So, We Tried RCI…

[peanutzmom]

After almost 20 years of being loyal Carnival customers, we got a really great deal on a really great itinerary on a really great ship through RCI for this Spring Break. We thought it would be fun and interesting to try another line, and the price was really great. I have to say, we were disappointed. First, the food was really lackluster - ranging from average to downright awful - even in the MDR. The buffets were pretty bad - we avoided them whenever possible. Second, the staff was less friendly and engaging, and a couple of times we had some minor issues with service. We’re not the kind of people who expect perfection - we are pretty much happy just to be on vacation - but a couple of incidents were pretty unprofessional. Finally, we had problems with our onboard charges - at least twice, we were charged for bar drinks we never ordered and had to stand in line at Guest Services to have it fixed. And Guest Services didn’t seem very apologetic about the incorrect charges once we brought it to their attention. 
 

None of it ruined our vacation. How can you NOT love spending time on the beautiful Caribbean islands? But for our next cruise, we will definitely come back home to Carnival!

[Illbcruzn4life]

15 minutes ago, peanutzmom said:

After almost 20 years of being loyal Carnival customers, we got a really great deal on a really great itinerary on a really great ship through RCI for this Spring Break. We thought it would be fun and interesting to try another line, and the price was really great. I have to say, we were disappointed. First, the food was really lackluster - ranging from average to downright awful - even in the MDR. The buffets were pretty bad - we avoided them whenever possible. Second, the staff was less friendly and engaging, and a couple of times we had some minor issues with service. We’re not the kind of people who expect perfection - we are pretty much happy just to be on vacation - but a couple of incidents were pretty unprofessional. Finally, we had problems with our onboard charges - at least twice, we were charged for bar drinks we never ordered and had to stand in line at Guest Services to have it fixed. And Guest Services didn’t seem very apologetic about the incorrect charges once we brought it to their attention. 
 

None of it ruined our vacation. How can you NOT love spending time on the beautiful Caribbean islands? But for our next cruise, we will definitely come back home to Carnival!

At least you tried it. Now your back home.

 

did you like the ship  or entertainment?

[Lane Hog]

Can I ask which ship?

We'd only cruised Carnival from 1997 up until a month ago when we tried RCL on Liberty out of Galveston.  I expected better, and will also twice about going again with them.

 

On the positive side, we found the MDR food to be quite good.  Indian and Asian food on the buffet was pretty good.  The rest of the buffet was average.  Crew were great.  And they had Coke products... 😉

On the downside... Live entertainment wasn't nearly as good, the in-room TV was abysmal (no PPV or movie channels?), and there simply weren't any comfy places to just park away from the noise and read a book or watch the sea go by.  No outdoor movies by the pool on our ship, which is probably the biggest disappointment compared to our past adventures on Carnival.
 

[Illbcruzn4life]

1 minute ago, Lane Hog said:

Can I ask which ship?

We'd only cruised Carnival from 1997 up until a month ago when we tried RCL on Liberty out of Galveston.  I expected better, and will also twice about going again with them.

 

On the positive side, we found the MDR food to be quite good.  Indian and Asian food on the buffet was pretty good.  The rest of the buffet was average.  Crew were great.  And they had Coke products... 😉

On the downside... Live entertainment wasn't nearly as good, the in-room TV was abysmal (no PPV or movie channels?), and there simply weren't any comfy places to just park away from the noise and read a book or watch the sea go by.  No outdoor movies by the pool on our ship, which is probably the biggest disappointment compared to our past adventures on Carnival.
 

They were on Allure

[JT1962]

Thanks for the review. We have been on 20 cruises on multiple lines, primarily Carnival & Royal Caribbean. We have found much more similarities than differences. We generally prefer the food & entertainment on Royal Caribbean, but love the comedy clubs on Carnival. We would gladly book either again and primarily book for itinerary & price rather than cruise line.

[lazydayz]

12 minutes ago, JT1962 said:

Thanks for the review. We have been on 20 cruises on multiple lines, primarily Carnival & Royal Caribbean. We have found much more similarities than differences. We generally prefer the food & entertainment on Royal Caribbean, but love the comedy clubs on Carnival. We would gladly book either again and primarily book for itinerary & price rather than cruise line.

