Best value for entertainment for cheap cruise with my sister.

[leight]

This will be my sisters first cruise and we need to keep costs low. I usually cruise RCI larger ships- love the games, activities and shows. Only did one Carnival cruise- a spring break booze cruise on Elation 7 years ago. I don't think it's a fair comparison, so trying to be positive and get advice on best bang for the buck. We plan to go Jan or Feb 2020 and I live in FL so we are thinking either Liberty out of port Canaveral (much more convenient) or Victory or Conquest out of Miami. Am I right to exclude the Paradise out of  Tampa because it's similiar to the Elation? We plan to do an interior room and no excursions so the activities on board and shows are pretty important. That was the biggest disappointment- the activities on elation seemed lame and the shows featured the same 3 singers and it seemed so much less professional then the RCI shows which I have always enjoyed. Which would you recommend and why? This is an important trip- first time my sister and I are going away alone together since we met- I was adopted and found my family - so we have only become close these past 5 yrs.-looking to really bond during this cruise. Thanks!

[PhillyFan33579]

The activities and shows are going to be pretty similar on all four ships you mentioned. Most people will agree that production shows are better on RCCL. Carnival always has multiple comedy shows on all of their ships. The comedians I have seen range from making me laugh so hard I was crying to leaving during the show. 

 

I would pick Liberty out of the four ships you mentioned. It is the newest of the ships you mentioned. Plus it is convenient for you per your comment. Liberty is one of my favorite Carnival ships. We are cruising on her later this month. I have cruised on all 4 ships you mentioned, and had a great time on every one. The challenge you face and already mentioned, it is difficult to compare RCCL oasis class ships to any Carnival ship, to include their newest Vista class ships. 

[Surrealistic]

I think you will be disappointed.  Things like ice skating, dodge cars, ifly, and North star don't exist on any Carnival ship.  Personally, a lounge chair & the ocean are all I need to be entertained, but if all the bells and whistles are important to you & your sister, spend the $ &  go on a larger RC ship. 

[leight]

50 minutes ago, Surrealistic said:

I think you will be disappointed.  Things like ice skating, dodge cars, ifly, and North star don't exist on any Carnival ship.  Personally, a lounge chair & the ocean are all I need to be entertained, but if all the bells and whistles are important to you & your sister, spend the $ &  go on a larger RC ship. 

We haven't been on the Oasis or higher class ships. Been on Voyager class 3 times and twice on Freedom. What I really enjoy are the shows, in particular the ice show but the production shows were a draw for me on RCI.We won't be doing any of the physical activities like climbing walls or flowrider- my husband always did that while I relaxed. I like the goofy game shows and wine tastings, towel animal class or behind the scene tours, are they available on Carnival? Just some things to break up the day because we wont be doing excursions.

[PhillyFan33579]

17 minutes ago, leight said:

We haven't been on the Oasis or higher class ships. Been on Voyager class 3 times and twice on Freedom. What I really enjoy are the shows, in particular the ice show but the production shows were a draw for me on RCI.We won't be doing any of the physical activities like climbing walls or flowrider- my husband always did that while I relaxed. I like the goofy game shows and wine tastings, towel animal class or behind the scene tours, are they available on Carnival? Just some things to break up the day because we wont be doing excursions.

 

There usually isn’t a lot of activity on the ship on port days. There might be some trivia games going on, but the ship is pretty quiet since the majority of people are off the ship. Personally I enjoy staying on the ship when at a port I have been to several times already. Plenty of room/seats by the pools or in the Serenity area. No lines at any bar. Little to no lines for water slides and other outdoor activities, depending on the ship. 

Edited May 1, 2019 by PhillyFan33579

[ZoeyVictoria]

Have you considered Brilliance of the Seas out of Tampa?  I went with my sister in early February and had a great girls' trip.

[Tapi]

I believe that you have to place things into perspective before you even choose to take this cruise. You say that this is a very important cruise for you and your sister. But you’re going cheap due to budget considerations which is why you’re choosing a short Carnival Cruise. 

