overhaul. While yes the RCL ship was more subdued, it needed a massive renovation. I was highly disappointed in the service and food and the treatment of the children....awful. That didn't happen on Carnival. So that's where we're going this Winter...western Caribbean on Valor.. While they carry alot of people, wait until the new RCL ship comes out. It is supposed to carry twice the amount of people and take up two births when it docks. That is what we were told when we disembarked on Explorer of the Seas. All the porters see ahead is a nightmare when it comes to disembarking. Which I think was not as smooth as Carnival's.

 

But that's my opinion. And when it comes to the children having fun...I go where they are going to have the most fun and in this case it is Carnival hands down.

 

Have a happy new year.

[Beach4me]

I first look for ships that go where I want to go, then decide upon the line. I'm not a huge RCI fan but am booking the Jewel for Northern Europe because it offers the best itinerary/port times for what I am looking for. I have Princess booked for Hawaii for the same reason although I will say that I do like Princess and would not hesitate to book them for any itinerary.

 

IMO, Carnival has gotten 'baudier & gaudier' recently. Carnival seems to go in cycles...good - not so good - good... I used to cruise them quite often but then drifted away from them for a few years before returning to them full-force 3 years ago. I'm now heading in another direction after my upcoming Liberty cruise from many of the same reasons you mentioned, tuna.

 

I would skip vacation before ever cruising Celebrity (too pretentious for me in my experience with them) or NCL (too many reasons to go into) again.

 

Bottom line for me is that a couple hundred dollars one way or another isn't enough to make me book one cruise over another. I'd gladly spend the extra couple hundred for the best port times, etc.

[Cuizer2]

... wait until the new RCL ship comes out. It is supposed to carry twice the amount of people and take up two births when it docks. That is what we were told when we disembarked on Explorer of the Seas.

 

You better check to see if one of your legs is longer than the other, because the people who told you this were pulling your leg.

 

The Explorer is 1020 ft long and 157 ft wide. It holds 3114 (at 2 per cabin) and has a space ratio of 44.

 

The Freedom of the Seas is 1112 ft long (less than 100 ft longer) 184 ft wide (less than 30 ft wider) holds 3634 people (at 2 per cabin - 17% more people) and has a space ratio of 44 (same as Explorer).

 

It will not take up two births when it docks. Ships don't have babies. It also will not take up two berths when it docks.