We enjoy Carnival and Royal.  Generally like the vibe on Royal and love comedy on Carnival. 

[john91498]

That's the complete opposite of our experience on RCL.

 

The main reason we are at Carnival is because of the kid's programs and the Water Works. My kids hated RCL, so, we stay with Carnival.

[emm126]

41 minutes ago, john91498 said:

That's the complete opposite of our experience on RCL.

 

The main reason we are at Carnival is because of the kid's programs and the Water Works. My kids hated RCL, so, we stay with Carnival.

I agree about the kids clubs. I took my niece and nephews on many cruises. Their 1st was NCL, then RC and they thought RC club was better than NCL. Then we went on Carnival and that was it- they only wanted to cruise on Carnival. They probably enjoyed the ships more on RC, (Allure and Oasis) but overall it was Carnival. Worked out well for me because I get better Casino Deals on Carnival. 

[canyoncam]

1 hour ago, Lane Hog said:
On the downside... Live entertainment wasn't nearly as good, the in-room TV was abysmal (no PPV or movie channels?), and there simply weren't any comfy places to just park away from the noise and read a book or watch the sea go by.  No outdoor movies by the pool on our ship, which is probably the biggest disappointment compared to our past adventures on Carnival.
 

I cruise many lines and I actually find Carnival to have the least places to sit comfortably and quietly to watch the sea go by. I’m a big fan of the outdoor promenade deck (quiet ones-not the busy ones on the Dream and Vista class) where I spend most of my cruise time on RCI. Though I do admit I love Serenity seating, it’s just not the same as seeing the water so close from the promenade level.  
I enjoy the drink package better on RCI. I don’t find one or the other line has better food. I prefer the layout of most RCI ships. I prefer the pool deck and Serenity on Carnival. I prefer the decor on RCI (mostly-some is questionable). I prefer the cabin design better on Carnival but the colors better on RCI. The staff have been exceptional on both lines in all of my interactions. 

I will choose whichever has the better option for the next time or itinerary I wish to sail. 
All that having been said, Disney is my favorite cruise line. But even they lack in some cases. The great thing is there is a cruise for every cruiser or every specific cruise vacation. 

Edited March 29, 2022 by canyoncam
Change

[xDisconnections]

Sorry you didn’t enjoy Royal Caribbean. We prefer it over Carnival.

[tuxieloaf]

2 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

They were on Allure

That makes sense. From what I understand (based on family and friends), RC ships with more specialty dining options tend to have mediocre included dining. It tends to be better though on non-Oasis or non-Quantum class ships.

[Sillyjilly]

I"m with you 100%. Royal just doesn't do it for me. Food is pitiful and entertainment is so so. To each their own I guess for those who like Royal.

[Illbcruzn4life]

49 minutes ago, Sillyjilly said:

I"m with you 100%. Royal just doesn't do it for me. Food is pitiful and entertainment is so so. To each their own I guess for those who like Royal.

What do you consider entertainment? Certainly you don't mean the stage shows. You must be talking about the piano bars and little music they have being played around the ship, and of course lest we not forget the comedians on CCL ARE better.

[Ralphinsc]

We cruise both about equally and find that the MDR/Specialty food are better on Royal and the buffet/quick serve options are better on Carnival. The bars are better on Carnival (Alchemy being the prime example) but the overall drink package is a better deal on Royal. Carnival has absolutely got the piano bar and comedy side of the market covered and Royal has much better stage production shows. We find lots to get excited about, whether it is on RCCL or Carnival. I think both are excellent choices. Have two cruises apiece on each scheduled for this year.

[sparks1093]

We sailed on Anthem once because for once Royal was less than Carnival. We had a good time and found Royal to be much like Carnival in the things that matter to us. Food and service were comparable, cabins were comparable, entertainment on the whole was about the same with the noted exception of comedy. Anthem is the newest ship we've sailed and is one of our favorites because of that. I was nervous about sailing with that many people again (I used to be on an aircraft carrier in the Navy) but the ship rarely felt crowded. I want to go on one of their older ships to compare, but will only do so if the price is right. Royal is always quite a bit more than Carnival is when we are looking to book. We are planning our 2024 cruise and a number of Carnival's newest ships are on our radar for that and I look forward to sailing on them to see how much different they are than the older ships.