 

First of all, I believe that no matter what you select, you will have a wonderful time just because you’ll be spending time with your sister. But you need to adjust your expectations. A short Carnival Cruise will most likely not live up to what you’re used to on Royal, specially if you’ve been sailing their newer and larger ships. All the ships that you have pinpointed will be a step up over the Elation in terms of facilities, but some things, like cuisine, entertainment, and customer service are pretty consistent across the Carnival fleet, no matter what ship you’re on. Unfortunately,  Carnival has further cheapened the stage entertainment and spread the crew members a bit too thin which has impacted negatively the overall experience.  Also, selecting a shorter cheap cruise means that it will most likely have more of a raucous atmosphere, with fellow cruisers drawn by the short length and cheaper prices. 

 

I have sailed on Liberty twice (first time when she was just a few months old and was Carnival’s flagship). She’s an “older gal” now, but I have absolutely wonderful memories from both cruises and I believe that she may provide a better transition from what you’re used to on Royal. All 3 ships listed are Joe Farcus designed ships (Carnival’s former interior designer of the 90’s and early 00’s) which means that all have a wilder, crazier and bolder decor, but I found the Liberty to be tamest one in comparison. 

 

No matter which one you pick, focus on your reasons to go on this cruise which is to have a great time with your sister. Go with an open mind, embrace the differences, avoid making comparisons with Royal, let your sister decide for herself whether she likes it or not, and if both of you decide that Carnival isn’t for you after you take this cruise, then let her know about what you’ve experienced on other cruise lines to give both of you something to look forward to in the future. 

Edited May 1, 2019 by Tapi

[ricew001]

We are about to do our third trip on Victory out of Miami. Personally I'd be elated to have another trip with my sister (we did a short trip on Carnival Fascination in 2004) - we'd sleep late, eat in all the places we could, play trivia, hit the spa, hang out on Serenity, try Alchemy, see the shows, get our pics done, go to the Piano Bar and listen to live music anywhere, dance on the lido, attend the sail away parties, and just enjoy our time together. Even not getting off the ship provides so much opportunity to do things together that you don't get to do on land with jobs and life interferring!

 

And the fact that you just found each other is what's most important. I'm 10 years older than my sister so it was later in life when we were able to do trips together that were age appropriate for both of us.

 

Also, what if you chose one important excursion that meant a lot to both of you? Some of our excursions have been the highlight of our trip.

 

Just some food for thought.

[Carolina Girl 99]

You might try something like RC Mariner of the Seas- it was just Amped and had a lot of new things added. It does alternating 3 and 4 night itineraries out of Port Canaveral and while not as big as the Oasis class ships- it has a lot of similar concepts. I booked 3 balcony cabins , with 2 passengers in each for $989/cabin going Feb 10, 2020

[KmomChicago]

I have to agree with a lot of the comments. As some of the others, I like Carnival fine, but we all get the idea you don't, since you went on one and your comments are clear that you have liked RC much more.  Jan-mid-Feb is off season so you should be able to get good prices.  Stick with what you like. 

 

I used to notice that the Adler Planetarium in Chicago was getting a lot of bad reviews.  They were almost all from people who bought one of those multi-attraction city tickets and were visiting everything included to get the max value.  Several were saying things like, "I hated this place, space is so boring, why would anyone like this?" In other words, they would hate any planetarium or space museum.  Why did they bother to go to something they know they don't like?

 

Your initial post is just screaming: No Carnival.  Do or die for RC High!

 

Now if you are really just mostly interested in quality time with your sister, none of this matters. All cruise ships are floating resorts.  They wouldn't still be in business if they were really terrible. If you just want to float around as cheap as possible for a few days, and you are trying to meet her budget, then pick the cheapest stateroom in the cheapest of the options and focus on what really matters about spending this time together.  If it's a booze cruise, just steer clear of those people. 

Edited May 2, 2019 by KmomChicago

[Ellaleah]

I have been in 1 Carnival and 3 RCL.  I have just booked a Carnival for my daughter and grandchildren because I think that the food on Carnival is much better than RCL.  If my focus was on entertainment, I would’ve booked RCL because the entertainment on all 3 of my RCL Cruises was far superior to what I saw on Carnjval. 