[peanutzmom]

Yes, we were on the Allure. As someone pointed out, we felt that there was a huge push to get people to eat at their six different specialty restaurants, so food at their complimentary dining areas was mediocre at best. Also, the availability was limited. There would be chunks of time when literally every dining area on the ship was closed, especially early morning (we’re early risers), mid-day, and late night. It wasn’t even the food that we were interested in. With all of the dining venues closed, we had no access to coffee, tea, water, and lemonade. We don’t do drink packages because we don’t drink enough to break even on them, so we depend on the complimentary beverage stations. Since there is a charge for room service, we couldn’t even contact them to bring us beverages.

 

There were definitely some pros - the three big shows were amazing! The Aqua Show, Ice Show, and Mama Mia musical all blew us away! Once we watched all three of them, though, we found the rest of the evening entertainment choices to be a bit lackluster. One thing in particular is that all of their evening music venues are right on top of each other in the Promenade, many of them “open air” style, so if (for example) we were trying to listen to the piano bar at the Schooner Bar, it was drowned out by the live samba music at Bolero, etc. Daytime activities on Sea Days were also lacking, and most of them were either for-fee or were trying to push you into buying things.

 

Another pro was the Solarium (adult only) area. It was much nicer than the Serenity areas on Carnival. And if our kids were still at home with us, they would have loved the free “extras” like the Flow Rider and the rock climbing wall. The young kids clubs, though, seemed more limited in my opinion, though we didn’t really pay that much attention since our kids are grown adults now.

 

Again, we still had a great time, and we would probably take another RCL cruise if the price and itinerary were right. But we’re definitely not going to “jump ship” and abandon Carnival based on this cruise.

Edited March 29, 2022 by peanutzmom

[sparks1093]

2 minutes ago, peanutzmom said:

 

Again, we still had a great time, and we would probably take another RCL cruise if the price and itinerary were right. But we’re definitely not going to “jump ship” and abandon Carnival based on this cruise.

This sums it up for us, as well. Royal wasn't "all that" as those loyal to the line claim and while it was a little bit better in some areas it is not worth the price differences we've seen. Once we've decided on an itinerary we generally go with the line that has the best price, which has been Carnival. Which is just fine with us.

[Drazil65]

We have been on 20 cruises on multiple lines, primarily Carnival & Royal Caribbean. We have found much more similarities than differences. We generally prefer the food & entertainment on Royal Caribbean, but love the comedy clubs on Carnival. We would gladly book either again and primarily book for itinerary & price rather than cruise line.

 

THIS...pretty much exactly how we feel, more similarities than not or at least the differences all balance out in the end when comparing.  Food seems to be better on RCL but the cabins are larger in general (at least the category we typically book), it really comes down to who is giving us the better deal most of the time.  

[Indytraveler83]

I've wanted to jump to RCL and try an Oasis class ship, but it's reviews like this that keep me coming back to Carnival.  It's hard when you can only cruise once (sometimes twice) a year to try something you aren't certain will be worth it.  

[cruisegirl1976]

We have been really loyal to Royal, but have sailed on NCL., we have sailed on Allure, Symphony and the Oasis.. loved them all, but it isn't for everyone, people have their own wants and needs for a vacation, to each their own, as long as I have that ocean breeze I am happy, now I am sailing Carnival for the 1st time next year on the Mardi Gras.. looking forward to that.. 🙂

[vp1]

Our thoughts having just completed a RCCL cruise (Anthem) a couple of weeks ago and having been on 20+ Carnival cruises...

 

1. Cabin - Balcony cabin on RCCL was much nicer than our balcony cabins on Carnival.  The outside door is a sliding door (which can be easily left open...), you walk out into the center of the balcony - chairs on either side.  The chairs recline and have foot rests that slide under the chairs when not used - much better than the set up on Carnival.  The shower had a clear plastic surround (not like the Carnival shower curtain that loves to give you hugs in the shower...).  The TV was bigger, newer and nicer and was on the wall opposite the bed - easy viewing. (A few more channels than Carnival, but still not "many" choices...)  Twice a day room service is still the RCCL norm - on our most recent Carnival cruises a couple of months ago we were told by the steward that, "...because of COVID..." they could only clean the room once a day... ?!

2. Dining - Our experience was that the RCCL main dining room food (we never ate in the specialty restaurants) was on par with Carnival.  The dining room itself was much nicer - not the cavernous space that is the norm on Carnival; RCCL dining rooms were much more "broken up" and quainter  (just our opinion).  Huge down-side with RCCL, however, is that with "anytime dining" you have to make a reservation on the app and, if you don't make your reservations as soon as you can (i.e., as soon as you walk on the ship day 1...), you may find, as we did, that trying to reserve a table for the same day only has options for late dining (8:15 or even later...); reserving on the RCCL app is more convenient than milling outside the restaurant and constantly re-checking your phone with anytime dining on Carnival, but frustrating when you'd like to sit down for an early dinner...  We thought the RCCL buffet was equal to Carnival  (maybe even a little better on RCCL); we had also purchased the soda package and having the self-serve Coke (!) machines around the ship made for super convenient re-filling of the insulated mugs they give you.

3. Entertainment - No comparison.  (We were on an Oasis-class RCCL ship that has a huge show room).  The production shows here were outstanding - 20+ performers with a live band of 8 or so musicians - Carnival's shows are a pale comparison.  The Two70 venue (at the aft of the ship) is an impressive show venue as well, though you need to be there early to get the relatively few seats with excellent views.

4. Casino - Carnival is much better here.  My sense is that RCCL doesn't really cater to a gambling crowd; all of the table games have $10 minimums, even though our sailing had just over 3,000 passengers, the casino was mostly empty except for a few hours after-dinner.  The table game payouts are also different than Carnivals - the casino experience is not a reason that I'd pick RCCL.

5. Overall experience - Our sense is that, if you're a fan of these mega-ships, Carnival is a pale comparison.  There were many lounges, bars, etc. that had much more character than the Carnival ships; a bigger variety of things to do on the pool deck, etc. (The center section of the pool deck can be covered with a retractable roof if the weather is poor.)  We did go to a bunch of the "activities" - Trivia is much better on Carnival, for example.  Also, there was a "necklace making" activity one day that my wife wanted to go to, (the same activity on a different cruise line a few weeks ago was totally free), the one on RCCL had a $7 "fee"... (we passed).

Our overall impression was that, if the price was comparable, we'd sail with RCCL again, but we're very happy with the current price point for our Carnival cruises (11 more coming up this year...)

[jimbo5544]

7 minutes ago, vp1 said:

Our thoughts having just completed a RCCL cruise (Anthem) a couple of weeks ago and having been on 20+ Carnival cruises...

 

1. Cabin - Balcony cabin on RCCL was much nicer than our balcony cabins on Carnival.  The outside door is a sliding door (which can be easily left open...), you walk out into the center of the balcony - chairs on either side.  The chairs recline and have foot rests that slide under the chairs when not used - much better than the set up on Carnival.  The shower had a clear plastic surround (not like the Carnival shower curtain that loves to give you hugs in the shower...).  The TV was bigger, newer and nicer and was on the wall opposite the bed - easy viewing. (A few more channels than Carnival, but still not "many" choices...)  Twice a day room service is still the RCCL norm - on our most recent Carnival cruises a couple of months ago we were told by the steward that, "...because of COVID..." they could only clean the room once a day... ?!

2. Dining - Our experience was that the RCCL main dining room food (we never ate in the specialty restaurants) was on par with Carnival.  The dining room itself was much nicer - not the cavernous space that is the norm on Carnival; RCCL dining rooms were much more "broken up" and quainter  (just our opinion).  Huge down-side with RCCL, however, is that with "anytime dining" you have to make a reservation on the app and, if you don't make your reservations as soon as you can (i.e., as soon as you walk on the ship day 1...), you may find, as we did, that trying to reserve a table for the same day only has options for late dining (8:15 or even later...); reserving on the RCCL app is more convenient than milling outside the restaurant and constantly re-checking your phone with anytime dining on Carnival, but frustrating when you'd like to sit down for an early dinner...  We thought the RCCL buffet was equal to Carnival  (maybe even a little better on RCCL); we had also purchased the soda package and having the self-serve Coke (!) machines around the ship made for super convenient re-filling of the insulated mugs they give you.