[DramaQueen22]

The Victory is a great option for you.  Fairly affordable itinerary to Key West and Cozumel on the 4 day run.  There were plenty of options for fun and entertainment onboard.  Cruise Director Felipe is a blast.  The ship is easy to navigate.  I loved my trip in September.

[Qchell]

The Carnival Liberty is my favorite ship so far.  I loved her layout, her decor, everything.  We had a marvelous time when we sailed her and I would book a cruise on her in a heartbeat.  

As for entertainment, my DH and I actually enjoy the shows now more than we enjoyed the shows when we first started cruising in 2010.  For years we skipped them because they were just boring.  The last few cruises we have been purposefully looking for them and ensuring we watched them.  We also very much enjoy the live music and comedy club, so we stay fairly entertained most cruises in the evening, and I love the deck parties at night.  During the day I am always happy with a book, curled up in a chair on deck listening to the music and peeking up at the antics of various deck games from time to time.  Fabulous de-stressing time!  

I've never cruised another line, but have seen the commercials and ads with all the fancy shows.  If that is what you are looking for, I agree with the others, you are not going to find it on Carnival.  

[SNJCruisers]

On 5/1/2019 at 8:21 PM, Carolina Girl 99 said:

You might try something like RC Mariner of the Seas- it was just Amped and had a lot of new things added. It does alternating 3 and 4 night itineraries out of Port Canaveral and while not as big as the Oasis class ships- it has a lot of similar concepts. I booked 3 balcony cabins , with 2 passengers in each for $989/cabin going Feb 10, 2020

Have to concur.  The Mariner would be a better bet for bang for your buck for a 4 day out of PC versus any of the Carnival choices.  Plus, you'll be stopping at the refurbished Coco Cay.  https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cococay-cruises?icid=hpnwbt_conten_prf_hm_banner_2371

Plus the ship is 25% larger than the Carnival choices.

[Joebucks]

It seems as if the games, activities, and shows were the most important thing to you next to the cost, I'd probably go with the Mariner if I were you.

 

Someone said they got the Mariner in Feb 2020 with balcony room for $1000. Not that I'm calling them a liar. However, booking that right now comes to $1400. Meanwhile, the Liberty comes in nearly $900 for balcony, same duration, similar itinerary.

[bbtbear]

I just went on my first cruise with my sister on the Carnival Dream in Feb/March. I have to say that even though we found some of the stage shows to be pretty goofy (the 80s show, for example), we had a GREAT time laughing and singing along, regardless. Something doesn't have to be amazing or impressive to be a ton of fun. Bring the party with you and enjoy yourselves. We also loved the piano bar (went there twice) and the comedy club (went there 3 times) and the dive in movies (saw 2 of them) and the deck parties (went to two of them). We enjoyed the live music acts, too. There is just so much to do. If it is really important to you to be wowed by really quality entertainment, maybe a Carnival cruise isn't the best option for you. But I can report first hand that a Carnival cruise can be an opportunity to have a ridiculous amount of fun with your sister if you just embrace it for what it is and embrace your opportunity to spend so much time one-on-one with someone so special to you. That's really the important part. Everything else is just details. Enjoy!

[Carolina Girl 99]

On 5/3/2019 at 9:20 AM, Joebucks said:

Someone said they got the Mariner in Feb 2020 with balcony room for $1000. Not that I'm calling them a liar. However, booking that right now comes to $1400. Meanwhile, the Liberty comes in nearly $900 for balcony, same duration, similar itinerary.

 

I found the rate through a large online TA when I was searching for a cruise- I sent a screenshot to my personal TA and she was able to match the fare for me through a group booking rate, plus I got $50 promotional OBC. Plenty of cabins still left at that rate

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, Carolina Girl 99 said:

 

I found the rate through a large online TA when I was searching for a cruise- I sent a screenshot to my personal TA and she was able to match the fare for me through a group booking rate, plus I got $50 promotional OBC. Plenty of cabins still left at that rate

It's a moot point since the OP wants a rock bottom cheap cruise.  This implies an inside cabin.  A four day cruise in a balcony cabin for 1000 does not jibe up with that.