3. Entertainment - No comparison.  (We were on an Oasis-class RCCL ship that has a huge show room).  The production shows here were outstanding - 20+ performers with a live band of 8 or so musicians - Carnival's shows are a pale comparison.  The Two70 venue (at the aft of the ship) is an impressive show venue as well, though you need to be there early to get the relatively few seats with excellent views.

4. Casino - Carnival is much better here.  My sense is that RCCL doesn't really cater to a gambling crowd; all of the table games have $10 minimums, even though our sailing had just over 3,000 passengers, the casino was mostly empty except for a few hours after-dinner.  The table game payouts are also different than Carnivals - the casino experience is not a reason that I'd pick RCCL.

5. Overall experience - Our sense is that, if you're a fan of these mega-ships, Carnival is a pale comparison.  There were many lounges, bars, etc. that had much more character than the Carnival ships; a bigger variety of things to do on the pool deck, etc. (The center section of the pool deck can be covered with a retractable roof if the weather is poor.)  We did go to a bunch of the "activities" - Trivia is much better on Carnival, for example.  Also, there was a "necklace making" activity one day that my wife wanted to go to, (the same activity on a different cruise line a few weeks ago was totally free), the one on RCCL had a $7 "fee"... (we passed).

Our overall impression was that, if the price was comparable, we'd sail with RCCL again, but we're very happy with the current price point for our Carnival cruises (11 more coming up this year...)

Try the Mardi Gras

[fair-winds39]

We’ll take our 28th cruise in a few weeks on the Carnival Legend. For the last 10 years we’ve cruised with Carnival with one exception, and prior to that we tried NCL, RCCL, Celebrity, Home Lines & Cunard. It took much arm twisting for us to book with Carnival because we were, I’ll admit, a bit skeptical. But.....we had a great time, and have cruised with Carnival since then. In 2020 when we tried the Grandeur, we found it similar to Carnival. Thought the food was good, didn’t care for the layout of the buffet, liked the Junior suite, loved the Solarium. All in all it was a nice cruise. At this time in our cruising life we love leaving from Baltimore (driving distance), prices, etc. 
 

I think that when we started cruising in the 80’s, cruising was way different than it is today. It’s more family oriented. My feeling is each cruise line is about the same now. One that we probably wouldn’t try again is NCL. We didn’t like that at all. DH and I will most likely continue cruising with Carnival, but I may do a cruise from Bayonne with my sisters in 2023 on RCCL (their choice).

 

 

 

[katiel53]

4 hours ago, peanutzmom said:

Yes, we were on the Allure. Also, the availability was limited. There would be chunks of time when literally every dining area on the ship was closed, especially early morning (we’re early risers), mid-day, and late night. It wasn’t even the food that we were interested in. With all of the dining venues closed, we had no access to coffee, tea, water, and lemonade.

We have sailed on the Oasis class ships including Allure and I have to disagree with the above.  The Cafe Promenade is open 24 hours a day and they do have free (included) coffee and tea available all that time.  They also have small sandwiches, cookies and desserts.  In the morning they do have muffins and breakfast type food, albeit not eggs and bacon etc.  

 

 

[peanutzmom]

1 hour ago, katiel53 said:

We have sailed on the Oasis class ships including Allure and I have to disagree with the above.  The Cafe Promenade is open 24 hours a day and they do have free (included) coffee and tea available all that time.  They also have small sandwiches, cookies and desserts.  In the morning they do have muffins and breakfast type food, albeit not eggs and bacon etc.  

 

 

Perhaps that has changed due to COVID and/or short staffing, but it was not the case last week. It opened around 7am and closed at (I think) 10pm. The only thing open later was Sorrento’s and even that closed at either midnight or 1am (I can’t remember).